The World The Girls Also Knows: The Girls God Can Only Save
FIRST OF ALL, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY READERS. AND SPECIAL GREETINGS TO XELLOS540, MY BETA READER
I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS LATEST CHAPTER FOR CHRISTMAS!
AU after Goddesses Arc. Keima has to keep the affection of the seven Goddess hosts and Chihiro at the same time. And he still has to exorcise loose souls from girls by making them fall in love with him. Miyako has a loose soul that needs to be exorcised, and the God of Conquests gets himself a new disciple in the game world named Aoba Fuse.
And I do not own The World God Only Knows.
And thanks to xellos540 for the beta job!
And I do not own The World God Only Knows.
Summary of the last chapter
Haqua and Diana "explains". The Goddesses get disappointed and elated. Tenri has a problem. Aoba Fuse has a plan for Keima. Ayumi and Chihiro confront Miyako over Keima. Aoba Fuse asks something of Kodama.
As for some characters:
Aoba Fuse and Asami Yoshino are light novel heroines. I took their characterizations both from the light novel and also from Wrathie Winsre's stories.
Oh, and an announcement and request. In the near future, I probably would run out of events that the girls could do with Keima during their "official" time. So if any of you could suggest activities that they could engage in one hour, two hours, or three, as long as those activities are in character, please tell me. I'd probably include it, with full credit, of course.
ARC II - CONSPIRACIES
Flag XVII
Yui's Machinations
Translation of Manga Terms that I use
Nii-sama = Big Brother, Exalted Brother, Beloved Brother
Kami-Nii-sama or Kama-Onii-Sama = Divine Brother
Kami-sama = Divine One, Godly One, God. Aoba Fuse calls Keima Kami-sama, so I use Divine One.
Kami = God
Sama = Lord or Lady so Kujo-Sama is Lady Kujo, or Tsukiyo Sama is Lady Tsukiyo
Otamegane or Otamega = Glasses Wearing Game Nerd or Game Nut. I left it mostly untranslated.
Sensei = Teacher. But in context, I use Mr. or Miss. So Kodoma-Sensei would be Mr. Kodoma.
Otome Games = Games for Girls. The female equivalent of male dating sims.
Ojou-sama = aristocratic lady or noble lady
Mai-Hime = Princess from Maijima, the title of Aoba Fuse in the Gaming Community
Part 174 – Yui's Plans
Yui Goido was rather pleased with herself as she prepared for her one-hour lunch with Keima Katsuragi. It was her first hour with him for the week. Yet she was a bit nervous. She could still botch her efforts and lose six weeks with Keima. So she must make the most of her time just in case.
Not that she was giving up. No, it was just a precautionary measure. She will do everything she wanted so she could savor the memories in case she needed to give him up until the next year.
Even if she was nervous, she was confident. Fuse's revelation the day before, during her lecture, made her triumph much more likely. For who was the "unknown master" other than Keima Katsuragi? No matter what the girl genius said, that was obvious to Yui.
And it was also apparent to the crossdresser that even if Fuse had been lying about not being in love with Keima, she was telling the truth about not knowing who her "first" master was. Like all of them, Fuse was conquered by Keima to drive out the loose soul. Like all of them, the girl gamer forgot. Unlike the Goddess hosts, Fuse did not remember. Like Yui, she fell in love with her master all over again without recalling the conquest.
So Fuse would just have to remember. That would solve her dilemma of Fuse lying to the other girls. If she forgot, then she couldn't lie about it, could she?
But how?
She needed to know.
"Hey, Mars," Yui asked in the reflection on her phone as she walked about in school.
"What is it, Yui?"
"You do know that our memories were erased after Keima conquered us the first time, right?"
"I do."
"And that because of you, the Goddesses, we regained our memories, right?"
"Yes."
"Is it possible for girls with no Goddesses to regain their memories?"
"Does this have to do with that Fuse girl?"
The crossdresser nodded.
"I don't know. I'm sorry."
"So, what could we do?"
"We could ask someone who does. How about Elsie?"
"I don't think she knows. And even is she does, she might blab it to someone," Yui answered.
"Haqua?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Hm, do you know how to contact her?"
"I'll try," said the Goddess of War. "But no guarantees."
"Thanks. Now our plan proceeds afoot! And did you know that last night, Fuse gave an excellent impression to the rest of the girls? That meant that they like her, and they are friendly with her."
"I think I know where you're going."
"And if she regains her memories, that would mean that the other girls won't need to know that she lied to them in the first place. How can they blame Fuse if she lost her memories about falling in love with Keima and then remembering afterward? They won't get mad, but feel sorry for her instead."
"Yes, but Yui, that does not mean that they will welcome her to the schedule. That is, to them, creating another competitor and one who they know to have lots of advantages. They won't see it as we do."
"That's the challenge! I know we can do it! Besides, your sisters would try and persuade their hosts, right?"
"Yes. But like Nakagawa and Apollo, the hosts might not always listen to their Goddesses."
"Don't worry. We'll find a way," Yui brushed off. "I have recruited Tsukiyo to our cause. If we prove that Fuse's in love with him."
"That Kujo girl? I don't know if she's that much of an asset. I mean, being haughty and stuck-up aren't great for persuading," Mars pointed out. "And unlike my eldest sister, she doesn't have any authority over the others."
"Don't be too hard on Tsukiyo. I'm sure she can be persuasive when she wants to be."
"You know her better than I do, I guess. By the way, what made you think of this idea?"
"You remember Fuse talking about how she's in love with someone else? That's Keima. It's obvious when she talked about her first master."
"But how did you know that Keima's her first master?"
"Because she forgot. And remember I forgot too about Keima before I met you. So isn't it obvious?"
"Why didn't Tenri and Tsukiyo make the connection?"
"Because they don't believe she's in love with darling in the first place. So they're predisposed to believe whatever Fuse says about Keima." Yui shrugged as she reached the door to the rooftop. "We'll talk about this later. It's my hour with darling."
…
Part 175 – The Surprise Attack
Yui looked at her watch. It's time.
She giggled a bit about what she's about to do.
…
Keima emerged unto the roof for Yui's time. He was dreading what the crossdresser was up to. But he would have to put up with it. He reminded himself that it's their time, and they have the right to whatever they wanted to do with him. He would just trust in their natural restraint.
Although he didn't think Yui would have restraints. Oh well! Too late to change the rules.
"Keima darling!" he heard from behind, and as he turned, she jumped, wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, and breathed deep.
By instinct, he knew what was coming, and so involuntarily breathed deep too before her lips crashed into his.
…
Her feet were at a tiptoe, and her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, pulling his head down.
She felt nice. She felt ecstasy as her lips tasted his. And she savored it as a thousand feelings coursed through her. It was her fifth kiss with Keima, the third since the schedule, but that didn't dull the emotions, the sensations, that she felt every time she did that.
Her grip tightened, and she felt his hands wrap around her body. Then she felt him kiss back. And she relaxed as she let her body hang limply around his arms. If she was taller, Keima would be the one to hang limply from her arms—that was her wish, but she shelved it in the sensation of pleasure.
