Hello everyone! I'm back yet again!
And I brought you nearly ten thousand words worth of a chapter. I hope it is worth all the wait. And we're getting closer and closer to the ending of MioNomi. You'll have to wait a little more, but we're getting there.
Anyway, continuing my new tradition (no, I didn't forget about pokemakes :P), I made another poll. This one concerns the girls from the TWGOK light novels. I'm aware that probably not many of you have read them, but if you did, please vote on my profile or on the forum!
As always, thank you for all your support, even if the number of reviews dropped for some reason. Anyway, here are the replies:
Normality Is Key: thanks for the review :). That is a lot of mistakes however... how did I end up making all of those xD. Anyway, thanks for your good words. I'm glad you liked the part atmosphere written by someone who wasn't at nothing even remotely close to such a party. I hope this chapter will be to you liking as well. :)
Sir Sleeps-a-lot: Yay! I got my first hand-written review! That's really neat :). Moving on, what do you mean Yoshitake is stupid? xD He's just not as socially adept as most people there. And yes, Okajima and Aizawa are dating, but are trying to hide that. As for the number of people in the board of directors – Aoyama Heavy Industries is now a pretty small company, so four people is justified (they have more employees though). Yeah, "yo momma" jokes for... reasons. Glad you're liked that part :). And yes – teens those days. :P
ZelgadisGW: Isn't it? And why are you laughing at Giichi? It's not like he's background character created to be a butt of a joke xD. And Mio's not possessive at all. And she totally wouldn't order Morita to use earplugs. Totally :P.
Shawn Raven: I think that's your shortest review as far as I remember. It's a good change of pace though, so no worries. Yes, Aizawa came out as capricious cause she is... and yeah... I get the point :P. I don't know about 1930s, but that doesn't seem like a bad notion. Anyway, thanks for the review and I hope you'll like this chapter as well :). Oh... I almost forgot. Concerning last AyumiNomi update: I've seen your pokemake demand. I might make one at some point. However, I'm kinda lost on how you'd see it, so maybe you should try and make one yourself? I'm kinda curious what you could come up with. :)
Okay, that's it. No more dilly-dallying!
Enjoy the chapter!
(I seriously need help with chapter titles)
(* * *)
With the first party over, the following days were spent with Mio dividing her attention between schoolwork, part-time waitressing and spending time with her friends.
Then there was second party. And then third. And then another. Those were nowhere near regular, but usually took place two or three times a month. Thus, Mio and Keima had attended two more standing parties, one official dancing party and one banquet. That last one was the biggest challenge yet – what with all the seating orders and complex cutlery. Despite that they were doing fairly well, as Keima seemed competent enough to impress Yoshitake and Aizawa. Perhaps even Okajima, though it was difficult to tell through his poker face as, unlike Aizawa, he wasn't too keen on expressing his opinions.
There was still a long way before Mio could fully participate in the managing of the company, however and the burden was taking its toll on the girl. Parties and having to smile all the time she could understand, as well as having to go to university to study management and economy… but high school stuff?
Mio always disliked studying, but now it was even worse. She knew things like math and English were important, but why would she need to learn chemistry, Japanese poems, Japanese history and other crap? And with Nikaidō as her teacher she couldn't exactly complain, fearing the sadist teacher will send her to detention and Mio would be damned before she let something like that reduce the time she could spent with Keima.
And thus Mio was happy when the end of July approached and the summer vacation finally came and Mio was Hell-bent of making a good use of it.
Thus, she woke up past 9 AM on one Tuesday and stretched. Then she realized what particular Tuesday it was and grinned.
(* * *)
"How many times do I have to tell you to choose gaming or eating?" Mari scolded as she saw her son with a toast in his mouth and a PFP in his hands.
"At least he didn't shut himself in his room for 40 days" Eri reasoned while she sipped her tea.
Keiichi didn't really react, continuing to read a newspaper with a gentle smile as if all was well with the world.
"Seriously, I don't even get what Mio sees in you" Mari said and Eri stuffed her mouth with bread, practically choking in the process. She needed 'my mouth is full' excuse in case Mari asked her for opinion.
"My sexy bed hair, obviously" Keima deadpanned.
"Don't get sarcastic with me, young man!" Mari said, her hands threatening to go in the directions of her hair. "Seriously, you should be thankful. If it were me, you wouldn't be able to sway me that easily!"
It was Keiichi's time to choke on his food now.
Fortunately, the sounds of choking were drowned out by the jingle from the PFP. Keima had gotten an email, but he'd clearly been expecting it, given that he just stood up without looking at his device.
"I'm off" he said, heading for the door. "I'll be back for the dinner."
"It'sh shummel facation, nii-shama" Eri swallowed her bread. "Why do you need the backpack for?"
"For various things" Keima replied vaguely and left.
(* * *)
Keima was on his way to the shed when he heard the sound of a small bell and then a voice.
"Do you need a lift?"
Keima had to admit – the sight of Mio Aoyama, wearing casual clothes and shorts, standing next to her brand new and shiny, but common bicycle complete with a basket and with a cocky smile on her lips was something you don't see often.
Especially, since the bike was the one he (and his family) bought her on Christmas.
The thought made him feel something. It was similar to pride or accomplishment, but not quite. And the feeling was kind of warm.
Maybe it was just a hot day?
"You mean I'll sit at the back and you'll pedal?" he joked.
"I'd have preferred it the other way around" Mio responded. "I'm a lady after all."
She would really want to use just one bike and cling to Keima while they were riding it… but she didn't want to put him through having to drive her again… and knowing the roads they'd be using it'd be better to use separate bikes on their trip.
Yes, it was summer now, so Mio came to a conclusion that it was high time to put her new bicycle to the test and what was a better test than a bicycle field trip date with a picnic?
And they couldn't have chosen a better day. It was sunny, warm with a little breeze. It was summer vacation and a Tuesday, meaning the café was closed and Mio had a day off from her part-time job.
In other words, as long as it doesn't rain, Nora doesn't pull a prank and Yui and Satyr don't attack in the middle of it, it should be a pretty good day.
