Kagami's visit at Konata's place ended abruptly and even more, it really made an unexpected turn at the end. At least unexpected in terms of actually trying it. She was on her way home right now after she fled from there earlier because she panicked after Konata's father arrived. She had just arrived home, opened the door and went straight to her room upstairs. While doing so, she passed a person, but didn't care about it and went past without saying a word. The person in question did care about it, though. Tsukasa let out a long sigh and quietly followed her. She knocked after arriving at the door in front Kagami's room, knocked a few times and entered a while later after getting, as expected, no answer.
"Hey, onee-chan…?" Tsukasa looked at her sister who was hiding under the blanket on her bed and felt like having a déjà vu.
"Hey… AH!" Kagami lifted her head a little from under the blanket to greet her, but as soon as she saw her, she decided to hide again.
"Those are so cute!" Tsukasa had found the cat ears she accidentally brought home and immediately placed them on her head.
"MMfffMffmn…" Kagami yelled something beneath the blanket. She was embarrassed for various reasons right now. The whole incident in Konata's house was one thing, but the fact that she had worn them outside for some time before realizing she had them still on also didn't help.
"Onee-chan?" She was oblivious to the situation and so she had no idea she was making it just way worse.
"C-Can you please take them off, sis?" Looking at them was almost painful.
"Hmm? Okay, sure, but why?"
"T-That's a bit… complicated…"
"Why do you even have them in the first place?"
"That's even more complicated…"
"So, what happened?" She decided to give up on the cat ears and went straight to the point. Well, the cat ears are the point, but Tsukasa doesn't know that.
"W-Well, that's the most complicated thing out of everything."
"Oh, that sounds interesting. And?
"Do… Do I really need to talk about it?"
"Yes. It's obvious that something happened and you really don't want to make the same mistake as last time again, right, onee-chan?"
"No… But it's really not like last time… I'm not scared or confused or something like that…"
"Oh, what else is it then?"
"I'm just frustrated, terribly frustrated…"
"H-Huh?" Tsukasa wasn't expecting an answer like that and didn't understand what she meant.
"I… I almost k-kissed Kona earlier…"
"O-Oh, uhm… oh." She had no idea how to react right now and went with the first thing she thought. "B-But isn't that a good thing?"
"Erm, no? Why would it be? I said 'almost'…"
"O-Okay… what happened and how?"
"H-How is not important… Let's just say stuff happened and one thing led to another…" Kagami tells her sister a lot, but her cosplaying for Konata to win her affection was not something she planned to share with her.
"And then?"
"… Her father came back home earlier than expected and almost walked onto us…"
"Ehh?! Wait… r-really?"
"Yeah…"
"What did you two then do?"
"Kona fled out of the room to her dad and I… I panicked and here I am talking with you now…"
"W-Well, c-could be worse… I guess…" Tsukasa tried to cheer her up, but she wasn't really good at it because, mainly, she wasn't even believing it herself. "What now?"
"That's a rather good question… I don't think I can even face her right now…"
"Do you really think that's the right thing to do now, onee-chan?"
"No, absolutely not… Especially because I don't think I'll last much longer than one or two weeks before going completely insane."
"That sounds a lot better! The fighting spirit, that is… So, we now just have to find something to solve it, right?"
"'Just' is a little…"
"Don't mind the small details, onee-chan. Starting next week, we'll find a way for the two of you!"
"That would be nice…"
The two continued their chat for some time while trying to think of something good and so the Thursday in the Hiiragi house also came to an end soon enough.
….
Friday at school. Lunch break was currently ongoing and Miyuki looked a little dissatisfied, to say the least.
"Hey, Tsukasa-san, do you know if something happened?" While asking, she was looking at Konata, who was lost in thoughts and the empty seat of Kagami, who hadn't even shown up for lunch.
"W-Well…" She did more or less know what happened, but talking about it was a little difficult.
"You do know something, right?"
"Urgh…"
"Did they had a fight?"
"N-No… I wouldn't say that…"
"What else was it then? Tell me… please." Miyuki got a little bit excited.
"Let's just say that it'll become interesting rather soon."
"But it already is rather interesting."
"It'll become better."
"Eh? What? Why?" She absolutely wasn't happy with the vague answer, but that was all Tsukasa had to say.
