Lucky Music: Moé Cafe

Chapter 4: Meetings of Fate

Summer mercilessly boiled the city of Tokyo, fighting with full force to delay the fall. Konata poked her exposed stomach, swirling her finger around her belly button. She knew she would have to wash her blanket later, it was wet with sweat. "Stupid air conditioner…" she muttered in annoyance. "But still…"

Little was accomplished today. All three girls scattered across their home, finding the best place to cool down. Patricia's head swarmed with possible methods to end her life, only death could release her from this inferno. Akira decided to wear as little as possible, stretching across the couch and falling asleep to ignore the world around her. At least it was quiet, something Konata needed for the day. "Kagami…"

She rolled over to the edge of the bed, opening her suitcase to find a package of photos. Flipping through the pile, she smiled when her goal was in her hand. "Sweet, sweet Kagami. What a booty," she said, bringing the picture closer. "That's…really big…I just want to squeeze it again!"

She rolled across her bed, hugging the photo of her beloved tsundere. Her head ached with turmoil all day, surprisingly making the heat less noticeable. The tour was planned to hit three cities, one of the being Kyoto where Kagami studied. If Konata were to meet her, would it be like breaking their promise? "She'll be so close! But…the Golden Pavillion. We're supposed to meet up there in a year."

She wanted to surprise her by suddenly showing up without warning but what if such a bold action would only anger Kagami? What if…

"Why are you here? You're breaking our promise!"

"But I wanted to see you."

"I want to see you too but didn't we make an agreement? Konata…this…this was just a really bad idea."

"Kagami isn't like that…" Konata told herself. "But…why can't I shake the feeling that might happen?" Rising from the bed, she stared at her computer. She might as well check her blogs for updates to calm her down. Sliding into the seat, she clicked the internet icon, waiting for her RSS Feed to pop up. "Wait…"

Closing the browser, she moved the cursor over to the webcam command. "Why don't I just talk to her? That's how things could have been better in Higurashi."

"Konata!!" Kagami loudly cheered, turning towards her computer at the sound of Konata's arrival. "Hello lover!" Konata waved. "Any naked Tsukasas for me today?"

"She's a bit busy studying…" Kagami answered. "Where were you last night? I was waiting all night!"

"Miss me so much? I thought Tsukasa was providing all the company you need," teased Konata. She knew what reaction she would get and Kagami's sudden blush flagged it. "Well…it's not like I wouldn't want to talk to you," Kagami nervously said. She span a strand of her pig tail along her finger, glancing over to the side. "I was worried when you didn't contact me."

"Sorry, we were working on our first album. We got the cover art, theme song and everything else finished. Business is going to boom!" Konata gave a thumbs up, winking at her girlfriend. "It's okay. So, how's your day over there? I saw on the news about the heat wave."

"Why are you grinning? I'm suffering but then again you enjoy seeing me in as little clothes as possible. What a man I have chosen!"

"S-shut up."

"Maybe you should match me huh? Take it off my honey!"

"No way! What if you were naked? Should I match you too and….wait, on second thought, you would enjoy that and be naked just for that purpose," Kagami replied.

"Oh, you know me so well! But actually, to be awkward I need to talk about something serious," Konata chuckled.

"Sure thing. What's up?"

"Well, we're going on our first tour to three cities. It's for new bands to be fleshed out and eliminated, that kinda thing."

"Congratulations. I know you'll do great Konata," Kagami kindly said. She could see the wheels were finally moving for Konata.

"Thanks but…" Konata paused, wanting to rethink how she would say this. "Kagami, one of the cities we're touring is Kyoto and…although we promised to meet at the Golden Pavillion, I…really want to see you there but I wanted-"

"Are you serious?" Her expression looked as it could fall into anger or rise into happiness. It was impossible to tell how she would react, even for Konata.

"Kagami…I'm just saying how I feel."

"Of course I want to see you!" Kagami said, louder with how obvious it should have been. Konata fell silent, staring at Kagami in shock. "W-well…wouldn't it be great?"

"Of course it would!" Konata cheered. "So, you really don't have a problem with this?"

"No! I'll buy tickets and Tsukasa and I can cheer you on as you play. Would it be possible to meet…back stage or somewhere else afterwards?"

"The manager's assistant is coming over today so we'll see but this is great! To be honest, I was a little worried you might be upset if I surprised you out of the blue and…it doesn't matter. I can't wait to see you and grab whatever I can! Wear a skirt please."

"Don't order me what to wear."

"If you flash me I'll sing and dance better."

"No! Just enjoy my presence!"

"I will. Thanks Kagamin."

"There's no need to thank me. I…miss you after all."

Konata couldn't stop smiling, the issue was settled and Kagami was more than enthusiastic to see her. Another reason to succeed was added to the otaku's list. The two decided to put the Kyoto meet aside for now, they both knew they barely had an opportune chance to simply talk about their days. Konata still had little idea what classes Kagami was taking and Kagami was never told about Akira's incident at school. Tsukasa would occasionally ask Kagami for help, extending the time the two spent on the webcam by hours. "Sorry about that, Tsukasa has been having a little trouble with her studies," Kagami explained as she returned to her seat.

"It's natural for someone with a big sister like you. I always wondered if-"

"Konata! The assistant is here!" Patricia shouted out.