"Shall we get going then?" Keima asked as he retrieved his own bike from the shed.
(* * *)
He had to admit – for a former spoiled ojōsama Mio was surprisingly okay with modes of transportation other than being driven around in a car. Of course, he didn't expect her to not be able to ride a bike, but she fared better than he anticipated. She actually looked rather energetic as she rode her bike. It was clear she had been looking forward to this trip, but Keima wasn't sure about the reason.
Maybe it was her way of getting rid of the stress?
They were traveling slowly and it took them awhile before they left the city and headed west of the Kishō town. They were moving away from the sea, so the terrain was raising a little, but nothing they couldn't handle. And every time they climbed a hill Mio would shot him a smile and then proceed to race him down the hill, laughing as she did it. It was childish of sorts, but Keima guessed that was what Mio needed to rest from her daily duties.
This continued for about an hour during which they didn't speak much
"How about this?" Mio said finally after they crossed another hill.
Keima surveyed the place and was pleasantly surprised. Vast meadows spread to left and right from the small path they were riding along. The grass wasn't mown, but it wasn't overly tall either which was good – games taught Keima that tall grass was a dangerous place. Keima could see a couple of trees next to a nearby grove, so they would have a cover from the strong sunlight.
And there were no other people around. No travelers, no farmers. Nothing.
It was almost looking like a "countryside date" event straight out of a galge.
"Hoo… so the real can pull it off with enough effort, after all?" Keima mused as he looked around. Maybe there was even a stream flowing somewhere nearby?
"You'll have time to admire the view later" Mio said a she grabbed her basket. "Now help me set the place up."
(* * *)
Keima laid out a blanket below one of the trees and soon after started emptying his backpack, bringing out two thermoses, one with tea and one with coffee followed by the actual food. Mio on the other hand opened her basket and retrieved cups, some fruits and... several omelet-soba sandwiches.
A little tired from their trip they started eating. It was quiet but nice and Mio honestly enjoyed Keima's company. However, she wasn't going to rest on her laurels. No, she couldn't let their relationship grow stagnant because of some stupid schoolwork and elite parties. Trying to fight the blush on her face, she reached into her basket and retrieved a small package. Her nervousness made her stutter.
As if offering to share her bentō with Keima wasn't embarrassing enough.
Keima chuckled and agreed, not asking if Mio prepared the lunchbox herself, watching as the girl clumsily unwrapped the furoshiki cloth, before opening the box, grabbing the first piece of food with her chopsticks and stammering out for Keima to say "aah".
Keima complied and Mio proceed to put the food inside his mouth. It was a simple action, yet while doing it she invented quite a few new shades of red. When the box was empty (because "sharing" obviously meant she'd let Keima eat it all) Mio has already decided.
She needed to learn how to make bentōs by herself…
(* * *)
After the (literally) heart-pounding feeding event Mio needed some distraction to, so she opted for a more active… event. At her suggestion Keima reached for his backpack and retrieved two cheap hogoita paddles, a shuttlecock and a washable marker.
Soon they were playing what could only be described as "meadow version of hanetsuki". Every time a player lost 10 points, he or she (but mostly she) would get her face doodled on. Every time Mio made a lunge to hit the offending birdie back at Keima she would end up in wild wheat, rye, barley or whatever grain that was. Moreover, she kept tripping over rocks and roots. And apparently hanetsuki and badminton were common enough game scenarios, 'cause Keima was handling his paddle with skill, despite Mio doing her own training with Urara.
But it still was fun…
...though when she saw her face in a mirror after the game was over she was glad Keima brought some bottled water with him to at least partially wash it off.
(* * *)
High-class parties had nothing on this, Mio concluded as she was lying on the blanket with her head on Keima's lap, his back resting against the trunk of a tree, its leaves protecting both of them from the strong sun.
From time to time Keima would pick a single grape and feed Mio, who would accept the fruit with closed eyes. From the blush and stutter when she suggested the grapes thing and from the content expression on her face right now he surmised she'd fantasized about this particular thing before. He also had to wonder who of them looked weirder right now – her being so unguarded around him or him willingly doing such events with a real girl?
Even the events themselves… they seemed like the ones he had encountered in games, but not quite. True, the picnic was not exactly new scenario to galge world, but this was different. First, he was barely in control. The weather, the flow of time and, most importantly, Mio herself – those were out of his control. Second, this was beyond regular conquest – weeks past what would be a final event in a game.
And third, Mio wasn't like his game heroines. There was no save or load in reality. No backtracking. Explanations through conversations? Yes. But backtracking?
No.
There was no predetermined outcomes... nor a list of clean-cut choices for him to pick... nor any fixed amount of time for him to make that choice. He couldn't just pause when he was stuck or follow another girl at the same time (not that he wanted). Here he was dealing with a real girl with real feelings and emotions.
Emotions…
Something that was hard to get for him outside of logic, but at the same time it was something so easy to trample on and crush.
He had to tread carefully here. He should also avoid doing things against himself just to make Mio happy – she would detect that and even if she didn't he'd still know she disapproved of such self-sacrifice. And it wasn't as if he disliked the current situation. As long as he could game when he got home he didn't really mind.
That thought made him think more about their current situation. In fact, today was pretty peaceful. Normal days were usually much more… hectic. First, Keima had to deal with his other friends. Individually, that was hardly an issue, but with fifteen girls it become truly a scheduling problem. Mio, on the other hand, struggled with her arch-enemy: schoolwork. The midterm tests were less than 3 months away as well. And then there were parties once in a while. While not frequent, they did require a lot of preparing and concentration. Not to mention that the deeper they got into it, the more was expected of them.
Compared to all that today seemed like an idyll – even the weather seemed to cooperate with them (and Keima was sure Diana had nothing to do with that). This laid-back and tranquil atmosphere was what made him think of the last piece of the puzzle that was his current life:
His girlfriend that seemed to doze off on his lap.
Keima was no expert when it came to real-life relationship, but still he made some observations. For once, in the real relationship were much more… physical…
It wasn't that much of a surprise really. In his games he interacted through simple graphics, voice and text. Even if his emotions gushed out, there was no physical contact and he was fine with that.
