Hello, everyone! I'm back!
I'm sorry it took this long, but first, life got in the way. Second, this chapter grew ridiculously long and it was kinda made from the back and the middle. In the end it had over 15 000 words and I still want to add something at the end, so I ultimately decided to split it into two separate chapters.
Bad thing? I'm not sure the cutting point was that good.
Good thing? The other part is almost ready, so expect it to appear in a few days. I hope it will be up by Friday.
Going back to the matter at hand, this chapter was built bit by bit from various parts, especially since I want use this trip to cross a few ideas out of my list...
...anyway I hope this chapter will prove consistent with itself and with the one that'll come after it. I did what I could.
As usual, I want to thank everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed this story. I'm especially thankful for the steady flow of reviews per chapters. You guys are great. Here are the replies:
NotAnAuthor504: Well, there go the "missing" grammar mistakes. Though honestly, half of them is words gluing together for some reason when I upload them to the site. I didn't have this problem with my old computer. Anyway, thanks for pointing them out. :) And Urara is not a "conscious" womanizer… she just makes head turn. A lot. Also, I'm glad you like where this is going… or where you think this is going :P. *in Clint Eastwood voice* It's good to know I make your day. P.S. I usually pay considerable attention to avoid which/with/witch and similar typos, but it's true I do less corrections for the chapters lately.
Sasori69: About the happy ending thing… god only knows the answer :P. Seriously though… reality-wise you might be right, but the point is to have a fic for each KeimaxHeroine pairing, so bad endings seem extremely unlikely. However, I kinda dedicated a small part of the chapter to your bad ending idea, so thank you for the inspiration. :)
Guest (Sir sleeps-a-lot): Yeah, it sure was, but don't beat yourself over that :). Unfortunately, I don't exactly know where I want to go xD. Yeah, Mio's rubbing off on Keima… kinda. I like the hunter analogy… it's exactly like that. I believe I answered the "love question" on another occasion, but I meant "crush/taking" an "caring/giving" types of love. More or less. P.S. "Teach us, Kami-sama" huh? :P
Leyknar: Hopefully, good things come to those who wait. ;)
ZelgadisGW: About Mio's strategy. Well, Mio believes in it. Whether she's right or wrong is yet to be seen. At least the trip is here, huh? :P
MasterZen: Thank you. :) I'm also glad you liked the pokemake(s). Shame I don't have time to do them lately…
Animeloverq8: Funny and romantic? We'll see about that ;). I guess you'll have to read the chapter to find out. :P
Shawn Raven: Well, Urara is not 100% naive. Only 90% or so. And indeed she's never been in a relationship… but that doesn't mean her advice is bad. Or good. :P I've no idea about normal couples either. Yes, Keima-Mio duo could be truly fearsome as they are two snarky and clear-minded individuals with good acting skills. As for Yui… at the time of writing thus reply I have no idea when and if she'll pop up in this story xD. Unfortunately, the chappie came late (T_T).
That's it for now.
Enjoy the chapter!
(* * *)
Mio found herself in Katsuragi's family car, heading to the airport. Eri was seating in the front, while Mio and Keima were seating in the back. Mari kept glancing at them through the rear-view mirror from time to time as if afraid or expecting for the two teens to do something.
Hmpf. As if.
Keima was playing his games and Mio was certain his bag for this trip consisted mostly of spare batteries, while the blonde kept looking out of the window. Of course, a car wasn't a motorbike, but Mari definitely was a different type of driver than Morita. Mio wasn't so surprised about Keima's car sickness anymore.
Soon they arrived at the airport and after another hour and half they were already in the air.
Eri was sitting by the window and was the most excited despite the fact she had the most experience about flying. Mari was sitting next to her and was looking a little bizarre with a volume of a manga in hands. Keima was sitting near the middle of the plane and wasn't looking so good.
"Are you all right?" Mio, who was sitting between the mother and the son asked.
"Do I look all right?" Keima asked back, but then continued. "Don't worry, I'll be... fine when we reach the cruising altitude."
Mio bit her lip. She noticed that Mari didn't react at all, obviously intending to let Mio interact with Keima as much as possible. It was kinda scary.
Soon Keima calmed down a little, but he didn't play his games, apparently planning to sleep through the journey. Mio on the other hand wasn't sleepy at all. And was becoming increasingly bored. She briefly considered asking Mari for one of her mangas, but then she decided on something else.
"Mind if I borrow it?" she asked Keima, pointing to his PFP. Mari made a strange motion. Keima didn't notice it, his attention on Mio as if he saw her for the first time in his life.
"Why?" he asked, tone full of surprise and suspicion.
"Cause I'm bored" she replied stretching out her hand to him. "Are you worried I'm going to destroy it or throw it out of the window?"
Keima didn't answer, handing her his PFP instead.
"Thanks" she told him.
"You know how to use it" Keima noticed, watching her.
"Umm… I saw you use it before, so I have it in my memories" Mio replied, hoping that the hidden meaning would be obvious to Keima, while to Mari it would seem harmless.
Of course, Mio knew next to nothing about galge and she considered them boring at best, but they sure beat just sitting there. So she started the game and soon after that she triggered the Meet Cute event for her player character. Mio furrowed her brow as she watched the heroine being introduced. She had long black hair and she was quite well-endowed.