"Oh! Looks like time's up," Konata said. "I'll be there in a second Patty!"

"I'll see you later then, Konata. It was nice to talk to you for so long," Kagami softly said. "I really missed being with you."

"Me too. I'll see you in Kyoto, my Kagamin." With that, she shut off the webcam atop her laptop and stepped into the living room where a brown hair man awaited her. Konata stopped in her steps, recognizing him immediately. "Well, long time no see."

"The assistant's here?" Akira asked, coming out of her room fully clothed.

"Hey," he friendly greeted, unable to finish his wave the second he saw the pink haired girl. For only a second, Akira lost her breath. What was he doing here? "Minoru? You're the manager's assistant?" she nervously asked.

"Akira-sama...yeah, it's my part time job while I'm working on a new show," he said, coughing a little in his ex-partner's presence. "You…you look like you're doing well. Hope we can work together."

Bowing down before her, he prayed for a verbally abuse-free tour. Watching him rise back, she sucked her teeth and tapped her feet in aggravation. She wasn't really interested in seeing anyone related to Lucky Channel ever again. The two ended on a bad enough note. "Well…I'm glad to see you're doing okay for yourself," she nearly growled. He truly was a nice, even charismatic person. He was just unfortunate to be involved in the same business as her. "You better do a good job of taking care of us."

"I'll do my best, Akira-sama."

"Just call me Akira," she said, smiling with her greatest effort. "I'll try not to hurt you."

"You can sit in the living room, I'll bring some tea," Patricia invited, stepping into the kitchen. Though he was glad to take the offer, he waited for Akira to take her seat first. Watching her sit at the couch, he took the chair across from her. "So…um…you'll be traveling by train with several other bands," he started, handing each of them their own ticket. "It should take a little over five hours to reach Kyoto which is the first stop."

Konata leaned forward, eyes bright from the information. "After that we'll head to Hokkaido and come back here to Tokyo where your final show will be."

"Sounds good. We already decided to have Akira sing and are we staying overnight at any stops?" Patricia asked.

"Yes, you will have a hotel room for every stop except Tokyo."

"Yes!" Konata quietly cheered to herself. "You girls can explore the town while I hang out with Kagami and show her how much I miss her."

"How am I supposed to sleep in a room where you two will be joining together?" Akira grunted, knowing something like this would happen. "Not my problem. Love triumphs even the comfort of friends," Konata declared.

"Anyway…" Minoru chuckled. "All expenses will be your own responsibility and the rooms and train will be coach. Is that okay?"

He primarily referred to Akira, who gave off a malevolent grin, almost like a feral chipmunk. It would be adorable if there wasn't such a diabolical aura around it. "S-so…that's pretty much it. Oh! And please make sure to come to the Tokyo Main Train Station by 10 A.M tomorrow."

"We will," Patricia said, placing down a teapot and setting the cups. "Thank you for the hard work."

"No problem. It's my job," he said before burning his tongue on his first sip of tea. "You guys sure have a nice apartment here though."

"The air conditioner's broken," Akira grunted. "But we survive."

"I see."

Rolling her eyes, Akira found herself annoyed at his sincere behavior and apparent trembling fear just by looking at her. Didn't he grow some backbone when they split from Lucky Channel? Suddenly she rose from the couch and aimed her fist at him. Instinctively he moved back, nearly spilling his tea. "I am not going to hit you," she said.

"I'm sorry it's just…"

"Geez. I thought after all that yelling and those smartass remarks you'd have a little more backbone."

"Well…it's just…before you left, those things you said to me at my house…"

"Do you have to mention that?" Akira snapped, sighing and plopping back into the couch. "Forget it. Just…I've changed so you don't have to be afraid anymore. And don't worry about me. I'm fine. If you got something to say, say it."

"I will," he smiled. Finishing off his drink, he grabbed his folder and waved them farewell. "Don't forget to come to the station at 10 A.M."

"We won't lover boy," Konata playfully said.

"Good luck on your tour."

"Good luck with your new job," Akira said, never looking back at him. She scratched her ear and slid further down into the cushions. Konata smiled at her and fixed herself a cup of tea from the table. "And we'll try our best too. This can make or break us."

"Yep! And I wish you good luck for the time you'll be able to spend with Kagami," Patricia said.

"Yep! I'll try my best too," Akira said, grabbing a cup as well. The three gave a toast to the hopes of a future where they could do it again.

Author's Note: Yes, another update! Enjoy yourself. I usually like to type a chapter up after reading Bakuman. Such an insider perspective on the manga world really reminds me of the writing business which motivates me to write more. Also, very important. I hate MKVs! It is literally one of the worst media formats I have ever dealt with. It's constant and neurotic lagging has brought me to the edge. I've installed and uninstalled several codec packages and download countless MKV players but the lagging never fails. If anyone has solutions or a useful method to watching MKVs, I welcome it and thank you in advance.

Kagami: I can't wait to see Konata! Maybe I should wear a skirt...just for her.

Tsukasa: It must be so wonderful to be in love. Hopefully I can meet someone nice when I become a chef.

Kagami: Just don't work at a Erotic Bakery.

Tsukasa: A Neurotic Bakery?

Kagami: Nevermind. It's best you don't know. Konata's starting to corrupt my mind.