Hello everyone, I'm back!
*wears a Santa Claus hat* Ho! Ho! Ho! Are there any readers here that have been good this year? I'm sure all of you were :). So, here is your present! A big-ass chapter that's long overdue (if you believe what some reviewers say).
I'm very sorry for the long absence. My work had been very time-consuming lately and writing Kanon has been difficult as usual. But I managed to write this. It was supposed to cover more more plot, but the number of words grew, so I had to cut it. The next chapter is yet to be written, but it should be muuuch shorter (hopefully under 5000 words).
Anyway, thanks for everyone for being patient with me and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
Without further ado, let's get into it!
Merry Christmas and enjoy!
(* * *)
It was near midnight and the windows in the Katsuragi household were dark. All except one which was still illuminated by a shine from several screens, visible even through curtains. Inside the room Keima Katsuragi was seated in his chair, his God of Conquest mode activated, as he played through several games at once. Under normal circumstances he'd be savoring games at a slower rate (of course still much faster than regular gamers did), but unfortunately, he was at a time constraint. And it was late too. Theoretically, he could pull off an all-nighter, but there was a risk of mom finding out about it. Ever since Keima had "matured" Mari became much more lax about his gaming habits, with one exception: Keima had to take care of his health.
Once he reached the ending, he would just restart and go on a different route, except for when he cleared a game completely and he had to get up from his chair to replace the discs. He had just replaced another disc and sat back, when he heard a new sound in his headphones, one that was coming not from his gaming consoles, but from his PC.
It was the sound of incoming video call on Strype.
Keima glanced at his clock. At this hour it was unexpected, but not unwelcome. He accepted the call.
"Hey," he smiled as soon as the face of his girlfriend appeared on the screen.
"Hi, adorable," was all Kanon managed to say, before she flashed and Apollo appeared.
"Hello, Katsuragi!" the ditsy goddess saluted at him happily, before Kanon took control again.
"Apollo, I told you not to do that!" the idol said. Keima observed her. She had some make-up on and was looking and sounding quite tired, as she often did, but was also looking quite happy to see him. "I missed you," she said when her attention was back to him.
"I missed you too," Keima said quietly. They haven't seen each other for several days now and it was a common occurrence really. On the other hand, they pretty much talked everyday thanks to video calls like that. "Though it's a rather late call."
"Yet, you're still awake," Kanon accused, "you're not having a late stream, are you?"
"I'm not," Keima said, "just catching on some backlog, before going to sleep... what about you?" he asked back. "Shouldn't you be asleep right now?"
"We had a delay today, both with filming and meeting with fans, but I wanted to see you before going to sleep. I won't be long. Besides, I'm in bed already" Kanon replied, as she pulled closer to the screen, "so how are you today?"
"I'm fine, I made a review today, had an afternoon stream and updated some walkthroughs" Keima said, "my number of subscribers is increasing slowly though. The daily subscription rate is much less than what it once was."
Kanon smiled, thinking about the irony of it all. Keima and her had a vastly different personalities and hobbies. They operated in different industries, only distantly related. Yet, somehow, their situations and problems were kind of similar.
They both had to do a number of activities. For Kanon it was mainly singing and dancing, but also various gravures, meetings with fans, drama shootings and such. For Keima it was mainly streaming his games, but also making reviews, walkthroughs and game trivia among others. They both were passionate about the things they were doing. They also both had following: for Kanon it was her fans, for Keima it was his Yuutube subscribers. Both of them have been successful in their endeavors and gained a following. At first the gain was relatively slow. Then it gained momentum, booming nicely. But that growth couldn't be sustained forever. Just as Kanon was gaining much less fans nowadays, Keima's weekly income of subscribers had decreased greatly.
It reminded her that it wouldn't last forever. She'd have to change careers eventually. And Keima'd have to do that too.
Keima's voice brought her out of her musings.
"You didn't call Eri earlier in the day, right?" he asked.
"No, if I did, I'd have called you as well," the idol said and Keima nodded.
"It's too late now, but you need to call her tomorrow," he said, "she misses you."
Kanon chuckled and shook her head. "Once upon a time, watching shows with me was enough for her and now she pleads me to stay longer every time I'm in your house."
"I'm not exactly blaming her," Keima said, "a lot of her friends are studying. You know Yui's rarely in town," he chuckled, "though twice as often as her mother believes."
"But Ayumi and Chihiro are right at Narusawa," Kanon argued.
"Too busy with their uni work... at least in the case of Ayumi," Keima said, "honestly, these days Eri sees Tsukiyo more frequently than Ayumi."
"That's because Tsukiyo's a regular at the café," Kanon noticed, "but I'll try to call her tomorrow when I'll have the time," she then looked as if she remembered something, "speaking of time, one of my concerts was cancelled."
"The one next Wednesday?" Keima asked.
"Oh, no, no, it's one at the start of July," Kanon said, "my agency argued with the organizers about the terms and they couldn't reach an agreement after all, even though it looked promising at the beginning. It happens half the time," she then livened up, "but on the bright side, this means I'll have the entire day off."
"I'm glad, you'll need rest," Keima said.
"You know what the best part is?" Kanon smiled.
"No, tell me."
"The concert was supposed to be in Maijima, so I'll be able to spend that day with you!"
"You'll be in Maijima?" Keima straightened himself suddenly, "at the start of July?"
"Yeah, that's right," the pink-haired girl said, furrowing her brow, "is something wrong?"
"Let me check something," he replied, opening a saved spreadsheet on his computer, "can you give me the exact date?"
"It's around 5th or something," Kanon said, "I don't remember exactly."
"5th of July," Keima repeated to himself. Kanon waited patiently, listening to her boyfriend typing and clicking.
"I think," he started a few moments later, "if it's from 3rd to 6th... then this might actually work."
"What might work?" Kanon asked, intrigued.
"The G.E.T." Keima answered. When Kanon was looking at him confused, he added, "the get-everyone-together thing all of you have been on about since we were still in high school."
"Oooh, that one! That's a catchy acronym by the way," Kanon said, before she blinked, "wait, what do you mean 'all of you' like it's not your problem? You're participating too!"
"Yes, but I'm the one who everyone seeks out when they're in town anyway, so I'm up-to-date with how everyone is doing and besides," he repositioned his glasses, "it's convenient for you to take it easy, when it's not you who has to handle it."
