Chapter 228: Kanna is the Cutest and Most Adorable
Smack!
Kouya's hand slammed against the door, the sound echoing through the small apartment. The lazy angel froze, trapped in place by his arm in a perfect kabe-don pose. The sudden movement made the doorframe vibrate faintly, and for a brief moment, the two locked eyes in awkward silence.
"Trying to escape?" Kouya's voice was low, unhurried, but carried an edge that made Gabriel's heart skip.
"Wh-who's trying to escape?" Gabriel stammered, her gaze darting away. "I was just—uh, going to drop off my bag first, that's all..."
Kouya narrowed his eyes. 'Yeah, right. Even you don't sound convinced. You don't even write your homework—were you planning to let the bag rot in a corner or something?'
He hummed quietly and leaned in, just a little.
Gabriel's breath caught. The distance between them shrank; she could feel his presence, warm and steady. A faint, clean scent clung to him—something subtle that made her instinctively step back. Her face turned to the side, a pink tint creeping up her cheeks.
Then her eyes widened.
Because Kouya's hand rose slowly toward her face.
Her mind instantly went into overdrive. 'Wait, what is he doing? Don't tell me—he's actually going to—?!'
Her heart thumped against her ribs. 'If he dares try anything weird, I swear I'll kill him!'
The hand drew closer and closer, until she could feel the warmth radiating from his fingertips.
Finally, her composure broke. "Fine! I'll wash the dishes! Just move already!"
Kouya didn't budge. Instead, his calm voice cut through her panic. "Hold still."
His fingers brushed her cheek.
Gabriel's entire body stiffened. Her skin tingled from the light touch, and she felt the heat rush up her neck. Then her instincts kicked in. Her face turned crimson, and she swung a fist straight at him. "Y-you pervert! Go die!"
Smack!
Kouya caught her fist easily, his hand closing around her small, trembling one.
"Relax," he said, holding up his other hand. There, on his fingertip, was a single grain of rice. "You had something on your face. I was just wiping it off."
Gabriel froze, her mouth hanging open. Then her expression twisted into fury and embarrassment all at once. "You—! Ugh, fine! I'll wash the stupid dishes, alright?! Move!"
She shoved him aside and stomped to the sink, muttering curses under her breath.
Kouya smirked faintly and called after her, "Make sure you wash them properly. If there's still grease, it doesn't count."
"I know! I'm not a kid!" she snapped back, though the sound of running water soon drowned out her grumbling.
She eventually finished, drying and stacking the dishes neatly. When she came back into the living room, her hair slightly messy and sleeves damp, she glared daggers at Kouya before snatching her bag and retreating to her room without another word.
...
The night passed quietly, with only the faint hum of the fridge filling the silence.
By morning, the sky was pale and bright. Kouya met Vigne and Satania on his way to school, the two chatting animatedly as usual.
As always, Satania had somehow managed to lose her melon bread again, though she seemed less devastated this time—maybe numb from experience.
Scratching her head, she said, "Hey, I read this really sad story yesterday, but I don't get why everyone says it's sad."
Vigne blinked. "What kind of story, Satania-chan?"
"So there's this kid who gets into a car accident and needs a blood transfusion, right? But the parents' blood types don't match, and the dad's panicking. Then a doctor takes off his green cap and tells him to calm down... and that's it."
Kouya stopped walking for a moment. 'Oh, for heaven's sake.'
Vigne smiled awkwardly. "And... what did you think it meant?"
Satania frowned, deep in thought. "Well, I guess the hat helped him calm down? Like, maybe it's a therapy hat?"
Kouya nearly groaned. 'No, idiot, that's when he realized he wasn't the real father!'
Vigne shook her head, suppressing a laugh. "Anyway, Rikka-chan, you look sleepy today. Didn't sleep well?"
Takanashi Rikka yawned, her eyepatch slightly askew. "The sacred seals were broken last night. The ritual nearly consumed me."
Vigne gave her a deadpan look. "Normal words."
Rikka blinked and shrugged. "Took a bath with my sister. She kept stealing the blanket again."
