The World The Girls Also Knows: The Girls God Can Only Save
This is an AU. It is identical to canon until the end of the Goddesses arc. The Heart of Jupiter arc did not happen as I could not make it work with what I intend to do. Though I will take things from that arc if it suits me, and some characters in that arc will appear here too. For example, some future conquests of Keima would include some of the girls in that arc, just to minimize OCs.
This is a fic where I will attempt to make a harem ending for Keima while Keima still had to perform his duties as a member of the Capturing Squad. You have been warned. Though not all the conquered girls will end up with Keima. They are too many to fit. Though I will state it right now. I plan on adding more girls to the seven mentioned here. About twelve or thirteen girls in total. And all of them either goddess hosts or conquered girls. As to who those girls were, they're not going to be OCs, but all part of the manga or light novel canon.
This was inspired by Wraithie Winsre's fic Blue Rose Paradox and A Moonflower's Wish. So expect certain plot points to be very similar while being different too.
I'm going to use English dub terms, except for certain things like "Otamegane".
And I'm looking for a beta reader. Thank you.
And I do not own The World God Only Knows.
Flag I
Bad News
Part 1 - The Situation at Hand
Keima Katsuragi was depressed. In spite of all that he had done, saving the girls from the Weiss, searching for all the Goddesses, saving the world, the blasted collar still remained around his neck. He still had to capture all the loose souls out there, and that meant that he still had to go and make girls fall in love with him.
Real girls. Not 2D girls.
That really cut into his game time.
And not only that. If he only had to go back to where he was before the entire Goddess fiasco started, then it would be tolerable. No real-life girl would actually pursue him as they all had their memories wiped.
Tough luck. The Goddess hosts' memories remained. And that meant that six girls were in love with him. And remembered him conquering them twice!
But he did not like any of them. He did not love any of them. Yes, he cared for them, but only as his heroines! Once he kissed them, their routes ended, and he can move on! At least it was supposed to be so in the ideal. Reality was another matter. That's why the real was such a shitty game.
Yet, he admitted to himself, he played shitty games. That game with Sora testified to that. And he would play this game of reality too.
In any other circumstance, the solution would be obvious. To avoid the pitfalls of a harem protagonist, a route which he wanted to avoid, he had to choose one girl. That would push off all the other girls and give him peace, as well as happiness to the selected girl. That girl would be the true and eternal heroine of the hero.
And he already had a choice! Chihiro Kosaka! He could say that he loves the normal girl. And he would choose her in a heartbeat. He would even confess to her! That would be the best end for all concerned.
That was the perfect solution.
Yet he cannot do that. To choose a permanent heroine, he had his own standards. That meant only looking at one girl. Only loving one girl. Only saying to that chosen heroine the words 'I like you' and 'I love you'. That the hero only would have eyes on his chosen one. That he would not kiss any other girl, or deliberately lead another girl on.
He cannot do so with his contract intact.
He cannot make Chihiro his only heroine while pursuing other real girls. Yes, he was forced too because of the collar on his neck. Yes, he really does not love the girls he romanced to save them from the Weiss, but that does not excuse cheating on his one true love.
Therefore, he would not get serious with any girl until the contract was over. If he would lose Chihiro, then so be it. He would act as he always had—within his ideal world—and ignore everything. He hated the real anyway. Look at where the real got him!
2D girls were the best girls! Nothing could change that! Even Chihiro could not compare to the charms of Yokkyun!
Yet all was not lost. If there was one thing that his last mission did, it was to reduce the number of Weiss in the world. He did not know how, but the Goddesses were able to seal most, but not all, of the loose souls. Thus, the Weiss that he had to catch with Elsie was not 60,000. But about 6,000 remains. And in his jurisdiction, in Maijima, Narusawa, and the surrounding regions, approximately 600 Weiss were remaining. Which meant that if he caught two Weiss per week on average, he would able to finish his contract in about five or six years!
Surely, Chihiro could wait for five more years if she really loves him.
