Hello everyone, I'm back with yet another chapter of MioNomi!

Before we proceed, I'm not sure I explained the Keiichi-Mari part well enough in the last chapter. Just to iterate: it's not like Keiichi was jealous or like Mari had a crush on her son. Mari was simply telling Keima to be glad Mio was so smitten with him, because other girls wouldn't. She also implies she's one of such girls immune to seducing. This is when Keiichi choked, because... well... let's just say he's Mari's husband and not exactly agrees about her being immune to seducing :).

With that out of the way I want to apologize for the delay. At lest it's another big chapter (if that's good at all).

As usual, I thank you for your reviews for the previous chapter. Thank you very much. Here are the replies:

Normality Is Key: It seems me and the English articles don't work so well together, huh? :P Anyway, thank you for your help and I'm glad you liked the cameos and references. I hope you'll like this chapter as well. :)

Leyknar: No worries :). So you think they're not going to accept unless something unexpected happens, huh? Then I guess I shall prepare something unexpected then? *evil laugh* :P

Dayin: Concerning review to Flag 59: Yay! My business-like babble actually sounded legit to someone? XD I like the contribute/reasonable part of your review, though I don't consider the parties a filler in general. It was hard to write them though. Concerning review for Flag 60: I don't want to say too much about it here, but Mio is Mio. The simulation just nurtures and then absorbs her love, not her ambitions – Mio in the real world would keep them (that doesn't mean she would choose to do it the same way though). On the other hand, Mio in the orb world isn't like "meh, this is just a dream so I can safely discard the company" – she still acts based on her ambitions, because that who she is. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy what I have prepared in this chapter. :)

Sasori69: Nah, It's ok, I respect and value your opinion. Oh, so you saw Aizawa's confession coming? Well, I don't blame you. It's not the most surprising turn of events. I still tried to hide it, by having Aizawa act as she was protecting Keima when Mio was absent. Well, when talking about Aizawa and Okajima the rejection option is not so easily taken. We shall see. :P

ZelgadisGW: About Aizawa's and Okajima's intentions here… well, you already know, don't you? :P So no pokemon reference can escape you? We shall see about that xD. And I know you enjoyed the pool scene ;).

Shawn Raven: Trust me… you don't want to know how long that review appears when I'm preparing the reply xD. Anyway, I'm glad you consider the chapter eye-popping :). Mari's reaction had nothing to do with Keima's looks though :). And I explained the thing with Keiichi earlier. Yes, fluffy picnic scene is fluffy… and I'm blushing at your praising me =^^=. Glad you like the badminton scene :). Yes, Keima told Ayumi to woman up in a sense :P. And no, Keima didn't really pull any strings here… to my knowledge :P. Moe, cuteness and attractiveness anyone? XD I had to admit – I laughed at the face-clawing part of your review xD. Now that you mention it, Keima being normal in the pool scene is kinda weird. Then again, I'm not sure I straight-out mentioned him being "normal" there so… :P. I'm sure that's not the last we'll see of Urara, so you might yet get to know what become of her dating problem :P. And that cliffhanger was evil :D. No other way of putting it. I'm not sure if your "kids" is referring to Mio/Keima (botg of marriageable age) or Aizawa/Okajima (23 to 26 years of age or so). As for the last question: read and see for yourself ;). Thanks for the review!

Sir Sleeps-a-lot: Osu! :) Yup, that sums up the chapter nicely :). Were those really the creepiest confessions possible? Challenge accepted xD. Yup… time flied ;). Heh, Chihiro dug her own pool-grave back there, didn't she? XD About the legitimacy of the confessions I can quote the TWGOK manga/anime and say: "there's no understanding the thoughts of the rich" xD. I'm not evil enough? I guess I'll need to work on that :). And I'm glad you noticed how much detail I put into this. Appreciated :). About the weight thing. Mio's BMI is low (it's not like I'm surprised), but she started to eat a lot of sandwiches and cakes when working at Café Grandpa, so she considered ways to lose weight (Flag 53). Anyway, thank you for your review. :)

Okay, that's all for now. Onto the chapter!

Enjoy!

(* * *)

Keima spend a full three seconds trying to absorb and understand the absurdity of Aizawa's request.

He did not succeed.

"W-what?" he stuttered.

"Become my man" Aizawa repeated calmly. "There's no need to beat around the bush, so I'll be frank. I'm very intrigued by you. You're smart, talented, skilled and good looking. And I know what I'm saying. Most people here are used to parties, meetings and all that. Most of them are even decent actors. But not all of them can understand people and make proper assessments of them. I can. I see the potential in you. Become my man and I'll make sure that you don't regret it."

Keima remained silent for a moment, his logical brain wanting, no, demanding to understand the situation at hand, so he questioned the first thing that came to mind.

"What about Okajima?"

"Okajima?" Aizawa laughed. "Why would I be concerned with him?"

"I thought you were together…" Keima started, but he was interrupted by yet another bout of laughter. It didn't seem like a mocking laugh though. Aizawa was not laughing at him or at Okajima. She just seemed genuinely amused.

"I expected you to figure it out by now" she teased, a smile never leaving her face. "Me and Okajima are officially together, but I'm not interested in him at all."

"So you'd leave him when you take interest in someone else?" Keima asked, not hiding his disdain.

"Your comment hurts me, Keima" Aizawa stopped smiling. "It's not like I deceived Okajima, you know. It was actually him who offered such a business arrangement."

"So it's 'a business arrangement'?" Keima repeated.

"That's right" Aizawa nodded. "Okajima might be a son of a big fish. I know that. But he's boring. A man like that is not interesting at all."

"Neither am I" Keima told her, but was rewarded with a giggle.

"I've told you – I'm good with assessing people. And you" she stepped from the balustrade and walked up to Keima. "You're a very interesting man."

"You say so, but you don't know the first thing about me" Keima remarked.

"Oh... you mean you being… what was it called again? Otamegane" Aizawa said and smirked when Keima's eyes widened a bit. "Fufufu… You've checked the Giichi's background and I'm sure you've done the same with me, Okajima and Yoshitake, yet you're surprised that I've checked you?"

"But I'm not a celebrity" Keima noted.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk" Aizawa wiggled her finger at him. "You shouldn't underestimate the information network of the rich" she told him. "Besides you are kind of famous."

"I'm pretty sure being otamegane makes me infamous, not famous…"

"Oh… I wasn't talking about otamegane. I meant your other title, oh, God of Conquest" she laughed. "Though I surmise you don't have a lot of experience with real-life girls… let alone adult women."

"You would be surprised" Keima replied snidely.

"Fair enough" she agreed. "But that's actually good."

"Like Hell it is" Keima exclaimed, getting closer as well, but Aizawa didn't back up. "Stop with the jokes."

She raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm joking?"

"Of course you are" Keima snorted. "You know me and Mio are a couple..."

"So?" Aizawa shrugged. "You should be adult enough to know things like that don't last forever.

"...and that you're on her board of directors" Keima continued as if he didn't hear her. "Do you seriously think Mio will let you stay in the company if you tried to go ahead with this?"

In response Aizawa laughed again, as if Keima had just made a great joke.

"Of course, she wouldn't" she agreed. "But why would I stay in the company? With my wealth and connections and your skills we could make a company of our own."

"You overestimate me" Keima tried, but he knew it wouldn't work.

"I think you don't give yourself enough credit. I can definitely see what Aoyama sees in you. However, I think you're not giving me enough credit as well" Aizawa pointed to herself. "I'm assure you my potential is greater than hers. She's just a little child lost in the world she no longer knows. Her chances of success are small and she aims too low. Trust me, I know that. In short: I can offer you much more than Aoyama and I'm not talking just about money and connections, but I guess you know that already" she finished as she struck a pose, emphasizing all her womanly assets, a confident smile not the last amongst them.

Now Keima was finally certain the he had misjudged Aizawa. She wasn't a combination of Hinoki and Kaori. She was just Kaori. Only older, not orphaned, with better manners and wealth. And with actual power.

Keima briefly thought of ways to turn the situation around and reset the situation with Aizawa, but all solutions he knew of were actually capture routes and he refused to consider Aizawa a capture target, even if Mio were to give him permission.

Thus, he decided to cut off the dying branch before it could infest the rest of the tree. Or board of directors in this case.

"You're sick" he said in disgust.

If he had expected Aizawa to get angry then he was disappointed, because she leaned closer with a smile.

"There are no healthy people in this world" she told him. "Just undiagnosed."

"I'd rather stay undiagnosed then" Keima decided that he had heard enough. It was time to leave as diplomatically as possible. "Excuse me, but I have to-" he didn't get to finish, because Aizawa grabbed onto his arm and tugged, forcing him to face her. She wasn't smiling anymore, but she didn't look angry either – determined was more like it.

"I've told you already, haven't I?" she said in a dangerously low voice, her eyes focusing on him. "You shouldn't underestimate me.

Keima immediately understood that it wasn't some underhanded plot, related to Mio – Aizawa's intentions were really on him and him alone. He also recognized that she was serious about it.

He tried to jerk his hand back, but she held onto him tightly. It wasn't really surprising – girls being regularly proven stronger was nothing new to him. However, he wasn't expecting Aizawa to employ some judo maneuver, seemingly taken straight out from Kusunoki's repertoire, which somehow ended up with him leaning against the balustrade with Aizawa flush against him, her eyes positively... smoldering.

"Now, now, it's not polite to leave a conversation like that, Keima-kun" she said in a seductive voice.

Keima tried to act, but Aizawa put a hand to his face. He suddenly felt cornered and immediately recognized the feeling – it was like Yui all over again. Shit, he did underestimate her!

"Now" Aizawa whispered as her face grew closer. "Let onee-san take care of you…"

(* * *)

Mio's first instinct was to laugh and ridicule Okajima, but it wouldn't be good to ridicule a fellow member of board of directors. But even then, she would take this entire situation as a joke. A bad, inappropriate joke, but a joke nonetheless.

Except it was Okajima – the ever serious man, which made Mio realize the obvious truth that made her swallow nervously.

This was not a joke…

...and it immediately made red lights go off in her head.

"What did you just say?" she asked, just in case she had heard him wrong. With all her daydreams about Keima she had been having lately, it wouldn't be surprising.

"I asked you to marry me" Okajima repeated slowly. He stayed mostly calm, but a small wrinkle on his forehead let Mio know he wasn't expecting for her to ask that. This realization annoyed her.

"Is it some kind of joke?" she tried, betting on the possibility, because if it wasn't…

"No, it's not. I don't joke about things like that" Okajima said.

"Do you joke at all?" Mio asked rhetorically, trying to think clearly, but it was becoming difficult, her brain trying and failing to get a hang of this.

I mean, if her father was alive, it wouldn't be exactly surprising. She was the only heir to Aoyama Central Industries and she was over sixteen, so of marriageable age (assuming parental approval). Thus, she should expect proposals from some "common elite people".

But her father wasn't alive and Okajima wasn't some common elite guy.

"What's the meaning of this?" she asked again, succeeding in making Okajima actually look surprised. "I mean, didn't it occur to you that I have a boyfriend?"

"Are you referring to that commoner you have been bringing to the parties?" he asked.

He had certainly tried to hide the disdain in his voice, but didn't fully succeed. This helped Mio a little – her conflicting emotions boiled into one: anger.

"How dare you?!" she cried out. "You don't know the first thing about him!"

"Do you really think so?" Okajima asked. "Because I know about him quite a lot."

"Like what?"

"I have never heard about him before and I never heard of you being with any man" Okajima elaborated. "And he was faring well enough, so at first I thought he was a paid actor, judging by his skills. But I still decided to check his background. I thought he was nobody, but what I found was even worse than that."

"What did you just say?" Mio questioned, her fists clenching.

"He is some useless kid who plays video games all his life and no-one associates with him. Complete bottom of the food chain. He will be nothing more than a NEET in a few years. Honestly, even with how he acted, I do not understand why did you bring him here."

"Is that all?" Mio asked. "I mean is that all you've heard of Keima?"

"Was there something else?" Okajima asked.

Mio didn't answer. She was a bit afraid Okajima would find out about the more… paranormal happenings in Keima's life, but apparently he didn't, despite all his money and subordinates. Mio smirked inwardly.

Even a guy like Okajima couldn't find out about New Hell and all that has been happening in Keima's life.

"Anyway, as you can obviously see, Katsuragi a poor commoner, someone who is not fit to be with you."

"And who are you to decide who is fit to be with me?" she all but spat. "And for your information: for more than a year I was a poor commoner as well and it was Keima, not you, who helped me!"

"He cannot help you get your father's company back. I can. So I ask again" Okajima stepped closer. "Marry me."

Mio used all her willpower to not hold her head in her hands and scream.

"Argh!" she cried out, failing to keep her frustration in check. "I don't love you!" she told him, feeling like she was talking to a 5-year-old. "And you don't love me!"

"Love is not a prerequisite of marriage" Okajima said. "And as a matter of fact I am fond of you."

"You don't even know me!" she tried to find some logic here.

"That is not true" Okajima said. "I remember you when I was younger."

"We have barely ever talked to each other!"

