Keima was used to abuse. Somehow, his body was well-trained to accept all kinds of brutal treatment, whether it was a stray skillet missile hurled by his mother, or a certain old man's obscenities, a certain devil's spells going haywire, or more recently being shocked by millions of volts of electricity every second. He didn't know where this fortitude came from; he only knew it was useful when it counted the most.

The "accident", as he figured, when the enthusiastic girl had hurled him head-first into the wall, was a great time to pause and reconsider his current schedule. As long as he kept his head down, he would avoid more features of the encounter: an apology or recrimination, either way it would turn into a Real encounter bordering on a flag.

"I am sorry for my action. Art thou injured?"

Damn it. He feigned exhaustion, allowing his body to hang limply on the wall. Ah, but his back was hurting a little now. He felt the presence near and its hands touch him. "Please go away please go away"

Ah well, he had other plans for these contingencies. After he was summarily extracted from the wall, he kept his body slack, his head turned to the side as if in a daze.

"I apologize for my action." You said that already. Rather, why was she speaking so old-fashionedly? The presence was still holding him up by the front of his shirt. He chanced a peek with the corner of his eyes.

Whoa! He averted his eyes quickly. It was that "ice warrior" or something, Kasuga! Dangerous, dangerous. While he didn't believe half of the stories being said about her, he had the sense to retain caution when faced by a student with such infamy. As long as he didn't antagonize her, as he'd probably done before she'd thrown him, he would get off without further incident.

Mustering up his best mask, Keima brought his hand to his head, moaning absently, before turning to look straight at Kasuga's face. "Ah. Kasuga-san!" He saw a brief instant of flush red before he was slammed back against the wall. Well done, Keima.

Never mind your now-aching back! He gritted his teeth, turning it into a ghost of a smile as he spoke again, "I'll be on my way now." He summoned up his best nondescript facial expression, bowed, and turned to descend the stairs.

"Halt, thou student. What manner of pendant be that on thy neck?" Kasuga asked. He could feel the piercing gaze on his chest, as if it were a tangible dart. His hands went up quickly to his tear-drop pendant, too late, he'd noticed it had fallen out of his shirt from all the slamming.

He quickly stuffed it back, hiding it from view. "Family heirloom! Punishment game from mother! Bye now!" he explained hurriedly, again giving her an awkward, average grin and a farewell bow before making his way down.

No flag no flag no flag

As he uttered his mantra to himself, he distinctly felt Kasuga's cold, persistent scrutiny on his back until he disappeared out of view. He shivered.

OoOoOoOo

((

As I sunk into self-reflection rituals I imposed on myself at the family compound, my father returned to ask me of my day.

I had no idea what my ordinary days would mean to him. As a Kasuga, what did it matter what my day was like?

Undoubtedly sensing the question I formed in my mind, my father shook his head. "Remember the code of the Kasuga, Kusunoki."

To always be human.

In between the training I was receiving to enhance my current style with demon-killing techniques and artifacts, I also heard the legends he had of the art.

That demons existed, yes, the ancients knew. Some bargained or prostrated themselves for the power these beings could grant.

After self-reflection, my father drilled me on my swordsmanship forms. It was something wholly knew to me; I was only used to my fists. I raised the bamboo sword.

Some demons were benevolent; beings that illuminated as terrible Amaterasu. But most demons were evil, harking from the unholy realm of Yomi.

"How many times must you repeat it? Your right's too exposed!" I bore the sharp sting of failure.

The ancients knew enough of them to stay out of their way when they didn't need them, or call out to them if favors were demanded.

"We will never know what dark, debased things the Ancient Enemy could bring forth. The scrolls tell of dark ages. . . "

In time, the ancients learned not to trust demons. They began to make war on them.

"Never," Rap. "Overextend." Rap. "Yourself." Rap! Rap!

Knowing little of demons' craft, they made even more bargains to aid themselves. The demons were only too happy to oblige.

"Good! Now switch to defense! Brace yourself for my full killing intent!"

"The Kasuga learned from their mistake. 'Tis a fool who turns into the one you destroy."

Favors were besought of the benevolent demons. Great artifacts of unmatched power. The demons were driven back, for a time.

"That's enough. You've done well."

