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 thank you to xellos540 for the beta!
Summary of Previous Chapter
Keima Katsuragi and Miyako Terada play a piano duet in a contest.
ARC III – THE DISCIPLE
Flag XXVI
Aftermath
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.
Part 286 – Final Understanding
Keima Katsuragi was snapped out of this stupor by the sight of his disciple running away from him.
He barely saw Haqua and Elsie take Miyako away as he turned to the other girls. It was terrible that Aoba regained her memories. It was catastrophic that everything happened in front of all the other girls. That left him with almost no room to maneuver.
"Keima—" Kanon began.
He decided to cut right into the heart of the matter. No use wiggling out of it. He needed to buy time.
"Listen, all of you, about Aoba Fuse—"
"Do you want her on the schedule?" Yui asked suddenly.
"Yes, do you?" asked Shiori in a weak voice.
"Listen, we'll talk about it some other time. Wait, Elsie invited you to the sleepover this Saturday, right?"
"Yes," Chihiro answered. "An 'invitation' you can't refuse."
"We'll vote for it there," he announced. "But we won't talk about her before that. I still don't know what to think. Please, I'm begging you, give me time to sort it all out."
The girls looked at him. He was begging and pleading. His eyes were humble, his voice was nearly cracking. What can they do?
"What do you want us to do?" Tenri asked.
He looked at them with abject eyes. "I'm not forcing you to do anything. You're free to do what you want, but give me time to decide what I want. Please."
He looked so downcast, so dejected, that all the girls were moved to pity.
"If you say so, Keima," Tsukiyo said.
"This can wait until Saturday, I guess," Kanon agreed. She, like all the others, was still in shock about what happened that their normal reactions shut down.
The others nodded.
And Keima gave a big sigh of relief.
Now to move to the real reason they were there. "Girls, now that we've taken care of that matter, let's get back to Miyako. Now you understand what being with me for the next five years means. Now you know what a Weiss really is."
"Oh, I'm so sorry for ever doubting you," Chihiro said as she walked towards him. "It was terrible! That thing, that monster, was inside all of us? Inside Miyako? You're a big hero, Katsuragi! I want to help you in all your future conquests! I know it kinda hurt at first, but now I truly understand."
"Chihiro," he whispered, taken aback by her reaction.
The normal girl took his hand and looked at him. "Thank you for saving Miyako."
And hugged him as tears dropped from her eyes.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! It's so terrible that you had to keep this a secret from us. All the others think you're just a terrible playboy, but you're a hero for saving all of us!" Chihiro cried as she buried her head on his shoulder.
"Yes," Ayumi said as she approached, a bit jealous of Chihiro, "I thought I understood your mission before, but I didn't understand anything! I'm sorry, Keima!"
And she joined the hug, tears silently falling down her cheeks.
The rest of the seven joined them, going around Keima, hugging him, nearly squeezing him with the press of seven bodies trying to hold on to him. Chihiro hugged him from the front, Ayumi from the left, Kanon on the right, Yui on the back on the right, and Tsukiyo on the back on the left. Shiori was able to grab and hug his right hand while Tenri grabbed his left.
It was crushing. But Keima just stood there as he absorbed the emotions of the girls. Chihiro, Ayumi, Kanon and Yui were openly crying, while Shiori, Tsukiyo and Tenri were silent as they tried to jostle for position.
He let them do that. He owed them his patience. The girls needed this. Not that he could pry them away—their grips were iron, and he was helpless.
This was the final chapter in their acceptance of what it meant to be with him.
They stood there for a while, the four girls exhausting their tears, the other three just gripping him, not wanting to let him go.
When they got tired, they looked at him.
"Keima, I won't ever think bad of you for kissing another girl who has a Weiss," Kanon stated as she suddenly gave a quick peck on his cheek. "I will help you with your next conquest. "
"I finally understand you, Keima," Tsukiyo said next, looking at him with awe, admiration, and love. She too gave a peck on his cheek. "You're no playboy. It's obvious before, but I should have realized that sooner. And if you need my help to save other girls, just call me."
"Darling, thank you, thank you, thank you," Yui said, grabbing his hand and kissing it like a gentleman would kiss the hand of his lady. "For saving Miyako, and saving me."
"You're so great," Shiori mouthed as her face was fully blushing, before she grabbed his collar, pulled his head down, and kissed him too on the cheek. She wanted to kiss him on the lips, but it was not her time.
"Thank you, Keima, for letting us see this," Tenri said, approaching him, like the others kissing him on the cheek.
"Hey, Dweeb! Thank you," said Chihiro as she tried to hold back her tears once more. "You were great on the piano. Congratulations on winning." And like the others, she gave a peck on his cheek.
"Keima, I love you, and I love you even more after this night," Ayumi said as she imitated the others. She did not plan on kissing him on the cheek, but after what the others did, she could not afford not to. "Just remember, Keima, no matter what you think, we will do anything for you."
…
Part 287 – Aoba's Dilemma
Aoba Fuse ran at full speed from the Music Hall toward her house. As she bounded through the dark streets, she held back her tears. When she arrived home, she went straight to her room.
Her happiness at finally finding out who her first master was, of finding out that her budding love for her second master was not an act of great betrayal, was offset by the realization that Keima Katsuragi was out of reach. Not because there was no chance that he could love her, but because even if that happened, she knew that he would only pick those who were part of his schedule, and there was no chance that she would get in based on the rules.
She let the tears burst forth. By the time she fell asleep, her pillow was as wet as if she poured water on it.
…
She woke up at about five in the morning. Her memories came back to the events of the previous night.
Even if her emotions were in flux, her mind tried to reassert her rationality.
She needed to plan. What can she get out of this? She could try to get on schedule, but she quickly gave up on that idea. She knew that her Master was against the idea of expanding it—it was a burden to him to have to pay attention to seven girls, let alone eight. And she could forget about the other girls giving their consent—it was unheard of for heroines to be willing to share—they already have to share with six others. Not to mention, she already had broken their trust.
