Hey everyone. Things have finally calmed down with things I have to do, and with today being Freedom Day, I figured now is a good day to post the last chapter of The Story with No End.
BE FREE, CHAPTER! SPREAD MY LOVE FOR TOORU TO THE WORLD!
That's what Freedom Day is about, right? What, no!? Well that's disappointing...
Though that being said, this is the last chapter, save for the epilogue which I will post on Sunday. I hope you guys enjoy the conclusion of this story, and that you hopefully get the fuzzies reading this.
At home, Tooru was sitting at her splendid desk, fountain pen between her upper lips, and thoughts drifting all over the place… from the work she should be preparing for the new academic year, to the Aesop's Fables book which were sitting on her bedside table, to Asami… and to how things must be going with Keima.
A knot settled in her throat, but she shook her head to get rid of it… she had no right to be sad when she was the one who had walked away. It was only right, considering that she'd only known the guy for a week, and Asami had liked him for so much longer.
She sighed… she wanted her friends to be happy, but she really wished it wasn't at her expense.
But that wasn't even important… she pulled her brain from that course of thought and returned to what was important. She needed an Aesop she was happy with by tomorrow.
An Aesop… an Aesop… Aesooooop…
She kept repeating it in her head to the point the word lost all meaning, but no ideas came to mind… all she could think about was what Asami and Keima could be up to since she left them… they might have kissed… or be planning their date.
For a moment, she wondered if Keima actually liked Asami back. There honestly hadn't been very obvious hints when he'd seen them at the zoo… but he didn't give obvious hints in general, and Tooru didn't even know his type. Considering his ex, he might like plain, quirky girls, and the blonde certainly didn't fit that bill. Asami was probably more fitting for him in that position.
Maybe she'd misread the signs Keima was giving her in the first place, and that offer to give her romantic experience was to give her more notes about his games, rather than wanting to date her?
GEEZ! COULDN'T HER BRAIN JUST LET HER WRITE ALREADY!
Tooru had to resist screaming out loud, as she nearly banged her head against her desk. However, her flashing smartphone distracted her.
'Kosaka Chihiro is calling'
Tooru felt her stomach clench, even though Chihiro wasn't involved in it at all (beyond her being his ex-girlfriend status). It took a moment to convince her that, most likely, she wouldn't even want to talk about Keima so she probably didn't need to be worried. She took a breath and answered the call.
"Hello," Tooru said, trying not to let her voice waver.
"Yo," the brunette greeted back brightly, "I just wanted to tell you that I read the pilot chapter for The Dead One."
Tooru smiled, her guard dropping as her previous thoughts were confirmed. Chihiro's mood even seemed to be contagious from her voice.
"So what did you think of Inami? Do you think she's actually a ghost?"
Tooru kicked away smoothly from her desk to the centre of her large room, facing herself backwards in her expensive swivel chair and leaning forward on the backrest, the way she found to be more comfortable. Talking about some horror manga was just the thing she needed to get her mind off everything.
The discussion continued on for a few minutes as they discussed their first impressions and Chihiro told her about her future theories for the series.
"… And that's the reason why you shouldn't give nine year old kids guns…" Chihiro concluded one line, which earned a laugh from Tooru.
"Maybe that should be my Aesop for my next story," she snickered, "that sounds like an important lesson for us all, and it's not like I have anything better."
"Sounds like writing is being a bummer…" Chihiro responded sympathetically, "maybe you can take a walk outside and clear your head before you start writing."
"I doubt that would help," Tooru sighed, watching her toes in the air.
"Are you feeling restless?" Chihiro asked. Tooru raised an eyebrow.
"No, why do you think that?"
"I've been listening to you shift this entire conversation," Chihiro answered.
"So…" Tooru scoffed, "it's normal for me to move during a phone conversation."
Though that wasn't really the truth… she'd never ever had a friend close enough to call her at home., so there wasn't really any way to confirm.
"Then pray tell…" Tooru could almost hear the smirk on Chihiro's face, "what position are you currently sitting in?"
