Hello, everyone, I'm back with another chapter!
It took me a little longer than planned, but I wanted to give you some space between the posting of both chapters.
Like I said before, this chapter is fairly long as well – around 6500 words without author's notes. Also, I think it might be more interesting than the last one. And I hope you'll like it. :)
As always, I want to thank you for all your support. Here are the replies to the latest reviews:
Red Glasses: You're welcome. I'm always surprised how quickly you review my chapters. Also thank you for your kind words. I'm glad my "dialogue mixed with a lot of monologue-like thoughts and description of the thinking process" style works for you. I hope you'll like this chapter as well.
Big Bad Beowolf: I'm very happy you're thinking my stories are amazing :). Nice to know you remembered about Flag 6. As for the question about the Light Novel girls... the truth is that I like them very much and would love to have them in this setting (though Shino would be even less present than Hinoki). The only reason the Light Novel girls are not here is because I didn't know about Light Novels back when starting this... And I won't lie – the lack of the LN girls is one of my greatest regrets about the Nomi series... Maybe, maybe some day I'll rewrite older chapters to have LN girls there.
Guest: Thanks, but this chapter is also some 6500 words without the author's notes, so if I put it as one it'd be around 14 thousand words... too much... even for my "standards".
MasterZen: Thank you. Let's see what you'll think about this chapter though. :P
Ghost Man: Nishihara is not all that bad, right? He's really arrogant though. Who can blame him when he's a famous young handsome actor? :P Too bad he doesn't know he's arrived on the starting line way too late into the race... or has he? :P I'm glad you like the way I wrote Nishihara. But yeah, he's still in the picture, so grab onto that popcorn. :)
Rt16: Congratulations on making an account :). The idea of Vulcan fooling everyone for Tsukiyo's sake does sounds a bit like her, though it's also unfair. As for the orb releasing the feelings... it does sound interesting as Keima being genuinely interested in going after a girl from the get go is certainly something we don't see often... on the other hand him going for the "already has won" girls would be very troublesome. I might use the idea for girls for who Keima would be unlikely to go after. We'll see.
ZelgadisGW: Hello :). Glad you liked the first scene. And of course Kanon's show popularity has nothing to do with her water proficiency :P. Yup, Nishihara doesn't know, which makes him even more annoying for Kanon :P. Yeah, the ending of the last chapter was crappy, but it couldn't be helped. Anyway, thanks for the review.
Okay, let's not postpone any longer. Onto the chapter!
Enjoy!
(* * *)
After Kanon explained to Ayumi and Chihiro that she was using Apollo's illusion, the two girls dropped the topic, but they continued to glance between Kanon and Keima suspiciously. Fortunately, Eri served as a good distraction that helped the issue blow over and soon the three girls were sitting on the bench and talking animatedly, while Keima was back to playing his games and participated in the conversation only when Ayumi tossed him a glance. Apparently the runner was working to reform the gamer. All-in-all it was very nice and Kanon made a mental note to visit other girls next time she'll be at school.
Soon after that the bell rang, so they had to return to the classroom (Kanon returned separately) and classes followed. Ayumi and Chihiro looked between bored and stressed and Keima just played his games. Kanon, on the other hand, enjoyed the school. Attention, lessons and being close to Keima-kun. This was pretty good a place for her to be.
However, the school day eventually ended and Kanon was back to her idol job, seriously hoping it wouldn't be long before she'd be able to attend school again.
Three days have passed during which Kanon tried not to think about the contract. It wasn't even decided yet whether the contract will happen or not, so Kanon figured there was no point thinking about something that might not be a thing at all. Thus, Kanon tried to to go through her days normally, all while keeping contact with Keima-kun. However, she wasn't sure if she should stay strictly friendly or amp up her flirting a bit. Still, as uncertain and unstable as the situation with the contract and Keima-kun was, all-in-all those were pretty good days for Kanon.
And then it happened. The contract became a reality and Kanon had was left with a few days to decide whether she wanted to go to the next stage or stay with her current contract. The idol listened to everyone's opinion and weighted all pros and cons, but still wanted to use all the time and wait till the last day. Finally, she couldn't postpone any longer and made her decision. It wasn't an easy choice, but Kanon made it and felt somewhat relieved. At least she got one thing off her shoulders. However, as soon as she thought that Okada-san had reminded her of something else that made Kanon groan.
Today was the day she was supposed to go on a 'date' with Daisuke Nishihara.
What am I going to do with that guy? Kanon thought as she walked to the meeting point alone. She was using earpieces, listening to "Koi no Shirushi", one of the songs she made a covers for, on her phone, the music helping her relax after her work. Work... maybe that was the answer? Maybe she should start working even more, so she'd have a legitimate excuse to avoid spending any time with Nishihara? Then again, if she did that then when she'd sleep?
