Hi everyone! A week has passed, and I am back and... well, I'm back, whether anyone missed me or not. We're at lucky number 30, and there are absolutely no prizes to be won. I'm surprised ya'll are still here, but I'm still happy. I'm glad to be writing a story I'm very passionate about, and now that I finally have a consistent writing and posting schedule, who knows... I might actually finish a damn story for once in my life.
So yeah. Thanks for sticking around this long!
Otherwise, for my super focussed recap of this story, Haqua waited till Jun left the school to grill Sumire and Mio about what happened with Jun, and Shiori and Tsukiyo share their first kiss in the dark classroom during the song, only to be seen by Chihiro and then called out in front of the classroom. Oh, and the potion is ready now!
Which means, Keima will be back in business, baby!
Which is amusing as hell, but there are literally so many other plots that in the 35 odd pages of backlog I have, only one girl has actually gone with Keima... dammit, why did I plan so many things? It's going so slowly T.T
But yeah, please enjoy this chapter :)
Despite Jun dreading having to leave the comfort and lights of the classroom, she felt surprisingly okay being in the dark with the other girls.
Was it strength in numbers, maybe? Or possibly knowing that at least one of the girls was a martial artist? Or maybe just the fact that Hinoki was around her age.
Or likely, it just didn't feel as lonely… like there was a comfortable bubble around the four of them as they talked.
"Hey, do you guys mind if I turn on the light?" Jun asked as they buckled up in the car. There wasn't any protest, so she turned on the light on the car roof.
"So yeah," the older Kasuga laughed, finishing her story from the walk there, "That's how I ended up stranded in Hawaii with a bottle of Jack Daniels and a hammer."
"You really do take a lot of risks, Aneue," Kusunoki remarked, "don't you ever get worried about how you're going to get back home when you just do whatever you want?"
"But that's where you're wrong, my sweet baby sister… home is just a societal construct. You can make home wherever you want, as long as you have the people you love… in this case, meaning me."
"What about me?" Kusunoki spoke, mock offended.
"You know you'd be there if you went on an adventure with me," Hinoki laughed, "you gotta try something new once in a while."
"I tried plenty today, thank you very much," Kusunoki folded her arms. It was silent for a moment before Jun spoke.
"H-how are you doing back there, Haibara-san?" Jun asked.
"A-am fine," Nanaka responded quietly. Hinoki looked over her shoulder to Nanaka, who was looking at her lap.
"Aww, are you sad?" Hinoki asked, "or sick…"
"I-I'm alright…" Nanaka tried to brighten up, "iz jus' a bit sad that this night is over… for me, at leas'."
"That's understandable why you'd be sad," Jun sighed, "at least you got to learn something… hopefully."
Nanaka leaned back and looked out of the window. She did get to do plenty of that.
Informative lesson aside, she learnt a lot about herself too – how sex made her feel vulnerable, but so damn good… how girls were as good, if not better, as guys were at pleasuring girls… how being quiet didn't necessarily mean that they weren't enjoying it…
How fighting with attraction was pointless… she'd really tried to hold out… tried to ignore the pounding of her heart when she had to remove those panties as a bet… tried to pretend that seeing Kanon sprawled on the bed with her hand up her skirt wasn't the hottest thing she'd ever seen in her life… force herself to think that the time they'd spent together in the room wasn't one of the best moments in her life… to bring up every logical reason she could bring up and lie about not loving Kanon.
Because she did… ever since she started kept Kanon's first secret… the slightly sticky panties which were in her bag now.
It had scared her… this made no sense.
Nanaka is a terrible liar – why would Kanon trust her with a secret?
Nanaka is a cry-baby – why would Kanon go out of her way to console her after the incident with Keima?
Nanaka is as plain as they get – why would Kanon be interested in her?
There was no reason for Kanon to be in love with her, and yet she was.
Shougi was a very logical sport… you had to be three steps ahead to even hope to win.
Love was the exact opposite – no rhyme or rhythm, no rules, and prepare to have it flip the board on you at any moment. Planning? What planning?
She really owed Ayumi and Yui for not letting her run away.
"Twas a really fun day," Nanaka smiled, "I really wouldn't 'av had it any other way."
