Chapter 35: The princess and the peasant
Keima stood near the school gates, folding his arms and tapping his feet. What's taking them so long? He turned his head, finding Hana and Yutuka strolling towards him. Yutuka sighed nervously.
"I'm not really sure if this is a good idea my god… maybe we should find alternative methods to-"
"Fool! Do you not believe in my powers?"
Yutuka stood near Keima, scratching his head.
"I don't really mean to insult you like that, but I have my own reasons to doubt these chances of success."
"Well if you follow everything I say, then I promise you'll be guaranteed success…"
Yutuka hesitantly nodded his head.
"I… I'll do my best."
Kumuro stood near Yui and Ichigou, drawing their attention to him. Yui rubbed her knuckles into Ichigou's wig, making him groan quietly.
"Oh hi there! What is it you want from us?"
Kumuro took a deep breath.
"I… I have some problems with my girlfriend…"
Ichigou and Yui turned their heads, blinking at each other. Eventually, Yui wrapped her arms around Kumuro's shoulders with a huge grin.
"You can tell me anything… I know that the two of you haven't been talking to each other in days…"
Kumuro sighed.
"Yeah… Ever since she and I went out, things just… felt awkward."
Ichigou placed his hands on Kumuro's shoulders.
"It's okay. I understand."
Yui nodded his head.
"Sometimes, you just needed a bit of confidence and stamina in you life. Besides, maybe you need to find a reason why the two of you liked each other in the first place."
Feeling the fire burning inside, Kumuro lifted his head up, glaring at the sky.
"You're right! For far too long, I've been less confident with myself everyday! I need to do something about it!"
Yui and Ichigou nodded their heads.
"I think the two of us knows how to solve that problem of yours…"
Yutuka, Keima and Hana hid behind the wall, gazing upon Tsukiyo. Yutuka sighed, popping his head away.
"I don't know about this… I'm not sure if trespassing a different school is a good idea…"
Keima sighed.
"We've practiced this many times. It's been an hour since we've done anything. Plus I have predicted all of the teacher's movement, so you don't have to worry about it."
Hana nodded his head.
"If it's simply about you being nervous, you have nothing to worry when we're around."
Yutuka closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He moved away from Keima and Hana, fixing his eyes on Tsukiyo. I can do this! He stood near Tsukiyo, clutching his fists tightly. I have spend hours preparing for this! I need to succeed, now! Keima and Hana moved their head forward, witnessing the fire burning inside Yutuka's soul.
Suddenly, Yutuka crept away form Tsukiyo, hiding behind the wall.
"I can't do it!"
Hana gritted her teeth, slapping his head.
"Have you gone soft all of a sudden! I thought you have the will of the capturing god!"
Keima shook his head.
"For someone who I thought almost has something in common with me, I can't believe this is happening…"
Hana folded her arms, turning away from Yutuka.
"It's even more pathetic when he's also afraid of girls like that…"
Yutuka gritted his teeth, gazing upon the ground. What am I doing? Am I submitting defeat so easily? I can't let myself get pushed around like that! He lifted himself of the ground before walking towards Tsukiyo again. I may have been rejected before, but that doesn't mean I should cower in fear as I speak... I need to stick to the game plan and focus on the objective at hand! I must not fail my god! He stood near Tsukiyo, gulping nervously.
"I see you attend this school…"
Tsukiyo turned her head around, widening her eyes.
"W… What are you doing here?"
Yutuka shrugged.
"I just so happened to be on an errand for my foolish brother."
Tsukiyo quickly face away from Yutuka, reddening her cheeks a bit.
"I'm busy with Luna. If you would so kindly please leave me be, Luna and I are observing the stars."
Yutuka sighed. She's indeed quite tough… Somehow, I think women like her are my weakness…
"If you wanted to spend time alone for the rest of your life, I won't stop you."
Yutuka walked away from Tsukiyo, forcing her to turn her head around.
"Are you some kind of an idiot? Luna and I aren't alone!"
Yutuka grinned.
"Do you honestly think that doll actually talks to you?"
Tsukiyo glared at Yutuka, puffing her cheeks.
