Chapter 347: Tenshi!

After School

"Yui…"

Out of habit, Yumiko called out to Yui just like she always did when class was over.

Even though her legs wobbled with exhaustion the moment she arrived—thanks to Rei Ao. Something about "liberating yourself"… In the end, she overdid it and ended up thoroughly worn out.

But right after she said Yui's name, she regretted it. What had just happened was beyond embarrassing, and given Yui's personality, she was certain Yui would avoid her.

Unexpectedly, however, Yui didn't dodge her. Instead, she actually came right over, linking arms with Yumiko the same way she always did, as though nothing had happened.

"Yumiko, let's head home together."

"…"

Yumiko felt uneasy. Was Yui pretending it never happened? Yui wasn't bringing it up; Yumiko wasn't bringing it up. The two of them started on their way home together under a strangely tense atmosphere.

But when they reached the point where they usually went their separate ways, Yui suddenly stopped. The smile on her face vanished.

Yumiko's heart lurched—she had a feeling a storm was coming.

"Yumiko, I… I heard everything back in the Service Club."

That one line from Yui went straight to the point. Yumiko could even feel Yui trembling slightly. But now that it was out in the open, what did Yui want her to say?

All Yumiko could manage was, "…Oh."

"…"

"Hey, Yumiko, can you tell me what it…feels like? You know…to feel that good?"

"Hey—!"

Yumiko's face immediately went bright red. That feeling… She only knew she'd lost her senses, eyes rolling back and tongue lolling, but how on earth was she supposed to explain it in words?

"Y–Yui, are you okay?"

Yui's behavior was scaring Yumiko. Any fleeting satisfaction Yumiko had felt earlier was gone now.

"Haha, I'm fine, Yumiko."

Once again, the face that appeared to be drowning in turmoil formed a smile—but it disappeared again in the next second. They locked eyes, Yui staring sharply at Yumiko. Yumiko refused to blink, staring right back.

Then Yui finally spoke again, wearing a dead-serious expression, the first time Yumiko had ever seen her like this.

"Yumiko, I… I'm not going to give up!"

"Huh?"

It came out of nowhere, and Yumiko was bewildered. Yui didn't seem interested in explaining further. She just turned and headed off down a different street.

"…"

Yumiko watched Yui's retreating figure. She sensed something was really wrong. It gave her a heavy, foreboding feeling.

…

At Rei Ao's Home

The moment school ended, the four lolis flocked to his house—for Emilia's sake.

They all fixed their gazes on Emilia. Under their fourfold scrutiny, Emilia felt ill at ease. She glanced over at Rei Ao, her eyes asking him silently, What's going on here?

Arms folded, Rei Ao watched calmly from the side.

"It really is an angelic aura," said Vignette, certain that this presence—so different from a demon's—had to be that of an angel.

Raphiel sighed in admiration. "I knew I wasn't mistaken."

"What do you mean, 'angel'…?"

Emilia, who had become the subject of their curious remarks, looked thoroughly confused.

That's when Rei Ao spoke. "These four are from Heaven and the Demon Realm. Gabriel and Raphiel are angels from Heaven. Vignette and Satania are demons from the Demon Realm."

"Demons?!"

It was like the word flipped a switch in Emilia's mind—her ahoge bounced wildly.

Clang!!!

As an angel whose role was to slay demons, she instinctively drew her holy sword. Its gleaming tip pointed directly at Vignette.

"Huh?!"

Vignette froze. What's going on?

"Sigh…" Rei Ao shook his head in exasperation.

"Emilia, calm down. Vignette and the others aren't demons from your world."

"…Right."

Only then did Emilia realize how impossible it was for these cute girls to be the demons from her world. She hurriedly sheathed her sword. "S-Sorry, it's just…"

"It's alright." Vignette took Emilia's hand gently.

"Emilia, I'm guessing you went through a lot in that other world, so it's understandable. It's not your fault."

"…"

Emilia stared at Vignette's sweet, gentle smile. A single word came to her mind: "Tenshi!!!"

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang.

"That must be Fumino and the others. You can go chat in the other room."

"Mm."

Tohru went to answer the door.

"Sorry for the intrusion!"

Kirisu Mafuyu and the other two, already used to visiting Rei Ao's place, came in. Ilia resumed tutoring them as usual, while Mafuyu had nothing to do and sat on the couch, checking her phone.

Suddenly, she tensed up because Rei Ao sat down next to her.

"What…are you doing?"

Her heart began pounding faster. She'd never forgotten how she "helped" Rei Ao that day with her hand, leaving her unbearably awkward around him.

"Mafuyu-sensei, are you really that afraid of me?"

"Afraid? Of you? Don't be ridiculous!"

Mafuyu tried to act dismissive. "You're just a kid, so why should I be scared?"

She felt that she had to exert her teacherly dignity at this moment.

"A kid?"

Rei Ao's expression turned slightly strange. In a hushed tone only Mafuyu could hear, he asked, "So, Kirisu Mafuyu thinks I'm…small?"

"???"

Mafuyu's cheeks instantly turned red. She didn't have any direct point of comparison, but reading certain books had taught her about Rei Ao's, well, scale.

No, wait—why am I even thinking about this?!

She snapped out of it. Eyes flashing with anger, she lowered her voice and hissed through gritted teeth, "Rei Ao! Don't say such indecent things to your teacher!"

"Huh?" Rei Ao gave a puzzled grunt. "Sensei, I'm already eighteen. An adult."

"???"

Mafuyu froze. He was talking about…his age?

"!!!"

Realizing she had completely misunderstood, Mafuyu burned with embarrassment, instinctively ducking her head. "Ugh…"

Making such a fool of herself in front of a student—she felt like she had lost all face, like she could just die!

"Heh."

Covering her face in shame, Mafuyu failed to notice the mischievous look in Rei Ao's eyes. Teasing her was a lot of fun. The way her usual sternness morphed into bashfulness, and the thrill of peeling back that shy side of Kirisu Mafuyu…he found it impossible to resist.

Still, he had to change the subject. Letting the awkwardness linger would do no one any good.

So, he steered the conversation toward Fumino Furuhashi and Rizu Ogata.

"By the way, Mafuyu-sensei, how's Furuhashi-san's and Ogata-san's studying going? Has it been effective?"

"…"

She pounced on the new topic as if it were a lifeline to pull her out of her swirling thoughts. "Very effective," she said.

Even she was shocked by how much Fumino and Rizu had improved in both the sciences and humanities. It was all thanks to Ilia, though Mafuyu couldn't figure out how that tiny girl managed it.

"I see."

With their conversation back on track, the two of them managed some semblance of normal small talk.

~~~

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