Real was different though. Keima had always considered real girls imperfect, but he couldn't deny that their range of motion were greater than in a game. There were tens of glances, dozens of gestures, hundreds of facial expressions, thousands of lines and voices, all with different meanings.
Then there was more more direct physical aspects. Like holding hands. Hugging. Or kissing… Maybe it was Mio-specific thing, but the girl in question wanted to do a lot of that physical stuff, even if half the time she wasn't saying it out loud, dropping subtle non-verbal hints instead. Maybe she wasn't even aware of them?
It wasn't as if Keima was complaining – his view on various forms of touching had changed considerably and he couldn't say he wasn't enjoying it. It was just that Mio was a lot more... forward and contact-craved than he had expected. He knew that once her hard exterior was breached, her tender feelings would emerge, but her romantic purity was accompanied by fiery passion he did not anticipate.
Maybe she wanted to make up for the lost time? For the years of her being caught in high-class life with different notions of entertainment and closeness?
That was one side of their relationship – one he could call "active". The other side was something totally opposite.
The entire thing seemed kind of… stagnant – the picnic thing was pretty much the only new event in a while. It wasn't necessarily a bad sign though, especially since Mio seemed as happy as she could be with all the other stuff going on in her life – but was unexpected.
Like what Keima was supposed to do with that? If Mio was comfortable then he was doing a good job, right? But in games inaction was the worst a player could do. No flags, no events and no progress.
And no good ending…
Should he try something new? Should he wait for Mio to do something? Or should he avoid any changes whatsoever?
Even after a while he couldn't come up with any definite answer. All he could do was watch Mio as he removed a stray strand of hair from her sleeping face.
(* * *)
"Next time we go picnic somewhere closer" Mio declared as they were riding through the outskirts of Maijima. It was nice date and all, but the distance was too much and she was certain she was going to have muscle sores tomorrow.
It made her think back to the time when Keima pulled her carriages for her. How did he even do that? Even if Eri made the carriages light with magic it was still obviously difficult for him to pull them. The thought made her cringe.
And it all could've been avoided if she just pulled the stick out of her ass for a moment…
"You're just not used to working you legs like that" Keima told her. "A little practice and you're going to be fine."
Mio nodded her head absentmindedly, not even realizing he was in front of her and couldn't see her. She entered some sorts of daze and Keima was pretty much the only thing she consciously registered, so it was no wonder she reacted to his name being spoken.
"Katsuragi?"
Mio almost fell off her bike, especially since the voice was distinctly female. And familiar. She turned only to notice Ayumi Takahara in her running clothes waving at them.
"Ayumi?" Keima asked as he stopped his bike by sidewalk. "What are you doing here?"
"Running, what else?" the sportsgirl asked back before turning to Mio. "Good day, Mio-san."
"Good day..." Mio returned.
"Fancy seeing you two here" the runner started.
"Likewise" the blonde responded curtly, but blinked when Ayumi looked closer.
"What's that on your face?" she asked.
Mio immediately felt the said face go red.
"That is apparently a token of love from my boyfriend" she gestured to Keima. Damn it, she should've washed the marker more carefully!
"Oh I see…" Ayumi chirped, a teasing glint in her eye. "Going back from a field trip date?"
"As you can see."
It wasn't as if Mio was trying to be rude. She actually wanted to be nice and logically there was no reason to suspect anything, but that earthquake event a while ago and some irrational part inside of her caused her to be wary of any girl talking to Keima.
Especially a pretty kind-hearted girl-next-door ones like Ayumi.
The girl in question wasn't as attractive at the moment as her hair was disheveled and she was all sweaty. However, Mio at the moment was in similar state, so that "advantage" was nullified.
"So that's why you couldn't go to karaoke with us?" Ayumi turned back to Keima.
"Well, yes" the boy replied. "But I wouldn't go to karaoke anyway."
"Who's us?" Mio questioned, before she could bit her tongue.
Ayumi looked at her funny.
"Me, Chihiro, Elsie and Nanaka. Kanon wanted to go as well, but she couldn't make it" the runner replied calmly, before smiling. "What's wrong? Are you jealous?"
"Not at all" Mio replied, feeding Ayumi a lie so big that even she would see it.
"Trouble in paradise? Or is it going too well?" Ayumi joked.
Keima was silent for a moment, scrutinizing her before speaking.
"How about we talk about your love life for a change?" he suggested.
Ayumi was dazed for a second or two.
"What do you mean my love life?" she asked, her voice sounding a little defensive.
"I mean that one basketball club guy who's in love with you."
"What? How? I-I mean what basketball club guy?" Ayumi stuttered out, trying to feed Keima even bigger lie than Mio did before.
His gaze told her that he wasn't fooled.
"Okay, how do you even know about that?" Ayumi asked Keima, trying to ignore the revenge grin Mio was sending her way. "Not even Chihiro knows about this!"
"Because you're careful around her" Keima replied. "But not around Eri. You shouldn't underestimate her like that."
Ayumi groaned, looking more tired than after running several laps.
"I guess that now comes the part when you give me love advice based on whatever game theory you have" the runner spoke.
"Not if you don't want it" Keima spoke calmly. "Except for one thing – whatever you do, don't ignore him anymore."
"Why do you think I'm ignoring him?" Ayumi defended, arms crossed over her chest.
"Because you're keeping to the part of town far away from your favorite hang out locations, school, your house or even his house. Even the karaoke you invited me to was somewhere else" Keima summed up. "Do I need to go on?"
"No" Ayumi said, clearly thinking she had lost enough face in front of the two of them. Mio noticed that the runner furrowed her brow, as if contemplating asking something. "I guess that all this means you checked up on the guy?"
Keima nodded.
"And?" Ayumi urged him on.
"Seems like good guy, at least for a real."
"That's all you have to say here?" Ayumi apparently didn't know whether to be happy or angry about that.
"You don't actually need my help" Keima shrugged. "I know you can handle yourself and kick the guy's ass if he tries anything. Just don't try to hide it from people, like me or Chihiro. And for God's sake, stop ignoring the guy."
