"A-Ah, Konata-san, welcome…"
"E-Ehh…?"
"Come in, onee-san is in her room."
"Ehhh…?" Konata arrived at Kagami's place ad Tsukasa had opened the door, but for some reason, though, something seemed to be very different from usual. "T-Tsukasa, why are you speaking so formal…? Is something wrong?" She had never heard Tsukasa addressing her like that before.
"No, everything is fine, Konata-san. Well then, let me guide you to onee-san's room."
"O-Okay…?" Because Konata wasn't able to adequately deal with the situation, she quietly and obediently followed her upstairs while being completely dumbfounded and confused.
"Onee-san, I'm sorry to interrupt while you're busy, but Konata-san has come to visit." She politely knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
"Haa…" A groan came from the other side of the door. "Just come in already, sis…"
"Ah, no, I'm still rather busy as well, so I'll have to excuse myself, onee-san. Well then, have a good time, Konata-san." With an awkward bow, Tsukasa quickly left and disappeared into her room while Konata stormed into Kagami's.
"K-K-Kagamin~!" She was in a total panic.
"Welcome, Kona…"
"Ah, welcome… No, it's not the time for that! What the hell happened to Tsukasa?!"
"Ahaha…" A dry laugh escaped her lips as she quickly looked away.
"Wait a moment… What have done to her?!" Konata easily noticed that Kagami was the culprit.
"W-Well… nothing major… There was just a tiny little accident on my end…"
"No, judging from Tsukasa's behavior, that was nothing even remotely tiny."
"I-It really wasn't much…" Kagami struggled for a second before continuing. "Remember when we watched those… videos in Yokohama?"
"Of course I do, it was a lot of fun~."
"Do you remember how we ended up watching them in the first place?"
"Hmm… Because Kagamin~'s a pervert, right? Ah, no, you had this stupid idea to send Tsukasa some tame videos for educational purposes, hadn't you? Oh… Let me guess, it didn't work as planned, huh? Boy, am I surprised! Nobody could've seen that coming…" She wasn't surprised at all.
"That's not… exactly what happened…"
"What else is it, then?"
"When I send the videos to Tsukasa, I made a tiny little accident…" She said those words already.
"K-Kagamin~…?" Konata had a bad feeling.
"Remember that one video that made you more… excited than every other one together?"
"Yeah… Wait, did you… Tell me you didn't…"
"Yes… That video was accidentally between the others when I send them to Tsukasa…"
"Okay, that explains a little why she's so… like she currently is…"
"Yeah… I traumatized her a little, and I have a feeling it's going to take a while for her to recover…"
"I can fully understand why…" Konata had no problems imagining what such an intense video like that could do to someone like Tsukasa. "Wait a minute, stop! I get why she's acting like that towards you, but why am I getting this cold treatment as well?! Good old Kona-chan did nothing wrong to warrant this treatment as well, didn't she?"
"W-Well… Tsukasa naturally, and rightfully assumed that you're taking part in the activities shown in the video as well, being my girlfriend and all…"
"W-Why?! Hmm… Not that it's wrong…" Konata had her troubles refuting that statement. "That's super unfair, though! I don't want to get the cold shoulder from Tsukasa! Do something about this, Kagamin~. Now!"
"Don't you think I tried my best already? I don't like this at all, either! Also, she isn't giving us the cold shoulder…"
"It sure felt cold to me…"
"She's just a little disillusioned by how much more of an adult we are, more than she had ever imagined…"
"That's not better in the slightest!" Konata actually would've preferred receiving a cold shoulder from her instead.
"Yeah…" Kagami let out a sigh. "I think all we can do is to give her more time to recover to get over it again…"
"I told you that it was a bad idea from the very beginning, did I not?!" She was angry at her.
"I'm very sorry, Kona…" There was nothing more Kagami could do or say in this situation.
"Good grief… Remember the time when I was the stupid one in this relationship? Time sure flies… I wonder what happened."
"You, that's what happened, Kona."
"Hmm…" She wasn't sure what to answer, mainly because she thought Kagami was probably right.
"Anyway, I am sorry, so please forgive me for dragging you into it. Give her a little time, and it'll go back to normal soon enough. Oh, maybe you could go shopping with her as well, this should help you bond with her again.
"Time it is!" Konata hated the current situation with how Tsukasa was acting towards her, but some lines shouldn't ever be crossed again. "You know, I really love your little sister, and see her a bit like my own, but that's a big no."
