Connection Six: Enter Kanon Nakagawa

"Here are her parameters," said Ayumi, handing Keima a document that detailed various facts about Kusunoki Kasuga.

He decided to run through the list. Gender and age weren't at all notable. Her birthday, April 10, wasn't really close enough to take advantage of. Her measurements, as he suspected, were top-tier; she definitely wasn't faking her exercise. Her height wasn't surprising either. She was even taller than him, albeit only by a centimeter. She weighed more than him too by a kilogram. Mai-High's Sapphire Princess was an 18 year old student in her third year of senior high - no twists there either. What interested him the most were her family ties. She was the successor to her family's dojo, even though she had an older sister. Interesting…

Still, it wasn't enough.

"This can't be it. There has to be more for me to work with," Keima mused as he sifted through the file again.

"Are you kidding me? I even got her bust-waist-hip measurements for you! I had to grill the school's physical therapist for those details, and look what she gave me!" the runner whined, showing Keima a brochure entitled "How to Discover Your Sexuality."

"I wish you the best of luck in your search."

Ayumi balled up the brochure and smacked him.

"Ugh, just forget it. I'm not getting you any more Kusunoki information, okay?"

"It's alright. The kind of extra information I need can only come about from investigation," Keima said, pocketing his PFP and standing up. It was common in games. In order to figure out what kind of flag would trigger the heroine's route, the protagonist would stumble upon some kind of interesting event. While games conveniently weaved this event into the daily lives of the characters, Keima would have to consciously look out for the event and take the opportunity when it presents itself. He just hoped that it wouldn't take forever to reach that part.

"Investigate?" Shiori asked. "I'd like to join, i-if you don't mind."

Wow, was she trying to trigger a flag with him? Hah, he'd stop her right in her tracks. He turned around, preparing to give her the biggest grimace he could muster when he saw Ayumi shoot a glare at him. Could she read his mind or something?

"I'm sure Keima doesn't mind," Ayumi asked, sending Keima the look. From Ayumi's perspective, forcing those two to hang out together would help both these recluses with their social skills, which they desperately need. "Right, Keima?"

Shiori blushed but managed to resist hiding behind her book. Did Ayumi know about her feelings for Keima? If so, was the athlete rooting for her? What a relief! The bookworm noticed how Ayumi would glance at Keima when she thought no one was looking. The way Ayumi's eyes would glint as she talked to Shiori's savior never went unseen. Heck, even though he was cold to the librarian, Keima never seemed to be able to refuse Ayumi despite the clear annoyance on his face. Taking all that into account, it was nice that Ayumi seemed to be shipping her and Keima together.

"...But-"

"You know what'll happen," the girl interjected, putting her hands on her hips. "Right?"

"Fine, we'll go after school. Happy?"

"Very."

Shiori cried internally, '...Auah, why do they talk like they're an old married couple!?'

"And you want me to eat lunch with you… why?" asked the Capturing God, shooting Ayumi a questioning glance.

Currently, they were on the rooftop of the high school. Normally, the rooftop, while not packed, was relatively occupied by several cliques, but a certain someone was keeping everyone's eyes peeled on 2-B's doors. Miyako, ever the opportunist, decided to take her friends to the empty rooftop despite how ecstatic one of her two besties was.

It wasn't Ayumi, who said, "I noticed how you never go out to eat lunch. Don't you get hungry?"

"Hungry? Impossible," Keima scoffed, pushing up his glasses. "I always have a full stomach!"

"...Really?"

"In games, of course."

Two girls resisted the insatiable urge to sigh. One surprisingly didn't have that urge, and she passed up the chance to make fun of the guy she loved to tease, all thanks to her newest obsession, one that she shared with most of the student body:

"I can't believe the Kanon Nakagawa is coming to Mai-High!" Chihiro cheered, showing off a huge two-page spread of her teen magazine. Plastered on it was the pink haired idol in her element, performing "All 4 You" in front of a large crowd.

