The World The Girls Also Knows: The Girls God Can Only Save
AU after Goddesses Arc. Keima needs to maintain the power of the Goddesses by giving love and affection towards their hosts, while at the same time continuing his duties as a member of the Runaway Spirit Squad. How will he balance his duties, how will the hosts view him as he makes girls fall in love with him, and how can he maximize his game time while doing all of this?
And I do not own The World God Only Knows.
Thanks xellos540 for beta reading this chapter.
Please, please, leave a review!
Flag III – Back to School
Part 15 – Tenri's Time
It was the first time that Keima Katsuragi would go to school after the Mai-High Festival. He had shut himself in his home playing for five days after the painful events of the Goddess hunt. Then, after he emerged from his room, he found out that the Goddess hosts would die if they didn't receive love from him. So he took another two days off to plan the schedule and the event in the café. And since that day was Saturday, he also took the next day off.
After eating breakfast, he left the house and saw Tenri waiting at the gate.
It's time. It's her schedule.
Three hours.
That's what he guaranteed to each girl each week. Sounds crazy that the girls would accept it, but after seeing the specter of being unable to spend time with him for the next five years, they readily accepted it. With seven girls, that's twenty-one hours out of 168 hours in a week. Of course, that's not factoring school time, sleeping time, etc, but he could manage. He was part of the 'go home club', after all.
Of course, three hours was the minimum. He expected some of the girls to try and get more time with him, but he could refuse.
He looked at Tenri, smiled, and said, "Good morning."
"You don't have to force yourself to smile for me, Keima," replied the childhood friend.
The smile disappeared, and he said, "I'm glad you saw through that." He put away his PFP.
"Please, Keima, play your game while we walk. I don't want you to change just for me. I'm happy with the way you are. I'm just happy to be by your side."
"But this is your time," Keima argued. He really wanted to make it the best time for Tenri. He would make up in quality what he lacked in quantity.
"But I want Keima as he really is," she replied, looking at him with adoring eyes. "The Keima who's always buried in his games. Nothing more."
"Fine," he said, getting his PFP.
They walked toward his school. "So Tenri, what do you think?" he asked as he played.
"It's about what happened last Saturday, right?"
"Yes."
"You're an outstanding actor. You fooled the others and nearly got me too. And you're very good to them."
"You think I acted and lied?" he asked as he continued playing.
"Yes. That was mean of you to make them cry like that. But I understand," she said. "I know there's a reason for that. Thank you."
"For what?"
"For giving me three hours each week, just to be by your side, for the next five years. I know that I'm not getting anything more than that. After five years, I'll treasure all the time that we spent together," she whispered, unable to look at him.
"Are you already giving up?" asked Keima, surprised.
"I know that you won't choose me," said Tenri. "You… you already chose someone else. And it's not me. And I can accept that."
Keima stopped playing, and the two halted their walk. He looked at Tenri in the eye, and said, "when I said everyone has a chance, I was not lying. To be honest, right now, I wouldn't choose you. I would choose another girl. But in five years, a lot can change. Please, believe that I'm not crossing you off the list. Have faith in me."
"Keima, I—"
"You are Tenri. My childhood friend. My lie detector." He put his device in his pocket, and grabbed her gently by the shoulders. "I would be very sad if you just gave up like that."
"Keima—"
"Tenri, you can tell when I am lying and acting. Look me in the eye. In five years, you have a chance to be chosen by me. Tell me that I'm lying," said Keima, brushing the hair off her eyes.
She looked at his handsome face and saw no lie as he said those words. "You're not lying. You're not telling me that just to make me feel better."
"Thank you for believing in me," he said. He closed in on her and gave her a light kiss on the lips.
That nearly sent Tenri into a faint, and he had to catch her. She leaned on him for support, as her knees buckled, very happy from the kiss. Her face was red. He kissed me! Again! That was the only thing on her mind as they walked towards the intersection. He kept his arm around her to steady her.
They walked the rest of the way in silence. It was only a fifteen-minute walk, but to Tenri, it was the happiest fifteen minutes in her life.
"Goodbye, Tenri. See you next time," he said, as he turned around and headed towards Maijima Private High when they reached the crossroads.
Once Tenri was by herself, Diana's wings appeared even bigger than before. Her eyes flashed to pink. "I'll take it from here," Diana said. They had an agreement that Diana would not come out whatever happens during the time allotted to Tenri. "I'm so proud of you, Tenri. And Katsuragi, it better not be an empty promise. You will take responsibility for Tenri's heart," she said to herself as she walked towards Misato Misagi High school.
…
That event probably sealed Tenri's conquest. Though calling it a third conquest was a leap, as Tenri was his since they were kids. Still, he was heading towards a dangerous situation, as it was clear that somehow, she had lost hope. She clearly thought he was lying when he told the girls during the meeting that all of them have a chance, probably because he was acting.
Tenri…she could detect a lie. But sometimes, she could mistake the truth for a lie too.
Fifteen minutes. Two hours and forty-five minutes remained for Tenri for the week. And the good thing was he never lied when he said his touching words to his childhood friend.
His next heroine was Chihiro at lunch. He would be free until then. Hopefully.
Part 16 – Yui's Lecture
"Hello, Keima."
Keima looked from up his PFP to find Yui standing in front of him as he entered the campus.
"It's not your time," said the gamer, his eyes going back to his game.
"I know. But I'm not here to spend time with you," she replied. "I'm here for some other purpose!"
As if! He thought. It was an excuse. But he relented.
"Okay, I'll listen," he said, his eyes never leaving his console.
"Could you help me with my homework?" she asked.
"What?" asked Keima, again looking at her.
In truth, Yui had to struggle mightily to avoid being extremely aggressive. It was not her scheduled time, after all. That was still on Friday. And she knew that Keima was using adherence to the rules to evaluate who he will choose in the end. If she glomped him right now, she would violate the rules, and that would earn her demerits.
She was determined to win his heart the right way, using the rules Keima set up.
