Some time passed since Konata came to her unexpected wealth by selling some incredibly rare figurines that were only collecting dust in her storeroom, but, much to Kagami's pleasure, she hadn't spent anything noteworthy on unnecessary things like manga or anime of it. Actually, she hadn't touched the money at all. November had just begun, and people started to feel what this meant. In other words, it was getting colder with each passing day.
Konata felt like having a change of pace today and decided to visit Kagami's place to spend some time there. Once she had left her house, she quickly started to regret her decision because she remembered that she can't stand the cold at all and wanted to go home again. She had already reached the station, though, when she remembered it, and she had, unfortunately, forgot her phone as usual. Because of that, she couldn't call Kagami to tell her that she had to come over again and had to bear with it. Steeling herself, not that it was that cold in the first place, Konata bravely continued on her way and reached Kagami's house soon enough. Miki let her inside, and Konata immediately started complaining after she got rid of her light coat. It was cold enough for a coat and complaints, but not cold enough for an actual winter jacket, or actual freezing after all.
"Man, it sure has gotten cold all of a sudden… You probably won't see me at all anymore until spring once the temperature falls any more, Miki… I won't be leaving my house anymore then…"
"Mom is really unhappy to hear that, you know? That makes me really sad, Konata." Miki's skill to inflict guilt was unparalleled.
"I-Is that so…?" Unparalleled and effective.
"Absolutely, you come over way too rarely in the first place if you ask me. I thought I would get another cute daughter, but I actually lost one because Kagami's never at home anymore… Mom's a little lonely, you know?"
"…" Konata felt too guilty to answer.
"Not to mention Tsukasa… She's also more often gone than at home… More importantly, she still has formally introduced me to Miyuki. I know the two aren't ready yet, but still… I don't remember raising such rebellious kids…" Nothing ever slips past Miki.
"I-I'll take partial, okay 91%, responsibility for Kagamin~'s rebellious phase, but… you are surely a very scary person, Miki-san." Konata became a little more formal towards the end.
"I'm not scary at all~." She smiled at her, but that made her seem only scarier. "Also, Miki-san is a big no. The only acceptable way of you addressing me is mom, but I'm allowing Miki for a little longer."
"Mom is still a little… b-but…" The immense pressure was weighing on Konata.
"I know, I know. I'm sure it's hard for you because…" She stopped before opening old wounds. "As long as you don't completely rule out the possibility in the future, I definitely won't force you to anything." Calling someone else mom after losing one's own, surely isn't something to do lightly, and so Miki was happy enough that Konata didn't completely refuse the idea.
"T-Thanks…" She wasn't sure what to answer. "W-Well, for now, I'll try to fulfill my promise to come over, or see you more often for starters…"
"Now that's a good girl."
"Ehehe~…" Konata decided to simply go with the flow.
"By the way, how are your college preparations are going?" Miki decided to change the topic.
"Thanks to Kagamin~, better than anyone ever thought it could go when it comes to me and studying. Being relent-, and merciless would be an underestimation to describe her…"
"That's our Kagami for you."
"That's true… Well, I'm not hating studying as much as I used to, and I actually found something I enjoy with economics."
"Heh~, good for you."
"I still have a long way to go, though… I haven't even found a college to attend yet…"
"Eh, you haven't…? But… Well, I'm sure you'll find a fitting one." Miki's reaction to the information that she was still looking for a college was a little odd, but Konata had no time to question it because Kagami had finally showed up as well and joined the two.
"Ah, you're here already, Kona. Why didn't you say anything?"
"Sorry, I was busy with Miki for a while…"
"What were you two doing?"
"Just a little bonding with the mother of my girlfriend. Nothing of much importance~." Konata had already forgotten about Miki's slightly odd reaction because Kagami had a higher priority over everything else in her brain.
"Ohh… That's never a good thing…" Kagami didn't like the sound of that. "I can't let this continue for any longer. Kona, let's go to my room." Because she knows nothing good ever happens when Konata and Miki spend an extensive amount of time together, Kagami decided to quickly end their chat the two were having over whatever they were talking about.