But then it was discovered that such artifacts were easy to pervert. Evil seeped into holy shrines, poisoning the good demons' words.

"The Kasuga learned then. No agent of another are we, we fight as ourselves, for ourselves."

Great families of the three traditions arose, all united to the cause of demon-hunting. They hunted in secret, for the demons thrived in the shadows.

I breathed in the night-time air, standing before one of our ponds. I saw ripples form from the falling leaves.

But that was not the end-all. There are hunters from the third who rejected normalcy, pushing their bodies, their known abilities to the limit.

"Abominations. Some became as new demons themselves. It was considered good practice among them to intermarry in the family, preserving the purity of the blood."

Soon demon-hunter hunted demon-hunter. The sins that demons espoused enmeshed them, flinging them headfirst into secret wars.

"The greatest sin was Pride."

The Kasuga are one of the few scion families left. And we are proud to proclaim that we preserved our traditions to this day.

I stared at the moonlit reflection of my face. It shimmered momentarily before disappearing.

"Something odd struck me about a student in my school, father." I voiced my doubts. The basic detecting arts taught to me had alerted me to something.

"If what you say is true, then we cannot ignore it." My father was bone-tired from training me, but in the moon-bare dark he seemed reborn.

"I shall look into it more, father."

"Good girl. Perhaps we should return to training you in detection. We cannot fathom how many walk about undetected."

"I shall not disappoint thee." I bowed deeply.

"And lose that manner of talking. It's unbecoming of a lady." He retired.

But father. . . !

))

OoOoOoOo

"Here we are today at the match between Godofcapture and KeimaK in this, the final round of the Command, Conquer and Love grand tournament! This match has been a long time coming, ladies and gentlemen, for both players.

"Godofcapture, with his favored Gold Digging Initiative, has faced numerous challenges along the way, but his sound grasp of Route basics and unchallenged mastery of scouting techniques has led him to victory time and time again.

"The crowd favorite, and the previous winner of this tournament, KeimaK is famous for his blitz strategies involving the infamous, yet-to-be fixed Not Out to Dig faction. Will he achieve True Ending once more?

"The winner shall receive recognition as the best CCL player for this year, and receive a complimentary prize of games or game hardwares of his choice.

"Here comes the referee, Keima Katsuragi, starting the match. The virtual field will be prepped ladies and gentlemen, and we once again remind you to stay in the safe. . . "

Keima Katsuragi, the janitor, peered from the walkway between two buildings, the mop in his hand dipped momentarily into a bucket half-filled with water. The flash of afterburners lit the tiled floor below as one of KeimaK's spy jets flew above him.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Beside him stood the most peculiar thing in this dreamworld. Whereas the whole field was filled with Keimas and Katsuragis and Capturing Gods of all shapes, sizes and professions watching the ongoing battle live, this one was the only difference, the only one who looked different.

"It", Keima hesitated to call it a she, was shorter than him, reaching up to his chest. It had long, black hair bundled up in a pony-tail, with the queerest of ornaments, a cartoonish skull, covering one side of its head. Around its shoulders was perched a raiment of pink, and the janitor Keima could see it shift and change as if a wind had blown by. Finally, the creature held a broom in its hand, making this the only contention he had with the creature.

The creature had tried to help him, brushing over his wet floor with the broom, to which he'd protested and beat it over the head with his mop.

"Just watching the match for a while." The same spy jet flew back, this time going under the walkway, closely trailed on the ground below by three of Godofcaptures' raptor-buggies. "While waiting for my refill of water- I sent you to get that didn't I?"

"B-but it's heavy! You really expect poor old me to lift something that I really can't?" The creature looked upset.

"You could have rolled it on the floor."

A flash of inspiration lit its face. "Oh, that's right! Clever of you, mister!" The creature started walking away, paused, then doubled back with a furious expression, which only came out to a cute, childish pout, "Meanie! Meanie! Taking advantage of me since I'm small and not too bright! Meanie!"

She threw a ranting tantrum then and there, disrupting his already polished floor. Keima sighed and calmed her down, dragging his own bucket with him. "Alright, calm down. I was joking."

