The World Only the Girls Know: Blue Rose Paradox

Chapter 1: Teaming Up

Author's Note: Characters from the Light Novels and Manga will be included as well

Original Title: The World Only God Knows / 神のみぞ知るセカイ

Original Concept by Tamiki Wakaki

Written by: wrathie

Author's Notes: A Blue Rose Symbolizes Mystery and The Impossible

Author's Notes: Thanks to dongaro for the beta-read and editing. Plus, welcome new beta reader for this story. He did a quick check of this chapter after all.

Oh, and forgive me for this

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..

This is a scenario that Katsuragi Keima, or the Capturing God could never have imagined. No, he could probably find a way to imagine this scenario out but there was no way that this was going to end up well.

It is a common belief that Harem-based endings are almost an impossibility; whether in a game or in real life due to the extremely complicated web of relationships, feelings and emotions that intertwined with each other in such a relationship.

And that is not considering the amount of history, time and effort that is 'invested' into the individuals for it to happen. But most importantly, one should take note that it is practically impossible for this scenario to develop as there would have to be major concessions amongst the girls that are in a harem.

It is a possibility, but a very very slim chance; not to mention the amount of passion and feelings the girls would have to have for the boy to be so overwhelming that they could look past each other's jealousy to accept the current situation as the best solution.

That would mean that each and every one of them would have to go through similar, if slightly different sequence of events to be able to relate to one another.

It is of course, yet another slim possibility… with so many maths involved, people normally don't bother.

..

Perhaps it would take a computer thousands and thousands of years to be able to calculate such odds; and that was not even factoring the unknown human factor that caused so many different incidents in human history.

So, Katsuragi Keima could not imagine this possibility from happening at all, not with so many individuals at least, but right now it seemed that this was really happening to him.

One could call this heaven and hell all at the same time, but it certainly seemed like Hell to him as he was cornered by not just one, not two and not three girls, but a whooping twelve of them with all shapes, sizes, hairstyles and temperaments.

Keima found himself lost for words for the first time in a long long time upon meeting this situation.

He had gotten up in the wrong side of bed today, true, but he had no idea his luck was not so bad today to have this kind of situation happen to him.

It did not make sense, there had been hardly anything that foreshadowed this event and even if there had been a few clues, he could not prevent this… in short, he was led by his nose till now.

..

..

He supposed this disaster had its roots when he noticed Haqua sneaking into school in one of their school uniforms in that morning.

It had surprised him, but it was not impossible for her to do that just to find a lead and he dismissed it from his thought processes, there were many other more important things that he had to take note of anyway.

Another important clue that he dismissed was seeing Shinomiya Shiori talking with one of his classmates, Yoshino Asami. It was another surprise but he knew from reputable sources that the two of them knew each other and were friends, albeit distant ones.

It is a distinct possibility, a very unlikely one at that, that they were having a conversation amongst themselves about him… even if it seemed impossible as they were not close, not to mention having no knowledge of each other meeting him as well. However, his suspicions were aroused when the two of them blushed and greeted him when he passed the two of them.

Giving them the benefit of doubt was one of his greatest weakness and mistakes, he should not have taken everything for granted.

..

..

Another hint that he accidentally observed was seeing Kasuga Kusonoki in deep discussion with Kujyo Tsukiyo and Aoyama Mio. The three of them were not friends, and as far as he knew they did not even know about each other's existence and what was even more suspicious about their meeting was the way the three of them ceased their conversation upon noticing him looking a little awkward as they passed; Mio sniffing and looking away, Kusonoki frowning and crossing her arms while Tsukiyo simply hugged her doll tighter as he passed.

Of course he took the chance and jogged back down to the landing where he first spotted them and was sorely disappointed when the girls were gone… they had shifted locations, probably to escape his scrutiny… or perhaps he was just over-thinking.

..

..

Something was happening but he could not figure out what, as the next event that happened literally blew him away as two girls from different levels and walks of life came up to speak to him privately during lunch break.

The two culprits that were responsible were Ikoma Minami and Takahara Ayumi; two girls he was distinctively 'weak' against and he hesitated when they approached him together.