Oh, right, since I have a free moment I should e-mail Keima-kun and tell him about my choice, Kanon thought, as she fiddled with her phone. With the music playing and her attention on the phone Kanon didn't notice an approaching vehicle, until the loud sound of tires screeching on the asphalt reached her. Kanon jumped back on instinct, but the grey van didn't crash into her. Instead, it came to a halt two meters in front of her, blocking her passage. Before Kanon could come to her senses, the vehicle side door slid open and two hooded figures jumped out.
"W-what," was all Kanon managed to say as both figures grabbed her arms and started to drag her towards the vehicle.
"Get your hands off me!" Kanon shouted and jerked one of her hands from the grasp. The assailant wasn't ready for that and stumbled backwards, falling to the pavement. The other one went to hold her, but Kanon was already a step ahead. With a quick and practiced motion she pocketed her phone and pulled out her stun gun, flipped off the low-voltage safety and plunged it to the hooded figures body. Electrical current worked like a charm, but the victory was short-lived, when the other figure was back, knocking the stun gun from her hands. Kanon immediately tried to reach for her other stun gun, but the assailant suddenly sprayed some very strange pink gas from under their sleeve.
Before Kanon could understand what had happened, her consciousness faded away.
(* * *)
When Kanon came to, for several moments she couldn't figure out what has happened. And then it hit her.
She has been kidnapped! And in broad daylight no less!
Kanon tried to move around and realized she wasn't tied up in any way. It didn't make sense, unless... she got up and looked around and realized she was right. She was in some kind of small, empty and austere cell-like room. Walls, floor and ceiling was just gray concrete. There were also door and a window. Kanon approached it and looked through it.
Her first observation – there was no-one there, at least as far as she could see. The outside looked uninviting concrete as well, but it was bigger and, most important of all, there was a table on which Kanon recognized her belongings. She tried to break the glass with her fists, but it didn't yield. It barely even dented with each hit and bounced right back with nary a sound. The door looked solid as well. Apparently her kidnappers thought she couldn't escape and focused on something else. Perhaps making a ransom call?
Should she just wait in that case? B-but what if their aim was different. No! There were no guards in sight, so she should use this chance to escape. Of course, for normal humans it would be impossible, but Kanon wasn't exactly a normal person. And she wasn't alone. She approached the glass and spoke.
"Apollo!"
In her mind's eye she could already see the carefree goddess break the glass and get her out of here, maybe even getting back on her kidnappers.
Thus, she was very surprised when nothing happened.
"A-Apollo?" Kanon repeated, concerned.
The glass responded with silence.
What's going on, Kanon thought in panic. Why wasn't Apollo responding? It's not like the gas from before could-she stopped when she remembered the weird pink gas. She also realized that when she was walking on the street she was using Apollo's illusion as it was more comfortable in the heat than walking with a heavy coat.
She was using and illusion and yet she was still located and kidnapped! Even worse, she remembered something else, a third realization that made her blood turn cold.
Hoods. Those hooded figures... they reminded her of that light-haired devil woman that stabbed her and Apollo over six months ago.
Devils! She was kidnapped by devils!
Kanon felt fear seize her heart. No, no no! How could such a thing happen again!? What was she supposed to do now? What did those devils want to do with her? What if Kanon wasn't the only one? What if others have been kidnapped? Ayumi-san. Chihiro-san. Tenri-san. Yui-san. Eri-chan. Keima-kun.
The last thought forced her to take a grip on herself. No! She had to do something! There has be something she could do, she thought as she started to pace around in her small cell. But she couldn't think of anything! In her helplessness she put her hands in her pockets and froze.
Slowly, she pulled them out. Her one hand was empty, but the other wasn't. She looked down on her hand, gazing at her recent birthday present from the Kasuga sisters.
Black, small and easily concealable, but powerful stun gun.
How come they didn't take this away, Kanon though. Then again, they had taken away her other stun gun. Maybe they didn't think she would have a second one. And it was pretty small and well-hidden. One way or another, Kanon wasn't defenseless now. Moreover...
She glanced towards the door and approached them and noticed a small box built in the wall. Could it be... she started to punch and kick at the box. Then she remembered her stun gun doubled as a pocketknife. Using it she managed to open the box. Just as she expected, inside it was a lot of wires and electronics.
Kanon smiled.
People may say she has talent for singing, but the skill that could be considered her "signature move" would be a MacGyver-like knack for fixing stuff with her stun guns. Well, fixing stuff... or breaking it.
Kanon put her stun gun to the door mechanism and turned on the voltage. The lock clicked and Kanon swung the door open. She walked out of the room and looked around. No-one. She hid her stun gun, before walking up the table and grabbing her phone. Fortunately, it was working. Kanon paid no mind to messages from Okada-san and Nishihara. She also briefly glanced at the time and saw it was before 3 o'clock in the afternoon. She quickly opened a new mail form and stopped at the addressee. If her enemies were devils then police might be useless. In that case...