She shook her head as pessimism gripped her.
Maybe Keima Katsuragi was not worth it? After all, he lied to her about her first master. He deceived her.
But every time she thought about him, her chest would tighten, and a warm feeling would come over her.
No, he was worth it. She knew he had a good reason. It was related to that ghost that came out of the Terada girl. Was she like that too before? Did he make her fall in love with him to rescue her from a ghost inside her? If that were true, then she owed him her life, and he was worthy of her love and affection.
Keima was a hero! He indeed was Divine!
She loved him. Truly and utterly loved him, with all her heart. And she fervently wished that he would return her love, even if her brain told her that was impossible. She remembered the kiss, her second kiss with him, and wondered if that would be her last kiss of such a great man.
She wished that the schedule did not exist. Then her task would be simpler. She would just win him like a player wins a hero of an otome game.
But that was impossible. Her master has obligations to the seven girls. And speaking of seven girls, the relationships and friendships that she had carefully built up the past two weeks with them were wrecked. How could it survive them witnessing her declare her love in front of them, then kissing him, after telling them that she's not in love with him?
So what should she do next? Was she still a disciple? That thought made her shudder. The worst that could happen was that she was not a disciple anymore. In fact, that was likely. Keima Katsuragi probably dropped her after she gave him a headache by kissing him in front of the seven girls! Dropping her was the only possible option after that fiasco.
I am such an idiot!
…
Part 288 –Final Quarter Hour with Tenri
Friday Morning…
"Hello, Keima," Tenri Ayukawa greeted outside his gate as he left his home. He was with Elsie, who immediately said she forgot something and ran back home.
"Tenri," he said as they walked together towards their respective schools.
It was Tenri's final fifteen minutes for the week. She just wanted a peaceful walk after the events of the previous night. She looked at the gamer, and he was already busy with his PFP.
The two were silent for a few minutes.
"Keima, I'll vote for Aoba Fuse to be on the schedule," Tenri announced quietly.
That stopped Keima, and he looked at her, his expression unreadable. Inside, he was perplexed and surprised. But then again, Tenri was an unselfish girl.
"I know how much she meant to you. She's your best friend. She understands you better than most of us. I heard what Haqua said—she'd lose her memories, and you'd lose her as a disciple and a friend if she didn't join. I'm her friend too."
"Tenri, you don't have to do that just for me," he began. "I can't ask you to share me with another girl."
"But I want you to be happy. And I know that losing your disciple will hurt very much. So, in whatever you do, I'll support you. I know that you'll want her to join us if the alternative is that she'll lose her memories of you."
Keima couldn't lie to Tenri even if he wanted to, so he nodded. "Yes, Tenri. And thanks for your support."
"I can't be thrilled to have another rival, Keima, but I love you too much to deny you what makes you happy. And I don't want any girl to lose her memories just for my selfish desires. Don't worry, I won't give you up. I'll win even against Miss Fuse in five years."
Keima nodded as he said nothing more. In truth, he was uncertain about what course of action to take. He needed more time and more information. Getting Aoba in the schedule was not the most terrible thing in the world—but he'd prefer that she remain his disciple and only that. Only when that alternative was foreclosed would he invite her in.
Not that it would do any good. The girls, except Tenri, would never vote for her.
He wracked his brains for a solution.
"What are you worried about?"
"I'm not sure how to save her," Keima admitted. "I don't think the others will be as understanding as you are."
"Don't underestimate us, Keima. They know how terrible it is to lose their memories. I'm sure they are kind enough that they won't want that fate to fall on Miss Fuse."
"I hope you're right," Keima said, even as he dismissed her opinion. How naïve Tenri was. She was too kind and too caring to see that the other girls may act selfishly. And he would not blame them too.
They finally reached the place where they must separate.
"Goodbye, Tenri," said Keima as he gave her a peck on the cheek.
"K-k-keima, see you later," she said, blushing, as she turned and walked to Misato High.
Part 289 – Keima and Aoba Walk and Talk
Aoba Fuse suddenly appeared as soon as Tenri was gone. "Katsuragi, can I walk with you to school?"
Keima looked at the face and body language of Aoba. And to his astonishment, her actions were—normal. He knew that she must be feeling emotional turmoil. That meant that she was a superb actress. The only clue was a slight blush on her face as she looked at him. Her eyes looked adoringly at him, but that was the same look as before.
He decided to confront the bull by the horns. "You want to discuss what happened last night?"
"Keima Katsuragi, I love you," she declared in a low voice. "And I know what you might be thinking. And no, I will not beg for you or the other girls to let me join the schedule." I know I have no chance whatsoever, so I will not debase myself chasing after the impossible. I'll only join if you and all the other girls freely offer it to me.
That confirmed to Keima what he thought about her. Her pride would not allow her to share him with the other seven girls. At least that was cleared up. Still, what does Aoba Fuse want?
Keima nodded. "I respect your wishes."
Better to get this over with. He stopped his walk, and Aoba did too.
"Katsuragi?"
"I do not like you," he said with a poker face, in a cold tone.
"I already know that," the girl genius answered. But even if she was expecting those words, and every rational part of her brain told her otherwise, it still hurt a lot. She could literally feel pain in her chest as her heart was broken into a million pieces. All her hopes and dreams were dashed, and she barely fought off tears. She looked at his face and eyes. They were cold and unfeeling. Typical Katsuragi.
"Good. Let's go," he stated nonchalantly.
But all was not lost. "Katsuragi, I want something from you."
"As long as it's not impossible, I'll give it to you."
"Before I ask it, tell me everything. What did I see last night? Especially that ghost thing. And why was Elsie floating? And why were you kissing Miyako?"
"I guess I have no choice but to tell you," Keima sighed. "Before that, tell me what you know."
