Author's Note: Hey everyone! Sorry I took so long typing this out! I've actually been busy with a webcomic series I've recently started, so you can imagine how much time/work that requires! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and leave a review~
Disclaimer: I do not own Lucky Star or any of its characters.
Enjoy~
"Oh, there you are, dear!" Honoka chirped upon witnessing Minami enter the house. The mother failed to realize the thoughtful slump of her daughter's shoulders. Instead, she beamed that signature smile of hers—the same smile that could warm a person's insides and start child prodigy wars. "How was ballet today?" Minami could hear the tell-tale signs of guilt wavering the woman's tone but she chose to ignore it.
"It was fine. I…I think I might actually be getting better." The mint-haired girl's heart sunk a little, as if she was a swimmer whose leg was snagged by a shark and dragged down to the bed of the ocean. She absolutely hated lying to her mother but she could only imagine the woman's disappointment upon learning the truth. Besides, Hodoka seemed to be suffering from her own guilt—whether that guilt was recognized or not was the question.
Hodoka waltzed over to plant a kiss atop Minami's head. "I'm so proud of you, dear!" the woman said before making a dash for the kitchen. "How about I make your favorite tonight to celebrate?" Minami smiled—a tired smile but a genuine one, nonetheless.
"Un, that sounds great, Okaa-San."
Minami and her mother's relationship had transformed into a timid choreography. They tip-toed, leaped, and spun around the elephant in the room yet the warmth remained. It was an odd atmosphere to breathe in but, as the hours progressed, Minami adapted to it. She would struggle through 's horrid lessons and fake French accent—if only for now.
Leaving Hodoka to her cooking, Minami trudged up the steps, shut her room door, and tossed her bag onto the bed. It was not a moment later when her body became reunited with the cotton surface.
As she allowed her body to relax, Suds's offer floated to the front of her mind. She could clearly remember his goofy grin, sweat beading upon his forehead as he stared at her in awe.
"I told you…young grasshopper…you have serious…potential to be an…awesome hip hop dancer…"
Minami sighed.
She sluggishly reached out and hugged her pillow. When Suds had first appeared and said that she had the body of a hip-hop dancer, she thought the man was insane. The mint-haired girl rarely partook in watching television. However, when she did, she would catch glimpses of dancer shows—especially "So You Think You Can Dance". Dancers of all shapes and personalities and styles would saunter up onto the audition platform and pour their hearts out to the judges. The girl could never believe how majestic and beautiful their movements were; it almost made her feel unworthy.
So, for Suds to say that she—quiet, shy, and stoic Minami Iwasaki—had potential to become a hip-hop dancer, her doubt was completely reasonable. Dancers basked in the limelight and touched people's hearts. Dancers surged their emotions forth in the form of crafted, beautiful, thoughtful gestures. And, most importantly of all, dancers were confident.
Minami was not a confident girl—at all.
She sat up and held her hands out in front of her, palms facing upwards as she slowly flexed her fingers. According to Suds, these were the fingers of a hip hop dancer, attached to the arms of a hip hop dancer, which branched off the body of a hip hop dancer.
By no means could Minami say that she loved hip hop, however, she could admit something else with every single fiber of her being—dancing with Suds was the most fun she ever had. In comparison to jamming out to her favorite songs while in the comforts of an empty house, dancing in the studio felt like a field day designed specifically for her.
Minami's right hand slowly traced the curve of her arm, a thoughtful expression upon her face. "The body of a hip hop dancer, ne?" she whispered.
-XXX-
"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die…" Hiyori muttered as a dark cloud of gloom hung over her. The poor Otaku was shivering in her gym outfit, her knees buckling visibly as the beads of sweat upon her forehead gleamed in the fluorescent lights. So much fear and dread was rolling off of her that her nearby teammates attempted to console the girl by giving her awkward pats on the shoulder. However, no one could really blame the Anime lover for panicking, as she was known to be the easiest target in dodgeball.