The remaining day in school passed without any incidents and the girls went home. Well, two of them did. The twins had something to do and were busy for most of the remaining day.
….
Saturday, the birthday of Kagami and Tsukasa arrived and Konata was pretty busy with various things. Afternoon had already passed and she was finally ready.
NANAKON: Good luck!
Konata read the last message of the chat from her online game with Kuroi-sensei and turned off the PC. She picked the things she's going to need for the day and placed them in a bag and left her home. She went to the station and took the train towards the station near Kagamin's house, but Konata went different way once she arrived at the desired station. Almost an hour passed before she finally arrived at the house. Miki opened the door and welcomed her in.
"Oh, hello Konata, what brings you here?"
"Weren't you the one who told me to come over more often?"
"That's true, but that isn't the reason, right?"
"Ahaha… busted, huh? Well, it's also the birthday of a certain pair of twins, isn't it?"
"It is, but didn't you and Miyuki wanted to come over tomorrow?"
"That was the plan, but sadly, I'm not a very patient person."
"I see… Tsukasa caught a slight cold, though. She's probably asleep right now."
"Oh… really? That's not good."
"She should be fine by tomorrow again. It's nothing serious. Oh, and I'm at the shrine later. Please try to be quiet with Kagami later so that Tsukasa can rest."
"Sure… w-wait…" Konata had the feeling she missed something.
"Well then, have fun." Miki was already having fun.
"Eh…?!" She had a few questions, but Miki was already gone for good.
Konata went upstairs after shaking her head a few times, but decided to stop by Tsukasa's room first. She was awake and so Konata went inside.
"Oh, h-hey Kona-chan."
"Hey, Tsukasa. Just what are you doing? Getting sick on your own birthday…"
"Yeah… the timing isn't the best."
"On top, it's on a weekend. You can't even skip school that way… What happened?"
"Yesterday was pretty cold for some reason and I was outside all day until evening in just a t-shirt…"
"I could say now that that's pretty stupid, but that wouldn't be nice because you're already sick and even more… That sound like something I also would do…"
"Ehehe…"
"I'm still not praising you, though. I hope you'll be okay by tomorrow again."
"I think it'll be fine after another night of sleep."
"That's good."
"By the way, why are you here, Kona-chan?"
"I didn't want to wait for the party tomorrow."
"That sounds like you."
"Well then, happy birthday, Tsukasa." Konata congratulated her, rummaged a bit in the bag she brought and handed her a present over.
"Oh, thank you very much!" She opened the present and saw the cookbook she wanted for some time. "Wait… isn't that… How did you know, Kona-chan?"
"Kagamin~ helped to pick it out."
"I see. It's great, thank you."
"But the book comes with a condition…"
"Huh?" She became a bit confused.
"I'll have to try every single dessert recipe in the book.
"Oh, no, that's not going to be a problem, Kona-chan. I'll gladly fulfill this condition."
"Perfect."
"Aww, that was awfully sweet until it got really selfish at the end…"
"The nice twin gets the sweet treatment, Kagamin~, and the last part is just me being me." Konata had casually answered to the new voice that had joined the conversation. Kagami was standing in the doorframe and listened to the conversation of the two.
"Is that so?"
"Oh! H-Hello, Kagamin~." Konata had only realized it by now."
"H-Hey there…" She, too, got a little nervous after she made the initial remark spontaneously and without thinking.
"Well then… Again, thank you very much for the present, Kona-chan, but I think I should sleep now in order to get over my cold soon." Tsukasa sensed the odd atmosphere and decided to give them a chance to be alone and talk.
"Good idea, get better soon, Tsukasa."
"Sleep well, sis." The two let her rest and exited the room.
"The nice twin gets the sweet treatment, huh?" Kagami's voice sounded a bit pouty as she remembered something she didn't exactly like.
"Ahaha…" She laughed dryly in response. "Well, don't worry about it, you're still my favorite twin."
"I-I see…" The sudden attack was quite unfair and Kagami had no comeback.
The two went into Kagami's room and Konata sat down on the bed while Kagami used the chair by her desk. Both wanted to talk about the incident two days ago, but neither of them dared to actually say anything and so, it became awkward really fast. Their nervousness also didn't help with the situation at all. Konata more or less knew by now that Kagami has some sort of feelings for her and Kagami also thought her chances aren't as bad as expected. The only problem left were their own bodies, who refused to do anything. Some time passed and Konata finally was brave enough to start talking.