Tooru noted for the first time that her back was on the seat and her legs were leaning on the back and dangling to the other side, and her skirt was flipped over and dangerously close to displaying her panties… not that there was anyone else in her room to see it.
"I'm sitting normally," Tooru responded calmly as she righted herself.
"Sure you are…" Chihiro smirked, "and you totally weren't straightening yourself up now."
Tooru pulled a face.
"What do you want from me?" exasperation tinged her voice.
"I want to know if there's something bothering you outside of just writing your story…" Chihiro answered simply. For a moment, Tooru was stuck on what to say… this was the first time anyone had ever cared enough to actually ask, so she couldn't help but be a bit touched.
But what could she say… that right now, she was supposed to be chatting to Keima, but she'd left Asami with him… and Chihiro was already his girlfriend at some point! And none of this even had to do with why writing this Aesop was so hard.
"I…" the words flooded her head incoherently, "it's nothing…"
Chihiro didn't deserve to be on the end of her complaining anyway. The brunette had been nothing but a good friend to her, even if she had gotten the chance to be with the guy who Tooru wanted.
"It doesn't really sound like nothing," Chihiro said innocently, although her intention to pry was still there. Tooru couldn't help but be miffed at that response.
"What do you know!?" Tooru snapped back, "You got to date him."
The call went quiet for a moment, as Chihiro absorbed that… even without hearing the name, she knew full well who Tooru had on her mind.
"So he told you, huh?" Chihiro answered passively, still not sure whether it was a good thing or not.
"His mother did," Tooru sighed, "but regardless, I left him with Asami-san, because she said she liked him, and now I can't stop thinking about it!"
Tooru cursed herself… why did she blab so easily at one person's concern towards her!?
"Because you like him…" Chihiro concluded, "and maybe your brain is willing to give up on him, but your heart isn't."
"That makes me the worst, doesn't it?" Tooru sighed, resigning herself to continuing... she doubted Chihiro would stop now anyway, now that she knew this was about Keima.
"In that case, that makes Ayumi the worst… or Tenri-san… or Shiomiya and Kujou… or−" she had to interrupt after that.
"Just how many girls like Katsuragi-kun?"
The line went quiet for a few moments.
"It seems to be nine…" Chihiro spoke incredulously, as if this was the first time she'd counted them out. Tooru chortled.
"I thought you said he was a loser in school."
"W-w-well, I always thought that!" Chihiro sputtered, "You only start noticing your rivals when you actually have to start worrying about them…"
Tooru's mouth closed in a tight line. Maybe Chihiro hadn't said it in so many words, but she was fairly certain that the brunette was talking about the time her and Keima had been dating, and honestly, that was kind of a nice insight to have on her friend.
"Nee, Chihiro-san…" she spoke softly, "why did you and Katsuragi-kun break up?"
"He liked me, but not as much as I liked him… and I didn't see that changing in the foreseeable future," she answered truthfully, but her voice nowhere near the exuberance it was before. Clearly it was more serious issue she kept closer to her heart.
"I-I'm sorry…" was all Tooru could say. Chihiro blew it off with some sounds, her voice going back to what it normally was.
"It's alright, you know… we're still friends, and it gave him the space to grow and find the person who he'll be equal with..." there was a pause, but Tooru didn't have anything to say.
"But that's beside the point of what I actually wanted to say to you," Chihiro continued, not giving Tooru enough time to interpret that last line, "I just don't want you to give up on him, just because other girls are interested in him."
"What about Asami-san?"
"Then what about you?" Chihiro quipped back, "Unless you actually give it a chance, you're giving up way too early, and you'll regret it!"
"But if you realised your friend liked the same guy you did, you'd back away, wouldn't you?" Tooru added, her voice a little shrill. Chihiro responded with another pause.
"If I'd thought too hard about that, I never would have pursued Katsuragi… at least 2 people I consider friends liked him at the time," Chihiro gave a nervous laugh, "though I did only learn about it while we were dating."
Tooru couldn't help but smirk.
"So you would have stepped back had you known?" she was certain of the response she'd get.
