Author's Note: Special thanks to my beta reader for all the insight and helping me with all the little things, hope I fixed them alright. Also thanks to all of you who have given reviews and support, much appreciated. Hope you all enjoy this update, and I'll do my best to get the next chapter out as soon as I can.
Chapter 4: Well Played
The days leading up to spring break had flown by, and it was now, that the girls found themselves standing just inside the main gate of Magical Land. What had started as a small group outing, had instead turned into something much larger. Once some of the underclass students had gotten word, they had decided to tag along as well.
Misao now eyed the group skeptically. Even though Konata had assured her that she had a plan in mind, she still found their group size to be potentially detrimental to her plan. How am I supposed to get anywhere with all these people around?
Misao was pulled from her brooding when she heard Ayaon's voice ring out. "Jin!" the girl squealed happily. Oh no, what is HE doing here? She thought angrily as she watched Ayano dash towards her older brother and throw her arms around him in a tight hug. She could feel her frustration rising, and was about to confront her brother when she felt a light nudge in her side.
Looking to the source, she saw Konata smiling at her. "It was her idea. This is a good thing. Just trust us on this," she whispered.
Taking a deep breath and letting it our forcefully, Misao found it hard to argue with her friend; however, as her brother walked up and wrapped a muscled arm around her neck, put her in a tight headlock, and started grinding his knuckles into her head, she was starting to have second thoughts. "Hey, hey! How's my little sis doin?" he asked happily. Letting go, he then looked to rest of the group, flashing the trademark Kusakabe smile. "Mornin ladies," he greeted.
"Hey bro," Misao spit out venomously. "What're you doin here?"
"You kiddin me? This place totally rocks!" he exclaimed. "And, it's our anniversary tomorrow, so we have a special date planned. You ready to go?" he asked Ayano, who now had her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. The girl nodded vigorously with a massive smile, and the two bid their farewells and were on their way.
Out of the corner of her eye, Misao could see the satisfied look on Konata's face. The small girl then pulled out a map, and the rest of the group gathered around. "So what's the plan?" Patty asked enthusiastically.
"Alright, so this place has a ton of stuff, and it all comes down to what we wanna do. This section has all the super awesome roller coasters," she said, pointing to the map. While looking between Yutaka and Tsukasa, she started to describe, in extravagant detail, the intensity of the rides, making sure to use animated hand gestures for emphasis. Both of the girls bore expressions of unease, and paled.
Quivering slightly, Yutaka shook her head. "I don't think I'd like those kinds of rides at all."
"The roller coasters in this section look a lot less scary. I can take you there if you'd like," Minami said, pointing to another spot on the map and placing a hand on her smaller friends shoulder.
"C-could I maybe join you?" Tsukasa asked quietly.
"I would like to go as well. Being turned upside down tends to off set my equilibrium. It usually makes me quite nauseated," Miyuki added.
Minami gave a single a nod and a smile, while Yutaka bounced up and down happily. "The more the merrier!" she shouted.
"Hey, what's this over here?" Hiyori asked, forcefully jabbing a finger into the map.
Konata donned her cat like smile. "I thought you'd never ask. This, my bespectacled friend, is Manga Metropolis." Both Hiyori and Patty's faces lit up with excitement, and Konata continued to elaborate. "They not only have a ton of different shops, but there's also professional cosplayers to take pictures with too. I even heard some famous artists might be doing some signings today."
Judging by the dropped jaws and wide eyes, Misao could easily tell the two girls had just made up their minds about where they wanted to go. It then occurred to her that this was Konata's plan in action. Man she's smooth. She's managed to get everyone to actually WANT to split up.
"Hold on a sec," Kagami interrupted. "So let me get this straight. We show up to a place with awesome rides, and no one wants to ride any of them?" she asked in obvious annoyance.
Konata gave a quick glance to Misao, but she'd already spotted her opening. "No worries Hiiragi, I'm down for some roller coaster action if you are," she said, flashing a wide grin.
"Thanks Misao. I just thought we'd do something as a group that's all," Kagami stated.
"Well, I think I have a pretty good plan worked out," Konata said in a smug tone. "I figured we'd split up first, hit some spots of interest, and then meet back at the food pavilion around one or so for lunch. Then we'd hit the water ride section, and after that, catch the concert in the outdoor auditorium before we leave."
Kagami began to mull over the plan Konata had outlined for a few moments, then gave a small shrug. "Sounds good to me I guess. Manga Metropolis doesn't exactly sound like my cup of tea anyways."
"Alright! See you guys for lunch! C'mon Hiiragi let's hit the rides," Misao shouted. Grabbing a hold of Kagami's wrist, she took off with her in tow, not even bothering to hear the rest of the girls bid their farewells.
