Welcome everyone to the newest installment of Ah! My Demon Goddess. With me again is my friend and co-writer, Searchsnake00103.
Search: Glad to be back, especially after having to deal with school nonsense.
Ah, I understand, I've been busy with other stuff at home as well.
Search: Yup, but nobody came here to listen to our troubles. They came here for another chapter! Tell'em what we've got today!
I will, but first, our guest for today, Belldandy, please come~
Belldandy: "Hello~"
Search: Oh goodie, looks like I won't have to pay for travel this time around.
I still had to take Otaki back home from your blunder…
Search: I still think he belonged in Arlen. I mean, look at him.
Belldandy: (Gives search a to sweet smile, with a dark aura around her) "And Keiichi had to do whatever crazy idea he had to make him feel better…~"
Search: Like what, drink beer in an alley going 'yup'?
Belldandy: "Driving a barely together dirt bike on a mountain, going down-hill."
Yikes…
Search: Well at least his glutes got some exercise.
Belldandy: (Summoned a spear of light) "Oh, yes, it might have, but still…~ " (She goes to throw it at Search.)
Search: (Simply ducks down as it flies overhead, causing it to crash into something.)
Alright, let's calm down now. No need to start a fight. Anyways, we are getting to the start of Keiichi and Bell here going to his college, as well as one character having a crisis of sexuality. Thanks to the demon goddess here~
Belldandy: (Giggles) "I'm not ashamed to share him~ He is a good man~"
Demon Goddess and what not…
Search: Yeah, well, whatever rocks here boat.
Anyways, Belldandy, would you do the disclaimer?
Belldandy: "Of course~ Ah! My Goddess does not belong to these two, or the characters in it. Only changes to the story and charters. Was that good?"
Search: Pretty much a-ok in my book.
It's fine with me.
Belldandy: (Smiles at the two) "Thank you~"
Okay then, now onto the chapter.
Chapter 4: Ah! The Demon Goddess goes to College
(Temple Shrine Tarikihongan: Morning)
The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky as Belldady was busy cleaning and cooking around their new home, doing chores while Keiichi was busy doing college homework. (A/N 1) Currently, Belldandy was outside hanging wet clothes and sheets out to dry, humming a little tune, before noticing two small birds land on the drying pole while she was hanging the futons, and greeted them kindly, the birds seeming to reply back.
After hanging the last of the laundry, Belldandy came back inside, smiling as she moved into the kitchen, where food was currently being prepared. She got to work on putting the finishing touch on breakfast, tasting it and looked glad at how it came out. "Keiichi, breakfast is ready~"
"Coming," he called out from down the hall.
A few minutes later, Keiichi came in and was surprised at the food in front of him, it being a traditional japanese breakfast meal. It all looked really good and smelled really good too.
"Is something the matter, Keiichi?" Belldandy asked him. "Did it not come out right?"
"Oh, no, I guess… it's just… it's still hard to believe," he told her, looking sheepish. "I never imagined in my life I'd have a girl like you making breakfast for me."
Belldandy smiled at him. "I'm glad to hear~ But I bet you'll like it even better when you give it a try~"
"R-Right," he said as he sat at the table, taking his chopsticks before putting his hands together to pray. "For this food, I'm grateful."
Digging in he quickly scarfed down the meal, finding the food delicious if not the best thing he's had. "How is it?" Bell asked him.
"It's excellent~ It's delicious~" he told her, exhilarated over the food.
Belldandy smiled happily, glad to hear that. "Do you really enjoy it? I'm so glad to hear that~"
Keiichi smiled back as he finished off the last of his meal, before noticing the time on the clock from the corner of his eye. "Oh man, it's already 8:30 AM? I gotta get going if I wanna make it to class!" He got up and started getting prepared to leave, much to the Goddess' confusion.
"Oh, you heading out Keiichi?" Belldandy asked him, grabbing all the dishes in the process.
"Yeah," he answered, turning to look at her. "I've gotta get to the university in time. I can't afford to miss my first class today."
"Oh., you're talking about the place we stayed last night?" she asked, putting the dishes in the sink.
"Pretty much, why do you ask?" he asked her back.
"Well, I was wondering if I could join you at this University?" she asked him.
"Huh? Uh, why?" he asked her, looking confused.
"I just want to learn more about human culture and living, since I'm going to be living here~" she said, making Keiichi blink at the logical reasoning.
"... Huh… I don't see why not, I can just say you just moved to the location if anyone asked…" he muttered to himself. "Just… stick close to me alright."
She gave a teasing smirk, and grabbed his arm in a hug. "Like this~?" she asked teasingly, much to his slight embarrassment. She giggled at his flustered face. "You're cute when you blush~" This made him blush harder.
(Later: Nekomi Institute of Technology)
All throughout the campus, the sound of students milling about and chattering amongst themselves filled the air as classes have yet to begin for today, so the young men and women of the college decided to spend this time on their own interests. Such as talking to friends about who knows what, playing games like tennis or soccer on the campus courts, or doing some last minute studying for their classes, and several other things these people could be getting up to that we don't have the time or interest to go over.
However there was one student in particular that was simply walking to her destination, paying no heed to those around as her heels clacked on the cement walkway beneath her. She had long shoulder length brown hair, wore a mustard brown business dress, and carried herself with an air of 'importance'. This was Sayoko Mishima, the queen bee of the college, and for good reason. She is one of the richest girls in the school, thanks to her father being a CEO, and looks to match her wealth. She was practically worshiped at this school. Boys wanted to date her, and girls wanted to be just like her.
And speaking of boys.
"Please accept this token of my love!" A student holding a bouquet of flowers said as he suddenly popped up in front of her, before another one holding a small box showed up."You must go out with me! How about this Saturday?"
Sayoko moved a hand up to brush the hair out of her face, doing her best to conceal the smile she got from the two students flattery. She loved the attention that came with being so popular. "So sorry boys, but I'm afraid I must decline. I've already got prior engagements on a yacht with my father, maybe some other time."
Unknownst to the now dejected looking boys though, that was a complete lie on her part. While she loved the attention, all these boys were just the same suckups trying to get with her, and she wouldn't be caught dead fraternizing with those sort of people.
Just then, another boy came up to her holding something in his hand. "Sayoko! I managed to get tickets for that concert you wanted to go to!"
The queen bee turned to the boy and looked down at the two tickets in his hand, putting on a feigned smile as she took both out of his hand. "Why, how sweet of you."
The student watched as she pocketed the two tickets, much to his dismay. However we wouldn't focus on him much longer as another student holding a heart shaped box of chocolates appeared. "Oh please, take my heart!"
And soon, more and more guys appeared, offering her gifts to try and woo her until eventually, a small crowd formed around her. A cacophony of voices all asking to go out with her. And Sayoko just stood there and basked in the attention, loving every single second of it.
However not all that attention she was receiving was the positive type, as watching the scene unfold a few feet away were a few of the campus's female students, watching enviously as the boys flocked to Sayoko like birds to bread.
"What's going on over there?" One of them asks, with a second one groaning out irritated. "Not again, It's just Sayoko."
