Just like she had announced last time, Kagami held her promise and decided to visit Konata today.
"Hello, Kagamin~!" She arrived at Konata's house and was greeted by a very happy sounding girl at the door before entering.
"Hello, Konata… Don't shout like that… You're not alone here."
"Actually, I kind of am. My father is on a work trip since last week and at least for the whole rest of the week." Konata answered to her assumption.
"So, he's not here? Oh, that's good to hear."
"Oh... you want some private time with me, Kagamin~?"
"No, not that. Your dad is just, uhm… you know what I mean." She didn't want to openly insult him.
"Well, yes, but he's not that bad." Even the daughter herself had a hard time.
"But still, two weeks alone... Isn't that a bit much?"
"Not really. I mean, it's almost no difference. I'm the one who cooks and do almost all of the household chores anyway."
"I see." Kagami answered while waiting for the teasing because she can't do any of this stuff.
"It's a bit lonely, but otherwise, it's fine." Konata actually sounded a bit sad and Kagami wasn't expecting an answer like this. "Why did I say that?!" Konata panicked inside her head.
"Well... ehm, I'm free pretty much the entire week. If you want me to, I could stay for a bit." Kagami wasn't sure if she should tease Konata now because the girl in question probably would've done so, but she decided against it because it sounded strangely sincere.
"Kagamin~ is worried about me, huh?" She teased. "Stay silent, you idiot!" Her head was still disagreeing, mainly with herself, that is.
"…Or, you know, I could go home right now." Kagami wasn't so sure about her decision anymore.
"Nonono. I'm sorry, I would love you to stay. Kagamin~ has always been the best company after all." Konata hastily answered.
"It's okay, Konata... I know you long enough to know how to handle you by now." Kagami teased. "Although I just learned something new…" Kagami wasn't aware that Konata actually has a vulnerable side to her.
"That almost sounds like a challenge!" Konata was already in better spirits again.
"Try your best… or worst." Kagami accepted the challenge. "Is that's why she seemed a bit different lately? Because she didn't want to be alone?" Inside her mind, Kagami was still thinking about something else.
"Oh, I think you will regret this provocation." Konata started to smile and immediately tackled her down in a hug.
"Yep, I deserved that... Anyway, what were you doing before I came?" She was strangely unaffected.
"Nothing interesting, but I just wanted to start cooking. You hungry?"
"Me? Sure! Can I help?" Kagami was in a good mood and completely ignored the teasing possibilities in her answer.
"Kagamin~ sure is nice today. Is today 'dere Monday' or what is going on? I can't wait for 'tsun Tuesday' then. Oh, and a 'moe Wednesday' would be really cool, if you ask me."
"You want a challenge, you get a challenge." Kagami teased. "But I'm pretty sure your Wednesday is not going to happen. Besides, I'm not a tsundere in the first place."
"Aww... I was looking forward to Wednesday..." Konata completely ignored her tsundere remark. "Anyway, you in the kitchen… I really don't think that is a good idea."
"Hey, it's not like the kitchen will explode when I just enter it!" She started pouting.
"You sure?" Konata started laughing a bit. "Well, you could prepare the cabbage by washing and cutting. There's at least nothing involved in it that could explode… I hope." She whispered the last part.
"I heard that! Even I can probably handle cabbage!"
"Oh boy." Konata had a bad feeling about the whole thing.
"I heard that as well! Have a little faith in me, will you?"
"I suppose I have no other choice, right?" Konata feared the answer.
"Exactly!" Her motivation was sky high.
10 minutes later.
"See!" Kagami was rather proud of herself.
"Yes… I do… The cabbage is cleaned and sliced. Okay, it's almost confetti, but I think that's partially my own fault because I didn't tell you how small cabbage is supposed to be cut, I guess...?" Konata was already tired over mere salad.
"What are we going to cook in the first place?" She completely ignored the evaluation.
"I was thinking of some fried noodles. I'm not in the mood for something big and complicated. More than ever now…"
"Fine by me." Kagami answered and her stomach loudly agreed with a rumble.
"I better hurry or I'm the one that'll get eaten here."
"That's a good idea." Kagami answered her with a teasing smile.
"Oho, Kagamin~'s comebacks sure are on a high today." She was amazed.
Another 15 minutes passed.
"Wow, even if it's just noodles, it's really good." Kagami was impressed by Konatas cooking skills.
"Like I said, I almost always cook on my own at home. I suppose even you could do at least a little cooking with 'some' training."