"Aww, you're no fun~." Miki wasn't happy about that, and fake pouted a little.
"She's my girlfriends after all, and so I have every right to spend as much time with her as I want."
"You seriously aren't jealous over…" Konata wanted to say something, but stopped mid-sentence because she suddenly felt a cold shiver running down her spine. "Yeah, l-let's go to your room."
"Yes~." Kagami seemed satisfied, and the two went to her room afterward.
"Hmm…" Miki tilted her as she watched them leaving. "She's still looking for a college, huh…?" She looked slightly confused for some reason.
….
The couple entered Kagami's room and started studying as usual, almost right away. Their lives weren't exactly the most exciting at the moment, but there was no helping to it. About an hour of silent studying passed when Konata finally wanted to do something against the mood.
"Ah, Kagamin~, did you know that Miki already knows that Tsukasa and Miyuki are an item?"
"Heh~…" Kagami didn't even look up from her papers. "It would be weirder if she didn't, wouldn't it?"
"Ah… Fair point…" Konata's efforts to liven up the mood in the room with a little chatting was in vain because there was nothing more to say already.
Sighing, Konata looked around and noticed that Kagami's room was looking even worse than her own. Kagami had dumped tons of textbooks at Konata's place over the course of time because they're mostly studying there and Konata had even bought a considerable amount of economics-related books on her because she does take it seriously. Kagami's actual room was in a league of its own, though. There was basically nothing else besides study related things anymore. It was clear as a day that she was taking it way more seriously. Law was a somewhat harder subject to study, but Kagami mainly wanted to make sure that she'll make it because it's a longtime dream of hers after all.
Another hour passed and now Kagami was the one who broke the silence. She noticed that it was time for a break, but more importantly remembered something of great importance just now.
"Let's take a break, Ko-"
"Yay!" Her answer came instantly.
"So, how's the search for a college coming along, Kona? You only have this month left after all."
"Eh…?"
"… Huh?" The two apparently weren't on the same page.
"Wait a moment… The deadline is at the end of December, is it not…?"
"No, you have to apply for the colleges of your choice at the end of November at the latest."
"R-Really…?" Konata noticed that she has a problem now.
"Really."
"W-What am I going to do now, Kagamin~?" She was at a total loss.
"Seriously, what are you going to do?" Kagami also had no answer for her. "Don't you have any places you're at least a little interested in?"
"Not really… I have no idea at all… Although, I'm lately feeling that simply going to a local college feels kind of… boring…"
"I agree with you on that, Kona. Also, your grades have gotten way too good for it, and it would be a waste if you simply go to the next best local college just for the sake of going…"
"Ha…" Konata tried her best to suppress her laugh, but it was no use. "Ahaha! How funny… Admit it, you never thought you would ever say these words to me, didn't you~?"
"Hehe…" Kagami couldn't help it and chuckled a little as well. "That's true… It is indeed a very bizarre development~." The two were having some fun for a while over the unexpected situation they were in, but she soon came back to the problem at hand. "So, what are you going to do now, Kona?" She asked the same question one more time.
"I… I… uh…" She still was at a total loss on what to do.
"I know it's a hard and important choice, but you have to decide fast now."
"Hmmng…" Konata started to think hard about her possible choices, but nothing at all came to mind about which college he should apply for. "I seriously can't think of anything at all… Kagamiiin~, where should I gooo~?" She was getting desperate and asked for help again. "Hmm? Kagamin~, are there any decent colleges for economics in Yokohama?"
"W-What…?" Kagami suddenly tensed up after hearing her question.
"Eh…?" Konata thought she had a good idea just now, but Kagami's reaction confused her quite a bit.
"Why Yokohama? Just because I'm going there?"
"Well… I'm not going to deny that I mentioned Yokohama first because of that, but I do recall asking for decent colleges there, didn't I? I don't just want to go to any college there just because I could be with you that way. I took a genuine liking to economics and want to try going through with it. Because of that, I now want to find a good place to study it." Konata tried to deny the assumption that she merely wants to follow Kagami. "Yokohama would be extra awesome because we could be together every single day that way, but if there's no decent college in Yokohama, but in a different prefecture around my home, I'll apply there instead. Too far away is definitely out, though."