"Well, what can you do?" Another girl asked, sounding defeated. "Her dad's the CEO of some hotshot company…"
"Plus, she's so gorgeous. How are any of us supposed to compete with that?"
"There isn't a single girl on campus that stands a chance against Sayoko."
As the girls talked amongst themselves, Sayoko was able to hear everything even through the chatter of the crowd around her. That's another thing she loved, feeling superior to all the other women in this place. It just proved to her that she was better than everyone else here and cemented her place in the pecking order. Her beauty was unparalleled, she doubted anyone could ever match her.
"Hey, look…" A male student in the crowd suddenly said, noticing something in the distance. Another student noticed too and pointed. "Yeah, check it out."
"Hm?" Sayoko hummed as she, the crowd, and everyone else turned to see what all the commotion was about. To the boy's surprise, and astonishment, they saw it was none other than Keiichi, walking with a woman that looked like an absolute goddess. Her skin looked so soft and silky smooth, her facial features were absolutely perfect, as if she were chiseled by Michalleangelo himself, and the way her hair flowed in the wind and glistened in the sun was like it was made of gold itself. Needless to say, it left the crowd of boys and even the girls around them breathless.
Well, except Sayoko, who narrowed her eyes at the two for having the spotlight taken from her. "And just who is that?"
With Keiichi, he was speaking with Bell as they were walking by everyone, the latter not even noticing the looks they were getting. "I did promise you I'd give you a complete tour of the campus, now didn't I?"
Bell giggled, looking around. "You did, yes~ And I never would've imagined there'd be so many people around~"
Keiichi smiled at her positive attitude, before noticing the stares they were getting. But rather than be put off by the looks, Keiichi simply ignored them as he continued walking. 'It's not that I mind being seen in public with Belldandy,' Keiichi thought to himself. 'She's so cute, she attracts a lot of attention. I guess that's just something that comes with being a Demon Goddess I guess.'
As the two steadily approached where Sayoko was, absentmindedly mind you, the rich girl just continued to stare at Belldandy with scrutinizing narrowed eyes, trying to figure out if she had seen this girl before. Surely by now, she would've seen someone with her features around the campus, so she couldn't be a senior. A freshman maybe? She was looking around the place like it was her first time here, so that could make sense.
"W-Wow, she's so hot." The boy with the flower bouquet said, before the one with the small box declared. "She must be mine!"
"No mine!" Another boy said, and before Sayoko even knew it, the crowd of male students who just seconds ago gathered around to shower her in their attention had all broken away from her and ran off towards the new girl, leaving her in complete shock that she was forgotten about just like that. Heck, the boy with the small box even threw his gift aside, which coincidentally softly smacked into her head before falling down at her feet.
And as she watched as the boys crowded around Bell and Keiichi, much to their surprise by the sudden crowd, Sayoko just stood there completely flabbergasted, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Was she, the most beautiful and wealthiest girl in the entire college, just stood up about that? That– That was just plain ridiculous! There was only one beauty queen in this entire school, and that was her! She had no idea who this new girl was, but she was going to show her who was at the top here.
With a sly, sinister smirk she laughed. "Thinks she can move in on my territory does she? Well, she's in for a rude awakening then."
(Nekomi Institute of Technology: Sports Fields)
A little while later in the day, after they had managed to shake off the large crowd of boys, Keiichi decided to show Bell where the students and sports teams like to exercise and practice for their games. Unfortunately though, they were still subject to the awed expressions of the students. In fact, even the ones inside the tennis courts were pressed up the chain link fence to get a better look at Bell.
But at least Keiichi wasn't too bothered by the looks. Instead, he was simply enjoying the stroll. "Ah, this is great."
Bell on the other hand couldn't say the same. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the walk, it's just that she couldn't help but question all the odd looks they were getting. Eventually she came to a halt, causing Keiichi to stop also, and decided to ask. "Everyone is acting so strange, I don't know what to make of it. Do you think it could be that something is about to happen to you Keiichi?"
Keiichi looked a bit surprised at her question, but answered her, looking sheepish, "Ah, if anything happens it'll be to anyone, it would probably be you." He then thought to himself. 'Though I guess why she's so confused. We've just been walking all morning and yet everywhere we go there's been a whole crowd following. Who knows how bad this could get…'
"Hey, Morisato!" A sudden voice called, causing the human and demon goddess to turn and see it was none other than Toraichi and Dale Grib– (A/N 2) I mean Hikozaemon, his former dorm-mates. Toraichi was the one to call out to him.
"How're you holding up, kid?" Hikozaemon asked Keiichi as the two approached.
"Oh, hey guys," Keiichi greeted with a bit of fear in his voice. "Funny seeing you two here this early."
Toraichi seemingly ignored Keiichi as he leaned to Bell, with pen and paper in hand. "Can I have your number, and your address while you're at it?"
"... And why do you need to know about that…?" Keiichi asked in a deadpan.
"You numbskull, did you forget we need to move your stuff out of your old dorm room into your new place?" Toraichi asked Keiichi.
"Ah, that's right." Keiichi sheepishly replied, forgetting he still had his stuff in the dorm. "I forgot about that…"
Bell giggles. "It is okay, Keiichi, we were busy the last few days~ Finding a home and all~"
"Huh?! Those two are living together?!" A student exclaimed, not believing what he had heard. And he wasn't alone, as the male students began voicing their own thoughts.
"Who in the hell could've expected that?"
"What I don't get is why she's going out with a loser like that?"
"Hey sweetheart, ditch the chump and go out with someone who deserves you!"
"Anyone would be better than that guy."
"That boy ain't right, I tell ya what."
"Think of your parents!"
As the crowd continued to criticize Bell and Keiichi for going out with a "loser", the Demon Goddess simply looked around irritated, she then grabbed Keiichi's arm, and hugged it. "Keiichi is a great person, and if you can't see it, then you are blind to your own faults. He's a better man than most of you and any girl would be happy to be with him~"
Keiichi's face was bright red from Bell hugging his arm and the kind words. "U-Uh, t-thanks for that B-Bell. B-But you don't have to get so close."
"Why~ Don't you like it~?" she asked, teasing him a bit. If his face could get any redder it would be a deep crimson.
"If you two lovebirds are done," Toraichi cut in. "I've got an errand for you to run Morisato. There's something in the clubhouse I need you to get for me, okay?
"I guess," Keiichi stated. "Me and Bell can do it while I give her the toure of the campus."
"Ah, ah, ah, before you go I'd rather you leave your little lady friend behind. Don't need you getting side tracked with any more mushy romance jargon now. We'll show the lady around while you're away, don't you worry about that." Hikozaemon stated.
"U-Uh, I dunno guys. I don't think it would be best if we–."
"No excuses! On the double, now!" Toraichi suddenly shouted, making Keiichi flinch.
"Y-Yes sir!"
"I'm sure it'll be fine, Keiichi, they are your friends and it's not as though anything could happen in the short time you'd be gone." Bell reassured him with a comforting smile that put him at slight ease, just enough where he began turning around in the direction of the Automotive Clubhouse.