"That was really mean. . . "

"Well, I'll lift the bucket, and you carry your own mop from storage. I seem to remember having a spare there. As I've said, we don't need a broom anymore, so you can leave that behind."

"I'm glad to be of help then!"

Keima the janitor sighed. After refilling the two buckets, he held them on each hand, then urged the creature to the closet, where it joyfully shouted upon seeing a spare mop for her. Carrying its broom and his mop side by side, to which Keima could only shrug helplessly, they returned to the walkway, where there was a fierce firefight starting below between heavily armed soldiers.

As the rat-tat-tats and the explosions filled the air, Keima and the creature set to work finishing up the floor. He was annoyed to see the creature splattering and wasting a little water while mopping, but at least it seemed to be putting out a genuine effort to clean. And she still hadn't put down her broom.

"By the way, strange creature, what's your name? Mine's Keima."

The creature looked up at him as it hummed a pleasant tune to itself. Pausing in its work, it beamed and pointed a finger at itself. "I have a lot of names. But my first and favorite name is Els-"

The rest of her answer was drowned out by a blinding flash of light and an ear-shattering sound.

In that morning, Keima Katsuragi was surprised to feel he had no morning wood. Which was good for him, by the by. It meant no longer having to do "it".

OoOoOoOo

"Man, why do they got to start out the girl as dominative then being submissive towards the end. It sure does defeat the purpose. . . " Chihiro Kosaka commented during break as she leafed through an H-magazine, hidden inside a history textbook's covers. Some boys were inching to get a sneak-peek behind her without being noticed; if they were, Hell on earth would be unleashed. It was balanced by the fact that their class president brought the best material to school.

Ayumi, who was sitting beside her and purposely tuning out most of her friend's idle ramblings, was hunched over her notes, cramming up for an upcoming quiz. Behind her, by edict of the class president, their new friend Tenri was seated, elegantly reading her own notes on history.

"Boring." Chihiro tossed the magazine to Ayumi, where it landed directly on her notes. She shrieked, tossing it behind her, where Tenri also made a soft "eep!" and threw the magazine as far as she could. Like ravenous piranhas the boys that had been watching swarmed over the piece of chum thrown their way. To the side, Maestro was praising their "youth" while making a speech to a gathered crowd.

"Honestly, Chihiro, while it's all well and good that you've aced any test they've given us so far-"

"Study. And when not studying, study some more. Work hard is the go-to line of this century." Chihiro shrugged as she pulled out another questionable magazine from her bag.

"Yeeh, you brought another one! How are you not traumatizing Tenri-san?" Said person shook her head in a negative, trying to appease the incoming argument. She'd learned to expect this after days of spending time with her new friends.

She felt lucky to have immediately gotten friends this soon after transfer.

Ayumi still looked affronted, her homework temporarily forgotten. Chihiro made a shushing sound and revealed the cover to her friends. Immediately, it sent the two of them into a blushing, steaming mess as the class president giggled and tossed the magazine to the pile of boys like a piece of meat. It sailed right over the gaming Otamega's head.

The results were instantaneous.

"Eww!" "What the fuck is that!"

"Get it away from me!" "BL! BL!"

"Still the art looks good. . . "

"You touched it! You touched it didn't you!"

"Throw it!"

"No, burn it!"

"Kill it with fire!"

Ayumi looked accusingly at a still laughing Chihiro, while Tenri looked dazed and blushing red in the face from the event. Suddenly, Tenri cried out, before covering her mouth immediately in embarrassment. Her two friends looked at her and followed her eyes to the entrance.

"Aw man. . . " Ayumi dropped her head on the desk.

"Kasuga-senpai!" Chihiro shouted joyfully. "You've accepted me at last!" She bounded out of her seat. At the sound of "Kasuga" all of the men in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at the entrance with evident alarm.

Even Katsuragi, who quickly looked back at his PFP screen. While also tightening his headphones nervously over his ear.

OoOoOoOo

((

No doubt about it.

The new techniques father taught me on the detection of demons has definitely confirmed it.

There is certainly something off about that student, and that can only mean one thing.

Demon-possession.

I reviewed what I had read of the ancient scroll in my mind. It said that the host would be totally isolated, lacking true friendships with its fellows while it slaved away at a task the demon had set. The host would continue to languish as long as the demon was still inside.