"S-So… what happened to Tsukasa?" It wasn't what she wanted to say, but it was a start.
"W-We were helping with the preparations for a local Tanabata festival yesterday and it got later than expected. It was way colder than last week for some reason and… well, you saw the result…"
"I see… Oh, do you mean the Tanabata festival when you follow the road on the right, coming from the station?"
"Uhh… yes, why?"
"I was there earlier before coming over."
"W-What?! Really? No way… W-What did you do there?" Kagami suddenly started panicking for some reason.
"E-Ehm… I just hung up one of these Tanabata wish paper on one of the prepared bamboo there…"
"O-Okay… did you read any of the other wishes?"
"No…?" Konata was rather confused by the unexpected reaction. "I didn't want to waste any more time."
"I see… T-That's good."
"Kagamin~, don't tell me you wrote a wish yourself and I missed a grand opportunity?"
"T-That's not it! I-I definitely didn't!" She panicked even more.
"Aww, I guess I have to take a look later on…"
"You don't have to… Speaking of which, what was your wish, Kona?" Getting the focus away from her was always a good option.
"W-Well… I… actually… uh… wow, it's even harder than I thought." Konata just started fidgeting without ever finishing her sentence.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"The thing is… it's a part of what I had planned for today…"
"Oh, you mean your super surprise present that'll blow my mind?"
"M-More or less… But the present only is a small part now because of a rather u-unexpected event two days ago…"
"Huh? A-Ah! Oh…" Kagami needed a second, but then quickly realized that Konata was talking about the 'cosplay incident' from Thursday.
"Y-Yeah…"
"…"
The mood became super awkward again and both looked away from each other while blushing from ear to ear. The silence lasted for a few minutes and Konata started shuffling nervously on the bed.
"O-Okay, I'll end it now." She suddenly spoke up again because she finally had enough of everything and started rummaging in her bag the second time today.
"Huh? E-End?" Kagami became really startled and didn't understand what was going on and became even more confused with the next thing Konata did.
She took a single bamboo cane with a small, red pieced of paper attached to it out of the back and placed it on the desk next to where Kagami was sitting.
"I… I a-actually made two wishes for Tanabata today. One regularly done and this one here is my p-personal wish for you…" Konata's face became redder with each word leaving her lips while placing the bamboo on the desk and she quickly went back to the bed again afterward.
"Uhh… That's not really how Tanabata works but okay…" Kagami still had no idea what was going on here and it got only harder for her. Way harder to be exact. So hard that her brain turned off for the time being after inspecting the red paper. She looked at the strip and decided to turn it around. A little text became visible and she read the wish. "…" Her mind went completely blank for a whole minute before processing it and she freaked out inside soon afterward. '…' Or not because it was too much to take in. She wasn't able to think and looked at the strip of paper again. Her gaze then wandered towards Konata on the bed, but she couldn't face Kagami and so her eyes became fixated on the bamboo on the desk again and she read the text for the third time.
I wish that you will accept my feeling for you. - Izumi Konata
Kagami read the line over and over, but just couldn't believe it. 'Ehhh… Uhh… Wait… No… What…? Did she just… Really? Eh… She did… right? Yes… Uh… What… I… I…' Her mind was a total mess and not a single clear thought could be formed. "K-K… Ko-Kona… I… E-Explanation, p-please." It was way beyond her capability to process and Kagami needed some words for confirmation.
"…" Konata wasn't in the shape to say anything yet, though. Another full minute or two of her just nervously fidgeting and squirming passed before she finally found enough courage to take a deep breath and to say the words she wanted to say for a long time.
"Kagami… I… For quite some time already…" She was still having a hard time speaking through her embarrassment. "I… don't exactly know how or why it happened, b-but my feelings for you changed somewhere along the way and… I… I fell in love with you!" Konata finally confessed her feelings for Kagami and it looked like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders, but she still looked really because of Kagami's answer that has yet to come.
"…" Absolutely nothing. Her unfocused gaze went right through Konata. Kagami thought hearing the confession from the paper in person would help her calm down, but everything got only more… 'real'. An eternity of anxious waiting in silence passed and Konata finally got a reaction, but not exactly what she was hoping for. A single tear suddenly ran down Kagami's cheek.