After all, his own rules stated that she could approach him outside of her schedule, if for a reason other than to spend time with him, as long as he agreed. So she was going to make sure he would agree.
"Why should I?" he asked, clearly not enamored of this meeting. He has the option to decline an event if it was not scheduled, after all.
"Because in exchange, I'm giving you a summary of notes and discussions in the past five days," Yui said, showing him three sets of notes. "I contacted my friends in 2B and they were kind enough to show their notes to me. I made summaries and key points, and showed the schedule of upcoming quizzes."
That surprised Keima. That was so unlike Yui. She was acting against what he perceived to be her archetype. She was creating her own before-school-event to raise her own flag.
And even if he did not need those summaries to top his class, he appreciated what she was doing. She was doing it within his explicit rules. Even if he knew that her sole purpose was to spend time with him. Besides, she was still his heroine, so he should act like her hero.
"Then let me see your homework. What subjects are those again?"
"Math, History, and English," she said sheepishly. "I've already done it, yet I'm not sure if I did it right. I need someone smart to check it for me."
"May I see it? Right now?" he asked.
"Um, don't you think we should go somewhere with a table and chair?" she asked.
"I don't need it," he said.
"Oh okay," she said, as she grabbed her homework and showed it to Keima.
Keima read her homework as they walked to the 2B Classroom. Already, he can hear whispers from his fellow schoolmates. He ignored those. He didn't care for what the mob characters said about him. They entered together, to the shock of the classroom, including Ayumi, Chihiro, and Elsie, who went to school ahead of Keima (she turned invisible and flew).
He ignored them as he sat down and asked for a scrap paper from the crossdresser. He began to write and explain why some of her answers were mistaken. He then lectured her so that she would get the correct answer on her own.
"Do you understand?" asked Keima as Yui sat down on an empty chair next to him. Chihiro, Elsie, Ayumi, and even Miyako gathered around them. It was still early, so the teacher won't be around for a while.
"Yes."
"Then tell me what I told you," he said, testing her.
To his surprise, she was able to repeat, at least in general, what he lectured on. So she was listening to what he was saying, not just staring at him.
He then gave similar problems to the ones where she made a mistake. "Answer this."
Yui answered it while he resumed his games.
"Um, Divine Brother, what are you doing? It's not her schedule."
"She asked for help with her homework. In return, she gave me notes for the days I missed," he said.
They wanted to ask more, but with Miyako there, they could not risk it.
"Finished, darling!" Yui exclaimed. She wanted to slap him in the back and hug Keima. Control yourself! Don't blow this opportunity!
Yui got the answers right.
He then lectured on her English and history homework, making necessary corrections, and making impromptu notes based on her mistakes.
He finished just before the bell rang for the first period. By that time, a crowd had gathered around Keima and Yui, watching the Otamegane lecture. They were amazed at his lecturing style and how Yui was learning.
"Thanks," said Yui, grabbing her things before exiting the room. Yuri Nikaido entered soon after.
…
Part 17 – Exam Results
It was the English class, right before lunch. Mr. Kodoma entered the classroom with a stack of papers.
"Okay class, I have the results of the exam."
The entire class groaned. Their only consolation was the thought that their unpopular classmate, the Otamegane, would have a low or even failing mark because of what had happened.
In any other case, it would be the same. Keima Katsuragi, the Otamegane, would get the highest marks, followed by Miyako Terada. In the history class under Ms. Yuri Nikaido, he got a perfect score, and Terada got second with 86. And the other exams were the same.
They were used to the fact that the dweeb was routinely at the top of their class, except in P.E. And even in P.E., he perfected the written part of the examinations, so his grades were actually high, if not perfect, in spite of his abysmal performances in the practical portion of P.E.
But this English exam was different. It was the infamous English exam where Kanon suddenly flung herself at the dweeb, and then publicly confessed her love. Both left without finishing the exam.
So that meant that Katsuragi cannot have possibly gotten perfect in the examinations, or even a high grade. At most, the best that he could have hoped for was a passing mark. Which was satisfying for most the class. They were excited to see him fail as they were tired of seeing him getting very high marks without seemingly making any effort.
There were discussing who could possibly get the highest marks this time. Most were betting on Terada. She was the second-best student in the class, and third best student in the entire year, after Katsuragi and Fuse.
Mr. Kodama had a dejected look on his face, and the entire class knew what it meant. How could… how could he…
Maybe all the class had low marks, and Katsuragi just had the highest one?
"The highest score is 100. Perfect marks," he announced, "congratulations, Keima Katsuragi."
There was an uproar. "How could he have gotten perfect?" one student nearly shouted, "The exam was a two-hour test, and he left after only about forty-five minutes with Kanon."
"Calm down. I took his paper after that, and he had already finished his exam by that time," said Mr. Kodama, his face in a grimace. "Am I right, Katsuragi?"
The aforementioned boy was playing games. He didn't bother to look at his English teacher before saying, "Yes. I finished your exam after forty minutes."
There was a commotion, but Kodama's shouting settled the class. All his classmates were shocked, and a few even admired him. It was a tough exam, and most needed the entire two hours just to complete it. It was that hard. Most were not even on the quarter-point during the forty-minute mark, and Katsuragi was already done?
"Congratulations. But don't think that just because you can answer perfectly and in forty minutes a two-hour exam, you can do anything you like!" he scolded the nerd as he gamed. "And you still got 99 on that one test! I'm gonna get you, Katsuragi!"
He was ignored. The teacher resumed announcing the results.
"The second highest in the class is Miyako Terada, who got 84…"
Part 18 – Chihiro's Feelings
…
Chihiro Kosaka was nervous. Keima Katsuragi had won her over—again—the previous time they met. She blushed when he entered and was disappointed and perplexed when he came with Yui of all people.
He answered most of her questions that day on the café, and she believed him when he said he cared. Looking over his actions from the most logical point of view, he was right. Diana hammered the point home—what use was her precious feelings if she was dead?