"Nope," Chihiro said without needing to think about it, "because I'd decided that I was going to chase him with everything I had."
Tooru felt her heart squeeze. Whether it was from Chihiro's fond voice, or just a reminder of her feelings, she wasn't really sure.
"Admittedly, pursuing someone who isn't single isn't ideal, and it's respectful to step away, but you should do what you feel is best, because that is when you don't regret it."
For a moment, Tooru fell silent, her thoughts going elsewhere… did she regret leaving Asami and Keima alone? She just wanted both of her friends to be happy, and she was giving them the space they might want… but she didn't want to go. She and Keima were having a moment there, and she wanted to see it through.
Chihiro's voice broke through her thoughts again.
"And if that isn't confirmation enough that you should still try, I'm going to send you a picture I took while we were at the zoo," Chihiro laughed, "it's a cute one."
"Of who?" Tooru asked, having an idea what that answer might be. Chihiro just laughed again.
"Just look at it… and remember that things only end when you give up on them."
Tooru's eyes widened at that advice, but before she could ask, she noticed Chihiro had hung up the call. As she looked at her phone, it buzzed from the new email Chihiro sent her.
True to her word, it had a picture, probably taken from Chihiro's phone, judging from the quality. As she loaded it, she felt her heart stop for a moment.
It was Tooru and Keima, both leaning on the fence of some pen, bodies half facing each other as they were completely absorbed in their conversation with each other.
It was cozy… like they were in a bubble of their own. She wondered if that was what the mood had been like in the cafe before Asami had come in.
Tooru sighed as she rolled her chair back to her desk. She didn't want to step on any toes, but she wanted Keima to know how she felt… even if she was just another notch on his belt of confessions, this was something special for her, and she owed herself to see it through…
As the saying goes, it's not over till the fat lady sings…
With a determined smile, she propped the picture up against a book and brought the pen to paper, her mind a lot clearer than it was before.
After finishing her Aesop, Tooru was so excited to see Keima that she was already asleep around seven o' clock... sadly, she forgot how little sleep she needed, as she was already awake six hours later with too much energy and too much time, with no motivation to do anything other than to see him.
God, she wanted to see him! How the hell was she going to survive 10 more hours before she could leave the house?
Despite how big her house was and all the activities that were available there, it was a ghost town after her parents were asleep, and it wasn't like she had any siblings to go bother. The polite part of her was reluctant to even message anyone at this time of night, so all she really had were her mobile games, and how long would five lives even last her.
As expected, 20 minutes later, she was done and counting the clock again. This was just ridiculous.
She wanted to see Keima.
Well why not just see him? His house wasn't all that far…
She shook her head wildly, trying to shake the thought out of her head. She couldn't sneak out of her house!
And now her hair was a mess from all that shaking!
Yet despite all that shaking, the idea wouldn't leave her… not when she was packing her bag for tomorrow… not when she changed back into some decent street clothes… not when she was peeking from side to side from her door… not when she bribed the security guards to hide her exit… not when she was outside with her bag either.
Wait, what the hell happened!
Tooru's heart level was skyrocketing as she walked her usual, but surprisingly unfamiliar, route toward the park where it all began… partially because she only knew the route from there, and partially because she felt like she wanted to see this… one way or another, things were going to change tonight… she was going to tell him before something else stopped her… she'd probably apologise to Asami in the morning for overstepping, but for now, this was what she was going to do.
She hugged her bag to her chest before continuing towards his house.
As she approached the darkened house attached to Café Grandpa, she couldn't help but gulp… she'd been polite not to message people in the middle of the night, yet here she was at his house around two in the morning. As rude as it was, she wasn't going home now… She shakily pulled out her phone and pulled out Keima's number…
Man, he was going to regret giving her this… she thought as she dialled it. He picked up after 5 rings.
"Tooru?" he sounded pretty surprised at the timing, "is everything alright?"
"Err, yeah," she answered, her head spinning slightly, "c-can you tell me which one is your room?"
"M-my room?" he repeated.
