Disclaimer: I do not own Lucky Star or any of the characters/plot points/dialogue associated with it and other franchises.

Of Galge and Imaginary Friends

Chapter 35

Last time in Of Galge and Imaginary Friends…

Kagami's accidental explosive punch did confirm one thing, though. The necklace held back whatever ability she seemed to have to just above her skin; at least, this explanation fit why she was sparking but not arcing, how it activated when her sparking fist hit Konata, and why Miki, the most likely perpetrator, only set up the Kanata-can't-pass-through-this-ha-ha barrier only after she let go of her necklace - she couldn't affect anything besides herself while it was in her possession.

The thought of the Hiiragi mother cut the ghost's giggles short just as the train came to a stop before the three high schoolers and their incorporeal tag-along.

Kagami -MB02-

Thursday, June 16

Other than those few, worry-filled days during and after her sudden loss of control over her electricity, Kagami watched. Then, when her need for someone with experience in this kind of thing outweighed her pride, she enlisted Kanata, though the twintailed teenager made sure to include as little information as possible while doing so - all she had to say was, "Speak up when you're muttering." It earned Kagami a strange look, but the (probably not) unknowing spirit pointed out more useful information than her hauntee would have noticed by herself (She still mutters sometimes, though.).

Now, for example, Kanata mused, "Konata doesn't walk next to Miyuki-san very often, does she? She likes to stay between Kaga-chan and Tsu-chan."

This was both something Kagami probably never would've noticed on her own - Konata had always walked between the twins, much to the older one's chagrin - and exactly the information she was looking for: little cues toward the severity of Konata's insecurities about her size. Horrifyingly, the spirit-miko observation team found an extremely large amount of these hints, from the way she oriented herself amongst other people to how she usually waited until everyone was seated to barge into her classroom (Okay, that one might not have anything to do with this, but…). The blue-haired otaku even seemed to stall until the taller students were done to approach her locker.

According to Kanata's various idle observations, however, her daughter didn't even notice this behavior, a claim Kagami severely doubted; Konata was the only one to notice Kagami's whispering to her ghostly companion, after all, when said spirit admitted that she herself wouldn't notice had she not been looking specifically for tiny lip movements. Personally, the twintailed teenager/stalker-in-training believed that her Haruhiist friend knew of her subtly peculiar actions and did her best not to draw attention to them.

Not that it stopped her from acting like her usual self. "Don't worry about me, Private Miyuki-san! I'm a master at cramming the day before the test!" (That is completely and utterly…believable, actually, but also infuriating.)

"Konata," began Kagami, "there are exams coming up. Do you want to take summer classes that badly?"

"I'll be fine! If you ask really, really nicely, I'll even help you help Tsukasa!"

"I don't need your help helping Tsukasa. If anybody, Miyuki-san is the better choice."

"Oh, Kagami, you wound me!" choked the (also probably not) unknowing observation target, exaggeratedly recoiling into Tsukasa who, somehow, managed to keep her balance…

"Tsukasa!" Kagami cried (If she's hurt, I'll…).

Kzzz… hissed the twintailed teenager's electricity as it zigzagged across her skin, never jumping even from finger to finger.

"I'm fine, Onee-cha-!"

Thud!

…until she walked right into a telephone pole.

"Konata…" Kagami growled, turning toward said girl, who was backing away quickly.

"Kaga-chan," spoke Kanata loudly enough to hear for the first time in a few minutes, "I think she was going to hit it, anyway; Konata didn't alter her course at all."

"…Once my hands stop being explosive, that's another whack I'm going to give you." (I'm sure she'll tease me for it if I openly back down after-wait, is that a cat-grin-smirk?!)

In a bout of very rational thinking, the blue-haired teenager fled as quickly as possible.

By lunch, Konata was still trying to hide behind Tsukasa to escape the other twin's wrath (Not behind the taller, overly devoted "Private" Miyuki-san…). This, however, didn't look too much more different than usual; as Kanata had absently pointed out the Friday before, her daughter leaned toward Tsukasa a little, anyway, so this was just an exaggeration of that.

As the short eating period continued, Kagami's resolve hardened. More hints muttered about by Kanata repeated themselves, painting a picture than none of the otherwise insignificant-seeming patterns could have on their own (Actually, if there were fewer, I'd just assume they were normal for her and never think about them again. Or, you know, not notice them.).

In the twintailed teenager's mind, her plotting to help was entirely fair. When Konata learned of Kagami's diet, she thought the idea stupid and, when the opportunity arose, destroyed it. Now, though, it was Konata's stupid idea that needed destroying, whether she liked it or not (I still don't like her solution, actually.).

Finally, when lunch ended - Kanata noted that Konata fully closed her eyes as Miyuki stood - a solemn Kagami left, an equally sober Kanata treading soundlessly behind.

"I know you know what I wanted you to do."

"I know you know I know what you wanted me to do."

The two roommates stared at each other for a second, before the first - Kagami - whispered, "I'm not going to humor you."

