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 the Last Chapter
Keima decides the fate of his disciple. What will Aoba do, and how will Keima's mother, Haqua, and Tenri react?
ARC III – THE DISCIPLE
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.
ANNOUNCEMENT! – This Story is nearing the end! One more chapter is left! Well, not really, but after the Aoba Fuse Arc, I would start a new story that continues the tale. Looking at the previous stories and arcs, all of them, despite having different focuses, all lead up to Aoba and the schedule. For example, the entire Miyako arc led directly to this arc, and the various dates Keima had also led, at least partially, to this. Plus the other threads of the story, like Keima and the Student Council Presidency, Mari and discovering the harem, etc., all in some way contribute to this outcome. So I think it's fitting to end this particular story in this arc.
Of course, there will be a second installment after this. It will deal with the second major girl to be conquered (I won't give any names, but it's a canon character that's not yet in the schedule and who wasn't yet been conquered at this point in the canon timeline. Try to guess who?), the School Presidency fight, Kaori and more!
Now the reason I went first with Aoba was because Aoba is the first girl to be added after the Schedule was formed. The events of Aoba's inclusion would directly impact the process on how the other girls can be admitted to the schedule or not.
My advice for readers is to take notes in the last chapters. Decisions made here would impact how the other girls could be added in the future. And seeing how Aoba was added would give hope to the other girls that they too can be added and be given a chance too.
Flag XXXIV
Welcome to the Schedule!
Part 369 – "Arrival"
Keima Katsuragi looked at the assembled girls in the café. Café Grandpa was cleaned up, with the tables and chairs in their proper places, and the sleeping paraphernalia were all returned to storage.
"Now that you're all ready," he began, as he eyed his audience. All the girls looked… presentable. There were no signs that they had recently woken up.
"No thanks to a certain spoiled brat," Tsukiyo muttered as she glared at the Yui, who had a smug look on her face.
"But it's just a joke! It's funny!" the heiress justified. The crossdresser tried to keep her role a secret, but the other girls quickly deduced she had been responsible for the prank. They were about to give her hell for it, but the heiress ran to Keima's room and proclaimed that they were all ready.
Keima had no idea what they were talking about, and as long it was not about him or Aoba, he did not care.
"Aoba Fuse needs to be informed of the vote, and I need to ask her to join the schedule," Keima continued. "I have emailed her, and she'll arrive in approximately half an hour. Now, remember that she still thinks you're angry at her because of what happened after the Miyako duet. She thinks you would never vote for another girl because it would increase competition. Frankly, if I were her, I wouldn't believe it either! So, please keep that in mind when you talk to her."
"Don't worry, Darling! We'll be nice," Yui shouted.
There were murmurs of assent from the others. It was the first time the girls had to accept a new girl among their ranks. Although they had already approved of her, it was still surreal.
"What if she doesn't believe us?" Chihiro asked. "I wouldn't believe it if it happened to me. Heck, I wouldn't blame her if she thinks we're just making a joke at her expense."
"Just tell her whatever's necessary to bring her in," he said. "I trust you, after all."
His declaration of trust lifted all the girls' spirits, and they nodded.
"Well, call me after she accepts," he said before he left.
…
"She's coming!" Elsie shouted as she reentered the café. She had been floating on her broom outside, invisible, acting as a lookout.
"Okay, just like we talked about," Chihiro reminded as they assumed their places.
They waited until they heard a knock on the door.
Elsie rushed to the door and opened it.
"Welcome to Café Grandpa!" the younger devil greeted. "How may I help you?"
"The Café's still closed, Elsie," Aoba Fuse said, pointing to the 'CLOSED' sign on the door.
"Oops! Guess I forgot to flip it!" Elsie laughed as Aoba entered. "Well, wouldn't you know it? Café Grandpa just opened!"
"Um, where's the Divine One?" Aoba asked as she entered. "What? Huh? What's going on? Why are you all here?"
"Fuse!" Yui exclaimed as she grabbed her hand and pulled her to the middle of the café where the other girls surrounded the girl gamer.
"We girls of the schedule had a discussion, and well, we decided—that if you wish to be the eight girl of the Schedule—" Chihiro began.
"We will support you." Tsukiyo continued.
"Provided that you ask Keima first, and he says yes," Ayumi said.
"In short! Welcome to the Schedule, Fuse!" Yui finished.
Part 370 - Acceptance
The Girl Gamer looked at the assembled girls and suddenly laughed.
"Huh? What's funny?" asked a bewildered Elsie.
"That's so funny! What's the joke?" Aoba said.
"What? We're not joking!" Kanon shouted.
"Please! Like you would welcome me! I lied to you for days on end, confessed in front of you, and kissed him too! You should kill me for what I did!" she uttered. "I wouldn't blame you."
"Yeah, yeah, I got angry," Chihiro admitted. "But, you're wrong."
"I'm wrong? About what?" she demanded.
"You didn't lie," Tsukiyo stated. "You were honest when you told us that you didn't love him, right?"
"Well, yes. I didn't know that he was my first master. I thought it was someone else," Aoba admitted. "But still, if you had known the truth, you would never have befriended me or allowed me to influence you in any way."
"Miss Fuse, if you knew about it since the start, would you have told us that you love him?" Tenri asked.
"Yes. I can't be dishonest with the Master's friends," she admitted. "Especially on such an important matter as this. But I still deceived you. That I didn't know doesn't excuse it. What I did, playing with your hearts, is wrong. It's unforgivable."
"Unforgivable?" Tsukiyo repeated. "Are you telling me that you're going to say sorry?"
"Saying sorry is too little, too late. How can I, after what I did? I mean, didn't I throw away all those friendships I made with you when I confessed and kissed him in front of all of you?"
"But if you could say sorry, would you?" Tenri insisted with a warm smile.
"Yes, for the Master's sake. But I know that—"
Tenri cut her off. "We forgive you. We accept your apology,"
"Huh?"
"Look, it's true that, speaking for myself, I probably wouldn't readily drop my guard with you had I known you were in love with him in the first place," Chihiro said. "But what's done is done. Even though we became friendly because of a mistake, that doesn't mean we should be enemies now that we know the truth. Let's have a clean slate. We forgive you. And we all voted for you, believe it or not."
