Author's note: Sorry again for taking so long to update. I've been wicked busy lately. I actually wrote this entire thing on my phone during downtime at work. Some of the inspiration for this came from episode twelve with the yaoi comic. Anyways, hope you all enjoy this.
Chapter 3: What'cha Lookin At?
Misao was excited, more so than usual, as Konata had told her during lunch that she had come up with a new mission, and she would be announcing it at the end of the day. She honestly had no idea what her tiny friend had in mind, but she was pretty sure that whatever it was, it would be good. Of all the decisions that Misao had ever made in her life, she had to say that taking up Konata's offer to help, was definitely one of her better ones. To say that her friend was an excellent wingman would be an understatement.
Over a week had passed since the 'movie mission,' as Konata had taken to calling it, and she had been providing Misao with numerous opportunities to both be around, and compliment Kagami. Such simple things as consistently getting the two to sit next to each other during lunch, or teasing Kagami in way to allow Misao step in and defend her. To top it off, Konata was surprisingly discreet about it all. Misao was pretty sure that Kagami hadn't the slightest clue as to what their plan was, weather or not that was a good thing though, she wasn't exactly sure yet.
Misao was so fixated on thinking about what Konata had planned, that she failed to notice the final bell ring. She was eventually pulled from her thoughts when she noticed to people standing in front of her. "You ok there?" Ayano asked, waving hand in front of Misao's face. Kagami was standing next to her, watching silently with her hands on her hips.
Jumping from her seat, and shoving her school work into her bag in no particular order, Misao yelled excitedly, "heck yea I'm ok! School's out! It's go time!"
Shaking their heads and chuckling to themselves, Kagami and Ayano followed their excited friend out of the class, and out to the front of the school. There they met up with the other three members of the group who were waiting patiently. Misao ran up to Konata, who's back was turned, and shouted, "sup Smurf!" while grabbing the small girl by the shoulders. Konata let out a shriek of surprise and rounded on her friend with a large grin.
She immediately began to rifle through her bag. "Good, you're all finally here," she said, now vigorously searching through her things with a purpose. A few moments later and she let out a satisfied, "ah ha!" and held up a small pamphlet as high above her head as she could. The rest of group regarded her with looks of mild confusion, and Konata finally brought her prize down so everyone could see. "I have the coolest idea for spring break!" she exclaimed.
The girls gathered around, and looked at the object in their friend's hand. "Magical Land?" Kagami asked skeptically.
"Oh! I went there during summer break, it's tons of fun," Ayano pointed out.
Nodding in agreement, Konata spoke up, "there's all sorts of awesome rides, games, and food. It'll be super cool."
"I totally like all of those things!" Misao shouted excitedly. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
The rest of the group was pretty quick to agree that a trip to a theme park would be a good idea, and had began discussing when would be the best time to go while on their way to the train station. About half way there Konata's phone started to ring. It took her a few minutes to fish her phone out of her bag, and as usual, Kagami found the ring tone to be extremely obnoxious, but this time something was different about it. Is that English? she thought.
"Hey, hey," Konata answered. "Oh yea! I almost forgot, good thing you called...uh huh...yea no prob, I'll see if they have it...ok...you too...later."
Now curious, Kagami couldn't help but ask, "is that ring tone in English?"
"Yea, Patty decided to play a prank and change my ring tone while we were at work the other night. I don't know what it says, but she thought it was pretty funny. It's the theme song to some stupid American movie...Team something or other, has a bunch of puppets," she replied with a shrug.
Misao was hit with a sudden realization, as she remembered a previous conversation she had with her short friend a while back. "Hey isn't Patty the American exchange student?" she asked, receiving an enthusiastic nod from Konata. "And you two work together," she said more as a statement, a mischievous smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.
Konata's nodding instantly ceased, "yea, we work together," she said, putting her best 'you better keep your mouth shut' face on. "anyways, I need to swing by the manga shop, you guys wanna come?" she hastily added before Misao could ask any more questions.