Plus, female students turned into viscous animals once one bestows them with a red rubber ball.
Yutaka, who had taken a turn in patting Hiyori's arm, smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry, Hiyori-Chan. You never know, maybe today will be different?" As soon as those words left her, a wave of bloodlust settled over the Otaku and she gawked in terror at the predatory looks her opponents were directing at her. She could've sworn one girl cracked her knuckles before pointing at the Mangaka, openly claiming her as prey.
"Kyahhhhhh! It's hopeless!" Hiyori wailed before crouching into a protective ball. She turned into a jumble of incoherent muttering and quivering. Her trembling ceased though when a cool, gentle hand landed on the center of her back. She cracked her eyes open to see Minami, the mint-haired girl's face as flat as ever. A moment of silence passed between them before Minami gripped Hiyori by the elbow and guided her to stand.
"Don't worry," she muttered, "I'll protect you and Yutaka-Chan." Despite all of the fear traveling through Hiyori's system, she couldn't resist the surge of blood that rushed to her head when Minami scooched closer to Yutaka, taking up a protective stance in front of the tiny girl. In place of Hiyori's panic was a complex and adult love story between two female lovers—who looked suspiciously very much like Minami and Yutaka. Soon after, the Otaku spaced out, a string of drool hung from the corner of her mouth, and a content smile was slapped across her face.
Minami sweat dropped.
"Wow, Minami-Chan…" Yutaka said in awe. "I don't know how you did it but Hiyori-Chan looks completely better now! She's so happy!"
"Un," Minami uttered, as she had no other intelligent response to the common yet still quite unusual sight.
In short order, Hiyori didn't have to suffer through an entire game of dodgeball…
Because she was nailed in the head as soon as their teacher blew the whistle. She sat out the rest of the game. Amidst her shock and dizziness, she remembered Minami apologizing to her, the tall girl's face riddled with shame. Of course, not many other students would be able to notice Minami's regret but Hiyori was one of her close friends, and the Otaku became attuned to the stoic teen's facial expressions.
After reassuring everyone else that she'd be fine, the game was continued and Hiyori excused herself to the girls' locker room. Hiyori opened her locker and looked in the mirror attached to the door, inspecting the agitated shade of red on her forehead.
"Geez…they were extra brutal today," she mumbled.
Although it stung a bit, she knew from experience that the swelling would go down after a day or two. Besides, she was lucky her glasses were spared any damage. Sighing in exhaustion, Hiyori took a swig from her water bottle, tossed it back into her gym bag, and then turned to exit the locker room.
However, she stopped when something caught her attention.
It was Minami's locker, left wide open. Hiyori looked down to notice that the mint-haired girl's gym bag must have fell. Nothing much had spilled out though—just a towel and her uniform skirt.
"Can't have her stuff all over the floor," Hiyori said as she gathered Minami's things and placed them back in the bag. As she stuffed the towel into the bag, she grunted from the effort, as the bag was practically stuffed to its limits. 'Why does she have so much stuff in here?' Hiyori wondered. Against her better judgement, she quickly glanced inside and arched an eyebrow when she saw unfamiliar clothes.
Again, the Mangaka suffered another lapse in judgment; she retracted the suspicious objects. In her hands were a pair of black sweat pants, worn out sneakers, and a dark blue tank top.
"Eh? What's Minami-San doing with this?" Hiyori whispered. Suddenly, a round of voices started to fill the locker room, causing the glasses-wearing girl to nearly jump out of her skin. In the span of a second, she quickly shoved the clothes back in Minami's bag, tossed it into her locker, and slammed it closed. Just as her classmates started filing in, she was already at her own locker, attempting to appear innocent while whistling the tune of an Anime opening.
When Minami walked past the Otaku and opened her locker, Hiyori could've sworn the back of her shirt was soaked with sweat. However, Minami rummaged through her belongs like usual, not at all seeming to notice that someone had went through her bag. Hiyori secretly sighed in relief. She silently waited for the mint-haired to change back into her uniform. Once she exited the locker room, the Otaku immediately approached Yutaka.