Part 2 – Making Plans
"Elsie! Haqua!" he shouted. He was in his game room, all the monitors shut off, and his PFP lying on the bed. He sat on his "throne".
Seconds later, a purple blur entered his room, followed by Elsie Katsuragi.
As a reward for his services, Haqua was also assigned to him as his demon. Thus, he became a buddy with two demons. By a twist of fate, the same event which reduced the amount of Weiss in the world also reduced the number of estimated loose souls in the jurisdiction of Haqua and Yukie to zero.
Lucky Yukie. It was the law of averages. While on average, the number of Weiss in each jurisdiction was 600, that only meant that some jurisdictions could have 1,200 Weiss remaining, while some would have zero. The average was still 600. Keima was just unlucky in that regard.
That meant Yukie had completed her contract, and Haqua was free. Haqua actually requested the assignment, although was not so pleased when the collar suddenly reappeared on her neck.
"Divine Brother, what is it?" Elsie enthusiastically said as she entered.
"Katsuragi, what is it?"
"Can you gather all the Goddess hosts in one place? And Chihiro too? The café would be ideal."
"Oh yes, Divine One! Mom is in Narusawa City to buy some rare ingredients! I'm supposed to watch the café!"
"Not now! It's not supposed to be open today! It's a personal holiday. At least that's what Mom said as an excuse."
"Good, now—"
"Just what are you planning?" asked the genius devil.
"A way out of my predicament. I'm still a buddy. I still have that duty. Only if I fail, you'd die too."
"You don't have to remind me! Sometimes, I wonder what I thought when I asked to be assigned to you!"
"Who will get the credit if I got a loose soul?" asked Keima.
"Both of us. Equally," she said. In fact, one of the reasons she asked for the reassignment was to get a better record. In spite of the completion of the contract, her official record in loose soul capture was way lower than Elsie's, despite her superior academic performance. That was embarrassing.
"Even if you did nothing? I suppose your record needs to be prettied up," Keima remarked, even as Haqua fumed and she slammed the rude boy in the stomach with the base of her scythe, sending him to the floor. He picked himself up as if nothing had happened. "Anyway, my predicament would be the Goddess hosts. They'll want to be my heroines. They want me to follow their routes. And they won't give up. So I have made a plan to suppress all potential flags."
"And that is?" asked Haqua.
"I'll tell the truth about everything. About the Weiss, New Hell! Everything! And you two will help me."
"It would be my honor, Exalted One!"
"Why should we help you, you creeping pervert! Those things are classified, you know!"
"Because it would help future operations. You do know that if I don't do this, they'll come after me, and that would interfere in my conquering real girls. Would you want to risk your neck for that, Haqua?"
Haqua touched her neck, feeling the new collar that bound her to this infuriating boy!
"So that's your plan?"
"Yes. I will explain to them my mission and that I cannot be with them until it's over. But in five years, I will be free, and I'll be able to choose one of them."
"And you think that will work?" asked Haqua.
"Of course! It's called rejection. They'll pout. But they'll either wait out the time, or they're going to move on. Mostly, they'll move on and forget about me. But that would only mean that those who wait until the five years is over truly deserve the God of Conquests! In the meantime, I can completely ignore them and be in my ideal world."
"How would that help? They won't stop going after you," the valedictorian devil retorted.
"Simple. I'll simply say that at the end of five years, I'll choose those that did not bother me! I'll say that they should prove their love for me by totally ignoring me!" he said, quite pleased with himself. "That ought to keep them away."
Haqua frowned. "You disgust me!" Still. She was an incredibly long-lived demon. Five years would be nothing! When all those humans gave up on Keima, she would still be by his side, ready to wait for his acceptance. Humans do not have patience. If she could, she would enthusiastically subscribe to this plan.
But she could not. There was a wrinkle.
Part 3 – Goddess Trouble
"Still, you do have to make sure the Goddesses regain their full powers," Haqua reminded. "Don't forget that duty of yours!"
