This has taken so long to update. I'm not even disappointed in my rate progress anymore, I'm just glad I was actually able to finish this chapter.
In any case, the last chapter detailed the happenings within the Kusakabe residence. Here's what happened at the Izumi residence a little later into the night. Enjoy if you can - if you can't, I apologize.
LUCKY STAR
Yutaka sat on her bed, hugging her pillow. On one side, sitting on a chair was Minami, listening intently, and on the other side was Yuki, telling stories of her past.
Yuki Kobayakawa, Yutaka's mother, was an interesting woman. She was a little bit eccentric. When she and Minami first met earlier that afternoon, she had walked right into Minami's face a stared at her curiously. Minami felt too awkward and was forced to look away. Yuki giggled and turned her attention to Yutaka who was watching them warily.
Yutaka then introduced Minami to her mother and, after a few short conversations, the topic of Honoka Iwasaki came up. Yuki was surprised to know that she had dated the mother of her daughter's girlfriend. She then, of course began telling stories of their time together ranging from the fun and silly to serious and dramatic. Minami had a hard time believing some of the things she heard.
"Oh, believe me, you're more like your mother than you think," Yuki said, glancing down at Minami's chest. "Don't worry. You're still growing. They'll get bigger eventually."
Minami blushed and nodded quietly. How the topic of breasts came about, she wasn't really sure. There had been so many tangents she could barely keep up.
"So, enough about me. I want to hear more about you two. I can tell you two have something on your minds." Minami and Yutaka glanced at each other nervously. Yuki raised an eyebrow. "I'm not gonna force you but, if there's something wrong, don't hesitate to tell me."
Minami pondered on the question. There's something wrong, that's for sure. But... how can I put it... the problem is hard to put into words. And the thing is, we aren't even trying... I don't fully understand what's wrong. How can I even try to explain it to someone else?
But try she did. It was an awkward attempt but they managed to explain the basics of their dilemma. Minami wasn't at all satisfied with how they went about explaining, but it did lead to the realization that both of them knew what they had to do and yet were not doing it.
"It seems to me," Yuki began, "that you two don't want this problem resolved. Otherwise you'd have already talked it through." The amused way she said that seemed to hit harder than the scolding tone the two were expecting. They looked away, making no eye contact with Yuki nor with each other.
Yuki chuckled. "Honestly. The two of your are getting upset at each other because of misunderstandings and yet you both refuse to explain yourselves. What exactly do you hope to achieve by doing that?"
Minami didn't know what to say to her. They had explained as best they could but their problem was much more complex than what Yuki described.
But is it? This is my first relationship and Yuki Kobayakawa is a grown woman. She has the benefit of hindsight while I can barely understand what's directly in front of me. How sure can I be that she's less wrong about this than I am?
"Yutaka." Minami blinked, pulled out of her thoughts by Yuki suddenly sounding stern. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Minami glanced at Yutaka and was shocked. She looked like a deer in headlights - cornered and panicked, frozen in place despite her mind racing like never before. Minami felt a stab of pain in her heart from seeing Yutaka's reaction. What could she have been keeping secret that she'd look as afraid as she did?
And just as quickly, Yutaka calmed down. You could see it in her eyes. The moment of panic had passed and what replaced it was a look of mild relief mixed with an unquantifiable amount of nervousness. "No," Yutaka answered. "There isn't anything I want to tell you."
Yuki stared at her for three who seconds before closing her eyes and nodding, as if understanding her meaning in those words. And just as Minami began wondering what there was to understand, Yuki spoke. "Not to me specifically," she said. "Either way, you should tell them soon."
Gears began turning in Minami's head. Who was them? And what did they have to do with Minami and Yutaka's problem? What was Yutaka going to tell them?
"After dinner," replied Yutaka, voice close to breaking. "I need some time to get ready."
As if waiting for dinner to be mentioned, Sojiro called from downstairs. "Come on down, girls. Dinner's ready."
"Come along, kids. We can't keep them waiting." Yuki's face remained a masked smile as she stood and gestured for them to follow. And follow they did, out the door, down the stairs, and into the kitchen.