Kouya sighed. 'That sounds about right.'
...
At the school gate, Raphael greeted him with her usual angelic smile. The silver-haired beauty wore a soft white sweater that caught the morning light, her hair fluttering like silk in the breeze. The radiance around her made passing students slow down, some even blushing as they glanced her way.
"Good morning, Kouya-kun," she said sweetly.
A moment later, Alice appeared beside her, fidgeting nervously. "G-Good morning, Kouya-kun..." Her voice was soft, her hands pressed together near her chest. Her twin tails bounced slightly as she shifted from foot to foot, looking far too cute for her own good.
Kouya gave a short nod. "Morning."
Alice kicked at the ground and spoke in a small voice. "Um... my mom wants to invite you over for dinner. You don't have to come if you don't want to, though."
Kouya didn't hesitate. "Not going."
"Eh?! No, you have to!" Alice's face puffed up, her small tiger tooth glinting as she protested. "If you don't, my mom will be super sad! She asked me to invite you properly!"
Raphael giggled softly, clearly enjoying the scene. "Aww, Kouya-kun~ how could you say no to such a cute invitation?"
Kouya groaned. "We'll see."
...
The first bell rang just as Gabriel dragged herself into class, hair a mess and eyes half-lidded. Without a word, she dropped her bag under the desk and collapsed face-first onto the table.
By now, the entire class was used to it. The glorious image of the divine transfer student from the start of the term had long faded into myth. Now, she was just Gabriel, professional slacker and embodiment of apathy.
The morning went by without incident, aside from Shizuka completely forgetting about the essays she had assigned the week before. She waved it off and told them to turn them in next week instead.
Time passed quickly, and before long, the afternoon sun was spilling through the classroom windows.
...
Since it was Friday, the café club was on break—Vigne had to attend a parent-teacher meeting at Kanna's elementary school. Kouya decided to tag along.
When they arrived, the small schoolyard was full of children wearing bright yellow hats and huge backpacks. Their laughter echoed across the courtyard as they ran and played, tiny voices full of energy.
It didn't take long to spot Kanna and her best friend, Saikawa, near the stairs.
"Kanna-chan! Your brother's here!" Saikawa called, waving excitedly.
Vigne smiled and greeted them. "Good afternoon, Kanna-chan, Saikawa-chan."
"Good afternoon," Kanna replied softly, her expression calm as always.
"Good afternoon!" Saikawa chimed in, almost bouncing on her heels.
After quick greetings, Saikawa puffed out her chest proudly. "Follow me! I'll take you to the teacher's office! You'd totally get lost without me!"
Vigne chuckled. "Then we'll count on you, Saikawa-chan. Lead the way."
They followed her through the clean, sunlit corridors of the school. Children's artwork lined the walls—bright crayon drawings of dragons, rainbows, and smiling stick figures.
Soon, they reached the small office tucked into a quiet corner of the second floor. Kanna's homeroom teacher was a kind-looking woman in her late twenties, her hair tied neatly in a bun. She stood to greet them, radiating gentle warmth.
She welcomed them and immediately began praising Kanna's performance. "Kanna-chan is an exceptional student—quiet, polite, always willing to help. The other children really look up to her."
Saikawa nodded beside her, eyes shining like stars. "That's right! Kanna-chan's the cutest, sweetest, most perfect girl ever!"
Kouya blinked, clearly struggling to reconcile the description with reality. "Uh-huh... are we talking about this blue-eyed dragon here?"
He glanced down at Kanna.
Kanna met his gaze without flinching, her big sky-blue eyes round and unreadable. For a long second, they simply stared at each other.
'Yeah. She's not fooling anyone. You just look innocent, but you're definitely plotting something under that poker face.'
It had only been two weeks, and she'd already become the unofficial queen of her class. The teacher saw a well-behaved angel—but Kouya knew better. Behind that adorable face was a mischievous little dragon who could charm or command anyone with a single look.
Wanna read ahead? Join my Patreon and support the story — up to 6 new chapters are published for you every day!: patreon.com/ArealMaster