"Why should I?" asked Keima, snarling. "I don't really give a damn about the Goddesses. It's their fault I'm in this predicament! It's their fault those girls remember me!" He really wanted to be rid of the Goddesses. They were all spoiled brats! Curse the lot of them! Only Diana was worth her salt. He could care less about what happened to the rest of them! They could die for all he cared now that they're pretty much useless.
"Yes, Divine One. You need to keep their love alive! Otherwise, they'll die!" Elsie said, then blushed as a hand covered her mouth.
"Elsie! You shouldn't have said that! Ignore what she said!" Haqua said, her face red.
"Wait? That's the first time I've heard of it!" Keima said, eyes wide, as the implication of what he just heard sunk in. "What do you mean, they'll die?"
Haqua sighed. She looked at Elsie, and both nodded.
"Look, if we're going to operate as buddy and demon, we need to trust each other. No keeping of secrets!"
"Fine. As you know, the Goddesses need to have the love of their hosts grow to awaken and regain their powers. However, we discovered something recently, just after the Goddesses were reunited. You see, their love of you needs to be maintained and even grow, or else the Goddesses will go back to sleep. But they won't lose their powers. And the bad news is that if a Goddess who had awakened again fell asleep but retained their powers, then…"
"The hosts will die, and the Goddesses will be free that way, Divine Brother," said Elsie, her face dejected.
Haqua grimaced. "Of course, the Goddesses were all attached to their host, so they won't kill them just to be free. But right now, the Goddesses don't know that. New Hell, or more specifically, Chief Dokuro, discovered it by accident."
"So you're telling me that the only way to free the Goddesses without killing the hosts is to grow their love for me?" asked Keima. "Explain."
"The Goddesses, as long as they're bound to their hosts, need to borrow energy from their hosts. When they were asleep or dormant, like they were before you woke them, their energy needs were insignificant. They would barely affect the girls. Now, when they woke up, they would need more energy. How do they get energy?"
"From their love for me!"
"Bingo! They feed on their love. The greater their love is for you, the more powerful the Goddesses become. But if their hosts love for you declines, or dies, then the energy intake decreases too. They will hibernate. Yet they cannot regress to what they were before. They would require as much energy as before, even asleep. If they do not get any love from you, they will feed on the only remaining source of energy, which is-"
"Their life force," Keima said, dreading the implications of Haqua's words.
"Yes. And this time, because of their awakened powers, they need so much energy that without love, they would drain the girls' life energy. The girl would slowly die. And the goddess would be free."
"So, it's in the best interest of the Goddesses for their host to die?" he asked, floored.
"Yes. But like I said, the Goddesses don't know that. And they shouldn't know that. But even if they knew, they would not let their hosts die, as they like their hosts," Haqua explained.
"So I have no choice then, huh? I need to take all their routes just to keep them alive?"
"Yes," said Elsie. "I'm so sorry, Exalted Brother!"
"Anything else?" asked Keima, dreading what he'll hear.
"The Weiss and the Goddesses are linked with their hosts," the purple-haired demon explained. "Even if they regained their full powers, they cannot leave their hosts' body until all the Weiss are gone from this earth. So all you have to do is to grow and maintain their love for you until all the Weiss are gone, then the Goddesses will be free of their hosts, and the girls would be saved."
"So the reason for Goddesses not working properly is the presence of Weiss in this world?"
"That's right," said Haqua.
The full implication hit him. He stood up, his eyes glaring at the two demons. "What? What kind of game is this? Forcing the protagonist to simultaneously take six routes or the girls would die? I would personally burn the company who will make such a game! It's a disgrace! It's unfair both to the hero to force him to choose six routes at once! It's unfair to the heroines! A heroine wants to be exclusively loved! Love is selfish! It cannot be shared! Seeing me romance one host would crush the other hosts! You know what this means? Jealousy would be rife! It would be unfair to them! A heroine deserves to get his hero for herself and herself alone! That's why games with harem endings are the worse!"
