Hello, everyone!
I'm back... finally.
And I'm very sorry for posting this so late...
Anyway, here's the newest chapter and we'll get right right to it... after the replies to the latest reviews.
Guest #1: Thank you, I'll try to keep at it. :)
Ghost Man: The fate of Keima's soul is interesting, but I'm afraid his title is just in his head (and on the Internet) and he's not special... Though it would be nice if he could reside in heaven with all of his "Every lovely angel" :). Ssh! Let Keima believe he can control the flags xD. Love the sammich thing xD. Tenri-chan \0/. Lol, the wig idea is nice. Keima would be dating a different girl each time :P. Yup, Keima underestimates girls at times :P. Heh, I completely agree about Haqua. She needs this. And yup, girls are intuitive. Thank you for the compliment and I love your type of reviewing.
Guest #2: I ship a lot of girls with Keima. Details are on my profile. :)
DarkZeta: thank you so much for your review, it made me quite happy to know you enjoy my fics this mych. Also you don't need to be professional reviewer, to review... I think there are not many who are professional at it. I'd love to see more of your reviews. I'm also sorry it took me so long to write this chapter, but I hope it was worth the wait.
ZelgadisGW #1: It's okay. Yes, Kanon's talk was the main point, but I just love to add more girls and let them interact, especially since they can add to the plot or make Kanon jealous or something :P. I'm glad you liked "I can have all of you for myself" thing, I planned for it to happen in this story long ago. :)
Mid or Feed: thank you for the review and you're welcome :). I won't deny that I very much like Tenri and I can agree with a lot of what you said, but not with everything as I do care for Chihiro a lot too. And it's okay you liked the part with Tenri more, part of why I include the other girls is so various people can enjoy reading about them. I would also like to include more Haqua, but that's not easy to do.
ZelgadisGW #2: It is ;). Yup, Tenri should be introduced with her full title: Tenri the Keima Mood and Lie Detector (TM) (C) :P. I sure hope I have that 'make any girl work with Keima' skill as well... though I'd mainly contribute it to Keima himself :P. Yup, let's see if your prediction was correct. ;)
Sir Sleeps-a-lot: S-sorry, I c-can't t-tell you says *as he's being shaken* Yup, Tenri and Eri need a hug :P. I wonder if I've seen that Kanon with PFP art though... Yup, thinking about Keima was totally what you meant :P. Heh, should I start a booth with CDs or audiobook site? xD Yup, Keima needs to realize this faster and kiss Kanon instead of letting her chase you :P. Thanks for the review.
El Sasori: heh, I wonder who that person is as well. I hope this chapter will solve the mystery ;). Thanks for the review. :)
I want to thank you for all of your views, reviews, follows, favorites and – most important of all – for your patience, as this chapter took much more time to write than I wanted it too.
Anyway, I'm sure you're dying to know what happens next in the story, so onto the chapter!
Enjoy!
(* * *)
"I see that those few days off have worked wonders, Kanon-chan."
Kanon turned around to one of the staff, a young female intern, and smiled.
"Yes! I had a very good time," she replied. "I'm glad I managed to catch up with my family!"
"That's great," the intern smiled as well, "especially since I saw your schedule. The next days are going to be busy."
Kanon nodded her head. That was true, as the periods after breaks were obviously the most hectic. Normally that would be a bit depressing for Kanon, but this time it was different. She was quite in a good mood and, while the lack of work and her family were obviously to thank for that, there was another reason, just as obvious as the previous ones.
And that reason was Keima.
There was a part of the idol that was a little disappointed that the thing between her and Keima was not much different from typical friendship and that physical contact was prohibited, but that part was much smaller than the other part – the part that filled her with happiness.
Their meeting went surprisingly good and it didn't even feel as if Keima-kun had been forced. This was certainly a good sign! As little as it was, she was making progress! It made her wish she had more chances to spend time with Keima-kun like that, but for now she had job to do.
"I hope you're ready," Okada appeared as if summoned by Kanon thinking of the word "job".
The pink-haired girl nodded.
"Then good luck," the idol's manager said, opening the door for her.
Kanon toggled her inner switch on, put on her her stage smile and walked through the door, immediately the flashes of cameras and the roaring of her fans embracing her.
(* * *)
The first part of the day went as expected – busy and exhausting, but more or less on schedule. Some things had to be rescheduled and Okada had to make one or two additional calls, but nothing that couldn't be managed. However, as Kanon watched Okada, she made a mental note to never become a manager of an idol – that job at times seemed even more stressful than the job of an idol, but with none of the fame.
"We'll have a short lunch break and after that we'll be heading for the interview," Okada said and Kanon nodded absent-mindedly.
