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.
Thanks to xellos540 for the beta job!
Summary of the last chapter
Keima talks to the girls after the duet. Aoba makes her decision and so does Keima. Keima makes a bargain with Haqua. Miyako feels very nice the next day. Yui and Tsukiyo plot. Tsukiyo talks to the other girls.
ARC III – THE DISCIPLE
Flag XXVII
A New Normal
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 296 – Librarian Hour
Meanwhile…
Shiori Shiomiya had one hour left for the week as Keima Katsuragi entered the library and headed to her desk. Luckily, no one was allowed to borrow books during lunchtime—thus, they won't be interrupted.
And unlike before, he had no idea what to expect. After what happened the night before, anything could happen. He needed to take control of things, or it could get ugly. Luckily, Shiori Shiomiya was not a difficult girl to deal with.
…
Shiori looked nervously as Keima Katsuragi approached her desk. Her view of him was changed. If it were possible to be even more in love with him than she already was, she would be in that state. Because what she was looking at was no longer the game nerd who happened to be her beloved. What she was looking at was a great hero who risked everything to save her. To be told about the Weiss and the process of capturing it was one thing. To witness it with her own eyes was a whole new experience.
How she misjudged him. Thinking about the thoughts she harbored about him—she was ashamed at how she called him names when all that he was doing was saving her.
She was going to make it up to him.
…
"Hello, Shiori," Keima greeted as the librarian looked at him. He could see through her eyes that she adored him even more than before. Her cheeks were flushed red.
"Katsuragi! Um…"
"What are we going to do today?"
Shiori looked up at him and made her decision. She stood up and walked in front of him and tried grabbing the sleeve of his red jacket. She 'missed' and grabbed his hand instead.
She gasped as she felt his warm hands, but shook her head as she made the best of the situation and pulled him along.
"Where are we going?" Keima asked, but she did not answer as she pulled him to a room with a "SOUNDPROOF" sign above. It was the same room that she had brought him to before.
They sat opposite each other around a table in the center of the room.
In the middle of the table were three bento lunches.
"For you," Shiori whispered, pushing the lunches to Keima.
"Thank you," the gamer said, getting two and pushing one to Shiori. She was too nervous that she fumbled giving him the bentos.
"No. Th-th-three bentos are for you," the librarian squeaked as she got a bag from under the table and retrieved a bento lunch and opened it. "This is mine."
"Three? For me?"
"Yes. You're a hero... for saving all of us... from that monster. T-t-t-thank you," Shiori whispered. Minerva had told her that during the week, all the girls had given Keima two bentos. So, she must up the ante by giving him three bentos! She wondered if they were too much, but then remembered from a library book that teenage boys eat far more than teenage girls.
"It's nothing. I'm no hero. I'm only doing it because if I don't, I'll die," he answered.
"I-I-I don't care. Maybe before, but now, you'll do it to save us too," Shiori insisted. "You care for us."
Keima did not have the heart to deny Shiori's assertion, so he just nodded. But he only cared for the girls he had already conquered. He would not have given a thought for other girls who were possessed if it were not for his collar.
Shiori gave a small smile. "See? Y-y-you care..."
Keima nodded as he quickly ate his lunch. Shiori ate hers slowly.
…
Part 297 – Shiori's Decision
Keima was full. Three bentos! It was almost too much.
Almost.
"That was delicious!" he complimented.
Shiori blushed even more.
"So, what do you want to do next?" Keima asked as he rubbed his very full stomach. "Although, please don't make it too strenuous, or I might get a stomachache!"
"D-d-d-don't worry," Shiori assured as he got something from under the table. It was a book covered in a cloth.
Keima knew what it was, yet that didn't lessen the impact when he removed the cover.
One Leaf!
"Yokkyun! Oh, how I missed you!" he shouted as he got the heavy book, hugged it, and jumped a few times.
Keima put the book on the table and shook her hands. "Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me read it again!"
He finished by giving Shiori a quick peck to her cheeks, making her even redder in the face.
"So, do you want me to read it for you?"
"Um. No. Just read it on your own."
"Are you sure? It's your time, you know."
"Yes. I want you to be happy in my time. S-s-s-seeing you happy makes me happy."
"Thank you, Shiori!" he nodded as he opened the book and started where he left off.
…
As Keima began reading the book, Shiori took her novel manuscript and began working on it. But she could not concentrate as she was too distracted by Keima. She ended up staring at Keima's face as he read.
Katsuragi, you're so cute when you're so happy. I'm so glad you're happy. You deserve it after what happened yesterday. I'm not even mad that you kissed Miyako Terada. After all, Katsuragi, you will only kiss her once, while you already kissed me lots of times, and you'll kiss me a lot more from now on. I'm glad I watched it. Yes, Keima, you can have as many girls as you like as long you don't forget about me, as long as you choose me in the end. Then you will only kiss me.
…
Keima looked at the clock. It was fifteen minutes to the end of Shiori's time.
Time to enact his plan.
"Shiori?"
"Katsuragi?"
"I know you are confused about Aoba Fuse. But on Saturday, you girls will have to decide whether or not Aoba Fuse should be in the schedule. I won't tell you how to vote or what I want. You will vote as you wish."
Shiori nodded. I know you want Aoba Fuse to be in the schedule. No matter what you say, I know it to be true. And just for you, I'll vote for her.
Because if I don't, Fuse will lose her memories. And I know Fuse won't like that. She has been such a great help to me. One Leaf and the game novelization was her idea to help me. I can't abandon her just because we both love the same boy. Because Fuse is my close friend. I don't like to lose her as a friend.
And I know that you don't want to lose your disciple too.