"So let us do that now" he suggested. "Let us talk and I assure you that you will find out that you belong with me, not with a commoner like that gaming nerd! He is nobody" he said. "I am different though. I can give you your old life back. Think about it. Big house, not some dirty old apartment. Real cars instead of bikes" he ranted on, not seeing the deadly glare she sent his way when he insulted bikes. "And I can give you your father's company! Together, the two of us, we can bring Aoyama Central Industries to its former glory!"

It was then when Mio realized something.

"Wait. Are you trying to become the company's president by becoming my husband?"

Okajima's eyes widened just a little bit and he opened his mouth to say something, but Mio beat him to it.

"Or maybe that's your strategy to make me hand over the company to you completely? Then it's a brilliant one" she said as she glared at him. "Cause I'd pick Keima over my company any day of the week."

She was prepared to hear him announce his victory or at least laugh at her, but he didn't. Instead she saw genuine hurt in his eyes.

"That was not my intention at all, Aoyama-san. I truly like you" he said.

That was the last straw, making Mio burst out laughing.

"Is that supposed to be a confession?" she asked in a mocking voice. "For your information, Keima did a much better confession and he's way younger than you! Furthermore" she added not letting him speak a word. "You seem to be mistaken about something. You think I'm hesitating about accepting your offer? You think I'm weighting pros and cons, unsure what to do? Well, then you're dead wrong. Let me spell it out for you" she put her hands on her hips and leaned forward. "I'm not going to marry you. Not in a thousand years. You're a boring, stiff person... You can't make me laugh.. you don't know what I went through... You don't know jack shit about me! I got to know the world beyond these stupid parties... The world of common people... And you know what is it like? It's fun! I have a lot of friends there, unlike here! And, yes, that makes me better than you. I detest people like you! I won't marry you in a thousand years! And you know what?" she added when a thought struck her. "If Keima asked me to marry him right now I'd say yes! I'd rather live with him in a dirty old apartment then live in a palace with you! You hear me!?"

She was certain entire mansion heard the last part, but she didn't care. She was proud of herself and felt satisfaction when she saw the angry look on Okajima's face.

"Do you realize you're throwing your father's company away?" he asked.

"Didn't I say that a moment ago?" she rolled her eyes. "Can't you even listen to me properly?"

"But I thought you wanted to get that company back!" he cried out, obviously lost.

"Yes, but I realized my father wouldn't want me to prioritize his legacy over my own happiness. Keima understands that. You don't. Now if you excuse me" she turned around and started to walk away. "I have to go back-"

She didn't manage to finish, because Okajima suddenly caught her arm, making Mio stop.

"Wait" he told her. "You can't reject me like that!"

"I can and I just did" she told him. "Now take your hands off me!"

"I won't accept this!" he said, as if he didn't hear her.

Mio had enough of this, she swung her hand back and threw a punch, but he caught it. He was holding both of her hands now.

"Ugh… let me go!" she jerked back, but he didn't budge. His face was still looking stony, but it was rough now, his features looking as if they were hewed from actual stone, the calm cold exterior hiding what was obviously anger.

"I won't accept this!" he repeated, his hold on her wrists tightening and Mio suddenly realized how much taller and stronger than her he was.

(* * *)

Not only was she acting seductive, but Aizawa seemed also stronger than him, driving Keima into a corner. Thus, he was surprised when she pulled away from him. However, if he thought that she did it willingly then he had to reconsider, as he saw the woman in question being all but tossed aside by Mio.

Only it wasn't Mio. This girl was definitely taller, had a different-colored dress and tea-green hair.

"Why you!" Aizawa looked back at the girl angrily, her face reminding Keima of Kaori or Lentrant, the leader of the remnants of Satyr. "How dare you interfere!?"

"Right back at ya" the other girl said. "How dare you assault Keima-kun like that?"

Keima felt all remaining color leaving his face. He recognized that voice.

"Y-Yui?"

"Good evening, Keima-kun" the girl smiled at him, before she noticed his pale face and winked. "Don't worry, your knight is here to save you!"

Save me? You used to assault me like that before, Keima thought to himself, as he watched Yui. What was she doing here anyway?

"Yui?" Aizawa repeated as if she realized something. "Yui Goidō?"

"Yup, that's me!" the drummer replied happily.

"You know him?"

"Yup."

"What is your relation with him!?" Aizawa asked and Keima noted actual jealousy in her voice. "Answer me!"

"What is my relation with Keima-kun?" Yui said. "Well, you could say we share a history together. He was the man who stole my heart. Actually" she got closer to Aizawa, a playful smirk on her lips. "Keima-kun got to know my body reallyyyy well. That's something you can't say for yourself."

Of course Aizawa couldn't know Yui was referring to the body-swapping, but Keima knew and his face became red.

"T-that's not how it went!" he said.

"Sure it did" Yui smiled back.

"Wait a moment! I don't care about any of that crap!" Aizawa got closer to Yui. "Just get away from here. Now!"

"Ara, ara" Yui smiled with her eyes closed, putting her arm over Aizawa's shoulders in a friendly gesture. "I can totally understand your frustration. After all, Keima-kun had managed to capture the hearts of tens of girls and women alike" she chuckled. "Well, you can count the girls in the thousands, actually… He can conquer them all. So it's not like I don't understand you… but you also have to understand me – both Keima-kun and Mio-chan are my friends, so I'm afraid I can't let you do anything more."

Aizawa laughed, shoving the drummer away. "You think I'll just run away!?"

Yui chuckled again. "Oh, no. Of course not. I fully expect you to fight back. Everyone deserves a chance. It's only fair. However" her voice became more serious and harder, like steel. "I want you to know – if you do choose to bother Keima-kun in any way you'll have to face the consequences and believe me" her hand caught Aizawa's. The woman tried to pull back, but couldn't – Yui had her in an iron grip. "Even if you could deal with me, which you can't, then there are still others. And we're not something you can handle."

Aizawa could've sworn that Yui's eyes turned red at that. Moreover, the air suddenly felt heavier, as if some pressure tried to crush her. Keima felt that too. The world seemingly got darker as well and Keima was certain it had nothing to do with the setting sun.

"So what's it going to be?" Yui asked with a smile.

Aizawa was stunned for a moment and then she jerked her hand back.

"This is not over!" she said as she massaged her arm.

"Sure, sure" Yui said back. "The Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Then bring it on, cause I'm not afraid of anything Hell has in store!"

It seemed it was enough for Aizawa. She cast one last glance at Keima, snorted and then left.

"Oh, so she's all talk and no bite? That's disappointing" Yui said as she turned back to Keima, offering him her arm. "Let's go."

Keima didn't take it, quite the opposite – he stepped back.

"Oh, right, it's the guy who's supposed to do that" she said, but Keima didn't offer his arm. "C'mon, it's okay."

"Like Hell it is!" Keima shouted. "What are you doing here!?"

