Hidden Candy

Chapter 14:Love Carnival

Breezing through, the next week marked a great improvement from what seemed like such a short while ago. As cooking was to Konata, Kuroi's meetings, conversations, and simple casual hanging outs with her girlfriend grew into second nature for her as well-she caught herself sometimes waiting to see if Konata would call her or even leaving the house for lunch with her. There was a level of near intimate comfort between them, contrasting Kuroi's previous attitude to live by herself for a major length of her life and possibly settle for an arranged marriage or permanent single life. As she walked through Akihabara that early Wednesday evening, surprised the crowds remained crowded at such an hour, she took the time to reflect on the past years of her life since they now greatly differed from the past few months.

She had to admit, her single life was partially her fault. Frequenting bars she didn't like and closeting herself away at home only attracted unwanted or no company at all. A smile came to her face, remembering the time she was asked on a date by someone in her online guild, she immediately reported it to Konata and they both had a good chuckle about it. Secretly though, she felt a temptation to accept the offer. She always believed the man should ask the woman out, not the other way around. So far that didn't work out too great for her. Every day she vowed to try harder and appeal to more people but even when she managed to snag a date she would never really be happy with it. Everything was too typical, too romantic and-she boldly admitted to herself-too adult. Konata set herself leagues apart from the standards from the get go but now she felt like that appeal evolved beyond simply that.

Kuroi stopped, finding an array of colorful buildings decorated with various advertisements posted on the front, one of which would lead to Konata. She took another glance at the directions Konata handed to her, no less than a first grader's artwork with very detailed descriptions on how to navigate the city. "This is like a bad strategy guide."

Today Kuroi offered to pick up Konata from work, interested in seeing the cosplay café and worried what manner of freaks lurked about in the electric city when the sun began to lower. She was assured it was usually safe but understood someone of her girlfriend's size and adorability-a new word Konata must have discovered on the internet-might attract unusual attention in this city of special interests. To say the least, it was like a whole other world cut off from society, full of its share of funs and fears. Kuroi could easily say the same about her and Konata. She paused in front of the tall, white walled building and began walking up a lit staircase tunneling upwards.

Resembling more of an apartment building, she was surprised a cosplay café was located behind one of these numerous green doors. Climbing up two floors, she found the Brigade's Café, efficiently built under the command of God-so the advertisement claimed. Luckily Konata had explained that it was meant to set people into the mood of the show, that the so called "God" was actually a character named Haruhi who may or may not be such a being. Opening the door, Kuroi was met by a rather deadpan, purple headed girl staring directly at her, eyes soaked in what seemed like upset boredom. "Greetings and welcome to the Brigade's Café. Your name preference?" the girl soullessly asked, maintaining a rhythm in her stoic voice. It felt like talking to a computer. Kuroi pulled out her pathetic map as if it were a clearance badge for entry and explained she was looking for Konata, hopefully not having to answer the strange girl's equally bizarre question.

Suddenly the girl brightened with youth, her voice picking up with excitement. "Oh, Kona-chan? Her shift is over; she's changing in the backroom. Are you…her girlfriend?"

"Y-yeah. Why did you-"

"Here she comes! Kona-chan, your girlfriend is here!"

Konata quickly walked into the hallway, signaling the girl to be quiet with a finger to her lips. "Shh, you don't want the customers to hear that, they'll get upset."

"Oh, sorry Kona-chan! But is this really your girlfriend? She seems so much older than you."

Konata smirked and peacefully gazed over to Kuroi, pecking her on the cheek. It was agreed that whenever Konata stepped on her tippy toes and placed a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder, Kuroi would automatically leaned downwards, either for a kiss or to have something whispered to her-the difference in height was one of the few trivial issues they had. "Nanako is the apple of my eyes."

"That reminds me, tomorrow is Horo Day so be prepared for that," the girl kindly reminded. "You've been assigned as Horo."