Only for her words were proven wrong , for not a second later a soccer ball had broken through a nearby fence and not only hit Toraichi in the face, but spun around so fast smoke was wafting off. Once it finally fell off his face, Toraichi fell to the ground unconscious with the ball's pattern imprinted on his face due to the friction. Somehow though, he still had the same expression on his face and even had his eyes still wide open.
"... Or I guess not." Bell muttered, while Keiichi stared in shock and Hikozaemon… just knelt down beside Toraichi and patted his face to try and wake him up.
"W-What the–?! What on Earth was that?!" Keiichi asked, mostly to himself, after having witnessed such a bizarre display. Though he would get his answer immediately.
"It would appear that the System Force is still at play, and is preventing anything from coming between us, even if it was unintentional." Bell explained with a slight frown on her face. "A pity for your friend, it was not my intention for this to happen."
"W-Wait, what?" Keiichi asks, bewildered. "So this is what you meant earlier when you said it'd keep us together? Man, talk about a serious commitment I guess. I hope it doesn't end up causing us too much trouble."
"As do I. Unfortunately, I have no control over the System Force, so for everyone's sake it'd be best to stick closely together."
"Y-Yeah, gotcha." Keiichi said as he looked back down at Hikozaemon and the still unconscious Toraichi. "Uh, maybe we should get going. Classes are about to start soon anyway.
(Nekomi Institute of Technology: Lecture Hall)
Not too long after Bell and Keiichi, along with Hikozaemon and a now recovered Toraichi, were at one of the school's many lecture halls where several students had piled in and were awaiting the speaker to show up. Normally for Keiichi, students would typically talk amongst themselves or finish up some last minute work. But just like everywhere else they went this morning, he and Bell were met with curious stares and quite whispering about the "new girl". And because they were now in an enclosed space, Keiichi could pick up conversations better than when they were outside. He really wished he and Bell were invisible right now.
However, if you thought things were bad for him now, then they were about to get worse. Because just as the last of the students trickled in, Sayoko strode in and was still upset from earlier. The preppy girl gazed around the room looking for a seat, but froze when she saw that Belldandy was here. A sly smirk etched itself on her face. 'I'll show her who's the top girl here.'
As she began making her way to the unaware Demon Goddess and her human companion, Keiichi was trying his best to make himself look small to avoid the looks they were getting while Bell just looked at the lecture hall with amused curiosity. "So this is where you come to learn Keiichi?"
"Normally yes, but this isn't the lecture hall I'm supposed to be at…" Keiichi informed her.
"Ah, don't feel too bad Morisato. I'm not supposed to be here either." Toraichi commented, though it did nothing to help.
"I'm sure you can explain to your teacher that you were helping me out," Bell told Keiichi, trying to comfort him.
"Yeah, I suppose so." Keiichi said. His teachers were usually understanding, so they might overlook this if he told him. And even if he did get into trouble, it was better than invoking the System Forces wrath. He just hopes there won't be any problems.
"Excuse me," Came a voice to their right, causing them to turn and see it was Sayoko. "I'm sorry to bother you, but would you mind moving? You're sitting in my seat."
Now, if Bell were any other person, she might not have picked up on the way Sayoko put extra emphasis on 'my seat', but with her being a Demon Goddess, she could sense this sort of thing. But still, she decided to just ignore it and gave the girl a small smile. "Oh, it is? I had no idea?"
"Huh, but hang on, no one said anything about assigned seating." Keiichi said, confused. But if Sayoko said this was her spot, then who was he to argue with? "I guess I could move to the other si–."
"Hold it," Sayoko cut him off, making him freeze as she pointed at Bell. "I was talking to her, not you!"
By this point, Bell's smile had completely disappeared and was replaced by confusion by the girl's clearly hostile intent. What had she done to earn this girl's ire? Has she upset her in some way? If so, then what? She's never even seen this girl until now.
Sayoko meanwhile enjoyed the lost look on Bell's face, chuckling a bit. She then thought to herself. 'If you give up your seat, you'll be admitting defeat. But if you refuse to, everyone will think you're a little bitch. Either way, I win.'
Sayoko felt jubilated, assured of her victory. Soon enough everyone would see why she was the most popular student while putting this girl in her rightful place beneath her.
So imagine her surprise when instead of doing what she expected, Bell instead smiled once more. "You're quite right, which is why I have an idea!"
Sayoko wasn't sure how it happened, but one moment she was standing in place pointing at the Demon Goddess and the next she now found herself sitting in the middle between Bell and Keiichi with clearly an irritated expression. "You sure about this…?"
"I see no problem~ Is there one~?" Bell asked her, being kind. Sayoko wanted to spout out a snide remark, but decided to keep her mouth shut. She underestimated this girl, not only was she able to weasel her way out of the situation without hurting her reputation, she also managed to sneak in a sarcastic remark. She's clever, but Sayoko will get her back in some way. All she had to do was bid her time and strike at the right moment.
As the last of the students finally filed in and took their seats the teacher came in not long after, placing his supplies on his desk as he prepared himself to teach. "Seems we have a full house today," he stated as he looked around the room to make sure everyone was accounted for. After teaching this class for so long he became accustomed to all the faces of his students, which is why he paused when he spotted Bell. Pointing to get her attention, he said. "Excuse me Miss, but are you new here? I haven't seen you in class before. What is your name?"
"My name is Belldandy, sir," Bell answered and greeted him politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Belldandy?" The teacher asked, confused by the non-japanese sounding name.
Thankfully, Keiichi was able to come up with a quick save. "U-Uh, yeah, she's a brand new exchange student! So she doesn't know the language very well. R-Right everyone?"
"Absolutely!" Everyone minus Keiichi and Sayoko agreed. Guess everyone is so enamored by Bell they'd say anything to have her stay.
"Yes, I just moved here not too long ago," Bell agreed, nodding.
"Is that so?" The teacher hummed as he stared at Bell, as if analyzing her. For a moment, Keiichi was worried he'd see past the lie, but thankfully the teacher turned to face the board. "Well, if everyone says that's the case then who am I to question?"
Keiichi let out a sigh of relief as the teacher began his lecture, giving Bell a reassuring smile that she kindly returned.
This interaction didn't go unnoticed by Sayoko, who just looked at Bell from the corner of her eye. Something fishy was going on between these two. A sinister plot began to form in her mind. 'So that's your story then? Heh, this should be a piece of cake~ Just you wait, missy, you'll never take the title of Queen of the Campus from me."
(Nekomi Institute of Technology: Court Yard)
For the remainder of the school morning, the rest of classes went off uneventfully for both Belldandy and Keiichi, with the only difference being the looks the former would receive from the other students, nothing they couldn't manage. Before they knew it, it was already noon and they were out in one of the courtyards again, this time with a white cat with black splotches that was nuzzling Bell's legs.
"Aren't you a darling~" Bell stated with a big smile, petting the cat.
"I see that the school's resident stray has taken a liking to you. Nobodies sure where it came from, but that cat pretty much owns the school," Keiichi told her.
"With how cute he is, I'm not surprised~" Bell giggled, still petting the cat who purred in delight before meowing at the Demon Goddess. "Hmm, what's that little one?"