LUCKY STAR
Sojiro finished setting up the table, leaving Yui looking impressed. With a sigh, he sat down at the end of the table, next to Yui.
Yui leaned forward and sniffed the steam coming from the large bowl of ramen. She looked pleased as she leaned back, nodding in approval. "You know, last time I was here, you weren't nearly this good at cooking dinner," she commented. "Did anything happen to change that?"
Sojiro smiled wryly. "My new job happened. I've spent the past four or so months cooking and cleaning for people I otherwise wouldn't ever interact with. You'd be surprised by number of lonely single women who call for me - even more surprised by the men."
Yui raised her eyebrows. "Oh-ho! That sounds interesting. Do tell."
Sojiro thought for a bit. "Well, there was this one man I taught how to cook. He was the youngest in his family with four sisters. Never had the chance to learn. So I taught him some basic recipes, and a couple of tricks I picked up from Konata. Then there was this really old woman who needed an escort to a motorcycle race track where she won a sizable amount of money from betting - a hundred thousand yen, I think. She ended up treating me to dinner afterward."
"Sounds like you're having fun."
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying myself." He then sighed. "Still, I long for the day that I get a high school girl for a client."
Yui's smile faltered. "That'd be a little dangerous, don't you think?"
Sojiro waved at her dismissively. "Don't worry. I wouldn't do anything. Knowing the kind of clients I get, I'd probably get someone who'd have me buy groceries for them. Wouldn't be the first time."
"Mmhmm."
The muffled thumps of footsteps sounded through the ceiling - three sets, each distinct from each other. The girls upstairs must have finished their pillow-talk.
"Come to think of it, why didn't you join them for the girl-talk. You'd probably have something to say."
Yui stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing. "I'm sorry, but do you not know your own sister? Try and take a second to figure out my reasons."
Sojiro's expression soured. "Ah, right. I remember now," he muttered. Yuki can talk for hours on end about herself and you'd never notice but at some point you hear all of her stories. She'll just repeat them to you. It doesn't matter if you've already heard them.
He turned to the kitchen entrance. "Speaking of which..."
"Good evening everyone," Yuki greeted. "I heard mention of sisters. Does anyone have something to say?"
"We were just wondering which one of your anecdotes you were telling those two earlier," Sojiro answered. "Chances are, you told them the boob-story, right?"
Yuki smiled while Yutaka and Minami seemed too deep in thought to notice his question. "Yes, I told them the boob story, among other things. They were quite interested. This one in particular." She gestured to Minami. Said mint-haired girl almost didn't notice the attention put on her. But she did and looked between the two adults confusedly.
Sojiro noticed a strange change in demeanor from what Minami and Yutaka were normally like. He shot Yuki a questioning look, to which she replied with a smile and shrug. Sojiro resisted the urge to face-palm. She must have tried to give them relationship advice, he groaned internally. I hope she wasn't too condescending... and I hope she gave advice that was actually good...
He set aside his concerns and focused on serving dinner. "Well, let's eat. There's plenty of noodles to go around." He picked up a bowl and the ladle and distributed the food to everyone. Dinner continued from there, more subdued than Sojiro would've liked.
LUCKY STAR
Konata arrived at the Izumi residence without any incident, patting away the light moisture that had condensed on her clothes as she walked home from the station. "Yo, I'm home!" she called from the front door, removing her shoes.
"Hey kiddo!" Sojiro entered the hall and held out his arms. Konata grinned and ran into his embrace. "It's good to see you, Dad!"
"Good to see you too. How was your day?"
Konata raised two large bags of merchandise. "Considering how I accomplished my goals for today and then some, I'd say it was pretty successful." As Sojiro's hold loosened, her gaze naturally drifted to the woman at the end of the hall. "Aunt Yuki?"
"Hello again," she greeted cheerfully.
"Oh man, it's been so long!" Konata quickly squirmed out of her father's arms to walk up to Yuki. "What am I, chopped liver?" Sojiro joked. He chuckled before retreating back to the kitchen.
"Have you met Minami yet?"
"Yes, I have." Yuki sighed. "Quite a blast from the past. She looks just like Honoka."