Mio had to stifle a snort at that. What does Keima see in those 2D girls? He can't even touch them! And Tsukiyo was right – those 2D girls were just drawings. But Mio was different. She was real, not some fictional character from a harem manga!
Minutes flew by. Mari was on the third volume of her manga by now and Eri was still glued to the window, mesmerized by the outside world. Keima kept watching Mio play the entire time, although she wasn't sure if he was watching her or the game, but he didn't comment.
Suddenly the speakers came to life and the crew announced the plane nearing its destination.
"Thanks" Mio returned the console to Keima. "But I wasn't able to get anywhere anyway."
"You moved about without entering a set route" he replied, proving that he was indeed watching her play. "Besides, you can't expect to complete a conquest in such a short amount of time anyway."
"You can" she noticed, she didn't even know why.
"That's different" Keima said simply.
There was no time to talk further as they were preparing to land. They soon touched the ground and reached the airport through the boarding bridge. 10 minutes later the exited the airport.
Mio didn't really look outside windows during flight and the first thing she noticed now that she was outside was snow.
A lot of snow.
It seemed that March in Hokkaidō was more snowy than January around Maijima. More snowy and colder, Mio thought as she zipped up her winter jacket. Snow was nice and all, but does it have to be so damn cold?
Unfortunately, they had to wait for their bus, but they spent this time drinking hot chocolate in a nearby café and Keima was glad to be outside any moving vehicle and happily played his games, ignoring the cold and scolding gaze of his mother.
His attitude changed however when they boarded the bus and were going through the bumpy terrain, heading for the mountains. It was past midday when they arrived at their destination – the hotel at the outskirts of one of the tourist towns. And if there was one thing that was almost as common as snow then it was people. Groups. Families.
Couples.
Mio stole a glance at Keima. He tried to act nonchalant, but she somehow felt he noticed the crowds, but didn't want to show it. Was he treating it just like real-life lesson and painful at that? That was no good – he was supposed to have fun. He was supposed to have fun with her… And despite the entire "protect me from Yui" thing it still felt as if he was sacrificing for her. And that was even worse, she thought as they left the reception desk and were heading for their rooms.
The strange thing was that his worries spurred her own. This sounded obvious but really wasn't. Yes, ever since she had learned of everything she was kinda worried for him, but not to this extent and she objected to admit it, even to herself. But now it was different. She knew effort was required for progress, but she still yearned for some ideal solution, one that would help Keima get closer to the real, but also keep him happy. And somewhere along the way his worries became her worries. His motivation and happiness became hers.
In a way this was a great step forward – she originally wanted to become a stable presence, a permanent part of his life. Well, she partially succeeded. And he certainly was a tangible presence in her life by now.
Her musings were halted when Mari stopped in front of one of the doors.
"Here we are" she announced. "Rooms 308and 309."
Mio blinked. Until now she somehow assumed there'll be four rooms, but now it seemed naive – it was perfectly fine to think that Mr and Mrs Katsuragi would be in one room, while Keima and Eri, as siblings would end up in the second one.
But right now Keima's father was not here and Mio was supposed to be his replacement. So will she stay with Mari? It was logical, as Mari was the only adult here and responsible for Mio. Besides, the only other solution would be to place Keiichi with Keima and Mari with Eri, so in this case Mio would end up with…
No, she shook her head. No matter how much Mari wanted grandchildren, she would never go that far…
"Okay, I'm staying in this one" Mari said, standing in front of the room 308 and opening it.
Mio automatically followed, but Mari stopped her. "Aah… you'll be staying in the other room, Mio-chan."
"W-what?" Mio stuttered in disbelief. "W-wait! Don't tell me you expect me to stay in a room with h-him!" she managed, hand pointing at Keima and her face red in what she hoped looked like anger.
Mari looked at her for a moment and then burst out laughing.
"Of course I didn't expect you to do that" Mari said when she stopped laughing. "I planned for you girls to stay together, while I'll watch over my son and make sure he doesn't... misbehave."
This time Mio's embarrassment couldn't be mistaken for anything else. Maybe except humiliation. Keima didn't say anything acting as if Mio just didn't insult him or make an ass of herself. Eri on the other hand was elated.
"It reminds me of that one time when I was having sleepover with Ange at Meguu's place" she said ten minutes later when her and Mio were unpacking their things in their room.
"Ange? Meguu? Who's that?" Mio asked.
"Aah… they were my classmates in New Hell" Eri replied scratching her head.
Are you saying I remind you of a devil, Mio thought to herself while unpacking her bag. Since when did she own so many clothes anyway? And why the hell did she brought these with her? It's was freakin' winter! Very early spring at best. It's not like she'll be able to show off those clothes to Keima!
"So what will you do after we finish unpacking?" Eri asked.
"Didn't you say we were going skiing?" Mio asked back.
"Well, I'm going to" Eri started before pausing. "But I thought that you and nii-sama would like to… you know… spend some time alone."
Mio drew in her breath at that. Wandering the streets in the cold wasn't the greatest of things to do… but with Keima… Well, she wouldn't say no (though she might be a little picky before agreeing), but would Keima want to do that?
"Well, you can always just come with us" Eri continued. "It would certainly be fun."
Eri continued unpacking, while Mio contemplated the idea. She was getting more conflicted by the second, one question possessing her mind.