Kanata grinned. "I know you're not-"

"Stop."

"Yes'm."

"I'm trying to helf you're daughter."

"I know-sorry, yes'm."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"…Yes'm?"

Kzzz…

"Don't make me hit you."

"Yes'm!" (At least this makes negotiations easy.)

"Now, are you going to help me help Konata or not?"

The spirit settled down, brought a hand up to her chin, and stroked an invisible beard very much like her daughter often did. "…Actually, I have no idea how to do it."

"Surely you know something!" Kagami whisper-exclaimed. "She can't be the first in her family-"

"Actually," interrupted the ghost, "as far as I know, she's the first to keep the size insecurity this long. Also, now you can say that you didn't tell me. You're welcome." (…I can't refute it. Dammit!)

"Wait, so others have had it?"

Kanata nodded. "According to Okaa-sama, we all go through it at some point, though we're usually over it by the time we're ten or so. The only person in my family who's claimed to not have is Ane-sama, but she's not as small as the rest of us."

"You keep saying 'us', but the only family I've heard you have is your mother, sister, and daughter."

"We've been single daughters for centuries, if the records in Okaa-sama's study are accurate," explained the spirit, "and the pictures are nearly identical throughout, with only minor changes. Obaa-san was the first in our family with blue hair, for example, and I'm the first with green eyes."

"I don't think that's how-wait, we're getting off topic, here."

"You started it, Kaga-chan."

"I will hit you, you know."

"I can block it now, though, because I've been practicing with my green-touchy-focus-powered-barrier-thing." (I've asked this before, but where the hell did she get her terrible naming ability from?)

"Whatever," Kagami said, waving her hand as if to sweep aside the dismissed topic. "I need some way to fix Konata."

"Get her a really big cornet?"

"How would that help?" (This is your daughter, dammit, so be serious!)

"Get her a really big statue of Haruhi?"

"That's both expensive and impractical." (Not to mention how it wouldn't work.)

"Get her really big breast implants?"

"Hell no. And don't just suggest whatever-"

"Get her really expensive 'corrective' surgery?"

"You just put air quotes around 'corrective.' Just stop talking."

The ghost did, indeed, stop talking, but a pale green something began to form words in midair. "Get her a really big television?" (She wasn't joking about practicing…)

"Didn't you hear the part about helping your daughter?!"

"I'm trying to think, Kaga-chan. This is how I think."

"Well, your thinking is getting in the way of my thinking."

"…We seem to have reached an impasse."

"No, you just wanted an excuse to say that. You know what? Screw this. I'm dealing with this my way."

"Oh, wait, Kaga-chan!" Kanata exclaimed, abandoning her now-gone green barrier words. "If you do it your way, then-"

"I know."

"I know you know, but-"

Whack!

"Ow!"

Thud.

"…I was wondering when you'd realize you could still throw stuff, Kaga-chan," grumbled Kanata as she stared forlornly at the book on the ground.

Friday, June 17

The next morning, Kagami, Tsukasa, and Kanata sat at the station, early for the second time in as many weeks (I'm just lucky Tsukasa went to sleep early, though she didn't finish her homework…).

"I hope Spirit-san takes care of the house," Tsukasa, half-asleep, murmured into Kagami's shoulder as they waited on the bench (If she stayed at the house, she wouldn't get me into as much trouble.).

"But Tsu-chan," the unheard Kanata replied, voice laced with humor, "if I did that, then I'd miss out on a bunch of teasing opportunities!" (You could at least try to be subtle about it!)

At that moment, just as the ghost collapsed in her usual fit of giggles, the wobbly form of Konata slipped into view nearby. "Hey, Kagami, Tsuka-" the blue-haired teenager broke off for a yawn, "-Tsukasa."

"I guess sleepyhead told you we were early?"

"Kagami is catching on!" exclaimed the ecstatic-looking otaku, voice suddenly full of energy (That was way too fast a change.). "Soon, she'll know what I'm going to say before I know I'm going to say it!"

The older twin didn't bother replying to that, especially since the train rolled up right at that moment. In just a few minutes, it would be time for action.

Konata would be helped, whether she liked it nor not.

AN: -MB02-: start! More than a week has past between Kanata -MB01- and Kagami -MB02-, which is why I differentiated between them in last chapter's AN.

In case anyone is wondering, the "doesn't walk next to Miyuki-san very often" and "likes to stay between Kaga-chan and Tsu-chan" is probably inspired by the four's positions in the Lucky Star opening (Right to left: Miyuki, Kagami, Konata, Tsukasa), though I only realized this after writing that line. This, readers, is the human brain at work. Or perhaps just my brain.

Anyway, thank you very much for all of the reviews, comments, follows, and favorites thus far! Here's a preview for next chapter, Chapter 36, Konata -MB02-:

Next time in Of Galge and Imaginary Friends, Konata has suspicions.

'…So this is what you're doing with it, Kagami, she thought as she slipped into her seat. I guess I had this coming, really.'