When Kagami woke up, it was bright enough to see but not enough to hurt her eyes. She felt completely awake and fully rested, a result of a natural awakening after a night of undisturbed sleep. This sort of perfect timing usually happened on weekends, maybe a side effect of her earlier bedtime, and the irony of it did not fail to bring a smile to her face. Even though she was an avid student who took great care and placed pride in her studies, the thought that her body disagreed with waking up for school was always amusing.

A small body was huddled next to her, so close that any nearer and they would be on top of each other. Doing her best not to disturb the still-sleeping girl, Kagami lifted Konata off of herself, then pushed strands of blue hair out of the girl's face. "Even though she seems more like the type to wake early and sleep late, she might be more like me in this respect," she mused to herself, smiling at the sight of the calm expression on her girlfriend's face. She undid Konata's grip on her shirt—she had probably served as a substitute for whatever else the otaku usually hugged while sleeping—and swung herself out of bed, heading for the washroom.

Out of curiosity, she stopped and looked back at the bed where Konata was sleeping. The top bunk was unoccupied, but the covers had been thrown back like someone had been using it. Her blue-haired friend, now curled up on her side, must have made the switch during the night. "Not that I really mind," Kagami admitted to herself. The two of them were close enough to be fine with sleeping in the same bed, and she realized that she actually enjoyed doing so.

Konata's characteristic blue hair was sprawled out behind and underneath her. Upon closer inspection, Kagami saw that it was frizzy and a little messy, but otherwise it was in good condition. "No case of bedhead, huh? I'm jealous," Kagami sighed and made for the bathroom to wash up.

While she rinsed her face and brushed her hair in the unfamiliar but not uncomfortable space, she took a moment to take in all of the things that had changed within the past twenty-four hours. The first, and most notable, was that she was no longer living in the household where she had been raised; rather, she had woken up in her college dormitory, where she and Konata would be living for several years. That meant she would no longer be able to see her family on a daily basis, nor would she be able to turn to them for counsel and assistance without planning ahead a day in advance. "It's sort of lonely, but at the same time it feels a little exciting..."

By the time she had finished her morning routine, her room mate was still asleep. Since there was nothing else to do, Kagami sat down on the bed and waited, letting her feet sway back and forth. Her memory was jogged when she accidentally kicked something hidden under the bed, and she got down on her knees to pull it out from underneath.

"I forgot about these," she muttered as a sizable cardboard box came into the open. After Konata's cousin and father had left, the packages they brought had been stored under the bed's lower bunk to be unboxed later. Now that it was morning, and it would be better to do something instead of sit around and wait for someone to wake up, Kagami unsealed the containers and looked through the contents: books from her shelf at home, some decorations and pictures, and two computers packed neatly in bubble wrap. All of her possesions were accounted for, so that meant the fourth and final box would be filled with things that belonged to a certain other girl in the same room.

Taking off the tape and peering inside the box, Kagami immediately knew why it was the second largest. It was a little annoying to open the box and see that it was stuffed with manga and anime-related items, but she knew that it was unreasonable to ask an enthusiast of Konata's caliber to surrender without taking at least a small portion of her collection with her. She could only be thankful that her friend had enough restrain to leave the rest in the care of the elder Izumi.

The other boxes went back underneath the bed; they would remain there until one of the two decided it was time to finish off the unpacking. Before she slid Konata's box back to its hiding place, Kagami was overcome with curiosity to look at the things her room mate had deemed important. She did not remove anything from the storage cube, but she did displace a stack of books to read some of the titles on the spines.

Her inspection was interrupted by a movement in the corner of Kagami's eye, one that she identified as Konata starting to wake up. Hurriedly, she replaced the stack of manga and shoved the box back under the bed before standing up and meeting the eyes of the girl sitting on the bed.

"Hey, Konata. Good morning," Kagami nodded. Green eyes blinked lazily as Konata returned the greeting with a smile.

"Morning, Kagami..." Konata mumbled and swung her legs out of bed, standing up slowly. "Are we still going today?"

"Yeah. Why don't you go get ready?" At Kagami's suggestion, the sleepy girl nodded and made her way to the washroom.