"Oh… K-Kagam-" Konata obviously started panicking, but got promptly interrupted. Kagami left the chair she was sitting on until now, walked towards Konata on the bed, kneeled right before her for the same line of sight and simply hugged her tightly. It was a very powerful hug and also probably the most intimate Kagami ever gave in her life. Her arms were wrapped around Konata's waist as strong as possible while her head was resting on Konata's right shoulder and another tear fell down her cheek. Konata only started panicking more because the situation quickly went beyond her comprehension and she didn't know what to do or say.
"… Thank you…" Kagami finally said a few words and Konata's expression softened up.
"D-Does that mean…"
"Y-Yes… I feel the same way. I-I also love you, Konata." All the frustrations, anxiousness, fears, worries, and whatever else had developed over the past day, weeks and months were simply gone and the only thing left was pure happiness from both girls because they finally knew their feelings are mutual. Kagami couldn't stop smiling and Konata started to return the one-sided hug. She also wrapped her arms around Kagami and held her as close as possible. The two continued their embrace in perfectly calm silence for a couple minutes before separating again. Kagami sat down next to her on the bed and grabbed Konata's hand without any warning, but she wasn't startled at all by it, nor did she mind it in the slightest. Konata just moved her hand a little and intertwined her fingers with Kagami's. The faces of the girls were incredibly read due to the continuing embarrassment, but neither of them felt like making a comment about it.
"Hey, Kona."
"Hmm~?"
"You're a little unfair, you know?"
"Eh? Why?"
"I just started on planning to confess on my own soon because I couldn't take it anymore and then…"
"Hehe, too bad, Kagamin~."
"Well, I don't really care."
"You know, me neither."
"But I could've saved myself from writing that incredibly embarrassing Tanabata wish yesterday if I had known…"
"Oh~? What's that about?"
"I don't have a reason to hide it anymore, do I? I made a similar wish to be fulfilled and hung it up at the festival area you mentioned earlier."
"I knew it! The wish part… not the actual content… Where did you hang it up?"
"Obviously at the furthest corner of the place so that nobody would accidentally read it.
"N-No way… I did the same… It's probably even the same place then… Why didn't I take a look at the other wishes…" Konata got a little depressed because it would've saved her a lot of stress today.
"Really? Wow, you sure are unlucky, huh?"
"Eh? No, I'm the luckiest person alive right now!"
"No, that would be me, Kona."
"Hmm… But I kind of want to go there now and check if it's actually the same place."
"Let's go then."
"Really?"
"Sure, I'm also a bit curious and… I kind of need some fresh air right now to calm down and process a few… things."
"Ehehe." Konata knew exactly what things Kagami meant because she had the same 'problem' right now. Both were on an all-time high ever since the confession and they need to cool down again to fully realize and understand everything now.
…..
The two left the house and walked towards the Tanabata festival. They made a few steps and Konata suddenly grabbed Kagami's hand, but the only reaction she got was a gentle squeeze and so they continued their walk hand in hand in comfortable silence until they reached the place they wanted to see. The secluded area of the festival place was completely empty and only a few bamboo canes with some colorful pieces of paper were standing tied together in a corner.
"Heh~, looks like we really hug our wishes at the same place, Kagamin~."
"Yeah, you're right."
"Man, I sure feel like an idiot right now… I even thought about taking a peek or two for a second, but decided against it in the end…"
"Now that I think about it… Why did you even make a wish here, Kona?"
"To make it fail proof."
"Hmm?" Kagami tilted her head a little, but then looked at the red strip of paper Konata was pointing at and understood
I wish for my plan to succeed. - Izumi Konata
"By far the best plan I ever had! Well, it isn't entirely finished yet, but up to now, best plan ever!"
"Uh… What?" She heard something interesting. "There's even more coming?"
"Yep."
"Eh? What is it?"
"Later, Kagamin~, later."
"Ehh? Well, whatever, but you sure played safe with the wish here, huh? Nobody could guess what you meant with it."
"Yeah, well it would be way too embarrassing if someone would read it, right?"
"I-I see… t-that's true…"
"By the way, where's your wish, Kagamin~?"
"D-Does that really matter?"
"Oh, now more than ever!" Konata noticed that Kagami was panicking a little and got even more interested.
"Okay… it's the green one right below yours."
"…" Konata felt a little cheated, but still, read it.