That contagious smile brightened everyone.
"You know, I think this is the kind of experience Nikaidou-senpai wanted you girls to have," Jun remarked, "to learn the hard things, and to leave without regrets."
"Well said, Jun-chan!" Hinoki laughed and kissed Jun on the cheek, "I'm glad I got to meet you today."
Jun laughed.
"If you keep doing that, I'm going to get the wrong idea, Hinoki-chan."
"What if I want you to get the wrong idea," Hinoki teased back, nudging her with an elbow.
"I have a question, actually," Kusunoki piped up in the back seat. Hinoki looked over.
"Go for it."
"Is it nice kissing girls?" she asked. Hinoki's smile widened.
"Are you curious about it?" the older sister wondered. Kusunoki blushed, her fingers playing with each other.
"A-a little bit," the younger girl admitted, "I'm just wondering if it's any different than kissing a boy."
Jun was about to add her two cents, but Hinoki put up a finger.
"I don't think we'll really be able to explain it," Hinoki responded, "it's like comparing green apples to red apples… you won't really know how they're different until you try both."
"I see…" Kusunoki responded.
"Other than both being tasty and both being apples, only experience will really tell you which one you like… or maybe, which one you like more."
Hinoki smiled and looked forward.
"As for my recommendation… if you really want to have a gay experience just to see how it's like, today may be your best bet."
"I'll think about it," Kusunoki didn't fight back, "what about you, Haibara-san?"
"Hmm?"
"Is it nice kissing girls?" Kusunoki asked, looking her square in the face. With Jun having the car light on, it wasn't doing her any favours. Her eyes narrowed and she willed herself to not think of Kanon.
"W-who knows," she tried to shrug, "iz prolly normal."
"So it's not… sweeter, or anything like that?"
"Yer askin' the wrong person," Nanaka laughed, "girls and guys are tha same to me."
Why the hell did she say this!? She basically just admitted to being bi!
"The same, how so?" Hinoki turned around to look at Nanaka.
"Like it don' matter who it is… kissin' is only good if yer interested in 'em."
"Ms fire-head makes a good point," Hinoki agreed, "attraction does play a big part in the experience… for instance, I'm very interested in Jun here, hence I gotta kiss her."
Nanaka breathed a sigh of relief as the conversation went back… wait, fire-head?
S-she wasn't blushing, was she? Actually, it was probably referencing her orange shock of hair which was on her head.
Still, Nanaka kept her guard up for the rest of the ride. Luckily, the conversation didn't come back to her, and no one made any comment on what she'd said.
Who knows… maybe everyone was bi, so that wasn't a weird thing to say?
"We're here," Jun spoke after a couple of minutes, and sure enough, it was outside her family house.
"Thank ya very much," Nanaka gathered her bag and stepped out, "can I get ya anything for tha ride back?"
"No need," Jun rolled down her window, "thank you for coming to this lesson… it really wouldn't have been the same without you."
Nanaka couldn't help feeling that was a bit of an overstatement, but she still appreciated it.
"Same here," she smiled, "got a lotta answers today… I'm glad I came."
"Senpai will be happy to hear that," Jun smiled.
"Hey, Kusunoki," Hinoki spoke suddenly, "why don't you walk Nanaka-chan to the door and get your own answers?" she waggled her eyebrows and Kusunoki rolled her eyes. Nanaka stiffened.
"T-tha' really won' be necessary."
"Nonsense," Hinoki grinned, "why not leave on a good note?" her smile got a bit craftier, "it doesn't matter if it's a girl or guy, after all."
Nanaka pulled a face, but both Jun and Kusunoki laughed at that little callback.
"I'll walk you to the door, Haibara-san," Kusunoki climbed out, "though just that we can be away from my idiot sister."
"Smart choice," Hinoki called out behind her, "if you didn't go, I would have had to use the countdown," Kusunoki shivered, but she waited for Nanaka to say her goodbyes before walking the corner to the fence.
Nanaka's house was a regular one, with a picket fence surrounding the perimeter. Nanaka fished out the gate key for it out of her bag.
