"W-wait!"
Ichika was the first to recover, shouting in a rush, her voice cracking with urgency.
"No! Please don't erase our memories!"
Nino screamed tooshe had no intention of forgetting something this miraculous, even if it was a little scary.
Miku clenched the hem of her shirt tight. She was afraid, but shook her head hard in refusal.
Yotsuba even took two quick steps forward, hands clasped, eyes brimming with tears.
"Angel-nee, please! We promise we won't tell anyonejust don't erase our memories!"
"Y-yeah, yeah! We swear! Absolute secrecy!"
Itsuki chimed in at once, nodding like a pecking chick.
What a joke!
Seeing a real, living angel with their own eyesa once-in-a-millennium miracle that would upend their worldviewhow could they let it be wiped away so easily? Even if it meant trouble, they would never give up a memory this one-of-a-kind.
The quintuplets reacted fiercely, pleading in unison, instantly turning the solemn, sacred atmosphere in the living room into something a little chaoticand a little comical.
Zelel clearly hadn't expected humans to be this intenseor this united. Looking at the five nearly identical, beautiful faces, all stamped with fear and entreaty, a rare flicker of hesitation and bewilderment appeared in her glacier-cool blue eyes.
She upheld rulesbut she wasn't heartless.
Faced with such direct and forceful resistance, carrying out a forcible wipe right now did feel a bit inhumane.
Besides, the main cause of the descent error was the interference from that mysterious barrier. It wasn't these human girls' fault.
The golden-haired angel frowned slightly, falling into brief silence. The laws of heaven and the pleas of the human world tugged against each other in her heart.
The air in the room grew taut and delicate, as if it had solidified. The Nakanos' hearts were in their throats. Five near-identical pairs of eyes stared at the golden angel deep in thoughtafraid, imploring, and stubborn all at once. They pressed together, as if closeness could summon enough strength to resist the fate of having their precious memories erased.
On Zelel's flawless face, her brows remained faintly drawn. The heavenly code, like the most precise measuring rule, clearly indicated what she should doerase these ordinary humans' memories, maintain the order between realms, and minimize the impact of this accidental descent. It was the most compliant and "correct" course of action.
And yet, looking at the five vibrant human girls before hertheir reverence for a miracle, their fierce refusal to forgetlittle ripples bumped against her behavioral code. They had done nothing wrongjust unlucky victims of her descent error. To strip away their experience outright did feel cold.
More importantly, that powerful barrier shrouding the areathe source and nature of it gave her a faint, uneasy feeling. Under such unknown influence, would using angelic power by force trigger unpredictable chain reactions?
Calculations flashed through her efficient mind. In the end, rational risk-assessment edged out absolute obedience to the rules.
She exhaled softlyher breath seeming to carry motes of holy lightthen lifted her gaze. The blue of her eyes settled back on the tightly wound sisters. When she spoke, her voice was cool and commanding as ever, but the formulaic chill had eased.
"Given that this descent's error was not primarily your fault, and in consideration of your strong personal wishes"
She paused, choosing her wording.
"I will not erase your memories for the time being."
"Thank goodness!!!"
Itsuki cheered first, almost jumpingsaved only by Ichika grabbing her arm. The others let out breaths of relief, faces brightening with post-crisis joy.
"But"
Zelel's tone turned stern again as her gaze swept over each face.
"My identityand everything you've witnessedmust remain strictly confidential. You are not to reveal even a fraction of this to anyone not directly involved. This is the bottom line. If you violate it, I will be forced to take necessary measures."
The warning in her eyes made the five instantly sober up.
"We promise," Ichika, as the eldest, pledged on behalf of her sisters at once.
"We swear we won't tell anyone we saw you, Angel-nee. Otherwise otherwise may we fail every single exam forever!"
For them, that curse was about as "vicious" as it gets.
Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki all nodded vigorously, vowing to keep their lips sealed.
Satisfied by their sincerity, Zelel gave a small nodagreement, for now. The strained atmosphere finally began to ease.
Once they were sure their memories were safe, curiositylike a flood released from a broken damsurged through the hearts of the Nakano quintuplets.
"Um Angel-nee" Yotsuba edged closer, wide eyes blinking as she sneaked a look at the wings on Zelel's back. They were folded away, but their outlines were still clear.
"Are you really an angel? From heaven?"
