A day had passed since Gabriel's encounter with Kurumi in the abandoned district building.
That afternoon, at the front of the classroom, their homeroom teacher—Tamae Okamine—was introducing a new transfer student.
Though she was already nearing her late twenties, her appearance looked far younger thanks to her cute face, small frame, and thin-framed glasses.
Her light brown hair reached her shoulders, and at only around 150 cm tall, she looked more like a student than a teacher.
And the transfer student was none other than Kurumi Tokisaki.
The classroom immediately filled with excited whispers.
Gabriel didn't care in the slightest.
His right hand supported his head, eyes hidden behind his bangs, closed as if his thoughts drifted far beyond the room—as usual.
Last night's piano beneath the moon in the abandoned district had already been done. So what next?
Should I go into space, meet Mukuro, and talk about constellations? he thought casually. That girl understands the stars. She should be pleasant to talk with.
A faint smile traced his lips.
"…then come back down like a meteor falling to Earth," he murmured softly with a small nod. "A perfect beginning and end."
Meanwhile, after briefly speaking with Shido at the desk beside him, Kurumi shifted her gaze toward Gabriel.
"Excuse me," she said politely, her voice gentle. "Have we met before? For some reason… you feel familiar."
Gabriel returned from his own little world and glanced slightly in her direction. Apparently, Kurumi had already walked from the front of the class to where Shido sat.
Shido watched with a confused expression.
The classroom whispers grew louder.
"It's just your imagination," Gabriel replied flatly.
He stood from his seat, then casually walked past Kurumi toward the front of the classroom.
"Um… Michaelis-kun?" Tamae asked hesitantly, in the careful-curious tone of a teacher. "Where are you going?"
Gabriel had already reached the door.
"To the restroom," he said shortly. "My stomach hurts. I acci— I mean, I accidentally drank spoiled milk."
Without hesitation, he opened the door and left, as casually as if he were in his own house.
Silence.
Tamae blinked several times, a small panic on her face. "S-spoiled milk…? Michaelis-kun, wait—if you're feeling sick, go to the infirmary first—eh, he's already gone…"
A student whispered, "He was about to say 'on purpose,' wasn't he?"
Another held back a laugh. "Who drinks spoiled milk by accident?"
Shido just stared at the closed door, his expression a mix of confusion and exhaustion.
Kurumi covered her mouth with her fingertips, smiling faintly.
"This class… seems like it will be quite entertaining," she murmured softly.
Her gaze then returned to Shido. Her mismatched eyes looked at him gently, yet with clear intent.
"So… Shido-san," she said quietly, her tone polite but firm, "would you guide me around the school?"
Shido fell silent for a moment, a faint blush creeping onto his face. He stammered, trying to straighten out his words.
"E-eh… of course, Tokisaki-san," he replied awkwardly. "I… I can show you the classrooms, the cafeteria, and all the important facilities. Ah, I mean, if you don't mind following me."
Kurumi gave a small smile and lowered her head slightly in thanks.
"Alright. I'll trust you, Shido-san."
Several students in the class watched them, whispers beginning to spread again, marking Kurumi's debut as something that had captured everyone's attention.
***
The late afternoon sky bathed Tengu City in a soft golden light.
On the sidewalk, Gabriel walked casually while biting into an apple.
His gaze looked empty, but his mind was busy arranging dramatic lines—an opening dialogue worthy of the day he would eventually meet Mukuro in outer space.
"…No, the opening line 'O ruler of the cosmic keys' sounds way too over the top…"
A moment later, his steps slowed.
A few meters ahead, Kurumi stood surrounded by three young men wearing smiles far too wide to be called friendly.
The way they closed in on her already explained their intentions. Gabriel didn't even need to read the flow of Ki—even an ordinary person could guess.
He let out a small sigh.
In his head, the next scenario was obvious: they would do something stupid… and end up as "dinner."
After a fraction of a second of consideration, Gabriel decided to approach. Not because he had to—just because he happened to be in a good mood.
If things still ended badly for them, then that was simply fate.
He stopped right beside Kurumi.
Without a word, Gabriel took the girl's hand and walked straight past them, his expression flat—like he was simply dragging along forgotten luggage.
The three men froze for a second before one of them stepped forward.
"Oi! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Let her go!"
The tallest one grabbed Gabriel's shoulder, his face twisted with irritation as if something that belonged to him had just been taken by a stranger.
Kurumi didn't pull her hand away.
She tilted her head slightly, her heterochromatic eyes narrowing just a touch.