I wish that my feelings will reach her soon. - Hiiragi Kagami
"Oh my, how bold of you, Kagamin~."
"S-Shut up, idiot, I already want to die now without you commenting it…"
"Ehehe." Konata was quite happy with the reaction she got and could only laugh in response.
"You little…"
"I think we can go back now, right?"
"Yeah, I think I've seen everything I wanted to." The anger was gone before long and the two were so busy with themselves that they totally overlooked the yellow strip of paper near the wishes of them.
I hope that onee-chan and Kona-chan will become happy together. - Hiiragi Tsukasa
The two left the place without noticing it behind and walked, hand in hand, back to Kagami's house. Both were already halfway there when Konata suddenly stopped. She looked at their hands and intertwined fingers and came to realize something.
"It really happened, right?"
"Yeah." Kagami saw where she was looking and gave her an honest answer.
"I'm not dreaming, right?"
"You aren't"
"That's good… Wait! What if I'm just dreaming that it isn't a dream?"
"Because this isn't Ince… Want me to pinch you?"
"Yes! Please do that, Kagamin~."
"Okay…" She did as asked for without any hesitation and pinched Konata's cheek.
"Ouch! Yes! It really isn't a dream!" Even though her cheek hurt, she was really happy.
"That's good to hear… Wait…" No Kagami became a bit paranoid. "W-What if I'm the one who's dreaming and this really is like in Inc-"
"T-That…" Konata hadn't thought of that possibility, but instantly went ahead and also pinched Kagami's cheek.
"Ouch! Oh, g-good…" Their worries were gone and after looking at each others faces with red cheeks for a couple seconds, both started laughing over what just happened.
"We really are stupid, aren't we?"
"Absolutely."
Konata and Kagami continued their walk and reached the house soon enough. Once they arrived, both directly went back to Kagami's room.
….
The two sat down next to each other on the bed and started another conversation.
"Since when?"
"Hmm?" Konata didn't understand Kagami's question first, but she quickly understood after thinking about it. "Oh, you mean… w-well, that's a bit… complicated…"
"Complicated?"
"I did realize my feelings for you about two months ago."
"Really? That's about the same time as me. It was after that long weekend, a week or two before your birthday."
"Wow… it really had the same trigger for both of us… The weekend sure was… well…"
"Eh?! Why didn't you say anything there, Kona? You must've noticed how I was acting afterward."
"I'm sorry, but I was too busy with freaking out of my own…"
"Well… I really can't blame you for that… I mean I also just freaked out without realizing anything…"
"But I don't think that's where it started, though. My relationship with you was a little different from the very beginning. I mean I know Tsukasa for the same time, but I can't really compare the two of you since day one. Hmm… I think my feelings for you actually started to go in that direction after the concert we were earlier this year. You did something very trivial, but it somehow changed something inside me. After that, you couldn't get rid of me anymore, Kagamin~."
"Yeah, I realized that myself and always wondered what happened. It's funny how everything makes sense now. It's almost scary how similar we are there. I think something with me changed a little later at the flower viewing we went to. I saw you sleeping there and… I don't even know what went through my head there. I think I fell more and more for you afterward. I stayed at your place for two full weeks, the cooking practice, the Yokohama trip where I even got jealous about the mere thought of you and Tsukasa sharing a bed, my nightly hugging and not having something against the hugging in the first place anymore or how I started my own teasing. Also the weekend we talked about and tons of stuff I forgot… Wait…" Kagami realized something while listing everything that confirmed her feelings. "Why on earth did it take me so long to realize what was going on with me?"
"You're just a little dense, Kagamin~."
"Oi! You're the last person I want to hear that from! I was throwing hint after hint at you ever since your birthday!"
"C-Calm down, I never said I'm not… I have to be pretty dense when I look back at everything. Well, okay, I realized one or two things, but I ignored it because I was like 'Yeah, sure…'."
"That's good then."
"Hehe… Wait, I have the feeling I'm forgetting something here…" Konata started thinking.
"Hmm?"
"OH! Right… I totally forgot about part B of my plan for your birthday."
"There's really more? You already won the competition of who makes the best present by a land mile, Kona."
"Nonono, that wasn't a gift, just a selfish wish of mine."
"I really don't think so."
"Well, I still have an actual present for you."
