The World The Girls Also Knows: The Girls God Can Only Save
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
Keima invites Miyako to something. Yui goes and sees Haqua. Kanon spends time Keima. Mari and Elsie talk. Mari and Keima make plans for the future. Chihiro asks Keima something very important.
As for some characters:
Aoba Fuse, Ikumi Yoshino, 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 XIX
Vintage Connection
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
Senpai = Upperclassmen. I mostly left it untranslated. And for consistency's sake, I reversed the order. So instead of Fuse-senpai, I went with Senpai Fuse.
Plot Points
There are currently five ongoing plot points in this story. Every scene belongs to one of the five.
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 and the parents getting involved in the Schedule
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.
Previous Plot Points
Here are several plot points that were already resolved. All were part of the five above.
Keima spending time with the girls during the first week (Shiori's part branched off into Aoba wanting to make Keima respected and feared. And the first week also includes the evaluation and the Goddess conspiracy).
Keima getting the girls in the schedule to fully accept the schedule and resolving their individual issues with Keima (Kanon's part of this evolved into Mari and the parents getting involved in the schedule).
Keima getting the girls to accept Aoba Fuse as his disciple, and that she is not in love with him (the latter evolved into Yui's quest to make Aoba Fuse part of the schedule).
Part 201 – New Club Member
Meanwhile, earlier that same day, Tuesday…
Aoba Fuse was walking from her home to school. Like before, she had planned to wait for her Master on the intersection, where, according to the schedule, he would separate from the Ayukawa girl.
But the genius had barely walked ten steps from her gate when Aoba was greeted by an unexpected girl.
"Aoba!" Elsie Katsuragi greeted with a massive grin on her face.
"Elly," Aoba greeted, nodding. She took out her PFP and began playing.
"Could I walk with you?"
She nodded. "I plan on meeting the Divine One."
"After Divine Brother is spending time with Tenri in the schedule, right?"
"Yes. What can I do for you?"
"I want to join your new club."
Aoba stopped what she was doing and looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"Beloved Brother told me last night that you're gonna make a new club about books and games," Elsie mentioned. "I want to join."
"Why?"
"Because I want to be with my brother, of course!" she exclaimed. Because of the devil's job, she needed to be with her buddy all the time. She wanted to join the club for the same reason she joined Mai High Private School as a 2B Student.
"He did tell you what we'll be doing in the club," asked the gamer. "You'll be bored. You won't be allowed to do anything but read books or play games."
"Oh, I don't have a problem with that! I love books!" Elsie exclaimed as she got a book from her bag and showed it to Aoba. It was a book on firetrucks. "I could lose hours reading this! And I have many more where that came from! I'll be extra quiet because I'll be too busy looking at all the pretty firetrucks!"
Aoba Fuse wanted to refuse, but she didn't want to be rude to her Master's sister. "Do you know the rules already?" she asked. She had made the rules the night before and sent a copy by email to her Master.
"Yes. Divine Brother showed it to me this morning," Elsie explained. "And I've got no problems with it!"
"What did the Divine One think about you joining the club?"
"He told me to ask you. You're in charge of membership."
"Fine, you can be the newest member," she conceded. Getting her master's sister was not the most terrible thing in the world. Still, she wondered if Elsie could be useful for her plans. Or even shut her mouth if she finds out. She didn't know Elsie well enough for that.
"Really! Thank you, Miss Fuse!" she loudly said as she took the gamer's hand and shook it—the PFP nearly fell to the ground at the sudden action. She hugged the gamer. "I'm so happy and glad! Now I can be with him all the time! Just like always! Isn't it nice to always be with your beloved brother?"
"All the time? You do know that you can't be with him during his schedule with the girls," the gamer pointed out.
"Oh, but I am. I just follow them, and the girl doesn't even notice unless my brother calls me."
"What? You stalk them?"
"Yes. Just in case my brother and the girl needed my help. I'm there!"
"So, you see everything? Everything they do?"
"Well, yes. It's so wonderful and romantic. My brother knows how to make girls happy and swoon! He could say the sweetest things! And his kisses make the girls so happy!" she cooed in a happy mood. "My brother really knows how to save his heroines."
"He kisses them?" Aoba involuntarily asked upon hearing that. She wasn't surprised—it's just that hearing it that way from Elsie's mouth was something else. After all, everything Elsie said was what players do in galge games. It was just a bit of a shock to hear it firsthand from a direct witness.
"Yep. Every time to every girl. Well, mostly. I sometimes wish I wasn't his sister, and I can be a part of it! He's so romantic! And he did all of that from games!"
"Yes. All he did is from his games," Aoba muttered, even as a small blush formed on her face. Now she doesn't have any doubt what 'spending time with Keima in the schedule' really means.
"So you're the one who points out girls for him to save?" asked Aoba.
"Oh, yes. My Divine Brother is an excellent buddy, but I need to point it out to him first, or he won't know which girl to save!" she said happily. "And he always saves her!"
"So does he—"
"Yes. Well, most of them anyway," Elsie said. "Usually, just once at the end."
"And he's saving Miyako right now, right?"
"Yep. And that will also end in a kiss. Divine Brother says that Ayumi and Chihiro will watch that too."
"What?"
"Something about how it's his duty and that the girls need to understand it and not get mad and the girls want to show that they support him. At least that's what I heard. I'm not sure I understand," the devil girl wondered, a finger on her lips.
"Your brother won't do all those things if it weren't for you, right?"
"He won't. He'll just play games. But he's so kind to me. He's doing all those things because he doesn't want me to be hurt," she said, her hand going around her neck as if there's something in her throat. "He's the most wonderful brother in the world."
Fuse just looked at Elsie. What kind of girl was Elsie that her brother just does what she asks, no matter how ridiculous or how outrageous it was? How much does Keima love Elsie for him to be utterly wrapped around his sister's finger? And to be willing to kiss lots of real girls for Elsie's sake? Because her master has no playboy bone in his body—of that, Aoba was willing to stake her life on.
And Elsie was too innocent for it to be deliberate on her part. No, Elsie just wants to help girls, and the only way she knows how was to get her brother to make the girls fall in love with him.
She didn't know if Elsie could be useful or not. Aoba was very tempted to include her in her plans, but based on Elsie blabbing everything to her, she might not be very good at keeping secrets. So Aoba decided to just wait and see what will happen.
Part 202 – Sister and Sister
They were walking towards the intersection with Misato High, hoping to catch Keima after he left Tenri. But before they even came close to it, a car stopped just beside them.
Suddenly, a girl in a coat and beret emerged.
"Elsie, Miss Fuse!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad I caught you. I was beginning to think that I missed you."
"Hello, Kanon," Elsie said cheerily. "What can I do for you?"
"Miss Nakagawa," Aoba acknowledged.
"Listen, can the two of you hop on the car? I need to ask you something. And I'll drop you off at school afterward."
Both girls looked at each other and nodded.
"Thank you," said Kanon as she led both girls inside the car.
"Miss Fuse, Elsie, this is Miss Okada, my manager," Kanon said, pointing to the older woman riding shotgun.
"Charmed, I'm sure," said the manager dryly. "We're going to the studio for a brief chat."
…
They drove to the studio and were shunted off to Kanon's room. Okada remained outside as the three girls talked.
"Miss Fuse, I'm so sorry for getting you involved," said Kanon. "I just want to ask Elsie something."
"It's fine," said the girl gamer.
"Anyway, you already know our ruse, so I don't need to keep this from you," the idol continued. She looked at the devil. "Elly, I need to ask you something."
"Anything, Kanon."
"You're Keima's younger sister, right?"
"I proudly am."
"Yes, yes. I want your advice. I want to know how I can act as Keima's sister in public! I'm not in school often enough to observe how you act," Kanon said in desperation. "And I don't have brothers or sisters, so I have no idea. Please, tell me how to act as Keima's little sister. Teach me how to be a good little sister in front of others."
Aoba Fuse wanted to roll her eyes. Surely, Elsie was not a model on how to act sisterly. What would Elsie have Kanon do, look around for girls in trouble, and point it to the Divine One so he could 'save' them? Have her stalk him while he 'spends time' with the girls in the schedule? In fact, the way Elsie acts was so atypical for younger sisters that Fuse doubted whether Elsie could give much useful help at all.
Not that Aoba was aware of how younger sisters should act, as she was an only child.
"Now?"
"Well, yes, until lunch. I'll have Miss Okada write an excuse letter for your absence," Kanon assured. "Miss Fuse, if you want, I'll have you driven to school now."
Aoba was very tempted to take the offer, but looking at Kanon, she suddenly got a flash of inspiration. "No, I wouldn't trouble you with it. I'll just go with Elsie."
Kanon looked at her with surprise. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure, Miss Nakagawa. A fan shouldn't trouble the idol if she could help it."
"But it's no trouble—"
"I insist. And I want to hear what Elsie's got to say about being the Divine One's little sister. Just make sure I'm excused in class."
