Chapter 256: The Girls' Great Tail Mission
After the school bell rang, Kouya was packing up his things, his movements slow and absent-minded. Just as he was about to close his bag, his eyes fell on a piece of paper sticking out from between his books—the couple's meal voucher that Vigne had won in the school lottery. The bold red expiration date printed across it read: Today.
He froze for a moment, then let out a small sigh. "So it's today, huh…" he murmured, tapping the corner of the voucher with his finger. He pondered a bit, then reached into his pocket for his phone and typed a short message to Vigne.
"Wait for me after school."
When Vigne received the message, she blinked, momentarily confused. Her head turned slightly toward Kouya, her long hair swaying. After a few seconds of hesitation, she quickly typed back.
"…What do you want to do?"
Kouya replied almost instantly: "That meal voucher you won expires today. If we don't use it, it'll go to waste."
Vigne frowned faintly at her phone. After a short silence, she responded, "You… could ask someone else to go with you."
Kouya: "Taking another girl to use the couple's voucher you drew just feels wrong…"
He even added a "looking up at the sky" emoji at the end.
"What's that supposed to mean." Vigne turned her head and gave him a small glare over her shoulder. After a few moments, she sighed and typed again, "Fine, I'll go… but don't tell Gabi-chan or the others. Meet me at the school gate."
After their club activities ended, Kouya was the first to step out of the room. The afternoon light was soft, spreading a golden hue across the schoolyard. He walked to the gate, leaned against the fence, and waited quietly, checking his phone every so often.
Before long, the sly angel Raphiel came strolling toward him, her usual smile playing at her lips. "Kouya, why aren't you leaving?" she asked in a singsong tone.
"Waiting for someone," Kouya said calmly without looking up.
"Waiting for someone? Who?" Alice, her curious sidekick, perked up beside her, eyes wide.
Kouya glanced at her, his face expressionless. "Not telling you."
"You—" The twin-tailed loli puffed her cheeks and pouted, "Fine! I didn't want to know anyway."
Raphiel's eyes twinkled with mischief as she tilted her head. "Oh~ I see. So that's how it is~ Then take your time waiting, Kouya. We'll be going now~"
"…"
A heavy sense of foreboding crept into Kouya's chest.
Here it comes again—the look. That elegant, knowing, yet utterly sinister smile!
Whenever this black-hearted angel smiled like that, it never ended well.
—
Meanwhile, outside the clubroom.
"Vignette, let's go catch some fairies!" Satania exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Rikka said there are tons of firefly spirits around the lake tonight!"
"I've got something to do today… so I can't." Vigne shook her head, her tone apologetic.
"What is it?" Satania pressed. "Do you need help?"
"No, no, it's nothing serious." Vigne's gaze drifted toward the hallway, avoiding Satania's stare. "I'll be going first. See you tomorrow." She quickly gathered her things and hurried off.
As soon as she disappeared down the stairs, Satania stood there with one hand on her hip, the other rubbing her chin in deep thought.
"Something's fishy!"
"Eh? What's fishy?" Takanashi Rikka tilted her head, blinking her mismatched eyes.
"I don't know," Satania declared confidently. "Just my intuition!"
"When Vigne lies, she never looks people in the eye! That means something's up…" She paused dramatically, then clapped her hands together. "I know! Let's secretly follow her!"
"Eh? Follow her?" Rikka hesitated. "But… that sounds like stalking."
"Hmph! This isn't stalking—it's stealth training! It's a vital skill for anyone aiming to become a proper familiar!"
"Oh! So it's training?" Rikka's expression brightened with sudden resolve. "Then I'll do my best!"
Satisfied, Satania turned to the corner where the lazy angel Gabriel sat slumped, packing up her handheld console. "Gabi-chan! Wanna come with us?"
"No," Gabriel muttered flatly. "I'm going home. I've got a new event in my game."
"Ugh, you're hopeless." Satania puffed her cheeks but didn't press further.
