So... this took 3 weeks to upload - even now, I have no clue if I will get to post this today (being Sunday the 28th of November). Still, no more putting it off.
So first things first, welcome to The Lesson They Won't Forget, where I make it my life's mission to traumatise everyone, which I thoroughly acted on last chapter... but how about this one?
So summary for the last couple chapters - Keima is in the room with Yui, while Kanon asks Ayumi to come with her to the bathroom. Also, Tsukiyo and Shiori are still in the janitor's closet... so hopefully their 10 minutes are up soon.
Please enjoy this chapter.
"Thanks for coming with me, Ayumi-san," Kanon spoke as she entered the bathroom, "I really didn't want to go alone."
"It's all good, hey," Ayumi smiled, "I'm glad to help, especially because I've had good luck to be at the right place at the right time when it comes to you and Haibara."
Kanon blushed a bit at the implication, but the runner was right. She'd been around for that game of truth or dare, and she'd walked into the room when she'd kissed Nanaka the first time, and she'd been the spectator to… something… which was why she bullied Nanaka to coming back.
"C-come to think of it," Kanon wondered, "why did you decide to bring Nanaka back after she said that she was going home?"
"Oh, that," Ayumi chuckled, "I'll tell you, if you tell me what happened to get Haibara so upset…" Kanon opened her mouth, "I also know that you made up in the end, so you can tell that too."
"So you basically want the rest of the story," the idol sighed, and Ayumi nodded eagerly, "let's just see if Apollo is alright first, and then I'll explain."
Kanon tiredly walked in, but she hesitated before she could step into the view on the long mirror above the counter with the sinks.
"Because I had sex with Keima-kun… I've provided Diana with a new kind of love which has powered her more strongly than I ever did… and that was enough to release her."
That was what Tenri had said in their conversation with all the goddess hosts – Kanon really didn't know if she was going to be on the same boat as Tenri, although she had similar experience.
If it was just having sex with Keima, Apollo would definitely stay within her… but if it was having sex with a person she loved, she really couldn't say. Maybe her feelings were too new to count… maybe what they'd done might not be considered sex, considering that it worked differently with genders.
"I know you're worried about that whole Apollo thing, but you're better ripping off that bandaid," Ayumi put both hands on her shoulder gently, "even if it means that things can't be the same as before."
Kanon nodded, taking a deep breath, and closing her eyes. She had chosen her tune, and now she'd have to face the music.
She stepped in front of the mirror and opened her eyes to face her reflection, which flickered for a moment, before coming a white figure which looked nothing like the idol.
"It really happened," Apollo looked at her cloudy hand inside the mirror, "we've been separated."
"I-I'm really sorry," Kanon whispered, her eyes starting to tear up.
"I don't want you to apologise," Apollo turned to Kanon and smiled, "it's your heart and body to use as you want, and I know how much love you have to give."
"But this wasn't how it was supposed to go," Kanon said softly, "Keima-kun was the one who saved us… he should have been the one to release you too," she blinked, and a tear started making its way to her cheek.
"You don't owe me or him anything," Apollo held her cheek and wiped the tear away, "you decided that that Nanaka girl is precious, and I'm happy to see you moving your own way."
"S-she is, yeah," Kanon took a breath and tried to calm down, "s-so you're not bothered with me l-liking girls as well?"
"Of course," Apollo said, "I know that I'm an idiot, but anyone who's bothered by other people's sexuality is even dumber than me."
Kanon snorted, but the smile she felt coming after that was genuine.
"I'm glad you guys got that sorted out," Ayumi popped in, "but if that's the end of that discussion, can we talk about what happened between you and Haibara?"
"To be honest, I'm a little curious too," Apollo admitted, "this whole lesson, I was trying to make sure to not peek on what you were seeing, so I'm in the dark as well… other than what you were feeling."
Kanon didn't know whether to be embarrassed or a little happy at their attention, but she somehow did get a slightly coherent story out… of how she'd felt with that first dare, and how Nanaka had been upset and how Kanon had tried to comfort her – though she'd been a lot more selective on their time together in the room, though neither goddess host nor goddess tried to dig for more details.
"Though what happened on the balcony?" Ayumi suddenly asked, "when you'd gone to talk to Kujou?"
"Oh, yeah…" Kanon sheepishly scratched her head, "Kujou-san was kind of irritated with me intruding, even though I was only trying to help… although I guess I know what was bothering her, if I think about it in hindsight…"
Well, that was a little bit of a lie… she'd had an inkling based on how Tsukiyo had reacted when Nanaka had moved into her space, but there was more – like how she'd reacted to Kanon mentioning Shiori, or even the borderline derogatory way she'd treated Kanon… when Chihiro had told the group that she'd seen Shiori and Tsukiyo kissing, it basically all clicked.