"I just helped you. I think a little 'thank you' is in order" she teased.

"If you think I'm going to fall in love with you just because you helped me…" Keima started.

"Relax, I'm not here for that" she told him.

Keima looked at her, suspicious.

"Oh, c'mon. Can't you believe me for once?" she asked, sounding hurt. "Please?"

Reluctantly, Keima reached out with his arm and Yui took it happily.

"That's better" she smiled and then started walking, heading back inside the mansion. "Let's go find your girlfriend."

(* * *)

Okajima might've caught her, but Mio wasn't defenseless – she could still hurt him in places where he would feel it, no matter how strong he was. Thus, she jerked back. Okajima didn't even flinch, but the motion served its purpose – it masked the swing of her leg and she was all but ready to kick him in the balls when he suddenly moved and his hold on her hands loosened considerably.

She jerked her hands away from him and stepped backwards before looking back at him. He was stiff and unmoving. No, that wasn't exactly right. He was trying to move – Mio saw his muscles tense and the fear in his usually emotionless eyes as he was trying to free himself from whatever was restraining him.

What the Hell is going on, Mio thought, but before she could even hazard a guess, she heard a new voice.

"To try and force a girl weaker than you..." this voice said in clear disdain.

Suddenly ripples in the air appeared and soon they turned into ribbons of some material that came off, revealing a figure standing right behind Okajima. The person was a woman with clothes that definitely didn't belong here, long purple hair and a big-ass three-spiked scythe in her hands.

"...and to think I thought Katsuragi was scum" Haqua du lot Herminium stated.

Mio looked at the scene in front of her in shock, before she realized she got the answer to her question.

So what was going on was Hell itself...

She could now clearly see the pink stripes of hagoromo, binding Okajima in place with one stripe even covering his mouth.

Mio was surprised to say the least. What was the devil girl doing here? She made eye contact with Haqua and was already opening her mouth to speak, but the purple-haired devil shot her a warning look, indicating her to stay quiet.

"Now, you're a smart for a human, right?" Haqua spoke, clearly talking to Okajima, even though he couldn't turn to see her. "Then listen well. You're not going to bother Katsuragi or Aoyama-san in any way ever again. I don't really care what you do as long as you understand that. Just leave them alone and I promise I'll let you go" she removed the part of the magical cloth covering his mouth. "Do you understand?"

"Who are you?!" Okajima said in an angry voice. "How dare you?! My father-" he didn't say anything more, but not because Haqua covered his mouth again. No.

The scythe she was holding away from Okajima was now moved, its business end pressed against his throat.

"You seem to be misunderstanding yet again, human" Haqua spoke, her voice cold. "Your father might be a powerful and influential human, but he's still just a human" her voice grew quieter. "Anyway, you're not going to bother Katsuragi ever again. And make no mistake – this is not a request. I'm not letting you decide it and I'm not asking you. I'm telling you" she leaned forward to let him see her face, her red eyes glaring into his. "Understood?"

Okajima nodded his head weakly and Haqua briefly removed her scythe and the rest of her magical raiment.

"Now, I'd be obliged if you left, preferably back to the part of Japan you came from."

Mio didn't even want to watch Okajima to see if he left calmly or ran away in panic. No, she wanted answers.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned the devil who walked closer to her.

"I believe you're supposed to say 'thank you' now" Haqua replied, ignoring Mio's inquiry.

"I would've been able to handle it, but since you interfered, you're right. So thank you" the blonde said honestly, before crossing her arms over her chest. "Now answer me."

"I guard Katsuragi, you should know that" the devil replied.

"You mean, spying on him in his private time, right?" Mio iterated. "But I'm not Keima. And I kinda don't believe he really needs that kinda protection."

"You're right" Haqua replied. "We're not really guarding him closely anymore. Just routine check-ups and observation from distance. Considerable distance."

Mio furrowed her brows. "Then why are you-wait" she blinked. "Don't tell me Keima told you to watch over me..."

"Asked. Not told" Haqua corrected her. "Now, let's go back to the party."

"Aren't you going to make yourself invisible then?" Mio asked when Haqua started walking.

"No need. I have to talk with Katsuragi anyway."

"Wait, are you going to accompany me back to the party wearing this?" Mio gestured to… whatever clothes the devil had on at the moment.

Haqua put a finger to her mouth. "You're right" she then made a gesture with her hand and her hagoromo sprang to life and enveloped her. When it came off Haqua was wearing a purple gown. "How is it?"

"How much do I have to pay to get a cloth like that?" Mio asked instead of replying.

"Without a magic source, hagoromo would be useless for you" Haqua said. "Moreover, only the elite Hellian members receive it."

"You mean elite like Eri?" Mio quipped, but Haqua ignored her comment as they were going back to the party.

(* * *)

"Is this a part of some scheme of yours?" Keima asked as he and Yui were walking through the crowd again.

"As a matter of fact, it is" Yui replied. "It's not what you think though" she quickly added.

"So you're not here to seduce me?"

"Not really."

"Why?"

"I gave up."

Keima heard it, but didn't believe it.

"Explain" he instructed curtly.

Yui sighed.

"It's not really complicated" she started. "If it's just Mio who likes you then I still can compete with her. But if you truly like her back and now I know you do, then it's two on one and I can't beat that. All I can do now is wish you good luck."

Keima was quiet for a longer moment, watching as Yui smiled to people passing her by. Apparently she wasn't new to this party thing either.

"Are those your true feelings?" he asked finally.

"Yes" Yui confirmed. "You could also say this is 2-B Pencil's newest motto. Sort of."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, that's a bit more complex to explain… I think it started with Ayumi. She said she wanted to cheer you and Mio on. That was some time ago and now the entire band supports you two. Chihiro even wanted to make a song about that. Though Miyako seems to consider it a bit of an overkill."

"I'm more worried about the song containing... things I won't like."

"Oh, the lyrics will have a jab or two directed at you, I can assure you of that" Yui giggled and Keima rolled his eyes. He could totally see Chihiro doing that.

"But the bottom line is that we do support you" Yui's voice become more serious. "So don't waste that. Take good care of Mio. And of yourself."

"I will."

"Good" Yui smiled at him again. Keima realized it was the first time she smiled at him without any romantic undertones for a long time. "Now, let's go" she said. "The party is not over yet. We need to figure out the details."

"Details?" Keima repeated. "Details of what?" He suddenly felt that he was missing something. "What's the thing you're not telling me about?"

"It's a surprise. But I promise it's a good one" Yui winked mysteriously before her eyes widened. "Oh, there she is. And she's not alone."

Keima looked up expecting to see Aizawa back and on the offensive, but instead he saw Mio standing aside from other guests. The blonde's eyes widened in shock when she saw Yui with Keima. That wasn't surprising. What was surprising was that Mio was accompanied by Haqua who was not invisible, the air of confidence around her and unique hair color drew more than one stare.

