Lucky Legacy
Chapter Two
Sayonara Summer
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Knock-Knock-Knock
A sliver of light illuminated the darkened room as Tamura-san stuck a head in her daughter's room. "Hiyori?" She called tentatively into the dark. "Are you in here, honey?" Sitting with her head on her desk, illuminated by a single lamp, Hiyori rolled on her side to look at her mother, giving an unintelligible groan in her sleep. "Hiyori, your friends are here to see you." Stepping away from the light, a pair of taller silhouettes took her place.
"Thank you, Tamura-san…Hiyori?" Patty hesitantly entered the room, followed by an even more uncertain Minami. "Is everything al-" Patty's question died as Hiyori twitched listlessly on her desk. "Oooh…I'll take that as a no…"
"I-Is she going to be alright?" Minami asked, peeking over Patty's shoulder as she prodded the exhausted artist in the side with the end of a pencil.
"Hard to say." Patty said gravely. "Looks like she's been up for a few days, at least."
Time, as any leading smartypants will tell you, is relative. So while the amount of time in between the days of summer stays the same, the way they pass can vary from person to person.
Take Patty for example. One of the conditions that allowed for her continued stay in Japan was that she had to return to California for a few weeks to visit her father and sister. For all her fussing and complaining, Patty ended up enjoying the hustle and bustle of her San Francisco neighborhood. Between helping out at her sister's game shop, catching up with old friends and camping with her dad, Patty barely noticed the weeks flying by until she returned to Japan, tanner and trimmer than she left.
Hiyori, on the other hand, found it harder to enjoy her summer break. As much as she promised herself that she was going to "dedicate her vacation to her art," motivation was hard to come by. She would make every effort to work on her latest doujinshi for Comiket, laying out her pens, pencils and notepaper at the beginning of the day and fully expecting a flush of inspiration to pour on to the page. But no matter how many doodles, storyboards and four-panels she drew, they all ended up crumpled on the floor in a grey, smeared mess.
It was in this state of artistic squalor that Minami and Patty found Hiyori in, reflexively poking away at a page covered in doodles.
"Do you think…we should do something?" Minami asked Patty as she made her way over to the curtains on the other side of her bed.
"Close your eyes." Patty warned, donning a pair of sunglasses. Before Minami could ask her what she meant, Patty whisked the curtains back, flooding the room with sunlight. Almost immediately, Hiyori's eyes shot open as she sat straight up in her seat.
"Whuzzhappngn?" Hiyori mumbled, wiping her mouth with the back on her hand.
"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!" Patty said cheerfully, hopping down from the bed.
"P-Patty-chan?" Hiyori mumbled, rubbing her eyes furiously, before looking at Minami. "Iwasaki-san? What're you doing here?"
"Rescuing you, of course." Patty said, peeling off a doodle that had somehow stuck itself to Hiyori's cheek.
Hiyori frowned in confusion before turning to Minami for a better answer. "Yutaka-chan invited us over to her house." Minami said. "Patty-chan called you yesterday but there was no answer…we were worried…" Minami said, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt
"Mmm…" Hiyori said dimly, looking around for her glasses. "Sorry about that; inspiration finally struck."
"Looks like inspiration struck you pretty hard." Patty giggled, noting Hiyori's disheveled appearance.
Hiyori blushed, pulling at her tangled hair. "Okay, okay…give me minute. I'll be down in a second."
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"So how was your trip, PAAAAAAAAAAAAAty-chan?" Hiyori said through a long yawn.
Patty looked sideways at her friend walking beside her. "You sure you're okay?"
"Totally…" Hiyori mumbled, rubbing her eyes for the thirtieth time since they left her house. "This, ladies, is just the byproduct of two weeks of creativity releasing itself in the span of a single ni-ni-night…" Hiyori stifled another yawn. "Probably gonna hurt me tomorrow, but…Comiket's only a month away and I wish I could say this kind of creativity came regularly."