Mio watched as Ayumi narrowed her eyes and bit her lip, but said nothing in response, so Keima's words hit the spot.
(* * *)
"Ever thought about working as love counselor?" Mio asked Keima five minutes later as they were walking their bikes.
"Obviously not, real is not a game, especially for most people… why?"
"Do I need a reason to ask that?"
"Yes, you do" he told her.
Mio sighed. "I was actually thinking of having you help Urara."
"Excuse me?" Keima was surprised. "Urara Shiratori of all people needs love counseling?"
"Well, she does. She's pretty much the only one in our little "circle of friends" who haven't had her first kiss" Mio explained. "And the more I think about it the more it seems like she'd want to. I think being friends with girls who had such romances before does that to you."
"You don't want me to kiss her by any chance, do you?" Keima asked, at the same time realizing Urara wasn't the only one. There was Eri as well.
"Of course not!" Mio replied with unusual firmness. "But you could help her. Like find some guy for her."
"I don't want to end up being a love advisor for a dozen of girls" Keima mentioned.
"It's just Urara" Mio clarified. "You don't have to counsel anyone else. Or Ayumi.
"You're not actually jealous of Ayumi, right?" Keima asked carefully.
"Jealous?" Mio huffed. "Why would I be jealous of your totally attractive classmate casually discussing her love life with you?"
"You don't have to worry about Ayumi" Keima replied calmly. "Especially since you're pretty attractive yourself."
"Gotta hand it over to you" Mio muttered. "You really sounded honest there."
"I was honest" Keima glanced at her. "You just don't understand. I don't blame you though. It's hard to understand a god."
"Whatever. I still don't believe you."
"Okay, that's it" Keima said, suddenly changing the direction of where he was heading. "Turn."
"What?" Mio questioned and turned as well to avoid his bike colliding with hers.
"We're going that way" Keima stated.
"My house is in the other direction, stupid!" Mio pointed out.
"We're going to my house" Keima said simply.
"Why?"
"Because no-one is going to disturb us, so I can educate you in terms of cuteness, moe and attractiveness."
(* * *)
Keima stayed true to his word and educated Mio, managing to boost her confidence in her attractiveness and looks and this made her wonder.
First the letting go of her past. Then her height. And now that.
Next time he was probably going to convince her that she'd be a great company manager.
That thought reminded Mio that August was over and the school was back, meaning she needed to put her focus back to studying, while still participating in business parties from time to time.
It was really a shame, cause she'd like for the summer vacation to go on, after all it was the first summer vacation in two years that she could say she had enjoyed to this extent. In a sense those were the best summer vacation of her life.
Even the pool thing turned out fine.
Frankly, Mio wasn't convinced of the idea at first – after all a gamer like Keima wasn't too fond of water and Mio was kinda afraid of parading in front of him in nothing more than a bathing suit even if it was just the two of them.
However, what was originally a simple wish made by that little (age-wise at least) girl Minami was quickly intercepted by other girls and they have ended up booking a pool all for themselves, inviting Keima along. The boy had no choice as Mio didn't forbid him from going. As for her, she had two choices: she could either go as well and try to live through it or stay at home and leave her boyfriend with several teenager girls in bikinis.
So she obviously tagged along.
In hindsight, she was thankful of Keima boosting her confidence in her looks a while ago. She didn't want to imagine how self-conscious she would have felt if it wasn't for that. But who could blame her with all those girls in skimpy outfits?
There was Ayumi, wearing a red bikini with a matching sash. Mio felt really glad that the runner seemed kinda interested in that basketball guy of hers, as she watched the runner swim. Her movements in the water were unskilled and she ended up splashing way more water than necessary, but her speed matched Minami's.
Speaking of the middle schooler – no, she was a high schooler now, Mio remembered, when she watched the young girl – Minami might've been the youngest amongst them and not over-average curvy, but she was surely developing. The girl brought her blue one-piece school swimming uniform with her today and stuck to the water almost all the time – she seemed as if she was born there… then again maybe she was, Mio thought.
Next was Tenri, who wore a simple navy one-piece swimming suit, similar to Minami's. Keima's childhood friend had to take off her ribbons and even let her hair down, looking quite unsure of herself, though Mio didn't know if it was because of the number of people here, the presence of Keima or because she was self-conscious. But it couldn't be the last one, as Tenri had nothing to worry about – Mio would've offered her a place on the board of directors of her company in exchange for her looks.
Sumire didn't seem to have any such issues, as she chose to wear quite old and simple, yet revealing bikini and didn't seem embarrassed about it at all. The bikini also had some strange frills or strips attached to the bra. Was this supposed to imitate rāmen noodles or something? Anyway, Mio was glad the "Sumire incident" was in the long-gone past now or otherwise she'd be nervous to have the girl here.
The next girl was Nanaka, who seemed not really bothered by her body as she was wearing an orange bikini with any patterns. It was a little weird because for some reason Mio kinda expected the shōgi nut to have kanji for "keima" written all over her swimsuit and as innocent as it was it'd make things… problematic. Yet, nothing like that happened – Nanaka was friendly, competitive and boisterous and she seemed to splash even more water than Ayumi and Minami. The only thing that bothered her seemed the fact that her big hair weighted her down once they soaked with water, with several locks sticking to her face in irritating ways.
Tsukiyo was acting kinda weird. She always considered herself beautiful, but that was with her clothes on. The girl disliked most subjects at school with special emphasis on PE – Mio remembered all too well those few times when Tsukiyo attended swimming class just to save her attendance. Right now she was wearing some sophisticated-looking sundress, claiming that, yes, she had a swimming suit underneath and, no, she wasn't going to take the clothes off.
Shiori was wearing a bland-looking one-piece suit, but she kinda preferred to lie on one of the deck chairs and read a book instead of entering the water, probably to hide her red face as well. It took considerable prodding to get her into the pool and after that Tsukiyo had no other choice, but take off the sundress, revealing her school swimming suit, and go into the water, muttering something about 'messing her hair'.