"Here's what I figured out," she began. And she told him everything she knew—she worded it so that he would think that she figured out by piecing various clues—and there were lots of evidence lying around—but if she were honest to herself, she wouldn't have connected the dots if it were not for Yui spilling the beans during that Tuesday afternoon walk. But she did not mention Yui. Aoba knew that the crossdresser would be in trouble if she mentioned her.
Keima was astonished at her observation skills and ability to connect everything in a logical pattern. And given all that she saw and knew, it was plausible for her to figure out the rest.
"You're right. Congratulations on piecing it together," Keima exclaimed. "I know you are a genius, but this is something else! To figure out all that! Yes, what you said is all true!"
And Keima filled the parts that Aoba did not "figure" out so she had the complete story. The only part he did not tell her was the danger to the lives of the Goddess hosts if their love for Keima died.
Aoba Fuse was astonished. All that Yui told her was the truth! And it made sense of everything Keima told her before about saving girls, about not being able to resist Elsie's pleas to save girls, and about the five years wait.
It was hard to believe. But given what she saw the night before, she had no choice. His explanation made perfect sense.
"Thank you for telling me that, Katsuragi. You're a true hero," she praised. "You not only saved the lives of innocent girls, but you saved the world too. You are the man who I thought we could only see on TV or mangas or light novels. I'm looking at the man who deserves the thanks of everyone."
She wanted to say more, but she held her tongue. Left unsaid was that because he was such a great hero, he deserved the praise of everyone. She was bitter at all her peers who bullied and hurt him. Honestly, the school does not deserve Keima Katsuragi, the savior of the world. No, what her peers deserved was to be under the heel of Keima Katsuragi. Nothing less than control over everyone could be the proper due to the savior of the world.
As she looked at him, she was even more determined to make him great. No, he was already great. What she wanted to be was that everyone should either recognize his greatness or be afraid of him if they can't do that. Yes, Keima deserves to rule the school as thanks for all that he has done.
Even if he rejects her in the end, she will make him great. Even if he had no ambitions for himself, she was ambitious for him. She will make everyone bow down to him. That's how she'll show her love if she cannot be part of the schedule.
Speaking of love, she realized that she did not fall in love with Katsuragi last night. She fell in love with him long before then, probably when she visited his home and saw his library and God of Conquest mode. She was not sure. All that matters is that her love was long in germination, and she only realized it at the moment of Miyako Terada's kiss.
And she needed to take care of some matters.
Part 290 – Aoba the Disciple
"Like I said, Katsuragi, I need one thing."
"As long as I can give it to you, I promise I will do so."
"Promise me, promise me Katsuragi, that I will still be your disciple as long as I wish it," she pleaded.
"Why? I just rejected you. Why do you want to be my disciple after I broke your heart?" he asked, relieved that his reading of Aoba Fuse was correct. Rejecting her love was something necessary. So he would be kicking himself if he had been mistaken and she had never wanted to do anything with him again because of his rejection. He did not want another Chihiro on his hands.
"Because to me, you're my Master of the ideal first, before anything else. Whatever happens between us, I wished to remain your disciple," she confessed.
"Are you sure? After knowing all of that?"
"Katsuragi, you're cold and cruel. You can be evil. You are insensitive. But I knew that long before. I still want to be your disciple because I am selfish in my desire to become great at games. And I know you want that too because you're a selfish bastard. We should remain as we are because we can help each other achieve our selfish goals."
"I guess that's as good a reason as any. You do know that it could be awkward because of your confession."
"I know. But we could pretend that yesterday never happened. I know we can't totally go back to where we had been, but I'll try my best. I'll talk to the other girls and tell them that I won't act on my feelings for you."
"I don't think they'd believe that, after what they witnessed."
"I know. But I need to try, at least."
"Yes. But don't try anything before next week. I need to talk to them first."
"So does that mean—please tell me right now that I can be your disciple as long as I wish it?"
Keima sighed and looked at her. "Aoba Fuse, I want you to be my disciple for however long you wish it. Will you?"
"I do! Thank you, thank you, Divine One!" said Aoba as emotions overwhelmed her, and she suddenly hugged him. Tears began falling from her eyes. The truth was, she was sure that after what happened the night before that he would have no choice but to cast her aside as a disciple. She could understand and accept that she can't be with him as a wife or girlfriend because of his duties and obligations, but to not be his disciple, was something that she could not bear.
For Keima Katsuragi would always be her God, her God of Conquests, her Master.
Her ultimate goal was to win his heart, but if she cannot have it, then she would fight to remain his disciple.
Keima was in an awkward spot. He was thankful that her response to what happened was more rational, but looking at the crying girl holding him, he wondered. Still, he was happy. Aoba Fuse was the perfect disciple. "I promise that you'll remain my disciple for as long as you like," he said to her.
Aoba separated herself from him. "Thank you, Divine One," she said as she went to kneel in front of him. "I will forever be your faithful disciple, my Master."
"Stand up. Let's go to school," he commanded, and she did so.
"Master, I want to say something. Please, I may do things that you may find weird or get you into situations that you may not wish to be in at first, or you may even do something that you don't want to because of me. If that is so, it's because I only want to do what's best for you, for you to get what you deserve, for everyone to recognize how great you are," she said. "Please, remember that everything I do is for you and the ideal."
Keima recognized that she was referring to the Club. It was a thing that he did not appreciate when she first proposed it but had come around as he enjoyed it. He also recalled the matter of being polite with the middle-schoolers. Both of which he would never do on his own, but which he now conceded Aoba had been right about.
"I know, I know," he answered. "As long as you remember that I am in the ideal and that I do not want to be dragged into the real, everything you do is fine with me."
The two walked together to the gate, where they separated to go to their respective classrooms.
…
Part 291 – The Rules of Memory Erasure
Later…
There was still some time before class starts, so Keima went to the rooftop. It was closed to the students at that hour, but he knew the special password. He would have preferred to be in his club, but Asami or Aoba might be there.