"I guess if you're doing something you love, you lose track of time." Patty said thoughtfully, rounding the corner to Konata's house. "But you still have a few weeks to get off your little summer schedule before school starts."
"Ugh…don't remind me." Hiyori said in disgust as Minami knocked on the door.
"Hold on!" A familiar voice came from the other side of the door as she undid the locks and chains on her side of the door.
Konata smiled as she opened the door, seeing the taller girl leading her friends. "Minami-chan, Hiyori-chan! Hey Patty, how's it going?"
"Hello Konata-san." Minami said softly, looking past her. "Is Yu-chan he-"
"Oy, chibi!" Minami was cut short as Misao's tanned features popped out from behind Konata (who looked none too pleased at Misao's favorite nickname for her). "Is it okay if I use your-" Misao's eyes brightened as she noticed the girls in the door. "Hey! Looks like the gang's all here!"
"All…here?" Minami said hesitantly. She didn't know Yutaka had invited so many people.
"Who's all here, Misa-chan?" Minami's eyes fell on Misao's orange haired best friend as Ayano came in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. "Oh, hello girls! This is a surprise; I didn't know Yu-chan invited her friends too."
"How have you two been?" Patty said enthusiastically, slipping past Minami who suddenly found herself at a loss for words. "I haven't seen you guys all summer."
Misao slipped an arm around Ayano's shoulder. "Well, we've been out and about in the midst of a beautiful renaissance of friendship. A frien-isssance if you will."
Ayano smiled, shaking her head. "Our families planned a little vacation on Okinawa." She said, moving away from the door to let the girls in. "We've been having so much fun together, I've barely been home all summer."
Misao scratched the back of her head nervously. "Yeah; I've been hogging her so much I'm starting to think that her boyfriend is getting jealous of me."
Ayano blushed furiously, swatting Misao on the arm. "Misa-chan!" she chided in a soft whisper, prompting a giggle from her friend.
"I'm teasin', I'm teasin'. Hey Hiiragi, look who showed up!" Misao led Patty and Hiyori, followed by an uncertain looking Minami, into the living room.
Kagami closed her cell phone and looked up from a sheet of paper, covered in what looked like various names and addresses. "Hey." She grunted shortly, before turning back to her paper.
"Apartment hunting brings out her most charming qualities, doesn't it?" Konata said.
Miyuki smiled apologetically. "Please excuse Kagami-san's demeanor. She is under a lot of stress at the moment."
"Well, I guess it's lucky that I'm living at home then." Tsukasa said, wiping a bit of flour off her cheek with the corner of her apron. "Hi girls!" She said, bringing a tray of cookies in from the kitchen.
"Hey Tsukasa-san!" Hiyori greeted cheerfully. "Is that shortbread?"
"Mm-hmm. I'm trying out a new recipe so let me know if you like it!"
"I'm sure it'll be great." Patty said, popping an offered cookie in her mouth. "Yhu wnt ne Mhnumh-chn?" Patty asked Minami, who was currently lingering nervously by the door.
"Oh…n-no thank you. N-not right now…" Minami said quietly, casting furtive glances at the hallway as if she was expecting someone.
The look was not lost on Konata, who smirked to herself. "Yutaka's upstairs getting ready, in case you were wondering."
"Wha? Oh, no…I…well…not really…" Minami looked down, fidgeting and fighting a rising blush in her cheeks. Konata shared a knowing look with Miyuki who stifled a giggle behind her hand.
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"…so then the dentist says to the magician, "Don't crush that dwarf; hand me the pliers!"
Misao and Tsukasa descended into a fit of giggles while everyone else looked at Patty blankly.
"You know…" Patty went on, looking at her friend's confused faces. "Hand me…the pliers…"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha HA!" Misao wiped her eyes.
"That was funny, Patty-chan!" Tsukasa agreed.
Yutaka looked up at Minami. "Umm…Minami-chan?"