Besides, just because Aoba has a chance does not mean Aoba will win in the end. I will win Katsuragi at the end, just you wait.
The only way I'll vote against Aoba is if you order me to vote against her. And thank you for not telling me to do that, Katsuragi.
"Don't worry. I'll do what's best for all of us," Shiori answered.
"Please ask Minerva for advice, and if possible, follow what she has to say?" Keima asked.
That made Shiori confused. Surely, you know that Minerva would not like another competitor. Please don't do that, Keima.
"What we like to happen, Shiori, isn't always what's best. Sometimes, we need to know how outsiders see it. For example, your Goddess could see things that you can't. So please, please, ask Minerva what's best for you. Ask what's best for Shiori Shiomiya, not Keima Katsuragi. Your heart may think that what's best for me is what's best for you, but that's not always true. Promise me that."
"Are you sure, Katsuragi?"
"Yes. Please only make your decision after consulting with Minerva. I'd be delighted if you did so."
"Okay, Katsuragi. I promise I'll ask Minerva how I should vote if that's what you want."
"Thank you," said Keima.
It was a relief for Keima. Looking at her eyes and how she acted, he was almost sure that she would vote for Aoba. Keima knew that Shiori heard Haqua threaten to take away Aoba's memories. Damn it, Haqua! Why did it have to happen in front of them? So maybe Shiori will be swayed by Minerva to vote against Aoba. But even if Minerva fails, he knew that Minerva herself would vote against Aoba.
His plan could not fail! Those Goddesses were greedy and petty creatures! There was no way they would vote for Aoba!
…
Part 298 – The Future Library Committee Head
"Um, Katsuragi?"
"Yes, Shiori?" Keima answered as Shiori's time ended.
"Um, uh, I memorized the rules of the schedule!" she announced meekly.
"Really?"
"Yes!" the librarian answered, and she began reciting it. Minerva insisted that not only she memorize it but show it to Keima. The Goddess told her that Keima would like it very much.
Keima was not surprised that she was able to commit the rules to memory. If she was able to memorize every book in the library, then the rules were nothing to her. Still, that gave her positive points in his book. It showed that Shiori cared about him enough to memorize the rules.
"Thank you, Shiori, for that. Well, look at the time. Five minutes until the end of the hour. We need to hurry for class."
Shiori nodded. She was happy for the hour that transpired, yet sad that she will not have more alone time with him until the next week. But it was already Friday, so she would not have to wait that long. And she would still see him on the sleepover at his place.
She walked to the door of the room, with Keima behind her. She was about to open the door when she was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders and spun around, so she was facing Keima. Before she could process what happened, his lips crashed into his as his hands held her head to fix it in place.
Her surprise was total as she closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him down, and pushed herself up at the same time. It was as long as their last kiss, only breaking when they needed to breathe.
She looked at his smiling face, and she suddenly gave him a hug—a short bear hug, but an intense one that would have crushed him had she been stronger.
She separated from him, turned around, and left the room, followed by Keima.
"Shiori, I promise you that you will be the head of the Library Committee next year."
Shiori was happy as a lark. "R-r-r-really? T-t-t-thank you." And she believed him too. After all, Aoba Fuse would make him the School Council President, and the librarian would help the girl genius in making Keima win.
As for Keima, he was determined to acquire that One Leaf novelization. His thoughts came back to his problem of finding a suitable candidate for School Council President. He needed someone who could win yet would do what he says—but who?
Kanon's career would make it impossible. Who else, among the girls of the schedule, would be popular enough to win? Ayumi and Yui! If he could persuade either of them to run, she could easily win!
…
Shiori had already separated from Keima when she ran into Tsukiyo.
"Miss Kujo!" Shiori greeted her friend.
"Shiomiya! I need to talk to you."
"But, class is about to start!"
"Don't worry. I have it on good authority that your next teacher would be late. Don't worry. I'll be brief."
"So, is it about Miss Fuse?"
"No. It's about Katsuragi. Listen, tell me, what do you think of Katsuragi after seeing him capture the loose soul?"
…
Part 299 – Aoba Explains
"Secretary!"
"Senpai!"
Asami and Minami stood and bowed as Aoba Fuse entered the Book and Games Club room for lunch.
Seeing them gave the girl genius more headaches. She remembered her solemn promise to both girls—that she would help them get a chance with the Divine One—which meant in practice that she would get them to join the schedule. Now that Aoba realized that she was in love with him, the girl gamer wanted to pull her hair out for making such a rash promise!
…
"Senpai Katsuragi was so wonderful!" Minami exclaimed as they were eating lunch. They were around the center table. "Senpai Terada was too! I mean, is it true that Terada taught the Club President all that he knows about the piano?"
"It is. Miyako Terada is a very talented girl—both as a pianist and as a teacher."
"So why did you ask me to congratulate her too?" the middle-school girl asked.
"Because if I didn't, no one would go to Terada except her parents. They all went to the Divine One because he's already famous—he's connected to Kanon, after all," the genius answered.
Minami nodded. "I guess that makes sense."
"So Ikoma, how's the Master doing in middle school?"
"He's the most popular guy in middle school! I don't think I'd be exaggerating if I say that all of the middle school girls are in love with him! And he's popular with guys too. They're all talking about how nice he is, how kind and gentle he is."
Aoba chuckled. "So unlike the Divine One."
"Yes, but that does not matter," Asami interjected. "We buried all those nasty rumors about Katsuragi—in middle school, at least. But I'm worried that he'd act all rude to a middle-schooler and destroy everything we did."
"Don't worry. I'm sure that the Master won't do that. At least not until we graduate."