"Really?"
"It's not beautiful that you don't believe us, but yes, we forgive you. You didn't know better when you denied that you love Keima, so how can I blame you for it?" Tsukiyo stated.
"All of you voted for me? All of you forgive me?"
There was a chorus of "yes" among the seven girls while nodding their heads.
"Am I really in the schedule?"
"Yes, dummy!" Ayumi answered, exasperated by Aoba's disbelief. "Even our Goddesses approved of you!"
"You just have to accept it," Kanon said.
"Fuse, just accept it, please?" Yui added. "Keima darling wanted you in from the beginning!"
"Then, in that case, I accept. I love Keima very much, so this makes me very happy," she said in a shaking voice, happiness evident in her usually icy eyes.
"Wait!" Ayumi shouted. "Before you can join us, you have to promise us one thing."
The other girls looked at Ayumi, curious about what she had in mind.
"What is it, Takahara?" the genius asked.
"You have to promise us that you'll convince Keima to run for Student Council President, and you have to promise that you'll make him win! Promise that!" she demanded.
"I promise. He will be President. But I can't do it alone. I need your help. Will you?"
"Just tell us what we need to do," Yui answered. "All of us are willing to help you, right girls?"
The others nodded, even Tenri, who was not studying with them at Maijima High.
"Well, you were the one who put the idea in our heads in the first place," Chihiro stated, referring to the fact that Fuse started the ball rolling in the Katsuragi for President movement. "If only for that, you deserve to be in the schedule. Just play fair with us, okay?"
"I will follow the rules of the schedule," she said. "Don't worry. I won't play dirty."
"Yes, about the rules, I'll ask a vote to—" Chihiro began but was cut off.
"Later, Chihiro!" Yui interrupted. "Fuse, ask Keima!"
"Yes, I do need to ask the Divine One. Where is he?" she asked.
"I'll call him!" the crossdresser happily exclaimed before she ran out of the café.
Part 371 –Chihiro's Motion
A minute later…
"Yui, you don't have to—" Keima shouted as he was dragged by the arm by an overly-excited Yui to the café.
"Fuse's here, and she has something to say," the heiress said.
"Well, is it important? Do you need to say it in private, Aoba?" he asked when he arrived in the café.
"Divine One—"
Yui interrupted her. "Wait! One of my conditions is that you must ask Keima in front of us!"
"WHAT?" the other girls exclaimed.
"Well, she did confess to him right in front of us and kissed him too," the crossdresser asserted. "So it's only fair that she asks him too in front of us. After all, nobody likes to watch only the first half of a movie."
"Now listen here, Yui, that's going too far, and you—" Keima began.
"It's fine," Aoba said, interrupting him. "Divine One, I am your disciple, and I'm proud of it. But… I love you, and I want to have a chance that you'll love me too in the future. I want to be part of the schedule. Can I?"
"Fine. The girls voted for you, so I'm glad their efforts were not wasted. And yes, I don't mind it. Welcome," he said, his voice neutral, his face sporting his poker look.
"Thank you, my Master," she said, her voice emotional.
"And you already know the rules, right? You're willing to follow them?"
"Yes."
"Katsuragi," Chihiro interrupted, "now that's settled, you still have to hold a vote on my proposal."
"Oh, that? Sure. Haqua?"
Haqua, who watched the entire time silently, barked, "What do you want, Katsuragi?"
"Chihiro wanted to propose an amendment to the rules. Chihiro, could you explain it to Haqua?"
The valedictorian looked at the bandleader. "Well, Kosaka?"
"Well, to be fair to all of us, since Fuse is Katsuragi's disciple. I want that disciple time for a girl in the schedule to only happen during her scheduled time," she said.
"So you want to amend Rule Three and Five then? Okay. Let's start a formal meeting. Katsuragi?" Haqua said, looking at Keima.
Keima nodded, left, and came back with his gavel. He went to the counter.
He banged his gavel. "The meeting is open. Haqua?"
Haqua smirked. "First of all, I would like to inform you that Aoba Fuse accepted it. She is now the eight girl of the schedule. She also said she's going to follow the rules."
Keima nodded and merely said, "noted."
"Second. Chihiro Kosaka has proposed an amendment to the current rules. Specifically, Rule Three and Rule Five. Kosaka proposes that Rule Three, which reads: However, outside the schedule, the girls can approach Keima Katsuragi for any other purpose other than to spend time with Keima Katsuragi—be changed to: However, outside the schedule, the girls can approach Keima Katsuragi for any other purpose other than to spend time with Keima Katsuragi or to do any activity which is related to dating sims, or the ideal. She also proposes that Rule Five, which reads: Keima Katsuragi can refuse any girl's approach outside the scheduled time for any reason at his discretion—to read as: Keima Katsuragi can refuse any girl's approach outside the scheduled time for any reason at his discretion, except that Keima Katsuragi shall absolutely refuse any girls approach if the reason is dating sims games or anything that has to do with the ideal."
Part 372 – Voting On Chihiro's Proposal
"Okay, proceed," Keima said, wanting to wince.
"To amend the rules requires a majority vote. There being eleven members—the eight girls of the schedule, plus Keima Katsuragi, Elsie Katsuragi, and me, six votes are needed," Haqua said.
Chihiro looked at Fuse and said, "Promise me that you'll follow the outcome of this vote."
"I promise if you also promise to respect the result," the girl gamer answered.
"I promise that I will respect it," the band leader answered.
"That goes without saying," Haqua muttered.
"Let the voting begin," Keima said, maintaining a neutral expression even as had a sick feeling in his stomach. "Yeas for yes, and nays for no. Let's start. Aoba Fuse?"
Everyone looked at the new girl.
Aoba stood up. "Yea."
And everyone just looked at her with shock as Aoba said nothing else and sat down.
"Chihiro Kosaka," Haqua called.
The normal girl stood up and began, "I am sorry, Fuse, but this is to level the playing field between you and the rest of us. Thank you for voting with me. I really appreciate it. Yea."
