"Bocchi-chan, congratulations on your first successful performance." Jhin's voice made Hitori Gotoh, who was slumped in a cardboard box, jolt and scramble out.
"Whoa, he actually revived Miss Gotoh." Nijika Ijichi looked on in disbelief. Just who was this guy?
"Hello, you two. I'm Bocchi's... I mean, Hitori's friend."
"I'm the drummer, Nijika Ijichi."
"Bass, Ryo Yamada."
"By the way, Bocchi-chan... it's a surprisingly fitting nickname for Miss Gotoh. Can we call her that too?"
"You'll have to ask her yourself."
"Hee hee hee..." Hearing more people call her by her nickname, Hitori Gotoh was immersed in happiness.
"Looks like that's a yes." Nijika Ijichi couldn't quite understand why someone would be so happy about being called by a nickname. Could it be the same principle as Ryo getting happy when people call her a weirdo?
"I bought this cake on the way to congratulate you on your successful stage debut." Jhin placed the cake on the table and patted Hitori Gotoh's head. "Bocchi-chan, you've worked really hard. Let's aim for you not having to perform inside a mango box next time, okay?"
"Okay." Hitori Gotoh had been a little dejected for performing full of mistakes inside a cardboard box in front of her boyfriend, but with a pat on the head from Jhin, her bad mood vanished without a trace.
"This guy is amazing. He's taming Bocchi-chan with superb skill, like an animal trainer," Ryo Yamada whispered to Nijika.
"Don't put it in such a weird way." Although Nijika agreed with Ryo's assessment, she still had some issues with her choice of words.
After the four of them finished the cake, Nijika had wanted to strike while the iron was hot and practice a bit more, but Bocchi-chan's HP bar was already empty and she just wanted to go home. Ryo Yamada was also dozing off, so they had to call it a day, agreeing to meet at STARRY after school tomorrow.
Jhin took Bocchi-chan home, then pulled out his phone to check the video he'd recorded of Kessoku Band's debut performance from below the stage. "Heh heh, I can use this video to tease them later."
Jhin returned to his apartment and saw an unidentified lump lying in front of his door. He pressed his hand to his throbbing head. "Gabriel, why are you lying in front of my door?"
"I'm... staaarving..." Gabriel said, her voice drawn out and full of resentment.
"I thought you already got your living allowance for this month. Don't tell me you spent it all on in-game purchases again?"
"I was planning to come over to your place for a free meal, but who knew you'd be back so late."
"So you've just been lying here in front of my door this whole time?"
"Yeah. Because you were inexplicably not home, and I hadn't eaten dinner, so I was too hungry to move." Gabriel sounded perfectly justified, as if she'd done nothing wrong.
"Sigh, I guess it's my fault then." Jhin couldn't win an argument against a Gabriel who had completely abandoned any sense of shame. He bent down and picked her up. "The floor is so dirty, and you just lie down on it. You don't act like a girl at all."
"Hmph, I'm an angel. No matter what, I'm a beautiful being," Gabriel said proudly, puffing out her completely flat chest.
"Hm?" Leaning in Jhin's arms, Gabriel's nose twitched as she sniffed the air, then she frowned and asked, "Why do you smell like perfume?"
You're wearing her perfume, a crime my nose has committed~
Jhin almost sang it out loud. He figured it must have been from bumping into someone in the crowd during the performance. "I went to see Bocchi-chan's first show."
"Bocchi-chan? Oh, that person who plays guitar."
"Her name is Hitori Gotoh. Weren't you always at the Problem Child Countermeasures Club watching us practice guitar? How can you not even remember her name."
If the atmosphere between you two wasn't so suspicious, why would I come to the Problem Child Countermeasures Club every day to watch you practice!
Gabriel puffed up her cheeks, a little angry. "It's too much trouble. I'd rather memorize the names of game equipment."
Tossing Gabriel onto the bed, Jhin decided to cook some noodles for the fallen angel.
"Be a little gentler with an angel, you brute," Gabriel mumbled, rolling over to lie on her stomach, crossing her legs in the air with particular contentment.