"Okay, fine, I guess I have no reason to refuse, have I?"
Konata rummaged in her back once more, pulled out a small, neatly wrapped, red gift and handed it over.
"Happy birthday, Kagamin~."
"Thank you very much, Kona." She opened the present and just speechlessly stared at the content. "W-Wait…"
"Not good?"
"No, it's great…" Inside the present was a thin, silver necklace with a small, flower shaped, silver pendant with light golden highlights. "It's beautiful, but how did you even know?"
"Uhh… when was it again? Right… Remember my birthday when we stopped by the jeweler on our way back from Akiba? You said something about wanting a simple necklace and here we are."
"You remembered that?"
"Of course I did, Kagamin~. It was the perfect thing in order to win the 'birthday present competition'… I mean before I decided to change a part of the plan to an actual confession…"
"I see… But the necklace looks pretty expensive. I'm not sure if I should accept it…"
"Don't be like that… Of course you should, no, you simply have to. Well… I actually don't even know what the price of it was…"
"Huh? What do you mean with that? Weren't you the one who bought it, Kona?"
"It's, again, a bit complicated to be honest… My father gave me a box with jewelry a couple years ago. He said it's from my mother and that she wanted me to have it. I'm not that interested in that kind of stuff and so almost forgot about it. I only remembered after our camping trip a little while ago and thought it was perfect." Konata explained where she got the necklace from and Kagami looked really troubled right now while turning pale.
"W-Wait a moment there… That necklace is something your mother left behind for you and you want to give it to me?! T-There's absolutely no way I can accept it!"
"Why not?"
"Because it's way too important to just give away!"
"I don't get it. I want to give something important for me to one of the, if not the most important person in my life… Where is the problem there, Kagamin~?"
"…" She fell silent and stared at Konata who had said all that with a perfectly serious face. There was no way Kagami could say anything against her anymore and so she accepted the present. "T-Thank you very much, Kona, I'll treasure it. Can you help me put it on?"
"Of course." Konata got behind her, brushed away the hair on Kagami's neck and put the necklace on her. She then looked at her from the front and inspected it. "It looks good on you."
"T-Thank you, I'll never take it off again."
"That's what I wanted to hear."
"I wonder what Tsukasa will say when she sees the necklace… Oh, about that… What will we tell our friends?"
"Hmm… Good question. Does Tsukasa already know?"
"Well, she's the one who helped me to accept my feelings in the first place so she knows that I like you. She also knows that I almost k-kissed you a few days ago and… W-What about you, Kona, did you tell anyone? She quickly changed the topic away from what she just accidentally said at the end.
"Uhh… well… t-that's…"
"D-Don't tell me you told your father?!"
"I'm not that stupid, Kagamin~. It was… Kuroi-sensei…"
"Oh, I see, that's… Huh? Wait, what? Y-You told her out of all people?"
"It's not like I had a saying in that. She pressured me so much that I had no chance… I only told her that I fell for a girl, though. She thinks it's you, but I never confirmed it…"
"Okay… A-Anyway, I think Miyuki also suspects us."
"Yes, she and Tsukasa were definitely trying to get us together!"
"Yeah, I thought the same. So, what should we do, Kona?"
"Hmm…" She started thinking about whether to tell them or not. "How about that… We won't tell them, but we also won't deny it once someone actually asks us?"
"That's a little mean… I like it! Let's do it like that."
"Hehe, good. By the way, I think I overheard something interesting earlier, Kagamin~."
"What is it?"
"S-So you really wanted to… kiss me a couple days ago, huh?"
"W-What?! Ehm…" She wasn't expecting this to be brought up again.
"You should always finish what you started, Kagamin~…"
"Y-You… You want me to…"
"Well… Tsukasa is sick and sleeping, your parents are at the shrine and so are you older sisters, right? No one should… interrupt us now."
"T-That's true, but… au… I want to do it… But I'm so embarrassed I could die right now…" Her completely red face only confirmed it more.
"D-Don't think I'm not…" Konata's cheeks had the same color.
