1.) Sorry if the chapter seems rushed, but I'm playing through the Clannad visual novel (which is AWESOME, by the way), and that's taking up my free time.

2.) I also apologize for the brevity of this chapter. My muse just isn't as fired up as the previous chapters. It doesn't help that Nagisa's theme is playing through my head over and over again.

Disclaimer in earlier chapters

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Three: Me, Shinobi, and Repeats

"I'm don't think this is a good idea," said Kanon to Haqua, her partner-in-time. The duo - under the Celestial Robe's guise - spied on Miharu on the rooftop, who was eyeing a certain flat-chested German with her binoculars.

"...Ojou-sama, why don't you like me?" asked Miharu, her forearm on her forehead. Kanon begrudgingly gave the lesbian respect. The energetic homosexual looked as if she would go through hell and back just to be with her beloved pettanko. That intense passion reflected the romance between herself and a certain gamer... at least from Kanon's purview. She was still daydreaming about her confession to the bespectacled boy when Haqua firmly shook the idol's shoulder.

"Concentrate," said Haqua. "We need to find out what makes the Target tick, and we can't do that if we're staring out into space." They turned to Miharu, who just noticed a very interesting topic being discussed between Minami and Mizuki.

"I wonder how Aki's doing?" wondered Minami, who had noticed that he three of them hadn't really been hanging out all that much. "He's been pretty distant lately."

"...Yeah. I-I kinda miss him," replied Mizuki, a thoughtful look on her face. "Plus, he wasn't even in class earlier!"

"Really?" asked Minami, blushing a little. She hadn't really noticed, since she had daydreamed about him the whole day, though she would never admit that. "That baka's probably at his house, if that's the case. Why don't we visit him?"

"That'll be a great idea!" cheered Mizuki. "Too bad I don't have any food prepared..." In another universe, Akihisa's unconscious body shivered.

"That pig! Why is he getting the five-star treatment, while I'm getting the bottom of the barrel!?" exclaimed Miharu, crushing the binoculars in her hand in one go. Haqua's eye twitched, and the girl tried to keep her jaw from going too low. "Ojou-sama, I will rescue you!"

"Shoot," cussed Haqua. "Misses Flat and Melons are gonna go to Akihisa's apartment, with the target in tow. Once Keima sees Miharu, our operation is all over."

"Can Keima see the Escaped Spirits, even when they're still hidden?" asked Kanon, legitimately confused. She sure wasn't an expert on all things Hellish, but she was pretty sure that Keima couldn't see into people's hearts literally.

"Just trust me on this one," said Haqua, who nabbed the pink-ette's wrist, and pulled her in Miharu's direction.

"P-Please try not to run again, K-Keima," said Shiori, dabbing gently at the ugly black-and-blue mark on the gamer's forehead. Keima winced, while admiring Shiori's new-found courage. Before coming to Fumizuki, Shiori could barely speak, much less in coherent sentences. Now, she merely stuttered now and then. It seemed that the Capturing God wasn't the only one changed by the World Akihisa Knew. "You're still disabled."

"Sorry, but I just know that Archaic wants something out of Haqua and Kanon. Even if they don't want to kill them..." Keima trailed off, as Elsie returned to the living room, a bag of ice in hand. Shiori took the bag and applied it to Keima's injury, "H-How will you be able to move - much less C-Capture - in your state?"

"I just know that Kami Nii-sama will find a way to save everyone," said Elsie, with the faith of a child, "because you're my Kami Nii-sama." The Capturing God decided to give his devout follower what she desired: a pat on the head.

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Elsie," said Keima, contradicting himself with the all-knowing smirk on his face. "Anyway, let's get to the point of this... 'meeting'. Since those two 'bugs' (Kanon and Haqua) are running amok, we'll need a 'patch' of sorts. That's where you two'll come in. I suppose I'll call you two the 'Conquest Repair Squad'. Alright, here's what you two need to do-"

Ding dong! After the three of them jumped out of their skins, Keima told Shiori and Elsie to investigate under the Robe's disguise. They slowly walked towards the window, took a swift peek - just in case someone who could see through the magic was there - and came back.

"Kami Nii-sama, Minami and Mizuki are just outside!" whisper-shouted Elsie. Right after that, the doorbell rang again.

"Damn you Reality, with your stupid repeats," cursed Keima. Kneeling, he tore about two inches of Robe, ripped it in half, and stuck both of the tatters up his nostrils, simulating a cold. "Open the door once I enter the room, and don't make yourselves visible till they leave." Once the conditions were satisfied, Keima's team went into action. Shiori gripped the doorknob, and slowly turned it, stopping once the *click* sound was heard.

"Oh, never mind, it's open," said Minami stepping in, followed by her pink-haired companion. Then, dressed in a black uniform reserved for shinobi, Miharu dashed in, and shoulder-rolled behind the couch. The last of the stalkers - Kanon and Haqua - entered, cloaked by Haqua's Celestial Robe.

Let the repeat begin.

3.) As always, please review, and give me your opinion on how the story's progressing.

Goodbye!