"I see, that's relieving…" Kagami's expression softened up considerably after hearing her explanation, but she started to look troubled all of a sudden. "Kona, I'm sorry… There's something I'm hiding from you for a while…"
"H-Huh…?" Konata knew this ominous sounding line from her dating games and had a very bad feeling all of a sudden because of that.
"There… There is a good college in Yokohama… One where you can study economics…"
"E-Eh…?" Konata didn't understand anything at all anymore, but she was relieved that her bad feeling from just now was unjustified because Kagami was just bad with her words as usual.
"Like I said, there is a fitting college for you in Yokohama…" She repeated herself.
"Really? Which one is it?"
"Mine." Kagami only said a single word.
"Huh…?" Konata was having a hard time today.
"My college is mainly known for its law course, but it also offers two other really good main subjects, including business-related studies, meaning economics among others…"
"What…? Is that really true?" Konata couldn't believe this unexpected development. "Why didn't you tell me, Kagamin~?"
"Well…" Kagami was looking for the right words. "I didn't want you to choose my college just for the sake of being with me. I wanted you to find your own college, one that perfectly fits your needs and skills. We would both regret it if you join a college that isn't right for you and fail because of that…"
"I don't get it…" Konata was missing something in her explanation. "I understand your point and all, but why are you telling me now anyway?"
"I noticed that your interest in economics was growing with each passing day as well and your grades also keep getting better and better. Before I knew it, the economics course in my college became a decent choice for you. Also, because you made clear that you really want to join a good college and not simply want to be with me was the last push I needed to be sure…"
"And…?" Konata felt that she was still hiding a small something from her.
"I-I said all that, but… O-Once I noticed it became a viable choice for you, I maybe, just maybe(!) wanted to be together with you as well, Kona…" She was struggling a little to relay her completely honest thoughts on the subject.
"Hehe~." Konata started chuckling. "Oh, the unexpected return of my little tsundere~."
"I'm not a…" Kagami wanted to deny it on reflex like in the olden days, but stopped in the middle and started laughing out of nowhere. "Ahaha, it's been a while, huh?"
"Absolutely, you came a long way, Kagamin~."
"Hehe~."
"I'm going to the same college as Kagamin~." Konata came back to the topic after drifting away from it. "I can't believe it!" She was seriously happy about that development.
"You have to pass first, though."
"Geh-!" She had forgotten about that part.
"Don't worry too much, if you keep going like before, you should have no problem with it, Kona."
"I seriously hope so…"
"Also…" Kagami suddenly looked scary for some reason.
"A-Also…?"
"Now that we have decided to go to the same college… I'll get seriously angry if you don't pass in the end, Kona~."
"O-Okay…" Because she cherished her life, Konata made a mental note that failing wasn't an option.
"Good~." Her smile proved once more that Kagami really is the daughter of Miki. She stopped being scary after a while, and the two then started chatting about the college.
"Soo… Because I didn't know that your college offers more than just law, I wasn't really interested in it and have absolutely no idea what it's like… Tell me something about the college, Kagamin~." Because Konata's only cares about things that are directly related to her, she never had any interest in it.
"Sure… Like I said, the campus is mainly divided into the three main courses the college offers. My law course, your economics course in the business studies department, and computer-related studies as the third category."
"Hmm… I see. Do the departments have any courses together?"
"No more copying homework, Kona."
"Ehh~…?"
"I can see right through you~." Kagami chuckled a little at Konata's obvious reaction. "I actually have no idea… Maybe some general coursed everyone has to do? Or maybe some elective courses…? I would guess they mainly stick to their own departments, though."
"Not that different to our situation in High school right now, huh?"
"You don't need to remind me of that…" The two never were in the same class apart from a few elective courses after all.
"Anything else of interest?"
