Alright. Sorry for the month long interval between the last update and this one. If anything in this chapter feels rushed, I'm sorry. It's because I wanted to get the festival prep arc over and done with. Over 30k words worth of content for a single arc is 10k words too many in my opinion - there has been WAY too much faffing about in terms of actual plot progression.

Anyway, we finally have the end of the day!

LUCKY STAR

"C'mon, pick up... pick up... answer the phone, damn it..."

That afternoon, Kagami was very distressed. Not distressed in a sense that she was running around in panic. Moreover, she felt like she was slowly sinking in a numbingly cold lake, and when she tried to swim up, she saw that it had frozen over. She couldn't breath and couldn't move.

As class rep of 3-C, she was responsible for her section's plans for the school festival. She was also, in essence, the one to blame if and when those plans don't reach fruition – and by the looks of it, chances of success were hopelessly low.

Kagami flipped her phone closed and rubbed her face in despair.

"That's half the class..." She said in a forced monotone. It took all her will power to not break down on the spot. "Half the class said outright that they give up..."

Alas, even with all of Kagami's efforts, they just really didn't want to do anything. After lots of angry shouting from Kagami; after a passive-aggressive scolding by Ms. Sakuraba; hell, even after putting enough effort to get their plans halfway done, they just decided that they actually didn't care.

"We never wanted to do anything in the first place." One classmate said. "Technically, the school doesn't really require us to have something ready." Another argued. "Besides, this is an extra-curricular thing. They have no right to punish us if we don't comply."

The tsundere was stubborn and didn't back down. She did her best to convince her classmates to think otherwise. It was unfortunate that most of them were just as stubborn, if not, more so than she was. She only managed to persuade a handful to even just consider continuing their work. Provided they actually decide to actually start doing things again, their meager number still wasn't enough to get the ball rolling again.

What is wrong with those kids!? It's tradition! It's fun! It's a freakin' festival! Why don't they want anything to do with it!? Kagami screamed inside her head. Why don't they care...?

There was little she could but scream. And she did. She cried the loudest she ever had in years. That was all she could remember doing.

LUCKY STAR

"Alright! Remember, our practice tomorrow's gonna be at the auditorium!" From the top of the makeshift stage at the front of the classroom, Konata announced to her classmates. "All of you show up! Get here before lunch if you can!" She ordered. "Great rehearsal, everyone! Dismissed!"

Practice that afternoon had picked up after lunch. They did the entire play from the top with cuts in between where Konata would rush in and make suggestions. Then, they did every scene from start to finish in one go. They did it three times and each time was different from the last.

The play was a little over half an hour in run-time - and at least half of that time involved the two main characters' back and forth banter. That said, the actors who played said characters were exhausted. Of the two, Tsukasa was the more fatigued.

She sat down on one of the seats at the back of the classroom and took a rest. Acting feels so natural but why do I always feel so tired afterwards? Tsukasa asked herself. It's so easy but so exhausting...

She surveyed the room about her. The students were all packing their bags in preparation to leave - many have indeed already left. Miyuki still seemed to be busy speaking with some of the costume designers and props men in one corner of the room. Konata was skipping towards her. It seemed like she was skipping more out of habit than from any actual joy. Her face was neither happy nor smiling.

Tsukasa frowned. I wonder what Kona-chan is thinking about... She soon found out as the bluenette was now in front of her.

"Hey, Tsukasa. Do you know where Kagami is?" She asked

She wanted to know the sister's whereabouts. Well, that makes sense. Tsukasa thought. Come to think of it, where IS she? "Let me check"

She began shifting through the stuff her bag. After a moment, she found her phone which had a number of unread messages. Seeing its contents distressed the lavender haired girl immensely.

[From: Misao K.
Subject: N/A

Kagami having breakdown. Nothing I say working. Help]

[From: Misao K.
Subject: N/A
She passed out. Taking her to nurse]

[From: Misao K.
Subject: N/A
Has been hours. Shes not waking up. What do I do?]

[From: Misao K.
Subject: N/A
Sorry if Im bothering you. Im just so worried.]

Tsukasa must have been wearing her emotions on her sleeve as, when she looked up from reading, she saw Konata worriedly staring at her. She could sense the anxious curiosity in the shorter girls face. She handed the phone to Konata for her to read.