"Easy now!" Yui put her hands in front of her defensively since Mio was clearly seething with anger. "It's not what you think it is…"

"Oh really?" Mio asked sarcastically, not caring about who could see or hear her. She walked up to Keima, grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to herself and away from Yui.

Sensing what was coming, Haqua sighed before discreetly casting a spell, creating an invisible sphere around the group. It wouldn't mute the voices completely, but now outside this space no-one will be able to hear them scream.

"Calm down" Keima told his girlfriend, smiling to people who were looking at them. "Yui claims she has given up on me" he finished.

"Like Hell she has!" Mio obviously didn't believe it.

"Speaking of Hell…" Keima said as he looked back an forth between the two tsundere girls, his eyes finally resting on the purple-haired devil. "What are you doing here?"

"Watching over Aoyama-san" Haqua replied. "As per your request."

Keima furrowed his brow. That was true, but Haqua was supposed to stay hidden. It was as if...

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"You could say that" Haqua replied. "That guy Okajima just proposed to Aoyama-san…"

"What?!" both Keima and Yui exclaimed in shock.

"...and he didn't take rejection well, so I had to interfere" Haqua finished.

"So I was right after all" Keima said after a moment of silence.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Mio asked, feeling an incoming headache.

"That means Katsuragi was wary of Okajima from quite some time" Haqua explained.

"Is that true?" Mio asked Keima.

"Yes" he confirmed. "Remember when I said it's not Aizawa I'm worried about?" he asked and Mio nodded. "I was referring to Okajima. I had the feeling he was… interested in you" he then turned to Haqua. "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome" the devil said, the slightest shade of red dusting her cheeks.

"But... how did you know Okajima would do... something?" Mio questioned.

"The eyes of a god are always watching" Keima said, his fingers trying to push up glasses he wasn't wearing at the moment.

"Bullshit!" both Haqua and Mio exclaimed in hushed voices and Yui only laughed.

"That is a really funny coincidence though" she said. "Especially, the 'I'm not worried about Aizawa' bit."

"What do you mean?" Mio asked.

"Aah… it's just that Aizawa tried to seduce Keima-kun just now…"

"SHE DID WHAT?!" Mio cried out loudly this time.

"...and of course I had to rescue the damsel in distress."

"I'm not a damsel!" Keima protested. "And I wasn't in distress! I would've been fine!"

"Sure, sure" Yui patted his shoulder, as if to appease him.

"How dare she!?" Mio all but screamed before she realized something. "Wait… that means my board of directors is completely messed up!"

"Well, I believe Yoshitake is okay" Keima said. "All he cares about is business."

"But how we are supposed to do business with Okajima and Aizawa now?" Mio asked, head in her hands. Haqua sighed again. It was good she had cast an optical illusion spell as well, otherwise Mio's behavior would become really suspicious. "They can't be trusted!"

"That won't be an issue" Haqua added, making Keima, Mio and Yui look at her. "I don't know much about this party and business stuff, but I've told Okajima to back off. Literally. That means he will most probably leave the board and he'll do it soon.

"I'd worry more about Aizawa now" Keima said. "At least with Okajima you can reason… Aizawa on the other hand..." he shivered.

"I don't think it will be this bad. She might want to leave already" Haqua said in her I-am-smarter-than-all-of-you voice. "And if she doesn't, then I can tell Nora to persuade her. Those two are quite similar to each other. I'm sure they'll find common ground."

"Not so fast" Mio said. "I know Okajima and Aizawa are… problematic and less people in the board is kinda nice… but less people also means less capital. The board only has three members now, you know?"

"Three?" Keima repeated. "Isn't it just you and Yoshitake now?"

"Aaah…" Mio exclaimed before turning to Keima. "Erm… I didn't get to tell you yet… but I managed to convince another company to merge with ours" she explained. "Their representative will be on our board."

"Well, that's one Hell of a plot twist" Keima nodded to himself. "At least it's all over now."

Him, Mio and Haqua then heard a meaningful cough and turned to Yui.

"About that…" the drummer started. "I think your count of board of directors members is off by two."

"What do you mean?" Mio asked, voice full of anxiety.

"She means me" a new voice said from behind them. Mio and Keima turned around only to see…

"Urara?"

"That's me!" the girl in question, wearing a fancy dress, walked up to them, a multitude of gazes from males and females alike watching her every move as she walked closer.

"What are you doing here?" Mio felt this question was asked for the umpteenth time today.

"Business" Urara said with a smile. "The truth is, I was thinking about my future and I decided to continue my adventure with astronomy."

"Okay, that explains completely nothing" Mio noticed and Keima nodded his head.

"Oh, you know that space research requires considerable amount of heavy equipment. Telescopes, rockets and such… Grandpa didn't want me to re-brand his company…"

"I wonder why" Mio mouthed.

"...but I have some money I can do what I please with… so I decided to invest it into a certain company" Urara finished with a smile.

"Wait…" Mio had to iterate before her head exploded. "You mean you want my company to help you manufacture the hardware you need in exchange for your investment?"

"Well, that's it" Urara admitted. "But I don't like how it sounds. It's too clinical. I'd rather call it… an agreement between childhood friends… for the old time's sake. After all, it's good to have a business partner you can trust" she winked at them. "Of course, it's only a temporary measure, just so I can make sure that you can deliver. Once your company is good to go, I'll withdraw and remain a mere customer."

"Agreement between childhood friends?" Mio repeated and looked at Keima before they both turned to Yui, aware of her previous comment.

"That's right" the drummer scratched the back of her head. "I'm trying to make amends with my mother and my family kinda wanted me to prove myself, so this arrangement kinds works for me too… if you'll have me of course… Miss President" she winked at Mio.

The blonde girl didn't say anything, shock taking a hold of her. If she understood this right, then in a span of half an hour two potentially dangerous people left her board of directors (or were about to do so), replaced by three new ones, two of which were her best friends.

As if mirroring her train of thought, Keima shook his head in frustration. "Such a random sequence of events. If some company made a game with such complex and long 'high-class people' subplot, that company would burn."

"This is not a game you know" Urara whined, eyeing Keima. Mio internally face-palmed when she realized it kinda was a game.

"Anyway, does that mean you two will be attending parties as well?" she asked, a plan slowly forming in her head.

"Yup!" Yui smiled brightly. "If you agree to this arrangement."

"Of course, I do" Mio smirked, putting her arms over her chest. "I'm already looking forward to the party next Saturday."

"Aah… about that" Urara started, her voice sounding rather nervous as she looked away. "I'm afraid I won't be able to attend next Saturday."

