Hello, everyone!
I'm so back! And I'm so late! And I'm sorry for that...
This might be the longest break I've made since I started KamiNomiNai, though I'm not exactly certain.
Well, as you have probably noticed some of my time since the last chapter was spent writing another story which resulted in a Jun two-shot. However, even without that, this chapter was really hard to write for several reasons. I guess it's better to talk about it after you've read the chapter.
Anyway, as usual I'd like to thank every single one of my readers for all the support for this and all my other stories! Here are the replies to the reviews for the last chapter.
ZelgadisGW: yay for Kanon's mom and family time! I'm glad you liked the presents. Heh, it's a nice album there, Kanon. It'd be a shame if someone were to see it. P.S. Kanon… Kanon… Kanon… xD
Ghost Man: of course she wasn't *hiding Kanon's mom's secret agent license*. About Kusunoki's gift, too bad we can't see just how powerful it is. I wonder if it was Tenri who put that last picture there… :P Your review method is fine, so don't worry. I enjoyed it :).
NiteyNite: good to know I have such dedicated readers! :) Ridiculous! I'm not throwing any bombs! *takes his finger off the 'missile launch' button*. Well, the Block side is strong and clouds all, but I managed to pull through!
Nepcom Noire: thank you for the sympathy! For now it's not that bad, as some of the issues were actually put on hold due to some stuff happening… but the next few weeks might be really troublesome. I do hope it won't interfere too much with my writing though.
Sir Sleeps-a-lot: damn, that's a long review. Yup, you got the references right. Also, Xellos540, distracting the reviewers since 2017! xD *imagining the interior of your car in all rainbow colors* Yeah, Keima, how stupid can you possibly be! I wonder what a natural habitat for Kanon actually is xD. *gives you a hug* And yay for fanfiction fuel! Yup, I'd like such present-choosing skills. Ok, breathe in and out, slowly xD. Nah, Kanon tased you 'cause she wanted the presents for herself! I wonder about that Daisuke thing though…
Firefoxmonik: yes, this can be excused :P. Well, design for Kanon's parents was a little difficult, so I'm kinda happy with the result, even if it isn't much. Lol, I see Daisuke is really loved in the fandom xD. Well, it's not exactly "birthday events", more like "evens with multiple girls". And yeah, it posted alright. And you're welcome!
Gueetion: sorry, but I have pretty much no idea what you're talking about…
ElSasori69: Chiaki and Tasuku, huh? I'm very tempted to use that, though Karen and Keita sound nice too. And the entire family would be K-something too :P. Anyway, thank you very much for the idea!
Okay, I think that's everything I wanted to say for now. Onto the chapter!
Enjoy!
(* * *)
After Kanon had received her presents, the group moved to the table. At first, everyone told Urara that she overdid it, but soon after that they were enjoying the various dishes and foods.
"It seems I'll have to have a looong running session to burn all the calories from today," Ayumi said as she took a bite of another pastry, but she wasn't looking sad at all, "and you too," she said to Chihiro.
"It's okay," the normal girl said back, "it's my cheat day."
"Bad yorh chead-" Yui said before Mio, who was sitting right next to her, elbowed her.
"Don't talk with your mouth full!" the blonde scolded.
"Geez, you sound like my mother!" Yui said when she swallowed.
"I don't care if you dress as a woman or a man, but act like a person of your status! Like some other people," Mio said as she looked appreciatively at Tsukiyo, who was elegantly sipping her tea.
"But it's so uptight!" the drummer complained and Tsukiyo twitched.
"Good manners don't mean you have to be uptight," Mio argued, "look at Urara!"
The girl in question immediately straightened her back and slowed down her eating, pink dusting her cheeks. A few of the girls, including Kanon, smiled. Indeed, Urara was a weird one, especially compared with her 7 year-old self. She could still act as a refined lady, but rarely did so, probably something having to do with her stay overseas.
"Anyway, as I was saying, your cheat day is on Sunday, Chihiro," Yui reminded her, but the band leader shrugged.
"I have two cheat days," the normal girl said simply.
"Lucky you," Kusunoki remarked, scanning the plates and bowls on the table in search for her next prey, while Minami and Shiori nodded her heads in silent agreement.
Ayumi just shook her head, but said nothing.
Eri was unmoving, staring at her dish which was simple rice with red sauce on top arranged in a shape of a firetruck and the girl was apparently reluctant to destroy the image by eating it.
Someone suggested a karaoke and soon after that the music was playing while various girls were taking turns, trying to play Kanon's songs. Some girls however refused to take part in it (Shiori immediately shrunk and pretended she wasn't there the moment the karaoke idea was announced), some while some had to be stopped from taking part ("I'm a goddess of arts! Why can't I sing a single tune!?").
Kanon didn't sing. She was the jury, which was a little embarrassing. She also didn't want to take any side. Fortunately, the results were obvious – while some girls certainly had singing practice (mainly Chihiro and Ayumi) and some others had surprisingly clear and good voices (even if they had trouble following the reason), the victory was certainly Eri's. The female Katsuragi had not only remembered Kanon's lyrics and choreography, but could also mimic the idol's voice, making her performance of "All 4 you" a sight to behold.
Two hours and three karaoke rounds later the party was much more lively. Some girls took turns checking out Kanon's gifts (although the idol took special care to keep her new stun gun and her magical album out of anyone's hands). Honestly speaking, Kanon had a lot of fun, talking and joking with everyone, which was a new thing to her.
Of course, she had thousand of fans, but this was different. Here she, for the most part, wasn't an idol. She didn't have to sing, wear make-up or take off her glasses to be noticed. She had never had so many friends who were that close to her before.
Kanon disliked parties... at least the usual ones, because this... this was really something she could get used to. Guess the right people and simple fun instead of business atmosphere of the parties she usually attended made all the difference...
"By the way," Yui said at some point as she looked at everyone present, "don't you think we're missing some people?"
"Now that you mention it, I don't see the rāmen girl " Ayumi mused.
"Umm... I think there was also that other girl who plays shōgi, I think her name was Nanaka," Minami added quietly.
"I invited both of them though," Urara said in thought, "in fact, I extended the invitation to Hinoki-san as well..."
"And thank heavens my sister couldn't be here," Kusunoki sighed in relief.