The sudden jerk caught Kagami by complete surprise as she found herself being dragged by an overexcited Misao. "H-hey, wait a sec," she protested, but to no avail, her surprisingly strong friend continuing to drag her with ease. "Hey! Kusakabe! Hold on!" she finally shouted.
Misao came to screeching halt, a surprised look on her face. "Sup?"
"Roller coasters are this way you dork," Kagami said. Jerking a thumb over shoulder in the opposite direction, she was trying hard not to laugh at the dumbfounded look on her friend's face. That look, however, quickly changed to one of sheer determination, and she felt the grip on her wrist tighten again. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm going with you...no need to drag me," she hastily spluttered out.
Releasing her grip, Misao stared at Kagami expectantly, worrying her bottom lip with impatience. When she only received a perplexed look in response, she quickly grabbed a hold of the other girl's hand, interlocking their fingers, and started walking at a brisk pace. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon. These rides ain't gonna ride themselves!"
Pleased that she was being led through the crowd, rather than pulled at break neck speeds, Kagami couldn't help but laugh at Misao's eagerness to ride the roller coasters. At their current pace, they quickly arrived at their first ride. Being early in the day, they were thankful that the line was relatively short, and in no time at all, they found themselves strapping into a pair of seats in the shape of a fighter jet, the tune Highway to the Danger Zone, blasting in the background.
The ride jerked into motion, and the two girls were on their way up a steep incline. Once at the top, the cars almost seemed to stall for a moment, allowing for a full view of the steep drop off. Kagami's breath caught in her throat as her seat dropped out from underneath her, and she plummeted towards the ground. All she could manage to do was hold her breath through the intense twists, turns, and loops, yet she couldn't stop smiling. Misao was next to her whooping and hollering the entire time, a look of pure joy plastered on her face, and Kagami found the sight to be pretty entertaining.
When the ride came to an end, and the two made for the exit, Misao was jumping with excitement. "Awe man, that was totally freakin awesome!" she shouted. Before Kagami could respond, Misao grabbed a hold of her hand again and took off in a seemingly random direction. "Gotta be quick! Get as much in before the lines start gettin big," she said over her shoulder.
Over the course of a few hours, a very clear pattern had emerged. After each ride, Misao would grab a hold of Kagami and take off towards another roller coaster . She had become so adept at picking the shortest line, that they hardly had to wait before boarding.
If there was one thing Misao loved, it was a good thrill, add Kagami to the mix, and she could have sworn she'd died and gone to heaven. The best part was that she'd managed to get her more uptight friend to loosen up. During the first few rides, the twin tailed girl had held her breath, or remained silent. Afterwards, she'd occasionally protest while being pulled around the amusement park.
Now, however, she seemed to have completely given in to the fun. She'd yell and shout all throughout the rides, and afterwards, occasionally donate a hand for Misao to take, giggling the entire time until they reached their next destination. Misao had never seen this side of her friend before, and it was a sight she found she wanted to experience more.
As they made for the exit of their latest exhilarating experience, Kagami pulled out her phone to check the time. "Hey, we got about ten minutes till we're supposed to meet the others for lunch. We should get goin."
"I guess," Misao said with a small pout, obviously not wanting to give up on the roller coasters just yet. "But I gotta hit up the bathroom real quick. Been holdin it for way to long."
"Fine, fine," Kagami replied with a small chuckle, and the two began to head towards the nearest restroom.
Once there, Misao bolted inside, while Kagami opted to wait underneath a nearby tree. She couldn't help but laugh as she heard a familiar voice echo out the door. "Awe come on! What's with the freakin line! I gotta go!"
She can be pretty funny, Kagami thought to herself. Come to think of it, she's just plain fun. Looking back, she honestly couldn't remember a time she'd laughed as much as she had today. The whole experience so far had been amazing, as she found Misao's outgoing and fun attitude to be quite contagious. Pretty quickly her thoughts went back to her dilemma from several nights ago. She'd managed to push it out of her mind, but after spending a good portion of the day hand in hand with a girl she thought she may have a feelings for, she was beginning to realize she may have just figured out her answer.
"Well aren't you a pretty little thing," came a sleazy voice from beside Kagami, yanking her from her thoughts.
Turning around, she found herself face to face with two men, both of which looked to be far older than she was. "Excuse me?" she asked in a confused tone.
"Here by yourself? I bet we could show you a good time," said the closest man. With a lecherous grin, he stepped closer, propped himself against the tree, and began running a finger down her shoulder.
