The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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Chapter 4: Love and Respect (1)

It was by the latter bit of the evening that a certain pink-haired girl decided to ponder over the new developments of her already-complicated situation.

Momo Belia Deviluke, once someone that believed in the simplicity of passionate objectives in her life, was now lying on her bed of her room in the recently-built family mansion to ponder over what had been the last couple of months.

With the most recent surprise finally explained to her, the pinkette had decided to avoid coming around to check by the principal's home… just for today.

Her mind had instantly picked up that there was a sense of fragility lingering from the awkward circumstances, and she herself was trying to recover some bearings over the fact that Kotegawa's comments had proven to have been result of some silly quick-thinking.

The strict young woman had been so much mortified despite Casey's best efforts to make it clear that he had pardoned her that most of the afternoon spent with the Devilukean Queen had turned into a quiet discussion about the predicament itself.

And Momo was well-aware that her mother would have inquired for some more once dinner was served at the table, with her entire self dreading when that moment would really happen.

Hesitation had always been there to keep the young Devilukean on the edge while dealing with the strange turn her mind had to take to properly grow up, her perception of things changing from the blunt and direct stance that she had been so happy to show around.

She was independent, she was smart, and she was also a lively girl that just wanted to get in a romantic relationship with someone that she found as endearing as lovely to spend time with.

Differently from Nana, Momo had always hoped to find someone that she couldn't help but click with. Someone that was as fierce as her father, but caring and loving as her mother.

The ideal prince for a little princess like herself and, for a moment, she had thought to have found him when she had come to Earth.

Rito had been her first crush, there was no reason to lie about it despite her lack of interest now.

She had believed from the very beginning that she had gotten the chance of seeing the lovable silliness of the young man that there would have been a chance to eventually get him to act the way she wanted.

To see him finally show undeniable attention towards her personality and looks, to flatter her with kind and genuine words.

To lift her spirits and hopes, to make her own worth matter beyond the many.

And because of this sudden attachment to this dream, Momo had been careful to avoid making a jump beyond a certain moral line she herself had drawn early on.

She was aware that forgivable mistakes like the usual perverted scenes were acceptable to her plans without seeing those jeopardized, but absurd messes that actually saw people hurt had just sounded as the best way to permanently screw up any efforts of her to gain a lover out of the orange-haired dummy.

Sweat and labor had been put in trying to cultivate the little seed of interest the young human teen had towards many of the girls around him, her mind quick to fully grasp the importance of making use of this little visible detail about the oldest of the Yuuki siblings.

Rito was a caring individual for someone as young and so 'simple' as he was, and there was no reason for her to even consider otherwise. Yet he was also very keen to take the slowest of pace possible about relationships.

Even with proper nudges toward the right path, he would always end up willingly steering away from scoring a genuine romantic development with any of the girls pursuing it.

That's what truly prompted the pinkette to take a more careful approach by not getting too much direct with her attempts with her numerous attempts, eager to let her 'Harem Plan' properly push Rito to make the logical and ultimate decision of accepting all of the girls' affections instead of rushing alone towards the final prize.

But patience wasn't truly a virtue the girl was known for, especially when the rewards sounded as lovely as enticing.

Some doubts had always taken her mind away from the idyllic concept of sharing the curious human with all of the girls chasing after his affections, knowing that it would just trump any issues about making an attempt on her own.

"You would be willing to sacrifice the happiness, and the freedom that not only Yuuki-san and the girls that have feeling about him just for the sake of having some artificial, big family."

She sighed by her pillow, her head calmly nestling over the soft thing as she mumbled at that very first encounter with the young principal.

That first memory was permanently left there for her to remember, and for good reasons.

Anger, confusion, irritation. Momo had never felt so much of these emotions out of that simple interview with the man.

His words had cut deep back then, her Harem Plan finally meeting someone that logically shredded through its nature, dissected it to bring out the flaws.

And her temper had put her in quite the dumb decision, one that she could never forget as she decided to finally despise the cold.

Cold temperatures hardly help plants, and the same was for warm-blooded beings like humans and Devilukeans.

'Silly' failed to encompass the immense regret that had started to rise up from her chest when her 'next plan' had come to a sore and humiliating defeat.

One that became the first nail in the coffin, the beginning of her former state of mind.

She could remember being there, her face having turned pale, her eyes half-closed and tired.

She had tried to call out the figure that had entered through the broken window of that small gym warehouse, but he had kept quiet as he continued to work to get her out from that place.

It was the annoying new Principal, she had thought with a hint of sadness.

She had hoped for Rito to come, like he would usually do.

Momo could remember the calm scowl leaving his lips about the incredibly unpleasant situation they were both left to deal with.

The uncertainty of her survival proving to be quite a dreadful emotion to be living by for so long at that point.