Chihiro wore a strange two piece. The top was more than a bra, reaching as far as her bellybutton, and the bottom were really short swimming shorts. It looked as if the band leader wanted to cover more skin than was necessary and Mio was kinda lost why – Mio wouldn't mind having such an "average" figure.
Then there was Kusunoki who felt out of place or at least looked that way in her swimsuit that Mio was sure Kusunoki didn't buy by herself. She did kept looking at other girls, apparently thinking they were cute and this also included Mio herself.
Urara looked absolutely gorgeous in her yellow bikini as expected.
Mio had been worried about Yui, but for some reason the drummer wasn't here and that seemed even more worrying. Mio made a mental note to investigate that later.
Next girl made exactly the opposite impression compared to Yui – how did Kanon, obviously dressed in a snug pink bikini, manage to be here was beyond Mio. At least at first. It turned out she had told her manager she was going to attend swimming lessons and Okada bought it.
Eri was there too. She was wearing some white childish-looking polka-dotted swimsuit that'd made her look like a kid if it wasn't for her ample figure. At the suit worked well with her happy-go-lucky attitude – her shining eyes made it quite obvious that New Hell didn't have pools with rapid rivers, slides or jacuzzis.
Finally, as for Mio herself, she wore an orange one-piece swimsuit with dark-orange flower patterns as well as frills over her chest and below her bellybutton. It wasn't a new swimsuit, but was mostly unused. She originally bought it, because the frills kinda obfuscated her small chest and she wasn't exactly regretting that particular purchase.
When she stepped out of the female changing room (and she was sure to be the first one to do so) she scanned the pool for Keima, but didn't see him. Wasn't he out yet? How long could it take a guy to change? Ugh… maybe she changed too fast.
"Are you going to swim with your hair like that?" she heard a voice behind her. She turned around, well-aware that it was Keima. She was aware Keima would be in nothing but his trunks… though she expected them to be full of images of PFP or Yokkyun or some other game girls, but they were just forest green. She also was under impression Keima wasn't really that great when it came to his body structure… and he really wasn't. It's just… that she felt... something as she looked him over from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. And swallowed.
What was wrong with her?
"Is something wrong?" Keima seemed to read her mind as he furrowed his brow.
"Nooo, nothing" she replied, wondering why she just couldn't honestly tell him that she thought he was hot. "Where are your glasses?"
"I can't swim with them on, can I?" Keima reasoned, before smiling, his eyes getting that dangerous glint Mio got to know. "But I don't need them to see that this swimsuit looks great on you."
"W-what?" Mio stammered in defense. She needed no glasses to know she was blushing. "T-this swimsuit isn't special or anything!"
"Of course the swimsuit isn't special" Keima agreed. "You are."
Oh... my… god…
Who knows what would happened after that if it wasn't for someone interrupting them.
"Hey, you're in public place, lovebirds" a girl hugged Mio from behind. "Better behave yourself!"
"Sumire!" Mio groaned at the attacker. "Get off me!"
"Hey, do I get to be complimented too?" the rāmen cook asked, letting go on Mio, so Keima could see her better.
"You look nice" Keima told her, but with not nearly as much enthusiasm.
"Whaa?" Sumire's look fell. "How come 'you look nice' is all I get? C'mon you can do better!"
However, the interrupter was now being interrupted as Minami appeared out of nowhere and leaped, however not on Mio, but on Keima.
"Senpai!" she exclaimed in pure joy. "Let's go for the slide!"
"Yeah, me, too!" Eri was right behind. "Let's go, nii-sama!"
Keima had no choice as he was practically lifted and carried to where the slides were.
"Ah, the kids are sure energetic these days" Mio turned to see Kanon standing next to her.
"They're not exactly kids" Mio replied. "Though they sure act like them."
"Says the girl who went sleighing and snowball fighting half a year ago" Sumire chimed in with a smile.
"Okay, how do you know about that?" Mio glared at her.
"Well, you hear a lot of things while listening to customers talk" Sumire explained evasively.
"Are you owning a rāmen shop or a pub where drunk spill their secrets?" Mio jibed, but she stopped when she remembered her delusions about bars, bartenders and lonely girls and decided to stop that particular train of thoughts. She had bartender-themed dreams at least once per month.
The three of them watched as Tenri approached the edge of the pool and tried the water with her foot, totally not seeing Chihiro approaching her from behind with a sly smile on her face. However, she never got to execute her evil plan, because she heard footsteps clearly indicating someone was ignoring "no running in pool area" rule. She managed to turn around just as Ayumi shoved her into the water.
"Got ya!" the runner said, but she underestimated her momentum and the slippery of the floor and ended up falling into the pool as well.
"Yep, a lot of kids" Sumire chuckled. "But it's good to see the entire, well, most of the gang, having fun like that. It seems we've come a long way from the railway station, don't you think?"
"That's true" Kanon said in a soft voice. "But I think Keima-kun is the one who made the most progress and he's the one who keeps us together after all."
Mio couldn't agree more.
"D'anyone say 'keima'?" Nanaka asked, her shōgi senses tingling, before she jumped into the water without further ado, splashing Chihiro, Ayumi and Tenri with water.
(* * *)
"No, no… I don't wanna!" Kanon exclaimed.
Her "swimming lessons" was a nice and valid excuse for Okada, but despite that she seemed to keep to shallow areas of the pool. However, when the girls offered to teach her to swim for real, Kanon started to outright panic, clearly not intending for any actual swimming lessons to occur.
After much persuasion she finally agreed to try, but only if Keima was the one teaching her, as she trusted him the most. Mio had to use all her willpower to stop her her teeth from gritting as she saw Keima hold Kanon's hands. Well, the idol herself looked quite scared, so Mio doubted she wanted to raise any flags.
Ten minutes later Keima left teaching of Kanon to Minami, who accepted the responsibility with stars in her eyes and Keima could go back and divide his attention between two groups: the more active, including Ayumi, Chihiro, Nanaka Sumire and Elsie, where he ended up getting submerged and splashed a lot and the passive group, consisting of Shiori, Tsukiyo, Mio, Tenri and Urara, who just enjoyed the water, mostly the jacuzzi, and made casual conversations with each other. Kusunoki stayed mostly in the second group, but when the first group made too much of a ruckus, the martial arts girl would intervene and bring them back to order.