"Maybe, but Tsukasa and mom always cook and even banned me from the kitchen…" Kagami sighed as she basically had no chance to train anymore.
"It's not like I can't understand them…"
"But like you said, if I can't train, I won't be able to get better…"
"Well, I cou…" Konata started saying something, but instantly stopped after realizing the big mistake she was about to do. However, Kagami still understood.
"You could what?" Kagami's eyes lit up.
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I definitely said nothing at all. I mean, I can't even talk. Words? What are words? Are they delicious?" Konata started panicking as she felt the pressure and tried her best not to cave in. However…
"Konata, please~." Kagami's pleading eyes were suddenly able to rival those of Tsukasa.
"W-Well..." Her voice cracked as she lost. Resisting a determined Kagami was impossible. "Maybe I could show you a thing or two in the kitchen, but I'm just way too scared for my life. Forget it, it's a stupid idea." Konata started shaking and genuinely looked scared.
"Come on, you're totally overreacting." Kagami said, although, she wasn't so sure herself. "I'm sure you won't die or get seriously injured."
"Did you just say 'seriously'?! You did, right?!" Konatas faced turned even whiter.
"No, of course not. Let's start!"
"Oh boy, that was a mistake, wasn't it...?" Konata sighed. "Wait wait wait. I need some time to prepare the kitchen and myself mentally and physically for this. -And I need to write my testament. - What about we try something tomorrow, or how about in five years?"
"Okay, tomorrow it is."
"Five years isn't an option?"
"Nope!" There was absolutely no room for negotiations.
"It was worth a try..." Konata accepted full defeat. "Okay, but for now let's do something more fun and especially safe. Any ideas?" She tried to change the subject.
"Homework." She plainly answered.
"Kagamin~?"
"Yes?"
"I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Do you hate me? I agreed to risk my life for you and you reward me with even more pain?!" Konata protested with some real tears in the corner of her eyes.
"Konata…" Kagami sighed. "Don't you think you're overreacting a bit?"
"No, absolutely not! If anything, it's the complete opposite thing of overreacting!" She shouted while raising her arms to proof her seriousness on the subject.
"Okay, Konata, how about we do a bit homework and after that, we'll play a game?"
"Okay…" Konata answered, but still wasn't okay with the homework part. She still nodded and the two went to her room.
Kagami finished her homework in about 40 minutes. She already had done a lot at home before coming to Konata because she knew what happens when she's with Konata. Said girl actually had done a bit by now, but she wasn't even remotely to finishing it. Then again, she also had no intention of doing any more on her own and so, she started an attack.
"Oi, don't hug me without any warning!" Kagami yelled after Konata had started to cling to her.
"Wait, if I warn you, it's okay?"
"T-That's not what I meant. It's because I can dodge your attack then." She said while trying to sound as serious as possible, but her slight blushing didn't help with that.
"Ka-ga-min~." Konata's voice sounded almost seductive. "You know, when you blush after an answer like that, it doesn't really prove your point, like, at all." She said so and started hugging her harder, but suddenly stopped again.
"Oi! Huh? What is it now? Wait, where is my homework?!" While she was confused, Konata had grabbed Kagami's homework and started copying it at a speed that normal eyes couldn't even follow. "Hey, give it back!" Kagami finally realized what was going on.
"Kagamin~, please." Konata begged with a little tear in her big, green eyes. Unable to resist that, Kagami just sighed in defeat.
"Okay, Konata, but keep in mind that I'll pay you back tomorrow in the kitchen." Kagami changed her play.
"*gulp* So I still have no way out, right?" Konata already knew the answer.
"Right!" Kagami answered with a passion in her voice Konata never heard before and her face went blank again.
"T-Then here, have your homework back, I don't need it after all."
"Nope." Kagami was having fun and Konata silently finished copying it.
"A-Anyway… let's play a game now." She needed something nice to get back on tracks.
"Okay." She had enough fun and let Konata have a breather.
…
About 1,5 hours later, they had finished their game. Kagami did a good show, but against Konata, she still had no chance at all.
"Seriously, how can I person be that good at playing games?" Kagami was slightly shocked about the skill of her little, blue-haired friend.
"Same with the cooking, constant training." Konata sounded extremely smug.
"I really don't think that this is something you should be that proud of... Still, I'm sure wouldn't be able to practice that much. How much do you play a day? 30 hours?"
"Funny. Hey, how about we ditch the whole cooking practice thing and level up this skill?" Konata still had a tiny bit of hope inside of her.
"Nope."
"Really? I still have no chance to back out of it, huh?" Accepting reality is really hard for her.
