Hello, everyone! I'm back!
I hope that the this chapter will make up for the two-week absence.
There's one thing to discuss concerning the updates. I still plan to follow "12 chapters in 12 weeks" sort of schedule. The thing is, I probably won't be posting chapters each week. This is because I don't have any further chapters ready and I would want to avoid plot holes, so I prefer to not post, say, flag 43 when flags 44 and 45 have not progressed enough. In other words, it may happen that I will stay quiet for 3 weeks and then post more than one chapter "at once".
Here I would like to thank you for the first batch of support for this story. Every fav, follow and review counts and helps me go on and writer more. As usual, I would like to reply to reviews to the previous chapter:
Gonzalorp94: Mio is not obvious character and it seems harder to pinpoint how she would act, but I will try to keep her in character. And I'm not sure about her "not being happy about the orb" thing. :)
Sound Dash E.V: Yes, it begins. :) Unfortunately, no, I haven't seen Sora no Otoshimono, so I can't really answer that question. And I usually don't read crossovers, as it is difficult to find a crossover of two series that I like that would not get blown out of proportions. Anyway, I don't know how often will Tsukiyo appear in this story, but you can expect her and Mio to start getting along.
Sir sleeps-a-lot: well, the lack of canon content can be a blessing sometimes – it means that I both: don't have to reference a bunch of things and I can steer the story how I please. At times I think even Wakaki himself made it seem strange, like when Mio says "you're Yui?" despite them being classmates. But, yes, in this story you can expect Yui and Tsukiyo to appear rather than Ayumi and Chihiro etc. And there will be dancing, of course. I'm just not sure how much and when. As for the class assignment thing. We see that ojōsamas are all in class 2-A... except I put Urara in class 2-C -.-'. And Shiori reading a lot doesn't necessarily mean she has good grades. She might even neglect studying in favor of reading or something like that. Anyway, it may be that classes (and classmates) are changed each year, but I prefer to have the same people in the same class every year... thus, it is tempting for me to assume that the class placement is simply due to entrance exams scores or... tuition fee (since Mai High is a private school) or both. As for the number of classes, there is D as well. However, there is another problem. 4 classes per year times 3 years times 2 schools (high and middle) yields us 24 classes. Each class has 30 students tops, so it gives us no more than 720 students... while Keima claims the school has some 1200 students... o.O
ZelgadisGW: I wonder that too. And I'm struggling with how to portrait Yui correctly... for now she seems like a convenient way to annoy Mio. :) As for this fic being shorter... let's hope for it.
Shawn Raven: Um... Yui was backing Mio prior to using the orb, but now... I wouldn't be so sure about that. :) Oh, and I hope your exams went well. :)
NotAnAuthor504: Thank you. I'll do my best.
DPSS: You are partially right and I struggled for a while with how to do this. However, sticking the "interlude" here would be confusing for those who didn't read AyumiNomi (are there such people?). The "ideal" solution would be to put interlude as a standalone story... but that seems to be on overkill (especially since we would have to do it after each story). That way I at least managed to give Ayumi closure in her story instead of writing about it here, but I admit it's not perfect.
anonimo 0: I don't get the first part of your review. Do you mean Keima calling the girls by their names (first name? last name?) or girls calling Keima (once again, first name? last name?). From what I see, Keima calls girls as he called them in the manga (where he uses first names, even for Kusunoki). The girls call Keima in various ways. Tsukiyo uses "Keima", Yui uses "Keima-kun", Shiori uses "Katsuragi-kun" and Mio uses "Katsuragi", so I stick to that in my stories. At least most of the time.
Okay, that's it for the replies. As for the replies to AyumiNomi – I'll probably do them during the weekend, put them at the end of AyumiNomi and mark the story as complete.
Okay, I think that's it for now.
Enjoy the chapter!
(* * *)
It was well past midnight and the night sky was relatively clear, the winter moon was shining brightly, unhindered by the clouds, as if silently looking after all the people sleeping soundly inside of their homes. However, there was one person that was outside of the moon's single watchful eye. The reason was simple – the person wasn't sleeping.
And that person was Mio Aoyama.
The girl in question turned in her futon, but she wasn't trying to get comfortable. I mean, her bedding wasn't a four poster bed in a five-star hotel, but that wasn't the problem. And it's not like some noise disrupted her rest.
Well, Mio did exaggerate when she used the phrase "her room" before – she didn't really have a private room for herself. In this small apartment there was only the main room, a bathroom and a single bedroom which Mio shared with her mother, who was now sleeping in a futon next to Mio's.
And her mother didn't snore and the wind was not whistling and blowing loudly tonight. And it wasn't as if Mio got insomnia or anything like that.
No, it was just that it was Saturday, meaning that Mio didn't have to work that much today and she didn't have to wake up early tomorrow either. This made it a perfect opportunity to do some thinking.
And she desperately needed to think about her and... well... Katsuragi.
Mio was kinda stubborn and didn't yield easily. She was mindful of the need to, more or less, maintain appearances in public. Yes, she sometimes wasn't completely honest with other people, so, for the sake of her reputation and pride, she was willing to act haughty and hide things. And she was prideful and haughty individual – it wasn't as if she couldn't see this. It's just that she had always thought that she deserved it. She was a daughter of a president of Aoyama Central Industries. Years ago it would've been probably called a zaibatsu.
If her father was alive that is.
Well, that wasn't the point now, Mio turned around in her futon again, the point was that she might be stubborn, arrogant and keeping people at bay. She might be ignorant, offensive and even intolerable.
She might be happy that she's like that. She might be ashamed she's like that. She might not be exactly ready to admit she's like that.
But she was like that.