Asami and Minami nodded.
"Speaking of Katsuragi, Secretary, if you don't mind me asking, you told us you'd help both of us, but only to have a chance. What do you mean? Both of us can't win him, right?" Asami quietly queried.
Aoba sighed. Luckily, she was prepared for an explanation. "Okay. But before I start, promise me that you won't tell anyone what I'm going to say, okay?"
"I promise, Secretary."
"I promise too, Senpai."
"Thank you. What I am about to tell you is unbelievable, crazy, fantastic, out of this world, but it's true."
"Does it have something to do with aliens, espers, and time-travelers?" Asami asked in a humorous mood.
"No. So just listen. The Divine One loves his sister. He loves her very much. So much so that he is wrapped around his little sister's finger," Aoba began, "He really can't refuse her anything."
"I didn't know that," Asami commented. "I didn't think they were that close, as he always acts angry at her at school."
"Senpai Elsie just transferred over, right? So I never thought that they were that close," Minami added.
"Well, he's in denial, but the reappearance of her sister affected him so much. And despite his actions, deep down, he cannot refuse Elsie anything."
"But what does that have to do with us having a chance?" Asami asked.
"Because one of Elsie's quirks is her penchant for helping people in trouble. Specifically, girls. She just couldn't help it. When she sees a girl in trouble, she wants to help. The Divine One is different. He couldn't care less about people. He only wants to play games, and he wouldn't notice that the world is burning until his PFP gets fried in the said apocalypse. He's rude and anti-social, but you already know that."
Both clubmates nodded.
"Elsie wanted to help girls. So, she asked his brother to help the girls out of their troubles."
"What do you mean, troubles?"
"Oh, you know, the usual teen troubles. For example, a girl who does everything perfectly but was bored out of her mind, and he taught her a new activity which gave her life meaning. Or one time when a rich girl was too restricted by her rich activities, so he showed her a new kind of life, and she joined a band. Or a librarian who can't talk at all and he showed her how to talk. But there is one problem with it. Can you guess?"
"Katsuragi doesn't know people that well, and his personality isn't that of a helper," Asami theorized.
"Correct. But what does he know above all else?"
Minami pondered. "Play dating sims?"
"And he knows it extremely well. And what do you do in dating sims? You make the girl fall in love with you by helping her with her problems. So that's how he helped girls that Elsie pointed him to—he solves the girls' problem, but in such a way that the girl always fell in love with him. And don't blame the Master about it—he doesn't know any other way to help girls, and he can't refuse his sister."
"Oh, that's terrible! Why don't we talk to Elsie about it?" Asami wondered. "She's making him break the hearts of all those girls."
"Well, Elsie is stubborn. She doesn't care that many girls fall in love with her brother—in fact, she positively delights in it! When she transferred in, what was the first thing she said?" Aoba asked. "Yoshino, can you tell me since you're her classmate?"
Asami pondered a bit. "She told us that all girls in our school would fall in love with him. The class laughed at her and Katsuragi."
"It seems Elsie wanted to fulfill her own prophecy," Aoba added. "Anyway, not all girls were thrilled to discover that they fell in love with the Master. Because he's known as the bespectacled nerd—the Otamegane. It would be so embarrassing. So much so that they forcibly removed from their brains the fact that they even were helped by the Divine One."
"But that's impossible! How can they forget their first love?"
"I know that sounds impossible, but it's true. But not every girl did that. Some girls weren't embarrassed and wanted to pursue him. But the Master treated them as if they also forgot about him. He did not have time for real girls! But the girls did not give up. They went to Elsie. Together with Haqua, Elsie's best friend, she came up with a solution."
"I don't believe it!" Asami exclaimed. "Katsuragi made girls fall in love with him, and then he just left them?"
"Most of the girls wanted to forget about it, and it's not like he wanted to do it. He had no choice since he also cared about the well-being of those girls. He made it clear to those girls that he did not love them, but they still chased after him. So the girls went to Elsie, who they knew was responsible for the entire thing. They all wanted a chance at him."
"I can't believe that about Elsie! She sounds so evil, but she looks so sweet!" Minami whispered.
Part 300 – Decisions and Choices
"Elsie meant no harm," Aoba continued. "For personal reasons that I don't know of, the Divine One cannot have a girlfriend for the next five years. He advised them that if they want him, that they should wait, and after five years, he'll make a decision. They agreed to wait but demanded that they be able to spend time with him so they could win his heart at the end of five years. Elsie and Haqua agreed, and they constructed the schedule."
Asami was bewildered. "Schedule?"
"Yes. The Master agreed to spend three hours per week with each girl for the next five years. He has to spend time with the girls, no questions asked, and the girls will get to choose what activity they'll do. The catch is, outside their three hours, the girls have no right to interact with him without any valid reason. That's the schedule. And get this. The Divine One will not choose anyone outside the schedule. So to have even the slightest chance, a girl must be part of the schedule."
Minami gasped. "Wait. How many girls?"
"Seven," Aoba said as she got a paper and pen. "Want to know who they are?"
Asami and Minami looked at each other.
And nodded.
Aoba wrote seven names on the paper.
And both girls' eyes widened.
"Wait! Wait! Kanon's part of it? I thought she only thinks of Senpai as her brother?"
"It's a ruse to keep Kanon's fans from tearing the Divine One apart. Just imagine what would happen if they think he's two-timing her—it would be a disaster."
"And here I thought Takahara and Kosaka were just his friends because of Elsie," Asami muttered. "He got Kanon and Takahara and Yui Goido, three of the most eligible girls in school!"
She got discouraged. She found her task even more formidable than before.