"How dare you talk to Luna like that! She doesn't appreciate you saying such rude words coming from your mouth!"
"Perhaps… or perhaps she's tired of you not understanding her well enough…"
Yutuka took a few steps before feeling his arms being heavy. He turned around, finding Tsukiyo slapping him. She stood still, glaring at him. She turned around, returning to her bench.
"I'm sorry…"
Tsukiyo's body froze, feeling her heat pounding. Yutuka scratched his head and sighed.
"I… I'm just feeling worked up with my brother that I took my frustrations out on you… Sometimes it's hard living with a brother whose brain is a size of a peanut…"
Tsukiyo placed her hand near her heart.
"Then… What do you truly think about Luna?"
Yutuka shrugged.
"If you really think that doll communicates to you, then I guess it is real…"
Hana and Keima widened their eyes in shock. (Hana) I thought for a moment he was going to screw up… but he really outdid himself. (Keima) Such a cheap and shitty tactic actually worked in his favour… Interesting… Tsukiyo turned around, gazing upon Yutuka.
"I… I don't ask anyone about this but… you can come to this place tomorrow…"
She turned away, returning to her bench.
"I'll be waiting for you…"
Kumuro huffed and puffed, lying on the ground.
"This isn't the sort of determination I wanted you know…"
Yui sighed, finding the weights lying near Kumuro.
"You won't be able to win Amika-chan's heart with that sort of attitude! You need to get going!"
Ichigou scratched his head.
"I think you misunderstood me about helping Kumuro…"
Yui turned her head, blinking at Ichigou.
"What do you mean exactly?"
Ichigou shrugged.
"I was thinking more of making him the punch bag…"
Kumuro squinted his eyes at Ichigou. Really? A punch bag?
"What does all of this have to do with gaining the courage needed to speak to Amika?"
Yui sighed, sitting on the ground.
"Sometimes, there are men who aren't man enough to talk to girls, even saying hi. You on the other hand are reaching that stage of avoiding all possible communication with Amika!"
Kumuro pouted his lips.
"Oh come on! I'm not really that bad, am I?"
Ichigou turned his head to Yui, smiling at her.
"Before I started going out with my beloved, I was afraid of asking her out and stuff… But with a little bit of courage, I was able to win her heart for sure!"
Yui moved him near her, smiling at him.
"Awwh… You're so cute when you start talking about your problems life that!"
Kumuro turned his head away, averting his eyes from the couple's embrace. Despite this mishap, they told me exactly what's missing right now! I need to get my drive back for sure! Kumuro lifted himself off the ground, walking away form the couple.
"I'm gonna reclaim my happiness back for good! Ain't no one gonna stop me now!"
Keima and Hana sat at the bench, gazing upon the sky.
"Hopefully, this case I have with Tsukiyo will eventually be over by tomorrow… It's quite bothersome though that my mother has been constantly watching me… I hope that there won't be any problems similar to this…"
"You know…"
Keima turned his head around, blinking at Hana.
"If you really want to make sure, we could pretend we're attending the festival bonfire together so that no one else will bother you."
Hana gazed upon Keima, waiting for his response. Keima hummed to himself. Something's a bit off with Hana today… I may be getting rid of more problems every day… but it's not like she wouldn't care if she doesn't get compensation for helping me out... Keima sighed, turning his head to his PFP.
"I suppose that won't be such a bad idea after all…"
Hana lifted herself off the bench, walking away from Keima.
"That'll give you some time before more start reaching close to you…"
Keima sighed, moving his body around the bench, resting his back. It was obvious that she still wants me… If she was anymore subtle, then she might be able to catch me off guard… but no mortal can ever deceive the capturing god, for I have played many galge games filled with deception and lies!
"You need to get a life Otamegane!"
Keima lowered his eyelids. Oh great, look who came crawling to me… He slowly turned his head, glaring at Chihiro smiling at him.
"I can definitely see you living on the streets, with no job, no home, and no money to live with the way you're slouching around!"
Keima turned his head away, paying attention to his PFP.
"I don't need shitty distractions like you around me. If you don't have anything else better to say, then leave!"
Chihiro sat on Keima's stomach, making him groan in pain.