"Sure, why not. I could use a new light novel anyways," Kagami stated with a slight shrug.
With Kagami's agreement to go, the rest of the girls decided to go along with the minor detour as well, and it wasn't long before they soon found themselves standing in front of a local comic shop. Not having any real reason to go inside, Ayano, Miyuki, and Tsukasa decided to wait at a small cafe next door, while Konata, Kagami, and Misao made their way into the shop.
"So I need hit up the action section," Konata said, already heading towards a seemingly random spot in the store.
"Action section sounds like the best section!" Misao happily added, beginning to fallow Konata.
"I'll meet up with you two in a bit then," Kagami stated, making her way towards the light novels. While attempting pass through a nearby isle, Kagami was confronted by a hastily erected stand with an over enthusiastic employee standing behind it, both of which were now blocking her path. She frowned as the employee paid absolutely no attention to her whatsoever, and was instead diligently looking in the direction in which Konata was heading. Letting out an annoyed sigh, she found herself heading down a small isle towards the back of the store.
Her attention was instantly brought to the covers of the manga on the racks, and she couldn't help but blush at the graphic and intimate pictures which adorned them. Looking up at the small sign on top of the shelf, she realized that she was now in the adult section. Kagami could feel her face flush with embarrassment, and she began to make a quick exit, when one particular cover caught her attention.
Taking a look around, she found that not a single employee was paying any attention to her, and she couldn't see Misao or Konata anywhere near by as well. Picking up the book, she glanced at the cover and felt her face flush even more. Two girls were holding each other in tight embrace, lips locked together in a passionate kiss. Huh, doesn't look quite so smutty compared to the other covers. Maybe just a quick peek.
Flipping through to the middle, Kagami let out a small gasp. Holy crap, this is pretty intense. Taking another look around, she found that, once again, she was unnoticed by the rest of the store, and started flipping through more of the book. Her heart began to race as she looked at the images before her. Wow, I didn't know that two women doing THAT, could be so...hot. She couldn't believe she was actually thinking these thoughts, but Kagami found herself deeply fascinated by the scenes within the book. She continued to flip through the manga, reading bits and pieces of the story, and becoming more and more engrossed by the minute. Unfortunately for her, she not only lost track of time, but failed to notice an approaching duo.
"What'cha lookin at?" said a small voice in a sing song tone.
"GAH!" Kagami shrieked, throwing the book at the shelf as if it had just burned her hands. She quickly turned to see Konata and Misao staring at her with wide smiles. "Nothing! I wasn't looking at anything. I was just passing through that's all," she stammered out with a nervous chuckle. If dying of embarrassment were possible, Kagami was pretty sure that this would be enough to kill her twice over.
Konata's smile widened, "awe Kagamin~" she cooed. "You don't need to be so defensive. "
Kagami was at a loss for words, and when she saw Misao pick up the manga and begin to flip through it, all she could manage to do was cringe. This is it, the torment will never end, she mentally whined.
"Hey, remember when I said the action section was the best section?" Misao asked with a smile. "Yea I totally lied. THIS is the best section!" she said enthusiastically. Taking Misao's comment as some sort of joke at her expense, Kagami decided she couldn't take it any more, and quickly turned on the spot and rushed out the door.
Misao and Konata stood in the aisle with matching looks of confusion. Konata then looked to Misao, and pointed to the manga she held in her hand. "You should try and buy that for her," she started, and when Misao gave her a curious look, she continued. "This is one of the most important flags to trigger. We don't know for sure if Kagami is into girls or not, and this might help shed some light on that." With an assertive nod, Misao grabbed another copy, and headed towards the cashier, books in hand.
"Why did this have to happen to me," Kagami scoffed to herself once she was alone outside. Spotting a bench, she decided to take a seat and try to cool her nerves while waiting for the rest of group. Hanging her head and taking a deep breath, she began dreading the moment when Konata and Misao would most likely tell the other three, and mock her for days to come.
