Hello everyone! I'm back!
I'm sorry for being late. I thought this chapter would be rather short, while it is actually quite large (more than 10k words on chapter alone, almost 13k words total). Thus I'm 1.5 months late... then again, it took me less than 2 months to update, which is certainly progress... sort of. :P
Anyway, this monstrosity has enough words as it is, so let's go!
(* * *)
Previously on The World Kanon Only knows:
Kanon and Keima are high school graduates now and keeping in touch with each other often thanks to modern technology. Finally, the long-ago conceived idea of a get-together party seems possible and Keima and company work to make it happen. They succeed and the entire gang gets to meet on Shiratori estate. However, it turns out that the gang wasn't fully complete, as Kanon is surprised by a mysterious woman, who turns out to be no-one else than Kaori Yūzaki, who gives Kanon a lecture, before intending to join the party. Is she here to merge with the masses or wreck havoc?
I guess let's read and see!
Enjoy!
(* * *)
I knew I've seen her face before! the familiar voice in Kanon's head spoke and finally made Kanon recover from her stupor. I was the one who helped treat her after all! the ditsy goddess said.
It'd be reaaally helpful if you said that a minute earlier, Apollo! Kanon berated her goddess in her mind as she followed after the other woman and into the sunlit garden. I wouldn't look like an idiot!
I'm sorry, came the answer. I just took a moment to remember her!
Kanon ignored Apollo, focusing back on Kaori, her head full of questions.
What was Kaori doing here?
Was that really Kaori?
And, most important of all, what the Hell was that conversation just now?
At first, it didn't seem like anybody noticed the newcomer, but that didn't last long. Nanaka was at the moment engaged in the umpteenth game of Neo Almage Machina with Haqua. The devil looked quite satisfied at the outcome so far, judging from the smug expression on her face, but that changed when she noticed Kaori. A moment later she wasn't the only on. Mio softly nudged the person next to her. The rāmen chef huffed, indignant that someone interrupted her when she was getting another helping from the barbecue but furrowed her brows when the blonde discreetly pointed to the newcomer. Several pairs of eyes blinked in confusion, possibly thinking similar to Kanon, that it was another person working for Shiratoris. However, the look on Shōtarō Shiratori's face disproved that theory. Kaori was definitely not working here.
Any possibility of anyone simply ignoring the situation was lost, when Kaori spoke.
"Long time no see, Keima-kun", she said with her trademark, half-lidded eyes, a weird smile on her lips, "I see the winners are having quite the party."
At this, everyone stopped whatever they were doing at the moment and looked in Kaori's direction, some faces confused, some concerned.
"Who are-" Yui was the first who found her voice, but Keima interrupted her.
"Indeed, long time no see," the gamer said, his face adopting his trademark neutral expression as well, "I see you're doing well."
"Wait a second," Kusunoki turned to him, "you know her, Keima?"
"Umm, we all do," Tenri said quietly, but she squirmed a bit when everyone turned to look at her, "umm... that's Kaori Yūzaki-san."
"Who?" Ayumi asked.
"Come again?" Tsukiyo said a bit more politely.
"No idea who yar talkin' 'bout," Nanaka shook her head, not mincing her words as usual, "never 'eard of 'er..." she paused for a second, her brow furrowing, "wait a minute," her eyes widened in realization.
She wasn't the only one.
"Wait, you mean she's that woman?" Shiori squeaked out quietly but faltered when Kaori's eyes switched to her.
The murmur among the group arose quickly as more and more people started to realize who Kaori was, as aside from Keima, Tenri, Haqua, and Apollo, pretty much no-one knew how she looked like as an adult.
"Um... thanks for the visit," Jun spoke after a moment, trying to diffuse the situation, "but we're having, um, a thing here."
"Oh I know," Kaori spoke, her smile not leaving as her eyes briefly went over the group as if searching for something before falling on Keima again. "it's just that... I was under the impression that I was invited."
"Invited?" it was the old man Shiratori who asked this. "By who?"
"By me," Keima said calmly, his gaze not leaving Kaori's face, as every other pair of eyes landed on him.
"Care to explain, Keima?" Tsukiyo said after a moment, her blue eyes moving between Kaori and the gamer.
"I don't see what needs explaining here," Keima said still calm, "it was supposed to be a reunion for everyone, after all."
"Yes, that was the rule, but rules have exceptions!" Mio remarked eyes narrowed. "Surely you haven't forgotten what she did!"
"Of course, I haven't," Keima answered, "she saved my life... actually, she saved all of our lives... and it's little use of hiding it now: the lives of people gathered here matter a great deal to me."
"No offense," Ayumi said suddenly with a tone that was much closer to the actual offense, "as true as that may be, she also did a lot of other bad stuff," she finished, her eyes mistrustful. Kanon couldn't blame her though: Kaori was involved with the Vintage's gap-opening collar that was put on the runner's neck.
"Of course, she did," Keima smiled, "she lied, deceived and plotted with little regard for anyone who wasn't her."
"Then how could you-"
"Because," Keima interrupted her, "according to some, I've been a good-for-nothing, unfaithful, six-timing, creepy, perverted, incomprehensible, selfish, womanizer, a misogynistic, idiotic, foolish, cold, cruel and ugly liar, and a terrible son. A trash that should just die."
At those words, Ayumi, Shiori, Chihiro, Tsukiyo and even several goddesses moved in uneasiness, knowing those were their words Keima was quoting.
"You know that doesn't cross out the good things that you did... we were wrong and you're a better person now," Chihiro said, knowing full well what Keima would say to that now.
"If so, then Kaori has the same right at second chances as I do. There are no saints here among us anyway and that includes the ones with halos above their heads."
"Well, you do have a point," Kusunoki admitted and Rimyuel was already back to examining her half-eaten food as if the case was closed.
"Of course that doesn't mean this invitation is unconditional," Keima said, "after all this is not my house, so the hosts would have to agree."
"And you know I've already agreed," Urara said matter-of-factly, turning to Keima, "as long as Kaori-san behaves."
"And what if I have objections?" the old man Shiratori asked.
"Well, grandpa, you said you leave all party matters and decisions to me and Keima and I believe that includes establishing the list of guests."
"Touche," the grandfather answered, leaning back again and relaxing, "you're my granddaughter indeed."
"What about the rest of us?" Yui asked.
"You have the right to veto as well," Keima said, "this party is for the sake of everyone after all."
There was a moment of silence when suddenly Kanon moved from behind Kaori and many of the partygoers only now noticed her there.
"Well, if you ask me then I agree," Kanon looked at Kaori, who looked back, her gaze still sharp, but curious.
"Why?" Mari asked. "What reaso-"
"I don't need one," Kanon responded without missing a breath, "I don't need a reason when I have faith. I have faith in Keima-kun. If he chooses so, then I'll believe in his decision."
"Well said, Kanon-chan!" Eri said with a smile. "Of course, we believe in nii-sama!"
"Always," Tenri added.
"Oh my god," Sumire said after a moment, "so it's not only tonkotsu who's whipped in this relationship," she shook her head, "okay, fine by me."
One by one the gathered expressed their approval and Keima's eyes switched to Nikaidō. His former teacher sighed and waved her hand as if to signal 'it's alright'. Then finally Keima turned to the purple-haired devil. "If you would be so kind, Haqua."
"Geez... you don't have to ask so nice, it's kinda creepy," the devil said and activated her hagoromo, which swirled in the space between Tenri and Nikaidō for a moment, before materializing into another chair.
Kaori looked at the new seat and Kanon could sense the other woman tense, though she wasn't sure what was the reason. Maybe she didn't expect she would have to sit next to Nikaidō-sensei?