The cat simply meowed once more, as if speaking with her. Something that Keiichi found to be amusing, causing him to laugh a bit. "I'm really liking our time together, Bell, even if some of the crazy antics are… well… a bit much…~"
Bell giggles. "What's life without a bit of excitement here and there~?" she asked him. For a moment, Keiichi was silent before he just laughed again, this time with Bell joining in with him.
"Is she a friend of yours?" A new voice from in front of them, breaking them from their jovial fit. Looking at the source, they saw it was a somewhat portly fellow wearing glasses and a gray suit that matched his mustache and hair on his balding head. He had an air of friendliness about them. For some reason, he seemed almost familiar to Keiichi.
Clearing his throat, the young man answered. "Er, yes, this is Belldandy, a new transfer student I'm showing around the campus."
"Belldandy," he greeted looking at the Demon Goddess in disguise. "It's a pleasure. Always glad to see a new face here at our esteemed campus."
"The pleasure is all mine." Bell greeted back at the smiling at the man.
"Ah, a polite young woman aren't you?" He asked, smiling warmly to her.
But unfortunately, their time would be cut short by the sound of someone screaming. "Hey! Morisato!"
Everyone turned to see Hikozaemon running toward them. "Bad news dude! It's abou–!" He then stopped, freaked out by seeing who was with the two. "That's the dean!?"
"Wha– The dean?!" Keiichi questioned in alarm, looking up at the man. No wonder he seemed so familiar.
Hikozaemon was able to quickly snap out of his shock though, grabbing Keiichi by the arm before dragging him off. "Keiichi, my man, you gotta come with me right now!"
"Ow, hey! Take it easy!" Keeich shouted, being dragged off by the blond-haired man.
"Keiichi," Bell said in worry, going with them. She turned to look at the dean and bowed to him. "I'm sorry to cut this meeting short, sir. But it seems Keiichi's club needs him for something. Please excuse us."
Spinning on her heel, she chased after her master who was, for some strange reason, being whipped around in the wind like a flag by Hikozaemon. As they all ran off, the dean simply looked at the scene with a slightly confused look. Guess that's just kids being kids.
(Nekomi Institute of Technology: Llibary)
After having been dragged around by Hikozaemon who refused to elaborate on what was happening for a short while, Keichi and Bell were eventually brought to the college library, where Toraichi was waiting for them. Keiichi was placed in a computer chair, looking at the others in confusion.
"Alright, can someone please explain what's going on here?" He asked, confused and annoyed by the fact he was dragged all the way here against his will.
"It's Professor Ozawa! He heard about Belldandy and now he's doing a background check on her!" Hikozaemon warned him.
"He's what!?" Keiichi askedin dread.
"Oh dear.." Bell said, a bit worried.
"Yeah, he's always had that rivalry with Professor Kakuta, and now he's heard some bogus rumor about a fake exchange student boosting attendance in Kakuta's class, and now he's suspicious!"
"Oh man, what are we supposed to do now?!" Keiichi asked the two in panic, unsure how they could get themselves out of this mess. If Ozawa found out the truth, Bell would get expelled and worse, cause the System Force to kick in leading to disastrous consequences!
"Simple," Toraichi said as he grabbed Keiichi's shoulder and spun him around to face the school pc. "You're gonna use that computer mumbo jumbo of yours to hack into the student database and make it so that Bell here really is an exchange student."
"But that would be false documentation, we could get in trouble if someone were to find out," Keiichi told them, not liking this at all.
Unfortunately his words fell on deaf ears as Hikozaemon pushed his chair closer to the computer. "Who cares?! Just log in already and work that magic of yours before it's too late! We already have the password, so do your thing."
Keiichi groaned, but knew this might be for the best. Who knew what the System Force would do if he didn't. "Just for the record, I'm going to say you two forced me if we do get in trouble. Justy be happy I'm doing this for Belldandy."
"Yeah, yeah! Listen, we'll buy you an ice cream or something later! Just stop talking and hurry!" Toraichi yelled, causing Keiichi to wince at the volume as he began typing in the password that was on a little post it note taped to the screen.
After typing it in, he pressed enter but was shown a window saying it was the incorrect password. "Crap, they must've changed the password…"
"What!? But I just got it! Why would they change it so quickly!?" Hikozaemon cried, fearing they might fail.
"Morisato, you will crack this computer!" Toraichi said, trying to sound "encouraging", but instead came off as threatening.
"Easier said than done, you two," Keiichi told them, trying to do so. He tried typing in the password again, thinking he might've typed it in incorrectly the first time but was disappointed to see he was met with the same window. So he tried typing in a different password only to have the same result. He tried again, and again, and again, but kept getting the same incorrect password screen over and over again, and was becoming more and more frustrated with each failure. It also didn't help that he had Hikozaemon and Toraichi shouting behind him either.
Bell saw how hard he was trying to keep her safe and protect her, she got determined as well. "Keiichi, you're trying so hard to help. I will as well." Clasping her hands together, she closed her eyes as she began speaking. "To those who stand in our way, I implore you to stand down and provide us with the key that will open that door."
Opening her eyes, she unclasped her hands causing a sphere of translucent black light visible only to her to appear from thin air, before gently flying towards the computer Keiichi was trying so desperately to hack into. The sphere floated right next to the machine, before lightly bumping into its side, causing it to pop like a bubble and send out sparks of red light.
And to Keiichi's surprise, the password bar began to fill in by itself just as he was about to type in another, and unlike before, whatever was put in brought him to a new window that signified they were in. "What the–, it's the password! W-We're in the database!"
"Awesome!" Hikozaemon exclaimed, unaware of what truly transpired. "Quick, make a file for her before it's too late!"
Keiichi didn't need to be told twice. As soon as the window for the student database finished loading up, he brought his fingers back to the keyboard and got to work.
(Nekomi Institute of Technology: Teacher Lounge)
Elsewhere in a different part of the school, a man by the name of Professor Ozawa, someone with short black hair and a heavily wrinkled face, sat at his computer going through various files in the student database searching for a particular file regarding a new "exchange student" in his rival's class. Yet to his glee, he hasn't found anything of the sort. "I knew it. There haven't been any new exchange students in a while. Looks like Professor Kakuta will have a lot of explaining to do when I bring this up with the–, Huh?"
Before he could finish his statement, the computer suddenly beeped as it located Belldandy's profile, pulling it up and showing him that she was a new exchange student. "What?! Are you kidding me?! She really is a new student here?!"
Growling, the teacher shot up and headed for a nearby bookshelf that contained all physical records of the students in the school and pulled out the one listing the exchange students. He was determined to stick it to Kakuta if it was the last thing he did! "I don't believe for a second! I'll get to the bottom of this if it's the last thing I do."
Unknown to him Keiichi, Bell, Hikozaemon and Toraichi were standing outside, peering into the teachers lounge from the door. After Keiichi had finished making Bell's file, the four hoofed it all the way over, knowing Ozawa would be there, to see what else the teacher would be up to.
"Man, that guy just doesn't know when to quit." Hikozaemon stated.
"I will give him this much, he's officiant at his job," Keiichi muttered to himself.
"We need to figure out our next move." Toraichi said, clenching a fist in determination to stop the teacher.