Minami gave her friend a helpless look and a noncommittal shrug. "Sorry…I didn't get it either…"
Patty was about to try and explain it again, but a Kagami's irritated voice preceded her into the room.
"But that's per month?!" Kagami asked into the receiver, hand on hip. "Per month?! Yeah…I'm gonna hang up now."
Stowing her phone in her pocket, Kagami shook her head in exasperation before sitting down between Tsukasa and Konata.
"I take it another prospective landlord made you an offer you had to refuse." Konata said, passing Kagami the plate of cookies.
"Well the price in the advertisement was about three-thousand yen less than what he just said on the phone…" Kagami sighed, taking a cookie. "I'm just glad I'm taking care of this early; I'm gonna really pity you when you have to go looking for a place to live, Konata."
Konata cocked her head in confusion. "What d'you mean, Kagami?"
"I mean you haven't really shown any inclination that you're taking care of your apartment rental so I assumed you were going to deal with it later." Kagami shrugged. "I mean it's up to you but from my experience the sooner you get on this the better off you'll be in the long run."
Konata waved her off. "Oh, don't worry about me; I got that squared away a long time ago."
Kagami nearly choked on her cookie, whacking her chest a few times to dislodge the chunks of cookie from her throat. "Wh-What do you mean you got that squared away a long time ago?"
Konata looked at Kagami in confusion. "I mean…I got it taken care of…a long time ago…"
"I know, but-"
"My dad had this friend in Kyoto who worked for Nin---do." Konata went on. "The company wants him to join their American division so he had to move out last month." Konata jerked her head in the direction of her bedroom. "Dad and Yu-chan have been a big help packing."
"It's okay, I don't mind." Yu-chan said. "Although…sometimes Nee-chan makes me leave the room when she's going through certain stuff…"
Konata poked at her cookie, refusing to look at either Patty or Hiyori shot knowing glances in her direction.
Kagami sighed, twirling the end of her pigtail in agitation. "Great…I have two weeks before I start school and I still don't have a place to live…"
"Well, I suppose the lack of student housing is affecting more students than you thought." Miyuki said.
"That, and a lot of landlords won't rent to college kids." Ayano said with a sigh. "It took me forever to look for a decent place."
"It's discrimination!" Misao huffed indignantly. "They must think we're gonna wreck the place or something! Just cause we're young!"
"Yeah, but what can you do?" Kagami sighed. "It's their place to rent to whoever they want to."
"Wow…I never really thought about it…" Konata said thoughtfully. "But I guess I'm pretty lucky that I got the place I did."
"HEY!" Everyone looked at Yutaka who looked eagerly across the table. "If Kagami-san needs a place to stay, why doesn't she stay with you, nee-san?"
Silence.
"Uh…well…you see, Yu-chan…" Kagami started to speak several times but fell short of actually completing a sentence. The gleaming look in Yutaka's eyes made it impossible to say no. "I…I really don't want to…impose…I mean, Konata has probably been looking forward to living on her own…right Konata?" Kagami glanced over at Konata who was gnawing on a cookie thoughtfully.
"Hmm…actually, Yutaka's got a point there…"
"R-really?" Kagami said.
"Well, yeah. I mean you do need a place to stay with school coming up. You could even keep looking for an apartment while you're staying with me, if you want." Konata gave a nervous chuckle. "And I'm not gonna lie; I could use some help with the rent while I'm looking for a job."
"It's just…I don't know…" Kagami fidgeted nervously. "Wouldn't it be kinda…weird living together?"
"Weird? Why?"
"Well…I know there are times when we can seriously grate on each other's nerves…" Kagami began.
Konata rolled her eyes. "Oh, c'mon Kagamin. We practically spent all day together when we were in high school. The only difference is that we'd be eating and sleeping together."
BANG!
Everybody jumped as Hiyori's knee suddenly hit the table, causing her glass to knock over.
"Oi! Watch it!" Patty yelped as Hiyori's milk spilled on her dress.