Konata nodded. "You're not the first one to say that. I have to say, though, they are pretty similar looking, even now." Konata then peeked towards the door to the kitchen. "Huh, speaking of Minami, where is she. Upstairs with Yutaka?"
"Yes. I may or may not have pushed them into a confrontation."
Konata blinked. "You what!?" Yuki was just about to speak when Konata waved her hands frantically. "Okay, okay. Before you tell me what your motivations were, did it have to be a confrontation?"
Yuki couldn't help but smile at how earnest Konata's worry was, although the smile was halfhearted. She held out her arms and slowly lowered them. "Breathe," she said soothingly. Konata unamusedly looked away, taking a deep breath. "There. Now, to answer your question: No, it didn't have to be a confrontation. I only suggested that they talk about their problems which they decided to do. It only became a confrontation because neither of them seems to want to fix their problems."
"But... Sure they were in a rough spot but..."
Yuki raised an eyebrow. "You don't know what it's for them. They have their own lives and you have yours. How can you say anything about their problems?"
Konata frowned. "I know, I know... I'm just worried, okay. The last time you tried this was with Yui nee-san. I remember the horror stories."
"But she still married him, yes? Things will work out."
"I hope so..."
LUCKY STAR
Minami returned with Yutaka to her room while Yuki remained downstairs. The climb back up was short and quiet, and yet seemed to take an eternity. Every step seemed to go by in slow motion as they made their way through the hall.
During dinner, it occurred to Minami that the 'them' Yutaka was talking about might very well have been Minami herself. Looking back at it, it was a fairly logical assumption, considering the timing of the entire thing and how it was somehow related to the topic at hand. The only question is, what did Yutaka want to say? Why she need to wait until after dinner to say it. Better yet, how long had she been waiting on telling Minami whatever it was she wanted to say? The gears in her head continued turning like clock work but they could go for eternity without ever reaching that point where the bell rings.
Yutaka opened the door and entered, leaving the door open as unspoken permission for Minami to enter as well. Minami hesitated for a second, unsure of whether she wants to enter at all - but only for a second. She willed herself to take a step forward and slide the door closed behind her, even locking it to prevent her from leaving. Her fate was sealed.
Yutaka sat at her bed, hands on her lap. She was staring the floor in front of her, glancing up at Minami for a bit looking back down shortly after. "Minami, please tell me you figured it out," she said, sounding a little bit nervous.
Minami pondered the question for no more than a heartbeat before understanding. "Yes. What did you want to tell me?"
Yutaka breathed a sigh of relief and even smiled a little. Almost. But she quickly frowned, as if remembering something unpleasant. She sighed again, tiredly. "What do you know about me?"
Minami shuffled through her mental folders, trying to organize everything she knew about Yutaka Kobayakawa and explain it. Perhaps not unsurprising but Minami seemed to know a lot. It took a good minute before Minami deemed her answer satisfactory to voice. Her mouth felt dry as she spoke...
"You're Yutaka Kobayakawa, my classmate and girlfriend. You are 137cm tall, turned 15 year old two weeks ago, and have a blood type of A. You have a sickly constitution, a bizarre side effect of an early childhood accident that resulted in a few broken bones and a concussion." Minami began listing off more superficial traits. A minute or so past before she continued past that.
"We met a little under a year ago, during the entrance exams for Ryoo - I lent you my handkerchief with the intention of just leaving it with you but you returned it to me regardless. We became became friends, helped partly by being assigned to the same class as well as my becoming the Nurse's aid. You were very quickly able to understand and adapt to my own social awkwardness which allowed me to speak freely to you, sometimes without even speaking at all.
"A few months later, your cousin and Hiiragi-senpai started dating as a sort of experiment, indirectly encouraging you to pursue a romantic relationship with me for similar reasons. Over the course of the next six months, we experienced various sorts of drama all around us. Due to said drama, I learned that you are virtuous to a fault - getting upset at yourself for being unable to give forgiveness to my mother and Yukari-san; getting involved in conflicts with the intention of helping to resolve said conflict; general nosiness; and... and..."