"So, all the high school girls in the front row during the duet are in the schedule, Senpai Fuse?"
"Yes, Ikoma. So now you know what I mean by chance. What I can do is to work for your inclusion in the schedule. Once you're in, the Divine One is required to spend time with you. But, of course, you have to share him with seven other girls during the next five years. You can't complain that he's cheating, as long as it's with another girl belonging to the schedule."
"That sounds like a cheesy harem light novel," Asami commented.
Aoba nodded. "It's a literal harem. It's almost unheard of in games, to be honest. But that's your only choice. So, now that you know what you're getting into, would you still want to join the schedule?"
Both girls looked at each other as Aoba pondered. To the genius, it did not matter which choice they made. She needed them to learn the truth so that they would have no illusions or misunderstandings about being part of the schedule. In fact, a part of her wished they would be discouraged and back out. That was one reason she had no hesitation telling the downsides of going after Keima Katsuragi.
"But this is the only choice if I even want a chance with him, right? If I get it, he'll consider me as a candidate too, right? He'll think about me, right?" Asami asked.
"Yes. But let me warn you. After five years, each of you will only have an 11% chance of being chosen, meaning that you would have an 89% chance of heartbreak if you choose this route."
Minami was confused. "Huh? 11%? Why so specific?"
"One out of nine is 11%. If you two got in the schedule, that's nine girls the Divine can choose from. The more girls there are, the less chance each girl has of being chosen. So, do you still want to join the schedule?"
Asami did not hesitate. "Eleven percent is better than zero. I can wait," she whispered. "I can share him in the meantime as long as he'll be mine at the end."
Minami, who began to have doubts about the wisdom of it all, became galvanized by Asami's decision. "Yes. I'll take it. Maybe I'll lose. Most probably, my heart will be broken in the end. But perhaps I will win. I want to try and fail, rather than not try at all and regret it for the rest of my life. I won't be able to live with myself if I let this chance pass. Yes, I'll take it."
Aoba nodded.
"So, how do I get in the schedule?" Minami asked.
"The Divine One, Elsie, Haqua, and each of the seven girls must vote for you to join. Here's my advice. You should be nice and honest with them. Do not lie to them, especially about your feelings for the Master. Otherwise, they would never vote for you."
"But wouldn't telling them that I'm in love with him make them mad?" Asami wondered.
"Maybe. But it's worse if you lie that you don't like him, then they later find out about the truth. It's better to be upfront and honest," the genius argued. "But don't worry. If they can be friendly with six other girls who love the Divine One, one or two more wouldn't hurt. Anyway, I'll discuss the rest later. Let's talk about other things."
The two other girls agreed.
…
Part 301 – The Warning
Later that afternoon…
The first thing that Aoba Fuse noticed after she entered the Books and Games Club after classes was Asami in a hysterical mood.
"Secretary! Please, you've got to do something!"
Aoba Fuse just looked at the girl with the side ponytail.
Minami was also in a panic but did not say anything.
"What's going on?" asked the girl genius.
"I heard, I heard from some of my classmates that they're gonna beat up Keima Katsuragi."
That got the blue-haired girl's attention. "Who told you that? How are you sure they aren't lying to you?"
"I know her. She hasn't lied to me before. I trust her."
"So, what did she say? Who's planning on beating up the Divine One? When will it happen? How?"
Asami looked at the floor. "Well, remember the delinquent trio that Kanon humiliated last Wednesday? Those three, plus a couple of other boys and a few girls as well, planned on ambushing him on the way home. They're outside school, right now."
"Exactly how many?"
"About six or seven boys. There's the trio, and the rest would be third years."
"But why?" the genius asked.
"It has something to do with the duet last night. They resented him for becoming even more popular. They hated it that he was 'fooling' the middle schoolers by acting nice. They thought that he's up to something, and they want to teach him a lesson."
"And to take out their frustration on everything that's happened since Kanon confessed," Aoba Fuse muttered.
"What do we do, Senpai?" Minami asked. "I don't want him to be hurt."
Aoba was deep in thought when suddenly, it came to her. "I have an idea."
Before the two other girls could speak, the door opened, and Elsie entered. "Good afternoon!" she greeted cheerfully.
"You two," Aoba ordered, pointing at Asami and Minami, "stay here. Elly, come with me."
"Huh?" was the only thing that Elsie could say before Aoba dragged her out.
"What's happening?" asked a confused Elsie as they went to the rooftop.
"I'll tell you later. For now, I just want you to call Haqua du Lot Herminium."
"Haqua?"
"Yes. I saw everything, remember? I know you and Haqua are devils! Please, call her! Keima Katsuragi is in danger!"
"Oh my God! That's serious! Yes, yes," Elsie exclaimed and called for the valedictorian.
A few seconds later, Haqua flew in riding her scythe.
"Haqua!" Aoba exclaimed as the purple-haired girl landed.
"Fuse."
"Thank you for coming. I need to know something. Can you tell me your powers as a devil?"
"Why do you need to know that?"
"The Divine One is in danger."
"What?"
"If you don't tell me what your powers are, then we won't be able to save him."
"Just tell me what's the danger, and I'll save him," Haqua declared.
"No. Tell me what your powers are first, then I'll tell you how you can save him."
"Just tell me what's the problem!" Haqua insisted. "I don't have time for games."
"Can you turn invisible?"
"What does that have—"
"Haqua, if you care what happens to Keima Katsuragi, and if you want to save him, you will answer me! Do you want him to be hurt?"
"Why should I care if that doofus is hurt? Fine, yes, I can turn invisible."
"Can you also hurt normal humans like me?"
"Of course, I can!"
