The World Only the Girls Know: Azalea Side
Chapter 4: Flags, Triggered!
Author's Note: Characters from the Light Novels and Manga will be included as well
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Original Title: The World Only God Knows / 神のみぞ知るセカイ
Original Concept by Tamiki Wakaki
Written by: wrathie
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Author's Notes:
To [Just a Fan], Thank you for your review. I would answer your questions but I have no return email =P
If you do wish to have a reply, feel free to email me.
Thanks for all of your support, just fyi, this is just one arc out of three that I plan to finish. Please give me the dedication and inspiration to finish all three!
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Kujyo Tsukiyo, a girl with foreign blood in her veins. She is a petite and anti-social girl that is always seen with her doll, Luna resting around the school rooftops.
As the President of the Astronomy Club, she is always seen in possession of a powerful telescope that she stares at the night sky with.
Elsi herself has noted several similarities between her and Keima, which he himself had grudgingly accepted.
Both of them detest reality, the reality that they are born in. Although they had different reasons to hate reality, they both share the same dream of leaving this reality for another one.
For Tsukiyo, her reasons to hate reality was of her dislike and dissatisfaction with reality and it's annoying emotions which appears to be tarnishing her view of an ideal world. Her wish is to leave this world and live in the mood, as childish as it may be.
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For Keima, his dislike for reality is for it's relentless attempts to drag him back to the cruel reality of the world. In this world he must keep on advancing and progressing, just like the Heroines he had 'captured' even though he prefers being in this 'current' situation.
And his wish is to join Yokkyun in his own heaven of Bishojo games… as embarrassing as that is to admit…
And besides Elsi, there were three others who knew of that embarrassing fact. Curses, why was he daydreaming in front of her?
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"Is there something that you require here?"
Tsukiyo responded first as she looked away from the telescope towards Keima. It was his plan to visit this place to check on this girl that he had 'captured' but as to what to do from now on, he was not sure.
She seemed fine, perhaps she did not recover or retain any memories from her 'capture' after all. Her capture was exceedingly dangerous in the final stages as he had dived off the school roof to save her from certain death.
It was partly her fault but he has to share the blame as well for trying to trick her. But in the end all turned out well, he 'captured' her and removed the evil spirit and at the same time, created a reason for her to show interest in this world and to continue living in it despite it's faults.
"No, not really. I was just looking for a place to rest."
He looked away from her as he continued to play his game, it seems that for her at least, he would not need to worry.
"… what are you playing?"
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A sudden question as he walked passed her to check on the courtyard, searching for the next of his 'captured' girls, Keima turned back to Tsukiyo who had left her seat on the bench with her telescope to stand behind him.
It would be normal, if she had not left her doll, "Luna", behind her and that made Keima took note as she slowly joined him on the railings.
This was the exact spot where she had fallen off and he had jumped off to try and save her. Would this trigger the memory of them spending time together?
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"Just a game. You would have no interest in it."
Answering her curtly, he was about to turn away when Tsukiyo placed a hand on the PFP to stop him from moving it away.
"Perhaps, but I am collecting 'beautiful' things. Perhaps this is one of those 'beautiful' things?"
Curses, he is playing Yokkyun's game right now. This woman had the cheek to laugh at her before but he could endure it then as she was a 'target'… right now he has no qualms in shouting back at her if she insulted Yokkyun!
"…"
Staring at the image of Yokkyun, Tsukiyo had a blank expression on her face as Keima looked at her for a reaction. Slowly as if by magic, a small smile crept up on the edges as if she was preparing to laugh and Keima resigned himself to be mocked for his choice.
It was not his fault Yokkyun has bard art, it is all the designer's fault. Past games have pitiful art, but they might have the best content as well.
"Ahah… I guess, this can be called a 'beautiful' thing as well, at least in your eyes."
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Wait, did she just praise him?
Turning back to look at Tsukiyo, Keima saw her smiling at the image on the PFP.
"Am I not right? Do you not think it beautiful if you are playing it?"
"Yes, she is Perfect!"
He is thankful she is moving on, embracing the views of others and not living in her own world. But what is this feeling inside him that feels like she has betrayed him!
"Hardly perfect.."
Tsukiyo coughed in a dignified manner and then asked for his name.
"… Katsuragi."