"Not even a bit. Besides, now that I look at the time, I think I should head home. It's pretty late already."
"Sleepover" Konata suddenly shouted.
"Konata, no, I didn't ask my parents, nor do I have clothes or stuff for school tomorrow."
"Hmpf." She wasn't satisfied with the refusal.
"Maybe tomorrow." Kagami tried to cheer her up.
"As if I'll survive through tomorrow..." Konata sounded dead serious. Kagami Just giggled in response.
"It won't be that bad. Anyway, see you tomorrow at school." Kagami said, waving while leaving Konata's house. Konata weakly waved back.
"I should start preparing for tomorrow… I don't think I can talk her out of it. She's way too persistent. Hmm, I wonder if we have a fire extinguisher somewhere? Oh, and I should call the insurance company." She shivered a bit and sighed. "I wonder what we should cook... Maybe something with rice? Everybody can cook rice! Curry could be an idea. I maybe find some more ideas while shopping tomorrow. Yeah, let's go with that. For now, let's start the computer and play a game. Or write my testament…" With that said, she started the computer and logged into her favorite online game.
"Oh, sensei is online. That's rare." She hesitated a bit, but quickly busted out in laughter.
KonaKona: Sensei o/ !
Nanakon: Izumi \o !
KonaKona: wanna level up today?
Nanakon: Sure, but do your homework first!
KonaKona: ;;
Nanakon: just hurry, I wanna play!
KonaKona: sensei, I'm already done with it…
Nanakon: sure…
KonaKona: I am. Kagami helped me. And I paid a big price today so please let us play... It's probably my last day on earth anyway.
Nanakon: Hiiragi is sure convenient, huh? :) Wait, what do you mean with last day?
KonaKona: Somehow, I accidentally promised to teach Kagami how to cook and I have absolutely no chance to back out again.
Nanakon: OMG! Did you try hard enough?
KonaKona: Yes, I never tried anything that hard before. *sniffle*
Nanakon: Poor you, can I have your new armor then?
KonaKona: Sensei, please, it's serious!
Nanakon: I know, but you know even better than me that a serious Hiiragi is unstoppable, right?
KonaKona: That's true… I'm already prepared for the worst, but I still think I don't survive tomorrow.
Nanakon: From what I heard, I suppose it's just a logical reaction.
KonaKona: *sniffle* Well, let's have some fun till the sun rises!
Nanakon: Bring it on!
…
On the next day, both Konata and Kuroi-sensei, came dead tired to school.
…
The same evening at the Hiiragi home.
"I'm home." Kagami said while entering the door.
"Welcome back, Kagami." Miki, Kagami's mother, greeted her from inside the living room.
"Where are the others?"
"Your dad has to work longer today, as usual, Tsukasa is in her room, Matsuri and Inori are still out."
"I see. Mom, can I stay over at Konata's place tomorrow for a couple days?"
"Why?"
"Konata's dad is on a business trip and I wanted to keep her a bit company so that she doesn't do stupid things or at least, not more than usual."
"You two sure are good friends, huh? If you can promise me to go to school on your own and do your homework diligently, I suppose it's okay."
"Don't worry about me. You should better keep an eye on Tsukasa then because she never wakes up in the morning without my help." Kagami was a bit worried about her sister.
"I can manage her, no problem. Do you two have already something planned to do when you there?"
"Actually, yes, Konata promised me to teach me some cooking skills."
"That's nice… Whaat?! So you two aren't that good friends after all, huh?" Miki teased Kagami, but she sounded rather serious.
"Moooom!" She pouted. "That's not nice at all."
"But remember last time? We almost needed a new…"
"Mom!"
"Okay okay honey, but please don't overdo it again, alright?" She looked extremely worried.
"Okay, thanks, mom." Kagami hugged her mother and went to her room.
"Poor Konata, I don't think she knows what she's up to…" Miki felt sorry for her.
…..
The next day at school. The girls had gathered for lunch again.
"Kagamin~!" Konata waved as she saw her entering the classroom.
"Hey, Konata. Hello Miyuki, Tsukasa."
"Hey, onee-chan." Tsukasa also waved her hand.
"Hello, Kagami-san"
"Konata, already decided what we're going to cook today?"
"Straight to business, huh?" Konata normally liked straightforwardness, but somehow, she doesn't anymore.
"O-Onee-chan… w-what do you mean by 'we'?" Tsukasa suddenly looked terrified.
"Because her father isn't home, I decided to visit Konata and she promised me to teach me some cooking."