Looking at Gabriel, who was only wearing a tracksuit jacket, her dazzling, flawless, jade-like legs swaying back and forth, the hem of her rolled-up jacket revealing an eye-catching curve with every movement, Jhin almost forgot he was going to cook noodles. He bit the tip of his tongue, and the pain brought him back to his senses, making him hurry into the kitchen.
What he didn't know was that after he ran into the kitchen, the seemingly oblivious Gabriel's delicate ear tips turned a shade of pink. How could she, as an angel, not have noticed Jhin's fiery gaze just now, like a big bad wolf staring at a little rabbit?
Gabriel, who had always seen Jhin as a good friend, and more recently as a buddy who could keep her fed, now clearly realized the fact that he was also a normal boy.
A trace of joy she herself hadn't noticed welled up in her heart. Gabriel feigned nonchalance as she sat up, smoothing out the rolled-up hem of her jacket.
"There aren't many ingredients at home, so let's just make do with some noodles for now." Although they had eaten at STARRY, the small snacks and cake weren't enough to fill up a guy, so Jhin cooked a bowl of noodles for himself as well.
Maintaining a calm expression, Gabriel sat down at the dining table. Her rumbling stomach and the steaming, fragrant noodles quickly made her forget what had just happened. She picked up her chopsticks and began slurping down the noodles noisily.
Watching Gabriel start to eat, Jhin, who as always found her presence made his meal more enjoyable, smiled and picked up his own chopsticks to begin eating.
...
The next morning, Vignette, curious about her friend's recent unusual school attendance, arrived early outside Gabriel's house, just in time to see Jhin dragging a reluctant Gabriel out of her home.
"Eh?" Completely unprepared to see Gabriel being led by the hand by a boy, Vignette's eyes went blank, with a "Who am I? Where am I?" expression.
"Vignette?!" Gabriel's voice shot up several decibels. She had no idea what had possessed Vignette to come looking for her.
"Ga-Ga-Ga... Gabriel!" A lightning bolt flashed through Vignette's mind. Thinking of a certain possibility, she raised a trembling hand and pointed at Jhin. "You're not... living with a boy, are you?"
"Of course not! Don't slander my good name out of thin air," Gabriel immediately denied.
Living with Jhin? What a joke. Hmm... on second thought, it doesn't sound so bad.
The thought of Jhin doing her laundry, cooking, and cleaning while she just idled away her days playing games if they lived together... Gabriel had to admit, she was a little tempted.
"Then..." Just as Vignette was about to say something else, a dark, multi-legged creature with antennae entered her line of sight, rushing towards her from Gabriel's room at an astonishing speed.
"Don't come near me!" Terrified by the cockroach, Vignette screamed, raising a trident that appeared in her hands. Black lightning followed the swing of her weapon, turning Gabriel's room and the roach into ashes.
"Ah..." Gabriel hadn't expected Vignette to suddenly use her demonic powers in front of Jhin. For a moment, she had no idea how to explain it to him.
Coming back to her senses, Vignette, now sporting her unique demonic horns and holding the trident, stared blankly at Jhin.
"An angel and a demon... it's a wonder you two can be friends." Jhin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Although he knew Gabriel was too lazy to clean her room, he never imagined it had gotten to the point of breeding cockroaches. Luckily, the attack hadn't instinctively included him, or he'd be dead.
"Eh?" Now both Gabriel and Vignette were completely stunned. Why did Jhin know their true identities?
"Did I not tell you?" Jhin pointed to his eyes. "I can faintly see your hidden wings. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"You should have said so from the beginning!" Gabriel thought about all the times she'd used her status as an angel to get him to do things for her, assuming he didn't know. She was too embarrassed to even look at Jhin.
"You didn't really think anyone would believe all those requests you made in the name of being an angel, did you?" Jhin watched the mortified Gabriel with amusement. Serves you right for always making ridiculous demands using your angel status.
That's a relief. It seems he's a good person.
Vignette patted her chest in relief. Since he was someone special who could see through their identities from the start, she wouldn't have to worry about being punished. Her pitiful living allowance wouldn't have to go on another diet.
____
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