"Why?" Yui wondered. "I'm sure it would be even nicer with your sister here."
"Maybe for you," the martial artist replied. If Hinoki were here she would definitely use the opportunity to embarrass her in front of everyone.
"As for Sumire-san, she said she'll try to come, but she apparently couldn't," Urara continued.
"I doubt it's that, " Mio replied to that and everyone looked at her, "my bet would be that she didn't want to come."
"What do you mean, Mio-san?" Eri questioned in her innocent voice and Mio send her a sharp gaze, apparently not too happy with the first name basis, "who wouldn't want to come to Kanon-chan's birthday!? It's insane!"
"You're exaggerating," Kanon replied, blushing. It's not like everyone here came because of her – this party was also for Kusunoki and Minami. Kanon wasn't even sure why Tsukiyo was here, as the girl didn't seem very social and might've been dragged here by Shiori, who was too scared to come here alone.
As for Keima, Kanon was conflicted. On one hand, the old Keima would never care. On the other hand, the new Keima was different. Yes, Keima Katsuragi might not be the most sensitive and social person in the world, but he was vastly different from the cold, insensitive loner he used to be. It was hard to pinpoint the differences with words, but Kanon could just feel that Keima has grown. They all could feel it.
However, on yet another hand, the very recent Keima was a mystery...
"My point," Mio took up, "is that both of those girls felt nervous about coming here."
"What do you mean?" Yui asked, "why would they be nervous among their friends?"
"I think you're overestimating their relation to us," Mio said and, when Yui gave her a confused look, she sighed, "you are a goddess host, a drummer in a band and a friend of me and Urara," the blonde said as she crossed her arms over her small chest. "so you are close with a lot of us here and you are outgoing... but not everyone here is like that," the blonde finished, looking over others.
It seemed her words were met with agreement as Tsukiyo nodded her head, while Shiori hid her face behind some book she got from god knows where. Chihiro bit her lip and Tenri looked nervous. Ayumi took another bit of her cake.
"So you're basically saying that we're not as close as a group? At least not all of us?" Urara summarized.
"That's right," Mio said with a smile, apparently pleased with herself.
"Wow, I never knew you were so smart, Mio!" Yui exclaimed happily.
"What do you mean by that!?" the blonde replied, her whip already in her hands.
"But that would mean that the ones with the least connections to everyone else would be the least comfortable here, right?" Urara went on, before looking at Kusunoki and Minami. The former was, or at least looked, calm and just a tad nervous, while the latter looked as if she wanted to disappear. Apparently the freshly-graduated middle schooler was overwhelmed by being in the same group with a famous idol, Shiratori heiress and the hosts of literal goddesses, despite being seated close to Tenri and Shiori.
"That explains the rāmen girl a bit, but what about the shōgi girl?" Chihiro asked as she ate a potato chip. "Isn't she friends with Ayukawa-san as well?" she asked as she turned to Tenri.
"Aah... Nanaka-san said she was heading to see her family in France..." the shy teen replied.
"It's a good excuse then," Ayumi said.
"Nah," Chihiro shook her head, "that shōgi addict didn't seem like a shy person. I think she'd be fine here."
"Still, we could invite more people," Eri said.
"Like who?" Kanon asked.
"Well," Eri started, "there's Nagase-sensei and Nikaidō-sensei-"
"No! No! No!" Chihiro immediately said. "I know this is a school graduation party and stuff, but we don't need teachers!"
"You make it sound as if we're doing something illegal here!" Ayumi scolded her best friend, before continuing. "But I kinda agree, with Chihiro here."
"Still, there's Rimyuel-neesama, Haqua... and Nora-san," Eri finished, her voice much less energetic than the one she was using before.
It was quiet for a moment, with several girls exchanging glances.
"You're right," Urara admitted, "I should've invited them too..."
"Well, it's not like we can contact them easily, right?" Kusunoki said with her regular composure, but even in her voice one could sense a bit of guilt, "and I'm not sure they would want to come. They're not really connected to anyone outside of Eri-san, anyway."
"Well, they're connected to nii-sama," Eri stated as if this was the most obvious thing in the word.
All remaining girls looked at each other, Eri's words reminding them the crucial person that connected all of them together.
Keima Katsuragi.
All girls here, even if they weren't connected with each other directly, they were still connected by Keima. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that they were here because of him. It was because of him that the girls here were acquaintances or, in many cases, friends.
Yui coughed.
"Speaking of Keima-kun," she started, "it's been some time since he went to the toilet... maybe I should go check-"
"Absolutely not!" Ayumi kicked the drummer lightly on her shin under the table, "he'll be fine! He doesn't need you there!"
"Hey, don't say it as if were to enter the toilet with Keima-kun!" Yui defended herself, not seeing the horrified looks on some faces, most notably Shiori's and Minami's, "I have enough experience with knowing how guys do it and-"
"Okay, too much information, waaay too much information!" Chihiro said, waving her hands, while Shiori and Minami were trying to hide behind the same book.
"Speaking of Keima," Urara chimed in a hushed voice and leaned forward, "what do you think of him?" she asked, addressing everyone present.
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but in the following silence it resounded like a thunder.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Yui was the first to regain her composure... or maybe she simply didn't lose it...
"Well, this conversation reminded me that I kinda feel like an outsider to be honest," Urara continued with less courage now when all eyes were trained at her, "I mean, even with the memories and stuff, I still didn't get to know Keima the way you did..."
"I get it," Yui interrupted, "you want to know how kissing fee-"
*THUD*
"As I was saying," Urara continued a moment later, completely ignoring Yui nursing a bump on her head, "for me Keima is someone who saved my grandfather, but I wonder if my opinion of him is too high... so since almost all of us is here and Keima is not... I kinda wanted to ask what do you honestly think about him..."
After a moment of silence it was Eri who broke the silence.
"I love, nii-sama," she stated simply, earning a lot of gazes with her innocent statement.
"And Katsuragi should be thankful for that," Chihiro immediately responded, but blushed when the stares turned to her, "I-I mean you're obligated to love your real siblings, but when your adopted sister loves you then you should be grateful for that!"
"Maybe," a quiet voice piped in and everyone looked at Minami, who seemed so in thought that she didn't shrink when attention turned to her, "maybe Katsuragi-senpai simply deserves it."