She never wanted to let go, never wanted to break contact, and she refused to let go even as she felt him try to pull away. It was only when she had to breathe, after about a minute, that she let go, and Keima was finally able to push her away.
"What was that about?" he mumbled, his face having a small blush.
She answered by again jumping him, but this time, just hugged him as her momentum meant that they tumbled against the wall of the rooftop and ended up in a sitting position.
...
Like before, he panicked internally. Physical contact! Physical contact! I hate physical contact! He didn't mind the kiss, after all, that was part and parcel of a conquest, but all other contact made him blanche and weak.
But he put with it, as it was Yui's time. It was her right. As long as she doesn't go too far, and to her credit, she hasn't.
So he stifled, with all his might, all temptation to just break free and run away screaming. He needed to do this. If he doesn't submit now, Yui may try to do so outside of her time. That would be infinitely worse.
"I miss you, darling."
"We just saw each other yesterday."
"I haven't touched you since Friday," she argued.
"That's just three days ago!"
"And it's an eternity for me," she said as she held him like a guy would hold a girl.
She took his head and rested it against her shoulder. It was awkward since he was bigger than her, but she made it work, positioning the rest of his body, so it leaned against her. And wrapped her arms around him. Keima just went with the flow and let her do what she wanted. He felt her stroking his hair.
"You know, you should grow your hair long and let it down free. You'll look cute in it," she commented. "Your hair is so soft and silky. It's like the hair of a girl."
Keima decided to play the girl.
"Really? I do have nice hair, but I doubt I could take care of it if it's long. I'll just have it short like Chihiro or Aoba."
"And next time, try to comb your bed hair," she cooed as she wrapped the said hair around her finger.
"Yes, if I could. That hair is very stubborn," he sighed as he took his PFP from his pocket and began playing. He might as well make the most of it.
They remained in that position for the next ten minutes, Yui humming music while stroking his hair and sometimes stroking his face, and he was just leaning against her. Luckily, they were against the wall, or Yui would have fallen since she was not strong enough to support his weight. Of course, she could borrow Mars' strength, but that would violate their agreement to keep the Goddesses away during their time.
Keima just played games.
Finally, he tried to get up. Yui tried to hold him down.
"We need to eat our lunch," Keima pointed out.
…
Part 176 – Taking the Initiative
"Oh? Oh yeah!" she grinned sheepishly as she let go of him. Truthfully, she was glad that he stood up as his weight meant that she was being squeezed against the wall. She felt her body feel numb from being crushed.
Keima helped her stand up and straightened her uniform.
Then she looked and saw him presenting her with a bento.
"For me?"
"Yes," he said shyly. "I hope you liked it. Like before, I cooked it at home."
She gave a huge smile as she took it. "Thank you, thank you, my darling!" she said. She got her own bag and presented him with…
Two bentos.
"Huh?" he said even as he accepted both bentos.
"I hope you like it! I learned that the other girls gave you two bentos last week. But I only have one lunch with you this week. So I'll give you two today. Isn't it neat?"
"Yes, really neat," he said as he accepted the food. He would never ever get tired of free food from the girls.
Yui smiled as she watched him eat. It was Mars' idea. The Goddess, when the heiress was preparing his bento, insisted that she make two. When queried, the Goddess of War merely said that she had it in good authority that her beloved would appreciate it if she gave him more bentos than the other girls.
She ate her lunch.
…
They were on the bench on the rooftop. He had instructed Haqua and Elsie to look around and prevent other students from going up. And Elsie had an invisibility spell on the ready just in case their other precautions didn't work and an outsider pops up.
They had just finished lunch. He knew what would happen if he didn't make the first move. He really hated physical contact which he didn't initiate. So he must initiate it.
"Yui," he began by standing up.
"Keima?" she asked, a bit curious.
He held out her hand, and she blushed at the gesture. She took it.
And he pulled her up to him, so both were standing up. He stared into her eyes, making her blush before he smiled and walked away, her hand still in his, pulling her along.
"Keima, what's going on?"
They reached the wall, and he stopped. He then suddenly yanked her, in such a way that Yui lost her balance as her back was pressed to Keima's chest, and his arms wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her side.
"Go with the flow," he whispered as his lips brushed her ear, and she blushed even harder, feeling very hot. He then walked her around the rooftop in that position, before leading her back to the bench. He sat, pulling her down with him, and she ended up sitting on his lap, sitting sideways on the left, her legs splayed on the side as she tried to squirm.
His grip then relaxed, and as expected, Yui didn't try to get free. She instead turned and put her arms around his neck, and rested her head on his shoulder, precisely the opposite position they were in earlier.
This was a bit more comfortable for him too. It was still unwelcome, but this time, he started it, so he remained in control. If he had to have physical contact, better have it as a boy and as a player, and to have it in his own terms.
By staying one step ahead, he prevented Yui from doing what she wanted. He was also conditioning her to act more like a girl in the future.
"Oh, I love you, Keima," she whispered, closing her eyes as she relished the warmth coming from her beloved.
"I know," he said his standard response to such lines. He had heard those words from the girls so many times now that it barely had any effect on him.
"You know, you can play your game now," she suggested. Mars advised, but she already knew that the best way to his heart was to let him play as many games as possible. If she could stay close to him and hold him while he does so, so much the better.
Keima raised an eyebrow, but he was not going to refuse the offer. It reminded him of Tenri during the last week. He took his PFP from his pocket, and, with his arms still around Yui, played.
Yui stared at his face at first. He ignored it as his eyes were past her head and into the game console on hand. Then she turned her head and looked at the game.
Surprisingly, she didn't seem bored.
And began to ask questions about the game. Not ignorant questions like he expected, but inquiries of an informed beginner.
"Who are you, and what have you done with Yui Goido?" he asked, chuckling as he continued playing.
"Your future disciple," Yui gushed as she made a comment on the character. "I've been learning about the ideal, you know."
And she used his own words. Interesting.
"Hey, why are you choosing that route?"
And she knows what routes are.
"Hm, choosing that would raise flags?"
And flags too!
And so on and so forth!
"Hey, you played this game before, right? That's why you're so fast. Don't do that! It would lead to a bad ending!"
Keima did not follow her advice. And reached a good ending.
"You still have much to learn," he chuckled.
"But did I do better than before?"
"Considering that before, you didn't even know how to open a console, yes, it's better. But you still have a long way to go," he commented. "But congratulations. I didn't think you had it in you."
He loaded another game.
Part 177 – Taking Turns
"Hey, Keima. I've been thinking. I'm really lucky."
"Yes, you are. You're born rich," he quipped.
"And I have you."
"That remains to be seen."
"Well, right now, I have you. But that's not the real reason I feel lucky."
"What is it then?"
"That I remember. I remember the time you first conquered me."
"All the other girls remembered too."
"Except Chihiro. I guess Chihiro was unlucky. I wonder why?" Yui mused.
"She doesn't have a Goddess."
"Is it possible for her to remember her first conquest?"
"I don't know. I'll have to ask Haqua," he answered.
"I think you should try to have her memory returned to her if she wants to," said Yui. "I mean, it's sad that she can't remember her first kiss. Please try."
Keima paused his game and looked at her. "Where did that come from?"