What should she do right now?
(* * *)
"Ugh! Not again!" a whiny voice echoed.
Mio turned around, facing the source of the voice and snickered. She moved, gliding through the snow using her skis and the stopped with a skid next to Eri who fell down for the umpteenth time.
"You were right" Mio told her, extending her hand. "It's certainly fun."
"That's not funny" Eri whined back, but accepted the help, letting Mio bring her back on her feet… or skis. "I just can't understand it… how can this be more difficult than flying?"
"No idea" Mio said moving away.
"Wait!" Eri half-shouted. "Can't you pull me for a moment or something?"
"Nope" Mio said, thought she was briefly remember of the one time she expected Morita to pull her when she was using roller-skates. And the one time Keima pulled her when she was sitting on a sledge some time ago. The thought make her feel warmer. "The way my father taught me to ski was by letting me do it myself" Mio added, waving to the other girl, who tried to catch her balance, before speeding away. She continued to look at Eri. And that proved to be a lucky mistake.
Wham!
"Ouch!" Mio exclaimed and fell down. It was a looong time since she last fell down while skiing and it felt exactly as she remembered it – her legs were attached to the rigid skis and were difficult to move, while the snow somehow managed to penetrate her clothing and was now assaulting her skin with icy sensation.
Mio spat out the snow and looked up to see what she collided with – it couldn't be a tree or a rock or she would be nursing a bump on her head.
"I'm beginning to think you're doing it on purpose" the other person said, while trying to pick himself up from the snow and offering her a hand. It was Keima.
Obviously.
And his words… they way he phrased it… I mean, in a game it would be a proper flag (assuming Keima considered her worth setting a flag). Was he annoyed by her?
That thought made her forget she was not wearing flats or even her platform shoes but skis and she lost her balance. Both her and Keima automatically reached out with their hands to prevent her from falling. In result not only did Mio fall into his chest but they also kinda hugged each other.
The next thing Mio registered was a telltale click of Mari's camera and the blonde turned her face only to see the orange-haired woman smiling at her. Eri was smiling too, seemingly unconcerned with her skiing skills at the moment. Mio could also hear some giggles, snickers and "aaws" that were definitely not coming from Keima's family.
She backed away immediately and attempted to leave, but the skis made it difficult.
"Are you all right?" Keima asked after her, skillfully navigating through the snow.
"Yeah, totally" Mio mouthed back in panic, before an idea struck her. "Race you!" she shouted.
And with this she started to slide down the slope. Keima blinked, perplexed. This was a strange flag. Did she want him to follow her for some purpose or was she trying to get away from him? His further thoughts were interrupted when he felt the stare of his mother on his back, clearly telling him to follow Mio.
His mother acting like a relationship advice bothered him, but it was still preferable to her lashing out.
So he followed Mio.
(* * *)
"You're pretty fast, you know?" he said when he found her at the bottom of the mid-advance slope.
"Flattery will get you nowhere" she replied, hoping it sounded like she was just playing with him. God, that actually sounded almost hostile, didn't it?
"It would be flattery if I was lying or you were this fast because of your stature."
"And you think the reason is different?" she asked, trying to convince herself he wasn't making fun of her height.
"Yes, your skills" he replied. "And that makes it a compliment."
"Aah… thank you… you're pretty good yourself" she stammered. "Let me guess. Winter-themed galges?"
"More or less" he admitted. "You know how it is. You press L, R, up, left, R and such."
She shook her head. "How you translate that to real-world feet movement is a mystery to everyone but you though. Anyway, I won the race."
"You had a head start" Keima noticed.
"Excuuuses" she replied in a sing-song voice.
"How about we go again?" he suggested.
"You're pretty competitive, aren't you?" she teased.
"Do they teach high-class people to answer a question with a question?" he teased back.
"Hypocrite" she accused jokingly. "Okay, fine, but only if you want."
"Let's go then" he replied.
Mio noticed he didn't explicitly state he wanted.
(* * *)
Mio forgot that they'd have to use a ski lift to get back to the start of the slope. Sitting with Keima close to each other like that could be a really nice experience. Maybe they could even talk like normal couples their age are supposed to. But the harsh wind got in the way, forcing them to cling to their clothes throughout the ride.
As for the second race, Mio was certain she had a chance. If her skiing wasn't so rusty that is. She tried harder, but at one point she almost lost her balance, so she gave up.
Keima wasn't that much faster than she was anyway. However, he was still much faster than she had anticipated. When did Keima put so much effort into things, aside from hunting loose souls? The answer was as obvious as it was perplexing.
While conquering game heroines.
(* * *)
When they were all done skiing (which took a while once Eri got the hang of it) it was already four in the afternoon and it was beginning to get dark, so they returned to their hotel.
During the dinner Eri was even more energetic than usual, obviously enjoying herself during this trip already. Keima on the other hand was quiet and regarded the coffee he was served with disinterest. Mio could almost see his fingers twitch, as if in search for his PFP.
But his eyes were trained on Mio most of the time. She couldn't say he wasn't paying attention to her or not trying. And it wasn't like she wanted him to kiss her in public places like hotel restaurants or ski slopes anyway.
"You're not eating, Mio-chan?" Mari asked suddenly, bringing the girl out of her stupor. "Is something wrong with the food?"
