Chapter 106 - Chapter 106: Iris Snaring Gabriel In

[🎉 Shoutout to Mister_Gamer, Dubst3r & Kagamire for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]

'But world also have angels, so it shouldn't have been messed up by demons to such an extent, right?'

Gabriel wasn't quite sure how to explain things to Iris, whose perspective was completely different from hers.

However, after understanding all this, she no longer worried that Hachiman would be taken away to another world by Iris.

'Judging by Iris's attitude, she is more likely to keep Hachiman in this world rather than bring him back to her dangerous one.'

'Hmm… Could it be that Iris is also considering things from this angle?'

'She doesn't want Hachiman to be overly saddened by her departure in the future, so she is deliberately helping him find many human partners to accompany him in her stead?'

Suddenly, Gabriel realized that when she thought about it this way, Iris's unusual behavior actually matched her impression of elves very well. Elves were indeed emotional beings willing to give everything for love.

"Hmm? Gabriel, you don't have to worry about me. The president is a great person, and it's only natural that others like him. I wouldn't get jealous," Iris suddenly noticed that Gabriel was looking at her with a strange gaze, but she still patiently continued persuading her.

She had no opinion on what kind of girl the president liked—as long as the president liked them, it was fine.

But if they were girls with good personalities, they would get along much more comfortably.

Clearly, Gabriel was such a girl—kind, hardworking, polite, and sincere...

She had actually noticed these traits in Vignette as well, but compared to Gabriel, she had interacted with Vignette much less. She wasn't entirely sure what Vignette thought about the president yet, so she hadn't mentioned this matter to her.

Today, she was trying to persuade Gabriel mainly because Gabriel seemed to be jealous of her and the president. She just wanted to resolve any potential conflicts peacefully and amicably to prevent the president from being troubled by their issues.

"Don't worry, Iris. As a fellow member of the Service Club, I will fully support you and Hachiman's love," Hearing Iris's selfless words, solely focused on others, and the genuine emotions conveyed, Gabriel couldn't hold back anymore. She firmly grasped Iris's hands and sincerely promised.

Originally, she had intended to stop Hachiman and Iris's immature romance. But upon realizing how deeply Iris felt for Hachiman—so much so that she only thought of him and not herself—she changed her mind.

Since Iris liked Hachiman so much, how could she bear to separate such a grand love that transcended different races and worlds?

Perhaps she couldn't arbitrarily grant Hachiman, a human, the same lifespan as Iris—that kind of action was a forbidden taboo in the celestial realm.

But in Iris's world, there must be many ways to extend lifespan.

After she graduated, she could apply to be responsible for this world and Iris's other world, protecting Iris and Hachiman from war and demonic threats within her jurisdiction.

At the very least, before Hachiman's life ended, she could silently safeguard their love.

"???", Iris looked at Gabriel, who was staring at her with a serious expression, and now it was her turn to be confused.

'Have I ever told Gabriel about my and the president's support arrangement? Why is Gabriel suddenly offering to help?'

'However, this isn't exactly a secret, so perhaps the president or Komachi mentioned it to Gabriel.'

Since Gabriel was so earnest about supporting her, she gladly accepted.

Now that she thought about it, Gabriel was the first human girl to officially declare that she would help her. Perhaps Gabriel was the first implementation target of her three-way support plan.

Well… With Gabriel's personality, they should get along very well.

"Then it's settled. You can't refuse when I need your help in the future," Iris smiled, "Of course, I'll also help you pursue the president. Though honestly, with how outstanding you are, Gabriel, I doubt the president would reject you."

"I definitely won't refuse when it comes to supporting you, but forget about pursuing Hachiman," Hearing Iris still insist that she liked Hachiman, Gabriel felt a little helpless.

"Hachiman is indeed a great person, and I do like him a lot, but the way I like him is different from how you like him."

"I understand, I understand. Just focus on supporting us. When you fall for the president and want to have kids, I'll help you then," Iris nodded with a smile, no longer arguing over such minor details with Gabriel.

'Gabriel is just shy, isn't she? If she truly doesn't like the president, why is she offering to help with such matters?'

Iris's views were just a bit different when it came to support, but her concept of loyalty was still very much in line with Gabriel's impression.

In fact, if she weren't the elven princess and didn't have the responsibility of bearing children, she would have been like most ordinary elven girls—considering these things only after finding someone she liked.

Still, meeting the president wasn't a bad thing. Not only had she found someone she truly liked, but she could also contribute to the elf race. She felt very happy.