"Sorry tha' she's giving ya a hard time," Nanaka said with a laugh, "she seems to be well-meaning, at least."
"She does," Kusunoki agreed, leaning on the fence, "her ideas are just stupid sometimes… this one especially."
"It does seem so," Nanaka unlocked the gate, "why wouldya wanna kiss someone ya just met?"
"Good question," Kusunoki thought for a moment, "so you didn't meet Kanon-chan today, then?"
Nanaka froze.
"Wha'?"
"Kanon Nakagawa, the pink-haired idol girl… you didn't meet her today?"
"W-why do ya ask it?" Nanaka's stomach sank. She had an inkling what this might be about.
"I saw you two kiss outside the classroom," Kusunoki shrugged, "just before you got sick…"
Nanaka let out a hiss through her teeth, although it was more embarrassment than anger. There had been windows there, after all…
"I guess it wasn't dark enough, huh?" Nanaka sighed.
"It actually was… I couldn't see who was there until someone turned the light on."
"E-either way," Nanaka turned to Kusunoki, "p-please don' tell anyone…"
"I wasn't planning to," Kusunoki smiled, "no one else was looking out the window either, so it's only me."
"Izit gonna cost me?" the orange-head asked, "to keep ya quiet?"
"Nope," Kusunoki smiled, "to be honest, it was a very sweet and heart-pounding kiss… that's the reason why I was wondering if that's how it is with girls?" she scratched her ear, "kissing that Katsuragi didn't seem like that."
"Oh," Nanaka murmured, "what waz it like?"
"I dunno," Kusunoki mumbled, "like it was either really deep and then I couldn't breathe… or it was a peck which made my heart skip... not much between."
"Did you not like it?"
"I did, obviously," Kusunoki lashed out in embarrassment, "but it was so different than yours… like you were holding Kanon-chan's cheek and savouring it-"
Nanaka waved her hands, her head on fire.
"Please don' give me a play-by-play, I geddit," she took a deep breath, "so you want sumtin like that?"
"C-can you tell me how?" Kusunoki asked, "if you only met Kanon-chan today, maybe I could still have time to experience th–" Nanaka held up a hand.
"It don' got an'thin to do with that," the shougi enthusiast, "we only kissed like tha' coz tha's what I wanted," Kusunoki looked at Nanaka, puzzled.
"How'd I put it… do ya have a person ya like, Kusunoki-san? Like some'un ya see in a special way?"
"I guess… Katsuragi? But he's involved with a lot of girls."
"I guess wha' I'm sayin' is… when ya kiss some'un special, it'll feel special to yer as well."
"But it wasn't like that with Katsuragi," she sounded a bit frustrated, "I did like it, but it wasn't tender or heart-pounding… my heart did feel like it was gonna break out of chest because I couldn't breathe."
"Then maybe you gotta kiss 'im more," Nanaka laughed, "or go find someone else to fall for and kiss?"
"Hmm…" Kusunoki scratched her temple, thinking about it – or possibly overthinking about it.
"Trust me, iz gonna be possible… I din' know Kanon before this afternoon either…"
"I see…" Kusunoki smirked, "so you did fall in love with Kanon-chan?" Nanaka froze.
"I-I said nottin'!" she marched up to the door, face red and her combat boots stomping as she walked, "goodbye."
"Thanks for the advice," Kusunoki called, "I'll think about it."
Nanaka paused at the door and nodded, before opening the door. Kusunoki took that approval and walked back to the car. A couple of moments later, Nanaka heard the car start. She shuffled to the gate outside and locked it, sighing deeply.
Yui and Ayumi and now Kusunoki… worst kept secret ever!
The conversation about Shiori and Tsukiyo ended almost as soon as it started.
"So what's going on between you guys?" Yui waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Shiori's soul had basically left her out of humiliation and the attention she was getting. The blonde had lost most of her feistiness from the last conversation, and now was just looking troubled.
"We haven't really discussed it… so…"
…
…
…
Cue the two of them being tossed into the janitor's closet down the corridor from their class. Ayumi dusted her hands while Yui locked the door.
"W-was there really a need for that?" Kanon asked. All the goddess hosts plus Chihiro, Eri and Akari were milling around the corridor, amused.