"Thank you. That would save my chauffeur time and trouble," smiled Kanon.
…
So the entire morning was spent on Elsie trying to tell Kanon what to do, and Kanon trying to understand what Elsie was trying to say to her. Fuse just played while listening to the entire exchange.
Fuse wanted to laugh at the entire scene. At least Elsie wasn't daft enough to tell Kanon what she wasn't supposed to say, like the things she told her earlier that morning. And Kanon hung on to every word of Elsie like it was gospel.
And Aoba had to admit, Elsie did say useful things, buried among lots of useless chatter.
…
Later…
"Miss Nakagawa, may I have a word with you?" asked Aoba as they neared the end of the morning. "Privately."
"Hm, okay," said Kanon. "Elsie, would you like to look at some of my unreleased songs?"
"What? You have those?"
"Yes. Not everything is released. Some are not that good, or there were politics involved, and it got shelved. Want to look at it?"
"Would I? Yes!"
Kanon then called for an assistant and asked her to show Elsie the unreleased records.
…
Part 203 – Kanon's Atonement
"Thank you, Miss Nakagawa."
"Just call me Kanon," the idol said. "So, what do you want to talk about?"
"I'll be blunt. Kanon, you're the most popular student at our school. And we're going to be on our last year soon. How about running for the Student Council Presidency then? The Divine One would like that very much."
"Keima would like that?"
"Very much so."
"I'm sorry, but I can't. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to. I'm a busy idol."
"Is that your last word on that, Kanon?"
"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Keima in that," said the idol.
Aoba visibly sighed. My conscience is clear.
"In that case, could I ask for your help?"
"Help in what?"
"I want to make my Master as the Student Council President for the next year."
Kanon just looked at her. "Keima will run?"
"Not yet. Right now, he won't. But lots of things can change between now and April. I want to prepare the way, so when he does change his mind, everything will be ready."
"You want Keima as School President?"
"Very much. I'll do everything to achieve that impossible dream."
"But why do you want to make him President?" asked Kanon, a bit curious.
"Because the school is cruel to him. They insult him, jeer him, shout bad things about him. I can't take it. I want to make him popular so it would stop. And make him powerful so they won't dare try it in public. I want the school to respect him. And do so in such a way that he would not change who he is. He will remain the rude game-loving nerd while doing so."
"You care that much about him?"
"Yes. It hurts me to see him treated that way."
"I haven't thought about that," said Kanon. And she felt even more guilty. It was her fault that the school treated him that way. Because of her silly confession. And the TV announcement couldn't even begin to repair the hurt that she caused him.
In addition, Kanon badly wanted to do something for Keima after the fiasco of trying to get him to dump the schedule. That included trying her best to act like a sister, trying to faithfully follow all his instructions, and following Apollo's advice on how to make him happy.
"So would you?" the gamer asked expectantly.
"Yes, yes! That's a great idea!" Kanon exclaimed.
And now Fuse was allowing her to give Keima the greatest gift she could provide! The school itself! That would allow her to solve all her problems at once. She could atone for all her mistakes!
"Thank you. Still, you must keep this under wraps. The Divine One might get angry at me if he found out I've been doing this behind his back. This must be a surprise. He must not know about it till the moment he changes his mind. Please, I'm asking you, as a friend, to be discreet."
"A surprise present! Yes, I'll keep this a secret. So not even Elsie could know?"
"No. Even if she says she will keep this confidential, I'm not sure she won't blab it out accidentally."
"Got it! So what will we do? What can I do? I am a famous idol, popular with all students. I can campaign for him, you know."
"I know. But as of now, not much. We need to get as much support from key people as possible. You have many contacts, am I right? You have many other friends and people who owe you favors, right? I may ask you to call on those favors. And you have other connections. We can use that to ease the way. Can you give me a list?"
"Of course. And I know who can help us! Wait for me!"
Before the gamer could answer, Kanon left her room and returned a minute later with her manager. And she told Okada of Fuse's plan. And that she knew about Kanon's ruse.
…
"And let me get this straight. Katsuragi does not know of this?"
"He told me not to mention it to him again. I answered that as long as it's impossible, I won't mention it to him again," the genius answered.
Okada began to ponder. So, based on his personality, he is not the type to have such ambitions. He would consider it a bother, an irritation. He would hate it. So yes, I'll support this Fuse girl. And I'm going to get you, Katsuragi. Think of this as payback for playing me. I'm going to make sure you're so full of responsibility that you won't have time for games. You're just going to study, lead the school, and spend time with Kanon and your pretend girlfriends.
"It would be beneficial for Kanon for her pretend brother to turn out to be a mature, responsible young man instead of an asocial game addict. And being a Student Council President would be the best proof of that. Kanon's reputation would be enhanced!" Okada proclaimed. "Yes, I'll help you. So, you're going to be our campaign manager?"
The gamer shook her head. "I can't be that. I don't want him to know until he changes his mind."
"Then you'll be the secret campaign manager. Let's exchange email addresses and phone numbers," Okada proposed. "I'm going to leave to you the formulation of strategy. Update me of your plans, okay?"
"Yes, Miss Okada."
"And I have more contacts if you need any help. I'll send you the list of names and what they do. You can analyze it, and just ask me if you need someone."
Part 204 – Clubroom
Elsie and Aoba's time with Kanon ended at about eleven in the morning, as Kanon had to do some idol work. She accompanied them to the school gate, where Miss Okada talked to the guard, then proceeded to the administration, to excuse the absence of the two girls that morning.
It was too late for them to join their morning classes, so they decided to eat lunch early.
"Want to see the new clubroom?" Aoba suggested.
Elsie concurred, and they went to their school building, on the uppermost floor, just beside the stairs that led to the rooftop.
There was a door with no sign. It was padlocked, but Aoba had already gotten the key from the school custodian.
Suddenly, Elsie remembered something and panicked. She sent a message to Keima. Seconds later, she received two messages. "Aoba, look!" she shrieked, showing her phone to the gamer.
It was a message from Keima, asking Elsie to ask Aoba to look into her email.
The girl gamer took her PFP and read the message.
"Strange. The Divine One just told me to meet him. But isn't he in class?"
"Well, you better meet him," said Elsie. "Can I have the key? I want to see our new clubroom."
She nodded and gave the key to Elsie, and the girl gamer departed to meet with Keima.
Elsie gave a big sigh as soon as Aoba was gone. "That was so close!" She opened the door.
And she was greeted by a dark, dusty, dirty, smelly room. It was so full of junk that there was almost no space where she could stand. There were lots of cobwebs and spiders and insects crawling around.
"It's worse than what Divine Brother had thought!" Elsie shrieked. It wasn't as bad as some places in New Hell, but compared to places on earth that she had seen, it was awful. "Better start working then!" She produced her broom as she smiled. This was the work she had been doing for centuries in New Hell.
…
Aoba wondered why the Divine One had asked her to meet him at this place in school. It was outside the back of the gym at the other end of school from where she had come from.
Where was he? She looked around, and he was nowhere to be found.
She sent a message to Keima. And he replied that he was coming.
He finally arrived ten minutes later. "I'm sorry. I had to come up with an excuse. I said that I had an emergency at home. The teacher was only too glad to let me go. So why aren't you in class?"
Aoba gave an abbreviated version of what happened earlier that morning, omitting any mention of Keima running for the Student Council.
"So Kanon wants Elsie to teach her how to act as a sister? God help me!"
"I know."
"Anyway, you should accept Elsie as a member of our new club."
Aoba raised her eyebrow. "I already accepted her. You did tell me that I am in charge of membership. Though you still have the last say."
"You already did? Yes, yes, you are in charge, Secretary. I'm glad," he said.
"Are you really sure about your sister? She has a tendency to be noisy, and that would defeat the purpose of our club."
"It's true. But it's also true that I can't deny her my company. You know how she is. She might sulk and cry if I don't let her in. But don't worry, she's the exception. Not the rule. Speaking of rules, have you sent Asami Yoshino the club rules?"
"I did. I sent it to her just after you approved it."
"Has she replied?"
"Not yet."
He just shrugged. He looked at his phone and raised his eyebrows. "Elsie's calling us to the clubroom."
The girl gamer frowned. "Do you have anything else to say, President?"
"Not really."
"Then, may I ask why you devised this entire thing just to keep me away from the clubroom?"
"Really?"
"I really don't think anything that you said would warrant cutting classes and meeting clandestinely. You were just keeping me away from the clubroom."
"Guilty as charged! As to why I guess you'll find out soon enough. Let's go back."
Aoba glared at him, but he was unaffected as he started walking back.
Really! If he wasn't the God of Conquest, I would want to slap that man! Is he lying to me?
But she kept her tongue in check. Maybe her master has a good reason for all of this. Yes, that had to be it. Her mind raced back to that strange event at Café Grandpa. He made a speech about lying and deceiving for their own good, and all the members of the schedule basically gave him permission to lie and deceive, and that they had faith in him. And he said he will lie only for their own good.