"Yup, because he's totally not a pretentious arrogant liar," Mio said sarcastically.
"Funny," Kusunoki smiled, "once upon a time that could be used to describe you, Aoyama-san."
"Don't say it like that!" Mio's faced reddened.
"Like what?" Yui asked.
"Like me and Katsuragi are similar!"
"I think it's obvious that Keima was definitely a scheming, unruly and creepy person," Tsukiyo joined the conversation, "but I think it's also obvious that he has changed... we all have..."
"Keima-kun was sorta always like that though," Tenri said, "it's just..."
"That it was only in his gaming world," Shiori finished quietly.
There was another moment of silence.
"Well, I certainly think that Keima still can be arrogant, insensitive and creepy," Ayumi said as she popped a candy into her mouth, "but I can also agree that he's a fairly decent person."
"Decent?" Yui eyed the guitarist in surprise. "He's a freaking genius! Girl, he saved the world! Is there anything he can't do if he tries? And he's handsome too!"
"Well, there's at least one thing he can't do," Ayumi continued, "that is: understand a woman's heart. And I mean a real woman."
"Wouldn't be so certain about that," Yui winked.
"You really like him," Urara said as if she just realized it.
"Yup!" the drummer confirmed happily. "How about you?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" was the girl's answer. "Why would I like him?"
"Nii-sama's amazing," Eri said quietly as in response.
"Your opinion on him is definitely too high," Chihiro shook her head, "I still think he doesn't deserve such a cute sister."
There was some nods, but nobody said anything more. Kanon was listening to all that with fear slowly, but surely surging in her. Especially when she saw many faces dust with pink as the conversation went on.
Everyone literally leaped into air when the doors slid open a few seconds later and Keima walked into the room. He probably could sense that something was amiss, because he stopped to look around.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Nothing," Kusunoki replied with a perfect poker face.
"We were just missing you, Keima-kun!" Yui smiled happily at him.
"Hmpf! Speak for yourself," Mio looked away.
Keima just rolled his eyes and walked to the table.
"You're in my seat," he told Ayumi, who had changed places to talk with Chihiro during his absence.
"There's a place for you here!" Urara pointed to the empty spot between her and Kanon, making the idol flinch.
Keima turned, looking to where the girl was pointing. Then for a briefest of moments his gaze switched to Kanon, before focusing on Urara.
"I'm not sitting next to you," Keima told the Shiratori heiress, before taking a seat between Minami and Tenri who both visibly blushed.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Urara asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I'd rather stay fully clothed," Keima said and Urara sent him a glare Ayumi and Tsukiyo would be proud of.
"We're not talking about that!" Mio half-shouted her face red from both anger and embarrassment. Just as Urara she wasn't too comfortable with remembering the "naked Keima Katsuragi" episode of her life 10 years ago.
"Why not?" Yui piped up. "I wouldn't mind-AWW!" her sentence was interrupted when Mio elbowed her in the ribs again, much stronger this time.
"Seriously!" the blonde started. "Don't you ever turn that masculine side of yours off!?"
"When I sleep?" the mannish girl said back, massaging her sore side, "It's not like I have a switch or a button to turn it off, you know?"
"I think you do," Tsukiyo joined the conversation, "it's the 'call' button in your phone... right after you select your mother's number."
The table burst out laughing. Ayumi was holding her stomach and rolling with Chihiro not far behind her. Shiori and Tenri giggled and even Tsukiyo and Kusunoki let out a chuckle.
"Hey, it's not funny!" Yui protested, but the laughter continued.
Kanon smiled with everyone, but soon the mood passed and they were back to the party, which mostly included eating, drinking, telling stories, embarrassing people, trying to get more quiet girls to talk more, tease Keima about his games or Chihiro coming up with a new joke or idea whenever it was getting boring.
Kanon, however, had trouble relaxing and was on her guard instead.
She had been suspecting it from the very first moment, but now she was certain. The person who was watching her was no-one else but Keima and it made her feel uneasy. It was a feeling she had never really experienced before, especially because she had spent a good part of her life seeking attention rather than avoiding it.
And it was so different than the attention she had gotten before. Unlike as with her fans, there was no apparent admiration and unlike as with that devil girl Fiore, there was no apparent feeling of danger either.
No, the way Keima was observing Kanon seemed basically neutral to her and the greatest example of this was that the idol couldn't catch the boy in the act. Whenever Kanon would gaze at the gamer he wouldn't be looking at her nor would it look as if he had turned away suddenly. It was as if he was observing her from the corner of his eye or without the need for eyesight at all.
At this point Kanon was so tensed up that the feeling of being watched didn't leave her even when Keima was obviously not looking at her. The only reason Kanon was certain it was from him was because the feeling definitely stopped when Keima had gone to the toilet.
Normally Kanon would be happy to have Keima's attention, but not this time. Then again, what if Keima wasn't really acting weird and it was all in her head? Maybe she was becoming paranoid because of this entire situation?
It just didn't make sense!
Once more: Keima had impersonated Daisuke Nishihara during her drama shooting and had kissed her. And then he had walked away. No explanation, no nothing. Moreover, it was pretty obvious that he now knew about her intentions towards him, which meant he should react to it in some way, right?
And yet he didn't act either way – he didn't seem to be actively avoiding her, but he wasn't confronting her either. He wasn't talking to her on his own, but he was responding when she talked to him, acting more or less like the Keima Kanon knew.
So why was he watching her? Was he worried about her? Was he angry with her? Was he... intrigued...? Curious...? Reciprocating? Well, Kanon would like for the last one to be true, but she wasn't that naive. However, that didn't get Kanon closer to figuring out Keima's behavior. Her best shot was that he tried to act as if nothing happened and was watching her in case she wanted to try something.
Gah! Just what kind of game was he playing here!?
Thus, the party went on and Kanon felt torn inside. On one hand the party was definitely better than what she had been expecting. On the other hand, it filled her with anxiety and feeling of helplessness.
What was she supposed to do now? Copy Keima's behavior and act like nothing happened? Somehow that didn't seem like a viable option anymore... No, Keima knew now and, if Kanon's own observation was correct, the other girls might not stay passive for very long.
She needed to act now...
