The four installment of my TWGOK One shots! It has been a long time coming since the last heroine's one shot and I have received your requests for the next heroine. They will come in the order I was requested for the most part, and judging by the title you already know who the heroine is! Nanaka Haibara, the shogi loving girl! I will say this now, heroines like her challenge me to come up with a good way to make a believable TWGOK story, sheesh! Enjoy!
"...And we enter the final quarter of the annual school shogi tournament. We have Nanaka Haibara of representing our very own Misato Hisagi High School on its own home ground against the one known as the "White Fang"...Hana Yoshida hailing from Aomori high school! They are now locked in a close match with the victory being able to go to either side as both contestants that are now returning from their break are soon to restart their match and finish the game! Who will come out on top? Our very own Nanaka Haibara or the "White fang" Hana Yoshida?"
Nanaka Haibara is 3/4 Japanese and 1/4 French who not to long ago returned to Japan from overseas. Her hair color is orange and is shaped like a mushroom. She wears her normal school uniform that is white with a red collar and pink tie. She is wearing half-length boots and black stockings. She has bright fiery orange eyes that resembles her sharp-temper! She is an expert shogi player and can beat many professional level players as she is now trying to do against her opponent however she is having some trouble against her.
This white haired, demon looking girl that bore fangs like a lion! Her moves were precise, and she moved without hesitation with no need to stop and think out her moves. Leaving Nanaka to believe she was always two moves ahead of her in planning. Nanaka thought hard on her next move and picked up her lance piece but she quickly realized she had mistaken it for her knight piece and had made a move that could go against her.
"Shoot I went and screwed up my move!" She mumbled to herself. "Darn it...I keep on messing up my Keima!" Keima is word for Knight in Shogi and ever since a while ago, Nanaka has been having trouble with it.
"Hohohoho! A grave error indeed Haibara! It seems I have now discovered your weakness and thus...i can unveil my trap card!" She announced proudly as she moved her hand across the board. "Now...heart of the shogi...guide me to victory!" She drew a piece from the board and moved it forward and captured another piece of Nanaka's.
"Shoot...I must be some kind of screwed in the head. Don't expect me to make a mistake like that again!" Nanaka moved the hair from the front of her face and focused on the game but her opponent simply sneered. "It is too late! For like I said, I discovered your weakness!"
"My...my weakness?"
"Indeed! Nanaka Haibara!" She pointed her finger dramatically at Nanaka. "You have problems with your Keima and thus a representation of you searching for your one true knight!"
"W-what'cha sayin'? You tryna throw me off my game aren't ya?" Nanaka's face turned a rosey red that filled her cheeks with embarrassment.
"Oh I would do nothing of the sort...but the truth is shogi is lot like love! And judging by how you're playing right now, you have love issues! You probably never even had a boyfriend am I right? Hoho." She smirked as Nanaka got hot headed real fast. "S-shut up! How bout' you keep your mouth shut and play!" That is what Nanaka said however she was losing her focus. "What does she know bout' me anyway? She ain't know nothing!" She tried to make strong plays however she couldn't help but admit how right she was. Nanaka felt she talked like a kid, she talked too much honestly. All the guys find her annoying and thinks of her as some shogi devil. If shogi is truly like love, then she should be an expert on it. But love isn't like a game.
"Hmph...checkmate!" Nanaka came to her sense and saw how many bad moves she made in a row. And how easily her opponent took advantage of that. The announcer then excitedly announced the end of the match and its winner. Nanka who was on the edge of crying in a river of tears ran out the room after losing. She didn't want to face the fact of such a humiliating defeat. She ran on the sidewalk and brushed past the people in her way, she tried to hide her tears with the sleeve of her shirt. Which prevented her from seeing what was in front of her and she ran into somebody. They both fell to the ground, and Nanaka quickly lost her temper and shouted out, "Who ya think ya are? Watch where ya going ya-"
"Awah! I...i'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention! Though you ran into me..." Nanaka looked up to see an unusually dressed girl. A girl with long dark hair kept in a pony tail with a skull accessory on it with light dark-purple eyes. She was wearing a short, violet kimono complemented by lavender thigh-high socks and wooden sandals. It was none other than Elsie!