As she went through the messages, a frown appeared on her face. "C'mon. Let's go to the nurse's office" She finally said

Tsukasa did hear the words from the bluenette's mouth - quite clearly in fact - but they didn't register. She was still trying to swallow what she just read.

Sis had another anxiety attack... But why? Why did she have another one today? She wondered. It couldn't be Misao. If it was just something she did or said then it would have been easily resolved. She thought for a bit. Maybe its her classmates? Wait... That's gotta be it! That's why she had an attack. She was stressing over the festival and her class pushed her over the edge. She concluded. Why would they do that!? Do they hate my sister? She's one of the most awesome people in the world! Why would they hate her? She deserves better than them! She...she... just...

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sharp sound of snapping fingers.

"I swear, the whole overthinking thing has to run in the family or something." Konata muttered. "Stop thinking and start doing. Improvise!" She grabbed Tsukasa's hand and began dragging her out the room. "Now c'mon! Let's check on Kagami."

"W-wait." Tsukasa desperately attempted to fix her bag with one hand as she was pulled through the door. "Let me fix my things, please."

LUCKY STAR

Minami and Yutaka had spent majority of their afternoon wandering the school. The campus had a mysterious air about it when the students were busy with classes - or in this case, festival preparations. The muffled noise from inside the classrooms added to the ambiance. At one point, Yutaka had even joked that the school was magic.

However, while for the first half of the afternoon they were enjoying the quiet atmosphere that the empty halls were providing, in the later half, they were enjoying no longer. Instead, they sat in the oppressive silence of the nurse's office, watching one certain brunette pacing the floor and another pony-tailed girl who was asleep on the bed.

"I hope Kagami's okay" Yutaka muttered. Minami nodded in agreement.

It was by mere coincidence that the two dropped by the infirmary at the exact moment that Kagami and Misao came charging in. In that moment in seeing Kagami, unconsious in the arms of her girlfriend, Minami's motherly instincts kicked in.

She instructed Misao to lay the passed out girl on the bed and then proceeded to call the nurse. After which, she began asking what happened to Kagami. It was standard operating procedure for a health officer and had long become second nature to the stoic.

Misao had told them what happened but Minami didn't really think about it at the time - while assisting the nurse, she keep a very no-nonsense attitude. Now that her duty was finished, however, she DID start thinking about it now. She found that the feelings it brought were no pleasant.

Does her class have so little unity and self respect to outright refuse to work? They have the right to that but they also have the responsibility to finish what they started. As she thought this, a frown appeared on her normally stoic face. Senpai was only doing her job. They had no right to make her cry.

Minami felt a hand squeeze her own. Beside her, Yutaka looked at her and shook her head.

The mint haired girl closed her eyes and sighed. She's right. Getting angry right now won't do any good for anyone. When she opened her eyes again, she was met with a sad smile by the red-head. Minami blinked and gave her a slow and thoughtful nod. I know. You're worried too. I'm sorry.

Misao was still walking back and forth across the room despite the nurse's advise to relax. "What can I do to help? I want to help but nothing's working. What haven't I tried yet...?" She kept muttering.

Minami watched the brunette pace. It was obvious she was unnerved and her clearly visible distress was making Yutaka and Minami distressed as well. Moving her gaze back to the red head next to her, she gave her a questioning look, to which Yutaka closed her eyes and nodded.

The stoic stood and walked over to the nervous wreck pacing in circles and seized her by the shoulders. The brunette grew wide eyed in surprise. She stared at Misao and she stared back. Neither moved nor blinked. A single word was uttered. "Relax".

The two's staring continued. Even when tears began flowing down Misao's cheeks, they remained locked in each other's gaze. "But..."

"Relax." Said Yutaka who hugged Misao from behind. "She'll be fine. She'll get through this and you'll be there with her."

"I know..." Misao choked back a sob. "But I can't just sit and do nothing..."

Minami let go of her shoulders. "You AREN'T doing nothing." She said with finality. She then walked back to the chair she was occupying earlier.

Yutaka made one final squeeze and released Misao from the embrace. "wait and be strong for her..." She whispered before returning to the mint haired girl's side.

