Hi everyone. I'm back with another chapter, and I procrastinated so long that it's 11pm on a Sunday before work. Oh well, gotta be quick.
So as a summary of previous chapters, Chihiro got sentenced to horny prison after telling most of the goddess hosts of what her and Keima did in the bathroom, and Tenri is struggling with how to react knowing this. Also, Yui is up next for her individual lesson with Keima, but time is going at a snails pace... though who knows, maybe Yui has some tricks up her sleeves.
Please enjoy the chapter
Tenri was sitting on her own after she'd come back into the room, and to her relief, everyone seemed to be wrapped in their conversations enough that she was left alone.
She glanced at Chihiro, who was chatting animatedly with her group, and she felt yet another tinge of jealousy. From the start of the lesson, Tenri had noticed how easygoing and friendly Chihiro was to the rest of the girls – it really shouldn't have surprised her that it would be the same with Keima.
Even to a stranger like Tenri, who was too shy to talk to anyone other than Nanaka, Chihiro had introduced herself at the start of the class. Later on, she had also cheerfully thrown her arm around her to tease her in front of Keima as well, almost like they were friends.
"Eleven out of ten, huh?" Tenri remembered her words out loud… she wondered if Chihiro was projecting on her own experience with him at that time. It's too bad Tenri couldn't bring herself to smirk at realising that proverbial nod Chihiro had sent at Keima. It was just another line of communication which Tenri had nothing to do with.
"…ruined forever," Tenri caught the end tail of the conversation as Chihiro turned away from the group, a theatrically sad look on her face. Tenri wondered whether to be concerned about that, but a smile cracked through after a moment as she moved away. Yeah… nothing to worry about there.
If anything, it just made her sad that even around her friends at her school, she'd never had friends with that kind of jokey relationship.
Come to think of it, her closest friends were Diana and Nanaka – the latter who had been strangely tight-lipped and shifty about her experience being here, and the former…
What was Tenri going to do when she lost Diana!? She'd been her companion and closest friend for more than ten years, and if things were going in the same trajectory for the other girls, the end was just around the corner.
Tenri felt the wetness in her eyes when she blinked, but she quickly wiped her eyes before anyone else might notice.
Except maybe a bit late, because she noticed that Chihiro was looking at her from her spot as soon as she opened her eyes. The short-haired brunette gave her a small wave, and Tenri mirrored it, before breaking eye contact immediately.
Don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here don't come here!
"Hello," Chihiro said as her shadow fell on the table.
Oh come on!
"H-hello," Tenri responded, not looking at Chihiro.
"Can I sit here?" Chihiro asked, motioning to the opposite side of her desk. Tenri's brain started screaming.
"I guess…" was the only answer Tenri could manage. She was not good at being rude or being assertive, so that was probably the closest she could say to a 'no'.
A chair dragged was dragged into her periphery, and Chihiro sat down opposite her.
"Thanks, hey," Chihiro said gratefully, "I've been wanting to speak to you properly since I got back."
"I-is that so?" Tenri glanced at Chihiro, who was stretching and not looking at her either. So she hadn't seen her tears? That was a relief that she wouldn't need to address that, "About something in particular?"
"Kind of," Chihiro agreed, "it was something Nikaidou-sensei had said."
Tenri got a confused look: Dokurou had said something about her?
"What did she say?"
"That she hoped Katsuragi would confess to you," Chihiro responded, and Tenri's eyes widened in alarm as her flight response went into overdrive.
Chihiro was the last girl she wanted to discuss her feelings about Keima…
"So is there… something special between you and Katsuragi? Which Nikaidou knows but the rest of us wouldn't."
Tenri didn't say anything. If anything, she could just feel herself get angry. She wasn't going to share ten years of unrequited love to her love rival – especially a rival who had a much better chance with him than she did.
She was too polite to walk off, but she was considering it.
"No comment, huh?" Chihiro spoke after a minute with a good-natured laugh, "I guess I might be asking you to say a lot to someone who you barely know."
"You think," Tenri blurted, and Chihiro laughed harder. The childhood friend turned her head away. More than being rude, she voiced her irritation, which wasn't something she normally did.
