Chapter 273: What Are You… Doing?
Under Kouya's half-forced kiss, the lazy angel's cheeks flushed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Her pale face turned crimson from ear to neck, and even the tips of her earlobes glowed faint pink beneath the dim streetlights.
So hot.
Her lips felt hot.
The lips that had been icy-cool moments ago were now burning, trembling against his. Even with the faint space of air that followed when she pulled back, Kouya could still feel the warmth radiating off her skin.
For a moment—a brief, fragile heartbeat—the angel's eyelids fluttered, and her small hands seemed to twitch toward him, as though wanting to return the embrace.
But the motion vanished as quickly as it came. Her sapphire eyes snapped open again, wide and sharp, turning into twin black holes capable of swallowing light itself. The expression she gave him could have burned him alive.
"…You're dead!"
Then—
Bam!
A heavy fist landed squarely in Kouya's abdomen with the sound of thunder.
He stumbled backward, a grunt escaping his throat.
"You bastard!!! How dare you do that—how dare you actually kiss me!"
'What was there not to dare? You sneak into my space all the time, yet when I respond, I'm the villain? Hypocrite!'
'I still remember your shameless 'poke poke poke' in the classroom, you know. This was merely collecting a little interest on that debt!'
"Go to hell!" she roared, voice trembling between fury and humiliation. The sound cut through the cooling air like a blizzard, scattering silence along the street.
'An angel cursing someone to hell—now that's irony. Isn't hell more peaceful these days anyway? At least there's central heating. In heaven, you'd probably be bullied by your own colleagues.'
Kouya rubbed his stomach, wiped the corner of his mouth, and smirked. "Tastes pretty good."
Gabriel's eyes widened. She had just finished her ice cream before that sudden kiss, and he had caught the sweet chill still clinging to her lips. Some bits of mochi and cream must have transferred during that reckless moment.
Her face reddened deeper still, and her hands shot up in a flurry. "Gross! You're disgusting!"
She furiously rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand, voice muffled, cheeks puffed up with equal parts anger and embarrassment. "And you actually dodged?!"
Kouya shrugged lightly. 'Should I just stand still and let you pummel me? Only a fool would do that!'
"Stop! Don't move!" she barked and lunged again, fists swinging.
He caught her wrist easily this time, her small fist swallowed by his palm. The warmth of her skin was soft and delicate, but her glare could've cut steel.
Feeling the weight of his gaze, Gabriel froze. The air thickened between them. Realizing his intent, her face turned scarlet again. She yanked her arm free with a startled gasp, retreated a few steps, and reached frantically into her pocket.
"What are you looking for?" Kouya asked, wary.
"My Doomsday Horn, obviously!" she snapped. "You think you can get away with that kiss? Fine, we'll just destroy the whole planet together!"
'Oh, for heaven's sake—literally! Would you stop talking about ending the world already?'
'If the world gets destroyed, no more Wi-Fi, no more games, no more ice cream. You'll last five minutes before crying about it.'
"Ha! Found it!" she exclaimed triumphantly, pulling out a gleaming golden horn nearly half her size. She raised it dramatically. "Prepare yourself, mortal! Your end is nigh!"
Kouya blinked, utterly speechless. Where the hell were you even hiding that thing?
"I'm angry," she declared.
"Extremely angry."
Her tiny face hardened with determination as she pointed the horn toward him. "I'm about to blow this whole place up!"
'Do you think you're some kind of pufferfish that explodes when annoyed?'
"If you don't want the world to end, stand still and let me hit you properly!" she ordered, puffing out her cheeks.
'Huh? In the middle of the street? You trying to humiliate me too?'
"Go ahead then," Kouya said dryly, folding his arms. "But remember—if you blow that horn, no internet, no snacks, no online servers."
That hit her like divine revelation. Gabriel froze, her hand hovering above the horn, lips twitching. Of course, she didn't actually want to destroy the world. Without her creature comforts, existence would be unbearable.
"You—!" she stammered. "You bastard!"
"How am I a bastard this time?" Kouya tilted his head innocently.
"Doing… something that indecent—and you still ask?!" she barked, stamping her foot, face aflame.
"Say 'bastard' again and I'll show you what indecent really means," Kouya said coolly, crossing his arms.
Her eyes widened. "You've gotten bold lately, haven't you?"
His smirk widened. "Keep pushing and I'll reenact that manga you took from my desk."
Her jaw dropped. "Manga?"
"Yeah. The one you 'borrowed' at the start of the term—the one with the back-row girl."
The memory struck her like lightning. That H doujin. The one she read in secret, cheeks burning the whole time. Her entire face turned crimson now.
"Hentai! Big, shameless hentai!" she yelled, half hiding behind her hands.
The street echoed with her outrage. A few pedestrians glanced their way before hurrying off, pretending not to hear.
…
Then a voice broke the air behind them.
"What are you two… doing?"
Both froze.
Kouya turned slowly, dread pooling in his gut. There, standing at the corner of the street, was Vigne. Her soft lavender hair fluttered slightly in the wind, and her wide eyes were filled with startled confusion.
A pang of guilt struck him hard. He'd faced worse situations—stood half-naked before an entire class, even—but this was different. Maybe it was because he didn't want to see disappointment in her gaze.
"Gabi-chan, what are you doing?" Vigne asked, stepping closer, her expression tightening. But instead of walking away or glaring coldly, she marched right up and grabbed Gabriel's wrist.
"Don't go waving around something that dangerous!" she scolded. "If you accidentally set it off, do you even know what could happen?"
"Oh…" Gabriel deflated immediately, shrinking under Vigne's gaze. With an awkward laugh, she tucked the golden horn back into her pocket.
Vigne sighed, shaking her head, then looked up again. "Gabriel, why is your face so red? Did something happen?"
"N-no! Of course not!" Gabriel said quickly, eyes darting anywhere but at Kouya. "It's just… hot. Really hot. Must be the weather."
Vigne tilted her head. "It's warm, sure, but not that warm."
Gabriel forced a laugh. "I just overheat easily, okay? I'm delicate."
Inside, she was dying. Her brain screamed, 'If you say one word, Kouya, I swear I'll blast you to another dimension!'
Do I tell her I just got kissed? No way! That kind of humiliation deserves to be buried deep beneath the Mariana Trench forever!
"Anyway! What are you doing here, Vigne?" Gabriel said hurriedly, voice an octave too high.
Vigne blinked. "Oh—after school I had some free time, so I brought cat food to feed Big Meow. When I was heading back, I saw you two here. You looked furious and were holding that horn…" She paused, suspicion in her eyes. "Kouya didn't do something to upset you, did he?"
Her tone softened, but her gaze on Kouya was sharp. Something had happened—her instincts told her as much. The usually lazy Gabriel wouldn't be this worked up without reason.
Kouya rubbed his neck awkwardly, trying to think of what to say.
"Kouya," Vigne said firmly, folding her arms. "What were you doing just now? Why is Gabriel so mad?"
He opened his mouth, clearing his throat. "I just—"
Before he could finish, Gabriel stomped hard on his foot. He bit back a hiss as she glared daggers at him. Her eyes clearly said: Speak, and you die.
"N-no, nothing!" Gabriel blurted out, forcing a weak laugh. "I just suddenly got in a bad mood and wanted to punch this guy a little. That's all."
"Even if you're in a bad mood, you can't just hit people!" Vigne said, exasperated.
"He's fine. His face is thick enough to stop a truck," Gabriel muttered, glaring sideways. Then she puffed her cheeks again and added, "Besides, hitting him counts as exercise. Builds character. And muscles. Definitely good for mental health too!"
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