"Ayumi Takahara?"
The athlete stood up. "Keima, I'm sorry, but I need to support my best friend. Yea."
She went to Aoba and whispered, "I'm stunned that you voted with us. Thanks," the athlete said in an approving tone.
"Tenri Ayukawa?"
The neighbor girl stood up. "Nay."
And Chihiro, Ayumi and Keima were shocked.
"I know that Keima disapproves of this amendment, whatever he says on the outside. If this passes, Keima will be sad, and I want to make him happy. And I am learning how to play games, thanks to Miss Fuse. I want Keima to teach me about games even outside of the schedule, and if this passes, that cannot happen."
Keima wanted to hug and kiss Tenri right then and there, even as he remained composed on the outside.
Chihiro could not believe it. Why would any girl willingly vote to give an advantage to Fuse?
"Tsukiyo Kujo?" Haqua called.
"Nay. Fuse had been teaching me how to speak like a gamer. I also want Keima to hear of my progress. I want to talk to him about games outside of my time."
And if Keima could smile, his grin would have exceeded his face. Tsukiyo, I'll do everything for you because of this! You can sit at the top of the rankings if you like!
"Shiori Shiomiya?" the valedictorian called.
"Nay," she whispered. "K-k-katsuragi's h-h-h-h-helping me no-no-novelize games."
"Are you all serious?" Chihiro shouted after Shiori voted. "Are you all becoming gamers? Did gamer cooties infect you?"
"Calm down, Chihiro," Ayumi said with a look of pity on her face. "It's going to be fine."
"Kanon Nakagawa?" Haqua continued.
"Keima's going to help me voice gal games, and he's doing this outside of my schedule. He can't do that if this passes. Nay."
And Chihiro sank into gloom even as Keima became extremely happy on the inside.
"Yui Goido?" Haqua continued.
"Well, Fuse is helping me become a better gamer so I can become his second disciple. And when I am his disciple, I can spend more time with darling outside my schedule. Nay!"
"Elsie Katsuragi," Haqua called.
"Um, Divine Brother, how should I vote?" Elsie openly asked, looking at Keima for direction.
"You can vote however you want. I certainly won't tell you how," he answered with impartiality.
"In that case, since I don't know how you'd want me to vote, Beloved Brother, then I would vote with my best friends Ayumi and Chihiro!" she exclaimed. "Yea."
"And I Haqua du Lot Herminium, vote Nay," the valedictorian stated, glaring at Elsie. "Unlike some other devils, I can't forget that we should be neutral. And we should always vote with how the majority of the scheduled girls voted. We can't influence this result! Since someone forgot about it, the votes of the two devils should be split. Since Elsie voted yea, I vote Nay."
Keima could barely contain his glee. He won. "And I, as the Presiding Officer, vote Yea."
"Yay! I voted the same as Divine Brother!" Elsie exclaimed happily.
And Chihiro was surprised. That was very unexpected. She looked at him with gratitude. Thank you, Katsuragi.
"Haqua, tally the votes," Keima commanded.
"Ayukawa, Kujo, Shiomiya, Nakagawa, Goido, and I voted Nay. That six votes. Fuse, Kosaka, Takahara, Elsie Katsuragi, and Keima Katsuragi voted Yea. Five votes."
"Thus, the proposed amendments are defeated, six nays to five yeas," Keima announced while banging his gavel. "I'm sorry, Chihiro."
Part 373 – Chihiro's Second Proposal
That crushed Chihiro. She looked at the others and realized that only Ayumi had been with her. Fuse, Katsuragi, and Elsie shouldn't count since she knew they weren't really with her on this issue. She knew that Katsuragi was probably very happy on the inside.
And she was shocked that five of her fellow girls would vote against her. How could that be? Listening to their explanations, she still could not believe the fact that they became dweebs! Otakus! Gamer cooties were infecting them!
That shouldn't be! The girls should be pulling him towards the real world! That was supposed to be their mission in life! To make him look at the world beyond games, to see that real girls can offer far more than 2D ones!
Instead, the other girls went the other way!
So what can she do? She knew where the wind was blowing. The other girls were competing by becoming interested in games. The normal girl knew that with Fuse in, it was a futile effort. None of them would be able to even remotely compete with the blue-haired girl on that front! She wouldn't even try.
Still, she needed to do something, or she would be forgotten. How can she compete with girls who play games? What can she offer except normality and being a steadying hand? That could only work if most girls had not tried to go the gamer route. She needed to do something different. Maybe she could—suddenly, she had an idea.
"Hey, Katsuragi!" Chihiro suddenly shouted amidst the din.
The other girls looked at her.
"Well, I accept that that last amendment was defeated. I shouldn't have tried to limit the girls' time with you just because it involved gaming," she said. How could I know that five other girls would use gaming? "Anyway, I want to propose a new amendment."
"Go on," he said.
"I propose that any girl can approach you, and you must let her, even outside her schedule, if that girl wants to help you conquer a girl with a loose soul. And you must let her, if she's willing, watch you do the final kiss."
Keima looked at her and sighed. Does she want to help as she helped in Miyako's conquest? "Fine. As long as that girl who wants to help agree to follow my orders in the exorcism of a new girl. Haqua?"
"Are you sure it's a good idea, Katsuragi?" Haqua protested. "I mean, wouldn't their presence ruin the atmosphere?"
"Make them invisible if need be," he answered. Ordinarily, he would disapprove, but after Chihiro's defeat, she needed some cheering up. He reckoned he could handle any girl wanting to help in his conquests. "That's my condition, Chihiro."
"Fine. I want a vote on it!" the normal girl demanded.
"Haqua?" Keima asked.
"Okay. Chihiro Kosaka proposes that Rule Five, which currently reads as Keima Katsuragi can refuse any girl's approach outside the scheduled time for any reason at his discretion be amended to read as Keima Katsuragi can refuse any girl's approach outside the scheduled time for any reason at his discretion, except, that if the reason of the girl's approach is to help Keima Katsuragi conquer a girl possessed by the Weiss, he cannot refuse her help, and must let her witness the final kiss if she so wished, provided that the girl would follow the orders of Keima Katsuragi with regards to the conquest of the girl with the Weiss.
