The idea of the story was inspired from the "100 Girlfriends who really, really, really, really, really love you" and "The Quintessential Quintuplets " manga series, which is a really funny and wholesome harem stories in my opinion. If you are a fan of harem genre, I recommend you to check it out. I will be focusing on doing fluff and showing wholesome moments between Akko and her harem, so I apologize if I don't touch on the events that much.
Within the Kagari household, everything was quiet. It was still in the dead of night, and there was no one within a kilometer of distance who was awake. Akko Kagari was sleeping in peace inside her room, until she felt the urge to drink some water. It would be understandable, since she had been focused on studying in advance to maintain her consistent grades, and therefore had forgotten to have a glass of water before sleeping.
Opening her eyes with no difficulty at all, Akko got up from her futon and walked towards the door, just to see that there wasn't anything to go to.
"That's strange. I don't recall having the door repaired recently,"she said to herself and continued on walking, only to realize that she was going nowhere because there was nothing around her."What the…"
Frowning slightly, she looked around herself to observe her surroundings and take in what she's seeing. There was… literally nothing around her, and her futon even disappeared. Atsumi (her sister XD) wasn't there either, same for Ryuko (her father XD). She was just there… standing in the middle of nowhere, and everything was nearly dark. While other people would surely freak out by now, she wouldn't be fooled so easily.
"Am I still dreaming?"she asked herself, before nodding her head as if she was agreeing with herself."I think that would be the most acceptable explanation, yes… and I certainly wouldn't have been suffering from sleepwalking when there is no one around —"
"Akko Kagari."
The teen's attention was quickly brought towards the source of the voice, which was in front of her, as a cloud of smoke suddenly spawned out of nowhere. She tilted her head to the side in confusion, but before she could get closer to investigate, the smoke had dissipated giving way for the presence that was within it.
"This is… an unusual dream I'm having so far." Akko comments, having a good look of the person who was standing in front of her. He was an elderly man wearing a traditional kimono, and held a big staff in his right hand. He had a long, white beard and a tuft of hair on his head that only spurted into his bangs. His most notable features were perhaps his really thick eyebrows as well as his huge, pointy nose.
"Akko Kagari. I have come to speak with—"
The man was cut off short when Akko simply raised a hand, a neutral expression on her face. "I'm sure you must have something interesting to tell me, but I'm afraid I have not the time to be dealing with this. I will now wake up, drink water, then go right back to sleep."
With that, Akko turned around and attempted to walk away, only for the old man to continue speaking as if nothing happened.
"You can try, but I am in control of the surroundings here. Until I say that you are permitted to leave, you will remain here and have no choice but to listen to my words."From his voice alone, it was clear that he wasn't messing around.
It didn't stop Akko at all, as she then pinched her arm and expected to be brought back to the real world, but nothing happened. She pinched herself harder, but the results were the same. She then tried using both hands and dug her nails into her own skin to the point that she herself was gritting her teeth in pain, but her actions were still futile. She was clearly feeling something, but it wasn't enough for her to wake up.
"I must be having a deep sleep… perhaps I could try resorting to more physical measures?" Akko mused, raising her hand and forming it into a fist, preparing to punch herself in the face in order to wake up.
"Akko Kagari, the only thing you'll be doing is giving yourself pain if you continue. Like I said, as long as I am here, you cannot return to the real world for I am in control of the surroundings here. Now, will you continue punishing yourself for nothing, or will you lend an ear to listen?"The old man stated in a serious voice once again, while his thoughts were conveying something else."Why was this mortal chosen once again? Sometimes I want to change the way I draw names…"
That stopped Akko in her attempted action, looking like she was considering what the old man said in his mind."Should I listen to him? It's my dream and by extension, my thoughts. There is no possible way for him to do such a thing, but this might be worth hearing out. I have never seen this man in my life, but I could be having a premonition of sorts and this might happen in the future…"she said in her thoughts, weighing her options.
Finally, Akko turned around with her arms folded across her chest, looking towards the old man with her neutral expression from earlier.
"Very well, I shall hear you out. What do you want from me?"
The elderly man narrowed his eyes for a moment, before slamming his staff once against the ground."Akko Kagari, many know me by many names, but I am simply known as the God of Love and Fertility. I have come here personally to tell you of something important."
"A god, huh?" Akko raised an eyebrow, before shaking her head in disappointment. "I deeply apologize, but I have not much interest in religion. Whatever you wished to tell me, there is no need as it will only be irrelevant to me." She turned around again, preparing to leave this place since there was nothing for her to do around here. "I suppose this will be the end of our conversation, oji-san."
Before she could attempt to pinch herself in an attempt to wake up, she heard the sound of the old man's staff banging down on the ground and before she knew it, her whole body went rigid like a corpse.
"-!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise before she was forced to turn back around against her will, where the old man was within a few inches away from her and had a menacing look on his face.