She, Aoba Fuse, was part of that audience.
Then she became ashamed of her earlier thoughts.
What kind of disciple am I if I forgot that? If the Divine One is lying to me, that only meant that he has a reason to lie and that it's ultimately for my own good. He asked me, as part of that audience, to have faith in him even if he lies. Is he testing me? If so, then I failed miserably.
She kept her silence as she followed him. Ultimately, she had to trust him.
Elsie was standing outside the clubroom door with a smile on her face. "Welcome, President, Secretary!" she greeted.
He nodded.
He opened the door, and the two girls followed.
Aoba stared in shock. It was a most unexpected sight.
She expected a dusty, dirty old room that they'd have to clean and furnish. She had heard that it was full of junk. That was the reason Mr. Kodama was so ready to give it as a clubroom.
But the room—was rather lovely. It was immaculate. The walls were coated with blue paint. There was a beautiful carpet on the floor, and a long couch and a table in the middle. Plus, there were shelves—they were empty, but she had no doubt they would be filled by books and games soon. On one end was a table and a swivel chair. And there was a TV on the wall, with a game console connected to it.
There were three more doors in the clubroom. Looking around, the room was supposed to be much bigger than what she saw, but apparently, it was partitioned. One door led to a room with a bed and a cabinet. Another led to a small office. That room had a large window. And finally, the last door led to a toilet.
What happened?
"Apparently, during the last few weeks, this room was renovated. The school paid for it, of course. That's the reason I was surprised that Kodama assigned this room to us. Oh well! It's our gain," Keima mused. "Elsie wanted to do some last-minute cleaning before showing this to you, so she made me distract you."
"This is—beautiful," the girl gamer exclaimed. "Perfect for the ideal."
"Yes. This would be our world in this school," he agreed. "Members only can have the right to enter! Of course, with our leave, we can have guests."
…
Part 205 – Money and Love
At Lunchtime…
Aoba wondered why Yui invited her to have lunch with her. Once again, they were in the 2B Pencils clubroom. And only the crossdresser was there.
"Where are the others?"
"Chihiro's having lunch with Keima on the rooftop—it's her time in the schedule, you know. Ayumi, Miyako, and Elsie are eating in their classrooms. So it's just you and me!"
The genius gamer nodded as they sat down for lunch.
"So, have you found your first master yet?" asked Yui as they ate.
"Not yet. It's tough," Aoba admitted. "I wonder how long would I have to wait?"
"Not long, I'm sure," said the crossdresser. "How much do you want to remember?"
"What do you mean?"
"Remember the name and face of your loved one."
"I would give my life for it."
"Are you really sure about that? No matter the consequences, you'd like to remember?"
"Of course! That's not even up for debate!"
"What if I tell you that I may have a way to help you remember."
Aoba dropped her chopsticks and looked at Yui. "Are you joking?"
"I've never been more serious in my life."
"You must be joking. How can you even say that?"
"I may know someone that can help jog your memory," the heiress said. "But it's far from certain. Anyway, I'll let you know if it's possible."
"You are joking! That's not funny," the genius retorted.
Yui just laughed and smiled.
Aoba held her temper at Yui's impertinence. She reminded herself that she needed to be friends with all the members of the schedule. It's for her master.
Suddenly, an idea came to her.
"Yui, are you interested in politics?"
"Can't say that I am. If you're rich, you don't care for politics since you own the country, you own the government, and you own the politicians," she retorted. "That's what Mom and Dad always say, and I can't say I disagree with that. After all, I'm rich. And I'm going to make Keima darling a filthy rich man! After all, I can only marry him if he's also rich."
"So money counts more than love?"
"Of course not. Love conquers all! But it's easier to conquer if you have money than if you have not. I still have to get my parent's permission to marry him, and I need to make him an acceptable son-in-law for that to happen. That means making darling rich."
"And he's not acceptable?"
"Look, I may be madly in love with him, but I'm not deluded into believing that he is. But that's now. Keima will one day own one of the game companies that make his beloved games. I will use my money to invest in his company. And I will also use my personal money to invest in Mari's Café. Keima, with his genius, will make the business boom, and he'll be filthy rich! And make me even richer! Then he can be acceptable to my parents, and we'll live happily ever after!"
"That's—coldly realistic for you, no offense."
"Hey, I'm trained from birth to be the ideal wife and to be the heiress of the Goido Family business. Just because I seem a frivolous rich girl doesn't mean I really am. Not only am I trained to cook, to clean, to make tea, I am also trained to negotiate with rival families, to manage the family business, to manage the family household, to manipulate rivals, and to handle money. After all, I am the future head of the Goido family, no matter who I marry."
"And here I thought you'd elope with the Divine One if you could help it."
"Me? Elope? If that were the only choice, I would. But I want my parents to accept Keima as their son-in-law. I want them to see in him a proud partner in the Goido family business! And you know that he can easily fill those shoes! He's a genius! Together, the Goido family will become the Goido-Katsuragi family!"
"That's nice," said the gamer.
"Oh my, I'm sorry for that rant. I just get carried away sometimes, dreaming of my future with darling."
Part 206 – The New Adversary
Aoba looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "But why tell me all this if you think that I am a love rival? Don't you think I could take advantage of what you just said?"
"Because you're my friend, and I hope that I am your friend too. We can share secrets, can't we?"
"I guess so," Aoba conceded.
"So, since I am your friend, call me Yui."
"Okay, Goi—I mean Yui."
The heiress gave a big smile.
"So Fuse, why are you asking me about politics?"
"I was wondering, would you like to run for Student Council President next year?"
"Heaven's no! I don't care about that!"
"Then, Yui, I want to make my Master the Student Council President. Would you support me?"
"What? Keima as Student Council President? Since when? I never heard of him being that ambitious."
"He's not. Right now, he refused to even consider the idea when I broached it to him. But he can change his mind. He has until April. Until then, I want to prepare for that. So, will you support me?"
"But why?"
Aoba gave Yui her reasons.
Yui concurred with the gamer. "It hurts me too to see him treated that way. Just because Keima doesn't mind all those insults doesn't mean it's right! Yes, yes, this would be something I can do for Keima. To make him more respected without changing who he really is. To make his final year better!"
Fuse could see Yui's eyes burning. Yes, she got her. "But we must keep this a secret until he changes his mind. So don't tell him, okay?"
Yui nodded. "Of course, Fuse. I understand. But do you think he'll win?"
"Now? No. But it may be possible by April. It's hard, especially considering whom he'll run against."
"Oh. Who is it then? Who will darling run against?"
"Well, it's someone you know all too well."
"Haven't the faintest idea. Give me a clue."
"She's at present a member of the student council and has been since first-year middle school. She's very mature for her age, brilliant, though it does not compare to me or the Divine One or even Terada. She has many loyal followers, many of whom would die for her and do her bidding just for a smile. She occupies a powerful position in the council right now and can make your life very miserable if she wanted to. She's a student of Class 2-A. You already know her."
"I think I know that girl. Is she the Queen?"
"Yes, she's Kaori Yuuzaki. The Queen of Maijima High."
Yui's eyes lit, and her mouth twisted into a grin. "Yuuzaki? Her? Oh yes, that stuck up girl!"
"So you see how hard our job will be? Not only is the Divine One very unpopular. In fact, you can say he's hated. But also, Yuuzaki, who I am 100% sure will run, is universally popular," Aoba continued. "That's why we must keep this under wraps. If Yuuzaki finds out before we're ready, she can easily finish us."
"We'll crush Yuuzaki!" whispered Yui Goido with glee. "Listen, I really do not like that girl. And if we can destroy her, so much the better! If we work together, we'll squish her like a bug! She's gonna pay!"
"Yes, we'll beat her," Aoba agreed even as she wanted to raise an eyebrow at Yui's behavior. Why did she look so vicious when talking about their future opponent? It's not as if Yuuzaki was an evil girl allied with evil devils from hell bent on destroying or taking over the world.
Yui continued. "Listen. I want to help Keima to destroy that girl. I have money. And I can give you lots of it. Let's establish a treasury so we can all contribute to the cause."
"I don't think that's needed. Besides, can you actually give away that much money?" Aoba reasoned.
"Yes. My parents regularly give me a substantial allowance. I have a large fund for my expenses. I have to manage it and prove that I can run a business. Right now, I have a bit of a surplus."
"So how much can you give?"
Yui gave an amount.
And Aoba just looked at her wide-eyed.
"That's too much!"
"That's too small, actually. I would give more in the future. I want to handle the expenses," Yui asked.
"Are you really sure you're free to give away that much?"
"Yes. This is for Keima, after all. And when my parents learn that it's to utterly crush that Kaori Yuuzaki bit—, forgive me, girl, trust me, they'll be happy to give more."
The genius just raised her eyebrow at that. Am I getting the Divine One involved in a family feud?
…
Part 207 – Aoba Fuse's Memories
Later…
Haqua became visible as soon as Aoba left the room. The devil seemed peeved at something. Yui wondered if the operation to restore Chihiro's memories failed.