"Chihiro is my friend, my bandmate. And she's part of the schedule too. I think it's unfair that she's the only one who can't remember just because she's unlucky enough not to be a Goddess host. Can you please find out if it's possible to restore the memory of one of your conquests without that girl being a Goddess host?"
"That's surprisingly thoughtful of you," he answered. "Yes, I'll try. And if she brings it up, I'll have her memory back if it's possible."
Of course, Chihiro had never brought up the topic. So he should be safe. Not that Keima had any objections to it, but he did not think it would be possible.
"Will you promise me?"
"Fine. Nothing wrong with that."
"Thank you. You're so kind."
"Ha, flattery will get you nowhere."
"It isn't flattery if I am sincere," she countered as her eyes were fixed on his game. "You're really a kind boy."
"If you think that, you're mistaken. I'm nowhere near kind."
"Don't be too hard on yourself. Anyway, do you do this all the time?"
"Huh?"
"Before I discovered Mars, before I remembered, I followed you that Saturday, do you recall?"
"Followed? You mean, stalked."
"I saw you say words and had that look on your face with Ayumi and Chihiro. When we met later that day outside the library, you gave me that same look. You were quite a playboy! And you still are!"
"Does this have a point?"
"What you did earlier, pulling me, wrapping your arms around me, you do the same with the others, do you?"
"Not exactly," he answered.
"But you do! Not exactly as you did, but I mean in general," she said. "You lead them to do what you want, right? And when I play a game, I understand you. You're playing a player! And we girls are your heroines!"
"Yes, you're right," he said. "Look at me, Yui."
Yui looked away from the PFP and looked at the brown eyes of the bespectacled gamer. And not for the first time, she got lost.
"You do like it, don't you? Please don't lie to me. I can tell," he whispered.
She blushed even more and got hot. "Yes, I do. It's because when you play a game, you want to be the player. You want to be the player because you want to save the heroines. And you think of us as heroines because you want to save us. You want to save me, right?"
He looked at Yui and nodded. "Yes."
"That's why you want to lead. Because that's how players act! And you didn't want me to act like a boy, because to you, I'm a heroine, not a player. Yet I kept messing it up for you."
"What do you mean?"
"I want to save you too, Keima. I know you think we need saving, but don't you see, you need saving too?"
"Yui, I—"
"The way I see it, both of us need saving. We're both heroes and heroines, and we're also players. Keima, I want you to save me. But let me save you too."
"You want to save me?"
"Yes, because I love you. Let's save each other."
"How do you propose to do that?"
"Let's make a deal. Half of the time, during my time, I play the player, and you're the hero whom I will save. So you must let me lead. However, during the other half, you be the player and lead me on! You initiate everything! Like we did during this hour! Before we ate lunch, I was the player. After lunch, you were."
Yui smiled. That was another of Mars' advice. And it was working. She was surprised how insightful her Goddess was of Keima's personality. Of course, Mars advised that she should go full-on heroine, and let him do all the leading, but Yui resisted that. She would never sacrifice the core of who she was. But she had to admit, she found out that she also enjoyed playing the heroine too, even if she still preferred to be the player. So splitting the roles was a good solution.
He looked at her, surprised. He chuckled, "Fine by me. It's your choice anyway."
He was pleased because that meant that he could limit the unwelcome physical contact with Yui to half her time. Yes, that should earn her lots of positive points.
Part 178 – Kissing Bargain
"So you're the player now. And you did everything a player must do. However, you forgot to do one thing."
"What's that?"
"What you do to all the heroines in games! You still haven't kissed me!"
"Didn't we just do that a while ago?"
"I kissed you. That's different. I was the player at that time."
The gamer genius faulted her logic. Not every time the heroine initiated the kiss meant that she was acting as a player. On almost all the kisses by the girls, Keima, acting as the player, manipulated the girl into kissing him. The only surprise that can happen was the timing of her kiss. So when he acted surprised at being kissed, he was surprised, not at the action itself, but of the timing.
But he said nothing as he just shrugged. "Maybe next time."
"That's not fair. I have three hours with you this week. We should kiss three times too!"
"You can't just count the hours and determine the number of kisses," he scolded. "If you play games, you must know that kisses are the culmination of a conquest, the end of the road!"
"But you already conquered us. But that doesn't mean you should stop kissing us. I mean, you kissed me twice just last week!"
"Well, kissing should be determined by the moment, not by the clock," he asserted. He couldn't believe that they were arguing the timing of one of the sacred rituals of a conquest.
"Then we should create those moments. I know you're an expert at doing those," she answered. Yui wanted to get as many memories as possible to treasure during those six weeks if she lost, and that meant as many kisses as possible.
"I don't think this is a good idea," he insisted.
"But Keima, what about Rule 9? It states, 'How the scheduled time will be spent will be the girls' decision.' And I say that we must kiss at least three times a week, one for every hour! That's my decision, and you can't refuse!"
Keima wanted to curse her, but he also admired her mastery of the rules. "I dug my own grave when I made that rule, huh?"
"It only says how much you trust us. And that's my price for giving you half the time to play the player."
He smiled. "Fine, I'll kiss you twice more before the end of the week. So we get to kiss only twice more?"
"At least. If you want to kiss me more than thrice, I won't refuse," she answered cheekily even as her face was very red, and she was steaming. "Three is the minimum! And a peck on the cheeks doesn't count. It must be lip to lip. And it doesn't count if I kiss you. You must do it!"
It's not that Keima had too much objection to that. He can, as Yui stated, create the moment for a kiss to be perfect. It just that it looked silly for a kiss to be negotiated like a wage increase or an appointment. And Yui had such cheek to suggest that!
…
They spent the rest of their time in that position, with Yui sitting on his lap and her arms around his neck, and his arms around her and playing a game, with her eyes alternating between watching the game and making comments, and staring at his face.
The hour was nearing its end, but they decided to call it early, so they won't be late for their next class.
…
As they walked towards the rooftop door, with Yui in front and Keima behind, the gamer contemplated what just happened.
He still could not believe it! Yui was still very much the player, despite promising to let him act like one half the time!
How could one create a moment for a kiss? He had to admit that he was an expert on that subject, having done so with at least nineteen girls. And the girls themselves could get caught up in the moment he engineered so they would initiate a kiss. In fact, the only time a kiss wasn't something he provoked was almost all the kisses that Akari Kurakawa did. Virtually all her kisses surprised him. That's what Yui did at the start of the hour. It was totally unexpected.
Yet somehow, that kiss, unlike the Akari kisses, turned into a kissable moment by itself. Perhaps that was because Yui loved him, unlike Akari. The kisses between Akari and Keima were totally devoid of any love. So a surprise kiss when one party was in love with another was a moment.
He looked at his watch. There was still more than a minute before the hour expired. It was still Yui's time. And it would be a form of payback to what she earlier did.
"Yui," he called as he used his right hand to grab her left wrist.
He then yanked her towards him, wrapped his other arm around her waist as he positioned himself above her, and she hung by his arm.
"Keima, what are you—"
She was cut off when his lips collided with hers. Her eyes widened. She was totally surprised at his sudden action, as she thought their time was up. But surprise turned to joy and ecstasy as she closed her eyes. Feelings inside of her burst again as their lips remained locked.