"Katsuragi, this is not a game!"
"I know that! Do you know what will happen? I will have to make them love me throughout this ordeal. While making them watch me catch Weiss by making other girls fall in love with me! All the while leading them on! And after five years, I will have to break the hearts of at least six of them when I choose one of them! I already broke the heart of Chihiro! I hated doing that! But I'll have to do that over and over again! Reality is not only imperfect, but it's also shitty!"
He ended the rant.
"And do you know how much of my gaming time would that cut? Keeping seven girls happy and catching loose souls? That would eat all my free time!"
He sighed. His eyes narrowed as he looked on both devils. "But I am the God of Conquests. Ayumi, Kanon, Shiori, Tsukiyo, Yui, Chihiro, and Tenri are my heroines. I saved them before. I will save them again."
"You will?" asked Elsie.
"Yes. Even if I have to break their hearts to pieces, even if I would have to lie and deceive them to do it, I will save their lives," said Keima with resolve. He had no choice. He had to do the best he could do to minimize the damage. "But I would need your help."
"So you have a plan?" asked Elsie.
"Of course! That's Katsuragi. He always has a plan. And he always gets things done," said Haqua.
"Oh, Divine Brother, I am so proud of you!" Elsie said, hugging her brother.
"I'm gonna set up an event that would trigger multiple flags. They're gonna be saved! Now, both of you, listen carefully…"
Part 4 – Chihiro's "Invitation"
Two days later…
To say that Chihiro was surprised to see devil Haqua du Lot Herminium standing in front of her house was an understatement. And to see the purple-haired devil give her an invitation to Café Grandpa was an even bigger surprise. "What's this for?" asked Chihiro.
"Keima Katsuragi wants to talk to you, Ms. Kosaka," said the purple-haired demon.
"Why should I talk to that dweeb?" said the normal girl with bitterness in her voice. She still could not forget what happened on the rooftop on the night before the Mai-High festival.
"Because he would like to give an explanation as to what happened," she explained. "You better go."
"If I don't?"
"Then I'll drag you over and tie you up," said Haqua, who didn't look like she was joking. "Trust me on this one. It'll be worth it."
"The nerve of that dweeb threatening me and—"
"Katsuragi didn't tell me to threaten you," said Haqua, defending her buddy with a serious face. "I did that on my own, and I'm not joking."
Chihiro sighed. The normal girl knew what Haqua was capable of, and she didn't doubt that she'd follow through on her threat. She was still sore at Katsuragi for what he did, yet she understood the next day that he was involved in something she can't even comprehend. She liked, no loved, the big jerk, yet, yet…
Does she really still love him after all that? After running around with him all day and all night while he chased after Ayumi, seeing Haqua, Nora, and all the supernatural stuff, she knew that she did not hate him. She was on the fence. She loved him. She wanted him to love her. But she resented how she was treated. It hurt. It hurt very much. Why didn't he explain it to her when it was all over? Why wait until now?
"Well?" asked the purple-haired demon.
"What? I'll follow. Just go ahead."
"I was instructed to bring you there. I won't leave without you."
"Fine!" she said. She calmed down and walked with Haqua towards the Katsuragi home. Still, she was flattered that the dweeb would send a powerful devil-like Haqua to personally escort her. A tinge of excitement filled her when she thought that Keima wanted her presence.
Still, couldn't he have done so by himself? Was he shy? Ha, the dweeb, the Otamegane, shy! That would be the day! The boy had no shame!
The normal girl walked on the sidewalk with Haqua behind her.
"Haqua, right?" asked Chihiro to the devil.
"Yes."
"So Haqua, um, what school do you go to?" asked Chihiro. She mentally slapped herself for the stupid question. Why would a devil go to a human school? "How did you meet Katsuragi?"
"I'm Elsie's friend," said Haqua.
"Um, did you really fly and turn invisible? Did you really turn me invisible?" asked the average girl.
"Yes. Yes. And Yes."
"So, what's happening?"