"Thank you, you two, but you don't need to trouble yourselves in doing this for me." Bell told the two, touched by how much they wished to help.
"Nonsense." Toraichi said, putting his hands on his hips. "We've already come this far in helping you out, and it is our duty to continue doing so."
"You said it brotherman!" Hikozaemon chimed, imitating his club members' pose.
"I don't think this is about duty," Keiich said, chuckling. "More like sticking it to the man."
(Teacher's Lounge)
Back inside the teacher's lounge, we see exactly how Toraichi and Hikozaemon plan to deal with Ozawa's meddling, kicking off a montage of various ways to stop the smug teacher. The first we see is Ozawa attempting to open the exchange student log book, but was finding it incredibly difficult to do so, much to his confusion and frustration. Completely unaware of the fact that Hikozaemon, who was hiding behind a counter with a tube of superglue in his hand, had snuck in and sealed the book shut when the teacher took his eyes off it for a second.
Eventually though, Ozawa was able to pry the book open with a great amount of exertion. Too bad for him, before he could get the chance to celebrate his short victory and rifle through the pages, he failed to notice the large, muscular gloved hand that came through the window and grabbed the adjacent bookshelf. Tilting forward slightly and–.
"Huh?!" Ozawa said as he noticed a large shadow cast over him, making him turn around in time to see what was behind him. And what he saw caused him to cry out in panic. "Ah!"
Causing it to crash right on top of him. Outside, Toraichi flexed proudly over his accomplishment, while Ozawa simply screamed he wouldn't be beaten to no one in particular.
After managing to push the bookshelf off of him and picking up the mess off the floor, Ozawa went over to pick up the scattered papers and books off his desk when all of the sudden, a strong gust of wind blew into the room causing all the paper to fly off. Panicked, he rushed over and placed his entire upper body and hands on the material to keep them from flying off, cursing in frustration over his rotten luck. If he wasn't so focused on keeping the documents from flying off and simply looked behind him, he would've seen Hikozaemon standing outside the window with a giant fan blowing into the room.
And so, this game of cat and mouse continued on for a while. Everytime Ozawa came close to even touching the book, the two automotive club members would swoop in to thwart the teachers attempts, much to his frustration. Everything from placing thumbtacks on his chair, to having a glass of water "accidentally" spill over on the book, to making Ozawa slip on something, Toraichi and Hikozaemon used every trick they had to stop the teacher from learning about Bell. And it seemed to be working, as Ozawa's patience was beginning to wear thin. He might've been stubborn as a mule, but even they had limits.
(A while after)
We see Sayoko walking toward the teacher's lounge with a smug smile on her face, ready to see Belldandy being expelled. "I think Professor Ozawa is expelling Belldandy right around now."
Yes, it turned out the one responsible for informing Ozawa about Bell being a fake transfer student was none other than Sayoko herself. It wasn't too hard to convince the old goat to look into that blonde hussy. All she had to do was bring up how Professor Kakuta seemed to be trying to "increase his number of students" and poof, Ozawa was all over it like flies on honey. It served that girl right for trying to sweep in on her territory.
Rounding the corner, she froze in surprise as she saw Belldandy and Keiichi in front of the building walking off to who knows where. As she watched them walk off, she could hear them conversing with one another.
"Those two didn't need to go through all that from me," Bell told Keiichi. "Even though I'm still new here, I feel kinda bad they went through all that."
"Don't worry about it, those two would do it just to get back at Ozawa either way," Keiichi informed, knowing those two would do it just because of how crazy those two are at times. "A lot of the time those two scheme about ways to get on the guy's nerves. Helping you was just an incentive I guess."
"If you say so." Bell said as they both walked off, soon disappearing from sight.
And once they were gone Sayoko just stood there shocked by what she had just heard. By the sound of it, it sounded like… "No way…" she muttered to herself, rushing toward the doors and stepping into the teachers lounge. What she saw was a mess, and Professor Ozawa looking frazzled and slumped over his desk.
"Oh, forget it…" he groaned. "I give up…"
"I don't believe it," Sayoko muttered to herself. 'Who knew those two would go to such lengths.' She gained a challenging smile on her face. 'Guess I misread the two. Keiichi is much more crafty than he looks, and Belldandy knows how to play the game just as well as me~ I'll just have to take you both on in person~" She turned around, determined to win. "Since Junior High School, I have been known as the Queen. You pushed me too far. It's time I show you the full extent of my wrath~ And I will take him, if he's just as crafty as he is~ With my money, he might actually go far in life~ I guess I blew you off to soon, Keiichi Morisato~ Guess you're a diamond in the rough~"
(Outside)
Both Keiichi and Bell were relaxing in the grass outside, the cat from earlier meowing to Bell. "Oh really~?" Bell asked in a mischievous tone of voice. "You don't say~ Please tell me more, friend~"
'I don't get it… What is going on with Sayoko…?' Keiichi thought to himself, remembering how he offered her a date at a museum, and he was rejected, her saying that it was for 'Old boring people'.
After having dealt with Ozawa and asking how they knew he was looking into Bell, Toraichi and Hikozaemon told him that Sayoko was the one responsible for the whole ordeal. But why? Sayoko never seemed like the type to get others in trouble before, and come to think about it, she has been acting out of character since this morning. The only explanation he could think of was that Bell was now around. But surely Bell couldn't be the reason why, right?
"What's the saying, oh, Penny for your thoughts?" Bell asked Keiichi, snapping him from his thoughts. "Or should it be Yen in this case?"
"Oh, it's nothing really important." Keiichi told her, sitting up.
"You know I can tell that you were thinking of something sad, you know~?" she asked him, almost a tease in her voice. "You can tell me anything~"
"Well… Not sad, more like… I don't know really…" Keiichi said, sighing.
Bell clasped her hands like she was praying again. "Do not freet, for those who are well acquainted with grief and sorrow, their souls are the ones that will find happiness the most~"
"Thanks Belldandy," Keiichi said gratefully to her. Unfortunately, this touching moment wouldn't last.
"Oh my, I finally found you two~." Came the voice of Sayoko, making the two turn towards her. "I didn't think I'd find you both here."
"Sayoko?" Keiichoi asked, surprised to see her. Yet she didn't acknowledge him, instead choosing to speak to Bell.
"You know, Professor Ozawa has been looking all over for you," Sayoko informed Belldandy. "If I were you, I'd go see him right away."
Bell got up. "Oh, dear, I didn't know. Thank you for informing me. I shall go see him now."
Keiichi stood up, wanting to stay with her. "Why don't I go with you?"
"Wait a sec," Sayoko interjected, walking up to the two, and looking at Keiichi. "There's something I'd like to talk to you about. If it's okay with you~?"
"Wait, with me?" Keiichi asked, confused. He was about to further insist on accompanying Bell, but the Goddess reassured him.
"You don't have to worry, I'll be just fine. I'll be back soon." Bell smiled at him, then started walking to the teacher's lounge. Leaving the two humans alone.
Sayoko then got into Keiichi's face, shocking him, before asking. "Say… uh… I know it may seem strange for me to ask this, but I must know; are you going out with her?"