"Haqua," he called. He already had a plan in his mind.
And the valedictorian appeared, descending from the skies while seated on her scythe, wearing the Maijima High Uniform.
"You decided?" she asked. She realized the best way to deal with him was to be as formal as possible. She could not afford to let her feelings get in the way.
"Not yet," he answered. "I've come to negotiate."
"There's nothing to negotiate, Katsuragi. Only a choice," she snapped back.
"But there is. New Hell rules constrains my choice in the matter, so maybe there's some wiggle room in the rules?"
"What wiggle room? A rule of New Hell is ironclad! I cannot violate it!"
"I'm not asking you to violate it. Before anything else, is there any other case in New Hell history that applied those rules? If so, could you tell me that case and how that rule was applied?"
Haqua was silent for a while. "No. Not really. The exact situation where that rule applied only happened right now."
"So, my case would be the first case?"
"Yes."
"So, there's no previous precedent?"
"Of course not."
"Then let's make a precedent," he declared. He never heard of such rules before. He looked into Haqua's eyes to see signs that she was fibbing—she was not. So that meant that it was merely an obscure rule that was too specific to have any practical application before. Haqua was a genius, and it was to his detriment that she could remember it at such an ill-timed moment.
But that also meant that whatever those rules were, there may be room for interpretation. "Could I have the translated text of the applicable rules?"
That request threw the devil off guard. Of all the reactions, this was the last thing she expected. Luckily, she had a copy, translated into the human tongue, just in case Keima demanded proof.
Keima eagerly grabbed the piece of paper from her hands. There must be a loophole. Every untested law has to have it.
Then he spotted it. Rule 1412. Article 6. , for reasons other than that which he has no control. [1]
He wanted to smile. Finally.
"Well, apparently, according to your own rules, it would only apply if I rejected making her my disciple for reasons other than which I have no control. So that means that if I cannot make her part of the schedule, despite my efforts, you cannot take away her memories.
"What? Let me take a look at that."
"You see, according to your own rules, the procedure for this kind of event would be as follows. First, the buddy would decide if he wants to have supervision over the girl. If he declines, the girls' memory would be wiped out, right? If he accepts, he would ask the girl if the girl is willing to be under his supervision. If the girl accepts, then the memory would not be wiped out. If the girl rejects it, then the memory would be removed. He cannot tell her the consequences of her choice until she made it, right?"
"Yes. That's very good. You'd make a good lawyer someday."
"I always pay attention to the legalese in games. That way, I can take advantage of all promos, and I won't be ripped off," Keima answered. "I always read the End User License Agreements or EULAs in games. In addition, I've played so many galges with legal settings that I'm very familiar with interpreting laws and contracts."
"What? How does the law apply to love games?"
"Simple. You need to know how marriage contracts work and how the law on marriage of various countries apply to complete certain games. I've used loopholes in various marriage contracts to save the heroine and used it to pursue what looks like forbidden love, but if read closely, those kinds of love are legal! I've read and escaped many contracts—in games!"
"What's your point, Katsuragi?"
"According to your rules, the first decision is mine, right? I could choose to bring Aoba under supervision, which means to put her under the schedule. If I will not, then her memories will be wiped out."
"Yes. So what's your decision, Katsuragi?" asked a stern Haqua.
"Hold on. The law said that you could only wipe out a girl's memory if the buddy fails to do so for reasons other than which he has no control. So that means, for the refusal to result in a memory wipe, the buddy must willingly refuse to supervise her. But, that also means, that if he fails to do so for reasons beyond his control, in other words, if he was willing to supervise her but cannot, then the devil could not wipe her memory out."
"Um, yes," Haqua answered, again reading the law.
"In my case, that means that if I fail to ask Aoba to be part of the schedule because of outside factors, as long as I don't cause the failure, you can't remove her memory. And as long as I can't put her in the schedule, then I don't have to ask her, right?"
Haqua had an uneasy feeling, but she had no idea where he was going. She had not had time to study the law—Dokuro's legal assistants drafted it. Damn it! Law was not her expertise.
"Yes."
Part 292 – Keima's Scheme
"Okay, then. Haqua, I am willing to put Aoba in the schedule. But, before I ask Aoba, I must ask the others if they are willing to have Aoba as the eight member. So I'll ask you, Haqua du Lot Herminium, Elsie Katsuragi, Ayumi Takahara, Chihiro Kosaka, Shiori Shiomiya, Kanon Nakagawa, Yui Goido, Tsukiyo Kujo, and Tenri Ayukawa. Also, I must ask all the Goddesses, so I'll ask Diana, Apollo, Vulcan, Minerva, Mars, and Mercury."
"Wait! I get the others. It's part of the rules of the schedule that every member should vote for it. And my name and Elsie's were also included in the vote. But the Goddesses? They're not necessary! You can ignore them!" Haqua answered, still not getting Keima's intentions.
"True, true. By the rules we all agreed upon, the Goddess's consent is not required. But think about it. Could Aoba Fuse fit in if the Goddesses are opposed? I don't think so. Especially if the Goddesses would whine to their hosts about her. It will make my situation impossible. What do you think, Haqua?"
"I guess you're right," Haqua conceded. Yui Goido told me that you secretly would like to include Aoba Fuse in the schedule. Yet I can't see how adding them to the decision would make that possible. Could it be… Well, if the Goddesses are on board with that, then there really could be no objection to her, but could he make the Goddesses approve of her? Maybe. Of course, he does. He has this planned right from the beginning. Unless he doesn't like Aoba to join, but that's impossible. Why are you making this harder on yourself, Katsuragi? The Goddesses are a bunch of selfish, jealous children! They'll never approve of her because it threatens their hosts' position!
Keima caught the look of confusion in Haqua's eyes and knew he had her. "So there! If all of you, including the Goddesses, approve, then I'll happily ask Aoba Fuse to join! If they do not approve, then it's out of my hands. Her memories would remain."
