Welcome back to the world of Shuffle! Upon watching the OP again, it seems likely that the five girls shown there - Lisianthus (The God), Nerine (The Devil), Kaede, Asa, and Primula (as yet unmet) - will be the potential heroines of this... novel. (Seriously, what can I call this other than the awkwardly long "visual novel"? And do I say I'm reading it, playing it, or perhaps even watching it?)
Moving on though, it is now the Tuesday the 15th. After a much quicker wake-up call than yesterday, I find myself outside talking to Kaede about whether the transfer students will actually be coming to the class today (as scheduled). The two girls from the other day come to mind, but Rin dismisses the thought as coincidence. (I, of course, am not so naïve.)
Once in school, I am greeted by a class lacking any males. Mayumi comes up and tells us that the two transfer students - which Itsuki correctly guessed as girls - are in the teachers room. The reason for the lack of guys is clear. The half-devil offers to show me pictures she took of them, but I think I'd rather wait.
Itsuki and all the other guys are back now, it seems. He mentions being glad for not scoring the (unseen) woman the other day particularly highly, comparing the transfer students' beauty to Kaede's. Next is the teacher (I personally wonder if this is the only teacher I see throughout this whole thing), who tells the male students to calm down. They don't lose their eagerness.
Oh fun. The teacher calls the transfer students in and the guys start cheering. Ugh.
HA. A muscular guy and the Devil from the start of the game (/novel/thing/whatever) appear. Seems they were intentionally tricked. Mayumi confirms that these are not the transfer students. After a few more bits of text, the muscular man is mentioned to be a God. My guess is that these are the fathers of the two transfer students. ie. Lisianthus and Nerine.
They both look at me and claim that I am important, or something like that. Rin is surprised, I am not. (Relatedly, do we have a page for how everything has tropes in it?) The Devil says that I am a sincere person, and that a man must be able to love one woman with all their heart.
So... no Tenchi Solution, huh? Figures.
Saying "Please be good to my Nerine-chan", it is obvious who he supports. And almost certain that I was right about these men's identities. And while that guy talked about love, the God talks about strength to protect. He, though, mentions "Sia-chan"... it takes me far longer than it should have to realize that this comes from liSIAnthus. Interesting though are the honorifics used. the Devil calls me by "chan", while the God calls me by "dono". While the translation notes said that dono just means "mister", I am experienced enough to know a few other details of the term, such as how it is an address among equals or near-equals.
Enter, stage left: Lisianthus.
She looks angry, odds are related to how she just hit her father (Yes? I suppose I'll find out soon) with a chair to calm him down.
Enter, stage somewhere: Nerine. Confirmation that the "handsome man" is her father.
Now both men are embarrassed at bugging me, thanks to their daughters. (We have a trope for children - usually daughters - who control their parents - more often the opposite sex one - right?) To that note, we now have confirmation that the muscular man is Lisianthus' father.
...
And back to the teacher, who butts in to begin the introductions. They are introduced as Lisianthus - or "Sia", Nerine - or "Rin" (confusion ahoy?), Eustoma is Lisianthus' father - the King of the Gods, and Forbesii is Nerine's father - the [strike]pimp[/strike]* King of the Gods. The teacher, still smiling, seems kinda annoyed at how poorly the first 15 minutes of her homeroom has gone. I can't blame her.
Itsuki, absolutely smitten, talks about how he wants to steal away the new girls from any boyfriends they may have. He is going to be so alone by the end of this. Kaede soon smartly (albeit predictably) asks what the two men meant by Kings. The teacher awkwardly admits that it is the truth, and that the four introduced here are exactly as claimed and implied. However, Lisianthus asks everybody to just treat her like a normal classmate, and Nerine agrees. Neither wants to be treated like a princess, and I couldn't agree more; royalty are still people, after all.
Ignoring Itsuki's interruptions, the teacher then leaves the girls in my care. The Kings explain - bluntly - that this decision is because I was chosen to be the husband of one of the two girls, and thus the next King of one of their two worlds. Rin is incredulous, while I see just another plot point. TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life indeed. The girls' expressions show that this is not a dream or anything like that.
Heh. It spells fiancé as fiance.
