Diary Of Service Club, Helping The Elf Princess

Hikigaya Hachiman nodded silently, not elaborating much on Vignette's situation. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the silver-purple-haired, smiling beautiful girl standing beside Gabriel.

"Ah, I almost forgot to introduce her. This is my classmate from the same small town, Shiraha Raphiel. And this is my deskmate, Hikigaya Hachiman."

Only then did Gabriel realize that there was another transfer student from the Heaven beside her. She quickly apologized and introduced them to each other.

"Hello, Shiraha-san."

Hikigaya Hachiman glanced at Raphiel, who had a head of pale purple-silver hair, a smile on her face, and a figure that was undoubtedly dominant among these angels and demons. Without much enthusiasm, he greeted her plainly.

This angel, who seemed kind on the surface, was in reality a sadistic tease. She enjoyed amusing herself by playing pranks on those around her to kill boredom. She could easily be labeled as a mischievous demon rather than an angel. Hikigaya had no intention of provoking her.

After all, this girl was far more manipulative than Gabriel or Vignette, who were much easier to get along with.

"Hikigaya-san, hello~ I heard from little Gabriel that you've helped her a lot. You're such a kind person~"

Raphiel, observing Hikigaya's lack of interest in her and his indifferent reaction, waved her slender, fair hand with a cheerful smile.

A normal human with such a strong life force, who was neighbors with a demon and deskmates with an angel, and seemed to get along well with both—it was too suspicious.

Her instincts told her there was something off about this person.

And now, seeing his calm reaction to her, she became even more certain of it.

With her appearance and figure, a mere human giving such a lukewarm response? Could it be... that he had certain "issues"?

But with his strong life force, that seemed unlikely.

Definitely suspicious.

"Such a kind person..."

Hikigaya Hachiman was just about to retort to Gabriel's angelic version of a "nice guy card" when an ominous system prompt echoed in his ears.

[Ding~]

[Character mission triggered—The Mischievous Angel Classmate]

[Shiraha Raphiel Ainsworth, angel by name, demon by behavior. Despite being the second-ranking graduate angel of this generation, only behind Gabriel, and maintaining great relationships with many angels, she had already fallen into sadistic tendencies before leaving the Heaven. She enjoys teasing others to relieve boredom.]

[Currently seeking new sources of amusement.]

"..."

Hikigaya Hachiman froze upon hearing the system prompt. Already reluctant to interact with Raphiel, the manipulative angel, he now wanted even less to engage with her.

Only an idiot would want to complete a task designed to fulfill someone's amusement. Who would willingly become someone else's plaything?

Raphiel might be sadistic, but Hikigaya definitely wasn't masochistic.

"I just lent Gabriel-san a few textbooks. You're giving me too much credit. It's getting late; I should head to the classroom to study. Goodbye, Shiraha-san, Gabriel-san."

Initially intending to chat with Gabriel a bit more to improve their relationship, Hikigaya quickly abandoned that plan. Smiling, he said his goodbyes to Gabriel and Raphiel and prepared to head to class.

Since Raphiel was an angel, he didn't have to worry about her harming him over minor issues.

However, Raphiel, being a high-ranking noble lady from the Heaven, was undoubtedly cunning. Interacting with her as an ordinary human was definitely not worth the trouble.

In short, the effort and energy required to "conquer" Raphiel could instead be used to deepen relationships with Gabriel, Vignette, and even the yet-to-be-met Satanichia.

Rather than becoming a pawn in Raphiel's games, he might as well complete Ichinose Suzuno's task instead.

That particular task, involving a teacher-student romance blackmail situation, had a method that wouldn't require his direct involvement and could be resolved quickly—though it might not satisfy everyone.

Given his current responsibilities, Hikigaya wasn't planning to take the initiative to help anyone. Helping only to end up being resented was the last thing he wanted.

"Hikigaya-san, wait for me! Raphiel, I'll see you later."

Gabriel, seeing Hikigaya about to leave without hesitation, blinked in surprise before quickly waving to Raphiel and catching up to Hikigaya.

She had come to school early to study in the classroom. While Raphiel was her friend from the Heaven, they weren't in the same class. Studying together with Hikigaya was more pressing for her.

Raphiel, of course, understood this and didn't misinterpret Gabriel and Hikigaya's relationship.