Kanon sweatdropped, understanding what his issue was. She was now 19, while Keima had just turned 20... and yet, during all this time since this "get-everyone-together" project was first conceived, they hadn't been able to make it happen. There was always something in the way. Someone was busy studying or couldn't take a day off at their work. Kanon sighed, realizing that she was no longer the only one who was constantly busy. Everyone had their own jobs or university work. And, unlike before, some girls also had boyfriends, which made it even harder. Of course, they tried to use the summer vacation, when people would be free from university, but always someone would have already planned to go out of town to one place or another.
Of course, Keima's less-than-enthusiastic attitude to this project had a reason. It stemmed from the fact that he was the most organized and efficient person among them. Furthermore, he was the only one who was close to everyone and (mostly) understood everyone. Girls, goddesses, devils, Shiratoris. Everyone. Thus, it was promptly and unanimously decided he was the best person to handle it. In result, Keima was made responsible for trying to arrange this get-everyone-together meeting, tracking down when everyone was available.
Long story short, it wasn't exactly easy task and Keima was on it for a long time now. Quite frankly, Kanon had mostly forgotten about this entire idea in the first place. But Keima hadn't. And as usual, he overdid it. Knowing him, he probably had a giant crazy-crack-pot-theory kinda spreadsheet and had half of it memorized on a regular basis.
"I'm sorry, baby," Kanon cooed, before her eyes hardened, "somehow should've been helping you with it."
"The only one I have nearby at all times is Eri and having her anywhere near that project is a very bad idea," Keima said, "Haqua and Diana helped me some, but not nearly enough."
"We could use one more resident genius, huh?" Kanon wondered to herself. "Anyway, so can this work this time around?"
"I'd have to contact a few people, Hinoki and Rimyuel in particular," Keima said, "and Urara."
Kanon nodded her head in agreement. This gathering would involve a lot of people, some of them being quite loud people. It'd be foolish to host the gathering in some random bar or club in town. They needed something big, isolated and nearby. The Shiratori estate seemed like the only acceptable venue. And of course, behaving as they will, the number of people meant there'd definitely be a lot to clean up afterwards. Urara needed to agree to this first.
"That's for starters," Keima continued, "I'd have to confirm with everyone of course, but yeah... this can work this time around," he said, a smile appearing on his lips. It was a small smile. A smile one smiled after a job's well done, even though that job was not easy. It was similar to the smile Keima did when him and Elsie had the bizarre dinner in that other dimension, right before she removed his collar. A smile after completing a challenging, but satisfying game.
And nowadays, more than once or twice, Keima had this kinda smile when Kanon visited him after being away for a week.
That thought filled her with with warm happiness. She really wanted to be back in Maijima again. She might've been more homesick that she thought.
"Great!" the idol said cheerfully, "I'll call people as well."
"No need," Keima said, "I can do it myself."
"No can do!" Kanon said harshly. "This meeting is not just for you, so the others have to make an effort too! I'll call Ayumi, Chihiro and Yui tomorrow. You can focus on Hinoki, Rimyuel and Urara."
"But-"
"No buts!"
"Who are you, my mom?" Keima complained halfheartedly.
"I'm your girlfriend," Kanon replied, not without pride in her voice.
"My busy girlfriend who overworks herself," Keima looked at the clock, "who should be asleep at this hour."
"Who's whose mom now?" Kanon stuck her tongue at him.
"I'm serious," he said, "You have to be up early tomorrow."
"You don't know my schedule for tomorrow!"
Keima shrugged. "So? You always have to get up early anyway."
"But I get to talk to you so rarely!"
"I know," Keima said, "however Okada will have my head if you don't get enough sleep because of me."
"Fine!" she pretended to be annoyed for a moment, making a small pause, before she struck. "I love you, Keima-kun."
"Love you too," Keima said, trying to stop himself from blushing and failing.
"Aww, you're so cute when you're embarrassed like that!" she giggled and he looked away.
"I'll see you tomorrow then, ne?" Kanon then blew Keima a kiss, before she disconnected the call.
She put away her laptop and lied comfortably against the bed in her hotel room.
She was having mixed feelings.
One the one hand, she was excited. She had forgotten about that get-everyone-together thing, or G.E.T. how Keima called it, but now that she was reminded of it, she remembered how much she wanted for that to happen. Of course, she enjoyed when performing in front of thousands of her fans, but fans were usually some distance from her. Sometimes she couldn't even see them, because they were watching in front of their TVs. Their little gang was different though. Maybe it was because of all the magic and paranormal, maybe because of the incredible love story, or maybe because of the memories she shared with everyone, but Kanon feel really connected to the others. Not just with Keima, Chihiro or the other goddess hosts, but with everyone else as well. Those bonds were precious to her. So she was definitely excited for a chance to hang out with everyone for a day.
Kanon turned around on her bed.
On the other hand, she missed Keima. She really missed him. She wished she could see him more often, especially now that he had finally confessed. It was a great progress, but they had a bit of a problem with keeping the ball rolling so to speak. Naturally, it wasn't because of lack of will, but because of her idol job, the way it was limiting the time they were spending together becoming more cumbersome. She did her best and used every possible idea in order to squeeze as much out of her schedule as possible without jeopardizing her career, but finally she had reached a wall. Any more and she'd have to sacrifice either her career or the sleeping time she never had enough in the first place.
Not for the first time she let her mind wander for a moment, looking for other solutions, but nothing came to mind, besides one idea she had for some time now, but it wasn't something that could be implemented at the current moment.
And not for the first time she fell asleep 30 seconds later, her body seeking the rest it needed.
(* * *)
"No, aside from the welcome drink, there'll be no sake or any other alcohol till at least 4 pm," Keima dictated.
"Oh, c'mon, almost everyone is over 20!"
"Well, 'almost' is not enough. If they want to drink more, then can wait till later," he said with a tone of finality just when his phone started ringing. Keima fished out his phone out from his pocket and put it to his ear, not paying attention to the caller ID or to the disappointed expression of the person in front of him.
"For the umpteenth time," he spoke, "I told you to buy-"
"Hello, Keima~kuuun," the voice of his girlfriend stopped him half-sentence.
