And it's been another two weeks and I'm back, bitches! It's time to continue, and I'm glad to see that you're here too.
So summary for this time: Haqua was convinced to have her individual tutoring session with Keima, and she had a good enough time. Shiori and Tsukiyo ended up kissing in the darkened room before, but Chihiro outs them in front of all the Goddess Hosts and Akari, so they got thrown in the broom closet to sort their feelings out.
And this is where we're at now. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. I'm not sure how many people read the bottom author's notes, so I just wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed this story in the past. We've finally hit 100 reviews, which I'm very grateful for, and I hope I'll get to pass other milestones for this story.
Thank you for reading, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter
For all the feisty energy that Tsukiyo had after kissing Shiori, she was completely silent as she was unceremoniously dumped into the broom closet. Even with the opportunity to get everyone in trouble when Nikaidou appeared to be outside, she didn't say a word to bring attention to them, and neither did Shiori. The librarian usually liked the silence, but she couldn't stand this one. Tsukiyo looked around for a bit, before she noticed a string with cone shape at the end. She pulled it, and a bare light turned on above their heads.
"A-are you mad?" Shiori asked timidly. No response.
"We don't have to talk about this now," Shiori offered, although she didn't really want to do that either.
"Then what's the point of us of being locked here?" Tsukiyo asked tiredly. The whole reason why they'd gotten locked in was for them to determine where they stood, but that was the last thing she wanted to bring up.
"I-it's just ten minutes," Shiori piped up, "we could sit in silence…"
Admittedly, that was the last thing Shiori wanted. The silence was killing her, and this cramped storeroom with buckets everywhere just made every sound louder.
She really wished that she could kiss Tsukiyo again, but the blonde was trying to keep as much space between them as possible, so that was a no go.
Tsukiyo sighed, lifting a metal bucket to reveal an opened folded stool, which she sat on, facing away from Shiori. The brunette turned an empty bucket over and sat on it, her eyes on Tsukiyo, who was frowning in the dim light.
"Geez, why can't this be like when we first met!?" Tsukiyo retorted. Shiori squeezed her hands, knowing the answer, but also knowing that verbalising it would probably make things worse.
Their first meeting was over three months ago, and they'd bonded over wanting to investigate the strange things that were happening with Keima… but they had a lot more in common now… they'd talked a lot more, and Tsukiyo had clearly become her best friend… whenever Shiori had finished a good book… whenever Shiori had an idea for a new short story… the first place she wanted to go was to 2-A.
For the first time, Shiori found a place she loved more than the library.
It was actually in that place where Shiori realised that Tsukiyo was starting to take a similar place in her heart that Keima occupied… that afternoon she'd had yet another great idea for a story – it was some meaningless idea which had long since left her mind – and as usual, Shiori couldn't portray it well at all, jumping to other plots and randomly adding when a new idea hit her, to just falling silent when she realised how little sense her words were making, but Tsukiyo did not interrupt her or try to stop her. To her utter surprise, the blonde urged her to continue, which she did sheepishly.
As Shiori finished, Tsukiyo pulled out her writing book and sat quietly for a few minutes, before passing the paper over… every plotline Shiori had given was organised… every detail and detour put in the right position.
It was at that moment that the truth hit her like a ton of bricks.
Shiori snapped out of her thoughts to look at Tsukiyo, who had her finger up and her mouth open, ready to say something, then giving up on it in a few milliseconds. Despite herself, the brunette found herself laughing lightly.
"W-what's with that?" Tsukiyo sounded offended, "sorry that I don't know what I want to say."
"T-that's alright," Shiori shook her hands, "I don't want to rush you to speak… I'm not known for my eloquence either."
Tsukiyo sighed as her hands grabbed on her stool, and she looked at the weak bulb on top of her. For her, she should really be better. She was a good talker.
At least, when she had words… but currently, her brain was completely blank.
At this point, it was painfully obvious that Tsukiyo was attracted to girls… from Eri's bouncy chest, to Chihiro and Kanon's tongues sparring as the kissed, to that lesbian massage from the video on Yui's phone, all those things made her heart pound and her stomach clench. But where did Keima fall in that? And her kiss with Shiori?