"How about defending against blows? Can you cast a shield or an invisible armor over someone?"
"Yes, I can."
"And I can do all those too!" Elsie interjected. "And I want to help too!"
And Aoba asked a couple more questions about Haqua's abilities.
After the girl gamer was satisfied with Haqua's answers, she nodded. "Good. Thank you. Now, Elsie, Haqua, here's my plan."
…
Keima Katsuragi had just entered his club after finishing cleaning duty. He saw Aoba Fuse, Elsie, Asami, and Minami waiting.
"Divine One, I need to tell you something. Ikoma, Yoshino, can you please stay out for a while?"
Asami and Minami nodded before going out.
"Huh? What's happening?" asked Keima when it was only him, Aoba, and Elsie remaining in the room. Haqua joined them by flying through the window.
"There are a group of boys who are going to ambush you when you leave school," Aoba informed. "They want to teach you a lesson."
"Because of the duet, I bet. And they're jealous of me—typical parsleys. And thank you for that warning. I know what I have to do," he answered.
"Really?"
Keima smirked. "Now that you know everything, I can tell you that Elsie here can create a magic carpet. I'll just turn invisible and fly away. Or just turn invisible and walk by. You have nothing to worry about, my disciple."
"That's a brilliant idea, even if it's only a temporary one," Aoba complimented. "But I'm afraid they'll just try again tomorrow."
"Yes. But what can I do? Those background characters don't know when to quit. I'll just lay low until they get bored."
The disciple was apprehensive. "Sooner or later, they will catch you."
"If they do, so what? I've been beaten up many times now, and it has not dented my spirit. What do they want? Do those delinquents think that I would change? That I would give in to the real just by inflicting physical violence on me! Ha! I am of the ideal, and I am better than every single one of those real people! I am the player, and they are just stupid and useless background characters."
"I'm glad you're still so humble, Katsuragi," Haqua snarked.
"Still, I have a suggestion, if you don't mind a little violence," Aoba suggested.
"What? Do you want me to get beaten up again?"
"No, no, no. This time, you should be the one to inflict violence on them."
Keima gave a funny look at the blue-haired girl before laughing. "Look, I may be perfect in the ideal, but even I know I'm just a scrawny, weak boy who sucks at the practical portion of P.E.! Me beating them up is the funniest joke I've heard!"
"But if you can, Divine One, would you?"
"Of course! I'd teach them to mess with the ideal! I'd show the school how useless those background characters are! But that's not going to happen! I'd just look like a fool."
"In that case, if you are willing to listen, Master, I have a plan."
Keima looked at Aoba's eyes, and those eyes were on fire.
"I'm all ears."
"Remember what happened in My Girl is Actually a Fairy? How did the player save the heroine? You'll do as the player did in that game."
And it became clear to him what Aoba had in mind. "I guess it would be fun to act out that game!" he laughed.
…
Part 302 – The Puppet
There was a crowd of high-school students who followed Keima Katsuragi—accompanied by Asami Yoshino and Aoba Fuse—as he walked down the stairs, through the Mai-High grounds, and past the gate. There, he was surrounded by six boys with murderous intent. They were the delinquent trio and three third-year boys.
"So you think that just because you won that duet with Terada, you're a big shot, Otamegane!" one boy shouted as he grabbed his cravat.
"Stop it!" Asami shouted as a crowd gathered around them to shield the view of the beating from outsiders.
"Stay out of this!" one of the boys warned Asami, who retreated in fear. She felt Aoba hold her shoulder.
The genius whispered, "Yoshino, now."
Frightened, Asami took her camcorder from her bag and began to record what was happening in front of them.
"Please let me pass," Keima requested in a polite tone as soon as he noticed the video recorder was turned on.
Which only infuriated the boys.
"Don't act nice, Otamegane!" another boy shouted before he punched the gamer in the face, sending him to the floor with a bloody nose.
He stood up and wiped the blood from his nose. "Why are you doing this? What did I do wrong?" Keima asked in a hurt tone.
"Don't give us that! You know damn well why!" the third-year boy shouted as he punched Keima in the gut, sending him to the ground once more.
"Please stop!" Keima begged as he stood up. "I don't want to fight!"
"Beat him up!" one high-school girl among the crowd shouted, encouraging the bullies. "He's just playing possum!"
"Yeah! Teach that Otamegane a lesson!" another girl shouted.
"Please back away," Keima shouted as he made a fist on his hand.
"Haha! What are you going to do? Punch me? Give me a break!" another boy said.
Keima gritted his teeth and swung his fist towards the guy who punched him in the gut.
The boy moved to dodge the sloppily thrown punch, but something happened, and he was unable to move. And the punch connected on his shoulder.
And to the utter shock of everyone, that guy was thrown by the force of the punch. The guy found himself writhing on the ground, his hand on his shoulder, screaming like he had been shot.
"What? Since when could the Otamegane punch?" one third-year boy exclaimed as he sent a punch to Keima's face.
Keima deftly dodged it as he punched the boy in the cheek, sending him to the ground, acting as if a truck hit him.
The third guy gave a kick to Keima's back, but to his utter shock, it had no effect.
"You'll pay for that!" Keima shouted as he grabbed the leg and swung him over his head into the fourth guy who tried to attack.
Only Aoba Fuse could see what was really going on. An invisible Haqua was above him. The valedictorian was controlling the body of Keima with strings like a puppet master, making him move like an experienced fighter. Elsie was in the crowd, discreetly sending magic attacks on the people hit by Keima so it would seem that his punches were doing damage. And she also cast a spell that covered Keima with an invisible shield that negated any damage to his body. Haqua had also cast a spell that would hinder the movements of the six bullies.
