"A cockroach? In an angel's apartment?" Mai muttered incredulously.
Satania ran to Gabriel's room.
"Wow! So much trash!" she exclaimed, covering her nose in disgust.
"No wonder there were roaches, Gabriel! Your room's full of garbage bags!"
Raphiel sighed and crossed her arms.
"Gabriel, there's no point hiding it anymore. Just admit it."
Gabriel slumped in defeat.
"Fine," she muttered weakly.
She reluctantly explained her situation, detailing how she'd fallen so far.
When she finished, Vignette looked utterly stunned.
"Gabriel has fallen how could this happen?"
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow.
"Vignette, you're a demon. Shouldn't you be thrilled to see an angel fall, like Satania over there?"
He gestured toward Satania, who was shaking uncontrollably.
The wannabe demon lord was clearly holding back laughter until she could no longer contain it.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! A fallen angel! Gabriel, I've finally won! The Great Demon Satania reigns supreme! Wahaha!"
That was the kind of reaction Rei Ao had expected.
But Vignette? She was worried instead.
"Well Gabriel is my friend. It doesn't feel right to be happy about this"
Mai couldn't help but comment.
"Vignette, you sound more like an angel than a demon."
Raphiel nodded in agreement.
"Vignette is rather special," she explained. "Even when surrounded by divine light, she remains completely unaffected. Gabriel's elder sister, the Seraph Zelel, once said that if Vignette were an angel, she could've become a Seraph herself."
"Whoa," Mai whispered, stunned.
Every time she thought she understood the situation, something even more absurd came to light.
Meanwhile, Tohru's focus was entirely on Gabriel.
"A gaming-addicted angel and now a fallen one? Can I see what your 'fallen' form looks like?"
Gabriel shrugged nonchalantly and revealed her black halo.
"!?"
Vignette became even more distressed.
"Gabriel, isn't this bad for you?"
"Not really." Gabriel casually removed her black halo and wiped it clean.
Raphiel facepalmed as Gabriel once again demonstrated her ridiculous "fallen halo cleaning trick."
"What how?" Satania gawked.
"You just wiped it, and it's bright again?!"
Even the demon didn't know this was possible.
"Isn't this common sense?" Gabriel asked, confused.
Rei Ao turned to Raphiel.
"Doesn't look like it's common sense to Raphiel, either."
"It's not," Raphiel admitted with a helpless smile. "If Zelel ever found out, I have no idea how she'd react."
"Probably split Gabriel in half," Rei Ao suggested.
"Please don't tell her!" Gabriel immediately threw herself at everyone's feet, begging for their silence.
Rei Ao sighed.
"This won't help you, Gabriel. Play games all you want, but at least clean your room."
"That's right!" Vignette chimed in firmly.
"Games are one thing, but hygiene is non-negotiable! Stand up, now!"
She dragged Gabriel back toward her room.
"Not a single piece of trash or roach left, got it?"
"F-fine" Gabriel's weak reply drifted out as she was forced to comply.
Watching the scene, Raphiel turned to the others.
"Want to join us for some food? Vignette and I made it together."
"Is it good?" Tohru asked skeptically.
"Probably," Raphiel replied with a soft smile.
"It looks decent," Rei Ao observed. "I won't say no."
"Thanks for having us," Mai added politely.
~~~
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Chapter 121: Trade with Frieren?
Raphiel's cooking was indeed exceptional.
Even Mai, typically reserved, sincerely asked Raphiel for some tips during the meal.
The group chatted casually while eating, though Gabriel was notably absent.
After all, Vignette had laid down the law with her:
"No cleaning, no eating!"
With no choice, Gabriel was left sulking while cleaning her room.
Meanwhile, the gathering continued with Rei Ao, Mai, and the others, unaffected by Gabriel's absence.
Chat Group Updates:
Yukino Yukinoshita: "There was a loud explosion and the whole building shook earlier, but when I went outside, nothing seemed out of place. @Rei Ao, do you know what happened?"
Mabel: "Yes! It startled me so much I almost threw up the food I ate!"
Yukino glanced at Mabel sprawled out on the couch, utterly motionless.
She was still reeling from witnessing Mabel devour what was supposed to be three days' worth of groceries in one sitting.
Now, she couldn't move.
At last, Yukino began to grasp what the group meant by "useless shut-in."
Rei Ao: "Nothing major. Basically, a little demon saw a cockroach crawl out of an angel's room and freaked out, causing a bit of destruction. Everything's back to normal now."
Stella: "???"
Megumi Kato: "That sounds"
Frieren: "Magical."
Saeko Busujima: "It definitely raises some questions."
Stella: "Raises too many questions, honestly!"
Yukino Yukinoshita: "An angel's room with cockroaches? And a demon so terrified she went berserk?"
She didn't even know where to begin.
Sui: "What's a cockroach?"
Rei Ao: "We call them 'little strong ones' or 'giant bugs.' Pick your name."
Sui: "Ahhh! That terrifying thing? Ew!"
Akame: "Oh, that? Not edible."
Ayame Yomogawa: "Akame, you really shouldn't try eating everything you see."
Akame: "I only eat what tastes good."
Frieren: "Oh? Did Rei Ao's 'thing' taste good?"
Akame: "Yes, it was delicious."
Frieren: "Oh? So it is delicious."
Stella: "???"
Megumi Kato: "The topic is derailing fast."
Rei Ao: "It's just a small incident. Yukino, don't worry about it. Carry on with your day."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Thank you for the update."
Mabel: "Yukino, can I have some of that fizzy drink? The 'happy water?'"
Yukino: ""
Her patience was wearing thin.
Rei Ao privately messaged her: "Yukino, don't spoil her too much. She'll drive you mad."
Yukino glanced at the lazy Mabel sprawled across her couch and replied:
"Thank you for the advice."
Rei Ao hoped she would take it to heart and left it at that.
Frieren: "Your lives sound so colorful and lively. Mine feels so dull by comparison. All I do is research magic, hunt demons, or sit alone. It's so boring."
Akame: "Do you not have any friends or companions?"
Frieren: "Friends? Companions? None, really."
Ayame Yomogawa: "Don't you have any interesting events in your world?"
Frieren: "Interesting? Well, there's talk of a hero leading a party to challenge the Demon King, but I haven't encountered them myself."
Mai Sakurajima: "A hero challenging the Demon King? That's such a classic story."
Stella: "Sounds like you have quite a boring life, Frieren. Don't you have anything you really want to do?"
Frieren: "Hmm let me think. Research magic, hunt demons, soak in hot springs Oh, right!"
Frieren: @Rei Ao, "I'd like to see your power. Can I? Through a trade?"
Rei Ao: "No problem. Let's do it after our dinner ends."
Frieren: "Great!"
After that, Rei Ao leaned back, full and satisfied.
"I'm done..." he murmured.
After a while, Gabriel finally emerged from her room, dragging her exhausted body to the sofa and collapsing onto it.
"I'm dead... cleaning killed me," she muttered into a pillow, her face buried as if to hide from the world.
Vignette raised a brow, but a gentle smile crossed her face. "Good job, Gabriel. You worked hard."
Meanwhile, Satania, munching on a piece of meat, walked over smugly.
"Haha! Gabriel, it's such a shame you missed out on Raphiel and Vignette's amazing cooking," she gloated, waving the piece of meat in Gabriel's face. "Just look at this juicy, shiny meat! Well, I guess I, the great Satania, will enjoy it on your behalf!"
Before Satania could take a bite, Gabriel suddenly lunged forward and snatched the meat straight from her fork.
"Cheh, what a simpleton," Gabriel said as she chewed smugly.
Satania froze, staring at the empty fork in her hand. A moment later, she erupted.
"That was MY meat! Give it back!" she wailed, grabbing Gabriel by the shoulders and shaking her violently.
Gabriel, unfazed, swallowed the meat with an audible gulp. She opened her mouth, showing Satania the empty space inside.
"Too late," she teased with a smirk.
Devastated, Satania stumbled backward as if struck by lightning.
"My melon bread... now my meat... why is this happening to me?!"
Tears welled up in Satania's eyes as she threw herself into Rei Ao's lap.
"Master, Gabriel's bullying me!" she whimpered.
Rei Ao chuckled, stroking her head gently. "Don't worry. If you train hard, you'll be able to beat Gabriel one day."
Satania's eyes sparkled with renewed determination. "Really?! Then I'll train harder than ever! Tonight, I'll start practicing to defeat her!"
Gabriel yawned lazily from the sofa. "Yeah, good luck with that," she said dismissively.
Raphiel, curious, turned to Rei Ao. "What exactly do you teach Satania as her master?"
Rei Ao opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, Vignette suddenly slammed her hands on the table, her face flushed.
"Everyone, focus on the food before it gets cold!" she shouted, steering the conversation back to the meal.
Rei Ao, catching her unspoken concern, nodded. "Fair enough. Let's eat."
After the meal, the group settled down.
Satania, having stuffed herself, fell asleep on Rei Ao's lap. Vignette and Raphiel cleaned up, while Gabriel returned to her room to continue gaming, ignoring the world once more.
Rei Ao carefully placed the sleeping Satania on the sofa, adjusting her position for comfort.
"She's heavier than she looks," he mused, patting her head lightly. "But surprisingly soft..."
It was time for his next task.
Rei Ao: @Frieren, I'm free now.
Frieren: "Great! Let's begin the trade!"
The chat system chimed.
[Ding! Frieren has initiated a trade request!]
[Trade Objective]: She wants to observe your abilities.
Rei Ao set her abilities as the condition for the trade.
[Trade Condition]: "Elf Bloodline," "Elven Magic."
[Duration]: 3 hours.
Frieren immediately accepted.
[Ding! Trade initiated!]
~~~
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Chapter 122: Demons
Frieren: "Wait, can we bring Sui and Shizuka too? I want to see otherworldly elves and magic. I didn't have time to chat with Sui last time."
Sui: "I'm still on my journey, but three hours is fine for me."
Shizue Izawa: "I'm fine with it too."
Rei Ao: "I'll add one more person if that's okay?"
Frieren: "Doesn't bother me."
Rei Ao: "Alright, Megumi, are you free?"
Rei Ao: "I thought I'd let you see more of the world and maybe find a chance to help you grow."
Mugumi Kato: "I'm free!"
But to Rei Ao's surprise, another person sent him a private message.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Um... Rei Ao-kun, is it dangerous to cross into another world?"
"Hm?"
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow. At this timing, he doubted it was concern for him.
Rei Ao: "Are you curious to try it yourself?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Ah you noticed, haha."
In her apartment, Utaha awkwardly tapped her toes against the floor.
She was genuinely curious about what another world looked like and thought it might inspire her creative writing. Initially, it was just a casual thought to send the message, but she didn't expect him to see through her immediately.
Rei Ao followed up with another private message.
Rei Ao: "If you want to experience it, I can take you along for a look."
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Mm thank you."
With things laid bare, Utaha decided to admit it.
Rei Ao: @Frieren, add one more person.
Frieren: "Who?"
Rei Ao: "Utaha Kasumigaoka, another sub-group member."
"..."
In the kitchen, Mai froze mid-wash.
Though she'd only met Utaha a few times, the latter left a strong impression.
After all, her first time wasn't just on a rooftop but also happened in Utaha Kasumigaoka's company.
It was something Mai probably couldn't forget her whole life.
Stepping out of the kitchen, she glanced around and realized Rei Ao was nowhere to be seen.
"Eh? Where did Rei Ao go?"
Vignette noticed his absence as well.
Mai quickly covered, "Oh, nothing. He just stepped out for a bit."
"Oh, okay."
...
"This is... a forest?"
After accepting Rei Ao's request for cross-dimensional travel, Utaha Kasumigaoka felt no significant change, but in the blink of an eye, her surroundings were completely different.
Looking around, there was no trace of her apartment.
The ground was rich with the scent of earth, surrounded by dense shrubs and towering trees.
Gone were the steel and concreteonly pure nature remained.
"Welcome."
A calm, cold voice broke the silence.
It belonged to Frieren, a striking elf with pale skin and an expression that revealed little emotion.
Sui stared at her, intrigued.
During their last adventure in Akame's world, Sui hadn't had the chance to interact with others, let alone observe Frieren closely.
Upon closer inspection, Frieren bore the features of an elf, but she seemed more emotionally distant than any elf Sui had encountered.
Shizue Izawa stretched out her hand, summoning flames from thin air.
She furrowed her brow. "I seem to be able to use magic in this world too, but I can't feel the presence of magic essence."
Frieren tilted her head slightly and tapped her fingers. Flames of her own rose, yet they weren't formed from the magic essence Shizuka was familiar with.
"This world has no such thing as magic essenceonly mana for casting magic," Frieren explained.
Rei Ao interjected, "No need to overthink it. Mana, magic essencethey're just different names for energy."
He demonstrated, manipulating two energy spheres in his handsone of mana and one of magic essence.
"These different worlds might use different energy sources, but they can be converted between each other."
Under his control, the two energy spheres visibly flowed and transformed between mana and magic essence.
The process seemed natural, almost instinctive.
"I see." Frieren's eyes lit up with curiosity.
"Could you show me more of your abilities and magic?"
"Of course, that's the point of this exchange," Rei Ao agreed, before turning to Sui, Mugumi Kato, and Utaha Kasumigaoka.
"Sui, take them for a walk around first."
"Sure, I'll protect them," Sui replied confidently.
Rei Ao trusted her completely. At level 31, Sui was already slightly stronger than Frieren.
