After washing her face in the bathroom and taking care of some… bodily needs, Rita sauntered over and sat at the dining table. She smiled and waved to Mashiro.
"Yo, Mashiro—good morning."
Mashiro glanced at her, then turned away without a word.
She was still mad.
That Rita wouldn't support her—and even said she'd take her back to the UK to keep painting alone in that empty studio—felt like a betrayal. Just thinking about it made her sad.
Mashiro's curt turn made Rita's smile freeze for a second. But she was thick-skinned; she quickly put on a warm face and greeted Hayashi Maki and Mahiru.
"Good morning, Mahiru-san, and Maki-kun. Please take care of me from now on."
She still couldn't quite figure it out—how an angelic girl like Mahiru would agree, together with Mashiro, to be Maki's fiancée.
"Good morning, Rita-san. Maki-kun explained everything to me. Anyway, make yourself at home!" Mahiru said with a smile, then announced it was time to eat.
Rita had a stomach full of questions, but now wasn't the time. She nodded and started in on breakfast.
"Alright, we're heading out. Rita, if you get bored, there are LNs and games in my room—make yourself at home," Hayashi Maki said lightly, and headed out with the two girls. Time for school.
Rita smiled and nodded, but inside she was a mess. She kept thinking about that hot kiss in the morning. Emmm… that damned man could act calm like nothing happened—that was infuriating. And yet she couldn't blame him—she'd been the one who played with fire and got burned for it.
Remembering it, she touched her lips; her cheeks warmed. With Mashiro and the others off at school and nothing to do, she wandered into Hayashi Maki's room. She had no choice—she'd just have to pass time with his light novels and games.
…
At school, Hayashi Maki finally had time to check on his newest familiar.
[Follower: Eriri (tsundere blonde twin-tails)]
[Mana Seed: Unhatched]
[Ability Gained from Contract: Straight Ball Attack]
"'Straight Ball Attack'? What kind of skill is that?"
Puzzled, he opened the details.
[Straight Ball Attack]: The best way to handle a tsundere is to be direct—throw straight at her weak spots, leave no room for tsundere posturing. The textbook tsundere Eriri grants you the ability to convert all your attacks into straight-line hits.
"Converts attacks into straight-line hits?"
He got the gist. He picked up his pen and flicked it at the potted tree below the window. A second later—whoosh—the pen punched clean through the trunk along a perfect line.
His eyes lit up. Not bad at all. He already had Shino Asada's "attack always hits" ability; add straight-line attack and his speed and power spiked. Combine that with the Akizuki sisters' "dual-cast" and "skill power stacking," and his offense was terrifying now.
If a ballpoint could pierce a tree, what would a mana-stacked, straight-line-accelerated Hellfire do? Not just fire anymore—more like a light cannon.
Good—Eriri's skill was solid. Even without magic or Hellfire, he could handcraft a finisher now.
Just as he was getting excited, he felt a gaze. He turned—it was Gabriel, staring in surprise. She'd obviously seen his little demo. Hayashi Maki pulled out a sausage stick and handed it over.
"Gabriel, please keep this to yourself."
"No problem, no problem—I didn't see a thing!" She snatched the sausage in a blink, quick on the uptake.
Only then did Hayashi Maki relax and pull out a textbook to review. He had to keep up his honor-student persona. A certain "second heiress" planned to beat him and Mahiru for first place—no way he'd give her the chance. That way he'd have a reason to tutor her—and get a little closer during "tutoring," who could complain?
Gabriel happily unwrapped the sausage and ate. She was strapped for cash lately, living on Hayashi Maki's handouts and instant noodles.
Even so, what he'd done surprised her—one pen, clean through a tree. For a human, that was strong. But as an angel wielding holy power, it didn't impress that much—Vignette, a low-tier demon, could blow up a house if she got riled, and angels' power… well.
She filed it away. Better to worry about lunch. In Gabriel's eyes, Hayashi Maki went from "good guy" to "exceptionally good guy." If he kept being nice, she could always usher him skyward when his time came.
Patting her flat belly, she flopped on her textbook like a salted fish. When would she achieve financial freedom—whale to her heart's content and feast every day?
Thinking of the dwindling cup noodles, she decided she'd tag along with Mahiru for a shift tonight; starving to heaven would be embarrassing.
…
Hayashi Maki didn't know Gabriel was already contemplating escorting a Demon to the Heavenly Realm. Bribery with a sausage complete, he dove into review.
Studying alone was boring; he poked Megumi Kato's waist and asked her to hold the book and help him recite. Megumi was happy to help; the two studied together pleasantly.
Vignette, watching Satania cackle her daily "o-ho-ho-ho-ho," could only sigh. As a fellow demon, she had no idea how to deal with Satania's wild brain circuits. Still, when Satania wasn't chūnibyō-ing, she was easy enough to get along with.
Before long, the bell rang.
Mafuyu Kirisu's history class. Dressed in a black suit and pencil skirt, the pink-haired beauty-teacher began her lesson with an icy aura. Maybe it was his imagination, but Hayashi Maki felt Kirisu-sensei's gaze land on him several times. Had he offended her somehow?
Probably not…
~~~
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