(* * *)
"That sure was fun" Nanaka announced, using her towel to rub and dry her locks, and then bringing her shock of a hair to "order" with a few strokes of a simple brush.
Mio had to stop herself from snorting at that, but she couldn't help but feel jealous. If there was one downside to having long hair then it was the effort to keep them healthy and in good shape. Tsukiyo apparently had similar thoughts as she still didn't change back and was standing in front of a mirror trying to get her locks under control. Ayumi and Chihiro were pretty much ready to leave already, while Minami was sitting on a bench with a happy look on her face as Kanon was directing a stream of hot air at the younger girl's hair.
(* * *)
"See you next time, everyone!" Kanon bid them goodbye after she donned her disguise coat and hugged Keima.
"We should be going as well!" Nanaka said, as she grabbed Tenri. "Smell ya later, folks!"
Minami had already left, because she was expected at home and Kusunoki offered to escort her. If Minami wanted to oppose, then she didn't find the courage to do so.
"Then we'll take our leave as well" Tsukiyo said and walked away with Shiori after the latter nodded at the group.
"So how about some rāmen?" Sumire suggested. "I can give you a 15% discount!"
"Oh c'mon I'll end up eating at your shop more than I eat at home" Ayumi joked.
"Yeah, rāmen!" Eri exclaimed, pretty much sealing the deal.
"You're not going?" Chihiro asked, seeing that Keima and Mio didn't move.
"No, we have an important mission to carry out" Mio said.
"Whoa! Whoa! Too much information!" Chihiro raised her hands defensively.
"Whatever you are thinking, it's not that" Keima said before grabbing Urara, who was the only one left. "Let's go."
"W-what?" the Shiratori heiress exclaimed, waving her other hand, but Mio grabbed it, after which she and Keima dragged Urara away, the other four girls following them with curious eyes.
(* * *)
"What is the meaning of this!?" Urara asked as she was standing in front of some building that housed a music school. "Is this some scheme of yours!?"
"Precisely" Keima replied calmly, checking something in his notes.
Urara turned to Mio. "Can you explain to me what's going on?"
"We're getting you a date" the blonde responded.
And like that the air seemed to escape from Urara's face, her cheeks inflated from anger going back to normal size, but that couldn't be said about their color which definitely wasn't normal.
"W-wh-what?" she panicked.
"Don't fret, we don't have time for that" Keima told her. "In this building there's a guy who takes violin lessons, we'll try him first."
"Did you make a list of guys to matchmake me with?" Urara asked, apparently appalled.
"Yes. Checked their background and personality. And, of course, they're all well-off enough, so the social status won't be an issue" Keima replied. "We have two targets planned for today, so let's not waste time."
"How could you agree to that!?" Urara accused Mio. "I helped you so much with Keima!"
"Actually, this matchmaking thing was my idea" Mio grinned. "You can thank me later."
Urara didn't say anything. She was just shocked.
"Here he comes" Mio remarked. Indeed, a fairly handsome teen came out of the building.
"All right, you play the wingman" Keima told his girlfriend.
"You don't have to remind me, I know what to do" Mio replied before she headed towards the guy.
"Wait, I didn't agree to any of this!" Urara finally found her words.
"I thought you'd say that, so I didn't tell you about this beforehand" Keima searched for something in his pocket. "Unfortunately, this means you didn't have any opportunity to learn the lines, so I borrowed these from Haqua" he gave her a small earpiece. "Put it in your ear and I'll give you advice from distance."
"B-but…" Urara tried to oppose, but Keima didn't listen, instead he retrieved a hagoromo cloak and put it over himself, disappearing from sight.
"I'm not doing this!" Urara tried one last time, but now invisible Keima only turned her around to face where the boy was already looking in her direction.
"You can say it's revenge from getting me naked twice" Keima said as he started to forcefully push her to where the guy was standing. "Here we go!"
(* * *)
The encounter with the first guy didn't go stellar to say the least with Urara acting all nervous and didn't make the best of impressions. When the entire thing was over, she flipped out, but Keima and Mio ignored that, instead taking her to the next event spot. Here it went a little better, though Mio doubted anything would come out if it.
They did, however, continued this some days later and though Urara tried to find protection in Yanagi and her grandfather, she was in the end dragged to meet more guys. All in all, the "love counsel for Urara" plan wasn't a stunning success, but it was still progress.
Unlike the parties.
Actually, that wasn't exactly the truth. For one, the parties were becoming increasingly more difficult with time. As expected, the more people started to notice them, the more they had to talk and keep up with everyone else...
Furthermore, people at the parties were polite, but those were just appearances. They were all pieces – bishops, knights and rooks who left their pawns (maids, assistants, employees) outside the building which served as a giant chessboard of sorts. Everyone was a cog scheming against other cogs and trying to use them as they made their moves on the chessboard.
Well, there was one thing wrong with the chess analogy there. In chess the situation was always clear – every piece had a visible position for everyone else.
Here it was nothing like that – everyone had their intentions, plans, secrets and agendas. You could never fully believe anyone's words, smiles or gestures. Even the food was uncertain – it always looked good, but the guarantees ended there.
There was also another problem. While Mio and Keima's relationship after the picnic didn't really change much in terms of the events occurring, it did seem to progress in the love points category. In other words, Mio was being increasingly more lovey-dovey. To be honest he wasn't sure how to describe it better – love points in games never reached that level.
However, such situation had one downside in context of the parties – Mio was acting more snuggly with him. So far it wasn't bad and it actually made them look more like an elegant couple, but he was afraid, that in a few weeks, she'd start dragging him to the bathroom to make out…
"Keima" Mio's voice brought him out of his musings. "Are you listening to me?"
They were in the middle of another party. The hosting couple they were talking to was long gone, making the rounds, and Mio just put away her empty plate, which wasn't nowhere near empty the last time Keima had seen it ("hey, it's free! Besides, I'm a big girl, so I have to eat a lot!").