About half an hour later, Konata was in full wakefulness, and they had both changed into comfortable clothes. Their attire was nothing special; for Konata, it was simply a sweater on top of a shirt and pants that did not clash; for Kagami, the pants had been replaced by a knee-length skirt. There was no need to dress formally when the destination was a high school on a Sunday morning, after all.

"Where are we going first?" Konata sidled up to her girlfriend's side and pressed up against the taller, steadier girl. In response, Kagami pushed back so that she herself would not fall over, and changed her pace to accomodate for the added weight. Somehow, they managed to find a balance and keep walking, one leaning on the other.

"The four of us are plan to meet up at the high school," she said. "Nanako is going to be there too."

"Nanako?" Konata's eyebrows came together, but a moment later they went up in surprise. "Oh, you mean Kuroi-sensei?"

"Obviously. You shouldn't forget your teacher's name," Kagami said with a smirk. She placed a hand on the shorter girl's head and shook it side to side like she always did to mock Konata. Although she did protest, Konata could not hide her wide smile.

"It feels really weird, to call her that... Nanako..." Her voice trailed off and she hummed thoughtfully. A second later, the pensiveness in her face vanished and she was, once again, all smiles. To Kagami, it looked like part of her friend still was not ready to let go of her habits of addressing her instructor with honorifics.

"Well, I sort of get what you mean," she nodded. Konata watched her expectantly, seeing that she was not finished speaking. "Being on a first-name basis with your teacher almost feels wrong. Not in a bad way, but it's just a little strange—especially after those three years of calling them by their surname."

Soon after the graduation ceremony at Ryōō high school, the teacher of class 3–B had made a short congratulatory speech to the new young adults. She had wrapped up her pep talk by telling her students they had the alternative to use her first name if they ever conversed in the future—Nanako Kuroi, without a title. Although she had spent her time in high school with a different teacher, Kagami felt that the offer was extended to her as well. With all the time she had spent in the woman's class, she had gotten to know the blonde teacher well, maybe even better than some of those who were actually had her as a homeroom teacher. However, the one person who definitely knew Nanako better than herself had to be Konata.

During their exchanges as passionate video game players, the teacher and student had oftentimes referred to each other by their online usernames: "Nanakon" and "KonaKona". Both were slight variations, almost identical, of the owner's actual name; this was a little confusing to Kagami, as a shift of a couple syllables really was not much of a change.

They left campus and went to the train station to wait for the next vehicle. Whatever came to mind was turned into a conversation topic, and that was how the pair passed the time while they waited for and on the train. Roughly twenty minutes later, they disembarked and walked the rest of the distance to their destination, where they were supposed to meet up with their friends.

"Hey, everybody is already here," Konata pointed out the group of people waiting in front of the otherwise deserted school grounds. "Misakichi and Ayano are here too!"

"Oh, you're right. It looks like they've already seen us," Kagami stated, waving as one of the figures broke away from the group to run toward them. Once within shouting distance, the brown-haired girl called out to them with more excitement than necessary.

"Hiiragi! It's been years!"

"Zero years and a month," retorted the one called Hiiragi. Regardless, she raised her hand and returned the proffered high five. "How've you been, Misao?"

The brunette just shrugged. "Meh," was all she had to say. Instead of falling into step alongside them, she backpedaled in front until a pair of hands placed on her shoulders stopped her.

"Be careful Kusakabe," the person standing behind her sighed. "Wouldn't want you bumping into me, now."

"Uh... Sorry?" Misao sounded unsure of whether or not to apologize after she saw the grin on Nanako's face. The blonde-haired woman laughed and stepped out from behind Misao to intercept Konata, pulling the girl into a headlock.

"Back for more, Izumi? College life's already no good for you?" The blue-headed girl struggled in her grip for a second before managing to slip out of the hold. They grinned at each other like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Weren't you going to start using first names?" Kagami asked before Konata could respond and start another off-topic conversation. Nanako looked at her in surprise and faltered briefly.

"Ah... ah." Her mouth opened and closed again, like she was fishing for words in a tiny pond. "I'm still getting used to it! Plus, I need to differentiate myself from my students. None of you are on the same level as I am, so it's important that I make sure none of you forget that!"