"I'm here with a friend, and I think I'll pass on your 'good time'," Kagami replied sternly, shrugging off the man's hand.
"My, my, aren't you a feisty one. Come on sweetie, give us a chance." The man leaned in a little closer, picking up one of Kagami's pig tails and sniffing it lightly.
Kagami was at a complete loss for words. She was now backed up against the tree with an extremely creepy man in her face, his friend a few feet back leering at her with a perverted look in his eye. What do I do? she thought frantically, hoping some one would come to her aide.
As if on queue, she heard Misao's voice. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing!?"
The man backed away, but only slightly, as Misao wedged herself between him and Kagami. "Oh, there's two now, and you're just as cute as your friend. One for each of us. You interested in a good time?" he asked deviously, reaching to run a hand up Misao's arm.
Misao quickly swatted the hand away from her. "Hell no creep! Touch me or my friend again and you'll lose a finger," she protested angrily.
"Wow, you've got more spunk than you're friend here. I like that," he sneered.
He reached out again with an outstretched finger, this time towards Misao's face, aiming to run it over her jaw. His hand only made it about half way when Misao casually grabbed his finger and bent it backwards. She then quickly dropped his hand down to waist level, forcing him to his knees with a high pitched yelp as he watched his finger being bent at an awkward angle.
"Hey! Let him go you little bitch," shouted the other man, stepping up and taking a handful of Misao's shirt at the shoulder.
In one fluid motion, she let go of her first assailants hand, grabbed just underneath the second man's elbow, and pulled it down towards her, forcing him to stumble. Caught off guard by his sudden change in direction, he took a step forward to try and regain his balance, only to have the foot swept out from underneath him. He hit the ground hard with an audible thud and groaned in pain.
"Why you little - I'm calling security!" shouted the first man, clutching his wounded hand, while his companion slowly picked himself up off the ground.
"What're you goons gonna tell em? That you were sexually harassing two high school girls, and one of em knocked both of you on your asses?" Misao stated in a mocking tone. "Have fun with that."
The two men glared at Misao with utter contempt, but quickly realized the small girl had a point. With a few grumbled curses, they hobbled off. Turning around with a triumphant smile, Misao looked to a shocked Kagami. "You alright?" she asked, her look of triumph changing to one of concern.
"What- That was- H-How'd you do that?" Kagami managed to stutter out.
"Ah it was nothin. Sensei makes me train with guys twice their size. And, you'd be amazed at what you can make someone do just by bendin a finger the wrong way," Misao replied nonchalantly.
Kagami cocked her head to the side, complete confusion evident on her face. "Train with guys?"
"Yea, you know, Judo?" Misao continued, only to get another confused stare in response. "You didn't know I was in Judo? Eh, I guess that'd make some sense. I don't really talk about it," she stated with a shrug. "But I mean c'mon, what'd you think all those summer and spring break practices were for?"
"I-I thought they were track meets or something like that," Kagami said quietly.
"Nah, that stuff's just during school," Misao began, waving a hand dismissively. "Judo's what I really like to do."
"Well that was absolutely amazing!" Kagami exclaimed.
"You really think so?" Misso asked, slightly surprised. Kagami nodded earnestly in reply, and Misao couldn't help but blush at the compliment. She then had an idea; one that she was sure would make Konata proud. "Hey, I have a competition day after tomorrow. You wanna come?" she asked nervously.
"I'd love too," Kagami replied almost instantly.
The answer to her question had come so fast and precise, that Misao hadn't quite registered it right away and continued talking. " I mean, it's no big deal or anything. Just a stupid competition, and you can totally say no if you...wait...did you just say yes?"
"Yea," Kagami said with a chuckle. "Just let me know when and where, and I'll be there."
"Heck yea!" Misao said boisterously. "Oh, and d'you mind maybe not tellin anybody about this stuff? It's a ton of questions I don't feel like answerin."
As curious as she was about why Misao wouldn't care to talk about it with the others, Kagami decided to not push the issue, and gave a smile and a nod as reassurance that she'd keep quiet. The two then headed towards the food court, and in no time at all, met up with the rest of the group that had gathered at a large table.
All the girls were excited to see each other, and quickly began breaking down their numerous adventures in extravagant detail. Misao, of course, was one of the loudest and most animated, and Kagami decided to let her give the group a recap of their day, opting to join Minami and Miyuki in one of the many food lines instead. Finding herself in a long line, she paid little attention to the conversation of her two friends. Instead, her mind went back to the incident with the two perverts. It wasn't so much the fact that Misao had taken both men down in less than a minute which had her mind's eye, it was how she had placed herself right front of Kagami without any sort of hesitation, shielding her from the offender. She could feel her heart flutter in her chest at the thought of the other girl, and found herself catching quick glances of her when she felt no one was watching.