"Hehe." Kagami let out a small chuckle. "Okay, now that you're here already, do you want to help me with the packing for Yokohama?" She decided to end the topic. Her room was looking quite chaotic. There were already many packed boxes, but there was still stuff all over the place.
"That's why I came over in the first place… I can't believe you're still not done, Kagamin~. You're such a sloth~."
"I-It's not that easy, you know?"
"I'm all done for a few days already, you know?" The only thing left is the furniture that is going to stay and the one shelf with anime figures that you didn't allow to bring with me…"
"D-Don't look at me like that…" Kagami didn't like Konata's facial expression when she was saying the last part while looking at her.
"You do know that you more or less only have today left, right, Kagamin~?" Our graduation ceremony is tomorrow, and we immediately wanted to head over to Yokohama the day after because we didn't want to waste any time."
"How about you stop talking and get going instead? It's not like you're helping right now."
"Fair point. As you command, my princess~." Konata stopped complaining, grabbed some of Kagami's light novels and put them in an empty box.
The two continued to stow away Kagami's things, and the room eventually became empty. By the time they had finished packing, it had gotten late already, and because of that, just because of that, Konata decided to stay the night at Kagami's place.
"Ah, it's finally done." Kagami comfortably stretched her arms before she let herself fall down on the bed. "Thanks, Kona."
"Mmn, good work, Kagamin~." Konata did precisely the same and the two relaxed in silence for a minute or two on the bed.
"But… Just thinking about how we also have to unpack all this stuff again… Ah~, I really don't want to~…" Kagami was throwing a small tantrum.
"The childish Kagamin~ sure is cute. Think of it that way; Once you've unpacked your stuff again, we're done moving, and we have a place just for the two of us." Konata's way of persuading her was very effective because a big smile instantly appeared on her face.
"Ehehe~." Sometimes, Kagami was a really easy person. "Yes, you're right, it's going to be awesome~."
"I can't wait."
"Yeah." Kagami looked extremely happy. "I wonder what we should do first once we're officially living in our apartment."
"Hmm…"
"Hmm~." The two were pretending to think about it, but the knowing gazes they were exchanging made everything clear already. While thinking about the perfect first day in their new home, including some trial runs, the night quickly flew by, and the morning of the next day arrived, the day where Konata, Kagami, Tsukasa, and Miyuki are graduating from high school.
….
Their last day in high school passed in a flash and the girls' graduation ceremony was already over. The hallways and classrooms of the third years were busier than ever. Everyone was saying their goodbyes, underclassmen were trying their best in using the last chance with their senpais with whichever goal in mind. It was overall a very emotional mood. Konata, Kagami, Miyuki, and Tsukasa were also talking to acquaintances and friends they made over the past years. One after another said their goodbyes as well and the four were soon the only ones left. After going over the plans for the evening again, the girls were invited by Yutaka and the others to a graduation party they're hosting for them, Miyuki and Tsukasa hurried back home as well. Konata had still someone she wanted to meet, and Kagami decided to tag along.
"Ah, there you are, sensei!" Konata finally found the person in question, Kuroi-sensei, and quickly walked up to her.
"Oh, you're still here, Izumi? What's up?"
"I wanted to see you~." Konata jokingly made it extra suggestive.
"Ahaha, I'm honored, but is that something you should say with Hiiragi being right behind you?"
"It's fine~."
"So, what do you want?" Kuroi-sensei knew she was just having a bit of fun.
"Actually…" Konata hesitated a few seconds before finding the right words. "I wanted to… thank you, sensei…"
"H-Huh…?" That wasn't in the range of her expected answers.
"The past three years in high school were something I hadn't expected it to be when I first came here… They were awesome. You, as my teacher, were one of the reasons I had fun here, finding awesome friends, the other one. Not to mention Kagamin~, of course." Konata took a quick glance at the warmly smiling girl next to her before continuing. "She's obviously the best thing that had ever happened to me, but you, sensei, were important as well. Not just as a teacher, but even more so as a friend. Be it in our online games, or in private matters…"
"Izumi…" Kuroi-sensei had no idea how to react and continued to look at her with big eyes.
"So, again, thank you for everything that happened during the last three years, sensei." Completely out of character, Konata deeply bowed in front of her.