'What the heck, where did this come from all of the sudden?!' These were the thoughts of Keiichi. "Uh, well that's a little hard to explain… Uhhh…" Things went from weird to uncomfortable really fast. He knew it was high time to get out of there asap.
"You're not seeing her, right? Please tell me you're not." Sayoko almost begged him.
"Uh… I-I mean…" Keiichi gulped, not knowing what to do or say.
"Oh thank god~" Sayoko said with a sigh of relief, taking his confused mumbling as a no. She then had a smug smile. 'I can see it in his eyes~ No man has ever been able to resist this tactic before. Keiichi will be mine, and Belldandy will soon be history~.' Her smile only grew as she imagined the look of utter heartbreak on Bell's face after being told by Keiichi that they were through. That would show that little bitch.
"Uh, hello?" Keiichi called out, getting her to snap out of it.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Sayoko apologized. "The truth is, I felt I was too hasty in our last meeting when I said I didn't want to go out. I thought you were just like every other boy trying to get my affection, but I see there is more to you then the others around here."
"H-Huh?" Keiichi asked, surprised.
"I see that you're creative, and you have a good eye for motorcycles," Sayoko stated. "You really like to tinker with your bike, don't you?"
"Well yeah, I love working on motorcycles and automobiles," Keiichi admitted, looking away sheepishly.
"You see, when I was a little girl my father worked at an auto plant," Sayoko informed her. She then looked at him. "Now, whenever I see a man work with his hands my heart burns with desire."
"Is that so…" Keiichi said, more weirded out than flattered. He wanted to slowly back away from the girl but was grabbed by the hands.
"Keiichi, do you not like me? Is that it?"
"T-That's not it at all," Keiichi stammered out. "I just that…"
"So you don't like me?" Sayoko said, putting on her best 'teary eye' face.
"N-No, wait a minute… that's not it at all… it's– I– Uh…"
While Keiichi was trying and failing to think of a response, Sayoko thought haughtily. 'That's right. That's how a typical male would respon–.'
SPLASH!
In a shocking turn of events, Sayoko was suddenly splashed over the head by a bucket of water, surprising the two. Sayoko's hair hung limply while her dress was completely soaked, her 'sad' expression replaced by one of annoyance. Miraculously, Keiichi was somehow bone dry despite being a foot away.
"Sorry!" came a voice from above them, making them look up and seeing a teacher holding a bucket that had the water in it. "I didn't know anybody was down there."
'Oh thank goodness, the System Force finally kicked in,' Keiichi thought to himself, glad to finally be out of that uncomfortable situation.
(Teacher's Lounge)
"Here, have some tea." The Dean said as he pushed a small glass of green tea towards Belldandy.
"Thank you kindly sir~" Bell thanked the man, taking it. She'll admit, when she first came to the teachers lounge she expected to be met with Professor Ozawa, so imagine her surprise when she instead met with the kind old Dean, while said Professor snoozed on the couch opposite of them.
"I was hoping that I would get a moment to talk to you," the Dean informed her. "I'm very interested to know what you think of our fine establishment so far?"
"I am enjoying myself quite a lot sir," Bell answered truthfully. "There's such a variety of emotions here, and I even met a sweet little cat."
"Oh, that is nice to hear," he said, smiling warmly.
(Back with Keiichi and Sayoko)
At the same time Bell was having her talk with the Dean, Keiichi was rummaging through his pockets while a drenched Sayoro simply watched, still annoyed over what had just happened. Eventually, Keiichi found what he was looking for and pulled it out toward Sayoro, revealing it to be a handkerchief. " U-Uh, here. I-It's not much but I hope it will help."
Although she was completely irritated, Sayoro figured she could still work this situation in her favor. So, switching back to her 'caring' side, she grabbed hold of the hand that held the piece of cloth and said in the sweetest voice she could muster. "Thank you~ You're such the sweetest guy I know~."
"Uh… I don't think you should be doing that," Keiichi warned her, looking nervous.
"Huh? Why not?" she asked them, sounding confused.
"Uh… You see…" he started, but was cut off when they heard a growl. They turned to see a dog with a shrine temple garb around their neck. Sayoko, intimidated by the canine, let loose a high pitched wail as she immediately bolted from the place, with the dog following close behind. As he watched the two run off in the distance, Keiichi let out a sigh of relief, glad to be out of that mess and hoping the rest of today would go smoothly.
A little while later, after having been chased by the dog, Sayoko was able to eventually lose the mutt by hiding behind a hedge, making it run by her. Once the dogs barking faded away into the distance, she poked her head out of the foliage, irritated. "How in the world did things end up like this!?"
"Oh, hello Sayoko," Came the voice of Belldandy from her left, surprising Sayoko who spun around to look at her. "I went to go talk with Professor Ozawa, but he was not present at the moment."
"Oh yeah, so what?" Sayoko asked her hotally. "Are you implying I'm a liar?"
"Oh no, not at all," Bell stated. "He might have been busy and had something urgent to attend to."
Sayoko huffed, looking annoyed. This confused Bell. "Oh for god's sake, give it up already. You might as well, he's not around. You must be pissed off because I made a pass for your guy~"
"A pass?" Bell said, not familiar with the term. This unfortunately also ended up making Sayoko more upset.
"Wow, you've got a special talent for being such a pain. Who the hell even are you? You just show up all of sudden and have everyone eating out of the palm of your hand."
"Do you want the truth or…?" Bell asked, not sure.
"The truth."
"Ahehehe… I'm a… Demon-Goddess," she answered, smiling shakily.
"A demon goddess?" Sayoko said, disbelief stretched across her face before turning red. "Oh, so you think you're all that huh? Well I got news for you missy, I'm the queen around here, and I'm not gonna let some upstart take my title!"
"Oh, I see, so I guess I stepped into your territory by mistake," Bell stated, understanding this. "Though it is not my intention to take your throne. Please forgive me, your highness."
"Oh you think you're being cute?!" Sayoko yelled, not picking up on the other girls' naivety. "Just forget it! I'm gonna show you what happens when you cross me and leave you to soak in your own tears!" With that, she stormed off in a tiff. Leaving behind a very confused Bell who had no idea what just happened.
"Was it something I said?" She asked no one in particular, unsure why the girl was so upset.
(Nekomi Institute of Technology: Parking Lot: Evening)
"Well today was chaotic…" Keiichi stated, sighing as he and Bell walked over to his bike. "Can't believe things have been so rough."
"I don't know, I think today was great," Bell stated, smiling kindly. "I really enjoyed myself~"
"Well, I'm glad to hear." He smiled, before the two stopped when they heard the roar of an engine, getting them to look in front of them to see a yellow sports car parked on the side. And as the driver side door flipped open, none other than Sayoko came from the vehicle.
"Hey, get in," she ordered Keiichi. "I'll give you a ride home."
"Wait, huh?" Keiichi said, completely caught off guard. "Uh, thanks but I don't think–."
"I said get in the car!" Sayoko yelled, losing a bit of her composure.
