Chapter 109: Your Manager Is Online
So the girls all turned their gaze toward Kouya, their collective stares like spotlights aimed directly at him.
"Stare—"
Kouya blinked, shoulders stiff. "..."
"Hey, which flavor do you think tastes better?" Gabriel leaned forward eagerly, her eyes wide as if this were a question of life and death.
Satania crossed her arms, chin raised proudly. "Attendant, answer carefully. I'll reward you handsomely. Even a pineapple bun will do!"
Kouya's eyelid twitched. Seriously?
They were eating his snacks, yet still had the nerve to ask something this dumb. Did they want him to lose it? They were just chocolate biscuits! Why couldn't they just eat both like normal people?
"No way! The mushroom side is justice!" Gabriel shouted suddenly, slamming her hand on the desk. "All the bamboo shoot fans are heretics!"
"Hmph! The bamboo shoot side is true love! You mushroom lovers are the real weird cult!" Satania declared, pointing at her rival like a hero calling out a villain.
Gabriel: "Peh peh peh!"
Satania: "Bleh bleh bleh!"
Kouya stayed silent, simply watching their ridiculous argument unfold. His expression didn't even twitch.
One was a lazy fallen angel who bullied people for fun, the other a self-proclaimed demon overlord who barely passed as competent. The clash between stupidity and chaos was reaching mythical levels.
"Guess I don't want to side with anyone after all."
Kouya sighed, turned, and opened his drawer. He pulled out a coin and flipped it with casual ease. "Let's decide this with a coin toss."
"Eh?" Both girls blinked.
"Heads for Gabriel, tails for Satania."
Before they could protest, the coin was already flying through the air. The faint sound of metal spinning filled the quiet room.
With a crisp cling, it landed on the desk, spun for a few seconds, then stopped—heads up.
"Hmph, looks like luck's on my side again." Gabriel smirked victoriously, puffing out her chest.
"No way! Why?!" Satania wailed dramatically, collapsing to the floor. Her silhouette almost turned grayscale, as if life itself had abandoned her.
At that exact moment, Raphiel leaned forward curiously. "Kouya-kun, what's that shiny thing?"
"Hm?"
"That golden card with the words 'Hot Spring' on it..."
Kouya followed her gaze, then remembered. "Ah, this? It's a membership card for a hot spring resort. You can get discounts with it."
He recalled that Hirata Sachiko, the manager from a past request, had given it to him as thanks. He'd tossed it into the drawer afterward and completely forgotten about it.
"A hot spring resort?" Raphiel's eyes gleamed like stars. "Gabi-chan, Vigne, we should totally go soak this weekend!"
"Eh?" Vigne blinked in surprise. "That's... kind of sudden, isn't it?"
"Because Kouya-kun has a membership card! It'll be cheaper if we all go together!" Raphiel said cheerfully, smiling with that angelic mischief of hers.
Gabriel groaned and dropped her head on the desk. "No way. Hot springs aren't nearly as comfy as gaming at home."
"Ha! You're just afraid to lose to me again!" Satania stood tall, hands on her hips, grinning proudly. "Even if it's a tie now, next time I'll crush you for sure!"
"Tch." Gabriel shot her a lazy side-eye that perfectly said, 'I pity you.'
Vigne rubbed her temple. "Rikka, what about you? Interested?"
The ahoge on Takanashi Rikka's head twitched. For once, she didn't strike a dramatic pose or shout about dark contracts. Instead, she quietly murmured, "I'll ask my sister first..."
Finally, Vigne clapped her hands. "Alright, we'll decide later, okay?"
She glanced outside. "It's already past five-thirty, and it's still raining. Let's all head home before it gets worse."
"Finally! Time for pineapple buns!" Satania cheered, already halfway out the door.
"Later," Vigne said sternly, pulling out her phone. "I made a group chat. Add me. I'll be supervising your study session tonight."
"Ehhh?! Vigne, you're so mean!" Satania whined.
...
The next morning came quickly.
The sky was still gray and heavy, clouds sagging low like drenched cotton. The rain never truly stopped—just changed from drizzle to mist, whispering against the windows all day.
With exams drawing near, tension filled the classroom. Even the hallway felt quieter than usual, laughter muted by stress and humidity.
Gabriel had miraculously shown up to school again. Though to no one's surprise, she spent most of the day face-down on her desk, occasionally twitching to scroll her phone under the table.
When lunch came, she groaned. "So annoying. You can't even sit outside in this weather. Everything's wet!"
Vigne opened her neatly packed bento and sighed. "No helping it. We'll just eat here."
Those who belonged to clubs had proper rooms to hang out in, but for homebound members like Kouya and the others, the classroom was their only option.
"Vigne, where are we studying this evening?" Satania asked between bites of sandwich.
After-school time was reserved for cleaning, so they couldn't stay in class. And they didn't have any clubrooms available.
Vigne tapped her chin, thinking. "Where would be good..."
Gabriel's place was out of the question—she was still traumatized after yesterday's cockroach fiasco. If another one appeared, she'd probably summon her trident and destroy the entire apartment complex.
That shameful event could never, ever happen again.
As for Kouya's room... absolutely not. Yesterday was a one-time emergency. There was no way a girl should visit a guy's room daily to study.
Maybe her own apartment, then?
Just as she was considering it, Satania suddenly raised her hand with enthusiasm. "Vigne! Remember that café we saw yesterday?"
"Yeah?"
"We can study there while drinking coffee! The vibe was amazing!"
The others turned to look at her suspiciously.
Satania instantly waved her hands, flustered. "W-Why are you looking at me like that?! I wasn't gonna say I have coupons or anything, okay?!"
...
Behind a mahogany counter, a deep, calm voice spoke dramatically.
"Ever since I encountered that premium coffee bean in Brazil during my trading days, I fell completely in love with coffee..."
"Its fragrance, its delicate bitterness, the layers of warmth hidden in each sip—it captured my soul..."
"I finally understood my purpose in life."
"So I quit my job, used all my savings, and opened this very café..."
The man gestured grandly toward the roasting machine behind him. "Every year, I fly across continents to handpick the best beans, then grind, roast, and brew them with my own hands."
He smiled serenely. "For me, coffee isn't just a drink—it's art. A lifelong pursuit of perfection."
He adjusted his tie and concluded, "And now, I can finally say—I'm quite confident in my blended coffee."
Just then, the door chime rang softly as a group of students entered, led by a purple-haired girl with a calm aura.
It was Vigne and her friends.
"Welcome!" The manager straightened his bow tie again, smiling warmly.
"Good afternoon," Vigne replied politely, stepping inside.
Kouya, dragged along by Takanashi Rikka, surveyed the place curiously. The café had a nostalgic charm—dim golden light spilling from vintage lamps, walls lined with old records, and faint Scottish bagpipe music weaving through the air. It was elegant, warm, and a little mysterious.
The group chose a round table in the far corner. The manager himself brought over the menus. "What would you like to drink? Since we've just reopened, everything is 20% off today."
"Reopened?" Vigne asked.
"Indeed." The manager nodded with a proud smile. "To maintain the highest quality, I close for two months every year to travel the world and find the finest beans."
He leaned slightly forward, voice dropping into a confident tone. "By the way... I'm quite confident in my blended coffee."