The two very hesitating, but they still relocated themselves a little on the bed in order to face each other and then they looked right into the eyes of the other person. One minute passed and the only thing that had changed was the redness of their faces that had significantly increased. The last time Kagami tried to kiss Konata was completely directed by the mood back then, but now it became really hard to do it on the spot. The determination inside Kagami to finally do it was still strong, though. After mustering all courage she could find, Kagami closed eyes and slowly brought her face closer. Konata saw this and also closed her eyes. –Their lips touched.- It only lasted for a second or two and it was really awkward because both had no experience in doing it, but Konata and Kagami finally shared their first kiss. Their lips separated again and Kagami backed away a little. A short time afterward, both also opened their eyes again. Even their ears were completely red and it took another minute for them to speak again.
"… T-They touched… right?" Konata couldn't believe it and was looking for confirmation. She was never that embarrasses in her life before.
"Y-Yes, they did…" Kagami touched her lips while saying so. She also hard time believing it.
"W-Wow… Uhm… I…" No words were available.
"Yeah…" She still understood her perfectly fine.
"What to say… M-My heart's pounding like never before and my lips are all tingly…"
"Y-You okay, Kona?"
"No… I think it's my turn to die in embarrassment now…"
"I see… but my heart's also racing and my face feels really hot… no, my whole body does…"
"Yeah… my mind's a total mess right now… or rather, it's totally blank… completely empty…" Konata didn't know how she should describe it.
"It's the same for me… b-but you know…"
"I-It doesn't feel bad, right?"
"Hey, Kona?"
"Yes, l-let's do it again." She understood instantly what Kagami wanted and this time, she took the lead. Konata grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it tightly. After that, both closed their eyes and Konata brought her head closer. Their lips touched again and their second kiss lasted a good amount time longer. It still was rather awkward, mainly because both still had to find out the right angle of their heads, but an improvement was already visible. Their hearts were beating like crazy and so the kiss didn't last as long as wanted because of the lack of oxygen, but the kiss still went a little over ten seconds before they parted again in the end. Their extreme embarrassment probably also played a role in the duration. They sat down normally, next to each other, again and took a few breaths to calm down. It took a little before the two actually were calm enough gain, though. At least to the point where they could talk again because their faces still were radiating more heat than an actual heater.
"I-I don't think I'll last very long if the feelings keep up like that, Kona…"
"Y-Yeah… I even feel really tired… I guess we should get used to it soon enough, though."
"That's probably true… Now that you mention it, I'm also rather tired. Are you going to stay here today?"
"Well, I brought clothes, so…"
"Just how much stuff did you bring with you in that bag?" Konata had just pulled out the clothes out of it and Kagami just had to ask now.
"My plan worked perfectly and so, with the clothes out, the bag's empty now."
"I have to agree now, easily the best plan you ever had, Kona."
"Absolutely!"
"Okay then, let's get ready to sleep. The whole day tired me out and it's also already quite late. I'll get the extra futon and…" She wanted to say something, but got instantly interrupted.
"Wait a moment there, Kagamin~! You're not being serious, right?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Why a futon now out of all times? Do you think someone would ask questions now that we're t-together? Nobody knows yet and more importantly, it would be even more suspicious if we do not share the bed together by now and…"
"…" Kagami didn't answer and instead, she just tried her best to not start laughing, but she failed at it. Seeing Konata panicking that much was just way too amusing for her. "I'm just joking. I want it easily as much as you do, Kona."
"You…" Konata wanted to get angry, but ultimately, there was absolutely no reason to.
"Let's get ready for bed already. I'm really tired…"
The two went to the bathroom and changed their clothes in turns. After that, they got back to the bed again, laid down next to each other after turning off the light and started talking again.
"Hey… Kona?"
"Yes?"
"I… I don't have to h-hold back anymore, right?"
"H-Huh? I… I guess so, b-but what do you mean…?" It sounded like an extremely loaded question to Konata and so she got rather nervous.
"Pervert." Kagami obviously knew what was going through Konata's head, but she still proceeded with what she wanted to do. She moved to her side, to face Konata who looked a bit confused, but Kagami didn't care about that. She wrapped her arms around Konata's chest and pulled her as close as possible to herself. At the same time, she also trapped one of Konata's legs between her own. "That's what I wanted…"
"Calling me a pervert while using me as a hug pillow is a bit…"
"Do you have any complaints?"
"Uhh…" Konata looked at the situation again. At Kagami hugging her from the side while wrapping her arms around her and her head nestling in Konata's shoulder. "On a second thought… Nope, the pervert thinks everything's fine."