Having Elsi slip away a moment later, Keima could smell a setup a mile away as Elsi stuck to him like glue and there is no reason for her to leave him unattended by himself like this.

..

'Neh, Katsuragi…'

'Katsuragi-Senpai…'

Looking at each other nervously with the barest traces of pink on their cheeks, the two of them leaned closer to him, pressing their hands against their, perhaps flat-chest while their voice slowly trailed off as they spoke to him.

'Ano… Katsuragi-senpai…'

'Ah… Minami-chan… p-please go first.'

'A-ah? Why-why me? A-Ayumi-sempai, please! I… I can't do it like this!'

"B-But! But!'

If this sappy love comedy continued he'd have to throw up, and so he spoke up brusquely, cutting them off from their monologue impatiently. He had no intention of letting himself be sucked into the mood, no matter how hard they tried.

A direct approach is rare, but that did not mean that he was unprepared for them.

'Please, if you have something to say to me… please do it soon. Lunch break is ending…'

Practically willing for Elsi to show herself right now, that thought was wiped from Keima's mind when the two of them nodded to each other, took a deep breath and exclaimed as one.

..

'I LIKE YOU, KATSURAGI-SENPAI/KATSURAGI!'

..

He took it better than he imagined as he barely stiffened before sighing, it was unexpected and expected at the same time. But he supposed that this would eventually happen if they regained their memories, if only briefly. And perhaps in some way he was happy it was those two girls out of the others that he knew.

But for the two of them to actually confess at the same time… this is certainly odd.

Ayumi was his type, a girl that he liked and appreciated very much and at the same time, has the necessary characteristics that made him feel attracted to her.

Minami was a girl that he would have no qualms protecting from harm as she was different; perhaps he had a soft spot for juniors who looked up to him as opposed to those in the same grade who were prejudiced towards him.

Either way, he was… happy that they said that to him and he smiled without noticing.

'Thank you, but I'm afraid I can't say that I like the two of you as well. It would be unfair to the two of you and to the others.'

He did not mention what the others meant as he dismissed them with no hesitation whatsoever. But he was surprised both at his resolve as well as the lack of disappointment in both Ayumi and Minami's faces. On the contrary, however, the two girls seemed to be even more excited.

..

'I… I see, it's just like what they said he would do…'

'…H-hai… t-that's… Katsuragi-senpai… is as amazing as I thought he'll be…'

They were mumbling so softly that he could not hear what they were saying, Keima tilted his head in confusion as the girls shook their heads in a hurry.

'N-no, it's nothing! Than-Thank you for your time, Katsuragi!'

'Thank you… ano… really, thank you for your time, Katsuragi-senpai…'

Bowing to them, the two girls beat a hurried retreat when Keima was going to ask them what they meant.

..

'Something is definitely up.'

He had the inkling then, a feeling of foreboding. But if he was powerless to prevent it happening before, it would be a reoccurring theme that is part of his life. Especially so when he spotted Haqua sitting in another class and chatting energetically with a girl that he knew.

Fuse Aoba, the Mai-hime had a smile on her face with Haqua and that really jarred him. The mere thought of the coalition of geniuses was enough to spook him sufficiently. Who knew what kind of stunt they would be able to pull if they pooled their knowledge together? Especially with the two's track record of being fond to play tricks on others.

So rattled was he that he failed to notice Yoshino Asami and Kosaka Chihiro speaking energetically with each other.

Yoshino Asami was not a talkative person by nature and she did not mingle well with her classmates much. To see her smiling and chatting with Chihiro was odd, but it was definitely not the oddest thing he has seen today.

All in all, a sense of foreboding was indeed growing and Keima found himself panicking at the possibilities.

No, he was in mortal peril, this he was sure about and he wanted to escape right now…

..

..

But he wouldn't be able to get the chance, as when he was about to escape and take the rest of the day off after lunch, the girl who had failed to save him earlier reappeared with a smile behind him.

'Where are you going, Kami-Onii-sama?'

Placing a hand on his shoulders, Keima shuddered momentarily as Elsi smiled at him and even he could not explain why he was a little apprehensive about his sister. It seemed like he was hiding something, something that she was strangely happy about.. and it made him worried.