She wrapped her arms around him, not wanting the moment to end. Finally! He took some initiative! Although wasn't he supposed to kiss her at her second hour and third? Or could more than one kiss happen in an hour? That didn't matter. All that mattered was the fact that her Keima was kissing her at that moment.
After nearly a minute, she finally kissed him back. But it was all too brief as they soon broke off, both gasping for breath.
"And time's up! The hour is officially over!" he said in a level voice, even as a tiny blush formed on his cheek. "See you later!"
And just like that, he left her gasping, utterly surprised and happy as she struggled to stay on her feet, her legs weak. Her hour began and ended with a long deep kiss—it was perfect.
…
Part 179 – Gossip Girls
Yui walked in a daze as she entered the 2-A Classroom. Tsukiyo Kujo raised an eyebrow at seeing her.
"How was your time?" the moon-lover asked as the crossdresser walked past her.
"My Lady," she whispered, "it was wonderful. The kiss was wonderful!"
"It's only expected," the moon-lover replied, trying to dismiss the answer. After all, it was generally known that Keima did kiss all the girls of the schedule during their time. She was waiting patiently for her turn. Still, thinking about it made Tsukiyo blush as Yui walked to her table.
When Yui reached her desk, it was filled with presents from admirers, like always. Those didn't matter. Keima had given her the best gift she could ever have.
…
Later, after class…
Yui Goido was with Ayumi Takahara and Chihiro Kosaka at the 2B band room. Miyako had gone on earlier, and so did Elsie. And because they had no looming concert to practice for, they spent their club period gossiping.
"So where's Miyako gone?" asked Yui, still in a happy mood.
"She has to tutor Katsuragi play the piano," Chihiro nonchalantly answered.
Yui's eyes widened at that. "Don't tell me—"
"Yes, Keima's going to conquer Miyako," said Ayumi. "And we helped!"
"You did? How did you it?"
The runner smiled as if she had one-upped the crossdresser. "Well, we did as he asked. And as a reward, we're going to actually see the conquest."
"What do you mean?" asked a curious crossdresser.
"Um, we would be there when he kisses Miyako and drives the loose soul out," Chihiro explained.
"No fair! I want to be there too! I demand to be there!" she said, utterly jealous.
"Careful, you might get hurt if you see that," Ayumi warned.
"Wouldn't you? And why would you want to do that?" asked the crossdresser.
"To show that we understand his mission, and to show that we won't stand in his way. It's his neck, after all, that's at stake. Literally," the runner answered. "And yes, it may hurt, it may not, but I need to do this."
"I need to do it too! For Keima darling's sake! I'll ask him next time I see him!"
"You have to ask the dweeb about that," Chihiro replied. "By the way, how was your time with Keima? You seem happy."
"Oh, it was heaven! It was wonderful! It was the best!" Yui exclaimed dreamily and was rewarded by jealous looks from the two other girls. "Aw, don't be jealous. You'll have your turn."
"So what exactly happened?" asked Ayumi.
Yui stuck her tongue out. "I won't tell everything. Still, there's something you might be interested in."
"Do tell," Chihiro barked, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Like Ayumi, she was jealous, but she can't begrudge Yui. They were all equal in the schedule, after all.
"Did you know that Keima agreed to kiss me at least for every hour of the week. That means that he should kiss me three times this week alone. Unlike last week, where he only kissed us twice."
"How did you know he kissed me twice?" a red-faced Ayumi demanded. "I never told anyone that."
"He did kiss me twice last week, so I assumed that he kissed all of us twice. Right, Chihiro?"
Chihiro blushed, and said, um, "actually, he only kissed me once last week. But never mind that. What do you mean, Keima agreed to kiss you thrice?"
"Well, he did promise me that. I'm not sure if he promised it to all the girls, but you should demand it. It's your right under Rule 9. And it's only fair. If he doesn't grant you that, then he's showing favoritism to me, wouldn't you think? So ask him."
There was a bit of silence.
"We're friends, so we shouldn't keep secrets from each other," Yui continued. "How about this? Let's tell each other the story of our first conquest! I'll start!"
"I can't do that," the normal girl whispered.
Yui raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
"Because I can't remember," she said. "I don't remember."
The heiress sounded shocked. "You mean you don't remember your first kiss?"
"Well, I'm not a goddess host, so I can't help it!"
"But you can. Why don't you ask darling to restore your memory?"
"Could he even do that?" Ayumi countered.
"Not him. But surely, Haqua or Elsie could find a way. I mean, they were the ones who erased your memories in the first place," Yui asserted. "And now that you know everything else, Chihiro, there's no reason you can't know that most precious of things! You should remember your first kiss! Please, ask him! I know! Tomorrow lunch is your first hour with him. Ask him then!"
"Yui, that's Chihiro's business!" Ayumi scolded, but turned to her best friend. "But she's right. You should ask to have your memory returned. It's only fair."
"You think so?" Chihiro asked her two friends, her voice shaking in uncertainty.
"Yes," the runner said. "I can find no reason to keep you in the dark anymore."
Yui nodded. "You should remember your first kiss."
"I guess I'll ask him tomorrow," she conceded, uncertain, but determined to recover her memories.
"Then we can tell each other our stories!" Yui exclaimed excitedly.
…
Part 180 – Miyako and Club
"Divine One," Keima Katsuragi heard as he stepped out of his classroom after the last subject.
There was Aoba Fuse, with her usual cold expression, but was that a hint of delight?
He shrugged. With Aoba, one can't tell. Her poker face was almost as impenetrable as his own. And her natural cold personality meant that she had perfect control over how others see her. She had consciously cultivated a personality of an ice princess—a personality that didn't change and was even aggravated when she became a gamer. The only thaw she displayed was towards the girls of the schedule—and that was only because he asked her to try to become friends with them.
"May I accompany you home? I need to look at the game library. I want to borrow some games if you don't mind," she asked.
"Unfortunately, I have business to take care of."
"Business? Your schedule is free right now," she answered.
"It's not in the schedule. I have something else to do."
"May I ask what it is?"
He sighed. How can he tell her that he's going to conquer Miyako Terada because she has a loose soul? That's impossible. But he can't just hide it. She would notice, and just like the brilliant girl that she was, she'd figure it out. Well, most of it anyway. Better come up with a rational explanation.
"Well, do you remember the reason for why am I stuck with a harem?"
"I do. It's because of your sister."
"Well, Elsie asked me to help with Miyako Terada's problem. You know Miyako, right?"
"She's the remaining 2B Pencils Band member not to be involved with the schedule."
He nodded. "And that's what I'm going to do."
"You're gonna make her fall in love with you, aren't you?"
"What makes you think that?"
"Based on your track record. And the fact that you use lessons from galges to help girls. And those galges all say that you must make the girl fall in love with you," she answered.
"Yes," he admitted.
"And then what? Are you going to allow her to join the schedule if you're successful?"
"Well, if I help the girls, and they fell in love with me, they either do two things. They go after me, and they're the girls of the schedule. Or they're so horrified to learn that they fell in love with the Otamegane that they decide to forget. And they do so completely, wiping me out from their memories, pretending we never even met. Most likely, Terada will fall into the latter category. If she does so, could you please not talk to her about me? Leave her alone."
