Chapter 155: The Peculiar Utaha
Exiting the office, Hachiman headed back to the classroom, feeling refreshed after his playful banter with Shizuka. Upon his return, he encountered a rather peculiar scene.
Satania sat in her chair, exuding an air of arrogance as she made demands.
"Gabriel, fetch me some milk."
"Of course, here's my milk. Please help yourself."
"Gabriel, do my homework."
"Sure, I'll mimic Satania's handwriting to complete it."
"Gabriel, I want pineapple buns for lunch."
"No problem, I'll go buy them for Satania."
"Gabriel..."
Clearly, even a demon couldn't resist the helpful nature of the kind-hearted little angel, Gabriel. Hachiman watched, somewhat dumbfounded.
Now he understood why Satania was particularly harsh on this foolish demon ever since their fall from grace. It was probably her way of getting back at him for her current predicament. Yet, Satania was a tad too carried away, issuing more demands as Gabriel obediently followed.
Vignette, unable to watch any longer, decided to intervene.
"Hey, Hikki, you're back. Did Hiratsuka-sensei have any specific business with you?" Yui inquired upon Hachiman's return to the classroom.
"Oh, nothing significant. She just reminded me to behave and not cause trouble," Hachiman replied with an air of innocence, leaving no trace of his recent playful exchange with the female teacher.
"I see, that makes sense," Yui nodded in agreement, evidently accepting his fabricated story at face value.
After this conversation, Yui turned her attention back to her female classmates, following the pattern of the original narrative where the girls were often eager to conform to others.
Time swiftly passed, and the morning ended quickly. During the lunch break, students gathered in small groups, already forming preliminary social circles despite the school year having just begun.
Naturally, Yui walked alongside Yumiko and Hina.
Meanwhile, a few girls with bento boxes surrounded the little angel Gabriel.
"Tenma-san, would you like to have lunch with us?" one girl asked.
"Of course, I'd love to," Gabriel responded with a gentle smile. She then turned her gaze toward Vignette, who was nearby.
"Tsukinose-san, would you like to have lunch with us?" Despite being an angel and a demon, after over half a year of knowing each other, the two had become close friends.
"Sure, but..." Vignette began to accept Gabriel's invitation, her face lighting up with joy. However, she hesitated as she glanced at the other girls surrounding Gabriel.
"It's okay. I'm sure these girls won't mind, right?" Gabriel, as if understanding Vignette's concern, wore a sweet smile and looked at the other girls.
The girls readily accepted Vignette into their lunch group, unable to resist an angel's smile.
"Having one more person is fine."
"Yeah, come with us, Tsukinose."
"Alright, let's have lunch together, Tenma-san."
With everyone's agreement, Vignette joined the group without hesitation. Her presence made Gabriel's smile even brighter, and it became apparent that even as an angel who hadn't fallen yet, she still had her own charming tricks.
"Tsukinose-san, you can call me Gabriel."
Vignette hesitated for a moment but eventually spoke up. "Gabriel..."
"Great! From now on, I'll call you Vignette too," Gabriel said, her warm smile filling the atmosphere.
Hearing how Gabriel addressed her, Vignette's cheeks turned slightly rosy, and the mood became even more playful.
"Tenma-san, can we call you Gabriel too?"
"Yeah, we want to call you Gabriel from now on."
"Of course, you can."
As for Hachiman, he had to eat lunch alone because Zaimokuza was absent due to illness. He took out the bento made by Kotonoha this morning and headed to his usual spot on the rooftop. The hallway was rather quiet during this time, as most students were either having lunch or resting.
Walking down the hallway, just as he was about to take the steps leading to the rooftop, Hachiman spotted a girl at the corner.
With red hair and a black bat-shaped hairpin, it was none other than the foolish demon, Satania.
At this moment, the girl was sitting on one of the steps, holding a piece of bread and eating it with a blissful expression on her face.
With each bite, her face displayed an extremely blissful expression. If Hachiman didn't know any better, he'd think she was enjoying some gourmet delicacy instead of a regular pineapple bun.
Satania, like a protective dog guarding its food, cradled the bread against her chest and looked at him warily as Hachiman suddenly appeared.
Hachiman couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated. Come on, you're a demon; you're not supposed to be guarding your food.
However, he had no intention of engaging with this fool. If he argued with her, he would lower himself to her level of intelligence, and he had plenty of experience to defeat her.
"Excuse me, could you move aside?" Hachiman politely asked.
"Oh, okay."
Relieved that he wasn't trying to take her food, Satania relaxed and made way.
Her movement was quite exaggerated, causing her skirt to flutter slightly, revealing a tempting expanse of pure white skin between her knee-high socks and skirt. However, Hachiman simply thought, "Meh."