Keiichi was taken aback a bit from it. Bell then whispered in his ear. "Don't worry Keiichi, the System Force will only activate if someone or something is trying to pull us apart. Since she is just giving you a ride home, it should be fine. Nothing to worry about, Keiichi." She also felt that there was something in Sayoko that was growing in her, but wasn't sure what it was yet. Eh. Probably nothing. "Go on ahead with her, I'll see you later."
"Well, if you say so…" Keiichi said, nervously looking at the rich girl who waited impatiently. Hesitantly walking up to her, he thought. 'But do I really have to?' He then thought of something else. "And how do we know that she'll take me straight home-"
"Get in the car." He was cut off when Sayoko grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him in.
As Bell watched, she couldn't help find the woman's bossy behavior to be so… familiar. 'Reminds me of my big sister a bit. Those two might get along well… a little too well I think… or just get at each other.'
Once the driver and passenger side doors were slammed shut, Sayoko looked out the window and gave the goddess a smug wave. "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya."
And with that she peeled off, leaving Bell behind as the tires of the yellow sports car left a small cloud of dust in their wake. Not that it bothered the blonde, as she just waved back.
"She seems like a nice person." Bell talked to herself, still failing to pick up on the girl's true nature. All by herself, she then began to start the long journey back home, expecting to see her master there by the time she got there.
(Elsewhere, with Sayoko and Keiichi)
Back with Sayoko and Keiichi, the two were traveling down the empty road, moving at speeds that the young man knew were above the speed limit, much to his discomfort. After having left the campus, Sayoko had made it a point to keep her foot on the pedal as much as possible, only letting off the gas during turns or stops. He didn't think a rich girl could drive like this.
"Hey, uh, there's no need for us to be going this fast." Keiichi informed her, a bit worried. "We should probably slow a bit."
"But we'll miss the sunset," Sayoko informed, confusing him by what she means. "I know a beach where we can watch the sun go down. It's only a short drive from here,"
"Huh?" Keiichi was caught off guard, he thought she was driving him home? He then had a flat look on his face as it dawned on him. "I knew it…"
Coming up at an intersection, Sayoko took a sharp right turn, driving down a road that led to the highway. However, just as quickly as they entered the street Sayoko was forced to slam the brakes, seeing that there were construction signs blocking it off and telling any drivers to make a detour.
"What? But there wasn't any construction going on yesterday?!" Sayoko stated, shocked and surprised.
"Looks like the System Force is in action," Keiichi muttered to himself. He then spoke out loud. "Guess it just happened today."
"Whatever, I'll just take another way." She said, throwing the car into reverse to take a different path. She knew this city well enough, finding another way to the beach should be a snitch.
Or at least, it should've been. Because well…
"What now?!" Sayoko yelled as, in front of them, there was a large oil tanker blocking both lanes of another road leading to the beach, with a worker ushering cars down a road that actually led further away from her destination. As Sayoko fumed at the wheel, preparing to take another path, Keiichi could only sigh in exhaustion, feeling a montage coming on.
"What is this?!" Sayoko yelled as in front of them, another street was blocked off by the people visiting the local market stalls that were "coincidentally" open this time of day.
"Here too?!" She screamed, completely livid by the traffic jam of office workers returning home for the night. Their horns blaring at loud volume.
"How did we get here?!" She screeched once more, this time baffled as she somehow wound up driving them to a farm of all places. Right in front of them, separated by a fence, were cattle grazing.
After several minutes of this continuous cycle of getting sidelined, Sayoko and Keiichi found themselves at another street, parked in front of a crosswalk as the rich girl impatiently waited for a duck and its ducklings of all things to cross the road, silently wishing they'd hurry it up. Not like it mattered though, seeing it was a moot point. The sun had already set, and the sky was now becoming a deep purple.
"Uh, hey, why don't you just take me home already?" Keiichi sighs and tries to make her see reason."It's getting pretty late after all and I'm sure Bell must be waiting for me."
"Fine," she said, sounding a bit irritated. Keiichi seemed happy to hear this. "But first answer me one question."
"Uh… Okay I guess…" Keiichi said, looking confused and wanting to just get home. But rather than immediately answering, Sayoko leaned over to put her hand on his cheek, surprising him. "Uh, what are you doing?"
"Do you love me~?" She asked abruptly in a love struck tone of voice. "Tell me~?"
"Uh…" Keiichi started, stammering as he tried to find a way out of this uncomfortable situation he's found himself in.
Unknownst to them, because of her actions the System Force kicked into effect, causing the steel supports of the store billboard next to them to suddenly buckle in on themselves, sending bolts flying as the structure began to wobble.
(With Bell)
Bell was walking herself back home when she suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened in horror as she sensed the great disturbance. "The System Force! It's reacting on a high level! I have to find Keiichi and Sayoko, they're in danger."
Leaping up onto the power poles, she began leaping from pole to pole in the direction of the two, hoping to reach them in time before tragedy struck.
(Sayoko and Keiichi)
Oblivious to the danger just outside, Sayoko was still trying to make Keiichi fall for her. "Please answer me, do you love me?"
"U-Uh, well– you see–." Keiichi tried to answer her the best he could, but just kept getting tongue tied.
"Answer me." She said, beckoning him to answer in that lovingly voice of hers.
"W-Well, I– uh, I don't dislike you…" Keiichi muttered, not really sure what to say to her.
Outside, the billboard began to lean toward them, the bolts fixing them to the ground coming undone as the sound of twisting steel moaned throughout the air. Bell saw this, ready to use her magic if she wasn't fast enough to stop it on her own if needed.
Inside the car, Keiichi had something to say to her. "Listen, about you and I-"
Outside, Bell was now terrified as she saw the tower starting to fall faster. "I'm too far away! And my spell won't be able to work fast enough!"
With one final creak of metal, the tower supports finally gave way causing the tower to finally come crashing down, causing the Demoness to shout in fear and panic as she reached her hand out in a desperate attempt to stop it. But just when things seemed hopeless-
CRASH!
Fortune came in the form of a cargo truck having suddenly appeared next to the yellow sports car, with the trailer halting the tower's descent.
Bell's eyes widened as she landed on a nearby telephone pole. "The System force is gone now. Whatever that was trying to separate Keiichi and I had stopped. But what could've–?"
Back inside the car, unaware of what happened, Keiichi was explaining himself to Sayoko. "Sayoko, listen, I get what you're trying to do here, but I already know you're not in love with me."
"W-What, but how can you tell?"
"Because you had already rejected me before, You probably don't remember it though." He said, shocking Sayoko as the memory of that moment suddenly came back. "That's why I know you don't really mean what you're saying. Though I would be lying if I said I didn't appreciate the attention."
"B-But–!" Sayoko tried saying before being cut off.
"So, do you think we can put an end to this now?" Keiichi asked, hoping for today to just end already.
Sayoko looked like she wanted to object, however knew it would be a moot point in doing so. He had already seen right through her, so there was no point in keeping up the charade. So reluctantly, she turned away from Keiichi with a pout, only to then scream in shock from the sudden sight of Bell standing right outside the driver side window.
Said girl simply smiled, glad to see that they were alright.