"Y-You can't do that, Izumi…" She had a hard time dealing with the situation. "Here I was able to send off my whole class without getting sentimental, and you're…" She stopped herself mid-sentence she was about to lose to her emotions.
"Wow…" Kagami quietly murmured to herself as she was a little overwhelmed. She knew that Konata can be quite emotional if she wants to, but the scene in front of her, especially Kuroi-sensei, was unexpected.
"That's… That's not even the main reason I want to thank you, sensei…" Konata still wasn't done with it. "Remember… well, almost two years ago? When Kagamin~ and I weren't together yet? I was realizing my feelings for her and that had led to a lot of trouble…" Konata nostalgically looked at the past. "I had no idea what I should do and was a real handful during that time because I wasn't able to make the next step."
"Yeah, you were a real pain, Izumi…" Kuroi-sensei began to smile as she recalled the time when Konata tried her best to hide it, and she forcefully pressed it out of her during one of their gaming sessions.
"Because you didn't want to leave me alone back then, gave me a ton of advice, and pushed me into embracing my feelings for Kagamin~, I'm in this beautiful relationship today. You saved the two of us a ton of trouble and probably also prevented unnecessary drama to happen. I'm… not sure how I'll ever be able to repay this debt, but I'll forever be grateful to you, sensei…" Konata looked at the floor to hide her face because her eyes were getting a little puffy.
"Let me thank you for this as well, sensei." Kagami suddenly bowed down as well. "Kona and I were huge idiots back then and who knows what would've happened if nobody helped us during that time…"
"Izumi… No, Konata…" Because the time as her actual teacher was over now, she used her given name for the first time. Just like Konata's, Kuroi-sensei's eyes were puffy as well, and it looked like she would cry any second now. Because she couldn't hold back her emotions any longer, she took a step forward and tightly hugged Konata.
"…" She was unable to say anything and hugged her back while hiding her face in embarrassment.
"Aww…" Kagami watched them with a sweet smile and seemed to be happy for the two.
"…"
"…" After Konata and Kuroi-sensei parted from their hug after a while, the mood between them became a little awkward. Neither of them had planned to be this emotional after all.
"Hey…" Kagami tried to get the conversation running again. "Sensei… You know that Kona and I are moving to Yokohama tomorrow, right?"
"Wow, tomorrow already?" She knew about their college plans, but not the actual date. "You two sure waste no time at all. Anyway, why are you asking, Kagami?" While she was at it, Kuroi-sensei decided to use her given name as well.
"Are you interested in visiting us once we're all settled in there? We would love to have you there, right, Kona?"
"Eh… Ah, sure, please come, sensei!"
"Are you two serious?"
"Of course!" Konata didn't hesitate for a second before answering. "We have so much place in our apartment that you even could stay a night as well!"
"Now you're just bragging, aren't you?"
"A little bit~." The mood between Konata and Kuroi-sensei quickly turned back to normal.
"Well, thanks for the invitation, you two. I'll gladly come to visit. Hmm… How does a day during golden week sound? All of us should have some free time then, right?" Kuroi-sensei decided to come over in the future.
"Yes, that should work. Let's exchange some emails before Golden Week and decide on a date."
"Let's do that. Well then…" Kuroi-sensei took a deep breath. "I think it's for you to head home… Konata, Kagami… it's been an honor. You were outstanding students, maybe not entirely in the traditional way, but in many others, and I'm going to miss you. I hope you'll be successful in college, and even more so in your private life. Also, have a lot of fun in the future and don't forget me too soon, okay?"
"Thank you, sensei. No, I'm never going to forget you…" Konata's eyes got puffy again. "Also, we'll still meet up in our games, right?"
"If the wife lets you, sure."
"Thank you, sensei." Kagami completely ignored her statement and simply exchanged some handshakes with Kuroi-sensei.
"Goodbye, Konata." She extended her hand towards her and Konata grabbed with both of hers.
"Goodbye, sensei." While looking at each other and shaking hands, both were trying to hold back that single tear that was forming in the corners of their misty eyes, but ultimately failed, and it silently ran down their cheeks. Neither of them said anything, though. Kagami's eyes were becoming red as well while she was watching the two. Because she wouldn't last much longer if the scene in from of her continues like that, not to mention the dignity of the two, it was time to leave.
After parting from Kuroi-sensei, the couple left their high school for the last time as students. Once they left the school grounds, both turned around to take a last look at the building before finally heading home with a melancholic, yet happy expression.