"Hey, Yutaka-San, you've got a sec?"
Yutaka tilted her head curiously, "Sure, Hiyori-Chan. What's wrong?"
Hiyori fiddled with her hands as guilt brewed in her gut.
"Um…earlier, I saw that Minami-San's bag fell out of her locker. I-I went to pick her stuff up but then…um, I saw some sneakers, sweatpants, and a tank top in there. She's been taking ballet classes, right?"
Yutaka nodded. "Un, she started last week. But that's unusual. She's supposed to bring her tights to ballet lessons and…" her face pinched cutely in contemplation, "I thought she didn't have a lesson today?"
"O-oh…" Now Hiyori felt extremely uncomfortable. She didn't expect a mystery to suddenly bloom to life, she was just curious about the new outfit. Her guilt doubled as she waved her hands frantically. "Don't worry about it, Yutaka-San! I'm sure it's nothing!" Yutaka stared at her friend a moment before she smiled appreciatively at the Otaku.
"You're so nice, Hiyori-Chan. You didn't dampen my mood though, if that's what you're worried about." Hiyori scratched her cheek sheepishly.
"A-am I that readable? Geez…"
Yutaka merely giggled.
-XXX-
"Miss Miori, would you please read pages 57 through 65?" It was a tall, rather lanky and drab looking professor that had said this. He had pointed to a student sitting in front of Hiyori, who immediately complied and stood up before reading aloud. Unlike the rest of the class, Hiyori's eyes weren't glossed over with boredom. Her mind was raging with curiosity and questions, all of which were centered on Minami.
Although she didn't wish to meddle in the mint-haired girl's business, the outfit she had found in her bag was puzzling. Yutaka had confirmed that Minami only wore tights to her ballet lessons and that she didn't have a dance appointment today, so why the new dance outfit? Did Minami simply have a change in dress protocol? Did she change dance tutors? Or was it a minor mistake? 'Those kind of clothes look way too baggy for ballet though. I doubt her ballet teacher would let her wear that…but, then again, none of this is my business anyways,' the Otaku thought with a sigh. She adjusted her glasses; worrying about this miniscule discovery was giving the teen a headache—
"Remember to read the next three chapters for tomorrow!" the professor said, snapping Hiyori out of her thoughts. She glanced around in surprise as her classmates gathered their things and left for home.
Unbelievable, she was lost in thought the entire period!
Before she could berate herself for being so irresponsible, Yutaka appeared at her side, smiling and head tilted in that signature innocent fashion of hers. The tiny girl hummed curiously.
"Are you okay, Hiyori-Chan? You seem troubled." Hiyori sighed before gathering her bag and throwing the strap over her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Yutaka-San. I just need a morality check…" The Otaku's voice was dry and exhausted, which only confused the little red-head even more. However, she decided not to question her friend's behavior and began walking for the exit.
"Well, I hope your check went well. Are you ready? Minami-Chan should be waiting for us!" Yutaka's voice had brightened at the mention of Minami and Hiyori had to use all of her will power not to fantasize about her obvious affection for their stoic friend. Plugging up her nostrils in case of an oncoming nosebleed, Hiyori replied in a nasally voice.
"Ready"
Yutaka sweat dropped. This was a normal occurrence but she still gave pause to some of Hiyori's quirks. However, as always, she chose to ignore it and accept the girl's eccentric but refreshing personality. They entered the hallway, expecting to see Minami waiting for them as usual but were slightly surprised to see an extra individual.
Minami, who had yet to notice that Yutaka and Hiyori were approaching, was quietly conversing with a cherry-blonde student. Freckles dotted her pale cheeks and her long, elegant lashes rested over emerald eyes. However, her posture was far different from her beautiful looks. She had a seemingly permanent, lop-sided smirk on her face and it was infected with a large dose cockiness. In comparison to Minami's subdued muttering, her laughter was an almost obnoxious volume yet it was also strangely warm, and mischief twinkled in her eyes. She was leaning casually against the wall with her hands in her skirt pockets while the top two buttons of her shirt were undone, clearly disobeying dress code.