"K-Kona-chan... is that true?" Tsukasa actually started shaking.
"Yes..." She sighed. "I tried really hard to talk her out of it afterward, but you know her, right?"
"I do, but onee-chan, you know that you and the kitchen don't work together!"
"Not you too, Tsukasa… Mom already said the same yesterday!" Kagami pouted.
"Oh boy…" Konata mumbled.
"But don't you remember the last time you tried to cook rice. It took us 4 hours to clean the kitchen not to mention the…"
"Tsukasa!" Kagami's face became really red.
"No, what happened? I have a right to know. It's my kitchen after all!" Konata also started panicking.
"Nothing. Happened. At. All!" Kagami insisted on it.
"Poor Kona-chan." That was all that Tsukasa could say.
"*gulp*" Konata had a really bad feeling about it, to begin with, and it just got worse.
"Anyway… Ignoring that, Konata do you have already prepared something?" Kagami skillfully dodged the interrogation.
"Actually, yes, I prepared a lot already. I found a fire extinguisher, I called the insurance company, I padded all sharp corners in my kitchen, I hid most of the breakable stuff and I even started my testament." She listed the things she did yesterday and Kagami was shocked, however, Tsukasa gave Konata a little reaffirming nod.
"K-Konata! You aren't serious, are you?"
"Well, I didn't write a testament yet, but else, yes, and Tsukasa's expression proves me right, I think."
"If you keep doing that, I'll seriously reconsider coming over today!"
"Oh, 'tsun Tuesday' is starting, huh?"
"Konata!"
"Okay okay, I'm sorry."
"What I wanted to ask is if you already prepared something to cook?" Kagami came back to her initial question.
"I planned something with rice, but after Tsukasa's story… I'm not entirely sure anymore…" Konata sighed. "I wanted to go shopping after school and decide then."
"It wasn't that bad..." Kagami said so, but Tsukasa vehemently shook her head and Konata sighed. "Can I come with you?"
"Sure, but don't you have to go home first?"
"Not really, no. Oh, by the way, I asked my mother yesterday about staying over. She's fine with it. I can stay over today, even for the rest of the week if I want." Kagami explained to her ad Konata started smiling after hearing it.
"Really? That's great, Kagamin~! Maybe it's going to be a fun week after all now!" Konata cheered up.
"I hope so..." Even though Kagami was happy for the cooking lessons, it still sounds exhausting.
"I'm sure you won't regret it." Konata wasn't even sure if she isn't going to regret it either, but she was in a somewhat good mood after hearing the good news. "If I survive, that is…"
"You know. Konata, every time you say that I won't regret it, I already regret it pretty hard."
"Exactly how I feel about the cooking thing right now, Kagamin~." Konata teased, but Kagami couldn't find a comeback and just stayed silent.
"Ehm, Tsukasa-san?" Miyuki finally said something after being quite confused for some time.
"Yes, Yuki-chan?"
"What are the two talking about? I somehow couldn't follow their conversation."
"In short? Konata's dad isn't home and onee-chan decided to stay some days at Kona-chan's place..."
"Without her dad around, I may be able to teach Konata some useful things." Kagami added.
"Why did I end up teaching you how to cook, then?" Konata desperately asked.
"I see. Sounds like fun." Miyuki answered. "These two sure are an odd couple, huh?" She thought and Tsukasa sighed.
"What's wrong, sis?"
"Nothing, I only thought that I maybe get a little lonely without you at home…"
"You can come over to my place if you want, Tsukasa-san." Miyuki offered.
"Are you sure?" Tsukasa instantly turned happy again.
"Of course, we two aren't doing much alone anyway and so this maybe is a good point to start."
"Thanks, Yuki-chan, I would love to come over."
"Problem solved before it even started!" Konata wrapped it up and the other three girls giggled.
"Tsukasa, is there something I can cook with Kagamin~, that is most likely to succeed. I need some inspiration for shopping…" Konata addressed her problem again and Tsukasa started thinking but stopped really fast again.
"To be honest, no." Tsukasa felt a bit guilty, but It's the only answer she could give. "There is basically nothing I…"
"YOU TWO! Stop it, NOW!" Kagami got rather annoyed.
"I'm sorry!" Tsukasa and Konata apologized together.
Lunch break ended and Kagami had to return to her class. Konata slumped down on her seat and slept through the rest of her classes in order to get some sleep from last night back.
.
Poor Konata...
Next chapter next week (or the week after, but I guarantee for nothing). Find out if Konata, her kitchen, or even both are going to survive the week… Or at least a day.