Writing this was a bad idea. I have ten ongoing stories that I'm working on, and this makes eleven. Enjoy if you can.

Party Games Chapter 1: The First Day, Preparation

Kagami Hiiragi blinked as the train entered a tunnel, the sudden darkness knocking her out of her daze. How long had she been staring blankly out of the window? She couldn't remember. When the train exited the tunnel a few seconds later, she rubbed her eyes and looked around.

Next to her, Tsukasa had fallen asleep, head lolled forward uncomfortably. It wasn't hard to imagine the neck sores the younger twin would feel once she woke up. Kagami could only wince at the thought.

In the seat directly in front of Kagami sat one Konata Izumi. Her eyes were trained on her DS while bit-crunched music and explosions blared out of the device's tiny speakers. She looked completely focused on what she was playing.

Similarly, Miyuki sat next to Konata, nose buried in a book she had started reading shortly after boarding the train. It had been a monstrously large tome, and yet, she was already most of the way through it.

Across the aisle, Yutaka was also asleep, leaning on Minami's shoulders while Minami looked out of the window. In front of them, Patricia talked animatedly at Hiyori, who was scribbling madly on her sketchbook, only sparing Patricia a word or two in reply.

"Heya, Hiiragi."

Kagami blinked again and looked up at one Misao Kusakabe, peeking from over the seat's backrest.

"How long ya reckon before we get there?"

Kagami put a finger to her chin in thought. "Hmm. It's been around an hour at least. I don't think it'll be that much longer." She turned to the avid reader sitting in front of her. "Hey, Miyuki. How close are we to our destination?"

Kagami hadn't been loud or sudden when she asked that question, but it still caused Miyuki to jump in her seat and fumble with her book. She even nearly dropped it.

Beside her, Konata chuckled. "Deep breaths, Miyuki," she said, eyes not leaving her handheld.

Kagami held back a chuckle of her own. "You okay?"

A light blush appeared on Miyuki's cheeks as she cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses. "Er… yes. I'm alright. Just a little spooked. In any case, you were asking how long until we arrive, no?" She looked out of the window and scanned the panning view of the Japanese countryside. "Hmm. Should be just another hour—likely less."

"Sweet," Misao said, dropping out of view behind the back rest again. "Hear that, guys? Only another hour left."

Kagami pursed her lips. Misao was probably talking to Ayano and their respective siblings, wasn't she? Hmm.

"Remind me again why so many of us are going to Miyuki's summer home?"

Konata glanced up from her game to smirk at Kagami. "Because you just can't say 'no' to your friends?"

This earned a flick to the forehead.

"Ow!" The smirk remained on her lips as she put away her DS and pressed a hand over her 'painful' 'injury'. "Hehe. Look into your heart, Kagamin. No matter how tsun-tsun you are about it, you can't deny that I'm right."

She sent another flick to the forehead. "I'll meet the next quip with a fist. Now don't make me ask again."

Konata whimpered, though the smirk that still remained on her face suggested no regret for her words whatsoever. Not really unexpected, all things considered.

"Well," Miyuki began, adjusting her glasses for the second time in so many minutes. "I believe I invited the three of you during lunch at school, just a few days before summer break started. To my knowledge, it was Minami who invited Miss Kobayakawa, Miss Tamura, and Miss Martin. A day or two later, you asked if Miss Kusakabe and Miss Minegishi were allowed to join."

Kagami nodded slowly. "Oh yeah. Misao started fake crying when she heard about it. Something about getting left behind again? I tried ignoring her but just couldn't put up with it. I eventually caved and invited her and Ayano. They got their siblings to join too."

Kagami noticed that Konata's smirk had widened. Her expression was unbearably smug, eyes narrowed, and head turned upward slightly. There was little else Kagami could do but roll her eyes.

"Okay, what's with that look?"

"Remember what I said about not being able to say no to your friends? I think you just proved my point."

Kagami raised her fist. "Alright, come'ere"

There was immediate fear in Konata's eyes as she cowered into Miyuki's bosom, making the well-endowed bookworm stiffen. "Not the face! I'm too pretty to be brutalized by a tsundere!"

"Oh my god, Konata," Kagami muttered. She rolled her eyes again and lightly tapped Konata on the top of the head with her knuckles.

"Oh, the pain! The agonizing pain!"

