Chapter 224: Still Gloriously Lazy Today
"I tempted you with snacks?"
Kouya's expression darkened immediately, a vein twitching at his temple.
Seriously? You've got some nerve saying that. You're the one who always barges into my room at night begging for chips and cookies—don't you dare dump the blame on me! The audacity!
I'm not taking the fall for this one!
"Then stop coming to me for snacks," Kouya muttered coldly, letting out a quiet sigh of frustration before shutting the chat window with a decisive click.
In the dimly lit room next door, the only illumination came from the computer screen, its cold blue light flickering across the messy desk and the scattered snack wrappers that told a story of broken willpower.
A girl in a green dinosaur-print pajama set sat slouched in front of the keyboard, blonde hair messy, eyes half-lidded yet sharp as her fingers tapped away furiously.
"So annoying. Fine, I won't eat then," she grumbled, scratching her head and puffing her cheeks in irritation before returning to her game with renewed vengeance.
My name is Gabriel White Tenma.
I was once the top graduate of Heaven's Angel Academy. A model student. A beacon of divine grace and diligence.
I came down to Earth to deliver research reports to Heaven—and, more importantly, to experience human life firsthand.
Back then, I had a noble dream: to bring happiness to all mankind, to become the angel every human could look up to.
That was a long time ago.
Now? Human happiness? Don't make me laugh.
If I've got time to worry about humans, I'd rather be clearing dungeons, raiding bosses, and collecting loot. Glory and grace? They don't buy premium skins.
As long as nobody interrupts my gaming, the world can burn and I won't even blink.
Anyway, none of that matters right now.
What does matter is that during this morning's health check—I somehow gained two pounds.
Two. Whole. Pounds.
My first thought was pure denial. Impossible. Not me! I'm supposed to have that blessed metabolism that never changes no matter how many chips or cakes I eat!
It had to be the scale. Clearly malfunctioning. A conspiracy by Heaven's faulty craftsmanship.
But then… after checking Vigne's and Satania's weights, I had to face the horrible truth—the scale wasn't broken.
Which meant… maybe, possibly, definitely, I'd been snacking a little too much lately.
This is a disaster. A heavenly crisis of the highest order.
Sure, games are everything, but even the path of gaming has limits. Weight… must… be controlled!
So, I made my resolution: I'll go on a diet. Starting today!
Dinner was a cheap convenience store bento. I don't even remember what was inside—rice, a few sad pieces of fried something. It didn't matter. I had to save my money for gacha pulls and DLC packs. So the real enemy—the true villain behind my expanding waistline—was the snacks.
Potato chips. Cola. Chocolate bars. Taiyaki. Wafer rolls. Dorayaki. Cheesecake. Crackers.
Every single one of them evil temptations from that guy next door.
If he didn't keep buying so much junk food, I wouldn't have been tempted to eat any of it!
Ugh, just thinking about him makes me angry.
And especially after the hot spring trip… that shameless jerk actually dared to kiss me! Me! The pure angel Gabriel! That was an unforgivable act of blasphemy!
If not for the fact that divine horn repairs are expensive and I need money for games, I'd have blasted him into another dimension already.
...
"To lose weight, avoiding snacks is one thing," Gabriel muttered, swiveling lazily in her chair, "but I should also sleep early and wake up early… probably."
Her eyes drifted to the clock in the corner of the screen.
9:55 p.m.
"Hmm. This is way too early to sleep. The party people haven't even gone out yet," she reasoned, yawning. "I'll just play one more match."
Time melted away like ice cream in summer.
"Eh? Ten-thirty already?" Gabriel blinked rapidly, shocked. "Okay, okay. Sleep time. For real this time."
Her mouse hovered over the shutdown button—but for some reason, her hand wouldn't move. It felt as heavy as divine punishment.
"Ten-thirty's late enough, but… I'm not sleepy. If I lie down now, I'll just roll around all night. Yeah, better wait till I'm tired."
With an expression of divine determination, she pulled her hand back. "Just one more game. One. More."
Half an hour later.
"What?! It's eleven-fifteen already?!" she screamed. "Okay, that's it—sleep time!"
The computer shut off. The room fell silent.
Then came a faint sound—"gurgle gurgle~"—from her stomach.
Gabriel groaned, clutching her belly. "Ugh… stupid hunger. That match got too intense. Maybe I should eat something small… like half a cookie?"