"Again? I swear, you do a good job one day and they milk you for all they can. Ah well, at least it's a character I like. Anyway, we should get going, right Nanako?" Konata asked, sliding her fingers between the older woman's and gripping on. She received a nod back and they left the hallway of the café, holding hands. "What was wrong with that girl in there?" Kuroi started. "First she was acting like a lifeless doll and then when you came she was all cheery."

"She was just in character when you met her; she plays as Yuki from the anime I told you about. We should really watch it together sometime."

"Any fighting in it?"

"A little but its mostly high school life and sci fi."

"Eh?"

"But let's forget that for now. Ready for tonight?"

Kuroi nodded, beginning their walk down the staircase. Her first dinner at the Izumi household awaited her in the following hour, an arrangement scheduled by Konata after a conversation on Monday. It had been nearly three months since they started dating each other but they were progressing quickly, a fact that made Kuroi a bit cautious. She insisted they slow down and rather the dinner been postponed until the month after but Konata explained it would be best now so her father can get a better idea of who the real Nanako Kuroi is, the mature woman dating his daughter. Besides, Konata wanted to discuss something important during dinner with everyone so the issue was settled.

They took their final steps from the shade of the building and began heading towards the train station. Kuroi began to take back her fingers but Konata retrieved them once again. "Konata, do you really think we should be holding hands in public?"

"Oh this country is too strict with that."

"Yeah but what if someone we know catches us doing this?" Yui instantly came to mind, if the officer would track them to Akihabara on their date there was no doubt they would bump into her one of these days. Kuroi had prepared a list of excuses for that occasion but if they were to be caught holding hands that would scratch out every believable response she could imagine. Konata leaned closer, her right side touching her teacher's arm. "Can we at least hold hands until the train station?"

"…sure. That's okay with me. I'll just tell Yui that you're afraid of the night if we see her." Teasing the girl, Kuroi loved rubbing the blue bundle of hair whenever she kidded around like that. Konata found it irritating at first, forced to readjust her hair back to normal but decided to perceive it as a type of playful touching-which it truly was-and began enjoying it. She left her hair a little wildly this time. "Are you nervous about tonight Nanako?"

"A bit. I'd like to know what the big issue is we're going to be discussing."

"It's nothing bad so you don't have to be worried. Believe me."

"That's good. It still feels a bit rushed though."

"Through a perspective of time, yes," Konata said. "But the truth is we see each other almost every day so it's bound to happen anyway."

"Eh…I see your point. Just bothersome. Especially with the kind of person your pop is." It seemed like Kuroi's hair was beginning to rise with anxiety. With careful observation Konata noticed a lot of peculiar behaviors from the woman next to her. "You know, I can tell you're bothered," she smugly said.

"Oh really? What gave that away?" A sarcastic response was sent back.

"Do you know that you run your fingers through your hair and hold your head a lot when you're bothered?"

"Hmm? I…guess I do. I've never really noticed that before."

"Yep, that's a benefit of being so short. An ant can tell how a blade of grass changes but a giant couldn't."

"You're bad at quotes," Kuroi said. "You just like starin' at me, you runt."

"Can't help myself. And don't be too bothered by tonight. I know it sucks but my dad isn't completely intrusive and blunt. At least I hope he isn't...at least for tonight."

"And now your entire case crumbles. Time to be more worried than ever." She separated from Konata, the two were now in front of the train station, and the sky was a dark orange which made their green eyes seemingly glow. She looked at Konata and sent a hand down the girl's blue top, seeing the ahoge whip back before she kissed her on the head. "Don't you get too bothered either Konata, I know you're worried about me being worried but I'll survive. Sojiro's an adult and if we can convince him to let you and I date there's not much left to deal with." Once Konata gave off a comforting smile of agreement they purchased their tickets and sat down together on the train, picking spots closest to the door. Konata felt a bit tired after work and decided to squeeze in some quick shut eye on the arm next to her. Kuroi carefully moved her arm to the otaku's side and slid her down onto her lap. "Tired?"

"Just my body, not my eyes." Konata explained. "Got something on your mind?"

"Yeah, if you're awake enough."

"Go ahead blondie."

"Blondie?"