"I kinda think so," Tenri responded, "at this time, they need to decide what they want without our input."
"Yeah…" Chihiro stretched, "can't even rib on them when they don't know what the hell they're doing…"
"We'll let you guys out in ten minutes," Ayumi called through the door, "I've set an alarm."
"Don't forget to give us all the dirty deets!" Chihiro called. She expected some pushback, but surprisingly, Kanon was the one to slap her upside the head.
"You don't have to tell us anything!" Kanon called back, "take how long you need…"
"No one will judge you," Eri added, "see you later, Shiori-san… Tsukiyo-san."
"Good luck," Akari looked up from her notebook for a moment, where everyone seemed a little surprised to see her.
"You're still writing?" Yui asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Of course," Akari nodded, "I have a lot to catch up during my time away."
She closed the book, effectively cutting off any questions the girls might have. Just as well, as Nikaidou turned around the corridor and saw the loiterers.
"What are you all doing outside?" she asked suspiciously. Even though they hadn't discussed it, they were pretty sure that they'd get in trouble admitting to locking up the two girls.
"Nothing," everyone except Akari responded. When the teacher turned to the mad scientist, she shrugged. Nikaidou sighed but didn't ask again.
"What about you?" Akari asked. Now that they noticed, Nikaidou had a roll of bin-liners in her hand.
"I just disposed of the trash-bag outside the classroom, which Haibara got sick in. Now I just have to replace it."
"I can do it," Tenri volunteered, which the teacher took her up on.
"Nee, Sensei," Chihiro piped up, "think we can get some food delivered?"
"Not a bad idea. You got something in mind for dinner?"
"Can we get pizza?" Kanon asked, "I haven't had that in a while," there was approval from the small crowd at the idea.
"Sounds good to me then," the teacher nodded, "we can order it as soon as we decide the flavours."
And so they walked back to the classroom, but Kanon couldn't help looking over her shoulder at the cupboard, empathising for the girls more than she'd want to admit. Hopefully they'd be able to figure it out.
And hopefully they won't mind pizza once they're out.
Haqua was surprised to see how empty the classroom was as she was pulling the half-filled saucepan out of the time-manipulating machine.
In fact, the only people who were here were Sumire and Mio, who were reading some paper on their desk, smiling as they read it. And glancing onto the balcony, she could see Keima on the floor, playing his PFP, now that he had a few minutes break again. She rolled her eyes and settled the completed potion on the desk.
Admittedly, the last thing Haqua had wanted was to get involved in ancient hell, especially for that callous guy, but she was a little proud that she'd managed to follow the recipe and get it to look like how it was pictured.
In the end, it was for him and the rest of the girls that she agreed to this in the first place.
"… you can take my planned individual tutoring session."
"… better make sure you get the rest of your payment for your potion."
Haqua groaned as she remembered what the people around her had been saying. Now that she was here, she was accepted as part of the group, including that she could have an individual tutoring session with Keima, if that was what she wanted.
And if she was being honest, she would… kind of… just a small bit…
She knew that she was terrible at being honest, even to herself. It wasn't even selflessness which was making her hesitate. It was just how her brain worked – she really couldn't tell anyone if she wanted anything… at least not directly.
Though this begged another question – if Keima offered to have that session now and if the other girls were pushing her to do it as well, what would she do?
Was she going to repeat the few times he'd seen her naked and pummel him to the ground? Would she even be able to handle if he showed any affection towards her? Would she even be able to show any affection to him on her own?
God, she had an annoying personality.
For a moment, she looked at Keima and wondered if he was uncomfortable on the floor. The chairs inside were a lot better… and it would be bad if Keima was putting strain on his body needlessly… she had to stop him from being an idiot.
So that was what she did. With a stomp and a glare, she marched over with a chair.
"You're gonna hurt yourself if you sit like that," she spoke grumpily as she put the chair down next to him, "take this chair and be grateful."
Keima gave her a thankful smile, and she faltered.
"That face is creepy," she skillfully bought down her scythe in front of his face, "do something about it."
Keima sighed but sat on her provided chair. Before she could turn away, she noticed that he was holding on her scythe.