"And why is that?" Mio asked.

"I'm kinda… umm... I-I mean I have a date on that day" Urara replied, her face growing red as she finally looked at Keima and Mio. "And it seems I owe you an apology… And a thank you."

"Oh, so who is the lucky guy?" Mio asked. "Is it the violin guy?"

"No!" Urara said, ignoring the curious look Haqua and Yui were giving her.

"The one who's in a medical university?" Mio shot again.

"Are you an idiot?" Urara said back in anger. "That guy was 4 years older than me!"

"So it's the scientist guy then?" Mio asked and Urara's eyes widened. "I knew you had a thing for researchers!"

"I'm not telling you anything else!" Urara looked away.

Haqua observed their antics, when suddenly she spotted something behind the group, quickly turned around and walked away, canceling the spells she had cast with a simple gesture.

"Aoyama-san" Mio turned to see Yoshitake followed by the person from the Koizumi company Mio had talked with earlier today…

Gosh… it was less than an hour ago, but it felt like it had been ages. Like something in a book chapter you read three weeks ago.

"Yes?" Mio said, when the two men tossed wary glances at Yui and Urara.

"I have just seen Okajima-san" Yoshitake said, looking troubled as he addressed Mio. "I am not sure I have understood him correctly, but he made an impression that he was retiring from being the member of the direction board" he looked at the man behind him briefly. "Me and Gendo-san were wondering if you knew anything about it."

"As a matter of fact I do. I am afraid there are going to be some… rearrangements in the board" Mio said as she grabbed Urara and Yui and brought them closer. "Those two ladies are Urara Shiratori, the granddaughter of Shōtarō Shiratori..." she indicated to Urara who smiled nervously. "...and Yui Goidō, the daughter of Katsuhiro Goidō" Yui bowed politely. "They are going to become the new members of the board of directors."

The two men widened their eyes, recognizing the names of the two prestigious Maijima families.

"Actually" Mio pushed Urara to the front. "Shiratori-san here is interested in the products our company could manufacture. She is willing to invest a large sum of money for this cause. Am I right?" she directed the last part at Urara.

"Um… yes" the girl said in an unsure voice.

"Excellent" Mio said. "Now, I know this is a big and unexpected change and I know it will cause some unrest… Thus, I suggest you all use the remainder of this party to get to know each other. I am sure our company will benefit from that."

The rest of the board looked at her with varying degrees of surprise.

"Now, if you excuse us" she said as she grabbed Keima's hand. "We shall take an early leave. You know, my mother is still the acting president of the company – I am certain she would want to be informed of tonight's events as soon as possible."

Before anyone could protest, Mio started to drag Keima in the direction of the exit.

"Mio!" Keima hissed. "What about 'never leave the party earlier' rule?"

"With Yui and Urara staying behind it's alright. They're not our enemies, so we don't have to worry about it" Mio said. "Besides, with those two on the board, I can focus more on the other aspects of my life… Now" she brought Keima closer. "How about you explain to me what was all this thing with Haqua watching over me and you being a damsel in distress while we wait for Morita to pick us up?"

"Can we talk about it when we get home?" Keima said back as they left the building. It was better to put more distance between Mio and Aizawa before he explained what had happened.

"Oh no..." Mio said as she retrieved her phone. "You have promised me you'll be there for me if I ever get tired or stressed after a party" she reminded him. "So we talk now, because once we get home we're going to do anything but talking."

"Just don't say that to my mother" Keima said. "She's going to assume god knows what."

This was just to avoid his mother embarrassing remarks, but, in all honesty, he had expected Mio to nod, remain silent or scold him. He certainly didn't expect her to giggle and give him a playful smile before she put her phone to her ear and turned away from him, her ears going a little red.

(* * *)

Unfortunately, the later events had proved that Okajima and Aizawa hadn't just magically disappeared overnight. The former apparently had thought that enough number of gifts would convince Mio to accept his offer and the girl had had a tough time deciding whether she was pissed at Okajima or felt bad for him. When that strategy hadn't worked, Okajima had given up, leaving Maijima for good. However, some time after that Mio had learned that he had tried to make Yoshitake leave Mio's company and join him.

Frankly, Mio couldn't care less about that. When Okajima had proposed she had decided to chose Keima over her company and had been prepared to face the consequences. In fact, when she had rejected Okajima she had been certain her company had been a goner. So if Okajima were to take Yoshitake away now it wouldn't change things drastically and even if it would result in the downfall of the company, Mio wouldn't regret her decision.

Yoshitake had stayed however, probably after weighting pros and cons according to whatever calculations his profit-oriented brain had come up with. Thus, the remnants of Okajima's presence had required some cleaning, but if it were to become too much of a bother and in a way of her life, Mio would be able to just leave it behind her.

Aizawa, however, had been a little bit different. She hadn't been aiming for Mio's company – something important to Mio, but discardable if push came to shove. No, she had aimed to stand between Mio and Keima. And that had been something the young Aoyama couldn't let her do.

However, if Mio had thought Aizawa would try to act nice and play by the rules then she had been wrong. The older girl had wanted to exact revenge after the humiliation she had gone through and had tried to use whatever weapon she could, be it money, lies, threats or physical confrontation (through her lackeys of course).

It had been a dangerous predicament, but it had ended quickly. Keima hadn't taken too well to Aizawa targeting his girlfriend and he had acted quickly, once again calling in favors from his devil friends. Mio had never learned any particular details about what Keima had done, except for two things – that it had included memory modification and that it worked.

What had come after that had been a transitory period during which Mio had been anxious, expecting for shrapnels of the entire situation to strike her from the shadows again. This had affected her performance during her mid-term exams, which had turned out to be less than stellar.

Furthermore, the third years couldn't fully enjoy themselves in the week following the sports festival (it had been a shame, but Mio and Keima had been in different classes, so they couldn't participate together), but they still could take part in the dance festival and Mio had flatly refused to let her anxiety get in the way of her making precious memories.

It had turned out the dancing part of the dance festival was kinda weird. It hadn't been the type of "dancing" teens did at the discos, but it had been miles away from the formal dancing at the parties as well. It had been a bit awkward and more than a bit embarrassing, but Mio had found out that she had enjoyed the experience.

It had been surprising though. There had been anxiety and embarrassment, as well as teasing from both their friends and strangers alike, yet somehow it hadn't felt bad at all. It had been as if somehow Keima's presence had made everything better – bad things had become neutral when he accompanied her, annoying had became pleasant and good – breathtaking.

This had been different than the pounding of her chest whenever Keima gave her a smile, however smile. It had been different than the pleasurable feeling when they had been kissing. It hadn't really felt like a physical sensation at all.