Coming close to almost freezing to death had put her in quite the philosophical quandary over what kind of deadly mess she had caused out of that emotional state.

Petty irritation had driven her to make a drastic, but uncertain decision. It had been a gamble that had backfired horribly right onto her face… or perhaps not.

That very failure that had kept her bemoaning the rise of her newest enemy early on had lifted her spirit to pump up more attention to her complex effort.

More time, more planning, more thinking and… more realizations.

It had still been quite the slow growth of her thought over Harems, the idea of sharing her affection with someone that was still so unwilling to do anything with girls' affection out of fear of messing up.

While also messing up everything in the process of not messing up everything.

All of that had happened while her mind had replayed multiple times the unexpected sensation of being held so close to someone she barely trusted as a friend, but not as a respectful individual.

She remembered the tension of being lifted up from the ground by Casey's strong arms, her head resting by his chest as he brought her back to the warmth of the school's corridors where Mikado-san had prepared some heated blankets for her to make use.

To be held so carefully, so genuinely mindfully. It had left her with a strange shard of warmth despite the still-present cold.

It had lasted beyond that little accident, and Momo could say that it was still present there to remind her of that odd beginning for their bond.

But it was no longer a shard.

Now it was something as big as her heart, becoming her heart and… making her actively pursuit the acceptance and the praise from the one that had given her a new road.

And while the world had taken to roll a different direction back then, the things that would see her develop that degree of affection and admiration would soon prove to be a mixture of good… and bad.

Really bad.

"I want him."

Her unrestrained self had proclaimed so unabashed, so shamelessly, so… honestly. It had been the peak, the destruction of the emotional dam that had to sustain the constant failures about her Harem Plan.

It hadn't been Casey himself to cause this to happen, but rather the continuous rejections coming from Rito, and the staunch defense erected by her sisters. They had all made it clear that they never had supported this plan, but to see them take his defense against Momo's newfound realization?

It had hurt. A lot.

But she had to go forward somehow and, despite the big bumps along the road, the girl had managed to score some good points by steering away from any gung-ho strategy that her mind might have suggested with her recovery path.

Her redemption had started to shape majestically, her affection never decreasing, but refining into something stronger and a little more adapted to the obstacles in her little journey.

It had been slow, but it had been steady enough to ultimately end with the acquisition of an unlikely ally for her current goals.

Momo had been surprised, even skeptical, when Nemesis had on her own volition decided to seek a truce of sort for the time being.

It had sounded so sudden, so unexpected and not-so-surprisingly enough fake to listen to.

But that early assumption of mere peace morphed in something much more complex, something much more enticing to hear as the tanned young woman had decided to mention more about her 'tiny' plan to make things proper.

The pinkette could still remember her hesitation back then, how much unsure she had been over trusting someone that had been one of the truest enemy to the city's peace… and one of her rivals to the affection of the principal.

But Nemesis had already succeeded in getting in a romantic relationship with Casey, the original Transweapon having already removed the last reason to share a degree of hostility between each other.

"I just want to have a big family," The tanned girl had admitted with a surprising hint of genuineness. "Just like you do."

So the hesitation had crumbled piece by piece when proof of her good-will had manifested when the school year had gone to a closure.

Her efforts were met with positive results. Nothing truly stellar or prospecting for a quick win for a relationship with Casey.

Patience had once more played a relevant role in gaining more steps towards it, but this time she hadn't been alone in the planning… actually, she hadn't even been the one to make the plans.

Nemesis would provide with limited opportunities, offering some clues and hints of what approach the pinkette could take to secure any victory from those.

And victories she did end up getting since the more she spent time behaving as calm and polite as possible, the least tense the principal would get at her presence around.

He trusted her, he cared for her, but the road to see her goal accomplished was still a long one in front of her.

Still, progress was being made and she wasn't going to spit on that.

Another sigh left her lips as she slowly turned around and stared at the ceiling of the room, thinking well about the current present and… how things had taken a strange twist once more.

This time the culprit of the novelty wasn't even from the present… and she didn't feel much surprised about it.

After having seen some odd things unfold since she had come here on Earth, part of her had expected for time travelers to actually be one of the weird possibilities to actually happen to them all.

But she had expected people there that could offer more insight about everyone's future… not one that cemented the relationship of two individuals that were quite attached to each other.

Hoshiko Mortimer, Nemesis' and Casey's child, should have brought her a sense of envy and self-disgust… but the cute child had done the completely opposite by putting her in a somewhat good mood.

This giddiness had left her speechless, surprised by how at ease she had felt at mere glancing at such a lovely little girl.

Polite, respectful and… Hoshiko seemed to look quite at ease when she was around.