"So how's Chihiro?" asked Yui.
"She got a bit of a shock, but she's fine now. She's happy and ecstatic," the devil valedictorian informed, her tone level even as she gave off an angry air.
The heiress got excited. "So, it is possible to restore the memories without Goddesses!"
"Of course, it is. It's quite easy once you get to know how."
"I'm happy for Chihiro. Listen, you can do this for any other conquered girl, right?"
Haqua gave a smug smirk. "Yeah. Piece of cake."
"I want Fuse's memories to be restored."
"Why?"
Yui sighed. "Because she's my friend and I feel sorry for her. She kept looking for her absent master, but she can't unless her memory would be restored."
"I can do that, but only for a good enough reason. But I need to warn you, there are consequences."
"But Chihiro is fine."
Haqua stood up. "Listen. If Fuse remembers everything, she needs to be under the supervision of New Hell. And what does it mean to be under New Hell supervision? In your case, it means they have to be part of the schedule. Or I'll take her memories again."
"Really? Do I hear right?"
"Of course. Why?"
Yui smiled. "Oh, nothing. It's just an interesting tidbit. Anyway, I talked to Fuse before. And she says if she's in love with Keima, she's willing to join the schedule."
"But would Katsuragi and the other girls want Fuse to be part of the schedule?"
"That's the question. Anyway, you control our memories, right? So if we leave the schedule, you'll take it away?"
"Only of Chihiro. Your memories are protected by the Goddesses."
"So, Miss Herminium, what if she finds out about other things without remembering her conquest?"
"What do you mean?"
"Say Fuse finds out about loose souls and Goddesses and New Hell?"
"The same. She'll have to join the schedule, or we'll make her forget."
"I see. Anyway, thanks," said Yui.
"Listen. I know you want Fuse to be happy, but be very careful about it. It can end in disaster if things go wrong."
"Got it. So, what about you?"
"Huh?"
"You have a vote too in the schedule. Would you vote for Fuse to be in the schedule?" the crossdresser wondered.
"Hm. You're right. It depends on the circumstances, I guess."
"But personally. Do you like Fuse to be part of it?"
"I have no opinion on that."
Yui gave a sly smirk. "Do you want Keima to be happy?"
"Me? Why should I care if that rude man was happy?" she angrily asked. It looked as if she would slam her scythe on the crossdresser. Luckily, her common sense prevailed as she knew she would get into a dangerous fight with Mars if that happened.
"Keima would be very sad if he lost his disciple and best friend. You know that Fuse's the only one who could truly understand him and his game world. He'd be mad at you if you took away her memories."
The valedictorian gritted her teeth in defiance. "If I have no choice, then so be it."
"But if you have a choice, you won't make him sad, will you?"
"I want that rude, detestable, playboy of a man to be sad, miserable, and in lamentations!"
"Aw, be honest. You really don't mean that," Yui smiled knowingly. "What if he became grateful and happy with you?"
Haqua blushed at the question. And her anger cooled down. Even after what happened, she couldn't help herself.
"Um, well, yeah, I don't want to make anyone sad. Even that man."
"Then, if Fuse finds out, vote for her."
The devil pondered as she returned to a calm state. "If you put it that way, I'll have to think about it."
"Please do."
"If I vote for Fuse, that would mean she's in the schedule. Do you really want another competitor? Fuse will wipe the floor with you, you know."
"Yes. She's no threat to me. Otherwise, I wouldn't want her to be in the schedule. I have a plan to get her in, but please, I need your help."
"Now, you must answer my question. What's this about Kaori Yuuzaki that I keep hearing about?" asked Haqua.
It was only then that Yui noticed that the devil became pale. And her voice trembled a bit when Haqua mentioned her name.
"You heard that?"
"Only the part about beating that girl."
"You were eavesdropping!"
"I can't reveal myself with Fuse in here, can I? So yes, I entered while I was invisible and waited for her to leave. And I listened. So if you want my help, tell me what's going on with Kaori Yuuzaki?"
"It's a secret."
"Then I won't help you with Fuse. Listen. This is very important. What's this about Yuuzaki?"
"Fine. But you have to keep this a secret."
"I won't tell Katsuragi if that's what's bothering you. So spill."
Yui told her about Aoba's plans.
And Haqua became paler at the news. "Are you sure you want to fight her? She's very dangerous."
"Yuuzaki? Dangerous? Ha! She's just a rich stuck-up girl who happens to be popular. Why should I be worried about her?"
"No reason. No reason at all. Just be careful," Haqua sighed.
"So now that I've told you about Kaori Yuuzaki, will you help me with Fuse and the schedule?" Yui pressed.
"Right now, I can't. It would be against my duties to interfere without reason. And right now, frankly, you haven't given me any reason to include Fuse in the schedule or give her memories back. Find me that reason, Miss Goido, and perhaps I'll change my mind."
…
Part 208 – Asami Caught
After Class…
Aoba Fuse waited outside their new clubroom. Her mind was on Yui. The crossdresser acted strangely. Stranger than usual. Why was she so worked up about Kaori Yuuzaki? Sure, they would need to defeat her, and sure, Kaori was an almost insurmountable obstacle, but there was no need to act like a crazy battle maniac.
Still, the results exceeded her wildest dreams. In just a single day, she was able to get the support of two of the greatest assets of the school—the idol Kanon and the rich heiress Yui. Kanon will provide the Divine One with credibility and connections, and Yui will give money—lots of money—and more links, precisely as she had hoped. She was already thinking of how to use those assets in the actual campaign.
But she was getting ahead of herself. The preparations before Keima changed his mind would be immense. She would need to gauge student opinion and establish the necessary organization. The one thing that would constrain her was the need for secrecy. If her master found out prematurely, he might scold her—or worse—order her to stop her activities.
And she will not openly defy him.
"Aoba," she heard.
It was her master, and behind him was Asami Yoshino.
She nodded, and all three entered.
Asami's face was indescribable at the sight of the clubroom. "Wow! This is nice!"
And alarm bells began to ring in Aoba's head.
"So, how do you like the room?"
"It's very nice. Much nicer than the Tea Ceremony club room, Miss Fuse."
And she reverted to her name. What happened to calling her Secretary?
"You have read the rules?"
"I have. And I brought a book," she said and showed them a thick novel from her bag.
"Miss Yoshino, do you still want to be a member in spite of the rules?" Aoba asked.
Her eyes darted to Keima, and she blushed a bit. "Yes, I do."
Does she like the Master?
"Then welcome to the club. He is the President, I am the secretary."
"Thank you, Katsu—I mean, President. You too, Mi—Secretary."
Did she have a personality transplant? I wonder. She's not acting like herself. She seemed distant.
"President? Do you approve?"
"I do. Now, Yoshino, you know the rules. When I'm in my office, do not disturb me unless it's an emergency. When you're here, we remain quiet. We only read books or play games. If you bring a game with sounds, bring headphones—otherwise, mute the device. Same for your phone. Get out if you have to take a call."
"I understand, President." Asami bowed.
"Well, I need to go somewhere. Secretary, I'm leaving you in charge of the room."
"Of course, Divine One."
With that, Keima left the room, leaving the two girls alone.
"Let's chat for a bit," Aoba began as they sat on the couches opposite each other. "So why did you want to join the club?"
"I want to read books," Asami answered.
"Books, yes. I can see that. Let's discuss the rules. There are other rules, of course. Unwritten rules, if you like. Keima Katsuragi is the head of this club. Do you respect the Divine One?"
"Divine One?"
And Aoba raised her eyebrow. Didn't she just explain that to Asami the day before? Did she forget that easily?
"Keima Katsuragi is the God of Conquests. So he is Divine," Aoba stated.
"God of Conquests? It's relates to games, right?"
Did you get amnesia, Yoshino?
"Yes. Games. So let me repeat the question. Do you respect the Divine One?"
She blushed a bit and looked down at the sudden change in topic. "Yes. I respect him very much."
"I'm glad. If you are a member of this club, you must respect him. You must never call him by that name. You know what I mean."
"You mean, Otamegane?"
"Don't take this the wrong way. But don't ever say that word again. Sorry about that. I simply can't stand that word."
"You will never hear that word from me again."
"Do you like him?"
"Like him?" asked Asami, her face getting into a full blush, her voice cracking.
"Of course. Those who dislike or hate him have no place here. Only those who respect him, adore him, or like him can be part of this club," the genius declared.
"Oh, if you put it that way, yes, I like him."
Fuse nodded. And you like him like a girl likes a boy. Such a typical heroine. This is the real reason you joined the club. So what type are you? A split personality, of course! I wonder how you trigger your transformation? Doesn't matter. You're going to help my Master. A split personality, yes, something I haven't seen yet. Either that or… Wait.
"Anyway, I asked you because I thought you hated him."
Asami looked at her. "I don't hate him."
"I'm glad. You hate people, so I was afraid that would include him."
