Chapter 298: Feeding Gabriel
"Kouya-kun, have you thought it over yet?" Shizuka-sensei folded her arms across her chest, her confident smile brimming with the satisfaction of victory. Her eyes glimmered with the self-assuredness of a predator who believed she already had her prey cornered.
"..."
A dark line appeared over Kouya's head as he exhaled slowly.
'I swear, you're abusing your authority as a teacher. You do realize this could end badly for you, right?'
To Shizuka's surprise, Kouya didn't look angry or flustered at all. Instead, he calmly raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable, before casually saying something that made her entire body stiffen.
"So… when are we going on that date?"
"W–what did you just say? A… date?"
Shizuka-sensei froze. Her eyes went wide with disbelief as if she'd just been struck by lightning.
Did he really say that? Did her student just ask her out?
"That's right, a date," Kouya said, his tone smooth and unhurried. "You remember what you said before our match, don't you? If I won, you'd go out with me."
"..."
Shizuka opened her mouth but no sound came out.
Before the duel, she had been completely confident—absolutely certain she couldn't lose. She'd agreed just to tease him a little, never expecting she'd actually have to follow through. Afterward, she'd been too busy scheming about turning him into her new sparring dummy at the dojo to even recall what she'd promised.
And now here he was, calmly reminding her.
If Kouya won, she had to accept his request for a date.
Her stomach twisted. This couldn't be happening!
A male high school student dating his teacher? That was every scandal headline waiting to explode. If anyone found out, she'd be ruined! This was worse than when Kouya was caught outside with three girls doing—well, things better left unspoken!
"Fine! You win!" she spat through clenched teeth. Her sharp eyes glimmered dangerously as she glared at him before turning on her heel. "I have things to do. I'm leaving!"
She stormed off without looking back, disappearing down the hall in seconds.
Kouya sighed softly. Typical.
"You're amazing, Hero!" Takanashi Rikka's eyes sparkled like stars as she looked up at him, her admiration written all over her face.
'Yeah, this was totally your fault, you little gremlin. If you hadn't been saying weird things earlier, none of this would've spiraled into a teacher-student mess!'
"Hero, Hero! Let's go find the Invisible Boundary Line again!" she said, bouncing on her feet like an excited puppy.
"Didn't we already do that this morning?" Kouya gave her a deadpan look.
"But it only appears during the 'Hour of Twilight!'" she insisted with serious conviction.
"..."
Locals said dusk was the boundary between day and night, when humans and spirits could both exist. They called that mystical transition 'The Hour of Twilight.'
"Then why did you drag me out during the day?" Kouya asked, his voice low and skeptical.
"Eh??" Rikka blinked innocently, scratching her cheek. "I was busy sealing an Evil Eye disturbance! I didn't hear what you said, Hero..."
"Don't you dare change the subject."
"The weather's nice though, isn't it? I can feel my mana flowing better today..."
Before he could retort, her phone suddenly rang.
Rikka checked the screen, pouted, and whispered, "It's the Saint Chef..."
She answered, and immediately Takanashi Touka's cold, commanding voice filled the air:
"Rikka. Come home. Now."
"Eh? But it's still early..." Rikka said meekly.
"Early? It's nearly dark! Are you planning to keep playing around in some boy's room?" Touka snapped. "Shizuka already told me everything. Get back here right this minute!"
Rikka's ahoge drooped like a defeated antenna. "That tattletale old hag..."
"What was that?!" Touka's tone sharpened.
"N–nothing! I'm coming home now!" Rikka yelped, hanging up quickly.
She turned to Kouya with puppy-dog eyes. "Hero, Hero… I have to go home now..."
'Oh joy. What a dramatic farewell.'
"Will you miss me?"
'Sorry, not even a little.'
"If you don't see me tomorrow, remember to come rescue me!" she added dramatically.
Kouya just stared. Then she was gone, running off into the sunset.
After watching her disappear, Kouya sighed again and headed toward the nearby supermarket. Cooking felt like too much effort tonight. A quick bento would do.
But as soon as he reached the entrance, his phone rang again.
This time, it was the lazy voice of the fallen angel herself—Gabriel.