"Sorry, I've always wanted to call someone that," explained Konata. Rubbing the girl beneath her, Kuroi looked around the train, she was glad it was quite spacious with little people onboard. She never liked having conversations on trains, afraid they might have eavesdroppers. "Konata, seeing you at the cosplay café got me thinking. What do you plan to do for a career?"

"Career? Why are you asking about something like that?"

"Well, a career's pretty important Konata. Have any idea what you want to do in life?"

"Not really. Something fun and easy. Nothing with too much manual labor."

"So half the working world is automatically dumped out," Kuroi said with a sigh. "But I hope you have at least a clue on what you would like to do."

"Want your girlfriend to bring in the dough huh?" Konata cheerfully asked, rolling around until her eyes were pointing upwards. Kuroi raised her brow in surprise and smiled, keeping the girl's cheek cupped in her palm now, chuckling. "I'm trying to be a bit serious here. Really, what is it you want to do? Your future's important."

"Well…something definitely related to my interests but that's already assumed right? I would love working on an animation team but I can't draw so maybe a producer or director. Ooh, writing light novels wouldn't be half bad. I've written quite a few fan fiction so I've got experience."

"Fan fiction huh? You should let me see some of that," Kuroi said. Konata instantly looked to the side, cutting her eyes. "I don't know if I want my girlfriend to see that kind of stuff. How about when I make a light novel you can read that?"

"Sure, whatever's good for ya Konata. I'm just happy you have some idea of what you want though that can easily change in a second anyway."

"What made you decide to become a teacher? Problems in high school until that one dedicated tutor changed your life forever?"

Kuroi gave one final pet and moved her hands to the railing next to her seat. "Nah, a bit lamer than that I'm afraid."

Proudly, she referred to her decision of becoming a teacher as a journey, both physically and mentally. "My parents," she started, "Never really gave up on m, even though I had bad test scores and poor grades. Right after I celebrated graduation with my friends they told me they would pay for my college and support me all the way."

"So you went?"

"Not until a year later," Kuroi said. A content calm went over her face, beginning to give off a hundred yard stare even when her eyes went to Konata below her. "I took a trip by myself to learn more about myself. I ended up in some beachside town in Kanagawa and I guess…the time I spent there really allowed me to grow and realize what I wanted in life. So I decided to become a teacher there, it was easy and fun."

"So you're doing what you want to do in life?" Konata asked.

"Well…to a lesser degree. No one wants all these imperfections and mishaps or tough jobs but once you lose all that you'll love them more than ever. The broken and hidden things are always the best."

Konata snuggled into her teacher's stomach and closed her eyes, hands resting against her own chest. "What do you like about teaching?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah, of course. It's something about you so I want to know everything."

"Sometimes it's best to hide a few things," Kuroi said. "But the reason I like to teach is because of the feeling I got when I learned about who I really was and what I wanted. I may be a history teacher but that's because it's easy. I keep my door open for all my students and tutor them about any subject they want. And hopefully, maybe I could help them with any problems they're having."

"Does anyone ever come? I thought you used to just run off to your teacher's lounge for lunch and pig off."

"Well…that's slightly true but you're not the one to talk. I don't know how you manage to keep off any fat with all those sweets you eat."

"Martial arts. Maybe I could have beaten the Snake Nana if I wanted."

Kuroi made a fist and stabbed it into the air. "You got some guts Konata. Maybe one day I should beat you up and show you my dominance."

"Sounds…sexy…" Without warning, the petite girl fell silent, breathing warmly against her teacher with her legs curling in comfort. Kuroi wanted to lean in for a kiss but the distance would force her back to snap. Instead she watched the slumbering girl on her lap and played with the open ear on her head. "You're a really sweet person Konata, staying up just so you can talk to me."

She wondered, as the train silently crawled along the tracks, if Konata could ever change greatly from this persona. Did she have a reason to act the way she acted like Kuroi did when she was her age? "I have faith in you Konata, that you know what you want out of life, at least a good grasp of it. Better than me when I was a student."