"Y-yeah, I'm outside, and I'm not sure which room is yours," she heard some clambering before a light turned on in her vision.
"I just turned on my light," he spoke, where Tooru hurried under that window.
"Ok, I'm outside now…" the window opened, as Keima's harried face appeared at the window upstairs, phone pressed to his ear, his naked eyes squinting as he tried to wake up his brain and get it to speed.
For a moment, time slowed down for Tooru as she saw him in his pyjamas without glasses. Somehow, that sight just brought the happy butterflies back. This sight was worth the agitated thoughts, and the waiting, and the effort it took to get out of her house. He was here now.
"W-what are you doing here, Tooru?" Keima asked. The girl gave him a sheepish look.
"I-I was so excited that I couldn't sleep, and I didn't want to wait," Keima watched her with a raised eyebrow, "It is Wednesday so I want to show you my completed draft."
Keima was still in a state of disbelief, but he motioned for her to stay, while he went back to get something, which he then tied on his railings and dropped down.
It was a rope ladder. Even in the dark, Keima could see the look she gave him.
"What, I have to sneak out for midnight events…" he looked at her defensively. Tooru just smiled though. He was always prepared for anything, it seemed. Keima motioned her up with his hand as she hesitated.
It wasn't too high off the ground, but Tooru couldn't help the sinking feeling in her heart. She wasn't the most active child, and rope was always daunting for her in gym class.
"I-is it going to fall?" Tooru asked worriedly, trying to push her worries in another direction than her climbing skills. Keima tugged the knot hard and shook his head.
"It's always held me, and I'm pretty sure that I'm heavier than you," Tooru gave a nervous chuckle.
It was just a ladder… if she could climb it, she would reach him. She pushed her fears aside and put her backpack over both arms. With a determined breath, she gripped onto the sides tight with both hands and put one foot on the first rung. She had to force the eep down when she felt herself teeter forward.
"Tooru," Keima called to her softly, "you'll spend longer trying to get your balance there. Just climb on the ladder and don't look down."
She gulped but listened, bringing her second foot on the ladder. As soon as her foot left the floor, she felt the ladder swing under her.
"No no, that's even worse…" she whispered, squeezing both her hands and eyes. Keima groaned.
"Look up at me," he said firmly. She shook her head before clinging back to the ladder. Honestly, he did find her scared face to be quite cute, but it wasn't conducive for her. He needed her inside, and unfortunately, he didn't have any Hagoromo to help her with that.
"Please, Tooru…" he begged, "I'm right here and I'll pull you in when you're close enough, but you have to get close first…"
"I-I won't fall, right?" Tooru squeaked.
"You won't," Keima assured. Obviously, the blonde wasn't convinced, which was when Keima thought up an idea.
"That rope is magical, so you can't fall…"
To his surprise, that worked at getting her to open her eyes, though moreso in surprise than anything.
"I-it's magic?" she repeated.
"I can't explain how it works, but it won't let you fall if you believe in it…" Tooru felt herself relax with those calming words, after which Keima offered his arm out, "just take my hand, and you'll be safely inside."
With a deep breath, Tooru slowly climbed the ladder, trying to not take too much notice of her feet sometimes missing the rungs, or how they sank when they were securely on it. Keima's hand was her goal, and this ladder was magical. It wouldn't let her fall.
Most people wouldn't be assured by such outlandish claims like but, but for long as she could remember, magic was the one thing she hoped that existed... something bigger than her, which would give her the strength to move forward.
After what felt like an hour, but probably was only a few minutes, Tooru saw Keima's hand in reach. With her heart pounding from more than exertion, she took his warm, larger hand and felt herself being hoisted up.
Her eyes widened at how easily he pulled her up. He was stronger than his gamer body betrayed.
Keima eased her down, but it seemed that the climb up had zapped a lot out of her, as she started buckling on touching the ground. Without thinking, he held onto her.
"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. She just looked dazed as her eyes landed on her waist, which was now being supported by a very unfamiliar pair of hands.
Oh God, Keima was holding her. Her eyes rose to his in a panic. It was almost around the same time when the gamer realised what he'd been doing as well, and a blush started rising to his cheeks as well.
