The Angel's Proposal
"Then it's settled—we'll meet at the sports field for the next class~ And don't forget to bring your gym clothes!"
The PE teacher wrapped things up with that cheerful remark and dismissed us a full ten minutes early. Normally I'd be thrilled to get out early, but right now I had to stop Hana from going after Jeong Harin, who had just returned from the infirmary. Thankfully, Jemin—who had gone with her—gave me a meaningful look as he entered the classroom.
Take care of Hana or talk to Jemin... This wasn't some dating sim choice. What even was this? After a moment of thought, I decided to grab both flowers with both hands. I caught Hana's arm as she tried to head toward Harin, stopping her, then walked with her over to Jemin.
"I didn't mean for both of you to come. Let's step into the hallway first. There are way too many eyes and ears in the classroom for this conversation."
"Why do I have to make eye contact with this pigeon anyway?"
We were now leaning against the wall on a quiet staircase in the outer hallway. This spot was perfect for a private talk—nobody came through here unless they were heading to the labs. It really was a bizarre combination: a demon, an angel, and a human. Anyone who saw us would probably assume the demon was tempting the human while the angel tried to talk him out of it.
"Typical demon. Did you never learn the word 'consideration' as a kid? Or does your kind not even have the concept?"
Jemin refused to back down, clearly irritated at being called a pigeon over and over.
"Wow, you're reacting differently from the other goody-two-shoes angels? Normally they'd apologize endlessly and humble themselves. Is one of your parents a demon by any chance?"
"I'm pure-blooded, just like you. And could you stop insulting my kind? We didn't come all the way out here for a childish argument."
"Jemin's right. We only have limited break time, so let's dial down the hostility, Hana."
"Haah... Today's been nothing but annoying. I'm only holding back because of you, Seha. Normally my kind and these pigeon—I mean, angel types—are natural hard counters from the moment we're born."
"Enough with the preamble. Tell us why you called us out here, Jemin."
"Actually I only called for Seha, but... I assume you can guess the reason."
"It's Jeong Harin, obviously."
"That bitch needs to burn..."
Whoa, the killing intent was intense. Things were about to heat up again.
"When I took Harin to the infirmary earlier, we talked a little. I asked her why she would provoke someone when Seha's soul was already clearly marked as taken."
"Wait, my soul is marked? You people can tell that sort of thing?"
"Every race involved in this incident is an expert on souls. Of course, the way we handle them is completely different from how demons do it."
"The marking is basically just a warning to other races not to touch it. Surround the soul with Balrog flames and everyone gets the message. It's not like it's tattooed on or anything, so don't worry, Seha."
"You could've told me that sooner... Anyway, what did Harin say?"
"She said she did it even though she knew~ Your soul just looks too delicious for her to hold back. She even asked me if a goal can't be scored just because there's a goalkeeper."
"Yep. I'm just going to open a gate and toss that girl straight to Dad. Seha, you stay here and play nice with the angel for a bit."
Hana, who had been listening, started radiating flames again and tried to storm back toward the classroom. This was insane. Harin really wasn't normal... Hana looked completely dumbfounded too—her eyes had gone dead. Even with me blocking her, she kept trying to leave.
"Hana, I know the reason is ridiculous, but now that we know it we need to come up with a plan!"
I decided to risk getting kicked by her hooves and just go for it. I stopped grabbing her arm and wrapped her in a back hug instead, holding her in place. Increasing the area of contact should stimulate her somehow, right?
"Seha...? That feels nice, but... wow..."
Hana's dead eyes vanished and the color of her flames shifted. When I tried to pull my arm away, she grabbed both of my arms with hers and hugged them tightly to her shoulders, silently begging for more.
"Wow, our human friend is bolder than he looks, huh? Now I understand why that foul-tempered Balrog likes you so much."
Jemin was watching from the side, analyzing the situation with open admiration. Hey, don't just stand there admiring—help me restrain her!
"So do you actually have a plan? That Jeong Harin girl is going to keep throwing herself at Seha."
Hana, back to her normal self, asked Jemin again.
"Honestly? I don't know. It's too early in the semester to request a class transfer. Even if we asked the homeroom teacher, there's not much they could do. They'd just be troubled."
"Break time's almost over and I don't see any clear solution... Guess I'll just have to accept the punishment and open a gate to—"
"How many times do I have to tell you to drop that demon-style problem solving? True to a merit-based society, you always want to settle everything with a fight."