As a rule, Elsi was very independent as Keima viewed that it would be better for her, as well as for him, if Elsi's train of thought was only know to her and her only. If he was to expect too much of Elsi, it would surely end up in his disappointment.

It benefited Elsi too as she worked very well if left to her own devices…

But the unwritten rule was that Elsi kept no secrets from Keima, and it has been true up till this moment. Elsi's nature meant that it would be painfully obvious to him if she was hiding anything from him, painfully obvious at that.

That meant that whatever had transpired Elsi to keep a secret from him, it would have to be something substantially important for her.

..

..

'I don't feel so well, Elsi, I think I'm taking the rest of the day off.'

Finding himself tongue tied at the start, Keima rallied and replied swiftly with no hesitation at all after a moment's consideration.

'That's playing Truant, Kami-Onii-sama. You shouldn't do that~ if you're not feeling well, you should go to the infirmary for a rest ,desho?

Keima was too shocked initially to even contemplate what Elsi had just said, had she rebutted him? W-what in the world was going on here?

'You should listen to Elsi-chan, Keima-kun.'

Whirling around, Keima felt his blood run cold when Nakagawa Kanon greeted him with a smile. What was she doing here? She wasn't even in class most of the time and was it alright for her to be calling his name?

'…'

Finding himself unable to reply the two of them, Keima sighed before nodding his head in resignation, he was fighting a losing battle here after all.

'Hehe~~ If you'll like, I could accompany you to the infirmary, Keima-kun.'

Stepping up boldly, Kanon gently clasped his hand and Keima felt like the world was ending soon before his eyes. As he felt stares drill into the back of his head, literally as everyone would be shocked, no, scandalized at Kanon, THE Nakagawa Kanon doing that to the Otamegane.

It was enough to give him a severe migraine thinking about the possibilities but it was just getting started as Kosaka Chihiro gave a protest while running over to the two of them.

'Kanon, that's…!'

Whispering something to her, Chihiro was vindicated when Kanon dropped his hands reluctantly while pouting unhappily at her.

'… Fine, Chihiro-chan… I'll… follow…'

Looking unhappily at Chihiro and to an extent at him as well, Kanon walked off while Keima nursed the growing headache that would no doubt get worse.

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'…'

His instincts were screaming at him to get away from school at all costs, to fly out of the country or at least barricade himself in the room for quite some time.

But reality was harsh and he probably wouldn't get the chance to do that. The girls were popping up in all the 'convenient' places and preventing him from escape out of this nightmare of his.

'… I'm delusional… I'm just scaring himself.'

He tried to reassure himself but it wasn't working as Elsi simply smiled even brighter when she overhead his words.

'What's wrong, Kami-Onii-sama~~'

'Too many things are off, Elsi… are you hiding things from me?'

Deciding on the spot to take the bull by the horns, Keima turned and confronted his most frequent, and some might argue only ally, and was only rewarded with an innocent smile and the slight tilting of her head as an answer.

'Are you, Kami-Onii-sama?'

Answering a question with a question, Keima narrowed his eyes and tried hard to keep his frustration and temper in check.

It was true that Elsi have never lied to him but he had kept things from Elsi as well. He had taken their relationship together for granted and he was paying the price now.

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..

'Tsk…'

'Kami-Onii-sama, just as you have secrets, I have secrets I want to keep myself too. You won't force me to tell you everything I know, right?'

Pleading him with her innocent eyes, Keima was disgusted at himself and at Elsi for putting him in a predicament like this. He surprisingly found himself judging the pros and cons of the situation, to his horror.

'No, I guess not… I'm sorry.'

Shaking his head, Keima decided that he shouldn't jeopardize their current relationship, even if he was starting to wonder if Elsi had finally grown up and was in a rebellious phase at the moment.

'Thank you, Kami-Onii-sama~~ Shall we go home now?'

With her bag in tow, Elsi waited patiently for him as he hurriedly threw his stuff into his bag, eager and ready to set off home. Once he reaches home, he would be home free and he would have the chance to gather some intelligence about the situation.

The girls were united as one, seemingly anyway, and it would be prudent to proceed with caution.

At least, that was his hopes then.

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..