There was one thing, however, that Mio Aoyama was not.
She was not stupid.
She wasn't deluding herself or lying to herself. Yes, she was sometimes preferring to ignore the issue rather than have to deal with it at the moment, but that doesn't mean she remains ignorant of the true nature of the problem.
Mio sighed, reminiscing the day of the 63rd Flower Banquet – the day when Katsuragi had conquered her. Yes, she didn't have any doubts about this – on that day the boy who was acting as her substitute chauffeur had broken the chains of the past that were holding her back. He had obliterated the phony gold walls that Mio had craftily built around her.
And, most important of all, he had shattered the armor that guarded her inaccessible, but pure heart.
Of course, Mio wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she knew that in that moment Katsuragi had won thoroughly – the moment he claimed her lips with his she was his.
Or would've been if this Cinderella story was real.
But it wasn't.
Katsuragi was no chauffeur and wasn't in love with her back then and now Mio knew this. She understood why he had to do that and, while she shunned his gaming habits, she was still impressed with his overall ability.
After all, he had managed to make her fall in love with him, which was an incredible feat, even if he had been acting – he was a far better actor than she was anyway.
Mio turned yet again, this time facing the gray, neglected and common ceiling, before closing her eyes and remembering the events from the last few days, the faces and voices of Kanon Nakagawa and Tsukiyo Kujō invading her mind.
You shouldn't lie to yourself.
It will go a lot easier if you'll just be honest with yourself.
Mio huffed quietly. Those people! Who do they take her for? Lying to herself? Just be honest with yourself?
She knew that already!
She knew that her savior wasn't really a charming gentleman, but a galge-obsessed gamer that didn't have feelings for her.
And Mio was one-hundred percent certain that she didn't love Keima Katsuragi either. Well, it's not like Mio was experienced in love, but she didn't swoon or fawn over him. It wasn't like she was head over heels in love with him and the reign he once had over her heart has dispersed and weakened...
...but it didn't disappear.
Mio snorted. She didn't need Kanon or Tsukiyo to tell her things like that! In public she had to deny this as she couldn't trust goddesses and their "soundproof space" stuff, but she was not lying to herself.
Mio Aoyama knew she had feelings for Keima Katsuragi...
...and now that she arrived in this reality she had to decide what to do about those feelings.
Mio shifted, this time pressing her face into her pillow, even though at the moment no-one could spot the blush on her face, before sighing, her musings bringing her back to her two original problems.
First, how exactly did she feel about Katsuragi right now? She already knew that her feelings were in the romantic category, but she couldn't for the life of her decide how does she want to feel about him and what does that mean in the long run.
What did she want to achieve with the two of them?
Did she want him to grovel before her, carry and treat her like a princess and worship the very ground she walks on? Did she want him to be her loyal servant? Or did she want him to twirl her around and whisper sweet nothings into her ear?
To sum it up, Mio couldn't really pinpoint her feelings and desires. She tried to figure it out by thinking about Katsuragi, but the only feedback she's got was an increasing frustration. All of this was so unclear. Vague. Unpredictable. Uncontrollable...
She guessed it was supposed to be like that, but the lack of control worried her. Her life always had a certain order and purpose. Even if Mio herself wasn't doing much there were always others, like her father or Morita, who took care of things in her life. It didn't mean that Mio was helpless on her own. She wasn't that pampered. If it weren't for her being poor she would be perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
Gah! She was getting sidetracked again! The point was that right now she kinda liked Katsuragi, but couldn't figure how much and why. And who could blame her? She never gave much thought to "love". Mostly she didn't gave much thought to "friends" either.
In the real world she turned to lie on her other side, but in her mind she faced the other problem.
This thing... whatever it was that she wanted between her and Katsuragi to happen... how was she supposed to make it happen in the first place?
I mean, she wasn't dumb or delusional. She was probably sharper than most people gave her credit for, but she wasn't a genius. Could she seduce Katsuragi with her intelligence and erudition?
Hmpf, fat chance!
Then how was she supposed to charm him?
She wasn't even remotely rich like Urara or Tsukiyo, so she couldn't bribe him with games (not that she would. She wasn't Yui!).
She wasn't as nice and sweet as that middle-school girl or Katsuragi's childhood friend.
She wasn't as strong or athletic like Kasuga-senpai or that runner Takahara.
She wasn't as famous as that idol Nakagawa.
She wasn't that close to Katsuragi as that Kosaka girl, that purple-haired devil, or even that quiet bookworm.
And Mio certainly wasn't as pretty as those girls.
What did she have? A few yen in her pocket and a whip? A run-down apartment and harsh words? And, possibly most important of all, petite body and flat chest?
Up till now she didn't really feel that conscious about it. I mean, yeah, she hated being short, but it was because commoners were looking down on her. And some guys liked petite girls, right? And being petite meant small bust size by definition.
And the funny thing was – Katsuragi probably didn't care about such things anyway, but Mio couldn't help but feel... inadequate. Like he had no reason to give her the time of day. Like she had nothing to offer him.
She groaned into her pillow quietly when she once came to the conclusion that she had reached before.
Both her problems – figuring out her exact feelings and figuring out how to approach Katsuragi – could not be solved by just staying like this, brooding about it.
Even more, she knew what she needed to do in order to help her find answers to both her questions.
She simply needed to interact with Katsuragi and trigger what he would call events – that way she will be able to better understand him and his weaknesses.
And also her own heart.
But it was easier said than done. I mean, they weren't even in the same class! And even if they were, even with Mio no longer being known as a rich girl, her just starting to hang out with the otamegane out of the blue would certainly bring more harm than good.