"It's for Katsuragi to tell and you to listen," she said, jealousy and hostility in her eyes and tone. Wait. Did Chihiro detect jealousy? But why? Was Haqua another of the girls that liked that dweeb? How could such a dweeb have so many girls after him? I mean, there's herself, Ayumi, and Kanon. And that devil too? How could any girl fall in love with that anti-social nerd? Then again, for some unknown reason, she fell for the Otamegane! What was wrong with her?
As for the hostility...
"Are you mad at me?" asked Chihiro, getting uncomfortable.
"Why do you ask?"
"Do I need to tell you?"
"I'd rather not say."
"I insist," she said, running in front of the devil, who glared at her. "I'm sorry for whatever it was that I did to make you mad."
"Very well. I'm angry at you because you are ungrateful to the boy who saved your life," Haqua snapped, glaring at her. For some reason, she was defensive about her buddy, especially as he risked his neck and sacrificed his happiness for these ungrateful girls. Especially Chihiro. It irked her. It shouldn't, but somehow, it did. Why did Keima insist that this girl be involved? She's not a goddess host! Frankly, if she had her way, she'd memory wipe the normal girl.
Chihiro boiled. How dare she? Didn't she know what that insensitive jerk did? She was going to give her a piece of her mind. But before Chihiro could retort, they approached the café and passed the neighbor's home. And there was a girl with black hair tied with two pink ribbons at the side of her head.
"Tenri!" called Haqua, cutting off whatever it was Chihiro would say.
"I'm going to the café," the timid girl called out. "Elsie called."
"This is Chihiro Kosaka," said Haqua, all traces of hostility disappearing. "She's involved in this too. Even if she's not a host."
"Hello. I'm Tenri Ayukawa," she bowed as she stepped into the street. "I'm Keima's childhood friend."
"Nice to meet you," said Chihiro. "I'm Katsuragi's classmate. And I'm his sister's friend."
"And Keima's friend too?" she said with her wide black eyes.
"You could say that," said Chihiro, not wanting to say more
Suddenly, her attitude and demeanor changed. Did her eyes shift to pink?
"Are you interested in Katsuragi?" asked the girl.
"Me? Why would I be interested in that no-good jerk?"
"Listen. You don't fool me. You're after him, aren't you? Well, you might as well give up! Tenri is Keima's fiancée!"
"Enough, Diana," said Haqua, going between the two of them.
Then the eyes returned to normal. "I'm sorry about that. Diana is very passionate," said Tenri.
The normal girl was flabbergasted. "Wait, was she—"
"Yes. I am the host of the goddess Diana," said Tenri as they entered the café.
When they arrived, Haqua led them to an empty table.
"Please wait for the others," said the section chief. "I'll fetch them."
"Others?"
"It's p…p..probably the other hosts," said Tenri.
…
Part 5 – Arrivals
Silence descended upon the two girls. Tenri was too shy to talk while Chihiro didn't know what to say at first.
"So, Tenri, was it?"
The other girl looked and nodded.
"You know Katsuragi?" she asked before mentally slapping herself. Of course, she knew! That's why she's here! Didn't she claim to be his fiancée?
"Yes."
"So spill."
"Huh?"
"When and how?"
"Oh, ten years ago. We were classmates." She was still hesitant.
"Go on," the average girl encouraged.
The other girl squirmed, and her face became red. Until her eyes became pink, and her expression turned sour.
"What about you? How did you and Katsuragi meet?" she asked more assertively.
"Well, I met the Otamegane…" she began, but she was saved by her phone. "Sorry, gotta take that call."
She excused herself and went to just outside the café.
It was actually a text message. But Diana didn't know that. It was an excuse to get out of that conversation.
Ayumi was asking if she already was at the café. Apparently, Elsie called her. Chihiro pouted a bit. Why did Elly call Ayumi while she had to deal with the rude Haqua? Oh well. She texted back and said that she was already here.
And she waited a bit.
