Just being an angel didn’t qualify Raphael as a particularly nice person. In fact,
he’d be the first to admit that he wasn’t even a particularly good person. He
was a philanderer—all right, a recently reformed philanderer—and vain, self-centered,
and arrogant to boot. It wasn’t his style to go out of his way for anyone or anything
without some sort of compensation in the offing.

But as far as the Seigaku Regulars were concerned, Raphael was a saint, despite
his many flaws.

It wasn’t because he’d healed Tezuka’s shoulder, or Oishi’s wrist, or assured
Momo that, indeed, his ankle was just fine so-stop-pestering-me-damn-it. It wasn’t
because he’d given Inui advice about training schedules, or that he could make
a homework migraine vanish with a glance.

It was what he didn’t do that qualified him for canonization in their eyes.

Horio waved his banner. I’ve had laryngitis for weeks! it
read. Do something!

Raphael ignored him, and indeed, peace reigned upon the Seigaku tennis courts.