That was why and how she found himself staring at those twelve different girls, all gathered around him like bees to honey on the rooftop. Elsi had left her lunch box there and insisted that Keima accompany her to get it.

He should have suspected that it was a trap but again, there was no use crying over spilt milk.

The girls, Takahara Ayumi, Shinomiya Shori, Aoyama Mio, Nakagawa Kanon, Kasuga Kusonoki, Kosaka Chihiro, Tsukiyo Kujyo, Ikoma Minami, Yoshino Asami, Fuse Aoba, Haqua Du Lut Herminimum and of course, Katsuragi Elsi herself, just gathered around him, surrounding him and not letting him escape.

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'Finally…'

'You have been lookin forward to the moment, aren't you, Kasuga-senpai?'

Sniffing unhappily as she turned to snap at Aoyama Mio, Kusonoki cracked her knuckled briefly as she nodded her head.

'Yes, this is a day I've waited very long for. It is time to end this little façade.'

'in that case, would you mind waiting a little bit longer? I have some unfinished business to settle with him as well. When he pays his dues, I will gladly leave him to you.'

Elegantly, or trying to look elegantly, Tsukiyo smiled as she pushed her hair back while appraising Keima carefully.

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'Ano… please don't hurt Katsuragi-senpai…'

Waving her hand in the air to get the older girl's attention, Ikoma Minami blushed when the other girls stared at her.

'Please, let Katsuragi-senpai have a chance to speak too… it's not fair to just blame him for everything…'

'Yeah, that's right! Let him have a chance to speak too!'

Rallying behind Minami was Ayumi, the two girls seemed to have formed a bond together somehow and with the enthusiasm and energy of Ayumi, the both girls defiantly defended Keima while he looked on.

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'This is not an ending that you expected, or rather one that you dreaded for a long time… is that not right, Capturing God.'

Closing one eye, Fuse Aoba appraised Keima with crossed arms. It seems that the geniuses had teamed together as Haqua was beside her as well.

'What do you mean, Aoba? Did he know this would happen after all? He's a two-timing idiot after all, it's his just desserts.'

Smiling deviously with a hint of a blush on her face, Haqua waved her scythe around dangerously, causing some of the girls to back away from the devil in front of them.

'Oh, I'm sure he did not mean to build a harem like this… of course, with such diversity… I have to wonder about that as well.'

Looking pointedly at Haqua and her own chest before turning to scrutinize Kusonoki, the Mai-Hime simply raised one hand to keep Kusonoki from lashing out as she explained.

'Either way, we have you now, Katsuragi-san. It would be prudent for you to not resist and to quietly accept your fate. That fate that we have determined for you together as one.'

Watching Aoba smile in triumph at him, Keima shuddered as he could imagine different scenarios that could happen with her at the helm, plotting his demise.

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'…'

Looking to the side, he noticed that there were a few girls who were not actively joining into the discussion. Yoshino Asami and Shinomiya Shiori were the two of them and they looked on nervously until they noticed him looking at them and they immediately recoiled somewhat in fear(?).

'…K-Katsuragi-san…'

'Katsuragi-kun…'

Twitching nervously, the two girls clung to each other for support, holding each other's hands, unable to say a word until Chihiro and Kanon supported them by placing their hands on their shoulders to reassure the two of them.

'… Please, don't ignore us too… we… we hope that you'll listen to us… too…'

'Hai, Katsuragi-kun… we are tired of always waiting and hoping… we want answers too…'

Nodding their heads resolutely, the two girls narrowed their eyes and Keima felt even more bowled over now than ever.

..

'Kami-Nii-sama~ All of them wanted to talk to you, so I helped them a little!'

'I think it's more than just a little, Elsi!'

Flying into a rage all of a sudden, Keima lunged at Elsi but was stopped from 'punishing' her by the other girls, namely Kanon and Chihiro who grabbed him and held him back.

'Oi, Katsuragi! You should be happy we didn't punish you for what you did to us!'

'K-Keima-kun! It's not Elsi's fault, we begged her to help us!'

Hanging on to him, the two girls were 'reinforced' by the others, who formed a human wall between Keima and Elsi while shaking their heads disapprovingly at him; some of them a little shocked at his behavior.