"But Secretary, I don't hate people."
"Are you sure?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm a bit wary of interacting with people," Asami admitted. "But I love to learn about them and read about them in books. I love people."
And that confirmed Fuse's suspicions. And you are not the same person we talked to yesterday.
"I'm glad you clarified that. By the way, Miyako Terada is a really nice girl!"
"Miyako?"
"Yes. Don't you remember? The three of us went to Terada Dry Cleaning because the Divine One needed to pick up his laundry. We were greeted by Miyako Terada, don't you remember? Then we separated, and the two of us had a drink together!"
"Um, uh, yeah, Miyako's a nice girl. She was friendly yesterday," Asami answered. Ikumi did not tell her this. She probably forgot. "Katsuragi needed to pick up his clothes."
"By the way, how is your twin?"
"She's fine, I mean—"
…
Part 209 – Twin Magic
Asami paled as she looked at the blue-haired girl in front of her. Those eyes suddenly became scary as they bore down on her as if she were a cat, and Asami a little mouse.
"I'm glad your identical twin is just fine. Before anything else, care to tell me why you and your twin switched?"
Maybe Fuse was bluffing. "Secretary, um, I don't know about that. What do you mean?"
"Let me be blunt, Yoshino. Because of the Kanon announcement, you became desperate. You were too scared to approach my master because you're shy and don't like to interact with people. But your sister, despite being your identical twin, has a very different personality than you and knows as much about the Divine One as you did, so she was able to easily switch with you. Then your sister, on her own, decided that you should join the club."
Asami Yoshino looked at Aoba Fuse with her mouth wide open as the color drained from her face. Did she just read her mind? She was trembling. "How did you—?"
"It's easy to figure it out. It's true, isn't it?"
She struggled to remain composed as tears threatened to burst from her eyes. "I'm really sorry. Yes, that's true." I guess she'll kick me out of the club. Can't blame her. I deceived them!
She recalled the events leading to that nightmarish moment.
…
Asami had a younger sister, an identical twin called Ikumi. Yet they were only similar in physical appearance. Asami was quiet and an introvert. She was a lover of books, and loved people as depicted in publications. Ikumi was a happy extrovert, effortlessly comfortable with people, easily able to make friends, boisterous.
Before, Asami had longed to be like her sister. But recently, she decided that she's happy being herself, being a book reader, loving humanity from a distance.
Still, that hindered her courage about her long-term crush, her classmate Keima Katsuragi. She could not approach him. When Kanon made her announcement, and all those girls around Katsuragi began to appear, she became desperate.
She told Ikumi, and she agreed to approach Katsuragi on her behalf. With her personality, it would be easy to befriend him. Afterward, in theory, Asami could easily slide into the role in school. Ikumi quickly made friends with him and his disciple, Aoba Fuse. And to Asami's delight and astonishment, Ikumi got her membership in the new club.
Earlier that day…
Asami was disappointed that Katsuragi had ignored her the entire day. Did Ikumi mess up the meeting? Ikumi was so enthusiastic about Katsuragi and Fuse the day before, and how they were now friends and clubmates! And the book club appealed to Asami's sensibilities. She read and reread the rules, and put those to heart. She would meet all the requirements!
"Yoshino," Katsuragi suddenly called as she was about to leave.
And her heart stopped.
"Katsuragi?" she asked in a level tone even as her heart was jumping inside of her.
"Still want to join our club?"
"I do."
"Follow me."
And she followed him to the clubroom, where Fuse was also waiting.
…
Part 210 – New Recruit
At the present time…
Afraid of being kicked out, Asami told her tale to Aoba Fuse, skipping nothing, all but admitting that she had a crush on Keima Katsuragi. What else could she do? To deny it would be committing two lies, two deceptions. Katsuragi may be kind, but Fuse was something else. The steel in those eyes was enough to give her the shivers.
"So that's what happened."
"I see. Don't worry, I understand," she said in a much kinder tone, although her face was still cold. She really deserved her nickname of the Ice Princess.
"Are you going to tell him? Please don't," Asami begged, her voice cracking.
"Me? No. That would be breaking the code between girls," Aoba Fuse asserted. "Although if asked, I cannot and will not lie to him. But I suspect he already knows."
And Asami's world was about to crash. "Really?"
"The Divine One has a keen perception. But unless he tells you directly, I guess you don't have to tell."
And Asami breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you sure?"
"I'll vouch for you if you like. I'll tell him that I asked you not to tell him," Aoba offered.
And that gave Asami hope. And she clung to it like a drowning girl clutching a lifebuoy. "Thank you, Miss Fuse. You're not going to throw me out for deceiving you?"
"No, no, no. And I appreciate that you told me everything. If you want, I can assign you tasks that will bring you closer to him."
And her heart jumped. Was she really helping her get close to him? It was too much. "No, no, that's not necessary."
"Wasn't this the reason you joined the club?"
Asami was red as she nodded. "That's true. But merely joining this club means that I get to spend time with the President within my schedule—"
Suddenly, for no reason, Aoba suddenly let out a loud guffaw, then laughed loudly for a minute before stopping herself.
Asami just looked at her weirdly. Then looked around. What was so funny? Did I say something wrong? All I said was that I was going to get to spend time with Katsuragi within my own schedule? Was that funny? Was she making fun of me? Why is she laughing? Is she laughing at me or something else?
The ice princess was clutching her stomach when it was over. "Ha, ha, sorry. I just remembered something funny. Go on."
"Um, okay, so joining the club, without any special consideration, is enough. But the second reason is that I also love books. I just want a place where I can read in peace. With fewer people. The library wasn't peaceful enough for me, I guess."
"I understand."
"And I'm sorry. Please forgive me for lying to you in the first place."
Aoba nodded. "I forgive you. I understand."
Asami's eyes brightened, and the threatened tears receded. "Really?"
"Yes. We all make mistakes," said Aoba. "Though you will have to tell the Divine One eventually."
"Oh, I will. But let me tell him in my own way and my own time."'
The secretary nodded. "Now that you've told me your secret, why don't I tell you mine?"
"Huh?"
"Now, could you promise not to tell the Divine One what I'm going to tell you?"
"We can keep secrets between girls," said Asami, her heart racing. What if the Secretary likes Katsuragi? Then I really don't stand a chance. I can't fight her. Please don't like him.
"Anyway, do you wish him to succeed?"
"Yes, of course."
"How do you see him as Student Council President for the next year?"
"I'm sorry to say this. But I can't see it. He's very unpopular."
"I agree. I want to make him popular and respected. Do you want that too?"
"I do. It hurts too much to hear what my classmates say about him," Asami admitted. "But I don't want him to change who he is. I admire him the way he is now."
"Good. Here's the secret purpose of the club. Not even the President could know about it—we must make him respected and popular enough that he could win the election. Without changing what makes him Divine."
"You admire him too?" Asami asked. "I guess that's why you like him, right?"
"No. I don't like him like that," Aoba Fuse denied. "I love someone else. I just admire the Divine One as the God of Conquests of games. As you know, I am quite the gamer too!"
And Asami sighed a breath of relief. Fuse didn't confess to liking him! Asami began to have hope. She returned to the topic. "But I don't think he can beat Lady Yuuzaki next year."
"Not now. But if we work hard, we can. Still, it's your choice. I understand if you don't want to. I mean, you came here to read books and be quiet. You can just forget what I said. All I'm asking you is to refrain from telling him."
"But why?" Asami asked. Then she blushed. "Secretary, I'm sorry for asking that."
"Don't worry. I understand. As to why, I just want him to stop being bullied. I want people to recognize how great he is, to recognize his mental strength."
"I want that too for him. But…" Asami was silent for a moment before saying, "I'm not a friendly person. I can't talk to many people. I'm a bookworm."
"Don't worry. I won't make you do things if you can't do it. But when the Divine One changes his mind about running, and he will, I'll make sure he learns about how you've helped him. He'll be very grateful to you."
"Really? Yes, I want to help. Just let me help in my own way, Secretary," Asami answered. Truth be told, she was grateful that Aoba Fuse, that scary Secretary, forgave her for that deception. And Asami wanted to repay that kindness. And if it would make her closer to Keima Katsuragi in the process, then it would be an extremely nice bonus. Maybe Aoba Fuse could help her win Katsuragi over? Especially as the Secretary doesn't like him?
Aoba smiled. "Thank you, Yoshino."
"You're welcome, Secretary." Asami noticed that Fuse was kinder than her demeanor suggests. She seemed that type of character in books that were icy on the outside but warm on the inside. And Fuse was only concerned about Katsuragi being bullied in school. Asami had the same concern as the girl gamer. So what can Asami do but help Fuse make Katsuragi School Council President?
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Can I?" asked Asami.
"No, no. I'll take care of it," said the girl gamer. She opened the door.
It was a middle-school girl with bleached and frilled brown hair.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"Yes, yes, Senpai Fuse," the girl politely answered, bowing. "Is this the new club of Senpai Katsuragi?"