Haqua then called the girls to vote. The measure was adopted unanimously.
"The proposed amendment by Chihiro Kosaka to Rule Five is hereby adopted," Keima said, banging his gavel. And the other girls went and congratulated the normal girl.
To the normal girl, the measure was only partially a sop to her wounded pride. She would win Katsuragi's heart by being the best helper and assistant that she could be in his mission to save girls. She would be, in effect, helping him save his own life, so that would count for far more than merely playing games with him.
Keima looked at Chihiro, and he was pleased that she was happy. Seeing Chihiro after she lost the first vote was a bitter pill for him to swallow, as, although he desired her defeat, he loved her and did not want her to be sad. If only the normal girl could see the light and recognize the ideal… but then, maybe, if she did so, he wouldn't have fallen in love with her in the first place, so…
All in all, the girls having the ability to offer unsolicited help in his conquests was worth it to see Chihiro having a reason to cheer. And Chihiro was not so bad. She did help in his conquest of Miyako, after all. And despite knowing that she was crushed inside, she was taking her defeat with grace. That was a plus in his book.
Part 374 – Let's Have A Party
There was a bit of silence, broken by Yui yelling, "Congratulations, Fuse!" The crossdresser leaped to where the girl gamer was and hugged her.
"Um, thank you, Yui," the blue-haired girl answered awkwardly. She was taken aback by her display of affection.
"I was with you from the start!" the heiress continued.
Aoba pried herself from the crossdresser before Tsukiyo came. "Well, to be honest, I was surprised when you confessed after the duet, but I promised myself that I'd back you if you love him."
"Lady Kujo—"
"Don't worry, I understand. All of us Goddess hosts were in the same boat as you before we regained our memories!" the blonde chuckled. "Of course, you will still teach us about games, won't you?"
"It would be my pleasure."
Chihiro was next.
"Congratulations. And thank you for voting for me—twice. I really appreciate it. I never knew you'd come through for me."
Aoba nodded. "I'm sorry that the first vote failed."
Chihiro suspected that the gamer wasn't that sorry but let it slide. "So, since you voted for it, does it mean that you'd spend disciple time only during your time in the schedule?"
"I made a promise that I would respect the outcome of the vote, and you did too. I'll only do what's allowed by the rules."
That made the normal girl laugh. "Oh, well! It was worth a shot! Don't worry! There are lots of Weiss! You can't monopolize his time outside the schedule."
"I don't plan to. Don't worry. I'll play by the rules."
…
"All of you, Listen!"
The crowd looked at the source of the noise. It was Yui, and she was standing on one of the chairs.
"We're gonna party!" she shouted.
And the rest of them just stared at her.
"What do you mean? Didn't we just have something like that last night?" asked Tsukiyo.
"But last night was about getting my future mother-in-law on board," the heiress began.
"You mean my future mother-in-law!" Chihiro shouted back.
"No, my current mother-in-law!" Ayumi insisted.
"That's Aunt Mari!" Kanon added.
"Well, last night's about Mrs. Katsuragi and our acceptance! Today is about Fuse being one of us!"
"I don't think this is a good idea," Aoba said.
"Do we really need a party to celebrate it?" Chihiro asked skeptically.
"And also to mark the fact that we can all help Keima in his mission whenever we want!" Yui added, and that seemed to appease Chihiro.
"And shouldn't Mrs. Katsuragi be informed?" Tsukiyo added.
"And what about the food?" Kanon pointed.
"Worry not! I already ordered the food, and it's coming in one hour!"
There was a collective gasp.
"What? How did you?" Keima asked. "Do you even have the money for this?"
"I just took it from the money I saved from my allowance. It's just a small amount, nothing much," Yui said.
"Just how much is this?" Aoba asked.
And when Yui told them the amount, they gasped.
"You call that small?" Ayumi groaned.
"I can buy giant screens for my games with that much money," Aoba muttered.
"Yeah. It's nothing," Yui answered, bewildered by the reactions. "So let's fix this place, shall we?"
All looked at Keima, and he sighed. "What's done is done. Let's prepare the café."
"And don't you go running off upstairs, Dweeb! This time, you will join us!" Chihiro ordered, daring Keima to contradict her. "You already had time to brood by yourself!"
Keima sighed once more. He had been planning to escape to his room. At least he still had his PFP in his pocket.
…
Part 375 – Informing the Mother
"What's going on, Divine One? Is this normal?" Aoba asked, referring to the heiress' actions.
"Even for Yui, this is… something else," Keima answered.
"Two celebrations in a row! Now I'm getting jealous," Kanon answered.
"I should go and tell Mother," Keima muttered.
"Don't worry. I'll do it," Elsie volunteered.
Not wanting to say that her Café would probably be closed for most of the day, Keima allowed the little devil to be the bearer of bad news. He wondered how much money the Café would lose for the time that it would remain closed?
Yui grabbed her bag and followed Elsie. But instead of accompanying the devil, Yui went to the bathroom. When she emerged, she was, once again, in girls' clothes.
The heiress saw Mari and Elsie. She rushed to the mother and proclaimed, "Good news! Miss Aoba Fuse asked to join the schedule, and we agreed!"
Mari nodded, trying to act surprised. "So, all of you girls agreed?"
"Of course! It's for darling! And we're going to have a party to celebrate her joining us!"
"I never thought I'd see the day when girls would celebrate the addition of another rival for the affection of the boy they love," the mother sighed.
"So you're gonna interview her too?"
Mari bit her tongue before she accidentally spilled the fact that she had already interviewed the gamer. "Yes," she finally confirmed. "Was my son okay with it?"
"Yes Ma'am. And don't worry about the party! I took care of it!"
"What do you mean, my lady?"
"I've ordered the food, and it'll arrive in less than an hour. And don't worry! I'm going to pay you for the use of the café for the day."
"You don't have to—"
"Ma'am, my parents always taught me that time is money. The time that the café isn't open is money lost," she answered.