..

'Pardon me for being a little frustrated at the situation.'

Upon release, Keima paced in a circle for a while before turning back to snap at the gaggle of girls.

'But what, do all of you wish of me? Do you seek vengeance for what I did to you? Do you seek me to atone for my sins?

Do you wish to see me apologize and seek forgiveness? Please, state your wishes clearly, while I still have the sanity and patience to deal with all of you.'

At his wits ends, as Gods has their own limits as well, Keima found himself reliving a large portion of his games in real life, a plane that he normally does not wish to be involved with, and he was right to be extremely upset.

Reality is robbing him of his time, sanity, rationality and faith with probability all at the same time. Does he even dare think about calculating the odds required for this scenario happening in the first place?

The girls obviously remembered everything that has happened between them and him, that part is obvious. What is not obvious is what they wished from him.

They said something about an agreement between all the girls and that agreement worried him, no scared him as it would not be good for him.

Reality had brought nothing beneficial for him and it certainly was not going to start now!

..

..

'Alright.'

Nodding her head, the leader of the group, apparently Fuse Aoba, crossed her arms and spoke for all the girls present.

'Katsuragi-san, all of us have similar, if different experiences with you. All of us are in agreement with that matter… what has past is the past and we find it unproductive to argue about the past, comparing each other's experience with each other… That is the sentiment that we have all agree on.'

Watching Aoba turn a little red, showing that she was actually quite embarrassed by what she was saying, Keima merely nodded and simply waited for her continue.

..

'Unfortunately, all of us share the same conflicting, mutual and unreasonable feelings of… of a certain feeling towards you!'

Unable to bring herself to say it outright, Fuse Aoba turned around for assistance and found none, almost all of the girls looking away from her, red flushing their faces.

'… Tsk, to repeat myself again. All of us share the same feelings for you, Katsuragi-san. And due to those same feelings, all of us have, after a long and heated discussion…'

Aoba looked around her again and after seeing all of them nodding back, some of the girls with some degree of hesitation, she continued once more.

'All of us come to a concession. That… is not fair to have each individual experience, feelings and of course, desire be compared and weighed against each another.

Although unhappy about this decision, all of us ultimately agree too that it would be a waste of effort, resources and time… not to mention being extremely emotional draining, for all of us to argue and compete with each other for our one shared wish.'

Keeping up her poker face as much she could, Fuse Aoba cleared her throat and pointed a finger to Keima firmly.

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..

'Thus, our decision would be for you, Katsuragi Keima, to atone for your mistakes, sins and of course, the emotional trauma that you placed us through, by spending time with us to make up for the time that you avoided us, equally of course, from now till whenever we see fit. That is all.'

Crossing her arms, Fuse Aoba nodded her head while the other girls clapped at her speech.

They were all in favor of this as upset as they were about him 'cheating' on all of them, Keima had not really taken advantage of them in any way.

If he is to be called guilty, the only crime that he could be charged under would be perhaps the heartbreak and unanswered questions of his departure from their lives.

This was as big as a concession as the girls themselves would allow each other. They wished to be reunited with him and yet did not wish to see anyone of their own number be cheated of the opportunity to do so at the same time.

They do not wish to hurt each other or hurt him by aggressively staking a claim but did not wish to lose their stake by being passive.

Yes, it would be difficult for them to accept each other having an 'equal share' of his time, but until a better suggestion surfaces, this seems to be the best approach anyway.

..

..

'Do I have a say in all this?'

Resigned to his fate, Katsuragi Keima would not dare to provoke the girls as they had him cornered and unable to escape…. And he had the feeling that no matter how he tried to persuade them, they wouldn't budge at all.

After a long while of inner struggling, monologues, Keima could only come up with this as a reply and naturally, the girls replied in unison.

'NO, YOU DON'T!'

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..

'Of course, Keima had no say in the matter, he would be surprised if he did at all. It seems that reality is using underhanded means to pull him from his rightful seat as God. It is a conspiracy, surely that is the truth!

But no matter how much whining he did, there was no use escaping from the two girls that was now sitting in front of him and sipping tea.

