Chương 239: Vignette
Not lingering any longer in the world of High School DxD, Eriri and the others returned to the world of Saekano that very evening. Only this time, their group had grown by three new members: Scarlet, Ophis, and Asia.
Everyone had already grown accustomed to Eriri returning with new family members from time to time, so seeing the three arrivals from High School DxD look around their new world with curiosity didn't feel out of place.
The next day, Arifureta and others took Scarlet, Ophis, and Asia out to explore, while Eriri was pulled by Gabriel to visit her own world again.
According to Gabriel, since tomorrow was the launch of the new version of Sword Art Online, they wouldn't have time to go back and forth. So, since there was a day to spare, she figured they might as well wrap up their planned visit home.
When they stepped out of the dimensional portal, they found themselves inside Gabriel's rented studio apartment.
"Back again," Gabriel sighed, looking around the familiar room. Despite living there for only half a month since her descent from Heaven, she'd already spent far more time living at Eriri's house.
"It feels like someone's been cleaning in here," Eriri noted, glancing around the room. Although almost a month had passed since they'd last been there, not a speck of dust had accumulated.
"It's probably Vignette's doing." Gabriel shrugged, sprawling casually on her bed. She hadn't known Vignette long, but the two of them had quickly become close friends. Given that Gabriel had "disappeared" for so long, she figured Vignette might have come by to clean while missing her friend.
Right then, there was the sound of a key turning in the door, and in walked a young girl with short purple hair, wearing the uniform of Gabriel's school.
Since the studio apartment was a single room, the entryway opened right into the main space, so when the door opened, the purple-haired girl immediately spotted Eriri and Gabriel.
She paused for a second, then beamed with joy. Switching to her indoor shoes at the entryway, she ran straight over to Gabriel.
"I'm so glad! Gabriel, I was so worried about you!" she exclaimed, grabbing Gabriel's arm in a rush of relief.
"Whoa, whoa! Hold up, Vignette, calm down," Gabriel urged.
This girl with the purple hair and school uniform was Vignette April, a demon who looked and acted far more angelic than any angel.
"How could I calm down? Where did you go for so long? I was worried sick about you!" Vignette scolded.
"Didn't I tell you at school that day? I said I'd be going to another world for a while. I even asked you to help cover for me with my teachers," Gabriel replied casually.
"Ah… I… I guess you did say that." Vignette's expression grew sheepish, recalling their conversation in the school cafeteria.
"Exactly! So it's not my fault—it's just that you weren't listening." Gabriel shrugged off the blame, waving away any responsibility.
Vignette could only sigh, giving up on arguing with Gabriel. She then turned her attention to Eriri, offering her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
Eriri waved it off lightly. "Not at all! It's nice to meet you. I'm Eriri Spencer Sawamura—you can call me Eriri."
Vignette immediately found herself liking Eriri, especially after receiving such a friendly smile, and shook her hand a little nervously. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Eriri! I'm Vignette April Tsukinose. You can just call me Vignette."
Noticing Eriri's dazzling blonde hair, Vignette looked hopeful as she asked, "Are you an angel too, Eriri?"
Friendly by nature, Vignette wasn't picky about who she befriended, be they angel or demon. If she could be close friends with Gabriel, that should be proof enough. Although technically a demon herself, Vignette always lent a hand to anyone in need and jumped at the chance to help others.
"No, I'm not an angel." Eriri walked over to Gabriel, lifted her up into her arms, and took a seat on the bed, cuddling Gabriel as she settled down.
Vignette, watching this affectionate display, felt her face warm up slightly. She wasn't clueless about relationships, and in fact, she knew a fair bit about love. She had learned about it through watching others, though she hadn't experienced it firsthand yet.
The image of the two girls so intimately close brought a blush to her cheeks as her curiosity sparked. "So, Eriri, you and Gabriel… are you two…?"
"That's right—it's exactly what you're thinking." Smiling, Eriri kissed Gabriel's lips right in front of Vignette.
Gabriel, completely unfazed, accepted the kiss without hesitation. After all, kissing Eriri in front of others was hardly anything new at this point. She had long since grown used to it.
For the innocent Vignette, however, the sight was almost too much to bear. She instantly covered her face with her hands but left her fingers open just enough to keep peeking curiously through the cracks.
The kiss lasted no more than a minute—a quick peck compared to some of their usual affectionate exchanges.
"I… I never would have guessed that you two were… like that," Vignette stammered, her face pink as she took in this new information.
However, the light in her eyes and the slight sway of her posture made it clear she wasn't repulsed by the scene at all. On the contrary, she seemed excited, as if a new world of possibilities had opened up before her.
"It's nothing unusual," Gabriel shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back comfortably against Eriri. Then, in a more serious tone, she added, "By the way, Vignette, has anyone from Heaven come looking for me while I've been gone?"
Hearing Gabriel bring up a serious question, Vignette snapped out of her thoughts, focusing intently.
"Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you! Since you've been missing classes for days, word reached Heaven too, and your sister even came to me asking about you."
Vignette patted her chest, her face showing a look of lingering fear. "She was terrifying, really—I thought she might just smite me right there."
"Uh-huh, that sounds just like Zelel," Gabriel nodded with full agreement.
At that, Vignette shot Gabriel an annoyed look. "Your sister was just worried about you. Now that you're back, you should at least go and let her know you're safe."
"Don't worry, I'll make a quick trip to Heaven soon."
"Good. And Eriri, would you like to explore the neighborhood with me later?" Vignette asked, her face lighting up with anticipation.
But Gabriel instantly turned and wrapped her arms around Eriri. "Eriri's going to Heaven with me, of course."
"But people who aren't angels can't exactly just waltz into Heaven, right?"
"Why should that matter? We just won't get caught. And even if someone does notice, it's not a big deal—Eriri's super strong! Not even the Gods could take her on," Gabriel said with a satisfied smile.
Vignette froze, eyes widening as she looked at Eriri in shock. After all, Gods were the supreme beings of Heaven, on par with the Demon Lords of Hell. Either of them could easily bring about the end of the world.
She could hardly imagine Eriri surpassing such beings. From the fact that she and Gabriel seemed close, it was clear Eriri was special—likely from another world, as Gabriel had mentioned—but she never imagined she might be that powerful.
"Eriri… is that really true, what Gabriel's saying?"
"Eh, maybe I'm a little stronger than the Gods here." Eriri held her thumb and forefinger close together with a tiny gap between them, her face perfectly calm, as though such power was nothing to her.
Vignette was speechless for a moment, absorbing this revelation, before Eriri spoke up again.
"So, Vignette, were you coming over here today to clean Gabriel's place?"
"Yes, I was. I kept checking on her place every so often, just to see if she'd come back. And eventually, I started coming by every Saturday."
"Oh, I see. You really put in a lot of effort."
"Oh, it's no big deal. Gabriel is my friend—of course, I'd do that for her," Vignette waved her hands modestly.
But then she remembered something Eriri had mentioned earlier and couldn't help but ask, "Eriri, are you really from another world?"
"Yep, I'm definitely not from here. To be precise, I come from another universe. I was actually the one who brought Gabriel over. She's been staying at my place all this time," Eriri answered openly.
The existence of multiple worlds wasn't exactly a secret—just something ordinary people couldn't access.
Usually, only those who had reached the cosmic level of strength could make contact with other worlds. Those below cosmic level—no matter how close—would struggle to comprehend the world beyond their own universe.
In Eriri's perception, the Gods and Demon Lords of this world were somewhere around peak Level 7, still far from even the edge of Level 8, let alone being fully established there.
Furthermore, the Heaven and Hell of this world governed not only Earth but a host of other worlds within the same universe, which was why Gabriel possessed an Apocalyptic Trumpet powerful enough to declare the end of an entire world.
Vignette nodded in understanding. "I see… Gabriel, Eriri, could you tell me more about these other universes?"
Just as Gabriel was about to agree, an imposing voice suddenly echoed through the room.
"I wouldn't mind hearing about it myself."
Gabriel's expression instantly changed, and she quickly looked toward the empty space next to Vignette.
Pure white feathers floated down as a beautiful girl with a golden halo, dressed in a white robe and with pure white wings, materialized in the room.
"Zelel! What are you doing here?" Gabriel ran over to her sister, keeping her head lowered and looking slightly guilty.
Although Gabriel had previously boasted that Eriri's presence meant she didn't need to fear her sister, now that they were face-to-face, she couldn't help but feel nervous.
This wasn't about power—it was simply the way a little sister felt after "running away from home" and then unexpectedly encountering her big sister.
Eriri, meanwhile, stayed out of Gabriel and Zelel's reunion, showing no surprise at her arrival. She'd known Zelel was coming, having sensed a divine spell being used to observe the room. Following the spell's trace, she'd spotted Zelel using divine clairvoyance from Heaven.
Zelel radiated a powerful aura, weaker than the Gods and Demon Lords of this world, but easily at the level of a low-rank Level 7, leagues beyond Gabriel.
"Gabriel…" Zelel stood there, watching her sister expressionlessly, not even blinking.
This only made Gabriel feel more pressured. Just as she was about to look to Eriri for help, Zelel suddenly threw her arms around Gabriel and pulled her into a tight hug.
Her carefully composed expression crumbled as tears streamed down her cheeks, overcome by the joy of having her little sister back.
"Gabriel, I'm just so, so glad you're alright."
"Nee-chan…"
Gabriel returned the embrace, feeling a strange wave of emotion. Only now did she understand the pain a sister could feel after losing her sibling.
Thinking back to the time Haruno had nearly broken down after just three days when Yukino went missing, Gabriel realized how much harder it must have been for Zelel to endure a month of her absence.
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