It was pretty obvious to Miyuki and Tsukasa that something was going on between Konata and Kagami. Konata had sat in utter silence, not because she was asleep, but – as far as Miyuki could tell from sidelong glances – because there was something on her mind.

There was a veiled look of dismay upon her. She smiled and joked like ever before class, but it was so toned down it almost made her seem depressed. And as she sat in her seat by the window, she was slumped over her desk; eyes open but almost scared looking. So Miyuki noticed it.

And when the three sat at lunch, Konata was totally silent, maintaining a blank sort of look. She didn't even offer a single commentary. After a few minutes, she stood to leave.

"Where're you going, Kona-chan?" Tsukasa asked curiously. Konata managed a happy but obviously forced grin.

"I just need to go take care of something," she lied. Miyuki and Tsukasa both just nodded, excusing her.

"What's up with her, do you think?" Tsukasa asked. Before Miyuki could even ponder it, in walked Kagami. She seemed normal, but with an excessively stubborn, angry attitude to the way she walked and then plopped, wordlessly, into her seat with the two other girls.

Tsukasa and Miyuki shared a look of concern but knew to keep quiet. They didn't want to press what could be a delicate issue. Tsukasa tried to be subtle.

"How was your weekend?" she asked, though Kagami had staid in her room all but about an hour at Konata's house. Kagami shrugged with a look that gave away nothing.

"Eh. Restful, I guess. I wanted to do some studying but I just couldn't focus," she admitted, carrying on the conversation as though nothing had changed. "And I know it's no use trying when I can't focus. Might as well take a break for a day or two, right?"

Miyuki smiled and nodded. "That's a good appraisal, I think. Rest does a mind good."

"Yeah," Tsukasa put in at the end, disappointed her effort had failed. There was little more than silence between the three as on lunch went. When Kagami left and class was about to begin, in walked Konata once more, with a fake smile and wave.

Miyuki laid a hand on Tsukasa's shoulder, noting her downtrodden attitude. "It's alright. We'll figure this all out. They'll talk when they're ready."

Tsukasa seemed to cheer up. With that, on went the day.

And the next, and the next, for almost a month.

The air between the four was unearthly tense, and Konata always seemed to step out just before Kagami showed up. They never talked about what was wrong, and Kagami seemed to have just forgotten her friend's existence. And Konata seemed to just get more and more distant.

So finally, one day, Miyuki decided to make a move.

-------

Konata sat alone again, for the third week in a row. It was lunch on the roof of the school, small groups skirting around her and talking quietly. She sat by herself to the side with her head down, like she'd become used to.

She didn't eat. The pit in her stomach made her feel so sick that she just couldn't force anything down. She wanted nothing more than to be with her friends and just talk like they used to, but she knew she couldn't

She wasn't normal. She'd messed up things with Kagami, and that was her own fault. So she had to sit alone.

Konata took a deep breath. She'd forgotten what it was like to be lonely. People acted like she wasn't there at all, like she was nothing. But she deserved it. She couldn't be with her friends anymore.

She laid her head down in her lap and closed her eyes. She was trying hard not to cry. When was all this going to be over? It'd been three weeks, and she kept counting the days like it was a punishment, and one day Kagami would just walk up to her and ask her to come back.

But that wasn't going to happen. So she'd keep going like this, alone.

"Izumi-san?" came Miyuki's voice from her side. Konata shot bolt up right as though Miyuki had just read her thoughts, and then laughed, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Heh, sorry Takara-san, you startled me," she said. Miyuki smiled.

"I'm sorry. I actually thought you were asleep," she explained. Konata nodded and looked away, feeling awkward and out of place. She knew – or at least hoped – Kagami hadn't told, but still she was scared of talking to her good friend. "So you've been coming up here this whole time instead of being with us?"

Konata's heart sank. Miyuki didn't sound accusative with that, but Konata felt so terrible. "I just, you know, needed a change in scenery."

"I understand," Miyuki said. "It's really nice up here. Fresh air and sunshine," she said, stretching her long limbs. Konata nodded solemnly once more, staring at the ground. She was terribly juxtaposed with Miyuki's bubbly demeanor. "But that's not really it, is it?"

Konata shook her head, knowing she couldn't cover it, but knowing at the same time she could never tell the truth about this again. "So what's up? Kagami-san has been acting pretty weird lately, too. Something happened between you two, huh?"

"No," Konata said, startled, "no, nothing happened between us! I swear, I'm just," she went on, frantic, "feeling blue, is all."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Miyuki asked, hoping she wasn't pushing to hard. Konata frowned and shook her head. There were tears welling in her eyes and her distress was obvious. It was like she was screaming for help, but too afraid to ask.

"I just want to be alone," she lied bitterly, looking away. Miyuki felt crushed right then. She had no idea how to help, but her friend was hurting so bad… She just didn't know what to do.

So she laid a hand over Konata's and held it tight. "I miss you, Konata-san. We all do. Please come back?" Konata was silent.

"Well, when you're ready to talk, I'm always ready to listen. I just want you to be our friend again, okay?"

Miyuki hugged her while Konata looked away, trying hard to hide the tears in her eyes. And then she was gone.

Miyuki went back to the others while Konata ran to the bathroom, shutting herself in a stall, keeping quiet as possible as sobs burned in her throat. She wanted nothing more than to tell Miyuki, who was so understanding, so loving… But Kagami had only wanted to help, too.

Konata just couldn't bare losing Miyuki the same way. So she had no choice but to do this all alone.