Truth be told, Kanon was sure it'd be more time efficient to just eat inside the car on the way to the next venue, but she wasn't going to say it out loud, hoping for a breather.
"Kanon-chan," a member of her staff, the same intern as earlier in the morning, called her to the side.
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry I forgot, but the concert organizers wanted you to have these," the intern handed the pink-haired girl something.
Kanon blinked. "Tickets?" she asked.
The intern nodded.
"I can't accept those," Kanon said, "you should keep them and pass the to someone from your fam-"
"No," the girl said immediately and Kanon was reminded that she remembered the same girl being all timid when she had first started to work here and didn't remember when it changed. Time flies huh? "You should give them to your family and friends."
"But my parents-"
"I'm sure you have some more people besides your parents who'd want to see you."
Kanon was about to argue further, but then she closed her mouth and looked at the handful of tickets. The intern had a point – her parents had free admission to whatever concert or event they wanted to attend, but her more distant family – the one she barely saw – didn't...
...moreover, a year ago she wouldn't have anyone else to give tickets too, but this year... Chihiro-san, 2-B pencils, Shiori-san, Tsukiyo-san, Tenri-san... Eri... and Keima...
She bit her lip.
"Thank you."
(* * *)
"Hello, Kanon-chan?" the voice of Eri greeted Kanon from her cellphone and the idol had to hand it over to the female Katsuragi – Kanon was pretty sure Eri could answer her phone faster than Kanon could write an e-mail... and that was a scary thought.
"Yes, Eri, it's me," the idol said.
"Did something happen?" the dark-haired girl asked. "You need something?"
"Quite the opposite," Kanon said, the usual good feeling when making fans happy surfacing inside here. "You know about my concert that's happening soon?"
"Yes," Eri responded, "too bad the tickets are all sold out already."
Kanon couldn't help but smirk.
"It seems this is your lucky day as I have a spare ticket that I can give you for free."
"Oh my gawd!" Kanon was smart enough to put the phone away from her ear for a moment as Eri's voice boomed. "For real?!"
"Yup," the idol responded and hesitated for a moment before adding, "actually, I have two tickets."
"Ohh... so I can invite okaa-san as well!"
Kanon bit her lip. That's not what she had meant!
"Of course you can," the idol said, "but you should ask the rest of your family before deciding that, right?"
"I don't think otō-san would have the time..." Eri said, voice a little bit sad.
"I suppose so," Kanon admitted, before deciding to just get to the point, "how about your brother though?"
The line went quiet.
"Umm... Eri-chan?" Kanon said, hoping the panic wasn't audible in her voice. Did Eri figure out her intent?
"Um... nii-sama," Eri finally responded, but she sounded louder and quieter at the same time. As if she lowered her voice, but at the same time put the phone closer to her lips. As if she was a spy that was worried about other people eavesdropping. "Nii-sama's been acting weird..."
"Weird?" Kanon repated. "How so?" she inquired. She needed to know more, because she didn't know whether to be happy or alarmed.
"He was meeting with some girl."
"W-what!?" Kanon exclaimed, a little louder than she had intended. For a moment hear mind went into panic mode.
How was that possible? What was happening? Who the girl was? Was it Chihiro-san?
"Yes, it was the day before yesterday in Narusawa City," Eri clarified.
At this Kanon's mind came to a screeching halt, before the cogs in her head started to turn again in the other way and another feeling of panic settled in.
The day before yesterday was her half-date with Keima-kun in Narusawa City, Kanon thought as the realization finally sunk.
Eri had saw her and Keima-kun together!
"It's really weird, isn't it?" Eri continued. "I mean, I could understand if it was Chihiro-san or Ayumi-san... but it was some stranger girl. It's not like nii-sama at all!"
On the other end of the line Kanon was sweating bullets, thinking of what do to in this situation.
"So... you didn't recognize that girl, right?" she started slowly. "Maybe it was just too dark..."
"I didn't see that girl at all," Eri responded.
"Wait... didn't you just say that you saw Keima-kun with some girl?"
"It wasn't me who saw them," Eri said.
"What?" Kanon was once again flabbergasted. "Then who saw u-them?"
Kanon could literally hear Eri squirm on the other side of the line.
"Well... you see, I wanted to eat some rāmen yesterday, so I want to Sumire-san's restaurant."
"Sumire?" Kanon repeated.
"Yes," Eri confirmed, "I was eating at her restaurant and then she told me she saw nii-sama in the company of some unknown girl!" the female Katsuragi sounded almost whiny, apparently not comfortable with some strange girl getting close to Keima.
Kanon, wasn't thinking about that, because she suddenly connected all the dots.