"Aah- well…" he sputtered, not quite comfortable with where his hands were, but still scared of letting go and possibly dropping her if she hadn't gotten her balance yet, "w-what if you fall?"
"I-I-I think I'm fine," Tooru shook her hands, "I won't fall."
Keima hesitated a moment longer before he left her thin waist, hovering over it for a moment longer before he was assured that she'd been right. Then he stepped out from her personal space. Tooru couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Maybe they were unfamiliar, but it certainly wasn't unpleasant having his hands on her waist.
It was funny that he'd talked about magic... for a moment, she couldn't help but see this whole situation as magical...
With all of what had happened, this was the first time they could stop and actually see each other. Keima was wearing a white shirt and light blue pyjama pants, his glasses sitting on his bedside table. Tooru was wearing capri pants and a hoodie, her hair still tied in the same ponytail as before, so it was a lot looser and messier.
For a long moment, neither teen were sure what to say. This was a very different situation than they were used to, after all. Keima was the first one to break the silence.
"You look… different," he remarked. This was the least dressed up he'd ever seen her…
"Is that a bad thing?" she wondered out loud. Keima shook his head.
"N-no…" he backtracked, "it's just stands out less than what I've normally seen you in, but it suits you…"
Tooru blushed and averted her face, her fingers running through her fringe and front part of her ponytail. Keima blushed as well, at the sudden urge he felt to rub her soft hair as well.
Keima squeezed his palm, the slight pain of his nails reminding him that this wasn't a dream… Tooru was really in his room at two in the morning, and she looked even cuter than before.
"Though… how was the coffee?" Keima asked, trying to distract himself and remind himself of the reality he actually existed in. Tooru appreciated the distraction.
"I-it was really nice," she responded brightly, where he motioned her to keep her voice lower, "it was so rich that I was certain it was made by an angel."
"It was just me," Keima smirked, "unless you mean to say that I am an angel."
Tooru blushed again, and he bit his lip… everything was just awkward now… like things had changed between the few hours they hadn't talked... like magic...
But there was no denying that this was another weird flag… girls don't just pop up at his house in the middle of the night to talk about something that could have waited till the morning. Clearly, this was something bigger than that, and Tooru was feeling the pressure… she probably needed some time and space before she could speak her mind…
But first, he'd better make this place safer… he didn't want his family barging in.
As he turned towards his door, he felt his heart leap in his chest at what he saw.
"Eri!" Keima spoke. Tooru froze, her flight instinct not really working. This was Keima's sister, if she remembered… and she was just at the door in her pyjamas, looking at them.
"Nii-sama, do you have any pudding?" Eri asked, her voice clouded with sleep. Keima just looked back, confused. Was she even awake?
"Umm… no," he responded. Eri then turned to Tooru, her face lightening up.
"You have a pudding girl," the sister exclaimed, moving towards Tooru. Before Keima could move her elsewhere, Eri was right in front of Tooru, whose eyes were as wide as saucers.
Eri gave Tooru a big hug, earning a small eep from the blonde. Keima quickly motioned to her that his sister most certainly asleep, and had just walked out from her room. From past experience, the best way to deal with her was to talk with her and steer her back to her room.
"No, she isn't a pudding girl…" Keima tried to pull Eri back, but the little sister still had too hard a grip on Tooru.
"But she has pudding hair!" Eri whined, running her hands through Tooru's gold locks. At this point, Keima pulled Eri away before she tried sampling the "pudding".
"Eri, there's pudding in the fridge…" Keima started steering her back towards the door.
"Wait, Nii-sama! Did you know that we weren't the only twins born on the sixth of June? Asami-san is also-"
"Yeah yeah…" Keima shut the door behind him as he continued to Eri's room, leaving Tooru alone for the first time since she'd been here. She was still dumbfounded, rubbing her arms which tingled from that hug. It was a very different feeling from Keima holding her, but she wouldn't deny how pleasant that was.