There was undeniable proof in front of me. The other people must have sensed the urgency of my task, as they scattered before me in the corridors, granting me unimpeded view of the target.

I resolved to go deeper. Father taught me never to assume, not until there was plenty of undeniable proof.

))

OoOoOoOo

Keima went to the bathroom during the next break. After getting out, he ran face-to-face into Kusunoki, who stared at him as if he were a lab specimen. Fortunately, practice kicked in and he was able to keep a shriek of surprise from his face before he smiled crookedly and left.

Keima took quick, big chunks of his home-made lunch, carrying it to his mouth with a speed that could pass through a whirling fan. He'd given himself two minutes to finish it all, just enough time for his PFP to download the rest of Kusakabe's route. His chopstick paused in midair, his mouth open and his eyes drooping in exasperation when he sensed the presence behind him. He turned and beamed at Kusunoki before quickly packing up and leaving.

Next day, Keima had just entered school and was in the shoe lockers. He sighed, as if finding something that he'd already expected. Kusunoki, with arms crossed, was standing in front of his locker. Everyone who'd just entered and were making their way there did a double take, eyes wide, as they inched away from the visible threat. Kusunoki remained cool and composed as she stared at Keima.

Keima steeled himself. It was break, and he hoped to lose Kusunoki on his way to the bathroom. Thinking so he slid open the door. And slammed it back close, making a loud thump. Keima looked awkwardly at his classmates who were now staring at him. He turned to walk to the other door in the room, then thought better of it and doubled-back. He smirked confidently and slide back open the door. And slid it back close. He made a small, unintelligible whimper. Guess I can do it later, he thought.

Lunch found Keima at the cafeteria, a rare event. The other students evidently thought so too, as they gawked and pointed whispered among themselves at his sudden appearance. He ordered bread and juice. He scurried into a corner, slamming his tray onto the table and startling Chihiro, who was the other one sitting there.

"What the hell, Otamega? This was a private table."

They had a fierce staring match. It was one that Keima lost when he heard a familiar face slide into the table next to theirs.

"Ah, Kusunoki-senpai!"

Careful not to meet the ice warrior's eyes, Keima cleared his throat, grabbed his food, and left.

"Oh, wait for me senpai!"

Why is she following me?

OoOoOoOo

((

I have once cornered the target in a secluded area. I asked him about his pendant again. He ignored my question and left.

Such rudeness. If I were not treading on glass to avoid angering the possible demon, I would have made him kowtow for blatant disrespect.

I still had to know more.

I followed him to the physical education class in the school dojo. I begged off my own, citing a duty I had to do. It was good that the teacher was quick to oblige. The other students in my class were happy; I assume they were cheering for me and my duty in secret.

I watched him spar. He was still engrossed with the "game machine". (I'd asked my classmates about it, they were only too eager to give the answer) How disgraceful! He should adopt a fighting stance and face his enemy directly!

I heard a mewing sound next to me. Next thing I knew, I was distracted by a kitty.

))

OoOoOoOo

Keima figured Kusunoki would drop by when he had physical education, as that seemed to be her forte. Fortunately, there was no sight of her, and of how her warrior self might react to his unorthodox fighting style.

The teacher ignored it, because it worked, and because he always failed the Capturing God anyway.

Tenri was looking in awe at Keima's direction. She tapped Ayumi on the shoulder and asked her friend about it. "Katsuragi-san's doing well, even though he's. . . "

"Yeah," Ayumi agreed, nodding sagely. "He's like that, the idiot. The others have learned just to roll with it when they get their turn to spar with him. You should watch for a bit, see what the idiot's cooked up for the sake of his game."

Without looking at his opponent and keeping his eyes trained on his PFP screen, Keima ducked, dodged, rolled and jumped out of his sparring partner's attacks. It was a bizarre scene. His current partner attempted to knock his PFP away, but Keima always smoothly shied away.

The other unleashed a flurry, finally managing to force Keima to release his hands from his PFP. Unfortunately, he was quick to recover like it was nothing, catching it deftly while still staring woodenly at the screen.