This earned a groan. "Stop being so dramatic. People are already staring at us."

"Hit her again!" heckled Misao from behind her. "Harder this time. Make it actually hurt!"

Kagami turned to glare at her. "You're not helping!"

Across the aisle, Patricia heckled as well. "Fight back, Konata! You have the speed to beat her easily! And twin tails make for good handlebars!"

This earned another groan. "Oh, come on. Not you too."

"She's right Kagamin," Konata said shakily, pulling away from a frazzled-looking Miyuki. "Everything has been building up to this moment."

"What are you talking about?"

Konata looked up and stood, pointing a finger toward Kagami's face. It was close enough to boop her on the nose. "Every arc for the past two years has been testing our friendship. With so much rising tension, we were destined to fight on this day!"

"You're still not making sense!"

"This episode will be the climactic battle between best friends and rivals! The very last fight scene before a two year timeskip! Come on, Kagamin, it'll only be exciting if you put your all into it too!"

"Put my all into what!?"

"Fight fight fight!" Misao chanted. "Fight fight fight!" Patricia joined.

"Who's fighting?" Tsukasa mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Kick her butt, onee-chan…!" Yutaka half-yawned, half-yelled.

Kagami rubbed her temples. "I feel like I'm getting an aneurysm from this…"

The theatrics kept escalating until a train conductor arrived and broke things up.

The rest of the train ride was spent in silence.

"You know, I've been wondering," Kagami grumbled as she slid her bag from out of the compartment above their seats. "Miyuki, why didn't your mom or Minami's mom reign us in when we started getting rowdy? Aren't they our designated adults for the trip."

Miyuki sighed, taking out Konata's bag, handing it to the shorter girl, before starting to take out her own. "Honestly? I haven't the slightest idea."

"They didn't even take responsibility when the conductor scolded us."

"No, sir. We have no relation to those children whatsoever," Yukari Takara had said with a completely straight face.

Miyuki winced but made no excuses.

"Maybe they-"

"Zip it, short-stuff," Kagami snapped before Konata could make a quip. "Not in the mood anymore." She disembarked from the train. Tsukasa, Miyuki, and a deflated Konata followed behind her.

Once the gaggle of girls—and the one extremely uncomfortable boy that Ayano and Misao had forced to join them—were out of the station, they all collectively turned to the Takara's and Iwasaki's for directions.

Minami pointed wordlessly to the east, towards the mountains overlooking the station.

"We take a bus to a neighboring town and then walk from there," Miyuki explained, for the majority of them that had no idea what Minami meant by her cryptic pointing. "It shouldn't be any longer than another hour of travel."

The bus ride ended up being a little under twenty minutes long. The road between the two towns was almost completely clear of traffic. That, along with the lack of in-between stops, made the ride surprisingly short. Any city bus covering the same distance would have taken twice as long.

Although, Kagami assumed the twenty minute bus ride meant that the remaining forty minutes would be spent walking. And unfortunately, her assumption had been correct.

When Minami had pointed towards a mountain, she hadn't been kidding. They had to take a relatively steep concrete road that winded up the mountainside. Ten minutes in, Yutaka had been reduced to an exhausted ragdoll. Everyone had to take turns carrying her. Twenty minutes in, their overall pace had slowed to a crawl. By the thirty minute mark, all of them were almost as exhausted as Yutaka, only barely able to walk—except for the Takara's and Iwasaki's, who seemed only mildly winded, and Misao and Konata, neither of whom seemed tired at all. For crying out loud, they've taken the most turns carrying Yutaka out of all of them. Were they even human?

"Maybe you should exercise more, Kagamin~?" Konata teased, sounding more like she was taking a stroll in the park rather than climbing a mountain.

"Yeah," Misao agreed, carrying the near-unconscious Yutaka on her back. "You can build up yer stamina by runnin' every morning. Even just a lap or two around yer block would be enough."

Kagami wheezed. "I'll… hah… keep… hah… I'll keep it in mind… hah…"

When they finally arrived at the Takara family summer home, most of the group was completely spent. Minami, Honoka, and Yukari got to work on making sure all of the facilities still worked, while Miyuki ushered the others to their rooms.

Once Kagami got her room that she shared with Tsukasa, she replaced her hot, sweaty, gross clothes with new ones and unceremoniously collapsed into the bed.