"I see you're still an idiot," Kaori spoke as she turned back to Keima, "someone here said something about me behaving," she lifted her head slightly, her eyes boring down on the gamer as she smiled slyly. "What makes you think I will?"
"Oooh, actually I really hope that you won't," Keima answered, "I put an effort to make several contingency plans," his smile was just as sly, "it'd be a real shame if I ended up not being able to use them."
Kaori's eyes gleamed with some mischievous or sinister intent for a moment but it passed and the woman walked to the table, watched by many pairs of eyes, and sat down at her designated seat. She surveyed the food in front of her before she looked forward.
For a few seconds, she seemed just as lost about what to do next as everyone else...
...and then Nanaka moved from where she was seating and butted in between Tenri and Kaori.
"I've 'eard ya're pretty smart and I'd like to see dat for myself," the mushroom-head said, raising her trusty shōgi board, a challenging smirk on her face, "wanna give it a go?"
Everyone else either snorted, sighed or facepalmed. Kanon, however, smiled as she watched the shōgi-nut place the pieces on the board and prattle to Kaori as if she had known her forever.
It seemed the tense atmosphere was diffused.
(* * *)
Almost two hours have passed since Kaori made her appearance and, so far, things were going okay. Truth, there was underlying mistrust (probably on both sides too), but the 'integration' proceeded as smoothly as the circumstances allowed.
Of course, it wasn't perfect. At first, Kaori didn't do much, acting stiffly, as if she expected to be kicked out the moment she made any sudden movements, but after a bit, when nothing exploded, she got more comfortable and started to act more like herself. And then it started.
Kaori was sharp-witted and sharp-tongued. It turned out her skills in teasing and riling people were just as good as her more sinister skills. In a matter of minutes, she had managed to embarrass half the people gathered here. And, like with Keima, her most powerful weapon was information. Kanon had no idea how the other woman knew the stuff she knew, but she did.
Kanon didn't know what dirt Kaori had on her, but the idol decided to steer clear out of the other woman's path, at least for now.
The pink-haired girl really wanted to hang out with her boyfriend, but the boy was constantly busy: at one moment he was in a conversation with Tsukiyo, Mio, Urara and Yui, the next he was dragged by Hinoki and Nora for a drink. It was true that most of the people here had better contact with him than anyone else, but still, with so many people gathered, he couldn't find a moment to himself. Even Yukie, Yanagi and Ryō bugged him once or twice.
To add to that, Kanon herself was in high demand, talking and gossiping with everyone.
"You knew about that, right?" Kanon asked.
"About what?" Chihiro, who was the idol's current company, asked.
"About Keima-kun inviting her," the pinkette said as she motioned with her head. Chihiro looked that way and noticed Kaori walking up to Keima, who was currently chatting with Minami, Shiori, and Eri. The two former girls backed away sensibly, but Eri remained on the spot, either not bothered or too ignorant to take warning.
"Not really," Chihiro replied.
"That not exactly a 'no', you know?"
Chihiro groaned.
"It is," she said, "after Keima left to get you, he called me, saying that one extra person might show up when he's away. When I asked him who did he mean, the cocky bastard just told me to 'do the math' and hung up."
Kanon wanted to both chuckle and groan at Chihiro calling her boyfriend a 'cocky bastard'.
"I thought he might mean some additional devils or your manager, but then I went back to preparations and forgot about it, besides..." the brunette paused as she looked at the idol, "I doubt there's anything he'd say to me without saying it to you," she paused in thought, before smirking, "that reminds me, you, me and other girls need to gather later on."
"Why?" Kanon asked, already knowing the answer.
"So we can grill you."
"About what?"
"About you, Keima and both of you," Chihiro smiled, "we'll get every single juicy detail out of you."
Kanon shook her head and continued to watch Keima and Kaori. The idol was slightly disturbed that both of them were sporting very similar arrogant smirks and oozing a creepy aura as they spoke, though it looked a bit like two cats hissing at each other. "What do you think they're doing?"
"Saying hello and having a friendly conversation," Chihiro guessed.
"It looks more like they're trying to insult each other," Kanon decided.
"Like I said," the other girl shrugged, "it's probably the way they're saying hello. Better not get close to them now... might catch some of that."
Kanon nodded but wasn't fully listening as she kept watching Kaori and biting her lip. She should've approached the older woman earlier while she was still awkward around everyone here. Who knows when she'll get another chance...
As on cue, Kanon saw Nikaidō walk up to Keima and Kaori. The two immediately flinched when they sensed the scary aura Keima's former teacher was emitting. Nikaidō smiled and said something that Kanon couldn't hear, but she could bet it was something along the lines of 'onii-chan, mind if I catch up with her as well'? There was no violence or even harsh words, of course, but ten minutes later it was clear that Nikaidō's 'crowd control' attempt was successful and Kaori mellowed out.
Kanon was waiting for that. She excused herself from her current group and, when no-one saw her, made herself invisible with Apollo's spell and walked up to Kaori, thankful that the other woman was alone at the moment and away from people, leaning on some tree and half-hidden from view.
Kanon made herself visible again but wasn't sure how to proceed. She didn't want to startle or bother Kaori, but she felt she needed to get this conversation done and over with.
"Hey?" she spoke finally. Kaori didn't flinch, for a moment she didn't move at all, as if she didn't hear her. Then she turned to the idol and rolled her eyes.
"What do you want?"
Kanon tilted her head. On the one hand, such a lackluster reaction was weird for a fox like Kaori. Then again, considering Nikaidō a moment ago and the way Kaori spoke to Kanon at that corridor, it wasn't all that weird.
"Are you okay?" the idol asked.
"No, I'm bleeding to death," the other woman replied, her voice as thick with sarcasm as possible, "you can go away now."
Kanon shook her head,
"And here I thought you might use that opportunity to thank me for supporting you earlier," Kanon said.
"It was dumb for you to think that then," Kaori took a swig from the glass she had in her hand. The idol briefly wondered if the other woman wanted to get drunk quickly.
Kanon was silent for a few moments, observing the noisy crowd before she asked.
"Why are you here?"
Kaori groaned. "I was invited," she replied in an irritated voice, "weren't you listening?"
"I know that," Kanon said, "but you didn't have to come just because of that," she paused, "why are you really here?"
"To spy," Kaori said, this time the sarcasm was much more subtle, "to disrupt your happy little group. To watch as you puny clueless ants crawl around senselessly."
"That's nice," Kanon said, "and I don't doubt you're a very skilled liar... just not at the moment, I guess."
"Don't talk as if you know anything."
"Oh, I think I do know something."
Kaori looked at the idol carefully. "Okay, just for my own amusement, I'll bite. What do you know?"
"Well, it's just a hypothesis, but let's see," Kanon said as she put her finger to her chin as in thought, "I suppose I should start with you. You were a lonely person that couldn't get along with anyone besides yourself. You were precocious, independent and strong. At least on the outside... but you had a gap in your heart..."
Kaori, who was looking at Kanon with slight disinterest at best and jeer at worst, suddenly straightened herself. The motion was slight, but Kanon was expecting it and noticed.
"...a gap a self-centered person like you couldn't realize you had it... and then Keima-kun came..."
Kanon paused, but Kaori didn't speak.
"...he intrigued and challenged you," Kanon continued, "he had beaten you at your own game and shown you a different path... a path where you don't try to cheat on life... a path where you actually put an effort."
"Gotta stop you right there girlie," Kaori snarled, "I think I've put more effort in my life than most of you have."