"No, it's fine" the blonde replied. "Of course not as good as yours… umh… Mari-san."
"Just Mari is fine" the orange-haired woman smiled. There was something more in that smile. The same thing Mio noticed when Mari first saw her in the clothes Mio had chosen for the dinner.
The blonde fought the urge to groan internally. Even she herself didn't know why she picked those clothes. "Cause it's restaurant" simple wouldn't do. The only possible explanation is that she had become enough of commoner to try and look good for Keima.
In truth, the level of annoyance this realization brought was nowhere near what she expected, but it was still there. Her internal turmoil must've showed on her face, because Keima eyed her suspiciously, so she got back to eating.
After they were done eating Mari and Eri went to check out the built-in hot spring bath, but Mio politely refused to join. It was pretty obvious both female Katsuragis assumed Mio wanted to spend some time with Keima alone, but in truth she wanted to bathe as well.
She was just against public hot springs. She was self-conscious enough.
Eri later telling her that the bath was girls-only didn't change anything. Women wouldn't peep at her, but would judge her and Mio didn't want that.
(* * *)
When Mio finally finished her long and relaxing bath and got back to her room it was already past six o'clock. She considered going to Keima's room, but she figured it was his "charge his gaming batteries" time and she didn't want to disturb him. However, she also decided that she exercised enough today to earn one of her favorite snacks as she opened one of her bags and retrieved a package from her hidden sandwich stash.
She was barely done eating when Eri walked into the room and dragged Mio to Mari and Keima's room to play a few rounds of child-friendly version of poker.
Mari was shocked Keima could keep such a perfect poker face.
Eri was shocked tsundere like Mio was not too shabby either.
And Mio was shocked Keima even agreed to play.
Finally, the game was over and Mio waited for both Mari and Eri to turn around before she gave Keima a peck on the cheek mouthed a quick "goodnight" and escaped, no… retreated to her own room.
It was only eight o'clock but the jet lag finally caught up with her.
It was time to call it a day.
(* * *)
Mio slept in as it was close to noon when she woke up. She noticed that Eri wasn't there. But there was a sheet of paper on her night table. She looked at it and immediately recognized Eri's drawings.
Mio-chan,
hope you had a nice sleep. Me and kaa-san went to explore the city. We'll be back by 3 o'clock. Kaa-san wants for all of us to go together in the evening.
— Eri
P.S. Nii-sama is staying back in his room, so you two can have some fun.
P.P.S. Not too much fun!
The last part was written in different handwriting, meaning it was a warning from Mari.
Mio briefly wondered how long will it take for the open grandchildren demands to appear. Then she decided she didn't want to learn the answer to that particular question anytime soon.
Maybe she should choose one of the better off classmates and play matchmaker between him and Eri, so Mari's ambition will focus on the former devil instead?
Mio shook her head. No, that would be a hit below the belt. Eri was not at fault here.
Mio changed her clothes or rather tried to, because in the middle of it she was interrupted by knocking on the door.
Please… please let it be Mari or room service.
"Mio?" a voice said and it certainly didn't belong to Mari or room service. Unless those played galges. "Are you there?"
Mio immediately bolted to the door and made sure it was closed.
"Don't come in!" she shouted in panic. Keima was on the other side of the door! And she only had her panties and bra on! "I'm not decent!"
Keima was silent for a second. "Is the door even unlocked?"
Mio checked and saw that it wasn't. She sighed in relief.
"Anyway, I suggest you wear the clothes from the yesterday's dinner. Just don't forget your jacket, 'cause we're going outside.I'll be waiting for you downstairs" he said.
Mio just stood there, the sound of him walking away barely audible through the beating of her heart, the feeling of being naked and confused washing through her.
What was that?
(* * *)
"You look nice" Keima complimented her when she met him at the bottom of the stairs.
"Um…thank you" she replied, assuming he meant the clothes. She complied with his request and picked the dress she used yesterday.
It was a simple scarlet dress, where the bodice clung nicely to her thin frame, while thin straps helped to support it. The straps crossed before connecting to garter-styled back, which accentuated her small waist. On the bottom, the mid-thigh skirt flowed lightly over the pleated pink lining, which she felt dance over her black tights which then disappeared into her calf high boots.
Mio also noticed Keima was kinda dressed up as well. Nothing too fancy and not that far from his "house shirt" look… but so far away at the same time. She put her jacket on"Where are we going?"
"On a date."
It's funny how a preposition, an indefinite article and a noun can stop a person dead in their tracks.
"W-what?" she sputtered out, completely surprised. She kinda wanted to face palm though. Why didn't she see it coming?
"You don't want to?" Keima asked back.
"It's not that" she replied hastily. "I mean why so out of a sudden?"
"Well, it has been some time already, but we haven't been on an official date so far" he explained.
"Oh… okay" she responded, the rest was told by her cheeks turning red until she realized her response was too vague. "I mean I'd love to… but are you fine with this? We don't have to-"
He cut her off by offering her his hand. "May I have this privilege?" he asked, but she kinda substituted 'privilege' with 'dance' in her mind. Moreover, she was still standing on the lowest step of the stairs, which both made her look taller and gave this 'princess walks down the stairs' kind of feel to the situation.
With all this she could only take the offered hand and nod.
"Then let's go" Keima said.