"Oh, hey... Sorry, I thought it was Ayumi calling me again," he said and paused for a bit, "we've sent her to a nearby store for more paper cups and whatnot, just in case," he was silent for two seconds, "yes, I know the nearest store is outside of the estate, that's why we've sent Ayumi, she should be back in no time with that demon speed of hers," another pause, "no, Yanagi couldn't do it, she's at the place where we ordered all the food... Urara and Yui are making preparations in the garden and after that we still need to prepare stuff inside the house and the beds... And Haqua is all over the place, helping with her magic. Yes... Eri's at the café, helping mom. So I was basically left with Chihiro for the general management and she's annoying as usual and we're having a disagree-HEY!" Keima said when Chihiro snatched his phone and put it to her ear instead.
"Hey, Kanon-chan, it's Chihiro!" the brown-haired girl said cheerfully. "I hope you'll compensate me for having to spend the time with your annoying-as-ever part-time boyfriend," she teased, her outstretched hand keeping a seething Keima at bay, "all I said was that we should put a bottle of two of sake on the table from the start and he just won't listen! Can you believe him? Anyway, how is it going?"
"Give. Back. The. Phone," Keima ordered, trying to be calm.
"I wanna talk to Kanon too," Chihiro objected.
"Then do it with your own phone afterwards!"
"C'mon, give me a break, you love birds call each other like 10 times a day..."
"We do not."
"...I bet you kiss over the phone as well..."
"We. Do. Not."
"...if it weren't for Strype being free, your family would go bankrupt!"
"Gimme that!" Keima snatched back his phone. "I think we don't have enough chairs for everyone, so we might have to change the guest list. I vote on banning Chihiro," he said, but Chihiro only stuck out her tongue at him.
"So what's up?" he asked Kanon, ignoring the brown-haired girl. "Was your event delayed?" he knew that despite her concert being cancelled, Okada still scheduled some minor thing in its stead.
"No, everything went alright," Kanon said, "in fact, my train stops at Maijima in 30 minutes."
"What?" Keima straightened himself.
"I told you I'll be coming at 10:30," Kanon said, Keima could tell she was pouting, "you didn't forget that, did you, Keima~kun?"
"I didn't, I just thought that your event will take longer as usual and you'll arrive by a later train."
"Well, I'm arriving now. And I've sent you an email about that earlier today," she sounded as if she was pouting even more now, "perhaps I should call my parents to pick me up then..." she wondered aloud.
"I'll call mom and we'll pick you up," he said.
"I knew I could count on you, Keima~kuuun," she replied cheerfully, "I'll see you in a bit."
"Bye," Keima said and pocketed back his phone and headed for the door.
"Wait, wait, wait, where do you think you're going?" Chihiro asked, realizing how many points were still on the to-do list she and Keima had been working on.
"As my deputy, I hereby leave the management duties to you," he answered, "I'll be back in an hour."
"Nooo! Don't leave me with all of that stuff to do!" Chihiro pleaded, but Keima was already calling his mother and walking out, passing a panting and surprised Ayumi in the doorway.
(* * *)
"Keima-kun! Eri!" Kanon, in her magical disguise, exclaimed as she embraced the Katsuragi siblings in a mighty hug. "I missed you!"
"We missed you too!" Eri said and she snuggled her idol. "We missed you so much! Didn't we, Kami-nii-sama?"
"Can't... breathe..." Keima managed in reply, trying not to get crushed. A slight feeling of deja vu washed over him, but he was used to it. After all, picking Kanon up on the train station or from Okada's car has become a common occurrence in his life.
After a moment Kanon stepped back and noticed Keima's mom standing there.
"It's good to see you again, Mari-san," Kanon bowed slightly, but Mari only embraced her in a hug of her own.
"I'm glad you're back," the orange-haired woman said with a smile, "unfortunately, we don't have time for small talk. We've already closed the café for today and I packed all the cakes, so we're going straight to the Shiratoris."
They started walking towards Mari's car, Eri already chatting with Kanon and the idol holding hands with Keima, as Mari continued.
"You're looking a bit tired, Kanon-chan," the older woman said, "should I have a talk with your manager?"
"It's alright, I'm fine," Kanon waved her off. The last thing she needed was Mari and Okada-san having a confrontation over her schedule.
"I still think you're working too much," Mari then smiled, "you could stay in town a few days for a little vacation," she continued, "you could even stay at our house."
"Of course!" Eri exclaimed giddily before anyone Kanon or Keima even opened their mouths. "Kanon-chan could stay in my room!"
"That'd be very nice," Mari continued, smiling at her daughter, before she leaned closer to Kanon, "you know, Kanon-chan, Keima behaves much better when you're around. I think you have good influence on him," she winked.
"You are aware that Kanon is a national idol at the peak of her popularity, right?" Keima added, his voice controlled, but that couldn't be said about the color of his cheeks.
"But you don't deny you'd like to spend more time with her?" Mari asked as they were packing Kanon's baggage into the car.
"You know I would," Keima continued the fight with his flushed face much to Kanon's amusement, "but as much as we dislike it, she can't spend half her time outside of her job!"
"Then, perhaps you could take Keima for one of your tours?" Mari suggested as she fumbled with her seat belt. "Of course, not as a part of your staff, but just so you can spend some time together everyday face-to-face. That would certainly help Kanon-chan's in her performances."
"That kinda sounds like I'm a part of the staff after all," Keima said, tossing Mari a weird hard glance, "and you seem to forget I have my own work to do. I'd also like for us to spend more time together, but we're really in no position to solve it right now."
"You're talking about your computers?" Mari said, gazing at her son through the rear mirror. "I'm pretty sure you could just pack all of them into one of the trailers. Kanon's staff uses those, right?" she asked, as she sped up through the streets.
Kanon, Keima and Eri stiffened, knowing exactly about Mari's driving habits. Both girls clung to Keima, but in different ways. Eri leaned into him as if he was to keep her stable during many sharp turns. Kanon on the other hand seemed more like if she wanted to help Keima instead of him helping her, as she was more than aware on how Mari's driving affected him.
"Umm... I'm not sure Okada-san would be able to arrange additional trailer for Keima-kun," Kanon remarked hesitantly, not sure if Mari was being serious or just joking around. It was sometimes difficult to tell with the orange-haired woman.