The brunette rubbed the tears for her eyes and chuckled. "Thanks... I needed that..." She said shakily. "Still, just sitting down isn't my style." A smile slowly began forming on her face. "I'm gonna go for a run. If she wakes up before I get back, call me ASAP."

With that, Misao Kusakabe opened the door to the nurse's office and left.

Yutaka beamed at Minami. "I'm glad she feels better now." The stoic offered a small smile and nodded.

LUCKY STAR

The walk to the nurse's office was silent and tense. Foot steps echoed the halls as they continued, the sound of Konata's sneakers contrasting Tsukasa's boots. Not a word was said between them. Words weren't needed. They both knew how the other felt because they both felt the same way.

Konata and Tsukasa rounded a corner and suddenly bumped into a high velocity brunette

"Ow... Jeez Misakichi. You're not supposed to run in the halls" Konata was sprawled on the floor, having received the brunt of the impact.

Misao was down as well. "Right. Sorry." She attempted to sit up, actively avoiding eye contact. "Didn't mean to run into you. I sorta have a lot on my mind..." There was little of the usual energy found in her voice

Konata noticed this and frowned. "Don't worry about it." With a sigh, she rolled over onto her stomach and pushed herself back to her feet. "It didn't hurt THAT badly. Can't say the same about Tsukasa, though..." The bluenette turned to her girlfriend who was struggling to stand back up. She held out her hand. "Hey, you okay?"

"I-I'm fine" Tsukasa said. She took the offered hand and stood up. "Let's keep going, Konata..."

She most certainly was NOT fine. It was clear she must have twisted her wrist when she fell as she was doing her best not to move her right arm. Even still, Konata didn't call her out on it and simply nodded.

The otaku looked at Misao. "I hope you don't run for too long. You should be there when Kagami wakes up..." She gave a small salute. "See you later..."

The brunette kept her back turned and remained quiet. After a second, she resumed her running, not even bothering with a response.

Konata watched in stony silence. I can't blame her for not wanting to talk. She's been pretty good at calming Kagami down but she's only human. There's only so much that her words can do - and sometimes, words aren't enough... She shook her head to expel unwanted thoughts. No, it's not the time and place for that. "C'mon, Tsukasa..."

The bluenette picked up Tsukasa's bag and began walking. The said lavender haired girl follow suit, clutching her right arm.

"We're gonna need to have that checked, you know..." Konata commented as she slung the bag over her shoulder

"I know... But my problem isn't as important as sis's"

Konata frowned. No, you're problem is completely different so it can't be more or less important than Kagami's. She thought. "We're still going to the nurse to check on Kagami." She reassured. "It's just that we're gonna have that sprain checked as well"

Tsukasa nodded and the two of them continued walking.

LUCKY STAR

Minoru walked the halls while Akira followed quietly next to him.

"Ms. Akira... I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't expect Izumi-san to be so teasing to someone she doesn't even know" The boy said.

"Don't mention it. I was really about to smack her. Thanks for stopping me..."

She suddenly punched him.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?"

Akira glared at him and them looked away. "Nothing..."

Minoru blinked and then sighed. He was used to it at that point. After all, three years should have been plenty of time for him to get used to her behavior.

Suddenly, he stopped and looked out the window. This prompted Akira to do the same. Outside, on the track was a certain brunette running full sprint around it. "Misao..." He muttered.

"Who?"

"She's one on those girls you almost punched this morning." He said. "The tanned girl who assumed you were a primary school girl."

The red-head's expression immediately soured. "Well, what the hell is she doing? Why's she running around like that? Is she trying to kill herself from exhaustion?" She smiled to herself. "Actually, if she IS planning on that, it just means there'll be less people to hate..."

"You really have to stop thinking like that." Minoru sighed. "I'm guessing she's having some trouble with something. She normally goes on runs like this when she's stressed or stumped by something" I wonder what it is...

"Oh... Okay?" Akira didn't really seem interested and the boy couldn't really blame her. She had met Misao only this morning and it wasn't the best first meeting. He could easily understand why she's indifferent to to the brunette.

Minoru, however, was friends with said brunette. While they weren't all that close, he knew what it took to comfort her when she was down. And from the looks of things, she's pretty down right now... He noted.