No, Mio needed to do it carefully. Especially, since Katsuragi was smart and just one false step on her part would be enough to let him get the wind of her plans.
And she won't be able to do it alone. Unlike Takahara, Mio didn't have close friends, especially ones that were close to Katsuragi. She wasn't friends with Katsuragi's sister.
And she certainly didn't have a goddess inside her.
Long story short – she would need some allies, Mio decided as she turned on her futon one last time. It was far off from a perfect plan, but it was all she could do for now.
Now it was time to sleep.
(* * *)
"Mio!" a soft voice invaded the sleeping girl's mind. She turned around and opened her eyes slightly and found out that Katsuragi was trying to shake her awake.
In her drowsy state Mio didn't question what Katsuragi was doing in her room. She barely even recognized him, as she squinted her eyes to shield them from the light. Besides, who else, among people Mio knew, was wearing a male Mai high uniform? Well, there was always Yui.
It was probably a dream anyway, realizing this Mio groaned and turned back and pulled the covers over her head.
"Five more minutes!" she said somewhere between request and order.
"You said that half an hour ago" the voice accused, now sounding completely different. "And it's past ten o'clock already."
Mio's eyes shot open and she turned around and blinked. It was Sunday and, unsurprisingly, the weak November sun was waging its battle against the blanket of clouds with little success. Mio was inside her apartment, which was expected as well, but the person who had woken her up was not Katsuragi or Yui.
It was her mother.
Mio's face immediately reddened once she realized she had mistaken her own parent for Katsuragi.
"Are you alright, Mio? Do you feel unwell?" Mrs. Aoyama asked, taking her flushed face as a sign of sickness and pressing her hand to the girl's forehead. "Do you need anything?"
"Yes" Mio said, backing up. "I would like to change, so a little privacy would be nice" and with that she closed the door to the small bedroom.
(* * *)
Ten minutes later Mio emerged from the small bathroom and headed for the kitchenette, intending to fix herself a breakfast.
"Your food is on the table" her mother said from where she was ironing the clothes.
"I'm capable of preparing simple food for myself, I'm not a small kid anymore, you know?" Mio asked, sounding a little bit offended. Two years ago there would be no need for her or any of her parents to prepare meals by themselves and any attempt by Mio to make breakfast on her own would be received with praise.
But now it was different. Back when Mio was still pretending her and her mother's views on their situation were... different. Mio was continuing to act rich, while her mother strained to scrape by. Now Mio knew that her previous actions were... stupid to put it mildly. Since the day of her conquest Mio finally stopped to burden their home budget and even started working part-time to help her mother.
It was the best she could do for her now.
"Yes" her mother replied. "But you're still incapable of tying your hair evenly by herself."
Mio blinked in surprise and immediately grabbed her pigtails to compare their length. It wasn't as if she was obsessively pedantic or anything, but the difference was substantial and not proper for her image. It just seemed off. And she was sure she got it right this time too!
"Do you want me or Morita to help you fix it?"
"No!" Mio replied, putting a sandwich into her mouth. "Besides, Morita is my driver, not my servant!"
"Actually, Morita is not really your driver either. And you treat him as a servant at times."
Mio ignored that remark. I mean, she was not supposed to talk with her mouth full, right?
"However, he called and said that he'll be willing to give you a lift today" Mrs. Aoyama said.
"When will he be here?" Mio asked.
"In ten minutes or so, that's why I woke you up" her mother said and Mio nodded in acknowledgement.
"But I must say that it's hard to believe" Mrs. Aoyama continued, before asking Mio directly. "Are you really sure Shiratori-san is back in country?"
"Of course, I do" the small blonde said in slight exasperation. "I've seen her with my own eyes. Repeatedly."
"So you two have met?"
"She's transferred into our school. I told you that already" Mio replied, already suspecting where this conversation was heading.
"Forgive me Mio, but you and Urara-chan haven't seen each other for a long time and-"
"And you think that she won't want to hang out with someone short, obnoxious, stingy and poor as me?"
"You know that's not what I meant" Mrs. Aoyama said in surprise.
But you should, Mio thought to herself and then took another bite before continuing. "Don't worry, mom. I believe me and Urara will get along well enough."
"If you say so" her mother said.
"Is there anything else you'd like to know?" Mio asked smiling a little, encouraged by her winning the argument.
"Actually, I do."
"Then ask away" Mio replied, while she grabbed a glass next to the plate and started gulping it down.
"Who's Katsuragi?"
Mio reacted immediately. She didn't want or simply couldn't spit out the drink, so she almost choked on it instead. She tried to pat herself on the back and after a moment she managed to regain her composure without making a sound.
Good thing her mother had hear back to her this whole time.
"Who's who?" Mio said.
"Katsuragi" her mother repeated.
"Never heard of him" Mio replied. "Must be some commoner."
"And here I thought you would know him..." her mother trailed off.
"W-why is that?" Mio asked, curious where did her mother even hear that name. "Am I supposed to know this guy?"
"I don't know" Mrs. Aoyama responded and put the iron away. "But I do know that you were saying that name in your sleep."
Mio felt her breath stop, her mouth agape, the blood in her cheeks hell-bent on proving that a person could blush and go pale at the same time.
"And" her mother's voice sounded amused. "I didn't say it was a guy" she turned around. "So he is a guy!"
Mio didn't really react, her face stopped in the middle of going from 'deer caught in the headlights' to 'attempted poker face' look.
Mother was certainly not someone Mio had in mind when she was thinking of "allies" last night.
Think, Mio, think.
"I talk in my sleep?" she asked, feigning offense and disbelief.
"Yes" Mrs. Aoyama replied. "Not very often, but you do. So... is he a boy from your class?"