Minami's mouth stayed open as if she had more to say but she had already exhausted all the aspects of Yutaka the Minami felt was relevant - and even some that weren't relevant at all but were still indeed true. Feeling no need to continue speaking, she closed her mouth and took a slow deep breath through her nose.
Yutaka seemed just about ready to cry. Minami couldn't sense what she was feeling. Her body language gave the impression that she was really nervous and yet it was visibly obvious that she was also really moved, struggling to contain the emotions she felt. What could she be thinking at that very moment?
"You... you are Minami Iwasaki." Yutaka's voice broke as she began, but she ignored it and kept powering through.
"You don't like talking and you do your best to say what you want to say without saying a word, even though most people won't understand. You get hurt when no one understands you, but don't blame them for it. You enjoy directness even though you sometimes let words and actions go in circles before getting to the point. You have a sense of responsibility to everyone who is close to you. You'll do anything you can for them if it can help, even if it means hurting others or yourself in some way.
"You are the girl who protects me and cares for me - who I try my best to understand and to cherish. I love you very much, Minami. I really do. But I don't know if you've noticed this but what exactly is our relationship supposed to be?"
Minami felt stunned, unsure as to what Yutaka was talking about.
"What are we, Minami? We're friends. We're lovers. But what does that even mean? Minami, things have changed between us, but so much has stayed the same."
It was a struggle to speak. Yutaka's questions echoed in Minami's head, drowning out any semblance of coherence in her mind. It took all of her focus just to ask, "... W-what is this about...?"
"The letters I've been getting. Those... those death threats... I still remember being so confused about them. Why was us dating such a bad thing for them? Why did it matter? It wasn't like we were any different from before. We were doing all the same things we've always been doing. What does it mean to be dating, Minami? What makes friends any different from girlfriends? How is us then different from us now?"
Minami had no answer - none that was in any way satisfying for neither Yutaka nor herself. Other than their acts of physical intimacy that went beyond hugs and hand holding, there hasn't been any change whatsoever. From the very beginning, Minami had always been the prince to Yutaka's princess, no matter how you looked at it. Nothing was different. Nothing had changed.
And yet, Minami had the distinct feeling that whatever Yutaka's problem was, that wasn't it. There was more to it than that - something deeper that Yutaka wasn't telling her. It was still debatable whether or not Yutaka even knew what that underlying problem was but Minami was all but certain that it was there, just under the surface.
Minami looked what was presented to her and took a wild guess. The conclusion she came to was... troubling.
"Are you..." she began, speaking slowly, "not happy... with the way I'm treating you...?"
Yutaka stared at her for a moment. "I... I am happy, but... but..." She looked down, not saying a word after that. A long period of silence followed.
For the second time in as many minutes, Minami took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Bingo, she thought.
"What is it about my treatment of you that you don't like?"
Minami surprised even herself with that question. It also surprised her how well she seemed to be taking it. The guilt she expected to well up inside of her was, in fact, not. Nor did she feel any sort of anger or resentment towards Yutaka. And really, why should she feel any of those emotions? All of this was caused by a lack of communication. They had only themselves to blame for how far gone it had all become.
Yutaka didn't answer. She didn't even speak or give any indication of being there. With her eyes closed, Minami may as well have been completely alone. She couldn't bear to open them and see for herself...
Turning back towards the door, Minami unlocked it. "I'll give you time to think. We can continue this once you've organized your thoughts. Call me at any time and I'll come." With that, she left the room.
When the door opened, Konata was leaning leaning on the wall directly in front of it, arms crossed and eyes down. She didn't need to look up to know who it was - the footsteps alone gave it away.
"Evening Minami," Konata greeted. The usual pep in her voice was gone.
"Konata-senpai... Good evening."
"Are you wishing me a good evening or are you simply saying that this evening is good?" Konata forced a smile and looked up, green eyes meeting blue. "If it's the latter, I really have to ask, is it really?"
Every second that passed by after that was punctuated by the dripping of the faucet in the bathroom across the hall. Konata's smile eventually wavered and settled into a neutral expression, much like Minami's. "You do know how much you've messed up by now, right?"