This was all new and confusing information which didn't fit nicely with each other, and she didn't want to leave Shiori without an answer.
"Y-you don't need to think so hard about this, Tsukiyo-chan," Shiori tried again as she watched watched her friend's face screw with concentration.
"I do and I will," Tsukiyo responded stubbornly, "I should have figured this out long ago… it's unacceptable."
It was because she kept trying to brush her attraction under the carpet, even though she was aware of how it was a pattern, rather than the exception… but rather getting stuck on then, she had to think of Shiori and Keima… of who she was interested in a romantic way. Which one was the rule, and which one was the exception? Or maybe they both were the rule?
Romanctic attraction and sexual attraction – were those even the same thing? She groaned. This was just adding layers to her thoughts that she had to muck through.
"Geez!" Tsukiyo screamed, "my brain can't think!"
"You're thinking too hard, Tsukiyo-chan!" Shiori interrupted, and the blonde turned to her, "this was never a matter for your brain in the first place."
Tsukiyo gulped as Shiori stood up and strode forward, and she clambered to her feet as well, though it didn't do much for making her feel taller.
"Let's do it," Shiori spoke determinedly, and Tsukiyo shrunk back.
"D-do what?"
"Let's investigate this," the librarian answered. The moon enthusiast blinked for a moment before laughing.
"What?"
"I'm serious," Shiori pulled out a notebook and pen out from nowhere, "if you insist on figuring this out now, then let me help you."
Tsukiyo stopped laughing, as her heart felt like it was expanding in place. For every moment of change, uncertainty and weirdness that she felt for this very strange class, it was a relief to see those little reminders that Shiori hadn't changed from that girl she'd met those few months ago… maybe she hadn't changed either, but she was just learning new things about herself.
"Let's do it," Tsukiyo agreed, sounding hopeful for the first time, "we'll crack the mystery this time…"
…
…
…
"Nee, Shiori," Tsukiyo piped up after a few moments, "why am I sitting on your lap?"
"I-it's because we can't see the notebook together otherwise," she squeezed Tsukiyo, who just gave her a look back.
"That's not your only reason, is it?"
"I also want to hug you," Shiori admitted as she hid her face in Tsukiyo's sweet smelling hair. The smaller girl rolled her eyes, but she wasn't protesting either. The librarian's lap was definitely a step up in comfort from the stool.
She looked at the paper in her hands, wondering where to even begin.
She was attracted to girls, that much was clear – but what did it mean going forward? Was it alright to want it, or should she put the brakes on and let that kiss be the first and last thing they do?
Tsukiyo gasped as she felt Shiori part her curly hair and blow on her neck.
"W-what are you doing!?" Tsukiyo blushed, her hand slapping the hot skin like she was squashing a mosquito.
"You looked cold there," Shiori lied.
"I'm not cold," Tsukiyo shook her hair, "you're distracting me, so please don't do-" she fell back onto Shiori as the latter hugged her tighter.
"I told you," Shiori whispered into her hair, "this isn't something that you need to think about."
"But what happened to invest-" she let out an even louder gasp as Shiori's lips brushed her ear.
"We are investigating," she whispered, "you want to know where to continue from here, don't you?"
"H-h-how can I make a decision when you're distracting me?" she turned around and froze when she saw Shiori's face right in front of her, and her lips only a slight stretch away.
With her heart pounding, her lips tingling in anticipation and Shiori's eyes drifting shut, Tsukiyo made the only choice that was possible… scramble off her lap and try to stumble to the closet door, but as expected, it was locked. Shiori's eyes opened again as she processed what had happened.
"Clearly, we don't seem to agree on this," Shiori stood up, her hurt eyes falling into the shade of her fringe, "did you not want to kiss me in the classroom?"
"I-I did." Tsukiyo responded, "that's why I did it."
"In that case, do you not want to kiss me now?" her voice crackled, "because if you don't, I won't ever approach you like this again."
Despite the closet door still being locked. It was apparent that Shiori had given her a way out from this unpleasant topic of discussion. She could still salvage some kind of friendship with her and go to Keima as expected, to kiss him and feel… feel… feel…
What?