Of course! Sumire lives in Narusawa City! She must have have seen her and Keima together! And since Kanon had been using Apollo's illusion at the time, Sumire had thought Keima had been walking with a girl she doesn't know!
Still, how come Keima didn't think of that? Kanon briefly wondered if Apollo should cast an illusion on Keima-kun as well.
"I've tried to ask Sumire-san about that girl, thinking she just couldn't remember nii-sama targets," Eri continued, "but when she gave me the description I was lost too!" a short pause. "This is really weird though! It's not like nii-sama at all!"
"Are you sure you're not exaggerating?" Kanon asked, now more relaxed when the mystery was explained. "Maybe it was some gaming girl Keima had met in a shop?"
"I've been in game shops with nii-sama many times, but I didn't see a lot of gaming girls," Eri said, "besides that girl had brown hair, not blue."
What blue hair has to do with this, Kanon thought. "Then, maybe it was just some girl that Keima-kun helped."
"It doesn't sound like nii-sama," Eri said, "and when Keima helps girls it usually ends with him kissing them."
"I-I know that," Kanon replied, remembering all too well the last time Keima had helped her.
"Anyway, please don't tell this to other people," Eri asked, "it would be better if we figured it out before nii-sama knows."
Luckily, Eri didn't had enough time to have Kanon make a promise, because suddenly there was some noise and Eri gave Kanon a quick "aah, it's okaa-san, gotta go!" and ended the call.
Kanon looked around. Her break was supposed to be over already, but she wasn't called yet. Then she searched for a different number on her contact list.
I'm sorry, Eri, the idol thought, but I will tell someone about this. The case was already solved anyway. She put her phone to her ear, hoping that Keima wasn't near Eri at the moment."
After three rings Keima finally replied.
"Yes?" his tone was calm, but Kanon could hear he was a little guarded.
"I'm sorry for calling so suddenly..." the idol started.
"For a person that tases people, you are surprisingly polite at times," Keima said.
"That's not important!" the pink-haired girl half-shouted before pulling the phone closer and whispered. "We've been seen!"
Kanon hadn't exactly expected for Keima to panic, but his calm voice surprised her.
"I know."
"What!?" she asked. "What do you mean, you know? How?"
"Haqua," he said simply.
"Why didn't you tell me anything then?"
A small sigh. "Honestly, I didn't think it would be an issue as long as you weren't recognized."
"Mou..." Kanon pouted in slight exasperation, "you still should've told me about it!"
"Putting that aside," Keima changed the topic, "won't this result in any problems for you?"
"Hmph, you should be the one worrying, you were the one recognized!" Kanon countered, but she was almost smiling. Whether it was trivial or not, it allowed her to speak with Keima-kun, so it was a plus!
"Kanon!" a voice called from outside the door.
The idol almost dropped her phone. She completely forgot about her break!
"Gotta go!" she whispered to her phone, mimicking Eri's actions from a moment ago.
"Kanon, are you there?" the door opened revealing Okada.
"Y-yes," the idol replied turning around, trying to act natural.
"Everyone's here," Okada said, "we're ready to go to the interview."
"What do you mean everyone?" Kanon asked. "Were we waiting for someone?"
Okada raised her eyebrow. "This is a joint interview, so we had to wait for the other party. I've told you this in the morning."
"Joint interview?" Kanon repeated. "Other party?"
"That's right," another voice interjected, making Kanon turn her head, "we should get going, we don't want to be late."
Kanon didn't reply, all the remains of her good mood disappearing the moment her eyes landed on Daisuke Nishihara.
(* * *)
"Where is your manager?" Kanon asked. "Why isn't he here?"
"He's already at the interview venue," Nishihara said, "besides, he wouldn't fit with us here."
They were currently in a car with Okada and Kanon's driver in front and with Kanon and Daisuke Nishihara in the back. And Kanon disagreed. True, it might've been a little tight with Nishihara's manager in the back as well, but Kanon would preferred it – to have someone else sitting between her and Nishihara.
"And what are you doing here?" Kanon continued, trying to keep her tone neutral. She was at work, after all. "Why aren't you going in your own car with your manager?"
"The interview pertains to the airing of your latest Magical Star Maron episode," Okada explained from the front seat. Kanon had to stop herself from groaning.
It was the episode with the kiss!
"It's airing today?" Kanon asked, but she already knew the answer.
"As we speak. I suppose the episode is almost ending now," Nishihara said, smiling, "thus, an interview is in order. The fans of the show want to hear some comments from us. It was an important episode, after all," he winked at Kanon discreetly enough for her to pretend she didn't see it.