Keima nodded weakly, but didn't speak, distracted. He was getting giddy and he was certain it had less to do with his mother's driving and more with his girlfriend's closeness. The pink-haired girl steadied him and to do so got really close, probably by instinct, her body pressing against him. Of course, it wasn't exactly the first time it had happened and Keima didn't dislike it, but in the current situation it made him much more self-aware than usual. And, of course, he couldn't pull away, because Eri clung to him from the other side, already a bit pale in the face. It also didn't help that he could smell Kanon too. A mix of some floral scent that must be her shampoo or perfume, or both, but he also could smell something more, something more natural, primal. If it was sweat then it had never smelled so nice.
Game and console companies should definitely develop a gaming console that could emit scents like this...
He was brought back to reality when he noticed his mother's smirk in the rear mirror.
"Who said about an additional trailer?" Mari asked, an amused and mischievous edge to her voice. "Keima could simply stay in your trailer, Kanon-chan," Mari said. Eri immediately gasped, Keima glared and Kanon's mouth just opened and stayed open.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Keima hollered.
"Yes," Eri concurred, "it would mean I wouldn't see neither nii-sama nor Kanon-chan for a long time!"
"It's just an idea," Mari said in a defensive tone, "besides, it'd make easier for you to develop that game of yours."
"You mean the sequel to 'Surprise Summer Colors'?" Keima asked. "We're already made it. I mean, we're through with script and the story. We've sent it to artists and producers quite some time ago. Actually," he turned to Kanon, "shouldn't it be getting done soon?"
"Huh?" Kanon uttered, as if she was brought from some daydream of hers.
"I asked when will the sequel be done," Keima repeated, confused at her distracted reaction. Kanon noticed that Mari and Eri were looking at her weirdly too and she blushed.
"I-I think it should be ready before the end of the week, t-the last time I checked."
Mari sighed in defeat and continued driving. Eri also lost interest and continued to cling to Keima throughout the drive, but the gamer kept looking at the idol in thought as they drove to the Shiratori household.
(* * *)
"Long time no see, Kanon-chan!" Chihiro exclaimed as she hugged her former classmate. "How are you doing? I saw you last concert, you were splendid as usual!"
"Thanks, I'm fine!" Kanon returned the hug happily. "I'm glad to see you again, it has been too long..."
Their arrival in the Shiratori estate main building quickly turned into plethora of greetings. Chihiro, Ayumi, Yui, Urara, Haqua and Yanagi were there from the start. Now that Keima, Kanon, Eri and Mari arrived, they saw that the number of people had increased. The first they've seen were Jun Nagase and Yuri Nikaidō who were helping with the tables. Next, they saw Sumire dealing with the food and the owner of the house, Shōtarō Shiratori, overseeing everyone's work with a smile, apparently glad that his usually empty house was lively once again.
Ten minutes later Tsukiyo and Shiori have arrived together and, a short time after that, Mio appeared on her own. During the next 20 minutes arrived Tenri, Minami and, surprisingly, Yukie Marui. The starting time was set to noon, but some people appeared after that. A little after noon there doorbell rang and the main door revealed Nanaka. After that Kusunoki and Hinoki appeared. The younger sibling apologized, explaining that Hinoki's flight was delayed and the older one just waved it off. Rimyuel seemingly appeared out of thin air. Finally, the last late arrivals included Nora and Ryō, who both were surprised that someone "would even think about starting the party without as important guests as them!"
(* * *)
Everyone was seated on various poufs, mats and pillows placed around several short Japanese-style tables and talking to each other, when there was a ting as Shōtarō Shiratori hit his glass with his spoon to grab everyone's attention. Keima Katsuragi stood up and coughed, all eyes on him as a collective murmur ran over the group.
"Erm, welcome everyone," Keima started, all faces on him, "first, I'd like to say I'm very happy that we finally got this. This idea that some of us," he glanced at several of the present, "have started quite some time ago, I'm glad all our efforts bore fruits and we could make it happen..."
Another collective murmur, this time one of agreement, rushed over the room.
"...and I'm also glad to be able to see all of you again."
"Oh, pleeeasee," Mio Aoyama mocked, "anymore and we all might start thinking you care about real-life and real-life people."
"That indeed seems impossible," the old man Shiratori said with a smile, while Tsukiyo Kujō, Haqua and several other people simply nodded.
"I'm sure Keima-kun has grown up and he did it splendidly," Jun Nagase said cheerfully, "and he's not the only one," she looked around her gaze stopping on Minami Ikoma who blushed slightly.
"I wonder whose influence is that," Nora chipped in, her teasing smile widening as her gaze traveled from Keima to Kanon.
"You're implying tonkotsu is whipped... which he totally is" Sumire Uemoto took up, her smile similar to the white-haired devil's. Kanon's cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink as a few other voices sniggered, "I'm sure that he-" no-one learned what the rāmen chef wanted to say as Keima continued.
"Anyway, I want to thank all of you for finding the time to come here today," at this Ryō Asama brushed a lock of his blonde hair out of his eye as if the event couldn't have happened if he wasn't here, "especially those of you, who had to travel from far away," he looked at Hinoki Kasuga, who most of those gathered here saw for for the first time in person.
"Oh, it was the least I could do for one of my biggest fans," the older woman winked at him.
"I'd also want to thank our hosts for allowing us to hold this meeting in their home," he pointed to the Shiratoris. The grandfather and his granddaughter barely waved him off in a gesture of 'don't mention it' as various other voices expressed their gratitude as well.
"Finally, I want to thank everyone who helped to prepare everything for today..."
"Damn right you should!" Chihiro exclaimed, still offended that Keima had left in the middle of the preparations, but she faltered a bit when Kusunoki Kasuga shot her a stern glance.
"...as I informed all of you beforehand, we can arrange for some of you to stay overnight," Keima continued, ignoring Chihiro, "but I understand others will have to leave in the evening, thus we should try to use that short time as much as we can, so-"
"So let's not be wastin' anymore time on speeches!" Nanaka Haibara said, raising her glass, "let's get 'tis thin' started!"
Voice replied in agreement and two dozens of glasses, filled with champagne or ginger ale, were raised in toast.
"Cheers!"
(* * *)
After the initial toast was over, everyone started to eat several of the prepared lunch dishes of various tastes and origins. Kanon noticed that it was much too much considering that most of the present here were girls, who were careful about their calories intake, especially since desserts and other tempting foods were definitely going to appear at a later point.