"Um, yeah," said Haqua. What are you planning? I guess I'll have to trust you on this. You do want Fuse to join, right? Because if you don't… "But if you tell them to vote against her, that's 'reasons under your control', and I'll still wipe her memory!"
"I know. Deal?" asked Keima. He knew that he could not ask Aoba to join since he knows she will refuse. His original plan was simply to use the rules since he was sure that the girls would not want to have Aoba as a competitor. But Tenri threw a wrench in his assumptions. She actually said she'd vote for her!
The more he thought about it, the riskier his original plan looked like. The girls saw what happened in the Music Hall. They all knew that failure to join the schedule would erase her memories. And he knew that Aoba became close to them in the past few days. There was a chance that they would vote for her to join based on friendship or pity. Like Tenri would.
His plan to make Aoba close and friendly with the girls of the schedule backfired.
It would be a disaster if they vote for Aoba, and Aoba refused. So Keima needed more roadblocks. Enter the Goddesses. Those Goddesses were immature, selfish, jealous brats. He was confident that they would never consent to Aoba joining. It was perfect. He will use them to make sure that he never had to ask his disciple to make a choice! Then he and Aoba could be happy being Master and disciple as long as they wanted to!
"Yes. You essentially tied Fuse's fate to the whims of those Goddesses! I hope you know what you're doing, or you'll never get what you actually want. "
"I may not, but what can I do? Don't worry, I won't talk to the Goddesses if that's what you're afraid of. They'll be free to vote however they want to," he asserted.
"You do know that the Goddesses will probably never approve of Fuse joining the schedule, Katsuragi."
"Yes. It would be almost impossible. Almost."
Suddenly, Haqua paled. She messed up. Wait! You really do not want her to join? That's wonderful! I won't have more competition, and— stop that, Haqua! Remember your mission! But what can I do? I can't do anything, or you'll suspect something. Did you know before the duet that this would happen and talked to them before to vote for Fuse? Because that's the only thing that makes sense.
"Do you want Aoba Fuse to join?"
"Yes. But only if all of you approve of it. By the way, how will you vote?"
"Well, I'll vote whichever way the majority votes," Haqua asserted. "I take no sides. I am just doing my duty."
"I know. Thank you. Anyway, the voting will happen on Saturday evening at my house. There's going to be a sleepover, and Aoba's fate will be decided there. See you later."
And Keima left Haqua, who turned invisible as more students arrived. She was confused. And for the first time, she was not sure her plan with Yui would work.
Goddesses! What crawled up your butt and made you involve those spoiled brats? I guess you did talk to them before the duet because you found out about Yui Goido's plan, right?
…
Part 293 – The Saved Girl
Keima walked towards his classroom with equanimity. It sucked that Aoba Fuse was in love with him, but at least she would pretend that the entire thing at the duet never happened, unlike some other girls who remembered. He'll help her make amends to the other girls. Then things will go back to normal.
Hopefully.
As he walked, a couple of middle school students greeted him, and he answered graciously. He regretted making that promise to Aoba, but at this point, he could not afford to break his word to the girl gamer. Even middle schoolers who were not present at the concert approached him and asked for his autograph.
His newfound popularity with their younger peers mystified high schoolers. Most of them just scoffed, saying that the younger students were 'stupid'. Still, a few approached him and congratulated him on winning the duet.
"Congratulations, Katsuragi!" a classmate greeted. "I never knew you could be so talented."
"Whatever!" Keima dismissed without even looking at the student.
"Wow! You didn't insult me!" the student whispered as he looked at Keima. "Progress!"
"Hey, Katsuragi! Just because some dumb middle schoolers saw you play the piano and got impressed doesn't make you a hotshot! You're still the Otamegane!" another student shouted at him.
"Oh, shut up! I don't want to hear your background voice!" Keima rudely answered without looking at him.
The boy angrily grabbed him by the cravat and was about to punch him.
"Drop him!" a voice commanded.
"Senpai Kasuga!" the bully shrieked. He dropped the boy on the floor.
Keima picked himself up and looked at his upperclassman. "Thank you, Senpai," he bowed a little. He still respected his former conquest.
The martial artist trained her eyes on him. "Katsuragi, congratulations on winning the duet. I am glad that you finally applied your talents to a worthy endeavor."
"It's nothing," he said before he continued to his classroom. There was no sign that she remembered. He sighed in relief. It would be another headache if another girl remembered that she fell in love with him.
When he entered the classroom, all eyes were on him, not that he noticed as his eyes were fixed on his game. He got a lot of congratulations from classmates who had already become friendly to him, but those who still hated him just glared.
"Hey Katsuragi, we did great! Thank you!" Miyako exclaimed.
He looked at her, and the pianist's eyes were full of life, and her voice was joyful.
"Yes, we won!" he mouthed silently.
"Yes, but even if we didn't, we had fun! And we did our best!" Miyako happily answered. "I realized that getting number one is something to be happy about, but not getting it is not the end of the world, as long we did our best. I realized that last night."
Didn't Haqua erase her memory? "You remembered… everything?" he asked with his eyes wide open.
"Of course, silly! We played the duet, we won, we signed autographs, and I said goodbye and left early to celebrate with my parents at home! Why should I forget it?"
And Keima sighed in relief. He knew that Miyako fell in love with him well before the duet. But at least he could pretend to be ignorant of her feelings for him and play the oblivious fool. He cursed New Hell's incompetent memory erasure techniques. It was just as bad as replacing him with Mio's chauffeur without erasing any of the events.
…
For Miyako, last night was the greatest thing that happened. After signing all those autographs, she said goodbye and went to join her parents for a celebration at home. Her parents ordered her favorite food, and her trophy was displayed prominently in the living room. But the best present was in the mailbox.
She had a letter from Sapporo, from her old student. Reading it before she went to bed made her cry and made her appreciate Katsuragi even more.