It was obvious he was referring to the kiss, but he wasn't even there at the time, which added to the level of annoyance Kanon felt. On the one hand she just wanted to scream the truth in his face and tell him to beat it... or at least politely deny that they've kissed. On the other hand, she was an idol, she had fans and reputation she needed to take care of. And somehow she felt that Keima would dislike it if she handled the situation poorly. Yes, she was supposed to be a role model and it was her own mess, so she would face it like an adult.
"Though I'm still surprised you've forgotten about our interview," Nishihara said as he closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. His smile didn't leave his face for even a second though, "are you sure you're not overworking yourself Kanon-chan?"
Kanon had to grip the support handle tighter to stop herself from reaching for her stun guns. Seriously, tasing people was behind her, but there was just something about this guy that rubbed her the wrong way.
"I had a few days of rest, which is why I forgot about the interview," Kanon replied. It was completely honest. She might have forgotten about it during her days off, but Okada had obviously reminded her of this in the morning... that particular tidbit of information just conveniently went out the other ear without Kanon registering the fact.
"Still, to forget about such an important event in the first place," Nishihara continued, apparently not picking on the fact that Kanon was not in a mood for conversation.
"Important?" she repeated.
"Our combined fanbase will be watching the interview and, excuse me if that will sound immodest, but that will be much bigger than if it was just your fans alone," Nishihara said and winked, "the number of people observing the event dictates its importance, does it not?"
Kanon was speechless. This guy liked her, right? She wondered how was that possible, since he seemed so narcissistic that the notion of him liking anyone else besides himself was absurd.
"Well, maybe it is important to you when you have one or two major activities during a day," she replied after a moment, "however, in my case each day is filled to the brim with singing, dancing, being interviewed, acting, advertising or gravure," Nishihara wanted to say something, but Kanon didn't let him speak, "I'm also still in high school, so I need to study as well. This will be my exam year and I just finished my second year exams recently, so excuse me if this interview doesn't stand out in my overall idol activities."
This was an exaggeration of sorts, as she supposed Nishihara didn't exactly spend his day just lounging in his bed. Still, what she said wasn't exactly false either. It was true that an actor's life during filming period could be quite hectic, but it didn't last all that long and outside of that period the actor activities mostly included parties and basking in their fame. Of course, Kanon was famous too, but she didn't get to relax often and had to work all day everyday for it.
Of course, one could say that actors were usually genuinely talented, while idols' singing and dancing skills weren't often stellar, meaning that idols had to work more to achieve similar results. Kanon wasn't your regular idol though. She didn't want to seem immodest herself, but she was an old-fashioned idol, yet managed to win the newcomer award and that meant something. Besides, she had heard about her talent, good voice and good looks often enough to have confidence in those.
"We're getting close to the venue," Okada, who didn't say anything during the entire exchange spoke suddenly, "I believe this is your manager, Nishihara-san."
Indeed, Kanon recognized the man standing there when the driver pulled over as the actor's manager. Nishihara sighed without stopping his smile and then looked at Kanon one more time and winked, said "see you at the interview, Kanon-chan," and with that he was gone.
Good riddance, Kanon thought, painfully aware this relief was only temporary.
(* * *)
The remaining ride was surprisingly calm and Kanon got some time to think. She wasn't thinking about Nishihara or the interview though.
She was thinking about Eri and Sumire.
How was she supposed to deal with that? Both Eri and Sumire knew something was off with Keima and they could sniff around or spread rumors if left alone. Should Kanon tell them that the mysterious girl was her and then try to make it sound harmless? Like she wanted to hang out with Keima-kun and she used an illusion for convenience? That was already not an option, as Kanon didn't admit she was the girl when Eri called. Revealing the truth now would only increase suspicion.
Maybe she should just leave it to Keima. He was the one who was seen and his poker-face skills were perfect, so he should be able to talk himself out of it or at least pursue a route of minimal damage... unless his aim was to go the route of maximal damage in order to discourage her...
No, Kanon shook her head, Keima-kun wouldn't try anything like that. Not now.
Kanon didn't have any more time to think about it, because they arrived at the venue and the preparations started.
(* * *)
The beginning of the interview wasn't too bad. Of course, Nishihara attracted attention to himself, but Kanon was not surprised. A year ago, when she was craving for attention that would bother her, but not now. However, it did bother her when Nishihara started to feel too at home – at times it seemed as if he was confused who was the host here. Thankfully, the actual host wasn't stupid and tried to rein him in, forming some sort of silent alliance with the idol. Kanon herself tried to talk mostly with the host and answer his questions without avoiding addressing Nishihara directly.
It worked for a while.
And then the topic she dreaded started.
"Now let's move onto the most interesting part of our interview," the host said, "all our viewers know what I'm talking about." he paused for several seconds for an added suspense before finishing, "the kiss."