Tsukiyo and Kanon had more interests in common than they'd want to admit.
"But never mind," Kanon shook her head, "Nanaka could see that the conversation wasn't going well, so she came to my rescue…"
"So, you fell in love with her even more…" Ayumi teased, and Kanon darkened, responding with a quick nod.
"That's really it," Kanon admitted, "it was always small things which made me like her… like how she fluffs her hair, and it looks so soft… and I felt it, and it really is soft…" she quickly snapped out of it. Apollo was smiling.
"You're absolutely adorable," Apollo laughed, and Kanon blushed.
"Man, she's got it bad," Ayumi was equally amused, "was she this way about Katsuragi before?"
"On occasion, but I really think that she just got closer with Nanaka," Apollo laughed, "she really likes Keima-kun's hair which sticks out as well."
"If you guys keep this up, I'm not going to tell you the rest…" Kanon interjected, her cheeks coloured the same as her hair, and both goddess and host sobered up.
"As I was saying… rather, Nanaka and I decided that we were going to meet in the bathroom, so…"
"And the mirrors were fine?" Ayumi interjected, and Kanon's eyes widened.
She actually hadn't thought about it, but at the time, she'd only seen her own reflection.
"Y-yeah, they were."
"How does that work? You two had already done the deed, so wouldn't Apollo have been released, based on what Ayukawa-san was saying?"
"That's a good point," they turned to Apollo, "do you know anything about that, Apollo?"
"It hadn't happened by then," Apollo answered honestly, "the link to your heart broke when you said 'I love you' to her."
"Oooh," Ayumi's mouth formed an o, before she smirked, "you guys did something else?"
"W-we didn't," Kanon defended, "a-after we were in the bathroom, we did go to a quiet classroom to – you know, just fool around a bit… she sat backwards on my lap and hugged my neck, just coming closer…"
"And…"
"I confessed that I loved her…" Kanon squeezed her hand in a fist, "she brushed it off and just kissed me…"
"Wait, why would she do that?" Ayumi was confused, "she loved you too."
"She didn't say anything," Kanon shook her head, "we only discussed it after it was done, but my confession basically killed the whole mood. She tried to talk me down with logic, but I knew what I felt so I left, angry and hurt, and told her to never speak to me again."
"Wow, that was a real turn around," Apollo gave her a sympathetic smile.
"It feels like I've seen this plot before," Ayumi wondered with a sense of de ja vu, "am I imagining it?"
"Ayumi-san," Kanon turned to her suddenly, "what was it which made you stop Nanaka from going home…"
"Oh yeah," she snapped out of it, "the girl was pretty much filled with regret, so Yui kind of just prodded her to talk… she still really loved you, so I considered that to be a good enough reason to bring her back…"
"O-oh…" Kanon's blush deepened and she looked down, "s-so that was what happened?"
That really made her happier than it should have.
"Yep!" Ayumi laughed, "I'm betting that all the logic she tried to use on you was what she used to try talking herself down from liking you, because she was an anxious mess when she tried to leave…" she let out a gentle smile, "I was happy to see how much better she was when she said goodbye for real... I guess you guys did end up sorting it out."
"I-if that's what really happened," Kanon covered the lower half of her flaming face, "I think I might just be in debt to you and Yui-san forever."
"Hey, it's nothing to worry about," Ayumi waved it off, "I always want to help a happy romance, and now I get to hear all the details… this is more than enough pa-"
"You guys," Apollo hissed suddenly, and the bathroom door suddenly opened, where Tenri walked in before pausing, her eyes widening, first in surprise from not seeing the bathroom empty, then suddenly noticing the seven-foot goddess hovering over the floor by the two girls.
"A-Apollo?" Tenri suddenly asked, and the two girls froze, their eyes fearful.
Ayumi might be privy to the story, but according to Tenri, there was no way for Apollo to be separated from Kanon. She had no clue about what they'd done or the words they'd exchanged…
Ayumi and Kanon looked at each other, eyes wide… it wasn't just someone who didn't know… it was Nanaka's best friend and classmate.
Fuck!
"H-hi, Ayukawa-san," Ayumi greeted awkwardly, "fancy meeting you here."
"Yeah," Tenri scratched her head, "I'd just come to use the restroom… s-sorry if I disturbed something."
"N-no, not at all," Kanon responded quickly, "we just… weren't sure what to do."