All-in-all, it was safe to say that Yutaka and Hiyori were floored to see Minami interacting comfortably with such a reckless-looking girl. Nonetheless, Yutaka's confusion was fleeting, so she instantly bounced back and waved cheerfully.
"Minami-Chan! We're here! You didn't wait long, did you?" Although the mint-haired girl's face was as blank as ever, there was an undeniable glow that settled over her when Yutaka approached. The suspicious blonde behind Minami snickered behind her hand while burning holes into the back of the tall girl's head. Luckily, Minami was more than capable of ignoring the new student's antics and greeted the red-head calmly.
"Hello, Yutaka-San. And no, I didn't wait long at all. Besides," she cut a glance at the cherry-blonde, "I had a friend keep me company. Yutaka-San, Hiyori-San, this is Karen-San. Karen-San, these are my friends."
Karen threw the girls a lazy salute, "Nice to meet ya! Your friend Mini here has been super helpful to me ever since I transferred here!"
Minami paled.
A long pause settled over the group.
Yutaka and Hiyori tilted their heads before the Otaku took the initiative of asking, "Um…who's Mini?" Karen smacked Minami in the back, her cocky grin never once wavering.
"She is! Cute pet name, huh? It's like saying she's a midget but I literally gotta tilt my head back to make eye contact with her! I bet you feel same way, ne, Yutaka-Sa—…uh…" Karen suddenly found herself frozen under Minami's warning glare. A bead of sweat trailed down her temple as she scratched the back of her neck. "Y-ya know what? Forget what I just said, heheh…" Karen heaved a sigh of relief when the animosity vanished from Minami's face. However, her triumph returned when a snort accidentally escaped Hiyori, who then slapped a hand over her mouth. Eyes wide with shock, the Otaku broke out in a sweat so heavy that Karen thought she could fill an entire pool by herself.
"G-g-gomen, Minami-San! I-it's not that funny! Really!" Of course, rather than getting angry, Minami deflated and a gloomy aura hung over her. That was the one thing the mint-haired girl dreaded; she knew she had to introduce Karen to her friends sooner or later but the cherry-blonde always craved embarrassing her. It was all friendly horseplay, Minami knew this, she really did, but sometimes her timid personality couldn't handle the spotlight Karen threw on her. But, then again, she also knew that Karen rarely got the chance to have fun, so she endured whatever amount of teasing she could.
Suddenly, a hum traveled from Yutaka, who was staring at Minami thoughtfully. With a smile, the tiny girl giggled while saying, "That's such a cute nickname, Minami-Chan! I like it!"
…
It was in this moment that a giant wave of gratitude towards Karen crashed over Minami.
"Ah…a-arigatou, Yutaka-San…" Minami mumbled, her face flushed a vibrant cherry red. She vaguely noticed Karen flashing two thumbs up in the background—the gesture went ignored. A red stain began to grow around Hiyori's nose plugs—this also went ignored.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, Minami continued, "I actually came to tell you that I won't be able to walk home with you today. I'm sorry, Yutaka-San, Hiyori-San." Disappointment broke through her aloof mask, as the mint-haired girl was genuinely upset about the change in routine. There was also an inkling of another emotion leaking through, but it was indistinguishable.
"Why, Minami-Chan? You have some extra errands to run? I could come with you, if you want," Yutaka offered hopefully. Minami's grip on her book bag strap tightened as guilt bubbled in her gut.
"N-no, it's fine, Yutaka-San. It's nothing important, really. I'll be fine. I'll walk with you tomorrow, okay?"
Kami, Minami hated lying to Yutaka! It was practically a sin!
Especially when a depressed expression would cross her adorable face; as in the one showing up right in that very moment.
