Healing System

"Michael..." Celeste called out with a sigh. "I understand you're a bit pissed off, but come on, wait for us."

Currently, they were on some sort of makeshift blimp, flying out of the city.

Of course, Michael's plan was to simply get a good assignment and complete it perfectly.

But almost like Arthur wasn't lying in the first place, all of them were shit.

Even the rest of the class didn't get anything good, as the best assignment Michael spotted was just a measly escort mission.

As for him? He was supposed to head with his group to another city and vanquish the pests.

Funnily enough, it wasn't in Heaven, and the blimp he was currently on seemed to travel between realms.

But of course, to him, it seemed like he never left the clear blue sky.

Nonetheless, he waited patiently, his back turned to the girls, until eventually, he got bored.

"Are you always so grumpy?" Rose asked with a tilt of her head. "Or do you just have a stick up your ass?"

"I'm not always so grumpy, and the only thing I have up my ass is your annoying voice," Michael shot back playfully, causing her to halt.

"W-What..."

"Yeah, he tends to have some stupid comebacks," Celeste remarked with a giggle. "But let's not fight. We will be doing the assignment together, after all."

"Fine..." Rose nodded reluctantly and sat down on a beanbag chair nearby.

The blimp was provided by the academy, so he could naturally do whatever he wanted on it.

Except for breaking it, of course, because he definitely didn't have the money to even come close to repairing it.

Nonetheless, the other girls, such as Maya, were simply idly looking off the railing.

Despite them being high up in the clouds, this was the only thing they could do aside from talk or sleep.

Simply watching the clouds...

This is so boring, Michael thought with a sigh as he leaned on the railing.

[I wouldn't do that if I were you,] the system said. [It's connected with another realm, and if you go overboard, you'd be lost in the abyss.]

Fair enough. Michael immediately stepped back before glancing at Celina, who seemed to be on her phone.

She was twirling her black hair idly while chewing on some gum.

Michael decided to approach her as he sat beside her. "Can I have some?"

"And in exchange, I get what?" she asked, a smile on her face.

"A high five, maybe? I'm broke," Michael replied bluntly, causing her brow to twitch.

"I-I see. You can have it, then, free of charge," Celina handed the gum over, and he simply lay down before chewing it.

Celeste was chatting with Maya and Rose from time to time, as those three seemed to be getting along pretty well.

As for Celina?

"Why don't you join them? Their stupid conversations look pretty fun," he asked, causing her to take her attention away from the phone.

"...I don't like such serious groups. I would rather enjoy myself in my own comfort," Celina said flatly. "But of course, you're here chirping in my ear, so I can't really do that now, can I?"

Despite how it sounded, he could tell she meant it in a playful manner. Therefore, he shot back.

"Well, I'll chirp another time if it means I'll get more gum."

"Silly you, I can just give you a whole packet so you back off. How does that sound?" Celina offered softly.

"A packet? Make it two, and I'll consider it," Michael said with a smile as he stood back up.

As much as he wanted to banter with her more, in just a few seconds...

—You've arrived in Aldrossa!

The announcement fell, and in the next moment, the blimp stopped.

As it did, a pathway near the guardrail appeared, heading down.

Michael held out his hand to Celina, who absentmindedly accepted, standing up.

With that, they made their way to the three chatting girls and then went down.

It was like an escalator, and they were no longer above the clouds.

Now, the only thing in front of them was a golden city, which resembled Heaven in a way.

But the people were definitely not angels.

In fact, they weren't even human.

If anything, they resembled antenna humanoids—kind of like aliens in the movies.

It's pretty cool, but what exactly are we supposed to do here? Michael thought, and the moment he did, he spotted a rat in the distance.

Is that the pest we have to eliminate? Seriously...?

It was a bit unbelievable if that was truly the case, but despite that, he extended his mana forward and summoned a sharp golden knife before sending it straight through the rat, killing it on impact.

"Ah! Jeremy D. Lincoln the Third! NOOOO!" some kid yelled at the top of his lungs, making Michael flinch as he turned to the side.

[That was a pet,] the system commented.

Michael decided to put the past behind him for the time being as he urged the girls forward.

There was someone they were supposed to meet, and that person was in the town center.

Of course, since it was so busy, he couldn't exactly find him, but from the description he had received on a piece of paper, it seemed like it should be an angel.

"Was that a pet, by the way?" Celeste asked in a whisper. "Or did I imagine it?"

"...You imagined it." Michael replied innocently as he led the group forward.

But of course, almost like he should've known, Rose decided to tease him about it.

"That was definitely someone's pet. It had a tie around its little foot," Rose said with a chuckle. "You already failed at being an angel of mercy, so why don't you just drop out and give us some extra credit?"

"The pink princess who's wearing naughty black underwear has spoken." Michael shot back, making her flinch as her cheeks reddened.

"H-How did you know?"

He scoffed. "I guessed. But it seems like I wasn't wrong."

"Y-Y-You!" she exclaimed, but before she could go on a tantrum, someone tapped his shoulder.

That certain someone was a golden-haired angel, resembling himself in a way.

And of course, this was the person he was supposed to be meeting.

"Greetings, students of Heaven Academy. Please follow me," the angel said with a curt bow, and with that, Michael, alongside the girls, began walking to some alleyway.

There weren't any people present, and honestly, it didn't seem like a very well-thought-out talking spot.

But as his doubts were beginning to set in, the sewer hatch opened, revealing a golden light from below.

"Follow me," the angel announced before jumping inside—to the horror of all the girls.

"T-This doesn't seem very sanitary," Rose remarked as she approached closer and looked down.

Michael cheekily went behind her and gave her a tiny push.

"Kyaaaa!" Rose screamed before toppling over into the sewer.

Michael glanced at the girls with an ominous smile. "Pfft... Who's next?"

"I... I'll go," Celeste said reluctantly before walking over, closing her eyes, and jumping inside.

She immediately dropped down to the bottom, which was a simple golden lake, and right after was Maya, and then lastly, Celina.

Maya seemed pretty unhinged, as opposed to Celina, who seemed to be a clean freak.

Nonetheless, Michael was the last to jump inside, closing the hatch behind him.

Now, the sight of a golden lake, followed by a giant headquarters in the distance, entered his sight.

The angel was taking them there, and if Michael was seeing it correctly, this might mean his assignment wasn't total shit after all.

At least, I hope so, Michael thought, gulping.

He began making his way forward, catching up with the girls.

Michael made some small talk with them, and finally, they reached the headquarters building, and the angel pointed inside.

"You shall meet with the Angel of Sorrow. Please be respectful, as they are a high-ranked angel," the angel announced, and Michael nodded.

"I'll make sure to hold up my usual etiquette. No need to worry," Michael assured with a warm smile—which wasn't believed by any of the girls present.

Nonetheless, they went into the building, and despite its massive size, it only had a single hallway, with many rooms scattered around.

However, they were definitely not meeting in some random room, as in just a few more moments, they arrived in front of a large office.

Behind the doors, Michael could feel a decently strong presence.

Of course, it wasn't too strong—merely Tier 10 at most.

Since he wasn't aware of the angel ranks, he could only take the previous angel's words on this person being high-ranked.

Despite that, Michael cleared his throat and knocked on the door a couple of times until eventually, he parted it open.

Immediately, a seductive blue-haired woman entered his sight, her red eyes glancing over at him.

Hot damn. Michael whistled inwardly.

Soon, the woman stood up, walked over to them, and stretched her hand out in a handshake.

"It's nice to meet you lot. My name's Lila. I hope we can get along."