That whole feeling of magic just seemed to be getting stronger here. For an ordinary house attached to an ordinary cafe, those two siblings seemed anything but ordinary. From the start, Keima had shaken up her life and brought to light a different kind of magic than she'd known... everyday was magical, but somehow, she felt that he would show her even more.
Also, she couldn't wait to meet Keima's sister.
At that point, Keima returned back to the room, this time making sure to lock the door. He was met by the sight of an amused Tooru leaning on his lower bed post. Keima gave her a questioning look.
"I think I'm going to like your sister," she laughed, "trying to bite someone's hair makes one hell of a first impression."
Honestly, as strange as that hug was, it was really comforting and warm, and it calmed Tooru's nerves.
"I'd say you should meet her when she's awake, but I'm fairly certain she'd do something odder than that."
That earned a polite and sincere laugh from Tooru, but as it came to a close, she noticed Keima was staring at her.
"Why did you come here, Tooru?" he asked, getting to the crux of the matter. Keima was certain that if it was just the story, this could have waited till the morning.
"I-I wanted to show you my story," Tooru scratched her head, looking somewhat embarrassed, "and I have to talk about something else as well."
Her resolve had hardened now... if he was going to gift her with all this magic like some angel, he deserved to know how she felt.
"I see…" Keima replied blandly. It was probably the 'something else' which couldn't wait till morning, but he didn't want to pry and scare her from talking about it, "would you like to sit down?"
For the first time, Tooru looked around at her surroundings to Keima's room. It was a decently sized room, but more notable was the system which took up the biggest space. Multiple screens and consoles lined the walls, and a comfortable swivel chair with smaller consoles surrounding it like a doughnut, sat a few metres away. There was also a shelf with his games, and his bed she was leaning by, now a little messy, as he'd probably been sleeping in it comfortably some ten minutes ago.
Just, he didn't have a studying desk, or a chair to sit in. He probably expected guests as often as she did… meaning: never.
Given her fear of mistakenly hurting his impressive gaming setup (would he ever cease to amaze her), her best options were to sit on the floor, or sit on his… bed.
"I-is the bed fine?" Tooru asked. Keima nodded, so she pulled her bag down and placed it at one corner on the floor, while she gingerly sat at the corner of the bed.
Yep, it was about as embarrassing she imagined sitting on a guy's bed would be… it only got more nerve-wracking when Keima sat next to her, leaving less than a metre of space between them.
She was frozen looking at him for a moment, before he spoke.
"Can I see your story now?" Tooru's heart stopped skipping as she logically thought about it. He'd need to be close to read her story. She quickly and clumsily pulled out her folder and presented the sheet of paper that she'd scrawled her final draft.
Her hand was shaking as she passed it over. Keima tried to give her a warm smile as he took it, in hopes that she'd feel more comfortable… but they were both fish out of water here, so it would only do so much…
Tooru was glad that he didn't read it out loud, for the sake of her nerves.
THE PENGUIN AND THE GOLDEN EGG
The penguin surveyed the item in front of her with interest, noting its gold and shiny exterior. This had to be valuable, right? She had to take it to her family.
However, as she looked to the direction where she'd come from, it was on an uphill. Luckily, it was a good shape for rolling, and that was exactly what she did, carefully manoeuvring it up the hill till her wings and legs ached, and her fur seemed to stick with the exertion she put herself through.
However, she felt an accomplishment she'd never felt before as she pushed the gold object over the peak. As she caught her breath, she noticed her family had moved after catching fish, and were now on an even higher and steeper hill.
She gave the object a wistful look and continued.
IT'S ONLY THE END WHEN YOU GIVE UP
Keima had to read it twice to even begin to understand the meaning, but when he did, he could tell that it was a lot heavier and harder-hitting than her last Aesop.
"Y-you'll notice that I left the last line ambiguous, so it isn't clear whether the penguin continued to push the egg or not," Tooru blushed as she said it. She couldn't help but be embarrassed at her work being scrutinised.
"I did notice that," Keima gave her a warm smile, "is this the kind of Aesop you hoped to write?"
Tooru gave a small nod.