(* * *)
He led her through the streets and guided her to one of the restaurants. One of the more fancy restaurants. How did he even knew this place existed? He didn't leave yesterday… unless he did. And most important of all: how the hell did he manage to reserve a table here? Mio knew from her previous lifestyle that he needed to do it over a week ago… which meant he planned this before the trip started…
He planned it just for her.
The thought should make her happy, but it made her swallow a lump in her throat instead.
"Good afternoon. We have reservation here under then name Katsuragi" Keima said to the head waiter once they entered.
"Of course. I take you are Mr Katsuragi and this lovely young lady must be Ms Aoyama" the head waiter then bowed in the direction of Mio before ushering them inside and towards their table.
Mio should be ready for a situation like this. She used to eat at such places everyday with her parents. But for some reason (and she damn well knew that reason)her legs felt like made of iron and jelly at the same time. And she realized with a shock that Keima was holding her hand.
(* * *)
The entire 'dinner date' thing experience was terrifying.
And much, much more than that.
Mio was never on a real date before and didn't even know how date among commoners really looked like. However, she quickly realized that this type of date wasn't something that often happened to common couples.
Actually, she was ready to bet every last bit of her money that this was something called a perfect date.
Well, she could still see Keima's bed hair, but that was because she knew him. Otherwise, he was rather well-groomed and well-mannered today. He was also attentive and Mio was once again reminded why he was said to be able to capture the heart of any girl.
It almost felt as if he was directing her and their surrounding with the power of his mind.
Even the food was divine… befitting the ability of the God of Conquest.
A terrifying ability.
Mio soon found herself talking with Keima on topics she didn't know she could converse with him about. He made her surprised. He made her blush.
And he made her happy.
It was a wonderful experience. And at the same time terrifying. It was just the amount of power and control he had over her whenever he wanted. She was able to see it, but she wasn't able to resist it.
Maybe she didn't want to resist it?
And maybe that's why his obvious acting didn't bother her. Maybe he was acting because he couldn't go through such a date any other way. Not with this level of perfection. He wasn't deceiving her though. This was who Keima was – a man in pursuit of a woman. He wasn't conquering her for his benefit.
He was doing it for her.
And that was her privilege.
(* * *)
As wonderful and perfect (except for being expensive, Mio still felt kinda bad about letting him pay for all this) as this unexpected date was, it lacked in some parts. I mean, it was a restaurant dinner (were, late breakfast really). It couldn't offer the light atmosphere and humor that skiing, sledging or snowball fights created. She couldn't do those wearing a dress like that either.
However, she was forced to reconsider her view on that when her and Keima left the restaurant and he started leading her to "some other place".
Mio was clueless. Where could he lead her in the middle of winter? Well, at least it wasn't snowing today.
Her question was answered when they reached an enclosed area that was separate from the cold outside world. Once inside Mio realized they entered some sort of a botanical garden. A tropical-type botanical garden. There was so much green here. So much exotic plants. Large park-like open space too.
There were even some exotic birds in the air, at the trees and in the ponds.
And it was warm here.
"You knew about this place beforehand, right?" Mio asked when the first shock passed and they started their tour.
"I never neglect to do my research" Keima replied simply.
Mio only nodded. She was slowly starting to appreciate his gaming mindset. It was useful for date planning.
(* * *)
"Research is one thing" Keima said when they wandering around. "But I didn't expect you to enjoy it this much."
"Ah… it kinda reminds me when Papa took me to the zoo or the amusement park" Mio replied. "I really liked such outings."
"This in nowhere near exciting as zoo or amusement park" Keima noticed.
And I'm not your father, he thought to himself.
Mio just shrugged in response to his audible statement.
And then she got an idea. They were in Hokkaidō. No-one here knew them. Of course, strangers could laugh at them, but it would only be brief. Perhaps it was time to make another small step.
Slowly, carefully, but surely Mio extended her hand. Her heart was beating like crazy when she clasped Keima's hand with his, intertwining their fingers together. Keima's reaction was vague. He flinched a little bit, but did nothing to stop her.
After some time they decided to sit down on one of the benches near one of the ponds. Their hands were joined the whole time and Mio was slowly tempted to become more bold. She tried to fight it, but it was difficult, her urges demanding that she just pounce him and make up for the lack of lip contact lately.
No, there was no need for such a direct approach. She could just ask him to kiss her. Of even better, send him subtle signals. Flutter of eyelashes. A honest sweet smile (no, Mio, not a grin). Slowly leaning closer. There weren't even people nearby. They could were well be alone. She tucked loose strands of her hair behind her ear in the most girly, no... womanly way she could muster and she locked eyes with him. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but she thought she saw something right there in his eyes.
For the months to come she would sometimes wonder how things would have worked out if everything had went as planned and expected back then.
If they hadn't been interrupted.
It started with a wolf whistle.
Mio immediately jerked her head, hoping that the sound wasn't directed at them.
But it was.
Looking back at it, if it was just two of them then maybe Mio could just lash out at them, scaring one of them and then unleashing the old good tsundere violence on the other. Maybe it could even work against three if Keima worked with her and avoided calling them parsleys.
But it was five of them. Five guys. Outsiders. This was something Keima's galge skill couldn't control. Not in real they were looking as tall as Keima, but older than him.
"Hey, babe" the one at the front started, his words obviously directed at Mio. "You're a young good-looking thing. Don't you feel lonely here?"