They were currently alone, because Mio was trying to get out of the comfort zone the other board of directors members offered her. However, the way she was looking at him told Keima that Mio wasn't in a business mode at the moment. Moreover, she was wearing a dark red gown this time around and, as Keima noticed it was more revealing and, well, sexy than her previous dresses.
And he was damn certain he was the only reason she wore it in the first place.
"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment" he admitted, inwardly cursing himself. "Could you repeat what you said?"
"No" Mio replied and he could definitely hear coquetry in her voice and knew what was coming. "What, or rather who were you thinking about?" she asked. It was clear she knew or at least suspected her was thinking about her.
There goes the flirting again.
"I was thinking you were acting too frivolous" he said, feeling he'd rather have Mio offended at him for a day or two than left her behavior unchecked like that. "We are working here."
"So what?" Mio said, looking completely unaffected. "I don't see your mother around here so frivolous is fine."
"My mother had problem with frolicking, not frivolous, remember?" Keima reminded her, being surly on purpose and discreetly looking around to see if someone was listening.
"Po-ta-to po-taa-to" Mio articulated, her eyes never leaving his. "It's the same thing."
"Actually, frivolous is even worse" Keima noticed.
"Spoilsport" Mio accused, but didn't look bothered.
"Let's make a deal. We can get frivolous or frolic all you want once we get home" Keima tried. "But only if you behave yourself here."
"All I want?" Mio echoed, her smile growing bigger, making Keima wonder if she had planned all this. "You promise?"
"I promise" he told her.
"How do I know you're not playing me?" she asked. "You've deceived me before, remember?"
Like you're not the one who's playing me right now, he though, but replied. "How about you try me?"
"Oh, I definitely plan to…" he could swear he could see her lick her lips.
"Aoyama-san" just then Yoshitake appeared out of nowhere, finally taking Mio's attention from Keima. "There are people here whom Okajima-san spoke to before about the company. They want to talk to representative of the company president" he briefly glanced at Keima before looking back at Mio. "Alone."
"All right" Mio replied, in a blink of an eye transforming from frivolous to formal business mood, confirming that she had one-upped him just now. Yoshitake turned back to lead the way. Keima made a motion like he wanted to follow, but Mio stopped him. "I'll be fine" she gave him a honest smile.
"Are you sure?" he asked, uncertain.
"Yeah, I need to be able to do business conversations alone. I'll do then on my own most of the time anyway" she explained, before her smile turned into a smirk. "I'll be back as soon as I can, so we can finish our… conversation" and with this she turned away and left with Yoshitake.
Keima was really hoping the swaying of her hips was unintentional.
Nonetheless, he didn't have time to stay and follow Mio with his eyes. He had been through a bunch of parties already and had learned that staying still and alone like that was dangerous, as he would either look unprofessional (to put it mildly) or someone would walk up to talk to him.
Of course, he couldn't not talk with people – refusing to hold a conversation was considered a faux pas of fairly high caliber. The trick was to talk with people he chose himself and avoid "poison flag characters" as he liked to call them.
Thus, he started to move, scanning the room for someone he could talk with and avoiding making eye contact with the eyesores. It was difficult though, as the room was splendid, but not that big and there were a lot of people here, making him unable to see through the crows and plan his movements. All he could do was politely squeeze through and pray that he wouldn't run into someone troublesome.
And then he heard a familiar voice.
"Aah, Katsuragi-san!"
He turned around and, sure enough, he spotted Aizawa standing there.
"Do you need company perhaps?" she asked with a knowing smile.
"Perhaps" he replied, before looking around her. "Where is Okajima-san?"
The question was justified, as it was rare to see the two board members separated for prolonged amount of time. Yoshitake was more of a freelancer – following and taking part in several business activities at once. On the other hand, Okajima and Aizawa seemed to stick close together.
"Ooh, he is kinda on the run" Aizawa replied quietly as she took two glasses from one of the waiters and offering one to Keima. It was alcoholic of course, so he had to decline, but he noticed it was more and more difficult to do that as time went on.
"You know no-one would judge you or say anything" Aizawa told him. "It is just one glass."
"I know" Keima replied, though he wasn't so sure. "What do you mean, that Okajima-san is on the run?"
"You know that his father is looking for him" Aizawa stated, not asked as she went through the crowd, she seemed to be heading somewhere, but Keima had no idea where. "However, in literal sense it is not him who is doing the looking."
"You mean the people of Okajima-san's father are here looking for him?" Keima asked.
"You understand quickly as usual" Aizawa complimented him as she took a sip from her glass before continuing. "It is not as bad as it sounds though. They are not here to bring him back home by force. Still, Okajima-san does not want to talk with them at all, so he employed drastic measures."
"Meaning what exactly?" Keima asked, thinking that Mio wasn't the only one who was teasing him today. It wasn't anything new when it came to Aizawa though. As he had rightly guessed, she was a lighter and more controllable version of Hinoki and Kaori, so he more or less knew how to handle her. "If you do not mind me asking."
"Of course not… He is talking business with Tanaka household" Aizawa disclosed.
Keima stifled a groan. He had already learned that Tanakas were quite infamous in this environment. Nouveau riche, but with no manners at all. Crude, but shielded by their numbers and wealth. So Okajima went to talk with them and they readily accepted, probably even dragged him out of the room, allowing Okajima to disappear from sight and avoid his father's men. It was a reasonable move, but Keima could now see why Aizawa didn't accompany him.
They have continued to walk around for around ten minutes, once or twice stopping to talk with someone and Aizawa, once again, proved that her inclusion in upper echelons of society was well-earned.
"You are not used to so many stiff people so close to you, are you?" the woman said after a while, noticing his discomfort with the crowd.
And she was right. Mio and his family was one thing. His circle of friends was another. But all this fake reals here? Of course he wanted to avoid getting too close physically. He had tried to hide it, but it seemed Aizawa had figured it out.
"How about some fresh air?" she suggested, gesturing to the balcony with her head.
"I am not sure that is a good idea in September…"
"Of curse it is" Aizawa tugged at his arm to make him follow her into the balcony. "Actually, it is quite enjoyable, especially with a proper company."