"I'm surprised you know about this," Mari answered.
"Well, when I'm not being taught how to be a perfect wife, I'm being trained how to run the family business," Yui confessed. "When I marry your son, he's going to be part of our business too."
And that made Yui even more acceptable to the mother. If her son married the Goido heiress, not only would she stop worrying about money, but the Goido girl could actually help in instilling financial sense in him.
"Well, I need to help the others fix the café!" she said before bowing and running back. "Don't come until we call you!"
"So that means I still can't go to the café," Mari said to Elsie. "I'm sorry."
"I was going to tell you about the party, but Yui beat me to it," Elsie whined.
…
Part 376 – The Party
"Who are you? And what have you done to Yui Goido?" Aoba Fuse exclaimed as she stared at Yui in female clothes. "I never thought I'd see you in a skirt, hose, and heels!"
"It's for Mrs. Katsuragi's eyes only! I need to show that I'm the perfect wife for Keima, and I can't do that if she always mistakes me for a boy!" Yui proclaimed.
"So last night—" the girl gamer began.
"Yes, Yui was dressed as a girl too," Chihiro finished, amused by the new member's reaction.
"I don't believe it!" Aoba answered.
"And she acted like a lady in front of my mother-in-law," Ayumi added.
"Surely, the Divine One's mother didn't get fooled by that? She already saw her in boy's clothes last week!" the girl gamer asserted.
"I don't think so," Kanon said. "Aunt Mari's very perceptive. She wouldn't be fooled by her."
"Now I've seen everything!" the blue-haired girl muttered.
"Well, I want to show my future mother-in-law that what she saw last week was just a one-off! I'll look and act like a lady whenever I'm in front of her. I just need to ask all of you not to spoil it to her, please?"
"Fine by me," Aoba quickly agreed.
"I won't either," Tsukiyo agreed. "It's not like we need to say anything. It's so obvious."
"No, it's not obvious! It's the height of subtlety!" Yui shot back.
"As long as Aunt Mari doesn't ask me, I won't say anything," Kanon said, not reassuring Yui at all. "I won't lie to her."
"Hey, you're the best drummer I could wish for!" Chihiro added. "I won't say anything."
"I'm not a tattletale," Ayumi assured.
"Thank you all! In exchange, I won't tell her, or Keima, any of your deepest secrets!" the heiress proclaimed.
"What secrets?" Tenri asked.
"The ones you don't like Mrs. Katsuragi to know. And I know all of them," the crossdresser proclaimed.
"Your bluffing! You don't know any of our secrets!" Chihiro laughed.
"I'm not bluffing!"
"Then tell us what you know!" Ayumi said.
"Are you sure you want the others to know? It's a secret, after all, and Keima's here," Yui said as she looked at Keima, sitting near them, playing his PFP, ignoring them. "Like in the library, I saw a little girl in the Romance Book section—"
"Um, no, don't say anything!" Shiori suddenly shouted.
"I won't!" Yui laughed.
…
After an hour, the catered food arrived. Yui ordered too much, and the café was filled to the brim with food, including ice cream for dessert as well as bottles of soda and juice.
The atmosphere was just as lively, although the girls' weren't as happy. For one thing, unlike the night before, they were celebrating the addition of another girl as a rival, and they were not too pleased at the prospect—except for Yui, who was happy that everything she wanted came true. They accepted Aoba Fuse as a necessity.
Luckily, Aoba knew how to act in the situation. She did not try to approach Keima or join the verbal fights between the other girls. She mostly interacted with Tenri and Shiori, the two girls with whom she had the most positive relationship before the events of the duet.
"I'm sorry I had to join the schedule," Aoba said as she shared a table with the two.
"Don't worry. Keima really wants you to remain his disciple," Tenri said, smiling, "and I would be sorry if the schedule made it impossible."
"Yes. If I continued as a disciple, but remained out of the schedule, I could only make things worse between you girls and him. If I'm in it, I'm just one of the eight girls, and you really don't have to worry about me more than the others."
The neighbor girl nodded. "I know Keima will be happy."
"You're not angry, are you?"
"Why should I?" Tenri answered with a smile. "My teacher in games is still with me, and you don't have to pretend anymore. You can enjoy Keima like the rest of us for the next five years."
"I know. Even if I lose and he chooses another one, it would still be worth it," the disciple nodded. "Right, Shiori?"
"I won't lose, Miss Fuse." Shiori asserted. "But I'm g-g-g-g-glad you're here with us. Um, Miss Fuse?
"Yes, Shiomiya?"
"C-c-c-c-can Katsuragi r-r-r-r-really beat Lady Kaori Yuuzaki? I don't think h-h-h-hhe's that popular, and Lady Yuuzaki's really p-p-p-popular."
"Yes, he can. Just watch, and you'll be the head of the Library Committee before you know it," Aoba answered.
That made Shiori smile.
…
Part 377 – Watching Kisses
Mrs. Katsuragi was with them, enjoying the food that she didn't pay for. She was tempted to bring out the alcohol but considering all her guests' ages, she thought better of it.
"Who would have thought that my son, my son the otaku, my son, who does nothing but play games, has not one, not two, but eight girls after him! I'm so happy Keima is a man at last!" Mari shouted as Yui, Tsukiyo, Chihiro, Ayumi, and Kanon listened.
"You mean that since he's a man already—" Yui began, but Mari cut her off.
"Just because he's already a man doesn't give you the right or excuse to make a man out of him! Remember the rules I gave you! You will follow them, am I clear?" Mari said. "Though I like grandkids, if he does it to one of you before he makes a choice, he has to do it to all of you to be fair. I can't have that happening because he can't choose before five years are up!"
"Speaking of rules, you have to inform Fuse about it, Ma'am," Chihiro said.
"Don't worry, I will," the mother assured.
"And don't forget to interview her, like you did to us," Ayumi added.
"Interview? Oh yes. I'll do that."
"Aw, do you have to remind her? What if Fuse fails?" Yui whined.
"If I have to do it, so does she," Tsukiyo stated.
And the others agreed. Mari nodded as she took a bite.