"Ah, its fine...hmm? You look...somewhat familiar...?" Elsie quickly noticed who the mushroom headed girl in front of her was. A previous capture target of Keima's! But she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do in this situation and slowly panicked in her mind. Nanaka looked around her and saw that she was in front of a video game store. She decided she would use a bathroom if the store had one to wash up her face. Nanaka without saying anything else to Elsie walked by her and into the store. It was at that moment that Elsie's runaway spirit detector went off!
"Ah! A runaway spirit...in Nanaka again?" Elsie looked through the window to see Nanaka walking into the store and Elsie felt relieved. For she know there is one person who happens to be int hat store right now that can fill the gap in her heart! The Capturing God...
"Keima!" Nanaka heard be shouted in the store close by. She wondered who would yell that in this game store and she looked around to see a strange boy playing a galge game on the computers they have set up for customers to use freely. He was intent on playing this game and Nanaka simply thought to herself what an otaku he was. But on closer inspection she sees that he is playing shogi on the game! She slowly walked up behind the person who was too focused on playing the game to even notice her. She realized that this player, must be an expert on shogi! His moves were strong and powerful and he didn't make a single move which left room for error or a counter attack for his opponent. He won effortlessly.
"Ah, and thus this route is secured easily. No heroine can challenge the capturing god! Though I almost made a mistake with my knight..." Keima gave an arrogant smirk and turned around in his chair to see Nanaka staring at him with a blank face. Keima then returned said expression with the same face. He then looked out the window to his right to see Elsie waving a sign that said, "She has a runaway spirit Kami-sama!"
Keima gave her an "Are you serious?" expression and turned back to Nanaka. What caused the gap in her heart this time he wondered? Did she lose again? Why did he go through all that effort to teach her about winning and losing if she is just going to cry about losing each time! This is why real is so troublesome he thought to himself, but he must now come up with a proper route to re-conquer her. First he must play the part of a shogi expert, as she must be fascinated by his shogi skills he gained from playing games(galge).
"Ahem! Excuse me you're cramping my shogi focus!" Keima announced to Nanaka who backed away a bit. "Ah, I-i'm sorry but you have to teach me how you play like that!"
"Hmm...and why is that? Don't you think I have better shogi...related things to do? A professional like me!" Keima stood on the chair proudly with his arrogance just filling the room but to Nanaka she saw something much more amazing in Keima. And more oddly enough a strange feeling from him, like this is all so familiar to her. This guy before her, so amazing and powerful. Nanaka decided that he must be "that person" she has been looking for!
"Please...I have to get better at this game...I must! Or I'll never be able to win...so please I beg of you...teach me how to play the game the way it should be played!" Nanaka got on her knees and pleaded and begged for Keima to help her. Keima saw the route in front of him and was disappointed on how similar it was to last time, but he doesn't mind. He'll simply teach her expert gaming strategies, let her beat the person who beat her, and be done with this conquest.
"Very well...I shall take you on as my disciple!" Keima pushed up his glasses and smiled with pride as Nanaka put her hands together and smiled in happiness. Thus the master and student relationship was born! And they were consequently kicked out at the same time by the owner for being too obnoxious and disturbing customers.
"Darn it...I don't appreciate being thrown out like that!" Nanaka shouted at the store in a furious rage. It's been a while since Keima and her met for the first time. He had forgotten how much fury she can build up in a second's notice. Keima then got up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. He looked down and saw Nanaka had some dirt on her as well, and he offered her his hand to lift her up. Nanaka looked at his kind gesture with odd eyes and her face turned red. She was surprised that she was being offered help and shyly took hold of Keima's hand. But in her mind she questioned everything about this small moment, why is he being nice to her? Ironically enough so is Keima who was asking why he is willing to touch this girl. Perhaps its because he doesn't even see this girl as a girl but some object of life that once again chooses to disrupt his normal life.