"Ah… Katsugari-san?"
She seemed to have noticed something about him and she turned away suddenly as she looked from the rooftop and then back to him.
"Katsuragi-san."
"Yes?"
He was nervous, this is obviously a flag. A very obvious flag that would determine his fate and relationship with this girl in front of him.
"Do you… like dolls? I like dolls, they are beautiful and thus is worth collecting. What about you? Do you like dolls?"
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In his mind, Keima knew he had only two options.
- Yes
- No
Or perhaps a third hidden option achieved when you press below No.
- Maybe
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The logically correct answer to not get involved with this girl is obviously Option 2, "No".
Ah, real life is quite boring, to think that this is the only challenge that was given to him, the 'Capturing God'!
Obviously this is a trick question, the answer would be none of them!
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"I don't know… I've never actually played or touched a doll before."
Replying that, he took his leave urgently, leaving Kukyo Tsukiyo behind him looking at his retreating form with downcast eyes.
"Is that so…? Perhaps I… have the… wrong person?"
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Katsuragi Keima, a name that I am not familiar with but the image that he showed to me on the PFP, the game console of his, was familiar.
It is not beautiful, no, it cannot be claimed to be beautiful. But at least, to him, it was beautiful.
Someone showed it that image before and that someone was with me on the roof in a bright full moon night. Was he the one who was with me?
He might have denied it, but perhaps I was at fault for not being brave enough to confront him about the truth and allowed him to escape.
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Returning to my seat with Luna, I looked at the telescope that I had packed back into a box and I wordlessly kicked it to the side.
This is not the time for viewing the stars or the sky… I must know, I must be sure.
His view of the World was beautiful, he reached out to offer me a glimpse of it with him.
If this pair of eyes is unable to see how beautiful the world is, then perhaps with two we can see truly, how beautiful it can be.
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It was a narrow escape from Tsukiyo and Keima took a breath to settle himself before going down the stairs again. Besides avoiding Elsi, he has to pay a visit to all of the other girls as well. Just to play safe…
He had not even considered such a possibility happening, the memory modification of Hell is supposed to be help prevent such situations from happening. But Keima more than anyone else, knew that Hell has it's own screwups.
Take Elsi for example, for someone like her to be part of the Spirit Hunter Squad, it really boggles the mind.
There is also a severe lack of manpower in Hell itself, with so much problems, it is a miracle something like this has not happened before.
"I still lack information…"
Even if Keima is a genius, he must have something to work with to form a thesis as to what is happening. The most obvious solution was that someone in Hell screwed up.
As neither Elsi nor Haqua had explained to him how the memory modification was done, he had assumed that the memory modification was only limited to the time where they detect the spirit and till they capture it.
That theory makes more sense than assuming that all memories from when they are possessed till the spirits were removed are modified and changed by the members of hell.
That would lead to many inconsistencies in their memory and from what Keima can tell of how Hell operates, their cover would be blown eventually.
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"… But they do modify the memories of those who are related to the target. With so much work…"
He himself cannot even begin to consider how hard it is to modify and make everyone's history and memories consistent with one another and at the same time, avoid suspicion that memory modification even happened in the first place.
"So hell does have it's job cut out for them…"
He has never once paid attention or truly studied how the girl's memory was modified, in hindsight he should have tried to learn more from Haqua or Elsi but it seems he has taken such a convenient thing for granted.
"Tsk…"
But he is God, he should not be worrying about this. He should simply leave it to those in charge, like Haqua or Elsi… yes, that is indeed what he should do.
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"… ugh…"
But he was hungry, neglecting his body is never a good thing. Even if he does not admit it, his body physically exists in this plane. Without food he cannot survive and as a result, he cannot game as well.
Looking at his watch, it seems that he still have sufficient time to collect some bread… it seems that he can kill two birds with one stone if he visited there anyway…
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Finding his way to the back of the school where 'Outside Bread' is located, Keima took his time as he kept his eyes glued on the screen and yet skim through the crowd for the signature blonde hair.
She should be here, Aoyama Mio should be in this crowd somewhere as this is where he first found her in the first place, this can be called her 'designated area', the area where he should head to if he wanted to meet her.
For Kujyo Tsukiyo, that would be the rooftop that he just came from…
"…"
Of course, that is in the Game world, the chances of him meeting her here are minute at best, in a world where people are free to come and go, it is hardly easy to expect him to meet her in the first attempt.