Meanwhile…

After Konata changed into a set of fresh clothes, she tucked Yutaka to bed and began unpacking her stuff.

The two manga volumes she'd brought, in case she found her nights sleepless, went on the dresser. She doubted that she'd need them, though—the others would probably keep her busy. The cellphone charger went on the wall socket. She'd make use of it shortly. The snacks she brought would go in the fridge or cupboards. She'd bring them down later. Her Wii? The TV that Miyuki had in the living room was both large, flat, and had enough room between the couch and screen that they could play literally any game in Konata's library. She'd definitely bring the game console down later as well.

Was there anything else in her travel bag that needed to be unpacked?

Toiletries could probably stay packed until she needed them. Clothes could stay packed as well. Anything else?

No? Nothing? Then it was time to move on to Yutaka's luggage.

The very first thing Konata made sure was unpacked and ready to use at a moment's notice was Yutaka's medication. Her pillbox stayed on the nightstand with a bottle of water, as close to the bed as possible. Next to them, she put the stack of unopened pill packets that Yutaka also brought.

Well, that was one thing done. Was there anything else? Konata wasn't really sure what Yutaka had packed. Really, only the medicine needed to be immediately available. Everything else could easily be taken from the suitcase.

There were three distinctly precise knocks on the door. It was like the footstep sounds from an old video game, the exact same sound with evenly spaced intervals.

"Minami?"

The door opened and Minami entered. At a glance, she looked stoic as usual, but seemed absolutely bewildered upon closer inspection. It was hard to explain what it was that gave Konata that impression. Maybe the eyebrows? Yeah, probably the eyebrows. They were curved very slightly upward, in a way that no one could tell unless they already knew Minami.

"How did you know it was me, senpai?"

Konata gave the soft-spoken stoic the sliest smile she could muster. "I heard your footsteps. Heard your heartbeat and breathing too. Even felt the energy in the air around you. It all alerted me to your presence."

Minami blinked, still staring at her, bewildered. Not a word was spoken for a beat… two beats… an entire measure.

Konata sighed, shaking her head. "It was a joke, Minami."

"Oh, I see. It was very fun-"

"Silly kuudere. No need to pretend for my sake." She put one hand on her hip and raised the other, wagging her finger scoldingly at the taller girl. "I can tell when my audience isn't pleased. I'll work on it, alright? I'll get a reaction out of you yet."

Minami blinked again. The bewildered look on her face hadn't changed since she entered the room, but slowly turned back into her resting glare once the air had been cleared. "In any case, senpai, I'm glad you've already set up her medication. Please don't be offended, but I'd like to double check to make sure everything is in order."

Konata snorted. "You realize you're practically her unofficial guardian while we're here, right? Go right ahead, Minami. You don't need my permission."

Minami averted her eyes and reluctantly nodded. She then strode past Konata to check Yutaka's condition. As far as Konata could tell when she checked herself, Yutaka's temperature was normal. Minami probably found similar because she shortly moved to checking the medicine on the nightstand. The girl was certainly meticulous, wasn't she? And she cared deeply for Yutaka.

Konata shook her head and picked up her bags of snacks and the box holding her Wii. "I'm bringing some stuff down. Just call if you need me, okay?" She received a curt glance and another wordless nod. Taking that as her cue to leave, Konata walked out the door and made for the kitchen.

"I see you've raided the fridge," Konata quipped, dropping her snacks onto the kitchen counter.

Misao sat on said counter, eating directly out of a tub of chocolate ice cream that she was cradling near her chest. "Chibi," she said with a fanged frown. "Want some? Spoons're over there." She held the tub forward in offer, also tilting her head pointedly toward the metal basket hanging above the sink.

Konata felt a rueful smile tug at her lips. "What's your angle, Misakichi?" she asked, grabbing a spoon. "I thought you didn't like me or something." With a little jump, she joined the fanged-girl on the counter.

Misao shrugged. "Not like I hate ya," she said, taking a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. "Ahn beshides," she continued with her mouth full. She swallowed. "Hiiragi mentioned ya like chocolate. Not the type ta deny someone the food they like."

"Then what's with all the weird, hostile looks you've been shooting me the past year?" Konata scooped a spoonful of her own, licking the clump. She smirked. "Don't tell me you have feelings for me or something. I can only handle so many tsundere in my life."