Keima picked her up from the ground as she then dusted herself off. She turned her face from Keima's as she she noticed she was blushing again. Keima wanting to get this all over with spoke up first, "So then disciple! I believe it is best for us to proceed right to your training. I predict you lost to someone and thus sought out help?"
Nanaka quickly turned back to Keima in surprise. "Ah...well yeah! I had lost to this bratty girl who has gotn' my head and stuff..."
"I see. Are you still in the tournament?"
"Y-yes...I can challenge her again for another shot at the finals but I would have to beat her twice. One at the current Semi-Finals and again at the Finals since she already qualified..."
"Then we should begin working on your skills right away, let us be on-"
"W-wait!" Nanaka called out to Keima who was about to take off in a direction to his house. Keima replied, "What is it? We don't have all day you know. We must train you immediately!"
"Ah..yeah...right...b-but umm...I'm not exactly up for shogi at the moment. I need a breather! Yeah! So perhaps we could relax before we practice? I did just lose and all..."
Keima thought about this situation. It was logical that he could not train her if she is still bummed out by losing. He could allow her to take a SHORT time off then beat his mastered shogi skills into her head and be done with the whole thing. Kemia agreed to allow her some time before they do any practice. Nanaka almost broke out in a huge smile with her blushing face but quickly shook it all off. She then grabbed Keima's hand out of no where and began to drag Keima off into the distance. Elsie came out of her hiding spot and looked out to the distance with a look of confusion but quickly smiled. "Hehe! Kami-nii sama is giving it his all for this conquest!"
"I am so not giving it my all for this conquest..." Keima mumbled as Nanaka dragged him into a restaurant and quickly sat them both down. "This girl is a monster..." Keima thought as he looked around him to see he was in quite an expensive and extravagant place. He looked over to Nanaka who was examining herself and fixing up her big poofy hair. "What exactly...are we doing here...Nanka-san?"
"To eat some grub obviously! We can't practice on an empty stomach! Hmm... I didn't tell you my name yet did I sensei?" Nanka looked at Keima with a confused look which made Keima divert his eyes quickly to the menu he picked up. "Ah..I umm...have heard about you from Tenri Ayukawa...a friend of mine!" Keima luckily remembered both Tenri and her go to the same school.
"From Ayukawa? Really? That's strange seein' as I was quite rude to her in class I noticed. Though I stopped saying mean things to her recently...uhh! Not that i'm a mean person! I'm really nice...I think..."
"Hmm?" Keima noticed Nanaka's odd behavior. Why is she trying to make herself seem more presentable to Keima? Perhaps it is just her trying to leave a good impression on someone she admires. A shogi thing Keima brushed it off as. Keima went back to examining his menu as Nanaka looked drearily at Keima with admiring eyes. She wished she had the courage to ask him his name but she would just have to stick with Sensei for now it seems as she sighed and looked around her. Her face turned red again from when she saw all around her couples as far as the eye could see. "Why is there so many couples at this time of day?" Nanaka screamed in her head from the embarrassment. She looked down at her menu and read the front of it. "Couple's Lunch Hour! Everything is 20% off!"
Nanaka just about yelled in fury at who the heck does a couple event at lunch time! But as she examined those around her, she saw the couples doing what is natural to them. Kissing, holding hands, saying mushy things to one another. Almost as if each couple was competing with the other to show off their love. "Love is a game huh.." Nanaka thought as she looked to Keima. Would they be seen as a couple too? Would they participate in this game of love if they were dating? Dating...Nanaka couldn't even imagine herself doing such a thing with this person...she doesn't even know. But...she saw Keima's hand at his side and looked down at her hand. Holding hands...could she do it? Love is just a game right? So all she has to do is reach out...and grab it. Would he mind it? Would he hate her for it? She slowly reached out for his hand with her's trembling at every slight inch towards his hand. Her heart beating with a badonk, badonk, badonk, at every second. And once his hand was just a moment's reach...the waiter came and dropped their food on the table.