"I am not just some old man, Akko Kagari. I am a god and you are a mere mortal, do you understand? I can bring you great pain and sorrow just by lifting a finger, and you wouldn't even be fast enough to realize it. Are we clear?"
Realizing that she had no choice at the moment, Akko could only nod in response. "Y-Yes, I understand."
"Now, as I was saying earlier, I am known as the God of Love and Fertility. I watch over every relationship there is, and sometimes influence a mortal regarding what she feels inside. I personally came into your mind right now to tell you about something important."
Feeling that she was finally able to move freely again, she stretched some of her limbs to make sure they were functional. "Which is?"
The elderly god slammed his staff into the ground, causing a burst of wind to go out in all directions, which was enough to nearly take the young teen off balance."Akko Kagari, you are to encounter your 'soulmate' in high school tomorrow."
Akko's eyes narrowed for a moment, before they suddenly widened once her mind had registered the god's words.
"S-Soulmate…? Me?" While she was definitely not into romance and anything else surrounding it, Akko was, by no means, uneducated about the different terms related to the subject. She knew about a date, a boyfriend/girlfriend, marriage, as well as the term 'soulmate'. She was tempted to fire back and tell the old man that this was just nonsense, but she didn't want to risk anything. "T-There has to be some sort of mistake here… I am not interested in this kind of thing right now," she spoke, with all signs of her composure being thrown out the window.
"True. Any person wouldn't know what's going on when a god suddenly appears in her dreams for something important. Therefore, I shall elaborate further."The god nodded his head in understanding, before continuing."A soulmate is a companion who is set to be the 'ultimate love partner' for all individuals, the moment they are born into this world."
"I know what a soulmate is!" Akko interjected, her cheeks turning red from the thought of gaining a soulmate of her own.
"Is that so? That is good to know then, Akko."The god only nodded, causing the teen herself to sweat-drop."It will help you when you meet your soulmate tomorrow. The very moment that your eyes will meet, it'll feel like a shock just ran through your whole body. In that instant, the both of you will fall in love so hard that it hurts. To put it simply in your language, it is 'love at first sight'."
"You can't be serious… there isn't anyone in this world who would like someone like me," Akko stubbornly denied.
However, it didn't seem like the old man was listening at all."There is something you must pay attention to, Akko. When it comes to falling in love with others, women 'fall in love instantly', while men 'fall in love gradually as time goes by'. Each pair of soulmates are destined to meet each other at their own designated time, and in your case, it will be tomorrow."
Akko narrowed her eyes. "That's impossible. There are people who spend their entire lives alone, and I would rather be one of them."
"Of course. There exists those that don't have a soulmate set to them, but for those who do have one, it makes them exceptionally fortunate. You are one of those fortunate people, Akko Kagari."
"Why does it have to be me?" Akko gritted her teeth in frustration. "Can't it be someone else instead? Like I said, I'm not interested in this thing because I am focused on something else entirely."
The elderly god shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly."Well, that's because your name was the one that I got from the box that I use to draw any person's name so I could help with his/her romantic life. It's how I work."
"Using a box to draw names… what kind of god are you…?" The young teen thought to herself incredulously, before snapping out of it. "Can't you just take it away? You're a god, right? Surely you can take away what you gave me. I would rather meet my future girlfriend or boyfriend, if I even have one, when I'm finally ready to pursue a relationship. Not right now when I'm still in high school. I'm sure you are also aware that my family isn't doing well financially, correct? Pursuing a relationship right now will only be dragging us down even further."
"I cannot do such a thing. Once I bestow a person with something or influence her in her actions, I cannot take it back. It is the reason why there are couples who end their relationships everywhere. It also makes the job interesting, you know? If I could take away the love that I give you, then it would be like taking your free will away."The god explained, before pointing his staff at Akko."Regardless, you will meet your soulmate tomorrow in school, and there is nothing that can be done to prevent it."
"Tsk…!" The teen clicked her tongue in annoyance. So this old man had no way of helping her, or he was restricting himself from doing so. She was almost tempted to say that she didn't really care for his reasons, only for a sudden idea that hit her mind, causing Akko to smile in a smug manner. "Actually, there is. I don't have to accept whoever that soulmate is, and simply move on with my life. I am sure that she'll or he'll be able to find someone else better than me, and I'll continue going through school without having to worry about a romantic relationship."
"Ah, about that, there is no way to sever the connection between you and your soulmate. The two of you will continue to be bound by an invisible string of fate no matter what you do. Unless, you are willing to let your soulmate die from various events, shortly after you turn her down."The elderly god stroked his beard and looked away, as though he was nervous of telling such a thing.
Immediately, Akko narrowed her eyes and responded with her best impression of Ivan Drago from that popular movie series, "If she dies, she dies."
The old god deadpanned."You misunderstand. They'll be hurt greatly from the heartbreak of your rejection."
Akko was unfazed. There was just no way she would accept getting a lover in this period of her life. "Let them see a therapist then."