Yet her feelings were precious! She won't hate him for it. She still loved him. But the rejection still stung. Why couldn't he have softened the blow instead of being so coldly tossed aside? She still remembered her question after she confessed, "So tell me, do you love me?"
The answer was still the same. "I don't." He still loves 2D, not 3D girls, and she was a 3D girl. That he was just repaying her for picking on him in class. His words, they hurt so much! And unlike the meeting at the café, he didn't follow it up to explain himself and say something to comfort her. She looked on jealously at the other girls during that time. She felt their hurt when he apparently coldly rejected them. She felt the joy and relief when he immediately followed that he cared for them and will save them. She was so jealous! Why couldn't Katsuragi do that for her? Why did he hurt her so much? Why couldn't he let her gently down?
Was she not important enough, unlike the Goddess hosts, that Katsuragi could just cavalierly disregard her feelings?
Even if she understood why he did it, she could not understand why he did it the way he did! Was there rhyme or reason for it?
By all rights, she should not have believed him when he said that she had a chance after five years. What he really meant, of course, was that he would choose Ayumi after five years! She saw him chase after her and even used her to help get her best friend. And she never wanted to fight her best friend over a boy.
She should just give up. It would be better for Ayumi's sake. That's what her logical brain was telling her.
Yet somehow, she believed him. The same feelings that were hurt were telling her, despite all the lies, to believe that doofus. To believe in her chance, and to take the opportunity offered. She still loved him, and despite everything, she still wants to be with him. She was so envious of the other girls who wholeheartedly accepted everything Keima offered at the Café. There was no hesitancy at all in Kanon, Tsukiyo, Shiori, Tenri, and Yui. They took their chance and ran with it.
She needed to talk with Katsuragi. It was eating at her heart. If there was a Weiss nearby, perhaps it would be better for it to possess her so when Katsuragi saves her once more, she would forget everything that happened.
She looked at her watch. It was nearly lunch. It would be the first hour allotted to her for the week.
…
Even as he played his PFP, he was getting nervous. It was Chihiro, after all. And unlike the other girls, he had the most difficult time figuring out the normal girl. He had been wrong about her time and time again. What if he was wrong again? Yet he did his homework. He observed her throughout the event in the Café, and just to be sure, he reviewed more than ten times, Haqua's raiment showing a recording of the meeting. He recalled each event involving her.
Now that he knew what was behind her actions, he knew that there was a good chance, that this time, he would be right in his reading of Chihiro.
Yet there was another issue. He recalled a conversation the day before with Haqua.
The previous day…
"I submitted your plan to my superiors," said Haqua, "and Chief Dokuro was impressed. She approved it."
"As expected," said the Gamer as he reclined on the couch in their home. Elsie was beside him, listening, while Haqua was standing in front of him, in front of the TV.
"But, not everything went according to plan," she stated.
"What is it this time? Did you mess up?"
Haqua picked up Keima with her scythe and slammed him against the wall. "No, I did not mess up! You did."
"What do you mean?" asked the galge player as he picked himself up from the floor and walked back to the couch.
"They were questioning the inclusion of Chihiro. They couldn't find a reason why she had to be part of your plan."
"She's already involved in this," Keima tried to justify. If he were honest, he would have said that he wanted her to be part of it, so he could choose her if he still loves her the most after five years. There were other reasons for it, however, and that was what he gave Haqua. "She knows about the Goddesses and the Weiss, and she saw the hosts sprout wings. She knows about Vintage. Someone with her knowledge needs to be part of this."
"The Chief didn't think so," Haqua replied.
"So what are you going to do? Erase her memories?"
"She believes that since it was your plans that led to victory, and it was your skill that led to 19 Weiss being captured, you must have a very good reason. She would trust you as a reward."
"That's good news," he said.
"There's more," said Haqua. "She reviewed your plans, and thinks they're good ones. However, Chihiro needed to agree to your plan and be part of it."
"What does that mean?" asked Elsie, confused.
"That means she must accept being part of the schedule, and wait for you for the next five years," Haqua explained. "If she does not want to take part in it, her memory would be wiped out, even if you object, Katsuragi. It's too much of a risk for a girl to know so much but isn't under Hell's supervision."
…
Part 19 – Decision of the Normal Girl
Back to the present…
Keima wanted Chihiro to agree to his schedule and rules. Otherwise, her memory would be wiped out. He did not wish Chihiro to forget everything. She deserved to know.
But it was not his choice. If she wanted to forget everything, then so be it, and he'll sadly write her off from the list. It was only fair to the Goddess hosts.
And there was another reason that he was nervous.
Usually, when dealing with a conquest target, Keima was in full control of his emotions. He may regard the girl as a heroine, and care about her, but that was it. As a result, he was able to control and fake his emotions to get the desired reaction from the girl.
When he confronts Chihiro, he needed to get his acting right to conceal any feelings. Luckily for her, for all her ability to stymie him when he tried to read her, she usually was not able to detect when he was acting or when he was lying. The one time when Keima acted to get the desired reaction from Chihiro-when he engineered the Mai-Hai bonfire invitation to draw out Mercury-the normal girl fell for his act hook, line, and sinker, until the very end.
He ruthlessly suppressed any fond feelings for the normal girl as the clock ticked towards lunch. It would be a hindrance for what he would do next.
The bell rang, and the class was dismissed. He ran out of the room and went to the rooftop.
And waited.
Nearby, Haqua was ready to place both him and Chihiro into an invisibility raiment should someone intrude. Elsie also distracted Miyako and Ayumi so they won't follow Chihiro.
He sat by the bench, playing until the door opened.
It was Chihiro.
And she was alone.
"I'm glad you came," he said without looking up from his PFP.
"Hello Katsuragi," she said, her voice even, sauntering towards the bespectacled gamer.
"Would you like to forget, or would you like to remember?" asked Keima.
That caught the average girl totally by surprise. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
"About everything. Haqua told me that since you don't have a Goddess, your memory can be wiped out. However, I asked her not to. Not without your consent anyway."
