*Note: sorry for the late update. I had a lot of work this week and I couldn't upload anything... this time is true.
Enjoy the chapter and have a good day :)
...
This occurred exactly when our heroes encountered Kari and Mikan just as they were heading out, moments before the decisive battle against Nemesis began. The weather today was not at all pleasant; the sky was a heavy, monochromatic gray, and the biting, cold wind didn't help the overall somber mood of the afternoon. In short, it was a sad day—not just in its appearance, but because she was completely alone at home. We are, of course, talking about our dear Haruka, arguably the most "beloved" and "appreciated" character in this entire fanfic—so much so that some readers have even asked the author to make her the new protagonist, a request the author firmly rejected.
{Note: Okay, for those who are a bit slow on the uptake, this is pure irony. In reality, I shouldn't even have to say it, but in this world there are all kinds of people and I'm sure someone would believe it, XD.}
Haruka sat alone in her living room, staring blankly at the television screen. She had just finished a call with her childhood friend, Kouta, who apparently was having the time of his life back in their hometown. Ever since Haruka had left, Kouta's success with girls had increased considerably; with his main rival gone, he was essentially doing whatever he pleased.
In contrast, Haruka had achieved absolutely nothing since arriving in this city. Rejected by Lala and dozens of other girls, she had fallen from being a "winner of life" who could pick and choose the beauties she wanted, to being degraded to a mere friend—a secondary character in a group of girls who already belonged to someone else's harem. If this were a manga, we could say Haruka had become a background character that is rarely seen, much like Issei's friends in the anime Highschool DxD.
But was she going to admit her failure?. Was she going to give her childhood friend the satisfaction of laughing at her for being relegated to a simple sidekick?. No, she wouldn't give him that pleasure, so she told him a lie. She claimed she had conquered Lala a long time ago and that at her new school, she had won over every beautiful girl available. She even went as far as naming them all and sending him their photos to make the story more believable.
Can you guess which names she gave?. That's right; she basically listed every girl who only treated her as a friend. If Yami and Nana ever found out that Haruka was telling people they were part of her harem, they would probably send her to meet God—okay, maybe not that far, but they would certainly give her a lesson she would never forget.
Naturally, Kouta was stunned by the photos Haruka sent. The beauty of those girls far surpassed the most attractive girl in his own harem. Were there really that many goddesses in that city? Maybe he should have transferred to that school too. As they spoke, Kouta began to suspect that Haruka wasn't telling the whole truth, so he proposed a challenge.
"What? You want to come visit me?" Haruka asked, her heart skipping a beat in surprise.
"That's right. Is there a problem with me coming to meet your new girls, or is it that everything was a lie and you've actually been degraded to a simple secondary character?" Kouta asked mockingly.
Haruka gnashed her teeth in frustration. They knew each other too well—he had sensed her deception almost instantly. "No, of course it's not a lie, but I have to get organized. When would you come?".
"Unfortunately, I've accumulated many absences and they've already threatened to expel me if I miss class again," Kouta replied.
"I see, then don't worry, we can leave it for another time..." Haruka said, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. But his next words made her skin crawl.
"So it will have to be for Christmas. Are you free on December 25th? I think it's a good date to meet up and spend Christmas together. I can also bring one of my new girls for you to meet. But just meet them!" Kouta said.
Stupid! Why would I care about your girls? Haruka thought. After seeing true beauty personified in Sainan, Haruka was no longer satisfied with mere "pretty" girls; only goddesses would suffice now—the very same goddesses who only viewed her as a friend. At this point, Haruka had realized she stood no chance with Akira's girls. Having integrated into their group, she could see firsthand how obsessed they were with him. If "Akira" weren't a person's name, she might have thought he was a new type of drug that had become trendy!.
She had no choice but to accept the visit. "Of course, see you on December 25th," she said. What else could she do? Tell him it was a lie and risk being the butt of his jokes for the rest of their lives?. Never!. After hanging up, Haruka collapsed onto her bed and began punching her pillow with pure rage. "Shit! You arrogant prick, I won't let you mock me!".
After delivering dozens of blows to her poor pillow, she lay on her back, staring at the white ceiling with a frown. "Okay, while it's true I haven't been able to conquer them... I'll just ask them to pretend. We're friends, and as friends, we should help each other with our problems, right?". She tried to convince herself that they would agree to act as her girlfriends just for the sake of helping a friend, with nothing sexual involved. What was so bad about helping her with something so simple?.
But there was one major problem: Akira. What boyfriend in his right mind wouldn't spend Christmas with his girlfriends?. "I know! I'll tell them to meet Kouta in the morning, and at night I'll say I have plans and kick him out, so the girls can then have dinner with Akira. Nothing can go wrong!".
She was certain Akira wouldn't reject the idea, but the real hurdle was convincing the girls. She had been so enraged during the call that she had given Kouta too many names. She could have just said Lala was her girlfriend, but instead, she included Nana and Yami, who barely spoke to her. At least they didn't seem to hate her as much lately, mainly because she had stopped her unsuccessful flirting and behaved like a normal friend.
"I have to try, plus, I still have time!" she declared. Specifically, she had almost two months.
Note: I'm a bit slow and I don't remember what month we're in. Can I be any dumber? Probably, but let's assume it's late October for now. If some good Samaritan with too much free time has counted the days, I'll change it, but for now, let's say it's October 26th and that's it.
Decided to try, Haruka got dressed and headed for the door to go to Lala's house, which was right next to hers. But as she stepped out, she heard someone raising their voice—it was unmistakably Akira, and he sounded like he was in a hurry. "Has something happened?" she wondered. Instead of asking directly, she decided to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Akira and all his girls were at the entrance of their house. Akira was talking to two young girls who looked like elementary students—Kari and Mikan—but the content of the conversation was what was truly bizarre. As the talk progressed, Haruka heard terms like "Nemesis" and "Duel". She even heard Momo saying that they needed this "Nemesis" in Akira's harem to make assassins think twice before coming after his life. To Haruka, the conversation sounded like something out of a science fiction novel, yet they weren't joking.
"What on earth is going on? Why would assassins be after Akira? What kind of shady business is he in? Are Lala and the others in danger because of him?" she wondered. As their friend, she couldn't allow them to suffer. The conversation ended and they all started moving, so Haruka followed them stealthily to a park. She hid behind some bushes to watch what was happening.
There she saw a girl so beautiful she almost drooled—dark skin, a cold gaze that could freeze bone, a mischievous smile, hair in side pigtails, and a gothic lolita dress. It was a loli! Haruka was stunned—yet another beautiful girl associated with Akira? Was he really that attractive?.
But what she saw next left her so shocked she nearly fainted. She saw Akira transform into various horrible monsters to fight that seemingly fragile girl. The fight intensified until Akira transformed into a muscular humanoid, and they engaged in a battle that only belonged in shounen anime. Haruka couldn't believe her eyes.
She heard Nana and Momo talking about princesses and kings, stating that Nemesis was a perfect addition to the future king's harem. Then she saw Akira passionately kiss the loli, followed by Momo making plants grow by magic and lifting a massive tree trunk as if it were a feather.
Finally, she saw Nana summon a huge pig—an Analoim—out of thin air to eat all the debris. After fixing the place, they all left, leaving Haruka lying on the grass, utterly confused by everything she had just witnessed. She didn't know that three people had noticed her presence but had done nothing to stop her from seeing it all.