"If you wish so, my Master."
"Look, I really don't want to grow the schedule. It's a pain trying to manage seven girls at the same time!" he ranted. "I really prefer if the girls I help and who fall in love with me forget about me."
"I understand. But you still can't resist your little sister, right?"
"Yes. Elsie's the one who's concerned with me playing the hero. It's a bit tiring, but I can't say no to her."
"Well, Divine One, I don't think I can help you with that, but I have good news. You are now the President of the Books and Games Club."
Keima stopped walking. They were now at the gate of the school.
He looked skeptically at Aoba Fuse, who casually took a paper from her bag and handed it to him.
It was the approval of the club that Aoba proposed. It named Keima Katsuragi as President. And a big club room that was just beside the rooftop stairs on the uppermost floor.
All signed by Mr. Ichiro Kodama.
"How did you? I was sure Kodama would reject this," he began.
Aoba then told him how she got the approval.
Afterward, he looked at her, then stared at the paper, and returned it to her. Then he began laughing. Laughing hard. He laughed and laughed and laughed.
Then he stopped. He grabbed her by the shoulder, a broad grin pasted on his face, and began shaking her as he spoke. "Congratulations. That's brilliant! And you got Kodama good! I wish I was there when you did that! I want to see the look of his face! Haha! That was great! You were great! I can't believe that worked! I'll be honest with you. I really don't want to be part of a club. I am in the ideal, and I would not give in to the real."
She was struggling to maintain her poker face as she blushed because of Keima holding her. "Divine One, this is not giving up to the real. In fact, this club represents the triumph of the ideal over the real! By giving his approval, Mr. Kodama, who represents the real, is surrendering to us, who are part of the ideal! We can have our own private club, where we can perfect the ideal world in privacy. Think about it. If you play in other places in the school, you can be interrupted by passers-by. In the club, you lock the door and control who enters and sees you. Can't you see? This is the ideal stomping and wiping the floor with the real!"
"I suppose you are right. Yes, I will join the club as President. I did make that promise to you. And to rub it in Kodama's face. And as my first act, I'm appointing you as the club secretary."
"Thank you, President."
"Yes, Secretary. Tomorrow, we'll take a look at the clubroom."
With that, he let go of her shoulders, and they continued their walk.
…
Part 181 – Third Wheel
Aoba Fuse inwardly beamed at his acceptance. She was a bit nervous that he might reject the club as she was aware that he might think that it might be giving in to the real if he did so.
"Katsuragi!" she heard a voice shout, and she turned.
It was a girl in the Mai High Uniform, with a side ponytail. She recognized her, even if she really did not know her.
The girl stopped before them. She was panting as if she had run very far. "You're still here!"
She straightened up and looked at them. "Hello, Katsuragi, Kanon's brother. I am Asami Yoshino, and I am your classmate! You probably never noticed me because I'm shy and quiet," she introduced as she took his hand and shook it.
"Hello, Yoshino," he answered with wariness.
"And you must be Aoba Fuse, Katsuragi's shadow! Don't be offended, it's just the rumors! A pleasure to meet you!" she said and extended her hand.
Aoba took the hand and shook it, the girl gamer's face not changing as she did so. She too was wary of this girl. She heard that Yoshino was a quiet introvert who preferred books to the company of people. And she had seen her once or twice, so she had no doubt that this girl was Asami Yoshino.
"A pleasure to meet you too, Miss Yoshino. Yes, I've heard those rumors that I am his shadow, and to tell you the truth, it isn't unfounded," she replied. "No offense taken."
"Hey, what's that?" asked Yoshino, pointing to a piece of paper in Aoba's hand. "May I see it?"
Aoba looked at her master, and he gave a tiny nod. She handed it to Asami.
"A Books and Games Club! Neat! I want to join!" she exclaimed.
"Aren't you a member of the Tea Ceremony Club?" the girl gamer questioned.
"Yeah, but you forget, in your—uh, our school, you can be a member of two clubs at the same time!" exclaimed the pony-tailed girl. "The Tea Ceremony Club is just one club. I haven't got a second. So what do you think?"
Yoshino was right. After all, Ayumi Takahara was a member of the Track and Field Club, and the Light Music Club, at the same time.
"President, should we?"
Keima looked at her and said, "Well, I hereby delegate to the Secretary the admission of new members, subject to my final approval."
The blue-haired girl sighed. He was dumping the responsibility to her? She's fine with that. "So, why do you want to join?"
"Well, I'm a book nerd! I love to read lots and lots of books, just like how both of you love games. I hate people. I do not like to talk to people. Just like how both of you dislike people. In other words, I love books! And I want to love games! I'd like the peace and quiet that your club would bring! Yes, we would have a lovely time together if you let me join! We could be close friends. What do you say?"
"Are you really sure? You'd be bored if you join," the girl gamer pressed.
"I don't care! I want to be friends with you, Fuse, Katsuragi! I want a place to read books!"
Fuse looked at her. In truth, she was wondering if Yoshino would be useful for her purpose. She'd very much like to have her in the club, but she was afraid to offend her master. What if he wanted her to reject Yoshino? She needed to buy time.
"Tell you what. I'm going to draft the rules for the club tonight. Tomorrow, after the last class, join us in the clubroom. Read it, and see if you like the rules. Then decide if you want to join."
"Inside school?" Asami replied slowly. "I'll go… inside the Mai High Private School?"
"There's a problem with that?" Keima asked, looking at Asami. "After all, Asami, you are my classmate. It's not as if you're not studying in the same school as me."
"No problem at all! I'm sure I'll be there! And whatever rules there are, I'm sure I'll still join," Asami said. "So how about we celebrate the founding of the club! Why don't we have a drink? No alcohol, but soda! Let's call it a group date!"
"Huh? Date?" asked Keima, looking at her.
"Oh, right. I am interrupting something? So, when did you two become boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"I am not her boyfriend."
"And I am not the Divine One's girlfriend."
"Ssssure, you aren't! If you aren't, why are you always together?"
"Because I am his disciple! He is the God of Conquests, of the Gaming World. I want to be as great as him in games!"
"It's true. Aoba Fuse is going to be a great gamer, and I am going to be the one who'll make her one."
"Oh, yes, silly me. Sorry for mistaking it. But Divine One? Why do you call him that?"
"Because he's God. You're the God of Conquests, aren't you, Divine One?"
"Yes, I am the God of Conquests!" Keima boasted.
"So if I become a member of the Club, what should I call you, Katsuragi?"
"President should do," Aoba answered. "Unless you believe he's really God, you can't call him Divine."
"Okay then, President, Secretary!" she exclaimed as they stopped beside a shop called Terada Dry Cleaning.
"I have some errands to do," he said. "Bye."
And he entered the place. Yoshino was about to follow when a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
The girl gamer shook her head. "He's busy. Don't disturb him."
Part 182 – Restaurant Talk
Yoshino walked beside Aoba Fuse, who had taken out a console and played.
"Hey, that's a game that Katsu—I mean, the President likes to play!"