He glanced at Akira who was still staring apathetically out the window. He looked back to Misao who had run her third lap since they began watching her. Akira's gonna hate me for this... He thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm gonna go talk to her for a bit." He said

"..." Akira didn't respond immediately. She looked at him straight in the eye with an intense stare. Minoru feared what she could possibly be thinking. "Go..." She said finally before looking away.

The boy grimaced. She is NOT happy. "I'll meet you are the entrance. I promise" With that, he began his jog to the track field. I'm sorry.

LUCKY STAR

Miyuki stood by the school entrance waiting for Minami, Yutaka, and the rest of her friends.

Outside it was partially cloudy making for a beautiful sunset sky - further made beautiful by the fallen leaves surrounding the school grounds. It had gotten quite chilly since that morning - it wasn't completely unusual but it had caught Miyuki off guard, leaving her rubbing her arms for warmth where she stood. Still, the cold was not unpleasant. It was certainly more preferable to the heat they had that summer.

She was joined in her waiting by a certain Akira Kogami.

If the cold had taken her off guard, her sudden new companion left her completely surprised. "Kogami-san? I thought you'd be with Shiraishi-san"

"He's got stuff to do. Something about a 'Misao' girl getting all antsy..." She said, not even bothering to hide her dislike of the situation.

Misao Kusakabe... antsy? Is something bothering her? Miyuki thought for a bit. Of the short time I've known her, it's obvious that she's a very laid back person. The only times I've seen her exhibit any amounts of stress is when it involves track and field or Misao-san. I'll assume she's worrying over Kagami-san. Her brow furrowed. If it involves her, normally Misao-san would be able to fix the situation quickly, or at least calm her down until the situation fixes itself. It would be safe to assume she ended up with a problem neither solves itself nor could be solved by her. That said, Misao-san would probably ask for help. Perhaps Tsukasa? If that was the case, she and Konata would come to her air in a heart beat. She deduced. Now, the only problem is where they are... Wait, of course, the nurse's office. Kagami-san's anxiety attacks sometimes lead to her fainting. Minami and Yutaka are probably in the nurse's office too. She concluded. So THAT'S why they're taking so long.

"Hey, Takara, what's with that blank stare?"

Miyuki blinked. She had been lost in thought and had forgotten Akira was standing right next to her. She smiled nervously and apologized. "I'm sorry Kogami-san. I have some things on my mind..."

The shorter girl sighed. "It's fine..."

She seemed a lot sadder than she normally is. The pinkette's gaze lingered on her for a whole second before it shifted to the school behind her. What is going on back there?

LUCKY STAR

Konata and Tsukasa sat on the bed next to Kagami's. Minami and Yutaka sat on two chair on the opposite side of Kagami's bed. The four of them stared at the girl, lying unconscious under the covers.

Yutaka was acutely aware of the two older girls' anxiety, though it didn't take someone like her to notice it. They weren't obvious about it but neither were they trying to hide their feelings. It wouldn't be hard to guess that they were worried.

"I can't believe the would do that..." Konata said angrily. She wasn't shouting - it was actually just a little louder than a whisper - but thepure emotion in her voice made it feel like she was screaming. "What sort of insensitive pricks would do this...? They were raised to be good Japanese citizens or whatever. Last time I heard, this isn't what someone like that would do."

"Onee-chan..." The red-head could feel her cousin's rage. It was unlike anything she felt before. It was sharp, cold, and aggressive - like a blizzard - and anything caught in it would receive an agonizingly slow and numbing death. Yutaka shivered. Never in her life would she think she'd ever have to imagine something so horrifying like that and yet the feelings she sensed in her blue haired cousin invoked those thoughts with ease.

Tsukasa sniffed. She had been crying for the entire time they were there but not a single sob escaped her lips.

Tsukasa's case was different. She was more like a dam that was slowly accumulating cracks. The leakages here and there could always be fixed by blocking them, but eventually, enough cracks would cause the entire dam to break. Yutaka had to wonder whether this was the first crack or if there had been more in the past. She dearly hoped it was the former rather than the latter.

The red-head felt at hand squeeze her own. She glanced to Minami who merely blinked and then turned away. Yutaka squeezed back and whispered. "I'm sorry. They're getting to me..."

"It's okay. I felt the same way. Just give them some time..."