(* * *)
Kanon decided to seize the first opportunity she got, which the idol figured would be after the party ended. She would just need to confront Keima-kun and prevent him from ignoring her, but she couldn't just ask him to talk in front of everyone like this, so she had to wait till he was alone and that could be tricky because of Eri and Tenri. Moreover, Kanon hadn't predicted one thing – casual party or not, she was still a top idol, so she had actually trouble separating from other people and she did end up giving some autographs, especially to Minami, who apparently finally worked up the courage to ask for it. It wasn't a complete waste though, she had learned that Eri would be going somewhere with Chihiro, Ayumi and Yui, so the only one who would be accompanying Keima would be Tenri.
When Kanon was finally free, she jogged down the way leading from the heart of the compound to the main gate. After some time she spotted someone in front of her, just ahead of the main gate. However, the number of people didn't match.
"Tenri-san?" Kanon asked when she was close enough.
The dark-haired teen let out a small "eep!" before she turned around. "Kanon-san?" she asked in surprise.
"Is Keima-kun not going back with you?" Kanon asked. "You two are neighbors and all," she added before she could bite her tongue.
"Ah... Keima-kun said he wasn't going back yet," Tenri responded simply.
"Isn't it weird though?" Kanon mused. "I-I mean, I thought he'd want to rush back to his house to play games."
To her surprise Tenri giggled. "Keima-kun can play games everywhere. Besides," she let out another giggle, "being weird fits Keima-kun."
Kanon looked at the other girl curiously. Tenri had been always a girl who seemed to accept Keima the way he was, would always defend him in an argument and wouldn't try to change him. She was also one of the very few who could understand or see through him to that extent.
Kanon had to admit – she envied that skills...
"Um... I'm going in that direction," Tenri said once they had passed the main gate, making Kanon realize they had walked in silence for a moment.
"I see, then see you later," Kanon waved a little stiffly. She was used to strangers, fans and official business meetings. She was also more or less used to Keima and people like Chihiro or Yui, but talking with people 'in between' like Tenri was still a little awkward.
No, it was not the time to think about that! She was on a mission here!
Kanon waited for Tenri to walk away, before she turned around and started heading back to the compound. How did she miss Keima-kun? She was sure he had left the compound! And more importantly, how she was going to find him now?
Unless...
"Apollo," Kanon whispered after making sure no-one was nearby.
"What's up?" was the not-so-quiet response from her own shadow.
"I think I need some divine intervention," the idol muttered.
"Finally!" Apollo replied. "But to tell you the truth, I've been doing divinations for a while now and-"
"Not that," Kanon interrupted her, "can you make me invisible? And sustain it while you're flying?"
"Easy-peasy!" the goddess responded. "I shouldn't keep it for long though. Oh, and I'll need to switch places with you."
"Just find where Keima-kun is," Kanon asked, "I'll take it from there."
(* * *)
"Couldn't you just call him?" Apollo asked after a while. Honestly, flying all over quite a vast area covered with trees in search of a single non-magical person was the most boring thing the ditzy goddess did in quite a while.
'Keima-kun could be avoiding me and refuse to tell me where he is," Kanon replied patiently.
"Alright, alright, I get it! Geez..." Apollo whined, but then she finally saw what she was looking for. She flew over there and landed gracefully and switched back with Kanon, but not before making the idol visible and giving her a quiet "good luck, go get him!"
The place surprised Kanon as it was one she kinda recognized. It was the hill where the graves of Urara's parents were located. Kanon had no idea why Keima was here. True, the graves were cleaned and adorned with fresh flowers, so Urara probably won't bet coming here today. Keima himself was also situated a little further down from the top of the hill, past a small cliff, lying on the grassy slope, hidden from everyone and seemingly enjoying the view.
And there was a lot to see!
It was not evening yet, so the city was bathed in the sun, making it truly a wonderful look. Moreover, the surrounding trees blocked some of the sunlight, shielding them from being blinded by the sun, while still letting through dozens of speckles of light. The scenery was complete with a gentle breeze which made the leaves rustle and dance, resulting in the light speckles moving constantly.
The compound itself was located on the outskirts of the city and elevated above the surrounding land, so from where Kanon was one had a perfect view on the more calm part of the city, including the residential area, the beach and the small bay between the headland where Maijima Private High School was located and the larger cape containing Aibi city.
However, as nice as the view was, Kanon didn't come here to admire it. Once again, she was on a mission.
She quietly walked closer to where Keima was, approaching him from above, so he couldn't see and, hopefully, hear her yet. She couldn't see his face too well from here to be honest. And she kinda didn't want to disturb him, 'cause the scene was looking really serene even if a little bit melancholic. For a moment she thought about just walking away from here, but shook her head. She had to do this. She quietly took a breath and spoke.
"It's quite a view."
Truth be told, Kanon didn't really expect Keima to be surprised very much, but she had expected some immediate reaction. Instead, Keima remained silent for a few seconds, prompting Kanon to lean closer to see if he wasn't wearing earpieces or something.
"It is indeed," the boy said so softly that Kanon barely caught it.
If the gamer's aim was to confuse Kanon then it was definitely working. Well, at least he wasn't pretending she wasn't here.
"Can we talk, Keima-kun?" she asked.
Once again, it was quiet for a moment. Then Keima sighed and got up, before turning to her. If he was in sad, relaxed or melancholic mood seconds ago then it was hard to find any trace of it, as the boy seemed to be back to his regular calm and focused disposition, his brown attentive eyes training on hers probably for the first time today. Maybe it was the scenery, or the nerves, but Kanon thought he looked even more striking than usual. Moreover, Kanon had suddenly realized that both of them were wearing glasses and that both of them were considered somewhat more cute or attractive without them.
She suddenly had a brief and stupid urge to take her glasses off.
"I'm listening," he said. His voice wasn't enthusiastic, bored, sad or angry. And it obviously wasn't a voice of a boy in love. Kanon wondered if he was using his poker face right now or was he simply neutral.
"What are you doing here?" she asked before she could bit her tongue. That was not what she wanted to talk about!
"Thinking," he replied simply.
"So you haven't been avoiding me?" Kanon inquired.
"Why would I do that?" Keima replied with a question. "Why would I risk being tased again?"
