Chapter 26 – New Year’s Eve

A bustling train station was the perfect place to let your mind wander. The loud noises of the trains running and people commuting helped create the lively atmosphere of the train station. In that atmosphere, it was incredibly easy to get sidetracked by the littlest detail. As a result, many people have gotten lost in their thoughts without paying a single attention to their surroundings. It also just so happened to be that Takei was in that group of people.

Is my hair messed up?

Did I miss anything with my shaving?

Does my yukata look fine?

Such were the thoughts of an adolescent boy waiting for a beautiful girl.

Takei was wearing a charcoal gray colored yukata with a midnight black obi. The yukata was chosen by his mother due to the colors complimenting his dark colored features. For the design, Takei opted for a simple one because he didn't want to stand out. He also cleaned up his hair a bit in order to look presentable.

Whenever Takei decides to clean himself up, good things always happen. Unbeknownst to most people, Takei actually has a good facial structure. If it weren't for his messy undone hair, he would be a hot commodity.

As Takei was mulling over trivial details, a voice from behind interrupted his thoughts.

"Um excuse me, are you also going to the shrine?"

He turned around to find a girl with short brown hair and a small stature behind him. She was wearing a light pink colored yukata with a sakura petal design. The girl looked either the same age as him or a little bit younger.

"Yeah I am, why do you ask?" Takei politely replied.

"I'm visiting the shrine, but I'm not from this area. Can you please tell me the station route to get there?" the girl asked.

Oh, so it's not my popular phase yet. What a shame.

Takei borrowed a map from a station employee and explained which train routes to take. The shrine was a local shrine that he frequently visited, so Takei already knew the way to get there by heart.

"Thank you so much! I will definitely repay this favor one day," the girl promised.

"Haha, you don't have to go that far," Takei chuckled.

The girl shrugged in response. "Well if you ever need anything, go to Mitsukai High and ask for Mai Kawashima."

Mitsukai High... It's the place where she goes to, isn't it?

Takei's face darkened as he remembered the past events that had led him to run away from everything. He unconsciously squeezed his hands tighter which resulted in his nails digging deep into his skin.

"Hey? Hello? Are you okay?!" The girl asked, concerned.

After no response, Mai grabbed Takei's hands tightly.

Noticing the strange warmth on his hands, Takei snapped out of his stupor.

This is not the time to reminisce about the past.

Takei stood up and looked at the girl directly in the eyes. "I'm fine now, thanks. My name is Takei Tanaka, nice to meet you."

The girl was unconvinced, but she still played along with Takei's act. "Once again, I'm Mai Kawashima."

To the outsiders passing by, the two of them looked like an intimate couple reuniting after a long time. It would surely be an embarrassing memory for Takei later on. However, there was a bigger problem that he had to worry about now.

"So, what do we have here?"

The voice of a demon entered his ears. It was a familiar voice, but in a very different tone. He had been hearing this voice nearly everyday for the last month, so he could identify the owner immediately.

"Akari?! There's nothing going on! I was just giving directions to this girl," Takei said, while trying to clear up any misconceptions.

Akari Akazawa, the goddess, was standing there right in front of him. She was several minutes early before the planned meetup time. Akari had arrived with a bright blue yukata and a golden colored obi while her hair was tied up into a neat bun. Although the goddess's beauty was evident, her poor mood was also very obvious.

"Then, what is that?" Akari pointed.

The thing she was pointing to turned out to be his hands. They were still wrapped together with Mai's hands, since the two of them forgot to let go. It was a truly unfortunate situation for him. Before Takei could explain, Mai decided to beat him to the punch.

"It wasn't his fault! I saw that he was looking pale, so I tried to calm him down. It was all my doing, so don't blame him!"

Akari was surprised to see Mai covering for Takei as evident by her jaw hanging wide open. However, that was only for a second before the visage of the goddess returned.

"I see... My apologies." Akari said, crestfallen at her mistaken accusation. "I can take care of the rest, you can leave now."

After hearing Akari's judgement, Mai glanced at Takei as if awaiting confirmation. He nodded back in approval which prompted her to leave.

Mai gave a slight bow and left without a word.

Now, Takei was stuck alone with the demonic goddess. The blissful day proved to be very different than what he had expected.

As soon as Mai left, Akari began to slowly move towards Takei.

"W-wait, Akari! I can explain!" He pleaded.

Seeing as how Akari didn't slow down at all, Takei closed his eyes and prepared for the worst.

Seconds passed, and... nothing happened.

Takei slowly opened his eyes to reveal a teary eyed Akari in front of him.

"You idiot!" she yelled, as she leaned herself against him while also wrapping her hands around his waist.

"Eh?" Takei said, confused.

"Are you okay?! I was so worried something happened to you!" Akari cried.

Takei was shocked to see her so emotional about this. He had never seen her on the verge of tears before. Takei wished he would never see her in tears ever again.

"Um, I'm okay now. Thanks for worrying about me," Takei smiled.

"Really?" Akari tearfully said.

"Yes, really. Right now though, can you let go? It's a bit awkward," Takei chuckled.

Akari lifted her face and looked around the station. There was a crowd building around them due to the large disturbance they created. Immediately, she let go and put some distance between them.

Takei glanced at her ears which were tainted a crimson red. He had to move his hand to cover his mouth in order to prevent his laughter from leaking.

Remembering something from earlier, Takei decided to prod Akari. "On a side note, why did you call me an idiot earlier?"

"It's because you're an idiot for worrying me..." Akari mumbled.

"I apologize for that, my princess. Would you like me to escort you to your destination?" Takei asked, while extending his hand out to her.

Akari's eyes widened as she stared at his hand. Moments later, she grabbed it and gave him a big smile.

"Please escort me... my prince," Akari giggled.

---

Akari's Affection Meter: 70 -> 73%

Jealousy + Reassurance = Profit