Chapter 157: Death Sentence Reduced to Life Imprisonment
"Those games were bought by me," Kouya said calmly, his tone steady as the hum of the moving train. The simple statement drew the attention of every curious eye in the car.
"Eh, that seems to be the guy standing next to that girl... is he her boyfriend?" someone whispered from behind.
The bystanders all turned their heads, curious faces lit by the faint flicker of fluorescent lights above.
Gabriel also turned, her golden hair swaying softly as a faint light flickered in her eyes. There was a mix of pride and tension in her expression.
The man in question looked momentarily taken aback, then gave a scoffing smile. "You're her boyfriend, of course you'd take her side."
Gabriel puffed up her cheeks, her lips curling in frustration. She wanted to snap back, but stopped herself. She knew Kouya was stepping in for her sake; if she interfered, she might only make things worse.
Kouya didn't bother replying. His gaze was calm, cold, and utterly disinterested. Wasting breath on someone like that would be meaningless. His silence felt heavier than words, and even the man seemed a little uneasy.
Then Kouya spoke again, low but sharp. "His phone probably has a lot of photos of him bullying others, right? Just take a look and you'll see."
"Sorry, my phone is private property," the man replied, still confident. "You have no right to check it. Or maybe you want to come with me to the police station?"
But right after saying that, another sentence slipped out, as if torn from his thoughts: "Ridiculous, why would I be stupid enough to keep those photos of harassing girls on my phone? Of course I encrypted them on my computer!"
The air froze.
Every sound in the carriage seemed to vanish. Only the faint screech of the train's wheels echoed in the silence.
The man stiffened. His face twitched as if he'd just realized what had come out of his own mouth.
'Wh–what the hell? Did I just say that out loud?'
"I-I was just joking..." he stammered, trying to laugh it off. But then another truth slipped free, like a confession dragged from his soul. "Anyway, you idiots who only follow the crowd—it's easy to fool you as long as I pretend to be righteous."
"..."
Oh no. His face turned pale, panic filling his eyes.
He had said it again.
The passengers around him began to mutter angrily. Faces hardened, eyes filled with disgust.
Finally, someone shouted, voice ringing through the carriage: "Grab him! Turn him over to the police!"
"Yeah! Bastard like him deserves the harshest punishment!"
Just then, the train screeched to a stop. The man lunged forward, shoving Gabriel aside in a desperate attempt to flee.
Kouya didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and kicked the man square in the chest. The pervert flew backward and crashed to the floor.
Cheers erupted. The entire car broke into applause.
"Nice one!"
"That creep deserves electric shock therapy!"
Within moments, several train officers arrived. After a quick exchange, they cuffed the man and led him away, his terrified protests echoing down the platform.
As the train resumed its journey, the atmosphere lightened. The tension melted into murmurs and laughter.
A woman in her twenties, elegant and smiling, leaned toward Gabriel. She raised a finger approvingly. "Your boyfriend's amazing."
"Eh?" The fallen angel blinked in surprise, her face blooming red. She waved her hands furiously. "You've got it wrong..."
"No need to be shy," the woman teased, chuckling. "A man who steps in when a girl's being harassed—that's a real boyfriend. I'm rooting for you two."
"We're really not—"
"Oh, don't bother explaining. I've been there, I know the look of love when I see it." The woman covered her mouth, grinning playfully. "Right, handsome? You must've felt so protective when you saw her being bullied."
'Who felt protective?' Kouya sighed inwardly. He just couldn't stand that guy's disgusting face, that was all. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered.
Gabriel wanted to explain, but she'd already stayed silent once. Trying now would just make her look guilty.
She puffed up her cheeks again, glaring at Kouya with puffed indignation before turning her head away dramatically.
As they reached their stop, the girl who'd been harassed approached them timidly. Her voice trembled. "S-sorry... I was scared and didn't know what to do. Thank you for helping me..."
Gabriel waved her hand dismissively. "Forget it. Just don't let people push you around next time. If you stay silent, they'll think you're easy to bully."
The girl nodded quickly, tears glimmering in her eyes. "Mm... thank you both so much."
...
By the time they stepped off the train, it was past seven. The sky was a velvet black, stars faintly visible above the city's glow.