That wasn't actually a lie… Kanon hadn't really thought beyond the eminent conversation between the three of them, but now that Apollo was separated from her, she would have to do something which she'd never done before.
Except now there was another thing to worry about… Tenri was likely going to ask who the person was that she'd had sex with, and she didn't have an answer!
"Of course, you haven't had to will a goddess to possess you," Tenri groaned, "okay, give me a minute, then I can help."
Tenri dashed into one of the stalls and the three girls quickly put their heads together.
"What are you going to tell her if she asks?" Ayumi whispered.
"Can't I say that I want to keep it a secret?" Kanon whispered back.
"Why don't you tell her the truth?" Apollo asked.
"But Nanaka and I are keeping it quiet… if I tell her the truth, I'll be outing Nanaka in front of her best friend, and I refuse to do that."
"But keeping it a secret means that she might try piecing everything together herself," Ayumi grumbled, "you need a decisive lie if you want to throw her off the truth."
"You have to say something which makes sense though," Apollo reminded them, "it's not just sex which freed me… it was being in love with the other person as well."
"Even if I tell the truth, it's going to sounds nuts to her," Kanon clutched her head, "the only person who makes sense is Keima-kun."
"But your time in the room with him is much later… and all throughout the lesson we know who he's with… though I guess there are those small moments where he's on a break which might-"
A toilet flushed and they moved away from their circle quickly. As expected, Tenri walked out a moment later. Everyone was quiet, their eyes just following Keima's childhood friend as she moved.
Tenri started sweating as she felt that feeling that she was interrupting them again. They hadn't said anything when she was on the toilet either.
There was a sudden loud sound when Ayumi's phone started ringing. She glanced at it, her eyes widening.
"Shit, gotta let Kujou out before she kills us," she stuffed her phone into a pocket, "I have to go," she gave Kanon a look, who nodded glumly.
Maybe it was best that she got her story straight first anyway.
Tenri waited for the door to close behind Ayumi before she spoke.
"I don't know if you consider it good news or bad news, but Apollo doesn't have to stay in your body anymore."
"It's good news," Apollo flexed her arms, "it means I'm strong enough on my own now."
"Yeah," Kanon sighed, "I guess it is inevitable… I will miss you though."
"That's alright," Tenri said soothingly, "she'll still be with you a little longer, but she won't be occupying a space in your heart anymore."
"Oh?"
"To be honest, I don't know much about it, but I did learn something… after I accepted Diana back this time, there actually isn't a risk of her leaving if I look into a mirror."
"Oh," Kanon said lamely. She didn't really know what was going on, but this conversation was preferable to any other, "so after I accept Apollo, she can stay indefinitely?"
"It might be," Tenri shrugged, leaning on a sink, "I think the heart is a more volatile place than the brain… so as Diana put it, she's just living rent free in my mind until she wants to leave."
They both laughed gently.
"Trust my little sister to figure this out," Apollo laughed, "but living in Kanon's mind does sound like a good alternative."
"I-is there something particular that I have to do?" Kanon asked, "or is it just willing a space for her in my consciousness?"
"It's basically that, yes," Tenri agreed with a laugh, "it might take a minute of so, but eventually she'll be within you again."
"Ok, I can try that," Kanon agreed.
So she took a deep breath and tried to do just that. At first, she just felt a bit silly, until a shock ran through her whole body, and her eyes snapped open.
'Hello,' Apollo's voice came in her brain, and she was relieved to hear it sound like the Apollo she'd always known.
"I can hear her again," Kanon said excitedly.
"That's good," Tenri smiled, "sorry that I couldn't do much to help."
"Oh no, this is plenty," Kanon turned to Tenri, "just knowing someone has gone through the experience and is willing to help is really nice…"
"Then I'm glad," Tenri smiled, "so I guess we have some experiences in common…"
The words hung in the air for a moment as Tenri thought about it, and Kanon began to panic again.
"Come to think of it, have you had your time with Ke-"
"I don't want to explain, okay!" Kanon said hysterically.
"You don't have to explain," Tenri held up her hands in surrender, "it's a big class with a lot of people, so I don't judge if it was another gi-"
"It's not that," Kanon said hastily, her eyes spinning "i-it's not like I'd fall in love with someone new in one day… let alone a g-g-g-girl…"
"Please calm down, Nakagawa-san," Tenri grabbed her shoulders, "if you don't want to tell me what happened, that's seriously okay."
"Promise that you won't think about it too hard…" Kanon pouted.
"I won't," Tenri responded, "I'm not sure if you think I'll figure it out if I think but-"
"You're thinking too hard!" Kanon shouted, and Tenri jumped.