She typed a message in record time and was just wondering what to do afterwards, when out of a sudden she felt a strong hit at the back of her head and saw no more.
(* * *)
The next time she woke up was the same as when she was knocked down – with pain.
"Wake up, bitch!" a voice commanded, before a hand slapped her. Kanon instinctively wanted to defend herself, but she couldn't. She was tied down with a rope, likely of magical origin. The place she was in was still mostly empty, but Kanon couldn't tell if it was the same building or a completely different place altogether. It was also big, the ceiling was easily several meters above them. The idol looked at the person who slapped her and, just as expected, it was a hooded cloak-wearing figure. Three more similarly-clad figures were nearby. They also had some kind of masks covering their faces, but different to the ones Vintage used. Was it some different Hell fraction?
"W-who are you people?" Kanon asked, knowing she had to stall.
The figure didn't reply.
"Why are you doing this?" she continued, pretending to be more scared than she was. "Is it ransom you want?"
The last part was naive, as the devil kidnappers being after money was unlikely, but Kanon needed to keep talking. Her efforts were in vain, however, because the nearest figure made a gesture and a piece of cloth descended upon Kanon's mouth and attached itself as if with glue, reducing her speech to incomprehensible mumble.
The figure stood up and walked away, exchanging words with its companion. Kanon couldn't understand what they were saying, as they were using some foreign language, most likely Hellian. Their voices were a bit weird, as if distorted. Moreover, Kanon knew enough about voices to know they sounded male or gender-neutral at best, but not feminine. Weird, wasn't New Hell bereft of males? That wasn't what she should be thinking about now though.
How much time was she out cold? Did they find the message on her phone? The phone itself was gesture-protected and devils weren't experts of human technology... but still, if they saw her message... What if they changed locations when Kanon was sleeping? What if they got rid of her phone...or even worse – just destroyed it?
Kanon's thoughts were interrupted by another figure who crouched next to her. Kanon looked at the figure and suddenly her unease increased. The figure was masked as well, but Kanon knew the figure was looking at her. There was something disturbing about that unseen stare. It made a cold shiver travel down her spine. And then the figure spoke.
"You look calm all things considered," the figure's voice was also deep and distorted, but it did not hide the intrigued tone.
Kanon could only mumble back.
"Hmm," the figure thought for a moment, "perhaps you realize it's only fair."
Kanon gaped at the figure, obviously not understanding.
"It's really simple," the figure said, "you have talent. You have money. You have legions of fans. You have fame. You have looks. You have voice. You have intelligence. You have youth. You have loving family. You have friends. You have love. You have future. Basically, you have everything, Miss Perfect. But in this ugly world nothing that pretty lasts forever. You do know the saying 'what goes up must come down', right? Wasn't it obvious that something like this would happen sooner or later? That the angel would eventually fall to the ground below? Or were you too naive to think about that perhaps? Too optimistic to look down on what you're stepping on?"
The figure laughed, but that laugh was devoid of warmth.
"Well, you should've been more careful, Miss Perfect... But don't worry. There's no need to be sad. After all our little Miss Perfect have already done everything she could dream for. She's done more than many others were able to achieve in their entire lifetime. There's nothing for you to regret. After all, what else could you wish for?"
Kanon's widened eyes made the figure reconsider.
"Ooohh," the figure said, voice tinted with mirth and Kanon could swear the figure was smirking behind the mask. "So our little Miss Perfect does have things she wishes she has done, but hasn't. Well, too late to do that now. Should've done it before, instead of taking everything for granted."
By this point Kanon was sweating bullets. She started to fidget, trying to free herself from the rope binding her. She tried to shout, but with no success.
"There's no point struggling now. Just give it a rest," the figure raised her arm, holding something. Was it a gun? "You can try all you want. No-one and nothing is going to sav-"
*CRASH*
The only door in the room exploded, sending dust and metal pieces everywhere. Before Kanon could react a gust of wind followed, knocking her to the ground. She coughed, lying on her side. She couldn't see any of the figures. She was just about to stand up when her eyes caught something. A gentle movement. Something white and reflecting light. She followed it with her eyes until she saw the lonely object softly land on the floor.
It was a white feather.
Before Kanon realized what that meant a new series of loud noises followed, accompanied by beams and flashes of light. Kanon didn't know how long did it last, but suddenly she heard her own name being called.
"Kanon!" the voice repeated and the idol felt herself being hoisted up and a moment later the cloth restraining her mouth and hands disappeared. Kanon looked up at the person and immediately exploited her ability to speak.
"Herminium-san!" she said smiling.
"It's Haqua," the violet-haired devil responded, her face looking worried.
Kanon was about to thank the devil, but then she heard her name being spoked again. It wasn't as loud as Haqua's, but somehow it reverberated inside Kanon's head much more. And the reason for this was because she recognized that voice.