The train arrived at Kasukabe half an hour later, giving the otaku plenty of time to rest herself for the walk home. Kuroi held her hand to guide the slowly awakening teenager along the sidewalk as the stars began to poke into the dim sky above, almost in harmony with the streetlights that flashed on one by one. "Not too worried about dinner now?" Konata asked, rubbing her eyes.

"You're up now huh? Don't worry; I'm sure it'll all turn out fine. He's a nice guy so everything should go smoothly," Kuroi said. "And I'm interested in meeting your cousin. I didn't know Yui had a sister."

"That's good," replied the teen. There was quite a few times in their past conversations when the issue of family would come up, especially the unusual set up Konata had with hers. From everything she heard, Kuroi could tell Konata held every member of her family as precious and irreplaceable, and she trained herself to not ask about the passing of Kanata, only casual questions about her. Tonight was the perfect opportunity for the father and cousin held so high in her girlfriend's heart to connect with the older woman. The couple soon found themselves in front of the Izumi house after covering one last block. Konata led the way and unlocked the front door, greeting everyone first. "Hey everybody, back from work!"

Sojiro and Yutaka waved at the two with pleasant smiles and warm expressions, sitting around the empty dinner table with books and a laptop humming away. Kuroi nervously walked carefully, taking each step carefully as if the floor may devour her up other wise. Konata took Kuroi's coat and purse and set it on the living room table, leaving the teacher to introduce herself properly and pass the usual courtesies. One of tonight's main objectives was for Yutaka and Kuroi to start building a bond together, she was never sure if her pink haired relative was certain or comfortable with their relationship. Especially with the only emotion she could associate with it was the intense meeting when the couple revealed they were dating to Sojiro. "Sorry for imposing like this, I'm really looking forward to dinner tonight," she started, rubbing the back of her head like Konata knew she would. "If there's anything I can help with just tell me though I'm an average cook to begin with."

"It's no trouble at all. Besides, Konata and I will be preparing dinner. If you don't mind, you could sit down with Yutaka and help set the table when everything's ready," Sojiro kindly said, setting his laptop to hibernate. He tucked it away on a small desk in the corner to recharge before entering the kitchen with his daughter. Kuroi watched, seeing her girlfriend smile and signal her to sit down. "Come on and relax, why don't cha?" those green, empathetic eyes said back. Kuroi pulled up a seat across from Yutaka and looked at her with an uncomfortable smile. "Hiya, Yutaka-san. You can call me whatever you want by the way, I don't really mind."

"Um…okay."

"Just as nervous as I am right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I just want to say something before we get to know each other better. I really care a lot about Konata and I think she's one of the most wonderful people I've met in my life. If you're not comfortable…you know, with our relationship…well, it's not like we'll stop but we'll certainly try our best to make you feel at ease. I don't bite."

"T-thanks," Yutaka said, wishing Minami was sitting next to her during this awkward session. Konata talked to her a lot about their dates and activities together so she held no doubt that her girlfriend was a good person. Simply put, she found the very relationship itself strange but had faith in herself that she would get used to it. She wanted to say something reassuring, "Um…I'm glad Konata was able to find someone like you but it still feels kinda strange to me."

"I can understand that. Well…I hope we can get along well," Kuroi said, sticking out her hand for a handshake. She quickly took it back, realizing she wasn't trying to snatch a business agreement. Then she stuck it out again, realizing Yutaka might have been offended seeing the open hand fly back from her. Konata watched from over her shoulder in the kitchen, chopping up a stick of carrots for the stew tonight. Sojiro stood next to her, cutting the meat with a sharper knife. "So everything is going well between you and Kuroi-san?"

"Yeah, we're doing a lot more together and we've grown really close since our first date," Konata cheerfully said. Her father let out a content smile, pouring the meat into a boiling pot on the stove. His daughter handed him the tray of vegetable slices and he dropped those in next. "I'm happy to hear that. I wasn't sure if you two would remain together this long but it seems like everything is working out fine. Any issues you two have? I've been married believe it or not."

