Disclaimer: Obviously do not own To Love Ru, otherwise Momo would have been handled differently...
It was noon by the time Rito decided to do something with his day, after eating a delicious lunch prepared by Yami-chan and Mikan. Saruyama had finally gotten around to messaging him, inviting him to a new manga store in his neighborhood,with the catch that he would visit the neighboring garden and herbalist store that was next door that had opened at the same time. Rito knew the complex had recently been redeveloped after Darkness had attacked their friends and destroyed buildings unintentionally as a side effect, and the garden and herb shop was said to be the best place to pick up rare tea mixes being shipped in from worldwide. While he preferred a soda or something else, he knew Mikan's refined tastes liked to be challenged with new blends of tea, and perhaps he could even pick up some new plants to go with his newly created me-space.
Ah, that's right, he forgot to lock his room up, so he needed to go do that before Momo or someone else snuck in to mess with his stuff. Ever since the Deviluke sisters had been visited by their mother, the free loading Lala and Nana decided to make it up to him for Christmas. Lala had created a portable mirror gateway to be hung on the back of his door, while Nana had programmed and picked out various geologically unique areas for his own virtual space. While Nana was no horticulturist, she had de-facto knowledge about various edible plants suitable for animal and human consumption alike, and she used this to program a section of Earth-like terrain that Rito could be comfortable in, and seeded it with starter plants after getting some help from Momo.
The star of the virtual space was Lala's own design, a detailed recreation of Rito's room, down to the books and clothes, connected oddly enough, to a large greenhouse that was quite likely bigger than the whole plot of land their house was located on. Lala was especially proud that she had even got the artificial lighting to mimic the day/night cycle of Earth, so as not to throw off any growth habits. Rito was just happy the device worked, though Nana assured him she had checked the modifications Lala had made twelve different times in their assembling the gift. After a few months, Rito hoped he could begin harvesting some of the well producing edibles gifted too him, and lower the costs incurred by shopping for the six, or sometimes more, people that visited the house for dinner. He hoped he could pocket some spending money and use it to treat Lala for their hard work, or even Haruna if she returned.
Doing the final check of his room, Rito noticed the portal was still off and smiled happily as he checked his window one last time. Satisfied, he went downstairs and informed Mikan he would be back later with a surprise. Mikan warned him to look out for Momo, and to make sure not to attract any unwanted attention due to his unintentional perverseness. He merely grumbled at her send off, and parted ways to find Saruyama.
Finding the Manga shop wasn't hard, but keeping Saruyama from hitting on the girls or checking out the less moral stories kept there, was another story all together. He often found his friend by the screams and the sound of palm hitting cheek, as he was slapped by more than one girl throughout their afternoon. Sighing, stopping for a rest for a moment after finding he lost his friend yet again, Rito quickly turned the corner before stumbling into a person. Quickly loosing his footing due to the weight of the books in said persons hand's, he found himself atop a pile of paperback volumes and marshmallows. After that last bit caught up with him, he wisely refrained from squeezing, dreading the chill that went down his spine as his thoughts caught up to him.
Finding the black haired, brown eyed face of their school's moral officer staring back at him though the small pile of books, Yuuki quickly got to picking things up after helping her sit up, avoiding any unnecessary looks toward her lower half. Picking up the paper volumes, he quickly found his hand brushing Yui Kotegawa's. Blushing as she finally notices Rito, she graciously takes the pile of books from him. "How shameless, you knock me down in a place like this, my first day on the job too..." she mutters crossly, before turning to Rito, "Thank you any ways, for correcting your actions, and for helping me pick these books up." Rito nods, glad she didn't get the full effect of his normally 'Shameless' situations, and he was happy he hadn't squeezed when he did. The last book in hand, Rito looked down and noticed it was one of his own father's manga volumes.
"I didn't know this store stocked my Father's work," he mused out loud, before smiling and putting the last book in Yui's full hands, "You seem to have a couple of his works in that pile, Kotegawa, did someone ask for these?" Blushing and not answering, she merely nods as she stands up with Rito's arm to steady her. "Well, thanks for not chewing me out Kotegawa," Rito states, "But I have to find Saruyama before he ends up getting kicked out of here for good..." Parting ways, Yui mutters something that sounds like 'Shameless' under her breath, as they depart. Rito had been surprised, of course, but Yui Kotegawa was a woman that few people questioned, and he knew better than to upset her after the incident. He assumed she just wanted some pocket money, after all Kotegawa was the most responsible person he knew.
Kotegawa merely sighed as she restocked the stores shelving of empty volumes. In truth she had forced herself into this situation, after backing herself into a corner. She had finally gotten her parents to reconsider their attitude on pets, and had convinced her brother to back her up as she pleaded to get a cat. With some well worded speeches and promises, she ended up being the proud owner of a black and white female kitten, which seemed to latch on to the cat lover like she was her own child. In return, she worked this part time job on the weekends in exchange to show she could balance home, school, and work responsibilities, and still be a responsible pet owner.
