The World Only the Girls Know: Azalea Side
Chapter 25: Hanging on
Author's Note: Characters from the Light Novels and Manga will be included as well
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Original Title: The World Only God Knows / 神のみぞ知るセカイ
Original Concept by Tamiki Wakaki
Written by: wrathie
Author's Notes: So I screwed up with my poll. Anyway, the poll is now available in the profile! Do me a favor and vote for your favorite story today! R&R too!
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The question shook the household to the core and for Kanon's benefit, she was scandalized, shocked and embarrassed that her manager would want to probe into such a sensitive issue that is none of her business.
Her manager however, was not backing down from that challenge and just stared intently at Katsuragi Mari, who had froze on the spot when asked that forbidden, painful truth.
For those who are not acquainted with the fact, Elsi is the illegitimate daughter of her beloved and she had been trying to avoid that topic when it was raised. It is an embarrassing thing for the family, but they were still related by blood.
Elsi on the other hand, simply froze in position, her chopsticks left hanging as she was about to eat a piece of the vegetables that Mari had cooked.
She knew that it was her fault that a once happy family was broken up and she had tried hard to try and make things easier on Mari to compensate.
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She had felt welcome in the family, Mari is a strong rallying point in the family and she had stated that whatever had happened, the most important thing now is that she is part of her family.
It is something that she did not forget as during that period of time, Keima had not accepted her fully yet, making Mari the lone tower of support in her life in this world.
Having that wound reopened was just as hard for Elsi as for Mari and she felt herself unable to say a word, hoping, praying for someone to come to her defense.
He is God after all and for him to come to a rescue for a devil like her is unheard of but that was exactly what happened, Keima's hands slammed on the table fiercely with such impact that everyone's attention was riveted to her.
Beside him was Kanon and she was shocked to silence by his outburst as he slowly raised his head and then sighed audibly and sadly.
'What kind of question is that? Elsi is my sister; that is all that matters.'
A simple answer for a simple question and although he himself was a little upset at how quickly he had allowed his temper to flare up, he controlled it and fiercely stood up for her sister.
It might be disrespectful, but this was his home, his family and his sister.
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That and the approving look from Haqua seeing how he defended her honor. The look was replicated with Mari as she smiled at Keima before coughing and clearing the awkwardness after his outburst.
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Naturally, he choose not to look at Elsi, perhaps wisely as she was so red in the face he would not be surprised if her hair caught fire from the heat. She only recovered after Haqua nudged her pointedly, telling her to wake up did she realize that Mari was defending her as well.
'Elsi is my daughter… as in regards to your question, I'm afraid I can't answer that… it is complicated, that is all I can reveal to you. Please, do not judge people solely by that…'
Her underlining tone was clear, this conversation will now be dropped and it did not exist. However, the standoff between the two woman was finally resolved when Kanon intervened, tugging at her sleeves and telling her to stop.
The rigid, cold exterior of the manager was dispelled by the Idol and she sighed, adjusting her glasses before nodding and apologizing to Elsi and the rest of the Katsuragi family.
It made one wonder why she raised the question in the first place till one considers what her role was supposed to be.
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She is Kanon's manager and by simply being with her this past few years, had became quite adept in reading her moods and emotions.
She attributed Kanon's success not only to her looks and singing talent, but the pure image that she projected and became her tag line. Being a High School Student and yet an idol is unheard of in the past decade, especially one as 'clean' and driven as Kanon.
She has no scandals, no ties to any celebrities, not known to flaunt her looks or title around. She seemed to have no faults at all, achieving good results in school, enjoying her work, cheerful to a fault and most importantly, hardworking and sincere.
It was all those traits that made her the success story that she is today, close to the fans and yet still managing to distance herself from… undesirable people and hobbies.
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Half a year ago, she had noticed that Kanon's mood seem to waver and although it did not affect her work or motivation, at times she has to wonder as the girl's obsession was regarding a boy from her high school.
But that reached to a climax when Kanon disappeared just before her first concert and later returned with an expression that she had not seen Kanon exhibit before.
It is said that being in love changes someone both externally and internally. It is as if something inside her has just clicked that turned her from a girl to a young woman. She was strangely more confident in herself, carrying herself in a different way and although a little clumsier, the change was for the better.
At times, she wondered if the short brush with depression was just an illusion.
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Until the report about the boy that Kanon had been meeting came back to her and subsequently, Kanon's admission during a Live Interview about a boy he liked during the release of her new Single had made her nervous, despite herself.