"So angels really do exist in this world That's unbelievable" Miku whispered, her worldview reeling at Zelel's inhuman perfection and sacred aura.
Nino kept her mouth shut, but her gaze was full of probing wonder. Itsuki's eyes, meanwhile, were shining as if she were staring at a living fairytale.
~~~
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Chapter 1,004: Finding her Sister...
Under the quintuplets' bright, childlike stares, Zelel looked a little out of her element. She was used to the ordered, role-bound atmosphere of the heavens, not to being watched with such open warmth and curiosity.
She smoothed an imaginary crease in her skirt and kept a dignified posture, then answered solemnly:
"Yes. My name is Zelel White. I'm from the Heaven Realma heaven-sent angel."
Her self-introduction was brief and formal.
"Zelel what a lovely name!" Itsuki breathed in admiration.
"So Angel-nee, did you come to the human world on some important mission?" Ichika, the calmest of the five, pushed down her own shock to ask the crucial question.
At the mention of business, Zelel's expression returned to its earlier seriousnesswith the faintest trace of worry. "I descended to find and check on my younger sister, Gabriel White."
"Eh?! Angel-nee, you have a little sister?!" Yotsuba blurted. "And she's in the human world too?"
"Yes." Zelel nodded. "A while ago, as one of our academy's top graduates, she was dispatched here to train and learnto help humans and spread goodwill. According to plan, she should have been filing regular reports to the heavens, but lately her contact has become extremely rareand the contents have been unusual. I grew concerned, so I came to see for myself."
The five sisters traded looks. So an angel had already been living among humanswithout them ever knowing. That was a lot to take in.
"But," Zelel went on, brows knitting again with a clear note of frustration, "the human world now seems to be shrouded by a remarkably powerful and special barrier. It not only restricts casual entry from outside realmsincluding the heavensbut it also severely interferes with the tracking aspect of my angelic powers. I can't accurately sense Gabriel's location or condition."
She tried once more to extend her perception, but the ever-present barrier was like a thick fog, blinding hera rare dilemma for someone famed for capability and efficiency.
Seeing the undisguised worry on the golden-haired angel's face, the quintuplets exchanged quick glances. They weren't great at studying, but they were kindhearted. This angel didn't seem like a bad personand she was in trouble searching for her sister. If she couldn't leave because of the barrier (so they guessed), then Zelel had nowhere to go right now
Clearing her throat, Ichika smiled gently and took the initiative. "Um Zelel-san, if you can't find your sister right away and have nowhere else to stay, would you like to live with us for the time being?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Yotsuba brightened instantly. "Our place is a little messy, but we've got a spare room. You can take your time looking for your sister!"
Arms folded, Nino kept a hint of tsundere bite in her tone, but relented. "Whatever one more person won't kill us."
Miku gave a small nod. Itsuki patted her chest and promised, "We'll keep your secret. And more eyes are bettermaybe we can help watch for news about your sister, too!"
The five of them chimed in one after anothernoisy, yes, but their simple goodwill and enthusiasm came through clearly. Zelel looked at the five human girlsso different in temperament, yet equally kind. There was no calculation or fear in their eyes, only a pure desire to help, and a warm, eager light when they looked at her. A ray of sun slipped into a heart accustomed to rule and order; a faint warmth stirred.
With no allies here and her search powers hampered, staying for now might be her only optionand these girls seemed trustworthy enough. She dipped into a graceful angelic bow, her cool voice softened a shade. "Thank you for your kind hospitality. Until I find my sister Gabriel I'll be in your care."
"You're welcome, you're welcome!" The sisters lit up at her agreement, momentarily forgetting their academic woes, swept up in the thrill of "a real angel is staying at our house."
Watching their excitement, the corners of Zelel's cool lips tugged up by the tiniest fraction. Perhaps this unexpected descent and delay wasn't entirely a bad thing. StillGabriel, what have you gone through down here? And who erected the powerful barrier blanketing the human world? The questions lingered. She did have a guess.
The next day, at the Academy
The break bell had barely finished ringing when the building filled with the chatter of students. The Nakano quintuplets, unusually, clustered together in a corner of the hallway instead of scattering as usual, whispering about the revelation that had upended their worldview overnight.