She was pissed at half the NEET's and Otaku's that kept asking her stupid or obvious questions, but she had to keep this job for at least a month before she could keep the cat. Hearing that Saruyama was in the store was like putting a jackhammer to her mental foundation, she could crack at any time if she crossed his path. After a few moments of restocking, her hands were empty and she went to grab more from the back, when a black haired hedgehog slammed straight into her. After collecting her thoughts, Saruyama was already on top of her, head between her breasts and hand partway up her thigh. "You SHAMELESS pervert!" she yells and slaps him across the face, her mouth moving before she even registered who it was, "Be happy I don't call the police about hearing you harassing my customer's, and now me sexually, so you better cut it out Yuuki Rito!" Saruyama stared at her confused for a moment, honestly hurt by the stinging slap and words.
"Gee Kotegawa, I didn't know you could be such a killjoy out of school, as well as in it," he says looking over her, "Just because I'm Yuuki's friend, doesn't mean you can just compare me to him when something like this happens." Yui blushes now thoroughly embarrassed, realizing it was Saruyama, not Rito that had molested her. She realizes his tone and face is serious, and he closes his eyes, seemingly in contemplation. "Please, you could never match my perverseness with that accidental amateur, he gets full on panty shots and hot chicks," he states quickly, "And what do I get but a tight bookworm who doesn't know how to break loose, even if she was handed the keys to her moral prison!" Finding himself on the floor, a welt forming on his cheek, Saruyama couldn't help but feel a bit of satisfaction getting a rise of of Yui like that.
When Rito backtracked Saruyama, he was quite surprised to find a blushing Yui helping him to his feet, as he approached the duo. "Uh, is everything all right?" he ask hesitantly, all he gets is a blush from Yui, and Saruyama's love struck gaze, "She didn't hurt you too bad, did she Saruyama?" Yui would have felt indignation at that, if it wasn't for the fact that she almost took satisfaction in Rito's unintentional praise and recognition of her strength and character.
"I didn't hurt the pervert too bad, Rito-kun, but I suggest you get him out of here before my manager sees him flirting anymore," she says honestly, "Get that pervert out of my sight, since you both have proven to me how shameless you boys really are, if you stay here and don't immediately get out..." Rito sighs as he helps Saruyama steady himself and directs him toward the exit.
"Thank you very much Yui, I'll make sure he doesn't do anything else today," Rito states, "We're going to the nearby garden and herb shop anyway, I very much doubt he could do anything bad there!"
Rito would be very wrong, once he entered the Garden and Herb shop, which seemed to not only be a shop for plant and tea enthusiasts, but also a small cafe serving their unique blends. It also seemed to be brimming with girls of all ages and varieties, and Rito took the time to be extra wary in this situation. It was like stepping into a minefield, one wrong move and everything blows up in his face. After steering Saruyama to an empty table with chairs, he got in line for some tea, and quickly returned with two, piping hot specialty blends.
Rito began to be worried when Saruyama was too quite for his normal self, usually unable to keep his mouth from running and saying perverted, often offhand comments, about the girls around him, usually leading to physical assault by one or more parties. "Saruyama, are you alright?" he asks his friend, who seems to be casually staring out into space, away from any girls, "You're spacing out, dude, and that doesn't mean anything good for me..." Saruyama sighs, before refocusing his attention on Rito.
"Rito Yuuki, have you ever felt like you woke up one day after a really long time asleep?" he asks his friend, which confuses Rito with his metaphor, "I've been asleep for so long, dreaming about nothing but boobies and skirts, and today my man, today..." He trails off, before suddenly jumping out of his chair and slamming both hands on the table and staring at Rito with his eyes gleaming. "Today my best friend, I think I have an answer to both of our problems!" Saruyama loudly exclaims, to Rito's chagrin, "Yui Kotegawa has opened my eyes to new possibilities, thoughts racing through my love struck body I had never even contemplated before because of you, Yuuki Rito and your Harem plan!" Rito is thoroughly blushing as everyone eyes them at their table, and he tries to avoid the stares.
"What the heck are you talking about Kenichi Saruyama?" Rito hisses out in reply, "Keep your voice down and sit!" Saruyama looks around and shrugs sheepishly, sitting down as the rest of the cafe returns to normal. Rito now turns Saruyama's attention to him. "What are you talking about Saruyama?" he asks, "How do you even know Yui is part of Momo's Harem Plan?"
Saruyama smiles deviously as he snickers at Rito. "Please, Momo is so easy to read, no matter how hard she hides it in school, I've been around your house enough to see the signs," he states casually, "Ever since Nemesis announced her intentions to have us capture you, it was easy to connect the dots to all the women you come in contact with, and see that Momo had been pulling strings long before Nemesis unraveled the weave." He stops and sighs while Rito is amazed Saruyama could be smart enough to connect the dots.
