The month March was nearing its end and it was surprisingly warm already, perfect weather for a flower viewing. There was still a week left until college will start and about two weeks had passed since Konata and Kagami first met up with Mio and Naomi. During these weeks, the couple got reasonably used to Yokohama already and found many more interesting and useful places, mainly to their new friends who told them about them, thanks to being native to the city. The four also met up a few more times, and the girls got a little closer. Naomi was still really shy and reserved towards Kagami, but was really hitting it off with Konata, at least when it came to anime and cosplay, much to the displeasure of the two other girls. Especially their secret exchanges of recommended cosplay for their respective partners caused Kagami and Naomi to worry a lot, mainly about their own dignity, that is.
Today, being the day of the planned flower viewing, Miyuki, Tsukasa, Yutaka, Minami, and Hiyori came over to Yokohama to visit the couple. The girls arrived at the two's apartment and were warmly received. After exchanging some obligatory greeting, Yutaka, Minami, and especially Hiyori directly began the explore the apartment. Being the first time in Konata's and Kagami's new home, the three, even Minami, were extremely excited while roaming through the rooms. One could occasionally hear Hiyori squealing because she found many interesting things. Miyuki and Tsukasa stayed with Konata and Kagami behind in the hallway at the entrance because they knew the apartment already.
"So lively~." Konata looked after the girls with a smile.
"Hiyori sure is having fun…"
"Y-Yeah…" This was the first word that Tsukasa had exchanged with the couple today. Afterward, she walked away from the entrance because she seemed to be interested in the new decoration of the apartment.
"Haa…" Konata wasn't happy with her reaction, or the lack of one.
"Still no good, huh…?" Kagami also was sad.
"Ah, she's still too embarrassed to make up with the two of you." Miyuki seemed to be informed about the situation.
"E-Eh?! What do you mean by that, Miyuki?!"
"This is about the… v-video, isn't it?" She began to blush. "The one Kagami-san accidentally sent to Tsukasa-san, right?"
"Y-You know about that?!" Kagami was shocked.
"Y-Yes… The day it happened, Tsukasa was so out of it and not herself that I questioned her so long until she told, well… showed the reason.
"I-I see…" Kagami couldn't decide whether she should turn pale or red due to the embarrassment.
"You seem to be dealing with it better, though, Miyuki." While Konata saw that she was blushing quite hard while remembering the content of the video, Miyuki was nowhere near as shaken as Tsukasa. "Were you not… shocked by it?"
"No, it was interest- Ah!" Miyuki quickly placed her hands on her mouth because of the slip of her tongue. "I-I mean… it made me a little curious abou… NO! That's not what I wanted…" She only made it worse rather than better.
"C-Calm down, Miyuki…" Konata didn't want to tease her right now.
"Y-Yeah…" Kagami wasn't sure what to say either and so decided to change the topic instead. "A-Anyway, what did you mean by that Tsukasa's still too embarrassed to make up with us?"
"Auu…" Miyuki's face was radiating so much heat that the temperature in the whole apartment was rising. "A-Ahem… Tsukasa-san stopped being shaken by the video over two weeks ago already. It's just that whenever she thinks about making up with you, she becomes too embarrassed by how awkward she acted before that and it only gets worse as time passes more and more."
"So that's how it is…" Konata was a little relieved that Tsukasa wasn't avoiding her on purpose anymore. "Do you have any idea how we can solve her problem, Miyuki?"
"Hmm… We have to make her stop feeling embarrassed about it somehow… Okay, I'll do my best to help you tow and think about something. Tsukasa-san is also suffering, so the sooner you make up, the better."
"Thank you very much, Miyuki."
"Thank you." The couple was happy that she was willing to help them.
Once the three finished talking about Tsukasa, the girl in question suddenly came back and walked right up to the couple after inspecting the decorations of their home with a very unhappy expression.
"That's no good! That's no good at all, onee-ch… s-san, Kona-san!" Tsukasa was so bothered about the deco that she almost forgot how she was currently acting around the couple. "What were you thinking when you decorated your apartment? It almost looks like you simply placed the stuff wherever it fit without thinking about proper placement!"
"A-Ahaha…" Konata and Kagami only let out a stifled laugh because that's actually exactly what they did after all.
"There's absolutely no love for detail or even a system in the placement in the first place! It looks super bad!" She was almost unreasonably mad about it.
"We're sorry…" The couple apologized for being who they are, super easygoing and without a care for things like that.
"Arrgh! This makes we want to rearrange everything!" She was way more lively than usual lately around Kagami and Konata. It almost seemed like she was acting like that on purpose, trying to act and sounding less reserved around the couple.
"It's not… that bad, Tsukasa-san…" Miyuki apparently, too, didn't like it overly much, but she at least didn't want to sound so harsh. "Oh, look at that, Tsukasa-san, you can't say anything against that, can you?" She pointed at the drawer in the hallway, more specifically at the picture of Konata and Kagami comfortably napping under a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. "I think this looks really nice there."
"Ah, yeah… that one can stay…" Tsukasa calmed down after looking at the picture.