Despite Minami's height in comparison to Konata, she seemed to shrink at the question presented. "It had to be done," Minami said, voice dry and barely audible.
Konata's hard stare persisted for a minute before her expression softened. She looked away. "Darn it... You two were just so good together... And now, seeing you like this..." She stomped her foot. "It had to be done," Konata repeated. She returned her gaze to Minami. "It had to be done, but at what cost? Do you really think, after something like this, you'll still be friends? Much less dating?" She shook her head. "My heart wants to believe but my head won't let me. The flags are all wrong." She stomped again. "Everything's all wrong!"
Minami looked down. "I'm sorry, Senpai. I know I messed up. But please don't ask me to go back in there. Yes, it was my treatment of Yutaka the caused this. But I don't know what it was that upset her and neither does Yutaka herself. Only she can truly say what was wrong. And until she figures it out, I have no reason to be here. Staying with her right now would just upset the both of us. What else am I supposed to do?"
What else!? What else was she supposed to do!? Konata blood slowly came to a boil at those words. She wanted to slam that head of mint green into the floor. And yet she very quickly simmered down as the logic of Minami's words reached her. What else was Minami supposed to do?
Konata wanted to kick herself. Her aunt Yuki had incited this confrontation in an attempt to fix things and yet everything became so much worse. Had Konata intervened earlier, back when the problems were only just starting, perhaps it wouldn't have come to something like this? Except it wouldn't. She had no idea how it had gotten this bad, nor when and why. Not even those who were directly responsible for this outcome knew what was going on. Everything just suddenly... happened...
Taking Konata's silence as permission to leave, Minami bowed courteously and made for the stairs.
A voice came muffled from the door behind Minami. It slid open, Yutaka standing behind it. Her eyes were red and swollen, as if she were crying just moments before. "Don't go yet," she said, pleadingly. "Please, hear me out." Minami complied without question, stepping towards the opposite wall and facing Yutaka.
Konata was just about to leave and give them some privacy when Yutaka suddenly stopped her as well. "Wait. Please stay too." Konata looked on in confusion but set it aside and stayed.
"Minami, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it out like you were hurting me with how you treated me. You give and give and give some more. I'd be a big fat liar if I said that doesn't make me happy. But I just seems... wrong... how we're going about things..."
Konata raised an eyebrow. "Wrong how?" she found herself saying. She quickly shut her mouth, realizing she was being rude.
Yutaka smiled sadly. "How is it wrong? I've been wondering that for the past few minutes now. And the closest answer I got was... was..." Her lips trembled from what looked like a suppressed sob. "Minami, do you think I'll ever grow as a person from us being together? Like Tsukasa-senpai with Konata?"
Konata glanced at Minami who looked about as surprised as Konata felt. But then, it made sense that that was the cause of all this - or at least played a big part. The death threats, the lack of communication, the subdued emotions - it all started around the time Tsukasa made her confession. But then, as enlightening the reason may have been, the question and its implications still stood.
"I don't know," Minami answered, her normally stoic expression now lost and confused. "Yutaka, I don't understand. Please be frank with me."
Yutaka frowned, lowering her head. "How long are we going to stay this way? Will I ever be able to be more than what I am right now? Will I always be the kid? The innocent little girl? I know I'm weak and fragile but the both of us know that I'm stronger than I look. Will you ever let me figure out how strong that is?
"I'm scared, Minami. I'm scared of you, of Konata, of Hiyori - I'm scared of all of you. I'm scared that none of you will ever see me as anything more than the weakling, the cutie, the girl who's only there to be taken care of. What am I, Minami? Am I your lover or am I your damsel in distress?"
Konata shifted her weight awkwardly. She did not want to be where she currently was while what was currently happening was still happening. What made things worse, it was also aimed a little at Konata herself so being there was even less pleasant. And yet she stayed, of only to keep her promise to stay. Things were getting dicey, though...
"But... but you..." Minami's face slowly grew hard as she parsed what she just heard. She was clearly upset by it, though perhaps not terribly so. "You never said no," she said. Her voice was stern, but not harsh. "You more than anyone should know that I wouldn't do something if you tell me not to." She didn't add anything more and waited for Yutaka to respond. The wait was brief.