"K-Keima-kun?" she whispered in disbelief, looking in the direction of where the explosion happened.
There he was in the doorway, his figure outlined and emphasized by the light shining from behind him, standing in front of the two bent and mangled metal plates that not a minute ago were solid doors. The expression on his face was calm, but somehow Kanon knew it wasn't really like that. Keima started to walk in her direction, but he barely managed to make one third of the distance when Kanon all-but tackled him to the ground.
"K-Kanon?" the boy asked uncertain.
"KEIMA-KUN!" the idol all but shouted, burying her head into his chest. "I was so scared!"
"Shush," Keima said embracing the girl and comforting her. "It's alright. You're safe now."
"T-they kidnapped me from the street," Kanon said, somehow fighting back tears, too ashamed to look Keima in the eye. "I... I let my guard down," it was all her fault, "I should be more careful. They kidnapped me and I could do nothing! And-"
"Wrong," Keima said, the usual sharpness and conviction in his voice made her look up at him. "You stayed calm and you managed to contact me," he showed her his PFP.
"When Katsuragi got your message," Haqua, who walked near them said, "he immediately rallied as much of us as possible."
"Us?" Kanon repeated, but she kinda knew what the other woman meant.
"Me, Nora, Vulcan and Diana," Haqua explained, "the other goddesses didn't arrive yet. And, unfortunately, Rimyuel is in New Hell right now, so she couldn't help us. Otherwise those bastards would already by caught... Yeah, they escaped," the devil added when she saw Kanon's questioning look, "Vintage was always good at escaping. But we might still get them."
But," Kanon started, "what if they'll come after me, again?"
"We'll be prepared."
Both Kanon and Haqua blinked and looked at Keima who had a very determined look on his face. Kanon had seen that look only a few times before. When Urara's grandfather was about to die. When Keima and Tsukiyo were falling. After Kanon was stabbed by Fiore.
It was the gaze of the very serious Keima Katsuragi.
"K-Keima-kun?"
"We'll get you protection," Keima said, his hands on Kanon tightening a bit, making her realize they were still hugging. Her face wasn't pale anymore.
"I'll make your manager personally drive you between venues from now on," Keima continued, "I'll get someone from New Hell to watch over you as well," he glanced at Haqua, who seemed flustered for a moment.
"Well, New Hell is in Katsuragi's debt... and Apollo is a goddess," the violet-haired devil said, "I think it's possible to assign some guards for you."
"It's not just 'possible'. I'll make it happen," Keima said as he looked back at the idol, "I'm not letting anyone hurt you ever again."
Kanon wondered how in the world could she hear him through the sound of her own heartbeat. Was this a dream? Did she conjure up this scenario when trying to study? Well, if this was a dream then the person waking her up better be very shock-resistant. Kidnappings weren't romantic and it might be ridiculous to think that, but part of Kanon suddenly felt glad this happened.
This scenario, Kanon blushed, further hiding her head in Keima's chest, her heart pounding while melting at the same time, it almost felt as if it was a date...
And then she realized she was supposed to really be on a date right now...
"AAAH!" she cried out, detaching herself from Keima.
"W-what?" the boy said, "what happened?"
"I'm late! Okada-san is going to kill me!"
(* * *)
"Are you alright, Kanon?" Okada asked two hours later when her and Kanon were inside a car. Unknown to the manager, Nora was atop of their vehicle. The white-haired devil wasn't thrilled to act as Kanon's invisible bodyguard, but the glare Keima had sent the devil's way was convincing enough.
"I'm fine," Kanon replied, though it was not exactly the truth.
After Kanon had been rescued she had spent some time being checked by Haqua for any injuries, bugs planted on her and the like. After that Vulcan and Diana had managed to remove whatever the kidnappers had done to Apollo. Kanon had been overjoyed to have her goddess back... until Apollo had proceeded to check on Kanon as well.
After that Kanon could finally leave, but not without Nora and Yui accompanying her. The drummer had left only when Kanon had gotten into the car with Okada. Kanon hadn't explaine to her manager what had happened. Everyone, Kanon included, had decided that it was better to leave it like that, at least for now. Keima had said he would make Okada increase Kanon's security. The idol didn't even want to think how Keima would convince Okada to amp up her security. And she wasn't looking forward to having increased security. She'd have even less privacy. Moreover, she didn't want to be a bother and needlessly make worry people.
However, Keima-kun had been relentless, the way he had stood up to Vulcan and Nora when they'd said he was overreacting had been everyone, even Vulcan, widen their eyes in surprise. Kanon had never seen Keima-kun act like that. One small part of her had wanted to say she could take care of herself, but a much bigger part of her had thought Keima-kun was right. And seeing him like that, caring for her and ensuring her safety, made her feel warm. Of course, many people cared over Kanon in one way or another, but this somehow felt different.