"Hey, you alright?" Kagami looked up to see Misao walking up to her, a small bag in hand and a look of genuine concern on her face. Glaring at her through narrowed eyes, Kagami couldn't come up with anything to say and instead continued to stare at her friend. Misao plopped down on the bench next to her, and gave a big toothy grin. "Well, I gotcha somethin," she said while reaching into the bag. Her face turned a light shade of pink as she pulled out the manga that Kagami had been reading, and handed it to her.
Kagami's face turned a bright crimson, and she felt her anger quickly rise. "Oh ha ha, very funny. What, you get this so you could rub it my face? Is that it? 'Oh look, Kagami was reading Yuri porn,' yea thanks, but you can totally keep it."
Misao raised an eyebrow in confusion, she honestly had no idea where the anger was coming from. She hadn't made fun of Kagami, and neither had Konata, at least intentionally. Wonder why she's so bent out of shape? she thought. "Well I don't need two copies. I honestly got this for ya. Thought you'd like it." Her face turned a brighter shade of red. Now that she thought about it, it was a pretty awkward gift.
"Two copies?" Kagami squeaked out.
"Yea, this stuff honestly looks pretty good. Not to mention it's totally hot. Got one for me too. Look if ya don't want it, I'll take it back," Misao said, a slight hint of disappointment her voice.
"R-really? You're not trying to make fun of me?" Kagami asked, now feeling guilty about her angry outburst. The honest look of sincerity on Misao's face only making her feel worse.
"What? Heck no! Why would I make fun of you for liking this?" she asked, pointing to the book in her hand for emphasis. "Seriously, you should know me better than that Hiiragi."
Kagami realized that Misao had a fair point. While she did enjoy tormenting her, it was always in good spirits. Add the fact that she was always very supportive of Miyuki and Tsukasa, Kagami realized that her friend had actually decided to do something nice for her, despite the awkwardness of the situation. Not having the heart to reject Misao's gift, and secretly wanting to read more of it, she accepted the manga, placed it in her bag, and gave a small smile. "Th-thanks," she said quietly.
"Hah! You're welcome!" Misao exclaimed with a thumbs up.
"But how'd you buy it? Don't you need to be at least eighteen to buy this?" Kagami asked.
"Hey you're right," Misao replied, putting a finger to her chin in deep thought. "Yea the guy at the store didn't even look at it. He just rang me up super fast. Guy was kinda weird, couldn't take his eyes off the stack of crap Konata was holding. Speaking of which, she should be out here in a minute."
"Hey, about her," Kagami began nervously. "Uh, does she know you got this for me? Because if she does, I'll never hear the end of it."
"Nah don't worry about her. I told her to keep a lid on it for ya. You're good to go," Misao replied confidently.
That was by far the least reassuring thing Misao could have said, and Kagami was about to say so, when she was interrupted by Konata walking up with a large sack full merchandise. "Sorry it took me so long. Patty and Hiyori called. Gave me a small list of stuff to pick up," the small girl said, hefting the bag in her hand. In the store behind her, Kagami could see the employees dancing and cheering, one of them popping open a bottle of Champaign and spraying it everywhere. What the hell is that all about? she thought. "Should we get the others?" Konata asked, pulling Kagami's thoughts away from the strange sight in the comic store.
"Let's roll!" Misao exclaimed, as they went into the cafe and found the other three patiently waiting.
Once again, the group was now making idle chit chat while on the way to the train station. Throughout most of the way there, Kagami had barely said a word. Instead, she had been replaying the whole incident in the comic shop in her head. Looking back, she honestly couldn't figure out why she had gotten so worked up about it. She knew Konata openly read that kind of stuff, and Misao obviously didn't care either. To her surprise, Misao had even enthusiastically showed the rest of the group her purchase.
Glancing to her right, Kagami couldn't help the small smile that played at the corners of her mouth. Misao was leisurely strolling beside her, hands clasped behind her head, her school bag dangling from her interlocked fingers, and a large smile plastered across her face. She's always so care free...about everything. How does she do it? I work on being like that sometimes.