"You okay, Hiyori-chan?" Tsukasa asked, handing Hiyori a towel to wipe up the mess.
"S-s-sorry…" Hiyori gulped, wiping up her spill. "I-I-I just…"
~~~~"Here, Kagami-chan…" Konata said in a sultry voice as she lifted the strawberry to her partner's lips. "Open wide…" ~~~~
"I…I just…"
~~~~ "Ah! Kona-chan!" Kagami gasped, eyes widening. "S-so this is what you meant by sleeping…together…"~~~~
"HIYORIN!"
Patty snapped her fingers a few times, waking Hiyori from her daydream to see that everyone was looking at her. "S-sorry…s-spaced out there for a second."
Control yourself! Hiyori silently reprimanded herself.
Patty took another towel, wiping up the spill and leaning in to whisper, "You fixated on "eating and sleeping together" didn't you?"
Hiyori blushed beet red. "Shhh!"
Kagami stared blankly at Hiyori for a few seconds before turning back to Konata. "Well, I still have a few more calls to make…but I'll definitely think about it…Thanks Konata."
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"Damnit…" Patty said, gritting her teeth as her Sam-s took another thunderbolt from Konata's Pik-ch-. After lunch, the girls had wandered into the living room where a heated game of S-per S-ash Br-s was raging between Patty, Hiyori and Konata while the others looked on, chatting to themselves.
"He he he…you are strong young ones." Konata said, dodging another one of Hiyori's arrows. "But not…strong…enough!!" With a sliding tackle, Pik-ch- knocked Hiyori's L-nk off the edge, taking her final life.
"Ack!" Hiyori sighed, dropping her controller and clutching her chest, falling against Patty's shoulder. "Avenge me!"
"Hiyori!" Patty cried melodramatically. "Bastard! I won't forgive this! TASTE MY STORM OF LOYALTY!!!"
"You are on the way to destruction." Konata said in her best creepy monotone. "I have memorized the probability of all logical attack patt-"
"Memorize THIS!" Patty cried in triumph, unleashing her ultimate attack, depleting Konata's last life. "Memorize Patricia Martin!"
Kagami walked in on the middle of Patty and Hiyori's victory celebration. "Well…that was as bad as the last one. Konata…I might end up having to take you up on your-"
"Nooooooo!" Konata cried now in full over-the-top cosplay fashion. "I…can't…believe…I lost…to this SCUM!!!"
"Ehh…" Kagami's eye twitched at the scene.
Misao chuckled at Kagami's expression, leaning in to whisper in Kagami's ear. "So that's your new roommate, huh?"
Kagami sighed as Konata heatedly demanded a rematch. "Yeah…I guess so."
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So passed the last few weeks of summer.
In that time, Kagami and Konata hammered out plan in which she and Konata would share her friend's until Kagami could find another place. Through that, another promise bound the newest residents of Kyoto together. Though Kagami would do her best to look for another place to live, the apartment hunting was lost in the shuffle of new classes and the pressures of college life. At the time, neither of them knew that living together would have a fresh share of headaches they would have to work through. Neither of them knew how much they would come to rely on each other for support; each made good on her promise to be there for the other. Neither of them could have predicted how close they would become.
But all this was still to come. For the older girls, the end of summer meant the beginning of the next great adventure in their lives. For Yutaka and her friends, the end of summer meant saying goodbye.
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AN: Okay, I know there is still a lot dealing with the older girls but I want this to be more of an exposition chapter. The next chapter will be the last one to set the stage before the spotlight exclusively focuses on Yutaka's group. I've decided not to do the parallel fic now (I may still come back to it after this story is done) because I need to focus all my energy on this one. As always, please read and review
Next Time on Lucky Legacy! As summer winds down, the seniors prepare to embark on the next chapter of their lives. Meanwhile, the start of school looms around the corner and Hiyori has an interesting dream that sets in motion events that will change her life.
Look forward to it!