And like that Kanon had lost her incentive to object.
Of course, a hunting party had been sent after the kidnappers, but they had returned empty handed. This had greatly worried Haqua. Kanon hadn't been happy with it either... in fact part of her was still scared, but the more she thought about it, the less she thought it was a bad thing.
"Where were you?" Okada continued her questions. "I know you don't like Nishihara, but it would be seriously better to go on a walk with him and let the guy talk for an hour and-"
"Okada-san," Kanon interrupted softly, making her manager look at her curiously, "I know it's very sudden and wouldn't be easy to prepare... but I'd like to make a request."
(* * *)
"What's wrong, nii-sama?" the always shrill voice of his sister brought Keima Katsuragi out of his musings.
"What's wrong is you talking loud like that!" he replied, but his snark was much less then usual.
"Would it kill you to be more polite?" Mari asked from the other end of the dinner table before turning to Eri. "But he's right, you need to talk quieter, Eri-chan."
"Am I really that loud?" the former devil asked.
"At times," Mari said, "you should try working on that."
Keima's father glanced at his wife with a look that seemed to say "that's the pot calling the kettle black."
Keima wasn't listening to the conversation though, back to his own thoughts, which, of course, concerned today's happenings.
Kanon had been in danger again. That fact alone wasn't all that surprising. She was an idol. She had a goddess in her. She was associated with Keima. Her being targeted was perfectly logical. Of course mistakes were made. Both him and Kanon (and her entire staff) let their guard down. They should've increased the idol's security earlier, before all of this happened. Keima himself was being watched by devils and after today Haqua had informed him that his guard force will be increased as well. So, yes, mistakes had been made, but no more. Situation was stable.
Thus, the kidnapping event himself wasn't Keima's main concern anymore. Even Kanon's ability to take care of herself wasn't something that bothered him. The idol had proven her resourcefulness and the ability to think clearly under pressure. Keima knew that simply by analyzing the message Kanon had sent him.
kidnapped vintage track phone
That's all. Four words. No unnecessary punctuation. Concise. Precise. And, knowing Kanon, typed before a normal person could blink their eye. It was simplicity and efficiency at its finest. That message proved Kanon was smart and calm enough to think clearly. She really deserved a praise. When Keima had received the message from Kanon he had acted immediately. That was a given as well. And everyone had helped. No surprise there.
No. As far as today's happenings were unexpected and dangerous, the event itself wasn't what was bothering Keima right now.
What was bothering him was he himself.
When Keima had read the message something had stirred in him. As to what had it been, the first and the obvious answer would be 'fear'. Yes, there had been fear. Keima had feared Kanon would be injured or worse. Of course, he had tried to remain calm and think logically and make the best possible choice to save Kanon. And of course, he'd be afraid if anyone were to be captured. Eri. Mari. Chihiro. Dokurō. Ayumi. Haqua. Shiori. Nanaka. Jun. Shiratori gramps. Yanagi. Yukie.
Hell, even disappearance of Nora and Ryō would be a reason for alarm.
Keima knew all that. Moreover, he didn't want to play favorites, but he knew that the amount of fear he felt would be different depending on who was in danger. This could be imagined like a scale where he could assign the amount of fear to everyone he knew.
The point was – where Keima had thought Kanon stood on that scale and where his fear actually had been didn't agree with each other. Of course, Kanon had been injured before which obviously had made his fear stronger. But he had taken that into account.
Yet, the variables in the formula still didn't add up. There was one more variable of substantial value that was required to balance the equation out. And Keima was beginning to realizing what that missing variable was.
And the short answer was: he cared for Kanon, her well-being and happiness more than he had previously thought. When he had seen her uninjured he had felt so relieved. When she had run into his arms he had felt... he couldn't name it. It was new to him... but part of him told him what the image looked like.
Like a protagonist rescuing a heroine.
The same part of him that told him that also said something else. To do more. It was similar to back when he had been trying to complete the buggy game "Crayon", the one with Sora Asuka, the painter. It was the feeling that told him to march on. Like there was need to do more. To try more. But what did that exactly mean? And why Kanon? Why not Chihiro or Tenri?
His thoughts were interrupted by the mention of the very girl he was thinking about. And it wasn't Eri who said the idol's name. In fact, the other Katsuragi sibling heard that too and turned to the source of the voice – the TV that was turned on.
By this time Mari was hustling in the kitchen part of the living room. Keiichi was the one watching TV, while Eri was sitting by the table, as if concerned by Keima not eating the rest of his dinner. However, now Eri walked to sit on the couch with her father.
At the same time Keima's PFP came to life, signaling that he received a new e-mail. He went to check it out and, sure enough it was a message from Kanon.
Keima-kun, please watch Channel I right now!