Moments later we see Sayoko driving off down the road while Bell and Keeichi watched from the sidewalk, the two looking worried as the sportscar vanished from sight, and for good reason. As soon as he had got out of the car Keiichi tried to bid Sayoko a good night, only to have the car door slammed in his face as she immediately peeled off, leaving skid marks in the road.
"Is everything alright with her Master Keiichi? She seemed to be in a foul mood when I showed up?" Bell asked her master, wondering if she had unknowingly upset the rich girl.
"It's a long story, Bell," Keiichi said, sighing. "Let's just say I might've said something to her before you showed up and she didn't take it too well. For now, let's just grab the bike and go home."
"Umm, alright Keiichi. But if I may ask, didn't we leave the bike back at the campus?" Bell asked, causing Keiichi to freeze up as he suddenly remembered he had left his bike when he left with Sayoko. All the way back at the campus. Which was several… miles… away from here.
"Crap." Was all he could say. "Just my luck as usual…"
(Later that Night: Sayoko's Apartment)
It was now nighttime, and Sayoko was in her Apartment with a glass of champagne, contemplating the day's events through her mind and thinking back on Keiichi and how he still smiled after all that happened.
'I don't get it, why does he still smile like that even after I was so dismissive of him in the past…?' she asked herself in her mind. 'He should've been pissed with me, to tell me off or gotten some kind of retribution, so why…? Why does he seem so… different from other guys…"
It truly stumped her, of how Keiichi could be so friendly to her even after her cruel rejection. Had the roles been reversed, she would've stopped at nothing to get her revenge. But instead he let her down softly… being kind to her. To her, this made no sense at all.
She wanted to contemplate further on these thoughts, but unfortunately her thoughts would be interrupted by her doorbell ringing, confusing her. "Huh? Who could that be at this time?" She started walking to the door, the doorbell ringing again. "Who is it?"
"Ah, it's Keiichi," came the voice of said boy, much to her surprise. She immediately opened the door, and saw both him and Bell with pots of surprised her. "H-Hey there, sorry for popping in so unexpectedly. We ended up making a little too much food and thought you might appreciate it if we offered you some."
"Yes, you looked so upset when you left we thought you might need some cheering up. We could even eat it together if you'd like," Bell said, smiling.
Sayoko was surprised, but decided not to question it. After today, maybe she could use the offer. So with a tired smile, she pulled the door wide open. "Well I don't see why not. Why don't you both come in then?"
"Thanks for the invitation!" A bunch of male voices sounded off from behind Bell and Keiichi, causing Sayoko to do a double take as she looked behind them and saw the entire Automotive Club there. How did she not see them the first time?!
"Ehehe, sorry. The guys were really insistent on trying some of Bell's cooking and followed us here." Keiichi awkwardly explained.
"You got that right brother!" Hikozaemon said before reaching into his pocket. "Oh by the way Bell, the Dean wanted me to hand you this."
Pulling out his hand, Hikozaemon revealed a small plastic inside a leather casing that had Bell's picture, and Keiichi was quick to point out what it was. "Oh, that must be your Student ID."
"My Student ID?"
"Uh-huh, that means you're officially a student at the Nekomi Institute of Technology, just like me."
"Really!" Bell exclaimed, excited by the news as Keiichi nodded in confirmation.
And just like that, the good mood Sayoko had dried up just like that. She now had to put up with this girl until she freaking graduated?! Why her?!
Minutes later, after the excitement of Bell finally getting her ID calmed down and everyone made their way into the apartment to get the food ready, everyone was now gathered around the large dining table Sayoko had as the members of the Automotive Club dug into their food, laughing as they spoke loudly about things either relating to today or whatever they had going on in their personally life.
All while Sayoko just sat at the head of the table, slowly eating her food (which she would admit was pretty good, amazing if she was being honest) as she bitterly digested the recent news she had. She now had to deal with Belldandy for her entirety here, which meant she had to actually work hard to maintain her position at the top. Just freaking perfect. Oh well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it would give her the chance to show off why she was the queen in the first place. Besides, it was clear this girl wasn't actively trying, so maybe soon everyone will grow bored of her. Yeah… yeah everything will be alright in the end. Once she reminded everyone why they fell for her in the first place, they'd forget about that girl soon enough. It… actually excited her a bit, to be comforted with this knowledge. Which was a strange feeling if she was being honest, but she couldn't tell why though. Besides, she clung to Keiichi like a lost pup, not like she'd care if everyone stopped paying attention to her right?
Speaking of Keiichi, Sayoko couldn't help but glance over to the meek boy every once and a while, her thoughts going back to him letting her down easy. She shook her head. 'Stop it,' she scolded herself. 'He's just a common boy, he isn't worth the-.'
She stopped herself. She let out a sigh, just continuing to eat. Unaware that someone had been staring at her as well.
Belldandy looked in Sayoko's eyes for a split second and swore she saw a shimmer of something in there. She wasn't quite sure what exactly, what with it being so brief, but she swore it was something she's seen before. Something she's seen in the eyes of her own kind.
'Could it be?' she thought, puzzled. 'No, it couldn't have been, right? I mean, I don't want to jump to anything, but that look. I could've sworn that was–.'
"Whoa, look at all the fancy alcohol~!" Hikozaemon shouted, looking at the fine wines and liquors.
Sayoko saw this and barked at them. "Hey! Do not even dare think about touching those, those cost more than what you make in a year!"
Hikozaemon, taking no offense, simply chuckled. "Aw come on Sayoko, at least share a bottle with us?"
"No way!"
Keiichi sighs. "Come on you guys, we're guests here, show some respect."
"At least one of you has manners, well two of you," Sayoko said, talking about Keiichi and Bell.
"But Keiichi," Toraichi cut in. "Just look at them, don't tell us you're not the least bit curious on how it tastes?"
"Too bad, you're not getting so much as a drop!" Sayoko declared, prompting Toraichi and Hikozaemon to beg the girl for a glass, only to be rejected once more. She then thought for a second. "Well maybe just for me, Bell and Keiichi."
"WHAT!?" the other club members shouted, glaring at Keiichi in jealousy.
Keiichi gulpeed at the looks. "Why me…?"
As Sayoko bickered at the Automotive Club to not touch her things, Bell continued to eat her meal while brushing the thought aside, thinking she was probably imagining things. Still though, the thought did eat away at the back of her mind, and she got the feeling it would be like that for quite some time.
To be Continued…
And we are finally done…
Search: That we are. Sorry for the wait, what with school and my ANNOYING ROOMMATES constantly in the way, it was a little hard getting time.
Belldandy: "Oh dear, is everything okay?"
Search: Nothing to worry your pretty little mind. Just the hardships of life. Like working, or sickness.
I know all too well how that is.
Search: Yup, but what matters is our work is done. Hope you all enjoyed the new chapter, and that it was worth the wait.
Belldandy: "I do hope they enjoy it~"
I hope so as well. And I hope to see you all in the next chapter.
Belldandy: "Goodbye~"
Search: Farewell. I'm gonna go lie down and listen to Particle Man.
You do that, and see you all next time.
Please R&R
(A/N 1) And I thought Highschool work was hard at the time…
(A/N 2) Hikozaemon: Hey!
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