From the station to their apartment was about a ten-minute walk. The streets were quiet except for the soft hum of streetlamps and the whisper of wind through trees.
The moonlight spilled over everything like a thin veil of silver. Their shadows stretched long over the pavement.
Since leaving the train, Gabriel's mood had been strange. She walked ahead deliberately, pretending not to care, but every few steps her head tilted slightly, checking if Kouya was following.
From behind, her long, golden hair shimmered like ripened wheat, catching the pale light. It fluttered with each step, painting fleeting shapes on the ground.
They walked in silence, their footsteps the only sound. Finally, at the end of the alley, Gabriel stopped.
She turned slightly, her hair falling over one shoulder. Moonlight traced the gentle curve of her cheek, making her look softer, almost fragile.
After a pause, she whispered, her voice barely above a breath, "Hey... about earlier... thanks."
Kouya blinked. 'Huh? She actually said thank you?'
"Idiot! What's with that look!" Gabriel snapped, cheeks flushed again. She waved her fist at him. "Don't think this means I forgive you! For what you did, I'm just reducing your sentence—from the death penalty to life imprisonment! Got it?"
Kouya chuckled softly. "Generous of you."
"Hmph! Don't push your luck!" she said, stomping off toward the apartment.
When they finally got home, Kouya headed straight for a bath. The warmth of the water washed away the tension of the day. By the time he changed into fresh clothes, his body felt light, his mind calm.
As he turned on his computer, a familiar ping filled the room—the group chat buzzing to life.
Vigne: "Is everyone here?"
Satania: "1."
Raphiel: "2."
Rikka: "23333..."
Raphiel sent a teasing sticker of groping hands: "Rikka, don't break formation, or you'll be punished"
Takanashi Rikka trembled: "Waaah Raphiel's scary!"
Satania (hands on hips): "The convenience store had a pineapple bun sale! I bought a mountain of them and stuffed the fridge!"
Vigne: "You'll turn into a pineapple bun at this rate. Stop eating so many—it's not healthy."
"No way no way no way! Without pineapple buns, I'll die!"
"Don't exaggerate! Are pineapple buns your true form or something?!" Vigne snapped, exasperated. "Try eating a vegetable for once!"
"By the way, doesn't it feel like someone's missing?" Vigne asked.
Raphiel: "You mean Gabi-chan and Kouya, right? They're both offline."
"Yeah, strange. Kouya maybe, but Gabi-chan always logs in right after school. Not today though..."
Just then, both Kouya and Gabriel appeared online almost at the same time.
Raphiel: "Gabi-chan, what were you and Kouya doing?"
Gabriel: "W-who was with him! I just went out to eat, okay?!"
"Really?" Raphiel rested her chin on her hand with a sly grin. "So suspicious. The instant noodle queen... eating out?"
Gabriel's typing paused. "I can go out to eat sometimes!"
Meanwhile, a private message blinked on Kouya's screen.
Vigne: "Kouya, you're back?"
"Yeah."
After a short pause, she replied, "Tomorrow morning, I'll return the money I owe you."
Kouya typed back: "Forget it. Making you pay for the hotel room would probably get me smitten by lightning."
Vigne's response came instantly. "W-what hotel! We were forced to stay there! Don't make it sound weird!" Even through the monitor, he could imagine her flustered face. "Say that again and I'll hit you!"
"Fine, fine. But you don't owe me anything."
Vigne didn't reply right away. After a pause, she returned to the group chat: "By the way, tomorrow morning's home ec class is cooking—fresh fish and miso soup. Let's split the tasks."
Satania: "I'll handle the fish! I'll bring the freshest one there is!"
Vigne: "No need to overdo it. Just bring something decent, okay?"
Rikka: "I'll bring cola!"
Vigne: "Cola? Why cola?"
Rikka: "Because it's tasty, and you can make braised chicken wings with it!"
"That's called cola chicken wings, not soaked wings!"
Rikka: "Then cola-cooked fish! Sounds yummy, right?"
Everyone in the chat paused. Then, one by one, cold sweat emojis appeared.
Vigne sighed and covered her forehead. "No cola. Just bring wasabi, lemon, and ginger."
Here, fish dishes were kept simple—light seasoning, fresh ingredients, nothing heavy.
Rikka: "Aww, what a shame..."
Vigne: "Shame? No, that's luck!"