"It's already been two years since then, hasn't it?" Miyuki had a nostalgic expression while remembering the flower viewing. "So much has changed since then… By the way, now that I've seen the picture again, how were Tsukasa-san and I even be able to take that picture anyway? How to put it without sounding rude… Kagami-san, you weren't that… honest with yourself back then, weren't you? Ah, n-no, I mean, you weren't the biggest of getting intimate with Konata-san, right…?"
"That wasn't a good save, Miyuki…" Kagami wasn't impressed. "Well, it's not like I can't understand what you mean… The reason why I did that is actually kind of interesting… It happened completely subconsciously on my part, without me being able to resist whatsoever. I saw Kona peacefully sleeping there, and I simply had the overwhelming urge to do the same. I was really confused by my actions back then, not to mention the fluttery feeling I had in my stomach. I didn't notice back then, but the sight of Kona's adorable sleeping face under the tree was the moment where my heart fell in love with her. After that day, I wanted to see her more often and also wanted to get more intimate with Kona. It also became awkward more of between the two of us without ever noticing the cause of it. I, or rather we, only realized the reason for all those changes a good while later, after our brains finally caught up with our hearts…" While recalling all that, Kagami began to blush slightly, but Konata was even redder because she had to listen to all of it. "In short, you two, Miyuki and Tsukasa, managed to burn the very moment where Kona's and my romance set of forever on a picture."
"Kyaa…" Miyuki let out a rather uncharacteristic small, yet excited squeal. "T-That's such an adorable story…"
"Y-Yeah…" Even Tsukasa couldn't help it.
"I'm so happy we secretly took this picture now… I only noticed that's going on between the two of you later, so I never knew it began like that…" Miyuki had the feeling that Konata and Kagami were in love with each other long before it became official, but she didn't know it happened that early.
"Y-Yes, me too… The picture's really important to me…" Having said all that before and seeing Miyuki's reaction, Kagami became bashful.
"Ehehe~." After getting over her own embarrassment, Konata was enjoying the situation.
The four chatted for a while longer, but everyone eventually met up in the living room.
…..
"It's sooo great here!" Hiyori was a tiny bit excited. "As expected of Konata-senpai and Kagami-senpai, your new home is awesome." From her looks, it seemed like she loved their apartment for various reasons.
"Thanks…" The couple didn't want to motivate her even further.
"Yes, it's charming."
"Konata-oneechan, you really found a nice place." Minami and Yutaka also had a positive impression.
Afterward, the girls packed up the stuff needed for the flower viewing and left the apartment together. After a bit of walking, the group arrived at the park the park the couple had first found when the two were in Yokohama at Christmas. Luckily, there was still an empty place under a beautiful cherry blossom tree left on this lovely day for a flower viewing.
Everyone had their own task for their party, and everything was set up in a flash. Tsukasa went all out in her usual manner and prepared a ton of very delicious looking sweets of all kind together with the help of Miyuki. Konata, with a bit of assisting of Kagami, made some normal food and snacks, and also some extra sweets they got at grandma's store the day before when the two met up with Mio and Naomi again. Yutaka and Minami brought tea and various kinds of juices for everyone. Last, but not least, Hiyori took care of bringing a big blanket for everyone to sit on. On top of that, she also brought a box of interesting looking chocolate.
"Wah~, it's such a nice park! Don't you think so, too, Minami-chan?"
"Indeed. Such a beautiful speck of green in the middle of a big city really has a nice feeling, Yutaka-chan."
Everyone had a great time while eating delicious food, tasty snacks, and drink, juice, of course. The girls had a somewhat tranquil, but still fun flower viewing party until now, and the only thing that occasionally interrupted their snacking time ware the flower petals from the cherry blossom tree above them that landed on the girls and their food every now and then, but no one was actually bothered by it. Instead, it only added more to the atmosphere. Everything was peaceful until Tsukasa decided to try some of the sweets Konata and Kagami had brought to the party. The ones they got at the sweets store of Mio's grandmother. Tsukasa took a bit, and things instantly became noisy.
"Onee-chan-san!" She couldn't decide on the honorific to use.
"Y-Yes…?
"W-What are those sweets?!" She looked unbelievable serious.
"Eh…? You don't like them?"
"Nonono! They're super delicious!" Tsukasa was extremely excited about the sweets. "They're easily the most delicious Japanese sweets I ever had!"
"Ah, so that's how it is. Yeah, they really are delicious."
"Where are they from onee-chan-san?!" Here honorifics were still all over the place. "I need to know where you got those from! No, I demand to know!" Sweets meant serious business for Tsukasa after all, and her eyes looked scary.
"C-Calm down a bit first, okay, sis?"
"No!" That apparently wasn't an acceptable option for her.
"Fine…" Kagami gave up, even earlier than usual because she was secretly a little happy seeing Tsukasa so energetic in front of her again. "Kona and I got those from a little store near our apartment. The owner grandma is super nice and makes all those sweets by hand."
"How far is it from here? We need to go there. NOW!" Tsukasa had no time to waste.