"I know... It's just that... It's just that when I'm with you, I always find myself just going with the flow. It never feels right going against it, but it doesn't feel right just going along with it either. I don't know what to do, Minami. I don't know how to move forward from where we are. I don't want to stay like this but I don't want to break what we already have. I'm sorry Minami. I'm really sorry. I can't do this. I can't help myself. It's all wrong. It's all just wrong!"
"I don't quite understand..." Minami scowled at the floor, fists clenched. "You don't want anything to change and yet you don't like how things are right now? It doesn't make sense..."
Konata looked between the two warily. It didn't seem like the two were going to make any progress that day. "Umm... Sorry to butt in here but... maybe Minami should leave for now?" Her suggestion was met with silence. Konata sighed and stood between the two first years. "Look, obviously you two have some issues you need to work through, but do you seriously think you can make any ground today? After all that?" Konata turned to Yutaka. "Minami said she'll come once you have your thoughts together, right?" Yutaka nodded. Konata held her hand tightly. "She isn't leaving you for good, Yutaka. Just let the issue sit for a while and you can come back to it later." Yutaka nodded once more.
"Minami?" Konata said, addressing the taller girl. "You are coming back, right?"
"Of course," was the immediate answer. A few seconds of silence followed...
"May I take my leave now?" Minami asked awkwardly.
Konata nodded. "Go. Be safe on your way home..."
"Good night, then." Minami bowed and made her way across the hall to the stairs. After a minute, the two heard the front door open and close. Minami had left.
With that, Yutaka colapsed forward, into Konata's arms. "Whoa, there!" Konata struggled to keep Yutaka up right but eventually lowered her into a sitting position on the floor.
Konata looked at Yutaka's sleepy yet anxious face and sighed. "Well, can't blame you," she muttered. "After all that, you must be pretty tired right about now" She opened the door to Yutaka's room and carried said girl in, gently settling her into the bed. After draping a blaket over her, Konata tip-toed out of the room and closed the door.
LUCKY STAR
When Konata went back down stairs, Yui, Yuki, and Sojiro were sitting at the kitchen table, pale-faced and completely silent. Clasped in each of their hands were mugs of hot chocolate, with three more sitting in a group on the table. They avoided eye contact and merely stared at their beverages, unfocused.
"You heard?" Konata asked. There was a long silence before she got an answer.
"Yep." Yui sighed, bringing her mug to her lips. She upturned it and drank all the hot chocolate in four big gulps, lowering it slowly upon finishing.
Konata turned to her aunt Yuki expectantly. "Do you have anything to say?"
"It could have gone better, I'll admit," Yuki said guiltily. She took a sip of her drink.
Konata turned to Sojiro. "Dad?"
He downed his entire mug, not making a reply.
Konata looked between all of them and sighed, taking a seat with them at the table. She reached for one of the extra mugs of hot chocolate. "Welp, merry Christmas," she muttered before throwing back her head and downing the mug.
LUCKY STAR
Except it's the middle of August. What's worse is my last update is well over four months ago.
Finally, a chapter with Yuki Kobayakawa in it. Took me a while but it's here. So what can I say about Yuki? Well, I tried to make a character similar to Konata, but a little bit more mature. Not sure if I was successful but at least I'm not unhappy with how she turned out.
You ever notice that whatever problems Minami and Yutaka have at any point in their relationship, none of them were solved by their power? It always seemed to end with a cop-out like someone else solving it for them. This is my attempt to subvert that formula which I had been using for most of the story. I've had a good amount of build up to this chapter but I feel somewhat disappointed by how I went about it.
Sadly, short of completely scraping this entire sub plot and rewriting everything involving it from chapter 37 onward, there's nothing much I can do to make myself feel any better about this. Thankfully, I have a good idea about how I can move forward from this. Execution is a problem but I can deal with it once I get there.
Anyway, the next chapter will focus on the Hiiragi household and/or the Takara/Iwasaki estate. It shouldn't be a long chapter though I can totally see myself writing a lot for it. Let's see how long it takes me to finish this time, eh?
Until next chapter, then. See ya