"W-well, Chihiro-san kind of gave me the idea of the lesson, and this was how it came out…" she scratched her temple shyly, "do you like it?"
"I do…" Keima whispered, "it's the kind of Aesop only you could have written."
This wasn't the first time he'd said something like this, considering Shiori's own novel about her and her books… he'd seen them both grow and write something, which wasn't perfect, but showed the kind of person they were and what they experienced to get here.
But he wanted to know more… what Tooru had been thinking and feeling to write this… why she'd scrapped her romance theme to write this one… whether this was a lesson she was going through now…
Was he even this curious with Shiori's story? He could argue it was because he'd also been worried about the other Goddesses, but he was sure it wasn't just that.
Maybe he couldn't put his finger down on what he liked about Tooru, but he was certainly open to the idea of learning what it was.
"Nee… Tooru…" she looked up at him, "is there something you feel uncertain of giving up on?"
The blonde felt her heart squeeze. He'd really set up a perfect opportunity to come clean… to tell him how happy she was to meet him… how this week had changed her life, and how she wanted him to keep spreading the magic… how she wanted him to teach her more about romance too.
But it scared her how hard and how fast she fell… she didn't know him that well, and there were seemingly many girls who had feelings for him.
With every pro and con list, there was always something which was so heavy that it blew all logic to the curb. She liked him, and she wanted him to know that.
She liked the road which had led her here, regardless of the insecurity and uncertainty of it… and if he allowed it, she'd continue on this road a little longer, and hopefully continue to grow and see what she was capable of.
"T-there is," Tooru nodded slightly, "that was the other thing I wanted to talk about."
Keima's curiosity was piqued, but he tried not to be too eager.
"And what is that?" to his surprise, she put both her hands over his.
"I-I wrote it so that my Aesop had no end, and that the possibilities of its continuation would be endless…" Tooru spoke, not taking her eyes off his, "isn't that what life is like?"
Keima gulped slightly at the intense look she was giving him, but the question was clearly rhetorical, as the blonde didn't wait for an answer.
"I nearly gave up on something I wanted yesterday, until a friend reminded me on why I shouldn't…" she took a deep breath, "and I know now isn't an ideal time to say it but… I like you!"
For all the eye contact she'd been able to keep, it fell with that last line. As happy as she was to finally get it off her chest, she was definitely nervous of how he'd react… and if he was going out with Asami, a confession like this would make him more awkward than anything… she wasn't even sure how he felt, other than that comment during their meeting at the café, which could have meant other things as well.
It was just quiet as Keima watched her, his face getting hotter as he absorbed what she said. Granted, this wasn't a complete surprise, but it still warmed his insides into a pool of butter.
She liked him… she liked him… she liked him!
"Err… Tooru," he uttered her name in a way she hadn't heard it before, which raised her eyes again. Almost instantly, she noticed something different about his face too, "I like you too…"
Tooru couldn't help the mini freakout going on in her brain. His confession repeated like a mantra, as a goofy smile came to her face. Suddenly, a question popped up in her head.
"W-wait, what about Asami-san?" Keima looked a bit worried.
"I told her the truth… that you were the one that I liked," he scratched his head, "I tried to be as gentle as I could, and I think it worked."
For a moment, Keima eyes stuck on her, remembering the last time he'd been so close… when the minus fog was about to consume her, and the loose spirit in her continued to put up a fight… she needed the strength to believe in herself and 'the prince' was the one to give it to her…
But she didn't need that now… she knew of the eternal plus which was inside her, and she didn't need any prince to tell her that… she was still the angel she'd been before, but she didn't need a prince. She just wanted him.
For Tooru, the entryway to any person's heart was through their eyes, and his were glancing down at her lips… so she obliged, fulfilling both of their desires.
For what was a brief kiss, their feelings it conveyed wasn't all that different from their first…
Warmth… acceptance… hope… everything…
For a moment, Tooru touched the cross necklace which she hid under her shirt… why did this feel so familiar?
That thought took a back seat as Keima smiled at her warmly. Tooru felt herself heat up again, but more from happiness than embarrassment.