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that Hikigaya wasn't a typical human—or at least not an ordinary one.

"The one in control here seems to be this human..."

Watching the petite, golden-haired angel Gabriel walking beside Hikigaya, softly whispering something, and seeing Hikigaya steadfastly focused ahead without even glancing at her, Raphiel narrowed her eyes.

This was far too unusual.

Raphiel didn't believe their beauty demanded all humans to be entranced by them.

But they were angels, after all. Even while restraining their celestial powers during their earthly training, their angelic aura and charm hadn't completely vanished.

According to Gabriel, this human male, Hikigaya Hachiman, was her deskmate and had even shared a desk with her when she was without books. At such a close distance, he should have been drawn to their pure and sacred essence.

Yet, this ordinary human remained completely unaffected, showing no signs of being influenced by their angelic nature.

Although their sanctity wasn't a manipulative or malevolent ability, and its allure was subtle unless they were in close proximity, his complete immunity at such proximity piqued her interest.

As the second-highest-ranking trainee angel, Raphiel naturally had no intention of toying with an ordinary human. Ordinary people were simply no fun to her.

But Gabriel's deskmate was clearly not ordinary. Perhaps she should find an opportunity to introduce him to the clumsy demon she had recently encountered. It would be interesting to see who would end up outsmarting the other.

After all, with a demon already around him, one more wouldn't make a difference. That demon was so clueless that she might even end up being teased by the human instead.

Smiling mischievously at the thought of her next source of amusement, Raphiel turned and headed to her classroom.

The number of angel interns from the higher realms this year wasn't small, but there weren't many assigned here. In her class, there wasn't a single angel—not even a demon.

'Ah… so boring…'

'Why did they, as angels, have to attend human schools for internships…'

Even the demon realm played along with this. Were the big shots from both sides planning to have them play house in the human world?

Raphiel grumbled internally about her boredom, but outwardly, she still wore a sweet and gentle smile. When she encountered familiar classmates, she nodded, full of smiles, and greeted them warmly.

"Good morning, Tsukimi-san~"

"Good morning, Komikado-san~"

Hikigaya still didn't know that his reverse operation had made Raphiel pay even more attention to him.

But even if he had known, he wouldn't have had a better solution. His current thought was simply to avoid provoking Raphiel. He couldn't possibly pretend to be all cheerful to attract her attention, could he?

That kind of fake behavior might instead lower his score in front of Gabriel and Vignette.

Even if his cold attitude toward Raphiel caused her to dislike him, it didn't matter. After all, Raphiel was still an angel. Even if she wanted to mess with him, she wouldn't go too far, so there was no need to worry about that.

"Hikigaya-kun, have you met Raphiel before? It seems like you don't like her?"

Gabriel, walking beside Hikigaya, hesitated for a moment and then asked softly, her tone a mix of curiosity and concern.

As a naturally understanding little angel, Gabriel was well-deserving of her reputation. She immediately noticed the stark difference in Hikigaya's attitude toward her and Raphiel.

However, she couldn't ask about it in front of Raphiel earlier. Now that they were in private, she felt she had to figure out if there was some kind of misunderstanding.

Raphiel had a great reputation in the Heavenly Realm's school. She was friends with many angels. Among their cohort, Raphiel's academic and social achievements were second only to Gabriel's.

The significant difference in Hikigaya's attitudes toward her and Raphiel didn't make sense to Gabriel. There had to be some misunderstanding.

"I feel like Shiraha-san is different from you, Tenma-san. She's not my type."

Hikigaya shook his head and looked down at Gabriel beside him. He stared at her flawless, delicate face, fair and rosy, and then shook his head again.

"Hmm… Hikigaya-kun, are you saying that I am your type?"

Gabriel froze for a moment, her cheeks gradually flushing a deep red, and even her ears turned crimson. She pointed at herself in disbelief, staring at the calm-faced Hachiman.

She had initially thought there might be a misunderstanding between Raphiel and Hikigaya, but she hadn't expected such an unexpected answer from him.

She had no idea Hikigaya would suddenly confess to her, catching her completely off guard.

After all, his previous behavior didn't seem like that of someone who liked her.

Aside from initially staring at her during their first shared desk moment, Hikigaya's interactions with her afterward were normal, limited to their classroom exchanges.