"Weren't you the one who was complaining about my old expressions being creepy before?" Keima asked, "I thought a normal smile would actually be something you prefer."
"Not on you," Haqua retorted, "when you're gaming, you're supposed to have your stupid fanboy face."
"I guess…" Keima sighed, "there's other things on my mind which aren't leaving me in peace…"
There was little hesitation on Haqua's part as she fashioned her hagoromo into a floating chair of sorts and settled in.
"So, what's up?" she slid into the balcony smoothly.
"Obviously, everything going on inside," he groaned, "it feels like no matter how I react, I always end up making mistakes."
"Okay…" Haqua spoke, though not quite getting it, "so you want to be better or something?"
"Yes," he nodded, "though that's only going to happen if I can read people's intentions without them saying it directly."
He fell forward, deflating at that sentence. It was 1000 years too early for him to be able to do something like that.
"This would be a lot easier if girls could say what they want, you know," he turned to her, "actually, why am I telling you all this?"
"Who knows…" Haqua looked away as well. Was he reading her mind because she was literally thinking of that?
Even if she could get over herself and ask him to sleep with her, she was going to be his worst nightmare.
"Well, I guess you were my buddy for nearly two weeks," he laughed nostalgically, "I guess I've come to intrinsically trust you," Haqua was glad that it was dark enough to hide her cheeks, "but that's enough from me. Did you want something?"
"Nope, just the chair," she got up, her hagoromo returning to its old form, "and on what was concerning you… maybe just ask if you don't know what they want."
"Is that so?" his eyes met hers, striking and focussed. Haqua gulped, suddenly feeling an intensity coming from him.
"In that case, would you want to go in the room with me next; once the potion is done?" he asked in a serious tone. That question shot like a bullet through her heart, and she could feel every internal process get interrupted in her body.
Her brain was in complete panic mode – there was no fucking way she was ready to do something like this with Katsuragi. Except she couldn't stop imagining how nice it would feel to be in his arms… every nerve… every sense… only his…
And he'd only be hers…
"Whatcha talking about?" Haqua nearly buckled as someone landed heavily over her shoulders, and a hand swished into view. She turned around to see Yui grinning. She turned her face away.
"I-I was going to tell Katsuragi that the potion was ready…" she said quietly, not making eye contact with anyone.
"It is?" Keima and Yui questioned out loud, and that attracted the attention of those around them. The rest of the goddess hosts hovered by the balcony.
"And I just wanted to talk about pizza, but that's great!" Yui exclaimed, giving her shoulder a squeeze, "you got it done really quick."
"O-of course," Haqua tried to look confident, "I'm a whiz with that machine."
"Nicely done, Haqua," Keima gave her a sweet smile that struck her heart again.
"So, this means it's my turn now, right?" Yui chimed in, her left hand pointing to the board, where the list was written, "I've been looking forward to that for a while."
Haqua couldn't blame her… she was third one the list, after Nanaka… it must have been an hour and a half since the devil had graced this room, so it was close to two hours which Yui had waited for.
"It's your turn," Haqua nodded, "I'll just get him some of it, then you'll all be set."
With that excuse, she pulled away, moving away from the group. It was fine…
"Are you sure?" Keima asked, and she felt her heart crumble… except her heart was intact – the thing which fell was the guard she always had up.
Her eyes prickled and she stopped in her tracks.
She turned around, and lips between her teeth, pressing hard.
Don't speak!
Tell him!
And what if he says no? Her fragile heart really couldn't take it…
But what if she didn't ask now? She'd lose the nerve and never say anything…
"Sorry," she muttered, squeezing her hands into fists, "I'm not sure."
"What aren't you sure about?" Yui leant her head to the side, "about the potion?"
"Y-yeah…" Haqua stuttered, her face darkened, now visible to everyone, "I can't let you test the potion with him," she took a shaky breath, "I-I need to be the one there."
Yui gave a knowing smile and stepped back.
"She's right," the tomboy grinned, "someone needs to stress-test the potion, and Haqua-san is the best person to do that."
Haqua let out a sigh of relief, and Keima was smiling as well.
