A Saiyan's Journey

"So that's how it is. You guys met through gaming… All the names you just mentioned are your online usernames."

After a round of explanations, Vignette finally understood the situation between Shin and Gabriel.

No wonder Gabriel had such a hometown-reunion expression the moment Shin mentioned that username—it was clearly the reaction of an online gaming addict.

For people who are hopelessly addicted to online games, fellow gamers are like family, especially someone like Shin, who had teamed up with Gabriel for a long time in the game. To her, he wasn't just a friend; he was family among family.

Many online gaming addicts end up being scammed offline by their so-called "friends" because of this perception. Clearly, even though Gabriel was an angel, she hadn't escaped this phenomenon.

"Even if you've known each other online for a long time, peeking at someone is still wrong… Wait! Why are you two suddenly exchanging contact information?!"

Though she understood how Gabriel and Shin got to know each other, Vignette instinctively tried to lecture them. After all, Shin's act of peeking at Gabriel was undoubtedly inappropriate.

However, when she turned to look at Gabriel and Shin, she found the two already pulling out their phones to exchange contact details.

Previously, their interaction had been confined to the online world, and they had never exchanged offline contact information.

This unexpected meeting gave Gabriel the chance to officially exchange contacts with Shin—marking a transition from online acquaintances to offline friends.

"Don't worry, Shin isn't a bad guy. We've known each other online for a long time, so he's definitely a good person."

Gabriel had a look on her face as though she was very familiar with Shin, leaving Vignette at a loss for words.

Clearly, Gabriel was the one being peeked at, yet here she was calmly dismissing it while Vignette was the one fretting—Gabriel was far too trusting.

As for Gabriel herself, on one hand, she genuinely believed that someone she had known for so long online couldn't be a bad person.

On the other hand, she saw this as a golden opportunity—a chance to learn from Shin how he made his money.

After all, Shin had, in just one day, enhanced his in-game equipment to an absurdly high level, which must have cost him a fortune.

From being stingy to suddenly spending lavishly, Shin must have come into a lot of money in a very short time.

If Gabriel could figure out his money-making methods… she wouldn't need to attend school anymore. She wouldn't even need her pocket money from the Celestial Realm. She could just stay at home and play games all day!

"Are you sure your judgment is reliable...?"

Vignette, however, remained skeptical about Gabriel's claim that Shin was a good person. After all, who could truly know someone's character through a computer screen?

More importantly, she still hadn't figured out what the shadow looming faintly behind Shin was—something powerful enough to destroy evil spirits with a single punch.

It wasn't angelic power, nor was it demonic. Could it be that humanity had developed some new kind of power?

As a responsible demon, Vignette felt it was necessary to investigate the truth behind the shadow and decide whether to report it to Hell.

However, before she could question Shin about it, Gabriel's words stopped her cold:

"But it's already been ten minutes... Vignette, won't we be late for school?"

Gabriel's comment caused Vignette's questions to get stuck in her throat, her face turning red with urgency.

Though she was eager to figure out the source of Shin's mysterious shadow, Vignette was a model student. Being late was simply unacceptable to her.

After much internal struggle, Vignette decided that if she stayed to chat with Shin any longer, they really might be late.

So, gritting her teeth, she also pulled out her phone and said to Shin, "Shin, right? Let's exchange contact information too. I have a lot of questions to ask you later."

She had noticed that Shin's school uniform wasn't the same as the one she and Gabriel wore from Utena High School. Instead, it was from the private Academy on the other side of town.

This meant it wouldn't be possible to question him further at school, so exchanging contacts was the only way to follow up later.

Naturally, Shin didn't refuse and exchanged numbers with Vignette.

This was the first time he had received a contact exchange not entirely out of goodwill.

However, despite being a demon, Vignette's personality had nothing in common with a typical demon. She was more angelic than demonic. Even if she didn't fully trust him, she was courteous and respectful.

Her current wariness toward Shin stemmed entirely from concern for her friend Gabriel.

"All right, Gabriel, hurry up and pack your things! We're going to be late!"

After exchanging contact information with Shin, Vignette quickly dragged Gabriel back to their apartment.

There wasn't much time left, and she needed to help Gabriel get ready.

Though Gabriel had already washed up, her hair was still messy, her uniform was disheveled, and her backpack wasn't even packed. She was nowhere near ready to head to school.

As he watched Gabriel and Vignette leave, Shin put away his phone and looked down at the pendant hanging from his chest.

The "arrow" had reacted the moment Gabriel and Vignette appeared, pointing straight at them.

Fortunately, Shin had been quick to act, having "Blackbird" suppress the arrowhead so it wouldn't emerge from his collar in front of the two girls.

"Do both of them have Stand potential? Does being an angel or demon give them an advantage in this regard?"

Shin pondered this, recalling Gabriel and Vignette's other two friends, the angel Raphael and the demon Satania.

Perhaps it was worth visiting their high school to see if those two also possessed Stand potential.

As for Gabriel's motive for adding him as a contact, Shin could guess a few things.

Aside from their online friendship, she was likely trying to learn his methods for making money—she'd been asking him about it almost daily in the game.

However, Shin wasn't planning to help her awaken her Stand immediately. The easier it came, the less she'd value it.

He intended to make her ask repeatedly, until she was almost desperate. Only then would he reveal the truth about Stands and the opportunities they could bring for wealth, ensuring she appreciated it.

That said, Shin had no intention of dragging Gabriel into the underworld. With the Shinomiya Foundation backing him, money was the least of his concerns.

If Gabriel managed to impress him, supporting her for life wouldn't be an issue.

To be continued...

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