"There is no-one named Katsuragi in my class" Mio replied, now actually thankful that the boy in question was in another class.
"So he's from another class?" her mother asked, a glint appearing in her eyes and even Mio understood what it meant.
She groaned.
"I've no idea" she lied, before deciding to say something that was both true and would make her mother stop before she thought her daughter was in love or something. "But I think he's that one infamous gaming nerd who's called the otamegane or something."
"Ah..." her mother uttered with a soft smile. "But a moment ago you said you've never heard of him" she said and added before Mio could retort. "And if he's infamous then he's not exactly a commoner, right?"
"You sound like you actually want me to associate with a nerd like him!" Mio accused, as if she was the mother here.
"So you are associating with him" her mother guessed, but Mio was already prepared for that.
"He once got in my way and I chased him away with my whip" she replied and it was mostly true.
"I don't recall you ever chasing someone who got in your way just once" Mrs. Aoyama noticed. "You could ignore him or ask Morita to do something, but personally chase someone? That's a first" her mother put her hands on her hips. "And I didn't know you still carried that whip around."
Uh-oh.
"It's for self-defense" Mio attempted. "When Morita isn't around."
"What good is self-defense for when people don't come close to you?" her mother said a little more forceful, but who could blame her with a daughter like that? Mio certainly didn't.
You would be surprised how many people are coming close to me lately, Mio thought, but kept it to herself.
"Without the whip I would just slap people, so it's the same whether I have one or not."
"If it's the same then you wouldn't mind giving it up, right?" her mother said and Mio realized she had been driven into a corner, when she heard something. It was a small sound, but she recognized it instantly.
It was the sound of a car stopping in front of their block.
"I'm going out, I'll be back before eight. Don't worry about dinner!" Mio run out of her home in record time and, as she expected, she saw Morita half in-between his car and her apartment.
"Good morning, ojōsama" the man said, looking a little surprised when he saw Mio run out from her house. "Is something the matter?"
"I'm kinda in a hurry, so can we get going?" Mio asked, putting on her jacket.
Morita sighed. Something was certainly up, but dealing with one woman was hard enough, so he wasn't going to get involved into whatever argument the daughter and the wife of his late boss just had.
"As you wish."
(* * *)
"Can you pull over?"
Morita widened his eyes and looked into the rear mirror. But he stopped. Right behind the outer gate of the Shiratori compound.
"Is something wrong, ojōsama?" he asked.
"Nothing in particular" Mio replied, getting out of the car by herself. "Yui's and Urara's butlers are probably going to be there if you want to catch up with them, but you don't have to accompany me further. I just need you to pick me up before eight" she said when she got next to the driver's door. She thought for a moment and then added. "And there might be another person going back with us if that's okay with you."
Morita blinked.
"Well, I understand everything and all... but why are we stopping here?" he asked. "Don't you want me to drive you to the manor?"
"I feel like walking" Mio told him.
Morita was certain he misheard, but didn't say anything more. He put the car into gear and drove off. But if he did hear right then there was hope.
President, please keep watching after the ojōsama!
(* * *)
Mio was lying. She didn't feel like going all the way to Urara's home, especially since it was up the hill.
But she should be getting used to walking. And in normal shoes. Well, they were winter shoes and they did gave her two or three additional centimeters of height, but they were pretty normal otherwise.
For the past half a year she stuck with her original boots at first, but she reconsidered when it become really hot. Then she turned to a pair of more common footwear, so she could actually walk to school herself. Then when November came she switched back to her boots for a while and have been fine ever since.
Until now. Her boots were not good in cold or snow, so, willy-nilly, she switched to the pair she was wearing right now. Of course, she would've liked some knee-length winter boots better, but it couldn't be helped.
She shouldn't spent her money on such boots when she was given a perfectly good pair as a gift from Morita.
Mio sighed and started walking.
(* * *)
"Aoyama-san, we're glad you're here" Yanagi greeted her when she arrived at the main building.
"Mio-san will suffice" the blonde replied... before being all but knocked over.
"Mio-chan!" Urara Shiratori said as she hugged the other girl. "You came!"
"Wha? Of course, I did! Did you expect me to get lost or something?" Mio replied, rolling her eyes. "And you can let go of me. We've seen each other two days ago, you know?"
"Yes, yes, now let's go inside" Urara said guiding Mio to the entrance.
(* * *)
Fifteen minutes later Mio was already seated near a table stuffed with things most of which were not suitable for a girl on a diet. Good think she wasn't dieting, she thought as she looked around for a moment, observing the other people gathered in Urara's room. Well, one of Urara's rooms.
The hostess herself was sitting opposite of Mio and was now smiling reminding the blonde of how Urara used to behave 10 years ago. Strangely, it didn't make her look childish, as she somehow managed to project the aura of elegance that befitted her image despite her silly antics.
The dress she was wearing certainly helped that image, but even with it Urara couldn't look as dignified and elegant as the girl sitting to Mio's right. Tsukiyo Kujō was wearing a really cute skirt and top, probably designed by her mother, while slowly sipping her tea, her trusty doll Luna on her lap. The image was perfect except for the moments when the temperature around the other blonde seemed to drop as she glanced at the last person in the room, who was sitting on Mio's left side.
And that person was Yui Goidō.
Mio was actually surprised when she learned that she had arrived first. Yui arrived five minutes later and Tsukiyo was with her. And as soon as the two of them got out of the car it became obvious that Tsukiyo was not amused.
It turned out that Yui ordered her driver Okamoto to go to the Café Grandpa and attempted to bring Keima Katsuragi here.