"Point taken" Keima admitted, diplomatically avoiding to have to state any opinion or reciprocate the sentiment.
Aizawa only smiled and walked in front. Keima reluctantly followed.
(* * *)
Mio sighed.
The talk went fine, although she was certain that without her father's reputation, shares in the company, her board of directors and Keima's help, those people wouldn't even look at her.
Anyway, she needed to find Keima and tell him the good news.
The board of directors just grew by one person!
"Aoyama-san."
She turned around and spotted Okajima walking towards her. She sighed again. She wanted to tell Keima first, but it was naive thinking – Okajima had the right to know.
"Okajima-san" she replied and waited until he was close to her, raising her nose higher, straightening herself for more effect before speaking. "I have very good news regarding the assets of our company."
"Really?" Okajima looked kinda thrown off balance.
"Yes" Mio replied, closing her eyes loftily. "I am proud to announce that I managed to acquire the help of the Koizumi company. It is a small company, but amongst it are 2 people who hail from my father's company and hold quite high positions on their board of directors. There are some details, but in short, they have agreed to perform a merge of companies. Of course, we will retain the majority and the name and…" she stopped, looking at her interlocutor.
If Okajima had told her what she had told him just now she'd be surprised and ecstatic. But Okajima was not looking all that happy, even considering his usual calmness.
"Okajima-san?"
"That is... good… I am happy to hear that" he said finally. "However" his tone changed like he was back to what he wanted to say in the first place. "I have even better news regarding the company."
"You do?" Mio asked not sure if she should feel happy or bummed. It's like he was stealing her glory, damn it! "What is it?"
Okajima hesitated. "Not here" he said, looking around, although no-one seemed to be eavesdropping. "Let us move to the corridor."
(* * *)
Aizawa was right – the outside was warm enough. The balcony was somehow shielded from wind and from prying eyes, perhaps due to tall trees in the distance, while also providing a good view of the gardens. The balcony was even empty besides the two of them. It was a scenery worthy of an event.
In other words, he should definitely avoid brining Mio here…
"I see you like the place, don't you?" Aizawa said, putting her hands over the stone balustrade and putting her glass on it.
"It is nice" Keima admitted. He noted that her speech pattern changed. "You look like you are pretty used to that place too."
"I am" Aizawa confirmed. "But there's no need for that diplomatic mannerism here."
Keima raised his eyebrow at this. "Are you sure about that, Aizawa-san?"
"Yes. And 'Kazuha' is fine" she said with a smile. "I'll let you keep the '-san', though."
"I'd rather not address you as such" Keima replied, his tone a bit colder and abandoning the formal speech for the most part as well. "We're not close enough for that."
Aizawa's smiled grew wider. "I think you catch on even faster then I anticipated."
"I'm afraid I don't understand."
"Us not being close enough is precisely what is bothering me" Aizawa said.
"What are you talking about?"
"Become my man."
(* * *)
"So what is that good news?" Mio asked once they were in a more secluded part of the mansion, crossing her arms over her chest, letting the impatience get the better of her.
"I have talked with a representative of my father" Okajima said in his monotone voice. "It seems we managed to reach an agreement."
"What does that mean?" Mio asked, her patience dwindling by the second. "And how does that pertain to the company?"
"I have gained control over considerable amount of my father's assets."
"But your father's company deals with a completely different branch" Mio noticed.
"Yes, but I am allowed to do what I please with the assets transferred to me" Okajima explained. "More specific, I can sell those assets and use the money from that to invest in our company."
Mio narrowed her eyes. "I am not giving you more ownership over the company" she told him bluntly.
"I am not asking you to, even though it would help" Okajima said. "I will give you those funds."
"Excuse me?" she asked, certain she had misheard him.
"I will give the money to the company without buying more shares" he repeated. "Consider it a gift."
"As I'd believe you would do something like that for free" Mio said doubtfully. "What is the catch?"
"There is not catch. It is a proof of my good will with regards to the proposal."
"What proposal?" was there something more?
"Marriage proposal" he stepped closer. "Marry me, Aoyama-san."
(* * *)
So here it is: the unholy offspring of unexpected plot twist and evil cliffhanger. Yes, I'm evil. :)
This chapter might seem a little chaotic, as I tried to cover several things, but I think it went ok. So we have the picnic date with Mio finally using the bike Keima bought her for Christmas and Keima thinking over the relationship during that date. And the grape feeding scene – it was really a fantasy of Mio's and it was kinda hinted on two chapters back (Flag 58).
Ayumi scene was just supposed to be her noticing the doodling on Mio's face and teasing her, but I ended up writing more details. I also remembered Mio had some issues with Ayumi addressing her, so I had to look back and check on that. xD
Considering the pool scene. It was random and originally just a mention (similar to original version of Urara's "love counseling"), but I decided to expand on them. I hope you enjoyed those two scenes as much as I did writing them. And as for Nanaka's bikini... I totally didn't get the idea from fanarts :P
And then comes the main point of the chapter, something that was more or less planned to happen from December, before Aizawa and Okajima got proper names xD. Now, the two nobles have revealed their cards...
...or did they? What are their intentions? Was it an accident that they made their moves at the same time? did I lie at the reply-to-reviews section, saying that they're dating? xD
So what do you think of this development? How do you think it will end? Will Mio reject Okajima's offer... or will we have an unexpected wedding?
Anyway, it took me ages to get here, but I at least managed to come up with a resolution that is better than my original plan. And some other parts of the story are working quite nicely with the new resolution. You'll have to wait to see it though, but it's coming.
As usual, I humbly request for you to support this story: I'd love to hear what you think about this chapter, so please give me a review.
Several minor things I'd like to mention:
First, in Flag 53 ("Strategy and preparation") Mio mentions having... ideas on how she could lose her weight. Now I can reveal that she meant bicycle riding.
Similarly, at the beginning of Flag 58 ("Dirty dancing") she glanced at one object in her room before going to school – yes, she was considering going to school by bike, but decided that it wasn't warm enough yet.
I also made two pokemon references in this chapter.
I think that's it.
See you next time!