"Well… We almost passed the store on the way here, but it doesn't matter anyway. Because the grandma isn't the youngest anymore and is alone in the store, she occasionally closes the store for a day or two to rest and prepare. She'll open up the store the day after tomorrow again."
"N-No way…" Tsukasa wasn't merely disappointed, she was devastated. "T-That can't be…"
"Sorry about that…"
"Okay, I'll come again as soon as possible and visit the store next time!" Determination replaced her despair as she clenched her fist.
"Sure, you're welcome here anytime, sis. The owner grandma will also be happy about having another young girl that likes her sweets."
"…" Konata stayed out of the conversation and was simply over the moon that Tsukasa was opening up more and more again because there was no reservedness left in the chat with her sister. Because of that, she had opted to say nothing to not accidentally make the mood awkward again. Konata was a sensible girl that was able to read the situation after all.
"Yes! I need to get to know the maker of those sweets!"
…
Once the topic of the miracle sweets was over, Tsukasa calmed down again, and the girls continued to enjoy the flower viewing. Some time passed, and Konata seemed to be pretty busy with her phone for some reason. Because it was such an unusual sight, she used to never even carry her phone and even forgot about its existence from time to time, the girls' attention soon focused on her and the subject.
"Oh, Konata-san, have you gotten rid of your bad habit of not carrying your phone? You're using it a lot today." Even Miyuki was surprised.
"Don't tell me you got a secret second girlfriend, Konata-senpai?!" Hiyori's reaction was much more drastic. "Y-You can't do that, senpai! Texting with her right in front of Kagami-senpai is no… I'M SORRY, KAGAMI-SENPAI!" She was having fun for a second, but then noticed Kagami's glare and immediately got on her knees while apologizing furiously.
"It's just a new friend I made here in Yokohama, Hiyorin." Konata ignored the part where everyone was so shocked by her carrying a phone, or how her girlfriend had almost killed someone just now.
"Ah, so no sudden rise in popularity after moving to a new city?"
"None that I know of. Not that I would be overly interested…" While giving a halfhearted response, she focused on her phone again.
"Haa…" Kagami let out a sigh, but not because of Hiyori. She knew who Konata was exchanging emails with, and that was causing her a significant amount of stress. Ever since their meet up, Konata and Naomi occasionally exchanged some cosplay ideas for their respective friends. Because of that, Kagami already had to dress up as some interesting characters during the past two weeks. By the way, Mio was sharing the exact same sentiment as her.
"A new friend, huh? What are they like?" Even though it wasn't a new lover, Hiyori was still interested.
"We met two girls, actually." Kagami took over the conversation because Konata couldn't be bothered. "They're quite an interesting duo. The two are the complete opposite of each other, both in look and personality, but they're still super close. Just imagine an outgoing and tall, Japanese beauty and the other one is a small and super shy foreign-looking half girl."
"Wow, that's really quite something."
"What's more, even though the two are like that, super close actually is an understatement. They're actually even more inseparable than Kona and I are."
"W-What…?" Because it was so unbelievable, Hiyori had first thought she misheard them. "What did you just say…? Like that would even be possible… Wait, don't tell me those girls are also a couple?!"
"Nah, they're childhood friends since birth." Konata explained that part herself and Hiyori's complete excitement deflated in an instant.
"Ah… I see… It's only natural that they're inseparable then…" She was super disappointed. "There's no way the two are a couple then…"
"Ehh…?" Kagami looked confused. "Is it really a rule that childhood friends can't be together as a couple? Konata said the exact same a while back…"
"Yeah…" Konata and Hiyori answered together. Both seemed to be remembering some painful memories that happened in the past, in anime, of course.
"I won't give up, though!" Kagami still really wanted Mio and Naomi to be a couple.
"Yep, neither will we…" The two had different reasons, mainly wanting their favorite ships in anime win for once.
"That'sh shooo unfair!" Tsukasa suddenly interrupted the girls' conversation. "Onee-shan aand Kona-shaan will compleeetely forgetsh me now after having maade new friendsh!" Even though there seemed to be something wrong with how she was speaking, she looked really sad and seemed about to cry as small tears formed in the corners of her eyes.
"W-What…?" The couple was utterly dumbfounded because they had no idea what was going on. The two did notice that there was something wrong with Tsukasa, but the girl simply kept going.
"It'sh already suuuper unfair how little I shaw onee-shan and Kona-shaan lately… It'sh been weeeksh shince the laast time~!" Tsukasa kept rambling in barely understandable words. "It'sh going to take even moree time between we shee each other now, ishn't it? You two are gooing to be even more bushy with your friendsh now, riight? Onee-shan and Kona-shaan will definini… definitely forgeet about me really shoon! That'sh… That'sh…" She wanted to keep going, but Konata stopped, very forceful.
"That's never ever going to happen, Tsukasa!" After loudly denying her claim, she jumped at Tsukasa and tackled her down in a crash hug on the blanket. "I'll absolutely never forget you! Ever!"
"Absolutely!" Kagami immediately jumped after her because she was feeling exactly the same as Konata. "There will always a place for you, sis!" Still ignoring that something was up with Tsukasa, the couple was happy for somehow finally having made with Tsukasa.