"If someone accidentally sit on you, you might get squashed to death having your body lacking a good amount of exercise!"
Keima waved his hands around.
"That's no way to treat someone like me around! This is torture I tell you!"
She stood up from the bench, allowing Keima to breathe heavily. She folded her arms, closing her eyes.
"You know how cruel real life can get…"
Keima gritted his teeth.
"Sadly for me, it likes to keep reminding me of that…"
"Well I know one way of solving that problem…"
Keima cocked his eyebrows.
"Really? I thought that there isn't a way to get rid of reality for good."
Chihiro faced away from Keima.
"Well I could tell you… but you're too busy staying home and playing games all the time…"
"If it's all about giving up on my games, I wouldn't dream of it…"
"Maybe you don't have to…"
Keima lifted himself upright, lowering his PFP near his lap.
"What do you want?"
Chihiro grinned.
"Well since you don't have someone to go with to the bonfires…"
"Actually, I do."
Chihiro widened her eyes. Wait… no way… Regaining her confidence, she turned around, smirking at him.
"Would anyone believe that some game character of yours would be enough to be considered as your date?"
Keima sighed, lifting his PFP up.
"If you don't believe me, go ask Hana."
Suddenly, Chihiro laughed out loud, wrapping her arms around her body.
"Are you kidding? Why would some fancy rich girl like her want to go out with you?"
Keima shrugged.
"As much as I hate admitting it, she has been constantly around me."
Chihiro folded her arms, glaring at him.
"Okay, now you're just being an ass!"
Keima lifted himself off the ground, walking away from her.
"If you really want to find out for yourself, you can ask her to your heart's content."
Chihiro faced away from Keima, gazing upon the sky.
"There's no way someone like him would get lucky…"
Kumuro marched through the corridors, drawing attention to nearby students. I need to bring that inner confidence my mother gave to me! I must overcome my fears in order to win Amika-chan's heart once again! He entered the classroom, gazing upon Amika. You can do this Kumuro! Believe in the power of the man! As he draws closer to Amika, his heart started beating quickly. No matter what things get thrown at me, nothing will stand in my way now! He stood near Amika, clearing his throat. Amika turned her head to Kumuro, staring at him.
Suddenly, Kumuro collapsed on the ground, whimpering like a dog.
"I can't do this! I'm such a wimp!"
Amika scratched her head.
"What are you talking about?"
Kumuro lifted his head up and sighed.
"No matter how hard I try, I don't have enough courage to talk to you like I usually do…"
"No… it's not you…"
Kumuro turned his head, blinking at Amika.
"No matter how hard I try, I also have trouble trying to talk to you… I don't know what's going on anymore…"
Kumuro lifted himself off the ground.
"Maybe we're expecting too much from each other ever since we became girlfriend and boyfriend…"
Amika nodded her head.
"I thought that having a boyfriend is easy to have… But…"
"Maybe it was a lot weirder when we're not exactly friends…"
Amika nodded her head.
"I… I'm not sure what we should do…"
Kumuro placed his hands on Amika's shoulders.
"I think I know the easiest way to solve this…"
"You and Amika broke up?"
Hana folded her arms, glaring at Kumuro. Kumuro shrugged.
"Actually, it was more like 'Let's treat each other like friends' kinda things!"
Hana cocked her eyebrows.
"What are you saying exactly?"
Kumuro strolled past Hana, leaning him arms on the veranda.
"We didn't feel very comfortable being with each other so quickly. So I think the best way is to be friends for a little longer to get used to each other."
Hana lowered her eyelids.
"That sounds like the dumbest idea I've ever heard. Who the hell would do something like that?"
Kumuro shrugged.
"Who knows, but I hope this gives up more time to get used to each other…"
Hana strolled away from Kumuro.
"What should I describe the two of you together then?"
"Maybe friends with benefits for now…"
"That doesn't sound right!"
"We're still going out together anyway, but we just need to get used to the idea first…"
Hana closed her eyes and sighed.
"Well… as long as you're not actually planning to break up with Amika, I guess I'm fine with it…"
"Hey Hana."
She opened her eyes, finding Chihiro standing in front of her.
