Chapter 15: Fame Across the Campus
Time quietly passed.
Sunday went by without anything worth mentioning, and in the blink of an eye, it was Monday.
That morning, Kouya woke up on time as usual, washed up, had breakfast, and left home with his backpack.
Just as he was about to go down the stairs, he suddenly heard the sound of the door next to his opening with a "click," followed by a soft, sweet voice:
"Um, Kouya-kun, can I ask you for a favor?"
Following the voice, Kouya saw Gabriel opening her door just a crack, her big eyes blinking at him.
For some reason, Kouya suddenly felt that this stupid angel seemed a bit different from usual.
Her golden hair, usually neat and tidy, looked messy and fluffy.
Her clean clothes now had a few small wrinkles.
There were faint dark circles under her eyes, as if she had stayed up all night.
Even the holy light that usually shone from her seemed dim.
"What is it?"
"Well..." Gabriel pressed her palms together and pleaded, "I'm saving the world of Arad right now. The war's at a critical moment! Without me, the world might be destroyed!"
"So I really can't leave right now to go to school. Can I ask Kouya-kun to tell them I'm taking the day off?"
"Saving the world?" Kouya looked blank.
You, a stupid angel, saving the world? It'd be good enough if you didn't destroy it!
Kouya snorted. "Why not ask Vigne to do it for you?"
"Because my phone's out of service." Gabriel waved her pink phone and blinked her eyes again. "Just this once, Kouya-kun, please! If you ever need something, I'll help you too!"
Sorry, but this demon lord doesn't need your help.
"Just say I'm feeling unwell and can't come to school..."
Damn it, what happened to that angel who used to follow every school rule? She's only been going to school for three days and already she's lying! You look perfectly fine! If anything, your eyes are sparkling with excitement!
"Ah, the battle to save the world's starting! I gotta go, Kouya-kun! I'm counting on you!"
"I didn't even say yes..."
But all he got in response was the sound of the door slamming shut.
Staring at the tightly closed door, Kouya sighed helplessly and turned to leave.
...
At school.
It was already late.
Most of the students were already there.
Kouya sat by the window in the second-to-last row. To his right was the little demon, Vigne.
He thought about it and decided to ask Vigne to tell the teacher for Gabriel. Dealing with a homeroom teacher was such a pain—one wrong word and you'd get lectured.
"Ahem, Vigne, I need to talk to you," Kouya said, clearing his throat.
Vigne sat straight, hands on the desk, seriously going over her notes. Hearing him, she looked up calmly and said with her usual polite distance:
"What is it, Kouya-kun?"
"Yeah, there's something..."
Before he could finish, an excited, curious gaze landed on him.
Turning his head, he saw the girl sitting next to Vigne resting her chin on her hand, eyes sparkling with excitement.
What the hell is with that 'something juicy is about to happen' expression!?
Kouya cursed internally but kept a straight face. "It's about Gabriel..."
"Gabi-chan?" Vigne frowned slightly and looked around. Her gaze suddenly sharpened. "Now that you mention it, she hasn't shown up yet. She should've been here by now..."
"Did you do something to her?"
Hey! What kind of tone is that? I didn't do anything to her!
Kouya lowered his voice. "She said she's not feeling well, her phone's cut off, and she asked me to tell the teacher she's taking the day off."
"I see..." Vigne nodded lightly. "Since you're neighbors, I guess it makes sense for you to tell us."
But the girl who'd been eavesdropping next to them suddenly widened her eyes in shock and excitement.
Kouya suddenly felt a bad premonition hit him.
The girl took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and shouted, "Oh no! Kouya-kun is living together with Gabriel-chan!"
"Pffft—"
Kouya felt his vision go black.
Like he'd been struck by lightning.
What the hell?! I said we're neighbors, not living together! Don't eavesdrop if you can't even listen properly!
The large classroom went silent for a moment.
Then erupted into chaos, like water hitting hot oil.
"What?! Kouya-kun and Gabriel-chan are living together?!"
"But it's only been a week since school started! That's so fast!"
"No, wait, Gabriel-chan just transferred on Wednesday."
"Oh right, I remember Kouya-kun teased her that day too."
"To think they'd go that far! Even if they're living together, you can't just say it out loud!"
"So bold! So bold! So bold~~!"
"..."
Kouya was so furious he could've achieved enlightenment—twice—and even considered destroying the world.
"Uuuh!" The girl quickly covered her mouth and stammered, "S-sorry!"
After apologizing shyly, she buried her face in her arms in shame.
Vigne smiled helplessly. "Kaoru didn't mean it, Kouya-kun. Don't be mad."
The girl, Kaoru, twitched and peeked through one eye, trying to see Kouya's reaction.
Like hell I'm forgiving you!
You just started a rumor saying I live with that stupid angel! If I weren't trying to enjoy some peace and quiet, I'd destroy this entire world!
"I'll help you explain later..." Vigne said apologetically.
At that moment, the bell rang.
"Kouya-kun, class is starting. Please go back to your seat."
Kouya weighed the pros and cons and decided not to destroy the world—for now—and sat down helplessly.
But throughout the class, many students kept sneaking glances at him, their expressions a mix of shock, disgust, curiosity, and gossip.
Whenever Kouya glared back, the girls would shrink away like startled rabbits, lowering their heads quickly, as if even making eye contact with him could get them pregnant.
The entire lesson went by under that strange atmosphere.
Kouya thought the whole mess would end there.
But he underestimated the power of rumors.
If three women can make a drama, then in this female-dominated school, gossip spread faster than a forbidden spell.
When Kouya went to the bathroom after class, he noticed many girls from other classes sneaking glances at him and whispering among themselves, their faces showing a mix of disgust, surprise, excitement, and curiosity.
One small, delicate girl even covered her skirt and ran away after he glanced at her, screaming that she might get pregnant.
He could clearly feel all the burning stares and murmurs around him. He tilted his head slightly, listening in.
"What? What? That's him? The pervert who moved in with a girl just a week after school started?!"
"He looks pretty handsome, but I didn't think he'd be like that."
"So scary! He looked at me! Am I gonna get pregnant?!"
"..."
Damn it, who taught your biology class, the PE teacher? If just looking can get you pregnant, the whole school would be full of moms by now!
But by the time the second class ended, the rumors had evolved again.
"Hey, did you hear? Gabriel-chan didn't come to school because Kouya-kun made her body hurt so much she couldn't get out of bed!"
"So bold! So bold!"
"That means Kouya-kun must be... you know, really good at it, right?"
"Ugh! So shameless!"
"..."
Damn it! I haven't even touched that stupid angel's finger! How the hell did this turn into me knocking her into bed?!
The rumors kept spreading, and by the third break, things got even worse.
For girls, saying someone's 'not feeling well' usually refers to their period. After all, if it were just a cold or fever, you'd say so directly. It's like how when guys say 'a short movie,' they don't mean cinema...
"Hey, look! That's Kouya from Class 2!"
"I heard he spent the whole night with his roommate, and now she can't get out of bed!"
"No, no, I heard Gabriel-chan got her period, but Kouya-kun couldn't hold back and forced himself on her! She bled so much she couldn't get up!"
"They say the sheets were soaked in blood!"
"..."