Disclaimer: In case you don't know pig latin, the last disclaimer said "I do not own Lucky Star"...same as this disclaimer.
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If nervousness could be measured in amounts of water, the cinema they were in would be Lake Michigan. For a very long moment, neither Ayano nor Misao had anything to say to Kagami and the twin-tailed girl continued to give them that look which seem to say "might as well just get it over with and save me the trouble of losing my patience." At least, that's what it looked like to the two tailing friends.
Kagami, for her part, was largely putting on an act. Sure some part of her is genuinely irked by the fact that she was being stalked by her two long-time friends but she knew them enough that something like this wasn't beyond them. And, considering all the off beat things that have been happening to her over the past couple of months, nothing will really surprise her anymore. Just go with the flow, she told herself, otherwise you might just end up soaking wet in the rain and later in a boy's apartment wearing his pajamas.
"As much as I wanna stay hear just looking at you gawking faces," said Kagami, "the movie is gonna start soon and it's actually something I wanna watch. So let's have it."
The two girls swallow nervously. Even though Kagami was now being more playful. Kagami thought back to that time when Misao managed to call her 'hostile' and Kagami went slightly unhinged. A funny, but embarrassing, memory that she would rather not repeat, especially in a public theater.
"Ummm..." Ayano was the first to talk. "How did you find us out?"
"I actually noticed you guys as we were leaving that desert cafe. I thought it was just a coincidence that we were in the same vicinity. But by the time I still kept noticing you guys all the way to the arcade, I decided that something was up with you two."
"Oh...I had no idea you would find us that soon."
"I may not be as big an otaku as Konata, but I really love those detective-themed animes, you know."
"I see...I guess that would macth your personality, Kagami,"
Ayano was dancing around the subject and Kagami knew it. Ever the peace keeper. Funny how when she does get mad, hell hath no wrath like a ticked off Ayano. So kagami instead turned to Misao.
"And what do you have to say?" said Kagami in her annoying motherly tone.
That got under Misao's skin rather quickly. "What are we doing? What are you doing, Hiiragi? With a guy ne less!"
"When was it decided that you two would be the managers of my social circle? So I'm hanging out with a guy. A lot of girls do that, don't they?"
"Yeah...when dating!"
That's why she loved Misao. Always honest and straight to the point. Most people would tell the fanged girl that it was more prudent in polite society to hold back even the most obvious things rather than shout it out for the world to hear but Misao viewed it more as her charming childlike naivety which she simply refused to get rid of.
"Who said we were dating?" said Kagami without missing a beat.
"Well I...well...um...we uh...just assumed..."
Kagami let out an exasperated sigh. "Ah, typical. You see two people of the opposite sex walking around together and you automatically assume they're a couple. How old-fashioned can you guys get?"
Misao and Ayano looked at each other curiously then back up at Kagami who had a scolding expression. This seemed to have made the other two girls realize that they have somehow blundered. Kagami had a point that they were jumping to conclusions. Misao rubbed the back of her head while Ayano twiddled with her fingers. After this, they looked back up at Kagami with apologizing looks.
"Yeah, I guess that's right," said Misao.
"That was pretty unfair of us," said Ayano.
Kagami crossed her arms and nodded wisely. "That's correct. Maybe this will teach you guys to be more careful with the way you perceive things.. That could be dangerous, you know."
"Well, we're really sorry about it," said Ayano.
"Yeah, totally," concurred Misao.
"That's alright. I forgive you girls," said Kagami while giving each of her friends a nice pat on the head which they both accepted albeit Misao was a little annoyed about being treated like a child again, similar to when she visited Kagami's house last time.
"So...you guys aren't on a date huh?" asked Misao.
Without missing a beat, Kagami replied. "Of course we are! Why else would I be hanging out with a guy?"
Ayano and Misao fell off of their chairs and comically crashed onto the floor. Kagami put on a wry smile and held back a chuckle as she watched Ayano and Misao pick themselves up. As expected, they both looked annoyed which only made Kagami want to laugh a little more.
"If you're actually dating then what was all that 'don't jump to conclusions' crud for?" angrilly demanded Misao.
"Just because you guys were right doesn't mean it wasn't a good lesson. You still shouldn't just assume things on sight you know."
If this was an anime, Kagami would probably be looking at the audience through the screen and winking at them. Misao and Ayano's look incredulously at Kagami, their mouths opening and closing but neither could come up with anything to say.