"From when?" asked the normal girl.
"From the time after the bonfire. Or if you like, before the bonfire. You would forget everything about the Goddesses and Vintage."
"What do you want?" asked the normal girl. "Do you want me to forget?"
"That's not my place to say, but if I have to answer, I don't want you to," he said.
Chihiro thought about it. Would she like to forget everything? Forget all the heartbreak, the cruel words of Keima, chasing Ayumi with Keima across the city to the Akanemaru, to the Café meeting, and learning the truth about everything.
But that would mean she would return to just being a normal girl. And she treasured the memories of those events. She cannot remember how she got inspired to create the 2B Pencils. She would be damned if she forgot the past few days.
"No. Please, I don't want to lose my memories again," Chihiro said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. My memories are precious to me," she replied.
That sealed it with Keima. I can see the ending. I will conquer Chihiro again. And make her accept the schedule.
At least he now had a plausible reason to include her in his plans—to protect her precious memories.
Part 20 – The Conquest
He looked up at her and pocketed his PFP. "Chihiro," he said, his voice gentle.
"Katsuragi, I—"
"You're here because you want to know why I didn't let you down softly. Why did I have to be so cold in rejecting you," he continued, facing the normal girl, and looking at her in the eye.
Is he reading my mind? Chihiro asked herself, freaked out by how he was able to figure her.
"How about why you rejected me in the first place?" she shouted back.
"How could you ask that, when you already knew why, and you already had forgiven me?"
How did he know that? How did he guess it? It has got to be a lucky guess! Yes, a lucky guess!
"No, it was not a guess," he said.
That really freaked her out as she backed away.
"You reacted the same way the others did when Diana told you the story of the Goddess hunt," he explained. "That look of bitterness on your face disappeared. And when you talked to me after the Goddess Mercury appeared, you were civil, you didn't act like you hated me, although, by all rights, you should have. You even helped me with Ayumi's reconquest. All that tells me that you have already forgiven me, am I right?"
By the time, Chihiro was leaning against the door of the roof entrance, and Keima was peering over her, trapping her with both his hands against the door.
"Yes, I have," said Chihiro, looking to the side, unable to look at him. "I was hurt. I hated you, or I thought I did, but the next day, I learned you had an excellent reason for what you did. Then Diana told me the entire story at the cafe, and I forgave you. But I'm still mad!"
"Thank you," he said, as he pulled back, and slowly walked away. "Even though you've already forgiven me, let me apologize. Chihiro, I'm very sorry for what you've suffered through. I'm sorry for all my mistakes. I didn't mean what I said during that night. I cried on that bench while you sang your song."
"You cried?"
He nodded, and he looked away. "I went to your concert, then like a coward, I ran back here. I listened to your song, and…"
"I forgive you. Apology accepted," said Chihiro, getting a load off her chest to personally say those words.
"Yes. I felt terrible. I didn't want to do it, but I had to. I'm sorry," he said.
"I know. You're sorry for what you did," she said. "I understand."
"No, you're wrong. I'm not sorry for what I did. I'm sorry you were hurt by what I did and my mistakes."
"What? You're not sorry for rejecting me that way?" she asked, her voice rising.
"I'm not sorry for saving your life. If I hadn't done that, you'd be dead. I won't apologize or regret saving your life."
"Katsuragi, I—"
"I will not be sorry for saving your life, because you're my friend!" he declared.
She gasped in surprise. "You consider me your friend?"
"Yes. My heroine and my friend," he declared truthfully. "I want to see you alive, living your life, even if you had a broken heart. I'm sorry I couldn't find a way without hurting you.
"I know that you're very upset with me. Let's go back to why you're really mad at me right now," he continued as she remained silent. "You're mad because I was a huge jerk. Couldn't I say something like, we're not meant for each other, I love somebody else, or that kind of sappy thing to make you feel better?"
He turned to her again.
She nodded slowly.
"I wish I could have done so. Vintage was watching us. Ready to pounce when you're alone. If I were soft in rejecting you, they might think that you really had a Goddess in you. They'd kill you the moment I left you alone to go after Ayumi. The way I did it, they would know for sure that you don't have a Goddess, and they won't bother you anymore," he said. "At least, that's what's going on in my mind. I was wrong. You got dragged into this anyway. I forgot Vintage was not that rational. And since Vintage was gonna go after you anyway since you're always with your best friend, I realized that the best way to protect you was to finish the route with Ayumi as quickly as possible to end that entire fiasco."
Keima knew it was a lie. He did not think that when he rejected her in that manner. He only wanted to close Chihiro's route as fast as possible so he could proceed to Ayumi. And he dragged Chihiro into his scheme because Chihiro kept getting in the way of Ayumi's reconquest, so it was better that he allied with Chihiro.
As Ayumi said, he really was the worst.
Hopefully, Chihiro will believe his lie. He knew she needed something to cling to, to believe, to restore her faith in him. He hoped his acting was enough.
Chihiro looked at him, and all anger flowed out from her. "You were only doing that to save my life? You acted like a jerk because you cared for me?" Her voice was low, slow, as it was too much to take in.
He nodded, a hint of sorrow and regret in his eyes. "It's my fault. I messed up finding Mercury. If I went after Ayumi first, none of this would have happened. If I knew that being a jerk would not have called Vintage off you, I would not have done it the way I did. I'm sorry."
There was a bit of silence as he looked away from her, his head bowed.
"You deserve better than me. I think it's better if you give up on me, and not bother with this schedule thing," he admitted, his voice shaking, and close to tears. He was not looking at her.
Chihiro stared at the boy.
"Goodbye, Chihiro. I'll always treasure our time together as friends."
He began walking away.
She stared at Katsuragi's retreating form. Her heart ached.
What should she do? He's walking away from her, regret eating inside of him. Katsuragi! That jerk! That heartbreaking dweeb! That… savior.
She remembered the reason why she was at the rooftop. Why she bothered seeing him at her schedule in the first place. The reason why she helped him go after Ayumi…
It was because… she loved him.