The conversations started again, but they were mostly quiet, people conversing only with their neighbors and having their mouths full most of the time. The seating placement was arranged such that people who didn't get to see each other for a long time were sitting next to each other. In simpler terms, people who stayed in Maijima and stayed out of it were mixed together, encouraging interaction. This system worked, but it also meant Kanon was seated further away from Keima, who was sitting close to Nanaka, Shiori, Mio and, to Kanon's slight irritation, Yui. The idol knew that the situation with the cross-dresser was mostly under control, but Yui still treated the concept of "private space" too carelessly. She was also the girl who had never got to interact with Keima much because of his apprehensive reaction and didn't see him for some time as well, so Kanon could understand and let Yui had her fun as the other girl laughed and nudged the idol's boyfriend.
After all, Kanon knew very well how it was to not be able to see Keima for longer periods of time.
Kanon herself was placed closer to Nikaidō, Urara, Minami and Kusunoki. She decided to just have fun. This meeting was, after all, for everyone's sake. The idol did encourage the original idea and she did it honestly. Keima might be the most important person for her here, but everyone else was connected to her too. No, she might be the one for who this event was intended, as her idol job made it difficult to spend time with Keima and Eri, not to mention everyone else. With the realization of that, Kanon stopped eating, figuring she'll have time to do that later, turned to the person on her left and asked the first question that came to mind.
"So Kusunoki-san, how is the dōjō doing?"
(* * *)
Over the next three hours Kanon was able to catch up with pretty much everybody, including Hinoki, Ryō and even the likes of Rimyuel and Vulcan, though that experience with the latter two was particularly weird. It was the first time idol had actually conversed with the short devil and the first time she had heard Rimyuel utter more than 3 sentences. Still she didn't seem particularly talkative or engaged, at least compared to the average person here, and Kanon wondered why was Rimyuel even here? Somehow she doubted she was forced, yet she definitely didn't interact with people as a normal person. That doubt didn't seem to extend to goddesses, Kanon thought as she observed Vulcan who appraised all dishes in range of her poor eyesight, obviously having hard time to decide which one to sample first.
The idol quickly realized that one of the most popular topics were that of employment and career. Kanon had heard about Hinoki changing her job again, about Ayumi working during weekends and Jun telling her about situation of several of her students. Similarly, the idol listened to Tsukiyo's complaints in designer industry, being compared and viewed through her mother's name, Shiori's struggle with the lack of creative juices as a writer block struck her hard when she was nearly done with her novel. Even Eri mentioned her work at Café Grandpa now that she was basically half-owner half-waitress (apparently Mari's idea for both increasing the café popularity and attracting potential suitors for Eri). Though, of course, most of the time Eri spent with Kanon ended up being fangirling and after some time Haqua had to come and drag Eri away, so Kanon would be able to talk with others as well.
Another frequent group of topics were relationships, boyfriends and romance.
"Don't repeat it to anyone," Ayumi started in a whisper as Kanon and Sumire leaned closer, the three girls sitting a little way from everyone else, exploiting the fact that Haqua, Nora, Diana and Minerva were talked into doing actual magic show, grabbing everyone else's attention, "especially to Keima, as I'd sooner die than admit it to him... but in hindsight I think he was really okay for a boyfriend material... not that I'm interested," she quickly added looking at Kanon.
"I know," Kanon added with a smile, though inside she wasn't so calm. She didn't consider herself more pretty than Ayumi, especially without all the professional make-up. Similarly, Ayumi's penchant for kick-based violence was negated by Kanon's 'clingy gilrfriend' habits and stun gun proficiency. And she had to be away a lot, so if Ayumi was interested it'd be a major reason for concern.
"Wow," Sumire spoke as she lowered her glass, "you must've had it rough recently if you call him boyfriend material."
"Don't give me that!" Ayumi scoffed at the rāmen chef, her cheeks coloring. "You were making sheep's eyes at him once too, you hypocrite!"
It was Sumire's turn to blush.
"He was acting nice and helped me with rāmen research and stuff! I didn't know the real him back then!"
"Yeah, but you did at the railway station and I have over a dozen witnesses that will confirm that you totally volunteered to be his girlfriend back then!"
"Fiiine, you win," Sumire conceded.
"My point is," Ayumi continued, "he might have been rude, gross, annoying and a game nut, that's true... and he didn't know how to treat an actual real innocent girl in day-to-day situations, but..." the runner paused for a bit, looking for words, "but he tries, you know? You just need to change his focus onto what you want him to focus on and he gives his soul into it. I remember back during the Mai-High festival... he procured a freaking steed in the middle of the night. Sure, he fell from it, but it was literally a prince charming thing! Do you know anyone who'd be able to do it?"
"He did it to save the world, you know," Sumire interjected.
"So what?" Ayumi countered. "He'd do the same for a girl, because that's what it was to him back then: helping a girl. Am I right, Kanon-chan?"
Kanon put down her own glass as two pairs of eyes landed on her.
"Ayumi's right," the idol said after a moment, "Keima-kun can be very considerate, passionate and romantic under the right circumstances," Kanon paused before looking down, "and I wish I had more time to spend with him."
Ayumi patted her back. "It must be hard for you."
"It is," Kanon confirmed, "the last time we go to properly made out was-"
"Whoa, whoa, TMI!" Sumire said while waving her hands.
"Anyway, I still envy you, Kanon-chan," Ayumi said, "Keima might be rude and dense, but after I got into the world... ugh," she groaned as she put her hand to her head, "seriously, the first guy I had my eyes on in uni was denser then a neutron's star core," Kanon didn't ask where Ayumi out of all people had learned that particular trivia. It was almost literally rocket science, "and some people said I was an idiot... and the second one... well, I thought Keima was a scoundrel. I knew from school some guys are scoundrels, but-"
"Guys like that are more common than you think," Sumire said, an annoyed look on her face, "scoundrels, jerks, lechers, leeches. Trust me, girl, I'm a waitress, so I have to deal with shit like that. Thank goodness dad didn't own a pub or night club!" she poured more into her glass and Kanon was glad they weren't serving alcohol yet. She was sure she'd hear some interesting sake-induced stories before the night was out. "Still, that old fart, AARGH! He's so annoying!"
"What did he do now?" Ayumi asked. "Wants to marry you off?"
Sumire snorted. "As if. Quite the opposite. Every time I mention the possibility of getting a boyfriend he gets all angry and defensive. Just who the Hell does he think he is!?"
"I'm sure he just doesn't want what happened to him and you mom to happen to you," Kanon assured.
"Well, it was partially his fault and I'm 20 for God's sake! I'm a store owner! I can take care of myself!"
"Wait a moment," Ayumi interjected, furrowing her brows, "what do you mean 'possibility of getting a boyfriend?' Eri told me you had a boyfriend already!"
Sumire coughed, looking a bit guilty. "Yes, I do... the thing is... ermm... my father, I... umm..."
"You didn't tell him about it," Ayumi finished and sighed, "sometimes I'm so glad I study out of town."
"Narusawa's a stone's throw away from Maijima," Sumire noticed.
Ayumi shrugged. "Still, if I want to keep a relationship a secret, I'd be able to do it," she said, "after all my father is not too keen on accepting boys for some odd reason," she added obviously referencing the one time Keima met her parents.
"Keep your relationship a secret?" Sumire smirked. "Good luck with that. You'd have to lock Chihiro's mouth with a padlock and throw the key away befo-GAH!"
"What was that?" Chihiro who appeared behind Sumire, her face somehow combining a smirk with an angry look, put her arms around the chef, getting her into a tight grip. "Care to repeat that last bit?"
Ayumi ignored the other two and turned to Kanon.
"So how are you and Keima-kun doing lately?"
(* * *)
"Attention everyone!" Urara announced as she stood up, grabbing the attention of the entire gang, before she spoke again like a good hostess. "It's well past lunch time and, as planned, we shall be moving into the gardens now! Please follow me!"
There was an excited collective murmur as everyone stood up and were led outside.
It was the beginning of July and the weather was hot. The sun was merciless, a few stranded clouds not being able to keep it at bay. However, it was already after 3 PM and the sun was slowly coming down, meaning that it was obscured by several trees that were growing nearby one of the buildings. In the shadow of those trees several tables were placed along with about two dozens of plastic chairs. There was also a barbecue stand and a place that was obviously prepared for a bonfire. There was also another stand holding...
"Sake! Finally something for grown-ups!" Hinoki exclaimed as soon as she saw it, walking up to it and pouring herself a round. "No-one is allowed to leave before having a drink with me," she said, a sly smile on her face as her eyes moved from one person to another as if trying to decide whose tongue she wanted to loosen first.
"Hold your horses, Hinoki-san," Jun said, "some of the people here are still underage," she explained, her voice getting that 'responsible teacher' tone.
Before Hinoki could retaliate, Mari was by her side, getting her own drink, "if you need a drinking competition," the older woman said, her hand going to undo her hair, making several people move back away from that particular scene, "I'm all game!"
"Game, huh?" Hinoki said, not backing down. "Nice choice of words, gamer-mother-san. You're on!"
(* * *)
It was half an hour later when Kanon was walking back from a visit to the toilet and towards the entrance leading to the gardens. She planned to rejoin the group immediately, but when she saw everyone from inside the building, she decided to stop and watch for a moment.
The situation was much unlike the lunch before, when everyone was sitting close to each other and behaving more quietly. Now there was not a single group, but a number of small groups scattered over the area. Some were focusing on the delicious desserts by the tables, some were talking by the barbecue stand, some were drinking by another table and some were just sitting on the blankets laid on the grass as if on picnic. Some people weren't even in sight, probably hidden by the trees or taking a stroll or something.
Kanon looked from Nanaka and Sumire discussing something over sake, their words and gestures much less restricted now, through Hinoki, Mari, Nikaidō and Yanagi in their own drinking circle, to Minami, who was sitting with grandpa Shiratori and Yukie, to Ryō who was obviously trying to make a horrible pass on Tenri and Ayumi. Kanon rolled her eyes at that, poor lad didn't even know he was facing a possibility of bodily harm. Finally, Kanon's eyes landed on Keima who was currently with Mio, Yui and Urara, the trio of childhood friends being back to their antics as if they'd never grown up.
Kanon felt a small sting in her chest, which she knew was a mix of jealousy and concern, caused by seeing her boyfriend surrounded by so many young girls he had conquered in the past. It was irrational, she knew. Having Keima and the girls meet, joke, talk and smile was one of the purposes for this meeting, after all. She knew that, but the feeling was still there. Some part of her, the egoistic one, wanted to keep Keima to herself, to sit down between him and Mio and grab his hand to mark her territory, as Mari once had told her. It didn't help that it was a hot summer day, meaning the girls wore primarily light shirts and shorts, skirts or sundresses, which exposed more than Kanon would have liked.
Get a grip girl, she thought as she shook her head. It's ok, none of them means to steal him away, you're paranoid because you spend so much time away from each other, she reasoned. She just went back to watching Nanaka and Sumire arguing animatedly over some thing or another, when suddenly the hair on the back of her hair prickled. It was the sensation of being watched. Of course, Kanon was used to being watched nearly 24 hours a day, but this somehow felt different. The idol looked over everyone in the garden, but no-one was staring in her direction. Confused, she turned around and only then she noticed a small niche at the side of the corridor.
It was a small space without windows. The small light bulb on the ceiling was turned off, keeping the niche shrouded in half-shadow. The niche contained an old closet, even older tattered desk of unknown origin and several trinkets, junks and other gizmos. However, it wasn't the furniture or the items that caught Kanon's attention. No, it was the figure of a person, leaning back against the desk. The person was also hidden in the shadow, but the idol guessed it was a woman, judging from the person's figure. Aside from that Kanon could tell she was dressed in some kind of jacket. And that she was looking at her.
Kanon first thought was that it was Yanagi-san, but a quick glance at the tables proved it wrong: the Shiratori's family servant was currently sitting with Mari, Nagase-sensei and Nikaidō-sensei. Kanon looked back at the person more closely and concluded that it was someone she didn't know. It could be another servant. The maintenance of the estate might require more the one pair of hands after all.
"I'm sorry," Kanon said, suddenly feeling nervous, "I didn't know someone was h-"
"Must be nice."
Kanon stopped as the figure spoke with a weird detached voice. The idol wasn't even sure the words were directed at her, as the figure seemed to be looking at the party outside. On the other hand, there was no-one else close enough to hear it.
"E-excuse me?"
The figure was back to looking at her, before she stood up and started walking towards Kanon, moving into the light coming through the entrance. The idol could now see that the figure was indeed a woman, looking to be in her mid twenties, with brown hair falling slightly below her shoulders. Kanon didn't know her, but it looked as if the person knew Kanon. Which wasn't all that surprising.
