At night, a holy light suddenly blanketed the house, guided by a mysterious force that funneled through an upstairs window.
From the golden radiance stepped a blonde angelic girl, alighting naturally on the floor.
"So this is my room? Pretty plain… I'll need to give it a good cleaning."
The golden-haired girl who had descended through a heavenly corridor was none other than the Angel Academy's top graduate—the perfect angel with a special gift even in Heaven—Gabriel White Tenma.
At the instant the angel descended, Hayashi Maki—who was sleeping with Shiina Mahiru in his arms—opened his eyes on reflex.
"That sacred aura… an angel?"
"…"
How to put it—his feelings were complicated.
He hadn't expected angels to be real, and the one who had just come down was living right upstairs. He wondered whether she could see through his identity as a demon.
Mulling it over, Hayashi Maki didn't panic. So what if she was an angel? If she was a cute girl, there was still a chance to make her his follower. Besides, he wasn't the same as this world's hellspawn—he was a demon who wielded authority. In theory, he was an all-rounder; once he unlocked every ability and authority, there would be little difference between him and a god.
Breathing in Mahiru's soft scent, he closed his eyes again and drifted off with a satisfied smile. Angels could wait till tomorrow.
Upstairs, Gabriel noticed nothing out of the ordinary. She diligently cleaned the room, showered, and went to bed. Having earned top honors and the chance to descend, she intended to cherish the opportunity.
…
Early the next morning.
Shiina Mahiru gently wriggled out of a certain someone's warm embrace. Rubbing her eyes with pale, delicate hands, she gave the still-sleeping Hayashi Maki a fond look, then rose naturally. After washing up, she tied on an apron and started making breakfast and their packed lunches.
Oddly enough, though she'd "overtime exercised" for quite a while with Maki-kun, she felt bright-eyed rather than tired—maybe even stronger than before. More than that, she sensed something unexplainable brewing inside her. Thinking hard, she still couldn't place the feeling.
"Could I… be pregnant?"
Since getting together with Hayashi Maki, the nights had been… lively. And there had been no precautions. Flustered, Mahiru panicked. She liked children, sure—but now would be way too soon. She couldn't accept it.
Hand on her lower belly, she decided to order a test kit online and check first. If she was pregnant… she'd just have to have the baby. Either way, Hayashi Maki would have to take responsibility!
At that moment, Maki had no idea that Mahiru was mistaking the growth of a magic seed for a pregnancy sensation.
When he woke and finished washing up, the doorbell rang. He shuffled over in slippers to open it.
"One sec—coming."
At the door stood a petite, adorable girl with shining, long golden hair. A sweet, gentle smile made her unforgettable at first glance; the warmth and sanctity she radiated were unmistakable.
The angel from upstairs.
"Hello—I'm Gabriel White Tenma. I just moved in upstairs. Since we're neighbors, I wanted to introduce myself. Please take care of me!"
She handed him a small gift and bowed deeply—her manners impeccable. Seeing no hostility, and sensing she hadn't noticed his demonic nature, Maki accepted the gift with a smile.
"I'm Hayashi Maki. Tenma-san, pleased to meet you."
After exchanging greetings, Gabriel went to visit other neighbors. Maki went back inside to wait for Mahiru's breakfast. Inwardly, though, he wasn't calm.
Gabriel—the angel who starts out perfect, then, after descending, gets addicted to the internet and becomes "lazy." So the one living upstairs was her. That made things easy. If he could get Gabriel hooked on online games early, even if she discovered he was a demon, she probably wouldn't have the bandwidth to go after him.
If Gabriel Dropout had blended into this world, there should also be the sly, silver-haired angel Raphiel descending. And on the hell side, two cute demon girls would be doing trials in the human world: blue-haired Vignette, kinder than any angel, and pink-haired Satania, a delightfully chuuni fool.
Life with angels and demons might get even more interesting.
"What are you thinking, Maki-kun? Breakfast is ready."
Mahiru's voice pulled him back. Maki hurried over. "Coming!"
He enjoyed her love-filled breakfast, and mentioned the upstairs neighbor's visit. Mahiru nodded—duly noted, but unconcerned as long as the neighbor wasn't hard to get along with. After they ate, she quickly washed and neatly put away the dishes—she was getting very familiar with his place.
Maki took a deep breath and wrapped her in a hug. "Mahiru… it's so good having you."
His warm breath reddened her cheeks; her heart felt toasty. She turned and hugged his waist, nuzzled his chest, breathed in his scent, then gave him a gentle push. "Alright, time for school—or we'll miss our train."
By now, she didn't reject his morning hugs; she relied on them.
"Mm, let's go."
They rode the train and soon reached their stop. Near the school, Maki spotted Yukinoshita's Second Heiress—dark circles under her eyes—standing quietly not far from the gate. He told Mahiru to go on ahead while he "took care of something." Mahiru didn't think much of it and stepped into campus—only to be intercepted by Nibutani Shinka, who dragged her toward class.
Maki strolled up to Yukino with a grin. "Yo, Yukino-chan. Morning."
She bit her lip, turned away, and made it very clear she didn't want to see him.
Because of him, she'd lost sleep again—and had actually waited for him at the gate. Why had she listened to him and come so early… just to be bullied?
Grumbling inside, she still didn't resist when he took her hand and led her somewhere secluded. Smiling, Maki laced fingers with her pale, delicate hand. "I'm a bit surprised—you really did wait for me at the gate."
Yukino refused to answer. You're happy. I'm sleep-deprived and here to suffer. Why was he so mean?
Before she could sort out the mess of feelings, Maki had her pinned against a side-alley wall—then claimed her cherry-pink lips. He'd said he would kiss her; he was keeping his word.
Her hands pressed weakly at his chest… then slowly lowered, resignation washing over her. He was going to bully her anyway, and she couldn't fight back. Fine. Do what you want.
After a while, Maki finally let her go. Seeing the blank look in her eyes, he realized he'd pushed too far—no warning, and for several days in a row. Of course the Second Heiress felt wronged. She'll get used to it, he told himself.
He studied her quietly, palm sliding along her narrow, soft waist. Yukino "woke up," blue eyes blazing with shame and anger. "Enough! If you're satisfied, let me go—we're going to be late!"
Maki sighed, covered her eyes with his hand, and sent a pulse of magic—wiping out her dark circles. "We'll stop here for today, Yukino-chan. Demons don't get satisfied that easily—you've still got a lot to learn."
Yukino gave no reply—only muttered inwardly: That's one lesson I never want to take.