Disclaimer: I own nothing related to To-Love Ru, if I did, then the series would still be on-going.
Regular exposition text looks like this.
"Speech looks like this."
'Internal thoughts appear like this'.
"Mindscape discussions appear like this."
:=:
Human memory is a miracle. Housed within the brain, a part of the body which scientists still fail to fully understand, it was estimated to amount close to 2.5 Petabytes worth with 10 billion neurons. An outstanding marvel of nature.
Certainly, this memory is not as easily used as machine memory is, and the actual capacity varies from person to person and throughout the lifetime of a human.
It also has various nuances, forgetting simple things just as you are about to say something, rapidly fading memory of dreams unless you think about them repeatedly or write them down and so on.
One such nuance of human memory is to forget details related to happy occurrences, retaining vague impressions and broad strokes instead, often leading to a feeling of a greater happiness through nostalgia.
And on the opposite end, to remember traumatic incidents in excruciatingly painful detail.
'I want to hide in a hole' A certain Suzuki Naoto barely restrained his urge to smash his head into his school desk once again, having lost count of how many times he had gotten the urge already that day.
To win the first race of the school sports competition Naoto was forced to complete a task most difficult, and his memory kept remembering vivid details about it.
"You paved the way to our victory Suzuki-san, but we let you down!" Class president had told him, sobbing as he talked about the final cavalry event having turned into a swimming cavalry battle, fought within a swimming pool that emerged from beneath the school grounds. How such a thing was possible Naoto did not wish on ponder on.
While Naoto was confident that his race and its conclusion were only a footnote for the students usual life, considering the crazy situations that happened within the school daily, his own mind refused to cooperate.
'I feel stares and glances even now' He thought on his path through the school corridor, the next school period being a free self-study. Perhaps the school library would give him some much-needed solace.
"Stop there, Suzuki Naoto!"
His path to his paradise of silence was however blocked by a girl bearing dark brown eyes and waist-length black hair, long bangs hanging over her forehead.
"I had not expected such brazenly perverse behavior from an upstanding student such as you" she continued, accusing Naoto, once again reminding him of the memory he was trying to compartmentalize away in his brain.
"Good morning to you as well, Kotegawa-san" Naoto greeted the girl sarcastically. It seems his journey to the library would have to wait for a slight while.
"Ah, Good morning to you as well Suzuki-san" The girl, now identified as Kotegawa Yui greeted back stammering on the sudden change in conversation tone, her principles likely commanding her to always return a greeting. "Not only do you commit such perverse acts, but you also go about your day as if there's nothing wrong!" she continued right after, finding her resolve to bring down justice yet again.
"I fear I don't quite understand what you're referring to, Kotegawa-san. Do you mind talking about it as we walk? I was heading towards the library, and I do not want to block the corridor for others" Naoto asked, acting like he knew not of the matter in concern, aiming to make use of the girl's upstanding nature.
"Uh- Of course. I shall remind you what exactly you have done as we head to the library" she confidently expressed, Naoto's journey to the nirvana of peace resuming once again.
Kotegawa Yui was another one of the major characters from the original story, with upstanding morals contrasting the world. While Naoto did not remember the details, but she too was likely set to gradually fall into the clutches of the perverse world.
Naoto was often used by his classmates as a shield from the upstanding Yui, his reputation and demeanor often easing her rage at the antics of her fellow students. The class president was the biggest offender, since Yui too was the class president of 1-B.
"Not only did you borrow bl- uh a personal objec-" Naoto tuned out Yui as she went over the yesterday's events, instead choosing to find a way to resolve the situation.
Yui was thankfully one of the easiest people to work with within the school. She followed her code of morals, often making her reactions predictable to some extent, and Naoto's reputation also helped greatly given how Yui was positive towards genuinely good people. They'd even had some conversations regarding bettering others without relying on forceful methods.
"Are you even listening to me, Suzuki-san?" Naoto was pulled out of his planning process by Yui as she walked ahead into his path, blocking him yet again.
"Of course I was Kotegawa-san" Naoto smiled, motioning lightly with his hand towards the path, urging Yui to continue walking, which she thankfully obliged with. "Though my recollection of yesterday's events is slightly different from yours" he continued, laying his trap.
"How could that be? Having taken the responsibility to ensure the safety of all participating students I made sure to pay attention to and record all details correctly." Yui replied unconvinced, as her retelling of the situation was likely indeed correct, perhaps even more detailed than Naoto could remember.
"While I commend you for capturing the details so closely, you fail to realize that in yesterday's events, much like the girl I had to make the request to, I too was a victim, and the true culprits roam free. All I could do was apologize to the girl who I had forced to become a victim along with me." Naoto put forward his explanation, laying down the bait which he was certain would work.
"A victim?! Then who was the true culprit?" and the bait was snatched right up by Yui, her moral compass unwilling to let go of her desire to bring justice to the victims.
"My actions yesterday were after all according to the rules of the competition. The real instigators were the ones who chose what objects were to be involved in the scavenger hunt. I believe Saruyama Kenichi from 1-A would know who was involved in that" Naoto delivered the finishing blow, routing his pursuer away to another target.