"Really, Yui?" Urara commented, opening a package of some strange sweets, definitely from America. "This was supposed to be a girls-only meeting."
"That's why I brought a dress for Keima-kun!" Yui explained.
"Keima is not a girl" Tsukiyo replied slowly and Mio saw her eyebrow twitch.
"But he would look beautiful in that dress, you can't deny that!" Yui shot back, winking at Tsukiyo.
The moon-lover huffed and then grabbed her cup and started to drink her tea, but even with the cup covering some of her face, one could still see her going a little red at the suggestion.
Mio didn't comment. She was thinking.
So Tsukiyo was being passive, but wasn't impervious to the idea of her and Katsuragi being together. If he, for some reason, wanted to woo her, she would probably play hard to get, but let herself be courted in the end.
Yui too. Prior to Mio using the orb the drummer was (kinda) supporting Mio, but now she seemed back to her aggressive self, going for Katsuragi as if nothing special happened.
From this Mio figured that both Tsukiyo and Yui acted as if the orb never existed, except that Tsukiyo was much more passive, so she wasn't a rival.
Yui, on the other hand, was.
And now that Mio knew that she (kinda) had feelings for Katsuragi and decided to go through with this thing she felt threatened. She actually felt threatened by her childhood friend, who, like her, had feelings for that guy and, unlike her, was actually rich.
For a moment she considered actually encouraging Yui. I mean, the more creepy and annoying the drummer gets the lower the chance Katsuragi will choose her.
Right?
"Do we really need to talk about Katsuragi-san?" Urara intervened.
"Eh? Isn't the guy we like the first topic girls talk about when in situation like this?" Yui asked.
"Then why talk about Keima?" Tsukiyo questioned. "You're the only one here that likes him."
Mio drew her breath quietly, but fortunately no-one noticed.
"Oh, please, like you don't" Yui teased back, but Tsukiyo was impassive. Yui then turned to Mio.
"Don't look at me" the taller of the blondes narrowed her eyes. "Talking about one's crush is a commoner thing, anyway."
The cross-dressed continued to stare at Mio for a second or two.
"Well, I guess it is a viable topic" Urara admitted.
Yui immediately smiled slyly.
"So who do you have a crush on, Urara?"
"Eeeh?!"
(* * *)
After that the meeting became much more fun and relaxing and even Tsukiyo seemed to be much more laid-back than usual, especially when Urara showed Tsukiyo her old books pertaining to astronomy and extraterrestrial life.
The four of them continued to talk and gossip. At one point the old man Shiratori entertained them with some of the stories from his youth and several legends about Maijima.
After that they put on their clothes and went outside, Urara showing them around the compound. They made a trip to the graves of Urara's parents and paid their respects before enjoying the panorama of Maijima. After that they stopped at the pond where Mio and Yui competed at skipping stones.
It soon began to get darker and then Urara led them to the more secluded part of the estate when another, unusually shaped building stood. If Mio had any doubts that Tsukiyo was going to mingle with Urara then they were all dispelled the moment the moon-lover saw the small observatory built among the tress.
"This is great!" Tsukiyo remarked, probably not even trying to hide her excitement as she looked through the telescope that was several times bigger then her. "This is much better than my portable telescope."
"You call that portable?" Mio said, remembering the size of Tsukiyo's new telescope.
"Did you built this after you meet Keima?" Tsukiyo asked Urara, who was beaming.
"Not really" the young Shiratori replied. "It was built before I was born. I just kept it in shape since elementary school."
Tsukiyo nodded. "And we even have a clear sky tonight."
"Tonight? It's not even four o'clock, you know?" Yui reminded her.
"Don't bother" Mio remarked. "I doubt she can even hear us."
"You've got a point there..."
Half an hour later they moved into the tea room and even by then Tsukiyo had trouble staying calm, eyes sparkling as she spoke about moon, stars and other celestial bodies.
(* * *)
"Man, this sure feels good" Yui remarked as she sunk deeper, letting the water reach up to her neck. Shiratoris' bath was even larger than the one in Goidō manor.
"It sure does" Urara admitted, her eyes closed before she smirked... and started splashing Yui.
"Oh, now you've done it" Yui shot back and soon the two girls were laughing as they were prancing in a completely unladylike fashion until they heard the door to the to the bath open and in walked Mio. Her hair was released from her usual twin-tails and was freely cascading down her back.
But the hair was not what caused Yui and Urara to look at her curiously.
"W-what?" the blonde asked when she noticed the glances directed at her.
"Why are you wearing a towel in the bath?" Urara asked back.
Mio just shook her head and entered the water.
"She must be conscious about her b-" Yui was cut off when Mio splashed water on her with a kick.
"Shut up!" she said and sat down, trying to relax.
"Oh, c'mon girl, you're beautiful! You have nothing to be ashamed off and-" Yui once again was interrupted, when her head ended up in the water, turning her speech into a series of gurgles. She then surfaced and spurted water around before turning to see...
"Tsukiyo!" she complained. "That was not cool!"
"I disagree... Nice one" Mio praised.
"Thank you" Tsukiyo replied acting as if she didn't submerge Yui just now. She was using a towel as well.
"For you to sneak on me like that. I didn't even notice you get in" Yui remarked.
"I am not that small" Tsukiyo replied and lunged at Yui. The drummer didn't expect her to attack, but she still intercepted it... when Mio jumped at her back.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Yui complained.
"See if we care" Tsukiyo drawled out. "Have some of your own medicine!"
"That's cold!" Yui remarked, trying to fight both girls at once.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold!" Mio countered. "Victory is ours!"