"No! Absolutely not! I'm dieting!"
"Maybe just drink some water."
She reached for her cup… then froze. "Oh no. I forgot to boil water."
"Tap water?" she whispered. "No, what if it gives me stomachache?"
Her eyes drifted toward the cola bottle nearby.
"Just one sip wouldn't hurt…" she whispered, her fingers twitching.
Then she snatched her hand back dramatically. "No! Must resist temptation! A fallen angel I may be, but my willpower remains divine!"
Five minutes later, she was lying in bed, eyes wide open, thinking about food.
"I want to play games…" she whispered to the dark.
"I want to eat snacks…" she added miserably.
And so, the heavenly struggle between laziness and hunger raged through the night.
...
The next morning, Kouya stepped outside, stretching his arms, only to see the door next to his open at the same time.
Out came the fallen angel herself, hair sticking up in places, dark circles under her eyes, her wings drooping pathetically. She looked like a zombie blessed by divine lethargy.
Moments later, they met up with the rest of the group on their way to school. The morning sun cast a warm glow as they reached the gate, where Alice stood on tiptoe, golden twin tails bouncing as she scanned the crowd like an excited puppy.
Spotting them, her eyes brightened. She ran over and immediately grabbed Raphiel's arm. "Good morning, Shiraha-sama!" she chirped brightly, her voice full of admiration. Then she turned shyly toward Kouya.
"Um… thank you. For yesterday." Her tone softened. "I'll remember this favor forever. I'll repay you someday—anything you ask."
"Anything?" Kouya asked with a sideways glance.
Her face went red instantly. "Y-You better not make me do weird things!" she sputtered, stepping back with flustered energy. "I belong to Shiraha-sama!"
Yeah, sure. Like I'd ever be interested in a flat-chested, noisy kid like you. I just wanted you to stop screaming.
"What did Kouya help you with?" Vigne asked, curiosity sparkling in her gentle voice.
Alice's gaze darted nervously. "N-Nothing much! Just a little thing~"
Of course, she already knew better. Last night before bed, Raphiel had explained calmly, "Kouya doesn't want people to know he's an onmyoji. So let's not tell anyone." And Alice had nodded fervently, like she'd been entrusted with a sacred duty—even though Kouya's name had already spread across campus like wildfire.
Desperate to change the topic, the twin-tailed girl puffed her cheeks and exclaimed, "Senpai! I want to join your club too!"
...
By noon, everyone had gathered in the clubroom for lunch. Alice proudly unveiled two massive bento boxes wrapped in silk cloth. "These were made fresh this morning by our maid! Mom said to share them with everyone!"
When she opened the boxes, a wave of rich aroma filled the room. Inside were layers of exquisite food—juicy marbled beef, sashimi glistening like jewels, delicate tempura, and colorful rolls, all arranged so beautifully they looked like art.
"If we can't finish it, it'll go to waste," Alice said cheerfully, using her chopsticks to place a slice of beef in Raphiel's box, then hesitating before offering a pork cutlet to Kouya.
Vigne smiled warmly. "Well then, let's dig in." She turned to Gabriel. "Gabi-chan, want some seafood? The shrimp looks amazing."
Gabriel averted her eyes, her tone trembling with effort. "No thanks. You guys eat. I'm… I'm dieting."
Vigne frowned. "Are you okay? You don't have a fever or something?"
"I'm fine!" Gabriel said, clenching her fists dramatically. "I'll endure! The path of discipline is paved with hunger!"
"This shrimp is heavenly," Rikka commented between bites. "Almost as good as something the Holy Cook would make."
Gabriel's jaw tightened. "I'll endure!"
"It smells amazing" Satania cackled gleefully. "All mine!"
Gabriel trembled, her wings twitching. "Endure… endure… endure…"
And then, with a small cry of despair, "I can't endure anymore!"
Forget the diet! Who needs discipline anyway?!
She snatched a piece of shrimp and devoured it with divine satisfaction.
I'll just burn it off later on the training field, she told herself proudly.
...
After the feast, Gabriel slumped back in her chair, eyes half-closed, rubbing her full stomach in bliss.
"So full… I can't move…" she murmured, voice hazy.
"So sleepy… maybe just a quick nap…"
Gabriel White Tenma—the fallen angel who once sought to save humanity—remained, as always, gloriously and eternally lazy.
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