But, before the two did get a chance to say anything, Kagami was the one to break the silence again and let out a long exasperated sigh. She gave her friends an understanding look. Far from the enraged 'I'm-going-to-slaughter-you-and-do-bad-things-to-your-corpse' look that Misao and Ayano were expecting to see.
"Alright," she said to them. "What do you want to know about him?"
The two girls below gave each other confused looks. Kagami raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's why you followed us all day right? You want to know stuff about him. Might as well get on with it now that we're here and all. What do you want to know about him."
Another exchange of nervous looks before Misao sucked it up and made the first inquiry. "So...Is he from your work?"
"Yeah. He's me sempai. We've been working together in our studio's current project. He's also my unofficial voice acting coach of sorts."
"Is he famous?"
"Not that much. He's known in some circles for some of his earlier works. But since he's also just starting to go into the major productions, he doesn't have that much of a reputation yet."
"So, he's good at voice acting?"
"He wouldn't be assigned by our producer as my coach if he wasn't."
"What's he like? What's his personality?"
Kagami managed to hold back a girlish giggle from escaping. "Oh, he's not perfect if that's what you're asking. Far, far from it. Honestly the guy is a pain to deal with. You never know what you're gonna get with the guy. One moment his as confrontational as Natsu Dragneel, then the next second he's as docile as the adult version of Mirajane...Oh, dear, I'm getting into this job too much. I'm turning into Konata."
"So...he's an ok guy?"
"Yeah, I guess he's pretty well balanced overall...but..."
Ayano took this moment to finally ask. "Do you like him?"
Kagami looked to be taken aback by the question. But her expression soon turned to a very thoughtful one as she looked up. Ayano and Misao watched with mixed feelings as a warm smile began to form on Kagami's lips. Kagami was seemingly lost in her own thoughts and she didn't seem to mind her tong long-time friends seeing her sigh, then giggle childishly, and hum softly as if remembering a fond memory.
Kagami looked back down at Ayano and softly answered. "Yeah...I do...I really do like him."
"R-Really now?"
"Yup, I do," said Kagami, now less softly and more matter-of-factly.
"Is he really that interesting?" asked Misao.
Kagami looked back down at the boy she liked a few row of seats down. He was bobbing his head back and forth in a sign if impatience.
"You could say..." Kagami started, "...he's like a box of chocolates...I don't know if you guys get that reference."
Misao and Ayano exchanged confused looks. They've been doing that a lot lately. Kagami concluded that they didn't get what she was saying and let out a short, humored snicker. Then she decided to move on to something she wanted to ask. And truth be told, she was gonna feel embarrassed about this.
Kagami took a quick breath. "So now I wanna ask you guys...What do you think about him?"
Taken aback by this question, Ayano and Misao could say anything. They looked at each other then back up at Kagami who was looked rather shy at that moment. They both guessed that was normal. After all, Kagami just admitted that she has certain feelings for a certain someone right in front of them and now, if they heard her correctly, she was asking for their opinion on said certain someone. What girl would be a little flustered?
However, as shy as Kagami looked right then, she was also looking very expectant. Her two friends found it impossible to not answer her. Which was difficult considering they had known the guys for all of two hours at most...and they haven't even talked to him yet.
"Well..." started Misao. "He was treating you nicely during this whole time we've been following you."
"Yeah," agreed Ayano. "And the whole time, you looked totally comfortable around him, so..."
Kagami looked a little disappointed.
She knew than to expect more than that. After all, that's probably all they know about the guy. She wanted to get their approval. She didn't know why. But she really wanted her two long-time friends to think well of him. To say that there was nothing wrong with the picture of the two of them together and...
Ayano noticed it first.
It was subtle but she could see it even in the darkness of the theater.
That look of longing for approval from the two of them. The anticipation looked almost too much for the twin-tailed girl. Ayano smiled. She finally understood. And that's when Ayano decided. She didn't need to know who this boy was. All that really mattered was that Kagami liked him. And if a person like Kagami could find a person she liked, then...
"It's totally fine with me," declared Ayano, prompting a curious look from her friends. "The way I see it, Kagami, if you like him then that's fine. I mean, I've known you since middle school. You one of my best friends and one of the kindest, most honest people I know. You're very dependable hard working. You're the kind of person most people aspire to be like...people like me...So, if there is a guy out there who was good enough to catch you eye like this...Then it that guy is more than okay in my book."
"Yeah, exactly!" said Misao. "Ayano-chan is right. If he's good enough to get the Kagami Hiiragi seal of Approval, then he must be an okay guy." Misao put forward an enthusiastic thumbs up.