Ayumi couldn't help but admire the celebrity. Beautiful hair, a glowing complexion, fit figure, graceful moves, velvety voice, kind heart: it seemed that Kanon had it all, and it didn't surprise Ayumi that she was an acclaimed idol. While she wasn't envious, the runner couldn't help but get sucked in by the pinkette's charisma. A little embarrassing, considering it was just a picture - not even the real thing.

Hm… maybe Keima would get sucked in too. While she never saw him oogle any of his female classmates - after all, his attention was on that handheld - Ayumi had to wonder if Kanon's ethereal charm could capture his attention.

"Ne, Keima." Ayumi turned to look over to the infamous nerd, handing him a yakisoba-pan. While Chihiro's excitement was contagious, it seemed like Keima couldn't care less that an idol, a person who performed on national television in front of thousands of fans, was going to his high school. Responding to her, he had just looked up from his PFP, barely giving her a glance. It was progress. A few days ago, he wouldn't even turn around to meet her eyes.

"What?" Keima commented, his features contorting into a grimace, not at the bread he had just accepted, but at her interrupting is gaming session..

"What do you think of idols?" asked Ayumi. Instantly, Keima's eyes glinted, and Ayumi winced. She knew what that look entailed. Her enthusiastic friend was going to go into one of his overly lengthy tirades-

"It depends. Are you talking about those idols on TV?" Keima said, finally turning his head towards her. While his sharp gaze looked piercing to her, Ayumi had no doubt that to Chihiro, it looked a tad creepy. Ayumi sighed. Trying to get her friends to accept this guy was definitely an uphill battle.

"The way you say that makes it seem like there are other kinds, Katsuragi," Miyako continued, seeming genuinely interested. Ayumi's hopes jumped up a bit. Maybe she was making progress with having Keima appear more appealing to her classmates, or maybe it was just Miyako's unassuming nature. Either way, it was nice for one of her friends to be nice to the nerd.

"There are," Keima said, raising an eyebrow at Miyako's sudden interest. "The idols you see on TV are archaic: simple relics of the past. This is the 21st Century: the era of game idols is upon us!"

Miyako, confused, tilted her head, asking, "I don't quite get what you mean."

"Idols in this world have one fatal weakness: time. As they get older, their age starts to wear them down. Wrinkles start to form, vices start to pop up, scandals force them to retire, secrets are revealed: as time goes on, Real idols get worse. On the other hand, time has a positive effect on idols in video games. They start to look better, sound better, and their stories get better. If you don't wanna get left behind, you'll have to jump on the 2D idol ship eventually."

"Hah, of course an Otamega like you would think that way," Chihiro interjected, feeling the desire to defend Kanon and put Keima in his place. "Idols in your games aren't real. They'll never be as fleshed out as real idols because of their constraints. Once the game's done, they'll never learn new songs or dances; they'll be even more stagnant than real idols out of their prime."

Chihiro shot Keima an intense glare. Keima returned it and hastily retreated to his PFP. Ayumi winced. Just when things were going smoothly too. Miyako's brows furrowed.

"Ayumi, why did you even invite this guy?" questioned the girl. "Not only is he a creep: he's a buzzkill too."

"H-He can be relaxing to be around when he wants to!" Ayumi defended. Miyako nodded. Confronted by her peers, Chihiro's expression almost contorted into one of resignation.

Then Keima cackled at his PFP.

"Um… sure, Ayumi," said Chihiro, pulling out her magazine and flipping through it. Welp, she definitely didn't wanna to continue this conversation.

Then, she felt someone prod her shoulder. Miyako's concern was plastered all over her face. The long haired girl said, "You need to be careful, Ayumi. People are starting to associate you with him. While I don't mind Katsuragi, Chihiro and many others do, and I don't want you to have to make a choice between him and her."

"I think Chihiro will come around eventually, and I doubt people care about what friends I make."

Miyako internally shook her head. While there was no doubt in her mind that Kanon Nakagawa was the most popular 2-B student, there was also no doubt that Ayumi took spot number 2. She was the go-to when it came to interclass sports competitions, many girls in 2-B copied her hairstyle, and there was even an Ayumi fanclub (that Miyako was secretly the head secretary of).