Konata interrupted her teacher and pointed a finger. "Objection! You just feel awkward because of the age difference, don't you?" Her accusation must have had some truth to it, because the older woman blanched at the conjecture before frowning and crossing her arms.

"What the heck? Just out of high school and you're already taking potshots at me?" She rolled her eyes, making a flippant gesture with the hand that was not on her hip. "I'm still technically above you, so show some respect."

While blue and blonde had their chat, Kagami made a beeline for the person she had wanted to see the most out of the five. Her sister must have felt the same way, something that was suggested by the intensity with which she moved to hug the elder twin. Although Tsukasa was clearly the happiest out of all of them, Miyuki and Ayano met her with big smiles and friendly hugs. The other three—Konata, Misao, and Nanako—joined in as well, completing the circle of seven. Greetings lasted only a couple seconds each, as everybody could sense the others' eagerness to get moving. It was bright, and none of them had eaten breakfast yet.

What Comes After

Lunch was to be held in a casual, nearby restaurant, a familiar location that held a sense of nostalgia for the group (even though it had not been that long since any of them had last been there). While they walked, they talked about everything: this and that, their families and themselves. A smile had been fixed on Konata's face for almost the entire time, but it was quickly replaced when she glanced at Nanako. Without drawing too much attention to herself, she approached her teacher and reached out to tap the woman's shoulder, absently noting that she was still a good foot shorter.

Nanako's body tensed at the touch, but it relaxed when she turned around and realized who the hand belonged to. "Oh, Izumi," she exhaled in relief. "It's just you..."

"Yeah. Just me." Konata gave her a small smile. She did not say anything else, instead choosing to walk silently at her former instructor's side for a while. The chatter of the other girls reached their ears—a sign that, while they were traveling in a group, whatever they said would be between them, and them alone. When Konata spoke again, she simply did what most would do and asked if there was anything on her teacher's mind. However, Nanako just shook her head and stared ahead, at the ground where her foot would land in two steps. Her attempt to brush it off was insubstantial; Konata was determined to find out what was wrong. "You don't look like you're 'perfectly fine' to me."

Nanako turned her head, meeting the girl's green eyes for the second time that day. Although she ought to have been annoyed at Konata's inquiring, a weak smile said otherwise. "What, now I'm stuck with having you to try and comfort me? I expected you to start prying into my personal life at some point, but I didn't think it would be this early." A look of disbelief crossed Konata's features.

"What have I done to deserve such ingratitude?" A haughty sigh followed her words, as well as a flick of her blue hair. "I only want to give value to someone whom I respect."

"I know, I know," Nanako laughed and pushed Konata's shoulder in a joking manner. "Thanks, I appreciate the thought." On her face was a disarming grin, but a pair of dark green eyes met her own and matched the expression easily. They kept walking, now in silence, and their footsteps sounded sharper and louder after that exchange. Nanako's eyes stayed on the ground in front of her; in her peripheral vision, Konata's head was turned and facing the same direction: forwards.

She stepped into the restaurant, nodding her gratitude to Misao, who stood in front of the door with a pleased expression. While the others gathered in the center of the room so as not to disturb the patrons sitting in the benches around the reception room, she took up a place by the wall. She did not miss the smudge of blue as it settled into the corner of her vision, a constant reminder of how frustratingly persistent her ex-student could be. The longer she left the question unanswered, the more pressure the younger girl put on her. On one hand, she could not believe that it was Konata of all people to literally and metaphorically back her into a corner, but at the same time she was glad for the genuine concern that was being shown. It made her feel a little warm inside, knowing that one of her students and rivals, fresh out of school and a lot less experienced than she, cared enough to press the issue this much.

"Alright, what do you want?" Finally giving in to the silent urging, she breathed out heavily as if exasperated. Having instantly seen through the ruse, Konata just grinned at her.

"You make it sound like I'm bothering you." One of her eyebrows went up. "Am I?"

"You aren't, but..." Nanako paused and shifted her jaw. "Why do you care so much? It's not like there's a lot to it besides my being a little tired. It really isn't anything to worry about."