Should he feel terrible to use Yui's moral compass in such a manner? Perhaps. But being reminded of yesterday's events any more was likely to leave permanent trauma for Naoto and he was willing to make this sacrifice to save his own sanity.
"This. I cannot believe how I could have possibly missed this connection. I recorded only the details and did not look at the connections between them." Yui was shocked, having found the real culprit.
"To have doubted you, I am truly sorry Suzuki-san" Yui then continued, apologizing genuinely while bowing.
"That apology is unneeded Kotegawa-san" Naoto found himself embarrassed, receiving such a genuine apology, especially as it was him who had forced Yui into this position. "Your drive to care for the students and the moral atmosphere within the school is truly admirable. If your journey to achieve that goal involves a detour towards me, I will be happy to help uncover the truth" he continued.
"I shall ensure to stay true to those expectations!" Yui expressed with renewed confidence. "I'll take my leave, I hope you have a peaceful time in the library" she said as the pair had just arrived close to the school library, taking off back towards the classrooms. Her target had no need to be guessed.
"Saruyama, I shall send my apologies in spirit. You brought this upon yourself" Naoto prayed softly for the perverse friend of the main character.
Yui's quest for this incident would likely end at Saruyama for now, but the true culprit would remain. Sitting at the very top within its office, the creature that governed the school policies. Perhaps one day she will find her way to that creature.
Such an ending was inevitable, as for all mysteries or incidents the words of a certain high school turned child detective grim reaper rang true.
There is always only one truth.
:=:
All boys are shameless. That was an unshakeable principle to Kotegawa Yui. Facing the violent, insensitive and above all shameless boys during her childhood, mostly in her elementary school, Yui had gained such an understanding.
Her personal justice however could not sit idle, pitting her often against those shameless boys as she protected the girls from their acts. They called her violent instead due to the verbal altercations and she was forced to switch to a different school for her middle school.
All boys are shameless, this principle of Kotegawa Yui was however shaken in Sainan Middle school, facing the reputation of the school prodigy. A boy with perfect scores, perfect grace in conversations and kind to his classmates.
While Yui never found herself in conversation with him during their middle school years, but all conversations with the prodigious Suzuki Naoto during Yui's first year in Sainan High had been true to his reputation.
He would chide his classmates for their mistakes, but in a manner that never appeared like he was truly scolding them unlike the verbal lashings that Yui would instead have delivered.
'Those shameless boys deserve worse' Yui believed that the boys could not be fixed with a light reprimand. She had once asked the same to Naoto who had replied.
"You cannot force a person to change. It must come from within" he had said sagely, as if remembering something profound.
While Yui did not quite understand how one could change the boys from within, the words did seem to hold meaning. Her desire to bring change to the boys was not only to protect the girls, but also to better them, so they could become upstanding citizens.
If only they could improve to a proportion of Suzuki Naoto's standard, they could become useful members of society.
That very Suzuki Naoto, asking for a girl's bloomers in public even if for a contest, had shaken her trust and belief terribly.
'I need to fix my habit of arriving at conclusions so quickly' she reprimanded herself, having already found the truth behind the situation in yesterday's sports competition.
'Think through your actions and choose the method suitable to the person you want to address' she reminded herself of the guidance she had received from Naoto, when she inquired how he faces those he finds fault with.
'Saruyama Kenichi, popular within the boys of the school and greatly active in terms of organizing school activities. Considered to be best friends with Yuuki Rito' she went over what she knew about the person of interest she was now searching for.
Walking through the hallways she quickly found Saruyama, surrounded by Yuuki Rito and Lala Satalin Deviluke, a girl who was increasingly popular in the recent month.
'They seem to be in discussion. Maybe I should wait for them to finish first? No, I must approach this with confidence' Yui reconsidered her approach, unwilling to make another mistake in the same incident.
Her plan of approach was set, the points of discussion planned and the method of telling Saruyama what he had done wrong decided.
What she did not consider in all her planning was Rito fallings towards her, his hands cupping into her bounty, before she could say a single word.
All her carefully organized approach was shattered as she screamed out.
"Pervert!"
:=:
"You've become quite skilled at finding discounts, haven't you Naoto-san?" Mikan commented, peeking at the pamphlet Naoto was holding, the text 50% OFF vividly displayed in red.
"Only because I had an amazing teacher" Naoto smirked back, leaving the gold brown eyed girl sputtering in embarrassment.
The now daily routine of them meeting on their way back home for some light chat and grocery shopping had become a healing experience to Naoto. A time where he was able to fool himself into believing this world to be a regular place, with nothing out of the ordinary.
"You praise me too highly. You're the amazing one, your notes for the subjects we are set to study next year are crazy detailed and easy to understand you know?" she shot back. "Sachie got a look at the notes and didn't stop asking me where I got them for a week straight." she continued, sighing as she remembered the experience.
"I would be troubled if those notes fell to others. I wrote those specifically to pay back all the effort you've made for me" Naoto continued teasing Mikan. The harmless banter rejuvenating his mind as usual.