For someone who had experienced the pleasures of the flesh, this display held no allure. He glanced for a moment and then looked away.
"Thanks."
Hachiman gave her a quick thank you and then proceeded up the stairs to the rooftop.
Still, he couldn't shake the thought that beneath this demon's somewhat foolish exterior, there lay an abundance of energy and a striking charm, especially those canine fang-like teeth. If only she could dial back on her chuunibyou persona, she might draw the attention of admirers in their class.
With this thought in mind, Hachiman pushed open the door to the rooftop.
At that moment, a gentle breeze wafted through the air, carrying with it a shower of cherry blossom petals that danced gracefully. The atmosphere was fragrant with the scent of the blossoms.
Looking up, he spotted someone he was very familiar with seated on a bench on the rooftop.
Long black hair swayed gently with the breeze, and slender black stockings accentuated a pair of enticing legs that glistened in the sunlight.
It was none other than the long-unseen Utaha Kasumigaoka.
"Utaha-senpai, it's been a while," Hachiman said as he approached the bench, wearing a sunny smile and speaking in a soft tone.
However, Utaha seemed to be oblivious to his presence, not acknowledging him.
Observing this, Hachiman called out again, "Utaha-senpai."
"Huh... eh? When did you get here, Hachiman-kun?"
This time, she finally reacted, tilting her head with a puzzled expression on her face. This unexpected act of cuteness from the usually sophisticated Utaha made Hachiman's heart beat a bit faster.
"I just got here," he replied, sitting down beside her and smiling. "Were you brainstorming ideas for your new book? I heard from Sonoko-san earlier."
"Uh, yes. I was just working on the plot for my new book," Utaha answered, her expression somewhat awkward when discussing her new work.
However, in Utaha's mind, she had no intention of seeking Hachiman's input on her new book. She aimed to prove herself by creating a successful work independently.
Hachiman, not being a mind reader, remained unaware of her thoughts.
Opening his bento box, he took a bite of a rice ball.
"If you ever need help, Utaha-senpai, don't hesitate to ask," he offered.
"Ah, thank you, Hachiman-kun," she replied. It was uncertain whether she would indeed seek his assistance.
Lunch concluded, and throughout the meal, Utaha spoke very little, which struck Hachiman as unusual. In his memory, though Utaha wasn't particularly talkative, she was never this silent.
In the past, when they had eaten together, she would make a few playful remarks.
During the meal, Hachiman asked if she was facing any difficulties, but she flatly denied having any issues. Utaha insisted that everything was fine.
Not wanting to push further, Hachiman didn't insist and bid her farewell after lunch. He left the rooftop, leaving her behind.
Watching him leave, Utaha let out a soft sigh and tidied up her lunchbox before departing as well.
---
At 3:30 in the afternoon, the school bell rang for the end of the day.
With plenty of daylight remaining, most students in the classroom stayed behind for their respective club activities, including Hachiman.
However, he had decided to visit the kendo club today to discuss his resignation with Saeko. He was now a second-year student, and according to the original story's plot, it was time for him to join the Service Club. He was still unsure if the Service Club had been established yet.
He arrived at the clubroom of the kendo club.
Inside the clubroom, which was exclusive to the club president, Hachiman contemplated his decision to resign from the kendo club. He had reached a high level of skill in kendo, making it less meaningful for him to stay. While Kotonoha felt a touch of reluctance, she respected his choice. Hachiman gave the two girls a heartfelt hug, appreciating their understanding.
Suddenly, Maki rushed into the clubroom and expressed her concern about his resignation. "Wait a minute, Hachiman, are you sure you're going to resign? I can't believe it."
"Huh, Maki-san, you're here? Did you transfer to this school?" Hachiman was surprised to see Maki.
"Yes, I wanted to surprise you, but now that I've heard you're leaving the club, I can't accept it," Maki explained.
Hachiman reassured her, saying, "Don't worry, I promise to visit sometimes, and I'll show you my new volume to make amends."
"Okay," Maki agreed after hearing his promise.
As expected of Otaku, they are quick to agree when it's about such things.
"Bye."
In a less soundproof environment, he might have considered expressing his gratitude differently. However, in this room, he chose to bid them farewell.
As his conversation with the girls concluded, Yukino Yukinoshita, a member of the International Prep Class, began tidying up her school bag. She had no intention of leaving school just yet; instead, she headed toward the teachers' office, following her sister's advice.
She reminded herself, "If you encounter any problems at school, you can seek help from Shizuka, the teacher and my good friend. She will surely assist you."
Recalling these words, Yukino knocked on the office door.
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A/N:
I made a mistake in Chapter 151 where Hachiman had seventy to eighty billion yen; it was actually seven to eight billion yen. I forgot to fix it because my phone's folder was quite messy, but I've already edited it.