Keima was a nice person who cared for her and probably would do anything for her, but she didn't care at all for his body…
Shiori was a nice person who cared for her and probably would do anything for her, but Tsukiyo did care for her body… she cared how her lips felt on hers… how she could incapacitate her body with the slightest touch… she wanted to feel it again.
Maybe hetero attraction was supposed to be the norm, but Tsukiyo didn't have to conform to that. Any relationship she wanted was as strong as her ideals, and she wanted Shiori, as there was no one as beautiful as her.
That was the answer.
"So that's what it is?" Tsukiyo murmured as she moved closer to Shiori, who suddenly froze.
"W-what is it?" Tsukiyo placed a hand and her cheek and tilted up her face, showing Shiori's slightly wet eyes, "T-Tsukiyo-ch..."
"I wanted to kiss you then and I want to kiss you now," the blonde whispered as she rubbed the tear that started trailing down the brunette's cheek, "so please keep distracting me."
A smile started forming on Shiori's face, but before she could vocalise it, Tsukiyo held her face and softly pressed her lips on Shiori's, both of their eyes drifting shut. It was a very different kiss from their first as they just focussed on the sensations and the gentle beating of their hearts, now at peace.
As they pulled away, Tsukiyo felt a warm hand slip into hers, and she tightened her grip around her fingers. Shiori averted her eyes, her cheeks pink.
"S-sorry that I was putting pressure on you before," the librarian whispered, "this was what I'd wanted."
She glanced down to their linked fingers and gave it a squeeze to say that it didn't matter... not the weird comments about wanting to know how Tsukiyo's lips felt like... not the lesbian porn... every little thing was prodding her in the right direction, and she was ready to accept where she was going.
A little pressure to make some change goes a long way.
In the room, Keima was fully dressed, but not quite ready for Yui. Rather, he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened before – with Tenri and Chihiro, he had easily thanked them for their feelings and not thought about it again – but even if he thought of Haqua as precious, he couldn't help but thinking that he was missing something.
When it came to love, Keima was just clueless, and he imagined the longer he spent around the girls, the less of a grip he'd have on his feelings.
Why were emotions so hard!? Why couldn't he just love Yokkyun and be done with it!?
His eyes widened as he suddenly pulled a copy of 'One Leaf' from his jacket pocket.
If there was any time to consult his one true love and the greatest comfort in his life, it was now – she knew him better than anyone else.
As his PFP powered on, and the game started up, Keima let out a deep breath and quickly got comfortable against the bed's headboard.
"Yokkyun, I missed you," his eyes started streaming as he pulled his PFP closer, "it's been too long."
"I missed you too, Keima-kun," Yokkyun left her main screen pose to face him more attentively, with her hands clasped behind her thighs, "have you been well?"
"Not as well as I'd be if I was staying with you," he closed his eyes and willed himself into her world. It was a moment later where him and Yokkyun were under the promised tree, hands weaved together, and the shade over their weirdly proportioned faces. Keima could not be more at peace in any other place.
"I'm sorry, Keima-kun," she rubbed the back of his hand, "is there anything which I can do to help?"
"Just being here with you is enough," he turned to her with a smile, "you don't have to say anything."
"That's good, Keima-kun," she spoke with a sweet smile, "if you need me, I'm here to talk."
By this point, Keima knew One Leaf back to front, and he'd read every single line of dialogue that was available for her – even from the worst route. Regardless of which route he would take, Yokkyun was the most authentic girl to ever exist – always happy to see him, and always able to give the subtlest, but hardest hitting, compliments to ever be given in a game. There was no doubt in his mind that she was the most ideal and easily lovable girl to ever exist, in a game or outside. And she loved him as well.
"Nee, Yokkyun," he turned to the sweet redhead, "what do you love about me?"
"Everything," Yotsuba broke into a big smile as she grabbed his arm and snuggled up to him, "Keima-kun is the best."