"Yes," answered the Secretary. How did she find out about it? Guess news travels fast.
The girl got tongue-tied as she tried to say something, but she wasn't able to spit it out.
"Do you want to join the club?" the gamer asked, guessing her intentions.
"Yes, Senpai," she finally said. "Can I?"
Aoba looked over the younger girl. Would the Divine One approve of her? And why would a middle schooler want to join their club? Should she just turn her away? She should. Suddenly, looking at her, a flash of inspiration came over her.
"What's your name?"
"I am Minami Ikoma."
"Well, come in, come in."
…
Part 211 - Miyako Decides
Miyako Terada carried her portable keyboard as she walked to the 2B Pencils clubroom after class. Chihiro has messaged her earlier that they need to practice for something.
Were they going to have a performance sometime in the near future? Well, she's going to find out.
She entered the band room—Chihiro, Ayumi, and Elsie were already inside. Where was Yui? Stranger still, they didn't have their instruments with them.
"Miyako!" Elsie greeted as she entered.
The girls exchanged greetings and gossiped for a while.
"So have you decided?" Elsie suddenly asked, looking at the pianist.
"Decided what?" asked Chihiro.
"Well, my Divine Brother asked her to join the beginner-amateur piano duet contest this Thursday," Elsie informed.
"Wait. Isn't that where a professional pianist, meaning one who entered contests before, takes on a complete novice, and teaches the novice so they can have a duet? It's always good for a laugh. We can see just how much the rookie messes up!" Ayumi laughed. "So, you and Katsuragi would be in a duet?"
The truth was, Miyako had already decided not to do it. It brought forth too many painful memories. It would be wonderful if they could do it, but she had doubts. To lose again would be absolutely crushing, and she may never be able to show her face again after the fiasco of her last duet.
"I don't think I will."
"But why?" asked a shocked Elsie.
"Isn't it obvious? She has no faith in your brother," Chihiro declared. "She told us yesterday that your brother is so brilliant, so intelligent, so smart, yet she can't even do this for him?"
"That's not it!" Miyako began.
"Actions speak louder than words, my friend," Ayumi asserted. "I'm glad you agree with us about Katsuragi."
"No, I don't," said Miyako.
"Agree about Divine Brother about what?" asked a curious Elsie.
"That Katsuragi is no good and stupid," Ayumi asserted.
"That's not true!" shouted Elsie. "He's the most wonderful brother there ever was! And he's so smart and so bright!"
"Sadly, Miyako tried to persuade us that you're right about the Otamegane," Chihiro pitched in. "But apparently, she doesn't think that the dweeb is much good for anything if she can't even trust him to play a beginner duet with him."
"Stop it! You're unfair!" shouted Miyako. She did not know what to do as Elsie and her two friends began to argue about Katsuragi's worth or lack of it. She started to panic. Her refusal to duet with him was undermining his reputation among her friends. She wanted them to respect him.
Then the door opened, and Keima Katsuragi, playing his PFP, entered. He looked around until he saw Miyako.
"I thought you might be here. So, Miyako, would you duet with me?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't."
"Well, that's that," Keima said, shrugging. He started walking to the door.
"Wait! Wait! Divine Brother, please," Elsie called.
He stopped. "Yes, Elsie?"
"Hey, can you play for Chihiro and Ayumi?"
"What? The dweeb? Play the piano? That's rich!" Chihiro shouted.
"Wait! I need to get earplugs!" Ayumi added, laughing.
Keima ignored them and looked at Miyako. "May I borrow your keyboard?"
"Um, sure," the pianist answered as he took the instrument from her hands, causing her to blush a bit.
Miyako hoped that he would impress her friends.
He set it up.
And began playing simple pieces. Without a music sheet. Granted, it was the same pieces that he played the night before in Miyako's house, but did he memorize how to play those songs?
And Ayumi and Chihiro stopped their laughing as they watched him, wide-eyed.
When he was finished with the first song, there was silence for a few seconds, before Ayumi clapped. Then Chihiro followed.
"You were great! How did you get that good?" the runner asked.
"It's all thanks to Miyako. She taught me everything I know," he modestly answered.
"Yup! I was there the whole time!" Elsie confirmed. "Big Brother really learned from Miyako."
"You were great, Miyako! To make the tone-deaf dweeb that good?" Chihiro exclaimed as she shook Miyako. "You worked a miracle!"
Ayumi grabbed Miyako by the shoulder and looked at her in the eye. "Now you've got to duet with him! You two will wipe the floor with the competition! How can you not have faith in him? Please! If you really think that he's as great as you say he is, if you want to prove us wrong about him, then do it!"
It was too much for Miyako. If she refuses, she was telling them, that despite his progress, he was still no good in her eyes.
She can't do that to him. Because she—
"So, are you going to duet with Exalted Brother?" Elsie asked, with wide eyes, pleading with her look.
"Yes, we'll enter that piano duet competition. But there's no guarantee we'll win. We'll probably come in last," she said, looking at the floor.
"Really? That's great! Thanks, Miyako!" Keima said, jumping from his chair and hugging her, making her go deeper red. "Don't worry. I've already selected a piece we could play. It's game music that's really well known and designed for a duet. We could start practicing immediately! But first, let's go and register!"
"Um, sure," said Miyako.
"Great!" the boy said. He looked at the other girls. "We'll be back."
And grabbed Miyako's hand and pulled her out of the room. "The deadline for registration is in ten minutes! Come on!"
…
Part 212– More Practice
Chihiro sighed as she sat down in a chair. "I'm glad that worked. I really thought that Miyako might see through us!"
"Yeah. To think Keima predicted all of this based on a game! This is too much!" Ayumi added, laughing.
"You two were great! I'm sure Divine Brother will be happy with the two of you!"
"I still wonder, now that I've remembered everything," Chihiro said, looking at Ayumi. "How could you say those things about him and not feel bad?"
"Oh. I played the stage when I was in elementary. It's the same thing. You really don't mean what you say when your acting. And it's for Keima, so why should I feel bad?" answered Ayumi.
"Listen, Ayumi, Elsie, I want to help Katsuragi in his mission. Yet I don't think I can act as good as him, or you for that matter."
"Nonsense! You did fine!" Ayumi answered. "Besides, Keima won't let us do something we can't do."
"Well, that's why you said all those nasty things. I don't think I can say it with a straight face," Chihiro laughed.
…
Fifteen minutes later…
"So did you make it?" asked Chihiro when a happy Keima and a very red-faced Miyako returned.
"We sure did, with a minute to spare!" Keima exclaimed, showing their entry form. "We're the last pair of entrants."
"How many are there?" Ayumi inquired.
"About three more competitors," Miyako informed, walking from the side of Keima.
"Well, we need to practice. Here's the sheet," said Keima, getting it from the bag and showing it to Miyako.
Miyako gave a small smile as she read the notes. "Yes, this is nice. I really didn't think that your games could have such nice music. Classical, isn't it?"
"Yep. Let's start!" he began.
And for the rest of the afternoon, Miyako and Keima practiced in the band room, with Elsie, Ayumi, and Chihiro watching.
When the practice started, Miyako immediately took the lead, telling Keima how the duet works, their assigned roles, and how they should proceed about it. She noted that the piece was more complicated than the ones they played the day before. And it took time to get Keima to learn how to play.
But there was a difference from the day before. Whereas before, Keima played mechanically, this time, because it was game music, Keima played with feeling. His fingers were smooth as his mind went back to the game that he played with that music. "This is the music I heard when I saved Sakura from Sakura in Trouble version 6," Keima informed as his eyes poured over the notes. "That game really affected me. It made me cry. Thank you, Miyako, for teaching me how to play the piano. It really got to me."
"Now you're learning how to play with your soul, in addition to your brain," the girl pianist said as she watched. "I'm not sure how good our competitors are, but I'm sure you'll give a good account."
"And we will win," he finished. "With you as my teacher and partner, there's no way we could lose."
After the practice, both Chihiro and Ayumi applauded his efforts. They were surprised at how fast Keima mastered the keyboard.
"Hey, Otamegane! Want to join the band afterward?" asked Chihiro as they finished. "Having two pianists would be great!"
Keima smiled and said, "Not a chance."
…
Part 213 – Return of Vintage
In New Hell…
Haqua du Lot Herminium entered the office of her superior, Chief Dokuro.
"Hello, Haqua. What can I do for you?"
"Chief, please tell me about Kaori Yuuzaki."
"Why?"
"Well, I heard her being mentioned in New Hell the past couple of years. It was mostly rumors, but it's enough to tell me that she's bad news."
"But why this sudden curiosity?"
Haqua told her about what she learned from Yui.
"Hm, maybe that's Vintage plan. Who knew?" Dokuro mumbled to herself. She then looked at Haqua. "Interesting. So, Fuse and Goido are going to prepare for Katsuragi's challenge to Yuuzaki, am I right?"
"Yes."
