Looking at the whole scenario objectively, there was a good chance that Erika would be here.
The middle school that they both went to was a feeder school to Mitsukai High.
So, it was obvious that the person known as Erika Tachibana would be at this school and participating in its festival.
"Why are you here?"
Erika spat at him with a venomous tone that indicated that Takei wasn't welcome here.
Of course, the volume was only to a level where Takei could've heard it.
The demon queen didn't want other bystanders seeing her true colors.
"..."
Takei didn't want to respond to her provocations, so he kept silent.
"Someone disgusting like you shouldn't be stepping foot into this school."
An endless onslaught of insults assailed Takei while he stood there not knowing what to do.
The kind girl he had known for so long was now looking at him with such cruel eyes.
As a result, Takei froze in place and shivered in fear of the person in front of him.
The person he so desperately was afraid of was also the person he used to respect so much.
Looking for a route to escape, Takei could find none.
There were an increasing amount of stares aimed at him by the curious students passing by. It wouldn't be long before the situation escalated into something worse.
"Well? Please nod if you understand, you disgusting mutt."
Takei began to nod to help him escape from the situation, but he stopped mid action.
Why should I do this just because she said so? The past me definitely would've done it without a thought, but the current me is a changed man. Mostly due to a certain goddess though...
Instead of nodding his head, he shook his head as if he was dispelling the negative thoughts away.
"I refuse."
Surprised by his answer, Erika's eyebrows arched in a curious manner that seemed to search for his intentions.
"You think you can refuse me? I can get you in trouble with everyone here as well!"
Enraged by Takei's defiance, Erika erupted in front of him.
Forgetting that there were carefully watching bystanders, her facade slowly came apart.
"I don't care anymore. Do your worst."
Stating his true feelings, Takei refused to let Erika control him anymore.
"..."
As a result, Erika was speechless.
The demon queen didn't know what to do in order to control Takei.
She wasn't there to know that he had grown as a person.
That was her most fatal mistake, a miscalculation you might say.
"So, this is what's going on..."
A chilly voice entered the area and permeated the air. The atmosphere was changed as a result and the owner of the new atmosphere was looking at the situation with an annoyed expression.
"You dare to interrupt my date?"
The goddess, Akari Akazawa, was very displeased at what she was seeing.
After waiting so long for Takei to come back from the restroom, Akari grew worried so she left to go find him.
She did end up finding him, but it was under bad circumstances.
He was being mercilessly torn to shreds by the girl in front of him.
Seeing his complicated and grim expression, Akari concluded that this girl was most likely the root of all his past trauma.
Deciding to step up and protect him, Akari walked forward with an indomitable aura surrounding her.
"I heard what you said about Takei," Akari glared. "You're completely wrong by the way."
Walking up so that she was directly in front of Erika, Akari looked at her with an expression full of conviction.
"He is the most kind and caring person you'll ever meet. Smart, funny, handsome, he's all of those things. There's so much more I can say, but I don't want to overload you."
The goddess explained all of Takei's good qualities and left no room for misunderstanding.
Although, the person in question was blushing slightly as a result of her praise.
Seeing the warm relationship between the two of them, Erika became increasingly annoyed at the situation.
"You don't know anything!"
However, it seemed that Erika was not quitting just yet.
Mulling over Erika's response, a gentle smile appeared on Akari's face.
"That's true... but I know that Takei is a good person who wouldn't antagonize others needlessly. That's why I judged you to be a bad person."
Akari admitted that she didn't have enough context about the situation to be able to judge fairly, but she did know Takei's character.
She knew that Takei would never be unnecessarily antagonistic to others, due to his kind nature and non-interference stance in things.
That's why she refused to listen to Erika, who was obviously the one in the wrong.
"If I ever see you again, I'll spread some nasty rumors about you. You'll never be able to walk out in public ever again."
In a cold and cruel tone, Akari threatened Erika with something that was a bit ironic since that was the exact same method that she used on Takei in the past.
At first, Erika thought Akari was simply bluffing. However, she observed Akari's eyes and expression only to reveal a surprising seriousness in them.
"Tch, what a waste of time."
Now that she was armed with the information of Akari's determination and seriousness, Erika clicked her tongue and walked off. There was no way she was going to win a battle of attrition against the goddess.
"Are you okay?"
Akari turned and asked Takei if he was comfortable after confronting the devil that had been plaguing his consciousness.
"Mm, it's fine. I don't really care about her anymore."
Takei looked at Akari with a big smile on his face. Hearing her praise for him really put him in a good mood.
"Thank you for getting angry on my behalf. It meant a lot to me."
The current him was no longer chained by his past as a result of the external factor known as the goddess.
She had slowly, yet carefully pieced together the broken pieces of his heart.
Therefore, Takei was able to move forward because of her.
"Truly, thank you so much."
Takei declared his gratitude and hugged Akari tightly even though there was a large crowd forming around them.
Instead of getting embarrassed as usual, Akari just simply smiled and went along with the flow.
She tightly hugged him, and leaned her head on his chest as well.
Akari then muttered something so quiet that even Takei couldn't hear. It was a small whisper that was inevitably lost in the hustle and bustle of the crowd forming around them.
The contents of that whisper? Well, it's as follows:
"I love you so much."
---
Akari's True Affection Meter: 93 -> 97%
Final stretch. Sugar overdose imminent. Meltdown is inevitable.
*LOVEY DOVEY EVENT INBOUND*
Sugar-san: WOOOOOO!!!
Serious-san: 1.5 chapters of seriousness, it's a new record at least...