"In that case," Chihiro met Tenri's blue eyes "I'll tell you about Katsuragi and I, and you can do the same if you want…"
Tenri had no clue what to make of that. On one hand, that was something she'd want to hear the previous context which would have led up to that bathroom incident, but then she'd have to explain her side too. Chihiro might have given her the choice to be silent, but there was no way any decent person would do that.
"Why are you doing this?" Tenri asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Partly curiosity… partly because I think knowing will help me figure out some things on my side."
That was… interesting, to say the least.
"I-if you're alright with me hearing about it, I'll listen."
Chihiro took a deep breath, and true to her word, she explained everything she knew: how he had switched to 2-B at the beginning of the year with his reputation making him an easy target from her and other classmates; how she'd spotted the 100% test on his desk, which just spiked a curiosity in him where she'd just watch him at quiet moments; how she'd had a daydream that finally made her feelings clear, and her realisation of her inadequacy, which made her confess to everyone but him; how she eventually got over that as she figured out how she loved music and wanted to make a band; how she did it, slowly, with many mistakes and failures, but how every moment and struggle was a memory that she'd treasure.
"Sorry, I've been taking the long way around, but I swear there's a point," Chihiro apologised after speaking, realising that most of the band story didn't involve Keima much, except them studying to get the club started, and that very strange week where he became their drummer, "though I guess the point was that thanks to the band, I was finally able to get the nerve to ask Katsuragi on a date…"
"You did?" Tenri was surprised. Admittedly, with how Chihiro was talking, it was an inevitability that they would have romantic interaction, but having seen it from Keima's side, she had no clue where it fit in the timeline, "when was it?"
"O-on the eve of the Mai High Festival," Chihiro responded, "we'd had a bit of a good thing going on for a couple of days, so I thought I'd try my luck and ask him to go to the campfire with me… I was actually surprised he accepted."
On the other hand, Tenri could feel her stomach sink… she remembered seeing Keima that night.
"It… didn't go well, did it?" Tenri asked awkwardly.
"H-how did you know that?" Chihiro leant over the table, but she was avoiding her eyes.
"I-I saw him later that night… he wasn't looking that good, but he didn't explain what happened."
Chihiro, now plagued with some new questions, put a lid in it. She was the one telling the story… besides, she had a feeling that she was going to have to control her voice a bit better.
"But yes… it was going well until it suddenly wasn't… we were both a bit awkward being alone together, but I thought those were just nerves… it was afterwards when I confessed and kissed him that he just… changed…" her voice shook at the last word.
"You don't have to tell me anymore," Tenri interjected before she could say more. She shook her head.
"To be honest, I set myself up for this," Chihiro said glumly, "he just said that this date was to get back at me for making fun of him… which I was guilt-"
"You know that's not right," Tenri insisted, "Keima-kun was going through other things at the time."
"I know that he was looking to awaken Ayumi's Goddess, but that didn't mean I was any less of a bitch to him," Chihiro sighed, "I did take a long look in the mirror that night, wondering if there was any way I could make up for nearly two semesters of name-calling and random acts of violence that he probably didn't deserve."
"Stop that," Tenri glared at Chihiro, "Keima-kun wasn't mad at you… he was probably mad at himself for what he had to do to push you away."
"A-and how do you know this?" Chihiro's eyes welled up.
"I saw Keima-kun…" Tenri balled up her fists as she started tearing up again, "asking himself about what the hell he was doing…"
Chihiro's eyes widened.
"Keima-kun said that he'd found the last Goddess…" Tenri took a breath and tried to calm down, "he was using the process of elimination, and you weren't the host."
"S-so…" Chihiro's voice shook in a different way, "t-that date was related to him romancing Ayumi?"
"If you had been the host, he would not have needed to check Takahara-san," Tenri frowned, "knowing Keima-kun, he probably hit the brakes as soon as he realised that it couldn't be you…"
Chihiro opened her mouth as she remembered Keima's words to Minami from the start of the lesson.
"…and because you didn't have any need for me, you don't remember anymore…"
"Ohhh…" Chihiro's eyes widened, "now that makes a lot of sense. I told him that this time would be my first kiss… but it shouldn't have been my first if I had my memories."
"And there you go," Tenri nodded, "after you confirmed that, he must have made some fast attempt to backtrack."
"H-he didn't, actually," Chihiro remembered, "he just sat there, confused that I could actually like him… only after I confessed properly and kiss him, did he say all those things…" she sighed, "I don't know if I'm supposed to make anything of that?"