…
Keima was eating. He'd rather just sit in a corner and play, but Elsie was insistent. "Please! I'll feed you if you can't, Beloved Brother!"
"I can feed myself, you little bug demon," he snapped. The reason he was eating at all was if he were not, Elsie would feed him instead.
"Don't be mean to her," Haqua scolded as she took a bite out of her meal.
"I'm not mean," Keima asserted.
"And don't be such a grouch! I mean, shouldn't this be a happy occasion for you?" the valedictorian asked.
"Well, I'm happy Aoba will remember, no thanks to you. Anyway, do you think any of the other girls are really happy they have another rival?"
"I'm happy Miss Aoba is in the schedule!" Elsie said. "It's like I have another Divine Brother, except she's a girl! She's so like you I can't help but like her!"
"Nobody asked you, Elsie," Haqua quipped. "They're not too thrilled, but think of it this way. They don't want her to lose her memories because they all know the pain of that. They all forgot about you and only remembered when their Goddesses awoke. They are determined that no other girl should experience such a fate. And that is enough. It's their humanity at work."
"I know."
"That's why you were so confident in calling this vote. You know the girls don't have a choice," Haqua opined. "Genius, really, Katsuragi. You threw to them the choice that you would have made anyway, thereby deflecting any criticism of including her in the schedule. You made the girls decide that Fuse should join. And the girls never realized you were behind all of this."
Keima didn't say anything about Haqua's theory that he planned everything. "Yeah, it's better if the girls decided that Aoba join rather than me telling them that," Keima agreed.
"Speaking of which, we still need to make the schedule for this week. With Fuse in, the schedule is already out of date," the valedictorian quipped, going over the proposed Aobaless schedule that Keima had earlier made.
"I guess we could insert her three hours on the schedule blanks," he said as he grabbed the paper, borrowed a pen from Haqua, and inserted the girl gamer's name in it.
"Regarding the amended rule, is it really a good idea to give them the chance to meddle?" Haqua asked. "It could make your job that much harder."
"I know. But what can I do? They'll try to help me even if I say no. Chihiro and Ayumi still interfered with the Miyako conquest even though I said they couldn't. At least I got them to agree to follow my orders if they decide they want to watch me kiss another girl," he answered.
"Aw, so you just want an audience when you kiss a girl, Divine Brother!" Elsie cooed.
"Don't put words in my mouth, you bug demon! And pipe down!" he scolded, looking at Mari, and relieved that she was laughing and talking with the other girls. "The last thing I need is for Mom to get on my case for kissing another girl when I can kiss eight other girls!"
"So that's it, eh Katsuragi," Haqua said. "You just want them to watch you so they'd get jealous and fight over you. I bet you got off kissing Terada and Fuse in front of us!"
"What are you even thinking? A player such as myself would never willingly do such a thing! It's almost unheard of in the ideal! And it's practically guaranteed to lead to war!" he answered.
"Almost unheard of? Almost? So it has happened in games?"
"Well, maybe once or twice, but it was a disaster. It always leads to Bad Ends," he said.
"Yet in the real world, it didn't," the Valedictorian answered.
"That's why the real world is inferior to the ideal. The ideal needs to conform to reality or logic, or it would not make sense, and nobody would buy it. The real does not need to think about what happens. Any ridiculous, illogical stuff could just happen because why not? Like what happened in the duet."
"If they didn't get utterly scared by the Weiss, they'd be less forgiving of you," Haqua answered. "That's logical."
"Yeah. When they saw the Weiss come out of Miyako, they fell even deeper in love with you, Divine Brother," Elsie added.
"Just admit it, you pervert!" Haqua accused. "You enjoyed having those girls watch you kiss Terada and Fuse. Why else would you allow them to watch in the first place?"
"Because they asked, so maybe they enjoyed seeing me kiss other girls?" Keima snapped back.
"That's not true! You're just perverted!" Haqua accused, wanting to hit him, but with Mari there, she dared not. "I don't know why, but something's not screwed right with all seven of them if they really want that."
Part 378 – The Aoba and Mari Interview
…
The party continued till lunch and beyond. After lunch, Mari summoned Aoba for her "interview".
Both women sat in the living room.
"I'm supposed to ask you a bunch of questions, but I already asked them yesterday afternoon. But just so I won't have to lie, let's do this. Okay. You love my son?" she asked.
"Yes."
"How much?"
"Very much."
"You know the deal Keima has with Kanon and Tenri?"
"Yes. I want to be part of it."
"There are five other girls in it, so you have to share him with seven other girls. You're fine with that, right?"
"I am."
"Are the answers to the rest of the questions I asked you before still the same?
"They haven't changed, Ma'am."
"That's it. Congratulations," Mari smiled. "Still, there's one thing I didn't get to tell you. Look, I know you want to do certain things with Keima that a couple of your age would normally do. And to an extent, I have no problem with it. But until Keima chooses someone, there are some things that I insist you don't do. If you violate these rules, I won't hesitate to kick you out. Are we clear?"
"Crystal, Ma'am."
And Mari gave the same lecture she gave the other girls the night before.
...
"Listen!" Keima nearly shouted as soon as Haqua had sealed the room, "I already have the schedule for the week!" he weaved in his hands a sheaf of papers.
"Oh, I forgot about that," Chihiro laughed.
"I didn't. I was just wondering when he'll get on with it," Ayumi answered.
Keima gave the schedule to Haqua and Elsie, who distributed it among the girls.
"Any comments?" he asked after a while.
As he anticipated, there were none, as he made the week's schedule based on the free time the girls had for the week, as well as their personal requests. For example, Ayumi's time was a straight three-hour night on Friday because she wanted to see a movie with Keima, Shiori's time was during the time the library was opened, as she wanted him in her sanctuary, Kanon's time was all after school because she wanted him to accompany her backstage, Tenri was always after school hours, etc.
Except for Aoba, who did not have time to consult him about what time she wanted. But given that, based on the vote, she could spend time with him outside the schedule if it's about disciple activities, she should be fine. He wondered if the other girls would try that same ploy—he will have to see.