"Huh?" Nanaka looked down at the plate in front of her to see a Skillet Cazone, a french dish. And Keima's was just some standard appetizer. "I ordered for you seeing as you were dozing off to somewhere." Keima said soundly and looked off, not really interested in his food. "Ah...thank you.." Nanaka said shyly as she slowly began to eat her food. "Of course he is so nice! Of course! And I can't even hold his hand..."
After they both finished eating. Keima said it was time to begin her training but Nanaka insisted on taking Keima all over the place instead. To places like movies and parks to a store they were in now. Keima was sitting on a bench bored out of his mind as all guys are when they go shopping with a girl. Nanaka was happily enjoying herself as she went through some clothes on a rack. Keima didn't understand Nanka at all, didn't she want to get better at shogi to win her match? The day is almost over and they would have accomplished nothing. Keima examined Nanaka who was smiling brightly which was odd to Keima. Why was this girl so happy? Does all of this really make her happy? Keima truly did not understand this girl at all.
But thinking about it, Keima never really tried to understand the girl he was trying to conquer that much. He only gathered the info needed to succeed but any more than was not necessary. But he has been given the opportunity to get to know this girl better. Nanaka Haibara, she is a loud mouthed and rude girl for sure. She pretty much bad mouthed her way into a discount for half off on everything she buys. She also has a temper that goes off at the drop of a hat for no reason. And she may be 1/4 French yet her accent is thick. But despite all of that, Nanaka is the most honest girl Keima has known. She is true to herself no matter how childish and immature that may be at times. She laughs, she cries, she gets mad, and she smiles...like that. A big, childish, goofy smile that Keima...enjoyed. She was an odd heroine, but one he didn't mind.
However, Keima needs to fill the gap in her heart and help her win her match. Keima walked over to Nanaka who smiled brightly at Keima. "Oh sensei! What do you think'll look better on me?" Nanka held up two outfits to Keima who simply shrugged and grab hold of Nanka. "Nanaka! You realize the day is almost over and we haven't done anything practical in any way?"
"Ah...well...umm...we can do that tomorrow can't we?" Nanaka looked away from Keima who didn't understand what she was saying at all. "What do you mean tomorrow? When is your rematch supposed to be?"
"Oh...soon..." Nanaka said shyly as she she went through some clothes. "How...close is soon Nanaka?" Keima got closer to her from behind, seemingly interrogating that difficult answer of hers to come out. Nanaka's lips twitched as shit bit down on her lower lip and her hands's grip tightened on the outfits she was holding. "T-tomorrow..."
"Tomorrow? Then we have no time to lose!" Keima grabbed Nanaka by the hand and began to drag her out of the room but she pulled away from him suddenly. "Nanaka?"
"Forget about the stupid ol' tournament! Focus on me darn it!" Nanaka shouted. People who were walking by had begun to stop and stare at the scene that was unfolding before them. Keima noticed their looks but didn't pay them much mind as he only focused on the girl right in front of him. Nanaka's outburst was hard to ignore. "Nanaka...?"
"You call me by first name...does that mean i'm close to you in your mind?" Nanaka's eyes was slightly teary with a strong sense of determination that shined like a bright light within them. Keima was finding the right choices in his mind on what to say next but Nanaka pressured him so quickly he couldn't decide on what to say. "I don't know why...but you're so much different...than other people...the most unique guy I've ever met! Ever since the moment my eyes first saw you, I knew you were 'that person'!"
"That person?" Keima thought to himself. "Isn't that the person who can rival her in shogi? That was Tenri(Diana)...yet she sees me as that person? Well, fair enough but why is she getting all upset and spouting this other nonsense?"
