After a long while, Hayashi Maki looked down at Shiina Mahiru sleeping in his arms and smiled gently.
Tonight, he'd basically laid his cards on the table with his angel Mahiru. He didn't know whether she truly believed he was a demon, but this was enough for now. Everything had been said; Mahiru also knew about Asada Shino, and she hadn't objected.
A promising start to domestic harmony.
While Hayashi Maki held Mahiru and drifted off, enjoying the warmth of sleeping in each other's arms, the literal angel upstairs—Gabriel Tenma White—ran into the greatest challenge of her life.
Having just finished her homework, she stretched.
"Ahh… human life really is tough. No one has it easy."
Which was all the more reason she needed to fulfill an angel's calling and help people live happier lives.
"Help—somebody help me!"
A voice suddenly rang in her ears.
Gabriel perked up; saving the distressed was an angel's job. She hurried to find the source—and then snorted when she saw it was coming from the interface on her brand-new computer.
"Oh, it's just a human video game."
"As an honor student, I'm not playing. Wash up and sleep."
Just as she decided that, the downed player on the screen started wailing again.
"Someone save me! I'm dying… help…"
"Save me! Is there an angel?"
Gabriel froze, then, seeing more and more "players" collapsing and waiting for rescue, suddenly felt fired up. She was an angel. Even if it was only a game, she couldn't ignore cries for help.
"Don't panic, I'm coming… uh, how do I do this?"
Fumbling with the mouse, she followed the tutorial and made a character.
"Let's pick a healer."
She created a cleric and immediately started healing downed players.
"I'm back up! Thank you so much!"
"You're a real angel!"
Compliments poured in, and Gabriel's cheeks flushed.
"Did I blow my cover? How do they know I'm an angel?"
Muttering, she dove back into healing. But as more players fell in battle, her character suddenly couldn't cast anymore.
"Huh? I'm out of mana? What do I do—there are so many people waiting for me to save them!"
She panicked.
A pop-up appeared: an Archangel Staff—an item that let her cast heals with no mana cost… for a price.
Gabriel hesitated.
"Should I buy it? Heaven did give me some funds…"
"Help… angel… I'm going to die!"
"Help!"
"Anyone—heal me!"
With the pleas ringing in her ears, Gabriel couldn't take it. Her hand moved on its own; she clicked, entered her card number, and bought the item.
She played all night, even forgetting about class. She ended up calling Kirisu Mafuyu-sensei to ask for leave and stayed home gaming.
Somewhere along the way, Gabriel seemed to discover her "purpose" as an angel: to slack off—live leisurely in the human world and do nothing!
Angels generally don't die and live a long time; it's just a figure of speech.
She just wanted to keep playing. It was so much nicer than homework and good deeds.
As the game progressed, the internet gradually "influenced" her. She noticed certain traits in humans and decided her earlier dream—to make everyone happy—was too idealistic. Hayashi Maki had been right: to make others happy, you had to experience happiness yourself first.
So now, Gabriel was "playing games in order to better fulfill her duties." Totally.
…
The next morning.
Shiina Mahiru slowly opened her eyes.
She looked at the man holding her and, remembering how he'd comforted her last night, felt her heart go warm. Reluctantly, she slipped out of his arms, got dressed, and went to wash up.
Time to make breakfast and prep lunch boxes.
Before long, with her hair tied into two loose falls over her chest, Mahiru tied on an apron. Humming as she worked, she seemed in good spirits.
Her parents' coldness had wounded her deeply. But now she had someone to rely on; she no longer needed their attention. Besides, a woman marries out eventually—she wasn't going to stay by her parents' side forever. With Maki-kun protecting and caring for her, all she needed to do was be her best self.
As for the two half-sisters who had "taken her home" and her parents' affection, Mahiru had no intention of reaching out—nor of envying them.
She would build a home with her own hands and live happily, just to show those two.
Being born in Shiina's household wasn't her fault. There was no need to waste herself on two people who didn't care about her. Better to think about making her cooking more delicious so Maki-kun could eat with a smile. He'd praise her more, dote on her more.
So what if he'd made a move on Asada? She couldn't satisfy him alone anyway. With Asada around, she could "share the load" of Hayashi Maki's excessive stamina.
And she had confidence she could keep her and Hayashi Maki's home in order. She'd find time to talk to Shino. Harmony mattered most; she wouldn't let anyone ruin this warmth.
If Asada wanted to monopolize Maki-kun, Mahiru would persuade her to give up that unrealistic idea.
…
Elsewhere.
At Mahiru's original home—the luxury villa she'd lived in since childhood—two girls had moved in.
Housekeeper Aunt Koyuki naturally took on caring for the two young ladies. Though her heart ached for the angel Mahiru, she was only a maid; becoming Mahiru's legal guardian and wiring her money every month was all she could do.
Only… the Miss seemed to have stopped accepting it. Did she want to sever ties completely?
Sighing, Koyuki stopped overthinking it. She finished breakfast and went to wake the young ladies and the new madam.
At the table, the family of four ate quietly—a picture of warmth.
Shiina Asahi, sharing breakfast at last with his first love and their children, couldn't help a gentle smile from spreading across his face. He looked expectantly at his two daughters.
The elder, Shiina Minatsu, wore twin tails and ash-brown hair; she'd inherited her mother's beauty, was a second-year in high school, and served as the student council vice-president.
The younger, Shiina Mafuyu, had long blonde hair—clearly his genes at work. A white bow sat atop her head; cute and blank-faced, she sat quietly eating her share.
"I'm finished. Mafuyu, you?" Minatsu set down her chopsticks and looked at her sister.
"Mafuyu's finished too," the younger said dully—her eyes, like her sister's, never once turning toward Shiina Asahi.
"Well then, we're off. See you, Mother—and… Father."
After a beat of hesitation, Minatsu tried addressing the man—distantly.
Asahi smiled and nodded, though his face was a bit stiff. He realized he had no idea how to build a good relationship with his daughters.
As for the other daughter, Shiina Mahiru…
She was the wound between him and Shiina Sayo—and the reason both their marriages had ultimately failed. A stain on their lives.
He had tried to be better to her; Aunt Koyuki had always kept him and Sayo informed of Mahiru's accomplishments. But… he just couldn't make himself like her. In the end, like Sayo, he'd taken the "out of sight, out of mind" route and left her to Koyuki's care.
And now she'd apparently run away?
He'd just have Koyuki send her more money.
Financial support was all he could offer that daughter. Anything else was impossible. The two girls here—and his first love, now his wife—were what mattered to him.
"Asahi, Minatsu just needs time," the new wife said softly. "They grew up without a father figure. You reappeared all of a sudden—of course it's hard to adjust."
Her comfort brought warmth to Asahi's smile. "I understand."
At his side, Aunt Koyuki found that smile blinding. The same daughter—yet the Miss had probably never once seen that gentle smile on her father's face.
~~~
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