"Alright," Miyako conceded, "if you're sure. You know-"

"I'm leaving, Ayumi," Keima butt in, leaving the three friends on the rooftop before either runner could stop him.

"I don't want to be affiliated with a Real girl like her, her friends don't want her to be affiliated with me; the only one who wants Ayumi and I to be 'friends' is Ayumi," mused the Capturing God, who retreated to the roof of the auditorium. "Her stubbornness knows no bounds. What a troublesome Real woman."

Oh well. He'd shove Ayumi, Shiori, and Kusunoki aside for now. He still had a huge chunk of his lunch break to play his games, and he wouldn't allow any of them to distract him. Making sure the door to the south building rooftop was locked - only people who knew the password could access it now - Keima made a beeline for his favorite bench and plopped down on it. Leaning back, he flicked the PFP's switch on and dove in.

"And don't forget to call after your classes are over. You have a photoshoot at 9 on the dot, so we have to leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, Okada, I will. See you later." Nodding her head in approval, Kanon's manager turned to the chauffeur of the limousine she was in and signaled for him to drive off.

Turning around, the pink-haired figure took in the sights. Maijima Private High School. It was a little daunting, going back to it. She'd be the focus of the whole school for the time of her stay. While she was used to being the center of attention, it was a little awkward trying to focus on the board while gazes bored into the back of her skull. Still, this was just another hurdle; she'd get over it. She was an idol, right?

'I know just the thing to get rid of the nerves.' thought Kanon, walking towards the auditorium building. As far as she knew, there were no official school functions that day, so there would be virtually no one around. The auditorium would give her the space she needed to calm herself down. Heck, she even knew how to access the rooftop, so she was practically guaranteed some alone time. Confidence filling her steps, Kanon strode up the steps, reaching the door to the rooftop.

'Um… what did that kind receptionist tell me again? Oh yeah, 9-2-0-3-1-1.' She punched in the numbers, and as luck would have it, no one changed the code and the door swung wide open. How wonderful! Walking onto the rooftop, Kanon made a beeline for the guard rail, taking a good look at the view. The school was just as beautiful as she had remembered.

It was almost as beautiful as the view she had on stage at the awards.

"The best newcomer award…" Kanon whispered, disbelief still evident. "I tried my best; I did good."

She looked down at her uniform. Simple pink skirt and, aside from the Mai High emblem emblazoned over her left breast, it looked like a red version of a sailor-suit uniform that any other high school would have, be it public or private. For some reason, its simplistic look reminded the idol of her successful career. "To think that idols these days are super bubbly and cheerful… was it good that I was plain and old-fashioned?"

"Ah… I can finally be called a real idol!" Kanon exclaimed as the gravity of the situation finally hit her. "I can still feel everyone's cheers from yesterday's competition. Oh, it makes me feel so giddy just thinking about it!"

She felt like she was on air. Skipping alongside the guard rail, Kanon tried her best to calm herself down. While she didn't want the jitters, she didn't want a victory high either. "Alright, Kanon, today's the day for tests and studies; I need to focus on that. Auah! Idols sure have it hard."

All of a sudden, she heard a cough directly behind her. She felt heat instantly flare up on her cheeks, and she knew that her face became the color of strawberries. Whipping around, she faced the source of the cough, dusting her uniform and fixing her glasses. She knew, from her line of work, that first impressions were everything, so she'd give what was hopefully a fan the best five minutes of his life. 'I just hope he didn't notice my monologue - that would give my PR manager a bit more work to deal with.'

"Hiya! I can't believe you know about this place," the idol cheerfully greeted, flashing the person on the bench a blinding smile that most guys would swoon from. Speaking of the guy, she didn't know what to think of him. He was probably around her age, judging from the signature high school cravat all boys in Mai High wore. Other than that, she couldn't really say much. Hopefully he was someone nice.

"My name," she extended her hand towards the occupied man, "is Kanon Nakagawa. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"...'Kanon' who? I'm busy; don't talk to me," Keima coldly shot down, barely even giving the person in front of him a glance. 'I said nothing would stop me from gaming the whole lunch break away, especially not this pink thing.'