Love, Kanon
Keima gazed up and it was indeed Channel I on the TV.
"Can you turn the volume up a bit, dad?" Eri asked.
Keiichi did as his daughter asked and now they could hear better what the person on the TV was saying.
"-our sources confirm there wasn't any planned before and no-one knows what is the reason for such an ad hoc outdoors press conference. As for details-"
"A press conference?" Eri, who didn't know about what had happened today, repeated, curiosity in her eyes. "What does that mean?"
Keima completely forgot about his food. He stood up and walked to the third couch and continued watching, his mind reeling.
Why was Kanon organizing a press conference hours after what had happened today? This didn't make sense! Unless... unless today's events had forced Kanon to take the third option...
Namely, quit being an idol.
Before today Keima wouldn't think it was possible... but now... it made more sense. The only reason he had never advised for Kanon to do that was because Kanon loved being an idol. Granted, when she had started her career she'd done it mostly for attention, but now it was different. She was an idol, a shining star, and she had goals to accomplish... did she conclude that idol career was too dangerous? Did she think it'd be better to live a normal life with Keima than to be an idol without him?
Keima fished out his phone, quickly found Kanon on the contact list and started calling, ignoring the looks on his sister's and father's faces.
Kanon wasn't picking up.
"What's going on?" Mari, who was done with cleaning after the meal was back and placed some snacks on the table and sat next to her husband.
No-one answered her as the noise form the TV quieted down. It was showing a crowd of people ranging from teens to journalists. Keima even recognized that Nishihara guy among the gathered. In the center of the scene there was a podium where several people stood. In the center of it all was Kanon.
(* * *)
"Minna-san, thank you for coming," Kanon greeted everyone present before she bowed, "also I'm very sorry for calling you all here on such a short notice. I promise it won't take very long."
Short silence followed as everyone gathered waited for continuation.
"The reason I have called you here," Kanon continued, "is because I have an announcement for my fans... and a request... but before that I'd like to sing a song first."
Keima, Eri and the entire crowd gathered at the press conference made identical 'huh?' faces as Kanon took up a microphone and the music started. Keima and Eri recognized it. It was "Yes-Today".
Kanon started to sing, her voice was soft and melodic as always, but it seemed even more so. Like if the one singing it was an actual goddess, pouring everything she had into the song. The crowd apparently forgot about the conference as it was entranced by the song.
"I won't surpress it anymore! Come on come on come on, because because because it's love!" Kanon sang the finishing lines as the music faded away. A few moments have passed, a single thought on everyone's minds.
What was that song for?
"I realize you all must be very confused," Kanon said, aware of the general perplexity, "but please be patient, you'll understand in a few moments," Kanon then paused for a moment and spoke again.
"As you all know, my goal as an idol is to reach everyone with my songs and make all of you happier... but it wasn't always like that. There was a time when my goals were much more selfish. We all have our weaker moments. You're not alone in this, everyone. That's why I'm always happy when my singing can brighten someone's day."
"Of course, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, all of my fans. I want to thank you very much for all of your continuous support! I'm glad to have such wonderful fans. However," she paused for a moment, seemingly making everyone hold their breaths, "as selfish as it is, I'm afraid I have to ask you, my fans, for more."
A wave of whisper went through the crowd and Keima himself blinked, trying to make sense out of it? Was Kanon taking a break or something?
Meanwhile, Kanon continued.
"As I've told you, we all have our bad moments. Times when something goes wrong and we have to look back on things we've taken for granted. Something like that happened to me today. It made me realize that there are things that can't be taken for granted. Things and decisions that could make one regret something if wise and fast enough choices weren't made," at this point Kanon smiled brightly, "that is my advice to you my fans. Don't take things for granted. Don't wait till the opportunity slips by. And if you need strength you can always find it in my songs."
A short pause.
"However, idols are supposed to be role models. Thus, it would be hypocritical of me if I didn't heed my own advice... That's why I've made a decision. And here comes my selfish, yet humble request to all of you my fans," Kanon bowed again, "I know this might come as a shock and some of you might not agree with my decision... Nonetheless, I want to ask all of you to please accept my decision and support me on it, as selfish as this decision is."
Another pause, this time much longer as Kanon hung her head down a little, hiding her face in a shadow. When she finally raised her head the look on her face changed to that of determination.
"As I've told you twice already, I had moments of weakness throughout my career. Moments that were caused by my own deficiencies and lapse in judgment. Those were dark times. However," Kanon's features turned soft all of a sudden, a smile coming to her lips, "even in those dark times I was not alone."
A murmur came over the gathered people. Of course, Kanon wasn't alone! She had legions of fans!
"There is a person," Kanon continued, silencing everyone again, "a person who helped me when I was at my worst. A person who has shown me the right path. Person who supported me even though I ended up becoming a big bother... I'm not belittling any of my fans of course... but that person healed me. Made me who I am today. A person who would come to my aid when I'm in danger. A person who makes me feel safe... finally, it's a person who captured my heart."