Five minutes later, Ayumi arrived, panting and covered with sweat.
"Hi, Chihiro," said Ayumi.
"Easy now, Ayumi. Katsuragi isn't here yet," Chihiro teased.
That made the runner blush.
"Yes. Don't appear haggard in front of your husband," she added.
"That wedding is fake!" Ayumi said even as she blushed deeper.
"But you'd want it to be real!" she said.
The runner blushed even more before opening the door to the café, and both of them went in.
"Ayumi, that is Tenri. Tenri, this is Ayumi."
"I already met her," said Ayumi. "Hello, Tenri. How are you today?"
"I'm fine, Ayumi."
At that, Diana took over. "Could I talk to my sister?"
Ayumi nodded, and Mercury took over. "Hello, sis," the sleepy Goddess greeted.
"Hello, sister. We're gonna meet with Katsuragi. All the goddess hosts would be here."
"Probably to inform the rest of us that he and Ayumi already wed."
"That doesn't count! Anyway, unlike the fake wedding, Keima is already engaged with Tenri. Keima belongs to Tenri!"
"It's obvious that he belongs to Ayumi! Ayumi's his first conquest and last heroine, after all! They say that either it's the first girl or the last girl that the hero ends up with. Ayumi's both, so she's already won!"
"No! Tenri's his first girl! They met when they were seven for crying out loud! He belongs to Tenri!"
"That doesn't count!"
Chihiro just sighed as the two goddesses argued endlessly.
The door opened, and Kanon Nakagawa entered. Chihiro, being the average girl that she was, stood up and said, "Kanon! I can't believe you're here! Thank you for joining us at the Mai High festival!" she squealed, although that reminded her of painful memories.
"You're welcome. But you should thank Keima since if it were not for him, I wouldn't be able to join you. He saved my life, and my life is his!" she declared. "Watch me! I will make Keima mine! And mine alone. Hope you don't mind."
She said it in such a friendly fashion that it did not exude malice or any negative emotion. How could she say that while being so innocent?
"What do I want with that Otamegane anyway?" retorted the average girl, clearly irritated. Kanon had no problem declaring her intentions. She had confessed to the dweeb at school in the middle of the exam, after all.
Yet she could not dislike the idol for that. Seriously! What was in the water of Mai-High School that so many girls fell with that heart-breaking dweeb?
"Kanon!" Ayumi said, shaking her hand. "Thanks for joining us! In behalf of the 2B Pencils, thank you!"
"Hey, I'm the band leader! I get to speak for the band," whined Chihiro, but with no malice. "Kanon, on behalf of the 2B Pencils, thank you!"
The idol flashed the smile that won so many fans.
"Hello. I'm a fan too," said Tenri, bowing at the famous idol.
"I'm glad you're here. So why did Keima call us here?" asked the pinkette.
"He's gonna make some explanation," said the normal girl. "But enough about the dweeb. Could I please have your autograph?"
Kanon spent the next few minutes signing autographs, having her picture taken, and answering questions about her career and songs.
Part 6 – The Gathering of the Girls
The door opened, and another girl entered. "Darling! I'm here! Your future husband is here to take—where's Keima?" asked Yui, looking around the place.
"He's not here yet," Ayumi said.
She looked at the rest of the girls, and her eyes widened when she saw the pink-haired idol. "Kanon!" she greeted as she shook her hand. "Thanks for joining us at the concert! Could I have your autograph?"
"It was nothing," said Kanon, smiling before signing another autograph and posing for another selfie.
There was a knock on the door.
Upon opening the door, Chihiro was greeted by Tsukiyo. The blonde was holding her doll, named Luna.
"Tsukiyo," Ayumi greeted and went besides Chihiro. "This is Chihiro Kosaka. Chihiro, this is Tsukiyo Kujou."
"This was a gathering of the Goddesses and their hosts. At least that's what Keima and Diana informed me," said Tsukiyo, looking at Chihiro, her eyes filled with curiosity and confusion. The normal girl did not know whether she offended the blonde's sensibilities.