"Yes, but never for anyone besides yourself," Kanon said, "I don't think I understand what happened to you in detail, especially after you and Keima-kun separated... but I do understand the end result... Keima-kun has changed you... changed you as he did with all of us."
Kaori made an effort to not make any movement, but she still bit her lip.
"Keima-kun is right," Kanon said, "you saved us back then... you thought you had a debt towards him, but you didn't think you could stay by his side... so you decided it was best to help while branding yourself a villain... but you couldn't keep the act all the way... then you chose to sacrifice yourself... while also avoiding having to confront Keima-kun afterward... I'm sorry for how that will sound... but it was a stupid thing to do... in that one moment you were back to choosing a cowardly and cheap way."
"Careful, little girl," Kaori hissed in warning.
"It's ok... you're different now," Kanon spoke gently, "That's why you came here... for Keima-kun."
Kaori's eyes were glaring now, but Kanon ignored that and continued.
"Changed or not, I think you didn't really want to come here. Most of us here are not much from strangers to you. And parties aren't your thing either. But Keima-kun really wanted for you to be here, so..."
"Are you done?" Kaori growled.
"Not yet," Kanon took a deep breath, getting to the other thing she wanted to say, "thank you..."
"Don't even-"
"...for helping me and Keima-kun get together."
Kaori blinked. "What?"
"You were the one who 'kidnapped' me back then," Kanon said, making air quotes with her hands. The idol wasn't exactly sure how she knew it, but she did. The kidnapping seemed legit at first especially with her mental state at the time and how fast it happened. But the more she thought about it afterward, the less sense it made.
And today it clicked.
She remembered what on of the kidnappers had told her. In hindsight, Kanon couldn't help but think it was an advice. Somewhat direct, but at the same time elliptical and heavily-veiled, but advice nonetheless...
...just like the advice, Kaori had given her today.
Though Kanon had to admit: if she was right, then Kaori held her composure perfectly.
"I've no idea what you mean," she said.
"I remembered that Apollo was the one who helped to treat you when you were wounded," Kanon continued as if she didn't hear the other woman speak, "so you were kind of indebted to both Keima-kun and me. You may not exactly approve of how I and Keima-kun see things, but you wanted to help us. I don't know why you did it like that and part of me is actually angry... but," Kanon paused, "but it did get the two of us together... so you helped in the end. So thank you, Kaori-san," she bowed politely, "thank you very much!"
Kaori looked at the idol for a moment, her eyes narrowed.
"You might've grown up in some ways from when you were that deranged little girl," the older woman said finally, emptying her glass in one gulp before looking back at the idol, "but you're still mental if you think I had anything to do with that."
And just like that Kaori tossed her glass to the ground and walked past Kanon.
Do you really think that was a good idea? Apollo asked in the idol's head. She seemed angry...
The pink-haired girl shrugged. "I think it only proves my point."
"What point?" Kanon turned around surprised, her cheeks coloring as she'd been essentially caught talking to herself, only to see her boyfriend.
"Oh, hey there," the idol said.
Keima didn't answer immediately but looked at the retreating back of Kaori. "She wasn't bothering you, was she?"
"Nah," Kanon waved her hand, "we were just getting to know each other."
"That exchange wasn't looking exactly peaceful."
"That's how she gets to know people. You know best how she is. I think I was actually the one bothering her..."
"That probably means you're normal," Keima joked and Kanon laughed.
"So... what do you think?" Kanon spoke again as she pointed to the rest of the party.
"Well," Keima looked at various groups scattered over the garden, "this is certainly lively and people are getting along better than I expected."
"Yeah, was this G.E.T. thing a great idea or what?" Kanon nudged him. "Told you it'd be fine."
"Okay, you win," Keima said, "though I'm afraid that at the end of this the only ones that'll stand on their feet will be the ones who can't drink alcohol."
"Maybe you're right," Kanon said as she spotted Hinoki leaving Mari and Yanagi and walking up to Kaori with a glass in hand, "though does that mean you're going to get drunk too?"
"I'm not planning on it," Keima answered, "but I fear I'd have little choice in the matter."
"Well, I might have a solution for you," Kanon said.
"I'm all ears..."
"How about we leave the party for a bit?" she suggested.
"Leave?" Keima repeated. "It'd defeat the purpose of the party."
"It'll only be for an hour or two," Kanon said, "besides, the purpose is for everyone to hang out with everyone. Meeting you is relatively easy. Meeting a lot of people here, especially some of them, is more difficult. It's fine if you leave for a bit," she explained, "besides... I haven't seen you for days and I didn't even get to spend any alone time with you today yet... while you were chatting with all those other pretty girls," Kanon added, jealousy and longing clear in her voice as she poked his chest, "you owe me a date, mister!"
"Okay, consider me convinced," Keima replied with a smile, "I'll just tell Chihiro, so no-one will freak out."
Kanon nodded and waited as Keima walked to his former classmate.
"Hey," he said, "me and Kanon are leaving for a bit, but we'll be back."
"What?" Chihiro blinked. "Why?"
"We want to go into town, get some alone time today."
"Alone time?" the brown-haired girl raised her eyebrow before she smirked. "Then why the town? What's wrong with the bushes around here?" she asked as she wriggled hey eyebrows suggestively.
"Chihiro, I swear to god," Keima, red in the face, made a strangling motion as the girl laughed, clutching her sides.
"Fine, fine," she said finally, "I'll make sure the estate would still be standing when you're back," she said, before adding a little louder, "remember to tell me all the details when you're back!"
Keima only groaned.
"What was Chihiro laughing about?" Kanon asked when he was back.
"Never mind that," Keima said still blushing, certain that Chihiro would be the death of him one day, "let us go, my lady."
He offered his arm and Kanon took it, giggling, a small bag hanging on her other shoulder. Come to think of it, the idol wondered as they started walking, chances were Chihiro would have a lot to grill Kanon about by the time she and Keima were back.
(* * *)
"Still, it'll take ages for us to get out of this place," Keima said when they were heading towards the exit of the estate.
"It's fine," Kanon said, "besides we can get a taxi."
"So do you want to go anywhere in particular?" Keima asked.
"A place or two maybe," Kanon answered, "but mostly walking around the town is fine. You'd be paying me back for before. Anyway, I'm stuffed from the party so restaurants are out and so are the movies."
"What's wrong with movies?" Keima asked.
"Becauuuse," Kanon drawled as she looked at him, "I don't want you to not look at me and not talk to me for 2 hours. You didn't pay me enough attention today."
Keima laughed. "Somehow I don't think any amount of attention would be enough for you."
Kanon shrugged, "What can I say? I always liked the attention, especially from you. I wanted to get your attention ever since I've met you," she turned to him, flinging her arms around his neck. "And I don't think you've given me nearly enough of it today, so you better start now," she said as she pouted.
Keima didn't reply, his lips busy melting against Kanon. He wanted to ask if that was the kind of attention she wanted, but he knew the answer when she moaned slightly and pressed against him, kissing back fervently. Keima's hands landed on her upper and lower back, giving her more of the attention she sought and the idol sighed and gasped in approval.
"What did you mean a minute ago when you said I'd be paying you back though?" Keima asked as they separated.
Kanon, still in kissing mode looked confused for a moment before she understood what he was asking about.
"Ooh, that," she said, "well it's back from when you were in the past."
"In the past?"
"Yeah," Kanon said, "Apollo made me believe you had amnesia and I walked you around the town. It seemed quite date-like..." she had this dreamy look, before her gaze sharpened, "except it was your younger self and we were interrupted to boot," she pouted again, "you owe me a date from back then."