"Nice? What do y-" the pink-haired girl started, but stopped when she caught the look on the other woman's face. Her expression would be neutral if it weren't for the eyes, which were hardened, like eyes of a hawk: like steel and trained on its prey. That gaze kinda rooted Kanon on the spot.
"You don't know what I mean?" the woman spoke again, "I'm talking about you. All of you," she added, something beginning to seep into her voice. Kanon couldn't find her own. Suddenly a memory flooded her. Memory of a hooded light-haired girl standing outside of her classroom. Could this person be Fiore? The heights didn't match: the person was taller, but the glass-wearing devil was known to impersonate Kusunoki at one occassion, so it wasn't impossible. Kanon was almost ready to panic, thinking about shouting and whether they were some more devils lurking close to protect her, considering that Haqua, Nora and Rimyuel were by the tables right now, but before she could do anything, the woman spoke again.
"You just don't learn do you?" she asked as she stopped a few away steps from Kanon. The question somehow made Kanon forget about fear or danger, because the tone was accusing. That and something more the idol couldn't place. It was ridiculous in this situation, but Kanon suddenly felt offended.
"W-what is that supposed to mean!?" she asked, louder and with more bite than she actually intended. "Who the Hell are you?"
"I'm no-one," the person replied, that other unknown tint in her voice becoming more pronounced, "I have always been no-one, never had anything of value... unlike you," the woman continued and Kanon was now certain.
That other timbre in the other's woman voice was envy.
"M-me?" Kanon repeated dumbly.
"All of you," the woman clarified, her head jerking slightly towards the party, "you always had a house. Family. Friends. Future. All I ever had were dreams..."
Kanon wanted to deny. Tell her of all the hardships they've been through. Of Shiori's lack of voice. Of Sumire's family trouble. Of Kusunoki's separation from her sister and her own identity. Of Urara's loneliness. Of Mio's father passing away. She wanted to speak about how they all have changed and grown since then... but something in the woman's gaze held her back. It was as if she knew about all that, as if she was just waiting for Kanon to try and talk back.
"Life's a bitch," the woman continued, getting a step closer. Kanon moved back instinctively or at least tried to, because she was back against a wall, "fickle and vindictive. You never know what it has in store for you next. Is it a sweet victory or a bitter defeat? That's why you shouldn't take life and what you have for granted."
"I'm not!" Kanon objected. She knew she had fallen into a trap when the woman smirked a small nasty smile.
"Aren't you?" the woman smiled more and her voice gained a cheerful note to it, though it was a dangerous one. She stepped even closer and leaned in, now face to face with Kanon. "So you haven't forgotten the knife to your chest? You know you could be kidnapped at any moment again?"
Kanon's eyes widened. "How do yo-"
"You were a normal child. You had loving parents. You had youth. But it wasn't enough for you, no... you wanted attention... I hope you realize the consequences of the choice you've made?"
At this point Kanon didn't even move, too taken aback to speak.
"You sacrificed most of you childhood for your career," the woman continued, her tone slowly moving from slightly cheerful to slightly gloomy, morbid even. Her eyes never changed though, "you grew up faster than your peers. Got a job earlier than others. Got recognition, so much in fact you'd have to leave country to meet someone who doesn't know you. It's a big achievement and must've cost a lot, I don't deny that," the woman paused, as if letting Kanon process everything before continuing, "but as all great things it comes with a heavy responsibility. It requires a lot of you and it's very time-consuming and time isn't made of rubber, you know?"
"I like being an idol," Kanon spoke what she knew was the truth.
"I'm not denying it... but you can't deny that you miss this," the woman once again indicated to the party with a head jerk, "you got to do things most people won't ever get to do, but you're also missing what they have. Being able to go school and get scolded like everyone else. Having your mother wake you up everyday like everyone else. You miss more chances to meet him."
Kanon didn't have to ask who 'him' was.
"You now know he'll be there for you and will give you what you want from him... but your life is moving much faster than other people's. Are you really sure you'll be able to take it? To be there for him? Are you sure you'll be able to accept what he'll want to give you when the time comes?"
"I've no idea what you're talking about," Kanon spoke and it was the truth. Because the woman couldn't mean-
"Of course you do," the woman scoffed, "it's exactly what you've been thinking about every time you have a moment for yourself for the last few days, haven't you?"
Kanon blinked. No. It wasn't possible...
"Thinking alone will never be enough though. Nothing will change if you don't take action. Don't forget that," the woman said and walked past Kanon, moving very close to her, their bodies brushing together in the small corridor and Kanon figured it out.
No wonder she didn't recognize the woman's face as it was different in her memories. Similarly, the voice was now changed, so Kanon didn't recognize it, even with her singer-trained ear. But when they were really close, Kanon managed to catch it. It was very subtle, almost imperceptible and unique, but Kanon still caught it.
A fragrance.
It was a scent she didn't know as well, but when that one word, 'fragrance', appeared in front of her mind, it clicked.
"Kaori..." Kanon said slowly, turning to face the woman again, too shocked to stop her mouth from running, "you're Kaori Yūzaki."
The woman looked over her shoulder at Kanon and smiled. It was still a smile bringing a predator to mind... but it held a hint of satisfaction, pride even.
"It only took you ages to figure that out," she spoke, in her voice disappointment mixing with amusement, "let's see how long will it take the rest of them."
And with this she turned back and walked into the garden.
(* * *)
Surprise, surprise! Kaori Yūzaki is back! I wonder how will her unexpected visit affect everyone present? I also wonder how will you, my readers, react to this development, as I'm aware not everyone is fond of Kaori (at least when it comes to her appearances in canon... let's just hope her appearances in KanonNomi will be better :P).
So, Keima and Kanon are going steady, abusing the Strype being free and trying to get more time to themselves. The Get-Everyone-Together, or G.E.T., finally happens and we get to see a lot of our cast after several years from the ending of the manga, though the party is not over yet and the alcohol started to flow. I wonder where this will lead to after all?
As for Keima, well, he's becoming more responsible, while maintaining his sarcastic cheek. While the chapter seems to focus a lot on other characters, Kanon is showing signs of jealousy as much as she tries to tone them down. Guess being homesick and Keima-sick is a constant in her life and the party is both a blessing and a curse to her, as it allows her to meet her friends, but also takes away the time she could spend with Keima alone. Furthermore, Kanon is a bit mysterious and her exchange with Kaori only continues to confuse. Hopefully, we'll get to understand more in the next chapter. ;)
Speaking of the next chapter, I'd really like to post it before New Year, but I very much doubt it'll happen. Still, I hope it won't be too long before the next update.