"Well you're being too suspicious," Tenri replied, a little frazzled from the aggression, "I get you want to keep a secret, but now it sounds like it's a secret from me especially…" Tenri paused, then her eyes widened, "does this have to do with Nan-"
"I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!" Kanon screamed over Tenri's sentence, and that had the intended affect, killing any momentum Tenri's train of thought might have had.
'What are you doing, Kanon!?' Apollo screamed in her head,
"Wait, you have a boyfriend," Tenri was curious now, "like outside this lesson?"
"Y-yeah!" Kanon responded, her hands waving in the air, although her head was spinning in a whole different way now, "he's so cool and hot… it was him."
"Ohh…" Tenri's suspicious face fell, "are you sure it's fine to be in this lesson if you have a boyfriend? I'm pretty sure you kissing Kosaka-san is cheating…"
"Oh no, he's cool with that," Kanon laughed raucously, "he told me to have all the fun I want today."
"Umm, sure, but in that case, how did Apollo only come out now? You should have known about this thing much earlier."
"Uh… umm… there's a good reason for that… that one being…"
"She'll tell me it while we get Kujyou and Shiomiya off the roof!" Ayumi burst into the door open and started dragging Kanon out, leaving a stupefied Tenri behind.
Shiori and Tsukiyo ran with clasped hands up to the roof, but the latter was surprised by how little resistance Ayumi posed as they ran past her. Both girls were winded as they reached the roof, but the blonde crept down, trying to listen for footfalls…
It didn't seem like there were any… maybe Ayumi decided to give them a reprieve.
"I've unlocked the door," Shiori said behind her, and Tsukiyo nodded, waiting a moment longer before following her onto the roof.
By this point, night had fully set in, so the sky was a deep blue, stars scattering the expanse, and Tsukiyo let out a deep breath of relief. This was where she felt most comfortable.
"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" Shiori remarked as she watched Tsukiyo's smile bloom as she looked up.
"There are a few better viewing spots in Maijima, but this is definitely the best in the school," Tsukiyo agreed, "doesn't it feel so big?"
"The universe is really vast… whenever I look at it, I just imagine what could be beyond there… like aliens, or worlds with parallel universes. I love reading about those in stories."
Tsukiyo turned to Shiori, who noticed the stare and their gazes met.
'She's so cute,' both thought as they turned away, blushing.
"D-do you want to sit on a bench or on the floor?" Tsukiyo found her words first, "I do have one of my blankets stowed away somewhere."
"I think the floor might be nice," Shiori answered… although she was imagining them lying on the blanket, their hair splayed out and their fingers weaved together as they pointed out constellations in the sky.
"Sounds good," Tsukiyo smiled brightly and went off to her hiding spot, "I have a cushion as well," she pulled out the fluffy bundle, which was overflowing in her small arms. She teetered for a moment, before Shiori ran over to help, "thanks… I forgot that it's heavy."
"It's alright," Shiori smiled back as she helped secure her grip, "though do you know where we should put it?"
Tsukiyo looked around. Seeing that school was out of session, none of the lights were on, and they did have the relatively large area to themselves.
"Oh wait, there's that spot with less trees," Tsukiyo remembered, "a bit further off the side… we'll definitely get the best view over there."
The moved towards where Tsukiyo pointed, but the space enthusiast was smiling to herself. To be honest, she normally was able to hold that blanket on her own, though she usually wasn't as excited to get it out. So instead, Shiori was helping her.
She helped get it set down and threw the cushion perfectly in the centre. As Tsukiyo sunk in, she noticed Shiori looking a little uncertain.
"I-is it okay if I come in?" Shiori asked. This was a no-brainer, but Tsukiyo did understand why she asked this. This was the kind of policy she employed with her carpet from before. The carpet used to be a whole other dimension from the world, and the only person allowed was Luna… while Keima couldn't be bothered asking before he sat down, Shiori was ever polite and thoughtful.
"Sit," Tsukiyo patted down next to her, "I switched to the blanket for a reason, you know."
"I see," Shiori wondered as she sat down, "what was it?"
"I wanted that many people could join me if they wanted to," Tsukiyo gave a small smile, "I guess now I'll have even more people to invite after this…" Shiori let out a little squeak, "what is it?"
"C-can I hug you?" Shiori asked excitably, "you're so adorable," Tsukiyo laughed cutely, and Shiori couldn't resist throwing her arms around the smaller girl's shoulders.
While Tsukiyo was happy to see them being able to chat like they did normally, her heart definitely skipped a beat there.
She glanced down at the arms hugging her just above the chest and her cheeks warmed up. Her eyes drifted closed as she leant into the embrace.