After a minute, it was all over. The six bullies were in a heap, beaten up and utterly terrified of Keima. He looked at the crowd with fire in his eyes. "I hope you learned your lesson."
"Turn the camcorder off," Aoba whispered to Asami.
And Keima's manner changed from humble to arrogant in an instant.
"If anybody tries to attack me, they will end up like those six background characters! They will end up like those mobs I beat up in games! So, anyone of you wants to fight me?" Keima shouted as the expression of his face showed a menacing look.
The crowd around him backed away, and when Keima glowered ominously and raised his fist, they bolted in all directions, terrified that the Otamegane would beat them up.
"Yoshino, spread that video around so that people would know that they attacked the Master first. This is all self-defense, so he should not get in trouble," Aoba said to Asami, who was shaking.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Asami," Keima apologized as someone jumped and hugged him.
"Are you all right? I was so worried! Serves them right—those mean bullies! Try to beat up my Divine Brother, were they? They got what's coming to them!" Elsie asserted as Keima pried her off him.
"I'm fine. Can you please let go, Elsie?" he demanded.
"Katsuragi, I never knew you could fight," his classmate said as she put away the camcorder.
"Asami, fighting is a waste of energy I'd rather spend on playing games. It's part of the real, and I can't be bothered doing it. But those bullies left me no choice. Besides, you're right that it's better this way—at least they won't try anything after this."
Asami was curious. "So how did you learn how to fight like that?"
"I was a disciple of Senpai Kusonoki Kasuga," he answered without saying more.
Asami beamed. "Wow! You were a student of the great martial artist? No wonder you handled those bullies so easily!"
Aoba nodded. "And from now on, those who can't like you will fear you. They will leave you alone, and they will do as you tell them to."
"Thanks. Hopefully, none of those real people will bother me again," he stated to the girls accompanying him.
"Yes. We'll spread rumors that you're skilled in fighting, and you're ready to beat up all of those who say bad things to you," Aoba added.
"Are you sure that will work?" Asami asked.
"Don't worry. I've done this plenty of times—in games. It always works," Keima assured as he retrieved his PFP and played. "It always changes the opinion of the rest of the background characters and makes conquering the heroine even easier."
…
Part 303 – Slip of the Tongue
The first thing that happened after Keima Katsuragi arrived on an isolated part of the school grounds, near the back entrance, was a girl suddenly jumping from a corner, wrapping her arms around his neck, and crashing her lips to his.
He was shocked. He expected that from Yui Goido, but not from the girl currently pressing her lips to his—Ayumi Takahara. He was caught off-balance, and the momentum of the runner's movement meant both fell to the ground, but Ayumi, who ended up on top, did not flinch as her grip was iron, and her lips just pressed further. It led to an awkward scene with both on the ground and Ayumi on top of him, still kissing him.
It was Ayumi's time. She had two hours.
The last time Ayumi had spent time with Keima was Tuesday, and the last time she had kissed him was on Monday, both in the previous week. And hearing from the other girls how they spent time with Keima, especially how they kissed him, made her very jealous. She wanted to kiss him so badly.
Seeing him kiss Miyako and Aoba kiss Keima in front of her only made her even more jealous and more desperate. She was hungry for Keima.
It was already Friday of the second week, and she missed him so much.
It was only when she could not breathe anymore did she stop. But she did not let go of him. She breathed deeply and then kissed him again on the lips.
Keima was dazed as his brain melted from too much physical contact. Kissing, he could handle, but their positions were so awkward that he froze as his weakness for physical contact activated. Still, he could not deny that Ayumi's kisses were nice. And since he did not want to lower her affection points, he just received the kiss, and near the end, wrapped her hands around her back, and kissed her back a little before they broke off, gasping for breath.
After the second kiss, Ayumi suddenly stood up.
"What was that about?" Keima asked as he got up and dusted his clothes.
"I missed you," Ayumi shyly uttered without remorse. "It's been nearly two weeks since the last date."
"So if it's three weeks, you'd kiss me thrice then?" he asked sardonically.
Ayumi did not answer, but the look on her eyes showed that it was something she'd likely do now that he mentioned it.
"Never mind, Ayumi. Where do you like to go?"
The runner smiled as she grabbed his hand. "I've just got the place!"
…
Keima had to admit that Ayumi had good taste. They were in a restaurant—it was fancy, but not too expensive, so that it won't be too much of a burden for his M-funds. They were seated in a booth by the window.
"Remember, Ayumi, to outsiders, we're not really on a date," Keima reminded.
"I know. I'm just being nice to Elsie's brother," the athlete affirmed. But she knew that it was a flimsy excuse by this point. Unlike the other ruses, it was weak. Who says you can't date the brother of your best friend? Already, she was hearing rumors that Ayumi was using Elsie to get close to 'Kanon's brother' and 'Terada's duet partner'.
"Are you sure it's wise not to use a spell to change our appearance?" Keima asked.
"I have faith in your ruses," Ayumi answered.
Keima wished he thought of better ruses. It was so apparent to the passerby that they were dating! Thinking back at it, he could have thought of better excuses than 'she just wants to be nice to my sister'.
"Maybe we can say that we're doing homework or something?" he proposed.
"Sure, sure," Ayumi answered, confident that nothing Keima could say would dissuade rumor-mongering tongues. And for her, this was an opportunity. She already knew that Keima dated Tenri Ayukawa openly, but that was in a magic show in Narusawa City and nobody who knew either of them noticed. As for Shiori, Keima had Shiori bring her manuscript, so to the world, they were just working outside.