"I am trying so hard to win...I want to win this game so much...but i'm just a loser..." Tears began to fall down from her eyes down to her checks and slid under her neck. Keima tried to comfort her, "That's why I want to help train you so you can win your shogi match..."
"Not shogi dimwit! I mean...the love game..." Nanaka said softly with her head down, but at the same time condescending as if not to Keima but herself. "Love...game...?" Keima asked her with a confused look on his face.
"At the match..I only lost because my opponent bagged on my love life. She said love was a game and i'm basically a loser at it. And thinking about it...she was right...I never kissed, never held hands, never even got asked out by a guy before let alone have a boyfriend. I'm a loser at this game...but hey maybe this is like a real game!" Nanka looked up with her eyes closed and crying with nothing holding her back. "Without losers like me there would be no winners...those fortunate people who are able to win at this game and be happy in love. That can do simple things like hold the hands of the person they love...oh stupid ol' me. I just confessed to you didn't I? How uncool...I love you...and I don't even know you...but seeing you makes my heart feel like butterflies are having a part in it!
"I...well.." Keima didn't know what to say and Nanaka knew that. She knew it very well. "Its fine... I know you don't love me. I sorta feel like you're not really the kind of person who falls in love like that especially with a girl like me...i'm sorry to deceive you like this. I didn't really want you to train me in shogi...I just wanted to go out with you and experience what I can with love before I give up for good. It's game over for me..." Nanaka then began to run off but stopped halfway and turned to the distraught Keima still standing there. "Thanks anyway...for being nice to lil' ol' me..." And like that Nanaka was off somewhere that Keima did not know. Keima then sighed and left the scene without paying the bystanders any mind. He found himself on the roof of the store contemplating Nanaka and her feelings.
"She loves me...I see. The gap in her heart was not caused by losing in the tournament but by the lack of love in her heart. When she saw me, she felt those feelings buried deep inside her from before come to surface and tried to fill the hole in her heart..." Keima thought to himself with the wind blowing through his hair. "But she already loves me..yet the gap in her heart isn't filled because she needs a complete love. A two sided love...but I can't bring myself to love a real girl. She mentioned love being a game? That is indeed true. There are winners and losers, huge obstacles and bosses, friends and allies, enemies and rivals, and a goal at the end. Which is? Love. But is it worth it? Does love always end with a good ending? No. Because though love may be a fair game, the real world isn't..."
Keima thought on what he should do but he kept going back to the same answer. So he asked himself an absurd question. "Do I care for Nanaka?"
The next day was the day of Nanaka's rematch and her chance at the finals. Once again pitted against the "White Fang" Hana Yoshida! Nanaka was not feeling as fired up for the rematch though which was clear to her opponent and the audience.
"Hoho! You have returned for your thrashing? I didn't think you would show up you LOVE-LESS-LY GIRL! Hahaha!"
"Oh shutup will ya...I know i'm not great at love but you don't have to rub it in my face..." Nanaka said in a voice that tried to get mad but had no courage to do so.
"Okay then!" Said the announcer. "Begin!"
And with that the bell rang and the match began, but it didn't take long for it to go towards Hana's favor. Nanaka just couldn't focus as her head was filled with thoughts about Keima and the way she tricked him and how there was just no way she could win this game...or a love game...
"Wait! Time out!" Nanaka heard a familiar voice shout out in the middle of the room and to her surprise it is none other than Keima who came bursting through the door.
"Time out? He can't call a time out!" Hana yelled but the announcer retorted. "Oh who cares, its a high school shogi match. Time out!"
The bell rang and Nanaka with a happy face ran to Keima but her smile quickly went away when she realized it was there. She tried to put on a tough expression, and act strong but Keima could obviously tell how hard this was.
"Keima...w-what are you doin' here...you dummy...!" Nanaka said with her arms folded. "I don't need you here!"