…..
Their graduation was over, but the day wasn't yet for the graduates. Minami, Yutaka, and Hiyori had invited them to a small graduation party they're hosting for them at Minami's place.
Konata and Kagami had arrived already, but Miyuki and Tsukasa were running late for some reason, even though Miyuki basically lives next door. Because of that, the girls decided to spend the time with chatting while waiting for them.
"Okay~, it's time for the template question." Hiyori seemed to be interested in something. "Konata-senpai, how many confessions had happened among the third years today? Using their last chance and all~."
"Hehe, as expected of Hiyorin. Let's see… I saw a few, but especially the underclassmen were really aggressive today.
"Ha, I knew it~. I have to make some investigations next week then. More importantly, what about you guys, Konata-senpai?"
"Ehh…?"
"Well… your classmates didn't know that you two are dating, right? Also, Miyuki-senpai surely should've been popular. I know at least two reasons for that… Tsukasa-senpai as well. She looks like someone who has a lot of secret fans if you ask me."
"Hmm… Our teacher knew about us, but other than that… I don't think so… But, nope, none of us were actually popular in the slightest." Konata said it as a matter of fact, but even after graduating, none of them ever noticed that no one simply dared to approach the tightly knit group around Konata, Kagami, Tsukasa, and Miyuki. Popularity never was the problem. That, and how everyone was at least a little scared of Kagami for various reasons.
"Aww, how boring…" Hiyori was disappointed for a moment. "Wait… What was that just now?! Your teacher knew about your relationship with Kagami-senpai?!"
"Yeah, she actually helped me getting together with Kagamin~ in the first place back then."
"Wow… I don't know your teacher, but I like her already."
"Yes, Kuroi-sensei was the best…"
The girls chatted for a good while longer and almost an hour had passed since Konata and Kagami arrived at Minami's place. Slowly but surely, the group was becoming a little worried that Miyuki and Tsukasa hadn't shown up yet.
Just when Kagami was about to call Miyuki with her phone because things were still awkward with her sister, the doorbell rang, and Minami quickly went to open the door.
"Ah, there you are…" Kagami put her phone away again and greeted them as Miyuki and Tsukasa entered the room.
"I'm very sorry, everyone…" Miyuki swiftly apologized. "We were busy with a little something and ended up being late, right, Tsukasa-san?"
"Yes~." She seemed to be really happy for some reason, but so was Miyuki, even though she had just apologized for being late to everyone. The two were smiling from ear to ear.
"Okay…"
"Yeah…" Konata and Kagami had noticed that something had obviously happened, but from how they were acting, it seemed to be too much of a pain to ask. Also, because of their looks, it was as clear as a day that it was something good, and much likely something they couldn't talk about with the others present in the first place.
Now that everyone was finally present, the first years officially started the graduation party they had planned for all of them.
"Congratulations on graduating, everyone~." The first years had lined up in front of the girls and gave everyone a bouquet of flowers they had prepared beforehand while congratulating them.
"Thank you…" Miyuki, Tsukasa, Kagami, and Konata were all touched by the lovely gesture of their underclassmen and were really happy about it. "We have such underclassmen."
"Ehehe~." Yutaka was happy about their reaction.
"Y-You're welcome…" Minami liked it as well.
"Seems like it was a success. Okay then, before we get to the food part, let's chat a little more~." Hiyori still hadn't enough from her earlier conversations. "So, what are everyone's plans for the future after high school now?"
"Ah~, Hiyorin will never change." Konata had expected just that from her. "Hmm… Let's see… Well, Kagamin~ and my plans are pretty well known already, aren't they? We're going to do our best in college in Yokohama without any distraction whatsoever~."
"No distractions, huh? Are you sure we should live together then, Kona?" Kagami didn't believe a single word from her.
"Ah… I think I mixed something up there… We're going to do our best living together in Yokohama while not getting distracted by college whatsoever~. No? Okay, maybe a little distraction from college."
"Well, at least you're honest now… Let's talk about the rest later, okay~?"
"As expected from the idiot power couple." Hiyori was very pleased with their answers.
"Oi!" A simultaneous retort was given to the word idiot from said couple.
"Am I wrong?"
"…" Konata and Kagami instantly turned silent again.
"What about you two? What are your plans, Miyuki-senpai and Tsukasa-senpai?"