"Yeah, that was my bad. Though Apollo was at fault too," Keima remarked, "but you're right. I'll repay you that date now."
"Good," Kanon smiled, before crossing her hands over her chest, "though tomorrow when the after-party is over, I'll make sure you're paying attention to me and me only for the rest of my stay in town!"
"I can say something similar," Keima returned her gesture, "you've spent days working for your fans. For your male fans. Your male fans other than me."
"Ooh, is Keima Katsuragi jealous of some no-name boys?" Kanon teased.
He didn't deny or confirm, instead, he said, "I think it's time you've given me a day of attention too."
"Aah, you're right," Kanon said, putting a finger to her lips, "whatever I shall do about that... perhaps a private concert would suffice? A special... performance just for you?" she said suggestively, her voice sultry, her head tilted and neck exposed.
"That... might work," Keima said as he fought a shiver. He had to admit that he was wrong.
Chihiro wouldn't be the death of him.
It would be the gorgeous pinkette in front of him.
"It's a promise then," Kanon winked, "now let's get going on our date. Apollo, if you could..."
The pink-haired goddess got to work immediately. There was a brief flash and... nothing changed. At least as far as Keima could see.
"Is this a disguise illusion, so only I can see how you really look?" he asked.
"Yes, except she also cast one on you, so neither of us will be recognized in town... now," Kanon explained as she grabbed Keima's hand and squeezed it, "let's go, my love!"
(* * *)
"I never realized this could be so much fun!" Kanon shouted as she soared through the air over and over again. "More!"
Keima smiled and pushed the swing stronger, sending Kanon higher.
They were in on of the Maijima parks and Kanon was having a great time. It was ages since she played with the swings, had someone to push her and was in a mood to enjoy it.
"Are you really sure you're a high school graduate and not a second-grader?" Keima asked.
"It's totally normal to act like that at my age!" she defended.
"Tell that to them," Keima indicated with his head to some kids present at the park, who snickered at them.
"Oh, shut up!" she replied before an idea struck her and she turned to ask him. "Hey, can you join me?"
"You mean both of us on the same swing?" he asked back.
"Yeah," she said, "they make this stuff sturdy enough, 'cause people would try this otherwise."
"True, but children are lighter."
"Are you saying I'm heavy?" Kanon looked at him over her shoulder, pouting.
"Of course not," he stopped her swing and then climbed onto it, standing upright and holding the ropes.
Kanon stood up as well, leaning back against him. Keima started to swing them and Kanon matched her movements with his, building a steady rhythm, sending them higher and higher. The wind rushed past them and Kanon giggled, feeling like she was a kid again...
Well, not exactly as a kid. Back when she was an elementary school student the swings were boring and bland to her. There was no-one to play with her, and no-one to swing her when everyone around her seemingly ignored and forgot about her on a regular basis. Those were her lonely days, darker days, with little joy. It was only now that she's gotten to do what she should've done so long ago and she immediately realized one more thing.
She really needed this.
(* * *)
They stayed in the park for a bit, checking out the slides, the jungle gym, and the seesaws. After that they continued to walk around the town, going everywhere and nowhere, but Kanon enjoyed it immensely nonetheless. She was especially glad that she not only managed to drag Keima into a photo booth but got him to agree to buy ice cream for both of them. They went to crowded places like the Wai-Wai Road too, but Kanon also made sure to visit more secluded places and in such places she used every opportunity to indulge in her addiction that was Keima.
Keima let her indulge all she wanted. Not that he minded in the slightest. He enjoyed the taste of her lips on his and the ways her frame molded against his. And he loved watching her enjoy herself. When they arrived at the beach, he smiled gently watching as the idol took off her shoes and waded through the sand and into the shallow water, before she 'eeped' when the sea turned out to be colder than she expected.
"Oh, c'mon, it's summer! Why is it still so cold?" she complained.
Keima didn't call her. Instead, he pulled out his phone and snapped several pictures. He'd never admit it out loud, but the way Kanon looked in that scenery; her summer clothes flowing in the slight breeze, with sun two thirds on its way down to the horizon, bathing the sky in orange and emphasizing the idol's natural beauty; she really looked like a game heroine. It was truly like a CGI from a galge and Keima imagined a straw hat on top of her smiling face.
(* * *)
The sun continued its descent on the sky and the evening has settled for good. The oppressive heat was long gone, replaced with a comfortable warmth and soothing wind that made the temperature not only bearable but pleasant as well.
Right now they were on the hill where Maijima shrine was located, a little bit away from the beaten path in order to avoid running into any people. Kanon was enjoying the view. She could see everything from here. Wai-wai road, the Maijima Private High School, Keima's neighborhood, her apartment block, the hill on which Shiratori estate stood, the sun slowly getting lower on a cloudless sky. She could even spot the Akanemaru and the ruins of the tall rock on the sea.
She simply gazed at the image where everything was a part of one of the three: the colorful busy city on the land, the calm but always moving aquamarine waves of the sea and the blue vastness of the sky. It was simply...
"Beautiful," Keima spoke from behind her, "it's almost as pretty as you are."
"That was corny," Kanon giggled as she turned around to face him-
*snap*
She blinked. "Did you just take a photo of me?" she asked as if she didn't see the phone in his hands.
"We have a lot of space in your photo album to fill and this," he pointed to the landscape, "seems like a great opportunity."
"You could have warned me!" she said as she straightened her clothes.
"Oh, like you're not used to photos of you being taken," he laughed, "I thought you loved being photographed."
"Not when you do it in secret like some paparazzi!" she said as she fixed her hair and took a better pose, putting on her best smile she reserved just for Keima. "Now, you can photograph me... I did promise you a private session, after all."
Keima smiled and started to take photos, while Kanon, being used to photoshoots, changed her poses from photo to photo. It was a shame it was summer, she thought, in winter she could even do a little show and take off the outer layers.
...perhaps one day they should do another photoshoot when they'd be in her apartment...
"Is this embarrassing you?" Keima asked.
"H-huh?"
"You're blushing," he smiled.
"I-I'm not!" Kanon said as she turned away from him, looking into the distance again, her face aflame. She didn't even hear when Keima moved behind her and embraced her.
"You're cute when you're embarrassed," he said.
She wanted to say 'so are you', but the only thing she managed was "shut up!"
Keima responded with a chuckle and Kanon wondered if she was even able to make him angry at this point.
"I like your hair," he said as he buried his face into it, making her partially cooled-down face redden again.
"Y-you do?"
"Yeah," he confirmed, "it really suits you when it's short."
Kanon bit her lip, staying quiet for a bit before she decided to ask.
"What about the color?"
"Hm?" Keima said. "What color?"
"My hair color," Kanon replied. With her mind's eye, she could practically see his confused expression, "well, I remember you once complained about there being only one hair color in the real world... then again, you also said it was a freaky hair color when I asked you out..."
"I wasn't being serious back then, you know that," Keima assured her.
"I know, but I want to know what you really think," Kanon bit her lip again, "after all, you've seen me ten years ago. You know what my hair used to look like back then," she brushed her locks with her hands, "The pink is it now or the I wonder which color do you prefer."
"For most heroines hair color isn't very important parameter..." Keima said.
"It was for me," Kanon said, "my old brown hair was boring. I thought people never noticed me I felt like the characters in your games... those on the sidelines... never in the center. So I dyed them. To seek attention."
"So what about me?" he asked. "I have brown hair as well. And it refuses to stand down. Does it make you like me less?"
Of course not," Kanon shook her head, "but would you like me to go back to my natural hair color?"