By this point half of the crowd went "ooh"ed and the other half just froze in shock. Nishihara stuck out his chest proudly, flipping his blond hair.
"Kanon Nakagawa has someone she likes?" Mari asked curiously, not noticing that both Keima and Eri seemingly froze on their spots as well.
"The song I sang earlier, 'Yes-Today', was in dedication to this special person of mine... which brings me to my announcement," Kanon spoke again, "I decided to not let this chance slip by me and follow the voice of my heart," she looked up, the most determined look on her face yet as she shouted looking straight at the main camera.
"I love you, Keima-kun! Please go out with me!" she said as she bowed again.
The crowd went into shock, but that shock couldn't compare to the one that was happening in the Katsuragi household right now. Keima, Eri, Mari and Keiichi just went silent for several seconds, four pairs of eyes unblinking. The first one to react was Eri, who slowly turned her head in a mechanical way towards her brother. Mari and Keiichi noticed that motion and soon they turned towards their son as well, two jaws threatening to hit the floor.
Not that Keima himself was faring much better.
"I hope all of you will support my and Keima-kun's relationship!" Kanon said, a happy smile on her lips, "once again I'm sorry for taking your time. That is all."
The crowd remained silent for two more seconds and then a cacophony of voices exploded. Journalists rushed to the podium and climbed on each other in the effort to ask their question first, some of the journalist instead went in the direction of Daisuke Nishihara, who looked blankly into space as if his brain short-circuited.
"Are you sure this is alright, Kanon?" Okada asked while the staff tried to prevent the wave of answer-hungry journalists from flooding the podium. "There is going to be a backlash for that."
Kanon shrugged. "Yes, but my recent popularity growth should compensate for at least part of it, besides," the idol added as she smiled, "even if all my male teenager fans were to leave, I'd still have many others. My songs are meant for everyone, after all, young and old, boys and girls."
"What about Keima?" Okada asked. "Are you sure he'll be okay with this? Did he even agree to it in the first place?"
"He said he'll go out with me if I made our relationship public, so it's fine!" Kanon said with a smile. "And besides, all I have to do is to make sure that good things happen when you're dating an idol! Now," the pink-haired girl mused as she looked at the mass of journalists, "I think I need to actually go answer some questions or tomorrow the Internet's going to flood with unbelievable rumors."
"Like answering any questions is going to prevent that," Okada said as she observed Kanon heading towards the answer-seeking crowd, a single thought going through the manager's mind.
Congratulations, Kanon.
(* * *)
Many meters above the place the press conference was held, on a rooftop of a building a lone female figure was standing, observing Kanon being interviewed by three journalists at once. After several seconds, however, the figure turned to the sounds of the approaching footsteps of another female figure.
"Oh, good evening, Fox-san," the first, white-haired figure said.
"Don't call me that," the other, brown-haired, figure said back with an underlying threat in her voice.
"Ara... and here I thought we were a team."
"We're not a team, I was using you," the brown-haired woman said as she approached the edge of the building to look at the event taking place many stories below. "So it worked."
"Without a hitch," the white-haired figure said, "of course there's a chance Rimyuel will still find out and then we'll be in deep shit, but I doubt it'll happen. By the way, I hope you appreciate how much of my effort went into this? After all you couldn't have done it without me."
The brown-haired figure didn't reply.
"However, I have to say I'm impressed," the white-haired woman continued, "your operation was perfectly planned. The van, the idea about voice distortion, doing it while Rimyuel was away. Your predictions concerning the outcome were spot on as well. You understand Katsuragi and the idol well."
"You think I care for your praise?" the brown-haired figure said not even looking at the other person.
"Actually, I'm more interested in your reasons for doing this," the white-haired woman smiled a very sly smile, "after all a lot of your effort wen into this as well? So what was it? Is it a solidarity between former yanderes? Or perhaps you still feel you're in Katsuragi's debt?"
The white-haired girl continued to smile outwardly, but inwardly she had to admit – the glare the brown-haired woman sent her and her eyes seemingly narrowed to mere slits, made even a powerful devil like her uncomfortable.
"It's none of your business," the brown-haired woman hissed menacingly. "And why were you so eager to help me anyway?"
"Well, for one I like that you play dirty... and since you asked so nicely-"
"One more word..." the threat sounded like steel in the brown-haired woman's voice.
"You could also say that the look on that guy's face," the white-haired woman indicated to Nishihara, who was apparently in denial about Kanon liking someone else, "is enough of a reward for me... and besides," she turned to the other person, "Katsuragi once said 'a fake crisis is better than a real crisis' and I agree with that. Don't you?"
The brown-haired person didn't answer, instead turning around to leave. She made a dozen of so steps before she stopped.