"Me?" Miyuki pointed hat herself. "Okay, on the contrary to Kagami-san and Konata-san, I'm staying at home because my college is in Tokyo and thus not that far away. Because I'm studying medicine in the long run, I'll have to give my best in college. Other than that, the free time I won't be spending studying will surely be dedicated to Tsukasa-san because I still want to see her as often as possible."
"Okay… That's awesome…" Hiyori was impressed by her plans, but something was bothering her for some reason. "T-Tsukasa-senpai, what about you…?"
"Yes… Well, I'm also going to stay at home like Yuki-chan and going to attend a cooking school because I love to cook and especially bake. It's also super cool that the school is really close to Yuki-chan's place because I can easily visit her whenever she's free this way. I'm very happy about that. Also, because the lessons are only on three, occasionally four days a week, I'm thinking about getting a part-time job for a little extra money. I started looking for one, but haven't found anything yet… I want to do something creative with food, or much rather sweets… Maybe a bakery that focuses on sweets or…"
"Okay, wait a minute there…" Hiyori had to interrupt her because there was something really odd in her opinion.
"What is it, Hiyori-chan?" Tsukasa had no idea why she stopped her all of a sudden.
"Why… Erm, why is it so important that your cooking school is so close to Miyuki-senpai…? And Miyuki-senpai… why are you so dedicated to spending your free time with Tsukasa-senpai as often as possible and wanting to see her…?" Hiyori was utterly confused about the importance of each other for the two. "I mean, sure, I know you two are close friends and all, but…" Various scenarios in her head would explain it, but she knew that those couldn't be the reason.
"Ah, that's because Tsukasa-san and I are dating after all." With a casualness no one thought Miyuki would be able to, she dropped a gigantic bomb.
"…" The entire room fell silent. Not even Konata and Kagami could say a single word because, even though they knew about their relationship, neither of them could deal with the situation on the spot.
"Yuki-chan… You really were serious when you said no more wasting time, huh?"
"Of course! We did more than enough of that already. It's about time we're more open about our relationship to a healthier degree. "There was absolutely no hint of nervousness in her voice. Miyuki just looked happy and like the textbook example of confidence.
"Wow…" Konata and Kagami had the exact same reaction. Compared to Miyuki's stance of trying their best to hide their relationship before, this was too much of a change to merely gloss over it.
"Ha." Hiyori's left eye began to twitch. "Mh-hm…" Actually, it was almost the whole left side of her face. "Okay…" Her brain was still processing the situation. "W-What?! I-Is that really true…?"
"Of course~."
"I wouldn't lie about something like this, Hiyori-san."
"This can't be… Am I dead? Is this heaven? This is the heaven, right?" She couldn't believe her luck. "Wow… Okay, I have questions, lots of questions!" Even though she was beyond excited, Hiyori tried her best to stay somewhat calm. "First and foremost, how long are the two of you dating? Not long, right? I haven't noticed anything at all after all, not even the slightest hint.
"This depends a little on your definition of long, Hiyori-san. Tsukasa-san and I started dating during Golden Week last year. So, actually, our one-year anniversary is not that far away." Miyuki was incredibly open about it today.
"…" Hiyori didn't take this information well. "That's… Seriously?! Okay, it's official now… My yuri-radar needs to be turned in for repair. It's obviously not working as intended anymore… First, it failed to detect the idiot couple, and I wasn't able to notice until they literally rubbed it into my face and now that… Just how blind am I?"
"Oi!" Kagami's complaint fell on deaf ears.
"You shouldn't mind it too much, Hiyorin." Konata tried to console her. "Unlike Kagamin~ and I, the two tried their best to hide their relationship until now."
"Onee… Ehm, Miyuki… Tsukasa-senpai as well, I'm happy you two are finally able to be more open about it. I'm sure it's much easier now." Minami almost said something embarrassing, but she managed to earnestly congratulate them on the topic
"Hmm… Hmm?!" Hiyori changed her attention to Minami and glared daggers at her. "What's that supposed to mean? D-Don't tell me you knew about the two's relationship?! Why didn't you tell me?!"
"T-That's…" Minami was intimidated by her.
"Hiyori-san, Minami is my childhood friend. Actually, she's my oldest friend, so I was only confident enough to open up to her about it until now." Miyuki explained it to her.
"I see… Hmm… That's okay then, I guess…" Hiyori accepted the reason, but she still had mixed feelings about it.