"So you're telling me there's actually an angel living in our house now?" Nino repeated, still incredulous, idly twirling a lock of hair. "This isn't a dream, right? I pinched myself a bunch of times last night"
"It's real!" Yotsuba's eyes sparkled as she whispered, "Zelel-san is so prettyand so elegant! And her wings looked like they'd be really soft"
She'd mustered the courage to sneak a tiny touch to the edge of Zelel's folded wing the night before, and the sensation was burned into memory.
Miku had her headphones on, but clearly wasn't listening to anything. "So angels really exist then what about other myths?" (Privately, she wondered whether great figures from history might have something like heroic spirits.)
Ichika stayed the most composed, though curiosity gleamed in her eyes too. "She said she's looking for her sister, an angel named Gabriel. Sounds like she came here a long time ago, but recently they lost contact."
Hands pressed together, Itsuki's face shone with hope. "I really hope we can help Zelel-san find her sister soon. Their reunion would be so moving!"
Chapter 1,005: First Encounter Between Nakano Sister...
As the five sisters were still wrapped up in an awestruck debate about angels, a loud, provocatively challenging girl's voice suddenly cut through the hallway noise and reached their ears.
"Gabriel! I'm beating you today! Prepare yourself!"
The name "Gabriel" was like a triggerinstantly pricking the Nakano quintuplets' attention. The five of them blinked in unison and turned toward the source of the voice.
Not far down the corridor stood a petite girl with vivid red hair and a black devil-horn headband, hands on her hips, bristling like a puffed-up kitten as she pointed at a blonde girl opposite her.
The blonde being pointed at looked utterly out of place in the lively campus scenesoft, fluffy short hair, half-lidded blue eyes that seemed forever drowsy, and a wrinkled uniform as she let out an enormous yawn. She clearly couldn't care less about the redhead's challenge.
"Haaah~ Satania, huh" the blondeGabrielrubbed her eyes and replied perfunctorily, "You again? I'm not in the mood today. Besides, I'm tired of the sweet red-bean buns you keep losing to me. Change the stakes and maybe we'll talk."
"Hmph! How dare you look down on me, you mere Gabriel!" the redhead, Satania, hopped in outrage. Then, as if remembering something, she puffed out her chest smugly. "This time is different. I've brought a witnessso you'll have to admit defeat!"
As her voice fell, a figure stepped unhurriedly out of the crowd: a black-haired boy with a distinctive, almost all-seeing calm smileRei Ao.
"Master, you finally came!" Satania exclaimed, latching onto Rei Ao's arm.
At his appearance, the listless Gabriel twitched at the corner of her mouth. Her half-lidded eyes sharpened a little, showing a flash of unmistakable headache and resignation.
"Why is it you" she muttered under her breath, the tone screaming "trouble's here." Rei Ao was one of the few people she really couldn't handleespecially since she half-feared he might just smack her without warning. Terrifying.
Satania, oblivious to Gabriel's subtle change of expression, preened on. "Well? With my Master as witness, you can't wiggle out of it this time!"
Before this random challenge could even start, the ever-observant Nakano quintupletswho had been studying Gabriel closelymoved. Nino suddenly frowned. Staring at Gabriel's refined yet slacker, world-weary face, she felt a tug of dj vu.
"Hey, don't you think" Nino tugged her sisters' sleeves and lowered her voice, "this 'Gabriel' looks a lot like Zelel-san who stayed at our place last night?"
Prompted by her, the others scrutinized the blonde.
"She really does!" Yotsuba reacted first. "The hairstyle and vibe are totally different, but the face shapeand the eye colorare super similar!"
"And the names" Miku added quietly. "Zelel Gabriel"
Ichika and Itsuki traded looks, seeing the same suspicion and shock in each other's eyes. Could this languid, unmotivated blonde be the very sister Zelel-santhe dignified, saintly angelwas searching for Gabriel?
Their hearts pounded. What were the odds?
They didn't hesitate. The five sisters exchanged a glance and headed together toward Rei Ao, Gabriel, and Satania.
Their approach naturally drew the trio's attention. Satania eyed the five nearly identical, very pretty girls in puzzlement. Gabriel lifted her eyelids lazily and offered no reaction. Rei Ao, however, let the faintest hint of surprise flicker across his eyes at the quintuplets' joint appearance, as if he hadn't expected them to step in at this exact moment.
"Um hello," Ichika, the eldest, spoke first, politely greeting Rei Ao, Gabriel, and Satania. "I'm Ichika Nakano. These are my sistersNino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki. We all transferred here recently."