Tenri gritted her teeth. Of course, he'd struggle with something like this… for a boy who literally could only get girls to like him after concocting some convoluted ploy, no wonder her confession - with minimal intervention from him - would affect him in such a way.
Actually, that was a damn lie! Keima never acted this way to Tenri's confessions… at least before today. She frowned, but the normal girl didn't notice.
"Anyways," Chihiro laughed, "I expected that guy to just leave me alone for the next day, but instead, he starts being a pain, asking me to help him with Ayumi… I'd gotten him out of my hair for most of the day, but he randomly appears at the meeting place Ayumi and I were talking at, then we got… attacked… it was at that point that Haqua-san appeared and saved us, and they both made up some story that it was some special affects which made that black caccoon thing which trapped us. We kinda did believe them, but they both were acting very suspicious, and they didn't let me go home."
"That was when you went to Keima-kun's house," Tenri inferred.
"Yeah," she nodded, "Katsuragi and Haqua-san and one of the goddesses were talking about what was happening while I was trying to record it on my phone through the door, but then Ayumi called and they heard me… so, figuring that there wasn't a point trying to pretend everything was alright, they just kinda dragged me along till the next morning."
"That follows. It was my goddess in the room, so you may have seen Diana in passing."
"Oh yes, it was her then," Chihiro agreed, "do you live close to Katsuragi's house?"
"You could say that. But in any case, I'm sorry that you had to get involved with that."
"To be honest, I didn't hate it," Chihiro smiled, "It was amazing seeing all the powers normally out of sight roaming Maijima… Katsuragi was really cool as well."
Tenri had to laugh at that dreamy last sentence.
"I really came to respect all the hard work he did to save the world… but that guy is a stubborn ass who refuses to do anything which is not in a game."
"You're not wrong there," Tenri agreed with a chuckle, "but I guess that is Keima-kun's strongest weapon in his arsenal."
"Agreed… his improvisation skills are on point!" they both laughed.
"So were you really okay with seeing all the things we mortals aren't supposed to?" Tenri asked. Chihiro thought for a moment and shook her head.
"It was a magical night, but it was absolutely terrifying… there were evil devils flying overhead the whole time, and Haqua-san KOed a devil right in front of me, which really cemented how high the stakes were… but the worst moment was when devils landed a metre away from me, when both Katsuragi and I were alone and invisible, and we'd gotten separated just a second earlier."
She shivered at the memory.
"If Katsuragi hadn't been able to grab me before I started freaking out, that night would have been very different," her hand clenched around her other wrist as she said softly, "I don't think I'll ever forget that hug as long as I live."
Despite Tenri not being able to imagine the scenario from a spoken sentence, she was all too familiar with that fear. Chihiro was just a powerless human, who was met with someone who would kill her with no hesitation if she was caught. Keima was just as powerless in the face of that devil, but he was a man… he was taller and stronger and smarter, and he would do anything to keep them safe.
While that situation must have been horrendous, she could understand why that hug would mean so much to Chihiro.
"Y-you don't need to relive that," Tenri shook her head, "rather, is there any more things that happened during the night which was relevant?"
"I'm not sure," Chihiro laughed awkwardly, "I missed out on a bunch of stuff which happened, but most of it didn't involve me… but I think me throwing a wrench in Katsuragi's plan was something important."
"Why would you do that?" Tenri asked, her eyes narrowing, "you said you knew how high the stakes were," Chihiro thought about that for a moment and nodded.
"I did know," Chihiro agreed, "but I also knew that Katsuragi's insistence on using his games was causing issues as well. Ayumi knew that I liked him, and if I was still a concern on her mind, he'd never be able to romance her. So I told her about what he was planning and let her decide the pace."
"Wow…" Tenri was surprised, "you have a lot of guts getting in the way like that."
"Not really," Chihiro rolled her eyes, "Katsuragi seemed to understand why I did it, and he managed to improvise, as I knew he would. To put it in a way I think Katsuragi would think about it, I just wanted to solidify the noise around Ayumi into a proper obstacle, then he'd just get over it like usual."
Tenri laughed.
"To me, it also sounds like you gave Takahara-san a whole new set of skills to oppose Keima-kun," Chihiro laughed and nodded.