"Hmm…" Kagami tilted her head while thinking and suddenly stood up. She walked to her desk, and after pushing away about 20 textbooks, she grabbed a flyer looking thing and went back to the table where Konata was still sitting. "Here." She handed her a brochure of the school.
"Heh, it's pretty big, huh?" She was looking at a photo of the college. "I suppose the three big buildings in the middle are for each department?"
"Correct, and the couple smaller ones are for courses that have nothing to do with them."
"I see… Then, what are those long buildings along the campus?"
"Those are the student dorms."
"The college has dorms?" Konata seemed surprised.
"Sure, why wouldn't they? People come from all over the place to attend the college after all."
"That does make sense… Now that you mention it."
"I'm planning to stay there as well, you know?"
"Is that so?" Konata was thinking about something. "I guess I really have to come to your school."
"Huh?" Kagami didn't understand her reasoning until something clicked in her mind. "Don't tell me you're jealous because I'm going to live together with multiple other people~." She was super happy to so Konata actually being jealous because that rarely happens.
"W-Well…"
"Ehehe~." A goofy grin spread on her face before she finally snapped back. "It's not like you have to be worried. The dorms are… wait, no, that argument doesn't work at all…"
"What doesn't work as an argument?"
"I wanted to say that the right dorm building in the picture is for male students and the left one is for females, but it doesn't help me at all that the dorms aren't mixed…" Kagami noticed the error in her argument while saying it out loud.
"If anything, that makes it worse…"
"Ehehe
~." She started smiling again once she saw how openly pouting Konata was right now.
"That's not funny, Kagamin~…" Konata didn't share her excitement.
"I-I'm sorry… I'm just happy that you get jealous as well… Anyway, the dorm rooms are all single ones, so you really don't have to worry. Besides, I would never do anything of that sorts, and would simply kill anyone that tries something with me."
"I see, that's good then…" Konata seemed a little relieved. Kagami wasn't sure it was because she said that she would never try anything, or because of the killing part, and she honestly didn't want to know either. "Dorms, huh…?" While she was a bit relieved, Konata still wasn't that happy about the whole dorm thing.
"Well, they're cheap after all…" That was also the only good point Kagami had for the dorms.
The two chatted a little longer, and Kagami explained some more details of the college to Konata and time passed in the blink of an eye.
"Hey, Kagamin~, you surely agree that we made enough progress for today, right?"
"What do you mean?" Kagami wasn't sure what she meant.
"Although it wasn't entirely studying related, finding a college for me is a great success, isn't it?"
"It surely is…" She still had no idea what she was trying to tell her.
"How about we take it easy for the rest of the day?"
"Ah… I see now…"
"So…?"
"Sure, why not. We deserve a break once in a while~." Kagami was in a pretty good mood because their decision to go to the same college made her happy as well and she wanted to take it easy now, too.
Once the suggestion was agreed to, the two packed a few of their belongings and wanted to head to Konata's place. Taking it easy means playing games for the two and that works better there after all. Konata also had to tell her father about the news. After the two had everything they need, Konata and Kagami went downstairs and ran into Miki again, and both told her the news first.
"Heh~, so Konata's going to the same college, huh? I'm really surprised." She absolutely wasn't, and everyone present could easily see that.
"You totally saw that coming, mom, didn't you?" Kagami obviously noticed her sarcasm.
"How could I not? Once I knew that Konata wants to study economics, I knew what was going to happen next. I'm surprised it took so long, though."
"Well, there were some circumstances…"
Once the two finished chatting with Miki, they finally left the house and arrived at Konata's place after a short while.
…
While Konata kept complaining about the cold until she got rid of her coat at her place, the two noticed that Sojiro was in the living room and they decided to join him. Konata immediately told him about her plan to go the same college as Kagami, but his reaction caused a feeling of déjà-vu in her.
"Heh~, is that so?" Somehow, he didn't seem surprised at all either.
"Don't tell me you knew about Kagami's college as well, dad?"
"Of course I did." He didn't even try to hide it.
"How…?"
"Kagami told me about it."