Momo had expected some nervousness, perhaps as a hint to prove that her hopes would end up crumbling once more… but that hadn't been the case.

The serene and calm look directed at her was more than enough to confirm that there was still a chance somehow to win her complex goals.

A question had lasted so long even now that she delved deeply in the context and meanings of the possible solutions about it.

What was Momo to Hoshiko?

Maybe a babysitter? A friend?

…

An auntie?

The last role had sounded so ideal, so dreamy but it lacked any proof that would properly support this one.

It was nice, but it wasn't certain.

The mere attempt to visualize that possibility was also coupled with the sight of a pretty white dress and some wedding songs.

And Momo wasn't prepared for that kind of lovely image, especially since she was unsure if the dress was Nemesis'… or hers.

Her musings were soon interrupted by the sound of someone knocking at her door, the girl's eyes glancing there and humming.

"Come in."

The handle was turned and soon her pink eyes were matched with two similar orbs.

"Hi, Momo-chan," Lala mirthfully greeted, a calm smile on her face as she peeked inside the room.

The younger pinkette smiled a little at that surprise. "Lala-nee? Did you come to spend the night here at the mansion?"

At the older sister's nod, Momo's mind exploded in a mix of shock and theories.

While Lala had mentioned that she would have spent some time there too, her priority was sticking around by the Yuuto household with Rito.

It had been a decision that had been mostly supported by everyone, with their father sporting some reluctance since he had expected the entire family to settle at their new house here on Earth.

There wasn't truly anything to worry about the two making any dangerous mess with their surprisingly good chemistry. Maybe some lewd scenes here and there… but that would be it.

Compared to many of the girls aiming for the boy's heart, Lala was the most passive of the group with Haruna, and so the one that would make any risky maneuver to gain… something she was already able to get with a single sweep.

It wasn't a stretch to consider her sister to be the closest girl to glimpse Rito's inner self, the one that best work with his personality without ever betraying that kind of rare trust the young man had given to her.

"Rito-kun asked me to give him some space for tonight," Lala mentioned with a hum. "Since tomorrow we have two important tests, he has asked me if I could give him a night of sleeping alone… and I thought it was a good opportunity to catch some rest myself."

The pinkette's dirty mind was acting up at the possible reasons leading her older sister to need some 'more rest' after the last few days. "Have you been… up late?"

"I always end up missing what time is it when I'm busy with a new invention," The girl apologetically admitted. "But I really need some rest, that is why I will go directly to sleep once I'm done with dinner."

"That's good to hear," Momo genuinely replied, her smile still there as Lala took a couple steps closer, but her eyes sported some nervousness at that sudden approach. "Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

"Only that I wish to know how are my Imoutos," Lala answered quickly. "I've already checked on Nana. I'm still surprised that she is having so many issues with bras."

Gah, not again!

She didn't need to be reminded again how her younger sister had now caught up with the 'chest game', Momo's very advantage over the Tsundere having vanished without notice.

Truly a tragic development that still keep her weeping at night.

"You know, Oka-sama said that you had the same problem at that age," The younger pinkette remarked with a smug smile, causing the older sibling to freeze in embarrassment at that.

It was one of the few things that actually got to Lala, talking about the little struggles she had to go through when she became a teen.

"W-Well, what about you?" The heiress to the throne shot back with a certain hint of amusement. "I'm sure you had some trouble sorting out the bra debacle!"

There was a distinct pause after this, with Momo pondering well over this very topic.

She could remember having some issues when it had abruptly happened, but she had quickly solved her issues by buying adaptive bras instead of wasting time buying new ones each years.

And it was also another of the few things that she didn't share with her sisters.

"A little bit, yes," The short-haired girl curtly replied. "Still, you have yet to tell me what you wanted to talk about?"

Lala blinked, her eyes widening at that realization. "Oh right… I just wanted to know if you were fine after what happened today."

Concern was dripping from that sentence, and Momo was nowhere as blind as Rito to miss the genuine worry in these words.

Her sister had to be generally bothered to come up and directly ask about this kind of stuff, which meant that she was going to be subjected to some interrogation quite soon even by Nana, her mother, and perhaps even her father.

Now, wasn't that going to be a lovely dinner?

But what kind of answer should she provide to avoid any escalations? Anything that could actually dismiss these flimsy concerns?

She wasn't exactly fine, her mind still failing to grasp how to truly feel to the unexpected presence of little Hoshiko now living at the Mortimer household, with her understanding of what will happen next quite uncertain for sure.

"Bored."

The quick answer sparked even more curiosity by the older sibling, with Lala taking a seat by the bed while staring at the younger girl.

"How so? Do you want to play some board game?" The young woman inquired with a hint of naivety. "I can tell that a game of Monopoly would surely ease your worries up."