"Well, okay. Let me tell you something about Kaori Yuuzaki. Now, this is top secret. Don't tell anyone until it's absolutely necessary."
"I won't."
"Yuuzaki, ten years ago, got involved with Vintage."
"Wait. How could that be? Ten years ago, Yuuzaki would be seven—"
"Ten years ago, Yuuzaki was a sixth-grader."
Suddenly, things got confusing.
"But that can't be! If that's the case, then—"
"Yes, Haqua. Kaori Yuuzaki's not seventeen. She's much older. You can do the math. She's actually 22."
"But, but, I don't get it."
"Okay. I'll tell you what really happened. But what I'm going to say to you is incomplete. I don't have the full picture. So pardon me if this doesn't make complete sense.
"Yuuzaki and Vintage worked together for something in Maijima East Elementary School ten years ago. It's the same school Katsuragi and several of the members for the schedule attended. What they worked for, I have no idea. Why they worked together, I don't know. We tried to spy on them, but all our spies got caught. Apparently, they did something to some of the first graders, but we don't know what."
"But what does that have to do with Yuuzaki's age?"
"After they succeeded in whatever it was they're trying to do, they turned Yuuzaki into the same age as most of her victims. Then they altered the memories of the people who knew Yuuzaki, so that everyone, even her parents, thinks that she's seven years old instead of twelve. And they altered all her earth records to complete the deception."
"But why?"
"We had thought that Yuuzaki had displeased Vintage, and she got punished, or that they simply tossed her aside. However, looking at her recent activities, maybe it was all part of their plan. After their failure to kill the Goddesses during the Search, we saw Lune talking to Yuuzaki."
"Lune? That crazy devil? That Lune?"
"Yes. Our masochistic friend was seen talking with Yuuzaki. We don't know what they talked about. So what can we conclude from that?"
"Getting her younger is part of Vintage's plan."
"Yes. But apart from that, what their plan is, we don't know. If what you say is true, maybe Yuuzaki becoming school council President is part of Vintage's plan too."
"But why would Vintage care if she's School Council President?"
"Frankly, I have no idea. I only know that part of her plan ten years ago was becoming the most popular girl in school. So maybe showing how popular she is is part of the plan. Or maybe there's something she can only do as School Council President that's part of Vintage's plan. But that's just my guess. It could be anything, frankly."
"So what can we do? If Fuse's plan goes ahead, they're going to clash with Vintage once more. We should stop them," Haqua asserted.
"That is true. But let's not be so hasty. If indeed, Yuuzaki becoming school President is part of Vintage's plan, then we must stop her. The best way to do that, and minimize New Hell's involvement, is for someone to beat her. Who better than Keima Katsuragi?"
"So you want him to run against Yuuzaki? I'm sorry, but Katsuragi is not exactly popular."
"Even so, if Vintage is involved, any other student running will just bring danger to that student's life. Katsuragi, at least, could handle it."
"So you want me to immediately tell Katsuragi that he must run?"
"No. Until we are absolutely sure that the School Council thing is really part of Vintage's plans, we won't say anything. If it turns out that it's just a coincidence, then there's no need to interfere in Earth business. If it really is part of their plans, we'll tell him only if necessary. Ideally, he can run and win without knowing our or Vintage's involvement."
"What about Fuse and all her plans?"
"As you say, Katsuragi is unpopular. But it seems to me that Fuse knows how to turn that around. So we should support her so Katsuragi's task would be easier if he needs to run. Clandestinely, of course. And protect Aoba Fuse from Vintage if it comes to that. I understand that Fuse already knows you, am I correct? So you are going to tell her that you're going to help her."
"Understood, Chief."
"One more thing. The way things are going along, Fuse's going to get involved in New Hell and Goddess business. It's better if she comes under our supervision."
"You don't mean—"
"Yes, if it's possible, get her in the schedule."
"How could I even do that? Is Fuse even in love with that man?"
"You know about it better than I do. So I'm sure you'll find a way. Because if Fuse finds out everything—and I'm sure she will—and for some reason, she can't join the schedule, you'll have to erase her memories, right? It would be a pity if Fuse would lose all her memories when she's so useful to us in this Kaori Yuuzaki business."
"How are you sure that she'll know everything?"
"Because she's going against Yuuzaki and Vintage. She'll find out sooner or later, and I'd rather not have ourselves hobbled by removing Fuse's memory when that happens."
"That makes sense. Yes. I think I know someone who knows how to get her in," Haqua muttered. "I have a request. I have many missions right now. Helping Katsuragi catch loose souls, helping him with the schedule, helping the Goddesses with information, getting Fuse in the schedule, and helping Fuse get Katsuragi elected. Who knows what else is there? Could I have some help?"
"Hm. Okay. I'll assign Nora and Ryou, and Rimyuel too, as your assistants. How about that?"
Haqua wanted to gag. The last thing she needed was Nora. But she can't complain. It was better than nothing. And Rimyuel was not too bad either. Still, she won't call for them until absolutely necessary. At least she would have the authority to order them around if it came to that.
"That would be wonderful. Please draft the necessary orders-and make sure that it says that I am their boss. I'll give it to them when I need their help."
"I will. Any other request?"
"How about the services of some low ranking devils just in case I need to do a lot of gruntwork?"
"How many do you need?"
"I'm not sure yet. About a hundred."
"I can spare you ten."
"That's fine, Chief. I'll ask for it when I need them. Thank you."
End of Flag XIX
Stats for the Week
Official Time
Monday
Tenri – Morning Walk – 15 minutes
Yui – Lunch – 1 hour
Kanon – Night Event – 1 hour
Tuesday
Tenri - Morning Walk - 15 minutes
Chihiro – Lunch – 1 hour
Total:
Tenri – 30 minutes
Yui – 1 hour
Kanon – 1 hour
Chihiro – 1 hour
Author Notes
Aoba Fuse and Asami Yoshino are a light novel heroines. I took their characterization 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 review.
Once again, this was originally sent by PM. I'm sharing it for the enlightenment of the readers.
It was Ikumi, but only Keima knows for now. In this chapter, Fuse knows too.
Ha ha. Was that a Freudian slip from Miyako? xD
Yep. The piano duet is perfect for the culmination of a conquest! And to close the gap in her heart. (Though not in falling in love. Miyako's too far gone by this point.)
Let's just say that the reason for saying yes or no is intimately related to the final outcome.
Yui's plotting only one thing—to put Aoba Fuse in the schedule. Though that requires a lot of preliminary steps.
Yep. Haqua time is always good time. xD.
Wait! Did Haqua had a first kiss already? Since when? Seriously, I can't remember anything about it.
Yui doesn't actually know. She simply thinks that appealing to Keima's happiness would work, as it would work in her case. It's just a coincidence at first, but it revealed a lot to Yui. And she sure took advantage of it! Maybe Yui thinks that Haqua will only hurt Keima in such cases! :D
Yup. Dokuro is so convenient for making things happen.
Keima sure has impeccable timing. Although I suspect it was deliberate on his part to maximize the surprise factor.
True, but to Keima, it's a calculated risk. He needed to know if he such a tactic would work on other girls other than Yui. And Kanon might not think herself worthy at the present time, but that doesn't mean she doesn't believe that she can make herself worthy in five years' time. Right now, that's her motivation. So she believes that in five years time, he would choose her, even if he won't in the present.
I'm glad you like more kisses. Keima kissing girls was one of the appeals of the show for me.
Yep. Keima really knows how to play Kanon. And the other girls too!
Well, my policy with this fic is that I always use canon characters if it's possible. Only if I absolutely have to invent a character would I do so. So yeah, Shi Masaru is a canon character that's very convenient for plot purposes.
Gaming events always work with Keima. Because he's Keima, and nothing makes him happier than games. The girls would ignore this fact at their own peril.
I'm sure Shi Masaru would die to know who the person behind Fallen God is!
Okada and Kanon are working together to get as many hours for Kanon as possible, even beyond the three hours allotted to Kanon.
I do wonder. If word gets out of the schedule, would the members of the harem be considered Keima's "girlfriends" by outsiders? I have no idea if the arrangement would qualify as such, since Keima is dating each of them, and there's physical stuff, and the girl loves the guy, etc... Yet the girls openly and willingly share him with each other.
Keima planned to talk to his mother during those two hours. Which could be easily moved as Mari is not an early sleeper.
Maybe Keima sees the developers he likes as those of the ideal, like Shi Masaru and Level Eye, but those he dislikes as part of the real, like those who developed that abysmal game Crayon. It's probably on a case by case basis.
Well, Keima was just too happy and was blown away. When confronted by the ideal, Keima often acts irrationally. He's just such a big otaku that he can't pass up such an opportunity. Maybe he'll learn afterwards the negative consequences of his fanboyism on the girls, but by the time he realizes it, it would be too late. And that certainly impact the fairness of the schedule. Right now, it certainly is in Kanon's favor.
Maybe Elsie complained, but only when Kanon's not around to hear it.