Idols are supposed to keep their personal life away from their professional lives and she'd imagine the outburst of the millions of followers when they heard the news.
But she had managed to smooth the uproar relatively easily, due to most of her fans being appeased with her heartwarming appeal. It still makes her a little proud to be managing someone as pure as this girl.
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However, Kanon can never be seen with someone with… issues and she had made sure to conduct background checks on this boy, Katsuragi Keima and on his family.
In the exterior, he does not seem desirable but at the same time, he is not approaching Kanon due to her name and status. In fact, he does not even seem interested in her or any girls in the first place.
His immediate family is more of a concern, his father being constantly overseas and her mother working alone in a small café… but the most crucial point was of his sister, Katsuragi Elsi.
There seemed to be a lack of information on how and when she became part of the family, documents proving her identity were found readily enough through the right sources but the most important one, about her background and birth were suspiciously 'misplaced'.
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That is the reason she allowed Kanon the concession to visit them at their home and to pick up Elsi from the stadium. She wanted to be clear on her facts, regardless of the cost.
Even if it may damage her precious Kanon-chan's chances with the boy.
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The atmosphere was a wee bit frosty after Kanon's manager breached the topic and Kanon seemed to pick up the hint quite readily, excusing herself and her manager shortly after dinner was done.
To her disappoint, she was unable to score much points with either Keima nor her mother, but she did score massive points with Elsi by signing her copy of her single and albums, not to mention her bringing Elsi back in the first place has endeared the girl to her.
But all in all, she concluded that it was not a wasted effort and a great experience for her to visit Keima's home.
His mother is gentle and kind, just like how she hoped she would be…. Her sister is as warm and accommodating as always and it is a sort of relief to see Keima behaving the same way he does at school, even though she did not know he can be so protective over his sister.
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Furthermore, it has been a while since she ate home-cooked food and she began to appreciate and even miss her own civilian life as she bowed deeply to the Katsuragi Family.
Her manager beside her did the same, a little stiffly as she might be still upset at being snubbed like that, but she was at fault in the first place!
'Thank you for having us over for dinner, Katsuragi-san.'
'Yes, thank you for inviting us.'
The matron and head of the family simply smiled at the two of them and bowed back politely.
'It is our honor to have the two of you with us. I hope our simple fare was acceptable. The two of you are always welcome back to our home any time.'
She flashed a winning smile that Kanon hoped to replicate and saw them out the door, with Keima and Elsi trailing behind them.
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There is one person that has been quite the enigma however and that person is the one who had not appeared to escort the two of them out.
It was the girl that Elsi had called fondly as 'Haqua'. She was no doubt a close friend of the Katsuragis as she had been very comfortable around the house. What was more upsetting for Kanon was the fact that she had came down from the second floor together with Keima.
Was she in a relationship with Keima?
The instant that thought passed by her mind, Kanon felt her chest tightening and she acknowledged it with a grim smile. Nothing less to signal that she really was very fond of Keima…
Jealousy, she would never have expected herself to show jealousy but she definitely felt that emotion when Haqua and Elsi conversed with each other, dragging Keima into the conversation.
Reluctant as he was, he had slowly been drawn into their discussion and seemed to quite enjoy the looks of admiration from Keima and to a lesser extent, Haqua when he dominated the discussion with his knowledge and intellect.
She wanted him to see her that way and only her, not to share that look of vivid attention anywhere else.
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Was she getting possessive after all?
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'Kanon-chan, we should be heading back home now.'
Breaking her out of reverie, she looked towards her manager to see that she was opening the door for her and she squeaked, telling her not to while getting into the car.
Turning, she saw the Katsuragis still waiting for her to leave and she smiled back, waving slowly to them as the car rolled away, happy that they too waved as she left their district.
Now that they are alone, she finally had the chance to confront her manager about what she did earlier. That question was totally unacceptable.
'Before you start asking me questions, Kanon-chan. I have only one thing to say for myself.'
But she beat her to the punch and rendered her silent again with a single statement.
'Katsuragi Elsi, might not be the biological sister of Katsuragi Keima after all.'
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'…'
Keima was distinctively uncomfortable with himself, his family and Haqua. The three of them had shot him thankful, grateful and proud glances when he lost control of his emotions and lashed out at a guest to the Katsuragi household.