Another question that he found himself dying to ask the girls was: 'Why Him?'

He is not a particularly attractive boy and he could admit that with a straight face as it is the truth. He values games above everything else, is not easily impressed by others, blunt with his words with no empathy or with any tact when speaking his views and above all, is not attracted to 'Real' girls at all…

All these qualities meant that girls who are attracted to him would have to endure his obsession with games, denial of attention to them as well as the lack of appreciation for their looks.

In short, he has no value of being a companion to a 'real girl' aside from perhaps, the emotional stability and assurance that he could, possibly provide…

Maybe anyway, he has saved them and filled in the gaps of their hearts and that counted for something, right?

From all the games that he played so far, the protagonist of the games have never been truly outstanding, they were kind, understanding and of course, in the right place at the right time with enough empathy to make him the heroine in question as well.

Not to mention, having the Devil's luck on their side makes their choices easy and straightforward to choose once someone gets to see the 'Ending'.

..

..

He has none of that luck, neither that empathy nor the time to invest in them… hence, him finding it odd that they would accept him for what he is… and perhaps, it made him a little touched as well at their gestures.

But being touched does not mean that he should be happy about it!

..

..

Of course right now it's Fuse Aoba's turn to spend the afternoon with him and he found himself dragged from school to her room, where the three of them were now sitting and relaxing.

The last time Keima had been to her room, it had been scarcely furnished, containing the barest essentials to call it a room. There was a bed, a bookshelf and a table with chairs. That was it.

But right now, his influence is startling as besides the same bed, table and chair, the bookshelf was accompanied by a second, bigger shelf containing all the games that she had brought.

A new computer sat on the table along with at least three different set of game devices, as well as a few console devices resting at the sight.

It made him feel at home immediately and Keima found himself accepting Fuse Aoba the most out of the girls that he knew, Elsi aside of course, particularly so as they share the same interest and were very much alike.

Thus, he had been compelled to hope that he would be able to have a little time to enjoy his games with her… instead, he found himself being distracted by Haqua, who twitched and fidgeted in position while looking at the two of them.

He wondered why Haqua was with them in the first place, although it was stipulated amongst the girls that she too deserved 'rights' to be with him, she being a Tsundere had rejected it till the bitter end, and 'caved' to accept her 'rights' at the last moment, claiming that it would be punishment for him.

With Haqua being left alone while the two played their games silently, Keima found the atmosphere getting more awkward when Aoba did not say a word from the beginning till now as she concentrated on her games, only asking questions about it to Keima in a few occasions.

For Keima, he is naturally laconic unless it is absolutely necessary, usually so when he is worked up. Guilty as he was of engaging in monologues now and then, he found himself not needing to speak to Aoba more than necessary.

This all culminated in Haqua feeling even more awkward as the minutes ticked by, the three of them sitting together in a circle in Aoba's room while the latter two played their games.

..

..

'I… I should go.'

Being unable to take the strain any longer, Haqua lowered her head and seemed ready to take off when Aoba suddenly spoke up, asking him a question that staggered him for a moment.

'… Capturing God, it seems that Neko-mimi as well as Usa-mimi are getting popular again… do you like those characters as well?'

An innocent enough question, but surely that was not the case as Keima noticed the slight movement of her lips that signified that she was silently smirking to herself. Of course, more obvious to the eye was how Haqua visibly flinched at the question, turning red in the process.

Such a troublesome girl…

'it depends on the story, the setting and of course how the characters are fleshed out in the game. Stereotypical characters, no matter the design, will never fare well in the harsh reality of the Galgame Genre. I assume you know that as well?

Being absolutely perfect is only a recipe for disaster… looks could only carry one so far and it is purely superficial. There is no guarantee that looks will make one succeed, it is the culmination of character, personality as well as image that makes a character a popular one.'

Nodding his head at the textbook answer he gave, Keima was gratified and proud that Aoba was in agreement with him as well.

..

..

'That is correct, Katsuragi-san. However, I am merely asking in terms of artistic value right now. Taking out the character's personality, the background of the story and even their species…'

Aoba stopped abruptly and looked away awkwardly as Keima stared at her in disapproval and she quickly explained herself.