"Hey! What's taking you so long to come home? I'm starving to death here!"
'How is that my problem? You're not some helpless kitten I adopted! Even cats can hunt when they're hungry!'
"Didn't you eat lunch?" Kouya asked flatly.
"Of course not!" Gabriel complained, her voice full of righteous indignation. "When I opened my eyes, it was already noon..."
'You actually said that like it's something to be proud of!'
"I found this amazing new game, okay? I couldn't stop playing..."
'Games are endless. And if you keep binging all of them, you'll be eating air sandwiches soon!'
"After I woke up, I was gonna come borrow food from you, but you weren't home..."
'Oh, I'm terribly sorry for not clocking in at your place like an employee!'
"Then I looked around and realized all the cup noodles and snacks were gone…"
Her voice turned pitifully weak. "So I just drank a lot of tap water..."
Kouya froze.
'You… drank tap water to fill your stomach? You've disgraced the entire angel race! Normal people eat three meals a day. Some even have dessert! You, on the other hand, live like a relic of a famine!'
"Where are you now?" she whined softly. "Come back or I'll starve to death..."
Kouya rubbed his temples. "Is it really that hard to go downstairs and buy food yourself?"
"Ding! Your question is outside the scope of this system's functions."
"Huh?"
"Warning! Energy levels critical. Automatic shutdown imminent. Please provide sustenance immediately."
Kouya stared blankly at his phone for a long moment before slipping it back into his pocket. Without a word, he bought two bentos and started the walk home.
When he pressed the doorbell, the door instantly opened. Standing there was Gabriel—barely awake, dressed in nothing but an oversized white shirt, her messy golden hair sticking out in all directions, one stubborn strand rising proudly like a flag of sloth.
"Took you long enough," she muttered weakly.
'Sorry for not teleporting, Your Highness of Laziness.'
Her apartment was a disaster zone—game discs, manga, empty cans, and snack wrappers covering nearly every surface. If Vigne saw this, she'd faint on the spot.
And come to think of it, Vigne had cleaned this place more than once. Without her, this room would probably have evolved into its own ecosystem.
Gabriel didn't even glance at the food. She shuffled back to her chair and said, "Just put it down. I'll eat after this match. My team needs me!"
Kouya rolled his eyes and pulled open the curtain instead. The golden rays of sunset streamed in, painting the messy room with a strangely peaceful glow. The warm air carried the soft ring of a distant wind chime and the faint rustle of a manga's pages turning.
The entire room felt alive, glowing with the sleepy tranquility of summer.
...
Kouya sat at the table and opened his bento.
Gabriel suddenly shouted, slamming her keyboard. "Ugh! These useless teammates! I charged in first and they just stood there watching?!"
'I bet they're thinking the same about you. You're a priest, not a berserker! Maybe heal someone before going kamikaze, yeah?'
She sniffed suddenly, her attention caught by the aroma of grilled sausage. Her eyes drifted over. "That sausage smells amazing. I want it."
Kouya pointed at her untouched bento. "You've got one right there."
"Other people's food always tastes better!" she declared with absurd confidence.
Kouya gave her a flat look. "Then take it yourself."
The sausage was still warm, glistening with oil, its golden-red sheen irresistible. But it was greasy enough that touching it would make her keyboard a mess.
She reached for a napkin but paused as her game character respawned. Without looking away, she said, "My hands are busy! You're free anyway. Feed me before it gets cold!"
'How can you even say that with a straight face?'
Kouya sighed in defeat. "Open your mouth."
"Ah—"
Still focused on the screen, Gabriel opened her mouth obediently.
The sausage slid between her lips, and as she bit down, the flavor exploded across her tongue. A tiny hum escaped her throat, and her eyes curved into two crescent moons.
Honestly, she really was like a cat—sleeping all day, randomly attacking people, demanding food, and sneaking into others' rooms just to be spoiled.
Kouya glanced at her quietly. Gabriel noticed, froze, then snapped, her face a little red.
"What are you staring at?!"
"I still haven't settled our last score."
"You're such a pain! Get out already—you're making me lose focus!"
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