"Ehm…" Yutaka wanted to say something as well, but wasn't exactly sure what. "I don't really get it, but I'm happy for you two as well…"
"Thank you." Miyuki understood her good intention.
"Hmm…" Hiyori still wasn't done yet. Her eyes between to wander between Minami and Yutaka "You two, by any chance, is there something, anything, you want to tell me?" She was interested in their relationship since the very beginning after all, and now, after the second confirmed couple without her realizing, she just had to ask.
"Eh…?" Minami and Yutaka only tilted her head in confusion, not knowing what Hiyori was trying to imply.
"Aww, come on! Yep, it's official… my yuri sensor is completely broken…" She gave up on it and changed the attention back to the new couple again. "Miyuki-senpai, Tsukasa-senpai…" Hiyori asked them many more questions, but she tried to keep it more or less tame because she wasn't that close with the two, compared to Kagami and Konata. "Okay, my last question, I think… How did you tell your parents about it and how did they react? I'm currently working on a little side project, and I planned something similar in that manga so I could use some inspirations~."
"Yep, that's my Hiyorin." Konata knew she had some ulterior motives with her questions. "They haven't told their parents…" She wanted to help the couple, but Miyuki unexpectedly stopped her.
"A-Actually…" For the first time today, she actually looked somewhat embarrassed and nervous. "You see, there was a good reason we were late today…"
"Y-You don't mean…" Konata's, Kagami's, and Hiyori's voices all magically overlapped.
"Yes." Tsukasa gave a short confirmation.
"Mainly for Tsukasa's sake, because she was suffering from hiding our relationship, not that I wasn't… I decided last week that we're going to tell our parents about us the moment we graduated, and that's what happened earlier…"
"Wow…"
"Tsukasa-san and I were super nervous, but luckily everything went well. Tsukasa-san's parents were super cool, and we had no trouble with them whatsoever. Well, it's not their first time getting confronted with something like that after all." Miyuki looked in the direction of Konata and Kagami while saying the last part.
"Unfortunately, we could only tell Yuki-chan's mother in person because her dad's still on a trip, but we told him over the phone afterward, and everything went well as well. Yuki-chan's mom was super surprised and also a bit confused because she hadn't noticed anything at all, but she had nothing against it."
"Mom loves Tsukasa as well after all."
"Especially my food~." Yukari, Miyuki's mother rarely was motivated to cook, so Tsukasa knew the reason for her popularity with her very well. "But she apparently noticed that Yuki-chan got happier whenever I'm there, so she was happy with me as well. She was okay with it and didn't care about the circumstances in the slightest."
"A-Although that last part was a little unnecessary…" Miyuki got a little more embarrassed. "That's how it is. In short, we received our parent's blessing without much trouble.
"I see… I see…" Hiyori was intently listening and was absorbing every single word. Nobody knew where it came from, but she was also busily taking notes on a notebook that had magically appeared out of nowhere.
"Okay, just wait a tiny minute there…" Kagami stopped Miyuki and Tsukasa with a confused expression. "Just what do you mean with how my parents were super cool with it, and you had no trouble with them?!" She couldn't believe those words after the stupid, and super unnecessary stunt her parents had pulled when she and Konata came out to them. "It wasn't the slightest bit of fun when Kona and I told them about us…"
"Ahaha…" Miyuki let out a forced laugh. "A-About that… They didn't do that this time…" She didn't specify what that meant, but Konata and Kagami knew she was talking about the test they had to go through to prove whether Kagami was serious with the relationship or not. "Your parents decided to not do that anymore because of what happened last time… Especially your father still seems to be suffering from a small emotional trauma…"
"Ehehe~." Kagami looked happy all of a sudden. It seemed like she still bears a tiny grudge after the events of her coming out. "Dad totally earned that~."
"Calm down, Kagamin~…" Konata wasn't sure how she should feel about that reaction. Other than feeling somewhat sorry for Tadao again, that is.
"Oho, that sounds like a fascinating story. This Hiyori here demands to hear the details. All the details!" Hiyori being Hiyori, she naturally was interested in it.
"No." Miyuki, Tsukasa, and Konata were all in perfect synch.
"I'm sorry, Hiyori. It's an old Hiiragi family tradition, and you need to be a part of it to hear about it. Well, it now looks like it's a retired tradition, but still." Kagami wanted to keep it a secret, for various reasons.