"I know..."

LUCKY STAR

"Hey, Misao!"

The brunette had been running full tilt when she heard the familiar voice of Minoru Shiraishi. Skidding to a halt, she turned to face the boy.

"Shiraishi. What's up?" She asked, rubbing the sweat from her brow.

"Take it easy, Misao. You were running yourself ragged back there" Minoru said.

"Ha. That's what you think" She chuckled. True, she was a little winded but it was nothing to get worried about. She was far from exhausted, at least physically. Emotionally, she was close to breaking down. It was the very reason she was running in the first place.

"Misao... Is there something wrong?"

She replied with a smile. "What makes you think there's something wrong?" She asked innocently. She closed her eyes and sighed. "You know, you'd be the perfect boy friend. You'd be able to tell when your girlfriend or whatever has a problem and be able to fix it." It was said jokingly but it didn't seem like it was meant to be funny. "I'm trying to do that but I don't think I'm doing it well"

"Kagami Hiigragi" The boy said. She didn't even need to outright say it. "I'm guessing that something came up..."

"I was there for her... but it wasn't enough." She stomped her foot in frustration. "I did all I can! What else is there I can do!?"

Minoru rubbed his temples. "Misao, tell me, were you the one to cause... whatever it is that's affecting Kagami?" He asked.

"... No... But-"

"THINK." He cut her off. "It's not your fault. It has nothing to do with you. You can't just go and try solving all of Hiiragi-san's problems for her."

"But-"

"No, Misao." He said before she could interject. "You've done what you can. Hiiragi-san just has to solve this one her own."

"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT!? THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT. I KNOW I WONT BE ABLE TO HELP HER IN THIS." She knelt, finally giving in to her feelings. No tears fell - she had already cried her eyes out in the infirmary - but they weren't needed to know how Misao felt. "I KNOW I CAN'T DO ANYTHING..." Misao yelled.

"Misao..."

"BUT I CAN'T JUST DO NOTHING"

"Misao, I'm sorry..."

"SO I'M DOING SOMETHING. I'M RUNNING. I'M RUNNING UNTIL I CAN'T RUN ANYMORE."

"Misao, I'M SORRY!" Minoru yelled as well. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I just... I thought..."

He couldn't quite say what he wanted to say. He kept stumbling over himself. Misao kept quiet as he tried again and again to apologize. Even if he managed to finish, she wouldn't forgive him - She didn't need to. It was a misunderstanding. No one was at fault and there was nothing to forgive.

Misao had enough. "Just let me run, Shiraishi. Please..."

Minoru grimaced. He must have thought he had made a grave mistake. Misao didn't blame him for anything, but there was nothing she could do if he blamed himself. "... Go..." He whispered, taking a shaky step backward. "... run..." He closed his eyes and began walking away.

Misao stood like a statue as she watched the boy leave her line of sight. But even when he was gone already she remained rooted in place. She wanted to run. She wanted to forget all her problems until she was ready to face them. But those problems had caught up to her. Where could she run to now?

"Uhhhg. Damn you, Shiraishi! You threw me off my groove!" She groaned in frustration. "Fine! I should be getting back there now anyway."

She stormed towards the school building.

LUCKY STAR

As Miyuki walked the halls, she couldn't help but wonder what Minoru had been so upset about. Mere moments before, the boy had dejectedly approached them and said it was time for him to go home. Akira glanced worriedly to Miyuki before following him out the school gates.

There seems to be a lot of people feeling down today. Kagami, Misao, and now, Minoru. I suppose the stress of festival preparations is taking a heavier toll on some more than others...

When Miyuki reached the door to the nurse's office, she paused. Her hand hovered over the door knob for a full second before she pulled it took one step away from the door and stared at it.

Something wasn't right and she felt it. Rather, something felt very unpleasant and she wasn't sure she wished to venture further. She felt like her entering the room would be meddling with something she wasn't a part of. It was as if she wasn't welcome.

Why do I feel this way? I can think of no plausible reason for me to not enter, so why am I still standing here? Miyuki asked herself. Oh dear, what am I to do? Should I ignore this feeling and enter anyway? Should I just leave right now and go home? She wondered. Those two are my immediate choices but I suppose I could also just sit here and wait for something to happen. After all, my friends are still in there. Whatever happens, they'll have to leave there eventually.