"Frankly," Keima started, "I'm so used to seeing you with pink hair that it'd be weird if you changed it," he said, "it fits you."
"You like it pink then?" she reaffirmed, "then my glad I've decided to dye my hair."
"It doesn't matter," Keima said, "you dyed it long before you've met me, right?"
"Y-yeah, umm," Kanon uttered as she searched for a distraction topic, "aren't you worried about what's happening out at the estate though?" she asked. "You know, about leaving everyone to their own devices like that?"
"They're mostly adults," Keima told her, "and the youngest ones sometimes act more grown-up than the actual grown-ups."
Kanon giggled, knowing this was referring to Minami, who was usually trying to act responsibly and was often teased because of it.
"Then you're not worried about our newest guest trying to pull something off?" the idol asked.
"You mean Kaori?" Keima started. "Oh, I'm sure she's up to something, but I'm also 99 percent sure it won't be anything more than small mischief."
"How can you be so sure?" she asked, leaning back against him, feeling his firm chest on her back and relishing in the feeling.
"She doesn't want to disappoint me," he answered shortly.
"But she might try something when you're not there to witness it."
"No way," Keima shook his head, "I might not be there, but there are others. If Kaori pulls something off, then the other girls would tell me. And they have less trust in her, so their reports would be... embellished. Besides," he embraced Kanon's waist and rubbed her stomach, "Tenri and Dokurō are there."
"What do you mean?" Kanon looked up at him, her hair tickling him. It was only at times like this that she remembered how tall he was. She remembered seeing him with Kusunoki at the party and the gamer was now a bit taller than the martial artist.
Keima chuckled. "That one should be obvious: Kaori might act tough, but she's scared of Dokurō. She might have the guts to talk back to Kusunoki, Diana, Haqua or my mom, but she associates Dokurō with one time she was broken. And while Dokurō understands my position here, she doesn't exactly like Kaori. It's a fragile equilibrium based on Dokurō's respect for me and Kaori's fear of Dokurō. Especially now that I'm here Kaori knows there's no-one to protect her."
"I see," Kanon said, "that defeat ten years ago had been a traumatic experience for her, so the people who were associated with that defeat left a deep mark on her. You, Nikaidō-sensei and Tenri-chan."
Keima nodded. "Kaori has the memories and knows that Tenri is not as weak as meek as she might seem. Secondly, Tenri didn't seek revenge. Not for what Kaori tried to do to Ayumi, Tenri herself or me. More than that, Tenri actually felt sorry for Kaori and showed her actual compassion. This is something Kaori hadn't known. I gave her mostly challenge and confrontation. Tenri offered her friendship despite them being enemies. And most important of all... I think Kaori's scared to even get too close to Tenri, knowing how important Tenri is to me."
"I think I understand," Kanon said, her hands landing on Keima's and rubbing gently.
It was quiet for a few moments.
"So," Keima spoke finally, "what have you two been talking about?"
"Huh?"
"You and Kaori," Keima explained, "you were talking before I arrived. Anything interesting?"
"Oh that," Kanon replied, thinking. Normally, she would tell him about it, but today she wasn't so sure. She weighed her options for a few moments before she decided to tell him.
Even if things won't go well, there'll be other times.
"Actually," the idol started, as she squirmed, turning around so she could look at Keima, "I was trying to confirm something."
"Confirm what?" Keima asked.
They were standing really close and Kanon couldn't back up because of the railing. She was glad when Keima took a step back.
"I think it's likely that Kaori was the one who kidnapped me back then," she said slowly, her eyes on Keima. She wasn't 100% sure of her theory and she didn't want to look as if she was making an accusation. She didn't know how Keima would react to that information after all.
"That's 20% correct," Keima said, matter-of-factly.
"Yeah and-wait, what do you mean?" Kanon looked at him, "you mean, you give 20% chance that it was her!?"
"Oh no," Keima said, smiling, "you see... I'm 100% sure she was involved in that... it's just... I give a 20% chance that she was alone... and a 80% chance that she had help."
Kanon looked at him, speechless, her face becoming the color of her hair in embarrassment and then darkening more in anger.
"You conceited jerk!" she shouted, punching him in the chest several times, but without enough strength to cause actual harm, "you knew! You knew and you didn't tell me!" she accused.
"Okay, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Keima backed up, half-trying to catch her hands and half-trying to stop himself from laughing.
"Since when did you know!?" Kanon demanded.
"That it wasn't a true kidnapping?" Keima asked. "I considered the possibility rather soon after it happened, but it was just one of the many theories. It was only after the investigation that I started to consider it."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we didn't know anything at first, but after the investigation info started to appear... well, it didn't make sense. The fact that the kidnappers managed to do it and then escape so smoothly indicated a sound plan and a lot of skill... yet, there aim made no sense and there was no repetition. No further attacks. Nothing. This led me to think that my theory was wrong. That the aim of kidnappers was different. After this, it took me some time, but I came to the conclusion that the only permanent after-effect of that event was us getting closer."
"Oookay," Kanon said, eyes half-lidded, still a little peeved that he didn't inform her of that, "that doesn't explain how did you know Kaori was involved."
"Honestly, it just made enough sense, but I wasn't anywhere near sure. So I was very glad because of that G.E.T. idea," Keima continued, "I would've invited Kaori anyway, but the additional benefit was that I'd be able to observe her here," he chuckled, "she tried to hold her guard up with regards to everyone else and, ironically, this made it easier to read her."
Kanon looked at him for a bit, before sighing. "You're impossible as usual," she complained.
"I'll take that as a compliment," he smiled as he took her hands in his, "please don't be mad, I was going to tell you anyway."
She snorted. "But you didn't... we clearly don't talk often enough," she thought for a moment, "I'll extend my stay in town for at least 3 more days."
His eyes widened. "You can't! I mean what about your job!?"
"I'll reschedule."
"That's impossible!"
She laughed at that. "I guess you're not the only one impossible then, huh?" she smiled, pulling him closer and kissing him before he could argue more.
For a few delightful moments they were enjoying each other, the taste of their lips, their scent, mixed with the hot summer evening air. The soft sound of their hands rustling on their clothes and skin, indistinguishable from the rustling of the leaves above them, the wind drowning out their gasps and moans of pleasure, so only they could hear them.
After their lips finally separated, Kanon snuggled him close and Keima hugged her back and rubbed her hair. They stayed like that for a bit, but finally, Kanon pulled back.
"Let's go," she said grabbing his hand.
"Are we going back to the party?" he asked, thinking that the date mood was gone.
"Not yet," Kanon replied, "there's one more place I want to visit."
(* * *)
"Our high school?" Keima asked in surprise when he realized they weren't just passing by the Maijima Private High School but were actually entering the school grounds.
"Yup," Kanon said as she led him inside the school gate.
The sun was already setting, but there was still some activity on the campus. The track and field club was still practicing, just as some lights were on in the gym, the library and even some classrooms. If Tsukiyo was still a student, she'd probably be on one of the rooftops right now.
"Are we going to our old classroom?" Keima asked.
"Ma~ybe..." Kanon sing-songed as she led him and Keima followed. Surely, they weren't going to the library, were they?
However, soon it became more and more clear where they were headed.
"Here we are!" Kanon announced. Keima walked entered the rooftop as well and looked around. There was no mistaking that place.
"Look!" Kanon called to him. "The sunset!"
Indeed, when they were on the ground, the sun was obscured by the city and even when it wasn't, it was already half-hidden beneath the horizon, but here, several floors above, it was different. Not only were they higher than everything around them, but they could see the sun again, it's bottom touching the distant mountain as it started to set.