"Are you glad you didn't give up?" he asked. Her face turned up.
"If I had, I wouldn't have known that magic exists," she responded sweetly. Keima couldn't help but run his hand through her hair affectionately.
"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet…" he answered, but Tooru's mind drifted off elsewhere, so it wasn't clear whether she heard it.
"You know…" Tooru wondered out loud, "maybe I shouldn't give up on writing Aesops either…" suddenly, an excited look came to her face, "I'm going to write a hundred!"
Keima groaned, as Tooru pulled out some more scrap paper to work with.
"Hey, you still promised you'd teach me about romance," she gave Keima a hard look, which made him freeze, "I look forward to that…"
Keima couldn't help feeling a sense of whiplash just from seeing her expressions change, but he couldn't say he hated it… it was just one thing he'd come to expect from the Real… reality is stranger than fiction sometimes…
Like if someone had told him that the girl whose house he'd broken into at night some 10 months ago would do the same to his, he'd kick them to the curb.
The only way that could have been weirder would be if Tooru had seen Asami kiss him yesterday…
"Tooru," the girl looked up, now having made herself a bit more comfortable in his bed, "how did you even sneak out of your house?"
"I'm glad you asked," she responded happily, before she went into her story, with Keima stopping to shush her every minute when she started becoming too excited.
The two teens continued to chat well into the morning, making their fifth meeting last as long as they could. As it settled down, Keima promised himself that someday soon, he would tell her about the meetings she had forgotten.
And there you have it... I ended up doing a lot of editing today which meant I ended up reading it, and I feel so fuzzy right now. I'm hoping this conveys as well as I hope it did, because I really enjoyed writing this story... also, the name of this story hopefully makes sense now! :D
Honestly, this story just started out as a one-shot I was going to write for Xellos540's birthday, but this became quite special for me too. I am the type who could ship all of the Kaminomi girls with Keima, but I think the more I write about it, the more real and natural the couple feels... trust me, I am having a lot of "feels" for these two.
But yeah... this story is close to complete now, and all that is left is the epilogue. I truly hope that I did Tooru and Asami justice in this story, and that anyone who hasn't read the first light novel at least give it a try... the characters in that were just as dynamic and real as the manga itself, but the clunky translation does make it a little harder to read. It's definitely worthwhile in my opinion.
Ok, so reviews answering time now!
ZelgadisGW: Heh, that line sounded awfully tsundere... honestly, I've never pegged Tooru to be one of those, but I imagine she'd act like that for fun towards Keima now...
A-and it's not like I imagine Tooru to be similar to me... b-baka!
Though you're right... that part of the chapter was quite tense... in fact, I think after the zoo visit, things have been changing slowly between them, and they just needed that last step to get there... luckily, that is what chapter 7 is about :P
I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 6 as well... originally, I didn't have as much involvement from Asami, but that just goes to show how dynamic thoughts are... also, I do like Asami, but considering the nature of the story, it wasn't meant to be, though even as a rejection, I think Keima did that pretty well... coz character development :D
And yes... coffee is a dangerous thing. That's why I've never liked it :P
Xellos540: Heh, I'm always happy to hear when people enjoy my stories, so this was a nice review to come across.
I had actually considered making Asami's presence known at the end of chapter 5, but it already ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger without it, and I thought it would be too mean... especially for people who couldn't wait to read the next part.
I really enjoyed reading your play-by-play commentary of this chapter. I did feel kind of bad about Keima having to reject Asami, but I don't think it was a bad thing for her. Honestly, it was strength both on Keima and Asami's part which got them there, and even though it does hurt, I don't think she would regret confessing to him.
It kind of the same with Chihiro and Keima in this story... falling in love is a valuable experience, and even if it ends in heartache, it is still worthwhile.
Also, cyanide coffee xD! That's what all coffee is going to be called by me from now on.
That being said, I thank everyone who read, followed and favourited this story, and I hope you enjoyed reading this, and that you will let me know what you think in a review. For now, you guys stay well.