"Okay then, if you're sure…" Yutaka mumbled. Taking a moment to regain a bit of optimism, she then smiled brightly at her best friend. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Minami-Chan! Bye, bye!"
Minami waved sadly as Yutaka and Hiyori walked off. The stoic girl could feel a glare piercing her back, which succeeded in sending a round of chills down her spine. She turned to Karen questioningly.
"Did I do something wrong for you to glare at me like that?"
Karen placed her hands on her hips and quirked an eyebrow. "The hell was that all about? She's obviously into you," Minami blushed, "but you went and turned her down! Spill the beans, Mini. What's up with you?" At times, Minami could only stare blankly at her new friend's forwardness, wondering how the American knew her so well in such a short amount of time.
They had only become friends a few days ago, yet they had instantly clicked. Karen's fiery personality was a sharp change from the "good girl" image she used around her parents but it meshed well with Minami's calm and collected attitude. Karen, the real Karen, was observant yet impulsive, generous yet a total tease, traditional yet open-minded—she was a walking, talking contradiction. However, above all, Minami could relate to Karen. Both girls suffered from their parents flaunting them at any change they could, suffocating them under the weight of their ridiculous expectations. In the parents' eyes, the girls weren't seen just as their daughters, but also as a pair of trophy cases.
It was frustrating, to say the least.
Thus, the girls bonded over this burden. Around each other, they understood the desire to escape the pressure and be whatever, whoever, they wanted to be. It was comforting, even therapeutic.
Minami stole glances at the surrounding students, as if she suddenly paranoid, before whispering to Karen, "Can we talk about this outside of school?" Karen's eyebrow shot up even higher.
"Uh…okay then…?"
She wordlessly followed Minami outside of the building, through the front courtyard, pass the gates, and out to the sidewalk. At first, the cherry blonde was confused because they seemed to be taking the usual route home. 'I don't get it, we're going the same way…Mini could've totally had her friends walk home with her!' However, her anger faded when Minami took a right down an unfamiliar street heading into town…the opposite direction of their neighborhood.
"Oi!" Karen piped up, "Where're we heading? Home was the other way—"
"Karen-San, can you keep a secret?" Minami suddenly said, a few steps ahead of the American student. Karen was silent for a second, her skepticism building, but she still nodded.
"Yeah, you can totally trust me! Are you finally gonna tell me what's up?" She watched as Minami's shoulders heaved with a sigh.
"Okay then…f-follow me, we're close," Minami said. Again, Karen silently followed, more than eager to find out what secret her friend was preparing to unveil. Nonchalantly crossing her arms behind her head, Karen hummed thoughtfully before taking a guess.
"Is it a dead body? Did you finally snap?"
Minami flinched. "W-what? No, of course not."
"A strip club? Is this an early birthday present? I didn't think you knew my birthday! So sweet, Mini!"
This time Minami sighed in exasperation. "No, Karen-San, not that either…"
Karen snapped her fingers in epiphany.
"I got it! You're actually part of the mafia, aren't you?! Hey, look, I got somebody who needs to "swim with the fishes", if you catch my drift—"
"We're here," Minami announced, more than happy to stop Karen's rambling. Karen stared at the building before them, confused and somewhat let down.
"So…." She drawled, "Your secret is a dance studio? Mini, I already know you take ballet lessons." She paused, her face scrunching up. "Wait, I thought you didn't have lessons today?" Minami's grip on her bag strap tightened again and the tip of her shoe fiddled with the cement.
"It's not exactly…ballet…"
Karen's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Oh? Then what? Tap dancing? Waltz? Salsa?"
Minami's voice dwindled down to a shaky whisper. "H-hip…hip hop dancing…"
…
A beat of silence…
…
Karen blinked. "No…fucking…way…"
Author's Note: Hahah, yes way, Karen! Had loads of fun writing Karen's part! Her personality totally resonates with me on a spiritual level, lol! X'D
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this update! I'll try to post up the next chapter when I can! Now then...
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