Without warning, Kagami sprang forward and encased the two on a warm hug. Though a little surprised at first, Misao and Ayano accepted it and warmly returned the gesture.
"You guys are the best, you know that?" said Kagami.
"Heck yeah, we do!" replied Misao.
"We were just a little worried about you, Kagamin," said Ayano. "But it seems that you already know what's best for your self. We'll just have to trust you as we always have."
Kagami blinked. "Hey...You just called me Kagamin, Ayano. What's up with that?"
Ayano blushed as she realized her little slip of the tongue. Misao had a good giggle in her expense. "So, she's finally growing on you, eh, Aya-chan?"
"Oi!" exclaimed the still blushing girl. "Where did that come from?"
"What? We're all friends here right?"
Then the three girl enjoyed a moment of quiet laughter between them. Soon, Kagami released them from the hug. "Hey, listen. can you guys do me a favor? Since i don't want you to waste the cash you paid to get in here, I won't make you leave, but can you guys bail as soon as the ending credits start?"
"Ah, so you want a little alone time with Mr. Mysterious over there, huh?" said Misao in a playful tone, to which Kagami naturally blushed at.
Ayano gave Misao a playful jab to the shoulder then turned to Kagami. "Sure thing. We understand."
Kagami gave them a very appreciative smile in return. "Thanks, you guys...for everything..."
"Hey, what are friends for right?"
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Hours later, at the train station.
The snack at the cafe was good. The walk through the shopping district was good. The movie was good. The dinner at the restaurant was good. Overall...Kagami could find one thing about the day to regret. The soft smile that was pasted on her face since they left the restaurant was clear evidence of this fact.
The dinner was nothing special but it was nothing dull either. Kagami and Tetsuya simply talked. They talked about anything and everything until the subject didn't matter anymore. Until they were just plain glad that can exchange ideas without having to outwit one another with random teasing and insults. They had a simple, honest, and genuine conversation...which was amazing considering their track record so far.
Now it was a little past seven in the evening. They were at the train station, waiting for the train that will take Kagami to her neighborhood. Aside from them there were very few people on the platform and none were near them at the time. It was silently decided between them that day couldn't have gone any better...except for...
"So, you're cool with your friends following you like that?" asked Tetsuya.
Kagami let out a small giggle. "Yeah, it's cool. They were just worried about me since they saw me with you that's all."
"Wow. Don't I feel welcome."
"Don't worry about. They're okay with you now. I've talked it over with them and they think you're an okay guy."
"How would they know that? They don't even know my name."
Kagami briefly considered telling him the real reason why they quickly approved of him. She even already opened her mouth as if to say the reason. But at the last second she stopped and decided not to. Nah, she thought. no need to tell him that directly.
They were alerted by the sight of train headlights in the distance. Kagami's ride was here. Time to say the farewells for the evening. A moment neither of them were looking forward to.
The ever awkward end to the first date where you think back to every little thing you did and give yourself a mental score sheet with checklists on what you did and did not do that may or may not have been the right thing to do or don't. The moment where you just wanna ask the other party how you were and if you were just okay but then you're just to nervous of ending up looking like you have no confidence in yourself, or worse, might be given a negative feedback, or even more worse, get a sarcastic reply that will be a sure sign that things have ended then and there and you can forget about any future plans.
So you settle for the standard, polite declaration that is often honest enough.
"I...had a good time," said Tetsuya. He could feel himself blushing even though he tried not to.
Kagami looked to him and could see that question of if he was okay hanging right off his lips. She was getting fond of this side of him. "I had a good time too."
Tetsuya felt his blush deepening and it was starting to frustrate him a bit. "So...um...if it alright with you...then...uh..."
"Sure, I'd love to go out with you again," said Kagami, with a blush of her own. Although not as much as Tetsuya's whose face was the shade of a tomato.
Kagami looked up to see that Tetsuya was once again struggling with what to say or do next. She checked on thos train headlights. She had maybe twenty seconds left with him before the train pulls up to the platform and opens its doors. Abck up at Tetsuya, still confused as a goldfish dumped in the sink.
Kagami sighed. "I cannot believe I'm the forward one in this relationship."
Tetsuya heard her and turned to ask about it...but was stopped in his thoughts when she suddenly brought her hands up, one to grab his shoulder and the other to hold the bottom of chin. He found himself looking down into her deep, longing eyes and found that if he tried to blush any deeper, the skin on his face might just boil off.