"Aww, too bad. Well, there's nothing I can do if I have to be a part of the Hiiragi family first~." It wasn't what Hiyori wanted to hear, but she was super happy with it anyway. "So, when's the wedding ceremony then, Kagami-senpai~?" Yes, she was having a very good time.
"Hmm… Shut up." Nobody, not even Konata or Hiyori said anything about the slight pause Kagami made before saying something.
Because the topic was getting a little stale for everyone, except maybe Hiyori, the others decided it was time for something new. The girls chatted about some ordinary, everyday kind of things for a while until the focus shifted to the first years this time. Or rather, soon to be second years and their plans for the future.
"Okay, now that I think about it, the four of us told you a lot of things… What about you guys? What are your plans for the next year, my dear soon to be second-year students~." Konata was a little interested in them.
"Oh, that's easy." Yutaka started. "I want to further improve my health. I think I got a little less sickly during the past year, but there's still a lot of room for improvement."
"I'll help you with that, Yutaka-chan." Minami suddenly became lively. "I hope we can do lots of fun things together as well this year. I'll improve your health for sure."
"Okay, thank you very much, Minami-chan."
"It's my pleasure." Minami and Yutaka happily smiled at each other.
"Hnng…" Hiyori bit her lip to hold herself back because their interaction was too much for her, but because she still needed to fix her broken yuri radar, she couldn't trust anything anymore.
"What about you, Hiyorin?" While Konata was having fun seeing her agonizing over them, she was still interested in her plan.
"Hmm… I'll continue to give my all for my mangas, especially my serialized one~." She was very proud of that. "Two chapters of it are already out, and it's way more popular than I ever could've dreamed. I also work together with Sojiro-sensei a lot, and we're having a ton of fun talking about various things together."
"…" Konata was having slight troubles hearing her father getting addressed as -sensei. She wasn't surprised that the two were getting along like a house on fire, though. The two were like-minded perverts with similar interests after all. Whether this was a good thing or not was a completely different topic.
Once everyone had shared their plans for the future, the girls chatted about random stuff again while having dinner together. The food was prepared beforehand by Minami, Yutaka, and Hiyori as a part of their graduation party for their upperclassman. After having finished eating, and while still chatting about this and that, Kagami had suddenly remembered an idea she and Konata had a while back in Yokohama.
"Ah, before I forget it again… Kona and I found a nice place for flower viewing in Yokohama and wanted to invite all of you for it. Are you interested in that? We also wanted to show you our new, finished home to everyone and would be happy if you could come."
"Ah, good idea, Kagamin~, I totally forgot about that already."
"I'm so in!" Hiyori instantly agreed to the idea. She absolutely wanted to see their new apartment, for various reasons, of course. The flower viewing was just a nice bonus for her.
"Of course, I really want to see your new home, Konata-oneechan." Yutaka liked the idea as well.
"Flower viewing in a different city sounds nice." Minami, not being overly interested in the couple's apartment was the first to appreciate the flower viewing.
"Yes, that sounds lovely." Miyuki had no preference in the matter.
"I… want to see onee-san's and Konata-san's finished apartment as well…" Tsukasa still was unable to talk with them normally, but her curiosity got the better of her.
"…" Konata absolutely hated how Tsukasa was addressing her, but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.
"That's great…" Kagami was happy that everyone agreed to the idea, but she, too, was sad about the situation with her sister. "What would be the best time for it, though? Even though Kona is still complaining here and there, it had gotten warm rather early this year, and I think the cherry blossom trees will already be in full bloom in around two to three weeks. I actually saw a few trees blooming here and there already.
"Yes, the flowers seem to be blooming early this year as well." Miyuki agreed with her evaluation.
"How about it, everyone? Are you all free on the weekend in two or three weeks, depending on how the weather is?" Kagami suggested a date, and none of them had a problem with it.
"You all also can sleep over if you want. We would need a few more futons, but we should have enough room for everyone. Think about it and tell us if you want to." Konata also had a detail to add.
The girls planned some more things around the flower viewing, and the graduation party, that ended up being more or a less an ordinary get-together their group always has, eventually came to an end afterward.
Yutaka and Hiyori stayed at Minami's place to help with the cleaning, and the other girls went home. That's how it was supposed to be at least, but Konata, Kagami, and Tsukasa all went to Miyuki's place after saying goodbye at their graduation party.
…..
