As always, sorry for taking so long with this chapter. As you can see, I am still determined to continue with this story.
Many thanks to Shadowfox026 for proofreading this. Mikeru-D too.
5th July 2007, Tokyo
Still drained by stress and lack of sleep, Kagami entered the school grounds on autopilot, in her current state unable to fittingly appreciate this nostalgic moment. Only The sight of Konata in the changing room knocked Kagami out of her zombie state.
"Good morning, Kona-chan!", Tsukasa chirped, taking her shoes off.
"Yo, Tsukasa!" the bluenette responded with her usual laid-back attitude, but her eyes darted to Kagami and she gave a suspiciously natural smile. "And how are you today, Kagamin? After all, the weather's gone bad, I think it'll be raining today."
"Yeah…" Kagami's ever-present inner voice told her to get it together. "I hope it's not going to rain. I forgot my umbrella this morning. But it's awfully early for you to be here, Konata."
"I felt like something meaningful might happen at school today!" exclaimed Konata with the same too-natural smile. She glanced at her cell phone and immediately switched to her usual expression. "Actually, it's not that early at all, so we should be going already. Oh, here's Yuki-chan too."
Kagami barely managed to say hello to the flustered Miyuki, who for some reason was almost late for school and nearly fell on her butt when changing shoes, only saved by Kagami's fast reaction. A minute later she, Konata and Tsukasa headed to their classroom. As Kagami was staring at the trio wistfully, Konata looked back and mouthed: talk to you at lunch.
Already in her indoor shoes, Kagami summoned her resolve. This had better work.
During her short walk to the classroom, Kagami began her mental preparations. No matter how you look at it, it looks like I need someone to have sex with. Geez, I feel like in some badly scripted porn movie… Not that I don't enjoy porn from time to time, but from this perspective it looks much more complicated… Shit, do I sound like Konata now? Well, I need to at least consider my options.
Just like everything else in this old-new reality, her classroom was both alien and familiar, since those years of adult life put everything in a different perspective. Her classmates were already assembled, chatting among themselves or simply preparing for their morning class. Some of them glanced at her and nod curtly, so she responded with the same gesture.
As Kagami was approaching her desk, she was already searching for an appropriate target. She wasn't interested in anyone in particular, and the boys could be ruled out as far as she was concerned. Her eyes darted to her oldest friends: there was Ayano sitting by the wall, a nice person but not exactly Kagami's type, and in front of her sat Misao.
This girl made Kagami stop and look more closely. When they had attended school together, Kagami thought that Misao looked like a little animal: she was not only fanged, but also had a wild and mischievous character, always full of energy. Still, looking at her right now as an experienced adult, Kagami thought she had been wrong; this Misao wasn't a little animal at all. Sure, she seemed carefree and childish at times, but the way she was sitting there, continuously watching her surroundings… was surprisingly mature and purposeful. In her eyes there was a hint of confidence, vigilance and presence. Was I blind to these qualities? thought Kagami. I guess she's much more mature than I thought… And she has really nice body.
"Good morning, Hiiragi!" said Misao, seemingly untroubled by Kagami's slightly longer-than-normal gaze.
"Oh right, good morning," answered Kagami, mentally scolding herself for openly checking out her classmate. She proceeded to sit at her desk, exchanging pleasant nods with Ayano.
A moment later the teacher arrived and Kagami's thoughts switched to the lesson. But she kept glancing at Misao from time to time, wondering how much Kagami's outlook on women had changed in her adult life.
oooOOOooo
What Kagami found the most surprising about school was that it was actually interesting. When she had been an ordinary high school student, she was diligent and even liked some of her subjects, but the school in general was a chore like any other, only more important. But right now she was actually having fun hearing about chemistry processes involving esters; it was a bit like a documentary, and certainly more fun than sitting through the horrible company meetings that everyone detested. Of course, the novelty combined with not actually caring about grades was a big factor, but Kagami was feeling pretty energetic by lunchtime. Even her sleepiness seemed to be mostly gone, which she attributed to her young and resilient body.
Kagami was the very first person to leave the classroom for lunch, preparing herself for the conspiracy talk with Konata. She briefly wondered how to separate her accomplice from the rest of her friends, but she saw the bluenette waiting on her in the main hall already.
"Finally! Now we have like fifteen minutes, so we'd better hurry," Konata decided.