"You're not a member yet, so you don't have to call him that."
"But I want to be a club member, so I better get used to calling him that. So you really like playing games! That's the same type of games he likes to play, am I right?"
"Yes."
"So you really are his disciple! How about stopping for a drink? You're not doing anything, I am right?"
"I guess not. Lead the way."
…
They were inside a restaurant, both drinking over a straw a bottle of soda.
"Tell me, how did you know that we got approval for the Books and Games Club?" asked the gamer.
"Believe it or not, it's just a coincidence, Secretary," she laughed.
"I find that hard to believe!"
"Really! I really just want to get to know him better, and I saw that paper you were holding," Asami replied.
"And why did you choose this day to get to know him better?"'
"Kanon, of course! When I learned that Kanon thinks of him as a brother, then I told myself, I gotta get to know him better. Then maybe, I'll get to know Kanon better!"
Fuse raised an eyebrow at that. She knew it was an excuse. But a very convenient one. The timing was perfect. Everything that happened to her master can be blamed on Kanon's announcement.
"So tell me, I know you and him isn't an item. And the talk of Kanon and the Katsu—the President is just talk. So, is there any girl that he has his eye on?"
"Yotsuba Sugimoto."
"Huh? Who's she?"
"A game character. If you must know, the Divine One really doesn't care for real girls. All he likes are the girls of the ideal world—that of games."
"So, he has no real-world crush?"
"He has none."
"How about girls? Do girls like him?"
"No girls like him."
"Surely, that can't be true."
"He's the Otamegane, the bespectacled game nut," she answered, although it was painful for her to say that. It was, to her, very disrespectful to her Master. It was an affront. She got offended every time she heard that word. Still, she was trusted by the Divine One, so she must maintain the ruse. "Although that's the last time you would ever hear that word from my mouth."
"I know. But surely, he has many good points. You admire him, don't you? Despite him being the Otamegane! I mean, he's handsome, and he's very strong mentally, his will is iron! I won't be surprised if he turns out to be a playboy!"
"Yes, I admire him, and he has many positive qualities, as you say. But others, especially girls, ignore those positive qualities, and focus on his negative aspects, and even invent negative qualities, just to spite him. My master is better than all of them, every single one of them, and one day, they will bow down to him."
"Still, it's unbelievable that not a single girl likes him! I mean, let's forget about you. How about um…the runner and the band leader?"
"They're both members of the band 2B Pencils in which Elsie Katsuragi, the Divine One's younger sister, is a member. They're just being nice to him to make Elsie happy."
"How about that library girl?"
"My master's a genius, and she needed help for her novel. He's merely providing assistance after my classmate asked him for his help."
"That crazy crossdresser rich girl?"
"The same as Takahara and Kosaka. Goido is the drummer of 2B Pencils. She's just being nice to him for Elsie's sake."
"You know, those sounds like excuses," she quipped.
"If it were any other boy, I'd agree. But for the Divine One, not really," she answered. "It's impossible for any girl to like him romantically. I thought that Kanon's the exception, but it turned out that she doesn't like him. She only looks at him like a brother."
"Well, it looks like nobody likes him then," she said a little wistfully. "You're right. What bad news for him!"
…
Part 183 – Piano Tutorial
Keima Katsuragi really felt lucky as he entered the Dry Cleaning establishment.
Usually, when undertaking a conquest, luck runs against him. It was only his ability to turn bad luck into something useful that made his conquests possible. But the history pop quiz by Nikaido was good luck for a change.
He never expected his teacher, who clearly despised him, to help him in such a manner. It was obviously a coincidence.
The conquest would be accelerated because of that.
The first thing he saw was Elsie, who entered through a door leading to the main residence of the Terada family. He had earlier asked her to make sure that Terada would go home early instead of hanging out with the 2B Pencils after school like she usually did and had messaged her when he was near.
"Beloved Brother!" the devil exclaimed when he entered. "Thanks for that tutoring yesterday! I would have died this morning if weren't for that."
"Calm down. It's just happenstance. Take me to Terada, okay?"
"Yes, Big Brother!"
She led the way, and he followed, going all the way to Miyako's room.
"Hey, Miyako! Look who I brought with me!" Elsie exclaimed.
"Katsuragi!" she cried as he entered her room.
"Miyako! I'm here for my piano lessons," he informed as he gave her a smile. And she blushed.
…
A thousand feelings coursed through Miyako as she saw him.
She had earlier dismissed his claims that he can predict the questions of the teachers. She had concluded that if he was able to do so, he was godly.
And by luck, there was a pop quiz from Nikaido.
And he was able to predict it. Uncannily so. It was almost otherworldly.
And logically, she had to conclude that he was godly, like how Elly viewed him.
Yes, she was looking at the perfect student, the perfect genius, someone who she will never be able to catch up to, not in a million years. No matter how many cram schools she attends.
She just wished she could be like him.
"Are you sure you need little ole' me to learn piano? Surely, you can learn on your own," she answered.
"I don't think so. There are things that one can learn only by sitting by the teacher's feet," he answered. "Academic things are one thing. Music is another. I read that for one to be a good musician, one must learn the soul of music and that one cannot do that just by reading some books. And I believe that you are the one who can instill in me the soul of music."
"You really overestimate me," said Terada. "But I will try. Let's go."
She led them to her study room in her basement.
"Wow! I'm so excited to see Big Brother learn how to play! Then nobody would ever laugh at him for playing the piano ever again!" Elsie cried excitedly.
Miyako pointed at the upright piano. "Okay, you sit there. And put your fingers in this position."
…
And so Miyako started the piano lessons of Keima.
She started off by teaching the most basic of basics for beginners.
And he began to learn, step by step.
To Miyako, the most fantastic thing about him was that he only needed to be taught once, and he would get it. Unlike someone she tried to teach before. He was an excellent listener, which, combined with his exceptional memory, ensured that his progress was extremely rapid. And he did his homework—that he read and internalized all the piano lessons that he borrowed the night before. It was as if he memorized the entire lesson before he came here. Which he probably did, greatly simplifying her job.
After one hour, Keima was able to competently play simple pieces. Like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Or Happy Birthday. Or Old MacDonald. He played it slowly. His fingers' motions were still calculated. He still had no muscle memory for playing the piano.
But compared to yesterday, it was awe-inspiring. She really was proud of herself. She was a good piano teacher!
Part 184 – Learning to Play
…
Keima, as he played the simple pieces, thanked his lucky stars that he had played those damned piano galges before. He, as he admitted previously, had no musical bone on his body, and had been tone-deaf. Despite his intelligence and memory, he would have taken far longer than he wished to learn piano if he had not played those games.
With his galge knowledge of tones and notes, he was able to read music off a musical sheet—he never would have completed at least eight galges if he did not acquire that particular skill. He remembered those games—there would be a musical tune that would be played, and he would have to make choices among the sheet music that was displayed on the screen.
Also, the previous night, before he went to sleep, he practiced on Haqua's keyboard using Miyako's piano tutorials. It was very fruitful and he learned the basics quickly.