She closed her eyes for a bit, gritted her teeth, opened her eyes once more, and made a decision. If she let him go now, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
She ran after him and put her arms around his neck.
"Chihiro? What—"
He was cut off by her lips colliding with his.
Part 21 – Friends Again
Inside of him, a thousand emotions raged on. It was not unexpected. He had planned for all of this to occur, and, for the very first time, she had played according to script. Yet he could not contain that emotion of joy, even of love. He really regretted having to play with her feelings once again.
Still, he had no choice. Not unless she wanted to keep her memories. At least his motivations were not totally selfish.
When it was finished, she stepped back. "Listen, dweeb! I am not giving up on you! Don't tell me how you don't deserve me! I will decide that! And I am saying you deserve me! I just hope that you can see that I deserve you too. To be honest, right now, I don't think I deserve you, but just watch, in five years, you'll pick me!"
"So you're—"
"Yes, I'm going to be part of your schedule!" she said, her voice assertive even as she blushed. "And my hour is not over, so don't you dare leave me! Or you're gonna break another of your promises!"
He nodded, astonishment etched on his face.
"I forgive you for what you did! You did it for me! You saved me. Thank you!" she said, her eyes looking at his. "But you must do something for me in return."
"Huh?"
"Forgive yourself, Katsuragi. You feel guilty about how you did what you had to do, and I'm not saying you shouldn't, but there is such a thing as moving on."
"I'll try," he said in a resigned voice.
"You'd better! I won't have my friend spend his time with me being all mopey! Now cheer up! You got me to wait for you for five years! You ought to be happy!"
He looked at her, and she could see the cheer return to his eyes. He smiled a bit, but that smile disappeared as fast as it appeared.
"I am delighted," said the gamer, in a nervous voice.
"Now then, have you eaten your lunch yet?" she asked shyly, her face blushing a bit.
"Of course! In my game! Nothing more is needed," he proclaimed grandiloquently.
"Real food, you doofus!" shouted Chihiro. She was joyful. This was the kind of Keima she fell for. The otamegane. The dweeb. The proud jerk.
"Fine. I brought enough for the both of us," she said.
It was only then that he noticed that she had brought two pieces of meat buns.
"Don't look at me like that. I was hungry and planning to eat two of them, but then, you had to skip lunch! Honestly, what am I going to do with you?" she asked, exasperated with Keima.
She's returning to normal around me. Good. I wouldn't have her any other way.
Keima accepted the extra meat bun and devoured it within seconds before he took his PFP from his pocket.
Chihiro wanted to scold him for playing at her scheduled time, but she decided not to. Keima was sacrificing so much for them. It was only fair that he gets to do something fun.
"So spill," she said before taking a bite off her food.
"Huh?"
"About Yui. It isn't her schedule yet."
"Oh that. She wanted my help on her homework. So in exchange for giving me a summary of the lessons I missed, I helped her."
"Isn't that cheating on the schedule?" she asked.
Was that jealousy in her eyes?
"No. She didn't come to me to spend time with me. She only wanted my help with her homework. As my heroine, I must help her. It's what heroes do in games."
"Doofus! That's a bullshit excuse! She just wants to spend time with you!"
"I know. But as long as there's another reason, there's nothing wrong with it. I can refuse, but it's better that I helped her, don't you think so?"
"Well yeah. But she's not the only one who can play that game! I may ask for your help," she said.
"Make it reasonable. I still can refuse, you know," he said. "And I still need my game time."
"Don't worry. I can cook up lots of schemes!"
"Another resourceful general," he chuckled as he reached a save point.
"Don't you do anything but play games? Don't you want to go out into the real world?"
"I'm going to spend time with seven girls for five years," he said nonchalantly. "That's enough real-world engagement, don't you think?"
"Touche," Chihiro shot back. "But don't go playing while you're with a girl. She might think you're ignoring her."
"I'm not ignoring you right now," said Keima.
"But that's only because I know you very well. Not all girls know you like I do. They'll think you're rude!"
"That's true. Right now. But in time they will come to know me very well too."
She bit her teeth at being reminded that she had rivals. Six rivals. Including, potentially, Ayumi. Would their agreement to not fight over a boy and for one of them to give way to the other really hold up?
She needed to talk to her best friend. The band leader won't give up the dweeb no matter what.
"One more thing. I understand that you have to conquer more girls, that you would have to lie and break more hearts before this is over," she said.
He nodded as he played.
"Just so you know, I don't like it, but I understand. And if you lie to me again, and manipulate me again, I won't be thrilled, but I'll always think that you will have a good reason for it, like when you did it to me before," she said. "But if you do it for no good reason, I'm going to kick you harder than Ayumi! Got that?"
"I can only manipulate and lie for a good cause. Got it," said the gamer nonchalantly. "Honestly, this is why the real is such a shitty version of the ideal."
"Hey, watch it! I'm part of the real too!"
"You're not better than Yokkun."
"Who?"
"She's a character in my game—"
"You insensitive jerk!" she shouted, hitting him in the head. He fell to the ground, clutching his aching noggin. Then got back on the bench and continued his game as if it was nothing.
She smiled. This was the boy she loved.
…
When the hour was over, and they walked back to the classroom, Keima Katsuragi felt two strong emotions.
The first was relief. Chihiro's third conquest was successful. And it had gone way better than the first two. He was afraid that he would not be able to read the normal girl. He failed to do so before. He had to admit that the only reason he was able to do so was Chihiro confessing in front of him in a vulnerable state in that rooftop. After that, it was easy to arrange her puzzle pieces.
The second emotion was happiness. If proof was needed to show that he loved her, this was it. He felt like a happy schoolboy when she forgave him. Just like that, all the guilt about his past and current actions vanished because of her words. He could skip around class, happy as a lark. He can do anything!