"All right…" Kagami wasn't sure how to begin.
"Not here! We need to find a more suitable place. I think behind the locker room should be fine."
"Uh, isn't this a place for… secret meetings?"
"Yeah, that one. It might rain any moment now, so hopefully it'll be deserted."
"Okay…" Kagami sighed. "I have P.E. next anyway. But if anyone thinks something weird about us, then it's your fault."
"Behind the locker room" was a place commonly used by couples for awkward kissing, dramatic declarations and similar endeavours. It was mostly hidden from view by the gymnasium and one short wing of the school building, but still looked quite nice thanks to a single flowerpot filled with purplish violets. Despite all the years that had passed, Kagami still felt uncomfortable with being alone here with someone else, but that feeling quickly turned into amusement at her own immaturity.
"So," said Konata in her calm but business-like voice. "Have you decided on anything?"
"Yes, I think so," Kagami nodded. "I think your theory may be correct, and even if it's not, I should give it a try anyway." She finished the sentence with a slightly disgusted expression, but Konata wasn't fooled.
"My Kagamin goes hunting then!" she declared, obviously taking pleasure in expressing the uncomfortable truth.
"Ha ha, very funny," said Kagami, but didn't try to deny it. "Since we've established that I'm a pervert, can we talk about the details please? I wouldn't be talking about it if I didn't want your help."
"All right! Okay then… Do you have anyone in mind?"
"Well… I'm not really sure yet…"
"How about Yuki-chan? She's nice and soft, and has huge boobs. And she's so moé that it shouldn't be that hard."
"Oh, I don't know… I like and admire her, but never really understood her that well. I wouldn't be comfortable around her…" Kagami started blushing.
"I see… Well, then maybe Ayano?"
"No. Ayano has a boyfriend, I would hate to complicate her love life for my selfish reasons. And I really don't think she's into girls to begin with."
"Then who do you think would be right?" pressed Konata, obviously excited but maintaining a professional appearance.
Kagami only thought for a short moment. "Misao. She's pretty relaxed and likes doing crazy things, so she should be relatively easy to ask for a date. And she's pretty good-looking too."
Konata grimaced a little; her minor but unwavering dislike towards the tanned girl was no secret to Kagami. "All right, then let it be her. Now we need to think of the fastest way to trigger as many flags as possible."
"Hey, hold it Konata. I'm sure you want to be helpful but… don't do anything rash, okay? I mean, I'll handle it myself… somehow." Kagami felt her cheeks getting a bit rosy.
Fortunately, Konata just gave her a thumbs up. "Sure, Kagamin! Give it your best. And remember, whenever you need my expertise, let me know and I'll think of something." Her intensely green eyes flashed with resolve. "I'll be there for you, always." Then she simply turned and started going back towards the school, her ahoge nodding rhythmically. The conversation was over.
Later on, Kagami wondered why Konata left her in such a vulnerable state, leaving so many opportunities for mockery. She was too surprised and flustered to care at the time; having heard this unexpectedly deep and honest declaration, she only exclaimed "thank you, Kona-chan!" in what probably was her most cheerful voice in years.
And while she was walking back, Konata tripped on the stairs. She gave Kagami a weird look and disappeared inside.
She tripped, thought Kagami, momentarily frozen to the spot. She never trips.
oooOOOooo
While Kagami's interest in her subjects taught at school was renewed, she felt the dizziness return in the afternoon. During her history lesson, she found herself more interested in Kuroi-sensei's curvatures than the course of the Russian-Japanese War and its consequences. She's about my age, she thought, and I used to think she was old. Scary. Besides, she's actually very hot…
The sight was nice and the lecture far from boring, but to Kagami the teacher's voice seemed more and more distant and monotonous, finally dissolving completely into a blissful silence. It was yet another improbable thing that had happened recently: Kagami fell asleep in class.
She only woke up after Kuroi gently shook her shoulder. Kagami blinked and saw that the lesson has come to an end.
"Hey, Hiiragi. Are you okay?" Kuroi-sensei sounded more worried than angry. "You fell asleep, and this isn't like you at all."
"Oh… I'm so sorry…" Kagami bowed her head, genuinely ashamed. "I didn't get enough sleep… I promise it won't happen again!"
Kuroi looked her over. "Studying a lot, huh? That's okay, but you should take care of yourself too. It's no use if it makes you pass out in school, you know."