Mio somehow felt Keima tense, but he didn't react just yet. Mio on the other hand had trouble staying put.
Why was this happening?
Granted, her clothes were kinda nice, so they would obviously gather attention. But why was it that the one time people weren't treating her like twelve year old was when it was coming from random skirt chasers?
Scratch that. They were skirt chasers, all right, but they didn't look all that random. The few other people close to them started to move away, Mio noticed.
And in all this sudden date confusion she forgot to take her whip with her.
"I'm here with someone" Mio replied, trying to not be too insulting.
"Someone?" the guy laughed. "Now, how about you ditch that loser and come play around with us instead?"
The loser comment did it.
"A loser?" she repeated. "This guy, no... this man here is worth many times more than all of you combined!" she shouted. She was standing but she didn't remember doing so. "Now get lost and go find some zoo where you belong, you band of apes!"
Keima hissed, signaling that she went a little too far. The guys apparently thought the same.
"Band of apes?" it was the leader's turn to repeat. "I think we have some misbehaving chick here. How about we teach you some manners, missy?"
The atmosphere suddenly thickened and Mio realized that they weren't a silly trio of high school delinquents. They were five grown-ups. Maybe even criminals.
Because if they were then there was nothing stopping them from assaulting the couple in broad daylight. Keima apparently thought the same 'cause he stood up as well and moved in front of Mio.
This obviously defensive maneuver was taken as an act of hostility, as the leader moved against Keima. Mio could feel her blood curdle.
This could end bad. Really bad.
"I think you're in the way" the leader said and sent a punch in Keima's direction.
Mio moved to interfere, but another guy grabbed her from behind.
"Don't move and nothing will happen to you" he said, grinning lewdly, his other hand going around Mio for a feel.
He apparently thought Mio was defenseless and not pissed. He was wrong on both accounts and became aware of it when Mio elbowed him in the ribs.
The guys eyes widened, but not as much as Mio's because somehow her elbow thrown from an awkward angle sent the guy a few feet back and he ended up on the grass, clutching his gut in obvious pain.
Mio couldn't think too much about it, because she heard a splash. She whipped around, expecting that the leader of the thugs had thrown Keima into the pond.
Well, almost.
Keima was standing where she last saw him and was completely unhurt. The leader on the other hand somehow rolled down towards the pond and ended up in the water.
Mio blinked, trying to figure out how such a thing was possible. Keima simply blinked, as if not comprehending it either.
One of the remaining thugs, probably the right hand of the leader, was even less accepting of the turn of events.
"Why you!" he roared as he dashed at them. Mio and Keima reacted as one mind, kneeing him together.
It worked surprisingly well.
The rest went rather quick. They heard another whistle, but this time it was a police officer running in their direction. The three downed guys suddenly found the strength in their legs and started to ran away, following the two unhurt thugs.
They were saved. The police officer believed their story, which was a miracle by itself (a lanky guy and a short girl defeating three guys like that?) and they were left off the hook without further investigation, so one could say all ended well.
Except the mood and the date was ruined.
(* * *)
Mio was pissed.
Unfortunately, she couldn't let out her frustration, because there was no-one to blame.
After the half-successful and half-failed first date Mio and Keima returned to their hotel in silence. When they got back they encountered Mari and Eri who were in quite the good spirits. Mio and Keima didn't want for them to worry, so they decided not to tell them anything except that they were out together.
Soon after that Mari executed her dreadful plan for the evening which mainly resolved around karaoke. Thus, the evening was spent in one of the booths alongside several snacks, drinks (alcoholic ones in the case of Mari) and singing.
Mio wasn't really happy with that. The fact that karaoke was a common activity was the least of her problems. She was more concerned with Keima, suspecting his discomfort, but both his poker face and mask were back in place, so she couldn't be sure.
But if her gut feeling was right then it was bad.
Thus, she wasn't in the best of moods when her and Eri went to sleep.
Why was this things kept happening just when she tried to move forward?
Was it a sign that she should go back to being passive?
Or maybe a good ending between the two of them wasn't meant to be after all?
Maybe she was destined to be just a girl in his life and nothing more and no amount of effort or magic orbs could change that?
(* * *)
The next day wasn't that dramatic, but promised to be just as unproductive as the previous one. Even worse, Mari concluded than Keima and Mio had enough alone time, so now all four of them should spend the day together, probably as an excuse to let Mio know the rest of Keima's family.
Mio expected the grandchildren question to appear soon.
The worst thing about this was that she and Keima didn't have any chance to talk privately, as Mari and Eri hung close to them. And Mio was surprised how much places and things they could go and do in winter that weren't related to winter sports.
For one, they went shopping and everyone bought something (obviously local galges in Keima's case). Mio herself didn't want to waste her hard-earned money, no matter how tempting a particular piece of clothing looked. And she refused to let Mari pay for it, even partially.
But as we all know, in front of Mari Katsuragi all resistance was futile.
Still, Mio thought that it would be better to separate from both girls, so she would have some chances to talk with Keima.
"And now, the last point for today" Mari said when it was already getting dark.
Mio looked at where they arrived. The place was an open space lit with subtle but effective lighting and resembled a large park, perfect for night walks. Mio suddenly felt a mix of familiarity and anxiety for some reason. She was confused for a moment, but then noticed the high ceiling and the change in temperature and realized where they were.