"That one's just an added bonus… because Ayumi deserved to make her own decision too."
It was at that moment when it finally made sense to Tenri… Keima asking for Chihiro's help in the bathroom was no coincidence. Even if she completely discounted Keima having feelings for her (which was now looking likelier than ever), there was precedence for him to trust Chihiro's advice, just as she knew that his heart was in the right place, and she could steer him in the right direction.
The panty-stealing was probably the ficklest sign that she was important to him.
"But yeah… leaving all that aside, I think I realised that night that we're not going to be together…" Chihiro laughed awkwardly, and those words fell on Tenri like a weight.
"And why is that?" the childhood friend asked, her eyes narrowing.
"He's in a whole other league from me, and the company he keeps are literal goddesses and devils, some of which are probably in love with him as well… we're just too different, so… after I left his house the next morning, I promised myself that I would leave well enough alone and move on."
"B-but you were in love with him, right?" Chihiro nodded, "and you're in love with him now," she nodded again, "and what if he's in love with you?"
"He isn't," Chihiro responded simply, "he told me that he doesn't know if he's in love with any girl… while we were in the bathroom."
"B-but… he confessed to you once he returned from the past, didn't he?" Tenri asked, her voice rising.
"I mean, he did, but – wait wait, how did you know that?" Chihiro's eyes widened.
"Keima-kun told me about it… and that nothing happened from there."
"Well, yeah," Chihiro scratched her temple, looking off to the side, "because I rejected it."
Tenri was mad now.
"And why would you do that if you're in love with him too?" she clenched her fist.
"Because he came out of nowhere after not being around for a week, not acknowledging the messy history we have or giving any explanation at all. I did hear him out and he genuinely was sorry, but I didn't want to go out with him if he just felt guilty about what happened."
This kind of explanation just irritated Tenri more. It was hardly like the confession was the do all and end all of the relationship. Besides, for someone as emotionally in tune as Chihiro, she was missing so much subtext which really should tell her otherwise. Maybe something about viewing feelings from inside a situation makes people stupid.
Like the respect and trust they had for each other… like the context of Keima's life that Chihiro was now privy to… like how they always came back to each other, even when the story should be done.
At this time, Chihiro was a moron for not realising that every moment she treasured was going both ways. Keima wasn't a god who was above falling in love for a girl who was clearly good for him. Heck, Tenri was straight, but she'd probably fall for Chihiro too, if she'd gone through the same things Keima had with her.
She had nothing else to do other than to root for them, even if it was a bitter pill to swallow.
"I know that you're coming from a good place," Chihiro said with a wry smile, "but Katsuragi says that he doesn't like anyone, and I believe him… I'm not going to force the issue… which was actually why I was thinking of not doing any individual session with him."
"That makes absolutely no sense," Tenri argued, "do you not want him to confess to you?"
"W-well," Chihiro blushed, "I still think that you guys are wrong, but on the off chance that you are right, I don't think it's fair on everyone, so I don't want to be alone with him anymore today."
"But say we are right, will you accept Keima-kun's feelings?"
"I-I think so," her face became red as she started playing with her fingers shyly, "I do want to be his g-girlfriend."
Tenri chortled.
"Sorry, but that's stupid, Kosaka-san," she kept eye contact with Chihiro, "if you forego this time, two things might happen… either you're right and you'll never get to be with Katsuragi, or you're wrong, and you'll have to go through the whole early part of a relationship and then you'll have to wait months anyway. Why not just take the opportunity and get what you want?" Tenri smirked, "or were you content with getting laid the boys' bathroom?"
"I-I told you guys that it wasn't like that!" Chihiro's ears were red from the blush, "he literally couldn't cum so…"
"You let him pleasure you and steal your panties," her smirk only got bigger, "trust me, that's just as kinky as it sounds."
"W-well… you had sex with him too…" Chihiro said indignantly, trying to fight back, "I'm sure that was very kinky as well," she shook her head and smiled gently.
"It was one of the best moments of my life," she smiled, not rising up to Chihiro, "11/10 would do again," she let out a sigh as she remembered, "I know I won't get this time with Keima-kun again, but your time is still coming, so don't skip out on such a flimsy reason… you should just go for it and do what what you want."