Konata and Kagami held back all day, but they were dying to know what happened to Miyuki because of her sudden change. She did something rather surprising today after all.
The group went to Miyuki's room, and she started explaining what exactly happened.
"I'm certain you were surprised earlier. It wasn't very like me, was it?"
"Yeah, you could say that…" If anything, Kagami thought this was a considerable understatement.
"Yes… Okay, where should I begin…" She thought of a way to tell them. "You and Konata-san made it clear a while back that hiding our relationship to family and friends would end up with us being frustrated or maybe even hurt eventually. As expected, you two were absolutely right. It really wasn't a good experience, and I wanted to change. Especially because a certain, not further mentioned couple made us so jealous that Tsukasa-san and I couldn't bear it any longer." Miyuki didn't say any names, but the couple in question perfectly knew who she meant.
"Ahaha…" Konata and Kagami felt somewhat responsible.
"Tsukasa-san and I were fed up with the secrets and wanted to come out for a while already now… Last week, when we visited the two of you in Yokohama, it simply became too much to bear with. Tsukasa-san was openly jealous about you getting to live together, but I actually wasn't much different, to be honest. I was just able to hide it better, but I, too, thought that it was really unfair. I wanted our relationship, even just slightly, more like yours, Konata-san and Kagami-san. In Yokohama, after seeing how happy you two are, I decided to change. I decided to be more confident and coming out was the first step in that direction." Miyuki explained the reason for her change in detail.
"That's some impressive resolve." Kagami was proud of her. She and Konata knew that the two couldn't continue like that much longer.
"Good job, Miyuki." Konata gave her a thumb up.
"I'm not sure what the future holds for the two of us, but this change was necessary. It's all thanks to our model couple over there." Miyuki looked at Konata and Kagami again. "I realized that I wanted to be more openly intimate with Tsukasa-san because the status quo was way too frustrating and depressing. In short, it was finally time to advance our relationship, and I'm delighted with how it turned out." As to further prove her point, Miyuki leaned her body against Tsukasa's shoulder and tightly gripped her hand.
"Y-Yuki-chan…" The combination of Miyuki's story, her body contact, and how she was still overly conscious of Konata and Kagami made Tsukasa somewhat embarrassed. Still, even though she was blushing, Tsukasa didn't seem to be unhappy in the slightest.
"Ah~, to be young and in love~." Konata couldn't hold back with her teasing.
"Youth, huh~?" Kagami also had her share of fun.
"Yes, that's youth. So sweet~."
"Ko-Kona-cha… Ah! Ahem, Konata-san!" She was so embarrassed that Tsukasa almost forgot that she was still putting some distance between her and the couple.
"What was that? Please repeat it, Tsukasa." Konata was super happy that she had almost addressed her in the old way again because she was really suffering from the current treatment.
"…" Tsukasa suddenly turned completely silent.
"Okay… I'll wait a little longer for it…" Konata was disappointed and sad, but she had to bear with it.
"…" She looked at her with an apologetic gaze, but still couldn't say a word.
Because the mood had taken a sudden turn for the worse, and Konata and Kagami had heard everything they wanted to from Miyuki, the two decided to leave her home and headed back. The two are going to be extremely busy tomorrow anyway with their moving to Yokohama, so it was a good idea not to stay outside for too long in the first place.
With the day being over and having successfully graduated from high school, one chapter of their lives was over, and a new, surely much more exciting chapter was about to begin the day after.
…..
Last update took 3 months, this one about 2 weeks. Am I consistent or am I consistent?
I guess their graduation was a little anticlimactic, but I guess that fits the Lucky Star universe quite well. In the manga, it also just kind of happened, but wasn't overly addressed and changed absolutely nothing (Not that I'm very faithful to the source material anyway). I wanted to make the part with Kuroi-sensei a little emotional because she's an important person for Konata, but I'm not whether it just ended up being super cringy instead or not…
Also, poor Tsukasa for being traumatized (until she learns to love it, that is). But she also made some good progress with Miyuki, so it's not all bad. Aggressive Miyuki is rather awesome.
I'm not sure what I'm going to in the next chapter yet. I'll either let Konata and Kagami meet up with Mio and Naomi or do the here mentioned flower viewing with everyone. I'll decide that on a whim (like most of the other stuff already). I'll probably/maybe do some more centered around Miyuki and Tsukasa for their anniversary, but I'm not sure about that yet because I enjoy writing about Konata and Kagami much more…