It was the botanic garden thing again.
At this time of day it was looking completely different, but it was the same place. Mio felt her stomach sink a little. This place brought bad memories and Mio didn't want to go there. Mari and Eri being with them didn't change a thing.
"What's wrong?" Mari asked, seeing as neither Mio nor Keima moved from their spot at the entrance.
Mio opened her mouth, words eluding her. Fortunately, Keima saved them.
Kinda.
"We've been here today, mom" Keima said.
"Aah… romantic date, huh?" Mari asked, winking at Mio, who tried to smile back, but with little success. "Still this place looks completely different at night. They even said about it in the pamphlet" the orange-haired woman waved a small book in front of them. "It's one of the biggest tourist attractions around here during winter."
What to do, Mio thought. Should she just say they wanted to go back to the hotel by themselves? She would very much like to do that, but it would look suspicious, just as refusing to go into the garden for no reason. And Mio desperately wanted to avoid more questions.
Yet, again Keima rescued them.
"I know… but me and Mio" Keima put his hand over Mio's shoulder. "We were thinking of trying something different today. Not karaoke but… but…"
"A club" Mio shot at random. "You know, listen to some music, have so fun…"
It was a terrible excuse and Mari looked at the two of them with surprise, but then she smiled.
"Oh I get what you're saying. I went to this one club hereon the first day too. No-one tried to approach me there, so I guess it should be safe for you. I can give you the directions. Still, I trust you'll keep your girlfriend safe. And no alcohol, is that understood?"
"Perfectly" Keima said.
(* * *)
And that's how the two of them found themselves inside a certain club ten minutes later.
Bad points?
There was loud techno music playing (Mio was more used to classics, piano orchestra and the like) and various colored lights were flashing out from every side,blinking rapidly. And it was quite crowded here. Definitely a commoner-type entertainment establishment.
Good points?
It had security and the people, while commoners, didn't look like some bad element. The worst that could happen here was someone grabbing her butt. And only accidentally at that.
Still, Mio was tempted to just walk out, but then they'd risk running into Mari and more questions. From the look on Keima's face he was thinking the same.
"I know it's getting to know the real, but that is a little extreme" he said. Mio barely heard him through the noise.
"Yes, definitely too many commoners" Mio replied. "But we have little choice. Let's just get it over with."
"But what are we supposed to do here?" Keima asked.
"We could try dancing" Mio suggested hopefully.
"You call that dancing?" he pointed at the various people on the dancing floor.
"No, definitely not" Mio reconsidered when she looked closer. "How about we get to the bar?"
"We're underage" Keima noticed. Mio was thankful he didn't mention no-one would ever believe she was an adult at her height.
"There's a lot of teenagers here" Mio remarked. "I bet they have a lot of non-alcoholic stuff."
"You're right" Keima admitted.
So with some trouble they squeezed through the dance floor and sat at the far side of the bar. It wasn't so crowded here and the music wasn't that loud either.
They ordered their drinks (Keima asked for non-alcoholic beer) and then settled on watching the other customers.
"If that's what real is like then I want no part in it" Keima remarked.
"I hear you" she said. "I don't want to become nearly that common either. Then she thought about something. "I didn't have the chance to thank you yet."
"Thank me?" Keima repeated. "For what?"
"For trying to protect me from those assholes yesterday" Mio told him. "That took some bravery. I was touched" she looked at him with worried eyes. "I'm just afraid to see you hurt."
"It's my responsibility to handle the fights" he said.
"Of course. As soon as you defeat me in a fight" she challenged.
"You can pack a punch, I will give you that" he admitted and turned back to her. Then he froze, his eyes distant and fixed somewhere above her.
"So that's what happened" he said suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "I should've known."
"What are you talking about?" Mio asked, thinking she heard him wrong.
Keima pointed his finger at the other side of the bar. Mio looked over there and at first she couldn't see what he was getting at. The only thing out of place there was this small violet-haired girl, even smaller than Mio, dressed in a jacket, scarf and a big cap despite being indoors. Somewhat futuristic looking headphones were sticking out from the cap.
The girl was looking right at them while scribbling something on a pad of paper, as if studying the human behavior.
And that's when Mio realized who it was.
"That's one of the devils!" she said a little too loud but no-one was paying attention to them anyway.
"Yes" Keima nodded. "More precisely it's Rimyuel. One of our guardian angels.… um… devils. So at least one of them followed us all of the way here, it seems."
"Wait" Mio furrowed her brow in thought. "You want to say that she's the one who helped us get rid of those… ugh… assholes yesterday?"
"Apparently…though at first I thought you just socked those guys pretty good."
"And what about the one who was fighting you? You thought he landed in the pond on his own?" Mio asked.
"I thought he just slipped."
"Seriously?"
"It's not so uncommon in games."
Mio rolled her eyes, but then she turned back to Rimyuel, smiled politely and bowed her head in what she hoped was obvious sign of gratitude. Rimyuel responded with a barely noticeable nod. Then Mio blinked. And then the devil was no more. Mio briefly wondered if only the two of them could see her.
"It's a shame she didn't interfere sooner" Mio said. Keima opened his mouth to say something, but Mio continued. "I'm going to the restroom."
"Alone?" he asked and when she looked at him funny, her face reddening, he explained further. "I mean I should escort you, not go into the room with you."