"Then do you have any ideas, Seha? When someone keeps approaching even though they know there's an owner, the only option is to set an example."
"Or maybe find her another soul? There must be souls that suit her tastes. There aren't any in our class, but if we expand the search to other classes or grades..."
Jemin's suggestion was surprisingly clever. Not bad. It felt like setting up a succubus-style blind date.
"Why should we have to do that? It's way too inefficient. You expect us to walk around the school saying 'Anyone with a soul that matches Jeong Harin's tastes~' and hunt them down one by one?"
"Isn't there magic that can detect souls? Something that marks only the ones that fit Harin's preferences."
"Magic is convenient, but it's not all-powerful, Seha. We can locate a soul with magic, but we can't read its essence. For that you have to see it with your own eyes. That's the same for both celestials and demons."
"Then we can just go around and look one by one."
"Didn't I just say that? Are your ears blocked or are you pretending not to hear? Entering someone else's classroom is already a huge pain."
"It would be possible if you two become my assistants. The class president election is on Wednesday, and the grade representative candidacy and selection period starts the next day, right? I'm running for second-year grade representative. To win, I'll need to campaign all over the school. So while acting as my assistants, you can search for souls that match Harin's tastes. Just find ones that feel similar to Seha. It'll naturally give you a chance to meet as many souls as possible, won't it?"
Oh? That was actually pretty smart.
"It's a pretty solid plan. It might be the only way to free me from that crazy stalker."
"It wouldn't be a bad deal for you two either. I get help with the election, and you can search for suitable souls while moving around together."
"Hearing you explain it, it doesn't sound so bad."
Plus, serving on the committee would add to our student records—a nice bonus for early admissions. And since I can see souls too, if I spot a candidate while campaigning I'll steer you toward them.
"Haah... Can I ask one question? You didn't set this whole board up yourself, did you? You're naturally dragging us into being your campaign staff."
"The situation just happened to smile on me. You two were already somewhat famous back in first year. If you run as my campaign staff, the promotional effect would be huge."
"Hana, it really doesn't look like we have any other options right now. Jemin, it's about time, so can you wait until lunch? We'll give you a definite answer by then. It is a sudden proposal, after all."
"Sure, sure~ But remember, this is the most reasonable method~"
Jemin brushed the dust off his white wings once, then left first. I hadn't noticed while he was here, but the angel's halo was surprisingly bright. The moment Jemin disappeared, everything got a lot darker. When exploring caves, be sure to bring a portable angel!
"Hana, I said all that earlier, but what do you want to do? The choice is ours to make."
"It's annoying, but that pigeon guy is right. That's what makes it even more annoying... Right now I can't think of any other method besides forceful suppression."
"So we're going with yes for now? I don't want you getting in trouble either. Even if it's a bit of a hassle, let's campaign together and search for one."
"If that's what you want, I'll go along with it. Haah, the new semester just got annoying."
"Let's think of it as a kind of event. We're both aiming for early admission anyway. Adding one line to our student records isn't so bad."
"Phew... Yeah. Let's head back to the classroom, Seha. The bell's about to ring."
"I'll let you link arms with me today. Special service—available for a limited time only."
I returned to the classroom arm-in-arm with Hana. Even though I'd suggested it, I was worried about who might see us. Fortunately, since it was the very end of break time, we didn't run into anyone.
Third period was the homeroom teacher's slot. After a brief introduction to the class, the same Q&A session from before continued. Toward the end the teacher said, "Marriage is best when you're young and do it as soon as possible," which caught me completely off guard. Still, aside from that, we picked up some genuinely useful school-life tips.
Because of that comment, Hana wrapped her tail around my waist. I nearly suffocated while dozing off and almost woke up in the demon realm. Harin, having heard the same line, turned around and stared at me with those seductive eyes. I thought I was going to break out in a cold sweat. I really wished the election period would hurry up. Having to endure that burdensome gaze for three whole days... I could feel my mental strength draining away in real time.
The fourth period that followed had nothing particularly noteworthy. The same orientation continued, and the bell announcing lunch rang through the speakers. The big ears of my dog friend—who had been dozing until then—perked up instantly. He bolted for the cafeteria as if he might break into a full four-legged sprint.
"I definitely ate breakfast, but I'm starving. The cafeteria's open starting today, right? Let's go eat quickly, Hana."
"Yeah. I hope they have something spicy. I'm so stressed I'm craving really intense heat right now!"
Hana and I also walked briskly toward the cafeteria to get in line with as little wait as possible.