"You do realize I don't tase people anymore, right? At least without a good reason, like self-defence," Kanon corrected him while sweatdropping. It was her own fault though – using her stun guns on Keima was something she had truly regretted. "Anyway, you haven't really answered my question," she reminded him.
Keima smiled faintly as if acknowledging her being perceptive.
"No, I haven't been avoiding you," he paused for a bit, "actually, I'm surprised it took you so long."
"What do you mean?"
"I've expected you to act sooner... considering the late night call," he explained.
"You know about that!?" Kanon shouted in surprise. "And I asked Eri to not tell you!"
In response Keima laughed.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"You're underestimating me," Keima looked at her with a serious look on his face, "you're forgetting I made the first move. You think I did it without planning ahead?"
"I-I," was all Kanon managed to stutter out as Keima continued.
"I was two steps ahead of you. I instructed Eri to inform me if you made contact with her or asked about me... She didn't want to tell me how and when you contacted her, but it wasn't hard to figure out."
Keima went silent, observing Kanon's reaction. The idol tried not to show her surprise. And why was she even surprised? It was Keima-kun after all! Obviously he'd have his cards ready. Well, she might as well see what those cards were...
"How about you acquaint me with those plans of yours then?" she asked.
Keima titled his head in question.
"I mean what was that thing with you appearing on my drama shooting? Kanon clarified. "And how did you... no, what did you do to Nishihara? How did you get rid of him and how did he end up unconscious?"
"I didn't know you were so concerned about him," the boy mused aloud.
"I'm not concerned with him!" Kanon objected. "I'm not in lo-Just answer the question!"
"I had Nora contact him and pretend she's a girl interested in him, so he would walk to some private place. Then Nora simply put him to sleep and arranged the place to look as if he had an accident."
"And how did she 'put him to sleep' exactly?" Kanon asked.
"Beats me," Keima shrugged, "but I'm sure she didn't do anything you or me wouldn't be happy about."
Kanon bit her lip, before she decided to move to another thing.
"What was that thing about the script you gave the director?"
"I figured you'd appreciate if there romance in the show was toned down, so I modified the script a little," Keima replied as if it was obvious, "unless, you'd like to have more kissing scenes in-"
"Still," Kanon interrupted him, "that doesn't explain how you could write a script that the director accepted immediately. You copied a scenario from some game you played before?"
"No, if I copied a scenario from a single game that would be an infringement," Keima replied, "so I combined scenarios from a dozen of games and modified them accordingly."
"And you did it in five minutes, I take it?" Kanon questioned, though she had a feeling what his response would be like.
"Actually, it took half of the night to do it..."
"Then why? Why did you do it?" Kanon asked the question she had wanted to ask for days. "Why did you went out of your way to do it?"
"You didn't want to kiss that guy," Keima stated, not asked, "and you were stressed because of it. So I helped you. You should be grateful. You did enjoy the my intervention after all."
Blood rushed to Kanon's cheeks in similar way Mai-High students rushed to Demeter outdoor bakery during lunch break.
"But it doesn't make sense!" she defended, simultaneously advancing the topic and trying to distract him from her red face. "Didn't you say that I need to step outside my comfort zone?"
"That's right," Keima confirmed calmly.
"Then why didn't you leave the decision to me!? Why did you interfere?" she besieged him with questions, forgetting how she disliked this during interviews. "Didn't you just contradict yourself by doing this?"
"Hardly," Keima replied, not batting an eyelash. "You situation haven't changed in the long run."
"What do you mean?" Kanon said in uncertain voice. Keima didn't lose his cool at all and it wasn't a good sign.
"You forget something. Only you know that the one who kissed you was me," Keima reminded her, "the rest of your staff believes it was Nishihara all along. The next time a kissing scene comes up, you won't have any excuse, since everyone else thinks you are fine with kissing Nishihara on camera."
"T-that's..." Kanon started, but words failed her.
"In other words," Keima continued, his finger raised, "from now on you have a choice: either be more careful when it comes to future movie contracts or kiss other men when the script says so."
"Choice?" Kanon repeated. "You left we with no choice when you intervened!"
"Tsk, tsk," Keima wagged his finger at her. "at that moment you didn't have much choice anyway – your decision have already been made by then, whether I'd step in or not. I repeat: with regards to your staff nothing have changed, except I made it easier on you."
"Well, what about with regards to you then?" Kanon asked. "My situation didn't change, but yours did. Why did you choose to involve yourself with the real world like that?"
"You preferred to kiss me rather than Nishihara, right? No, you preferred to kiss me over anyone else," he corrected himself.
Kanon bit her lip.
"Is that 'preference' the reason why the last page of that magical photo album looks... the way it does?" she asked.
"Well, I reckoned you'd rather have a photo of me instead of him," Keima said, "anyway, going back to my intervention... you could consider it to be an apology... and compensation."
"Apology?" Kanon repeated. "Compensation? For what?"
She hoped he didn't mean what she thought he did.
"For almost getting you killed," he explained.
So he did mean that.
"It wasn't your faul-"
"Of course it was," Keima interrupted her, "if I took the goddesses search seriously from the beginning-"
"You had no way of knowing any of that!" Kanon interjected as well, before shaking her head. "Look, you saved me from the emptiness in my heart... you saved my career and you brought me peace. And it's only thanks to you that I'm alive right now," Kanon paused for a moment, her lower lip was trembling a bit, "actually... it's me who's yet to thank you properly for that..."
"Okay," Keima put his hand in front of him to stop the idol from continuing, "then how about this – consider my one-time intervention to be your birthday present."
Kanon blinked at that. "But you've already-"
"The album was a joint present from me, Eri, Tenri and Diana", Keima interrupted, "this is specifically from me. And besides, it's not like I didn't have my own agenda in all this, which brings us to the main issue," Keima looked up, his piercing gaze making Kanon sweat.
"That dream of yours. Dream about you and me. You should give up on that dream," Keima said seriously.
Kanon swallowed. It was obviously turning into a rejection, but it wasn't surprising. It wasn't really the first time either.
"Since when did you know?" she asked, trying to understand him. And stalling for time.
"I was convinced you'd move on, but then Satyr struck back," Keima said, referring to the entire thing with sharing memories, "after that it was obvious it wouldn't be so simple for some of the girls... and you were one of the main candidates."
"Why?" she asked simply, trying best to stay calm, resolved to keep him talking for as long as she could. The more info she had, the more effective her strategy would be.