Of course, that was not reflected in his actions, his facial expressions, his words, and his body language. All of those were an act to further his purposes. He had succeeded in showing Chihiro only what he wished to show her to elicit the desired reaction. He can still do it well in spite of his emotions toward the average girl. Right now, only Tenri could see through all his acting, lies, and subterfuges.
He was still the God of Conquests.
Still, he was grateful that most of the time, with Chihiro, he could just be himself.
And she still had two more hours for the week!
…
Part 22 – Doro Doro
"I need to talk to you," said Chihiro as she entered class and walked to Ayumi.
"It's about Katsuragi?" the runner asked.
"Yeah. About that. I'll talk to you after class," the band leader replied as Katsuragi entered, and both Ayumi and Chihiro blushed.
The runner nodded as Chihiro took her seat. Elsie followed.
"Hello Exalted One!" Elsie said as she took her seat. "How was lunch?"
"It's fine," he said as he took his seat, his eyes not leaving his PFP.
Miyako Terada then arrived. "Am I late?" she asked, looking at her watch.
Suddenly there was an alarm. It came from Elsie's skull-shaped headpiece.
DORODORODORODORODORODORO
All the class looked at her. Elsie was embarrassed as she looked at her brother. Don't say anything, he was telling her with his eyes.
"Oops, I'm sorry," said the devil as she turned it off. Miyako? Oh no!
Everyone in the class ignored it or just chuckled. They were used to it. It was like a car alarm or a phone ringing. The fact that Elsie was so adorable when her alarm goes off helped too. It was another of her cute eccentricities, like calling her weird brother God, which added to her appeal.
The devil looked at Miyako and looked at Keima. Keima looked at Miyako and back at Elsie. The devil nodded. His eyes widened.
After Class…
"Ayumi, don't be mad, but I made a decision,"
The two best friends were walking from the 2B Classroom towards the track and field where the runner had practice. Miyako had run on ahead.
Ayumi knew what it was about, but she kept quiet.
"It's about Katsuragi. I'm going after him."
When the runner kept quiet, the normal girl continued.
"I like him. I'm going to be part of the schedule," she said. "Hopefully, he'll pick me after five years."
"Didn't he reject you? I saw what he did on the rooftop," she finally said.
"He had a good reason. We would have died had he not done so," Chihiro explained, defending him. "Yeah, he doesn't love me. Now. But in five years, I have a chance."
Ayumi's eyes widened.
"Listen, Ayumi. Katsuragi is a jerk. But he's our hero too. Our savior, if you will." She was now blushing. "You heard what he and Diana said in the café. He had no choice."
Something hard stabbed at Ayumi's heart as she listened. Why was it aching so much?
She was still in love with the jerk, that's why. Now she had to give it up. It was made easier by how hurt she was by Katsuragi's actions during the Goddess hunt.
"I'm happy for you. Don't worry, I'll tell him I'm giving him up."
"Ayumi, you don't have to—"
"We made a promise that we'll never fight over a boy, right? He's yours. Good luck!" she said. Chihiro bit her lip as she saw her friend's sad eyes. "Don't worry. All those other girls have nothing on you."
"Besides, it's not as if I can wait for five years for that no good jerk. I'm sure there are other boys out there who are better than him," she said, smiling, but it was clearly forced.
There was a pause, before the normal girl said, "you're not mad at me?"
"Why should I be?" the runner said as they entered the track and field. "See you later. Don't worry, I'll tell Katsuragi I'm going to get out.
The average girl bit her lip. She felt awful. Seeing Ayumi's face like that. She clearly still had feelings for that doofus. The first time it happened was over the phone so she missed the cues. Now she could see her eyes, and…
But what can she do? She will not be be giving up Katsuragi no matter what. It's not like they can share the boy, right?
Why was this so complicated?
She turned around and headed back. She needed to get something from the band room.
…
In the 2B pencils band room…
"Oh, Divine One, you gotta save her! Miyako's my best friend!" Elsie pleaded to his face, her voice hysterical.
"Best friend? She's the friend of your friend. At best, your fellow band member. As far as you're concerned, she's a secondary character."
"Divine Brother, don't be mean. She's in danger! Do something!" she nearly cried, shaking the gamer.
"I know. I'll do it next week," said the boy as he played his PFP.
"Katsuragi, you're the worst. You can't just postpone your problems!" Haqua shouted at the gamer.
"I'm not. But I have other problems too. Like Ayumi. Anyway, I only said that I'll do it next week. But you two are on the case, right?"
"What do you mean?" asked Elsie.
"Elsie, you go and stick like glue to Terada. Talk to her about anything. Try to find out anything about her problems. Maybe we can find out about what her gap is before the week is done," he said. "Haqua, I need you to follow her around. Become invisible. Go around. Go inside her house, in her room, in her parent's room. Whenever she goes. And record everything in your raiment. I'll study your recordings at night. That way, when I do start her conquest, I'll know everything about her and complete it in one day or two."
If he was lucky. With the Ayumi and Chihiro situation still in the balance, he could not start another conquest. Especially not Miyako Terada, the only member of the 2B Pencils that was not directly connected to him. And how would those two react if they saw him romancing their best friend? Despite understanding the situation, their emotions might get the better of them.
"Are you turning me into a stalker?" Haqua yelled, outraged. She picked up the boy with her scythe and slammed him against the wall.
"Yes. That's our job," he said, picking himself up and resuming his game.
"Fine. But I won't be happy with it!" she grumbled. "You better appreciate my effort after this is done, you ungrateful bastard!"
"Well, what are you waiting for? Terada is in the track and field, practicing with Ayumi and the rest of the track and field club! Go!"
"Right!" the devils said before they exited the room.
"That was inconvenient," he said as he saved his game. Miyako Terada! Why her of all people? He can't just hide the conquest considering who her friends were!
The real sucks.
He got his bag and played another game as he exited the room, walking towards the Track and Field. Time to enter Ayumi's route once more. The runner would be even more difficult than the normal girl. His first conquest and last Goddess host.
