Max was sent back to a couple of days before he was supposed to meet Charlie and Vaggie.
Just enough time to get everything in order.
And Max intended to use every second of it.
But first—
He had an idea.
"God," Max said aloud, stretching slightly. "Can you send me to the vault real quick? I need to grab something."
Without warning, reality shifted.
A second later, Max was standing inside Heaven's Vault.
Rows upon rows of holy relics stretched farther than the eye could see. Weapons, crowns, scrolls, armor, broken wings, sacred tools, blessed gems, and artifacts pulsing with divine energy lined endless shelves and floating displays.
The moment he arrived, Max visibly twitched.
"Oh wow…"
He scratched at his arm.
"So this is what having fleas feels like."
Every inch of the place irritated him.
The holy energy crawled across his skin like static and made his instincts scream. For a demon or sinner, this place would have been unbearable.
Possibly fatal.
Max forced himself forward.
"Let's see if it's here…"
He walked directly toward a specific section.
A massive collection of halos.
Some were pristine.
Some cracked.
Some dim.
Some still glowing brightly.
Most belonged to angels who had died, fallen, or been stripped of rank over the centuries.
Max began searching through them carefully.
"This would be easier if everything here didn't feel like sandpaper."
Minutes passed.
Then finally—
"Ah."
He reached forward carefully.
"There you are."
A halo floated gently above his palm.
Vaggie's halo.
He stared at it for a moment.
Then reached into his coat and pulled out a small vial Roo had given him long ago.
He uncorked it carefully.
One single drop fell onto the halo.
The liquid spread instantly, coating the entire ring in crimson light. The bright gold shifted into a deep radiant red.
Then letters etched themselves along the inside.
Vaggie
Max smiled.
"Nice."
He then pulled out the enchanted eye he had created earlier.
With a pulse of magic, it fused seamlessly into the halo.
The artifact hummed softly, becoming something entirely new.
"Perfect gift for Vaggie."
He tucked it away carefully.
"Later, of course."
"Now something for Charlie… then the others…"
A shrill alarm suddenly blared through the vault.
Max blinked.
"…Ah."
Then vanished instantly.
He reappeared back in Hell inside his apartment.
His lease had only a couple of days left.
Convenient timing.
Max rubbed his hands together.
"Alright."
"Gift time."
He spent the next several hours crafting things for each of the girls in his life.
Not generic gifts.
Personal ones.
Thoughtful ones.
Things that showed he actually paid attention.
For Bee, he assembled a luxurious basket filled with exotic sweets, candies, pastries, and rare snacks from the human world.
Every flavor chosen carefully.
Sweet, rich, indulgent.
Perfect for her.
For Millie, he forged a special battle axe inspired by Leviathan from God of War from his old universe.
Balanced for real combat, but elegant enough to be admired.
For Verosika, he created a custom bottle of Beelzejuice.
Beautiful crystal glass.
Silver trim.
Lavish decoration.
Honestly more style than function—but very her.
For Loona, he built a custom smartphone.
Military-grade secure.
Self-updating anti-spyware.
Auto-cleansing against magical tracking.
Any spyware or magic from the Vees would be purged instantly the moment it got near the device.
"For my paranoid queen," he muttered.
For Poppi, he made a bouquet of poppies.
Except every flower was secretly a bomb.
He nodded proudly.
"She'll love those."
And finally—
For Charlie…
He made a stuffed wolf pup.
Soft black and red fur.
Bright little eyes.
It looked exactly like the form he used when he was her childhood imaginary friend.
Tucked gently in the plushie's mouth was something even more important.
A family photo.
One Max had secretly managed to take and preserve—Charlie, Lucifer, Lilith… together.
Happy.
Before everything became complicated.
Max stared at it for a moment.
Then carefully packed it away.
"…Yeah."
"She'll cry."
He sat back and looked over the mountain of gifts.
"Perfect."
Now came the hard part.
The dates.
Max opened a notebook and began listing possible locations.
Fancy restaurants.
Private rooftops.
Secret gardens.
Protected hideaways.
He crossed out half of them immediately.
"Too obvious."
"Too dangerous."
"Too trashy."
"Definitely cursed."
He groaned.
"Why is planning dates harder than fighting Overlords?"
Especially with someone like Bee.
She'd seen everything.
Expected chaos.
And got bored easily.
Then suddenly—
Max sat upright.
"…Wait."
He grinned.
"I delay the dates until after I meet Charlie and Vaggie."
He started writing quickly.
"I get a room at the hotel."
"Ask to use the kitchen."
"Cook dinner myself."
"One private dinner date at a time."
He leaned back, pleased.
Show them he cared.
Show them he put effort in.
Show them he loved them instead of using them.
Simple.
Powerful.
Personal.
"Yeah…"
He smiled.
"That'll work."
Max looked around the apartment one last time.
Everything was falling into place.
Now he just needed the next chapter to begin.