Go figure. Fall for the whole knight in shining armor routine. Could I be any sappier? she thought to herself with a heavy sigh. Realizing that her turn to order was coming up, she took a quick look at the menu, found what she wanted, but also spotted something else, spiced meatballs. A small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she placed her order and walked back to the group.
Taking her seat at the table, she slid the tray of food in front of Misao, and tried to hide the blush she knew was working its way up the sides of her face. When Misao looked down, her eyes shot wide open with a look of both surprise and joy. After expressing a rather loud thank you, she began to practically inhale her food with a vengeance.
Satisfied with the reaction she'd received, Kagami started to slowly nibble at her food. Why can't I stop thinking about her? I wonder what she thinks of me? Taking a pause from eating, she watched Konata and Misao exchange jokes and insults back and forth, laughing hysterically the entire time. She seems just as close to Konata as she is with me, maybe even a little closer. Probably just sees me as a friend. With a frustrated sigh, Kagami continued to slowly work at her food.
After finishing her meal, Misao looked over to Kagami to thank her again, and instantly picked up on her somber demeanor. She was about to ask if she was ok, when Konata jumped up and asked if everyone was ready to go to the water rides. The rest of the group eagerly agreed, and she found herself fallowing behind, wondering what had caused Kagami's sudden mood change.
With the rest of the group all together, Misao was disappointed at the fact she wasn't able to find a decent chance to talk to Kagami. Unfortunately, for the first time that day, the two found themselves separated, and even though they were having fun, they both wished they could have a moment alone together. Misao, wishing to check if her friend was alright, and Kagami, hoping to somehow sort her feelings out. She was so happy just a little while ago. Next chance I get, I'm askin her, Misao thought.
As the late afternoon turned to evening, Misao finally saw her chance. Konata had once again taken charge, and had led everyone to the outdoor concert. The stage was set in front of a large grassy hill, and most of the spectators had put down blankets or towels and were now leisurely waiting for the show to start. While the rest of the girls were finding their spots and getting comfortable, Misao had chosen a spot just behind everyone else and had discreetly caught Kagami by the hand, lightly pulling her over to sit with her.
Scooting up side by side with Kagami, Misao leaned in and said as quietly as she could, "hey, are you alright? You've been super quiet lately."
Startled by Misao's sudden closeness, Kagami was only able to stammer, "uh, I um, huh?" The fact that Misao was calling her on stupor wasn't helping either. She'd tried to be subtle about it, but she'd been so deep in thought that it couldn't be helped at times.
"You've been spacin out this whole time since lunch. What's up? Still bothered by those creeps from earlier?" Misao asked. Spotting an easy out, Kagami quietly nodded in affirmation, and a look of true concern made its way onto Misao's face. "Well hey, I totally took care of em for ya." She then put her arm around Kagami's shoulders and pulled her in closer. "I'll always take are of you, ok? So no need to worry," she said, putting on a large smile in an attempt to comfort her friend.
Kagami felt her face heat up so much it felt like it might actually burst into flame, but at the same time, she couldn't help but smile. "Thanks. That's...actually really nice to hear," she replied. She then took in a deep breath and slowly let it out as she rested her head onto Misao's shoulder, leaning in and closing what little gap there was left between them. Hearing those words had been surprisingly comforting, and for the moment, all of Kagami's inner turmoil had been completely washed away.
It took every fiber of Misao's being to not start bouncing in excitement. She had honestly planned on just offering a comforting embrace, but it had quickly turned into something more. The way Kagami relaxed under her arm and pressed up against her had been a truly pleasant outcome.
As the show began to start, the two just relaxed and enjoyed each others company. Misao had gotten so caught up in the moment, that she began to lightly rub her hand up and down Kagami's shoulder. Feeling a small movement under her arm, she looked down and saw Kagami staring up at her. Their eyes locked, and the two held each others gaze for what felt like an eternity. If this isn't a better time to take a shot, I don't know what is, Misao thought to herself, and slowly leaned in closer.
Their faces were mere centimeters apart, when a large body flopped down next to them. "Hey Sis! This band any good?" exclaimed Misao's older brother.
There was no shriek, no yelp of surprise, just a blur of motion shooting out from under her arm. In all the years Misao had known Kagami, she had never seen the girl move so fast. Slowly, she turned to face her brother, fire burning in her eyes. "Damn it Jin," she seethed, almost inaudibly.
"Whoa, what's with the rage face?" he asked with a look of sincere confusion and innocence. He obviously had no idea what he'd just interrupted.