Konata only had to repeat what she had said earlier. "Plus, you had this really out-of-it look on your face while we were walking."

"Ah, I... I don't really know what I need to explain, really." Nanako inclined her head and turned toward Konata. "What do you mean, out of it?" At the question, the girl had to stop and think for a while.

After about ten seconds of thought, Konata had readied her reply. "You looked lonely, almost. Sort of like the way some people get when they think of something really good, but everybody else is busy talking to different people to pay attention."

She shook her head. The guess was slightly off the mark, but there was a smidge of truth to it. "Lonely? I'm lonely?" She had been a little surprised when Konata had said it, but she started to realize that it might be more accurate than she had originally given credit for.

The bearer of two calm, seemingly unblinking eyes watched Nanako. "Do you have any memories? About your personal life?" The query was answered with a nod. "What were they? Was it anything traumatic, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Funny how people always ask permission second." The irony of the words brought a quick smirk to Nanako's face. "I don't mind. I was just thinking, about my own college years, and my friends. Seeing the six of you get together was probably what set it off. I was as close to my friends as you are to yours, although we aren't that close anymore. Actually, me and you are more alike than you think; I was the entertainment junkie among my friends, although I didn't screw around as much as you do." Again, she smirked, but this time at Konata's expense. After a second's pause, she continued.

"It's only been a month, and you and your buddies are already meeting up and going out together. Try to keep that record. Don't lose track of your friends." At her advice, Konata nodded seriously.

"I'm not planning to. I've accumulated a lot of debt over just three years," she grinned and stuck her thumb into the air. "I could spend a lifetime with them, and even then I wouldn't have paid it back!"

To say that Nanako wasn't warmed by the display of loyalty would have been incorrect. In fact, the instantaneousness of the declaration had kindled a sense of respect for the shorter-than-average young adult. For Konata, the relationship she shared with her friends, combined with her character and mindset, would keep them bound together for hopefully forever. At the very least, it would prevent a repeat of what had happened to herself and the friends she had hung out with in high school. Not once after graduating had they all been at the same place at the same time. It still bothered her to this day; if she would just step up and call the numbers she had been given, there was a chance that she and three familiar faces, whom she could still not bring herself to forget, could meet for the first time in over a decade.

What stopped her from dialing those numbers was fear, irrational fear—that she would not be remembered, that she would not be welcomed, that she would no longer be someone that her high-school friends cared for.

A waiter called on their group and began to direct them to their table. Nanako did not follow immediately, and her feet did not move until a hand pulled on her sleeve. She looked at Konata, meeting her eyes and matching her smile. The last person out of the seven, for the head of blue hair was already walking on ahead of her, she allowed herself a smile and a quiet laugh. She could shelf her own sentiments for now. Maybe later, she would finally muster up the courage to pull out the slip of paper she had hidden inside her phonebook. But for now, she did not want to bring up her own issues on a day meant for her students. This was not her story, anyway; she could solve her problems another time, when it would not cut into the precious time she had been given to spend with the group of teenagers.

"A month out of high school, and the student is already teaching the teacher. What a cliché!"

What Comes After

After eating, the group gathered outside of the building to discuss their plans for the rest of the day. Nobody argued about spending the rest of the day at the shopping center, but it was decided by majority vote that they would visit the new residencies of the girls who had moved out: Ayano, who was now living alone, as well as Kagami and Konata, who lived together.

"Misao, I thought you would have moved in with Ayano, or at the very least live in the same apartment," remarked Kagami after she had given up protest over everybody coming to see where she and Konata were staying. "I remember you saying something like that a year ago, that you two were going to live together when you got to college."

The girl in question was a little surprised by the inquiry. Her mouth formed a circle and she tilted her head in an attempt to recall the time she had uttered those words, or something like them. Beating her to the punch was none other than the other girl who had been mentioned, and she explained things with a smile.

"I think you would be surprised by the reason Misa-chan remained at her house." Ignoring Misao's reaction, Ayano kept going. "You see, her grandparents convinced her to stay and live with them. She—" A different speaker cut her off, jumping in front and raising her voice.

