Chapter 107: Trembling Vigne
"There are only two days left before the exam, studying is far more important than gaming!" Vigne scolded, her voice filled with righteous fury as her twin tails shook with frustration.
"B-but I can't betray my teammates' trust!" Gabriel protested dramatically, clutching her fist close to her chest. "They've entrusted their backs to me! For that trust, even if I must march through fire and storm, I shall not falter!"
Ah yes, the nation truly owes you the 'National Best Teammate' award.
"Besides, there are still two whole days left to study, right? That's plenty of time!" Gabriel said smugly, grabbing a snack as she spoke.
"Gabi-chan…" Vigne's voice suddenly dropped into a cold, quiet tone that could freeze lava.
"Eh?"
"I'll kill you."
"Got it!" Gabriel immediately broke into a nervous laugh, wiping sweat off her forehead. Her eyes darted from side to side like a cornered animal. "I-I'll just… call the guy next door to help with the raid, okay?"
A few seconds later, the sound of the doorbell echoed through the corridor.
"What is it now?" Kouya muttered, opening the door while holding a drink can.
"You're free, right?" Gabriel asked with her sweetest fake smile. "If you're not busy, can you help me clear a dungeon? Just a little bit?"
"No."
"Please! The raid already started! Without me—the healer—the team will explode!" she pleaded, pressing her palms together like she was in prayer. "I'll buy you lunch tomorrow! Promise!"
Under her relentless pestering, Kouya finally sighed in defeat. "Fine. But only one run."
When he entered Gabriel's room, he found Vigne and the others seated around the table, buried in textbooks and notes. The sight of everyone so focused made him feel slightly out of place.
The girls waved at him as he came in.
"Kouya," Vigne said, narrowing her eyes, "after helping Gabi-chan, you'd better go back and review too."
"Brave hero!" Rikka exclaimed dramatically, standing up with her arm raised as if casting a spell.
"Hmph! My foolish servant, heed the words of your mistress!" Satania declared proudly, pointing her finger at Kouya.
"Stop chatting and hurry up!" Gabriel barked, already clicking through the game menu.
Kouya took the chair at the computer. He'd played this MMORPG before—back when Gabriel dragged him into it. It wasn't PvP but a grindy team-based dungeon crawler. Though he hadn't played in months, the basic controls came back to him quickly.
Soon, the room was filled with a calm rhythm: the soft click of keys, the scratching of pens, and the faint sound of rain against the window. The fluorescent light bathed everything in a pale glow, creating an oddly cozy mood.
But that peace shattered almost immediately.
"Vigne, Vigne! What's this question?! I can't understand a single thing!" Satania whined loudly, waving her workbook.
"Hmm? Oh, it's about equations and inequalities, right?" Vigne leaned over patiently and started explaining, guiding Satania through each step with infinite patience.
When she turned around, she spotted Rikka hunched over her notebook, scribbling with intense focus.
"Rikka, you're working so hard!" Vigne smiled softly—until her expression froze.
"Wait—what are you drawing?!"
Rikka pressed one hand to her eyepatch, voice low and serious. "It's a hexagram used to communicate with entities of the abyss..."
What the hell! Why would you draw that on your math notebook?!
Is that some kind of ancient dark-magic function?!
Rikka extended her right hand dramatically over the drawing. "O spirits of the abyss, hear my plea! Form a contract with me and devour these cursed problems! Ah! Ow, ow, ow!"
Vigne's face twitched as she yanked Rikka's hand away. "Study properly! And stop defiling your textbook with nonsense!"
Meanwhile, Gabriel quietly crept up behind Kouya, peeking at his screen.
"Tch, not bad—you've gotten better since I taught you."
"Hey! The fallen holy cat's about to die! Heal it already!"
"You idiot, you're support! Stop focusing on damage!"
"…"
Kouya turned his head slightly. "Play it yourself."
A support who didn't want to heal was no better than a paperweight.
"Hmph! Fine, I'll do it myself!" Gabriel puffed up her cheeks. But just as she sat down, a deep, chilling voice cut through the air.
"Gabi-chan…"
"Here!" Gabriel froze instantly, posture stiff as a board. "Sitting too long makes you sore, so I was just… exercising! Yeah, that's it!"
Exercise, my ass—you've barely studied for ten minutes!
On the other hand, Raphiel sat gracefully nearby, sipping fruit juice as she flipped through her notes, serene as ever.
Minutes passed. Satania raised her hand again. "Vigne! I'm hungry!"
"It's only been half an hour! How can you be hungry already?!" Vigne cried.
"Eh? But it feels like hours… Time flows so slowly in the realm of study…" Satania sighed, collapsing onto the desk like a dying fish.
"Vigne, I'm hungry too," Gabriel chimed in lazily.
Vigne sighed deeply, her patience thinning. "Fine. I'll pour everyone some tea."
She stood up, grabbing a cloth to tidy the mess. She wiped crumbs off the desk and tossed them into the garbage bag by the door. Everything seemed peaceful again—until—
"Ahhhhh!!!"
A piercing scream tore through the room.
"Vigne?!" The girls jumped in shock.
Vigne was trembling, backing away until she bumped straight into Kouya's chest.
From behind the fallen garbage bag, a huge black cockroach darted out, charging directly toward her.
"D-don't come near me!" The usually composed Vigne was pale as a sheet, her voice shaking like a frightened child. She looked less like a demon and more like a helpless bunny.
And then—the cockroach spread its wings.
Vigne screamed again and leapt into Kouya's arms. "Don't let it come near me! Kill it!"
Oh for crying out loud!
You're a demon! Show some dignity!
Your entire race's pride is on the line, and you're screaming over a cockroach?!
"Smack!"
Kouya grabbed a nearby mouse pad and slammed it down hard, crushing the bug instantly.
Vigne let out a trembling sigh of relief. "T-thank goodness… I thought I was going to die…"
Why do such horrifying creatures even exist in this world?! Just seeing one almost made her summon her trident and annihilate the entire apartment.
Her soft, uneven breathing brushed against Kouya's neck, warm and ticklish. A delicate fragrance of her shampoo filled the air between them, making the moment strangely awkward.
Kouya frowned. "How long are you planning to hold on?"
"Eh?!" Vigne blinked rapidly, realizing what she was doing. She jumped away like she'd been electrocuted, her face beet red. "N-nothing happened! Forget it right now!"
Forget it? Yeah, good luck with that.
The ever-serious Vigne, screaming like that—it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
She bit her lip, hugging her arms tightly. "Gabi-chan! Why does your room have such terrifying monsters in it?!"
"It's just a cockroach. Every house has them," Gabriel said casually. "You just step on them."
"J-just clean it up! Now!" Vigne turned away, refusing to look.
Raphiel tilted her head thoughtfully, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Oh, but I once read that if you see one, there are probably dozens more hiding where you can't see them~"
Vigne went pale again, trembling all over. "W-we can't stay here! We have to get out right now!"
"But we just started studying," Raphiel said innocently. "Leaving already?"
"Then we're going to Kouya's room! Right now!"