...Worries?

"I'm not worried," Momo pointed out calmly. "In fact, I'm fairly happy with the fact that Casey and Nemesis are going to have a daughter in the future."

The concerned look didn't decrease at that reassurance.

"Are you sure? You know that I will not tell this to anyone else," Lala pressed on over the topic. "I understand that you wish to not talk about it but-"

"I'm quite sure that it's not a reason to give up," The short-haired pinkette interjected with a serious note. "I would never think of that about a child, especially one as innocent as Hocchan."

…

"But?"

Momo snorted at her sister's tone, feeling like this was truly going to be a really long discussion.

"But I do admit that I'm feeling a little unsure what will happen to me in the future," The girl muttered quietly. "Will I be able to be part of that family? Or maybe I will mess things up with my temper-"

"You don't have a temper," Lala interrupted with a serious voice. "In fact, I think you've mostly solved that little issue. But I think the issue you have is that… you didn't pay attention to Casey's words about the vision he had seen with Nemesis."

...What about it? It had explained that Hoshiko had arrived in this timeline thanks to a device built by the oldest of the three Deviluke siblings, and that Lala and Sairenji had ultimately scored both with Rito.

At her quizzical look, the long-haired princess giggled a little and then smiled. "Momo-chan, do you remember when he mentioned about your future self having to spend time back at their home. How my older self had said something about 'rumors' about you."

Yeah, but what about it? Maybe she was just sick, or maybe there had been some awkward situation that forced her stuck indoors.

"What about it, Lala-nee? I don't see why that would be a reason to know what happened to me in-"

"C'mon, don't tell me you've not thought about it," Her sister pressed on with a strange note of insistence. "Think about it, you are stuck at home and there are 'rumors' about your conditions. Don't tell me that you've not thought about… 'that'."

…

That? What is 'that'?

"I don't understand what you're referring about, Nee-san," Momo continued to say, failing to grasp at the strange concept that the older sibling was alluding to. "Can you be more direct about this or-"

Then she froze up, with her eyes widening up in a moment of sudden realization and instant shock.

Lala giggled at the reaction, noticing how multiple light bulbs above her Imouto's head were turning on in a bright display of understanding of the situation.

Momo had never thought of that little possibility, having long ditched the fantastic opportunity of seeing that situation happening before a proper marriage.

Yet the words coming from Lala were showing that there was some undeniable hinting at that chance, something that the short-haired pinkette wasn't going to ignore now that it was in her mind.

"Would Nemesis stop helping you if she ends up with a child?" Lala had inquired from there, causing her sister to blink calmly as she pondered over it.

"No."

The tanned Transweapon wouldn't have done that. They both wanted big families, and a child wouldn't have been enough to make that happen.

"So, where does this leave you, Momo-chan?"

In a very complicated, but hopeful scenario of actually succeeding in her current goals. Her spirits were lifted up by this development as she thought about it, failing to notice that she was repeating the same action of a couple of hours before where her hands had reached for her stomach.

She thought about a bigger belly once she was old enough, she thought about the labor, the fatigue, the stress… and the final result.

Her cheeks exploded at the idea of a little baby in her hands. Her baby.

The giggles from the older sister brought her back to reality as Lala had walked right up to the door, turning back to stare at her with a sly smile.

"By the way, dinner is ready and… last to arrive is a lazybug!"

Momo's eyes widened as her sibling shot out of her room with giggles filling the nearby corridors, forcing the pinkette to give chase with a mixed expression between embarrassment and sudden irritation at being tricked into this kind of stuff.

Her speed was higher than a normal human thanks to her training, but the headstart was surely going to sting a little while competing with Lala to reach the dining room.

That very night would then be filled with strange dreams about a really large family, some furious comments from her father about her having settled down with a human… like her sister, and with Nana playing around with some of her nephews and nieces.

Yep, this was going to be one of those nights~.

AN

I will never stress out too much how much I love Momo's character in TLR, her mind just filled with so much narrative potential, relatable-capability.

Seriously, it's kind of a pity that there isn't just a spinoff/sequel to To Love Ru Darkness detailing what eventually happened to her once she was rebuffed by Rito.

Lastly, I've decided which story I will do once this one comes to an end and… it's not an Anime.

It's a new cartoon that has now quite the fandom, and an endless source of potential, interesting plot-twists and… amusement. Lots of amusement.

And before I leave you all to the comments, I will say only to… smile. You will never be fully dressed without one.

P.S. Momo's and Lala's theory might be wrong. Who knows?!

P.P.S. There is a strong possibility that I will start to do a grammar polishing effort in the chapters of the New Principal. No changes, just fixing some mistakes I've left there and that I will fix.

P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin

k o-fi . com (slash) justbukharin

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