Chapter 886: Himeko's Guess! Gabriel's Fall! Heaven and Hell Should Swap Places
Aboard the Astral Express.
Himeko stepped out of her quarters, the soft hiss of the sliding door barely masking the sudden, sharp yelp of pain echoing down the corridor. It belonged to March 7th.
Himeko paused, her elegant brows arching in mild concern. Her heels clicked softly against the polished floorboards as she made her way to the younger girl's cabin. Raising a hand, she rapped her knuckles lightly against the metal frame.
"March? May I come in?"
"Eh?! Himeko!"
A frantic flurry of rustling sheets and a dull thud sounded from within, followed by a flustered, breathless voice. A long, suspicious pause stretched out before March finally squeaked, "Y-You can come in!"
The door slid open. Himeko stepped inside, her sharp amber eyes immediately taking in the scene.
March sat stiffly on the edge of her bed, her usually pristine pink hair a tangled bird's nest. Dark circles framed her exhausted eyes, and her hands were clamped desperately over her skirt, pressing the fabric down against her thighs.
Himeko's gaze swept over the girl. A knowing glint flashed in the navigator's eyes. The vibrant, energetic archer had been entirely absent all day, her usual cheerful chatter missing from the parlor car. The pieces were beginning to align.
"March, what's wrong?" Himeko asked, her tone gentle but probing. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"Ah? I..."
March opened her mouth to explain, instinctively shifting her weight. The slight movement instantly triggered a sharp, pulling ache. She sucked in a harsh breath through her teeth, her face scrunching up. Forcing a strained, wobbly smile, she quickly waved her hands. "N-Nothing! I'm just a little tired, that's all!"
"Is that so?" Himeko nodded slowly, her expression perfectly composed.
"Oh, by the way, Himeko, did you need something from me?" March blurted out, desperate to change the subject before the older woman noticed her incredibly embarrassing state.
Deep down, she was cursing Ren to the high heavens. That shameless bastard had promised to give her 'extra attention' for exactly twelve hours. And he had kept his word with terrifying precision. Twelve hours of relentless, mind-melting stamina. Not a minute more, not a minute less. She felt completely broken.
"Yes, there is something important," Himeko replied, smoothly letting the girl's deflection slide. "We are about to initiate a warp jump. I came to inform you so we can gather in the parlor car."
"Oh, right! Coming!"
March hurriedly tried to stand. The sudden motion sent another jolt of soreness shooting up her waist, forcing another sharp gasp from her lips. Under Himeko's deeply meaningful gaze, the pink-haired girl shuffled out of the room, her legs trembling slightly, her gait stiff and incredibly awkward.
Himeko watched the young archer waddle down the corridor, a quiet sigh escaping her lips. Even if she hadn't experienced it herself recently, she wasn't blind. The flushed skin, the exhaustion, the specific way she held her hips—it was the unmistakable sign of a girl taking her first steps into womanhood.
Yet, a puzzle remained. March rarely left the Express alone, and she certainly hadn't been courting any men. So who could have...?
A specific, infuriatingly capable figure suddenly materialized in Himeko's mind.
'Could it be... Ren?'
March's safe return to the Express naturally coincided with Ren's own return to his home world.
Having bestowed his overpowered blessings upon Kasumi, Kikyo, and his other women, he felt zero concern for their safety. They were practically untouchable. Back in his own reality, Ren decided to drop by the general academy for the first time in what felt like an eternity.
He certainly wasn't there to study. He was there for the scenery—specifically, the influx of interesting, beautiful new female students.
Right on cue, he spotted a highly entertaining quartet of underclassmen gathered in the courtyard, each radiating her own unique charm.
"Damn it, I lost again! My melon pan!" a red-haired girl wailed pitifully. She stared in absolute devastation at the sweet, crusty bread now clutched in the hands of a girl with messy, golden-blonde hair.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Satania, next time bring more melon pan if you want to challenge me," the blonde teased lazily, taking a massive bite of her prize. "I'm running low on food money right now."
The blonde was entirely confident in her ability to fleece the red-haired girl out of her snacks. After all, she was a top-ranking angel from Heaven, while Satania was merely a demon.
Ren leaned against a nearby pillar, watching the familiar faces with dry amusement. Satania—fully named Satanichia McDowell Kurumizawa—was the exact same chuunibyou demon he had crossed paths with once before.