Now the idea that Mari thinks that Keiichi consciously planned that 17 years ago made me laugh out loud!
Let's just say that Keima would be delighted if Mari actually tries to make the other girls of the schedule act more forward without him doing anything to make that happen.
Mari also didn't approve of Tenri and Aoba as daughters-in-law at first. Mari really has high standards (namely herself) for daughters-in-law. And yeah, based on everything she knew, she wouldn't favor Kanon. And if she finds out that the first thing that Kanon did was taze her son—that would surely won't do Kanon any favors.
Right now it's about relative disapproval. She disapproved less of Tenri, so Mari's supporting her against Kanon, hoping that Kanon will mellow out by the threat of Tenri.
Let's just say that Keima wants Mari to recognize the schedule and harem, but in such a way that Mari would think it's her or Okada's idea.
Well, he could inherit it from Keiichi. We'll see. Maybe from both?
Of course, she would recognize it. If she didn't think that her son is dense about the girls around him. She was just pleased that she doesn't have to initiate the topic!
As for what Haqua's going to do with Tenri, just wait! You'll be thrilled, I assure you.
Fortunately, Chihiro actually has a bento. But only because Ayumi was such a good friend xD.
Yep. It's almost natural. I mean, she has this crush on Keima all this time, even before her first conquest, and that didn't stop her from saying all sorts of nasty things about Keima. Only now, she felt more guilty about it even if she could easily say it out loud. Even while saying she loves him.
Though by this time, I don't think Chihiro really intends to insult Keima when he calls him dweeb, doofus, Otamegane, or Otamega. It's kinda like an endearing nickname, at this point.
Well, Haqua and Elsie are on standby, as they are buddies to Keima. So they're always on call.
Yep. That was the main reason why Keima back in chapter 3 manipulated Chihiro into accepting the schedule, because Chihiro doesn't want to lose her memories. The policy of New Hell for girls with no goddesses is—they should be under New Hell supervision (which in effect means being part of the schedule)—or they should forget. Remember this.
Yep. Everything that Chihiro is now is because of Keima. It's only fair that she realizes the debt she owes to Keima. One of the things that irritates me in the manga is how the girls are so ungrateful to him and treat him cruelly because they forget. I really felt sorry for Keima that he's so unappreciated.
And kissing to shut up Chihiro was first used by Keima during Chihiro's original conquest! xD
Yep. She realized how unfair she was to Keima. And her emotions were still in flux after the sudden remembrance of her past.
As for if Haqua saw Keima kiss anyone else? Nope. Haqua usually tailed Miyako while Elsie helps Keima with the schedule. It's just that Haqua was ready to grant Keima's wish for Chihiro's memories that she was nearby and ready to appear.
Like I said, Haqua becoming a buddy was actually a detriment for her, since Keima began to think of her as he thinks of Elsie—like assuming that Haqua probably was fine witnessing him kiss girls since Elsie witnessed so many and was fine with that.
Well, the "prologue" turned out to be longer than anticipated. I'm setting up something so that when future events happens, I could tell it with as few explanations as possible. For a past example, the evaluation and Haqua's plot with Diana. It seemed before that it was just random, as a way to tell how Keima thinks about the girls, and giving points because he's a gamer. And it is that. But it also serves as an explanation on how the girls would adjust their behavior with Keima. It serves as an explanation to why the Goddess were suddenly so insightful and gives good advice that actually work.
When the plot finally moves on, there will be many references to events that happened in these chapters that would make this chapters more important in hindsight. For example, the relationship between Keima, Mari, and the girls would be set in the next few chapters. It seems random right now, but trust me, they would be critically important in the future, when the schedule members are set, and girls would be routinely visiting the Katsuragi household in full view of Mari. That can't happen yet—except for Kanon. But it needs to be set up.
And yes, I wish it were faster. I'm really eager to get to the next parts involving Asami, the characters introduced in chapter 19, how Keima will win or lose the election, etc. But I need to finish the week first.
Basically, when the current week is over, Keima spending time with the girls would just be glossed over or narrated without any detail except when it's relevant to the other plot points. And it would affect time spent on the girls. My original goal was to spend equal time with the girls. That proved impossible, as I overly concentrated on Yui, Aoba, Kanon now, Ayumi, Chihiro and Tenri. Tsukiyo and Shiori were sadly neglected. But writing on how each of the girls spend their time with Keima on the schedule gave all girls their moment in the sun.
And I really want to write how the typical time spent with Keima goes for each of the girls—because after the current week, a lot of the girls would be sidelined in the story—even if Keima continues to spend time with them and kisses them weekly.
Hopefully, you enjoyed how each girl spent her "official" time with Keima.
To issei, thank you very much.
To Mark, thanks for the review. Yes, there would be time-skips now and then. I simply couldn't write every single moment that happened in those five years!
To Rahmanism, thanks.
Yes, Kanon is doing all in her power to win Keima. And that includes using her idol resources. Whether or not that is effective remains to be seen, but at least it would give her high positive points for the week.
In the manga, in the original conquest, Kanon only realized that she loved Keima at the very end, and she forgot. In her reconquest, she was mostly unconscious because she had been stabbed so she had no opportunity to use her idol powers. Before that, when she realized she loved Keima, she was too scared of those following her to do anything about Keima until that classroom confession scene.
And that meant that Keima only experienced the negative side of Kanon being an idol most of the time.
As for Chihiro, that is true. That is mostly because in the first part, it was Keima who was wanting Chihiro to join the schedule, as Chihiro was uncertain because she's very hurt, unlike the other girls who wanted Keima from the get go. As for who can surpass Kanon's recent gifts, we'll see. And gifts can't buy love, but it doesn't hurt, does it?
To ty, thanks for the review.
Yep. Many characters are lying to themselves. Especially when it comes to love. So you're right about Mari and Keima in that regards!
As for being too subtle, I'm sorry about that. Sometimes, I don't want to be too blatantly obvious. Someone told me before that I should treat the readers intelligence with respect, and I should let them think. So sometimes, I assume too much. I'm trying to strike a balance. Hopefully, I've succeeded.
As for Chihiro's foreshadowing, I did that in Flag I, Part 6.
"Chihiro really felt left out. Even with her bandmates with her, the fact that she does not have a Goddess made her feel left out. Why not her? Was that why she thought she's nothing special? Because why would a Goddess choose an ordinary girl like her to be her host? Did that mean that becoming a bandleader did not actually make her special? Come to think of it, how did she get out of that rut where she never felt special in the first place? How did she come from confessing to random guys to feel special enough to start her own band? How did that happen? Why couldn't she remember? If she remembered, she would forever be in debt to that person who showed her the light.
Too bad that Otamegane could not be like that person! Then perhaps her love for that insensitive jerk could be justified."
I set-up that scene in Flag I. But so many things happened in between, that I guess, it's extremely easy to forget. Next time I try that, maybe I'll repeat some things I wrote before to remind readers. But I don't want to be accused of repetitive.
As for handling criticism, what I can't handle and get angry about are flames. Your criticism is constructive, and valid, so yeah. I try to change based on feedback, but as I already wrote ahead, it may surface slowly.
Some of the set-ups were done ages ago. Some were made recently. For this chapter, for example, the set-up includes almost all the character arc of Aoba Fuse, since it would not make sense for Kanon and Yui to just say yes to Aoba if her interactions with them didn't happen as they did. The set-up of Kanon agreeing includes trying to dump the schedule and getting Keima angry. The set-up of Asami is much more recent, as Aoba wouldn't dare try her stunt without having Asami on the spot as a result of catching her in that switching deception. The set-up for Yui reaches way back since Yui and Aoba first met, in Flag 6, I think.
And the coming conflict with Kaori was set-up by all the above.
As for conflict, well, there's very little at some times, because the entire point of the "Keima spends time with the girls in the schedule plotline" was to resolve their conflicts and to make sure he can conquer girls with loose souls without the girls getting mad at him. But right now, you can see some conflicts.
First of all, we have the conflict between Keima, and Aoba and the girls Aoba recruited. Keima doesn't want to be President, while Aoba wants him to be, and is conspiring behind his back against his wishes.
Then there is the future Kaori-Keima-Vintage conflict, but that's in the future.
Then there's the Yui-Keima conflict. It's not apparent yet, but it's a conflict because Keima doesn't really want to expand the schedule. He doesn't want Aoba to remember. And Yui does. If Keima learns of what Yui's plotting...
Then there's the Yui-Aoba conflict, with Yui insisting that Aoba's in love with Keima, and Aoba denying it.
As for the Miyako plotline, there isn't much conflict, as at this point, its obvious that Miyako was already in love with Keima, and Keima knows it. He just wants to solve Miyako's problem so the gap won't reopen. And do it while making Ayumi and Chihiro participate in the conquest.
Anyway, I hope you like the scenes with Miyako in this chapter. We have a hug, holding hands, etc. All deliberately from Keima.
Anyway, thanks for your review. I promise I'll to improve based on what you said, but I can't promise perfection.