Tenri stood to get up, when Chihiro stopped her halfway.
"Aren't you going to tell me what's your relationship with Katsuragi?" Chihiro asked.
"I'm his childhood friend, neighbour, and I've loved him for ten years," Tenri turned her head away, "because I want what's best for him, I'll be supporting you two from now on," she gave a sad smile, "so please accept his confession next time."
Tenri stepped away and Chihiro didn't try to stop her. If anything, a new knot formed in her stomach as a lot of the conversation started fitting into place. No wonder Tenri was so confident of Keima's feelings – she might even know him the best of all the girls here.
Tenri had all but given her blessings for Chihiro to go forth and be with Keima if he would have her… but why was she having more misgivings than ever?
Yui was digging in her bag which was on a desk while Mio watched her, sitting gingerly in a chair a little further away.
"Are you looking for something?" Mio wondered out loud. It obviously wasn't the dick that she'd referenced before, which was shamelessly lying on the desk next to her bag… nor was it the silver bullet vibrator and remote which was next to that, "don't tell me you have more toys…"
"I don't," Yui grumbled, shaking her bag as she peered inside, "I thought I'd bought some lube with me, but I can't find it."
"Oh, that's no problem," Mio pointed her thumb towards the desks Haqua had taken over, "Nagase-sensei bought some for the potion, so there should be some leftover."
"Oooh, that would really help," she sauntered over to the leftover ingredients, locating the half-full bottle easily, "and it's strawberry flavoured too."
"I think sensei just figured that it would be somewhat drinkable compared to normal lube," Mio explained, but Yui was only half listening, as she was reading the description on the bottle.
"I wonder if this'll work," Yui opened the top and squirted a little out, "it's water based, but it looks a bit thin…" Mio gave her a weird look, which she noticed, "some people do research, okay!"
"I don't doubt it," Mio chuckled, "but it's good knowledge to have…"
"True," Yui agreed as she tasted it off her finger, "tastes like cheap candy, but it'll do," she held the bottle to Mio, "you want to try?"
"Why not?" Mio laughed and offered a finger for Yui to pour a little, "that isn't half bad, actually," she sounded a bit amazed, "it's like those water lollies you get from the convenience store in summer."
"Could be sweeter though, but I guess we know now," Yui laughed, "just as well… if everything goes according to plan, it probably won't be sanitary enough to lick."
Mio choked.
"W-where are you planning to stick that?" she glanced at the black silicon cock-and-balls on the table.
"Plan A – his ass… if not, plan B is my ass…" Yui responded, not a shred of shame or embarrassment on her face.
"I regret asking that," Mio facepalmed, "my god, I thought it was your first time."
"It is… with a real person," Yui responded, "but I know enough about my body capabilities, and I imagine Keima-kun knows better too… and I don't imagine a single girl would want to take his anal virginity, so I'd at least be doing something different."
"Yeaaah… nope," Mio sighed, "I might not know him as well as you, but even I don't think he'll be okay with something like this," Yui laughed awkwardly.
"It doesn't really hurt to ask."
The conversation kind of dwindled from there as they both fell into their own thoughts.
For Mio, she'd known Yui basically all her life, but the male school uniform and the boyish, brash attitude was a change that had happened lately. If Mio had gone through some life-changing event with Keima, it was unfair that she wasn't allowed to keep those memories and feelings.
There should have been more goddesses, dammit!
Yui was on a different track, which was the realisation that she really had no clue how to act around Keima now… by this point, she'd made her peace that Keima wasn't interested in being with her, regardless of how many games and consoles she baited him with. Her time with him was solely to get her peace and be ready to move on and feel happy for Chihiro.
Yui had been watching them for a while… since they'd made up over tea that late November day, there had been some secret connection which she'd never seen them have with anyone else. It was hard to put her finger on what it was, because they didn't act like they were more than friends… it was in the small things they did, just as naturally as breathing – like Chihiro offering to teach Eri after Keima had gone through a long day, or how Keima started stocking bandaids in his bag when Chihiro would become gung-ho during club and give herself blisters from her guitar.
Yui would admit it… she got jealous, but things got easier once she gave up on Keima, as Ayumi had done earlier, and it really had set them free. The worry was now, where Yui would be alone with him again…
Well, this was why she had her plan – just because she was alone and naked, didn't mean she had to be vulnerable. She'd control the pace of it and let as little of her feelings as she could. She reminded herself of her little mantra.