"Yes. I'm sorry, I'll be careful. Goodbye, sensei." Kagami bowed and turned to leave, stealing one last glance at Kuroi's nice body. Kuroi was still looking at her incredulously, but only nodded in response.
As Kagami was going down to the gym for P.E., the last class of the day, she was struck with a terrible realization: she didn't have a bra. She didn't think of putting it on after she dressed in the middle of the night, and now it was becoming a problem quickly. Something had to be done.
Kagami was too preoccupied to panic over something trivial like this, and her recent experiences were quite helpful in distancing herself from inconvenient details. Instead of fretting over her lack of lingerie, her mind instantly switched to solving the problem and possibly profiting from the situation, like a kaishain, a diligent corporate worker, should do.
By the time she reached the changing rooms, Kagami's plans had been formulated. Just as she had hoped, the door was still locked and her classmates were already gathering outside, talking or just sitting idly. As she had hoped, Misao was here already, talking to her best friend Ayano and generally looking unoccupied.
Kagami mustered her courage — she had a great deal of experience with that — and casually approached the two. She felt her heat racing, was it nervousness or something else entirely? She managed to remain calm and composed, and if some nervousness was showing, it wouldn't be to her disadvantage.
"Uh, Kusakabe? May I have a moment?"
Misao blinked. "Sure, Hiiragi, what's up?"
"I'd… I'd like a word with you. Is it okay, Minegishi?"
"Sure." Ayano's response was to the point, but as always punctuated with a smile.
Kagami dragged the curious Misao aside. "Umm, you see… I have a problem."
"Yeah?" Misao was apparently confused; it wasn't normal behaviour from the distant, self-sustaining Hiiragi. She didn't seem too stressed about it though. "What's that, Hiiragi?"
Kagami didn't mind her face going a bit red. Actually, it could work to her advantage. "Well, I… kinda forgot my bra this morning, and we have P.E. coming up… I wonder if you would, er… have a spare or something…"
Kagami expected Misao to look at her weirdly, or perhaps laugh at her, but Misao did something Kagami didn't anticipate: she gave a long, thoughtful look. After a few seconds, Kagami opened her mouth to ask what she was thinking about, but before she was able to speak, Misao patted her shoulders and grinned.
"Wait here! I'll be back!" she exclaimed and just… ran off. Kagami could only follow her with her eyes, uncertain of what had just happened, but Misao disappeared in a flash, the sound of her running feet fading away. Kagami glanced at Minegishi, but Ayano only smiled with her eyes. Oh, so she doesn't know either, and probably doesn't want to.
Kagami took her place among the chattering girls. It wasn't really that hard; they didn't seem to notice her much, or at least didn't expect her to join their conversations. Kagami wondered whether she should be offended or relieved, but ultimately decided to play along. She sat down on a bench and took out her notes, determined to look busy.
After a while, bell rang and people started filing into the changing room, chatting excitedly or groaning about the impending physical effort. As the last of them were making their way inside, Kagami, worried, looked around, but there was no trace of Misao anywhere.
Three minutes later, just when sitting by the door and listening to the voices inside was getting really uncomfortable, Kagami heard the sound of running feet. The rapidly approaching person was none other than Misao, who was smiling and gripping a small plastic bag.
The brunette skidded to a halt, visibly warmed up but not winded at all, and pushed the bag into Kagami's hands. "Here! Problem solved!"
"Uh… what's this…?"
"A bra, duh. That's what you said you needed, right?"
The bag indeed contained a small package, with a picture of a white brassiere on it. It was a sporty type, and the size looked just right. It had obviously been bought a moment ago.
"Wow, Kusakabe… You're actually awesome, you know that?" said Kagami, looking up at her classmate.
Misao blinked with slight surprise, but allowed herself to smile. "Hehe, thanks."
"Uh, so… I think we should go inside, don't you?"
"Yeah, they'll start without us! Come on, Hiiragi, undress faster!"
"Er… Could you please turn around first?"
oooOOOooo
As it turned out, Kagami indeed had been in better shape back in the future than now, in her late teens. She had forgotten that their P.E. teacher was a thoroughly dedicated woman, whose main objective was to prepare the youth for the burdens of their adult lives. The preparations were often rather intense, and Kagami's body really needed some work. As well as losing a few kilograms.