A small smile curved on her lips—not gratitude, but the smile of someone who had just found new entertainment.
"Kihihi…"
She let herself be led away, her voice soft yet laced with playful amusement.
"Ara~ it seems I've been rescued by a mysterious knight?"
Her tone was light, but her eyes showed no sign that she truly needed saving.
Meanwhile, Gabriel's steps came to a halt—not because of the hand that had grabbed him. His apple nearly slipped, so he fixed his bite first before turning his head.
His expression was flat.
Uninterested.
"You're standing in the middle of the road," he said quietly. "You're in the way."
It wasn't a challenging tone.
It was more like someone mildly irritated that the sidewalk was being used as improper parking.
The three men glanced at each other.
This reaction… wasn't what they had imagined.
No fear. No anger. No heroic act.
Just… complete, genuine indifference.
One of them clicked his tongue. "Dude's a total weirdo…"
"Forget it."
They backed off on their own, more because the mood had turned awkward than because they felt beaten.
Gabriel started walking again.
A few steps later, he glanced to the side—only then realizing he was still holding someone's hand.
He immediately let go.
"Oh. Sorry."
After that, he took another bite of his apple like nothing had happened.
Kurumi tilted her head slightly. Her black hair swayed softly in the afternoon breeze. Her mismatched eyes narrowed a little, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Ara… not even a thank you?"
Gabriel thought for two seconds.
"If you were actually in danger," he replied flatly, "you would've screamed. Something like, 'Somebody help me.'"
Kurumi's smile shifted—now more intrigued than merely amused.
"I see… so you were just passing by?"
"We're in the same class," Gabriel said. "Your introduction earlier… Tokisaki Kurumi, 'a Spirit,' right?"
Kurumi blinked slowly.
"…Eh?"
It was true—today was her first day as a transfer student at Raizen High School.
Her smile appeared again, gentler this time.
"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you…?"
"Gabriel Michaelis," he replied shortly.
He took another bite of his apple.
His thoughts had already drifted far away—not to the transfer student beside him, but to a figure waiting in the cosmic void.
"To drown oneself in a sea of stars at the edge of nothingness."
A faint smile touched his lips. That line would work. With a little more improvisation, the opening dialogue would be perfect.
The evening sky over Tengu City slowly dimmed, while his mind had already reached a place where night did not exist.
***
The void stretched on without sound, without direction, without end.
Amid distant, cold starlight, a lone girl drifted in silence.
Her exceedingly long blonde hair flowed gently, as if brushed by an unseen current.
A pale violet and white Astral Dress, shaped like a qipao, wrapped around her form. The hem of her skirt split softly, adorned with faintly glowing constellation patterns.
Hair ornaments resembling rabbit ears—deep blue blended with violet—rested upon her bun, giving her silhouette a grace that felt both elegant and otherworldly.
Mukuro Hoshimiya.
Her body curled slightly, as though asleep in the embrace of the cosmos. Her face was peaceful—too peaceful, like a celestial body that had ceased to turn.
"To drown oneself in a sea of stars at the edge of emptiness. Beautiful… like a constellation that refuses to move."
The voice was never heard, yet it existed within her mind.
Her golden eyelids slowly opened.
Her gaze shifted… and found a presence that should not have been there.
A young man clad in black robes adorned with silver ornaments walked across the void as though the vacuum of space were solid ground.
Silver hair fell over his eyes, and three pairs of wings spread from his back.
A pale white mist of energy veiled his body, flowing softly like the breath of that world itself.
Each step he took left behind a foothold of light—white ripples spreading outward like the surface of still water touched by the first rain.
Mukuro watched him, her expression devoid of warmth.
"…You are not a star."
Her thoughts brushed against the space around Gabriel—cold, distant, like echoes from a galaxy long dead.
"Nor are you the void. Then… what are you?"
For a moment, there was silence. Gabriel's faint smile formed, the white mist around him pulsing gently.
"A name is the root of existence. You may call me Ash," he answered through thought, calm. "The pale mist that watches over the stars."
His lips never moved, no sound emerged, yet his reply reached her mind directly.
In the vacuum, sound could not travel—but will could.
Territory Wizard, Reiryoku, or interference of existence— to beings like them, those were merely differences in method.
At last, Gabriel stopped, leaving only three steps of distance between himself and Mukuro.
___
Author's Note:
Ehehehe~ we finally made it to the chapter where Mukuru meets Gabriel 🔥🔥
Please support me, give me all your power stones, leave a comment, and share your favorite character list!! ✨✨✨