Learning to apply what he learned was difficult at first. He solved that dilemma when he noticed that playing the piano was like playing using his God of Conquest mode using six controllers at the same time—only less taxing as his mental concentration was on one thing rather than six simultaneously. Thus, he quickly memorized the standard piano keyboard, the notes assigned to it, and the tones represented by the notes.
However, he concealed that to Miyako. He wanted Miyako to think that it was her own teaching that made him good at piano. So he never displayed any skill or knowledge that Miyako herself did not teach him first. And when Miyako made mistakes, he never corrected it, and simply repeated her mistakes, waiting for Miyako to catch and correct herself, which she always did.
And it was working. He could detect in her tone of voice that she was not only proud of his learning, but also of her own teaching.
Of course, not everything he learned he learned from his own studies. Miyako knew a great deal of piano theory, practice, and technique that he didn't learn beforehand. She was genuinely teaching him new things. Especially when they moved on from beginner lessons.
"You're great!" Miyako congratulated after he played a very slow and basic rendition of Beethoven's Fur Elise. "You learn so fast!"
"I only learn so fast because you're such a good teacher. All this I learned from you and your piano books," he answered.
"Are you sure you haven't learned piano before?" she teased.
"Well, if I did, I would've noticed the mistakes that you made," he answered. "I thought it was correct until you told me you made a mistake."
Miyako nodded. After a while, because of his rapid learning, she had suspected that he may have prior knowledge. So she deliberately introduced wrong information. If he still got it right despite her not telling him it was wrong, then Katsuragi already knew what she had been teaching.
But he always followed her, even her mistakes, until she corrected herself. That proved to her that he had no knowledge of piano music before she taught him. Everything he showed to her that afternoon came from her. And she was very proud. Even a genius like Katsuragi lacked in some things. Like piano!
Yes, she was a great piano teacher.
"Well, I'm not perfect. No teacher has perfect knowledge. The best teachers are the ones who can recognize when they make mistakes and correct themselves so that they won't pass wrong knowledge to their students," she pointed out.
"Isn't Miyako great?" Elsie, who had been watching and listening all this time, exclaimed. "Just compare it to how you played yesterday! It's like night and day! Isn't it, Miyako?"
"Yes, it is, Elly. Katsuragi is a quick study. And for my first student, I'm very proud of him."
"I am really your first student? You're too good a teacher for me to be your first time."
"Of course, you are. Stop being silly! You are my first time and nobody else! Nobody! Don't ask that again!"
"Okay, okay, I'm your first time," he conceded.
"I'm glad you liked my teaching."
"You should be proud of yourself as a teacher, Miyako," he said. "I mean, learning something and teaching something you've learned are two very different things. The fact that you've got mistakes on your first try isn't surprising. It's that you got very few on your first and that you always catch yourself is what's amazing."
"Thanks, Katsuragi."
And they continued playing, from very simple to relatively complicated pieces.
He became good. Not great, but decent. He still had many flaws.
His playing was still slow, even if it got a little faster. And he had a tendency to be tense and overly concentrate on where he's placing his fingers—he was overthinking. He wasn't a natural at music like others. His movements were not fluid but mechanical. Yet that was what made him so impressive to Miyako. Despite him being utterly foreign to music, he was such a good beginner.
…
Part 185 – What Keima Saw
All in all, Keima and Elsie spent more than three hours after school with Miyako. Near the end of their time, Miyako gave him the task to make a speech on all that he had learned from her. And surprisingly, he made a perfect presentation and forgot nothing. He was able to quote words she forgot she'd said. And he didn't sound like a beginner at all.
"Wow! You really were listening to everything I've said," she admitted. He, Katsuragi, a pure genius, the top student of Mai-High Private School, learned from her, listened to her. Everything he did that afternoon was because of her. A surge of pride rose inside her. She was so proud. She had no doubt that he could easily surpass her soon, but she was determined that she would be the midwife to the birth of a new piano genius.
That would be her new claim to fame.
She hoped.
"It's because everything you've taught me made so much sense. I knew it, looking at your achievements in piano, looking at all your awards, that you had to be my teacher in piano. And I was right," he said, taking her hand in his and shaking it. "Thank you."
She blushed as she looked into those deep brown eyes as they shook hands.
"Anyway, there's one more thing I've got to say, Kanon's brother," Miyako said, withdrawing her hand from his. "Thank you for helping Kanon. I am a big fan of her, and it touched me that you helped her to be a great idol. I'm sorry that she dumped you, but at least she's still close to you."
"We were never together, so how can she dump me?" replied Keima. It was not planned for people to mock him for being "dumped", but it's better than before. "I care for her like she's my sister, so I'm so happy she thinks of me as a brother. I really hate it when people think that I'm her lover."
"And if Kanon is Divine Brother's sister, then Kanon is also my sister!" Elly shouted. "Hm, Miyako, have you seen my bag?"
"Oh, I think you've left it in my room," Miyako informed a sheepish Elsie. "I'll get it. Can you please wait for me in the living room?"
Miyako then rushed upstairs.
"Things are going well, Divine Brother," Elsie commented.
"Yes, they are," he said. Keima's eyes wandered idly around the study room. He had some crumpled paper on his pocket, and he looked for a trash can. When he opened the lid, he noticed something.
It was a crumpled piece of an opened envelope. Curious, he picked it up and extracted the piece of paper inside.
…
"I think I can see it," he remarked as they walked upstairs.
"You've seen what, Exalted Brother?"
"Give or take a few days, it'll happen."
"You're not making sense, Divine One."
"I can see the ending."
End of Flag XVII
Stats for the Week
Monday – Official Time
Tenri – Morning Walk – 15 minutes
Yui – Lunch – 1 hour
Total:
Tenri – 15 minutes
Yui – 1 hour
Author Notes
Aoba Fuse and Asami Yoshino are a light novel heroines. I took their characterizations both from the light novel, and also from Wrathie Winsre's stories.
Oh and an announcement and request. In the near future, I probably would run out of events that the girls could do with Keima during their "official" time. So if any of you could suggest activities that they could engage in one hour, two hours, or three, as long as those activities are in character, please tell me. I'd probably include it, with full credit of course.
Review Replies
To xellos540, thank you for your quick review.
Once again, this is originally a PM that I posted here for the information and enlightenment of other readers.
Yep. Haqua didn't want to get caught, after all.
Diana could be amazingly hypocritical. And she's only looking after Tenri. She couldn't care less about what happens to the other girls unless it impacts Tenri.
Yep. Haqua has a point about information, though her underlying reasons for it is…
Yep. Dokuro is still grateful to Haqua for her services in the last Goddess Search. And yep. To her, it would help the girls grow their love for Keima.
Well, Keima does know how to push Haqua's buttons if Keima wants Haqua to do something for him… Although he may not know the real reasons those buttons work… xD. He may thing he was just stroking her ego and self-esteem, when in reality…
Although in many cases, he pushes her "violence" buttons all too often.
As for how the other Goddesses would get their data, Haqua may have separate plans for each of them, but now it's too late to implement them now. So it's not only Keima who could think up schemes on the fly.
As for why Haqua would do it for Diana, it's because she asked her first. But she has plans for other goddesses too. It's just that she got caught so she winged it instead.