"Awww," Kanon said as she leaned on Keima, hugging his arm, "that's so romantic!"
Keima had to agree. It wasn't the first time the two of them had watched the sunset and the weather conditions were good too. Warm, but not hot. A slight breeze, but no strong winds. And a great view too. Those were part of the reason that felt different than the other times. Keima doubted those were the only reasons though.
They stayed like that for a while, even after the sun disappeared from view. It was pretty nice for a bit, but Keima felt it was stretched.
"So," he said finally, "why did you want to come here?"
Kanon was quiet for a heartbeat and then she turned to him with a smile.
"I'm sure you know why," she challenged.
"This," he indicated to where they were, "is where we first met."
"Bingo!" Kanon said as she put her hands behind her. "You see, I was feeling really nostalgic... " she said as she walked to the railing, "back then," she turned around, "I was here."
Keima smiled and went along with her, walking to one of the benches. "And I was sitting here", he sat down, "I don't have my PFP with me this time around though."
"We're not wearing our school uniforms either," she pointed out, "so..." she said as she approached him, "do you know who am I?"
"Of course," Keima said, "you're Kanon Nakagawa. The national idol and favorite of the masses and my twin sister. Best singer I know. You're my former classmate, my former conquest and host of the goddess Apollo... and finally," he looked up at her with his piercing eyes, "you're my lovely girlfriend and the prettiest girl in the world."
"Awww, that's sweet," Kanon said blushing, before she smirked, "though I think you laid it a bit thick. The prettiest girl in the world? Really? Only if you're blind to all the other girls in the world," she smiled more, "not that I complain."
"Come here," he said, pulling her into his lap. Kanon giggled, but soon the sound was cut off as Keima kissed her and they made out, letting their senses be filled by each other.
(* * *)
"Should we get back?" Keima asked half an hour later.
The two of them were still on that bench, cuddling, Kanon leaning on his side, as he played with her hair. It was nice, but Keima felt something was amiss. Kanon hasn't spoken for a while and Keima felt it wasn't just the comfortable silence.
Kanon didn't reply.
"Kanon?" he asked again, nudging her slightly.
"O-oh, r-right, getting back," she said, sounding unsure. He figured she didn't want this to end, but they should be going back and by taxi if possible. The party was unlikely going to finish anytime soon, but more than one person would be pissed if they stayed away for too long. They have already stayed more than planned.
Keima stood up and Kanon did as well. He clasped his hand with hers and started walking towards the rooftop exit, already thinking of the quickest route back to the Shiratori estate when he suddenly felt a tug on his arm and realized that Kanon wasn't moving. He turned around and saw the pink-haired girl just standing there. Her face was downcast and hidden by her hair. It reminded Keima of the times of her conquest when she was constantly craving for attention and easily becoming depressed. However, something told him it wasn't that. Up to now, she had been in pretty good spirits.
Why the sudden sullen mood then?
"Kanon?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
Kanon was quiet for a moment before she looked up at him. She wasn't looking sad though. More like in thought.
"I love you, Keima-kun."
Keima wasn't yet used to her saying this, so his only reaction was a deep blush as he looked at Kanon.
"I-I love you too, Kanon," he said clumsily. As embarrassing as it was, it was still sweet and romantic, though Keima could bet this wasn't everything on Kanon's mind.
"I know," the pink-haired girl said, "but I've been thinking..."
"Thinking about what?" Keima asked, while in his mind red sirens went off as many chibi Keimas were sliding down fireman's poles in an emergency.
"I want to spend more of my time with you," Kanon said.
Keima didn't answer immediately. That seemed much simpler than he had expected. Then again, exaggerating about something trivial wasn't exactly new when it came to Kanon.
"I'd like that too," Keima started calmly, "but, regrettably, the real has its restrictions. You'd have to sacrifice your sleeping time or your career time and I'm sorry but I'm not going to accept that," he said clearly, though he knew it wasn't completely true.
If Kanon wanted to stop being an idol, he'd be suspicious and against it, but if there was no other choice, he'd accept her decision.
"I know," Kanon said, one of her hands rubbing her elbow in a nervous gesture. She paused for a bit, as if hesitant to continue, "but I think there's another option..."
Keima raised his eyebrow. "Okay, I'm listening."
"Instead of sacrificing my existing fixed time..." Kanon said, "we could just kinda... make more time."
"Umm... how would we do that?" Keima asked. His mind started racing. Was she speaking about slowing the time somewhat? That'd be ridiculous, but so was time-traveling. With goddesses and devils around their possibilities were almost boundless.
Would that be the right thing to do though?
"Well..." Kanon started, fidgeting a bit. She didn't have as much confidence in this as she wanted, but she got to go through with this. She spent today partying, making out, playing on swings and acting like a kid.
Now it was time to act like an adult.
"...actually, I had this idea for some time now... My job as an idol is going to interfere with my free time pretty much every day for however long it lasts..." she said.
"Yes?" he prodded.
"...so instead of sacrificing my time we could, um... speed things up."
"Speed things up?" he repeated. Was she planning to like... make out twice as fast? He was all for efficiency, but he doubted that could work out.
"Yeah," the idol said, "I think we can kinda 'make' more time if we... um... start certain things sooner."
"Sorry," Keima shook his head at this point, "I've no idea what that means."
Kanon bit her lip.
"Remember what you said today when I asked you who I am?" she asked and Keima nodded, ever more lost now. "You said I'm Kanon Nakagawa. That's who I am to you."
"Yeah," he confirmed, "what of it?"
"I don't want to be Kanon Nakagawa to you," she said with her face down.
Both of his eyebrows were up now. That surely matched the 'I want to spend less time as the idol and more time as your girlfriend' pattern, but her lines were weird and the entire scene was stretched. He needed to get to the gist of this event.
"Who do you want to be to me then?" he asked directly.
She stayed quiet for a moment before she raised her head to him, but when saw her face the expression on it was determined.
"I want to be Kanon Katsuragi," she said, "your wife."
The leaves and branches on the surrounding trees rustled and crackled for a moment as the evening breeze swept past Keima and Kanon, her pink hair fluttering in the wind before they came to a stop again.
Kanon watched his eyes, the eyes she got to know so well and, as if they were really a window to a person's soul, the idol could suddenly see a thought and realization surface through the layer of shock. The brilliant machine that was Keima's mind reacted, getting the cogs to move again and starting to pump all the available blood to his cheeks.
"Whaaa!?" Keima shrieked, his face all red as he stepped back. His voice sounded like a girl's which was fitting considering the reverse proposal.
'So this is how it feels to be Yui, huh?' Kanon thought as she watched his face and waited patiently.
"W-what do you mean you want to be K-Kanon K-Katsuragi?" he asked. He clearly wanted to make his voice more firm and calm, but he didn't succeed. His red face wasn't helping the image either.
"I'm proposing to you," Kanon said, slightly surprised by her own calmness.
"But that's a hero's line!" Keima yelled, regaining his composure and getting that Keima-specific galge-crazy look in his eyes and voice. "According to the dating sims tenets, it's the hero's task to propose! Not the heroine's!"
Kanon couldn't help but chuckle.
The weird thing was that she had predicted this as his possible reaction... but she also envisioned herself reacting to his reaction and it was much more nervous. She expected for them to argue harshly or even scream at each other, but she felt surprisingly... light. Even the various levels of nervousness she was suppressing for some time now seemed gone.
"What's so funny about this?" he asked, sounding offended.
"Nothing," she said, "it's just we really fit each other."
"Huh?" he obviously didn't understand.