"We call it the 'Otamega style'. Many tried to copy it, but none have ever been so successful as him. It's like all his focus on his stupid games goes to his muscles, and they do it unconsciously." They watched as Keima whipped around, turning in the air and ducking to preserve momentum while the partner did a spin-kick. In the end, he recovered while still not looking away from the screen.

"'Course, there's one downside." Keima paused, and they could see he was already breathing heavily. His partner wasn't slow, and after a swift jump kick to his head, the Otamega crashed to the side – still clutching and pushing buttons on his PFP. "Low stamina." There were hollers and jeers and boos as Keima walked back to the side and sat down, his eyes still resolutely glued.

"It's like only the game exists for him at all times. Pathetic, right?" Tenri agreed hesitantly, though she did look like she wanted to say something. "I mean, take out the gaming part and he'd be a pretty awesome fighter don't you think?"

"Kusunoki-senpai!" There were gasps and exclamaions and ejaculations and some girlish-boy screams. The two looked to the side where their friend was now bounding for one Kusunoki Kasuga. She was in her white suit, and seemed like she had recently come to a decision. Ayumi's sigh was a harbinger of the headache to come while Tenri looked on uneasily.

"You, student" the ice warrior pointed her practice sword at Keima. "First to fall on all fours is the loser. I challenge you to a fight."

challenge you to a fight. . .

challenge to a fight . . .

to a fight. . .

fight. . .

The challenge echoed deeply, and it was answered by a low, slow rumble of an earthquake.

It seemed as if the entire school of Majima had erupted. Inside their classrooms, students roared and shivered in unison, savoring in equal parts ecstasy and pain the reckoning that was to come. The school came alive with whoops and screams and declarations, with bets starting up all over the place. In a rush, a literal stampede of students made their way to the source, where the infamous Lady Kasuga, the Pure-Fisted had willingly and voluntarily challenged someone else.

That kind of event happened only once, many delinquents attested. Never would their fair Kasuga seek a fight, never on the offensive, and always with a mind to decline even if their actions would ultimately force her hand.

Who was challenged? They asked themselves. Who had been found worthy enough of the Lady's attention, of her untamed spirit, her strength?

Keima looked down, aware that he was now the center of attention of a sea of eyes. He gave curses: one to whatever Divine or malevolent deity was up there, or fate, or something, that called the shots.

Two to encounters, and to the flags that inexplicably came with them.

The Third he dedicated to Hell, without which his life would've gone a lot smoother and with no interruptions from the Real. The she-devil, Hakua, also fit in there somewhere.

And lastly, one to the white-clad being that now stood before him, the personification of cold, refined strength.

Katsuragi? That Katsuragi? The Otamega, certainly infamous in his own right, but never on the level of the Lady Kasuga. Had she made a mistake somehow?

Could she be proving a point? Could she be marking her purity and indomitability by taking on someone who was known to fall on the other end of the scale; the pinnacle of perversion, "Otamegane", hated by many, loved by none?

Ah, some of them agreed. Perhaps the Lady Kasuga was here to clean up this school once and for all. The Otamega would be the first, and then the rest of the deviants would be summarily challenged and beaten down like the scum they were. And to this the delinquents shivered out of anticipation and fear.

Kusunoki didn't move, to her it was just the two of them, the challenger and challenged. Keima breathed a long-suffering sigh, and looked up, "Why should I?"

"B-b-because you've been challenged?" For a moment, the warrior sounded unsure. "And so you must accept it or accept my terms?"

"If you win," Kusunoki proclaimed. "I shall leave you alone from now on. If I am victorious, then you shall have to answer questions of mine until I am satisified, under pain of death."

The ones who were at the fore of the crowd heard her conditions loud and clear, but the people at the back, especially the delinquents who worshipped her, only heard, "victorious", "mine", "satisfied", "until", "death".

Which made them think that Kasuga intended for the Otamega to become her underling. A wave of ill-mannered outrage swept across them, how come he gets to become Lady Kasuga's underling?

"Really now," Keima chuckled. He snapped open his PFP, retrieving the disc and replacing another one inside. He snapped it back close and turned it on with deliberate care. "Now that seems to be a good deal." He had nothing to lose.

"So you accept then?"