'Why is the conversation even about having kids now…', Gabriel hadn't even realized what she had just agreed to. Seeing Iris think so far ahead, she could only smile helplessly and drop the topic.

If they kept talking, Iris might even start picking names for her and Hachiman's children.

"Hmm? Finally back?"

Gabriel's expression shifted slightly as she suddenly turned toward the living room, spotting a short-haired girl with purple hair carrying some bags and stepping inside.

Even though her conversation with Iris had made her realize that Iris wasn't necessarily being led astray by the demon Vignette, she still had to remain cautious. She couldn't let Vignette target Iris and ruin her relationship with Hachiman.

She had promised Iris to support their love, and it couldn't just be empty words.

———

In the living room, Hachiman naturally noticed Vignette's presence.

But seeing that she was still carrying quite a few things, he couldn't help but feel a little helpless.

"Vignette, didn't I tell you not to buy groceries?"

This demon was excessively kind—whenever someone treated her well, she had to return the favor, even if it meant taking a loss herself.

"I didn't buy much, just a few extra desserts. But don't worry, Hachiman. My living expenses arrived today. I took a part-time job just for the experience, not because I was short on money."

Vignette quickly explained. The store manager had given her some pastries, but there weren't many to begin with, and she had even shared half with her coworker Miss Aoyama. The remaining pastries obviously weren't enough for everyone at Hachiman's place.

So, she had bought a few more desserts to make sure everyone had enough.

"And next month? Won't you still have to rely on part-time work to make up for your living expenses?", Hachiman looked at Vignette, exasperated. He knew that her living expenses weren't provided by her parents.

As a demon or an angel undergoing training in the human world, their living expenses were based on performance.

If he recalled correctly, Vignette, being the kindest demon, ranked second to last in the underworld, receiving 20% less than the average demon—less than even a certain foolish demon.

"You don't have to worry about me, Hachiman. Actually, I receive my living expenses once a week. Although this time, the amount seems a bit higher than usual… But I checked, and it doesn't seem like a mistake. So I bought a little more dessert. After all, there are so many of us, we can definitely finish it," Facing Hachiman's concern, Vignette's face flushed slightly, and she scratched her cheek awkwardly with her finger.

On the way back, she had noticed that the living expenses she received were much higher than the usual standard.

At first, she thought it was a mistake. But when she reported it, they told her it wasn't—it was an increase based on her performance in the human world.

Yet, no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't recall doing anything bad enough in this period to suddenly receive such a large increase.

After racking her brain, Vignette could only think of one thing—when Kaede had asked her about it, she hadn't revealed that the rent for Shion's place was actually paid by Hachiman himself.

Although her response wasn't a lie, she had concealed part of the truth, which was, to some extent, deception and misleading in Kaede's eyes.

Hmm... She knew that lying would turn her into a bad child. But just one lie, and she received so much extra living expense? Could it be that her lie was extremely serious?

"Your living expenses increased? Looks like your family really cares about you," Hachiman nonchalantly got up and took the desserts Vignette had brought back, not showing any excessive surprise at her increase in living expenses.

In his plan, Vignette should have been overly kind-hearted and spent too much money, leading to a financial crisis. By then, he could 'use' Vignette's guilty conscience, her unwillingness to let others suffer losses, and make her feel increasingly indebted to him. That way, she wouldn't be able to turn a blind eye to his descent into depravity, and he could lie flat between angels and demons with peace of mind.

But never did he expect that Vignette's living expenses would actually go up.

Could it be that Vignette hadn't had time to do many good deeds yet since arriving in the human world, so her living expenses hadn't been deducted?

But that should at most mean no deductions, not an increase, right?

'Dammit! So she really did go out and do something bad,' In the kitchen, slicing vegetables, Gabriel secretly perked up her ears. Upon hearing Vignette's mention of increased living expenses, she immediately concluded that Vignette was a deeply hidden, powerful demon of this generation.

Although the matter with Iris might not be related to Vignette, Vignette must have done many other bad things she didn't know about.

She had to keep a close eye on Vignette from now on. She couldn't let Vignette continue doing bad things.

"Let's not talk about this for now. I'll go help Iris and Gabriel. Hachiman, you can chat with Kaede and the others first. If you're hungry, just have some snacks to fill your stomach. Dinner will be ready soon."

Vignette had no idea that just going out to work for a bit had earned her an enormous amount of unjust blame. She glanced at the two busy blonde girls in the semi-open kitchen, rolled up her sleeves, picked up the remaining apron, tied it around herself, and prepared to join Gabriel and Iris in cooking.