"W-wait, I should actually explain this. If I let Aya-chan do it, something's probably gonna get mixed up." Looking unusually flustered, Misao resumed Ayano's explanation where she had interrupted. As for Ayano, her lips formed into a satisfied smile as she allowed the brunette to take over. "I did stay because of my grandparents, but that's only 'cause I would feel bad leaving them alone. After all, there wouldn't be anybody to take care of them and help them around the house. I'm not implying that they can't do stuff without me, but I'm just a little worried sometimes. Without my parents around, it's pretty much my job to do what they can't themselves."

"What about your brother? He could do that, couldn't he?" Kagami posed her question like she was thinking out loud. Misao just blew out the side of her mouth; that in itself was enough for mostly everybody to figure out what she thought of her brother taking care of the Kusakabe family's elders.

"To hell with that, he's worthless," she stated anyway. At that moment, Ayano stepped forwards and took her place besides the brunette with her usual smile.

"Misao's brother is currently living at the dormitory where he goes to college," she said. She seemed to have no qualms about sharing her knowledge of her closest friend's family business. "Once he finishes his education, he will be returning to live with Misao's grandparents. Then, Misa-chan plans on becoming my partner... I mean, room mate." Nobody could tell if she was joking or not.

For her part, Misao made sure to clarify what was true and what was false, although it was a tricky business for any of the others to try and discern truth from misconception. She had not seemed to expect to be showered with praise from both sides, getting compliments like she was a "good girl" and "unexpectedly considerate". She seized the first chance she got to retreat from being the center of attention, even though she normally accepted the spotlight without hesitation. An uncharacteristic blush colored her cheeks and she made no attempt to mask it, but she laughed it off and submitted to her friends' teasing.

"There is no reason to hide it," Miyuki told her. "Your attachment to your family members is something to be proud of." She gripped the girl's hand and held it tightly, her eyebrows coming together and a serious line displacing her jubilant smile.

"Heh heh, I know that, I know that. It's just sorta weird to have everybody complimenting me." Still visibly embarrassed, Misao responded by scratching her head and grinning. She obviously enjoyed her moment of fame, but thankfully it did not seem like it went to her head.

Out of nowhere, Konata aimed a question toward the orange-headed girl, one that everybody heard. "Aren't you dating Misao's brother?"

"Oh, yes... That is true." Her response was slow and measured, and she nodded as if she had only just remembered. "Both of us agreed that the relationship would not work out. We broke up, I guess you could call it, a while back. To explain the whole story would be to waste time, so I think we should get going, and maybe I can share another time."

The conversation ended on that note, for it was time for the main event of the day. When they reached the plaza, the group slowed to a stop and congregated in the first available space to discuss their "game plan". While they could have just roamed freely, the girls had come to a silent agreement that it would be best to maximize their time usage; the mall was of considerable size, and without a prior-made stratagem there would be no time to visit every store. As so, with all the efficiency of young adults on their recreational time, they agreed to split into groups depending on the stores they were interested in. The one rule they brought up was that no person should be without at least one other.

"This shall be our rendezvous point!"
"We'll all meet here in an hour," Kagami said with all the authority of a born leader. Unfortunately, her commanding aura had been diminished by the simultaneous tactical message issued by her second-in-command Konata. Otherwise, there were no complaints, and the group of seven was divided into two: four going one way, and three going... well, the other way.

Kagami looked to her right, taking in her lineup: Tsukasa, Miyuki, and Ayano. The people accompanying her was a slight surprise, for she had almost been hoping to see a head of blue hair and green eyes among them. Konata had given her a grin and a salute before slipping away to join the blonde and the brunette, who were headed—where else?—to the gaming zone of the mall. Still, she was not disappointed to see who had chosen to accompany her; those walking alongside her wore welcoming smiles.

Sunday afternoon—the weather was perfect, and so was the temperature. A light wind blew from time to time, as if reminding the mall-goers of the beautiful, ideal conditions the day had been blessed with. For the group of four, slow progress was made along the edge of the plaza. Their surroundings were abuzz with activity and sound, and while it was not extraordinarily busy, people walked to and fro with colorful bags and talked loudly with their companions.