"In that case, I'll be in your care, Haqua," he moved towards her and whispered in her ear, "still not honest, I see…" she shivered slightly as his warm breath brushed her ear, which he definitely noticed.
"I'm going to sit inside the room," he told the group, "Get me whatever pizza you want… just make sure that there's a lot."
As he walked off, Haqua had to hold onto a table as she felt her legs wobble.
She was royally fucked if that was how her body was going to act around him.
Haqua, Haqua, it's nearly Haqua's turn! I hope people are amped, because I know I am.
Otherwise, this was a kinda slow chapter. We see Nanaka's last appearance for a while (which is why I thought it was fitting that she be the cover for this time), where it seems that Kusunoki has got a bit of a taste for romance, and Hinoki is a-okay with that. And Shiori and Tsukiyo are now in the closet in hopes that they'll find their way out of it ;)
But most importantly, in preparation for the next chapter, Haqua has agreed for individual tutoring, and it is time for her to be EDUCATED! Though next chapter :P
I think I'll be posting again in two weeks, as I want my backlog to get healthier and my regular reviewers to get a break. As usual, thank you very much for the kind words of support, and I look forward to reading each review.
Mint-Car92: Ah, I actually ended up searching that Mint-Car song and that was kinda interesting... songs from the 90s have this old timey feeling to it, though it was enjoyable. Though when you said that you were born in 2001, I think I aged 50 years through reading that sentence. People born after the new millennium are actually old enough to be reading this crap xD
Oh, though if you do want, this site can let you change your username if you want to change the 92 to 96.
In your most recent review, thanks for the compliment on that collab story. I've always wanted to write about Minami and Keima, but I never get down to finishing them for one reason or the other. One day, I will write a drabble for them.
Thanks for the reviews. It's nice to see whatever sentences or scenes pop out to you :P
GhostMan: Lol, let those guys take some leave. You work too hard in general :P
I wouldn't say Nanaka has seizures... I'm just gonna go for her having a bad day with blood sugar, seeing that her getting sick happened more than once. Although at least the first time, it was just because the orgasm was too good :P
Lol, I enjoyed Minami dishing back to Hinoki, though this scene was kinda filler before Minami and Keima could talk. Minami has become a more confident and proud, and I am there for it. She'll definitely make a guy happy when she's ready for it. Though Xellos jokes that I had to escort Minami out to protect her virginity, and I can see that. :P
Lmao, goddess relations are gonna be weird by the end of this story, but eh. Love is love - doesn't matter where you're getting it from. I've been in a gay mood lately, so I've been watching too much yuri anime.
Though don't worry, Haqua has some plans already. Nice idea though.
Xellos540: Lol, maybe I don't need to respond to your reviews but just highlight parts which made me laugh then call it a day :P
"Does that mean no sex on the teacher's desk as well?"
"*sigh* Jun... when a man and woman really love each other... :P"
"Oh yeah, Minami should continue that fantasy tonight.
Repeatedly... ;)" - oh trust me, she will ;)
"...especially that Haqua potion testing session. That should be good. ;) ;) ;)" - I'll see you in two weeks ;)
"Katsuragi's girlfriend xD. Or maybe lover? ;)" - Oh she'd love that
"They can always leave the guy for Nora to deal with. :P" - you're right :o no need to write this plotline anymore
"T-H-E ... P-O-T-I-O-N ... I-S ... D-O-N-E ! ! !"
"Ooohh... it's a conversation about Diana being hor-I mean about the goddesses situation. Ok." - lol, don't worry you pretty little mind, we'll get to that discussion with Diana ;)
"Well, Yui... when a goddess and her host really love each other..." - callback to the joke from the previous review. I love it!
"If Ayumi tries to save Kanon anymote she might soon be forced to have sex with half the classroom. xD" - oh no... *writes idea down somewhere* well, anyway
"Yes, the write-I mean the universe is Hell-bent on making this awkward for Tsukiyo" - I do not deny that. The write-universe sucks :P
"Write more. :)" - I'm trying my best T.T
To all the lurkers out there, I appreciate the views, and I hope that you've enjoyed this monstrosity of a story.
I will check ya'll next time. Piece out!