It did feel similar to what she had been feeling when Keima had been helping her relieve stress after parties. It was similar to the feeling of security she felt with Keima – like she could show him her soft side and be herself around him. But it was still different. It was something more. Something she couldn't understand.

Was that love? No. Not exactly, as she was certain she had loved him before.

Whatever it was it had helped her in certain ways, somehow making things easier, so that even when 2-B pencils had played their new song, Mio smiled as she had listened to it, which had clearly surprised Chihiro who, judging by her face and the lyrics, had expected a different reaction.

Still, as helpful as it had been, the feeling was a mystery. On some level Mio had been certain it had been connected to the "changing of the guard" as she had taken to call the memorable party during which half of her board of directors changed in a blink of an eye.

At first it had been hard to make that particular connection – the weeks following the party had been uneasy and it had taken some time for Mio to calm down. It had been during the Mai High festival when Mio had for the first time actually noticed that particular feeling.

Then, when the festival had ended, the pressure associated with the exams and the anxiety over Okajima and Aizawa had disappeared. It was then when that other mysterious feeling had come to the surface, becoming stronger, so Mio had taken a not of it. The weird thing had been that the feeling was certainly helpful and positive, but it had also felt… wrong. No, incomplete was more like it. Like there was some empty part inside of her. It couldn't be a loose soul though – Mio knew that particular feeling and it was different this time. But what it was and why it had felt like that – Mio had not known.

However, soon she had decided that she didn't give a damn about what that particular feeling was and she had focused on her daily activities. She had continued her part-time job, although Mari had been becoming more and more surprised, as if she had been expecting Mio to quit by now for some reason. The parties themselves had continued as well, but Mio had decided that she wasn't going to sacrifice her time like that and ended up participating in only every other party or so. Keima had asked if she was sure about that and after her confirmation he hadn't brought it up again.

That had been it for the business parties, but there had been also different type of parties. Like Christmas parties. This time around it had been Mio and her mother who had invited the Katsuragis and Mio had spend a lot of time decorating every possible place in her small apartment with mistletoes. The gifts had been pretty small this time, as Mio had been trying to save as much money as possible. Then there had been the party celebrating Mio's eighteenth birthday at Urara's place. There had been Keima, Eri, Urara, Yui, Tsukiyo and, surprisingly, Tenri, Ayumi, Chihiro, Sumire and Nanaka. At first Mio had thought they had come mostly because of Keima, but she had been proved wrong and, aside from plenty of teasing, it had turned to be one of the best day in the past several weeks.

Alas, the Christmas break and the party time had ended all too quickly and soon they all had been back in the study mode, made even worse by the ever nagging teachers. At least Nikaidō had softened considerably as she had seemed to accept the situation between Mio and Keima. Still, even with all her dislike of studying Mio had had to stop going to parties, put her part-time job on hold, grit her teeth, and bury herself in a stack of books Shiori would be proud of.

It had been in times like that where Mio had envied Keima's academic skills. Then again, it hadn't been as if he'd been lazing around the whole time. No. Whenever he hadn't been helping Mio, spending time with her, teaching Eri to brew coffee (which was always entertaining to watch) or playing games then he had been helping other girls with their studies.

The ones who just had just wanted to be done with school had been less of an issue – Keima still could predict some of the questions and could give them tips. The ones that had been aiming for the best results had been more problematic as Keima wasn't a miracle worker and the girls had had trouble accepting the fact that there wasn't much he could do ("what do you mean? You're supposed to be a god!").

The fact that the exams had been really close hadn't been helping the situation any. Everyone had been nervous, starting with Ayumi and Chihiro (who had both been expressing their dislike of exams at every opportunity) and ending with Urara (who had been pestering everyone about every little detail). Even Kanon had had to take a break from her daily idol activities to study, worrying about whether she'll be able to graduate from high school. Keima had once showed Mio an e-mail from Kanon which had been one big wall of "Help me!"

Not that Mio had been faring much better than the idol. Her small desk at home had practically disappeared, buried beneath stacks of paper, cups of coffee and omelet-soba sandwiches – Mio had tried not to think what she would do without those.

Keima herself had remained mostly calm, glaring every time Eri had been panicking or Mari had been nagging him about his studies. If he had been worried, the he hadn't been showing it.

This had been a tough several weeks, but it was nothing compared to the heavy feeling Mio had been feeling when waiting with all her teammates for her first exam. Tsukiyo had been fumbling with her clothes, as if making herself more presentable were to help her get more points. And Urara had been pale as a ghost.

But as soon as Mio had seen the first question, she had relaxed. When she had left the room an hour later, she had felt much lighter and had smiled cheekily when she had seen Keima waiting outside. Only then he had dropped his poker face, proving he had been worried about her.

After that it had all went surprisingly easy and a few days later the third-years had made a collective sigh of relief as the exams had ended.

And this had been how Mio had ended up where she was now – sitting on one of the chairs in the Mai High auditorium and wondering what all two hundred other students sitting there with her were wondering. Namely, how much longer was the student council's president planning to continue speaking.

Yes, it was a very important day and the final step of their adventure in high school – the graduation ceremony.

The lengthy speech finally ended and – despite the fact that the spring was just beginning and it wasn't all that warm outside – all the students left the auditorium immediately and headed for the main gate where their parents were waiting.

(* * *)

"Congratulations, Mio!"

"Thank you for your hard work, ojōsama!"

Mikoto was hugging her daughter tightly with Morita standing next to them.

"Congratulations, Eri, Keima!" Mari was doing the same while holding her children. She was shedding actual tears and Eri seemed to be close to that as well, while Keima looked a bit uncomfortable.

"I'm proud of you" Keiichi said as soon as it was his turn.

"Thanks, dad" Keima said.

All around them there was a happy clatter and many people had their phones and cameras in their hands, including Mari.

"Pictures time!" she announced happily as she dragged them to the gate so she could take pictures with them next to the Mai High signboard.

"Smile, Keima!" Mari said, an undertone of threat behind her smile, as her children were posing with Eri showing a victory sign. "Now, Mio join them, please" Mio walked to stand next to Keima and put her hand in his as Mari and Mikoto continued to take photos. "Okay, now how about just the two of you?"

Eri moved aside, while Mio waited and right before Mari took the photo she turned to Keima, climbed on her toes and kissed him on the cheek, just as the camera clicked.

Keima turned red, Mio looked away as if she had nothing to do with it and Eri giggled. Mio never learned what Keima wanted to do in return because suddenly something all but jumped on him from the back.

"Congratulations, senpai!" a girl with a shock of brown hair told him happily.

"Aah… thank you, Minami" Keima said to the beaming girl, avoiding looking at his mother, who was watching Minami curiously, probably recognizing her from that day in the café long ago.