"Is it true that you're taking that Otamegane to the bonfire?"
Chihiro paused, waiting for Hana's response. Hana shrugged at her.
"If you mean Keima, then yes. I am taking him to the bonfire."
Chihiro cocked her eyebrow.
"You're joking right? There's no way some disgusting gaming creep would want someone like-"
"I sense a bit of jealously within you…"
Chihrio widened her eyes, feeling her cheeks reddening.
"N… no… Why would I do that?"
Hana sighed, facing her away.
"There's no point denying that… I'm sorry that I made you disappointed though…"
"There's no way I would consider going out with that Otamegane!"
"You can keep that act up for all I care. Everything's settled anyway."
Chihiro turned her back on Hana, facing her away.
"You're right. I shouldn't change anything…"
She walked away from Hana, tilting her head down. A tear trickled througb her face, prompting her to quickly wipe it off. Kumuro tilted his head, staring at Chihiro.
"What's going on Hana?"
Hana shifted her eyes to Kumuro.
"I guess it has something to do with Keima…"
"I know I haven't talked to you for days… But WHY AM I TIED UP ALL OF A SUDDEN?!"
Heihachi sighed, watching Keima's body swing like a metronome.
"Dude, it's not cool when I tried finding you for advice… I'm planning to ask her out to the bonfire…"
Keima jerked his body around.
"Get me outta this and I'll help you!"
Heihachi released the ropes, dropping him on the ground. Keima groaned in pain. The sooner the better I guess… Keima slowly lifted himself off the ground.
"What's your progress so far?"
Heihachi scratched his head.
"I… I kinda slacked off a bit here and there, but I guess I'm still going…"
Keima sighed.
"That'll do I guess…"
Keima pulled out a notebook, scribbling down a few things.
"Okay… asking a captain of the woman's karate club… this is going to be tough…"
Heihachi shouted a Keima.
"I thought you can help me with this no matter what?!"
Keima shrugged.
"There is a connection you could take advantage of, but it's not exactly a reliable one for you to use…"
He flipped the notebook over, writing down more notes.
"Kusunoki had some troubles in the past, and to me… it almost sounds like history repeating itself…"
Keima put away his notebook.
"Which means that if you wanted to follow the same path and the guy who was with her last time, the chances of that happening are very slim."
Heihachi sighed.
"So you're saying that asking her out on a date is out of the question."
Keima shrugged.
"If you really want to try, you can… but there is only one solution that's double or nothing…"
"Please tell me!"
Keima widened his eyes, finding Heihachi sobbing near Keima.
"I don't want all of the work I did to go to waste!"
Keima sighed.
"There is one other way of doing this… but you may not like it…"
Heihachi sighed, carrying cats on his body.
"I feel like a crazy cat lady carrying these with me…"
Keima shrugged.
"Apparently, she likes cats. So if we can work around this focus, then you maybe be able to ask her out."
Heihachi lowered his eyelids.
"What? The only variation there is to it is just that."
Keima paused.
"I only did that for revenge."
Heihachi shook Keima's shoulders tightly.
"You bitch! You set me up for it, didn't you?"
"Let go of me!"
Keima fell off, gazing upon Heihachi.
"You haven't helped me at all, didn't you?"
Keima sighed.
"Actually, I was… though I have to break the news to you…"
Heihachi fell down, lying on the floor.
"I really just have to ask her out, right?"
Keima nodded his head.
"Considering that she'll experience déjà vu, I'm afraid so…"
"That's okay."
Heihachi lifted himself off the ground, walking away from Keima.
"If it boils down to following this path, then this is the path I shall take."
Keima sighed, lifting himself up.
"Either way, this'll take longer than expected…"
"You broke up with Kumuro?"
Amika smiled nervously, finding Miyako and Ayumi's head close to hers.
"It's… it's not like that…"
Miyako scratched her head.
"It would've made more sense if that was the case. The two of you haven't been talking to each other ever since we found out about it…"
Amika sighed.
"We will get back together…"
Ayumi placed her hands on Amika's head, smiling at her.
"It's okay. We're here for you if you get dumped."
Amika glared at Ayumi.
"I told you! We're not going to break up!"