Misao snorted. "You wish."

"Hmm." The ice cream slowly melted in Konata's mouth as she thought. If it wasn't an aggressively hostile crush, and it wasn't genuine dislike, then what was it? What could have Konata possibly done to earn such lukewarm treatment?

She snapped her fingers. "Is it jealousy, then? You got feelings for Kagami?"

Misao blinked, staring at Konata like a deer in the lights of oncoming traffic. The look lasted for only a heartbeat, before being replaced by the annoyed snarl she'd been wearing earlier. "Wha-wha-what? No! What kinda question is that?"

Konata's yuri senses started tingling. Between that brief look of wide-eyed shock, the shakiness of her voice, and the fact that her reply was so dramatic, Misao showed every stereotypical sign of being in love with Kagami Hiiragi. Like, how else was Konata supposed to interpret that reaction other than gay panic?

Of course, there was no need to force things. Making someone confront what was in their hearts while they weren't ready to accept it yet was bound to lead to a bad end. Still, though. Unacknowledged feelings for a childhood friend? Quite the twist. And here Konata was, assuming Misao simply didn't like her. What an event flag to stumble into.

Konata slapped Misao's shoulder playfully as she scooped another spoonful of ice cream. "Just messing with you, Misakichi. Though I never expected a reaction that flustered. I wish I coulda recorded it. Kinda wanna see it again."

"Oh, of course ya did, ya little…"

As she trailed off, Konata smirked. "What was that?"

Misao grumbled incomprehensibly, before bringing the tub up to her face and shoveling what remained of the ice cream into her mouth. It was licked clean in under a minute. Once she was done, she slammed the tub onto the counter next to her and glared.

Konata could only stare blankly in return, unable to really respond to what she had just witnessed, other than saying, "Wow…"

"Yeah. Wow," Misao agreed before jumping off the counter and stalking off, leaving Konata with the empty ice cream tub and a melting spoonful of ice cream.

"Hmm. Given that dramatic exit, I may have pushed my luck a little with that quip." Konata shrugged, eating the last of the ice cream.

She spent the next few minutes cleaning the small mess of dripped dessert she and Misao had made. After that, she stashed her snacks in the cupboard and set up her Wii under the TV in the living room.

For whatever reason, the wall-mounted flat screen didn't accept component. Wasn't it supposed to be the latest product in high definition television? What self-respecting TV had no component cable ports? Konata was thankful that she'd also brought her converter cables, else she'd have lugged her Wii to the Japanese countryside for nothing.

A muffled thud pulled her attention from her bundle of wires. That sound had come from upstairs, hadn't it? Probably the second floor? Konata quickly navigated out of the living room, climbing up the stairs on all fours. Upon turning the corner at the top step, she entered the hallway leading to all their bedrooms.

Miyuki was sitting on the floor, backed against the wall and rubbing her forehead. Directly in front of her was an open door and a fretful Yukari, repeatedly saying sorry to her daughter. Konata could already deduce what had happened. And considering how clumsy both mother and daughter were, this was probably a regular occurrence.

A few paces down the hall, Patricia and Hiyori peeked curiously out of the door to their room. They both shot Konata quizzical looks, to which she replied with a shrug. They both nodded and warily closed their doors.

Konata approached the Takara's. "Everything alright or do we need to break out the senzu beans?"

This earned a confused glance from Yukari but Miyuki was unperturbed. "I'm fine, Konata. I just walked into a door by accident."

Called it, a small part of Konata's mind said. She quickly swatted the thought away and offered Miyuki a hand. Yukari did the same. "What were you even doing before you walked into a door?" Konata asked as they both pulled Miyuki to her feet.

The glasses-girl winced. "I was just checking up on everyone," she replied, adjusting her glasses. "The Hiiragi twins, the Minegishi siblings, and Yutaka are all asleep. Miss Kusakabe is taking inventory of the attic with Minami and Honoka. Miss Tamura, Miss Martin, and Mister Kusakabe are still unpacking."

"Thorough," Konata remarked.

"Yes, well… I was just about to check on mother before walking into the door."

"Which I'm deeply sorry for," Yukari repeated. "I didn't know you were behind it when I opened it."

Miyuki half-smiled, half-winced. "It's okay, mother. Please don't worry."

