Huh? That twin-tailed girl just shouted at someone to stop him?
Yoru Moonshadow glanced around. But there was no one in sight. He was certain the entire stretch of hallway he had just sprinted down was completely empty.
Wait something flickered in the corner of his eye. He lowered his gaze slightly… and spotted a single strand of unruly hair.
Following it down, he saw shimmering blonde hair, even more dazzling than the twin tails behind him. Though the hair looked a bit unkempt and wild, it somehow still glowed with radiance.
Upon closer inspection, the strand wasn't an ahoge. It was just a piece of hair that hadn't been brushed properly.
Looking further down, he saw a face so delicate it could only be described as angelic. Slightly childlike, with brilliant sapphire eyes, the girl had a petite, adorable frame that made people instinctively want to protect her.
She wore a pink jacket with a red ribbon at the collar, a white blouse underneath, and a brown-and-red checkered pleated skirt. Her slim legs were wrapped in short white socks and pink sneakers.
Put simply, to the average man, she looked like an angelic, impossibly cute petite girl.
Though… something about her gave off a distinct aura.
It wasn't the comforting energy of a fellow otaku. No, it was the aura of decay. The scent of defeat and sloth. That atmosphere completely overshadowed her innate cuteness.
Wait a second. This tiny petite girl was supposed to stop him?
Seriously?
He was Yoru the Great Demon King. No matter how weakened he might be, there was no way a little runt like her could stop him.
Besides, she seemed angry. Probably because he hadn't even noticed her just now?
Hey, not his fault. She was short. Really short. So short, she was completely in his blind spot. Of course he didn't see her.
Huh? She looked even angrier now.
What was that look in her eyes?
"You little bastard. Did you just call me a pipsqueak? You'd better apologize or you're dead."
Her glare sharpened. Yoru got the message loud and clear. She had definitely picked up on his internal disdain.
"Out of my way, you useless petite girl. I could kick ten of you away without breaking a sweat."
Yoru didn't flinch. He glared right back, eyes full of cold arrogance. In any other fantasy world, just that gaze backed by his demonic presence would've been enough to make people faint.
The petite girl's glare widened slightly.
Then came the lightning strike.
Bang!
Yoru's face contorted. He turned pale and gasped.
He had seriously underestimated her.
That dainty-looking leg shot upward with terrifying force, slamming straight into his gut like a rocket punch from hell.
Stronger way stronger than the twin-tailed girl's kick from earlier.
As Yoru's vision blurred and his knees buckled, he caught one final image before blacking out.
A flash of fabric, white and blinding, flaring above like divine judgment descending from on high.
…And then, nothing.
Oh.
So that soft, snowy thing was…
Blackout.
Yoru Moonshadow, the Demon King who had terrified ninety-nine other worlds and sent gods fleeing in fear, was instantly KO'd on home turf by a fallen angel's kick.
"Gabriel!! I said stop him, not kill him!!"
The twin-tailed girl shouted, exasperated, as she rushed over. She looked down at the unconscious, foam-at-the-mouth Yoru and regretted ever asking Gabriel to help.
"Hmph. He had that smug look on his face. He was asking for it."
The petite girl Gabriel pouted, crossing her arms with an air of self-righteousness.
Then her expression shifted.
She realized the guy she'd just decked was already covered in wounds.
She panicked.
"Hey, hey, he's not gonna die, right?!"
The two of them scrambled to carry Yoru into the nearby medical room.
After a thorough examination and some bandaging, it turned out his injuries weren't life-threatening.
Both girls let out a long breath.
"Thank goodness. I almost got recalled to Heaven for this."
Gabriel patted her flat chest and sighed, muttering something strange under her breath.
"Huh? What did you say, Gabriel?"
That was the twin-tailed girl, looking at her in confusion.
"Nothing. Anyway, Eriri, did you notice anything strange earlier? Something that felt off?"
Gabriel asked the question with unexpected seriousness.
"Strange? Not really. Why?"
"No reason. By the way, can I borrow some money?"
She changed topics without missing a beat and casually asked for cash, like it was nothing.
Eriri was speechless.
The two weren't classmates. They had met by chance at a game release event and hit it off. They added each other as friends and gradually became close.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura a half-British, half-Japanese girl, born and raised in Japan. Her father was a British diplomat, and both her parents were hardcore otaku. Growing up in that environment, Eriri had also become an otaku but kept it hidden. It was a secret she absolutely couldn't afford to let slip. Being exposed could mean alienation and judgment from her classmates.
Gabriel knew about her being an otaku. But what she didn't know was that under the pen name Eiri Kashiwagi, Eriri was a renowned doujin illustrator one who specialized in highly explicit R18 art.
"How much?"
Eriri pulled out her wallet, her tone resigned as she eyed Gabriel's expectant sparkle-filled gaze.
"Umm… four thousand three hundred seventy-two yen. Let's just round up to five thousand. I'll pay you back next week."
Gabriel tilted her head and quoted the amount with disturbingly precise accuracy. She'd calculated exactly how much she needed for games, of course.
Gabriel White Tenma. A true fallen angel, hopelessly addicted to gaming and other worldly pleasures. Eriri was well aware of her degeneracy.
What she didn't know was Gabriel's true background.
Gabriel had graduated from Heaven's angel academy as the top student, recipient of numerous divine honors, and was seen as a future leader of the celestial realm. A real, honest-to-goodness angel.
She had descended to Earth to undergo spiritual training by attending a human school.
But corrupted by Earth's pop culture, she had completely given in to sloth and entertainment. Now she spent her days skipping school, binge-gaming, and generally being useless.
She had become the very embodiment of a fallen angel. A disgrace to Heaven. A NEET angel.
She had long since tossed her mission of bringing happiness to humanity out the window. Now she lived only for her own amusement.
Still, there were times when she had to take action.
Just like earlier when she sensed a surge of malicious energy nearby and rushed over.
"This better not be some faction causing trouble again..."
Gabriel muttered bitterly to herself. If her face could reflect her true feelings, that angelic smile would've twisted into something truly demonic.
Little did anyone know this whole area?
Was her turf.