Keima half-expected for her to continue, but he also understood why she didn't. As lovely as she was, her dialogue was limited to what she was programmed to say, and Keima didn't like adding more lines, even in his imagination – that felt like it bastardised the original intentions for the character, and Yokkyun was too pure for that.
He could accept that answer, but it did make him wonder: as special as his game heroines were to him, they were never his. They said the line to the protagonists, which really could be anyone who owned a copy of the game.
But Haqua's "I love you" – that was for Keima alone. All their confessions were.
Not that it made real girls any better! Yokkyun's sweet and innocent personality was unmatched by anyone, and anyone caught lewding her should go to jail… she certainly would never get dragged into any situation like he was. She was frozen behind glass, untouchable. It was comforting, somehow.
"I'm glad that you never change…" he whispered, tightening his arm around her, "at least that's one of us…"
This was probably the crux of it… as a denizen of the real, he couldn't get around all the changes he went through – how he grew up, and how he'd have to face new situations and learnt about new things. How he'd walk with his friends and learn to love them… how he'd have to fall in love someday.
"I think change is a good thing," Yokkyun responded, "it means that you're getting better every single day."
"That would be good if you were right," Keima squeezed her hand with a sad smile, "but I still hurt people. I never learn fast enough to stop it."
"That's alright," Yokkyun gave him a sweet smile, "if you apologise, they'll forgive you."
Keima felt somewhat reassured to have his favourite girl say that. Deep down, he knew that turning on this game was more to settle himself than to get answers, but she soothed beyond what he expected.
"Are you going back to the real world?" Yokkyun asked.
"I should," Keima agreed, "if I am really learning, I think I'll learn how to love soon."
He knew beyond a doubt that the real girls in his life were precious to him… Despite their personality quirks and how they wouldn't hold a candle to Yokkyun's loyalty and beauty, he would always have a place for them.
"Go for it!" Yokkyun cheered, "I believe in you!"
"Thank you," Keima stood up, energised, "I won't lose to the real! I'll give Haqua an answer that she'll never expect!"
"What answer?" Keima jumped as he was suddenly teleported back to the real world. He was back on the hagoromo bed, and he could still feel Yokkyun's touch…
Wait…
Yokkyun wasn't touching his hand…
Those last few lines hadn't been in One Leaf…
He glanced down at his hand, which had another hand on top of it. He froze, his eyes moving up the cardigan to the girl's face.
It was Eri.
"Glad to see you've joined this world, Nii-sama," she smiled. Keima felt his face heat up. This isn't the first time he'd spoken out loud while lost in a daydream.
"H-how long have you been here?" he asked softly.
"I'm glad that you never change…" she quoted, and Keima groaned. That was basically everything.
How the hell did he not pick up that Yokkyun wasn't speaking with her lines in the game.
"Don't go listening to people's private conversation," he grumbled, turning away, but his sister moved to his other side, a small smile on her face at the insights eavesdropping had gotten her.
"So what did Haqua ask you?" Keima glared at her question, but Eri didn't back away or look even a little upset.
"Yui-san asked me to check on you if everything was alright," Eri spoke, "although it seems like something's on your mind."
"I'll figure it out," Keima said dismissively, "if Yui is ready, so am I…" Eri pouted. She wasn't skipping out on an opportunity like this – especially since she'd been thinking about this just minutes ago.
"But I wanted to talk to Nii-sama!" Eri sat herself in front of Keima, "I want to know what Haqua asked as well."
"She didn't ask me anything," Keima said truthfully. As irritated as he was with her interruption, he knew that she meant well. If anything, she might be the best person to entrust with his concerns. She was a real girl, so she understood the emotional aspects of both reality and girlhood better than he did, "but maybe you can help me."
"I can try," Eri nodded, "although you're still mean about not telling me about Haqua."
He rolled his eyes at the second part. It was going to take a lot of energy to phrase his thoughts into a question anyway. It felt like he'd only grazed the surface with Yokkyun.
In a way, Keima probably knew more than the usual person when it came to romances – from his games. He could recognise love perfectly and knew how to get any girl to like him… just, his own feelings were so out of his reach. He knew that he cared for the girls… he knew that he was blessed to have gotten to see those secret sides to each of the girls. But were any of those feelings something special? Or would he be doomed to view everyone as the girl to his protagonist?