Back in the changing room, she allowed herself a bit of rest before heading for the showers. All of her muscles were throbbing and twitching, which made her walk rather unsteady, so she plopped on a bench and swiped her face with her own t-shirt, temporarily unable to go and get her handkerchief. She was surrounded by a dozen of other girls from her class, most of whom were in a state similar to hers.
This of course did not alter Kagami's objective. Misao was sweaty and flustered, but her energy reserves seemed far from spent; despite her red cheeks and completely wet hair, she was radiating satisfaction. "That was a good match, guys!" she called. "Nice serves there, Ayano! Oh, and Hiiragi, thanks for those passes at the beginning, they really helped us get through!"
Ayano smiled her usual smile. Normally Kagami would only nod, but because it was Misao who said so, she said "Yeah, thanks, Kusakabe. You were great with those spikes too!"
"Hehe, it wasn't anything that great really. You should have seen my brother! Oh well, time to hit the showers, see you later." Misao grabbed her towel, slapped it against her shoulder and headed towards the bathroom.
A moment later, Kagami also had hot water cleansing her body and relaxing her muscles. It felt as great as every time before, whenever she returned from her long runs along the Arakawa. It made her feel like she was doing something for herself, something that not only would make her stronger, but also made her less conscious about herself: the stiff, studious, plain girl with little "awesome" element. She smiled a little at her own silliness, but more so at the recent memory of Misao, tired but as happy as a puppy after a long walk. This girl is really something… I wonder what else she is capable of. Kagami realised how creepy it would have sounded to anyone else, but she couldn't help thinking about what sort of plan she had for the brunette and how exciting it was becoming to her.
Properly dressed and dry, Kagami finally took action. She managed to catch up with Misao in the changing room before her orange-haired best friend. "Hey, Kusakabe."
"Oi, Hiiragi. What's up?" Misao seemed much more relaxed now, but still radiated contentment.
It's now or never, Kagami thought and finally opened her mouth. "You know Kusakabe, you really saved me back then… So I'd like to, uh, return the favour. Can I invite you for lunch after school? I know a nice place nearby."
"A lunch, huh?" Misao did not try to hide her surprise at the usually distant classmate inviting her out of the blue, but she didn't seem to care much. "Sure, why not," she smiled, showing her cute little fang. "Anyone else invited?"
Does she mean Minegishi? Kagami thought. I should have foreseen this, but I can't invite them both! I'll need to gamble here a bit, I hope Misao doesn't get angry. "Uh, I'd rather go with just you… I wanted to talk to you a… little."
"Oh, okay." Misao gave her another surprised look; this one seemed a bit more serious, but certainly friendly. "See you after classes then!"
"Right. See you."
oooOOOooo
While heading for the school gates, Kagami asked herself whether she was nervous about the upcoming… date. After all, it was a small matter in comparison to what had already happened to her, not to mention that Misao was a fun, laid-back person who probably wouldn't hold anything against her, even if she screwed something up. Misao was also a pretty girl, not only athletic, but also quite charming and intriguing if one looked at her more closely, so the prospect of dating her made Kagami genuinely excited. She managed to keep control of her imagination, but she knew that Misao was already something more to her than she had been only a day earlier and that she was looking forward to spending time with her. But still… she was damn nervous.
However, when she saw Misao waving to her with a casual smile, she found her anxiety dissolving in moments. This girl was making it impossible to worry about herself: she was not only laid back, but also prone to make mistakes without getting embarrassed.
"Yo, Hiiragi!" she exclaimed as usual. "Thanks for waiting!"
"Don't worry, Kusakabe. Shall we get going?"
"Yeah, I'm starving! Where are we going to eat?"
"How about Utah Diner? It's not glamorous, but they serve good food." Also, their popularity will skyrocket in a few years due to a contract with KyoAni.
"Fine with me!"
The Utah Diner was a rather popular place to lunch at, geared more towards solid meals than coffee and sweets. True to its name, it was aiming to mimic an American family restaurant with its plastic furniture and an Elvis Presley portrait painted on the back wall. This portrait would be replaced around 2015 with a picture of the entire cast of Umiyuri High, a wacky high school anime series that would become insanely popular where the chain was heavily advertised, but it was still almost five years before it would happen. It was a perfectly normal Japanese restaurant, if a little heavy on the menu.