The positive memories Kanon had of that kiss was the only reason she didn't groan.
Nishihara brushed away a lock of his hair (which was in his face by deliberate effort of his hair stylist in the first place) and smiled, showing his pearly teeth. It would be a normal reaction if he hadn't been doing that all the time.
"I think I'm speaking for everybody who has seen the episode, but that scene was marvelous!" the host seemed thrilled and Kanon was certain he wasn't faking it.
"But of course!" Nishihara said, before Kanon even thought about opening her mouth. "This is what can be done with enough talent and experience."
"Kanon-chan, doesn't have that kinda experience though, right?" the host turned to the idol.
"It's true, I'm rather inexperienced in that regard," the idol said, careful not to say that it was – or wasn't – her first kiss, "and I don't work as an actress often, so..."
"If I didn't know that, I wouldn't believe you were not a professional actress," the host said, "your performance was so convincing... as if you were really a girl madly in love."
Nishihara smiled, while already smiling. "Maybe Kanon-chan really is in-"
"You're right," Kanon smiled to the host with her eyes closed, "I may not be a professional actress, but I guess I can be pretty convincing when I do my best!"
"That's amazing, Kanon-chan!" the host said, "I guess that drama series is more important to you than I have expected."
"It's all for my fans," the pink-haired girl said, standing up and bowing in the direction of the camera, "I want to thank for all their support, because it's what let me get here and it's why I put my heart into all I'm doing," she straightened herself and gave a cheerful smile. "Please continue to support me and let my songs resound in your hearts. As long as I have the support of my fans, I'll continue to do my best. Please look forward to the next episodes of Magical Star Maron!"
"Speaking of that," the host said after a moment, not noticing the 'what about me' look on Nishihara's face, "your fans, me included, are obviously curious about what's going to happen in further episodes of the show."
"I'm afraid, I'm not allowed to speak about that," Kanon said politely, "but I can say the show will be interesting with Maron heading towards a completely new adventure."
"Adventures are great, but I'm certain our viewers are more interested in the relationship between Maron-chan and Hayate-kun," the host insisted.
"Like I said, we can't talk about what happens next in the show," Kanon said.
"Then what about outside of show?" the host said and Kanon blinked.
"Outside of show?" she repeated, hoping she understood it wrong.
"I mean the relationship between the two of you," the host gestured to Kanon and Nishihara.
The blond boy immediately perked up. "With regards to that-"
"We're just colleagues that work on the same show," Kanon interrupted him, not caring about being rude.
"Really?" the host asked. "But you are clearly able to work very well together despite being acquaintances for such a short amount of time..."
"That just shows that we match each other," Nishihara said with a pearly smile, "I certainly enjoyed the two of us working together. I think you do have a considerable acting talent and could work full-time as an actress, Kanon-chan."
"So it seems you're on good terms," the host noticed, obviously fishing for more info.
"Our relations are strictly professional," Kanon said with closed eyes. She was smiling, but for some reason Nishihara didn't exactly smile back. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Kanon smile looked kinda terrifying. The host was certain people in front of the TVs would start to shiver as if a wave of coldness reached them.
In short, it was time to change the topic.
(* * *)
It was only an hour after the interview ended when Kanon finally had the time to catch some breath and the first thing she used it for was a deep sigh.
Considering that the interview was spent sitting it was surprisingly tiring, mostly because Kanon had to skillfully navigate a thin line between being polite and avoiding going to deep into the dangerous topics the host tried to steer her towards. Of course, this was the host's job, so Kanon couldn't blame him.
But she could blame Nishihara. The thought of him didn't make her sigh. It made her grind her teeth in anger. It was clear as day now.
The cocky narcissistic blond dolt was hitting on her!
And he didn't even love her! I mean he might be attracted to her or even like her, but it was obvious he was also interested in her fame, which he could use to further his own. So far the guy had been somewhat subtle (well... subtle-ish), but he was also persistent. Did he not understand she wasn't interested in him? Was she not being cold enough? Was she too subtle herself? Or maybe he believed she was just playing hard to get. Maybe he thought she would obviously be interested in him because of his fame or something? A phrase "girl not interested in me" probably didn't even exist in his dictionary.
Still, the fact remained that her and Nishihara were working together for the drama shooting, so as long as he wasn't too obvious or too annoying she should just endure it.
Her train of thought was interrupted when the door opened and her manager walked in.
"Is it the time already?" Kanon asked surprised and checked the clock on the wall, but no. They still had at least 15 minutes before her break was over.
"No," Okada said, "but I wanted to speak with you about your long-term career. Please sit."
"Long-term career?" Kanon repeated as she sat on the table in front of of Okada. Didn't she have like several years left before she'd need to think about doing other things than being an idol? "What do you mean?"