"Uhm…" Hiyori interrupted their sweet sisterly bonding after a while. "T-Tsukasa-senpai… by any chance, have you eaten any of the chocolate I brought with me…?"
"Yesh~, Yuki-shan gave me shome~."
"H-How many pieces…?" Sweat began to form on her forehead because she seemed to know what was going on with Tsukasa.
"Thish much~!" Tsukasa held up all her fingers on both hands with a big smile.
"I-I see… Okay…" Hiyori was already panicking and nervously looked at Miyuki, but she only gently smiled back at her while slightly tilting her head, making Hiyori even more nervous. "H-How many pieces of chocolate have you eaten, Miyuki-senpai?"
"Me? I haven't eaten any of the chocolate, you know? It was obvious that it had alcohol in it after all." She stayed calm and also seemed completely sober.
"E-Eh?! Why…?" Hiyori was too confused by her answer and couldn't understand anything anymore.
"Ahh…" The couple finally understood what was going on with Tsukasa and the two also looked at Miyuki in return.
"Why did you give the chocolate to Tsukasa then, if you knew it had alcohol in it…?" Kagami also seemed confused by her actions.
"Hmm…" Miyuki looked at Konata and Kagami, who were still hugging Tsukasa and smiled even more while giving them a small wink. "I wonder~."
"W-Wow…" The couple understood the reason after her little gesture and were surprised. Miyuki said she would help them make up with Tsukasa, but they never expected something quite like this from her.
"Uhm… Miyuki-senpai…?" Hiyori recovered a little and was directly concerned about something else she noticed. "If you hadn't any of the chocolate, why is the package completely empty already?" She was pointing at the empty boy.
"Ah, that's because it was almost empty after I got it from Yutaka-san and Minami… O-Oh…" She just realized the meaning of what she just said. After hearing her words, everyone slowly turned to look at the two girls with a terrible feeling, but what they saw wasn't in the range of their expectations. Yutaka and Minami were entirely in their own little world and didn't care about the others at all.
"Here, shay Ahh, Minami-shan~." Yutaka held up some food and placed it into Minami's mouth.
"Ahhn~… You, too, Yutaka-shan~." After being fed by her, Minami promptly made the same gesture.
"Oh~, it'sh delishious!"
"Absholutely~! Here, have shome of thish, Yutakaa-shaan~."
"Ahh~… Oh, that'sh even better!"
"…" Konata, Kagami, and Miyuki were all unable to say anything, and only stared at the two with a blank look. Hiyori was also silent, but that was merely because she was too busy treating her nose that was losing blood at a concerning rate.
Yutaka and Minami continued to feed each other without a care for their surroundings while also being super touchy-feely and were overall having a great time. Thanks to that, Hiyori became quite excited for a moment, but that feeling was soon replaced by fear. She noticed that Kagami was once more glaring at her and immediately shrunk down.
"Hiyori~, just what had you planned with that chocolate?" She was smiling, but her eyes looked scary.
"I-I actually had no ulterior motives this time! My father buys the chocolate occasionally, and they're actually super tasty! I just wanted everyone to try some! Nothing could possibly happen if one only eats two or maybe three pieces of it. Those events were just a lucky incident! I'm not lying and say I'm happy with how it turned out, but it really wasn't my plan!" Her honest feelings were leaking out, but she seemed sincere about it being an accident.
"Is that so…?" Kagami still was a little suspicious and wanted to scold her regardless, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She looked at her sister who was currently getting pampered by Miyuki and was unable to be mad at Hiyori. It was wrong what she did, but it was also the reason why the couple was able to become close with Tsukasa again. In the end, she decided to let her go this time, and the girls passed the following time with some chatting, at least those who were still able to hold a conversation that made sense.
…
Even more time passed, and Kagami was suddenly getting some emails on her phone as well. She read the contents of them before looking at Konata.
"What's wrong, Kagamin~?" Konata didn't understand why she was looking at her.
"Mio-san just mailed me that she wanted to warn me because she's worried about something…"
"Okay… W-What does that have to do with me, though…?" She feigned innocence, but still looked a little nervous.
"You really don't know? Because she also wrote about how Naomi-san's exchanging emails with you all day already."
"Well, yeah… I am… Why would make that Mio-san worry, though?" She continued to feign innocence.
"Oh? Then what about the part where Naomi-san occasionally looked at Mio-san while grinning like an idiot after getting a message from you? Or how she energetically and all bubbly wrote you an answer afterward?"
"Ah, that… Ahaha… No, you shouldn't worry about that, Kagamin~. The two of us have absolutely nothing planned at all. It's totally fine~."
"K-Kona?!" This reaction obviously made her worry all the more. "J-Just what are you two up to?!"
"Like I said, nothing at all~."
"That's not good…" Kagami knew that she wouldn't get Konata to talk and gave up. Because she knew that something obviously was up, she took her phone and quickly messaged Mio back. She hurriedly wrote that her worries were right and that the two were definitely planning something. Something that will definitely put them in danger soon. Both actually had a slight hunch of what they're planning, but the two decided to better not think about it.