As soon as they entered, they saw that the restaurant was rather busy, mostly filled with older people and some white collars. Misao immediately grabbed Kagami's hand and led her to a recently vacated table. Kagami blushed.
The next moment, Misao was studying the menu. "Wow, I'm really hungry now." She flashed a smile at Kagami. "Thanks for inviting me! I guess you're really generous, Hiiragi."
"Not really" said Kagami, returning a smile. "I'm just saying thanks. And I wanted to visit this place anyway," she improvised.
"Well, if you say so", Misao grinned toothily. "At least let me buy us drinks."
It was funny how after some years one remembers the strangest details more vividly than things that should be much more important. In this instance, Kagami couldn't remember even if her life depended on it what the name of Misao's brother was or what Misao gave her for her last birthday, but she remembered perfectly that the girl had a passion for meatballs that was particularly developed later, when Misao was a young adult and single. Not using this sort of knowledge would be plain idiotic. Kagami ordered a medium-sized plate of pasta with meatballs and a chicken salad for herself.
A couple of minutes later, her decision led to one very happy brunette and a slightly smiling girl with lilac twin tails and strangely mature eyes watching her classmate carefully. Misao greeted the food with enthusiasm, but she didn't devour it straight away; instead she happily nibbled at the meal, taking a piece of meat from here, a piece of green peppers there. Misao clearly was not a glutton, but a connoisseur of sorts, showing unique meticulousness in portioning the pleasure. This celebration of the simple act of eating made Kagami smile a bit more openly; yes, Misao was very easy to be misjudged at first glance.
It was only after the meal when they started talking again, sipping orange juice from tall glasses. Kagami was glad she wasn't very close to Misao, because catching up with her chatter would be difficult for someone from a different time. Misao told her of a movie she'd been to with Ayano not long ago, about the upcoming sports festival and her brother's failed attempt to hide the fact he was drunk, and how her grandfather thought it was funny. Kagami stuck to Misao's stories, not only because she couldn't think of anything else to say, but also because they were actually entertaining. I should have been spending more time with her as a kid. Wait, that's what I'm doing right now… Except she definitely isn't a kid.
Kagami's lips tensed. Having lunch with Misao was fun, but she brought her here for a reason. She had to move forward somehow. Fortunately, Misao was rather inspiring. It wouldn't be a bad thing to lick this tanned cheek, she had thought and immediately went to disciplining herself, but finally this time she decided to let it go. So I'm a pervert, it's hardly news. Let's worry about that later.
"Hey, Kusakabe. How about we go for a walk now? After all this stuff I feel like burning off some calories."
"A walk?" Misao blinked. "Sure! I wouldn't mind stretching my legs either."
Kagami paid for their meals and led her companion towards the exit. It was only around five p.m. and the sun had hidden behind the clouds for some time, but the air was warm because of the scorching asphalt and walls that were radiating heat. It was still better than a few hours ago, actually not a bad weather for a walk if you were lightly clothed. Well, Ryoo High summer uniforms had their advantages.
Misao stretched and yawned, only partially covering her mouth with her fingers. "Maaan, that was great. How did you know I liked these kinds of things?"
Kagami resisted the temptation to say 'I have my ways' because it was not only too close to the truth, but also a very lame response. Instead she smiled the way that she had a few times during meetings with middle-aged sales managers from other companies, something that in the business world was called hormonal marketing and was used by almost all female negotiators on the market. "You mentioned it once when we were still in middle school, I think."
"That long ago? Gee, you have a good memory", Misao looked at Kagami with approval.
"I… I guess we were close enough for me to know such things," Kagami answered. Well, it was rather pathetic… Or maybe it was the right thing to say? Damn, I wish I knew how to flirt properly! That would be kinda useful to me in the near future.
"Ah-ha!" Misao looked rather happy. "Sure we were! It's fun to hang around you anyway, we should have done it long ago. Ayano thinks so too…" Misao looked at the surrounding cars, people and buildings of late afternoon Kasukabe-shi. "Anyway, which way?"
"Why don't we go to the river? Should be cooler there."
"Okay, but you know, the river isn't too pretty around here. Mostly industrial installations and stuff…"
"That's okay, at least there won't be as many people there." Hopefully not a single person.
"Fine with me. I don't mind industrial themes!"