Ayano, on the other hand, had seen it all. "Jin! Stop harassing your sister. Come on, I have a good spot for us over here," she said, standing next to rest of the group. Catching Misao's eye, she gave the most apologetic look she could muster, and silently mouthed, "I'm SO sorry."
"But I didn't do anything this time! I swear!" Jin protested, but when Ayano gave him a harsh glare, he quickly got up and jogged over to her.
So LAME! Misao mentally screamed. Hoping she could some how salvage the situation, she slid over to Kagami, who was sitting a small distance away, eyes fixed straight ahead on the band. Without the slightest idea of what to say, she decided to take a chance. Slowly reaching out, she took the other girl's hand in hers, and gave it a light squeeze.
With a nervous look, Kagaim glanced at the rest of the group, making sure no one was watching. Satisfied with the lack of attention from the others, she turned back to Misao with a heavy blush and moved a little closer, but still maintained a small gap between them. She then lightly squeezed Misao's hand back and gave a small smile.
The concert went on for a little while longer, and it wasn't long before the group was gathering their belongings and getting ready to head out. "Hey, I'll text you my competition info later tonight...that's if you still wanna go..." Misao said quietly while still out of earshot from the others.
"Looking forward to it," Kagami replied reassuringly, earning a wide smile from Misao.
Misao found herself pacing nervously in her room. She'd just sent Kagami the details for the day after tomorrow, and she was already starting to get prematch jitters. Great, now I for sure have to do well since she'll be there watching. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard her phone beep. Flipping it open, she saw a new text.
From Shortness: So?
"Oh yea, totally forgot to give her the run down of today. My bad," she said aloud as she typed out her reply.
To Shortness: Today was awesome. We totally almost kissed.
In an instant her phone came to life, signaling an incoming call from Konata. "Sup low rider," Misao answered cheerfully.
"You know those short jokes don't get any funnier," replied an annoyed voice.
"Yea they do," Misao shot back.
"Whatever. Now gimme the details!"
Laughing at Konata's excitement, Misao began to give a detailed review of the day. She'd started all the way from begging, making sure not to miss anything, and had just finished describing their run it with the men by the bathroom, when she heard a muffled, strangely accented voice in the background. "Awe, how sweet. She came to her rescue."
"I'm on speaker aren't I," Misao stated flatly. She was pretty sure knew who's voice it was, the accent being pretty easy to pick up on. When she didn't receive an answer right away, she spoke again, "hi Patty."
There was another short pause, followed by a guilty voice saying, "hi Kusakabe sempai...sorry."
"It's cool," Misao replied calmly. "Not like I don't know your little secret," she added with a smile, which widened when she heard muffled squeak over the phone.
"ANYWAYS, since when have you done Judo?" Konata asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Since always."
"So do you think you'd be able to beat me in a fight? I've got some pretty awesome moves."
"Oh come on, there's no way gettin in a fight with an Oompa Loompa would be fare. I'd totally mop the floor with you," Misao replied teasingly.
"Oh hah hah. Just finish your damn story," Konata said.
Picking up where she left off, Misao continued her story once again. She began to pace agitatedly around the room as she described the end of the day and how it was rudely interrupted by her oblivious brother. Once done, she let out a heavy breath, feeling like she had just described an epic journey.
"Wait a minute? You did all of this while I was sitting right in front of you? And I didn't notice?" Konata asked skeptically.
"Yup."
"Well played Kusakabe, well played. You've certainly made your brigade leader proud. Looks like you wont really need my help anymore," Konata stated in a congratulatory tone.
"Wait what?! Heck yea I need your help! I couldn't have done this stuff without you," Misao replied frantically.
"Oh I'm sure you could have, just not as stylishly of course. But look, all I did was set the stage. You did the rest. You pretty much asked her on a date today with your Judo thingy, and she totally said yes. To top it off, if it weren't for your beaver dam of a brother, you two would have kissed. I think it's safe to say you can handle it from here," Konata said.
Misao took a while to reply, letting Konata's words soak in. The girl had a point, and Misao gave a satisfactory nod to herself. "Thanks Konata," she said happily, deciding to avoid a derogatory nickname for once.
"But I still want all the juicy details!"
"I can make can that happen," Misao said with a chuckle. "Have a good night you two.
"Later."
"Goodnight Sempai."
Closing her phone, Misao flopped on her bed, a broad smile on her face. Konata's little speech had certainly made her feel optimistic. I can totally do this, she thought confidently
Author's note: I got the idea of having Misao doing Judo from Stamina Rose, so credit goes to her for that.