Mio stood there for a moment and then smiled at him.
"I appreciate the gesture, but there are crowds here and I'll have infernal forces watching over me, so I think I'll be fine."
She left with that and reached the restroom with no problem whatsoever. She thought about Keima's offer to escort her. Maybe she should've agreed? But there was no danger really…
Then she looked up at her own reflection in the sink mirror as an idea struck her.
What if Keima was worried some other guys will try to make a pass at her? Mio doubted any guy would put the moves on her here, where there was so many other more… open-minded girls and where no-one knew the greatest asset that always attracted men to her – her past wealth. Keima's fear would be unjustified. And he most probably didn't think anything like that.
Then another idea entered her mind. There were a lot of open-minded girls here, right…? what if one of them tried to make a move on her man? Would Rimyuel be able to protect Keima in that case? Would she even want to do that?
Mio washed her hands in record time and left the bathroom, trying to see over the crowds and cursing her height. There he was! He was still alone, thank goddesses!
Mio proceeded to walk back to the bar, trying to avoid people stepping on her while doing the thing they called "dancing". She only partially succeeded as someone bumped into her.
"Hey, watch it!" Mio barked.
"My bad" the person turned out to be a girl. "I'm really sorry, I wasn't paying attention and-" she then paused and looked closely. "Mio!?"
The surprise in her eyes was only matches by Mio's.
"Sumire?" the blonde asked back in shock.
The people around them didn't notice a thing, continued to move more or less according to the rhythm.
"What are you doing here?" Mio asked. This couldn't be a coincidence. Rimyuel and now Sumire? Who's going to appear next? Kosaka? Yui? Oh god, please let it not be Yui. She glanced over at Keima as if expecting the guitarist and drummer to be there already. But they weren't.
"Enjoying myself" the rāmen lover replied, before sighing. "Or at least trying to."
"Here? In Hokkaidō?" Mio questioned.
Sumire shrugged. "Yeah. We earned good amount of money thanks to our new shop strategy, so me and father decided to take a few days off. I would've preferred summer vacation, but if things stay good like this then we'll go for summer as well."
"And why are you here specifically?" Mio asked gesturing to the club.
Sumire's smile fell a little and color invaded her cheeks.
"Umm… I'm kinda man hunting."
"What!?"
"I mean, it's just a few days, but I thought maybe I should start training… you know… helping me to move on."
"Oh…" Mio suddenly went quiet. "So… umm… any luck with that?"
Sumire laughed. "So far? Just a bunch of boring kids and horny assholes" she said, before changing the topic. "But for the two of us to meet in a place like this. What are you doing here? Are you on a trip with you mother?"
It was Mio's turn to go red. She was tempted to lie, but Keima told Yui, right?
"Actually… I'm on a trip with Keima's family…"
Sumire's eyes could very well be two saucers.
"With all of them?"
"Well… his father couldn't be here… so I kinda took his spot."
"That explains nothing" Sumire told her. "How did you manage to do this?"
"Umm… the thing is… me and Keima are kinda going out at the moment."
"Really!?" Sumire asked and Mio heard her clearly despite the loud music. "And what you mean kinda? Aah… what does it matter? My congratulations then!"
"Yeah… thanks" Mio uttered, not sure what to say.
"But what are you doing here alone then?"
"I'm not exactly alone" Mio said and indicated to where Keima was sitting.
"Sweet! This evening could turn nice yet!" Sumire exclaimed then turned to Mio. "How about we party, just the three of us? And don't worry I won't try to steal your man… as long as you permit me one last dance with him."
Mio was quiet for a moment, weighing her options. And then she nodded.
(* * *)
Keima was even more surprised at the turn of events, at first suspecting that Sumire was just a devil in disguise. However, after that things turned surprisingly nice.
Sumire was very happy to hang out with them and she even managed to drag Keima to the dancing floor. Mio was afraid of that at first, but it turned out Sumire was not only true to her world, but she also grabbed Mio for a spin as well.
It was certain this wasn't the best way of spending time for Keima and Mio, but it went much better than Mio expected. After all, talking, drinking, dancing, exchanging gossip and teasing weren't so bad and the evening ended without problems.
Except the gap between Mio and Keima remained.
And so another day of their trip had ended.
And Mio was slowly losing her hopes about bringing the two of them closer.
(* * *)
So yeah... there is a lot of things happening here the arrival. Room assignment (*grins*). Skiing. Mari's watchful eyes and teasing (*grins*). Dresses and classy dinner dates. Botanical gardens with unwelcome visitors. Forced trip to the club. Sumire making unexpected appearance. Well, at least she's moving on. And that's it. The second half of the trip is still to be seen.
And believe me, there's some good stuff there as well! So stay tuned for the next chapter!
And just so you know: non-alcoholic drinks for minors are legal in Japan, though not recommended.
Trivia time: the room number 308 was chosen from the fandom shorthands of its inhabitants: Mari (30) and Keima (08). The other room is simply next to it.
As always, follows, favs and reviews are very much appreciated.
See you next time!
Update: being the horrible jerk with cheese for memory that I am I forgot to mention something: the credit for designing the outfit Mio was wearing for the hotel dinner and restaurant dinner date goes to Sir Sleeps-a-lot! Thank you for that! :)