'There are some stories where the Characters themselves are not fully or truly human, but human-like hybrids with animal-like characteristics… for one good example one can look at Leaf/Aquaplus's earlier works…'

Sighing in relief when Keima backed off, Aoba continued on.

'I am asking your personal preference, Katsuragi-san… would you prefer characters to dress up at all or have those characteristics at all? I believe that Moe is an appeal that is universal, regardless of the quality, art style and skill of the artwork from the artists, that there is a special quality of Moe that comes from those girls, don't you agree?'

Smiling a winning smile, which to others would simply be a half-smile, Fuse Aoba said her piece and waited enthusiastically for an answer while surprisingly, Haqua waited with baited hooks at the side.

..

'I admit, that you might be right in the assumption. For a character design to be perfect in one's eyes would require the artist to magically match every single aspect about the character to a person's taste. With the amount of character designs, the number of heroines that exist in the world today, it is certainly possible for anyone to find a character that they view as the perfect girl.

It is of course, more difficult to match one's preferred and favorite personality to the design 100% of the time, the odds are a little difficult in that aspect.'

Coughing when he realized that he was going off topic, Katsuragi Keima nodded and agreed with Aoba reservedly. She was planning something and in light of that, he should be more cautious.

'I can agree with your statement, adding the aspect and image of another, non-human aspect that is widely known to be cute or adorable will certainly add a certain Moe factor to her.'

Smiling oddly, Aoba pressed Keima for an answer yet again.

'So, am I accurate to assume that, Katsuragi-san would view and agree that when a girl, wore some aspect of a Cat, like Cat-ears or Cat-paws… even once, it would certainly add to her appeal?'

'… What are you getting at, Fuse?'

Referring to her by her family name, Keima signaled that he was sick of playing games and the Mai-Hime, staying true to her name and reputation, simply smiled and reinstated that she just wanted his honest opinions… that was all.

'After all, I would never imagine anyone would ever wear something like that to score points, would you, Haqua?'

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..

Keima saw that mischievous glint in her eyes and wondered for a moment whether Aoba and Haqua's conversation earlier, the one that had caused Haqua to turn cherry red up to her eyes, had been this conversation after all?

Nah… Haqua couldn't have been gullible enough to…

..

..

'Yes, I suppose that is accurate. A scene like that would certainly add an aspect of the character that would not have surfaced without that scene in the first place…'

Rubbing his chin, Keima felt an overwhelming surge of killing intent from Haqua the moment he replied and before he realized what was happening, the devil sprang to her feet and waved her scythe in front of her threateningly.

'N-No Way!... No Way! There's no way that I'll… that I'll!'

As he expected(dreaded) and was fearful for, Keima knew that Haqua was not speaking to him but instead towards Fuse Aoba, that was now slowly getting up with the same mischievous smile that he saw earlier.

'What is this, Haqua-san? We had a friendly wager between the two of us… I cannot believe that you would forfeit on your promise… I am very disappointed in you, Haqua-san. What would Katsuragi-san or Elsi-san thank of you now?'

Crossing her arms, the Mai-Hime had obviously outwitted and outplayed the Devil Genius and right in front of him, Keima saw how Haqua literally deflated when she looked from Aoba to him.

Aoba had played the right cards, attacked the right places and subsequently, denied Haqua any space for negotiations.

'T-This is all your fault! Men are perverts! All of you are perverts!'

Flailing her scythe around in protest, Keima groaned while Aoba did not even bat an eyelid at her response.

..

..

'We can debate that fact later on, Haqua-san. It will be a very interesting debate that I will find great joy speaking with you about… but right now, I expect you to fulfill the terms of the forfeit immediately. If I have lost... I would have done my forfeit immediately as well.'

Pressuring Haqua by walking over to the flustered girl, Aoba evidently had the upper-hand as Haqua dropped her arms to the side in defeat when Fuse literally loomed over her.

As to who had the upper hand, the fact was clear to everyone present.

'Now then… will you~?'

..

Author's Note: This is originally supposed to be a one-shot but as you can see... it turned out like this.

Anyway, R&R to support me. IRL's been really tough on me and I'm not writing that much lately, so reviews will help alot!