"Ugh…"
Under the sun umbrella, Gabriel rolled her eyes, utterly lifeless as she spat out seawater, her mind still a bit hazy as she thought about how she, a dignified angel, had nearly drowned here.
"Gab, are you okay? What happened?"
Vignette patted Gabriel's back with concern as she asked.
"Just now, Gabriel and Kanna were racing in swimming. She accidentally got a cramp and ended up drowning…"
Sato explained calmly.
"Is that so…"
Vignette gave Sato a suspicious look, then glanced at Kanna, who stood beside him with a somewhat downcast expression.
Would this useless angel really go compete in swimming?
Still, she wasn't worried about Gabriel's life. After all, in recorded history, there had never been an angel who drowned.
"Cough, cough!"
After coughing out the water she had swallowed, Gabriel finally regained consciousness.
"Tenma-san is awake!"
"Are you okay?"
"How do you feel? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
Her blurry eyes opened as she looked around, immediately seeing a circle of worried faces.
"Mm…"
Gabriel swayed as she stood up, her head still foggy. The last thing she remembered was being tossed around in the rushing water like a strand of seaweed drifting with the current.
Soon, she noticed Kanna standing near Sato's side, looking somewhat down.
Seeing that, she slowly walked over and, under the blue-eyed young dragon's guilty gaze, gently rubbed her head.
"It's not your fault…"
Sato's mouth twitched. So this means it's my fault?
Well… fine, this did have a little something to do with him. But Kanna's underwater speed, practically a hundred kilometers per hour, and Gabriel's weak resistance were things he had never anticipated.
After all, no one swims like that…
And no angel is this useless…
Before Gabriel could turn her gaze toward him, Sato spoke first, "Since Gabriel is fine now, let's head over there to rest for a bit. We can also grab some lunch."
He pointed toward a seaside restaurant.
...
To avoid drawing too much attention, Sato walked at the front of the group.
It was a very large seaside restaurant. The walls were made of transparent tempered glass, and from the spacious dining area, one could see the blue ocean outside. On the other side of the restaurant was a small food street they hadn't noticed before.
"Hm? Nohara-kun?"
Just as he entered, Sato heard a somewhat hesitant voice.
"Yuigahama-san?"
Following the sound, Sato looked over in surprise at the pink-haired girl with a bun hairstyle.
"It really is you!"
Yuigahama Yui ran over happily to greet him. For someone as outgoing as her, running into an acquaintance was always a pleasant thing.
"Yui, who is this?"
At that moment, a group following behind Yuigahama also walked over. At the front was a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and an imposing air.
Her gaze toward Sato was openly appraising, sharp and direct, her arms crossed as she supported a figure that could hardly be held in one hand.
"Ah, this is a friend I met in the clubroom, a first-year, Nohara-kun!"
Yuigahama Yui quickly introduced him.
"Hello everyone, I'm Nohara Sato."
Sato introduced himself while observing the group before him.
Just because they didn't recognize him didn't mean he didn't recognize them.
They were a well-known popular clique among the second-year students of the private mixed high school. The one who had just spoken was Miura Yumiko, and behind her…
There were quite a few people, but the most eye-catching was the blond boy subtly positioned at the center.
Hayama Hayato. Another core member of this popular clique, and someone with extremely high popularity throughout the school. It was said he was kind and sincere, excelling in academics, family background, and athletics.
However, Isshiki Iroha once described him as a "fake."
Not in the sense of hypocrisy, but rather that while others catered to him, he was also catering to them.
"So you're a first-year junior. Are you here alone?"
Tobe Kakeru from the clique showed a look of realization. After glancing around, he asked Sato curiously.
"Well…"
Just as Sato was about to respond, Ritsu's voice suddenly came from behind.
"Sato, why are you standing here?"
Behind him, a group of girls had already entered. At the front, Ritsu called out instinctively upon seeing him standing at the entrance.
Swish!
The entire clique turned to look behind Sato, their eyes widening in shock.
Tobe Kakeru muttered unconsciously, "Oh my god, bro, you're someone destined for big things!"
Sato's face darkened. What do you mean destined for big things?
What is this guy even talking about?!
"Yo! Yuigahama, you're here too!"
Ritsu spotted Yuigahama Yui in front of Sato, her eyes lighting up as she greeted her.
"Yahallo!"
Yuigahama Yui greeted her energetically in return, then waved at the people behind her.
"Good afternoon, everyone from the light music club!"
Phew…
Whether it was just his imagination or not, Sato felt like the group in front of him had subtly let out a sigh of relief.
"So it's just a club activity, that scared me."
Tobe Kakeru muttered.
"What do you mean scared you?"
Sato narrowed his eyes at him.
"Ahaha, n-nothing!"
Tobe Kakeru scratched his head awkwardly. It wasn't exactly appropriate to be suspicious of someone you just met, even if they were a junior…
Yuigahama Yui's gaze remained somewhat strange.
Aside from the light music club, there were a lot of unfamiliar faces too. Nohara-kun's social circle is kind of strange.
The way she looked at Sato became a little odd.
This girl seems to be thinking something bad…
Sato sensed Yuigahama Yui's malicious gaze.