"Well, we're both kinda obsessive," she said, "me about my popularity, you about galges... we both can go more than a little crazy when people don't recognize what we want them to recognize..." she paused for a bit. "But anyway... you're wrong, Keima-kun."
"Me? Wrong?" this seemed to confuse him even more.
"Yes, you see, you said that game idols always evolve, while real idols stay the same," she paused again, "well, maybe gaming idols can catch up faster... and many real idols are... not up to expectations... but not all of them... you could say I'm special."
"Humble much?" he said and she giggled.
"Yup," she smiled, "I've proven I can stay traditional, while also moving forward, while also reviving the idol industry, similar to you reviving the galge industry, that's another of our common points... so I guess I'm sort of a trendsetter for real idols, so I'm making a precedent here. Precedent so the girls can propose first. Both in the real and in games."
"There's no precedent for that in games!" Keima snorted. "There's not a game where an idol heroine proposes! Confession, maybe, but not a proposal!"
"Of course there is such a game," Kanon said as she rummaged in the small bag she has with her the entire day. Now that he thought of it, Keima didn't see her use that bag at all till now. And now Kanon pulled out a box out if it. A box Keima recognized.
"That's-"
"Our own sequel to Surprise Summer Colors, what else?" Kanon confirmed, waving the aforementioned box in front of his face, "it's already a finished game!"
"B-but it doesn't have an idol heroine proposing to the hero!" Keima said.
"Sure it has!" Kanon smiled.
"No, it doesn't! I designed all the heroines and routes!"
"And I added a secret heroine and route on my own," Kanon said.
"Whaaat?" Keima asked, his jaw threatening to unhinge as he stared at her.
"You could say I'm like Shigeki Morimoto," Kanon said and when Keima looked at her blankly, she blushed a bit and explained, "he was the programmer in one of the first pokemon games. He was the one who programmed Mew, the 151st pokemon in secret into the game. Barely anyone knew it existed until after the game was released,"
Keim blinked. It was expected that all the hours they've spent game designed together made Kanon more knowledgeable about games, but this particular trivia was still very surprising. And Kanon had the game in that bag with her today. It was as if...
Wait! The game, this place, tonight. You've planned all this!" he accused.
"Of course I have. My life relies on carefully crafted schedules!" Kanon said before her expression saddened a bit. "Well, truth be told, I've had this idea for a while and I kinda thought about doing this tonight..." she admitted, "but every time I thought about it I came to a conclusion that it was too early and you wouldn't want it and that I was stupid to even consider something like this..." she paused, her eyes getting that faraway look. "But today... Kaori-san made me realize... I might not be... we might not be fully prepared for this and I know it'll be tough for both of us... but we're both used to working hard and giving our best... and I don't want to wait for a better time, while our youth passes us by. So this might not be the best time, but at least it's the best place... where you and I first met... so..."
She stepped closer and leaned in, her eyes catching his as she took a breath.
"Please marry me, Keima-kun!"
And with this, she leaned in for a kiss, wanting to show him her resolution, but his hands suddenly shot forward, landing on her shoulders and stopping her before their lips could touch.
She suddenly remembered that he stopped her from kissing her at the end of her conquest and it was not a happy thought.
"You're not even twenty!" he reminded her.
"It's not a problem if our parents agree," Kanon told him, "please understand me Keima-kun. This won't make the day longer or our meetings more frequent and it won't be like regular couples... but it'll let us be... more than we are. I know it'll be difficult and that we may sometimes be sad or arguing or far away from each other... but this is something I truly want and I'm prepared to work for it... the only question is," she paused, "is whether you want it as well.
Keima looked at her as if she was crazy.
"Tsukiyo's... Chihiro's..." he said slowly, "no, not even Rimyuel's words undermined my God of Conquest beliefs and authority a much as you did just now," he told her, "for my gaming pride to accept this parody proposal event you'd have to be really worth it... Fortunately," he said as he pulled her closer, "I know you are."
And with this he sealed her lips with his, sealing their future as well.
At that very moment, Kanon's hope and uncertainty turned into happiness and love. Apollo's illusion was dispelled, baring their true looks to the world. Kanon started to shine, but it wasn't a shine her fans seemed to perceive as the idol was on the stage, but it was a true bright light that embraced her and Keima as feathery wings sprout out from Kanon's back and the light shot forth in bursts, illuminating the rooftop like heavenly version of fireworks show. Kanon and Keima didn't see any of this, kissing sweetly and passionately, their lips joined tightly and so were their bodies, melding against each other, becoming indistinguishable as the light embraced both of them.
They were one.
(* * *)
Kanon didn't want to pull back, but unfortunately lung capacity was a thing.
"So we're engaged?" she asked.
"Yes," Keima said, "making you my fiancée."
"And you my fiancé," she smiled, liking the sound of it.
Before she could think more about it, she suddenly felt Apollo take over.
"That was splendid!" the ditsy goddess said, looking a bit drunk with power, the grip of her hands stronger than necessary when she grabbed Keima's palm and shook it. "Congratulations, Katsuragi! You've made the best choice possible. Trust me, I spend 24 hours a day with her! You should hear and see her as she sings when she showers!" the goddess grinned and winked before Kanon took over.
"Apollo!" she yelled, her the color of her cheeks now matching Keima's.
The gamer chuckled, making her blush even more.
"Well, as interesting and eventful as this date was," Keima started, taking Kanon's hand into her own, "I think we should be getting back to the party. My mom, Eri and everyone else will be worried."
"Y-yeah, we don't want for this miss too much of this get-together, considering how difficult was to gather everyone," she said before her eyes widened ahs she shrieked. "AAAHHH!"
"W-what happened?" Keima asked in panic.
"I just realized," Kanon said, "it was so difficult to get everyone together, for this thing!" she put her hand to her face. "And now we'll have to do the same for everyone to attend the wedding!"
Keima laughed at that.
"True, but I'm sure we'll manage. We'll have time to think about that later," he said, smiling, "for now, let us enjoy this evening with everyone else, fiancée."
He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back.
"Led the way, fiancé," she giggled as they started to walk.
(* * *)
Ta-dah! Here it is, Kanon has proposed, kinda violating the rules in dating sims, but also sneaking a similar route to the sequel game Keima and her have been making to make a precedent. Kanon is such a sneaky girl ^^. This, of course, was the idea Kanon had mentioned at the end of one of the earlier chapters. :P
The fact that I managed to finish this around 14th was kinda a coincidence... but after I realize this, I tried really hard to have the chapter posted as close to Valentine's as possible. I hope it really fits: Keima and Kanon being engaged in-story when it's Valentine's out-of-story, so...
...Happy Valentine's Day to you my dear readers! :)
Moving on onto the proposal thing... from one point of view this might seems rushed: Keima is young and Kanon is younger... but on the other hand, they have so little time that the only way they can be more with each other is to take things to the next level so to speak. Let's just hope they'll be happy with each other.
The next point of interest is, of course, the wedding. I wonder how they'll manage as such a wedding would attract thousands of interested guests. It'd be a national event. :P
Anyway, aside from the proposal itself, a few more things happened in this chapter. Kaori made an official appearance and was kind of accepted, all parties involved feeling a bit weird about that (Kaori herself included). It's also clear only Keima and Urara were aware of her invitation, mostly because Keima wanted an unprompted and honest reaction from the girls. He also used this to help confirm that Kaori was involved with the kidnapping and Kanon figured that as well (though Kaori denies her involvement). To be honest, I wasn't sure if Kanon and Keima should learn this, but this ship has sailed now, I guess.