"I think I've just found a great opportunity," the older woman said, her eyes gleaming – a sign that Okada indeed was onto something to increase Kanon's popularity. Normally, this would be a great news... so why did Kanon feel uneasy about it?
Okada wasn't going to try removing her wisdom tooth or something?
"The interview just now, it gave me a great idea!"
Kanon felt her stomach sink.
"Please tell me it's not what I think it is..."
"You and Daisuke Nishihara should become an official couple."
No...
No, no, no, no, no!
"No way!" Kanon half-shouted immediately.
"You didn't even let me explain," Okada crossed her arms over her chest.
"No explanation is going to help," Kanon said, "I refuse!"
"I don't understand," the older woman said, "from the look on your face when you were shooting that kissing scene-"
"I'm not in love with that buffoon!" Kanon stood up, putting both hands on the table.
"But that scene-"
"That was just me being good at acting," Kanon said.
"I don't remember you being that good at acting," Okada replied. "Ever."
"I still refuse to do it!" Kanon said firmly.
"Can you just calm down, please?" Okada pleaded.
Kanon remained silent for a moment and the sat down again, crossing her arms over her chest as well. Okada was her manager and was just doing her job, so she should at least let her speak and just plainly refuse when the other woman finished talking.
"You can't say you haven't noticed that Daisuke Nishihara is interested in you," Okada started.
"I don't want to sound immodest," Kanon said, "but I'm pretty sure a lot of guys are interested in me."
"But he's famous, popular and knows a lot of people," Okada listed, "this is a chance, Kanon! He could help bring your popularity to the next level!"
"I don't like him!" Kanon said firmly. "Actually, I dislike him."
"He's not that bad," Okada replied. "Actually, most women would consider him quite a catch."
"He's a self-centered snob," Kanon said, "I don't see what women see in him."
"There's no accounting for taste, I guess," Okada said, "but you don't need to like him to go out with him."
"Why would I go out for real with someone I dislike?" Kanon asked. "And would that even help? Wouldn't my fans start a nation-wide riot if I announced I have a boyfriend?"
Kanon knew she was overdramatizing a little bit, but she had no choice. She had to make Okada give up this ridiculous idea!
"I'm not telling you to marry the guy," Okada said. "And not all of your fans are young hormone-driven boys. And you're not a little kid anymore. You're supposed to be a role model of a young woman and romantic relationships are a natural part of life," she explained. "Just enter a relationship and show your fans how to be a proper young lady without making out in a middle of a street!"
"I absolutely refuse!" Kanon said.
She couldn't understand it. Okada's words sounded (somewhat) reasonable, but it just didn't sound like her. Did her manager's personality changed without Kanon noticing? Or maybe Kanon had just entered a new, darker stage of being an idol where such things were normal?
Okada didn't say anything. Instead she kept observing Kanon carefully, not batting an eyelash, as if the argument just now didn't happen. Or as if it happened just as Okada predicted.
"I see", the older woman said finally as she started to rummage in her bag. "Perhaps you're right and Daisuke Nishihara is just not to your liking," she pulled out something from her bag. "Then we just need a proper candidate."
Kanon groaned.
"Are you going to make me look at photos of male singers and actors?" she asked. "No matter what you-"
She stopped when Okada placed the item she pulled out in front of the idol. The only reason Kanon didn't gasp or otherwise visibly react was because the pure shock made her freeze.
In front of her was, obviously, a photograph, a large photograph, but it had two people in it. On the left was a brown-haired girl with a happy smile on her face, looking at the brown-haired boy next to her.
The place the photo was taken was the shooting gallery in Dezeni Sea.
The girl was Kanon disguised by Apollo's illusion.
And the boy was Keima.
Kanon could swear Okada could her the alarm going off in the idol's head.
How comes Okada has this photo, Kanon thought. I mean of course Sumire could have taken a photo, but how-
"Well?" Okada's question reminded Kanon that time to think was a luxury she couldn't afford.
"Well what?" Kanon said, fighting the urge to wipe the suddenly-there sweat from her brow. "Is that guy another rich actor or something?"
"You tell me," Okada said. "He is your classmate, after all."
"My classmate?" Kanon repeated. She was sure in a moment she would hear droplets of sweat hitting the tabletop. "You know I don't know many people from school, even from my own class..."
"That's not what your mother says," Okada remarked.
"W-what?"
"But that's not really important," the other woman said. "The most important thing is that the girl in this photo," she locked eyes with Kanon, "is you."
(* * *)
"That's ridiculous," Kanon said after a few moments, somehow being able to keep her voice even, despite the fact that she was screaming inside.
Sumire wasn't the only one who had seen her and Keima-kun! Okada had seen them too!
