Last chapter... was weirdly received... I know I upset one reviewer pretty badly, so I figured I'd try and get the story to a less tense place before my exams start in full force.

In any case, enjoy...

"That jerk!" Chihiro muttered under her breath as she stomped away from the Café. How could he hurt Tenri like that? Was he just trying to add to the body count of girls who liked him and whom he brutally rejected and left!?

First herself… then Ayumi… then this Tenri girl, who seemed to treat him better than anyone at Maijima Academy did… why the hell would he do that!?

Still, Chihiro knew that her words had been selfish… those were the words that years of failed relationships and an unfeeling heart had accumulated in her heart.

"You know, it's been four years since then, and I have yet to have any kind of meaningful relationship, because I'm too scared that it'll hurt me again…"

Those were the words she'd hissed on the train in anger, but in truth, they barely scratched the surface. There was no way that she could explain the frustration… or the pain…

That she inflicted on them…

Chihiro stopped in her tracks, suddenly remembering why Tenri's tearing face seemed so familiar… There's no way she could have seen that face on herself, but rather, she saw it on one of her exes.

Toward the end of her second year of high school, Chihiro had promised herself that she would never reject anyone and hurt them. With what she'd seen with her and Ayumi, she considered that to be the best solution, and for a while, it actually was… until he came around…

Tetsurou was a great guy… a year older than her, pretty handsome, but with a more boyish face… he would wear sunglasses, even indoors, but more as a precaution to hide his brilliant eyes.

Personality-wise, he was really great to… sweet, sensitive and a bit too obsessed with his computer, but not in any overly weird way. Chihiro could not have been any happier when such a catch asked her out.

As usual, it went downhill slowly. Chihiro would do whatever a good girlfriend would do, but the hypothetical wall was still there, and she didn't fall for him.

For three months, the relationship went like that, not deepening or anything. Despite what he'd do, nothing really changed.

Unlike the other guys, he didn't get fed up and break up with her. He just kept trying to get her to open up, and one day…

"Is there something wrong with me or something?" He asked softly, while they were eating lunch at the University cafeteria.

"Hmm?" Chihiro replied, waving her chopsticks lightly.

"Is there a reason you don't have any serious conversations with me?" He looked at her seriously. Chihiro sighed inaudibly and put down her chopsticks. What a bother…

"We do talk about families and friends… what do you want to talk about?"

"I want to know if I'm wasting my time here…" his eyes hardened, "do you even like me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" she dodged the question, a skill she had picked up. He was too perceptive for her liking.

"I want a yes or no answer…" he demanded. Chihiro considered picking up her bag and just walking out, because there was no way he'd like her answer. Still, as usual, she fell onto her hand, as if she was bored in class. However, it was more of an action of defeat.

It had been a fun ride, but as with all rides, it was ending now.

"Just break up with me, will you?" she said, her voice even and prepared. His eyes widened, before falling back to normal.

"What… so I can be the bad guy here?" Chihiro felt a twinge. That was exactly what she wanted… She never wanted to be the one who pulled the trigger. She slowly nodded.

Tetsurou's face fell into his hands, shoving his dark glasses onto his forehead. When his green eyes opened, they betrayed no expression or thought.

"Chihiro… Can you answer a few questions truthfully for me…" Chihiro nodded, "Are you cheating on me?"

"O-of course not…" she replied. The stuttering was more from surprise than her lying, because she really hadn't.

"So do you like someone else then?" Chihiro shook her head.

"Then what is your deal!?" he scowled. Chihiro was watching him slowly lose his shit but she had no clue how to fix it. Would it just be better to explain why she always had problems with relationships?

Still, as she was stretching her hand to extend some sympathy, she realised she had no clue what she could explain… Her first love broke her heart brutally, and she still wasn't over it? How pathetic was that… the cause didn't justify the means at all. She pulled her hand back, a feeling of self-loathing resting into her chest.

"I just don't like anyone like that…" Chihiro muttered, her previously stretched out fingers curling back into her palms, "you didn't do anything wrong…" Tetsurou stood up, his eyes concerned, but cautious.

"How long have you felt like that?" he asked.