Konata glanced into Miyuki's shared room with Yukari and raised a brow. Surprisingly, they were already settled in, suitcases emptied and their contents likely hidden away where they needed to be.

"Well, you're clearly situated. What's next on the agenda, then?"

Miyuki cupped her chin in thought. "Hmm… Honestly, I just want everyone to get used to the place first. Perhaps in an hour or two, some of us can go into town to do some grocery shopping? I don't imagine the housekeeping was able to fully stock our kitchen before we arrived."

Konata shrugged. "Seemed plenty stocked to me when I checked it earlier."

Miyuki chuckled. "That's exactly what Misao said." She made for the stairs. "However, do keep in mind that we'll be feeding fourteen people for the duration of our stay here."

Konata pursed her lips, nodding slowly. "Huh. You got a point there," she muttered, following Miyuki down.

"While we're on the subject of food, is there anything in particular you'd like for dinner tonight? Perhaps you'd like to help Minami and I in preparing it. I'd ask Tsukasa if she'd like to help as well, but she's currently indisposed."

Another smirk found its way on Konata's face. "Well, I certainly wouldn't mind pitching in. Do you already have something in mind or are you willing to lend me the reins for a bit?"

"I have nothing planned."

"And thus I'm appointed captain of this vessel!"

"Yes. I'll defer to your judgement." There was a miniscule amount of discomfort in Miyuki's voice but she otherwise showed no indication of worry.

Not that she had much to worry about. Konata was a fine cook, not to toot her own horn. Just because she normally went the easy route and just bought convenience store food didn't mean she never learned how to prepare a meal—especially not when her father was such a disaster in the kitchen.

Of course, Miyuki probably didn't know that. Konata would just have to prove herself.

Meanwhile…

Patricia closed the door and stretched. "Wonder what that was about. Did Takara-senpai walk into a door or something?"

Hiyori shrugged, returning to her place in the corner of the room, scribbling in her sketchbook. Beside her was a ruler, an eraser, and a set of colored pencils.

"Hmm." With a huff and short hop, Patricia fell face first onto the bed, letting its soft mattress envelope her upon impact. "You've been working on that for over an hour now. Don't you think enough is enough?"

Hiyori looked up from her work and raised a brow. "What? I only started this just now."

A pout. "Wait, that's a new one?" Patricia crawled to the end of the bed, closer to the manga artist. "You said while we were on the train that I could see what you were drawing once you were done."

Hiyori blinked, her focus slowly pulling back to her sketchbook. "Oh yeah," she muttered absentmindedly. "I did say that, didn't I…?"

"So can I see it now?"

"Yeah." She began drawing again. "When I'm done with this one."

A frown.

Patricia stood and creeped towards Hiyori. Once she was close enough to just about make out what the drawing was supposed to be, she snatched the sketchbook from Hiyori's hands.

"Yoink!"

"Hey!"

A dismissive wave. "Relax, I'm just looking."

On the open page was an unfinished sketch of what seemed to be Konata standing over a Miyuki on the floor. It looked vaguely like that one scene she saw in an anime once. She couldn't remember what it was called. All she knew was that the hero was dumb, that she wanted to cosplay the main heroine, and that its logo had a slash cutting down the middle of it for some reason.

Speaking of slashes down the middle, there was a jagged line across the page, no doubt drawn there because of Patricia's sudden abduction of the sketchbook.

"Oops? I may or may not have ruined it."

Hiyori sighed and leaned back into the wall. "Eh, it's in pencil. I can probably erase it. And if not, two minutes of work shouldn't be too hard to redraw." She stretched, unable to hold back a yawn. "Guh… Go… Gooooaaaaaaaahhh… haaaahhhh… hhhooah… Go… Go ahead and leaf through it. Just give it back when you're done."

Patricia chuckled at Hiyori's yawn, mouth comically agape as she tilted to the side, glasses slowly sliding off her face. When she finished, she looked delightfully disheveled. Misaligned glasses? Squinting, tired eyes? Normally center-parted bangs hanging freely down the middle of her face? It was such a wonderful expression.

Hiyori recovered quickly, readjusting her glasses and tucking her bangs out of her eyes with a quick comb with her fingers. She raised a brow when she noticed Patricia staring. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure which is a more accurate description. That you look like you just got out of bed, or that you need to go to bed."