"Ah, I guess there are those people who still don't know me. Hahahahahahahahahahaha…" he heard her murmur. Hmph. Oh no, one person doesn't know who someone is. How shocking. Who do you think you are: some kind of idol?

He felt something cold press against his side. He gave it a cursory glance. Stun gun… oh wai-

Instantly, he felt a shock violently jolt his abdomen. The blow sent the charred nerd flying, leaving dark skid marks in his wake. He got up, pushing thoughts of gaming away for now. 'Okay, what happened there? She talked; I didn't. Then, she shocked me!? I feel like there's a few missing lines of dialogue you dropped, you shitty game! Where's the buildup!?"

"I-I'm not an idol a-after all! Ha ha ha, it's all lies. You… stop making me feel insecure!" cried the pink haired loony.

She jumped onto the poor boy, pinning him to the ground. Holding her weapon skyward, she brought the stun gun down, aiming to zap his forgetful head off. Mustering every drop of athleticism in his scrawny body, Keima hastily tilted his head to the side. The stun gun barely missed, nearly grazing his cheek, which was glistening with sweat. Kanon's weapon made contact with the ground, causing dust to get thrown up. When Keima craned his head around to look at the damage, he saw a bunch of cracks where his head used to be.

"Why don't you know me!?" She brought her stun gun up again.

"A-At least let me save!"

"U-Um," someone interjected, "Keima? Is that Kanon Nakagawa?"

Instantly, Keima felt the weight pressing down on him leave. Grateful for some respite from that woman's onslaught, he pushed himself up and walked towards the source of the voice. Though his vision was still blurry from the earlier blow, the God of Conquests could make out Shiori with a pile of fliers in her arms and the pink thing running towards the librarian with a smile on her face. While he didn't know why Shiori was here - probably here to ask for Keima's help in distributing the fliers, if he had to guess - he was happy that she distracted the pink demon. Now to save his game-

[Your file has corrupted.]

"Hiya! I'm humbled that you recognized me," the taller of the two greeted. She stole a flier from the top of Shiori's stack and whipped out the autographing pen she always had on her. Continuing, she asked, "What's your name?"

"A-Ah, S-Shiori Shiomiya-"

"Here you go, Shiori! I hope you like it." Kanon flashed her a smile, and it was so charismatic that even shy Shiori couldn't help but awkwardly smile back. Expertly balancing the stack on one hand, the librarian used the other hand to take the vandalized flier from the idol. The front - an advertisement for the new CD section of the library - was untouched, while the formerly blank back had a huge heart marked on it along with the words "Much love - Kanon Nakagawa".

"I-I don't know what to say," Shiori said. "I had never gotten the signature of a famous person before."

"Ah," Kanon said, waving the praise away, "I'm still a long way from becoming famous, to having my songs resonate in everyone's hearts!"

'Well,' Keima internally interjected, 'your electrical current is resonating in my PFP. Congrats, you pink witch.'

"S-So what class are you from? I'm from 2-C," Shiori asked, hoping to improve her people skills.

"Ah, I guess that makes us neighbors! I'm from 2-B!"

Shiori looked at the charred gamer, saying, "Oh, Keima never told me you two were classmates!"

Wait… this guy who didn't have an inkling as to who she was… shared a classroom with her!? Did he never pay attention to roll call or something? Did he never wonder "oh why is this Nakagawa person always absent"?

Blind with rage, she turned, whipping out her stun gun and zapped him with it. Keima saw stars as the blow knocked him back off his feet. Slowly getting used to the feeling of 10,000 volts shocking him, he was able to get back up before she could pounce on him again.

Looking betrayed, Kanon pointed her weapon at the bespectacled boy, sparks flying off the front. "I can't believe it. We're classmates, and you still don't know who I am!? I'm not an idol; I'm trash. Trash!"

Shiori, realizing that she had gotten the one person she cared for hurt, winced, hiding behind the stack of fliers. While she wanted to help him up, she also didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. Those stun guns looked painful. 'I-I'm so sorry, Keima! I didn't know…'

Kanon cradled herself in her arms. It would've looked cute and demure if her eyes weren't glazed over and if she wasn't armed. "Please, stop making me feel insecure… stop it…"

'Please stop making my PFPs feel like bricks,' internally pleaded the nerd. 'Speaking of bricks, the damn thing's bricked! It won't even turn on! Oh, she's definitely out to get me!'