"For some time…" she muttered, "I'm sorry…"

"I wish you just told me before…" he said, his voice breaking right at the end of the sentence, "thanks a lot for that…"

By then, his face had turned a curious shade of pink and his voice was as steady as an inexperienced tight-rope walker. At that point, Chihiro was certain that her previous plan of protecting guys by never rejecting was complete shit, because she considered protecting herself as her first priority…

Chihiro noticed she had barely moved from the gate. Her hand was just resting on the gate, and her face was just wet with tears.

Ironically, Keima's rejection was actually the solution Chihiro should have used with Tetsurou which would have saved him from the pain. Chihiro squeezed the gate so hard her nails dug into her palms.

Love was frustrating like that… There wasn't any perfect way to close off any relationship at all…

On the other side of the wall, Keima was in a similar agonized position at the table. While he didn't feel that he had dealt with the date badly, he might have been wrong in accepting the date as that. He could have easily accepted it as two friends hanging out, but as a date, he had given Tenri hope that something could happen between them.

"Keima-kun…" Tenri sat down on the table next to him, "are you alright?" Keima looked up.

"Better question is, are you alright?" he asked softly. Her nose was a little red, like she had been crying.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" she replied mechanically. While she was a bit tested, she only felt for Keima. Those words from Chihiro were way too harsh…

"I'd prefer if you didn't hold back…" Keima remarked, keeping eye contact with her.

"Then I'd prefer if you did the same…" she retorted back, more stubbornly than usual.

They stared for a moment before laughing. Keima looked over Tenri's shoulder, where Eri was at the door, watching. She had been around there for way too long, but with Chihiro's angry breakdown and Tenri and Keima's own issues, there probably wasn't any room for her there.

"I'm just going…" Eri said awkwardly, now that Keima had caught her eyes.

"Wait, Eri…" his little sister stopped moving, "and you please see if Chihiro is still around here?" she nodded and ran off. Keima's eyes drifted back to Tenri's.

"Fine… I won't force any answers, but can you tell me how you felt about my answer from yesterday?" Tenri gave him a half smile before lowering her gaze to her hands that were fidgeting on the table. Keima could tell that she was probably choosing her words carefully.

"I understand, Keima-kun…" She began, but that didn't please Keima at all. Tenri had mentioned that already, and it had showed absolutely nothing about her emotional well-being.

"Are you sad, Tenri?" He asked. That had been the question which he wanted answers for in the first place.

Tenri gasped slightly, her eyes started prickling again. Maybe it was that caring tone he was using, or the fact that asking her about it just made her feel slightly humiliated… In any case, she kept her long bangs low enough.

"I'm…" she started to reply, but it was obvious to her ears that her pain was audible, "of course it hurt…"

She didn't stutter, despite the croakiness to her voice. It was helpful that her voice was barely above a whisper, but in that room, it was loud enough.

Keima swallowed hard. That did confirm his suspicions. Tenri's face was barely hovering over the table.

"But it can't be helped…" Tenri continued, "you love her, and because I love you, I can't force you to stay with me…"

Keima, who was sitting quietly and listening, heard a slight drip he hadn't been expecting… Tenri was crying, wasn't she?

Keima gulped again… His games had zero training on how to deal with a girl like that…

He shook his head angrily. Why was he thinking about that when this was completely different? Tenri was his friend… and he was the one causing her to cry.

Keima felt that same wave of loathing that hit him whenever he thought of the Goddess hosts, but this time, it was definitely one of the harder ones.

Tenri spent all that time selflessly watching, trying to not cause any troubles for him. Was there anything he could do for her?

His hand stretched toward her, to rub her shoulder… or her hair… that comforted people, right?

"Don't touch me," Keima stopped suddenly, "please…"

Keima pulled himself back. Despite the abrupt start, Tenri would be polite till the end. He did appreciate that subtle consistency in characterisation.

For Tenri, she had a good reason to stop him… While she wasn't anywhere near being over her feelings, it would be a major setback if she allowed him to continue while she was like this.

Besides, this was her time to be strong now… she quickly swiped the back of her hand over her eyes and sat up properly. Keima noted that her eyes were pink again.

"I'll be fine…" she said in what she hoped was a confident tone, "it may take some time, but you don't have to worry about me…"

"Your selflessness is really annoying," Keima interjected. Why did she have to care about him, when she was the one hurting? Considering this conga line of pain he'd been inflicting over the last few years, why did she even care for him at all?