He still had substantial free time for games, and that was what mattered the most to him. Hopefully, they won't run into any girl that had a Weiss any time soon—Miyako's conquest took so long, and that cramped his gaming time.
…
Part 379 – Borrowing Games
Aoba had been the first to leave, at about one in the afternoon. The rest of the girls finally left at about two in the afternoon. Keima (on his mother's insistence), Elsie, and Mari sent the girls off.
After they were gone, he went back to his room, played a bit, and after finishing a couple, went to his game library to file the finished games
And there was Aoba Fuse, browsing the game titles, carrying in her arms a handful of games
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I came here to return the games I finished," Aoba answered, giving the games to Keima, who put them on the table. "And I want to borrow new games."
"Wait! So the reason you left so early…"
"I want to borrow new games, but first, I needed to return the ones I borrowed earlier," she said. "I left early so I can go back and return it and borrow more."
"Why didn't you just bring it earlier in the morning?"
"I didn't want the other girls to see me just walk up to the game library. And even if I waited, they'd ask questions why I brought so many games with me."
"So how did you—"
"Your mother answered the door and let me in and told me to go ahead," the blue-haired genius answered. "As long as I promise I'd only confine myself with gaming activities with you, she'd be fine with it."
"And she believed you?"
"Yes. She said that I'm so like you that she doesn't have to worry."
"I see," Keima nodded.
"Don't worry. I know it's not my schedule, and I won't break the rules by doing anything that would win your heart. This is simply a Master Disciple activity, only about the ideal and nothing about the real. Since Chihiro's vote failed, this is perfectly valid."
Keima nodded. "And I did promise you that as a disciple, you can go visit here whenever you like and borrow whatever games you like."
"Thank you for that, Divine One. And please don't use anything that we do in our disciple time outside my schedule to influence your decision on who you would choose in five years. That would be unfair to the other girls, and I don't want you to be accused of favoritism or me to be accused of breaking the rules."
"Don't worry about that. I know what I need to do to keep the peace between you girls."
"Thank you, Master. Can I borrow some of your games?"
"Go ahead."
Keima looked on as his disciple eagerly scanned the titles like a little kid in a candy store. He was amused at her reaction. That was exactly how he acted when he was in a game store. Aoba, however, did not choose any game, as she kept changing her mind.
"You already saw those—more than I could count," he finally said.
"Yes. These games, based on your reviews, are all so wonderful. Still, it's a difficult choice. I want to borrow them all, but I can't carry them all, and I only have so much time to play even if I could. So Divine One, can you recommend which games to borrow?"
Part 380 – Game Talk
"Recommend you?"
"Yes. Tell me what games I should play, and why should I play them over the others?"
And Keima sported a happy smile at his eager disciple. "Of course. Listen to me, and I'll tell you the games that I consider superior over the others. This is only about games that you still haven't played, right, Aoba?"
"Yes, Divine One."
Keima nodded before happily commencing his lecture. He began by giving a list of what she should borrow and then expounded on each game's merits and faults. To ensure that she was listening, he always asked her to summarize what he said after he finished with a game.
And she would always repeat all that he said, sometimes word by word, sometimes she reworded his lecture, made it shorter, expounded on it and made it longer, and she always added her opinions and never forgot to ask questions.
And Keima answered her questions with enthusiasm. And to his surprise, he learned quite a lot from her answers, as she made comments based on perspectives he never considered before. Best of all, it was enjoyable. The second thing he enjoyed most after playing games was talking about them! And Aoba enjoyed just listening to him talk.
Then he learned that the next best thing after that was listening to another lover of games talk, and listening to Aoba talk about games in such a learned way was music to his ears. Even when he disagreed with some of her opinions, it was still enjoyable, and when she changed her mind on some things after he corrected them, that was satisfying. Although he had to admit there were some matters that even he was mistaken—and thanks to Aoba, he could recognize such mistakes.
Still, he suspected that she would try to make a move on him, but Aoba was on her best behavior and did nothing not strictly related to games. By the end, he relaxed. She was as good as her word. No attempted kissing, no touching, no suggestive remarks, no flirting, and she always kept her physical distance. That afternoon was just honest to goodness game talk. It was very relaxing for him.
He overlooked the time, so when they finished, it was at about five in the afternoon. They talked about fifteen games, and Aoba borrowed seven.
As he walked her out of the house, he said, "By the way, Aoba, I'm thinking. Did you plan it? Did you convince Kanon, Tenri, Shiori, Yui, and Tsukiyo to vote against Chihiro?"
"What makes you think that?"
"I know you. You would never have agreed to limit your disciple time if you could help it. So why did you vote for Chihiro, and why did you ask me to vote for her too? Because you knew that even with the two of us voting with her, she'd still lose, right? And the two of us can't be accused of being selfish because we voted with her. And Chihiro wasn't even mad at you or me."
"That's a nice theory, Divine One."
"So it has to follow that you knew about it. That's why you asked me to vote last. Because if I voted first, then other girls might have voted with Chihiro because they might think that's what I really wanted."
"But I honestly only knew about it when you told me last night, and I didn't discuss it with any of the other girls before Chihiro's vote."
"So you didn't know beforehand?" he asked.
"No. What I do know is that I taught Tenri, Yui, and Tsukiyo about dating sims, and they were very interested. I know that Shiori wants to novelize your favorite games. I also know that Kanon wants your help in voicing game characters. That's five. And I knew that they would want to spend time with you outside their schedules by using games."
"How about Elsie and Haqua?"
"I thought that Elsie would vote whichever way you want. And I was right. But you acted too even-handed, so your sister had no idea how you'd vote. So she decided to support her friend. She was delighted when you voted with Chihiro since she thought that's what you really wanted."
"And Haqua?"
"I had no idea how she'd vote. I thought with Elsie, Chihiro would surely lose even if we both voted for her. So when Elsie voted for her, I was surprised."
"I bet you were delighted when Haqua voted nay. I sure was," Keima admitted.
Aoba just gave a smile.
"So you were the reason so many of the girls are into games," Keima laughed.
"Are you mad?"