"No-one else learns of this," she spoke in a commanding voice. "Ever."
"Of course," Nora Floriann Leoria said with a smile, watching the other person leave, "pleasure doing business with you, Yūzaki-san."
(* * *)
Ta-dah!
As you can see, Kanon had decided to officially date Keima and keep to her former contract instead of going for the new and improved one. Whether that was the best choice – time will tell. I also like that she used the "Yes-today" song before her announcement. It nicely shows that the yesterday Kanon is no more as she boldly confesses her love to Keima.
And this concludes the second major arc in The World Kanon Only Knows. I hope you liked it. :)
So, yeah, this chapter was a little weirdly paced, with the kidnapping and surrounding stuff taking entirety of it... but at least it was much more action-packed than the last one.
And yes, as briefly as it is – Kaori Yūzaki, the "cunning evil(ish) queen" is back! The last time we saw her was in a hospital in Flag 16, whole 57 flags ago. I wonder how many people remembered she's a thing...
But yeah, as you probably figured out by now, it was Kaori and Nora who were behind this entire kidnapping, which was pretty much fake and its purpose was to give Kanon a push to make the correct choice regarding the contract and to make Keima realize just how much Kanon means to him.
I'm really hoping this came as a total surprise. Truth be told, the Kaori plot point was born a few months back and originally it was just her giving advice to Kanon, "from one (almost) yandere to another", but I ended changing it into this.
As you might have also noticed, the kidnapping had been weird. On one hand it was well executed – the kidnappers knew where Kanon would be and how to subdue Apollo. They also used hagoromo dolls and managed to get away safely fairly easily despite having several devils and goddesses in hot pursuit. On the other hand... the kidnappers made obvious "mistakes", like letting Kanon get to her phone, not relieving her of her second stun gun and getting themselves caught with their guards lowered.
As a side note, originally, when Kanon was kidnapped, I was planning for have 2 normal stun guns. The idea was for her to use one and have it knocked out of her hand, so the other stun gun would remain unused and unnoticed (kidnappers wouldn't realize she had two stun guns)... The reason for that is because I completely forgot that Hinoki and Kusunoki had given Kanon a new stun gun that was perfect for this occasion – small, easily concealable and with additional functions built in. Fortunately, I remembered it during writing. :P
Anyway, to make it clear – Kaori and Nora made all those mistakes deliberately. Also, I needed Rimyuel out of the way to make everything believable, so she's in New Hell when this entire thing takes places. Moreover, getting away was considerably easy for Kaori and Nora, since Nora was both "kidnapper" and "rescuer", so she knew when the rescue was coming, working as a double agent of sorts. Double agent thing suits Nora just fine too. It actually suits both Nora and Kaori fine, which is why both women can get along so "well".
With that being said, let just hope Keima, Kanon and Haqua will never figure out what really happened or there'll be Hell to pay. :P
As for why Kaori and Nora did all this, well, the reasons are all there in the ending of the chapter. If it doesn't convince you, then I can't help you in any other way than stating that both of them are a bit weird and unpredictable. :P
Another important thing to note is Keima himself, who has shown considerable emotional development that he wasn't even aware of until Kanon was in danger. How he will take to his new role of a boyfriend of the national idol? Even more interesting is that Kanon made everything public. I wonder how everyone else – from Eri, Mari and Kanon's parents, through Chihiro, Ayumi and Yui to Haqua, Tenri and Diana – will react to this new development?
And most important of all – how will Kanon's fans react to it? Will they accept and support Keima and Kanon's relationship and let the have their moments... or will the paparazzi appear everywhere, taking photos of a mob of rabid fans chasing Keima? I guess we'll see. :)
Ah, I almost forgot about Daisuke Nishihara xD. If you were wondering if he was going to annoy everyone for a bit longer, then right now he is pretty much out of the picture. Too bad, I almost feel sorry for him. Almost. :P
Alright (that's 5th paragraphs starting with an "A" in a row xD), those author's note is long enough as it is, so we shall be wrapping this up soon.
Anyway, like usual I want to kindly ask you to please review this chapter. It's especially important since this chapter ends a big arc and important developments have happened. Thus, I'd like to hear what do you think about those developments. Please, let me hear your opinions! If you haven't favorited or followed the story yet, the now's the time to do it. ;)
Also (yup, 7th paragraph xD), a short note regarding possible future updates. I'll be working on next chapter of KanonNomi of course, but I might also post something else in the meantime. Namely, I want to continue posting one-shots. Moreover, I still want to make that 3rd chapter to Jun's "Clash of Ideals" two-shot. I'm not sure when it'll happen, but look forward to it!
That's it for now!
See you next time!
P.S. Apparently, the site doesn't allow using two exclamation marks in succession, which is annoying :(. Not sure if I just never noticed it or it was changed recently, but I sure didn't know about it till now...