"But for now…" she whispered, "I-I don't want anyone else to come here."
The mood shifted as Shiori loosened her hug and she could just hold Tsukiyo.
"You did well today," Shiori's lips brushed her blonde hair, "it's not easy to accept something which goes against your world view, even if it is about yourself."
Tsukiyo reacted by hiding her face in Shiori's uniform.
Shiori probably didn't realise how right she was – for Tsukiyo, it wasn't even about liking girls… she'd had her hang ups about love all her life… it consumed all and left no survivors in its wake. Though maybe that was a bit of an overestimation, considering how simple things were with Keima. He was there for her when she needed him most, and she loved him for that…
With Shiori, it was a little harder to say. There were certainly hormones and attraction in play, and they were best friends, so of course she was attracted to her personality… just… was this what romantic love was supposed to be?
"N-nee…" Tsukiyo whispered, her hands tightening on Shiori's uniform jacket, "do you like me?" she heard the small intake of air as Shiori's breathing hitched.
Shiori had said it before when she was apologising about the porn choice. Tsukiyo hadn't known what to say at the time, but this was the time and the place to address this.
"I-I do," Shiori let out a breath she didn't notice she was holding, "I-I know that I'm curious about girls, but it's because I like you, not the reason that I like you… you're cute like a doll… not to say that I'm attracted to dolls or doll-like features… actually, that just makes it sound like I like you for your looks, which is completely wrong. You're a nice person and-"
Shiori's words cut out with a jolt as Tsukiyo suddenly clawed at her stomach.
"I get you," her hand flattened against against Shiori's stomach, "you don't need to babble about that."
"I'm sorry," Shiori apologised, "you know how I am though."
"I do…" Tsukiyo took a deep breath and looked up, meeting Shiori's eyes. In the most beautiful place the school had to offer, this was it… this was where she'd tell Shiori how much she meant to her… how she'd try her best to make her happy, and trust Shiori to do the same.
I like you… this was all she had to say. Once she got it out, everything could begin to fall in place.
"I-I-I…" she stuttered, feeling her cheeks heat up.
But it wasn't embarrassment which was making the next word die on her tongue.
"I take offence to this," a heavenly voice spoke, and Shiori looked around. Tsukiyo, who was more in-tune with the source of it, looked to the balcony railing, where the possessed Luna was floating up, "what are you doing, Tsukiyo?"
"I'm doing what makes me happy," Tsukiyo sat up properly, her stance defensive, "Is something wrong with that?"
"I could feel my powers getting stronger lately," Vulcan spoke, "so that girl is the cause of it?"
Shiori blushed slightly, but that was lost in the dark night.
"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Tsukiyo retorted back, "you said that your powers were getting weaker before, so this is what you wanted."
"But why did it have to be that girl?"
Tsukiyo hesitated as she felt all her past thoughts turned to her again in someone else's words. She was asking herself this earlier today – before today, she really wouldn't have suspected herself to be bi, but there she was… imagining how nice it would feel to be kissing a girl… then getting that feeling confirmed with Shiori.
To be honest, she'd never felt that inclination towards Keima – the single kiss they'd shared was sweet and chaste, and she never felt like she wanted to try more… She still didn't – she wanted Shiori.
She wasn't going to apologise to Vulcan for feeling that way and still wanting to explore it. She'd never really know or understand herself if she stopped now.
"Because we don't choose who we're attracted to!" Tsukiyo shot back, "and even if I could, I wouldn't have it any other way…" she took a breath and turned to Shiori and smiled, "Shiori is even more beautiful than all the stars out here today."
Shiori blushed and slid her fingers into Tsukiyo's.
"She may be beautiful, but how can you defend how she treated you before," Vulcan argued, "you weren't telling me anything, but I know she upset you by not giving you space to understand your feelings."
"She apologised for that."
"I won't let you talk about Shiori like this," a now voice suddenly spoke as a small childlike image of the librarian appeared behind a tree, uncharacteristic anger on her face, "she didn't mean anything bad from it so don't bully her like that."
"If she never meant anything bad, why didn't she wait for Tsukiyo to come to terms with her feelings first?" Vulcan tried to turn to where she heard Minerva's voice, "viewing this from outside, it sounded more like she was trying to take advantage of Tsukiyo while she was still confused."
"I never meant that," Shiori squeezed Tsukiyo's hand, "I'm sorry that I wasn't more straightforward with my feelings, but I never wanted to manipulate anyone."
"Then do you love her?" Vulcan demanded in Shiori's direction.