Keima shrugged. "You're modest, polite and gentle person. At least most of the time," he said, "and most importantly you're a pure person. You've longed for attention all your life or rather you've longed for acceptance and affection. To top it all, you're a goddess host, remembering and harboring your feelings for longer than most other, so such development is not any surprise under such circumstances," Keima summarized, "it is however a nuisance."
"A nuisance, huh?" Kanon repeated with doubtful expression, "so why did you attend the party then? There were several 'nuisances' there as well, you know?"
Keima didn't respond.
"I'll tell you why," Kanon didn't wait for his answer. "First, you used the kiss to have me drop my guard," she stated the obvious. "Then you used the party to observe me and put pressure on me! So what's your play then? Are you going to play a creep, hoping that I'd lose interest?"
"I am a creep," Keima said.
Kanon grit her teeth. For some reason him acting like a cold jerk and thinking she'll buy it made her angry. She was about to take action, when she remembered something about the party.
"Urara," she said quietly.
"What?" Keima asked, his eyes widening.
"When you went back from the bathroom you didn't want to sit next to me-"
"Of course I-"
"-but that doesn't explain why you were so rude to Urara," Kanon continued before her eyes focused on his, "you were rude to her because you're afraid... afraid that she'll start liking you."
"That has nothing to do with this," Keima said. His voice was calm, aside from his lips he didn't move a muscle. He didn't even blink. But Kanon wasn't finished.
"Come to think of it... you took a lot of time in the bathroom," she said and Keima's breath hitched a bit, encouraging her to go on, "did you eavesdrop on our conversation? Trying to learn what we thought of you?"
Keima's eyes narrowed. "And what if I did?"
"I just don't understand," Kanon shook her head, "I know you're changed Keima-kun. You accepted us as your friends. You decided to face the world, even if not completely or with hesitation. Only a blind person wouldn't be able to see that," she paused for a moment, "so why don't you try to embrace the idea of real-life romance as well?"
"I don't like real girls," Keima said simply.
"You obviously don't like me romantically right now," Kanon agreed, "and I didn't expect you to... but that doesn't mean you can't start liking me like that at some point."
Keima laughed. "What makes you think I can like you like that?" he mocked.
"Because I believe in you," Kanon replied honestly, "I believe nothing is impossible for you, Keima-kun. If you only tried-"
"Don't get cocky," Keima interrupted her, his eyes narrowing, "even if I wanted to try, why would I choose you?"
"What do you mean?" Kanon asked, feeling she won't like the answer.
Keima sighed.
"Let's be honest here," he said, "you're a compulsive and obsessive person... And starved for attention..."
Kanon opened her mouth, but no sound was made.
"In the real world, dating an idol is not a dream come true, I remember what it was like when people thought we were dating," Keima continued, "even if we did date, you'd always be out there, doing your job. What kind of dating is that?"
"W-what?" Kanon finally said. Was this really Keima-kun?
"Finally, I did say that the real is boring with only one hair color... but pink hair, seriously?"
Kanon didn't respond to that and didn't move either, only her eyes widening in shock. She just couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"I'm sorry, Kanon," Keima said, though his voice was clinical, "but there's not a route for you and me. That's how the real world is," he added.
Kanon was still rooted to the spot as Keima walked past her, heading in the direction of the gate to exit the compound.
He made a dozen of steps before he felt two small stings on his back before a familiar jolt of electricity passed through him. His muscles immediately went slack as he collapsed onto the grass. He couldn't say he was surprised though. Smaller rejections caused Kanon to tase him in the past, so this was what he had expected...
...except something was... off.
The way he remembered it (and his memory was top-notch), Kanon was pretty savage when it came to the use of her totally not safe stun guns – she would assault him with full force and not retract those deadly and non-PFP friendly tasers until Keima looked as if had been burned to crisp...
...this time it was vastly different, as instead of a prolonged shock it lasted barely a second. The voltage was also nothing compared to what he remembered. Of course, Keima didn't enjoy being tased one bit, but all-in-all it was more annoying than really painful. It was as if Kanon was holding back, which made no sense whatsoever.
Keima forced his body to obey and rolled over. And then he saw Kanon. The image only added to the peculiar feeling of things being weird. He had expected rage. He had expected fury. And he had certainly expected tears. However, Kanon wasn't crying – there was not even a trace of wetness in her eyes. No, her eyes seemed more like steel. There was anger of course, but it was lost in something else, something that Keima didn't exactly expect.
Betrayal.
And disappointed.
"Kanon?" he questioned weakly, but the idol responded by pressing her brand-new stun gun she got from Kusunoki to his stomach and turning on the voltage.
"Gaaanoooon!" Keima mumbled, his tongue refusing to cooperate as his body was once again shocked. Still, it was the same as moment ago – brief and weak.
"Keima... kun... you idiot!" Kanon said slowly, shocking Keima with each word, "you... stupid... stubborn... cocky... lying... manipulative... jerk!"
Finally, Kanon stopped. She pursed her lips and continued to look at Keima with a fierce look on her face.
For a moment it was quiet as Keima struggled to get his body under control.
"Ma-manipulative? Lying?" he finally breathed, his voice confused. He could understand stubborn, cocky and everything else, but that? "Wha-what do you mean?"
Kanon looked at him. Then she blinked. And then she shocked him again, this time not as gently as before.
"Coward!" she accused when she was done.
"Coward?" Keima repeated with some difficulty as he raised the upper part of his body. "Me?"
He didn't say anything more, because Kanon suddenly leaned forward, her face ending up inches from his.
"Keima-kun," she started calmly, "it's true that I don't attend school too often and I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed," she paused for a moment, her eyes boring into his, "but don't think I'm stupid."
"I don't think you're stupid," Keima said, but faltered when he saw an electric arc travel between the electrodes of her stun gun threateningly.
"Oh really?" Kanon mocked. "Then why are you trying such a cheap trick?"
"I don't know what-"
"Don't play dumb!" Kanon told him, before sighing, her expression softer now. "Look, I know you don't like me like that... and that you believe it'd be better if I didn't like you..." her expression turned hard again. "But what you've tried to do right now was pretty low and naive. I'm disappointed with you..."