"Ehh…?" Konata had a hard time keeping up again.
"Aren't you happy now, Kagami?" Sojiro suddenly addressed her.
"S-Sure…"
"Wait, wait, wait, wait a moment… What is going on here?" She needed to get some details.
"Kagami and I had a long talk about it last month."
"Y-You don't need to tell her about it, Sojiro!" Kagami started protesting, but she was splendidly ignored by both.
"She was super cute, you know?"
"Ho~?" Konata leaned forwards because she became super interested.
"She wasn't sure if she should be honest, or be tsun about it. It was adorable~."
"You already got my attention dad, you can stop advertising and tell me."
"We actually barely talked… She was fighting with herself the entire time. She really wanted to go to the same college as you, but also wanted the best for you. She apparently became even more conflicted once you actually chose economics as your major. While I was simply watching her because I couldn't do anything else, she simply went back and forth for about half an hour while complaining to herself and me… 'I want to be with Kona', 'Is my college really okay for her?', 'I really want to be with Kona', 'It really is demanding there, though', 'But I really want to be with Kona', 'It should be fine, right?', 'Yes', 'No'… It went on and on like that."
"Aw, really? How unfair… I would've loved to see that…" Konata was jealous that her father had this adorable outburst of hers all for him alone.
"Au…" While the two were having fun, Kagami was so embarrassed that she hid her face behind her hands, but her crimson blush was still easily visible. Because she couldn't take it anymore, Kagami suddenly stood up and fled out of living room, straight upstairs into Konata's room.
"Ehehe~." Konata and Sojiro chuckled at her cute reaction.
"You really have chosen a good partner there."
"Absolutely no news to me, dad." The two were smiling for a while at each other before Sojiro suddenly got serious again.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do, Konata? If you do this just because you want to be with her, there is a possibility you might going to regret it in the future. Not because you might break up with her eventually, I really can't see this happening, but maybe because the college is nothing for you…" Sojiro also wanted to make sure that Konata wants to do it because of the right reasons.
"You as well, huh? Kagami said the same earlier."
"Well, it's a valid point. I understand perfectly well that you want to be with her, but…"
"It's not like that, dad." Konata interrupted him before he could continue. "Sure, Kagamin~'s the reason why I thought about going to Yokohama as well, but only if there's a decent college around. I was about to start looking in other prefectures as well. Kagamin~ didn't even tell me about the economics course at her college until I mentioned that I'm looking for a decent college and that I would only prefer going to Yokohama instead of absolutely wanting to go there." Konata briefly repeated the discussion she had with Kagami earlier that day over the same topic.
"That's how it is, huh? That relieves me quite a bit, but it makes me sad as well…" Sojiro was feeling conflicted for some reason.
"Sad?"
"That means you're serious and that I'm going to lose my little girl next year…"
"I-It's not like I'm gone completely, you know?" Konata wasn't prepared for that. "I'll come back home often enough, and you still have Yu-chan here, right?"
"That's the only thing that keeps me sane, yes."
"D-Dad, don't get tangled up in any crimes, okay…?" Konata made a joke over his statement, but there was also a genuine hint of worry in her voice.
"I-I would never!" He quickly defended himself.
"That's good… Well then, if you please excuse me now, I have a girl waiting in my room that probably needs to be comforted after getting teased that much."
"Sure, have fun."
"Oh, I will~." Once the conversation with her father was finished, Konata left the living room as well and went to her room.
…..
"So, where's my adorable Kagamin~?" Konata walked into her room with a big smile and spotted a suspicious person trying her best to hide herself under a blanket on the bed while being curled up in a ball. "I really wonder where she could be hiding~."
"Fine, go on and laugh already…" A stifled voice came from beneath the blanket that wanted to get over with it.
"Hmm? Why should I laugh? Just because you're adorable?" Instead of laughing, Konata sat down on the bed and gently started patting Kagami's back above the blanket. "I sure am blessed to have such a cute girlfriend~."
"Shut up…"
"Ehehe~. I'm seriously happy about how you feel. That you still only want my best even though you'd feel lonely makes me feel really special."