And unlike Sumire, Okada knows that the girl in the photo is Kanon!
But how? That seemed impossible.
"I don't know what-"
"There's no use pretending," Okada interrupted her, "I've followed you."
"What?" Kanon uttered. It had to be a bluff. There was no way Okada was in Dezeni Sea at that time – it was on one of Kanon's days off!
"You underestimate me, Kanon," the idol's manager said, hands pushing up her glasses, "you see, I knew something was up for a long time now and that feeling only grew stronger recently... so I asked your mother to keep me posted."
Kanon didn't reply. Was it possible that her mother asking questions about her friends and Keima was caused by her mother's conversation with Okada?
"Your mother said you were strangely excited that day. And that you told her you had to go back to your apartment for a few hours. So I arrived there and waited for you, correctly predicting that you would leave the building."
As hard to believe as it was, Kanon could accept that – she indeed had went to her apartment to get ready and Okada had had enough time to catch up. But the apartment had been where Kanon had gotten the idea to use Apollo's illusion and she had been using that illusion when she had left the building. How could Okada recognize her? She wasn't a devil or a buddy, was she?
"I have to admit I'm impressed," Okada continued, as if hearing Kanon's internal questions, "the disguise you have used was great. It hid your appearance perfectly," the manager's eyes shined, "but it failed to hide your behavior."
"My behavior?"
"I've told you already, you've underestimated me," Okada told her. "True, I've only know you for very limited amount of time. However, most of that time was you trying to complete countless number of jobs each day. Reach out to every one of your fans. Put all of your heart into your songs. Try to not fall behind with your studies. In other words, you were always firing on all cylinders, trying to do your best. And that meant a lot of stress. You can put a lid on it during a performance, but when you leave the stage it shows. When the pressure temporarily decreases is when you show little things, quirks and habits and it is my job to pick up on those. Believe me, Kanon – in some aspects I know you better than anyone else. Better than your own parents know you."
Kanon was speechless.
That kinda meant Okada had been aware that something was wrong with Kanon during Keima's conquest almost a year ago and during the week before the Mai-High Festival, even if the manager wasn't aware what had exactly happened. Probably the only reason this was happening now and not earlier was the fact that New Hell had erased some of Okada's memories as well as memories of Kanon's staff.
Another reason was that Kanon let her guard drop down a bit, but this was the fault of...
Wait a second...
"Don't tell me," Kanon said slowly, "the interview... Nishihara..."
"That's right," Okada said with a sly smile and Kanon groaned.
Now it all made sense!
Kanon couldn't for the life of her remember Okada telling her about the joint interview thing. That was because Okada hadn't told Kanon about that! Her manager had planned to reveal that interview in the last moment and use it to make Kanon lower her guard! Also, a few minutes ago Kanon had thought Okada had been acting weird when she had suggested for Kanon to go out with Nishihara. Kanon couldn't understand why Okada would want her to do that. Now it was obvious – Okada didn't want Kanon and Nishihara to go out at all. It was just a ruse to further lower the idol's guard and make it easier to force her to expose the existence of Keima!
It was all an intricate trap and Kanon fell for it – hook, line and sinker.
However, what's done is done... now Kanon had to think how to get out of this mess, before Okada could-
"So, you've been meeting with a boy without anyone's knowledge," the dark-haired woman stated and shook her head, "it's not like I don't understand you, but still, you should've told me sooner, because this is a serious issue – you're violating your contract."
"I'm not!" Kanon half-shouted, suddenly glad that Keima-kun technically was just her friend. How ironic. "Ke-Katsuragi-kun is not my boyfriend!"
"And you totally don't have feelings for him," Okada said sarcastically, "I wonder how many of your songs are about him..."
"Umm... none?" Kanon could pat herself on the back for this particular reply – not only it allowed her to avoid the first part of Okada's comment, but it was also technically true as well as Kanon didn't have any songs fully dedicated to Keima... though she did have a verse or two dedicated to him here and there...
On a second thought... songs like "Autumn-Colored Unrequited Love" or "Do You Remember Love"... those songs were made after Keima-kun's conquest of her, during the time Kanon hadn't remembered him. Moreover, a good portion of the lyrics for her songs were created with the help of the staff. Still, it didn't change the fact that Kanon had probably subconsciously based some of her songs on vague and foggy feelings that remained after Keima-kun's conquest... so in a way Okada might be right here.
Still...
"I'm allowed to have feelings!" Kanon rebutted, "I'm not violating any contracts!"
"So you admit you like that boy," Okada said.
"I didn't say that," Kanon replied, making sure not to blink.
