Mitsue Takeda was very clear about Rom's abilities; after all, he was a disciple she had personally raised.
Even if they had severed their master-disciple relationship, she believed Rom would not deliberately make up lies to deceive her.
"In short, it is good that everything is fine..."
Mitsue Takeda sat back down unsteadily.
She had actually harbored many guesses about Gabriel's identity, but she never imagined Gabriel's true identity would be an angel from mythology!
Mitsue Takeda had just recovered from the shocking news brought by Rom, yet she didn't expect his next sentence to be an even bigger bombshell.
What did he mean by saying she had paid a price?
When did Gabriel ever promise her that she would take action against that Mountain God?
Hmm?
Deal with the Mountain God?
There was such a good thing!
The more Mitsue Takeda thought about it, the brighter her eyes became.
"No, I have never mentioned the Mountain God in front of her, and I have never asked her to help me deal with the Mountain God."
Mitsue Takeda suddenly calmed down again. She had not been completely blinded by hatred and knew very well she hadn't made any requests to Gabriel, so she asked: "Where did you hear such a rumor?"
Rom: "?"
Ru... rumor?
Seeing that Mitsue Takeda did not look like she was faking it, Rom was also completely bewildered.
Thus, at Mitsue Takeda's request, he recounted everything that had happened recently in detail.
Mitsue Takeda listened seriously to every detail, but when she heard that Miko Yotsuya had used that lily to summon an angel with long pink hair, she still couldn't help but be moved.
"To think there are two angels..."
Buzz buzz.
Mitsue Takeda snapped back to reality and signaled Rom to be quiet with her eyes, then pulled her phone out from her clothes.
Seeing that the call was from Gabriel, her hand holding the phone couldn't help but tremble.
Mitsue Takeda tried her best to calm her emotions and appear as natural as possible, then, under Rom's curious gaze, she pressed the answer button.
"Hello."
"Granny Mitsue, I presume you should have met Shindou Rom by now."
"...Yes, I have also heard from him about what happened between you. As his former master, I apologize to you for his rudeness."
Mitsue Takeda said to Gabriel on the other end of the line.
Sitting opposite her, Rom's eyes flickered, and then with a complex expression, he pressed down the brim of his hat.
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not calling to demand an apology. I'm simply here to tell you not to chant my name for no reason. Thinking it isn't okay either; I can sense it."
"...Did I disturb you?"
"Pretty much. I've been thinking about some things lately and need a quiet environment. But I can't block you and Rom out; in case you have something to ask me for help with, I need to be able to sense it."
Hearing Gabriel's troubled voice, Mitsue Takeda felt somewhat overwhelmed by the favor.
But Gabriel's next sentence made her instantly realize that there was no such thing as a free lunch.
"Because I need you two to do things for me in the future, I have to prioritize your safety."
"...That is truly thoughtful. However, one should not receive rewards without merit. We are merely mortals and might not be able to help with anything when the time comes. Is this really alright?"
"Since you didn't refuse, I'll take it as you agreeing... but you talk a bit too much and are too indirect. If you have questions, ask them directly; don't play games with me. Sometimes I really want to blow the horn and send all of humanity to heaven so no one can disturb my vacation time."
When Mitsue Takeda heard Gabriel's tone suddenly become impatient, she broke into a cold sweat.
In the past, she might have treated Gabriel's words as a joke.
But now, she didn't dare.
"Please, do heaven and hell exist in this world?"
Mitsue Takeda honestly followed Gabriel's wishes, no longer testing the waters indirectly but asking questions straightforwardly.
"There is hell, but no heaven. I am an outlander here on vacation, but lately, I've been annoyed by the evil spirits running around everywhere. I plan to find some tools to handle them, understand?"
This sentence from Gabriel was packed with information, answering many of the doubts in her heart at once.
After learning that Gabriel was on the side of humanity, Mitsue Takeda felt incredibly fortunate.
Because the other party wasn't here to judge all of humanity, but rather intended to give the humans of this world a hand during her holiday.
Although tool sounded unpleasant, for someone like her or Rom who had been chosen, it was definitely good news.
After all, who goes to a battlefield without weapons?
A weapon issued by an angel, no matter how weak its power, would be a divine artifact to humans.
Mitsue Takeda asked a few more questions about the Mountain God, but after hearing Gabriel say to wait for her word, the matter was dropped.
As the call ended.
Mitsue Takeda put down her phone as if a heavy burden had been lifted and looked up to exchange a glance with Rom.
They looked at each other in silence.
If nothing unexpected happened, they would be interacting as colleagues from now on.
...
For the next dozen or so days, Gabriel engaged in high-intensity mental work. Whether at home or at school, she was constructing the framework for the divine arts known as the cognitive filter.
During this period, she went through several version iterations.
As the test subject, Yuria was tormented significantly by Gabriel.
The first version of the cognitive filter was a failure.
Yuria saw the large dog as a giant cockroach that could infinitely multiply. It lay motionless in the room, and the dense swarm of cockroaches disgusted her so much she couldn't eat for several days.
Miko Yotsuya, on the other hand, wasn't affected at all; the value of her yin-yang eyes was still rising.
With the release of version two, version three, version four...
The further it went, the more ridiculous it became.
Miko Yotsuya remained unaffected, so she isn't worth mentioning for now.
During these dozen or so days, Yuria saw many bizarre and grotesque images.
For example, buildings that grew legs and ran, little people dancing non-stop in the air, the large dog turning into a world-class beauty, a gender-swapped Uncle Yotsuya, Gabriel with D-cup breasts...
Over time, it reached the point where whenever Yuria saw Gabriel these days, her legs would involuntarily shake, and her eyes would often brim with tears she didn't dare let fall.
She was afraid, yet she had no choice but to work hard to cooperate with Gabriel's experiments. That facade of pretending to be strong while gritting her teeth almost gave Gabriel the urge to bully her.
But Gabriel's own somewhat normal sense of morality stopped her from doing so.
And just yesterday, Arai-sensei suddenly took maternity leave.
Upon her departure, Gabriel was invited by her to meet privately.
After accepting Arai-sensei's heartfelt thanks, when Gabriel returned, she brought back a large pile of snacks and other thank-you gifts to the classroom.
But that was just a small interlude.
Today, the new homeroom teacher officially made an appearance.
In the classroom.
A very handsome male teacher wrote his name on the blackboard.
Zen Toono.
"Arai-sensei took maternity leave yesterday, so I will be the acting homeroom teacher for your class for the time being. Please give me your guidance."
Zen Toono turned around expressionlessly. His somewhat hollow eyes swept across the students below who were curious about his arrival.
Miko Yotsuya's brow furrowed slightly. She stared solemnly at the dozen or so cat evil spirits crawling on him, their fur standing on end as they hissed and roared.
She suddenly felt unsure; it seemed this new homeroom teacher wasn't exactly a good person.
Miko Yotsuya turned her head toward Gabriel's direction, only to find her slumped on her desk, fast asleep. She was sleeping so soundly it was incredible.
Miko Yotsuya: "..."
As expected of you.
You really aren't leaving any face for the new teacher.