"Oh no it's not!" Yui's hair suddenly changed to blonde as Mars took over her host. "I'll punish you-ugh!" she was cut off when a wall of water fell on her courtesy of Luna.
"If you want to involve a goddess, then I'll be happy to get involved as well" Vulcan warned and the effect was immediate.
"That's sexual harassment!" Yui cried out once Mars had retreated and both blondes were all over her.
"That's a pot calling kettle black!" Mio accused.
"Urara-chan! Help me!" Yui pleaded.
But the Shiratori heiress didn't move, sipping tea from cup she got from God knows where.
"Aah... such a nice afternoon..." she said in thought.
(* * *)
After they were finished with the bath Urara offered to tie Mio's pigtails for her and then she invited everyone for dinner and Mio had to admit – it was a long time since she saw that much food in one place.
Yui had calmed down somewhat and both blondes returned to their usual behavior. In result, the atmosphere at the table was quiet and distinguished, proving that the four girls in question were indeed ojōsamas.
It was half to seven when Yui's phone started ringing.
"Yes?" the drummer answered the call with a smile, but then her smile disappeared. "Mother? Um... No I didn't! Wha? Ugh! Yes, yes, I got it!" she finished her call. "I'm sorry, ladies, but it seems I'll have to get going... like now."
"What happened?" Urara asked.
"Ah... I was kinda supposed to be at my tutor's place at this time... hahaha" Yui explained, while scratching her head.
"Tutor?" Urara repeated. "On Sunday?"
"Well... it's part of the agreement with my mother" Yui admitted.
"Wait" Tsukiyo stood up. "In that case I need to go as well! I won't be going back to my house on foot!"
"Don't worry about that" Mio said, calmly cutting the lamb cutlet on her plate. "I predicted it. You can go back with me."
"Oh... well... thank you" Tsukiyo replied, sitting down again.
"I'm going then" Yui said. "See you tomorrow at school!"
And with that Mio was left alone with Urara and Tsukiyo. This was the perfect chance to put the general draft she called a plan into motion.
"Yui should take a break or her mother is going to send her to a nunnery for real this time" Tsukiyo commented, while eyeing a slice of cake that was looking delicious, beautiful and caloric.
"She can act a little strange, but you can't blame her" Urara took a bite of her cake as well and swallowed before continuing. "Her mother actually reaps what she sow, right Mio-chan?"
Mio didn't reply, looking at her lap. This didn't go unnoticed by the other two girls.
"Are you all right?" Tsukiyo asked.
"Yes... kinda" Mio lifted her head and bit her lip. "Actually... I wanted to talk to you about something..."
"Really? Why didn't you say anything sooner while Yui was here?" Urara questioned.
"Because I don't want Yui to know about this" Mio replied. "I need you to promise me you won't tell her anything."
"Why would you..." Urara started. "Unless..."
"It's about Katsuragi" Mio confirmed her suspicion.
"Did something happen?" Tsukiyo asked, obviously concerned.
"Nothing happened... it's just that-"
"You have a crush on him!" Urara exclaimed. "I knew it!"
"No, it's not like that!" Mio defended, standing up. "I-I mean it's not exactly like that!"
"What do you mean?" Tsukiyo asked.
"Ugh... I think I might be interested in him" Mio explained, her face becoming red.
"You... might be interested in him?" the other blonde repeated, clearly surprised.
"Hold on" Urara stopped Tsukiyo. "Before that, why are you telling us this?"
"Um... I kinda want to ask you for help..."
"I don't know what's more surprising" Urara said after a few moments of silence. "You having a crush on Katsuragi or you asking for help."
"I don't have a crush-ugh! I shouldn't have said it, after all!" Mio sat down, hiding her face in her hands.
"Keima has a girlfriend, you know?" Tsukiyo remarked, getting the attention of both Mio and Urara.
"WHAT?!" the two girls shouted.
"You didn't know?" Tsukiyo asked, looking surprised.
"What do you-who is it?" Mio asked, hands slammed on the table.
"Kosaka-san, of course. Keima asked her out a few days ago" Tsukiyo explained. "They tried to keep it a secret, but I heard they went on a date. Apparently, Kosaka-san managed to talk Keima into going to karaoke. And they went dancing" she paused for a moment. "Yui doesn't intend to give up, of course."
Mio stopped listening at this point, her mind racing. Katsuragi and Kosaka were dating? How was that possible? I mean, this was supposed to be her world. Why was this happening?
Her doubt quickly turned to anger.
"That commoner! How dare he!" Mio shouted, pacing around the room, not caring who heard her. "I seriously considered thinking about giving him the privilege of being my boyfriend and this is what happens?!"
"Um... Mio-chan... you should calm down" Urara also stood up.
But Mio wasn't listening and she shook her head instead.
"No! That's not true! That's impossible!" she said and walked past Urara only to grab Tsukiyo's shoulders.
"Are you really, really, reaaallyy sure that Katsuragi is dating her?" Mio asked the other blonde, her lower lip trembling.
"No" Tsukiyo replied. "Actually... they aren't dating."
"H-huh?" Mio mumbled out. "B-but you just said that-"
"I made that up" Tsukiyo admitted.
"W-what?" Mio stuttered, before her eyes widened. "WHAT?! What do you mean you made it up?"
"I mean exactly what I said."
Mio's face was red from anger, then it turned pink from embarrassment only to become pale-white in the end.
"That was uncalled for, Tsukiyo-san!" Urara scolded a moment later while she tried to comfort Mio, who was sitting on her chair, hugging the backrest and looking depressed.
Tsukiyo shrugged. "I know and I'm not asking for forgiveness. It wasn't proper, polite or beautiful, I admit" she said. "But it served its purpose."