Keima continued to look at her without saying a word and Kanon sighed again.
"What you've said right now... I don't believe in that. I don't believe in any of that... you don't think I'm obsessive or starved for attention," she clarified, "and while dating an idol certainly isn't a walk in the park, but the new Keima-kun I know-No! Even the old Keima-kun wouldn't truly think like that! You know better than that! I know you better than that! And it's not just me! You've heard all the girls at the party, right?"
Keima opened his mouth, but Kanon wasn't finished.
"And as for the hair color..." she said. "I'm sorry Keima-kun, but that was the dumbest and the most fake of all the arguments you've used and you deserved a tasing for that."
Kanon leaned back and closed her eyes. When she opened them her anger was gone, replaced with her usual gentle expression as she smiled kindly.
"So, Keima-kun, if you need to reject me, because you don't have feelings for me, I'd understand. Of course, I wouldn't give up, but I'll understand. I can't and I won't force you to love me... but don't try to solve this by turn me against you by acting cold and lying. It's not like you."
For a moment it was quiet.
"Not like me?" Keima repeated finally, his voice unreadable, eyes hidden behind his bangs. "I have a long history of hurting girls, lying to girls, rejecting girls and breaking their hearts. It sounds plenty like me."
"No," Kanon shook her head. "You never wanted to hurt anyone. No, I know Keima-kun is good and kind person... even if he's a little cold and insensitive at times," she gave him a poke on the forehead, "you helped me, helped all of us," her hand stayed on his forehead, brushing aside his hair, revealing his widened eyes, "and now you've changed for the better... you can't hide it. You can't deny how you felt when I was stabbed... You might not love any of us in the way a man loves a woman, but you care for every single one of us. You care for us a lot."
She stopped talking for a moment to take in the current situation. The two of them lying on the grass and her basically on top of him, caressing his face on a grassy field like that. She was tempted to switch positions and lay his head on her lap, but she knew their conversation wasn't over.
"I love you, Keima-kun," she confessed, pouring all of her feelings into it, "I want to be with you... I know it's selfish, but I want your love. I want to love and be loved by you in return. So if you have any valid reason to reject me, then I'm listening... but I won't change my mind."
Keima continued to look at her, before he slumped backwards, letting his back hit the grass.
"We're both idiots then it seems," he said quietly, "I apologize."
"So you admit that all of what you've said before was fake and a lie?" she asked.
"No," Keima said, "not everything. I meant the part that you shouldn't be in love with me. Why would you eve be in love with me..."
"For a lot of reasons," Kanon said. And then she remembered something. "Speaking of reason," she started, getting his attention, "you might be a God of Conquest in the gaming world and you might've partially succeeded when applying your gaming knowledge to reality... but the truth is you don't understand the hearts of real girls."
"No shit," Keima said, massaging his stomach, where she tased him. "You don't need to tell me that. I admitted that to Ayumi once myself!"
"I know," Kanon said, "but still I think I do need to tell you that... You remember the meeting of the goddesses after the Mai-High festival?" she asked. "You thought by revealing the truth about 6-timing you'd get rid of all of us hosts. But love doesn't work like that. Girls in love don't work like that," Kanon shook her head, "scratch that. Even when not in love, you can't expect girls to follow reason, especially when they are stressed. Remember your advice back there in that restaurant? To take things more calmly and use reason?"
Kanon waited for Keima to nod before continuing.
"I know you were trying to help and I'm thankful for that. And it's not like your advice was wrong... in fact, it did help me... so let me give you advice on real girls in return. The advice is: don't expect a girl to act calmly and reasonably when she's stressed. Don't tell a stressed girl to use her reason. You'll end up being screamed at, kicked, slapped or worse."
"Wish I knew it a year ago," Keima mumbled.
"Aah..." Kanon said softly smiling, "I'm willing to teach you more about a girl's thoughts and feelings."
Keima groaned. "You're pretty stubborn, aren't you?" he asked.
"Learning about girls, lesson number two," Kanon raised her index finger up as she stood up, "when a girl is in love, she'll go to great length to get the man she loves!"
"Should I take that you're talking about yourself here?" Keima asked as he stood up as well.
"Exactly!" Kanon pointed her finger at him, "I will defeat you Keima-kun!"
Keima blinked once. Then twice.
"Come again?"
"I'll defeat you Keima-kun!" Kanon repeated without moving an inch.
"You mean make me listen to your songs again?" he asked, because her pose and the look of determination in her eyes reminding him of exactly that.
"No," Kanon shook her head, "last time I simply wanted to turn you into my fan, though it spiraled out of control..."
"No argument there," Keima mumbled.
"...this time I'm aiming higher!" Kanon continued. "And I'm not stopping until reach that goal!"
"And what is that goal? To make me your boyfriend?" Keima asked. "Because if it is then you might be in way over your head..."
"Well," Kanon put the fingers of her hands together in a shy gesture, "if I got a boyfriend right now, I'd have to tell about it my parents, my manager and..."
"The entire Japan," Keima finished for her, furrowing his brow, "you didn't come here to ask me out," he stated.
Kanon bit her lip.
"I don't get it," Keima said, "if your plan wasn't to ask me out, then what it is about?"
"It is about that," Kanon admitted, "it's just that official dating right now would be a bad idea for both of us."
"You didn't answer my question," Keima reminded her.
"I guess, what I want for now is something closer than friends, but not as close as a couple," Kanon said, "I mean, I'm... interested in you, I'd like to meet more often, let us get to know each other better... let you see that the two of us can work for real," she paused for a moment, "I guess, it's just like dating... except no stuff like kissing..."
"And no commitment," Keima reminded her.
"I guess so," Kanon lowered her head, before raising it, the fire of determination back in her eyes, "but one day I will make you take responsibility!"
"For what?" Keima asked.
"For that beating heart of mine!" she told him, before relaxing, "but for now... I'll content myself with just getting closer to you..."
"Hold your horses, I didn't agree to anything yet," Keima took of his glasses and started wiping them with his shirt, "your final aim is an ending between you and me."
"Yes," Kanon admitted with some trouble. It wasn't easy to answer when Keima was looking at her attentively like that.
"So, what I've said long ago still holds," he said, "idol routes in games usually have their feelings of themselves supported by the protagonist. But reality is not like that. You can't sing for one person," Keima sighed, "I've told you: you have your career and your fans. I can't possibly have you all to myself."