"You don't owe her an answer, Shiori," Minerva spoke, surprisingly confidently as she moved between the two girls and Vulcan, "Vul-nee-sama, it's not our place to involve ourselves in our host's lives. That's their business, not ours."
"Codswallop!" Vulcan roared, "I'm going to make sure that Tsukiyo is alright and happy before I have to leave, and Shiori needs to prove that she's worth Tsukiyo's attention."
"Stop with this, Vulcan," Tsukiyo cried.
"I'll do it," Shiori said quietly, and Luna stopped the angry movement, before floating back to the other side of the railing to the open sky.
"What are you doing?" Tsukiyo got up to her feet and started moving towards the possessed doll, and Shiori followed.
"What I always should have done," Vulcan said simply, and Tsukiyo blinked as she felt her goddess rush into her body, thankfully not possessing her consciousness… unfortunately, that meant that Tsukiyo watched as Luna, suspended far out in the sky, started to fall.
"Luna!" she yelled, and Shiori's eyes widened, realising what her test was as the plastic and fabric doll started hurtling down towards the earth. She barely hesitated before grabbing onto the railing, launching herself off the roof towards the doll.
"SHIORIII!" Tsukiyo cried as she tried to grab onto her, but she wasn't even close. Her eyes watched unblinking as Shiori grabbed a hold of Luna as she hurtled down.
Then a white pair of wings sprouted on Shiori's back, and she bit her lips, giving them a hard flap. With a flurry of white feathers, she stopped herself a few metres off the ground and started ascending again.
Tsukiyo and Shiori were equally wide-eyed as the brunette flew around, somehow perfectly in control with the unfamiliar appendage that had grown on her back, and she soared the skies for a few moments.
The blonde couldn't take her eyes off Shiori's beautiful form as she drifted through the air, trailing feathers.
"How cool was that!?" Shiori exclaimed as she landed on her feet on the roof. Tsukiyo shook out of her stupor.
"What happened?" she ran to Shiori, who held Luna to her.
"Minerva must have combined with me," she deftly twitched the wings on her back, "good timing too. I managed to save Luna."
"You jumped without knowing how you'd land," Tsukiyo's eyes narrowed as she slapped Luna out of Shiori's hand, "what the hell were you thinking!?"
"I had to save Luna," Shiori asked simply, "she's important to you."
"Not as important as you are, Idiot," Tsukiyo plowed in for a hug, knocking the air out of the already breathless Shiori, "I was terrified…"
Shiori paused as she felt Tsukiyo start to shake in her arms, and Luna, who was lying on the floor in a mess of limbs. She squeezed the smaller girl and hugged her close.
"I knew that I was going to be alright," Shiori admitted, "because this was Vulcan's test," Tsukiyo pulled her head away, her head leaning to the side in curiosity.
"Test?"
"She's right," Luna dusted herself off as Vulcan possessed her again, "she'd take a leap of faith for the doll you love, and Minerva would be strong enough to prevent anything bad from happening to her… it's two birds with one stone."
"I don't appreciate that," Tsukiyo replied angrily, "not only could she have gotten badly hurt, but it's really none of your fucking business to know whether Shiori loves me or not."
Luna shrugged.
"Maybe not, but I can't take it back now…" Vulcan smiled, "there's no taking back the respect I have for Shiori either…"
"Wait…"
"So I passed?" Shiori asked excitedly.
"Of course… I can't think of a single thing you could have done to make it better," Vulcan gave a polite nod, "which is why you have my approval."
Shiori's smile brightened.
"Noone asked for your opinion," Tsukiyo retorted, but Vulcan ignored her.
"Great, now that everything is sorted, let's have some tea," Luna floated around, "I don't smell any tea around he- wha!" her voice cut as Minerva grabbed Luna and hugged her to her translucent chest.
"We'll leave you two alone," Minerva gave them a short bow before walking off.
"No, you don't ge-" Minerva muffled Luna's mouth as she walked away, leaving the two girls alone.
The two girls watched for a moment before sighing.
"We probably should have seen that one coming," Shiori mused.
"That Vulcan," Tsukiyo fumed as she hugged Shiori tighter, "she used to complain about Keima too… saying that he's a six-timing bastard."
"Well, she's wrong," Shiori laughed, "he's actually a sixteen-timing bastard," Tsukiyo let out an uncharacteristically loud peal of laughter and linked a hand with Shiori before stepping out of the hug.
"I guess it is technically true," she shrugged, "but I never took Keima to be a bad person."
"He's… strange… but he's not a bad person," Shiori agreed, "I don't think I've ever seen a main character in a book quite like him."