"Well, we have a few like when she sorta restrains how much fun she has sometimes and I forget to give her some space, she usually scolds me about that. Oh, and our height difference but we got a good solution for that," explained Konata. Sojiro nodded and topped off the pot, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad to hear that, every relationship should have a few problems."

"I can imagine you and Mom having a lot of problems when you were together." The two laughed and he confirmed it, stating she even restrained having too much fun with him when they started going out as well. "Kanata said it would be strange since we were already friends and all but she later realized it was just fear, fear of one of us doing something we couldn't take back."

"You think Nanako's the same way?" Konata asked, her voice of curiosity and childish-like need for guidance reaching for some form of hope.

"Well, it feels different with her but I do think there's a definite fear. Why else would she restrain herself? But with the way things are, it sounds like she really does want to open up more with you and do new things. It'll be fine in the end. And don't forget to tell me about those things after they happen."

"Do you need new material for a book or something? Taking information from a daughter's blooming love." Clearly she disapproved of the dangerous idea but managed to give him the kind of pouty answer he desired, wiping his hand off her shoulder. "Hey, Dad…do you think Mom would have approved of this?"

"Hmm? Your mother? That was one of my first thoughts when you two asked for my approval. I'm being honest when I tell you she really would. But she probably would have disagreed first and as a team we could have broken her defense a little," Sojiro cheered, almost as if to pump Konata into convincing her right now. "But she's definitely watching from above and smiling so she has to approve."

"Yeah!"

Kuroi and Yutaka spent the time between then and dinner discussing basic topics like school and what they both usually do during their free time. Listening closely, the woman picked up on the repetition of a certain green haired girl's name, clearly Konata's cousin was very close with this person and she decided to ask about her in hopes of making the little girl talk more comfortably about something she liked. And like a key to a door, Yutaka's mouth opened and rarely shut when it came to Minami. While Kuroi was glad she got her excited she regretted it a little as the maelstrom of praises and pleasant memories of Minami flew into her head.

Konata came to the rescue, ordering the two to prepare the table. Kuroi made certain to carry the heavier objects such as plates and cups, leaving the chopsticks and napkins for Yutaka. Through pure luck she struck a nice chord within the moeblob, this careful consideration was a trademark act of Minami which Yutaka noticed right away.

The family sat down to dinner with Kuroi as their guest, focusing most of the discussions on the couple and their time together so far. Konata told the story about their date in Akiba and how they were chased down by Yui, Kuroi would occasionally interrupt playfully and laugh-something that bothered Konata but with one polite apology after giving a surprised look she no longer didn't mind at all and somehow find a way to play off of her, letting Kuroi finish what she had to say.

"Then we went into a cosplay club where all these people were dancing and-"

"Yeah, we saw Pikachu in there right? They had the strangest costumes!" Kuroi said, giving off a short laugh. Konata decided to tease her, using every opportunity to have fun with Kuroi and show her family what kind of relationship they had.

"Yeah but didn't you want to grab its tail? You had that predatory kind of look in your eyes sensei." Somehow they managed to have a problem and solve it with barely a peep about it, an ability Sojiro noted as he listened to them tell their stories. Yutaka gleamed with questions and at first looked at Konata when she asked them, partly because they sat next to each other but also because she was more comfortable. With a slide of her green eyes, Konata was telling Yutaka to start asking Kuroi the questions and to talk to her more. And when the little girl did she was met with nothing less of a kind smile and willingness to talk. "Don't worry, no matter what the question is at least I can hear it from a cute girl like you," Kuroi said, softening the bundle of joy up. Konata raised her brows and pointed at herself. "I don't think you need to be told how cute you already know you are."

"Okay, Kuroi-san. W-what do you like most about Konata?"

"Starting with a difficult one? I'll answer it if you tell me what you like most about Minami."

"Um..." A sweet blush melted across Yutaka's face but she was more than happy to participate in the tease. She appreciated never having to feel like she had to force herself to be interesting around this stranger and having someone want to learn more about her. She found herself talking to Kuroi for the rest of dinner, mostly about Minami and herself and then about the relationship.