Not today! She was dating him in a place where many people could see them! She was openly staking a claim to him in the public's eye. Seeing people, including some of her classmates, pass by the window, and looking at them like they're a couple made her smile.
She might privately accept that she's just one girl in the schedule, but hopefully, the outsiders will think that she's Keima's girlfriend! That would give her such a significant advantage over all the others!
"So Ayumi, about last night—"
"Keima, you are a true hero. I saw a loose soul, and—it was terrifying. It's like those monsters you see in horror flicks, but it's much worse! You're so brave fighting to capture those things. I want to witness all other conquests from now on!"
"Are you sure? Weren't you hurt when you saw me kiss Miyako?"
"I was. It hurt so much. But you warned me, so I was prepared. And what're my feelings compared to Miyako's life? I want to numb myself to the pain. If I can't do that, I can't be the girl that you need, Keima."
"Ayumi—"
"And I'll help you conquer other girls with loose souls too! Please include me in your plans once you find another girl that needs saving! Please!"
Keima sighed. "I guess I have no choice then."
…
"Hey Ayumi, you're a pretty popular girl in school, right?" Keima asked as they were finishing their meal.
"Me? Popular?"
"Of course! Surely, you noticed?"
"I guess I am kinda popular. Why do you ask?"
"I need you to do me a favor."
"Favor?"
"Yes. I would be pleased if you can do this for me."
"It depends, my husband," Ayumi coyly answered.
Keima wanted to correct her, but Ayumi might not accommodate him if he did, so he let it slide.
"Listen, Ayumi. If it's possible, I want you to run for Student Council President next year," he requested.
Ayumi was surprised. "Me?"
"Yes. You'll win easily. You're very popular."
"I'm sorry, I don't think I can be Student Council President."
"Why not?"
"I don't deserve that position."
"Why not, Ayumi? You're popular! You're a hero to Maijima High!"
"Because someone else deserves it more than me," the athlete answered. "My heroics in athletics does not come close to the genuine heroics of that person."
"And who is that person who deserves it more than you?"
"Why Keima, who do you think is more heroic than me?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
"You, Keima Katsuragi, are more heroic than any other student I know. I mean, you saved us all from the Weiss, you save the world from Vintage, and you're still saving girls from evil spirits! You deserve to be Student Council President."
Keima wanted to facepalm at the reversal. "What?"
"You told me that I should become President because I'm a hero for my athletic feats. But you, Keima, are a real hero. You're more heroic than I could ever hope. You should be Student Council President!"
"You're crazy! I'm not popular enough to win!"
"Maybe, but you're a hero. You deserve to win! Please run, Keima."
Keima looked at Ayumi's eyes. He knew he made a mistake. By asking her to run because she's a 'hero' in sports, that gave Ayumi the idea that Keima, the real hero, was the one who should run.
In other words, he indirectly gave Ayumi the idea that he deserved to be Student Council President.
I am so stupid!
"Look, we can just forget about this," Keima uttered, cutting his losses. "Besides, I'm just joking about you running, just like you're joking about me running. I did not mean to give you that idea."
…
And Ayumi gave an internal sigh of relief. She was kicking herself for accidentally divulging their plans for Keima. She was lucky that Keima himself thought that he gave that idea. She would run with that. That way, Fuse's plans won't get spoiled.
"Keima, I'm serious. President Keima Katsuragi, not merely of your club, but of the School Council! I love that! Thank you, Keima, for giving me that wonderful idea!"
"But why?"
"Because you're a real hero! You deserve it! I mean, how can I repay someone who saved my life by catching a Weiss? This is the least we could do."
"Look, I have no choice. I did it not because I'm heroic, but because I don't want my head blown off by this collar. And I don't want to run."
"Keima, please run. For your dear wife."
Keima was adamant. "No, I won't. And there's nothing that could make me. Please drop it."
"Okay, I won't say anything to you until you change your mind," Ayumi conceded. "But I'll talk about it to the other girls."
"Fine, I can't stop you from talking to the others, but I'm sure all the other girls will think it's an absurd idea," he answered.
Ayumi just smiled, and Keima just sighed. Did he just open a pandora's box?
…
And that settled it for Ayumi. When Tsukiyo mentioned that a particular person was needed to make Keima President, she was hesitant at first. Ayumi knew that Keima was such a genius that he could make himself win without Fuse's help.
But after seeing Keima so stubborn, Ayumi changed her mind. She could not persuade him to run. As much as the athlete hated to admit it, Aoba Fuse could. After all, Fuse was able to make him act politely to Middle School students.
Well, Fuse, welcome to the schedule.
But first, she would consult Mercury.
End of Flag XXVII
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
Shiori – Lunch – 1 hour
Ayumi – After School Event – 2 hours
Total:
Tenri – 3 hours
Yui – 3 hours
Kanon – 3 hours
Chihiro – 1 hour
Tsukiyo – 1 hour
Shiori – 3 hours
Ayumi – 2 hours
Review Replies
To xellos540, thank you.
Yep. Smaller sized chapters are a big help. Less pressure for me, at least. And more to complete chapters too!
I don't think anyone in that scene has their head screwed on right. It was pretty shocking, and they simply had no idea what to do. Especially Aoba. Her brain processes aren't working right after making that shocking discovery.
Well, he's really downcast and pessimistic, as everything went south for him regarding his disciple. And yeah, he also acted that out to make sure he really looked dejected. So both real and acted, I guess?
As I said, everyone's still in shock. Seeing a Weiss come out of a girl just highlighted to Chihiro how petty she had been acting. It's one thing to be told that there's a Weiss inside a girl that Keima must exorcise by kissing. There's still an air of unreality about it. A small part of her still refused to believe it. But seeing it actually happen removed all doubts on the minds of all the girls. They realized how unfair they had been.