When she woke up, she realized that not winning everything was not the most terrible thing in the world. And looking at all the awards she received, she realized that she was very special after all. After all, she made Kousei Arima the most celebrated pianist in Sapporo, even if they got second place in that duet all those years ago.
She was happy. Extremely happy. She felt light as a feather. It's as if all her problems were washed away. She will do her best because she's special, and she will show the world why Miyako Terada was one of the top students in class. Second only to the genius of Keima Katsuragi.
Speaking of Katsuragi…
He was the reason she felt so happy. After all, Arima mentioned that Katsuragi was the one who urged him to write. And all those days of practice made her realize that he saw her as something special.
And she loves Keima Katsuragi. Too bad he could not reciprocate her feelings. How could he? Miyako realized that despite their denial, Ayumi and Chihiro were also in love with him, and were far closer to him than Miyako could ever hope to be.
Still, until Katsuragi makes a choice, Miyako felt she could have a chance. Today was not the time to make her feelings known, or she might destroy her friendship with Chihiro and Ayumi. Someday, she'll confess to him, but until that time…
She wished that Katsuragi would give her her first kiss…
…
Part 294 – The Alliance Acts
Meanwhile…
"Whatcha thinking?" asked Yui Goido as she caught up with Tsukiyo as they walked through the school gate on their way to Class 2-A.
"Lots of things," the moon-lover answered.
"Well, I'm right. You know what this means?"
"Yes, yes, Aoba Fuse is in love with Keima. That's very clear," Tsukiyo admitted. "And to think that I trusted her when she said that she doesn't love Keima!"
"Easy now. She only realized that she's in love with him when she remembered," Yui pointed out. "She wasn't lying when she denied it."
"I guess you're right. But still! I guess it isn't her fault. It won't be beautiful to blame her for forgetting," Tsukiyo admitted.
"Remember what we talked about, my lady?"
"Yes, yes. Fuse must be part of the schedule, or she'll steal Keima from right under our noses!"
"Now, we need to get the others to agree!"
"I don't know, Goido. Somehow, I don't think that 'Bring Fuse to the schedule to control her' would be a convincing argument. They'll just be jealous. They would think that it's better to keep her out! To be honest, even knowing it's the rational thing to do, I'm still jealous of Fuse, and a part of me still wants to keep her as far away as possible from Keima."
Yui grinned. "I know, my lady. That's why we won't make that argument. Listen. I have a plan. Here's how we'll get Fuse inside the schedule."
…
Later…
"Did this come from your brain?" asked Tsukiyo.
"Well, to be honest, a lot of it came from Mars," the crossdresser admitted. "Just don't tell anyone it came from me, okay?"
…
Later, at lunch in the Astronomy Club…
Tsukiyo looked at the assembled girls before her. All the girls of the schedule, save for Shiori because it was her time with Keima, were there. Even Kanon, who flew from her studio as Apollo, was there for the meeting.
Tsukiyo was relieved that all of them responded positively to her message.
Please, come to the Astronomy Club. We need to talk about what happened last night. I have a plan.
Tsukiyo Kujo
…
"Thank you for coming, all of you," Tsukiyo greeted. "We girls need to talk. There's something we need to decide without Keima."
"So what should we do about Aoba Fuse?" asked Ayumi. The athlete was conflicted. She felt betrayed by what she saw. She remembered Aoba saying that she doesn't love Keima, that she was not a threat.
That was the reason she and the others took to her. And that was a lie. Of course, her rational brain was telling her that Aoba didn't lie. Aoba forgot, so she was not lying when she told them she's not in love. It's the same thing with her before she remembered her conquest.
She did not want the girl genius in the schedule.
Yet that would mean that she would lose her memories. Maybe it would be better for Fuse to lose her memories, then all could pretend that what happened between them, Keima, and Aoba Fuse, never happened. Looking at it, Ayumi was sure that Keima would want Aoba Fuse to forget, just like Keima would prefer Ayumi to forget.
Maybe Aoba Fuse forgetting was the least bad option available? At least that would be what Keima would want. And it would be good for Fuse too if she forgot everything. Ayumi will vote against her inclusion in the schedule, even if that meant the girl genius losing her memories.
…
Chihiro was having the same thoughts as Ayumi, and she too, for the same reasons, concluded that it would be better for Fuse to forget.
Kanon was genuinely conflicted. She does not want Fuse to join the schedule, yet the idol does not want the girl gamer to forget as she considered Fuse her friend. Kanon just wanted things to go as they did before.
...
Tsukiyo continued. "Let's not talk about Fuse. As Keima said, we'll discuss it at the sleepover tomorrow. We don't want to preempt whatever Keima will do about Miss Fuse, do we?"
"Then why are we here then? You said it's about what happened yesterday!" Chihiro demanded.
"Yes, but there are a lot more things that happened! Like the Weiss!"
And there was silence. All girls shuddered at the memory.
"Is it agreed that we won't mention Aoba Fuse's name for the rest of the meeting?" Tsukiyo asked.
All the other girls agreed to it.
"Takahara, what do you think of the Weiss?"
"It's scary! I was very frightened. It was something out of a horror show. That thing was inside Miyako. And inside me! Inside all of us!"
"Kosaka?"
"It's horrible! Horrible! I felt disgusted! Violated!"
"Nakagawa?"
"Even if that thing made me invisible, I still can't believe that was inside of me! I nearly fainted. It's worse than I ever imagined it to be!"
"Goido?"
"I nearly died when I saw it come out of Terada. That thing is horrible! I mean, it caused darling and me to switch bodies!"
Tsukiyo asked the last girl. "Ayukawa?"
Tenri, like Kanon, flew in as Diana through the Astronomy Club window for the meeting. "I was very frightened."
Part 295 – The Girls' Gratitude
Tsukiyo spoke next. "As for me, after last night, Keima's the greatest and most beautiful person. He saved me from that horrible monster! To think that it's inside of me and made me small! And that it would make me give birth to a monster? I can't bear it! That Weiss scared me, and I nearly died—literally—just looking at it. He's my savior!"