For everyone who's confused how Kanon figured it out: "kaori" means "fragrance" in Japanese and Kaori did use a faint fragrance during her time in the manga. Also the reason Kanon couldn't recognize her by face/voice is because the girls got Keima's memories before he saw how Kaori looks as an adult. Thus, the girls only know her voice/face from 13 years ago (because Keima is now 20, not 17. Time flies, doesn't it?).
For another trivia, one could say that Shiori having problem while being near the end of her book could be a self-reference to me not writing KanonNomi fast enough... but I'm making progress as you can see.
Also, sorry if the Ayumi-Sumire-Kanon conversation sounded weird or anything, but I needed to fill the party scene and I thought about some ideas for a bit. Then I got idea for this bit and, as usual, it grew out of proportions.
Thinking about it now... the anime made Kanon's conquest happen during Christmas, despite it not making any sense in story... here, I could've made it Christmas (through a timeskip)... but I didn't even think about it. Then again, I believe this still works better in summer for reason I'm not going to disclose here.
Anyway, as usual thank all of you for your reads, follows, favorites, reviews and your patience. It means a lot to me.
Here are the replies to latest reviews:
DarkDrawerJ: thanks and I'm glad you enjoyed the fluff :). Yes, we're wrapping up slowly, though we're not there yet. Still, not that much left, I suppose.
Ghost Man: lol, he should watch themselves. Yup, Keima knows his stuff, apparently xD. Well, considering what Kanon did with Keima during her conquest means she either has more freedom (which I expanded upon) or she is reallyyyy careless. Heh, Shiori as a speaker or negotiator would be hilarious! xD Nice insight into idol mentor and the middle-life crisis... Kanon now does things that many people 10 or 20 years older that her don't do. Yup, we're not done yet! Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
William F Somebody: thank you very much for your review :). I don't even know where to start with the response. Lol, I suppose Apollo can heal some stuff, though I'm pretty sure the cliff thing wouldn't work :P. Kanon meant that her feelings were also platonic. Though the differences are not universal. Some say romantic love is largely the same as sexual (as oppossed to non-sexual), while other view romantic and sexual as far away from each other on the spectrum. Well, Keima has mostly experiences with short, shallow and "symbolic" kisses. Just as the gap in the heart is basically mental/spiritual phenomenon and not physical, thus it is more important that the girl agrees to give her heart and soul to Keima (Tōru's kiss in the novels shows that pretty well) on a mental/emotional level (which is symbolized by a kiss) than what the kiss feels like physically #endofalongrant. I suppose it's the overall taste, all chocolates have sweetness, but it can be covered by other ingredients (like in dark chocolate, which taste almost bitter). In theory Keima could, though girls expect other stuff then chocolate, I suppose. This could be one Hell of a plan though xD. Yes, Keima made the tutorees score 100%, but it was a single test from single subject with a single teacher Keima knew. I suppose the final exams are much different. You have many girls, many subjects, who knows who composes the test and who checks it. Also, it was never mentioned that Keima made Ayumi/Chihiro/Kanon/Elsie actually understand the material... and since some girls need to actually understand the stuff to go to university... well, it's tiring for Keima. I think Keima doesn't want to be a council president, especially as he has enough in his life going on. But you have a point with Tenri winning comedy show without talking. Yay, for a role model Kanon \0/. You're disappointed the get-together didn't happen? Well what do you say now? :P Who said Keima goes to university? In one of my one-shots ("Clash of ideals") he pointed out that university is useless to him (then again, he attended one in AyumiNomi or MioNomi if I remember right). Managing other idols is an idea, though it also has drawbacks. Yup, Mari is that sort of mother, after all. Kanon and Keima are quite similar. Keima wants to save all the heroines and Kanon wants all the fans. The problem is Keima can "share" his heroines with other players, but Kanon mostly can't share her fans with other idols. Heh, I like the "at night other idols scheme" part :P. Yup, it was sweet :). Well, notice that Chihiro affected Keima even before her conquest started ("why is she having lines" and such) and then had quite some events. Even if you count just form the time Kanon was stabbed, Chihiro had some time to make Keima fall in love with her and sometimes you don't realize the progress and suddenly realize you're in love. So it wasn't really sudden. I honestly didn't think about Yokkyun. Kanon is giving him more and Keima cares more about Kanon's well-being than Yokkyun's, I suppose. Yup, hilarious Apollo is hilarious :P. Thank you very much once again. :)
RedGlasses: we'll see about the batches thing. It's mostly unplanned... then again, sometimes it is :P. Yup, we'll see how it goes, but I do have some plans after KanonNomi. Thank you for the review :).
ZelgadisGW: thanks, I'm glad you liked the chapter :). Well, KanonNomi is really a challenge and as the Nomis have similar patterns, I do have trouble with keeping everything as exciting. Games and movies try to do that, every new story outgrow the previous one (like Dragon Ball power levels), so I'm mostly about resetting and starting each story anew, yet I try to vary my plots and not always the new ones are greater. Though, I tell you now: you're not exactly right about everything, you just wait and see :P. Lol, pink-haired children xD.
Big Bad Beowulf: yup, Apollo can keep a secret... if she's the last one alive on the planet xD. Glad you liked the voice actor bit, I enjoyed writing that part :P. I hope you liked this chapter as well. Thanks for the review. :)
El Sasori69: sorry that you didn't like the chapter. Still, I want to thank you for taking the time to read and review it. In my opinion, Kanon can be quite egocentric. Maybe she's outgrown most of it, but not all. She's like an absurd mix between nice and selfless and yandere-ish and selfish. I'm not exactly sure Yui's problem is 100% resolved and I can't make every Nomi the same in that regard. The update time is already long, so I couldn't figure out a better way. Sorry if it was too plain. Keima is obviously changed, at least in some aspects, and it took quite a few radical events for that to develop (interluded by times of being far away and letting the longing develop). I'm sorry you didn't like the sun speech, personally I find it quite symbolic and fitting. Still, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter more.
That's all for now!
See you next time and, if I don't get to update before New Year's: Happy New Year everyone!