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"You there."
… looks like he stands to be corrected as when Keima turned towards the voice slowly, his eyes still glued to the screen, the first thing he saw was the signature blonde hair of the girl she was seeking for.
Aoyama Mio, his second 'capture' and one that cemented his decision to capture all of his future 'heroines' just like how he did in the games.
He is the Capturing God, Otoshi-gami, no girls can escape his grasp if he would just put his mind to it.
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Not responding to her, Keima acted disinterested and was about to turn away when the voice spoke again. She was a petite girl, short and blonde and a classic tsundere girl who hides her weakness with a tough and thorny exterior.
That he was certain and he was glad he was right, proving to Elsi and himself that unorthodox methods to 'capture' those girls are still possible.
And of course, that it is possible for even him, the infamous Otamegane to make girls fall in love with him.
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"I said, you there, you."
Stubbornly, Aoyama Mio walked towards him from where she was standing earlier. She never changed much since his 'capture' of her, she retains her stuck-up attitude and pride but has accepted the fact that she is no longer a rich-girl. He has wondered how she would get along in class but from the looks of things, she is doing well if she has the free time to just stand there, arms crossed and glaring at her.
"Yes? If you want change, I don't have enough to change…"
He answered lazily as he queued up to buy bread, at this time there would likely be nothing left besides anpan bread…
"Do you want this… I bought too much and I can't finish it. If I can't finish it… It'll go bad so…"
He must have misheard her, what did she say?
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Holding an Omusuba bread in her hands and offering it to him, Aoyama Mio was looking at him seriously, her face flushed just like how Ayumi looked when she was looking at him and Keima was floored.
This is impossible, is this girl affected as well? Is she not a tsundere? Why is she displaying her 'derey-derey' side so soon?
For the unacquainted, a tsundere girl would act terrible or at least show no signs of affection towards the person she is interested in.
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That is called the 'tsun-tsun' part of her, a part where she would rather die than admit liking a person, even if all hints point towards a secret affection towards that person.
The other half of a tsundere person is the 'derey-derey' part, where her affection for a person would go beyond what she would normally do and would display surprising acts of kindness and tenderness.
Exactly what was happening right now.
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If the Aoyama Mio from earlier on was the 'tsun-tsun' Mio, where she was addressing him rudely, this is the 'derey-derey' Mio, who is offering him the Omusoba Bread of her own free will.
"…"
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As she is not as well-off as before, he would imagine that Omusoba bread, a special type of bread that 'Outside Bread' prepares with Yakisoba wrapped with egg… would actually be a luxury for her.
Looking closely, he could see that she was fidgeting and nervous, it must have taken courage for her to come and talk to him out of the blue… if he was a stranger.
If she retained the memories of the time they spent together, it might be vastly different.
"Don't get me wrong! It's not like I really wanted to give it to you or anything! I bought extra and I just can't finish it and you looked like you were hungry and… that's why! Just take it already!"
Flushing redder and getting more flustered by the second, Mio really is in her tsundere state.
But Keima knew he could not do that, this flag has already triggered no matter what his decision is.
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It is like a pre-planned event for him, an event that he would see no matter what course he takes. What's left is just making sure their relationship maintains in a good note, enabling him to approach her again.
"I won't take it."
"Eh?"
Mio seemed shocked and was about to ask why when Keima just smiled, pushing his hair back and pushing the bread back to her while tearing his eyes away from the PFP to look at her.
"The Princess must eat as well; I humbly decline your offer and offer it back to you instead. Please, it is not good to diet in an empty stomach."
She has not ate, that was obvious from the start and as Mio flushed red, clutching the Omusoba bread in her hands like a weapon, Keima was gone before she could react to her, dashing into the crowd and avoiding her.
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"… at least, I handled that well."
Did he handle that well? Keima honestly did not know. But from his viewpoint, Mio looking around anxiously trying to locate him while clutching the bread against her chest, is a good sign that she was still looking out for him.
"… tsk, this is getting trickier and trickier by the minute!"
Keima sighed, this is truly such a bad day!
Author's Notes: Somehow I've managed to arrange the Heroines in: Classmates, Tsundere's without me noticing =x