"She's involved too," said Ayumi, answering her unspoken question.
"So you're another one of that man's girls? Disgusting!" said the doll as it floated and rested on Chihiro's head. "Stay away from Katsuragi! He belongs to Tsukiyo!" It reinforced that command by holding a pair of scissors and pointing it towards her eyes.
"What the hell!" the normal girl exclaimed, as she picked up the doll.
"That's enough!" Tsukiyo said, grabbing the doll. "I'm sorry, Ms Kosaka, for Vulcan's behavior. She's a bit possessive."
"I'm fine, Ms. Kujou," said the normal girl, freaked out.
"I kept telling her that what she's doing is not beautiful! It would not be beautiful to hurt each other over that boy," she said.
"That alright. You have nothing to apologize for," said Chihiro. It was Vulcan that was messed up, not her host. "So your doll's Vulcan?"
"Actually, no. It's complicated, but she can control objects, including Luna. Anyway, welcome to our gathering."
"Thank you," Chihiro said, relieved by the friendly tone adopted by Tsukiyo. She really was just curious. She really didn't want another hostile Haqua.
Tsukiyo seated herself on an empty table, avoiding the other girls, and putting Luna on an empty chair beside her.
As she did so, the door opened, and Elsie Katsuragi entered. "Come in, don't be shy."
Behind her was Shiori. And Minerva. Unlike the other Goddesses, Minerva could exist outside her host. "Where is Keima?" asked the shy Goddess.
Vulcan-Luna floated over and said, "That fiend has not yet arrived.
"Hello, Shiori," said Ayumi. "This is Chihiro Kosaka."
The shy librarian bowed. "Shiori Shiomiya. Are you a Goddess host too?"
"No. But I'm mixed up with this too, just like you," the normal girl explained.
Chihiro really felt left out. Even with her bandmates with her, the fact that she does not have a Goddess made her feel left out. Why not her? Was that why she thought she's nothing special? Because why would a Goddess choose an ordinary girl like her to be her host? Did that mean that becoming a bandleader did not actually make her special? Come to think of it, how did she get out of that rut where she never felt special in the first place? How did she come from confessing to random guys to feel special enough to start her own band? How did that happen? Why couldn't she remember? If she remembered, she would forever be in debt to that person who showed her the light.
Too bad that Otamegane could not be like that person! Then perhaps her love for that insensitive jerk could be justified.
She pushed those negative thoughts away. She was special! She was the only one without Goddesses in this room and was still involved with whatever supernatural shenanigans happening around, even it's by accident. So she's special because out of all the girls, she's the only one not extraordinary? She's special because she's the only one that was outrightly and coldly rejected by Katsuragi?
Her knees nearly buckled at that point. Snap out of it, Chihiro. Don't think such negative thoughts! That boy is not worth it!
Shiori smiled. "So you're a friend too of Katsuragi? Thank you for being his friend," she said before sitting in another empty table. She was still too shy to interact with anybody. Minerva sat beside her.
Part 7 – God Arrives
"I'm glad everyone's here," said Haqua, who entered behind Shiori.
"So where's Katsuragi?" asked Ayumi. She, Elsie, Tenri, Chihiro and Yui were sitting around one table.
"I'll call him! DIVINE BROTHER! IT'S TIME!" the younger Katsuragi sibling shouted at the top of her voice. It was so loud that the other girls and even the Goddesses covered their ears.
"Honestly, Elsie!" Haqua said, embarrassed for her best friend.
"Couldn't you have just gone and fetched him instead?" Ayumi said at her bandmate.
"But Exalted Brother told me to call for him when all of you are here!"
"I'm sure he didn't mean for you to shout at the top of your lungs," Chihiro gently chided.
The door that leads to the living quarters of the house opened, and Keima Katsuragi entered. He was clutching his PFP as he did so. He walked with a purpose, and his strides looked magnificent even if his eyes were on the gaming device. The girls wondered how he does it.