The pinkette sensed someone approaching behind her so she turned to face to incoming person.

"Heya, Takara..."

"Misao-san... Hello" The brunette was surprisingly subdued. "Is Kagami...?" She approached the subject gingerly. She wasn't sure how Misao would react.

"Yeah... She's in there..." She answered as she walked forward and opened the door. "C'mon. Let's go in"

Miyuki sighed to herself. Because of my indecision, it seems someone else made the choice for me. She followed Misao into the infirmary.

LUCKY STAR

Kagami was slow to wake.

She had dreamed of nothing, and yet that very nothing seemed to be seeping into the physical world, or at least that's what she felt was happening. She felt cold, and empty - like the dreamless sleep she endured had been experienced in the vacuum of space and that was exactly what she was waking up to.

But she knew that wasn't true. She felt the soft cushions and rough fabric under her skin. She could smell the sterile and disinfected air stinging her nose. She could hear the incoherent whispers of the rooms occupants around her. She knew exactly where she was and was sure whether she thought it was better or worse than suffocating in the freezing emptiness of outer space. She had no clue, even when she finally opened her eyes and stared at the white ceiling.

"How long was I out...?" She muttered, not really paying attention to who was around her.

"Since Misao brought you here, you've been unconscious for an hour and a half."

Her eyes remain unfocused but after racking her severely numb mind, she noted that it was Minami who had spoken. "Thank you, Minami-san." She said. She blinked and said simply. "I want to go home."

"Onee-chan..." She felt pressure on her chest and a soothing warmth enter her system.

"Tsukasa..." Her mind registered that her sister was with her. "Please... I'm tired..."

"O-okay..." The younger twin said meekly as she let go of the older twin. "...Um...Can you walk...?"

"Give me a minute"

Kagami blinked, finally putting in the effort to look around. On one side of her was Minami and Yutaka, both staring at her - one with a stoic glare and the other with a cutely anxious gaze. Opposite to them were Konata and Tsukasa, staring in similar fashion.

The tsundere looked at the two of them thoughtfully. I've never seen Tsukasa this worried... and I've never seen Konata this serious... They must really care about me.

One thing she didn't notice immediately was the presence - or lack of presence - of her girlfriend. "Where's Misao...?" She asked.

"Yo..." The door opened and in came Misao. She suddenly stopped in her tracks "... Kagami... How long have you been awake?" She asked, wide eyed. Then she shook her head "Forget it, I don't care anymore." She lunged forward and hugged Kagami. "I'm so glad you're awake now..."

Kagami closed her eyes and returned the hug. She felt drained and the physical contact seemed to be refreshing her. When the pulled away from the hug, Kagami gave Misao a little peck on the lips. "Thanks... I needed that..." She muttered.

Misao reacted out of character in Kagami's opinion. She simply touched her lips and and smiled sadly.

Kagami sat up and turned to Tsukasa. "I think I'm ready now..." The twin replied with a nod.

As The Hiirigis stood, Konata stood as well, shouldering all three of their bags. Kagami noticed this and glanced at Tsukasa. Her right hand was in a splint. She didn't know what happened, but she'd ask when they got home. She just wanted the day to end already and getting home was the first step to it.

The three of them, including Misao began walking out the door. Kagami felt really weird since none of them were talking but in the end, it didn't really matter. She was going home and that was all that was important to her at that time.

I don't care anymore. The festival doesn't matter now. Nothing matters now...

LUCKY STAR

Guess which parts of this chapter was written in October, November, and December respectively. You'll find it surprising.

Remember when I said I hated writing angst? That has not changed. Every single one of Kagami's anxiety attacks were events I absolutely detested writing. Still, over the course of half a year, I've been writing angsty and dramatic chapters. I don't know why I do this despite my dislike of it. Maybe I'm a masochist or something.

Anyway, I'm gonna get a move on with the plot at the expense of possibly killing the pacing. No promises, but it's likely that a number of issues that arose over the course of this story will be resolved in the next few chapters. Look out of that once I decide to post it. Whenever that'll be.

Follow, Favorite, and/or Review if you want to. It'll be greatly appreciated. Til next chapter guys.