"Yes. We should repay him," Yui said. "He saved us from a horrible fate."
Kanon shook her head. "We can't repay him! How can we do anything that can even come close to vanquishing the Weiss?"
"I know. We all would be forever in debt to Keima. Nothing we do will be enough," Ayumi admitted.
"I feel so bad! I treated him so terribly! He sacrificed so much for us," Chihiro added, her voice sulking.
"But there's one thing we could do," Tsukiyo continued.
"What is it? I'll do anything for Keima!" Kanon shouted.
Tsukiyo looked her in the eye. "Make sure everyone respects Keima, and if they can't, they must fear him."
"Yes. If our classmates can't treat him decently, they don't deserve a hero in their midst," Ayumi agreed. The more she thought about how high school treated Keima, the angrier she got.
"Yes. Keima must be the President of the Student Council! Keima deserves nothing less for saving the World!" Yui added.
"Yes, we are going to do that for him!" Chihiro said. "I'm glad I said yes when I was asked."
"Look, I know that separately, we already agreed to it. But today, together, let us promise that if we love Keima, we must do everything to make him School Council President!" Tsukiyo demanded.
All the girls shouted yes. It was an easy promise to make.
"Takahara?" asked Tsukiyo.
"I promise, on my life, I will do my best to make Keima President."
"Chihiro?"
"Yes. The Otamegane will be respected and feared. I will do my part! I promise to help."
"Nakagawa?"
"I promise. I will do everything for Keima! He will rule the school!"
"Goido?"
"Darling deserves to rule the school, even if the school does not deserve him."
"Ayukawa?"
"I'll do anything for Keima."
"Then it's settled. To show our gratitude, to give something back to the boy we love, we shall do everything possible to make him School Council President. Girls, I know we are rivals, and we can't wish each other success in our ultimate goal, but I'm glad that we can agree on this. Meeting adjourned."
With that, the girls motioned to leave the Astronomy Club, as lunchtime was nearly over.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Tsukiyo shouted, and the rest of them looked at the moon-lover.
"What is it, my lady?" Yui asked.
"There's only one person who could make Keima President. We can only help, but without her, we can't succeed."
And that made the girls freeze in place as the implication dawned on them.
"I know it's a difficult decision to make," Tsukiyo continued. "So I think we must consult our Goddesses. They know what's best for us and our love with Keima. Just remember that, above all else, Keima must be the President."
That was something the other girls could agree on as they left the Astronomy Club.
End of Flag XXVI
Appendix
Rule 1412 of New Hell.
Article 1. A female, hereinafter referred to as "girl", who had been possessed by devils of Old Hell by means of occupying the gap in the heart, for the purposes of reincarnating as the female's child, hereinafter called the "Weiss", shall be exorcised by a human member of the Spirit Capturing Squad, hereinafter called the "buddy", by means of filling the gap in the heart of the girl by whatever means possible.
Article 2. That the girl, after the Weiss had been extracted and captured by the devil supervising the member of the Spirit Capturing Squad, hereinafter referred to as the "devil", shall have her memories of the process of exorcising removed or replaced by whatever means by the buddy.
Article 3. That if the girl, after having her memories removed or replaced, remembered the events and the process of exorcism, including interactions with the buddy, through means other than being a host of a Goddess, her memories of her exorcism should again be removed. In addition, if she interacted with the buddy, all her memories of her interactions with the buddy since her exorcism shall be removed.
Article 4. That if the girl, after having her memories removed or replaced, gained knowledge of New Hell, or Goddesses, her memories of New Hell or Goddesses or other supernatural phenomena shall be removed. In addition, should the girl also have interactions with a buddy, all her memories of her interactions with the buddy shall also be removed.
Article 5. Provided, that for the above two articles, if the girl came under the supervision of the buddy (who was still under the supervision of the devil), then she shall be exempted from the removal of her memories. Provided that the girl consent to the restoration of all the lost memories if such memories were still lost to her. Provided that she agree when asked by the buddy to be under the supervision of the buddy. Provided that the buddy agrees to supervise the girl in question.
Article 6. If the girl who remembered and had the rest of her memories restored, rejected when asked to be under the supervision of the buddy, and/or if the buddy fails to agree, for reasons other than that which he has no control, to supervise the girl, then the devil assigned to the buddy shall, without any delay, remove the memories of the girl. Otherwise, the devil shall let the girl retain all her memories.
Article 7. The girl, before making the decision to come under supervision, must not be informed that the rejection of the offer of supervision would result in the removal of her memories. Otherwise, if so informed, her memories would be removed immediately regardless of her decision. If she agrees to come under supervision, she may be informed of the consequences of withdrawing from the buddy's supervision.
Article 8. A girl who agreed may withdraw from the buddy's supervision. In that case, the girl will lose all the memories of the exorcism, and all the interactions she had with the buddy, all devils, the goddesses, all other supernatural phenomena, since the beginning. Any mental damage shall be at the risk of the girl.
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
Tenri – After School Visit – 1 hour
Wednesday
Tenri - Morning Walk - 15 minutes
Kanon – Lunch – 1 hour
Tenri - Visit to Neighbor – 1 hour
Kanon – Night Event – 1 hour
Kanon – Night Event – 1 hour
Kanon – Night Event – 1 hour
Thursday
Tsukiyo – Lunch – 1 hour
Shiori – After School Event – 2 hours
Friday
Tenri – Morning Walk – 15 minutes
Total:
Tenri – 3 hours
Yui – 3 hours
Kanon – 3 hours
Chihiro – 1 hour
Tsukiyo – 1 hour
Shiori – 2 hours
Review Replies
To xellos540, thanks.
Well, pianists do wear formal wear during concerts. It was shown in the anime "Your Lie in April". I took a lot of inspiration from that anime if you're wondering for the Miyako arc.