As they traveled from store to store, Kagami decided it was time to break the silence. Directing her question at Tsukasa, while making eye contact with Miyuki and Ayano, she started a conversation about a topic she had wanted to ask about for a while now. There was no need to build up from small talk, for they only had so much time to spare.

"I don't actually know," Tsukasa admitted, knotting her fingers nervously. "I have an idea of what I want to do, but I haven't actually thought about it seriously." Tsukasa was still living with the rest of the Hiiragi family, with their parents and sisters. There was no pressure on her to get a job or start school, and she had up to five people to look to for guidance when she decided on what she wanted to do. It did not take long for her to give into the encouragement of her older sister. "I haven't made up my mind yet, but... I want to be a singer. Ah, and a chef, and maybe a writer!"

Surprised by her sister's ambition and warmed by her innocence, Kagami could not help but smile. She had to consciously refrain from squealing and hugging Tsukasa, but she settled for placing a hand atop the girl's hair and rubbing her head. "All three of those? It would be amazing if you could pull it off," she said, gently hinting to her sister that the goals might be just a tad bit overzealous. However, her sister's resolve only seemed to grow when she heard the words.

"I can handle it! I know I can't do book smarts and the same stuff that you can, but I know how to sing and cook, and I like the idea of writing stories. Even if I'm not the best at it, I feel like I can be successful in at least one of those!" She nodded, determination written all over her face. Kagami had no choice but to agree, although in that moment she felt a surge of pride at seeing her sister's passion.

Turning to the other members of her party, Kagami asked the same question about the future. She was curious to know what two of her closest friends wanted to do with their newfound freedom, and she would have bet that they wanted to share just as much. Miyuki was the first to do so, and she did so with such surety that Kagami was convinced the bookworm had scripted her dialogue in advance.

"My current goal is to enroll in a prestigious medical or business school. There, I plan to major in one of the two, which will most likely become my lifetime career. At this point, I have not geared my studies too particularly toward either choice, so the final decision is still yet to be made." Her voice was steady and without hesitation, giving it a very professional tone. Miyuki was one of the very few who could set such goals with complete confidence and trust in their own abilities—even more so, one of the very few who could probably make good on their commitments. "I apologize if I sound pretentious, but that is how I have imagined it."

"Wow... No, it isn't pretentious at all." Kagami found herself seeing her bright-haired friend through new eyes. The total lack of doubt and uncertainty in Miyuki's voice nearly left her stunned. "I can't believe she has already thought that far ahead... She really is amazing, isn't she?"

Ayano's slight smile spoke for her admiration. "It should be a simple goal for you, Miyuki," she said, her praise lightly coloring the cheeks of the praised. Before anyone had to ask her about her plans, she put in her two cents. "I personally have not figured out what I want to do yet. I have a list of careers that I'm interested in, but my heart is not set on any one in particular."

Kagami nodded in agreement. The girl did not seem to have any affinity for a certain field, so the only thing to do from here would be to wait. Only time could tell. "You still have plenty of time. I don't think Konata has figured out what she's going to do either.

"As for me, I'm still thinking about it too," she said, angling her eyes to the sky. There was not a single cloud in sight. "I have thought about getting into business or law, but so far I haven't dedicated myself to anything."

The conversation more or less ended there as the girls' path deviated, leading them into one of the apparel stores along the edge of the mall. Before she stepped onto the tiled floor of the shop, Kagami paused and turned around, as if searching for something. After a few seconds of searching, her eyes lit up and her smile grew as she caught sight of a familiar blue before it was hidden by the crowd. She was not sure what instinct had told her to look for that blue, nor did she know what the point of finding Konata in the crowd, so she just let it be and followed her sister and friends into the shop.

What Comes After

Konata analyzed the object held up to her eyes, leafing through her mental archive for information about the game she had been asked to inspect. Although she had never played it, she knew about it through word of mouth, and, of course, the internet. It did not take long for her to give the verdict: that that game was only worth buying for fans of the strategy and puzzle genres. "Of course, that's just third-hand knowledge. I've heard people say the game is difficult, and it's all because the solutions are tricky and the battles have to be executed almost perfectly." She held the game out for her client, who took it with a sigh.