Part 23 – Yui's Initiative
"Darling!" Yui said as she ran into him on the way to the light music club. She wanted to just jump and hold him, but she restrained herself. It was not her time. It was not her schedule. She must follow the rules so Katsuragi will pick her.
"Yui," he acknowledged, briefly looking at her before going back to his game.
She grabbed his hand and shook them. "Thank you."
Keima looked at her, and before he could say anything, she continued.
"I want to thank you for your help. I got perfect scores on my homework," she said, a large grin on her face.
"I'm glad," he said as he withdrew his hand from hers and continued playing.
"I know it's not my schedule, but can you help me more?" she asked. "We had been given a ton of homework, and I need your help."
"Do your homework first, then I'll check it," he said as they walked out of the building.
"I already did it. During my breaks," she said. She usually does not do her homework so early, but she wanted an excuse to be with Keima.
She took her homework from her bag and showed it to the gamer.
He sighed as he put his PFP in his pocket. Damn the real! Still, he did promise that he would help them. Yui, he could tell, was making an effort to restrain herself to follow his rules. He appreciated that.
"Let me see it then," he said, getting the homework off her hands.
And he was impressed. Yui did improve from the time he taught her earlier. Her mistakes were different ones, but at least that showed him that she was willing to learn.
…
Chihiro was both happy and sad as she walked the hallway, heading towards the band room. She was happy because she finally got her chance at the boy she liked. All their issues were finally cleared! And he was back to normal. Both of them were back to normal. No more guilt. No more bitterness.
Of course, Katsuragi does not like her, but she has five years to make him like her. She was going to enjoy the challenge.
But she was sad too. Looking at Ayumi, it was clear that she took the news hard. And she could only admire her for that. Like during the Goddess hunt, she was sacrificing her chance of happiness for her best friend.
Look at how well that turned out to be.
She suppressed that painful feeling in her heart. There's no good solution to the problem.
As she walked, she saw a curious scene.
There was Katsuragi. With Yui Goido. Again. What the hell?
It wasn't her time!
She marched towards the two. "What's going on here? It isn't your time! Wait until Friday!" she demanded.
Both looked at her.
"Yes, but I'm allowed to. According to Rule Number Three, and I quote, 'outside the schedule, the girls can approach Keima Katsuragi for any other purpose other than to spend time with Keima Katsuragi'. I have a reason other than to spend time with him. I am asking for his help on my homework. And according to Rule Five, and I quote, 'Keima Katsuragi can refuse any girl's approach outside the scheduled time for any reason at his discretion'. This means that darling can choose to refuse me, but he can also help me. He decided to help me. So there!"
Both Keima and Chihiro looked at her wide-eyed.
"You memorized the rules?" asked Keima.
"Word by word, paragraph by paragraph! These are the Rules of Engagement for winning your love, after all! Not knowing the rules by heart is like going to the battlefield without your weapon," Yui proclaimed.
Chihiro took out her own schedule. "You're making stuff up!" she said. "Say that again."
Yui topped herself by first reciting the entire week's schedule, then the first three rules, word by word. She was about to start with Rule Four when she was interrupted.
"Okay, okay, I believe you!" said Chihiro. "Geez. If you only spent as much effort studying!"
"That's why I'm here. I am studying when you arrived. Why are you here? Are you here for the sole purpose of spending time with Darling?"
"Yes, I mean no," she said, nearly slipping up. She almost admitted violating one of the rules. "I want to ask for his help with my homework. Could you, Katsuragi?"
Keima looked at her and sighed. "Fine. What subject?"
"Well, you know, the ones where we have homework," she began. It slipped her mind. It was in her notebook.
"You mean English and History? You've done it?"
"Um, no. That's why I need your help."
"Okay. Please do it yourself. Then I'll check your work. We'll meet tomorrow, about thirty minutes before class starts at the 2B Pencils band room. Is that okay?" he offered.
"Sure. Hey, that's not counted on my time, is it?"
"Of course not. It's not your schedule, and you're not doing that for the sole purpose of spending time with me, are you?"
"No. It's only for my studies. We have two hours anyway," she said defensively, "until it's Ayumi's turn."
Keima nodded and continued critiquing Yui's homework.
"Um, could I listen in?" asked the normal girl.
"Huh?" the two of them said.
"Well, that's Math, right? I'm having difficulty in Math right now, and maybe if I listen to you teaching Yui, I might get some tips and get better," she said.
A Resourceful general! thought Keima. Whatever. His time was already committed anyway. "Go ahead."
"Thanks," she said.
Keima resumed his critique as Chihiro walked beside the boy as she tried her best to listen.
They ended up in an empty classroom, where they continued. Once again, he wrote problems on topics where Yui had difficulty and tasked Yui to solve them. Only this time, Chihiro insisted that she try to answer them too.
…
Time was nearly up.
"Okay. Let's see if you've learned something. Chihiro, let's start with you. Tell me what you've learned from listening."
The normal girl was surprised. She wracked her brain. Luckily, she was actually listening. She wasn't some lovesick girl who will just look dreamily on the face of her beloved!
She made a competent summary of his lessons.
"Good listening, Chihiro. Yui, tell me what you've learned."
And once again, Yui showed her capacity for absorbing knowledge and correcting her mistakes.
"You both did well. Anyway, it's time for Ayumi's route. Goodbye."
"Thank you, Darling."
"Thanks, Katsuragi."
"It's nothing," he said as he stepped out of the nearly empty classroom. He stopped, turned around, and looked at the cross-dresser. He made a small smile, and said, "Yui, you really wanted to jump me, didn't you? I really appreciate you restraining yourself. I really like it that you follow the rules and put so much effort knowing it. Keep up the good work."
The cross-dresser blushed deep red at the compliment. She wanted to hug him, but that would mean she was no longer showing restraint.
"Chihiro, see you tomorrow morning at the band room," he said. "I really enjoyed our lunch together."
That made the normal girl blush.
"Katsuragi?"
"Yes?"
"Take care of Ayumi," she said.
He nodded as he exited the room.
