Chapter 253: Sketch Class
"...H-Hungry?!"
Hearing Raphiel's reply, Machiko almost choked on her own breath.
It felt like watching a horror movie, only for the ghost crawling out from under the bed to have a goofy clown face—who wouldn't want to punch that?
The black-haired girl with long straight hair looked slightly resentful, only to meet Raphiel's delighted gaze. Startled, she quickly looked down and tried to walk away, but Raphiel suddenly appeared behind her.
"Machiko-chan, good morning."
The girl trembled. "Sh-Shiraha-san, g-good morning!"
"Let's go to class together?" Raphiel smiled cheerfully.
"N-no, that's okay!" Machiko quickly shook her head.
Raphiel showed a pitiful, abandoned expression. "Aren't we best friends?"
"Eh? Best friends?"
Machiko looked confused—until she saw Raphiel press her palms together as her body glowed. "When you were working as a maid at the café, I even helped you change clothes! Of course, we're best friends!"
The black-haired girl instantly recalled the terror of that day under Raphiel's control, screamed, and ran away.
Kouya stood nearby, face dark with exasperation.
'No wonder she runs from you like a mouse from a cat—you've traumatized her! You're the real school delinquent here, not that fallen angel!'
...
The fourth period was art class. Today's lesson was figure sketching. Students paired up to draw portraits of each other. Vigne teamed with Gabriel, while Kouya paired with Rikka.
And then…
Machiko sighed helplessly.
"Why…"
She held her left arm horizontally, resting her right elbow on it, and touched her forehead with a finger.
"Why do I have to pose like this embarrassing statue?!"
Because no one wanted to team up with Satania, as class rep, she had no choice but to volunteer. But Satania said sitting normally gave her no inspiration—only a superior pose like this could ignite her creative spirit…
"So embarrassing! I just want to crawl into a hole and disappear!"
"Next time, I'm never teaming up with Satania again. I'd rather work with Kouya—at least he wouldn't make me pose like this…"
While she was ranting internally, Satania suddenly spoke, her voice serious.
"Take off your clothes!"
Machiko: "What?"
"That's not happening…" Black lines dropped down her forehead.
"Class rep!"
Before she could finish, Satania cut her off.
The red-haired idiot held her drawing board solemnly. "As an artist, I have my dignity! I won't compromise my masterpiece for anyone!"
'When did she become an artist? Why has no one heard about this before?'
Machiko hesitated. "But she… actually sounds serious. Maybe she really means it?"
"If that's the case, I should at least cooperate a little. I can't crush a young girl's dream of becoming a painter." The black-haired girl took a deep breath. "A-all right then…"
She placed her hands on the buttons of her blouse, ready to undo one, and then—
"Not the top, the bottom. The bottom!" Satania tapped her drawing board with her pen.
"Eh?" The girl's eyes widened. She quickly grabbed her skirt, face turning bright red. "No way! I already worked up all my courage for the top! Nobody else poses this shamelessly for a drawing!"
"What? You're saying my superior pose is shameless?" Satania gawked.
"It is!"
"My artistic pride… trampled like this…" Satania drooped like a wilted eggplant.
"N-no!" Machiko swallowed nervously. "If she gives up on drawing because of me, that'd be too cruel…"
"U-um," Machiko sighed, giving in. "Even if you want to draw, you can't do it here with so many people around…"
Satania looked up, eyes sparkling. "So if we were alone, you would strip?"
"Of course not!" Machiko nearly exploded. "Who said I'd strip?! The most I'd take off is my jacket and skirt!"
From nearby, Vigne twitched her mouth as a drop of sweat slid down her temple. "The class rep really has it tough…"
Gabriel didn't even lift her head. "Being paired with Satania… yeah, that's rough."
"Still, she's impressively patient. A true national-class class rep," Vigne said, then turned. "Hey, Gabi-chan, how's your drawing coming along?"
"Almost done. Not bad…" Gabriel lazily replied.
"Let me see." Vigne leaned over expectantly—then her face froze.
"Why did you only draw a close-up of my hair clip?"
"Because…" Gabriel tilted her head. "It looks nice?"
Just then, Rikka's voice rang out in amazement.
"Wow! You're amazing, Hero!"
Machiko and Satania turned toward the sound.
Kouya's sketch of Rikka looked so alive it felt like she could step off the page. Even her little ahoge was perfectly drawn. There was a spark of liveliness to it—as if, at any moment, the girl on the page might mischievously smile.
"I want one too!" Satania's eyes lit up. She tossed her pencil aside and ran over.
"Satania, your sketch isn't finished!" Machiko called.
"That's not important!" Satania waved dismissively.
Machiko froze in disbelief.
'Not important? What happened to your passion and pride just now?'
'How can you even say the words artist's dignity with a straight face?!'
Feeling a mix of frustration and resignation, the black-haired girl walked over to take a look—and sweat poured down her head like a waterfall.
'That big-headed, thin-necked, messy-haired monstrosity… was that supposed to be me?'
'Satania, I'm so sorry I ever believed in you!'
...
Kouya originally planned to just doodle something simple and be done with it. But after being pestered by Satania, he reluctantly grabbed another sheet of paper.
"Servant, this is the pose!" Satania put one hand on her hip, the other on her cheek in a dramatic chuunibyou stance. "This best shows my authority as the future ruler of Hell!"
Kouya glanced at her indifferently, completely unfazed.
He didn't even need her to pose. His pen moved smoothly, sketching quick outlines, then layering in detail. In moments, a lifelike image appeared—so vivid it drew murmurs of awe.
The drawing showed Satania being punished by their bald homeroom teacher, standing outside the classroom door, holding water buckets, pouting and crying. The resemblance was perfect.
"Hey, I wasn't crying!" Satania puffed her cheeks angrily.
Kouya's face stayed blank. "Then forget it."
"No, no, I want it!" The idiot grumbled but clearly loved it, clutching her sketch proudly before running off to show it to Vigne and Gabriel.
"Gabi-chan, Gabi-chan! You don't have one, do you?"
Gabriel barely looked up. "Nope. Because I wouldn't be punished and cry like that…"
"I wasn't crying!" Satania said smugly. "And you don't even have one!"
"Wait, did Kouya draw this?" Vigne asked, surprised. She hadn't expected him to be this skilled.
"Yep! He's fast and really good too," Satania grinned. "Servant, draw Vigne next!"
"No, that's okay…" Vigne waved her hands frantically.
But since there was still time left in class, Kouya felt inspired and agreed. "Sure."
Moments later, another sketch was done.
It showed a sunset scene. The wind blew softly, tousling Vigne's hair. With her hands full holding a shopping bag, she couldn't fix it, puffed her cheeks slightly, and bit her lip in frustration. That tiny, adorable expression came alive on the paper.
Seeing the drawing, Vigne's face turned red as she remembered that same moment on their walk home from the mall.
Quickly taking the sketch from Kouya, she diverted her gaze. "W-Why don't you draw Gabi-chan next…"
Wanna read ahead? Join my Patreon and support the story — up to 6 new chapters are published for you every day!: patreon.com/ArealMaster