"Oh, really? That's a shame. I hate strategy games, and puzzle games..." Misao sighed again, looking a tad bit dejected.

Not wanting her friend to be too downtrodden over the issue, Konata offered an alternative and some subtle consolation. "I'll bet Kagami or Ayano would like it, though," she said with a halfhearted smile. She kept talking as Misao went to put the game back on the shelf. "It's still a relatively new title, so I would buy it just for the sake of having it. Even if the gameplay isn't really my thing, it's worth having all the titles of a series you like—spinoffs included."

"You're different!" Making an alarming recovery, Misao pointed at Konata and nearly poked her in the nose. "Only hardcore fans like you can do that kind of stuff in good conscience!"

Konata was unsure of whether or not to take that as a compliment, so she simply shrugged and grinned. In the end, the game was put back on the shelf—Misao had claimed she would buy it later, when she had extra cash to spend—and they left the store without buying anything. While they could have moved on to the next location, they waited outside the shop for their third member.

When Nanako finally joined them, it was with a shopping bag in one hand and a receipt in the other; her self-conscious smile was the final nail in the coffin for Konata to take a guess at what was in the bag. "Teach, I didn't know you were the type of gamer to buy the—"

"Hey! I'm not!" The teacher's voice rose in defense of herself. She made an attempt to cross her arms, but gave up after realizing the shopping bag was too much of a hindrance. "What makes you think I would buy those? Just because I love games and have money doesn't mean that I buy every release a company tries to sell."

Misao snickered at the near perfect description of Konata, and they all realized this; Konata with a taken aback sulk and Nanako with a victorious grin. The blue-haired hobbyist brushed off the jab at her reputation and continued.

"Well, didn't you say you had the most recent exp—"

"That's different! It was a discount, and it was a founder's pack. I only bought it for the early access and to support the developers, which is perfectly understandable!"

"Somehow, it seems less than credible when you say it yourself."

As usual, there was not enough context for anyone besides the speaking two to know what was being discussed. That left Misao out of the loop, which was something she did not appear to appreciate all that much. "Hello. Hellooo! What did you buy?"

Konata turned to the brunette with an answer on the tip of her tongue when she was, once again, interrupted by the older woman. "I just bought some new games, that's all! Izumi is just being a brat and confusing everybody by making stupid assumptions."

"I think it's working, too. Hey, can you ask the rea—"

"Let's go. Come on, Kusakabe, before she starts something again."

Nanako distanced herself from her student, walking ahead as Konata gave her friend a mischievous grin and ran after the blonde woman. Misao's shoes tapped against the ground as the girl followed suit, and after a few moments they had fallen back into their line of three. Konata, never one to let silence stretch on for more than a minute, grabbed randomly for a conversation topic, finding one she liked and throwing it out onto the floor: "Hey, Kuroi-sensei."

When she had her instructor's attention, she continued. "Give me some tips on life!" Grinning from side to side, she watched and waited for Nanako's reaction.

"Huh? Where the heck did that come from?" Nanako looked startled by the request that had literally come out of the blue. "And what do you mean tips? I'd be happy to help, but first I need to know what you want from me."

Konata stopped for a moment, then shrugged. The question had popped into her head, and she had asked without thinking of how she would follow up. This was a regular thing as, though she was a conversationalist, she started conversations by simply saying whatever was on her mind; in actuality, she almost never tried to plan out the flow of dialogue, even though it worked satsifyingly well when she did.

"Oh, whatever. I'll just tell you what I think is the best thing to do," Nanako sighed as if complying with the request was tiresome for her. She stood up a bit taller, straightening her posture, and her face took on a thoughtful frown. "Have you decided on any career or job yet?"

Konata shook her head, and Nanako hummed. Misao moved closer and leaned in as well. "To be honest, it would probably be easiest to work part-time jobs and the like for a while. You're in university, right? Focus on your education; don't worry about working until you get your degree and graduate. Even after that, it's fine if you want to relax for half a year or a year. Just figure out what you seriously want to work as for the rest of your life. Thankfully, you have the opportunity to do that, so I'm counting on you not to waste it."