….
The flower viewing party began to die down after a while because the girls were rather tired. Tsukasa was napping against Miyuki's shoulder, who seemed to be quite happy about this. Yutaka was curled up like a cat and was using Minami's lap as a pillow. Minami herself was also asleep while leaning against the big cherry blossom tree behind her. Thanks to that, Hiyori was so satisfied that she couldn't bear much more and approved the idea of going home. Konata and Kagami were also happy because of how things went with Tsukasa today. Not to mention how Kagami was too busy worrying about Konata's and Naomi's mysterious plan to focus on the flower viewing.
After waking up the sleeping girls, everyone packed up their belongings, cleaned up a little, and went back to Konata's and Kagami's apartment.
Everyone went to the living room and crashed down on the sofa together. Seven people were more than just a little cramped, but the girls were close enough not to mind it, and it worked out somehow. The three drunk girls, Tsukasa, Yutaka, and Minami were still tired and were about to fall asleep again. Because of that, they decided to talk about the bathing situation quickly before they completely drifted into the land of dreams again.
"Soo… Because going alone would take up way too much time… Our bath is slightly on the bigger side and can easily fit two people without any problems." Konata was speaking from experience here after all. "Three might be a tight fit, but it should work out, too. Well then, Kagamin~ and I are an obvious duo. Miyuki and Tsukasa are also a fixed set. Let's see… yeah, that works. Hiyorin~, you're going together with Yu-chan and Minami. The two are still tipsy, and they really shouldn't go alone. Because that's entirely your fault, you're going to take care of them."
"Sounds like a plan, Kona." Kagami agreed with her. "Okay, you three can go first." She pointed and Hiyori and the half-asleep Yutaka and Minami.
Once they disappeared into the bathroom, the remaining girls decided to chat some more because it's probably going to take a while before the three are done with their bath. Well, Konata and Kagami were talking with Miyuki at least. Tsukasa used the newly gained space on the sofa, curled herself up, and fell asleep next to Miyuki.
"Ah~, it's so great that things are okay with Tsukasa again!" Konata looked with a happy smile at the sleeping girl. "Thank you very much, Miyuki."
"Yeah, thank you very much, Miyuki." Kagami was also happy for her help on the matter.
"Hehe, you're welcome." She was glad to be of use.
"Still, don't you think it was a little extreme what you did, Miyuki?" While being happy about the result, she was still concerned about it.
"You might be right, Kagami-san. Actually, I just saw the chocolate and thought Why not?, and used the chance…"
"I-I see… I never knew you could be this easygoing, Miyuki." Kagami was surprised by the answer.
"Well, there was also another, slightly more selfish reason… I kind of wanted to see how Tsukasa-san acts when she's drunk…"
"…" The couple went silent. This wasn't something the two thought they would ever hear from Miyuki, not to mention how she didn't even hesitate before confessing it.
"K-Kagamin~!" Konata was panicking. "I-I think we had a bit too much of a bad influence on our serious and upstanding Miyuki…"
"Y-Yeah… You might be right there, Kona… We're sorry about that, Miyuki…" Kagami, too, was feeling responsible.
"Ehehe~." Miyuki only let out a chuckle. "I wouldn't call it a bad influence, you know? I'm really enjoying my current life to the fullest. I'm having great friends, I'm about to enter college in order to learn my dream job, and I have to cutest lover there is." Miyuki gently patted the head of the sleeping Tsukasa next to her during the last part, who then let out some cute sounds in return in her sleep. "I couldn't be happier right now if you ask me. It doesn't sound like someone's having a bad influence on me, does it?"
"If you put it that way… You really have changed in the past two years, though, Miyuki." Kagami was surprised by the new her. "You've become much more approachable and sociable, especially compared to how you were like during our first year in high school when the two of us were in the same class. Not that I'm one to talk… Anyway… There was nothing else except studying on your mind back then."
"You've also become much less ditzy…" Konata had something to add, too. "I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not, though… It's a huge loss for your moe-factor for sure, Miyuki."
"Ahaha…" She let out a short, embarrassed laugh.
"Mhmm… Mhmmn…" Tsukasa suddenly began to stir and mumbled something in her sleep. "That'sh… not true at all…Yuuki-shan's still… shuper clumbsy… Just yeshterday… she ran into the glassh door of her own living room… mhmmn…"
"Heh~." The couple looked at Miyuki with a big grin as her entire face turned red.
"Some things never change after all~." Konata was happy that Miyuki's moe-factor was still going strong.
"T-Tsukasa-san!" She wanted to scold her and tried to glare at the girl, but Miyuki only looked adorable as she puffed up her cheeks. Also, it was completely impossible for Miyuki being mad at her. Tsukasa made another little stir and nuzzled her head against Miyuki's side while she continued to sleep soundly. "Haa…" She had no choice than to give up with a sigh.
"Don't mind…" The couple fully understood why couldn't be mad at Tsukasa right now. The three continued to watch over the sleeping girl for a while until Hiyori, Yutaka, and Minami finally came out of the bath again.