"You're as smooth as ever, Kona…" Kagami was pouting beneath the blanket and brushed it off as mere flattering.
"You know… I completely agree with every point you have, Kagami…" Something in her voice suddenly changed.
"Eh…?" Kagami briefly noticed that something was amiss, but she was still too busy being embarrassed to properly react.
"I really agree that our individual studies are more important than being in the same place at all cost… and I was serious when I said that I'll go… wherever the most fitting college is for me, but…" Konata's voice was getting a melancholic feeling to it.
"B-But…?" The slightly bad feeling she had earlier just got stronger.
"I know that I would've gotten extremely lonely…" Konata's answer was barely audible.
"Y-You would…?" Kagami still heard her mutter, and alarm bells started ringing in her head.
"Not just lonely… What would happen once we're in different cities…? You would be busy on one weekend and me probably on another one and we suddenly only see each other once a month… That's just the beginning, though… As we drift further and further away from each other, it quickly shifts to every couple months only, until it gets to the point where it becomes never, and we'll finally go on completely different paths in our life… Things get forgotten and then…" Konata had already long passed the domain of being gloomy and headed straight towards a dangerous territory when Kagami finally stopped her.
"What are you even talking about, Kona?" Kagami immediately stopped pouting and hiding beneath the blanket while addressing Konata with the most calming voice she could muster. She actually thought about slapping Konata for a second because Kagami was upset that she even thought such a scenario could ever happen, but decided against it. The moment she looked at her face, she knew that Konata was seriously scared about that something like that could really happen thanks to the events in her past.
"It's just the natural flow of relationships, isn't it…? Whether it's friendship, or…" Forget dangerous territory, Konata was already about to embrace the dark void in front of her, but luckily got embraced by the exact opposite first. Kagami stopped her from talking and tightly hugged her with all her might.
"You shouldn't ever have such hurtful thoughts, Kona, they make me extremely sad as well." She never stopped hugging her while continuing to speak. "I already told you that something like that is never going to happen and I'll promise it once more." Kagami took a deep breath. "Kona, you're my everything, and I love you. I'm never going to leave you, and I honestly can't even think about without shaking my head because it's such nonsense that I even unconsciously deny it already. I was never happier in the 18 years of my life since I met you. I would've never thrown away this bliss over a silly one and something-ish hour long train ride, you know? You have absolutely nothing to worry and let me say it once more, I won't ever abandon you until the very end because I can't be without you anymore." Kagami renewed her declaration of love towards Konata and even went a little further, but the depth of it wasn't important right now because the most crucial thing right now was to make Konata feel secure again. Once she finished talking, Kagami stopped hugging her and looked straight into Konata's eyes with a perfect display of determination that made Konata unable to doubt even a single word. "I love you, Kona, please don't ever forget that." Once she noticed that the shine came back to Konata's eyes after briefly embracing the darkness, Kagami leaned forward and completely pulled her out of it with a gentle, yet powerful kiss on her lips.
"Thank you, Kagamin~…" The two parted after a while, and Konata looked like she had recovered at least a bit. "I'm sorry… It seems like I still fully gotten over the past, huh…? Kind of pathetic, isn't it? Having such a wonderful partner and still getting down over something like that… Ahaha…" A single tear ran down her cheek as she forced a dry laugh out of her.
"Kona… It's okay to feel down and even cry… Just remember that I'm always going to be there for you if you need me." Kagami hugged her again, and the two spent a couple minutes in their silent embrace.
"It's fine now, thank you again, Kagamin~. It's kind of funny, isn't it?" Her voice sounded a lot livelier now.
"What is it?" Kagami noticed it as well.
"I came here to comfort you because dad and I teased you a little too much earlier and look what happened…"
"Hehe, it kind of went the other way around, huh?" She felt that it was okay to make some jokes again.
"Well, I was the one who was able to get spoiled this way. I guess that's not so bad~."
"You're such a dork, Kona."
"Is it really okay for you to call others a dork?"