To his surprise, Kanon smiled brightly.
"It's not a problem, Keima-kun! It's true that you can't have me all for yourself..." she said, putting her hands over her heart and closing her eyes for a moment, enjoying the slight breeze, before she opened her eyes and smiling, "but I can have you all to myself."
"A little greedy, aren't you?" Keima asked, hoping that his voice was as even as he wanted it to be.
"Well, you have yourself to blame for that, Keima-kun!" she said smiling.
"So once again, it's the girl chasing after the protagonist," Keima put his glasses back on, "that's a blasphemy against my gaming tenets."
Kanon groaned.
"Oh, like there aren't any games with idols chasing the protagonist," she said.
"There aren't," Keima told her.
"Sure there are," Kanon shot back, "what about Crimson Stage?"
This time Keima wasn't able to pull off his poker face and looked at Kanon with his eyes widened, incredulous.
"How do you know about that?" he asked. "It's quite an old game."
"Well, I just searched the Internet to... umm... check how the idol archetype works in the games... and one website was particularly useful," she winked at him, making it obvious what website she meant.
She wondered. Was the sun starting to set? Or was this really a blush on his face? Anyway, this was probably the best opportunity for a final strike.
"So, you know I don't approve of the method you tried to reject me and I won't be fooled by such methods," she said, walking a step closer and with some satisfaction noticed that Keima had to stop himself from stepping backwards.
"And you think my guilt over that is why I should agree to your... offer?" he asked.
"No," Kanon said, "I mean, that this is your chance to see how the real-world romance is like... you can't tell me you're not curious about it..."
"Even if I were... that doesn't mean-"
"Is the God of Conquest... anxious about what might happen if he agreed?" Kanon asked.
"Is that a challenge?" Keima asked back.
"It's whatever you want it to be," Kanon said simply.
There was a moment of silence.
"All right, then," Keima smiled faintly. It was half-smirk and half a gentle smile. "Let's see what the real can do... However," he added when Kanon smiled, "I'm not guaranteeing anything."
"But I'm guaranteeing I'll make you mine one day," Kanon said, her smile even bigger now as she paused for a while. "Thank you, Keima-kun."
Keima didn't say anything and they stayed like that for a while, looking at each other.
And then...
"I flutter my short hair! I want to unleash a ribbon revolution," Kanon's voice suddenly resounded with a digital feel to it.
"Aah, it's my phone!" Kanon retrieved the said item, an adorable shade of red on her face. "It's mail from mom! Is it this late, already!?" the girl said, panicked, before turning to Keima. "I have to go! I'll see you around, Keima-kun!"
She gave him a quick (and strictly friendly for now) hug, before she ran past him.
Keima followed her, watching her withdrawing figure, when she suddenly turned around.
"Keima-kun!" she said. "I decided to make you my lover one day! But that doesn't mean I've given up on making you my fan! I'll have you like my songs yet!"
With that the girl turned around once again and ran off, disappearing from sight.
Keima remained rooted to the spot for a few seconds, before he collapsed onto the grassy ground.
"It's not like I dislike your songs, you know?" he mumbled softly, before chuckling to himself.
What was he doing?
Anyway, he should better get going too. Who knows what Urara would do to him if she found him here...
(* * *)
So, finally, here it is.
This chapter was really hard to write and the truth is I'm not really proud or satisfied with it. The flow doesn't go as smoothly as I'd want to, the conversations take forever (to write and to read) and the development might not feel natural with Keima and Kanon acting out of their characters at times.
The main reason this happened is because Kanon has such a special situation. Originally I thought, she could be really dating Keima without telling anyone, but I don't think that's something Kanon would do, so I ended up with this dating-except-not-dating scenario...
...part of the reason is also that the general plot is not as developed as I'd like it to be.
However, while Keima and Kanon's confrontation was difficult and straining, it was at least important... however, there was another point in the chapter which gave me a REAL trouble and it wasn't really important at all.
I mean the point just after the party where I have to go from "everyone is at the party" to "Keima and Kanon are talking alone, despite Keima being seemingly neutral or maybe even avoiding Kanon".
There was just so much stuff that didn't work there! Maybe Keima could walk down and Kanon catches up? but what about other people, walking down (Kanon would've met them if I didn't use Apollo to fly around invisible). And then Keima came with Eri and Tenri, so he'd be expected to go back with those two as well! And why would they be walking down if Yanagi could drive them as a good family servant? And I didn't want the talk to happen on the street or in Keima's house or the next day. The final version isn't perfect either (I can already see Urara being like "what the hell are you two still doing on my property here and why you're tasing him!?"), but I couldn't really change what I've already written (because that was a lot)...
...and when I thought the chapter was done, I forgot to add song references (by the way, this chapter has 2 references), so another delay...
...so yeah... difficult chapter. I hope the next ones will be a lot easier...
...speaking of next chapters, the term will start soon, which could be a problem. And I want to write another one-shot in the meantime, but hopefully I'll write it in the time I wouldn't be writing KanonNomi anyway. And I have a feeling you might like that one-shot, so look forward to it! :)
Going back the party that took a considerable chunk of this chapter... that party was a well-thought event that was essential to the later part of the chapter! #blatantlies
Really! It's not like it originally started as a filler, because I just wanted to add more girls and then I had to come up with a justification for it! #suspiciouslyspecificdenial
*cough* *cough* Moving on, just if someone is curious how much I make up and how much I don't: Aibi city is kinda a thing in the manga, situated somewhat in-between Maijima city and Narusawa city. It can be seen on a map in chapter 36.5 (omake to volume 4). However, I had to guess the location of the Shiratori compound. I'm fairly certain my guess is fairly logical and accurate though.
Still, I'm kinda glad I somehow managed to make a reference to yandere side of Kanon... without her actually acting yandere in the end.
Also, there's Zelda reference somewhere in this chapter, but I wrote is some time ago and I don't remember where it is anymore. xD
Okay, I think there's only one thing left to say which is: I humbly ask you to review this chapter and favorite/follow the story if you haven't already. I'd really like to know your opinion on this chapter.
So, that's it!
See you next time!
(after writing the above line I remembered I still didn't have a title for this chapter :/)