Keima pushed his glasses up, the light tinting over them in a perverted manner. "How could I not? It seems a rather agreeable deal to me, I get what I want in exchange for almost nothing. It will be a pleasure, Lady Kasuga. Not that it's going to be fun for me." He stood up and walked to the other side of the enclosure, turning to face Kusunoki once he was far enough.

A ripple of rage aimed at the Otamega coursed through the delinquents' veins when they heard his reply, "exchange" "for" "pleasure", and "fun". . . How dare that guy aim to defile their lady so!

"Go! Crush the moron, Kasuga-senpai!" Chihiro hollered from the front, echoing their sentiments exactly. "He's got nothing on you!"

"Chihiro, don't you think that's a little too much?" Ayumi asked. "After all, poor Katsuragi's gonna be mincemeat on the floor, it'd be nice to give the guy some dignity."

"Hah!" Chihiro scoffed. "What's the matter, Ayumi, do you secretly harbor feelings for the Otamega or something? Can't stand to see him hurt?"

"N-not really," Ayumi hotly refuted. Tenri glanced at her discreetly.

"Here follows the reckoning, ladies and gentlemen. A long time coming indeed, but we all did not know it would be in this manner." Maestro had begun his speech, already guiding his classmates. "At the very least, we did not wish him to be brutalized like thus, merely driven out or exiled perhaps? Disgrace though he may be, he was part of us. . . "

"Accept it with pride, Katsuragi!" "Offer your neck properly!" "Die with honor, Otamega!"

Kusunoki appraised her opponent, sizing him up. He held a lot of openings, didn't even slip into a stance. Instead he kept playing his "game machine". "Won't you take a stance? Fight me properly!"

"And is it fair for me to fight you when I don't have a sword myself?" Keima fired back. "Not like it matters, I intend to beat you with or without that sword." His competitiveness rose to the fore.

Kusunoki was about to apologize and demand for a sword ("Lady Kasuga's using a sword! Maybe Otamega's not worthy of her fists!") but his comment felt like black ink on her unstained samurai soul. Honor required she teach the whelp a lesson using her barely trained skills, and perhaps wring an answer or two from him after.

As for Katsuragi Keima, well, he really had nothing to lose. He only wanted this flag done and over with.

A sudden chill came over the entire assembly. Most felt the incoming killing intent and shivered, holding themselves or their friends in fright. The delinquents relished in it like a pleasant breeze.

Kusunoki sank into a ready stance. Attack form. No quarter. She charged.

"As expected, Katsuragi is fast on his feet! He's dodged Kasuga-senpai's first move, and boy would you look at that all those splinters! Looks like the work crews are gonna be at it for another month!"

"Chihiro. . . " Ayumi said tiredly.

"What? A little commentating don't hurt anyone. Ooh, Katsuragi's still dodging, still dodging, using his trademark Otamega style! I wonder how long he'll last this time, I assume some bets are already up and running? I would hope so, I'm certainly aiming for ten seconds at best!"

It was certainly a lot different here, as defending against an opponent with an extended reach was more than he was used to. Still, he did his best. He'd even chosen the game suitable for this situation, having minigames that tested his button-pressing skills, which somehow transferred over to his muscle's speed.

Eventually, Kusunoki herself heated up. "Oh! Ladies and gentlemen, looks like the gloves are off! Kasuga-senpai's leaking a bit more killer intent than before. What does this bode for the poor idiot? And how come he's survived this long?"

With every swing, wind pressure followed, unbalancing Keima, to which he adjusted by dancing just out of reach. The pressure itself cut his clothes, and Keima began to worry if they would hold. The surrounding crowd didn't fare so well, and scores of them toppled after the wave of pressure passed over their bodies.

"Looks like the Otamega's being boxed off! Kasuga-senpai is slowly leading him to his impending demise!" I really should thank you, Kosaka. He was being herded into a corner where there was less room to maneuver. Fortunately, the nature of the boundary worked for him, as the people in the corner backed up, retreating in the face of utter doom by the effect of Kasuga's attacks. It widened his available room, something which Kusunoki noticed with irritation.

Kusunoki paused, and seemed to be considering her options. She retreated to the center, forcing Keima to follow her.

OoOoOoOo

((

It was unthinkable.

How could the man survive this long?