"What purpose? Getting Mio-chan depressed?" Urara asked, the aggressiveness she had as a child showing.
"Quite the opposite" Tsukiyo replied. "Aoyama-san wanted my help, so I helped her."
"How is that helping?" Urara asked.
"She didn't know whether she liked Keima or not, so I helped her answer that."
At this Mio lifted her head and turned to look at the other blonde.
"What? You mean..."
"When I told you that Keima might have a girlfriend you became sad, angry and jealous."
"I'm not jealous!" Mio rebutted, before turning to Urara. "You tell her!"
But Urara put her hand to her chin instead.
"I see..." she mumbled. "So it's official then – you have a crush on Katsuragi-san."
Mio opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"And don't worry, I won't tell Yui" Urara continued. "How about you, Tsukiyo-san?"
"Well, I'm the host of the goddess of justice and fairness" Tsukiyo remarked. "And Yui already has enough advantage as it is. I think it's only fair that we help Aoyama-san. So I won't tell either."
Mio wouldn't exactly call Vulcan "fair and just", but she didn't say it.
"However, I should give you a warning" Tsukiyo resumed after a moment. "Keima is a game-obsessed, eccentric, cold and insensitive man. I definitely can't recommend him as a lover."
Urara blinked. "Weren't you in love with him too?"
"T-that was before!" Tsukiyo said and snatched the slice of cake she was eyeing earlier, probably to hide her embarrassment. "Before I knew the real Keima... before I learned everything."
"So you're going to... help me?" Mio asked.
Tsukiyo nodded and Mio could swear she saw her doll move slightly as if wanting to object. Urara was less subtle though.
"Of course we are!" she saluted at Mio, before faltering. "But I don't know what do you expect us to do..."
"W-well... I need some way or excuse to get closer to Katsuragi... and I need to figure how I really feel about him."
"Didn't we just confirm you like him?" Tsukiyo reminded her.
"It's not that simple" Mio rebutted.
"Well, I think you should approach him determinedly and decisively" Urara said with her finger raised to the ceiling. "Deliver the first punch!"
Both Mio and Tsukiyo looked at her, surprised.
"W-well, didn't Katsuragi-san said it himself? That offensive types are weak against attack?" Urara explained. "A preemptive strike is a strong move against tsunderes."
"The problem is that I'm the one trying to... ugh... conquer him this time around, so me being tsundere is not an issue here!" Mio said.
Urara shook her head.
"I'm not saying you are tsundere" she explained. "I'm saying he is tsundere."
The two blondes blinked and looked at Urara.
"Excuse me?" Tsukiyo mumbled.
"You can't be serious" Mio added.
"But it fits!" Urara insisted. "Katsuragi-san was really insensitive when he made a contract with New Hell, but he has changed over time. Isn't that similar to how tsundere characters develop?"
"Now that you mention it" Tsukiyo said in thought.
"He was always weak when Yui, Herminium-san and Takahara-san started being aggressive. When not pretending he's prone to outburst" Urara counted with her fingers. "And, let's face it, no-one can ever tell what he's really thinking. Even our memories mostly pertain to when he was in his conquest mode. He might now look like he usually does, but the change on the inside might be bigger than we think."
"You seem strangely knowledgeable about Keima" Tsukiyo noticed, but Urara just shrugged.
"I was thinking about helping Katsuragi-san with getting more in touch with the reality anyway" she explained in a nonchalant way before smiling like a happy matchmaker. "Now... let's think how we're going to get him and Mio-chan together."
(* * *)
Ten to eight Mio was in Morita's car again, heading home. Her driver was certainly surprised by the presence of another person on the back seat, but he tried no to show it.
Finally, ojōsama started making friends! Even if her friend was quiet short and blonde girl like Mio herself.
Except this new girl seemed more polite... but also more... reserved?
Morita pulled over, got out of the car and proceeded to open the door for their guest.
"We're here, ojōsama" he announced, but then realized what he said and looked at Mio in fear, but the girl didn't glare at him at all.
Tsukiyo nodded her head and got out of the car. She walked past Morita and he could once again feel the slight aura of chill and distrust this new girl seemed to radiate.
"Thank you" Tsukiyo said and started walking away when she heard a voice.
"I'm the one who should be thanking you" Tsukiyo turned only to see Mio, who got out of the car by herself and was standing next to her. "So thank you."
"Don't mention it, Aoyama-san" Tsukiyo replied.
"It's Mio" the girl said, extending her hand towards Tsukiyo. The other blonde blinked and was quiet for a moment, before taking the offered hand.
"Tsukiyo" she said in response and then raised her doll. "And this is my friend, Luna."
Mio never thought she would be shaking the hand of a doll. Especially, since Luna extended her hand by herself. Good thing inside this world Vulcan wasn't angry with her.
(* * *)
"Thank you for your good work today, ojōsama" Morita said once they were back in front of Mio's apartment.
"Uh-huh" Mio replied, lost in her own thoughts.
"And good luck" at this Mio turned around in surprise, but Morita was already driving away.
Good luck? What did he mean by that? Mio asked herself as she entered her apartment.
"I'm home!" Mio announced.
"Welcome home" her mother replied. "How did it go?"
"It was fine. Urara invited us to both bath and dinner. And I'm kinda tired, so I think I'll retire for the night right away."
"Oh no, you don't" Mrs. Aoyama replied, motioning for Mio to sit down. "We need to talk."
"About what?" Mio asked.
"I remembered Morita once saying something, so I called him to confirm it."
"Confirm what?"
"Morita said he clearly remembers you being very interested in one of the students from your school."
Mio felt her mouth part by itself. That Morita! So that's why he meant by "good luck"!