Moreover, Keima and Kanon got on another date, including swings, beach, their old school and the rooftop they first met on. I tried to reference quite a few things, the scene in the manga with young Kanon lonely and bored on a swing, her shining brightly (now for real courtesy of Apollo :P) and I officially made Kanon's original hair color as brown and that her current hair color was dyed. I was really torn whether it should be dyed or natural, but I guess it's another ship that sailed...
As for another thing, I can reveal now that (1) Kaori being involved in the plot again (apparently helping Kanon to decide to go with the proposal... for reasons she didn't disclose) and (2) the get-together thing happening after all instead of failing were both planned for a while and related to boot. I had to hide this from some people, especially from Zelgadis (who was unhappy neither event happened :P). Also, the starting part of the "Kanon proposes" scene was ready for several months now. :P
Oh, also something I forgot to mention in the last chapter's AN. If anyone is interested in knowing how I imagine adult Kaori Yūzaki, then please look up character Kiyama Harumi from "A Certain Scientific Railgun". Especially in some images/clips her general disposition, scowl, etc. make her seem like how I view Kaori, at least how she acts on the outside (her inner thoughts and agendas remain a mystery for the most part). Her hair could be a bit different I guess :P.
One more explanation for those who might be confused about practically no-one recognizing Kaori as she appears at the party. Pretty much everyone (maybe except for Mari) knows Kaori is a thing, but they kinda didn't think she was involved with them anymore (not sure they even know what happened to her after she got wounded waaay back in KamiNomiNai)...
...moreover, pretty much no-one knows how she looks as an adult. This is because Keima never saw her adult face until the memories-absorbing orb shattered, so this memory was not "passed on" to the girls. Thus, only Keima (who saw Kaori's adult face in Satyr's base), Tenri/Diana (who visited Kaori in the hospital afterward), Haqua and Apollo (who both helped heal Kaori on the battlefield) and possibly Rimyuel knew here adult face, so that's why the most at the party were confused...
...which brings me to one small "plot hole". In the last chapter I kinda forgot Apollo saw how adult Kaori looks and by the time I realized this it was too late... but fortunately, Apollo's an idiot, so I just got her to realize this too late to warn Kanon. Thank god for ditsy goddesses. :P
Also, all hail, Nanaka "7s" Haibara from being able to calm the tense atmosphere. Such is the power of shōgi!
As always thank you, my dear readers, for all your support: views, favorites, follows and reviews. Below are replies to the latest reviews:
DarkDrawerJ: thank you very much. I have to admit I don't understand what you mean by "other girls with nd".
William F Somebody: as always I'm flattered for your in-depth reviews. Thank you very much :). Lol, like host like goddess, huh? :P Yup, Keima's the manager and Chihiro's the deputy :P. Lol, Mari is Mari I guess :P. Yup, I love writing hilarious bits with various girls, teasing Keima as well :). Well, Ayumi was in love before, but she still had a negative or mixed opinion on Keima. And now, in Kanon's "orb world" she has no feelings for Keima (she has a better opinion of him though). Neutron stars huh? :P Kanon doing small things for Keima sounds really nice, I might use that for the wedding, well, having read the chapter you know there'll be one. But will it be grand? Or will Kanon and Keima just sign the certificate without anyone but the city hall clerk knowing anything? Let's wait and see, shall we? :P
Big Bad Beowulf: heh, glad Kaori's identity remained relatively well-hidden and was a surprise :P. Well, girls do have memories about Kaori, just not in adult form. The orb holding the memories crashed (and made everyone absorb the memories) before Keima got a look on Kaori's adult face, so it was not in the "collective" memories. Yes, Kaori is the oldest of Keima's conquests here, assuming we only talking about humans and Dokurō/Nikaidō is considered a human (the same age as Kaori actually). As for how Kaori's visit was received... well, you've seen the chapter so tell me :P. Thanks for the review. :)
Ty: by "king" you mean me? :O Thank you very much, though I think you give me too much credit :). Well, I agree and as you can see from the chapter, we'll getting to the end. :)
ZelgadisGW: Specific Zelgadis :). I'm not sure about the dialogue thing but thanks :). Glad you liked the interactions. As for Kaori, well, you know by now, the most of it at least... Yeah, characters like Urara and Kaori are "nice" 'cause the lack of info about large parts of their lives allows me great liberty at personalities (and I need that for both of them, especially Kaori). Yes, she was invited, though pretty much no-one beyond Keima and Urara knew beforehand, hence the surprise. I guess the reason is that Keima wanted as honest and not forced reactions from the girls as possible. ありがとうございます *wink* *wink* :).
Ghost Man: Thank you very much! :) Yup, they're out of high school now. They even had karaoke to celebrate that :P. As for sake, I think there'll be a bit on that in the next chapter :P. *buys a ticket* Lol, I hope you didn't lose Keima's coffee. That's a crime :P. Well, it was a game designed by God of Conquest, with music from Kanon Nakagawa, backed by Kanon's agents and produced by a successful galge company, so I'd say yes: quite a hit :). Actually, it was hit enough so the sequel is out as you can see :P. Hm, not sure which part of the chapter was Mio being tsun, to be honest :P. Yup, Kaori had it rough, while everyone else gets their (kinda) happy ending, huh?
Sir Sleeps-a-lot: *gasps* double reviews and from you no less. That's some treat :). Well, I bet it was someone's birthday. I wonder whose though :P. *gasps again* What? What do you mean Tōru isn't real? :O It's fine, it's fine :P. Yup, it's hard to meet after school sometimes, but the party game would be a nice idea. I have to use that here or in future stories :). Yup and my stories are long as well. Too long in fact, so gotta skip sometimes :P. Yup, Kanon's pretty popular with Keima :P. Lol, I have several hints from some fics that Kanon might be into girls, you know :P. Look forward to them maki...ng out I guess :P. I heard your points. Thank you very much for your advice. All of them can be solved by better plots. I guess I gotta put more effort into that :P. Nooo... come back *sees the other review* Oh, here you are :). And I'm apparently Santa Xellos now :P. Heh, so multifunctional strype calls :P. Yup, I might write serious or jealous or anxious, but teasing naughty Chihiro is what I write best probably :P. Lol at your sister xD. Sexual tension? Between Keima and Kanon? Impossiburu! :P Lol I love the "Vulcan thought food was people" bit. Then again in cartoons, people sometimes think other people are food, so :P. Yup, that is still the same story. Kaori just thought it was going too well and decided to mess up the nice plot. Maybe :P. Maybe Sumire is story-aware too and just wants to not make the chapter any longer xD. Lol, the fewer hickeys you can see... the more it means they're in interesting hidden places :P. Well, as you can see from this chapter, Kanon and Keima are embracing their adulthood. Not sure if it was what you had in mind though :P. Yup, more present Nomi presents will come! Glad you liked this particular present :). Thanks once again for the reviews! Oh, and thank for the input on the chapter title.
Red Glasses: thanks for the review. Damn, I uploaded too late, I guess no gold for me :P. Still, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
El Sasori69: I'm glad you enjoyed the interactions between the girls. They're kinda filler-ish to some extent, but I couldn't resist :P. Yup, Kaori's appearing out of the blue. As for who she'll be... well, I guess you already know from the chapter. Yup, I'm fine, though I'm in a state of permanent lack of time xD. I'm really sorry about the stuff that happened to you. I'm hoping you'll get better and that my chapters will make it easier for you. Take care.
Okay then. Please stay tuned for the next chapter of KanonNomi as we're getting very close to the ending. Actually, based on the size, the next chapter might be last.
That's it for now! See you next time!