"You've probably spoken with some girls before about this," he looked up, his eyes showing that he was on a mission for information, "what is it supposed to be like when you're in love?"
"Umm…" she looked confused and a little nervous, "like how it feels?"
"Precisely," Keima pushed up his glasses, "is it effortless or troublesome? Do you think about them a lot, or is the person just a warm thought at the back of your mind? Do you want them to be with you, or do you want them to be happy? Do you think more of hugging or kissin-"
"Waaaah," Eri yelled, pulling away from Keima, who was progressively leaning closer with each question, "you're asking too much, Nii-sama!" Keima's face fell, "can you rather explain what's bothering you?"
He pulled back.
"I guess…" he mumbled, "I wish I knew what being in love felt like…" his voice was as quiet as a whisper, but Eri broke out into a big smile. Bingo!
"Are you starting to accept the real world, Nii-sama?" she asked excitedly.
"I-it kind of goes without saying," Keima blushed, "the real definitely won't leave me alone after today, so I can't really do anything about that…" he sighed, "but if I am being honest – I-I don't think I like being alone anymore…"
Eri jumped in mock horror.
"Who are you and what did you do to Nii-sama!?"
"I still want to be able to play games, Bug Demon," Keima retorted, but it was clear that he was still embarrassed, admitting this to a person, "I just don't think I can go back to my life from when I first met you."
"That's alright, Nii-sama," Eri smiled, "there's nothing wrong with changing, it just means that we're free," Keima's eyebrow arched at that.
"We're… free?" she nodded in response.
"That's what it means to be human – we laugh, we cry, we get mad, we learn, and we fail… and we find the people who make us feel things and question ourselves and who make us better… and that's how we love."
She squeezed Keima's hand, her face beaming.
"You don't have to worry about what your feelings toward people are," she continued, "everyone likes you as you are… and if it's something special, you'll know it here," she tapped the spot over his heart.
"You seem very certain of yourself," Keima noted.
"That's because I don't rely on my brain to know everything," Eri laughed, "although I know I can be a bit of an idiot."
"So you do have some self-awareness," he teased, "although, I do trust your judgement on matters like this."
"Good thing you have a sister like me, huh?" she patted his hand and stood up, "so do you feel ready to face Yui-san?"
"I think so," he swung his legs over, "though I didn't ask how you know all this…"
Eri paused, her back to him. There were so many ways to answer that… some ideas were smarter than others.
"Hmm," she put a finger on her chin, ready to not say the smart thing, "if I had to put it… being your sister wouldn't have been my first choice…"
Keima sat in shock as those quiet words turned the cogs in his head… that was so unlike her…
Wait…
WHAT!?
His eyes widened as the meaning clicked. He turned to her face, but she was obviously looking away, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks. She… wasn't lying.
Keima lowered his head, as a surge of memories hit him… her believing in him to chase out the loose spirits… her talking back to his classmates as they made fun of him… her weird actions listening to his game lines. His heart ached. These memories that only the two of them shared… she really thought about him that way?
He really didn't know how to feel… whatever joy he'd usually feel from any girl confessing was squashed by the fact that she was his sister… even if she may not have been at the time she might have wanted something else.
He could feel her eyes on him, but he was helpless on what to say… he cared for her – that much went without saying. They'd gotten through thick and thin together, even before she rewrote the universe to become his sister.
"Umm…" Eri spoke, "y-you don't need to think so hard about it," Keima looked up at her, "I know I chose right in the end."
Keima raised an eyebrow.
"As your sister, I'll get to be around you forever," she smiled genuinely, "that was what I wanted most in the end."
"T-that's good…" he nodded, "you chose the ending you wanted."
"Of course," Eri laughed, "I'm always going to subject my whims on you, whether you like it or not."
She let out a mock evil laugh, but Keima was thoughtful at those words. It was part of reality that you'd end up in other people's care – loving someone, having clashes due to personality conflicts and sometimes being a pain was just part and parcel of this world.