As the girls entered the train and found their seats, Konata began bouncing excitedly. "Hey, so I was reading this article online about dating and what not, and the main topic was about what qualities you look for in a partner." Receiving a series of blank stares, she continued, "so? What kind of stuff are you into? You know...with some one you want to date? And Miyuki, Tsukasa, you don't need to answer. I think we can already tell what you two like."
A moment of silence passed as everyone considered Konata's question. The silence was soon broken by Ayano, "well, I'd have to say I'm definitely attracted to athletes. The broad shoulders, tight abs, and oh man, the nice butt to go with it. I swear, there's nothing better than grabbing some buns of steel," she finished with a dreamy eyed stare. She was about to continue, when Misao cut her off.
"What!?" she shrieked. "That's my brother you're talkin about. Awe man, I don't wanna think about that," she whined, while mimicking a heaving sound and earning a scowl from Ayano.
Chuckling at the exaggerated display of disgust, Konata then informed Misao that it was her turn to tell. Raising an eyebrow in thought, she took a moment before answering. "Hhmmm, well," she began, then looked in Kagami's direction. "I gotta say I'd like someone who's really smart. Ya know, they'd have to make up for me. They'd have a fiery personality too, fun to joke around with and stuff, but also a real sweet side that not too many people would know about. They'd have a good figure, thin, but not like a rail, gotta have a little meat on em. Oh, and the eyes. They'd have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen," she finished with an assertive nod.
Noting the obvious description of Kagami, both Ayano and Konata turned to the twin tailed girl, wondering if she had caught on. Tsukasa and Miyuki had noticed as well, and were looking between Kagami and Misao with curiosity. Apparently Kagami hadn't noticed, taking their staring to be her queue to answer the question, and began without missing a beat. "I guess I'd like someone who could be fun and spontaneous, and really make me laugh. At the same time though, be serious when it truly counts. And as cheesy as it may sound, I want someone I can feel completely safe with," she finished quietly, feeling like she had given a weak answer.
With mischievous glint in her eye, Konata put on a wry smile, "hey Kagamin~ would this person be a boy or a girl?"
"Wh-what the hell kind of question is that?" Kagami choked out. "Y-you didn't ask the others that?" she could feel herself getting worked up and angry again. And Misao said Konata would keep a lid on it. Yea freakin right. She was about to tell Konata where she could shove her question in a rather explicit manor, when Misao spoke up.
"I'd totally take a girl over a boy any day!" the brunette blurted out rather loudly, flashing a smile at Kagami. The entire group was now staring at Misao with looks of mild surprise. She'd just admitted to having a preference to the same sex to a passenger loaded train. "I mean come on, girls are WAY sexier than boys. They have much better figures, they're silky smooth, no icky hair everywhere, and don't even get me started on what's goin on between the legs," she said without even the slightest hint of embarrassment.
"But have you ever run you're fingers over a hairy, muscular chest? Oh it can be heavenly," Ayano chided with a devious look on her face, nudging Misao in the ribs with her elbow.
"AH! I don't wanna hear it!" Misao exclaimed. She then shoved her finders in her ears, "I'm not listening! Ah la la la! Ah la la la."
Konata burst into a fit laughter, and Miyuki and Tsukasa both blushed, while Ayano continued to tease Misao about the finer points of being with a man. Despite being thankful that the teasing was directed at some one other than herself, Kagami felt she should help Misao out. After all, the girl had just bailed her out no less than a few moments ago. "Hey Konata, you never answered the question yourself," she stated, effectively silencing Misao's torment as the group now turned to Konata.
"Yea, c'mon short bus, spill it," Misao added, thankful for the sudden change of subject.
"Fine, fine, fine, if you insist," Konata said, waving a dismissive hand. "For starters, they'd have to be an otaku, just like me. Just think of all the awesome conventions we could hit up. With our forces combined, we could get all the best stuff in half the time," she began, clenching a small fist in front of her face. "Oh and total bonus points for being into video games too. In general, just a person who's different from the others I guess would be a good way to put it."