"I think that's true about everyone though," Tsukiyo led Shiori to the blanket, "there's so much which shapes people into who they are as a person that no other human will ever exist who is the same as another person."
It was one of those thoughts she'd had while watching the stars some time before.
Shiori stretched for a moment before sitting down. Tsukiyo made herself comfortable next to her, the blanket feeling soft under her splayed fingers.
"That's an interesting thought," Shiori mused, "that reminds me of this math book I was reading… like did you know that fifty-two factorial can't exist in reality? Literally all we can do is understand it as a concept because the-" Shiori shivered as Tsukiyo touched the wings on her back.
"Huh, this is actually softer than the blanket," she murmured as she stroked the feathers, "do you know how this happened?"
"Err… I think it's Minerva's," Shiori blushed as the very curious sensation that coursed through her, "they'll probably disappear in a minute."
"Actually, where is it connected?" Tsukiyo wondered, and Shiori sat pin straight as Tsukiyo's hand felt through the feathers and touched her bare back, "so that's where it is…" she rubbed her thumb against the soft, bony skin.
She recognised the spot as where the shoulder blades protruded out of the back, in line with the chest… that made a lot of sense – it probably had the best centre of gravity.
Shiori pressed her lips shut, not wanting to say anything.
"Can you feel it when I touch the feathers?" Tsukiyo asked as she softly fingered the impressive plumage. Shiori quickly moved to cover her mouth with one hand, her lips not really feeling like protection enough.
She nodded.
"I see," the blonde buried her fingers into the wings to extend them, and Shiori squeaked, "that isn't surprising, considering it isn't the back which makes it flap. I guess there are some nerves and muscles which help to control them."
The librarian could almost feel herself shaking as Tsukiyo poked and prodded her curiously. She got why it would be interesting – they were wings, after all… but to say they had nerves was an understatement… they were pretty darn sensitive, and not in the ticklish way.
'Please go away please go away please go away,' she willed her wings, and after a moment, they disappeared in a burst of sparkles. Tsukiyo awwed in disappointment. Shiori was more relieved as she felt herself cool down.
"It ripped your uniform too!" Tsukiyo suddenly yelped and Shiori quickly felt her back with her hand. Sure enough, she could feel a rip through her school uniform jacket and through her shirt.
"Man!" Shiori grumbled, "that's inconvenient."
"I-it'll be alright," Tsukiyo responded, "I have a sewing kit somewhere… either in my bag or where the blanket was," she climbed up to her feet, "I'll go get-" she paused as Shiori tugged her back.
"I don't want to worry about this now," Shiori mumbled, "can you stay here?"
"S-sure…" Tsukiyo sat back down, "I just didn't want your back getting cold while we're outside."
Shiori laughed internally, but she nodded.
"I'll lie on my back so there's no wind," she agreed, lowering herself down, "and I can still look at the stars like this, see…" her voice trailed off as she noticed Tsukiyo's smile start to fade, "i-is there something wrong?"
"Y-yes, sorry…" she looked away, "you're just so beautiful that I lost my train of thought."
"Ah…" Shiori blushed, "y-you look really pretty too… I thought that the rooftop and the stars would be a really aesthetic place to kiss you… except it might have been even nicer if I could have flown you to the highest point and kissed you there."
Goddammit, she should have thought about that while she had the wings, instead of being lowkey horny… she missed out on a possibly great opportunity-
Shiori's eyes widened as she felt Tsukiyo climb onto her legs and straddle her.
"I don't need aesthetics or the stars to make something beautiful," she sounded slightly annoyed, "I just want to kiss you."
Shiori was stunned speechless as Tsukiyo straddled her waist, her face clouded with mixed emotions.
If there was anything to be said about this day, it was that she was never going to get time to work through anything. Today it felt like so little had happened, but so much had changed… after some strange thoughts and strange words, she'd kissed Shiori…
It had honestly been surreal – not to say that was the first kiss, as she had locked lips with Keima once upon a time… it was just so entirely different. Keima's lips were light and large with minimal pressure… admittedly, the situation called for it, with her barely being taller than a doll – but Shiori's lips spurred her on, molding into hers as if she couldn't get enough, just leading to Tsukiyo wanting more.
She wanted a kiss… she wanted to understand why it was so addictive… she wanted to be out in the open air with Shiori, basking in her emotions, so she could finally understand what it meant.
Shiori didn't need any test to prove her love… even before they kissed, Shiori was able to confess her feelings. She knew what she wanted. She'd be willing to die if it was to make Tsukiyo happy.
Even though all she wanted was to kiss Shiori again, here she was hesitating again. She felt her eyes start to fill as she looked into Shiori's face.