Mio crossed her hands over her chest and narrowed her eyes a bit. It wasn't as if she was jealous or anything, but she couldn't help but feel a little anxious when she saw Keima interact with the younger girl. He had always had some sort of a soft spot for her and Minami wasn't a small scrawny girl anymore either. In fact, she had been always taller and, well… bigger than Mio was. Furthermore, Mio didn't know the reason, but there was definitely a hint of red on Minami's cheeks...

Just as when Mio was thinking of grabbing Keima's arm to mark her territory, she herself was assaulted by Yui.

"Congratulations, you two" she said as put her arm around Mio's shoulder and patted Keima on his back.

What followed was Mari, Keiichi, Mikoto and Morita watching as more and more students, or more precisely girls, were gathering, congratulating each other and, in the case of Ayumi and Chihiro, giving Keima a playful nudge.

The biggest surprise was when Kanon arrived, hugging Keima, shocking all students around (Mio looked at the sky meaningfully) and asking for a photo with Keima.

Of course, Keima had to pose for many more pictures, including one big group picture, but this time he was smiling, but Mio felt it was more because he was enjoying the look of utter shock on his parents' faces.

"Hey, we're throwing a party later to celebrate!" Chihiro told them a few minutes after the last photo, giving off the happy and energetic aura that was usually reserved for Ayumi and Eri. She was certainly glad the exams were over. "Be sure to come!" she added before heading to where her own family was.

"Mio" Keima suddenly said in a serious tone, making her face him. Mari and Keiichi were now chatting happily with Mikoto, so the two of them could have a moment just for the two of them.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Congratulations" Keima said, with a soft smile.

"Aah… thank you. And congratulations!" she replied, but it felt weak. It's not like the exams were difficult for him or that he cared about them much in the first place.

If she thought that he was done speaking then she was wrong.

"It has been a long year" he continued. "You had to deal with a lot of things both in school and outside of it. Many people would have neglected some of those things or would have been crushed by them. But you didn't. You have dealt with everything and you did great" his eyes were warm and made Mio realize what he was about to say before he did. "I'm proud of you."

She stared at him for a moment and then tried to fight the tears coming to hear eyes for another, before she failed, the tears of emotion traveling down her cheeks.

Keima was her boyfriend. Her lover. And friend. She had never intended for him to become a substitute for her Papa. Morita was the closest she had to a father now, but she didn't see Keima like that. However, Keima was the most important man in her life now, just as her father once had ben. He was taking care of her, listening to her, keeping her safe and praising her when she's done good.

He was standing where her father would have stood if he was alive.

Without wasting another second she lunged at him and flung her arms around his neck. Keima smiled, embracing her in a warm hug.

"I-idiot!" she said through her tears. "It's not like I wanted you to say that!"

He chuckled. "It seems you're more of a tsundere than I thought" he joked.

"I'm not" she attempted to give him a light punch, but he held her tightly, so she settled on stepping on his foot to hide her embarrassment.

"Riiight… anyway" he said, obviously not believing her, before he moved one hand to pat her on the head. "Good job."

"I'm not a small child!" she protested, her blush growing. Why did it feel so good to be praised by him like that, dammit!

"Too bad" Keima replied, smiling mischievously. "If you were I could give you a piggyback ride."

Mio decided that one last time of being childish wouldn't hurt as she climbed on Keima's back, obviously enjoying being able to see the world from this height.

"You know, I could get used to that" she said.

"I can tell" Keima said, trying to ignore the amused look Chihiro was sending his way. "I guess you can use some break before the next thing."

"What next thing?" Mio asked.

Keima looked up at her and she thought that it felt really weird to look down on him like that.

"I'm talking about the university entrance exams. Those will take place in a month and will be on a whole another level" he reminded her.

"I will worry about that in a week" she ruffled his hair, before pointing to where Morita and Mari have parked their cars. "Now, let's go, my chauffeur!" she spoke in obvious glee.

"Roger, ojōsama" Keima chuckled as he started to walk.

Him and Mio moved away from the school grounds – the place where they had met for the first time and which was a part of their lives for several years, marching towards the next step of their lives with a smile on their faces.

That was how they have left their high school days behind.

(* * *)

So here it is. While Mio's and Keima's answers to Okajima's and Aizawa's "reqeusts" were pretty obvious, the final outcome wasn't (or at least I hope so).

And to make things clear: everything of it was planned beforehand. It's not like I originally planned to have Okajima and Aizawa remain on the board without including Urara and Yui (at least anymore than Yui simply rescuing Keima)... So it's not like the idea for most of things here (Mio clearly telling Okajime she'd rather live in dirty hut with Keima rather than with Okajima in a palace in particular) came to me completely at random a few days ago... xD.

By the way, the signs of Okajima being interested in Mio can be traced way back when he was cold/hostile towards Giichi, because he didn't like that Giichi was "advertising" himself in front of Mio. :P

Anyway... while doing business with your friends might not be the healthiest of solution, I'm still quite happy with what I got here. I managed to clear the situation with the board, let Mio keep her company (thought I very much considered her simply discarding it), wrapped up "Yui in love with Keima" and "Urara can't find a boyfriend" plot threads (although yui was kinda supposed to work differently in the beginning, but I'll save that for a different Nomi :P). I also had Haqua stop guarding Keima so closely.

And then there goes the high school graduation ceremony. This was planned long ago, but not with such details and I'm glad things worked that way, especially including Keima and Mio's "proud of you/pat on the head/piggyback ride" scene.

And then there's this kinda new love-but-not-love feeling that Mio have noticed. I wonder what is that feeling? :)

As for the title, it refers both to the changes on the board of directors and to Haqua/Yui guarding/rescuing events. I have also considered "schism" as the chapter title, but it's a pretty rare word, so I decided against it in the end.

I have to apologize for a lot of time skips, but this story is long enough, so I decided to do it that way.

As a side note, this chapter contains 2 (maybe 3) attempts at breaking the fourth wall. First is when Keima says that the comapny that were to mage a game with such party subplot would burn (I'm glad he didn't say "writer who wrote such a fic" or I'd have been in trouble xD). The second is when Mio says "like something in a book chapter you read three weeks ago" xD.

Also there's a couple of references here, including Alien franchise, Haruhi Suzumiya series and even one from an "Is it wrong to pick up a girl in a dungeon" parody (I wonder if you can spot it, Zelgadis? xD).

Of course, there also some reference to Keima cheering of Ayumi, with Ayumi the one cheering on Keima now. It's may be a little unnecessary, but I liked it, so I added it. :)

And now comes an important announcement. The story is nearing it's end. If everything goes well there's either one chapter left or one chapter and a separate epilogue. At least that's the plan. We will see.

As usual, I kindly ask for you to review the story. Follows and favorites are always appreciated as well.

See you next time!