"So you want someone as weird as you? Yea good luck with that," Kagami teased, patting Konata on the head playfully. "And would this person be a boy or a girl?" she asked with a smirk, happy to return the awkward question.
"Ah, well I'd like think they could be either," Konata began, completely unfazed by the question. She then stood up as the train came to their stop, and continued. "True love should be blind to gender. If two people can share a connection then that's all that should matter. Besides, choosing one gender just limits your options, if you know what I mean," putting on her cat like smile she started thrusting her hips.
"You know, what started as a really good answer, was pretty quickly ruined. Strong work," Kagami replied with a deadpan tone, while quickly exiting the train with the rest of the group in tow, and soon everyone eventually went their separate ways and headed home.
Later that night Kagami found herself sitting at her desk staring at her homework. She'd been trying her best to get it finished, yet all she was able to do was simply stare at it. Her mind always finding a way to drift back to the day's earlier discussion, or more specifically, Konata's question. It should have been a very simple answer, yet she hadn't been able to give one.
Now, she found herself trying to answer that very question. Would that special person be a man or woman? She'd always imagined that a boy would ask her out, and she'd be more than happy to say yes; however, when she truly thought about it, she couldn't exactly picture a boy that she'd like to be with. Of all the boys she knew at school, which weren't very many, she honestly couldn't think of a single one she was actually attracted to.
She couldn't help but chuckle as Misao's explanation of why women were more attractive than men popped into her head, and pretty quickly realized that she had to agree with her. This in turn brought up another thought, Misao's description of what she found attractive in someone. Thinking it over, Kagami recalled how Misao had been looking right at her, a slight blush tinting her cheeks, and had rattled off a rather detailed description. During the time, she'd been busy thinking of her own answer, and hadn't given her full attention, but now, she began to truly think about what her friend had said.
"She...she wasn't describing me was she?" Kagami said quietly to herself. No, she couldn't have. My physique is definitely nothing to be desired. I doubt I'm that much fun to joke around with, since people always say I'm to uptight, and my eyes aren't very pretty at all. If anything, she has the beautiful eyes, so big with such an amazingly vibrant color. She's always so sweet to me too, even if she does like to tease me, and she has that great athletic figure... her thoughts came to a screeching halt as she realized what had just gone through her head. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she stood up from her desk and flopped down onto her bed, burying her face into her pillow. I can't believe I just thought of my friend that way. "Ugh!" she groaned into her pillow.
The past week started to play through her mind. Their time at the movies stood out the most, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she truly did have an amazing time that night, and she knew it wasn't because of the movie. She instantly remembered how beautiful Misao had looked all dressed up, and felt her face begin to heat up. Just the very thought of holding the girl in her arms was enough to give her the feeling of butterfly's in her stomach. Ok, just because I noticed some beautiful qualities in another girl, doesn't mean I have a crush on her. Maybe I just haven't found the right guy yet. Yea that's it, I might just be confused about what these feelings actually mean. Although the very fact that I'm confused is saying something too.
Getting more frustrated by the moment, she realized that there was no way she'd be able to get any more homework done. Kagami decided she may as well go to bed early, and slowly dragged herself off her bed to get ready. While straitening up her desk, she stumbled across the manga that Misao had purchased for her. And this… she thought while shaking her head, I don't even want to think about what this means right now. With a heavy sigh, she quickly shoved the manga in the bottom drawer of her desk, and hastily finished her nightly routine, all the while trying hard not to think about the images she'd seen earlier that day.
Flopping back down onto her bed, she stared up at her ceiling. She honestly hadn't the slightest idea what to think about any of the thoughts that had been flying through her mind, and quietly cursed Konata for bringing this upon her with that one single question. Well, I guess I'll just give it some time, see how things work out.
Author's note 2.0: Hope you enjoyed, and yea that's right, I did it. I threw those guys at the comic shop a bone and made Konata finally buy something…don't judge me…