Well, Diana is a genius and the most intelligent of the Goddesses. Even if her emotions sometimes cloud her judgment. Unlike the cold and analytical Keima and Aoba. So she should get the hints. Obviously, it involving Keima and Tenri would warp her judgment.
Yep. Haqua showed it to Diana in spite of making the promise. But there's a reason she constructed that entire farce and refused to acknowledge it openly even when caught. So if she's caught by Keima, she could deny willingly showing it to the Goddesses, and at worse, she could be accused only of being careless.
As Diana says, Haqua is looking for plausible deniability.
And most importantly, Haqua's hands are tied. It was "directly ordered" by Dokuro that the data will find the way to the girls. Well, that's her best excuse, one that Keima could not find a hole in.
Of course, whether Keima will buy it if caught is another question. But as long as Haqua is willing to lie there are lots of excuses she could try.
Diana has too much respect and reverence for her eldest sister not to chicken out.
The Goddesses are based on Roman Gods, who are based on Greek Gods. And Greek Deities aren't very godlike in their morality and behavior, at all. So yeah, the Goddesses seek the best for their hosts and not much more.
Yep. Ayumi has to curb her penchant for violence. It isn't such a handicap when she's not after Keima, or she's the only girl after Keima. But if she's competing with six other girls? It's disastrous.
Yep. Although he would be torn between being happy that the girls understood him, finally, or why the hell did the girls understand him so fast. But will Keima connect it to giving his opinion to Haqua? We'll see.
As for who will advise Chihiro, just wait and see.
And Tenri's parents just embarrassed their daughter. Keima I think was more bewildered than anything else.
Yep. They saw that way back in Flag X.
As for Aoba's feelings, they are growing, but that love for her first master hinders her love for her current master. Because she feels it would "betrayal" if she fell in love with Keima. Whether she could overcome that first loyalty, we will see.
As for if people see Aoba differently, yes. Remember that Aoba only became a gamer very recently, unlike Keima who was that way for at least ten years.
Well, Keima knew that Aoba is a genius. So who better to ask for advice than someone who is very like himself.
Yep. That's her "make Keima more respected plan". As for schedule and games, I suspect that if Keima got elected, and he serves, he could structure it in such a way as to maximize his game time and fit the schedule too. Still, who knows?
"Being dumped" was the last thing that entered Keima's mind when he devised that scheme. Keima should have read Girl Walker before he made his plans. xD. Still, it served its main purpose of making conquests easier as he's still "single" for that purpose.
Yep. Keima wanted to shoot down Aoba's idea dead in the water by being blunt to the point of being insensitive. Not that Keima would care about being sensitive, of course.
The club idea was something that was on my mind for a long time. And now I was able to show it! And I wonder if Haruhi would find something weird. (BTW, I haven't watched that anime). As for book, it's simple. Aoba Fuse was thinking of books like One Leaf or game novelizations, so they could read those too. Of course, by just saying books, they could attract potentially more members and can do more activities.
As for who is in for a surprise, it's obvious who got or will get surprised.
As for whether all those things said to Miyako by Ayumi and Chihiro was part of the plan, well let's just say that it may or it may not. Keima could devise plans that allow Ayumi and Chihiro freedom how to do it. Those two girls really want to help Keima conquer Miyako, and Keima has to let them help him. Only that Keima would try to control how the girls would help him. Whether or not he succeeded would be seen.
As for Miyako falling for the trap, she's getting more emotional about Keima, and that hinders her critical thinking when she hears all those bad things about Keima from what she thought were his friends.
Yep! ASAMI is here! One of my favorite heroines, and my second favorite light novel character (it's obvious who's first). I was planning on including her long before, so I reread the light novel before I wrote that.
Yep. That excuse, that no girl could like Keima, would only work to someone who despises him and wants to believe the worse in him. Fortunately (or unfortunately), almost the entire high school despises Keima, so they could easily believe the excuses. Those who actually liked Keima before, like Asami, would not make that assumption.
I don't think Chihiro likes Kodama at all. Now if she heard him insulting it, that would be something!
Yep. That's how Keima studies. As for what Nikaido would think, just wait.
As for how Nikaido knows about it, Elsie assumes it's the same way Nikaido saw through her disguise as Kanon.
True. That's why when Shiori does think it, it's such a big deal.
Yep. Aoba's strategy was very good, and it shows how she can read her teachers like Kodama.
That's Shiori. Ask her about her opinion about a movie and she'll write a paper on that.
About Aoba vs Kodama, yep. And I don't think Kodama realized he's been had! He really did think he averted disaster!
Yep. Things will get exciting, as the seeds planted in this chapter and the previous one blossom. As for what is the actual purpose of the club in Aoba's mind, just read on and it will become clear. As for Asami joining the club, just read the next chapter and see what happens. What Asami will or won't do will be revealed in Flag XVII.
Thank you for your review!
To ty, thanks for your review. I really appreciate the constructive criticism.
Oh yes, Keima is being affected by the real. He still values the ideal above all else, of course, but the real affects him too, like Chihiro. Or the fact that his actions could spell doom to the goddess hosts and the world, if he isn't careful.
As for replacing their names with descriptors, I do that to avoid mentioning their names too often, and there's no way to clearly tell who's talking from context. From example, a scene involving two speakers won't need such descriptors since it's clear who's talking. But from three or more people with the same genders, saying 'she said' over and over again, or not having a descriptor would confuse readers on who actually talked. So I use that to differentiate dialogue as the alternative would be to endlessly repeat the names, which I'm not too fond of.
I'll try to minimize it, but I can't make any promises.
As for the pacing, I admit it could be slow. Though things would start to happen with Keima and the girls. Trust me. A lot of the scenes that are filler are going to be very important to the main plot points. Important events in the future won't make sense without those scenes. I can't tell you exactly how all the seemingly disjointed scenes would be woven together, as that would be spoilerish, so just be patient.
Anyway, for example, the talk between the Goddesses would be very important to how the girls would spend time with Keima, as this chapter showed with Yui and Keima. The reason Yui gave Keima two bentos and tried to bargain with Keima into splitting player heroine roles are directly connected with what happened with the Goddesses last chapter.
The talk with Miyako would directly impact how the conquest of Miyako proceeds. How, I can't tell, but just wait.
Same with Kanon fans mock Keima. Notice that the basis on why they mocked Keima have changed. He's no longer Kanon's lover. That would impact things too.
Anyway, I'm so sorry the pacing of the story seems slow. That's why I try to update as fast as possible to get as fast to the major events. But sometimes, some scenes needed to be there, which while it seems fillerish, would be very important.
Anyway, the main plot points currently are:
1. Miyako's Conquest
2. Keima spending time with the girls of the schedule (yes, this is the main focus of the story since the beginning, and I will tell all that happened during the hours of the girls in the week. Because after this week, I won't do this again since it takes too much time).
3. Yui's quest to include Aoba Fuse in the schedule.
4. Aoba's quest to make Keima respected and feared in the school.
5. Mari getting involved in the Schedule
And the plot points above may or may not merge, but currently, all the events are related to the five above.
And the five basically amounts to: Keima spending time with the girls of the schedule while conquering girls with loose souls.