"I'm here to fuck, not make love," she said under her breath.
She was going to take control.
"Yui-saaan, Nii-sama says he's ready," Eri's voice said. Yui nodded and opened her eyes, revealing determined chocolate orbs.
Meanwhile, Keima was clutching the blanket on the bed, taking calming breaths. He had a strong feeling that Yui was going to be even more troublesome – at least in a different way than Haqua.
Since the time when he had to awaken the Goddess in Yui, her tomboyish personality and lack of respect for personal space had been a cause of concern – or maybe that was understating the issue, because he literally could not string together a coherent thought around the girl.
But he had a plan: do not let Yui take the lead in anything – he had to instigate all actions in this time, like kissing her and undressing her and leading her into sex. Obviously, he'd take her input on what she wanted in this session, but he didn't want her to act like a man at all. If he could keep that up, he'd probably survive this session.
He was going to take control of this flag.
"Oh, awesome!" Yui stood, gathering her items into her arms and taking a deep breath, "I'm off now."
"Good luck, have fun," Mio smiled.
"Oh I will," she smirked, and Keima felt a sudden shiver down his spine. He turned to the curtain door, where Yui appeared with a broad smile on her face.
"H-hello," Keima greeted, standing up, and Yui stepped in. He felt his eyes widen as he saw the plastic penis plus some other things in her hand.
"Hi," Yui grinned broadly, "I came bearing gifts…" she sauntered in as she placed them on the table, "so we've got ten minutes, right?" she asked and Keima nodded, "best we begin now then, shall we?"
Keima gulped as a feeling of dread filled his stomach as it hit him that he had not been alone with her in the same room in ages. His plan was much easier said than done…
Hello again, I'm not sure if anyone is surprised, but unfortunately we don't have sexy times with Yui yet. Next time, I swear! Though at least this chapter did set some expectations.
We get a bit more of Yui's sex toys, and a bit of an idea of what she has in mind... and yeah, it's kinkier than a first time should be :P
I'm worried for Keima
Though the longer part of this chapter was Tenri's and Chihiro's discussion about Keima, and Tenri deciding that she'll root for Keima and Chihiro. Will Chihiro take her time? Does Keima feel anything special for Chihiro? Even if she does, can Chihiro accept it, knowing about Tenri's feelings? I guess we'll find out when this plot continues.
Which, as far as I have written, it has not :P
As usual, writing is going very slowly, but I do still have a couple chapters backlog. I guess I'll just keep posting on a semblance of a schedule while I still have the chapters.
So quick review responses:
Mint-Car92: I'm glad you mentioned the lingering feelings thing here. For me, this is what I imagine with the girls too - you should check out the song "Heaven's Sky" by ELISA. It's a Kaminomi adjacent song, but the lyrics always gave me the feeling that this is how the girls think about Keima. The English lyrics are in the Kaminomi wiki as well
Lol, imagine ramen served in a bread bowl :P Though I actually don't know what Mio's mum does as a job, but whatever.
Lol, I can't do math after 10pm, that's for sure :P
Hmm... I think Kanon will be alright... at least until that chapter comes out :D
Thank you for your review as always. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well.
xellos540: Hey man, you're not late. You made it in time for my author's notes.
I am intrigued by what interesting plotline you have in mind with Mio hearing about Sumire's story... heck, at this point, Sumire doesn't even know Sumire's storyline :P
I'll send a strongly worded letter to Mio's boss to finally hire Mayu-chan :P
You know, I know if was Sumire's aim to get the ramen shop, but I think it's the start of her dream as well... there's so many ways it can go, so I actually think Mio and Sumire are in similar places.
The curtain is horny prison? :o
Actually, that makes sense - everyone is damn horny in there, and you gotta serve your time.
I'm glad that you mention Haqua being able to see the past - that is exactly how she'll be getting her evidence :D
Lol, I know this story is "The Lesson They Won't Forget", but I should just call it "To lie with Keima" and be done with it :D
Thank you for your lovely review as always.
And with that, we have reached the end of this chapter. Next time, Yui is coming... in more than one way :P
See ya'll in two weeks, and thank you for reading. Love you all