For what it was worth, if he did have to be bothered by someone his whole life, he liked that it was Eri. It may be unlike games, but he liked that she had her own volition to act – her own reasons to fight for, and a life which was her own to make every decision.
And she still chose to stay around him and intertwine her life with his. Somehow, all the girls made that decision, being in this classroom with him.
Keima felt his heart hurt, but this felt like a good sign… like the words he could use for his emotions weren't enough. It wasn't just that he cared for Eri and the rest of the girls.
He loved them… from the bottom of his heart. No wonder that words from galge never felt like enough – they were anything but conquest partners. They were protagonists of their own game, and he wanted to see what routes they'd take, and where they'd find their happiness.
He stood up, and Eri faltered. She hadn't noticed how tall he was, especially because this room did have him closer than she normally would be. He didn't take his eyes off her, and she gulped, her eyes unable to move away.
"Thank you, Elsie…" her breath hitched with surprise from the use of her old name, "for choosing me."
"Y-you're wel-"
"I love you," he interrupted, and Eri swore she felt the world stop. Keima was surprised to hear the words himself. As it came out, all the doubts in his mind surfaced… he'd barely said that to anyone in his life, and in light of what Eri had just revealed, it might even be considered cruel to use an ambiguous phrase like that – but it wasn't a lie.
Eri was his sister by choice. She'd believed in him from the start, and even fought for his recognition from the very start.
"Just you wait…" she'd puffed her cheeks stubbornly, "every girl in the world will be after my brother!"
As much as that embarrassed him, those words did come to mind sometimes. She deserved someone better. Someone who could give a straight answer.
"W-we've come a long way," he tried to explain, scratching his temple, "even with your buggy quirks, you've always believed in me, and been a good sister… so I'm lucky to have you."
Eri looked at him with wide eyes, but Keima was too busy babbling.
"If you think about it, we're the only two people who know what happened all year, so… that's gotta be something special too."
Keima paused as she grabbed his hand.
"I know," she said simply, "and you should know that I'm not the only one who believes in you…" she glanced to the curtain, and Keima understood.
"It might not be every girl in the world," he laughed, "but it's every girl in my world…"
"That's what I said," Eri recalled fondly, "I guess that makes me… right."
Keima had to laugh at that. Between her smug face and her words, he couldn't help saying it again.
"I really do love you," he placed a hand on her head, "and these aren't some game lines," he stroked her smooth hair.
"I love you too, Nii-sama," she spoke softly and hugged him.
Eri's sudden adoption of an indoor voice should have surprised him, but something Tenri had told him just stuck – that people act out of character when there are things that they want.
But in the end, Keima had a feeling that Eri confessing was never about following some incest route. She was telling her truth, and he was happy to have it out.
He was happy that maybe he was getting a grip of his own feelings…
"You can tell Yui to come in," he fell back onto the bed heavily. Eri nodded and stopped at the curtain for a moment. Her hesitation wasn't noticed by Keima, who had taken his glasses off and was wiping the lens with some tissue irritably.
Just how freaking blind was he?
Did we just... get to hear Keima say "I love you" for the first time? Indeed we did, and to the most deserving girl of all...
I had a lot of fun writing this part. We get to touch back to a sweet moment with Shiori and Tsukiyo in the closet I chucked them in two chapters ago, and Keima gets a little down time with Eri before Yui comes in, so they have a nice moment, where Eri low-key confesses to him. Though before anyone asks, we're not getting an incest route. I just wanted to pay homage to the girl who started this all. I know I shipped Keima and Elsie for a while when I first started the series, though I don't think this scene was meant to be romantic. I just wanted to give them a bit of time to unwind and look back to simpler times before.
Though last thing - Yui isn't going to be the focus of next time... or the time after that... and I think also the time after that. I have a lot of girls to touch bases with, but I'm kind of happy about that.
But yeah. Sorry, no reply for reviews today. My arm is kinda sore from getting vaccinated earlier, so I just want to get this out.
Thanks for reading. Please do follow and review this story if you've enjoyed it. If not, I'll always bask in the knowledge that 17225 people have visited this story in its lifetime.
Stay well, guys. Love you all