Miyako sighed, leaning back.
"I'm kinda jealous that everyone in this class is starting to get a relationship… There aren't many boys to choose from…"
Ayumi turned her head to Miyako.
"I don't think that's actually a bad thing… Besides, the only boys without a girlfriend tend to suck at getting one."
Miyako stretched her arms out.
"What about that Otamegane? He seemed like he could easily get one if he tried."
Ayumi and Amika widened their eyes. They leaned their heads forwards, shouting at Miyako.
"There is no way that creep has a chance!"
Miyako strolled away from the girls.
"Maybe I could ask him out to the bonfire."
"Don't bother."
The girls turned their heads to Chihiro, finding her leaning against the wall.
"Apparently Hana's the one doing so."
Amika and Ayumi dropped their jaws.
"WHHHAAAAAAATTT?!"
Miyako stood near Chihiro, gazing upon her face.
"Seems like he was able to capture a girl's heart. Looks like I don't have to ask him out…"
Chihiro cocked her eyebrows.
"Why the hell do you want to do that?"
Miyako shrugged.
"I kinda feel sorry for him not having a girlfriend yet. He needs to get one latter on."
Chihiro sighed.
"More like he needs his brain fixed from playing too many games. Well she obviously has something plotting against that creep."
Chihiro sighed. There's something off-putting about that Hana girl… I thought she was a nice person… Shrugging off her aching heart, she formed a huge smile.
"Well his heart can rot for all I care!"
Amika crossed her lips. That can't be true… Can it?
"Oh yeah, Amika and Kumuro broke up!"
Amika's head turned red, sending steam out of her ears.
"FOR THE LAST TIME, WE'RE JUST GONNA BE FRIENDS FOR A WHILE!"
Heihachi hid behind the door, peering through the gaps. He watched Kusunoki practicing her techniques, awing with admiration.
"Every time I watch her do this kind of stuff, it makes me wonder if I needed to learn some fancy techniques…"
Keima leaned his back against the wall, playing his PFP.
"Just focus on asking her out. You only got one shot at this."
Heihachi nodded his head.
"Don't worry. I'll do just that."
Heiahchi enters the room, setting his eyes on the goal. This is it. It's now or never. He stood near Kusunoki, scratching his head.
"Captain, have you heard about the Majima festival coming up soon?"
She lunged her fists forward, creating a powerful gale flying through the dojo.
"I have been informed by the council members that I need to gather all the students up and have them perform by Sunday."
Heihachi nodded his head.
"I… I wish to join you for Sunday…"
Kusunoki froze, making Heihachi gulp nervously. Ah shit…
"You've been spending more time doing some cleaning up around here. What makes you so sure that you're able to practice well by Sunday?"
Heihachi shrugged.
"Maybe we could find out through sparring."
She quickly shifted her eyes to Heihachi.
"Oh really? Are you willing to challenge me, your Captain, to a spar so arrogantly?"
Heihachi grinned sinisterly, changing his stance.
"I like to warn you that I have been watching you practice your techniques ever since I came here…"
Kusunoki grinned, turning her body around.
"I'll accept your challenge, but don't think I'll go easy on you!"
Heihachi chuckled.
"I wouldn't dream of having anyone, let alone a woman, go easy on me!"
Kusunoki gritted her teeth before charging towards him. Heihachi widened his eyes, blocking his face with his arms. Her hands stopped near his arms, gazing upon him. Heihachi slowly lowered his arms, watching Kusunoki swing her legs around. Heihachi rolled away before retaliating with his kick. Kusunoki grabbed his leg, making him wave his arms around.
"Wait! Please don't flip me over!"
Kusunoki grinned.
"For someone who was initially perceived as a trash, I guess you do have some skill in you…"
Kusunoki released his legs, walking away from Heihachi.
"If you really are passionate about this, come to the dojo tomorrow. Expect yourself to push yourself to the limits."
Heihachi walked out of the room, smiling victoriously.
"I can't believe this! I actually made her smile!"
Keima nodded his head.
"I guess you are fortunate enough to go with the fight option, considering that you have a chance to perhaps match her strength at least."
"I was wrong about you, trash boy."