A pause.

Hiyori removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "The latter," she said with another sigh. "Inspiration hit me late last night and I couldn't stop drawing. By the time it subsided, it was nearly daybreak."

Patricia nodded, understanding. "Like a kid too excited for a field trip the next day."

"Exactly!" Hiyori put her glasses back on and started making wild gestures, whipping her hands around like a madwoman. "I couldn't help but imagining what might happen this week. Like, we're a bunch of teenagers, sleeping under the same roof, with little to no adult supervision. Comedic hijinks? Dramatic fights!? Sexual encounters!? The possibilities are overwhelming!"

Patricia needed most of her willpower not to break into a grin that matched Hiyori's chaotic energy. While she succeeded in reigning in her facial expressions, she couldn't stop the super villain in her head from cackling maniacally.

She hadn't even thought of what Hiyori just told her. Sure, she planned to have fun with her friends—the place had a big-screen TV, a pool, and easy access to good camping spots. And yes, she had some mischief planned—mostly amounting to figuring out people's buttons and how they'd react if she pushed them. But clearly she hadn't been thinking big enough.

"I'm intrigued. Penny for your thoughts?"

Hiyori blinked. "Who is Penny and how does she have anything to do with this?"

A dismissive wave. "It's an English saying. I'm basically asking you to elaborate."

Hiyori fidgeted, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. "Well… I don't know. It's a little embarrassing, talking about those fantasies with someone." She scowled clenching a fist against her lips. "Then again, I've talked with you about my fantasies involving Yutaka and Minami. I suppose they're not much different…"

Patricia tilted her head to the side, giggling quietly to herself. She could already see the ongoing debate within Hiyori's head. The artist's saner side was probably urging her to keep her mouth shut. Telling Patty anything would only lead to trouble, it might've been saying. Then there was the side of her that was overcome with raving madness, demanding that she bear her unholiest of daydreams for the world to see—or at least for Patricia to see—either worked. Who else are you going to talk about this with? it would ask. Tell her! Do it!

Hiyori's resolve eventually crumbled. "I guess it's okay," she mumbled, crawling to the suitcase she had dropped at the foot of the bed.

After digging through a week's worth of clothing, she unearthed another sketchbook. Its cover was a different color to the one Patricia was holding. "I drew most of them in here," Hiyori explained.

Patricia backed up and sat down on the bed, shooting Hiyori a sly smile. She patted the bed next to her. "C'mon, then. We can look at it together. Talk me through your thoughts when you drew them."

Hiyori averted her eyes as she sat. By this point, the red that had been creeping into her cheeks since the topic came up had finally reached peak flush. Had any more blood rushed to her face, she'd have turned purple.

"So, you said hijinks, drama, and sex, right? How extreme are we talking?"

Meanwhile…

Minami sneezed into her handkerchief. Strange. The attic was not overly dusty and she did not have a cold. What could have caused that sneeze?

She had also felt a peculiar chill run up her spine, as if a person had just tapped her on the back with cold fingers. It was the kind of sensation that instilled paranoia, since she and Misao were the only people on the floor. They were also halfway across the room from each other.

As illogical as it was, Minami could not help but look around, searching for who had tapped her. She did not expect to find anyone, and her expectations were met. She did not, in fact, find anyone.

This caught Misao's attention, however.

"Heya, Iwasaki. What's wrong? Ya look kinda spooked." She stared at Minami, eyes furrowed and lips pursed in what Minami assumed was worry. Her tone of voice could still be considered casual, however. If her expression was of worry, as Minami assumed, then it was a mild case of it.

Minami shook her head. "It's nothing, senpai. I simply felt an unusual chill when I sneezed."

For a moment, Misao averted her eyes toward the ceiling, raising a brow and pouting. As she did this, she put a finger on her chin humming in thought. "Ya reckon this place is haunted? Got a feelin' it is."

Minami blinked and stared for a moment before slowly shaking her head. It was unfortunate that, of the facial expressions she could muster, none of them could adequately communicate incredulity. "Haunted? I find that unlikely. Statistically speaking, most haunted houses are considered haunted because they are old and ill maintained. Drafts and loose floorboards are the usual suspects for weird sounds at night. Faulty wiring for lights flickering or home appliances shutting off. Mice and other vermin for furniture and shelf items moving on their own."