Well, by this time, she was in love with him, even if only subconsciously. It was only a matter of accepting it.
"After the President's Practice"—I meant the Book and Games Club President Keima.
Akko and Saitou are still sidekicks. The reason I gave them surnames is that it would be awfully familiar for Asami to call them by their first names even if she barely knew them. So I gave surnames for Asami to call.
Oh yes, that's a great idea, as there really is a big schism between Middle and High Schoolers, all thanks to Kanon!
To Aoba, Kanon has a wig, but Apollo is actually casting a spell.
As for Tenri having a uniform, Keima did advice Tenri to get a uniform of his school, either borrowing from Elsie or Diana casting a spell. So Tenri borrowed Elsie's uniform so Tenri could easily sneak in, as only those who had business in the High School could attend the concert, like parents, fellow students, or judges.
Kanon does not actually know. She's just making an expression because so many middle schoolers attended the concert duet, so it seems to her that almost all middle-school attended. And her profession gave her a good understanding of crowd size by just looking at it.
Keima is not a famous piano player. They were referring to Miyako. If Keima is famous, it's because he's well known as Kanon's boyfriend, then brother.
As for stomping of the feet, they are middle-school students. They don't know the proper etiquette for this kind of events, and even if some do, they would be drowned out by the ignorant fans.
Yes, that's how Keima made himself care and passionate for what he is doing—first by playing a tune out his favorite game, and imagining the game as he played the piano. Quite effective, I might add.
I do wonder what Yui's parents might think about her having a piano in the house. But playing is ladylike! And perhaps they need to get her a private tutor! I wonder who it could be?
Yep, relatively speaking, she's way better than the other veterans, considering her situation.
Well, during the Mai-High Festival, everyone wanted Kanon's autograph, and kinda forgot the other players. Let's just say the 2B Pencils became irrelevant in their own concert once Kanon showed up and hogged all the spotlight, even if that was not Kanon's intention.
I don't think Aoba will let him drop the act. Anyway, he only has to keep up the nice act until he graduates from high school, which would happen in one year.
Well, Utube is as smart as PFP and WcDonald's! XD
Yes, the other girls would get jealous at Aoba's ability to make Keima do things. And it would get worse when they find out that Aoba's in love with him all along.
Haqua probably admired Katsuragi for his genius, but would die before she would outwardly admit it.
Haqua knows about Aoba's plans for Keima and the presidency. She listened in to Aoba and Yui's conversation while she was invisible—that's how she got to know about Kaori's involvement. And Dokuro told Haqua to assist Aoba in whatever way possible without revealing her reasons why.
You're right about the reason why Keima's image with middle school was like Minami's conquest.
Yep. Haqua was planning to removing all the memories of those who were connected to the conquest. But now, that's out of the question because it's directly related to helping Aoba make Keima President.
Yep! Infighting in the club! Good thing both Minami and Asami are really nice girls so it won't get out of hand. Plus, Aoba could manage both girls if it came to that.
Yep! Aoba's really underestimating how hard it is to be at the center of the schedule.
"Kousei Arima" is the name of the MC of "Your Lie in April", a piano themed anime. As to how Keima got the note, Keima emailed him and told him about Miyako's situation. He asked him to write a handwritten letter, scan it, and sent the picture by attachment. Then he printed the handwritten letter and gave that to Miyako. The reason for it being handwritten is so Miyako would know it's genuine.
Yep. Miyako's conquests is a bit like a combination of Ayumi, Chihiro, and Kanon's conquests. And Miyako was in love with Keima long before this, she just admitted it to herself at that point in time.
Nope, Aoba was not aware that she should not be watching. Because she should not be. The seven girls of the schedule personally asked Keima permission to watch, and Keima gave it. Yui waited until the last minute to invite her.
Elsie's supposed to invite the girls before the conquest of Miyako, but Elsie simply had not gotten around to it. So she decided to take advantage of the fact that all seven girls are there to make her job easier. And yes, it put pressure on the poor girls. But Mari herself said that those who can't attend should drop out, so it's better that the girls know the consequences of non-attendance.
It's a really good thing that Keima kept repeating to the girls that he will kiss Miyako, and that they might be hurt. Imagine if the seven girls caught Keima kissing Miyako without any warning! At least they can't blame Keima for this.
Well, it might not look that terrible to readers of the manga and watchers of the anime. But the girls have not seen any supernatural phenomena other than their goddesses (and some members of Vintage). But they never saw a Weiss before. And combine that to the fact that they saw it emerge out of Miyako, and it was a terrifying experience. Because if any normal human saw a ghost-like creature emerge out of the blue from a girl, it would be very terrifying, especially as how a Weiss fit the stereotypical appearance of a formless ghost.
Heh, Aoba doesn't mean harm in referring to what she was seeing as a cheap chick flick. Let's just say she's watched more than a few and saw many similarities.
Oh yes! That would really make the girls jealous. Good thing that they're still in shock from seeing the Weiss, so hell didn't break loose yet.
As for Miyako, we will see her state post conquest, but that's all for her as an active character. I'm glad that arc is finished, but at least her conquest has long term consequences for the other characters.
There's a reason Aoba was invited. But we don't know Mari's reason yet. But that puts all of them in the same place at the same time. We'll see what happens.
To UknownHero, thanks.
Yes, A lot of the previous chapters had been building for the duet and the aftermath, and the succeeding chapters will build off the events of Flag 25. As for who the next conquest is, just wait. But it's someone in the canon already (in the manga, at least).
As for who will end up in the schedule next, just read the next few chapters.
To Premium kawai, thank you very much.
As for your question, yes, in some cases, the girls with Weiss gain powers, or get deformed (like Kanon's invisibility or Hinoki becoming a giant) but in other cases, nothing happened (like Chihiro, Shiori, Sumire, Jun Nagase). Miyako is in the latter category, so she gained no powers.
Thanks for asking!