Yutaka and Minami seemed to be somewhat fit again and directly went to the kitchen together, probably to get something to drink. Hiyori, on the other hand, looked terribly exhausted now. Her skin also looked paler than usual, and she had some tissues stuffed into her nostrils for some reason. She entered the living room and joined the two couples on the sofa.
"Good work, Hiyorin~." Konata had a vague idea what happened in the bath.
"Y-Yeah…"
"Well then, have fun, Miyuki, and Tsukasa. Ah, but not too much fun, okay?" Konata was having fun.
"Hmm…" Miyuki had a complicated expression as she looked at her still comfortably sleep partner next to her. "Okay, let me try this…" She got up and simply picked Tsukasa up like it was nothing. While giving her a princess carry, Miyuki steadily advanced towards the bathroom.
"Wow, she's stronger than I thought." Kagami was the only one with a normal reaction.
"*clap*clap*clap*" Konata and Hiyori stood up from the sofa and applauded the prince who was carrying her princess away.
"Kagamin~, I want the same next time!"
"My friends are the best…" The white tissues in Hiyori's nostrils began to slowly turn red again.
Miyuki seemed to be really confident while she was carrying Tsukasa, but the other girls could easily see from behind how embarrassed she was because even her ears were red. Once the two were gone, strength left Hiyori's body again, and she slumped down on the sofa once more.
"And, how was it in the bath together with Yu-chan and Minami~?" Konata saw how exhausted she was, but that only added to her amusement.
"Very stimulating… in various ways…" There was a look of defeat in her eyes.
"V-Various ways…?" Konata had no idea how to interpret those words.
"W-Well… You saw how Yutaka and Minami were such clingy drunks earlier, right…? Let's just say I couldn't just spectate and I got literally caught in the middle of the two in the bath… I made barely sure that the chastity of everyone stayed safe, including mine… Okay, mostly safe… depending on how you look at it… No comments, though… Anyway… I think I have enough… reference material for my manga for the next… two years." Even though she was tired and almost lost something very important, Hiyori still looked satisfied, but Konata really didn't dare to ask which part exactly made her satisfied.
"I see… thanks for keeping them in check, I guess…?" She gave a shallow response, but before things got too awkward, Minami and Yutaka arrived in the living room.
"We're back~."
"We got some drinks for everyone." The two were strangely refreshed looking for some reason.
"Thanks." Everyone gladly accepted the refreshments.
"Yu-chan, how was the bath for you?" Konata needed to know the other side of the coin now.
"It was fun." The main culprit only gave a short and uninformative answer.
"Okay…" Konata had hoped for a more detailed answer. "What about you, Minami…?"
"Well… What happened to me anyway…? Ever since the flower viewing… I felt kind of weird somehow couldn't restrain myself about what I was doing anymore…" Minami was the most confused of everyone about the events.
"Ah, you two were drunk, like, totally wasted. Well, not that much, but…"
"E-Eh…?" Yutaka and Minami had the same reaction.
"Yeah, remember the box of chocolate the two of you ate almost entirely? As it turned out, they were filled with alcohol."
"Okay… this explains a lot…" Minami finally understood why she was acting like that.
"I'm very sorry!" Hiyori once more, it wasn't the first time today, got on her knees and apologized to them. "I didn't think you two would eat so many of them! This outcome really wasn't my intention!"
"Don't worry, it's okay. Nothing bad happened after all." The two weren't mad at her.
"How are you feeling now?" Kagami was concerned about their health after getting drunk on accident.
"I'm strangely fine for some reason…" Minami wasn't affected by the alcohol anymore.
"I'm still a little dizzy, but it's okay." Yutaka, being much smaller, hadn't fully recovered yet. "I think the relaxing bath really helped, though."
"*cough*cough*…" Hiyori suddenly began to choke on her drink when she heard the word relaxing.
"Are you okay, Hiyori-chan?"
"I-I'm fine… don't mind me…" For her, it was everything except relaxing.
"So unfair…" Kagami suddenly seemed jealous. "You should be happy it wasn't much alcohol you had... Kona and I hadn't recovered so fast the last time…"
"Hoh~, what's that about?" Hiyori made a miracle recovery in no time and seemed perfectly healthy again with a sparkle in her eyes because she smelled an exciting story.
"Well, long story short, Kona and I got super drunk on our anniversary last year…"
"Details! I need details!" Hiyori was looking forward to hearing more of the story.
"Hmmn…" Kagami wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to actually tell her or not. "Whatever… We had a fancy dinner in the hotel we were, and we mistakenly got a bottle of champagne… It was surprisingly tasty and… well, the bottle was empty before we even noticed. Walking, not just in a straight line, gets pretty hard if you're drunk, you know…? I think I spent more time on the floor than on my feet…"
"Yeah, Kagamin~ was like a newborn fawn~. She was super cute."
"Like you were any better, Kona. Anyway… Afterward, Kona and I hurt ourselves quite a bit…"
"H-Huh?! What happened?"
"Have you ever tried to enter one of those standalone hammocks for your garden, Hiyori?"