As for Ayumi, all of her issues regarding Keima were resolved during the first Arc of this tale. She even beat him up! xD But of course, she can't help but be jealous.
Oh yeah, the seven-way hug was fun to write even if it was tough to imagine.
Well, it really was not the time and place for it, that's what Ayumi's thinking about not wanting to kiss at that time, but her hand was "forced".
Yep. Aoba just can't pretend that she's merely a disciple to the other girls. Not after that confession and kiss. Even if Keima and Aoba want it.
At this point, the seven girls are pretty confident, considering that their chances of being chosen are 1/7th, and thus, most likely, they'll have their hearts broken. They really need that confidence to continue.
Keima really does not know how to break-up properly or to ward-off a girl in love with him. He could either do it so horribly that he ended up regretting it and causing more unnecessary pain (see Chihiro) or does it in such a way that the girl is convinced to pursue him even further. So yeah, Keima was ruthless if he does not want a girl to pursue him. Of course, it doesn't always work.
The only rejection that works according to plan are those rejections that Keima planned so that the girl would fall in love deeper than him, etc.
That's funny! XD But seriously, what she meant was that all those heroes on TV etc. became real in the person in Keima Katsuragi.
As for the "under his foot" thought, it's what Aoba thinks is best for Keima, not necessarily what Keima actually wants. Of course, 99% it is harmless, as Aoba really thinks the same way as Keima—but then there's that 1% like the Council Presidency, etc.
Yep. Seeing Aoba hang around Keima as a mere disciple will, this time, raise negative flags among the girls. That's why Keima requested that he should talk to the girls first before Aoba.
Yep. Aoba and Keima are a lot alike. So her calling him cold and insensitive would amount to the pot calling kettle black. And I'm sure she would reply, "I married you because you're a selfish bastard!" xD
Well yeah, Haqua needed a good poker face. Then again, maybe not, as Keima continued to be oblivious to all the signs despite it being super obvious.
I imagine that after the Crayon game fiasco, I think Keima would be more careful! XD That's when he began to read the fine print in games.
True about Keima and Haqua being not much different from the others, though I don't think Keima ever was jealous about anything.
That's the reason why he needs the Goddesses. The girls might not vote the way he thought they should.
Yep! Haqua, because of her conversation with Yui, thinks that Keima really wants Aoba in the schedule but can't openly state that because of the other girls. So basically, Haqua presented a situation where Keima has an excuse to make her part of it. So that's why Haqua was confused at first. So she resolved that by thinking that maybe he knows and had talked to the Goddesses themselves beforehand. Because if the Goddesses were okay with Aoba, there could really be no objection to the girl genius.
And I finally got a Kusonoki cameo in! Though I'm sad that she'll graduate soon and we'll have fewer opportunities to see her!
Haqua and the devils wiped out only Miyako's memory from the private talk that Keima and Miyako had after signing all of the autographs. So Miyako still had her memories of signing the autographs, but after that, it was replaced by her going home and celebrating with her parents. So the heart-to-heart talk and the kiss was removed from her memory.
Well, Mars aside, the only characters who Yui had plotted with would be Haqua and Tsukiyo! :O Aoba too if you count the plot to make Keima President.
I think it's safe that when Tsukiyo refers to someone else as most beautiful, she actually meant most beautiful after herself :D
It's still the aftermath of the massive shock of seeing the Weiss and being scared out of their wits. They will return to normal soon enough, but before they do, they may make decisions that they normally would not do.
As to why she's persistent about the Presidency, see the end. And she knows about Aoba's plans. Yui told her, and Tsukiyo said Aoba that she'll help, even if Aoba did not want her help since thought Tsukiyo would be useless.
And now you know how this ties all up!
As for the Goddesses, we'll see how they'll vote.
And thank you for your compliment about legalese!
To ty,
Once more, thanks for your review.
Yes, I admit I went overboard with Miyako's problems, but my reason is that is her finale, and all her issues needed to be fleshed out once more, to emphasize it. Otherwise, some issues or the process on how she got her issues fixed might get lost.
As for conflict, I don't think the story about exorcising spirits are conflict driven, really. We all know from the start that Keima would make the girl he was conquering fall in love with him, and we all know that it would end in a kiss. In fact, Keima knew how to save Miyako ever since Sunday, or Chapter 15. It's just that he prolonged it to satisfy the demands of Ayumi and Chihiro to participate and help him. Really, Miyako's problem is simple.
The conflict here is not about Miyako, but about how her arc affects all the other girls, namely the seven girls of the schedule, Haqua, Elsie, and most of all, Aoba Fuse. Without this climatic scene, the following chapters will be unrecognizeable.
No, it's not winning per se that resolved it. It's the letter from her previous student. That was the reason why I gave that flashback in Flag XXIII. It tacked the direct root of her problem-that first concert-and showed that her winning or losing does not make a lot of difference, since she felt fulfilled in both. But make no mistake, she needed to win first before she could see that point. Winning, then realizing that her previous loss when she dueted with her first student, was what caused the realization. Because sometimes, you could lose even if you did your best because of outside circumstances.
Keep in mind that Miyako was already in love with Keima long before the duet, but that kiss really stripped away her last doubts about herself.
As for your Aoba comment, thank you. The next arc would almost focus exclusively on Aoba Fuse, and how her memories would be affected.
To Annimo 0,
Thank you. As for Ikumi interactions, we'll see. I do want to include her more, but her appearance, if it happens, would revolve around Asami, naturally.
As for other girls, stay tuned.