"If a dork isn't allowed to call others a dork, then who is?" Kagami literally embraced Konata's teasing with open arms.
"A very fair point." Konata nodded at her explanation, and both started laughing because of their silliness after a while. Once they calmed down again, Konata spoke up once more. "Ha… I love you, too, Kagamin~… Thanks for bearing with me."
"It's a pleasure~." Kagami smiled from ear to ear, and so did Konata. "So, what do you want to do for the rest of the weekend, Kona?" The time for a drastic change of topic was already long overdue.
"Hmm…" Konata welcomed the change, and she suddenly looked like that this was the hardest decision she had to make today.
"How about we start with a movie, followed by two more or until we get sleepy? Then, we get up in a timely manner tomorrow and don't stop gaming until it's dark outside again? After that, more movies and we repeat the same thing on Sunday as well?" Kagami suggested a very interesting plan and Konata's eyes started sparkling.
"I may be getting repetitive here, Kagamin~, but I seriously love you."
"I can take that as a yes then?"
"If we can smuggle a little bit of anime in as well, the plan would simply be perfect."
"Sure, why not~? Let's mix that in for tomorrow." Kagami was in a good mood and wanted to spoil Konata.
"Seriously?! Well then, let's get going!" Konata passed the TV remote to Kagami who then chose a random movie. Both then got comfortable on the bed while starting to cuddle as usual. The cuddling somehow ended up being way more important, and both had problems recalling what the movie even was about once it ended. Without caring about such small details, the two selected another movie, but the result was the same for some inexplicable reason. Thankfully, the movies weren't the only things that couldn't be remembered after an extended amount of peaceful cuddling. Konata's slight breakdown was also forgotten already before the day even ended.
…
Absolutely nothing of interest happened during the remaining days of the weekend. They loosely stuck to Kagami's masterfully thought out plan, except for the part about getting up in a timely manner because the two both horribly overslept on Saturday and Sunday. The two played games, watched animes and movies, and only left Konata's room when it was absolutely necessary. The incredibly relaxing weekend, unfortunately, turned into Monday, and the couple had to move again because it was time for school.
Once lunch-break started, Konata and Kagami told Miyuki and Tsukasa about the plan for college.
"Really? You two are going to the same college? That's awesome!" Tsukasa seemed really happy for the two.
"It really is!" The couple naturally agreed with her.
"Now you two don't have to die!" Tsukasa remembered the conversation she had with Miyuki about animals that die of loneliness when separated from each other.
"H-Huh…?" Konata and Kagami first looked at each other and then at Tsukasa because she said something really weird and slightly dangerous just now.
"Please don't mind her…" Miyuki answered for Tsukasa. "That's slightly complicated to explain and also doesn't make a- much sense anyway." She first wanted to say that it didn't make any sense at all, but Miyuki never was good at lying.
"Yeah, that sounds like Tsukasa." This explanation was enough for the couple to give up.
"Wow, I'm so happy and relieved that you two aren't going to be separated for college. I was really worried about it…" Tsukasa made a little more sense now.
"Thanks, Tsukasa." All of them kept chatting a little longer about some detail until lunch break was over.
Once school was over and when Kagami just had met up with Konata in the hallway, the two ran into Kuroi-sensei.
"Wow, you two are never separated anymore, aren't you?"
"And never will." It was slightly creepy that even their answer to that was totally in synch.
"I-Is that so…" Kuroi-sensei regretted teasing them and quickly changed the topic. "Izumi, I still need to know which college you're applying to… You're long overdue with that."
"Ah, about that…" Konata filled in Kuroi-sensei as well and explained her decision once more.
"Wow, that's…" Kuroi-sensei was the first person that was actually surprised. "I noticed that you were taking things more seriously ever since Hiiragi… happened, but I never would've thought to that degree. Economics, huh? Yeah, after your grades in marketing from the last term, I can actually see that."
"Thank you very much, sensei."