"Yeah, I needed like three tries to get in AND actually stay inside one, though…"
"Well, now try to imagine entering one when you're drunk to the point of being unable to walk…"
"Are you two stupid? You really are idiots after all, right?" Hiyori tried to be the voice of reason for a change.
"Yes. Very." The couple had nothing to say in their defense.
"Even though we crashed on the hard… very hard ground very often, it was great once we managed to get on, though. It was super comfy and cuddly with Kagamin~."
"That's true~." The two got lost in their own little world for a moment. "W-Whatever… Flash forward to the next day because the rest of the evening and night was… Ahem, we basically slept through half of the day because we were wasted… That's why, sobering up after just a bath is super unfair."
"You're the one who's being unfair, Kagami-senpai!" Hiyori suddenly became angry. "H-How could you hide such a great story from me for so long!"
"Your reaction is exactly the reason why…" Kagami let out a sigh at her much-expected reaction.
"That's not nice at all!"
"You have no idea just how much we haven't told you, Hiyori, and more importantly never will."
"You are so mean, Kagami-senpai~!"
"Tehe~. Back to the topic… It was fun, I have to admit that, but Kona and I promised each other not getting drunk again anytime soon, especially after the rebound we got hit with… You're not responsible for what happened, Minami and Yutaka, but you shouldn't repeat what happened either until you're old enough for drinking." Kagami, being the most responsible in the present group, had to scold the girls a little.
"Of course!" They had no problem with it.
…
Miyuki and Tsukasa finished their bath a little after and it was finally the time for Konata and Kagami. Fortunately, because neither of them was drunk, the two's bath didn't take much time and left the bathroom in no time at all again. With guests in their home, taking a bath together wasn't nearly as exciting as usual after all. After leaving, the two noticed that Miyuki and Tsukasa were in the kitchen to prepare a light dinner for everyone to pass the time. Konata and Kagami then joined them to talk about some things. The two also wanted to chat with Tsukasa about the latest events, namely Kagami royally messing up and then growing distant from each other. Tsukasa noticed the couple entering the kitchen and took the initiative on the topic, though.
"Kona-chan, onee-chan, I'm really sorry about how I was acting lately!"
"Aaah~…" The couple began to grin like idiots for a moment because they were so happy Tsukasa used their usual names again before Kagami snapped back to reality.
"C-Calm down, sis, you don't have to apologize. It's my and mine fault alone. You did absolutely nothing wrong!" She tried to stop her, but Tsukasa simply kept going.
"No, it's me who made things awkward between us… Because I couldn't figure out how to deal with the… v-video… I was unable to even look at you, onee-chan… Even worse, I treated Kona-chan the same even though she had absolutely nothing to do with it. Just because she's your girlfriend and…" She couldn't finish the sentence because she was too embarrassed. "I-I never was angry in the first place… It's just that I watched the video, and… and…" Her entire face was red. "Is that… Is that really something couples do…?" She looked at Konata and Kagami with watery eyes because she became even more embarrassed as she remembered the contents of the video. "J-Just imagining doing that with… WAHH!" She looked shy as she stole a quick glance of Miyuki, but there also was just a slight hint of excitement in her eyes.
"E-Ehm…" This wasn't an answer Kagami was going to answer. There was no way she would talk about advanced bedroom-techniques with her little sister. "A-Anyway… Sis, I'm terribly sorry about what happened. Your reaction was absolutely, and 100% justified. You had every right to act like you acted, even being mad at me would've been perfectly normal. You weren't at fault here, just me alone." She apologized once more.
"Kagamin's~ right, Tsukasa… I still can't believe just how stupid her idea was…"
"Yes, I'm very sorry for being such an idiot."
"Ahaha." Everyone began to laugh because it wasn't an everyday occurrence that Kagami had to apologize for doing something unreasonable and outright stupid, especially apologizing for the towards Konata of all people.
Once the girls stopped laughing, Konata and Kagami tightly hugged Tsukasa again. They missed it so much and were so happy that the awkwardness between them was finally over. Miyuki warmly watched over them with a smile. She, too, was glad that the girls were on good terms again. It was also hard for her seeing them like that until now.
Once the couple finished hugging Tsukasa and parted from her, Miyuki suddenly got closer to them and started whispering something.
"Kagami-san… About the video you accidentally sent to Tsukasa-san… Do you have some more videos like that…? If so… could you send them to me…?" Even though her cheeks were dyed in a deep red, Miyuki looked super excited and curious for more. It seemed like Kagami accidentally awakened something inside of her.
"Shut up, Ko… Ah, Miyuki… Shut up, Miyuki." Kagami almost misspoke. "Hah, I never thought I would say that to Miyuki…"
"Hey!" Konata obviously wasn't happy about her slip of the tongue.
"Sorry, force of habit…"
"Kagamin~ is such a bully~. Anyway…." She wasn't overly angry. "Reaffirming what we said earlier today, you really have changed a lot after all, Miyuki. Who would've thought you were actually a pervert~?"
"I-I am nothing like that!"