After the meal Kuroi and Konata took the dishes and headed towards the sink, ready to wash dishes together for the first time. With the water rising and bubbles forming, they waited a few minutes before starting, smiling, winking, and making funny faces at each other. Konata shut the facet off and began reaching for the cups to clean. "You really made a great impression with Yutaka and I think my Dad is beginning to like you more too."

"Good, I was worried maybe I was being too nice that they would notice."

"Just a little but you sure got Yutaka talking. She's taking a real shine to you Nanako, you better not cheat on me with her," Konata said, bumping her hip into Kuroi. The teacher lightly laughed before tapping one finger into the bubbles and poking the tip of Konata's nose, leaving a trace of soapy suds behind. "She's much smaller than you; it would be a hassle anyway. You're just the right size. At least I could lure you to bed with videogames and pictures."

"You can lure me to bed with anything you got," Konata seductively replied, blushing as she now concentrated on the plates. Once they washed, rinsed, dried and put up every dish they walked into the living room, the same table where they revealed they were dating and held the meeting for the important topic Konata hinted about earlier. "So, I know this seems a little set up but it's purely coincidental," she started. "But Golden Week is coming up so I want us to take a trip to Kanagawa."

"Kanagawa? There's no way you already had that in mind," Kuroi said, surprised her girlfriend would choose the place she heard only about today. Konata justified her decision by describing it as the perfect beachside town and how she wants to learn more about her teacher's time spent there. "Besides, this will be the first trip you and I can plan together. There's even a festival!"

"Well, I don't have enough money for everyone."

"Don't worry, I've been working overtime at work because I want to pay for this trip too. More like we share the price," Konata happily said. "But if money's an issue we could do something cheaper. There could things like long walks and fireworks. I just think it'll be great for us all to go away for a while and have some fun in a new town with new situations. Any of which can lead to certain, curious activities…"

Sojiro scratched his chin and glanced at Yutaka before saying, "I think it's a wonderful idea, if Kuroi-san agrees. There's nothing wrong if you do. We can simply choose something else."

"I don't have a problem if Konata is willing to share the cost. I'm surprised she wants to organize a trip just to learn more about me and have me spend more time with you guys. It's definitely a sweet thing to do, how could I refuse anyway?" the blonde said. "But I think I know what you're going to say next Sojiro-san. Yutaka would need someone to be with her as a caretaker and if it's you then this ends up being a trip just for Konata and me."

"Well, four people is a lame set up anyway so why not invite Minami too?" Konata suggested. "I'm sure she'd be cool with you and I dating, heck, she probably doesn't even know you. Or better yet…"

Kuroi had the same malevolent smile, the two now staring at innocent Yutaka. "You can use your cutesy charms to convince Minami to keep quiet about us."

"Using little girls' charms for your own advantage?" Sojiro asked. "Now you're a real Izumi! Welcome to the family, I knew it was the right choice to let you date my daughter!"

"I-I'll try…" Yutaka stuttered out, getting the house phone and hiding away in the other room. She returned with a wide smile and thumbs up, "Minami-chan says she wants to come and she doesn't mind about you guys!"

"Used your charms huh?" Kuroi and Konata darkly muttered.

"Well…Minami says she was interested in seeing you two and really weird stuff about love crossing boundaries and courage. Frankly I was a bit confused but she's coming so that's good right?"

"Perfect," Konata said. Suddenly the trip had a new objective. After discussing many of the activities they could do a knocking came from the front door. Sojiro answered it only to see his niece fly into the room, cheery as ever. "Hey everybody, my husband's working so…Kuroi-san?" Yui mumbled, stopped before she even took her shoes off. Yutaka, excited from the idea of a trip, looked at her sister and said, "We're all going on a trip to Kanagawa in Golden Week."

"Oh really?"

"Crap!" Konata thought to herself.

"Now she's going to want to invite herself to watch over us! Damn cops!" Kuroi mentally whispered to herself and quickly fear became fiction with the officer inviting herself and offering to pay for her own expenses. Kuroi whispered about cancelling the trip in Konata's ear but the otaku claimed of having a plan in case this happened. "So why is Kuroi going anyway?" Yui asked. "Not that it's a bad thing, just curious."