"So, what about Yui?" Rito asks in return, "What do you mean you can help me with 'both our problems?" At taht Saruyama nods sagely and smiles even harder.
"Why, Rito my man, the problem I have is I think I've fallen in love with Yui Kokegawa, and she is one of your Harem candidates," Saruyama replies, "I think if you help me get a date with Yui, I'll help you deconstruct Momo's Harem Plan, and still make it so that everyone remains happy, whad'ya say my best friend?" Saruyama holds out his hand to shake on it. Rito's jaw is dropped at Saruyama's confession, but he swallows his embarrassment and takes the offering gladly. "Good to see you agree pal, so let's start off with a clear goal in mind," Saruyama states seriously, for the first time in a long time, "Your heart belongs to either Lala, or Sairenji Haruna, that much is obvious to leave for last; let's start by taking apart the weakest links in the chain, do you have any ideas?"
Rito looks at Saruyama and his brilliance hidden behind that idiotic, perverted face he puts up as a defense. He felt hot tears bite the corners of his eyes, as they threatened to spill from the immense happiness and understanding he felt rolling off form his friend. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves and collect his thoughts, Yuuki Rito thought back to all his times involved with Momo's Harem Plan, and came up with the two people he knew he didn't like, like that. "One I can think of is Nana, the other being Mea Kurosaki," he says once he was done pondering it over, before he pauses and sees Saruyama's reaction, "Dude, are you alright?"
Saruyama just had tears in his eyes and a sad, depressed aura around his looks, as he stared pitifully at Rito. "Why do you have to make me so jealous of your interest in first years, Rito?" he says whining, "Did you have every girl in school at your beck and call?" Rito merely scratches his head sheepishly in reply, nervously laughing off what he hoped was a joke on Saruyama's behalf. After finishing up the tea and shopping, Rito left with a few new plants for his Cyber Hangout.
After returning home, just as the sun was going down and darkness began to descend, he enjoyed dinner with his Sister, Lala, Momo, and Nana, and Celine. After a few escapades in the bath, resulting in Momo getting kicked out by Mikan for attempting to get in with Rito, then Lala chasing after Celine, both having just come from the bath, and Rito got into another awkward situation after managing to get bowled over by both Celine jumping into his arms, and Lala crashing into him. Finally, he safely made it into his bedroom, where the plants he bought were waiting, and informed the girls he where he would be if they needed him. Closing the door and staring at the deactivated portal hanging on the back, he pushed the button that unlocked the genetic lock on the machine, and activated the entrance to his Cyber Hangout.
The artificial ceiling mimicked the stars in the night sky, and Rito was happy as he walked down the long cobblestone path to his greenhouse and his second bedroom. Finding his way around the small replica of his house, and into the greenhouse, he quickly put his plants in areas he could actually plant them in the morning. Yawning tiredly as he placed his last tomato plant in its new raised bed, he cleaned up at the sink installed in his greenhouse, and went into his home away from home. Almost every room besides the living room was identical in shape and form to the main house, though the furniture within was more muted. Except his own room, which was identical to the room as it was when the project was created, every other room was basically all white sheets, sterile and void of the color and life the real house held, but then again he was really the only occupant of his Cyber House.
Taking the time to grab a few minutes of peace and quite in his Cyber House, before having to return to the chaotic mess outside, he grabbed a book he hadn't read in ages and laid back on his bed. Taking in the air of quietness, it almost made him uncomfortable being in such a quite house, before he felt an arm around his chest. "Fufufu, Yuuki Rito, you're such a bad boy," Nemesis says elatedly, appearing out of a cloud of dark matter, "You plan on breaking all those hearts with Saruyama's help?" Rito stiffens as he realizes what she was saying.
"Nemesis, I don't know what ideas are going through that head of yours, but..." he stops as she gets up into his face, smiling seductively and blinking her lashes at him. Straddling him, she pulls away from his face and pushes him down to the bed, smiling all the while.
"You've got the wrong idea, Rito-kun," she says, extending her syllables at the end, "I'm actually quite proud of your decision, despite the backlash you could receive; you're really showing a Kingly amount of decisiveness choosing to break hearts, you playboy, you..." She almost purrs in his ear, as she leans down to whisper. "Teasing you is soooo easy," she says, pulling back and grinding him non-discreetly as she gets off of him, "But don't worry, I won't interfere in your decision." She morphs her yukata into being, causing Rito to be embarrassed that he hadn't even realized she wasn't wearing any clothes besides undergarments. "Rito-kun," she says looking back as she begins to leave, "Go easy on Mea and Eve; I never held that sort of interest in you, but their newborn feelings might not handle you crushing their affections toward you." Ever enigmatic in her parting words, the sly minx slips beyond the doorway, and he can only presume she went on to leave the Cyber Hangout for the real world.
"What game are you playing Nemesis?" he asks to himself, sitting back on his bed and staring at the ceiling, "Just what the heck did I get myself into?" Peeking around the doorway, a flash of pink hair goes unnoticed by Rito.