Misao pouted, shifting her weight. "Well, when ya put it like that," she muttered. Then her expression unexpectedly turned into a grin. "That was probably the most words I ever heard ya say since we met."

There was a pause as Minami wondered what reaction was appropriate for such an observation. In the end, she blinked and nodded with uncertainty. "I see?"

"You should talk more. Ya seem real smart and have a nice voice."

Once again, all Minami could muster was a blink and nod.

"Anywho, what're we talking about, again? Somethin' about you sneezing and feeling a chill?" Misao snapped her fingers and pointed. "If it isn't a ghost then it's probably someone talking about ya."

Minami slowly shook her head again. "I don't really subscribe to superstitions like that either." Minami returned to digging through the many boxes in the attic. "In any case, Kusakabe-senpai, I'll be helping prepare dinner tonight. I'd prefer to find the camping gear before then."

Misao whimpered but also returned to searching.

Half an hour later, they stacked four bundled-up tents against the wall that separated the lobby from the living room.

Misao huffed and patted dust off her hands, looking over the stack with what seemed to be a satisfied smile. She angled her head and smirked at Minami. "Level with me, Iwasaki. Did we need ta find these tonight, or did ya just wanna get 'em outta the way?"

Minami met her gaze for only a moment before averting her eyes. "The latter," she said, shifting her weight. "We'll be spending five days here, but the first and last of those are travel days. That effectively leaves us with only three full days to actually enjoy our stay here."

Misao snorted. "So ya decided ta save 'em the trouble?"

Minami nodded. "Yes. I'm aware that I only saved them a minor inconvenience but-" She was interrupted by a light punch to her arm, just barely under the threshold of her pain tolerance. She looked back to Misao, tilting her head in question.

Misao returned her quizzical look with the widest smile yet. "No need ta explain, girl. I get'cha."

"I see you've finally found them," Honoka remarked, descending the stairs into the hall. "Good work, you two. I apologise for leaving early."

Minami shook her head. "It's fine, mother. What did Nee-san want?"

Honoka fished her pockets and presented them the keys to the small sedan sitting in the garage. "In a few minutes, I'll be driving Konata and Miyuki into town to go grocery shopping. Is there anything that you want from the store? I'll add it to the list."

Minami shook her head again. "Nothing in particular." She turned to Misao, who shrugged. "S'long as it's food, I'm fine with anythin'."

"Well, I'll start warming up the car. I imagine the engine needs some breaking-in after a few months without use. If you see Konata and Miyuki, tell them I'm already waiting for them."

At that, Honoka walked past them, disappearing behind the stairs.

Minami noticed the confused look on Misao's face and tilted her head slightly, in the opposite direction from before. "Senpai?"

"Is the garage in the basement?" Misao asked, mirroring Minami's slight head tilt.

Minami nodded. "Yes. Please remember that this house is on the side of a mountain."

Misao nodded back slowly. "Oh yeah. Guess that makes sense," she muttered, drifting absentmindedly towards the kitchen. "Ya'know, if you guys had a car all along, why'd ya force us to climb up the mountain ta get here—'specially with Kobayakawa nearly passing out and all?"

Minami blinked, fidgeting. "But… We didn't force you?" She pursed her lips as she tried to deduce what had caused her senpai to come to that conclusion. When she realized the likely reason, she sighed.

"Kusakabe-senpai… were you not told we'd be climbing the mountain?"

Wide-eyed, Misao opened her mouth to speak, but just as quickly closed it. She shook her head.

Minami suppressed a second sigh from escaping her lips. "I thought everyone was complicit with climbing. When I invited them on this trip, I told Yutaka, Patricia, and Hiyori that we might need to climb to get here. I assumed Nee-san told Izumi-senpai, and Kagami and Tsukasa Hiiragi-senpai as well. Evidently, she did not."

Misao stared for a moment before letting out a bellowing cackle. "Oh, man. Hiiragi wasn't kiddin' when she said Takara was forgetful," she wheezed, doubling over. "Don't know why I'm laughin' so hard. Wasn't even all that funny."

Minami felt a smile tug at the sides of her mouth. "Let it all out, senpai."

Misao's hysterics lasted for a minute longer before she eventually straightened up and rubbed her teary eyes clear.