She knew Gabriel was an angel, but not the kind who would see a demon and immediately attack out of hatred. Last time, working together with Gabriel had been quite enjoyable.

Although now there were three people in the kitchen… Hmm, all three of them were rather petite, so they could still fit in the kitchen to cook together.

"Vignette, you just got back. Do you want to take a break first? I'll go help in the kitchen instead."

"No way!"

Hearing Hachiman say he was going into the kitchen to cook with Iris and the others, Vignette instinctively raised her voice to refuse. She didn't want to face the awkwardness of sitting alone in the living room again.

Who knew how long Hachiman and Iris would take this time?

But the moment she voiced her objection, Vignette realized she had miscalculated. Right now, it wasn't just Iris in the kitchen—there was also Gabriel, an angel.

"You and Gabriel are acting really weird. Neither of you wants me in the kitchen. Are you planning to take over my kitchen or something?", Hachiman shook his head speechlessly. He knew Gabriel and Vignette were an angel and a demon, so he naturally understood that they had already figured out his relationship with Iris. But he still pretended not to know and continued teasing Vignette.

Should he find a way to force Gabriel and Vignette to confront him directly and reveal their identities? Well, playing dumb like this was kind of fun too.

He wasn't worried about the little angel Gabriel or the holy-light demon doing anything to him. What he was slightly concerned about was Gabriel's sister, the extreme sis-con. If Zelel ever caught him corrupting her little sister, he might get a visit for a 'friendly chat'.

"Huh? Gabriel too?", Hearing Hachiman's words, Vignette was momentarily stunned and instinctively looked towards the kitchen.

At the same time, Gabriel in the kitchen also turned her head to look at Vignette.

The two locked eyes, and in that instant, Vignette understood—Gabriel was just as much a 'victim' as she was.

Hachiman and Iris were relying on their invisibility magic and soundproof barriers, completely ignoring their presence. Instead, it was Vignette and Gabriel who had to endure witnessing the love story between Hachiman and Iris.

"Vignette, come help. Hachiman, you don't need to," Gabriel, seeing Vignette's blushing face, decided not to argue too much with this demon for now. If she wanted to take down a demon, she needed solid evidence—she couldn't just attack recklessly.

For now, the most important thing was to get dinner ready and keep Hachiman out of the kitchen.

Even if Hachiman did enter the kitchen, she would definitely prevent him from acting up. But Vignette, as a demon, was another story. If Vignette used her demonic powers to restrain Gabriel and then lured Hachiman and Iris, it would be a real headache.

"Mm-hmm! Hachiman, just stay in the living room," Vignette quickly nodded, afraid that Hachiman would insist on coming into the kitchen to cook.

"Alright, Iris, you guys take your time. I'll chat with the others outside," Seeing that he had teased Gabriel and Vignette enough, Hachiman decided to stop playing with fire and sat comfortably on the couch.

"Got it~", Iris smiled sweetly as she watched Vignette enter the kitchen.

Since Gabriel had agreed to help her, maybe she could also take this opportunity to test Vignette and see if she also liked the club president and was willing to support her.

Although it was a bit disappointing that she couldn't enjoy some couple time with the president in the kitchen, it wasn't a big deal. She still had plans for later in the evening—after dinner, the president's remaining time would pretty much belong to her and Aegis.

Hmm… and Shion. Shion was very obedient too, so she couldn't forget about her.

———

In the living room—

"Hachiman, what exactly is your relationship with Vignette and Gabriel? And that elf princess, Iris—she seems to be especially close to you," Kaede narrowed her eyes and looked at Hachiman, who was now reclining back against the couch. Her tone was complicated.

She had thought that coming to Hachiman's place, she would first have to exchange pleasantries with the transfer students and the elf princess. She had even been a bit nervous about it.

But to her surprise, there was no need at all. The newly moved-in transfer student Gabriel and the elf princess Iris were both busy in the kitchen, and even Vignette, who had recently moved into the neighboring apartment, acted like she was completely at home here.

Yet as Hachiman's childhood friend, she felt more like an outsider being hosted in the living room.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Vignette and the others—Vignette was such a kind and gentle girl that she was more worried about her being deceived by Hachiman.

"What else could it be? You already know how long I've known them," Hachiman chuckled, reaching out to pinch Kaede's pouting face, "Are you jealous because my social life is better than yours?"

═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═

patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator

🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.

https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y