"He-he did?" Mio tried to play dumb.
"Yes, he said it was a boy wearing glasses. A handsome boy wearing glasses."
"Katsuragi's not handsome, he's creepy!" Mio defended.
"So it was Katsuragi" Mrs. Aoyama said and Mio groaned. "Morita also said you were blushing when you saw him."
"It's not like that!" Mio defended, but was running out of arguments. "I just felt like whipping him!"
"And why would you want to do that?" Mrs. Aoyama questioned, a smile on her face. "Admit it Mio, you like him."
"Where did that come from?" Mio asked, desperately trying to steer the conversation out of those dangerous waters.
"Do you know him?" her mother asked.
"Yes, I met him before" Mio admitted. "Are you happy now?"
"Do you love him?"
"No!"
"Do you like him?"
Mio opened her mouth to deny, but no words came.
"So you do" her mother remarked. "How about you invite him over for dinner sometime?"
She said it with a smile, but to her surprise Mio hid her head in her hands.
"What's wrong, my dear?" her mother asked. "It's great news! You finally found someone you like! "
"It's not that simple" Mio mumbled.
"How so? Mio, my dear, if you would just tell me-"
"No!" Mio stood up pointing her finger at her mother. "When I need help with my love life I'll ask for it!" she said.
"But you never ask people for help. You either demand things or do them yourself, like for the past months" her mother noticed. "There are things you won't be able to do by yourself."
"I'm not doing it by myself!" Mio said back, before she realized she might've said too much. Her mother doesn't need to know about Urara and Tsukiyo helping her. "A-anyway, this conversation is over. I'm going to bed."
Mrs. Aoyama watched her daughter walk away and close the door to the bedroom and then she sighed.
That daughter of hers was still such a spitfire... and Mrs. Aoyama herself was so busy with her job and housework that she barely had the time to watch over her daughter. Thus, she trusted Morita to help Mio adjust to the life of a commoner.
Of course, Mrs. Aoyama would love to see her daughter with some man that would actually make her happy – this way Mio could finally find respite and motivation she needs to change. Strangely, enough, Mio did change some half a year ago. And she changed overnight.
Literally.
Anyway, Mio being happy was one thing, but Mrs. Aoyama was a women herself and wasn't naïve. Her family was wealthy until recently, so she needed to make sure that Katsuragi boy was trustworthy, before letting him date her daughter.
She should probably ask Morita to make arrangements, so she could meet the boy.
(* * *)
On to the other side of the door the younger Aoyama sighed as well before heading for her closet and changing into her pajamas, the events of the day suddenly weighing down on her.
Her and Katsuragi. Just this was enough to make this complicated. And now she had to deal with Yui and her own mother as well. This certainly won't be a walk in the park.
Ugh... it was all Katsuragi's fault, she thought in frustration as she plopped on her bed. Couldn't he just fall in love with her and proceed to court her, dispelling her doubts? Mio knew he was damn well capable of doing so if he wanted. Then she could magnanimously accept his offer and then he could start making her happy. But no! Katsuragi will probably make it difficult for her. I mean, she knew it couldn't be too easy. No pain, no gain and all that, but this... this just seemed impossible considering the way Mio was now.
If this was to work then she would need something. Something that would help her get closer to Katsuragi. She just hoped she will be able to find it soon, before Yui or her mother blow her cover.
Prepare yourself, Katsuragi, she thought one more time before she drifted off to sleep.
At this moment in a certain home certain distance away a certain boy stopped dead in his tracks and then proceeded to look around, searching for the ominous presence that dared enter the God's domain. But he saw nothing.
He shrugged. No matter what it was, it was not worth the attention of the God of Conquest. With this the boy resumed his previous task – the multiple afterimages of his hands rising and falling, tapping the buttons with amazing accuracy as he followed yet another route.
Or six of them.
(* * *)
Whew... this took a lot of time to write. And it wasn't supposed to be this long! 4000 or 5000 words... not 7800! -.-'
Anyway,
As you can see, I put Keima at the end of the chapter. Quoting Wakaki Tamiki: "popularity is going to drop if the protagonist doesn't appear, you know..." Well, Mio's the main protagonist here, but still...
Anyway, this chapter wasn't as... "active" as I originally wanted it to be. It's mostly talking and thinking and Mio is still trying to find her bearings in this new situation.
I hope that you liked the interactions between our four resident ojōsamas. And a word about Yui and Tsukiyo. I tried to keep them in character, but I'm not sure about the final effect. This goes for Yui especially – I still have trouble describing her and she mostly comes across as too creepy or too pushy.
Next thing, ZelgadisGW raised an interesting point – whether to assume the omakes from manga to be canon or not. I personally always treated them as canon, since it gives me more content to work with. :) And they usually don't conflict with anything in canon (except the relationship between the Jupiter Sisters, for example). Why am I talking about this? Because the fact that Morita "knows" Katsuragi is taken from Mio's omake early in the manga. Just so you know.
Speaking of omakes... it's been some time since we had any pokemakes... unfortunately, I don't have one prepared right now, but I'll try to make one for the next chapter.
If you're wondering how does Mio look in the bath with her hair down then take a look at "Koishite?! Kami-sama!" ("Make Love, God!") which is recognized as a pilot to The World God Only Knows and sometimes listed as "chapter 0" of TWGOK. You want page 34. Our Mio is the same... except less smiley, less busted and wrapping the towel around her body.
Oh... today's reference is brought to you by Luke Skywalker. Search your feelings... you know it to be true. :)
That's it for today, I guess. As usual, I kindly ask you to drop me a review, favorite and follow this story.
See you next time!