"Of course not. Even if it's only to get closer to me, the girls developing a fondness for games made spending time with them more enjoyable. Thank you for that."
"You're welcome."
"Though aren't you worried that they'll outcompete you in this little rivalry of yours when it comes to games?"
"No matter how good they become, they can never approach me. I am a genius. The Mai-Hime. They don't even love the ideal for the idea's sake. They only took up gaming because you like it."
"True. Still, Aoba, don't be too cocky. You have only one-eight of a chance to win," he warned. "Anyway, I was going to give this to you by email, but since you're here, I might as well."
He gave Aoba her copy of the next week's schedule.
"I haven't asked you the time that you'd like to spend with me, so I hope this will do," he said.
As Aoba looked at it, she wondered how Keima could put a schedule idea for her even without consulting her. And looking at it made her very happy. This piece of paper was the proof that she's really part of the schedule, that she's one of the girls that Keima would consider in five years, that she could finally be a heroine in her own story.
"Thank you, Divine One," she said as she carefully folded the paper before she stepped out of the door, happy as a lark.
End of Flag XXXIV
Author Notes
This is not the last chapter. There would be one final chapter before I end this story.
Review Replies
To xellos540, thank you for your review. This was originally sent by PM, but I'm posting it here for the enlightenment of other readers.
Thank you. And that was my intention. I'm glad you felt sorry for Keima!
Heh, the entire chapter was almost about Aoba.
Yep. Things were so desperate for alcohol to be an option—only the fact that he was underage prevented such a scene.
Yeah. Keima was thinking about Tenri as an improper "childhood" friend, and that meant Tenri isn't really a "childhood" friend. And my interpretation was that Keima had, by this time, already thought highly of Tenri. But that the Heart of Jupiter Arc made him even think even more highly of Tenri—not that it helped Tenri in the end.
And of course, I'm referencing the fact that in anime, the childhood friend rarely wins.
Tenri was like that because she just woke up—and she hadn't had a chance to fix herself up because she just wanted to have a drink.
Yep. It's so convenient for the plot that Tenri could easily detect if Keima is lying.
Yes. Sometimes, Tenri knows Keima more than Keima knows himself. Keima's just in a funk and depressed, so he wasn't thinking clearly. All it needs are the words of his childhood friend to snap him out of it.
Well, Diana in the manga and anime already confessed to Keima—right after Keima dumped Chihiro. So saying that she loves him isn't some new revelation. And yeah, she was shouting and trying to put some sense into his thick skull. And yes, Diana thinks Keima is brilliant. That's one reason she fell in love with him. She saw how Keima masterminded the Goddess victory in the Goddess Arc.
I wonder if Tenri could just plead that Keima choose her? Will that work xD. Though I guess for any other matter, it should work against Keima.
Let's just Tenri is a bit worried that Fuse will win because she was chosen by Keima to be part of the schedule. She just wants reassurance that things were still fair between all the girls. And of course, Keima misinterprets it as Tenri being worried because she already knew that Keima loves Chihiro.
Yeah, Tenri is the first girl who cheats XD Who would've thought! But don't worry, it's just a momentary lapse on her part.
That's true about Aoba. But by this point in time, she had grown to love gaming in general and dating sims in particular. In that regard, she's unique among the girls. Keima doesn't have to worry about Aoba having an ulterior motive in playing games, unlike all the others.
Yep, it seems like an Aoba x Keima moment. It doesn't help that the two might not really think of it as such a moment because they are mostly on the same wavelength concerning games.
Aoba getting off her high pony? Yeah, that will be the day!
That was deliberate of Keima to mislead Aoba, to lower her defenses. She should slap him, but her days of slapping her master are long past.
Yep! Sometimes, Aoba is too smart for her own good. But who can blame her? After what happened, it's only logical to assume that the girls would never agree to her joining the schedule.
Well, her getting angry at him is a "first" since the start of this story, at least. Was she angry at him when she slapped him in the rain during his first attempt to conquer her in the light novel?
"she had faith that the God of Conquests" Well, that's what she's thinking and what she believes to be true. Whether her actions reflect that faith is another matter.
In this story? Well, you could say Ayumi. She kissed Keima twice before she accepted the schedule.
Aoba doesn't need to abuse the disciple activities outside the schedule. The mere fact that she spends time with Keima about the thing Keima loves the most is enough.
As for if Aoba voting for Chihiro is a trick or being honest, that will be answered in the next chapter.
As for the three hours being too little, they refer to the fact that if they include disciple activities to the three hours, which technically are not boyfriend girlfriend activities, they will have little time for both dating and gaming.
As for the memories, it's like this. The Goddesses protect the Goddess hosts' memories, so New Hell can't erase it. As for Aoba and Chihiro, it's just a favor that Haqua does for Keima. The reason is that he allowed them in the schedule because otherwise, they would lose their memories. Them losing their memories after five years if they are not chosen would make Keima's efforts meaningless. Keima himself does not want them to forget because he loves Chihiro, and he wants Aoba to remember all the things he taught her about games.
Well, it does bind Keima in a way. For example, he cannot refuse to spend time with the girls if it's their schedule. But outside the schedule, it's his discretion to allow girls to spend time with him. That's why he can allow girls to be with him if it's about gaming or helping him fight Weiss.
Yes, that's why Aoba has such an advantage over the other girls. She knows what he likes, what makes him tick, etc. The good thing is that he cannot choose until after five years, he loves another girl at the moment (Chihiro), and lots of things could happen. Don't worry. The competition isn't over. Not by a long shot.
It's late November. So late Fall.
Haqua was the one who spilled the gossip. It would be strange if Haqua would be outraged at herself.
Yeah, Keima looked like shit when Yui saw her because of his lack of sleep. So that's how she reacted.
Well, Shiori did shriek when Keima forced her to finish her novel in the library in the Goddess arc. Or was it a wail? I don't know.
And once more, thank you for your review, xellos540! And yes, the next chapter is the conclusion to the Aoba Inclusion Arc.
To Red888,
Once more, thank you for your review. Yes, I do enjoy the slice of life moments of TWGOK. I'm glad you enjoyed it here! Thank you.