I was already pushed to the limits of my leashed abilities. Any more and I would be fighting at my full potential.

The man had made no move to retaliate whatsoever. His unworthy self kept on evading and evading my attacks without end! He was an eel, slipping away fromy my fingertips making me feel like i was hiting air. There are truly layers here I cannot comprehend.

Seeing as my enemy ever remained on the defensive, I realized he was trying to force me to capitulate by the manner of his slipperyness.

I clenched my fist on the sword handle. Like I'd let you dishonor me further!

Maybe for a while, I could unleash full power. Just for a fraction of a second, to stun him so I can knock him down. Then I'd won.

I slipped into the conservative form. A well-aimed strike at his feet should do it. I released the first seal.

))

OoOoOoOo

Keima felt it coming, as sure as any release date. The crowd fell back, their tension freezing beneath their skins as the temperature in the dojo sank. He saw Kusunoki relax, her eyes glaring at him coldly.

He had to admit, he was amazed that he'd lasted this long. He figured that it wouldn't have taken more than five seconds to beat him down, perhaps he had a hidden power no one knew, even himself? That would be very inconvenient. As he'd seen in some routes, revealing your power this early on promised more flags in the future.

Well, let this end then.

When Kusunoki charged, he didn't see it coming. She literally disappeared into thin air, which Keima thought was out of the realm of possibility in the Real, only occuring in his games. And now there -

Oh man. He did what any suicidal man would do. He ran forward, charging as well. What he didn't expect was suddenly getting face-to-face with Kusunoki when she reappeared. Shock was evident on the other, their faces mere centimetres apart, with their bodies running parallel as if they'd just passed each other by.

OoOoOoOo

((

"Stop overextending yourself!"

That had been my father's criticism of my swordsmanship.

It was one of the weaknesses I constantly let slip past me, a persistent flaw in my attack patterns.

And now, I'd let it happen again.

))

OoOoOoOo

Time slowed to a halt for the Capturing God. But he didn't have time to dwell on the battle. In this situation, he surrendered to his instincts. Time sped back up.

He spun in place, and in the process his foot knocked Kusunoki's weapon away. She cried out in shock, and got him back by delivering a solid punch deep in his guts.

"Guhaaaa!"

Like a wayward meteor, Keima sunk and crashed into the polished wooden floor, earning a sharp comment from Chihiro about the dojo's imminent closing.

Kusunoki took one, two, several deep breaths. The crowd watched as she retrieved her weapon with dignity, sheathing it back. One almost thought there had been a championship of sorts won by Majima then and there, as the crowd's roar and subsequent ear-rocking applause rocked the small dojo.

It was abruply silenced by Kusunoki's next wave of killing intent.

"So, student." Kusunoki declared, staring down at an unconscious Keima, his glasses askew but his PFP still clutched in his unrelenting hand. "I will have you answer my questions now."

Author's Note: Just putting out this chapter now in case I get too distracted next week reading Rewrite.

Chapter thoughts-

Ayumi – I forgot to add her in last chapter, but yes, she is important. I've decided to add in a role for her, as what I seem to remember from the manga was her appearing only once after her route, and it was only in a cameo-like, advisory role. I would just like to come out now that although Ayumi isn't my favorite, she has some attractive qualities to me. (I would like to withhold saying who my favorite really is as that would upset some people *looks at Vivian over his shoulder*) She does have a role in the endgame.

Mio, Kanon, Shiori – yes, they also have a role, albeit only to a minor extent for the latter two. I still haven't decided at this point if they should appear at all. Twin-tailed tsundere is up there with Chihiro in terms of importance.

Last of all, did any of you notice Hakua doesn't appear at all here? Weird.

I would like to know about any recent developments in the series; in terms of elements about Hell or the rumored Heaven that Tenri's "goddess" hails from. PM or review me if you please, though it's fine otherwise – the plot's pretty much lined up. Any facts from side-materials that I haven't had the time to check out would be nice to know as well.

Till next time!

Edit: June 25 A reminder that next week will be offlimits because of aforementioned game. ^_^ also, might be writing a Haruhi Suzumiya fanfiction in honor of freak teleportations directly into your girlfriend's room! God I loved that in the latest novel.

Merlin out!