"You… what is your name!?"

Sparks fly off her stun gun once more.

"K-Keima Katsuragi-"

"Keima…" The way she said it made it seem like just saying his name left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Mark my words; I shall return to defeat you!"

Determination filling her eyes, she turned heel and ran away, storming down the stairwell that led up to the rooftop. Making her displeasure known with each hard step, her mind slowly brewed a plan that would make even the most cold-hearted critic unable to resist her music. Oh, this "Keima" didn't know what he had coming. She'd definitely give it all she had. She even had that ace up her sleeve. Oh, it might make Okada furious with her, but Kanon couldn't help it.

She had to crush him.

"My PFP is broken," moaned Keima.

Next to Shiori, he was slumped outside the door to the Women's Martial Arts Clubroom. He looked worse for wear, like a shriveled up husk of his former self. Shiori couldn't bear to look at his poor state. He definitely couldn't to his "stake out" if he wasn't the slightest bit motivated.

What would get him on his feet again, though? The library had approximately 37 books on video games, though only two of them were in favor of them, and they were most likely outdated to boot. While she liked the guy, she wouldn't want to risk any vandalism of her precious, precious books.

Oh, speaking of books, Shiori was ecstatic. They were going to ship her the excess books they took out from the library to her house later! She was unfathomably excited to pour over that anthology she was one page away from finishing that was about-

She shook her head. Focus, Shiori! There was a down in the dumps Keima, and all she could do was fantasize about all the free books she'd be getting? How selfish of her.

Think, Shiori, think!

"Keima, don't you have something you need to do?" She had to get him to talk.

Luckily, he cared enough to lazily look her way, though from her perspective, it looked like a zombie whose neck just happened to break in the right direction. She'd take it. "What's the point… I just wanted to play a video game that the StuCo offered to give me. How am I supposed to do that now?"

"But Keima… aren't they offering to give you a PFP, not a game?"

Keima shot up. In all his sadness, he had forgotten one crucial fact. Even though the only thing he had been looking forward to was the game, that game came with a PFP; a PFP that actually worked! Fire in his eyes, he bellowed, "YEAH, LET'S GET THAT PFP!"

All of a sudden, the doors the two were camping next to swung open. Startled, the two jumped back, only to find a martial artist, desperation plastered on her face with a cat in her arms. It looked faint, heaving in her arms. Kusunoki looked at the two and said, "Please, help me save this cat!"

Hey, it's been a while. Sorry, finals was a crazy ride. So many sleepless nights... oh well, I'm glad it's over. Ez A. Anyway, this chapter might be the longest: 3,811, to be exact, so I hope that makes up for the delay.

Some concerns.

I hope that the pacing wasn't horrible. I made this over the course of a few weeks, after all. Had to work out Kusunoki's storyline and who to introduce next and whatnot. Hope it's still coherent. I also hope the grammar and tiny facts are okay. I only gave this a cursory glance when it came to proofreading since I desperately want this chapter out of the gate. Doesn't help that it's like 1:30 am here.

OreGairu fanfiction. Been reading a whole ton; some good, some bad. Probably a bad idea to binge it, since I might accidentally write stuff with too much cynicism or self loathing. So yeah, tell me if anyone's out of character. I'll try to rewrite the chapter if the OOC moments are complete trash.

Random stuff.

Not sure who to introduce in the next chapter. Might be -, though introducing - or - could be interesting too. I've been hearing a lot of Mio's in the reviews, so maybe it'll be her. Who knows? Nothing's set in stone.

Also, do you want to have the devils on the list of possible characters? They'd have no powers, but they'll have their own storylines and impact on the overall story. I don't wanna just have them cameo. So yeah, either they get their own storylines or they aren't in it at all... unless someone makes a really good case for a cameo.

EDIT (12-20-16): Poll for the devils are on my profile.