He could feel her pulling on him to come closer and he could see she was stepping forward ever so slightly. Her lips started to pucker as her eyes narrowed till they were almost closed. He couldn't react. He could barely think of anything due to his heart beating so fast. He ha to let himself be pulled in. The distance between their faces closed until he could feel her breath. Without thinking he also shut his eyes. He could still feel himself getting closer, and closer, until...
Kagami turned his head to the side and kissed him on the cheek.
A beat.
Tetsuya opened his eyes in shock and confusion as he was gently pushed back away from her, with his head still slightly turned. He regained his senses quickly enough and turned to look back down at Kagami whose expression showed a bemused look.
"Let's not rush into things just yet, okay?" said Kagami. "I don't think you're quite ready for this."
"Uh...um..." was all Tetsuya could manage to blurt out just as the train finally arrived.
With the smile and slight blush on her face not leaving any time soon, Kagami quickly stepped into the open doors of the train car, turned and said, "See you at work, Tetsuya-sempai."
"Uh...Yeah, see you," was Tetsuya's near automatic response.
The lat vision Kagami had of him as the doors closed was that shy, nervous, but definitely happy smile that was forming on his face. Seconds later. the train had left the platform and he was out of sight. Kagami patted her chest to somehow calm that beating heart of hers as she thought back to the events of the day.
That's right. There wouldn't be a need to tel him directly the true reason why her friends decided to be okay with him. She'll make him see why soon enough. But it will be with her own feelings that she will show him with. And sure, knowing him it will be a rough road ahead, but Kagami knew that for herself this is what she needed. And on some level, she knew this was what he needed as well. So where ever this road will carry her to, she'll say with confidence and honsety that she can take whatever happens.
She reminded herself to thank Konata on her next opportunity. She finally found out for herself that she was doing fine on her own.
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Meanwhile.
At another part of town, Misao and Ayano were also deciding to end their day. they themselves were on their way to another train station leading to their own homes. They took their time giving the shopping district one last stroll, appreciating the displays on the store fronts.
"So, you think this thing with Kagami and this guy will go all the way?" asked Misao out of the blue.
Those last three words put a blush on Ayano. "Don't talk about them like that! Besides, Kagami isn't that type...And she probably wouldn't date a guy who's that type either."
"Yeah, your right. Hiiragi can be such a prune sometimes."
"You say that it's a bad thing. Heaven help us if you ever get a boyfriend yourself, Misao-chan."
"Hey! I resent that!...He'll have to take me to at least three dinners first."
"Ugh," Ayano sweat-dropped. She wondered and worried about what was gonna happen to her close friend after graduation.
"But you know," said Misao in a more serious tone. "I'm really happy for Kagami right now. Hopefully this really is a long-term thing. Heavens know that girl worked so hard almost her whole life. She deserves something like this...Although the guy did look a bit dorky. I guess that would be the type Kagami would fall for. But you know that if that girl wasn't so shy, this would've probably happened earlier, you know?"
Ayano smiled at her friend. "Well, whatever happens will happen. But one's thing's for sure, I think. Kagami will be a lot less shy now."
"Got that right! Man, I can't believe how much our little Hiiragi has grown up!"
"You do know she's about two months older than you, right?"
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Author's note: Aaaaaaaaand, I'm done! This took quite a while, huh? For a project I thought that would only be a few months, I didn't think this would take over a year. I had so many endings planned out in my head before I settle on this one. I settled on an ending which is actually the beginning of Kagami's relationship. I'm not gonna bother doing a full blown drama series focusing on those two so don't ask. If another installment of OBM comes out, like I said in a previous A/N, it'll be most like focusing on Tsukasa instead. That'll be a fun project. Hoped you liked everything. I really worked hard on this and I honestly could not think of a better way this could've played out. Now I'll be taking a break while I work on a few other fics. As always, pls. R&R! Thank you all for reading!
Additional Author's note: This marks the first story I've written using only Google Docs. When I discovered Google docs a year ago back in college I was a little skeptical. So I tried using this story as an experimental run on it. An online office suite? Can that really match something like MS Office (my old writing tool) or Openoffice(dot)org? Turns out yes, it can. At least for my purposes.
I recommend anyone who write for recreation and semi-professionally to use Google Docs. Take advantage of the fact that it's free online storage, you can edit your files anywhere, and it's private. All my fics are now written in Google Docs. If you haven't used it yet, I urge you to give it a try, not just Google Docs but any of the other available online document writers.