"Darling!" shouted Yui as she bolted to hug him, but she was surprised when Haqua came in front of her and slammed the handle of her scythe against her stomach.
"Remain seated," said the purple-haired demon, almost growling, her eyes glaring at the cross-dresser. In part, it was payback for Mars practically undressing her when she pretended to be a villain during Yui's reconquest.
"Don't lay a hand on her!" Mars said, taking over. "Wait, you're that villain who tried to kidnap Yui's darling! What are you doing here?"
"Enough!" Keima shouted, his eyes still on the PFP. He continued with a softer voice. "Haqua was just pretending to hasten Yui's reconquest and awaken your powers, Mars. She's our colleague. Now, go back to your chair."
Despite his eyes still on the PFP, that command was given with such authority that Yui was able to emerge and said, "Yes Darling. If you wish." She went back to the chair.
"Thank you," said Keima with a coldness that shocked all the girls. Except Tenri. She was used to him and knew all his mannerisms. And accepted it wholeheartedly.
"Haqua?" he began, his eyes still on the PFP as his fingers played.
"All are here, Katsuragi."
"Elsie?"
"Um, right, Divine One," she said as she stood up and walked until she was beside him. She manipulated her raiment until a blackboard appeared.
"It's done," she said. "I think you should start."
"I'll just wait until I reach the save point."
"Hello! Are you going to just stand there and play?" Ayumi complained, her impatience getting her.
"No, I won't. But unless I save, I won't be able to do this properly," he said without taking his eyes off his PFP. "I need to do so to complete her route. Otherwise, I wouldn't be worthy of the title of the God of Conquests."
"But—" Chihiro began, but she was interrupted.
"Finally, the save point! Don't worry, Keiko! I'm gonna get you your happy ending," he cooed, showing everyone why he was the Otamegane.
He put the device in his pocket.
And he looked at all the girls.
"Tenri," he said, voice low, cold, and serious, and looked at the childhood friend.
She blushed at his gaze, his brown eyes boring down on her, and caused her to shrink further into her seat. Even if she knew those eyes so well, and she knew what it meant, she still got uncomfortable. After all, she was in love with that boy.
"Shiori."
He turned his brown eyes at the librarian, and she hid her face behind the menu. It was such an intense stare, she shivered. He's so awesome! She thought, and she blushed, even more, when she realized her thoughts.
"Yui."
Like the rest of the girls, Yui was caught off guard by his eyes staring at hers. She tried to say something, but it was stuck in her throat. The gaze was withering, but strangely enough, not unfriendly. Such was the power of the God of Conquests. And she broke away eye contact.
"Kanon."
The bespectacled idol met his eyes behind his glasses. Yet she faltered at the beautiful brown eyes and blushed hard. What was that intense aura coming from that boy? She stared at it, unable to tear her eyes off it. Was that one of the reasons she fell in love with him?
"Tsukiyo."
He looked at the moon lover, and the blonde simply could not take her eyes off his. It was, in a word, beautiful. Almost as fair as the moon. And she could detect such determination on his eyes that she wondered what it could be that fueled such passion? Only her love of the moon and beautiful things could rival such intensity!
"Ayumi."
He turned to the runner. She tried to stare down Keima, but she failed. She felt such pressure, such aura coming from him just by looking at those brown eyes, that she looked away, unable to bear it. She, the unguided missile of Mai-High failed to look him in the eye. She blushed deeply. Yes, she had to admit, she loved that guy. Warts and all.
"And Chihiro."
Keima looked at the normal girl, and the normal girl looked back. And she got lost at his eyes. It was cute, beautiful, and intense. She tried to make her eyes look just as fierce, but because she got caught off guard by the gesture, she failed. She held her stare but felt defeated, just looking at those eyes.
"Thank you all for coming," he said. He used the same gaze that he used on Kusunoki Kasuga when he pleaded to be her student. And just like before, it worked.
The God of Conquests would be in game mode for this event.
He would save them all.