"Ah, just a little frustrated then, huh~?" She only wanted to make a joke.
"…" Miyuki went silent.
"Okay…" Her reaction, or rather the lack of a reaction was too much for Konata to deal with. "Well, I really like the new and improved Miyuki, though."
"T-Thank you…"
….
The girls finished preparing the dinner a little while later, and everyone ate together. Afterward, the group got comfortable on the slightly cramped sofa again while watching some movies and their usual chatting about this and that, simply having a good time together.
"By the way, where are we going to sleep today?"
"Hmm…" Kagami began to think after hearing Hiyori's question. "Let's see… While sitting on it with multiple people is one thing, sleeping on the sofa should be limited to two, I think. How are your opinions on that, Miyuki and Tsukasa?" She asked the two who already spent a night on it.
"Yes, I agree with Kagami-san. Okay, three people could also fit, but those three should be really comfortable with being close to each other because it probably would end up being a very intimate night…"
"Oho, intimate, huh~?" Konata had a cheeky grin. "How about it, Hiyorin? I mean after the bath earlier…"
"N-No… I'm fine with using the sleeping bag I brought with me…"
"Aww~… Okay, I guess Miyuki and Tsukasa are getting the sofa again then. Remember to keep it family friendly this time, though, okay?" Konata was having a great time.
"K-Konata-san!" Miyuki wasn't that happy about it.
"Ehehe~. Anyway, the threesome's left then… Ah, no, I mean the three younger girls…?" She was doing it on purpose by now. "I think the Japanese room would be the best place. The tatami there is super comfortable. Sleeping there should be really nice."
"Judging by how often Kona had fallen asleep under the kotatsu there already, I suppose she's right."
"And how often have you taken a nap there already, Kagamin~?"
"N-No comment…"
"That doesn't sound so bad." Hiyori was okay with the idea. "What about you, Minami and Yutaka?"
"Yes, I'm fine with that."
"Me, too."
"Anyway, back to the topic, Konata-senpai~." Hiyori looked kind of angry after getting teased so much.
"What is it, Hiyorin?"
"Look forward to my next doujin~. I had some ideas I held back until now, but I somehow feel like using one of them now."
"Oh? Sure, polyamory is always exciting in 2D. Nice, go for it~." Konata wasn't going to back off anytime soon.
"No~, it's about a totally fictional couple that has absolutely no connection to real people. This couple recently moved together, and it's easily going to be my dirtiest doujin I ever made… by far." Her eyes looked scary.
"Sounds great, reserve me a copy~."
"Haa… I give up…" Hiyori finally understood that today wasn't her day when it comes to winning an argument with Konata.
Once the sleeping situation, and a little more than that was solved, the girls continued their idle chatting while watching movies.
Even though everyone, except Hiyori, got lively after having taken a bath, some of the girls became tired again as the evening progressed. Yutaka was the first who gave in to the sweet temptation of sleep because she wasn't used to staying up late in the first place. Naturally, Minami followed after her, and the two disappeared into the Japanese room to sleep. The others stayed awake a little longer, but followed after the two soon enough.
….
The next morning came, but the girls didn't care much about that because everyone decided to sleep in late that day.
Once everyone was awake, the group had a late breakfast together and took it easy for a few hours. The girls had a lot of fun, and everyone decided to revisit the couple soon. Especially Tsukasa will come over on a regular basis now. She missed Konata and Kagami way too much after all, and she had a lot of catching up to make up for the past awkwardness between them to do. Also, she really wanted to visit the rumored Japanese sweets store Kagami was talking about. Those sweets really left a big impression on her.
Once the group was gone, and the couple alone again, Konata and Kagami cleaned up their apartment after the storm and then relaxed for the rest of the day. The two were so relieved that Tsukasa loved them again that the two weren't able to stop smiling for a long time.
As the next week progressed, the couple was slowly becoming excited for a very different reason. Their college life was about to start and while the two were extremely nervous, Konata, and even more so Kagami, were really looking forward to this new chapter of their life.
.
The chapter took a little longer because I couldn't get motivated to do anything except nothing at all during this super-hot weather the last weeks… Consistently over 35 °C and often even going over 40 °C (about 3 billion °F for the American readers) when you're not used to it is absolutely no fun…
Wow, that's already the third flower viewing chapter in this story. I hope I'm not being too repetitive… Well, Hiyori almost had a surprise threesome, so I guess it was a little different this time.
Konata, Kagami, and Konata are good, too, again. Miyuki was best girl this chapter, for various reasons~. It's always the quiet girls with deep waters. Makes one wonder about Minami (not that I have anything planned, though).
Konata and Naomi are also getting closer, not that everyone is entirely happy about that… Then again, Kagami and Mio are just shy~.
Next chapter is about… That's a very good question, haven't thought about it much… Probably something college related… It will probably also take some time again. I want to make another illustration (for a future, not the next, chapter), and I want to completely rewrite some of the earliest chapters of this story. I recently skimmed through them because I was looking for something and couldn't bear it… I'm not saying the recent chapters are overly good (decent, though, I guess/hope), but the early ones are sooo bad…