As the cherry blossom viewing party came to an end, the start of the new school term drew closer.
The day after the gathering, Fujinomiya Konomi headed off to report to school, carrying several large bags. Chiba University seemed to begin classes a couple of days earlier than ordinary high schools.
Sato had originally planned to see Fujinomiya Konomi off, since Chiba University was also in Chiba City and wasn't very far away.
However, Fujinomiya Konomi refused.
He still remembered how she looked at him with a mixture of happiness and helplessness.
"I'm not a child anymore. Let me handle this myself."
She had always been a capable girl, not some pampered young lady who had never done a day's work.
Besides, traveling from Aoyama Apartments wasn't difficult. She only needed a short walk before taking the train, and although the journey took a while, it went straight there.
After Fujinomiya Konomi left that morning, Sato suddenly thought of Kasumigaoka Utaha.
She had originally been invited to the cherry blossom viewing party as well, but she had called the previous day to say she couldn't come. She sounded weak over the phone, as though she had come down with something. He wasn't sure whether it was the flu or just a common cold.
The transition from winter to spring was exactly when illnesses like these were most common.
Since he knew she was sick, it was only proper to visit her.
Speaking of which, Sato quite liked spring. It was the season when flowers bloomed and everything came back to life. The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, making it the most comfortable time of year.
There was none of summer's scorching heat, none of autumn's unpredictability, and none of winter's bitter cold.
For many people in Japan, however, spring wasn't a pleasant season at all.
Some had weak immune systems, while others suffered from hay fever.
In the past, Sato had never imagined that so many people could have pollen allergies. He figured Japan probably accounted for more than half of all hay fever sufferers in the world. According to surveys, roughly twenty-five percent of Japan's population suffered from it.
For many Japanese people, spring was more of a nightmare than anything else.
...
There was no need to take the train from Aoyama Apartments to Kasumigaoka Utaha's house.
Although he had never been there before, he knew her address. It was in a residential neighborhood near the school, just not the same one where he lived.
After buying some fruit along the way, Sato followed the address he remembered, checking the house numbers one by one.
Suddenly, a white dog darted out of a nearby alley onto the main road.
It seemed to have a piece of bread clamped in its mouth.
Man and dog came face to face, staring at each other with wide eyes.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
The little white dog barked at Sato a few times, baring its teeth in an attempt to look intimidating. Instead, it just looked rather cute.
Sato thought the dog looked strangely familiar.
His gaze then shifted to the bread that had fallen in front of it. Raising an eyebrow, he walked over and picked it up.
The white dog apparently thought Sato was trying to catch it. It let out a frightened whimper and hurried backward, only to trip over its own feet and land flat on its rear.
When it realized Sato wasn't after it, it sighed in relief, scrambled back to its feet, and fled into the distance.
Watching the dog disappear, Sato lowered his head and looked at what he was holding.
A melon bread?
So it was that dog.
The sight instantly brought back his memory.
He looked at the fleeing white dog in sudden realization, curiosity rising in his heart.
Were there really that many melon breads in this world for it to steal?
The answer was no.
Of course there weren't that many breads waiting to be stolen, nor would many people get robbed by a tiny dog barely reaching a person's calf.
Except for one particular person.
"Um..."
A somewhat familiar voice suddenly came from the nearby alley.
Turning around, Sato saw a red-haired girl leaning against the wall, panting heavily.
More accurately, she was staring at the melon bread in his hand.
Even while gasping for breath, she couldn't take her eyes off it.
"Satania?"
After a brief pause, Sato called out her name, looking exactly as though this was what he had expected.
"Huh?"
Only after hearing her name did Satania finally shift her gaze to Sato's face.
"It's that human!" she cried in surprise.
Hearing himself referred to by such a strange title, Sato wore a complicated expression. No matter how he looked at it, this demon seemed incredibly odd.
Then again, every angel and demon he had met so far had been strange.
"Is this yours again?"
He lifted the melon bread in his hand.
Satania nodded frantically.
"Yes! Yes! It's my breakfast! I've been chasing it all morning!"
All morning?
She really was persistent.
The corner of Sato's mouth twitched as he casually tossed the melon bread over.
It traced a graceful arc through the air before landing squarely in Satania's arms.
At that moment, the hopelessly airheaded-looking demon looked at Sato with tears welling up in her eyes.
"Human! You're such a good person!"
That strange way of addressing him again.
Sato rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"My name is Nohara Sato. From now on, just call me Nohara or Sato."
"Okay, Sato!"
You really don't stand on ceremony.
Looking at the rather silly demon, Sato couldn't help laughing.
"Do you live around here?"
"Yep!"
Satania nodded. She hurriedly stuffed the melon bread into her mouth, swallowed it in a few bites, and let out a satisfied belch.
She eats like she's starving.
Sato silently thought to himself as he watched her finish.
After polishing off the melon bread, Satania lifted her chin proudly.
"Do you want to come visit the home of the great Demon Overlord?"
She still felt hopelessly airheaded.
Unable to bear watching, Sato shook his head.
"No, thanks. I'm on my way to visit a classmate."
After a brief pause, he asked curiously,
"By the way, what are you doing right now?"
"Me? I'm looking for Gabriel!"
"Hm?"
"What are you looking for Gabriel for?"
"Heh heh. Defeating angels is a required subject for demons!"
Interesting.
Sato asked with growing interest,
"So you don't know where Gabriel lives?"
"That's right!"
Heh.
A smile suddenly spread across Sato's face.
He beckoned Satania over.
"Come here. I'll tell you where Gabriel lives. But the landlord there is a bit fierce, so make sure you don't knock on the wrong door."