CHAPTER 108: CHAPTER 108 SOULMATES

As soon as the bell rang, chairs squeaked, tiny feet scampered, and Class D exploded into motion.

"Break timeee!" Felix shouted as he zoomed past.

Sable followed quietly behind, while Lucien stood, fixed his uniform collar, and calmly walked toward the hallway.

Alina smiled, watching the little parade of chaos clear the room like a gust of wind.

Then—floating near her shoulder—came a familiar misty swirl of energy.

"Boo."

Alina smiled knowingly.

He hovered beside her like a tiny cloud full of secrets, hands folded dramatically behind his back, eyes wide and sparkling with mischief.

"Teachhheeer..." he said, drawing out the words.

His little face looked way too serious for someone who had crayons stuck in his hair just ten minutes ago.

Alina raised an eyebrow. "What is it now, my little gossip king?"

Boo floated closer, lowering his voice like he was about to reveal the secret to life itself. "Do you remember... when I told you that Principal Dante wants ninety-nine wives?"

Alina sighed, her hands on her hips. "Boo. You remember that old gossip, but not the math lesson I gave you some days ago?"

Boo’s eyes went wide, his misty cheeks puffing. "I—I remembered! I just... forgot for a tiny while!"

Alina gave him a squinty, mock-angry look — the kind of look teachers use when they’re pretending to be mad but are actually melting inside.

"Boo," she said, poking his forehead gently. "You’re going to grow up knowing all the school gossip but thinking two plus two is rainbow soup."

Boo smiled sheepishly and floated backward a little.

"Teacher, that’s different! Gossip is survival!"

Alina chuckled. "Alright, tell me then. What new scandal have you uncovered about Principal Dante now?"

Boo’s eyes lit up like a night lantern.

He leaned forward, whispering dramatically, "I heard... he found one of the ninety-nine wives!"

Alina blinked.

"...What?"

"Yes!!" Boo said with a serious nod. "One! First wife! Found!"

She raised a brow. "And where did you hear this?"

"My dreams," Boo said seriously, floating in a thoughtful circle. "And I saw it. She was very pretty. She stayed at his house."

Alina’s heart skipped.

Wait.

Stayed at his house?

She paused, swallowing slowly.

I stayed at his house...

Her eyes twitched. "Boo... are you saying the person Principal Dante picked is...?"

Boo spun slowly, looking confused, then added proudly, "Yes yes!! He brought her through a portal! She sat on the ground like a potato! And then he picked her up like swoosh! Strong hand!"

Alina’s mouth fell open.

Potato...?

Her brain stalled.

Before she could say anything, Boo blinked as if remembering something important. "Anyway, I’m going! Felix is calling me. Byyyye Teacher!" he said cheerfully, and floated off like a mischievous little balloon.

Alina stood frozen, staring at the spot where Boo had vanished.

Was he... talking about me?

She rubbed her forehead slowly.

That did happen... She had sat on the floor like a portal-sick lump. And yes, Dante did lift her up. But how could Boo have known that? He wasn’t even there.

Unless...

Does he really have some kind of weird ghosty future-vision dream power?

Her heart pounded slightly.

And... wait. Did Dante actually say he wants ninety-nine wives?! Is that true?

She suddenly felt dizzy.

Her thoughts spiraled.

One of ninety-nine??! What is this, a royal emperor harem?!

"Nope," she muttered to herself, cheeks pink. "Forget it. I’m not thinking about this anymore."

She turned around briskly and marched to her desk.

Focus on teaching. Just teach. Ignore all ghosts and romantic nonsense.

***

Boo’s words kept echoing in her head like a ridiculous little song: "Sat like a potato... picked up like swoosh... ninety-nine wives!!"

She tried not to think about it.

Really, she did.

But now every time she pictured Dante’s face, she imagined him sitting at a giant dinner table with rows of mysterious, dramatic women tossing their hair and fighting over his attention.

Ridiculous.

Still... her curiosity was boiling.

So when she entered the staffroom dine room and saw Gabriel already sitting at the corner chair and a spare seat beside him — she took it as fate.

"Alina!" he greeted with his usual sunshine smile, patting the seat next to him. "I saved you the good chair."

Soon, some staff came and served her food as well.

She smiled awkwardly and sat down, taking a slow bite of her sandwich. They ate in silence for a few minutes, the quiet interrupted only by Gabriel humming to himself while arranging his steamed dumplings.

Then...

She cleared her throat.

Twice.

"Gab," she said suddenly, voice lower than usual.

He blinked and looked at her, mid-chew. "Hm?"

She hesitated.

Why was this hard to ask?

"Uh... so... this is just a random question," she said quickly.

Gabriel leaned in, eyes sparkling. "I love random questions."

Alina looked down at her sandwich. "Can supernatural guys... have harems?"

Gabriel choked on his dumpling.

He grabbed his cup of water, coughing dramatically. "Wha—what?! Harem??!"

Gabriel looked horrified. "Alina, I don’t even date, let alone collect people! Where is this coming from?!"

Alina waved her hands. "I didn’t mean you, Gab. I meant in general. Other supernatural guys. Like, is it normal here? Because in the human world, it’s not exactly a thing unless you’re in a drama series."

Gabriel relaxed, though his face was still red from coughing.

"Ohhh," he said, catching his breath. "Yes. I mean, it depends on the race. Some royal families or ancient bloodlines do follow that tradition. Demons, especially from noble lines, used to have harems. Vampires too, sometimes. But not everyone does it now."

Alina nodded slowly, pretending she was just mildly interested.

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, his lunch nearly finished, and his fingers resting around his orange juice cup. The soft golden light from the window lit up the white in his eyes, making him look like a storybook painting.

"Though we angels believe in soulmates," he said gently, "it’s not just for us."

Alina blinked, setting down her half-eaten fruit cup. "No?"

He smiled — that soft, almost glowing smile of his.

"Actually," he said, "all humans have soulmates too. Not in a magical bond sort of way. But in a very real fated way."