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Chapter 74 - "Angels and Demons in Class 1-A"

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"Hello, everyone. I'm Gabriel White. My dream is to make everyone happy. Please take care of me!"

With a sweet smile and an almost holy glow radiating off her, the golden-haired girl introduced herself. The declaration of her wish—that everyone could be happy—blended seamlessly into the classroom atmosphere.

The boys couldn't take their eyes off Gabriel. To them, she was dazzling, and their admiration was pure and innocent.

That was the aura of an angel—her very presence could wash away stray thoughts and leave only the simplest, most harmless feelings behind.

Mafuyu Kirisaki, the homeroom teacher, seemed satisfied as well. Having such a student in her class was surely a blessing. After Gabriel finished her introduction, Mafuyu gestured for her to find a seat.

Gabriel walked over and settled down in the desk right behind Andrew.

Andrew immediately felt a chill on his back. He was a demon, and now an angel was sitting right behind him. That alone was enough to make things feel awkward.

Once Gabriel returned to her seat under everyone's gaze, Mafuyu turned toward the other two transfer students.

She didn't quite understand why all three ended up in her class, but since the decision came from the school board, all she could do was accept it.

The blue-haired demon girl stepped up with a gentle smile and wrote her name neatly on the blackboard.

"Vignette April Tsukinose."

Her name was unexpectedly long.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Vignette Tsukinose April. You can call me Vigne or April—it's fine either way. From today, we'll be classmates. Please take care of me!"

After her polite bow, the class welcomed her warmly with applause.

Blushing slightly, Vignette chose the seat next to Shou Tobu.

Then it was time for the last newcomer to introduce herself—the pink-haired, self-proclaimed "little demon lord."

"Ahahahaha!"

She scrawled her name on the blackboard in big, bold letters: Kurumi Kurumizawa Satanichia McDowell.

Hands on her hips, she burst into a triumphant laugh.

"Foolish humans! I am the great demon lord, Kurumizawa Satanichia McDowell!"

"To be in the same class as me is your greatest honor! Bow down before me and pledge your loyalty to the mighty Satanichia! Ahahahahaha!"

She finished her performance with her signature laugh, even leaning back dramatically with her chin raised high, basking in her own "glory."

Yes—on her very first day as a transfer student, she had boldly announced the existence of the great demon lord Satanichia to her classmates.

Making humans kneel before her… surely that was the most "demonic" thing one could do!

Except, as the class listened, a single thought spread through everyone's mind:

Is she… an idiot?

Shinka Nibutani was cringing so hard her toes curled inside her shoes.

This is straight-up delusional! Total eighth-grade syndrome!

Don't tell me I used to be this embarrassing too… standing in front of the class and spouting nonsense like that?

Ughhh, no! Don't remind me!

Even Mafuyu was left stunned. But Satanichia mistook the silence as proof that her overwhelming aura had cowed the class, making her puff up with even more pride.

Mafuyu sighed, pressing her hand against her forehead. With a helpless wave, she said, "Alright, Kurumizawa, go find a seat. Class is about to begin."

"Humph!"

The silly little demon strutted past Andrew, casting a side glance at Gabriel's angelic glow, and plopped herself down in the back row.

Mafuyu couldn't help but feel exasperated. Vignette and Gabriel were perfectly normal, but Kurumizawa? Clearly a problem child.

A delusional who still hadn't graduated from her phase. Just thinking about it gave Mafuyu a headache.

When the first period ended, Andrew turned around to greet Gabriel with a smile.

"Yo, Gabriel. Morning. What a coincidence—never thought we'd end up in the same class."

"Mm. Morning, Andrew. It really is a coincidence. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask. Let's get along from now on."

The not-yet-fallen Gabriel gave him a warm, angelic smile. Her golden hair gleamed under the light, her presence carrying that unmistakable sacred air that made Andrew blank out for a second.

She reminded him of Mahiru.

Their personalities, their gentle angelic aura, their cute looks—and of course, the blonde hair.

But Andrew quickly snapped out of it, nodding calmly.

"Same here, Gabriel. If you ever need help with anything, just come to me. I'll definitely lend a hand."

After all, this was the perfect chance to leave a good impression.

And more importantly—he had to treasure her while she was still like this.

Because in just a few days, once Gabriel discovered online games… she wouldn't be this dazzling anymore. She wouldn't be a selfless, helpful angel.

Not even close.

Gabriel and the others quickly settled into school life and got along pretty well with their classmates.

Well—except for Satania. She thought she was getting along great with her "underlings," but in reality, everyone just saw her as a full-blown chuunibyou. Talking to her felt embarrassing, so most people simply avoided her.

So yeah, she'd basically been isolated the moment she arrived.

Vignette, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. With her sweet personality and easygoing nature, she made friends with the other girls almost instantly. Gabriel too quickly earned everyone's trust.

That meant Class 1-A now had not one, but two angels.

One was Shiina Mahiru, the other was the warm-hearted Gabriel White Tenma.

And back then, Gabriel's helpfulness wasn't just for show. The moment someone asked for help, she'd drop what she was doing to lend a hand without complaint. Even when Andrew casually asked her to run to the shop and grab snacks, she smiled and agreed without the slightest hint of impatience.

Later, Andrew thanked her by giving her two bags of potato chips.

As she munched on the crispy, salty flavor, Gabriel's eyes lit up. So this is what human snacks taste like? Amazing!

She even thought to herself, Andrew's such a nice guy. He bought me food.

Of course, being an angel, Gabriel didn't expect anything in return. In her mind, that simple gesture automatically earned Andrew a "good person" card.

As for Vignette and Satania, Andrew hadn't approached them yet. The timing just wasn't right.

Vignette was gentle, kind—basically a demon with an angel's heart. But without a good excuse, it would feel weird to strike up a conversation.

And Satania? Yeah, better not. The girl was a complete airhead. Talking to her might just get him labeled as "that weird guy."

Better to wait until she really started to feel the sting of isolation. Once loneliness set in, he could swoop in at the perfect moment and win over her trust. Wouldn't that make her friendship easier to secure?

So while Andrew was busy plotting how to "reel in" the demon girl, Yukino Yukinoshita was getting nowhere with her own troubles.

To make things worse, their class had just gained another transfer student—a silver-haired beauty with a stunning figure who immediately became the center of attention. Her name: Raphiel Ainsworth Shiraha.

But Yukino, preoccupied with her worries, didn't spare the new girl a second thought.

Because really—how was a lonely second daughter like her supposed to make friends with an angel?

Before she knew it, noon had arrived.

From the chatter around her, Yukino finally learned where this "warm-hearted angel" Gabriel was placed—Class 1-A.

Her heart instantly sank.

Class 1-A? Wasn't that Andrew's class?

What was going on? Could it be… that angel might punish him the moment she caught him alone?

The thought of him being exposed as a demon and "purged" sent a sharp pang through her chest. She realized she didn't actually want him to die.

But Yukino Yukinoshita was clumsy when it came to emotions. She had no dating experience, no idea how to handle feelings like this. She didn't even realize that she was already caught in someone's net, slowly but surely sinking deeper into it.

And when the net finally closed, the frozen walls around her heart would begin to melt.

"..."

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