And apparently all this got arranged in a single day when Rin was a kid. The girls don't really want to talk about it, or let their fathers embarrass Rin more. (They were a bit... blunt, about their children's busts. >_>) After a final word of encouragement, the fathers leave the room.
And Kaede has passed out. Don't worry, childhood friend, you're still an option... I think.
.
<End of first period, and this liveblog instalment is getting kinda long. I don't want to end before the end of one day though, so excuse that this will be longer than the previous entries.>
Itsuki declares that he has been in love with the girls since his previous life. (Suuuuuure. He is such a failure at the one thing he's meant to be known for.) Kaede and Mayumi say that his attitude can't be helped. Directing Mayumi out of the room, I ask her if she knows anything more about the two girls. I, again, claim ignorance, which leads her to reveal that she knows something about Nerine, and mentions a "Kareha-sempai" who would know things about Lisianthus.
And yay, my first choice in the story!
I ask Mayumi about the Devil, since it seems unlikely I'd get anything useful regarding the God when asking a half-Devil. She tells me that Nerine is quiet and elegant, and can be very devoted to a man (Oddly specific...). She's been proposed to many times, but refused them all. She was very sick in her childhood, and rarely came outside. "She contributed in the experiment that determines the future of the world of the Devils and the Gods." As never crossed my mind but did Rin's, Mayumi rules out Nerine being a robot created by this... experiment, and that the Devils' and Gods' worlds are advanced in magic but not technology. Makes sense. Mayumi then tells me about Nerine's singing voice, which I happen to already know about. Finally, as she leaves, Mayumi reminds me to not forget about Kaede.
During the lunch break, Kaede is concerned about me. She also seems rather sad, but that's quite understandable. Saying that I'm okay, I call Itsuki over so we can go eat lunch, but it seems that he's brought Lisianthus and Nerine with him. Sympathetic, I agree that we should all go eat.
On the roof, all present have a short discussion about what to call the two girls. Kaede decides on Sia-san and Rin-san, while Rin feels awkward using his own name with someone else, so calls them Nerine aaaand... Lisianthus has not been named. Hrm. After Itsuki calmly asks to beat me up, Mayumi asks Lisianthus if she wants to just jump on me and go "Kyaaaaa!" (Or maybe she was asking the both of them; it's hard to tell.), but they say that as tempted as they were, they didn't do that for the sake of the trouble it would cause. Mayumi is impressed, and acknowledges to Kaede that "(her) rivals are pretty tough."
Itsuki continues to be jealous.
Ah. It turns out that Rin met Lisianthus 8 years ago after she got lost on a train. Nerine was similar in that she was also lost when she met Rin. Kaede is very... understanding... of the whole situation, although she is still sad. Apparently the relationship between Kaede & Rin was very different back then.
Interesting. It seems Rin thinks of Lisianthus as Sia. Note though that this was a thought, not something said aloud.
Heh, translation bork. "8 years ago, I was in full of sad and painful emotions."
Moving on though, Rin vaguely remembers meeting Nerine & Lisianthus, who are very happy to hear this. Mayumi again points out the strength of Kaede's rivals, and Itsuki again asks to beat me up. I'll pass.
The girls - including Kaede - make it clear that they will not force my choice, although they do all have a preference, obviously. I say that I am not currently interested in being a fiance, but still say that it was nice to meet them.
.
That night, the Kings have come to greet me. Their daughters came with them.
Heh. It seems to be a celebration of sorts, and during this Lisianthus asks, "Umm... What are we supposed to say?", with Nerine replying, "I think we're supposed to say cheers!". The 'Heh' about this is that Lisianthus said kanpai during her line, while Nerine did not.
Turns out that they are the new neighbors... and again, I am not surprised but Rin is. Sigh.
Back to the party. As Rin speaks aloud his surprise, he addresses the two men as Shinoh-sama and Maoh-sama. Bad idea. The men are shocked and saddened at how formal Rin spoke. After telling Rin to call them as one would for one's own father, Rin monologs that the two are like dumptrucks with broken brakes.
Soon enough, Nerine butts in, embarrassed, but Lisianthus goes with the flow and offers to pour a drink. Kaede is embarrassed too, but neither her nor I can think of anything to do. Goodbye, peaceful days, or so Rin says.
おわり
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