"They're gonna die, Akko."The god sighed and palmed his face in disappointment."D-I-E, got it? They will cease to exist in this world, never to be seen again. The boy or girl who's destined to be your soulmate will die if you turn them down. They're death will be on your hands. Now, are you willing to bear that guilt if you let it happen?"
"L-Let them die…" Akko's expression finally switched to one of terror, as she removed any further thought of a polite rejection from her mind. The guilt would be just too much. "Are there no other options left? You're a god, aren't you? I don't want to go through this at all!"
"My time here is nearing its limit, thanks to your stubbornness, so I will not remain here any longer. Remember, Akko Kagari. You will meet them tomorrow and whatever happens from there, shall be up to you."
With that, the elderly god then disappeared into the wind that blew past, leaving Akko there all alone, while trying to slowly gather her thoughts. No one can blame her, since she just talked with a god in her own dream, who then informed her that she will meet her soulmate tomorrow in school.
"Tomorrow… I'll be seeing her tomorrow… I can't possibly skip my classes because of this, so it would be a futile attempt to try and distance myself from the place where we'd see each other. Perhaps I could simply avoid looking at another girl directly into her eyes? That oji-san did say that we'd have to look at each other's eyes for 'a shock' to happen, but if it doesn't happen, then I wouldn't have to worry about anything at all. As long as I don't look into a girl's eyes, I'll be safe. I won't have a soulmate, no one's gonna die, and I'd be able to get through this without concerning myself about anything romantic of the sort."
With this plan in mind, Akko felt a large weight was off her chest as a result. If that old god wasn't going to help her avoid that soulmate thing from happening, then she'll do it on her own.
Pinching her own arm to wake herself up from this dream, Akko only had one thing in mind: DO NOT look into the eyes of another girl in school from now own, or she'll just be digging her own grave afterwards.
Little did she know that she already did.
"Yakiniku set without the yakiniku, please."
Akko says with a calm look on her face, all while keeping her gaze directed somewhere else. She knew that there was no way the cafeteria lady would be the soulmate that the old deity was talking about (it sounded so wrong), but she was being very precautious about her surroundings today, for obvious reasons. She had no intention of meeting her so-called 'soulmate', simply because she didn't want the luxury of having one.
After filling her tray with a small bowl of rice, miso soup and picked vegetables, the cafeteria lady handed it over towards the teen.
"Here you go."
"Thank you, ma'am."
Bowing her head while keeping her gaze away, Akko walks off in search of a table. Meanwhile, the students that were waiting in line were left staring at her.
"…what kind of lunch is that? It's not even on the menu…"
"Who knows? It's what you would expect from a girl like her"
"She doesn't have enough money to take care of herself? Why is she even here in this place?"
Akko could hear some of them whispering about her eating habits, but she simply ignores them to continue searching for an empty table, while internally smirking at her ingenuity. The cafeteria's cheapest item was the bowl of rice on her tray, priced at 200 yen, although it wasn't available as a single meal. However, after two days' worth of lunches, Akko was able to determine that if she orders the yakiniku meal and asks to remove the meat portion, which is about 200 yen as well, the cafeteria staff will still give her the bowl of rice, but with the miso soup and vegetables as if she's ordering the full set. Essentially, this means that she can take advantage of the cafeteria system by receiving miso soup and veggies while only having to pay for a bowl of rice!
It's like housewives taking advantage of the discount sales in supermarkets, but on a smaller scale.
"Kagari-chan is sitting alone again, huh…"
"You should expect it at this point."
"There's no one here who would want to sit with her anyway."
Again, Akko could clearly hear their quips about her social skills but she threw them into the back of her mind while filling a cup of water for herself."These people don't know how peaceful it is to be alone. Well… not like those fools have anything to do with my life…"she thought to herself, before continuing on towards one of the two-seater tables near the far end of the cafeteria.
As soon as she placed her tray down on the table, she was quick to notice that there was another tray beside her. Completely forgetting about her current dilemma at the moment, she turned her head to look at the owner of the other tray, which caused her to lock eyes with a young green-haired girl who was frowning at her.
Almost immediately, the pair felt an electric shock travel throughout their whole bodies and caused their eyes to widen, especially Akko who knew what this meant.
"That feeling just now… a shock ran through my entire body… c-could it be… CRAP! Why did I let my guard down for a second?!"After remembering an important piece of information that the god of love had told her, Akko cursed in her mind, feeling the urge to bang her head against the wall for being unaware of her surroundings just now.
Somehow, she was sure that the old god must be laughing at her misfortune right now… yeah, screw that guy.
Resigning herself to her fate, she took another look at the girl, who was now blushing wildly and couldn't bring herself to look at her directly."Is this what that god told me? This girl… is my soulmate…?"
Not wasting time, eh? Well, like what the god said, Akko did meet her soulmate in school, who is none other than Diana! Not a big surprise there. What happens from here? How will this newfound connection between the two affect their relationship? Questions to be answered next time!