Okada didn't say anything to that. She was watching Kanon from behind her glasses, seemingly not blinking at all, the only part of her that was moving were her fingers tapping her jacket-clad arm. Okada was clearly thinking and that was making Kanon uneasy.
She... wasn't going to make her stop seeing Keima-kun, was she?
"Alright," the manager said finally, startling the idol and almost making her jump. "Wait here," she told the idol before she left the room.
(* * *)
Keima was in his room playing three of his beloved games at once. He didn't have much of a backlog, but the new school term would be soon upon him, so he wanted to use this time of peace to play.
And then his phone started to ring.
Keima briefly wondered who could that be. His family was at home, so the best bet would be one of his 'friends'. It had been happening from time to time. Usually, it would be Chihiro, Ayumi or, Keima shivered, Yui with one of her shenanigans... but this time something told Keima it was someone else. And sure enough, when he picked up his phone he saw Kanon's name on the screen.
He hoped she just wanted to continue their previous interrupted conversation.
"Yes?" he answered the call.
"Umm... Katsuragi... kun?" Keima blinked. Why did she call him that? "I'm very sorry for suddenly calling you again, but we really need to meet."
Keima sighed. "Is this about the interview?" he asked.
"What?"
"The interview with Nishihara," Keima clarified.
"Y-you've seen that?" Kanon's voice told Keima she didn't want him to see that.
"Yes," he said, "and don't worry, you were fine."
Should he even be saying this to her?
"T-that's not important!" Kanon's said, making Keima experience a slight feeling of deja vu. Was she going to say that particular line in every phone call? "Can you meet me at the Café Ambrosia? Like right now?"
Keima sighed again. So he was back to being her emotional support? Well, friend or boyfriend, that was part of his job description anyway. He just couldn't decide whether that was a good or bad thing. To decide he needed more information. Thus...
"Fine, give me fifteen minutes."
He expected to hear her elated voice, but all he got was a quick 'thanks' and the line went quiet.
(* * *)
Fifteen minutes later Keima arrived at the designated place and, sure enough, spotted Kanon sitting by one of the farther-away tables. 'Spotted' as in 'identified that this heavily-dressed person with her face hidden with a coat and a beret was Kanon'.
And she did look nervous.
"Hey," he said as he sat across the table from her, "so if it isn't about the interview, then what is it?"
Kanon didn't reply immediately, face cast downwards and barely visible, hidden by both her outfit and the shadows. Finally...
"I'm really sorry..."
Before Keima could ask what she meant by that he heard footsteps and turned around to face the waitress... only it wasn't a waitress.
It was Okada.
"Good day, Katsuragi-san," the older woman said, eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at him from above. "I'm glad you could join us."
(* * *)
So... here it is: it was both Sumire and Okada had seen Kanon and Keima! And I hope you haven't been expecting that or expecting Okada at all. Of course, not everything is explained, so some stuff will have to wait for the next chapter.
With that being said, Keima and Okada finally officially meet. I wonder how this meeting will go? :P
Anyway, I wanted to once again apologize for the chapter being late. First reason was me being lazy and the second was the life getting in the way...
...however there was also a third reason: this particular chapter was just very difficult to write.
I mean it. Everytime I tried to make it work, something was not right, because I had to make Kanon and Keima communicate while... failing to communicate. Things like Eri's part were troublesome as well. Also, the interview was tiresome, because I had to actually write that conversation and I spend a good few days trying to get through it.
And when everything looked nice, I realized Okada couldn't just follow Kanon after work, because Kanon wasn't working on that day, because it was her day off! It took me a while to work around it, which didn't come out as nice or clean as I would like it, but I didn't have any better ideas.
Also, in the beginning the only person who was supposed to see Keima and Kanon was Okada (with readers' suspicion hopefully being cast on Sumire or Eri), but someone (*cough* ZelgadisGW *cough*) made me realize that more than one person could see them, which turned out to be a nice development in the end.
So, writing this chapter was a roller-coaster: first was a good idea, that it fell apart at the seams... only for some stuff happening that actually make the threads connect nicely... even though it wasn't planned at all. You'd probably be surprised how much of what I write is improvised.
Some trivia: I referenced the second Light Novel of The World God Only Knows in this chapter. Also, "Café Ambrosia" Kanon wanted to meet at is the one she meets with Keima in the anime. Surprisingly, it doesn't happen in the manga. Actually... Kanon's conquest has a really weird pace in the manga. First half Keima supposedly tries to ignore Kanon, then the 'Kanon calls me 36 times a day' goes really first and bam!, we're at the last event already.
As usual, I'm kindly asking for you to leave a review. Please follow and favorite the story if you haven't already too! Also, I feel the next chapter might not come out soon, so please just be patient with me.
That's all for today.
See you next time!