"Sojiro-san was kind enough to invite me," Kuroi countered. "Since I wouldn't be doing anything during Golden Week besides playing net games. In fact, it's getting a bit late. I better go home."

"I'll drive you to the station," Sojiro said.

"Wait," Konata said, "Could you check my homework for me for a quick second?"

"Hmm? What's this about homework?" Kuroi asked, not understanding the strange, sly tone in her student's voice. Konata repeated herself, "Could you come into my room and check my homework?"

"Oh, yeah. You should have said so earlier!"

The two left the room, enticing Yui to follow but Sojiro distracted her by asking her anything that popped into his head like if she wanted something to eat and how her husband was doing. Konata made sure to remember to thank him later as she guided Kuroi to her room by hand; locking the door once they were inside. Invisible from Yui's watchful eye she took the liberty of standing on her toes and wrapping her arms around Kuroi, kissing her intimately. "Wow, I hate that I have to leave but this really makes me want to stay despite your cousin probably trying to eavesdrop," Kuroi whispered.

"It's a bit of a reward for being so awesome, it's also to take away your stress about Yui. Kisses are magic." Konata said.

"Well, we're going to need magic. Yui's coming on the trip with us, Yutaka kinda blew that. Maybe she's too sweet for her own good."

"Don't worry, I have a plan for just such an occasion," Konata said. With that Kuroi left the house with Sojiro, arriving home where she took a quick shower, talked online with Konata and went to sleep hoping her little otaku's plan would succeed.

The next day at school Konata dashed out of the room once the lunch bell rang, passing Kagami who was heading to her friends' class. "Where are you going Konata?"

"I got one quick thing to take care of first!"

Finding her destination, Konata busted open the classroom door. Minami and Yutaka greeted her only to see her fly by them and head towards Hiyori's desk. "How's it going Tamura-kun?"

"Oh, sempai! Looks like you came for something. How's your secret relationship going? Give me all the details!"

"How about something better?! Nanako, my family, and me are going to Kanagawa during Golden Week, wanna come? All expenses paid too," Konata explained. Hiyori quickly held her nose to prevent any sudden blood from rushing out. There had to be a catch, something awful to make up for this marvelous opportunity. "The only thing you have to do is make sure Yui doesn't bother us, make sure we don't do anything too crazy in front of her and try to stop her from following us."

"Sure, sure! Absolutely!" Hiyori instantly replied. "I wasn't going to do anything during Golden Week anyway!"

"But wait, to sweeten the deal guess who else is coming?"

"You can't be serious?!"

"That's right, Minami and Yutaka! We'll be going to the beach and festivals, sleeping at inns and taking baths together."

Hiyori held her chest and nose, feeling herself becoming an emotional tornado. She no loner was concerned with just material, it was the very idea of friendship, intimacy, secrecy, yuri, adult situations and even a small hope that somehow she could be a part of it all. "This pain in my chest…it can be good sometimes," she muttered.

"Shall I take that as a yes?" asked Konata.

"You girls are finally going to feed me what I'm owed! Let me see you cross your limits and journey together into a new world of forbidden desires," Hiyori declared, staring lustfully at Yutaka and Minami.

"She's scaring me, Minami-san." Yutaka said.

"Come into my arms if you wish, I will protect you," replied Minami.

"May the love carnival begin!" Hiyori cheered.

Author's Note: This chapter definitely had a billion paths it could go but I felt like I really edited it and adjusted the story very well. My story telling and balance setting has really improved so I'm happy and a lot more confident than I was a year ago. Send in any criticisms you have too, nobody is perfect. Even if you're one of those weird readers who read 10 whole chapters before finally deciding to release all your hatred in one big review and dropping the thing-that just doesn't seem right to me.

The story is a bit over halfway done now. It might not make it to the 24 chapters I planned it to be which is good because now I can stretch out chapters and write with more detail.