December, the beginning of winter.
As winter arrived, the temperature began to plummet. It probably wouldn't be long before it snowed. Speaking of snow, it naturally brought to mind the season of a certain album.
Maiten High School.
Wearing a suit, Sato felt uncomfortable all over. He couldn't help turning to Gabriel beside him and asking, "Do I really have to dress like this?"
Gabriel nodded. Chewing gum, she blew a bubble before turning to him and saying, "Of course. If you just wore casual clothes, wouldn't you look like a high school student? That wouldn't be convincing at all!"
"But... wearing this doesn't feel convincing either!"
Sato couldn't help complaining.
No matter how he looked at it, wearing this suit didn't make him look like an adult. He was only a first-year high school student, and his face still carried the youthful innocence of a teenager. That couldn't be helped.
Sato glanced around.
It was currently school hours, and standing here made him as conspicuous as a star in the night sky.
"It's fine. Just say you naturally have a baby face!"
Gabriel giggled, then clasped her hands together and pleaded with a flattering smile.
"I'll leave the rest to you. If possible, remember to help me get my game console back!"
"I suddenly want to go home."
"Don't!"
Gabriel's expression immediately changed. Looking at him pitifully, she said, "Then forget the game console, okay?"
Sato looked at her and pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "I just feel like there's absolutely no benefit for me in doing this, and I still have to face your homeroom teacher. Didn't Vignette say that teacher is pretty scary?"
"Who said there aren't benefits?!"
Gabriel retorted.
"It increases affection points!"
"Complete this quest and your affection rating with me will shoot through the roof. The conquest progress will reach at least fifty percent!"
"Tch. Who wants to conquer a useless angel like you? Do you think this is a game? Besides, aren't you the type who'd come running with just a crook of a finger?"
"As if!"
Gabriel curled her lips.
"It's actually very difficult to earn affection points from me. This is your only chance!"
Sato also curled his lips. Then the corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he looked at Gabriel seriously.
"I don't think you realize something."
"What?"
"A few days ago, I happened to see the landlady putting up a notice to sell the building. The price looked pretty cheap, so I bought Aoyama Apartments."
He looked at Gabriel meaningfully.
Get it?
Gabriel stared at him blankly. Then she suddenly came to her senses and looked at him in disbelief.
"Really? Where did you get that much money?!"
"Of course it's true. As for where the money came from... don't ask."
"Really really?"
"Really really."
A flush suddenly appeared on Gabriel's face. She abruptly turned and stared fixedly at Sato. The next second, she excitedly grabbed his arm.
"Please support me! Boss, support me!!!"
Gabriel made no effort to lower her voice. In an instant, Sato felt as though the entire world had gone silent.
At the entrance of Maiten High School.
The students entering and leaving the school stopped in their tracks, all turning to stare blankly at Sato and Gabriel.
What... had they just heard?!
Sato: "..."
He was completely speechless.
Did this useless angel think they were still at home? What the hell was she shouting about?!
Gabriel also realized something was wrong. After swallowing hard, she looked at Sato.
"W-What do we do?"
"How should I know?!"
With a gloomy expression, Sato lowered his head as much as possible and said in a deep voice, "Let's stay calm and adapt to whatever happens."
The only thing comforting him right now was that he wasn't a student at this school.
The surrounding students looked at the two of them hesitantly. While discussing it with their friends, they entered the school. Fortunately, not many people had heard Gabriel's outburst, but what kind of storm this explosive piece of gossip would cause after being brought into the school, he had no idea.
"So you've really become a landlord?"
Lowering her voice, Gabriel asked again.
There was a hint of excitement in her voice, and her eyes sparkled continuously, as if she were plotting something.
"Yeah."
Sato's expression eased considerably. He glanced at Gabriel, then suddenly sneered.
"So has your affection meter exploded off the charts now?"
"Ahem. I'm not that kind of person. But if you could waive my rent, then actually, it wouldn't be impossible..."
Gabriel twisted about shyly beside him.
As for an angel's dignity, she had long since thrown it to the winds. In her own words, could dignity fill your stomach?
The answer was... absolutely yes!
Right now, if throwing away her dignity could accomplish her goal, she'd be saving tens of thousands in rent.
"Stop right there!"
Sato interrupted her. A warm and gentle smile appeared on his face as he looked at her.
Seeing this, Gabriel couldn't help swallowing.
A bad feeling suddenly rose in her heart.
Forcing a laugh, she asked, "What's wrong?"
Sato smiled faintly.
"Let's talk about the compensation for this little favor first."
"Come on, with the relationship between us..."
"Our relationship is very pure. There are absolutely no impurities mixed into it."
Sato emphasized.
"Fine. What do you want?"
Gabriel curled her lips. Her attitude instantly became much worse, truly living up to her status as a fallen angel.
"I mentioned that I became your landlord, right?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Your rent is going up by ten thousand every month."
"Nani?!"
Gabriel's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Sato. Trembling, she pointed a finger at him.
"Y-You're taking advantage of the situation!"
Sato maintained his gentle smile.
"Do you agree or not?"
Gabriel ground her teeth audibly.
She wanted to refuse, but when she thought about the consequences...
Her head drooped dejectedly. Then a glimmer flashed through her eyes, and she unexpectedly agreed rather readily.
"Fine."
Sato looked deeply at her and suddenly said, "You're not planning to skip out on the debt, are you?"
"Haha, h-how could I?"
Gabriel's heart skipped a beat. She quickly forced a laugh and defended herself.
"Oh? Fine then, it's settled. But... if I remember correctly, the Hero Association should have your records on file, including your sister's contact number."
Gabriel: "..."