—
At the school gate, Vigne arrived and immediately spotted Kouya waiting under the fading sunlight. She looked around—no familiar faces. Only then did her shoulders relax slightly. She approached him quickly, speaking in a low voice. "Alright… let's go."
"Mm."
As the two walked away, two small heads popped out from behind the statue near the gate.
"So she's going out with the servant again? And didn't even invite me?" Satania hissed, clearly offended.
She was about to rush out, but Rikka tugged her sleeve. "We're supposed to be stealthy!"
"Oh, right…" Satania coughed softly. "Then let's follow them… quietly."
The two tiptoed after them, hiding behind poles and benches, their movements so exaggerated they stood out even more.
"Hm? That idiot Satania again?"
Dragging her tired feet, Gabriel had just reached the gate when she spotted the two hiding figures whispering suspiciously. She sighed. "They're really following Vigne…"
She was about to turn back toward home when something caught her eye—Vigne and Kouya walking together down the street. Her expression hardened.
"Wait a sec. That's Vigne… and that pervert?"
She froze in place, then clenched her fists. "No way! Vigne's way too kind—she's the type to get tricked easily! And that guy's a total hentai! Who knows what he might pull on her!"
She hesitated for a second, then muttered under her breath, "Alright, fine. I'll just check what they're up to… Hmph. If he tries anything, I'll break his legs myself."
And with that, Gabriel quietly followed the two in front.
A few meters behind, from behind a row of bushes, came an excited whisper.
"Lady Shiraha, let's follow them too!" Alice's eyes sparkled like a child's, her little face flushed pink with excitement—it was her first time tailing someone, and she looked ready to burst with curiosity.
"Shh." Raphiel raised a delicate finger to her lips, her eyes shimmering with playful delight. "Quiet now. Things are getting much more entertaining~"
—
After leaving the school grounds, Vigne walked beside Kouya naturally, matching his pace as the two strolled along the quiet streets. The sky above glowed a faint orange, and cicadas chirped softly in the distance.
"It's still early," Vigne said, glancing sideways at him. "How about we stop by the park nearby?"
"The park?" Kouya asked.
"Mm, the one near the elementary school. We might even see Kanna-chan there."
'Why that little blue-eyed dragon again? Haven't seen her in a while, so now you want to feed and squeeze her cheeks again?'
'But two portions of a couple's meal won't fill her! I'll end up feeding her myself!'
Kouya bit back a sigh. Just as he was about to joke about it, something crossed his mind—the post he'd read recently: "Make Her Flustered Instead of Dating Her." He smirked slightly. Maybe it was worth another shot.
"Are you free this weekend?" he asked casually.
"This weekend? I think so…" Vigne turned toward him, blinking. "Do you need help with something?"
"No." Kouya straightened up slightly and coughed. "Since you're free, want to go see a movie together?"
"Eh? A… movie?" Vigne froze, her mind immediately flashing back to that day in the theater—the dim lights, the faint sound of his breathing beside her, and the feeling of his fingers intertwining with hers. Her cheeks burned instantly.
The warmth of that moment still lingered faintly at her fingertips.
She quickly stepped back, eyes wide and wary. "No way!"
Kouya: "…"
'That wasn't the plan! You were supposed to blush a bit and nod, not reject me like that!'
'And what's with that look, like I'm going to pounce on you in the theater or something?! It's not that bad!'
Realizing she might've overreacted, Vigne pursed her lips and spoke softly. "We just went a few days ago… Going again now would be kind of wasteful."
"I'm not short on money," Kouya said matter-of-factly.
"That's not the point," Vigne huffed, rolling her eyes with a faint blush still on her cheeks. Her tone softened after a moment, though, and she gave a small smile. "Honestly, you're so persistent sometimes."
They continued walking side by side. The evening breeze rustled through the trees, carrying the faint scent of blooming flowers.
After a brief silence, Vigne's gaze darted around nervously. "By the way," she murmured, lowering her voice, "don't you feel like… something's watching us?"
Wanna read ahead? Join my Patreon and support the story — up to 6 new chapters are published for you every day!: patreon.com/ArealMaster