"From the looks of things I think you do. If you plan on winning the game..."
"I don't need you to win the game! I can handle it all on my own!"
"That is the problem. You tried to win this game by yourself...and from the looks of things its a two player game."
"Well yeah its two player but its one on one..."
"Sigh! Now who's getting games confused. I'm talking about the game of love that you tried to play by yourself. Love is a two player game, and its two versus the the world. I cannot say earnestly that I love you Nanaka, but I do respect and cherish you."
"Cherish...me...?" Nanaka began to blush so deeply that her face's red complimented her orange hair. She felt bliss rise up in her heart and bring a big, goofy smile to her face that stretched across her cheeks.
"You're honest to yourself and never once stopped being who you are. While I usually put up a facade around others and stay true to myself when I stop caring for they see me. But you're always you no matter what. And...I would like...to get to know..the...r-r-...the r-r-..."
"The real me?" Nanaka helped Keima say the word he hated.
"Yeah...that word..." Keima looked away with a slightly disgusted look. And Nanaka who couldn't be happier hugged Keima suddenly. "I knew you were 'that person'..."
"The person who rivals you?"
"Nope...the person I want to be with for the rest of my life..." She said happily as she placed a kiss right on Keima's lips. Thus filling the gap in heart and the runaway spirit then left her body and into the air where Elsie was there to catch and contain the runaway spirit.
That day Nanaka proudly and utterly defeated Hana in the match within thirty seconds flat. But when she completed the match, she turned to see someone she thought would be there but wasn't. The next day Keima is in his house playing on his PFP thinking about how he forgot that the Nanaka would forge all about the conquest like she did before. Elsie looked at him with concern at Keima's feelings but at the same time felt he wasn't all that sad. The door bell rang and she went to the door and Elsie couldn't have looked more surprised.
"Yo! You live here? That's crazy!" Keima heard a loud, fiery voice form the door and now he looked confused to see none other than Nanaka walk in. "Nanaka...?"
"Hey there! What's with you leaving me like that yesterday without even a word!" Nanaka said furiously. "You don't pull a stunt like that and disappear you knuckle head!" Nanaka then sat promptly like a prestigious dog next to Keima with her nose in the air. But then slowly lied her head on Keima's shoulders.
"You...remember me...?" Keima said.
"Of course I do...you're my Knight(Keima), and i'm your trusty lance(Nanaka) that neither of us could be without hehe. I can't believe I forgot about you! No wonder I liked you so much..."
Keima thought about this for a moment. The gap in her heart was caused by the lack of love, and he filled that gap with love. So does that mean that in order for that gap to not be opened again, she retained all her memories associated with her love? Keima looked down at the smiling Nanaka. Oh well he thought. He did say he would get to know Nanaka more. And it seems there is a lot more to know, what kind of gamer would Keima be. If he didn't get to know the pieces...that he would be with his entire life...
"You know my name actually means seven lances...so we should have seven kids!" Nanaka said promptly with a laugh. Keima's face was filled with fear and regret as he signed himself over to this girl? "Hehe I love you Keima! My precious Knight!"
THE END...
"MOTHER OF GOD? IS THAT A GIRL SITTING NEXT TO YOU KEIMA!?" Keima's mom then came in from the hallway to see a scene that couldn't believe.
"M-mom!" Keima called out.
"Oh...hello step mom!" Nanaka joked with a wave.
"Elsie...catch me..." Keima's mother fainted at the scene as Keima simply put a hand over his face in disbelief and Nanaka with a look of confusion. Thus begins their life together, two gamers playing love's game...
THE END...FOR REAL!
Thanks for reading the story! If you liked the story then favorite it and leave a review of what you thought! We still have plenty of heroines that deserve their own happy ending with Keima! So leave it in the review which girl you want to see next or send a message. Plus if this story gets to a certain amount views then of course you get the bonus chapter, the after story! Peace! And game on!