After a phonecall from his father established the fact that he would be the 'Master' of the house for quite a while, he had been trying hard not to create too much trouble for his mother, especially if he can still continue to play his games like he wished to.
Thus, his lack of control was unacceptable.
As a God and as the host of guests, he should not have lashed out against them the way that he did earlier. It was disrespectful and not only rude, it signaled how immature he still is.
However, what was more disturbing was how the rest of his family approved of his outburst.
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Elsi was almost beside herself with joy at being defended like that and he had to control his temper not to lash out at her during dinner as well.
His mother, Mari had seemed extremely proud to have him as a son, another rare occasion that left him trying to make sense of the underlying meaning behind her glances.
But mostly, it was how Haqua had took him away after dinner and thanked him for defending Elsi like that.
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'I'll trust you a bit longer, Keima. Thank you for defending Elsi-chan… she doesn't have anyone in the Human World to look up to beside you and Mari-san. It is the least you can do for her now.'
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She had left him with a bittersweet smile, not to mention the dishes and left him totally confused to consider his own motivation and goals for speaking up like that.
After all, everything happens with a reason. Logic and reasoning were his best weapons, letting him work true so many endings, so many games and so many girls just by thinking through it without being influenced by his emotions.
That is why he is known as the Capturing God. Letting one's emotions betray one from making the right action is simply a crime.
By simply reflecting and spotting the small subtle clues, one can always decide on the right action to take in any scenario.
He has always believed that acting on impulse or driven by emotions were unbecoming of him and is seldom, if ever the right decision.
But, after hearing that woman insult Elsi, he had lashed out without thinking, his emotions telling him to speak up on behalf of her. Simply put, it was because she was depending on him.
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Did Haqua influence his mental state so much from his encounter with her? He had dismissed it as an 'outside' event, not particularly involved in the current 'plot' and development of things. But really, was she an unwitting partner in this 'story' as well?
Kanon's appearance in his home was surprising, as was the fact that she was trying to score points with his family. But he could classify it under an 'unexpected' event that would trigger eventually when he pushed the right flag.
He had been a little concerned that he had been developing both Ayumi and Chihiro's plot a little too far and it is a relieve to see Kanon back in the spotlight.
Was this 'event' part of the plotline after all?
It made sense in a way…
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Katsuragi Keima, the Capturing God, leaned back on the sofa and reflected the one question that was on his mind.
'Why, why did he get so upset when they questioned Elsi's identity?'
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It had been an odd week for Miyako Terada and it had gotten odder the more she spent time with her best friends, Ayumi, Chihiro and Elsi.
She enjoyed their company as they were interesting, very friendly and of course, her very very very good friends in school.
She herself isn't particularly a very popular girl in school, average in school and slightly better in her grades. So she was quite surprised to have Chihiro ask her to join a band with her.
Although she has been practicing the piano for years, she had never dreamt of joining a band or anything, she simply played because she wanted to.
Another part of the answer was that she admitted that she did not have the talent for playing in the first place, never would she earn a living through it and there was no point in aiming for a dream that was unattainable.
But, as long as she had fun playing the instrument, she was not going to let those negative thoughts get her down after all.
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With Ayumi and company, playing was fun and enjoyable and she enjoyed the antics and interaction between her friends. Still, it is tiring to play the middle and straight person in the group.
Ayumi is energetic, but she is clumsy and may say hurtful or sarcastic words without realizing it.
Chihiro is blunt and unfortunately at the same time had a short fuse.
Elsi, was simply a girl with a lack of common sense with a big heart.
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It was exactly the role that she play that made her feel like everything was worthwhile.
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But that had changed when another person joined the group, Katsuragi Keima.
She does not have a good impression of Keima-kun, but he had surprised her with a much larger range of knowledge and commitment than she had thought him possible of.
Terada too was aware of the subtle hints that told her that all three of her friends had varying degrees of affection and feelings for the boy.
But it had only gotten stronger ever since he joined them as their manager, causing her to feel a little awkward being around them.
Especially when she was getting a little unhappy at how she had unjustly written him off before.
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'… I wish you well.'
She hoped that whatever he did, would not break up the friendship she had with all of the girls in the band. It is a difficult position to be in, made the worst when she knew most of what was happening behind the scenes.
The middleman, is tough to be after all.
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Author's Note: I realized that Ayumi and Chihiro had not been making appearances lately. I'll focus on them soon though. However, is Terada gaining popularity as well? That's something I did not expect!