"Good morning!"
With boundless energy, the little demon Vignette slid open the classroom door and greeted her classmates enthusiastically.
Behind her followed a mumbling demon, lost in his own thoughts.
"Good morning, Vignette!"
"Morning!"
"As energetic as ever!"
It was clear that Vignette was quite popular in the class.
In contrast, the demon trailing behind her… not so much.
"Morning, Miyamura."
Luo Xia casually slapped the back of a gloomy-looking boy before dropping into his seat, shoving his backpack under the desk.
The boy adjusted his glasses with a troubled expression.
Miyamura Izumi sighed and said, "Luo Xia, I appreciate you talking to me and all, but could you please not hit me so hard next time?"
This was the fourth time he had said that.
And even as he spoke, he sighed again.
This guy probably wasn't going to listen.
At this point, Miyamura figured he was already used to Luo Xia.
His new friend was a good person… probably.
Though, now that he thought about Luo Xia's past behavior, Miyamura reconsidered.
Actually… not quite a good person.
After some deliberation, he amended his thoughts: "A bit of an idiot, but still a good guy."
After all, Luo Xia was the only person he had befriended in high school.
And, well… being overly friendly was probably the only reason someone like Luo Xia would approach someone like him.
With that thought, Miyamura lowered his head slightly, looking a little dejected.
"Ah, don't sweat the small stuff."
"Overthinking things is why you don't have a girlfriend."
"I don't have a girlfriend anyway! And if we're talking about it, you don't have one either, Luo Xia."
Direct hit.
Miyamura's words completely shattered Luo Xia's defenses.
"Hahahahaha! You're still just as pathetic, Luo Xia!"
A loud, exaggerated laugh filled the classroom.
A red-haired idiot demon struck a dramatic pose, practically vibrating with laughter.
Kurumizawa Satania McDowell.
A fool among fools—someone who was bullied by everyone yet somehow still managed to bully herself.
Her head was filled with delusions of ruling Hell.
And for some reason, she had set Luo Xia as her self-proclaimed rival and nemesis.
Though, honestly, Luo Xia wanted nothing to do with this rivalry.
Because at the end of the day, an idiot's nemesis could only be another idiot.
Striking an exaggerated pose, Satania declared loudly,
"I am the future ruler of Hell! A mere Luo Xia should just give up, give up, give up, give—"
Wham!
Before she could finish, she was struck with a devastating blow.
Luo Xia rained down merciless knocks on Satania's head while snapping,
"Did water get into your brain?"
"You, the ruler of Hell? That'd be a complete disaster!"
"You're underestimating me!"
Satania stammered as she endured the repeated bonks to her head.
This was the one thing she refused to back down on!
"Luo Xia… Luo Xia."
A gentle tug on his sleeve made Luo Xia turn around, meeting Vignette's concerned gaze.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Satania scrambled away, cradling her head as she retreated to her seat, still grumbling about Luo Xia's cruelty.
"What's wrong, Vigne?" Luo Xia asked, puzzled.
"Gab didn't come to school today."
The bell had already rung, but there was still no sign of Gabriel.
Even a certain idiot demon was seated properly, yet their usually punctual, model-student angel friend was missing.
It was enough to make one worry.
"Skipping class?"
Luo Xia glanced at Gabriel's empty seat and stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Could this be it?
Was she finally about to fall?
Honestly, that was a relief.
Her holy and radiant demeanor was way too unsettling for a demon to be around.
"How about we go to her place and kick down her door after school?"
Luo Xia suggested, looking rather eager.
And knowing him, he wasn't just saying it for effect—he was serious.
"??? That's way too violent!"
"No way, no way! Absolutely not!!"
Vignette's head practically sprouted question marks as she hurriedly tried to dissuade him.
No matter what, Gab was her dear friend.
Not to mention, she had a great impression of Gabriel for helping her find an apartment when she first arrived in the human world.
"This is exactly why she doesn't like you, Luo Xia!"
Shoving him back into his seat, Vignette huffed in frustration.
From the moment they met, these two had never gotten along.
Gabriel had never outright stated why, and Luo Xia had never explained it either.
Since they didn't want to talk about it, Vignette never pried.
She just assumed it was natural animosity between demons and angels.
"I don't think that's the reason..."
Luo Xia's gaze wavered slightly, looking a bit guilty.
Gabriel's distaste for him went way back—long before they had even arrived in the human world.
The details? Well… let's not get into that just yet.
"And what is the reason?"
Vignette demanded.
"Can't say. It's a secret. Also—Vigne, don't you want to become a proper demon?"
Faced with his black history, Luo Xia swiftly changed the subject.
As a demon who didn't act like one, Vignette had always struggled with the idea of being a proper demon.
Her inherently kind nature made it difficult for her to commit any real mischief.
"Yeah, of course!"
The moment the topic changed, Vignette immediately straightened up, her eyes sparkling.
Even putting aside the issue of her allowance, she genuinely wanted to learn how to be a proper demon.
"Then, for the next few days, I'll teach you how to be one."
Patting her shoulder, Luo Xia spoke with a rare seriousness.
No matter what world they were in, men shared a few common hobbies.
For example, persuading a good girl to step into darkness… or helping a fallen one return to the light.
And the idea of turning this gentle little angel into a true demon?
That was just too tempting to resist.
(Of course, Gabriel was an exception to this.)
"Alright!"
Vignette nodded firmly, looking genuinely excited.
After all, no demon wanted to hear that they didn't seem like one.
"Alright, class, settle down."
A bald, fierce-looking teacher strode into the room, calling for order.
The classroom quickly fell silent.
Even Satania, who was usually the most disruptive, behaved herself.
Outside the window, a terrifying ghost drifted past.