"I mean you two wanting to be together is a given, but it's a really good choice." Kuroi-sensei wasn't that surprised after all. "Do it exactly as you planned, Izumi. I know that college and you should really do your best to get in there. Judging by your grades, or rather how they are progressing, it's the perfect fit for you. You as well, Hiiragi, their law department is quite a bit more demanding, but from what I heard from the other teacher, you'll have no problem."
"I hope so, too, sensei."
"Well then, keep going like that, both of you and do your best. Also, Hiiragi, feel free to kick her rear once she slacks up too much again. It's an amazing feat you did there with Izumi, and we don't want her to revert back again, right?"
"Thanks, but it's too late getting permission for that."
"Ahaha~, man you two are amazing in various kinds of ways."
Once they finished talking with Kuroi-sensei, the couple finally left the school and made their way back home. While getting warmed up in the train towards their house, the two chatted some more.
"Now that I think about it…" Kagami tilted her head while speaking up. "I wonder if we're able to choose our rooms in the college dorms… Wouldn't it be awesome to get rooms right next to each other?"
"Hmm…" Konata didn't sound that enthusiastic.
"You still don't like the dorms, huh~?"
"S-Shut up…" She hit the nail on the head.
"Ehehe~. Well, there's nothing we can do about it, right?"
"Probably… I mean, we would need… Hmm…" Konata suddenly stopped talking and started grinning.
"What's wrong, Kona?"
"Nothing at all." So she said, but her grin only got wider.
"Oh no…" Kagami knew that expression, and it never meant anything good. Unfortunately, Konata didn't say a single word about the topic anymore, and Kagami continued to have a bad feeling for quite a while.
[]
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Haa… I have no idea what happened here… I was writing fluff as usual, and suddenly I had taken a wrong turn and ended up with a depressed Konata… Even though I seriously hate any kind of drama and promised myself to never bring up the (unnecessary) idea about Konata's past again. Well, compared to other stories, that drama here wasn't even worth mentioning, I guess.
While I really don't like it, things like that add a fantastic amount of depth to the character of Konata. She's not just a happy go lucky otaku, she also has some scars and is a simple, hopelessly romantic girl at heart when it comes to Kagami. It's not only about what happened in elementary and middle school what Kagami is so concerned about. The loss of her mother that triggered the whole problems is also still weighing her a little down, but Miki is fighting on that front. It's been quite a while, and even though I thankfully have no experience in it, I don't believe those scars ever disappear completely. Miki is trying her best that Konata opens up to her not just as a friend and the mother of her girlfriend, but a little as her mother as well. She definitely doesn't want to replace her, but just give her a little bit of comfort in a way only a mother can, and Konata's slowly warming up to the idea bit by bit.
Yes, I'll stop talking about it now… The crybaby (me) is kind of getting depressed over here… (It doesn't take much for that…)
….
The couple sure is easy to read, huh? Like, nobody was the slightest bit surprised that the two want to go to the same college. Well, I'm probably easy to read as well, though. Probably nobody didn't see that plot coming from a mile ago…
Kagami basically proposed to Konata as well when she tried her best to cheer her up. I wonder what would've happened if Konata were in a better state when that happened~.
By the way, I'm treating 'college' and 'university' as the same in the story so feel free to use the better fitting word in your head.
….
Off to the next chapter! Actually, the next chapter is already mostly done as well, and I'm currently in the middle of ch. 44 already, but I won't be releasing 43 before the start of December for timeline's sake. 44 will be a Christmas chapter so you can guess why I'm stretching the releases a little.
I can't say much about ch. 43 without spoiling it completely (If I haven't done that already…). Let me just say that, on the contrary to what Kuroi-sensei said about that the couple never being separated, this will be proven false soon. 43 is featuring both, Konata, and Kagami, but not at the same time and/or place. I think that's maybe actually the first chapter where the two aren't together at all… (If I don't change anything until then…)
Also, with this chapter, the 300k words have fallen (Well, that's including my ramblings at the end of the chapters, so…). If I haven't missed a story, it's also already the second longest Lucks Star story here. I highly doubt it will ever become the longest because that has way over 500k, but I still have a little left to write about, though.