"I'm no-"

"Listen…" he interrupted, putting his hand up, "I want to make you happy, so just tell me how…"

"You don-"

"No…" Keima interrupted for the second time, "from the start, it's been about what I've wanted… now why don't you tell me what you want?"

From the time he'd known Tenri, she was easy to overlook… she was small, quiet, and had no ambition or desires… when he'd moved back in time, that part of her made it very easy for him to recruit her as an ally…

Still, he'd been taking advantage of that, and essentially used her as a pawn, which he wasn't proud of, in hindsight. That gave him all the more reason to find out what she wanted. He'd go to the ends of the world, if it meant Tenri being happy.

"I'm fine…" Tenri waved her hands in her face, "you don't have to do anything more for me…"

"What have I even done that qualifies for 'more' in your sentence?" Keima asked, his eyes narrowing again. Real girls just didn't make sense.

Her next action cemented that fact in him when she smiled lightly…

"You're here, aren't you?" Keima felt a blush creep up his cheeks, "you're here and you're trying to make sure that I'm happy…"

Keima grabbed his ankles. Why did that reply make him feel weird… like he needed to refute it, despite the glow of warmth that he felt in his stomach?

Only girls are supposed to be tsundere…

"I'm hardly doing that…" he snorted…

"Even so…" Tenri was the one who was trying to keep eye contact now, "you gave me something very special yesterday… That's why I don't want anything more…"

The girl felt herself warm up as well… both the date and this kiss… even the drive home had been something that she treasured, and would continue to treasure for as long as she lived.

"Just… isn't there anything else?"

Tenri shook her head.

"If you insist, I'll think about it more at home…"

Tenri stood up. Now seemed like a good point to end off the conversation anyway. Keima wasn't taking Chihiro's words from before so harshly, and she wasn't feeling too sad…

Not that she was feeling that sad from the beginning… she only started crying because he asked about it in the first place.

"Wait," Keima stood up as well, his words stopping Tenri in her tracks, "are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Sure… Besides, Diana is still with me, if I need to talk to someone…"

"That's good…" Keima sighed in relief, "I'm surprised Diana let me live through this…"

Tenri's expression changed from whatever weird mood she was in, into a concerned frown.

"Diana… she sometimes gives me advice, but she mostly leaves me to myself…" Tenri sighed as well, but for a different reason.

For some time now, Diana was very uninterested in the world. It didn't have to do with Keima coming back, though…

"Is everything alright with you two?" Keima asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Tenri picked up her bag, "I think she's just bored now… So bye, Keima-kun…"

"Have a safe trip," he replied a bit distractedly, as if he was speaking to Eri. That familiar way of replying made Tenri happy too.

"I'll be off…" she replied with a smile in her voice. Keima was just wondering whether this Diana issue was worth looking into…

Who was he kidding? Considering it has to do with the Goddesses, he's bound to get involved in it soon enough.

He was considering enjoying his peace for the time being, but his conversation with Eri came back to mind… it was doubtful Chihiro would be around, but it wouldn't hurt to check… after that, he could go back to his game…

Fifteen minutes ago, when Chihiro had walked off, Keima was certain he'd reached a Bad End… even though reality has a crappy design, he was glad that life went on… at least him and Tenri were on good terms now.

"Eri!" Keima called, walking into the Café. His so-called younger sister was nowhere in sight. His mother was behind the counter, so he made a beeline there.

"Ka-san… Have you-" his mother pointed, so Keima quickly followed with his chocolate eyes.

At the table where Mari Katsuragi had pointed, a certain young adult was sitting awkwardly, a mug of hot chocolate in front of her. Keima could not have been more relieved to see her… or scared, for that matter…

"She asked for you…" Mari spoke, before giving him a nudge, "good luck!"

I know this is kind of a cliffhanger, but it isn't evil... Chihiro isn't without sin herself, so we know this is going to be an apology...

Why does it seem I like Tenri better? I'm making her way nicer than Chihiro... In any case, Chihiro will get to apologize soon enough.

My God, this review thing is gonna be long... feel free to skip...

Chapter 6

xellos540: I feel we talk too much with PMs... I guess there's no winning here for me. Keima just grew in a different direction than what he was like in the manga.

Blame Love... it wasn't my fault at all :/

Guest: As usual, you bring the poetic words about writing... always appreciated, but you don't need to force it.