Part 24 – Ayumi's Turn
"Hey, want to spy on them?" suggested Yui as they packed their things.
"What? That's a violation of the rules!"
"Only if we maliciously interfere, according to Rule 10. We'll just spy," she suggested.
For a moment, the normal girl was tempted to see what the two would be up to, but she immediately quashed it. "No. How do you like it if somebody spies on your date with Katsuragi?"
"But—"
"No buts!" she said, grabbing her arm. "Even if I have to drag you away, we won't be spying on them!"
"Fine, fine!" she said, laughing. "I was just kidding!"
"That's not funny!" she pouted.
"Well, no hard feelings about this competition. As long as we follow Keima's rules," the crossdresser said, offering her hand.
Chihiro smiled. "Yes, no hard feelings," she said.
"We're still friends?" asked Yui, smiling.
"Of course, we are! Competing over a boy should not ruin two girls' friendship! As long as we do it fairly!"
"Yup and darling's rules will show us if we're fair or not! See ya!"
"See you too," said Chihiro before the cross-dresser left.
She kept replaying Yui's words. Competing over a boy should not ruin two girls' friendship! As long as we do it fairly.
How come she kept thinking about it?
...
Track and Field practice was almost over.
Yui pleasantly surprised him that day. He was expecting that she would disregard the rules and try her usual schtick of going aggressively and initiating too much physical contact. And he would have to lecture her or to avoid her. But she instead exploited the rules he created. And took it to heart.
Perhaps when he implied to the girls what was needed to win him over—follow the rules he laid out—she finally figured out that what she was doing before was wrong and adjusted accordingly. Of course, there were other criteria for his choice. Following the rules was just one of them. He only inserted Rule 11 to make sure the girls would follow it.
He liked this new Yui. Far better than the old one. It was still the same Yui with the determination and the openness about her intentions, but using different means.
Now it's Ayumi's route. She had one hour allotted for that day. He would make the most of it. He was sure that if he messed up, he would lose her, perhaps permanently. But he had faith in himself. He was the God of Conquests, the Capturing God, and he would save Ayumi Takahara.
"I can see the ending," he said to himself as he played his game while walking towards where Ayumi was waiting.
…
Ayumi was standing outside the girls' locker room, in her red gym clothes, and was waiting for Katsuragi—the boy who she had fallen in love with. The boy that broke her heart. The boy that she was bitter at. The boy who saved the world and their lives. The boy that her best friend had fallen in love with and was pursuing. The boy that she'll give up for her best friends' sake.
She had steeled herself for what she was going to say. She wasn't going to let herself be manipulated by him. She was going to put her foot down.
She looked at the time. There was still five minutes to go. At least practice was pleasant. Her upperclassmen weren't jerks to her that day. And she improved her time. She was getting faster, she felt. She's gonna win the next meet.
The only wrinkle was Miyako. Despite her outward cheerfulness, her friend and fellow track meet club member was off. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she wasn't herself. Miyako tried to be herself, and that was what caught her attention. She was trying too hard.
But maybe it's her overactive imagination. Still, she's worried a bit for her friend.
She heard footsteps. She looked at the direction of the corner, and a boy stepped into her line of view.
He was playing his PFP, when he stopped, put the device in his pocket, and looked at her. Despite her determination, she could not stop herself from blushing at seeing him and having her heart skip a beat.
"Hello, Ayumi," he said in a gentle voice, his beautiful brown eyes looking directly at her.
"K-k-katsuragi," she stuttered, caught off guard by his tone, her blush deepening.
Keima walked towards her.
It was time.
End of Flag III
Stats for the Week
Monday – Official Time
Tenri – Morning Walk – 15 minutes
Chihiro – Lunch – 1 hour
Total:
Tenri – 15 minutes
Chihiro – 1 hour
Author Notes
To Guest22079, I agree with you on that, Keima is diving head first into an impossible situation. But that is Keima, always diving into such situations, and somehow, using game logic and his brains, coming out on top.
I think those are all the light novel heroines. And some would of course, have more prominent roles than the others.
As for the rules in interference and switching, it only states that Keima does not need to approve it for it to happen. Basically, he is trying to think of all kinds of situations that could arise as a result of his harem like situation. Most of the rules he got from experiencing games. Others were suggested or insisted by Haqua and Elsie. Notice how it was very fair to the girls. Still very relevant and applicable in the real world, I think.
As for colleges or universities, that's just Keima being overly cautious about the future. Since he needed to do this for five years, and they would be graduating high school soon.
You're welcome. I always try to respond to reviews and comments.
To xellos540, well both. Harem stories always have some issues crop up. Some of the rules would resolve them before it even began or would prevent it in the first place. It would prevent a free-for-all where most, especially Keima, would suffer. And yes, it's also a set-up. Like what happened to Yui in this chapter.
Yeah, Keima is a genius, and one hell of an actor. Just watching and reading the reconquest of Yui while he was wearing a dress just shows how good an actor he is. And as for influencing the girls, it helps that they are in love with him, and he knew it, so he can tailor those words to fit them. Of course, he still needs to convince them individually, especially Ayumi and Chihiro. What the meeting did was to show his hand, and prevent further misundestandings. At least that was what he hopes for. As Tenri's situation shows, misunderstandings could easily show itself.
Don't worry, there'll be lots of mistakes, wrenches from all parties that would make things worse before it gets better. Like Tenri actually doubting her chance in five years in this chapter. Or Ayumi willingly giving up Keima again for Chihiro.
Or of course, a Weiss possessing a girl close to all of them so early in the week, when he wished for a week off from spirit hunting.
The fun thing is to watch Keima try to fix it in spite of all his setbacks.
As to how he balances all of it, we'll see.
I'm a fan of the light novel girls myself. Though to be honest, some would be more prominent than the others. Two could easily be inserted in the setting, one could with difficulty be mentioned or included, while one is very hard to justify barring some supernatural intervention outside hell.
And yeah, I guess it does. I really like Wraithie's stories, so I guess it seeped in here.