"Oh… oh man… that was a good laugh…"

"Ooh. Misakichi looks pleased. Something good happen?"

They turned to Konata and Miyuki, entering the hall from the kitchen. Konata's smile was cat-like while Miyuki's looked somewhat concerned. When they made eye contact, Minami nodded reassuringly at Miyuki, who replied with a relieved grimace and nod back. Thankfully, they were knowledgeable enough of each other's tells that the meaning in that wordless exchange was communicated clearly.

As this happened, Patricia descended from upstairs. "Whatever commotion's going on down here, I want in," she exclaimed. She darted her eyes back and forth between Konata and Misao before grinning. "Konata, Kusakabe. Got a minute?"

Konata and Misao shared confused glances but met Patricia at the foot of the stairs. They began whispering among themselves.

The chill that Minami had felt in the attic suddenly returned, but she chose not to react to it this time. Instead, she approached Miyuki.

"Mother said she's warming up the car."

Miyuki smiled, the top of her cheeks rising to hug the bottom of her eyes, giving her face a kind and gentle quality to it. "Thank you for informing me, Minami. Would you like to help Konata and I with grocery shopping?"

Minami shook her head.

"Alright then. Are you still helping with dinner?"

She nodded.

"I see. Well, Konata is helping with dinner as well. She'd like to make curry tonight. Would that be alright with you?"

She nodded again.

"We'll be buying the curry ingredients, among other things, while we're in town. It shouldn't take longer than an hour. Until we're back, would you be a dear and keep watch over the oven? Konata and I were baking some brownies."

She nodded the third time in so many minutes.

Miyuki giggled, reaching up to pat Minami's head. Admittedly, it felt somewhat awkward to receive a pat on the head from someone shorter than her, but Minami would not deny that it nonetheless gave her comfort.

They shared small smiles and a moment of silence before turning to the three still huddled at the foot of the stairs. It was somewhat concerning that they were still whispering to each other. What could they have been talking about?

The two approached the group, Miyuki clearing her throat. "Ahem, girls?" The three stopped whispering and looked at her. "I believe Konata and I have a prior engagement. May I borrow her for an hour while we buy groceries?"

Misao and Patricia snickered. Konata pouted, averting her eyes. "You're just jealous that I have a date with someone so incredibly moé."

Misao raised a brow. "Moé?"

Patricia was unfazed by the unfamiliar terminology—likely because it was not unfamiliar to her. Perhaps it was an anime-related term?

"Go, Konata," Patricia smiled slyly. "We'll update you if we come up with anything."

Konata mirrored the facial expression. "You better." She turned to Miyuki. "Let's go, girl. No time like the present."

With that, she and Miyuki went behind the stairs and descended to the basement.

Minami looked to Patricia and Misao, both of whom were still wearing sly smiles. She tilted her head curiously at them.

Noticing Minami's stare, Patricia started back up the stairs. "I'm heading back to my room." Misao parroted this statement, following behind Patricia.

Another chill ran across Minami's spine as she watched the two climb to the floor above, out of view. She had told Misao that she did not believe in the superstition about sneezing—how it meant that someone was talking about her. Nothing in the past thirty minutes had made her change her mind. However, the sensations she felt while simply wondering what they'd been talking about gave her the impression that… they were planning something… Something that involved her… Something she was not sure she wanted to be involved in…

She shook her head and made for the kitchen. There would be time for speculation while watching the oven. Hopefully, Miyuki had remembered to set a timer.

End of Chapter

A/N:

Beta read by Trilicon, nonevah, and PastelRaccoon

The premise of this story is loosely based on Zokushou's now deleted Truth or Dare series. Sadly, I don't remember ToD well enough to outright copy specific dares or questions from it so you'll be stuck with what I can come up with.

Fun fact. This is actually the second story I've written that is a direct response to the deletion of a story I really like. The first one was Coinciding Moments, in response to Battle for an Otaku being deleted. I very much doubt this will turn into the same monster that CM did but it's an amusing thought that both are Lucky Star fanfics as well.

Much of this chapter is just re-establishing my Lucky Star headcanons in a different context from Coinciding Moments (a cookie for those who can spot the references.) Similarly, as the chapter name implies, it is also setting up the hijinks for future chapters. The first night will be pretty tame, but the three nights after that will better earn its rating.

Next chapter: The First Night, Round 1