Keima lifted his head up, finding Hinoki standing near Keima. Keima widened his eyes, pointing his fingers at Hinoki.
"Why are you at school? Wouldn't that leave you exposed to your sister?"
Hinoki shrugged at Keima.
"It's not like she'll notice anything during training. She has a lot more to go if she wants to achieve anything in life."
Keima lowered his eyelids. She has stayed the same since last time… Hinoki turned her eyes to Heihachi, dropping her smile.
"You may have been able to avoid her attacks, but you still have a long way to go…"
Heihachi shrugged.
"Whenever there's love around, I'll go through anything standing in my way."
Keima turned his head to Heihachi. That obviously didn't happen with Hana… Hinoki grabbed Heihachi's cheeks, squeezing them tightly.
"If you really are determined to please her, perhaps you would also like some extra training from me, right?"
Heihachi waved his arms around.
"Please don't squeeze my cheeks."
She threw Heihachi on the ground, watching him pant breathlessly.
"If you really want to impress me and my sister, then you better start coming to my afternoon sessions tomorrow, boy…"
Amika and Hana left the school grounds, strolling through the city streets. Amika sighed, gazing upon the ground.
"Is it true that you're taking that Otamegane to the bonfire?"
Hana sighed.
"If you mean by Keima, then yes."
"Why are you suddenly interested in him?"
Hana gritted her teeth. Dammit! She's onto me! She changed her face, prevent Amika from revealing her true feelings.
"Oh… about that… I just asked him out because I feel sorry for him."
Amika hesitated, gazing upon Hana.
"R… really?"
"I mean he doesn't have a girlfriend yet. Who knows what would happen if kept avoiding society?"
"To be honest, I don't think it's a good idea to get too close to him…"
Hana turned her head, blinking at Amika.
"What do you mean?"
She clenched her fists, lifting it up high.
"He has no concern for ordinary people like you and I! Do you honestly think that he wanted something like that?"
Hana turned her head away from Amika.
"I… I'm not sure if that's entirely tr-"
"You like him, don't you?"
Hana widened her eyes.
"What makes you think that a high-class girl like me would like to date someone like him?"
Amika placed her hands on Hana's shoulders.
"Finally! I shall have my revenge on you!"
Amika grinned sinisterly, chuckling like a maniac. Hana pushed Amika away, cowering in fear.
"No! There seems to be a misunderstanding! I… I…"
Amika sighed, folding her arms.
"I guess I did have that feeling ever since we visited your house. Now that I think about it, I was wondering why you chased after him during that night we had a dancing lesson…"
Hana sighed, turning her head away from Amika.
"To think that you caught me so easily…"
"Don't try making him yours…"
Hana lifted her head up, witnessing Amika's serious face.
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but before I went for Kumuro-sama I used to kinda like that disgusting creep. Every time I looked at him, he was far too focused on his 'game girls'!"
Amika placed her hands on her cheeks and sighed.
"Unlike my Kumuro-sama, he treats me nicely and always chooses me over his games! How romantic!"
Hana tilted her head down and sighed. Is this really the truth about Keima? Will I ever fulfil my impossible dream?
"Don't get upset Hana-chan. I promise I won't tell anyone else about it…"
Amika strolled away from Hana.
"But if I was you, I should start hating him to my heart's content…"
Hana turned away from Amika, leaning against the window. Tears trickled through her cheeks.
"It really is impossible, isn't it?"
Kanon sat at her chair, gazing upon her makeup artist in the mirror. Her artist smiled, placing her hands on Kanon's shoulders.
"You look so cute, Kanon-chan! Tonight's performance might be your best one yet!"
Kanon nodded her head.
"Yes. I've made a song especially prepared for Mai High festival…"
The artist sighed, walking away from her.
"Why don't you perform that new song right now? Your school's not exactly the best place to draw your fans to it…"
The artist left the room, closing the door behind her. Kanon shrugged, closing her eyes.
"I need to make amends with Keima-kun! I think I can make this right!"
Author's Note: Looks like I haven't broken my promise this time! Hopefully I can deliver again next week. For those who have been sticking by me reading this, thank you for your support!