"Then stay still and let me have this. Now that I finally can do it without feeling bad again."
"So that was the reason for you nightly hugging?"
"Well… I really did it unconsciously most of the time, but after realizing my feelings… It was a bit complicated… All I know, though, is that it really helps me to calm and sleep like a baby…"
"I see… I hope you're prepared to sleep like a baby more often because I'll get angry when we share a bed again and you won't do the same thing."
"That won't be a problem." Kagami reassured her and gave her body a big, but gentle squeeze in order to confirm her promise.
"That's good to know."
"Let's sleep now."
"Good idea, Kagamin~."
"Good night." Both said it at the same time and the room fell silent for a minute.
"Kona?"
"Hmm~?"
"I love you."
'Hnng…' Konata's heart almost didn't make it. "I love you, too."
With those last words of the day, Konata and Kagami went silent again and the two fell asleep more or less instantly. It was by far the best and most relaxing sleep both ever had in their life.
…
I'm really not good with sticking to my own release schedules… Well, as long as it's earlier as predicted, I don't think someone will be honest, the chapter was already done almost a week ago, but I had to go to some medical checkups for cavities and diabetes because the chapter had way too much sugar… No, on a serious note, do you know the feeling of forgetting something important, but you can't remember what? I had this feeling ever since I completed this chapter. I still haven't found out what it was, though.
To be honest, the chapter was already done almost a week ago, but I had to get some medical checkups for cavities and diabetes because the chapter had way too much sugar… No, on a serious note, do you know the feeling of forgetting something important, but you can't find out what? I had this feeling ever since I completed this chapter. for the whole week, but I still haven't found out what it was, though. Well, I'll probably remember a few das after and get disappointed with myself...
By the way, Konata and Kagami are finally together! (And it only took about 140k words and 22 chapters…)
I had three different approaches for the confession ready. The first was the thing I had planned at the very beginning. I made the concept for the confession back in 2014. It was the first I did before anything else of the story. The original concept didn't work as well as planned anymore because it had way more drama in it. Over the course of the story, the two became way closer than planned and drama, like fear of rejection or something like going out of the room and breaking down and whatever, just didn't work, especially after the last chapter. My second idea was similar to the final chapter, just with more focus on the Tanabata festival, maybe even with a semi-public confession, but confessions like that aren't really that romantic in my eyes… They are just incredibly embarrassing. And the most important thing, who cares about Tanabata when the two finally got together? I made the little Tanabata summary in the last chapter and thought that should be enough. The last confession I had planned was the one I did here. I added some elements of Tanabata because I thought it was a nice little touch with the wish to Kagami. The actual confession ended up being rather 'anticlimactic' and smooth because... well, the two were basically dating since chapter four or so, but nobody told them. I think it was also the most realistic way to confess because the two had more or less found out the feelings of each other again and all that was left was the confirmation.
That being said, I think the end, including the kiss, was still a tiny bit over the top, but I had so much fun that I couldn't stop myself and I think my own face was easily as red as the two of them while writing. Shortly said, I had a lot of fun :) That's probably also the reason the two may feel a little more out of character, than before but hey, ultra honest Kagami and Konata are super adorable.
…
I think after this chapter, it's a good place to write a little about the future of the story.
Realistically speaking, it wouldn't be a bad point to end the story. You know, the girl got the… girl and they lived happily ever after… A lot of stories and most of the mangas and animes I know normally do actually end like this.
I don't, though. I mean, the fun starts once you actually start dating (Although, I'm not going to change the rating if you think that now, perverts)… I still have a lot of things planned and already easily planted five or so (if not more) hints in the story to go on for quite a bit. Looking back, I might've made a little mistake with starting the story in their second year of High school and not in the third because I may have to do a few short time skips to get where I want. I have the ideas of what I want to do and when, but filling the voids between them is a bit hard. I'm also thinking about whether to add Yutaka, Minami and co or not later on...
That being said, I'm open to suggestion if you want to see something (that's not already spoilered in the story in some way). Maybe there's something I can try then.
For the next chapter… The actual birthday party is one thing. I originally planned it to happen in this chapter, but after writing the end, I decided to cut it because it was the perfect point to stop this chapter. Let's find out how long Miyuki and Tsukasa need to find out. For when it happens… Do you really think I'll make another prediction? Probably between tomorrow and December. I think I'll make it this time… :)