He recognized the other three just as easily. The lazy blonde currently devouring the stolen bread was Gabriel White, an angel. The silver-haired, perpetually smiling girl standing beside her was Raphiel Ainsworth, another angel. And the short-haired brunette watching them with a worried expression was Vignette April, a demon like Satania.
The entire cast of Gabriel Dropout had gathered in his courtyard. Ren crossed his arms, thoroughly entertained by the dynamic.
"Gab, you really shouldn't bully Satania like this," Vignette scolded softly.
Despite being a creature of the Underworld, Vignette possessed an exceptionally kind, selfless heart—acting far more like a true angel than anyone else present. Gabriel, the actual angel, was the exact opposite.
"I'm not bullying her," Gabriel replied, her dead-fish eyes half-closed in perpetual lethargy. She waved a hand dismissively, completely ignoring the devastated demon. "Satania came to challenge me on her own, you know."
"I will absolutely defeat you next time!" Satania shrieked, thick anime tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"Oh my, Satania, keep doing your best~" Raphiel chimed in, her sweet, melodic voice dripping with hidden sadism. She was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, her hands clasped together in mock encouragement. To Raphiel, the gullible red-haired demon was nothing more than a highly entertaining toy meant to be teased.
Ren let out a quiet, amused breath. Looking at the saintly demon and the two corrupt angels, it really felt like Heaven and Hell had completely swapped places.
"By the way, Gab," Vignette said, her brow furrowing as she recalled the blonde's earlier comment. "You just said you didn't have enough living expenses. How is that possible?"
Gabriel had graduated at the top of her class in Heaven; she received a premium stipend. Vignette, on the other hand, was supposed to commit 'evil deeds' in the human realm to earn her demonic allowance. Since she was physically incapable of being mean, her funds were always pitifully low. Yet, even Vignette managed to budget enough for food.
Meanwhile, Gabriel was currently wolfing down the stolen melon pan like a starved stray dog. The math simply didn't add up. Vignette had also noticed a drastic shift in her friend's behavior lately. The once-diligent, shining paragon of angelic virtue had rapidly devolved into a lazy, unwashed shut-in. Vignette desperately hoped it was just her imagination.
Unfortunately for the wholesome demon, it wasn't her imagination.
Ren took one look at Gabriel's heavy bags under her eyes and knew instantly: the angel had fallen. And by 'fallen', it meant she had discovered the toxic, wallet-draining abyss of MMOs and gacha games. Every single yen of her heavenly stipend had undoubtedly been swiped on microtransactions and digital loot boxes.
"Ah, well, about that..."
Gabriel froze mid-chew. A bead of nervous sweat rolled down her cheek, her eyes darting frantically away from Vignette's pure, questioning gaze. She absolutely refused to let her friends know she was currently a degenerate gaming addict. Her mind raced, desperately trying to formulate a believable excuse.
Before Gabriel could lie, Satania suddenly thrust a dramatic finger toward the courtyard pillar. "It's you!" she shouted.
Vignette, Gabriel, and Raphiel blinked, turning their heads to follow her dramatic gesture. Standing there, dressed impeccably in the third-year uniform of the general academy, was Ren.
"Satania, you can't just point and shout at strangers," Vignette hissed, hurriedly tugging at the demon's arm to lower it. "Where are your manners?"
"He's not a stranger! I know him!" Satania declared, puffing out her chest with absolute certainty. "He is a good person! A very good person who once gave me an entire backpack full of melon pan!"
Vignette blinked, utterly bewildered. "Eh?"
What kind of bizarre metric for morality was that?
Pushing off the pillar, Ren strolled over, offering a casual wave to clear the awkward air. "We meet again, Satania," he greeted, a teasing smirk playing on his lips. "I see your melon pan wasn't stolen by a stray dog today. Progress."
"Hmph, hmph! Of course not!" Satania crossed her arms, her nose pointed proudly toward the sky.
Inwardly, however, she was sweating. Only she knew the dark truth: that demonic little white dog had successfully ambushed her and stolen her bread for five consecutive days. Today, she had carefully planned a massive detour just to avoid the beast's territory.
She had survived the dog... only to lose her precious melon pan to a lazy angel instead!
'Damn it all!' she cried in her heart.
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