"Mou~ you're teasing me too much today Naoto-san. You shouldn't be so unkind to girls" she chided him, unwilling to stay on the losing end. "No wonder you don't have any girlfriend to do shopping with, with such a cruel personality" she said beginning her own assault.
"You speak the truth Mikan-san. It is my good fortune that I have you to accompany me instead" Naoto return fired, scoring a critical hit on unguarded Mikan. Her verbal skills were still too weak to battle him on even grounds. "At least my experience with girls is not as bad as a certain someone" he continued, giving the defeated girl an olive branch.
"That Rito, I don't know when he'd learn" grasping tightly to the provided opportunity Mikan was lively once again, "We've already been living with Lala-san for months now, but he still can't get used to it. There's always so much noise in the morning these days" she complained, her worries for her brother a daily grievance.
"I am sure he'll get used to it eventually. Everyone takes a different amount of time to find a new normal once something changes." Naoto lightly consoled the complaining girl.
His consolation was however slightly empty as he could not begin to imagine how long Yuuki Rito may end up taking to normalize to the situation, given that he hadn't truly achieved that even in the original story as far as Naoto could remember.
"There was also one of Lala-san's friends who would lately frequently visit us, asking to have matches on manliness with Rito every day. Thankfully he didn't show up yesterday. I hope it stays that way." She continued airing out the issues that she was facing, likely not seeking any help but only an ear to talk to.
Mikan, Naoto had found, was much more thoughtful and understanding of the circumstances of the people surrounding her. Perhaps this talent of hers was why she accompanied Golden Darkness, the assassin set after Rito, understanding the assassin's need for companionship. Between the two of them, Naoto was sure that Mikan was a bigger natural prodigy than he ever could be. He just had the benefit of a second set of older memories.
'Thinking of Golden Darkness, I must be prepared for her arrival. It couldn't be too far away' Naoto's expression grew worried, thinking about the character who was likely to join the main cast soon enough. With the ability to transform into any deadly weapon, the danger posed by her was multitudes greater than most others.
"Did I bother you too much with my ramblings Naoto-san?" Mikan sheepishly asked, as if apologizing.
"Not at all. I was just thinking about something I suddenly remembered." Naoto answered with a smile. "For all these worries and complaints, you remain kind to others including your brother Mikan-san" he continued.
"Rito might act like an idiot time to time, but he's still a good person you know?" Mikan blushed under the compliment. "And no matter what, he's still my older brother, so I have to take care of him" she continued while slightly stammering.
The roles of who takes care of whom may have been switched, but that was the true state of the Yuuki household as admitted by Mikan as she blushed and stammered. It was a rare instance that she would refer to her brother by his familial title and not his name.
A comfortable silence fell over the pair as they continued their way to the convenience store, Naoto once again enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.
"By the way Naoto-san, I heard an interesting story from Rito about yesterday's sports competition, something about your race" Mikan commented lightly, her eyes filled with mischief.
"Name your price."
And so, the long-standing battle of who drops the formal suffix first was decided uneventfully in a regular convenience store.
:=:
"Looks like the smartphone revolution will soon arrive in this world too" Naoto mumbled as he browsed through the ancient version of internet on his personal computer.
While he was previously certain that Earth in this universe was greatly behind in terms of technology, changes had been happening gradually.
Internet which had not existed whatsoever during his middle school years was now in a budding stage, where a forum with only text took minutes to load. Most discussions were limited to academic research and other innovations, since computers were still largely only available to researchers and hobbyists.
Naoto believed that the lack of technological growth was largely owing to the lower competitiveness humans had in this universe. Wars and conflict were rare, hence no country found itself pushed to outpace the other.
"Perhaps all the powers in the planet are being secretly controlled by some alien mastermind?" Naoto shuddered, as he rapidly backtracked from the rabbit hole he was nearly swallowed by once again.
He had over the day successfully compartmentalized the trauma he had faced in the sports competition. Since he had managed to take largely logical actions by borrowing the required object from a prime candidate who would have the object available in the required state, while being readily presentable, he was somehow able to fool himself into believing it was the only and the correct way.
'Best case scenario is that I simply forget it forever. Wipe away, wipe away' He prayed and chanted as he turned off the computer to switch on the news, as he went about eating his dinner.
Watching mundane events occur helped him recenter his balance for things that were to come. While every other day he found himself meeting one or another prominent character, he was certain he hadn't influenced the story in significant ways.
"Evening shopping routine, occasionally meeting others during school or some simple guidance are minor things in the grand scale involving aliens and princesses" he grumbled finishing his food and getting up to wash the dishes as the news reported on a recent boxing championship.
"To think such a talent is retiring from the sport. What a shame" Naoto commented as he heard about a person being interviewed the reporters asking why they had decided to quit boxing even though their career was looking bright.
Minor guidance, small actions and basic routines. These things may not be significant from a logical point of view. But Naoto failed to consider the nature of the world he had found himself in.
"I have decided to quit after being enlightened. I now know what I must do to become a true man thanks to my master!" The talent could barely be heard saying, drowned out by the sound of the tap water running over the plates.
The feelings and emotions of the characters was a variable that had been underestimated or perhaps entirely missed.
:=: