The World Only the Girls Know: Azalea Side

Chapter 29: Mixed Emotions, Secret Feelings

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: Oh dear.. IRL. Oh i do know sorrel's teasing is not as popular :


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The school was abuzz, not just only the students that were present during their performance, but their friends as well.

Never doubt the rumor-mill, interesting gossip and news spread quicker than any wildfire and as there were rumors surrounding the 2B Pencils long before the performance, the old adage: 'No Smoke Without Fire' is useful once again to describe their situation.

They were just one of a few 'underground' bands that has their roots in the Mai-High with a reputation that is more than just about their music.

In short, they were infamous for many different reasons. With this new sudden 'promotion', good 'promotion' at best, the rumors were flying about just like how Keima had expected it to be.

Whether the rumors were good or bad, having a rumor is the most important and best part of it.

It is like having a headline, the content of the rumor would be up to the interpretation of the reader. In this case, Keima was sure that the 2B Pencils would be able to silence critics of their music by their hard work and their performance in the rehearsal, around 10 days away.

If the expression of shock and disbelief were anything to go by, coupled with the whispered questions of doubt about their identity as a 'rookie band', the will no longer be the underdogs of the competition, but the dark horse that might challenge the more established and popular bands.

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Students were not only listening to the music, mesmerized by the new sensation but actively recording the music as well. Some would no doubt be uploading it into the World wide web, but that was what Keima plan on doing as well.

Music is international and there are no boundaries if one can express themselves well. He will make them famous, the most talked about band in the small city that they reside in.

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But one must not forget the person that they has reached as well, who has her world rocked the most from their daring challenge.

We are talking of course, about, Nakagawa Kanon, the resident idol that was sitting on her favorite bench on the rooftop. She did not fail to catch their song as it was broadcasted on all of the speakers in the school. One could hardly read her expression, but she was an idol after all, a person who is used to controlling her emotions and features behind a never-ending smile.

But on closer inspection, one can see obvious irritation as her hands were clutching onto the chair a little too tightly than one would normal do so.

With her eyes closed and a serene look on her face, it was clear that she was experiencing a mixture of emotions while listening to them.

And who could blame her?

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She is a professional singer who has gone through countless training sessions trying to perfect her vocals, using the right technique to control her breathing, her way of singing and how to sing in higher pitches and deeper tones than what one would be expected to do.

But more than that, she always sang with all her heart, transmitting her feelings in her songs to others almost flawlessly without assistance. She did not require dances or perfected routines from backup singers…

Her voice was her greatest asset and will continue to be till the day she retire from the scene.

She can drive people to tears with her songs while at the same time able to invoke 'life' in them, to gather up a surge of strong emotions to touch all of them in their own unique way.

She as a singer, Nakagawa Kanon, wanted to sing to express herself, to express her love for music… she once wondered and worried about whether she would be popular, whether she would be able to continue to be a star…

That question slowly turned into an obsession, a question that determined her entire being… dominated it and threatened to tear it apart.

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Till Katsuragi Keima. The boy had came into her life, the first person to expose her for who she is, a terrified individual clinging to her own popularity as her only source of strength and motivation to go on.

In time, he became her only source of comfort and strength… perhaps way too much really as she had scared him away… made him let her go for fear that he was pulling her career down by being with her.

What made it worse was that he had rejected her twice, again when she felt she was ready to welcome him into her life again. After she made all those preparations and effort to accommodate him, she was still rejected…

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'Just as you will perform at the Mai-High Fest… I will be there as well, with not just me… with the other girls who have the same determination as you.'

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That was what he told him and she knew that her instincts were right, there was serious competition for him… there were other girls who wanted to be with him as well…

He was right to not accept her feelings for him yet as she was still… not good enough.

Those girls, those girls that he was now managing were singing beautifully. They were lacking the more advanced skills… but had the basics grasped quite well.

She should not have doubted his ability to be a good manager and she had sown the seeds of her own regret by giving him that chance, them the chance to 'challenge' her.

It might seem silly and incredulous that Kanon, a full time singer was afraid of those girls. But she was indeed worried…

Scouting the team out and listening to their previous recordings was not simple, but she had connections to the studio that they did their recordings in.

They were… horrible… and they improved so much under the Capturing God's guidance…

Most importantly, she could feel their emotions resonating through the song that they performed. Each girl were unique but they meshed together well, accompanying the main lead while still distinguishing themselves individually.

It is something very difficult to achieve… this was no longer a rookie group.

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'… no..'

She sobbed softly as she gripped herself, drowning in doubt and worry at being upstaged at her live performance.

The Idol, Nakagawa Kanon wanted nothing else but simply to have someone come tell her what to do now. How should she face the mounting challenge and difficulties that she was facing to have the boy she loved with her by her side.

It is something so simple, so mundane… so common… that she had not expected it to be so difficult.

'…s-stupid me…'

After a few moments of sobbing and feeling sorry for herself, Kanon straightened her back and laid back on the bench, looking up at the sky with a growing smile.

Life is not always a bed of roses… she had been afraid just now because she was being silly.

Recalling the facts, thinking back on the boy that had captivated her heart, the answer was simple.

To do what she has always done, to shine brighter than anyone else… and to sing with all her heart for the boy that she loved.

'Because… it is… ALL. FOR. YOU!'

She declared to the world, but shortly after which she muttered awkwardly to herself.

'and you better appreciate it… ahaha~~~'

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He could only answer in the positive; it was not a dilemma or a choice. There was nothing to lose and more to gain by giving in to them.

But it is difficult to phrase the right words to tell them that. He could answer with a simple 'Yes' but that would not be the answer that they want.

He'll have to go completely clean with them, tell them the whole truth and nothing the truth.

'Are you sure, that is what you want from me? The unconditional truth?'

He made sure that he took his time thinking and phrasing his words to make it have more impact. It worked too as the hung onto his every word.

'Yes, the unconditional truth if you wish to earn back our trust… right, Ayumi?'

Gathering her comrades behind her, Chihiro crossed her arms as Ayumi nodded slowly, seemingly a little afraid of what he would reveal when he did.

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'We want to trust you, Katsuragi… but you are holding out on us… there are things that you might be planning that we might not agree on…

So please… you said we are a bunch of sisters… and you are our manager. There are no secrets amongst us, us sisters and the manager who looks after us, right?'

It is a moving speech, but Katsuragi have read better. Still, it was a good answer nonetheless and he ran one hand through his hair before giving a long suffering sigh to them.

'Alright, if you can handle the whole truth… follow me.'

Gesturing to those who are brave enough, he opened the doors and stepped out of the room, leaving all of the girls looking at each other nervously.

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But unexpectedly, it was Elsi who stepped forwarded and hurried behind him. She was afraid of being afraid, of being indecisive and not being able to express herself further.

'I… I'll go.'

She muttered softly as she skipped out into the corridor where Keima was waiting, causing the other girls to all look at each other before following her too.

All of them did not want to lose to someone who was seemed as the weakest one of the group, both emotionally as well as psychologically.

They all realized too, that Elsi is growing up, maturing in front of their eyes as she is driven by something, some desire to be better, to be stronger than ever before, ditching her previously meek demeanor while at the same time gaining new confidence, strength and maturity..

They weren't going to lose to that spirit and so they trudged ahead too, to find out the truth that he was hiding behind his back.

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The expression of one's jaw dropping didn't quite appear often in the real world, nor is the saying: 'So quiet that one can hear a pin drop.'

But it really happened as Elsi and the rest of the 2B pencils were left speechless, their mouth wide open in shock as he showed them what he had prepared with Haqua's help.

He had kept Elsi in the dark as to what he was preparing, relying her on more… open assignments. He hoped she did not mind as he had carefully and painstakingly told her that last night.

There were times that he wanted to keep details hidden on her for the 'shock' value and he and thanked her for her patience, promising to make it up for her soon.

Katsuragi Keima, the Capturing God was not prepared for the expression that Elsi had on her face when he said that and he was painfully aware that he had stepped on a time bomb. This was something that he could not defuse just by apologizing and admitting that he said the wrong thing.

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Words can be interpreted in different ways, mostly the right ones… but he admit that he had not been clear enough in his speech to create this misunderstanding.

Whatever it is, it was sufficient to reenergize and to make Elsi so happy that she hugged him, despite knowing of his discomfort for physical contact in joy.

For some reason, he too was unable to reject Elsi with that expression on her face. She was literally radiating joy and happiness in such a degree that even he could not bear to the one who to destroy that happiness.

He really is changing and he took a second to reflect on that. Previously he would have crushed that tiny bit of hope that Elsi had ruthlessly as to let it grow and build up would result in a much bigger headache than before.

But now he had relented and allowed her to hang on to the little bit of hope as a reward for her.

It is a dangerous one too, he did not know what she expected of him, what she wanted him to provide her with… nor could he figure out what were the key words that had triggered such a response.

Was she glad that he would make it up to her? Or was she simply happy that he had recognized her patience with him?

Either way, he will have to reflect and ponder on that for some time.

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Back to the topic of the shocking things that he revealed to the girls, they were greeted by many different posters that he has created with their band as the centerpiece. It was a testament to both his skills and his resourcefulness as they did not notice him taking those photos.

Placed in the room adjacent to theirs that he used as their storeroom, along with many other club's belongings, there were banners, posters as well as pamphlets about the team, all printed in color with great emphasis on details and quality.

'S-sugoi…'

Terada was left speechless as she picked up one pamphlet that was introducing her and her alone. Besides a team one, Keima had printed and prepared pamphlets as well as A4 sized posters about the members of the band.

If he was going to challenge a real idol, he will need all the help he could get. It was his promise to both of them, the 2B pencils as well as Nakagawa Kanon to do his best.

Even if it means being side tracked a little from his quest of the truth.

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Besides quoting the girls in the short introductory write-ups of them, what embarrassed the girls the most were not the photos, taken without their knowledge while they were practicing or generally chatting with each other, was the fact that Keima had listed their three sizes in them as well.

This caused most of the girls to turn red and to shoot daggers at him for revealing that… but they were even madder when Keima commented that he made the figures slightly inaccurate.

'It's like with one's age… sometimes, it is better to have a more advantageous number.'

He added shamelessly but raised a hand when Ayumi was about to protest and he commented that it was not off, by much anyway.

'WHAT?'

It was another understatement to say that Keima was 'attacked' viciously by the 2B Pencils for intruding in their privacy like that.


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'So are you going to confess on how you got… our measurements?'

Crossing her arms, Ayumi scowled with a blushing red face while Keima simply applied an icepack on his bruised face, a result of all of the girls slapping him repeatedly in the same spot.

He had gotten off a little lightly, he reflected while they all glared angrily at him.

For Ayumi and for most of the girls in the group, they were torn on whether to feel embarrass or to feel happy that he was even interested in their three sizes. Mostly the former but the latter was affecting their feelings as well.

'… It is not difficult to get that particular information, one would need to consult the School Nurse and Doctors. Of course, I would have to state my reasons for doing so, seeing it is confidential information. However, besides that source, It is not difficult to gauge an average range of measurements from my knowledge.'

He left the girls speechless before he clarified with a cough.

'From my games…. Are you satisfied with the advertisements?'

It was one thing to kick start an advertising campaign with a unique strategy, it is another thing to attract the masses.

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Taking a leaf out of many advertising companies, Keima decided to flood the target audience with information, teasers and of course, samples of their 'product'.

'The posters will be placed in all of the notice boards in the school and around town. The pamphlets however will be distributed by hand to our fellow students tomorrow morning. This is to generate more awareness of our Band as well as to generate more hype for the audition that is coming up. The Student Committee has approved of this in the condition that the Mai-High fest is advertised in the Flyers as well. The respective authorities are informed as well… this is what I have been hiding from you… more or less.'

Rattling off before they could answer his question, he was glad to see that the girls were more shocked than anything with his actions.

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'This is all that I have planned up till now. I, Katsuragi Keima, the Capturing God, promised to lead you to the Mai-High fest… and subsequently promised to not hold out on all of you and to give you nothing but the truth. Is this enough to win your trust?'

He spoke softly while all the girls just at each other, the pamphlets, posters as well as all the preparations that he prepared behind his back (some with Haqua's help).

None of them had expected him to go so far, even if it is to help Elsi, preparing so many things and asking for favors from the Student Council, perhaps some teachers as well to get permission for his plans as well as for the practice sessions.

Earlier on he had proved to be a capable and skilled manager, teaching and instructing them to perform better than they had dreamed and all of them had been won over by his skills and knowledge.

Later all of them were impressed by his mannerisms as well as his attitude in private, being a great teacher as well as a great mentor for all of them, creating an atmosphere that made their friendship and the time they spent together as a group practicing or otherwise to be such a great experience.

But at the same time, they felt that he was withholding things from them at the same time. There is this part of him that seemed withdrawn that only Elsi can reach, and only partially at best. Everyone needed their privacy, but some of the girls felt that he was too distant to be their manager… especially if he was to be 'responsible' for them.

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'… I understand if you can't make a decision now. It is difficult to expect anyone to just trust someone outright.'

Stating the obvious, he took his leave and left the girls in the room, all unable to stop him from leaving.

'… What should we do, Chihiro-chan?'

It was Ayumi who spoke up, unsure what to do as she wanted so desperately to run after him, to say that she trusted him.

But it was Terada who spoke up instead as she was reading one of the pamphlets that Keima had prepared for the entire group.

'We should go together… as a whole, as the 2B Pencils… I trust him…'

She confessed softly as she passed that particular pamphlet to them, urging them to read what was written there.

Written in the back and in one inconspicuous corner was what Keima felt about the 2B Pencils as a whole.

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The girls are simply singing because they wish to, expressing themselves and what they feel about the world, about the ups and downs of life through their songs… their wish for a world that is filled with joy, hope and love.

Just like how they had touched my heart, give them a chance to touch yours as well.

Once chance is all that they need.


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Just as how he had allowed them the chance to prove themselves despite their weaknesses and confusion about him. It was not them that had given him the chance, it was the other way around… he had led them to where they were right now…

The real test; is for them and not for him. Would they be able to trust him after he trusted them far enough to impart and invested so much knowledge and time in them?

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author's Notes: R&R would be good...