The Yotsuya residence.
Outside the front gate.
Miko Yotsuya stood at her own doorstep, her eyes drifting toward Gabriel from time to time.
The change in Gabriel at this moment was simply too vast. Gone was her previous delinquent aura; now, a faint, lingering smile graced her face, and every movement exuded intellect and elegance.
Like a young lady raised by a prestigious clan, she seemed to radiate a dazzling light.
This led Miko to believe, unilaterally, that this was the temperament an angel ought to possess.
Sensing Miko's gaze, Gabriel tilted her head slightly and offered a naturally flawless smile.
To leave a good impression on the other members of the Yotsuya family, Gabriel was revealing her most perfect side without reservation.
Right now, she was the combination of a Trinity socialite and the most perfect top graduate of the Heavenly Academy!
This was the ultimate stacked form!
She didn't believe she couldn't win over Miko's family.
'So beautiful...'
Miko stared blankly, dazed in spite of herself.
Though Gabriel had been beautiful before, she had never been this captivating.
Click.
The door was opened from the inside.
Miko snapped back to her senses, her cheeks flushing as she hurriedly averted her eyes.
Gabriel also looked forward with full confidence.
At the doorway, a massive head resembling a canine poked out. Two enormous eyeballs rolled around, staring curiously at the two people at the door. It opened its mouth slightly, revealing two rows of sharp, jagged teeth.
Miko: "..."
Gabriel: "..."
Huh?
Her most perfect side wasn't meant for a dog to see.
Gabriel recognized this somewhat eerie dog.
Miko came from a single-parent household. Her father had tragically passed away in a car accident, leaving behind only her mother and a younger brother.
Whether due to lingering obsession or something else, the soul of Miko's father had stayed in the house and never left. There was another spiritual entity accompanying him: this large dog.
This dog wasn't an evil spirit in the traditional sense, but rather something like a guardian spirit. In the original story, when it licked prayer beads infused with spiritual power, it only found them bitter; the beads didn't explode as they would when encountering a powerful malicious spirit.
It had always been very obedient to Miko's father.
In the plot, it once assisted Miko's father in blocking and frightening away a powerful evil spirit that could affect reality, which had been stalking the Yotsuya siblings and trying to enter the house.
As for why Miko's father and this dog didn't drive away the weaker evil spirits in the house, Gabriel saw it as intentional.
Because Miko 'could see' them.
Miko's father seemed to have anticipated this and might have intended to temper Miko's courage.
'After all, the range they can protect is limited. Once she leaves the house, they are powerless.'
Of course, this was just Gabriel's speculation based on the existing plot; the original author hadn't revealed the specific truth yet.
But it didn't matter.
This dog was indeed not simple, but it was no match for her.
Gabriel looked at the honest-looking middle-aged man with glasses standing next to the big dog. Her lips moved slightly as she spoke to him using a divine transmission technique.
"Dogs should really be kept on a leash, Mister."
Whoosh!
Ten golden chains appeared in the sky without warning, aiming at the dog below like spears. Faintly, one could even hear the sacred hymns of little angels, capable of cleansing the mind and body.
The next second, one of the chains moved. Ignoring all physical obstacles, it coiled around the dog's neck, limbs, and torso several times before suddenly tightening!
Snap!
The nearly two-meter-tall dog was instantly trussed up like a rice dumpling and slammed heavily onto the ground.
Since spiritual bodies cannot affect the physical world, Miko's mother, Toko Yotsuya, and her brother, Kyousuke Yotsuya, who were also standing at the door, did not see this supernatural scene.
Meanwhile, the remaining nine chains in the sky dissipated.
These ten golden chains each represented one of the Ten Commandments in the Bible!
The one binding the large dog was the Chain of Commandment—Thou Shalt Not Kill!
Roar!!!
Seeing itself bound, the large dog let out a furious howl and began to struggle desperately, its sharp teeth gnashing at the chains on its body.
Simultaneously, its limbs grew thicker, and its body size showed signs of expanding further.
As the struggle grew more intense, the nearby light dimmed, as if some horrifying terror was about to arrive.
The sound of tearing muscle and creaking bones rang out, alongside the constant snapping of breaking teeth.
However, the Chain of Commandment did not budge an inch.
All struggle was meaningless.
The Commandments in the Bible were absolute, especially when applied personally by an Archangel.
All the dog could do was submit to this absolutely overbearing power.
"It hurts..."
The dog, its teeth almost entirely shattered, spat out a single word and gave up its struggle.
Black blood seeped from the wounds on its mouth and body, sizzling as it hit the ground before evaporating into nothingness.
Miko's father was startled. He shot a shocked look at Gabriel and then anxiously stepped forward to check the injuries of his old friend.
"..."
Miko pursed her lips, nervously grabbing one of Gabriel's hands, her expression hesitant.
Seeing the monster that often hovered around the dining table in such a miserable state, she feared her father would also be 'purified' by Gabriel in some cruel manner.
'Oh no, I forgot to tell Gabriel about my father's situation.'
Miko remembered Gabriel's methods of 'purifying' evil spirits in the convenience store. Looking at the tragedy unfolding before her, she was so anxious that tears almost fell.
She didn't want her father to suffer such mistreatment.
"Miko, what's wrong?"
Gabriel felt the strength with which Miko was gripping her hand and blinked innocently.
Across from them, the golden chains quickly faded away. The big dog, who had battered itself into a bloody mess, regained its freedom, its wounds healing at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Under the soothing efforts of Miko's father, it finally regained its usual vitality.
But the Chain of Commandment had not disappeared; it was merely hidden.
In the future, if the dog attempted to harm a human life, the Chain of Commandment would reappear to deliver punishment.
"Hahaha... Miko has really made a remarkable friend. Now I can rest easy."
Miko's father smiled honestly at her.
He looked truly happy.
"..."
Miko felt her nose go sour, but she didn't dare respond.
She was afraid that responding of her own accord would cause her father to transform into an evil spirit.
"Thank you..."
Miko lowered her head and whispered her gratitude to Gabriel.
First, it was for Gabriel sparing her father; second, it was for what had just happened.
Though she didn't know what Gabriel had done to that monster, she guessed in her heart that Gabriel did it for the good of her family.
She was an angel, after all!
"There's no need to be so polite between us."
Gabriel smiled slightly, maintaining her perfect facade. She pointed toward Toko and Kyousuke, who had been left hanging for a while. "Auntie and your brother have been staring at us for a bit. If we don't explain, they might start to suspect our relationship."
Hearing this, Miko instinctively looked in the direction Gabriel was pointing.
Stare—
Toko and Kyousuke were staring intently at their tightly joined hands.
They hadn't wanted to overthink it, as it was perfectly normal for girls to hold hands.
But...
Miko's series of reactions just now had made their hearts skip a beat.
One moment, she was piteously pleading with the blonde young lady for something, and the next, she was so moved with gratitude that she looked ready to throw herself into an embrace.
And right in front of them, too!
What was going on here!