"Don't you dare do that again!" she yelled, the tears starting to overflow on her cheeks, "you never had anything to prove to Vulcan or to me…" her voice shook as she looked away from her face, "I'm supposed to be the one who'd jump off the roof to save your favourite book."
"What's my favourite book?" Shiori asked, her voice getting a bit of a harder edge.
"Umm…" Tsukiyo sniffed, "y-you don't have one… because every book is worth reading…" she noticed Shiori joined along with the last few words.
"You're right…" Shiori agreed, "I can't ever choose with books… but I do know that there are worthwhile people… people who will treasure me like I treasure them."
"I'd rather that you didn't consider me like that…" a tear hit Shiori's jacket, "you shouldn't do something for someone when they wouldn't do it for you… even if I knew my feelings, I wouldn't be able to prove anything…"
"Do you not think you're proving it now!?" Shiori tried not to be angry at the brick-like denseness she was seeing in front of her, "do you think watching you crying over me for willingly jumping off the school roof says absolutely nothing about how you feel!"
"I-I can't even say it…" Tsukiyo whimpered.
"Then don't…" Shiori whispered, "just kiss me and stop thinking about it…"
Tsukiyo hesitated for a moment, before taking a breath to clear her brain. Kissing didn't need words. Everything there was subtext, and maybe she'd be able to express things better.
Shiori placed an encouraging hand on her cheek, and Tsukiyo smiled shyly. She ducked down and kissed her lips softly.
"That one is because I like how your hand feels," she placed a hand on top of Shiori's, "it's calming."
"That's good," Shiori smiled, and Tsukiyo was stunned for a moment. She leant down and gave her a slightly longer kiss.
"That one is because you have a really pretty smile," and Shiori gave her a tinkly laugh.
"Are you just going to kiss me for everything you like?" she considered it, "actually, if it helps you convey what you want, that's not a bad idea…"
"I-I think it might work," Tsukiyo gave a nervous laugh, "I can hear my heart beating in my ears."
"If you're a fan of that, you can always kiss me again," Tsukiyo snorted at Shiori's response, "it might get even faster…"
The blonde took her up on that. As promised, she could feel her heart skip and speed up. It was a bit of a struggle pulling away, as Shiori seemed to be doing more than just kissing back.
She let out a disappointed sigh. Tsukiyo looked thoughtful.
"I-I like…" Tsukiyo licked her lips "I like how you taste…"
Shiori was more demanding this time, basically pulling Tsukiyo down on top of her and giving her a long and exhaustive tasting session. It did not disappoint, and Tsukiyo could feel her head spinning from the lack of oxygen. She clambered onto one hand, the other tugging at Shiori's uniform bow. She ducked down, kissing her exposed throat frantically.
Shiori let out a loud moan in her ear, which surprised Tsukiyo into stopping. It gave the brunette a moment to flip it around, literally.
As Shiori pulled away, Tsukiyo noticed that she was the one on her back now, and Shiori had one leg between hers, with her eyes dark and lidded. She glanced down, where Shiori's hand was flat on her chest.
"Nee, Tsukiyo," Shiori spoke, her voice lower than her usual tone, "do you want this to go any further than kissing?"
Tsukiyo's eyes widened, being asked that point blank. She looked away.
"S-sorry that it's an awkward question to ask directly," Shiori sat up to her knees, "I don't need words for most things, but I need to know that you're sure about this."
At this point, Tsukiyo was tired of her flip-flopping. She didn't feel certain now, but turning back didn't feel like an option, either. She didn't want it to be an option either, no matter how scared she was.
"I am," Tsukiyo responded softly, "I want to have sex with you…"
Shiori blushed as Tsukiyo kept her eye-contact this time.
"S-so… I think we're doing it…"
So that's the end of this chapter, which probably had more goddess dialogue than this whole story combined. I guess this is more turned down than last time's chapter, but I was really happy how this turned out.
So we get a bit more out of Kanon this time, who has to deal with the reality that Apollo isn't in her any more, as well as having to hide the reason of why that is... so she ends up going full nuclear and climbing into the closet with a lie which will probably have many follow-up questions... at the same time, Tsukiyo finds herself being a lot more honest and vulnerable position, where she'll be trying something new as well...
All in all, this chapter is super gay, and I live for this!
Sorry, no review responses today. Kinda have a bit of stuff to try getting done today, and editing took this took me a while. I just hope that ya'll know that I do read your reviews happily and take the feedback from them as best as I can.
I do hope to be back in 2 weekends. Till then, please stay safe and happy.
Love you guys