Hikigaya always rushed off after school, showing no interest even when she expressed curiosity about his Service Club. He never invited her, nor did he ask for her contact information. Was this how someone acted when they liked someone?

"Yes, Tenma-san, you are so diligent and kind-hearted, getting along well with everyone. After graduation, I'm sure you'll find a job with excellent benefits."

Hikigaya looked at the golden-haired little angel, Gabriel, who still showed no signs of laziness, and nodded seriously, a bit distressed as he explained.

"The job market is so competitive nowadays. I don't have the outstanding abilities that you do, Tenma-san. My only decent subject is literature; I'm terrible at math and other skills. I really don't know what I'll do in the future. Supporting a family might even be a problem…"

"That's true… I heard that if someone gets laid off after working at a company for a long time, it can take a long time to find a new job. Wait, what does this have to do with you liking me?"

Gabriel nodded absentmindedly, then quickly reacted and asked hurriedly.

What did liking her have to do with the job market being tough?

The two things were completely unrelated.

"Since my grades are so poor and I can't find a high-paying job, I might as well become a househusband and take care of the household."

Hikigaya sighed and explained after a brief pause.

"From a long time ago, my dream job has been to be a househusband who quietly supports his wife from behind. To achieve this dream, I must find a capable, reliable, gentle, and considerate wife. That way, while she's working and earning money, I can take care of the children and do housework at home."

"Shiraha-san looks like a well-off young lady who probably wouldn't work to support the family."

Of course, a wealthy wife could support someone who wanted an easy life, and Raphiel certainly fit the bill as a beauty with both looks and wealth. However, Gabriel, who was still earnest and diligent, clearly hadn't considered letting him mooch off someone.

"So… Hikigaya-kun, am I to understand that you like me because you want me to support you?"

"You could put it that way, but I do genuinely like you, Tenma-san."

"No, no, no, that's not liking me at all."

Gabriel stared at his serious expression for a long while before realizing what he meant by "liking" her. A trace of helplessness filled her heart.

Her desk-mate liked her because he wanted her to support him?

That wasn't liking someone at all. Who liked someone like this?

"Hikigaya-kun, your way of thinking is wrong. A beautiful life requires effort. How can you think about marrying someone and then not working hard?" Gabriel thought for a moment and whispered a gentle scolding. "At the very least, you should try. If you only think about finding a wife to support you, no girl will ever like you."

"Well, that's true, but since someone as excellent as you, Tenma-san, is working hard, what's the point of me trying? If I'm not as talented as you, my efforts won't matter much."

At the classroom door, Hikigaya stopped, shook his head at Gabriel, and sighed.

To prevent the diligent little angel Gabriel from falling into despair, he decided to start slacking off himself so that this little angel would take it upon herself to save him.

"Huh? This?"

Gabriel's head spun at Hikigaya's twisted logic.

So because she was excellent and worked hard, he felt his efforts were pointless and thus wanted to give up entirely?

His desire to slack off was somehow her fault?

"Well then, since you don't want to be my wife. Tenma-san, I'll just find someone else willing to support my househusband dream."

Hikigaya didn't intend to dive deeper into the topic with Gabriel. Instead, he turned and walked into the classroom, ready to enter "slack-off mode."

He wasn't worried that Gabriel would decide to slack off in solidarity, thinking that his laziness was somehow her fault. Gabriel wasn't the type to let herself go. If anything, she would take responsibility and work harder to save him.

"Hikigaya-kun…"

Standing at the classroom door, Gabriel watched as Hikigaya did something out of character—chatting with Yumiko Miura and Yuina about gossip instead of sitting down to read.

It didn't feel like he was chatting. It felt like he was trying to scout a wife who could support him.

Without a doubt, this was the beginning of his descent into slackerdom.

Gabriel hesitated, then walked over to Hikigaya. She tugged on his sleeve, pulling him back to his seat, and sat beside him. She earnestly tried to dissuade him, "To graduate high school, you still have three years to work hard. You don't need to rush into becoming a househusband right now."

Although she now understood why Hikigaya claimed to like her, and there was no need to maintain her distance, she felt responsible for his apparent loss of confidence and would help him regain it.

"I've been thinking seriously, and I realized there are many excellent girls around me. Tenma-san, could you help me pursue them?"

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