Still, I hope this brought the feels enough for you...

Shawn Raven: Hehe, I didn't do anything... that's just what happens when you get emotionally attached to something.

That hand holding part made me laugh...

: I did try for that date... did you like it?

Chapter 7

Shawn Raven: I mostly addressed you in a PM, but I hope this made you feel a bit better... no apology from Chihiro yet, but hopefully this chapter addressed what Chihiro was feeling, and the apology is definitely next chapter.

Bae-bbles: I see what you did with that name ;)

That is very genre-savvy of you... I hope you like the next chapter.

pie: You... are odd... I like that. We could all use that bear.

If you want to write fanfiction, I suggest making an account and posting it on that. It sounds interesting... teacher/student are a bit iffy, but I'd read it.

xellos540: Oh my gosh, that omake... Hopefully Eri is more competent now.

The addresses may take a few extra chapters to get explained, but hopefully you'll like the explanation...

Guest: You are exactly right... Chihiro is brash, but luckily, her own failure reminded her to stop judging so harshly. She'll be less angry and jealous next time.

Aika: Thanks... I hope you continue reading.

Aika: I guess you did... Thanks for the compliment.

Though to answer your question... I'm looking at over 20 chapters... by technicality, Keima is going to apologize to all the girls, and he still needs to bridge the gap between Chihiro and himself. Plus, the actual plot... I don't think I've even discussed it.

Ah well... next chapter.

EXPERIMENT 2.0: Ah, you joined the fandom at a good time. The manga has been long since complete and for some odd reason, the fanfiction community is blooming too.

This is an AU which is based more around the manga than the anime, but not having read the manga won't cause any understanding problems. It isn't a bad arc though, so if you have the time and energy, give it a go. In fact, rereading the Goddess Arc will do you good, because the anime skipped on some details that were really interesting.

Still, I hope you continue reading.

That's the reviews done...

So I've been reading xellos540's story (which you should read too, if you're interested), and I really like the omake at the end of the Author's note. I may join into that trend, but it's more of a trivia thing if you're into the Kaminomi anime.

Kaminomirajio hajimaru yo!

I don't know how many people actually know about 'Otoshigami, Calling you', which was the radio show that aired sometime after the first season came out, but it's hosted by Hiro Shimono and Kanae Itou, who voiced Keima and Elsie respectively, but it's loads of fun, and if you wanna see Keima and Elsie bonding, that's the way to go, because those two have the exact same relationship in real life that they have in the manga.

The thing is, the radio episodes are pretty hard to come by. I've only seen them on Niconico and ostanime, but the latter got shut down and they didn't reupload it, and Niconico needs an account...

So for the first episode, they only covered the first season conquests. It was mostly Hiro Shimono and Kanae Itou chatting, but they ended up having a quiz in the middle, regarding the different girls. It went kinda like this...

Which girl had the hardest time during their conquest?

HS: Kanon Nakagawa- he mentioned that he understood her pain because he's a negative person who doesn't have much confidence in himself.

KI: Kanon Nakagawa- for her, she thought that being an idol and a school girl is hard.

Which girl had the largest gap in their heart?

HS: Mio Aoyama- Mio lost her father, whom she really loved and depended on.

KI: Mio Aoyama- same reason, but she went on to impersonate her own father (suddenly, that image of Elsie with a mustache comes to mind). That was cute, and it shows that Kanae does love her father.

Which girl had the most appealing attributes?

HS: Shiori Shiomiya- Quiet girls make him curious.

KI: Mio Aoyama- She acts all strong when she's still depressed. Kanae just wants to hug her, which is a feeling Hiro Shimono understood.

What girl had the most understandable issue which worried them?

HS: Kanon Nakagawa- Shimono did mention that he considers the world unfair, and it also came down to Kanon working hard yet still not feeling any confidence in herself.

KI: Ayumi Takahara- Kanae understood what it was like when you try your hardest and you still get nowhere. Losing confidence in yourself is normal.

Well, that's about it... Except Kanae kept putting her own sound effects like jaa jang for when the question was announced and chi chi chi for a ticking clock while they were supposed to be thinking. It both amused and annoyed Hiro Shimono to no end.

Anyhoo, I hope you liked the omake as well as the chapter. I will see you when I do.