While she had been grinning playfully before, Konata was now riveted on the lecture. She was definitely impressed by the sound advice, which Nanako had apparently come up with on a moment's notice. "As usual, you give really good tips, Chief. That's really helpful, I'll remember it," she said. Her hand went up in a salute to show her acknowledgement. At her side, Misao did the same.

"And mine as well! Don't mind my eavesdropping," she chuckled. Nanako smiled at the two of them.

"Don't sweat it. You're the two students who I thought would need the most help anyway," she taunted, her voice turning into a laugh as both girls feigned offense.

For both the three and the four, time passed quickly. Conveniently, they regrouped at around the time they had planned for. Seven girls chatted idly in low voices, watching the cloudless sky and the sun, which had hid itself behind a skyscraper in preparation for dusk. Around them was a tranquil scene, one that went undisturbed by even the other visitors who lingered in the shopping zone. They came together in a small circle, and when the circle broke, they moved in the same direction. Two girls led the way for the assemblage, not too far ahead of the others, as they fell in with the sparse crowd headed for the exit.


A/N

It's been about a month, and this chapter has been uploaded on the day after April 1st. I was originally planning to have it done on the day of or before, but things don't always work out—especially when it comes to managing uploads. Hope the chapter is satisfactory! Please tell me if something seems off, and I'll do my best to fix it.

Recently, I've become a fan of Hyperdimension Neptunia, and that came with the added side effect of inspiration for yet another story. Look out for that if you're interested! It will be written from an omniscient point of view, focused around a theme of rebellion and featuring most of the cast—those I'm most familiar with—and my two favorite main characters. Here's a hint: Sega and Sony.

As for this story, which should be the main focus of this note anyways, progress has been better as of late. While writing this chapter took a great deal more time than I originally expected, the process has also helped me figure out content for the future. Now, this story actually has some direction and character development! At least, it will.

Anyways, back to the topic at hand. If you've noticed, [Location Tags] have been removed, because they aren't really necessary. As always, I apologize for being slow to update. Check out some of my other stories if you're interested in more Lucky Star or some other fandoms. Send me a private message with things to talk about or questions you might have, and leave a review if you have suggestions or feedback on the story. I reply to everybody except guests, and unless the site glitches out then I'll get back to you within a year!

Sym: To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this month. Good things have happened, but when I look back on it bad things have happened as well. Here's hoping the next will be better! Oh, and that the author's allergies clear up soon.

Misao: Right?! Allergies are annoying! My nose is always super dry in allergy season. It's horrible...

Ayano: Really? My nose always gets stuffy and clogged. It's unbearably stifling.

Misao: You don't know the least of it, Aya-chan. You're lucky. Lucky.

Sym: Sometimes, I get allergies in the wintertime. It really isn't pleasant. But anyways, it's getting late and I'm sure we all need to get some rest. Ayano, Misao, it's been a while hasn't it?

Ayano: I think this is our first appearance in the story, as a matter of fact. Neither Misa-chan or I have had any speaking lines until this chapter.

Misao: Right, right... It's just because we're side characters. The only reason we're even here right now is because the author needs to make the story seem more realistic.

Sym: That's true, but not completely true. He told me that he legitimately enjoys writing your character, Misao. You and Ayano may not be the stars of this particular story, but by that same logic this would be a rather dull story without you.

Misao: That's good to know! So we aren't just disposable side characters after all.

Ayano: When it comes to fanfiction, my personal belief is that the line between main character and side character is erased. After all, some authors love to write stories about characters that are not so prominent in the canon story. Say, for example, Blade of Justice; many characters in one of their longer stories are only glossed over in the games.

Sym: For sure, for sure. A motto of mine is as such, "Supporter of word equality. Writing across all platforms!" Not sure if that fits in here, but I wanted to throw it in. Fanfiction writers don't have to worry about staying in character or even with certain characters. If I wanted to, I could write an entire story involving literally nobody but a single character who shows up for one episode in a series.

Misao: Have you ever done that? It sounds sort of fun, in a rebellious sort of way.

Sym: I haven't done that yet, but I do agree. It sounds fun. But we're out of time here. Before the clock resets, let us say goodbye here!

Ayano: Good night!

Misao: See ya!

Sym: See you in the next chapter!