"Oniichan, you'll never guess what happened today!"

Yutaka sounded excited. She had been looking forward to the first day of school, despite it being, well... school. Konata couldn't relate to that at all. In fact, Konata was looking forward to being done with school very soon.

'Oniichan' was what Yutaka had started calling her. 'Oniichan,' not 'oneechan,' which would have made more sense. Still, Konata did find it endearing. Maybe it was just because Yutaka was already so cute, it was hard to say no to her.

"So what happened, Yu-chan?" Konata asked.

"Remember that girl I was telling you about? The one I met on the day of the entrance exams?" Yutaka said. "Well, I saw her again today, and I remembered to ask what her name is. She really is named Minami! Just like you said. Isn't that weird?"

Konata had been afraid Yutaka was going to say something like that.

"Yeah, that's quite a coincidence," Konata said, trying to keep it casual despite the awkwardness of the situation. "I guess my intuition must be pretty good, then, huh?"

"I actually told her how you thought she sounded like her name would be Minami, and she thought that was pretty funny."

"You... did?" Way to go, Yu-chan...

"Well, I just thought it was so weird, you know?" Yutaka said. "So how was your first day of the new term?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Same homeroom as last year. Everything's pretty much the same," Konata said. It really was quite monotonous, going to school every day, not really caring about what was going on. "You can't really expect it to be as interesting as starting your first year of high school."

"To tell the truth, I was a little nervous going in... Since I'm so much smaller than everyone else in my grade, you know," Yutaka said quietly. Then, more cheerfully, added,"But it all went okay, and I already have a new friend!"

"That's good to hear, Yu-chan," Konata said.

Chapter 14

Backwards Into A Wall Of Fire

"Hey, Konata, me and Tsukasa were just going to - "

"Sounds great! I'll come with you," Konata said.

"I didn't even say what we were going to do..." Kagami said. "It's like all of a sudden you're spending a lot more time with us. Are you feeling okay?"

It was only a week into the new school year. Everything was pretty much the same, except for Jason not being here anymore. Konata still met up with him each night to do some missions, so it wasn't completely different for her. As for the afternoons between school and work, she was hanging out with her friends as much as she possibly could.

"Sure, I'm just fine. I would think you'd want to hang out more, seeing as you're all alone in your class again," Konata said. "Those class assignments must have something against you. Poor, lonely Kagamin..."

"It has nothing to do with that!" Kagami said. "Anyway, like I was going to say, we're just going out to eat at that buffet place. You know the one. So you want to come?"

"All you can eat for one low price. Sounds like your favorite place on earth, Kagamin."

Kagami's eyes narrowed. "Watch it."

The weather was perfect that day, very warm and sunny. The cherry blossoms were in full force. Konata was enjoying the weather as they left the school together. It was so much nicer than being stuck in a classroom all day. That was something she was sure she wouldn't miss.

"Come to think of it, you have been doing a lot more with us ever since Jason left. It seemed like you really spent a lot of time with him. You lonely or something?" Kagami said.

"No, you're supposed to be the lonely character out of the group. It's one of your defining characteristics." Kagami looked like she was going to respond to that with some sort of biting remark, but Konata continued on before she was able to. "I still talk to him most nights. I'm usually up at 5 in the morning anyway, so that's a convenient time for him, with time zones and everything," Konata said.

"You actually get up that early?" Kagami said. "Is that on a regular basis or something?"

"No, I don't get up early. I just don't sleep. I'm up all night playing games anyway." Konata actually hadn't stayed up all night to 'play games' for God knows how long. If she had time, she fit in a few minutes in the evening. "It all works out great, actually."

"Good for you, then," Kagami said.

Tsukasa giggled. "I don't know how you do it, Kona-chan. I'm always so tired, I could never stay up for an entire night to do anything."

"It's all about learning how to manage time," Konata told her. "I find other times to sleep. You know, time I can afford to waste without missing anything."

"Sleeping again, Izumi?"

Konata woke up at her desk so much that it had become routine. She didn't even have to take a minute to realize she was in school, in the middle of class (in this case, it was actually just homeroom), it was just how it always happened. She was more comfortable with her head resting on an open history textbook than a pillow.

"Sorry... Couldn't focus." She gave a silent thanks to the powers-that-may-be that Sensei hadn't whacked her on the head again.

"Honestly, Izumi. This is really starting to piss me off. Don't you even care that there's a test coming up next week?" Kuroi said.

"Huh...? What test?" Konata asked. There was a hint of mild surprise in her voice, but no real anxiety or fear.

Kuroi took a few moments to keep herself from going completely berserk. "Look, Izumi. I know you'll probably pull through on this one, like you always do, but could you at least humor me enough to pay attention during class once in a while?"

"I'll certainly try, ma'am. But I can't make any promises."

Not unexpectedly, Kuroi started another repetitive but fairly brief lecture about this being their senior year, the importance of doing their best in the final stretch of high school so that they could be accepted into college and eventually become a contributing member of society. As she finished, she added, "But Izumi, I can't even imagine what you're going to do someday. Have you put any thought into this at all?"

"My, that's rather harsh, don't you think, Sensei?" Miyuki said.

"Nah. I figure someday my destiny will become clear. And when it does, I'll be ready to answer the call, and discover my true purpose in life," Konata said with a far-off expression on her face.

"Sounds fascinating. So you really haven't put any serious thought into your future, have you?" Kuroi said flatly.

"Well... no. Can't say I have."

To be more accurate, Konata couldn't tell them just what kind of future she did, in fact, have planned. Even if she wanted to.

Konata was regarding Miyuki strangely one day at lunch, just looking at her from across the table. It was another one of those days that they really didn't have anything new to talk about, so their table was quiet among the low chatter from other students.

"Is - is something wrong?" Miyuki said, noticing her stare. "Do I have something on me?"

"No, it's not that," Konata said. "I was just thinking. I've known you for almost three years now, and I still have never been to your house."

"Is that all? Well, I'm sure you could come over any time you wanted. I don't usually invite over company, it makes me feel like I'm being rather boastful..."

"Just like I thought! You must live in some huge mansion!" Konata's eyes lit up.

"Oh, it's really... It's nothing too impressive, really!" Miyuki was starting to blush as she tried to sound as modest as possible.

"I don't think I've ever seen where you live, either, Miyuki-chan," Tsukasa said. "It might be fun to visit sometime. If that's okay with you, I mean."

"How about today? After school, I mean. I don't have anything planned," Konata said. "That alright with you?"

"Hold on, there. You can't just invite yourself over to someone else's house like that," Kagami said. "Don't you have any moral values at all?"

"I wasn't just inviting myself," Konata said. "I was thinking all of us would go." She had that strange, mischievous grin on her face that she sometimes got. The expression that always seemed to put Kagami on edge. "'See Miyuki-san's house.' That's on my list of things to do before I die."

"Well, then, you've got some time, don't you?" Kagami said. "Why are you so interested in this all of a sudden, anyway?"

Konata ignored her. "So, we're all set for today after school. It's fine with you, right, Miyuki-san?"

"Um, yes... I suppose it's alright. I was expecting we would maybe go to your house, Konata-san, or maybe Kagami-san's and Tsukasa-san's house, but I'm certain Mother will be glad to have you over to visit."

"So Miyuki, do you have any maids or anything? Rich people always have maids. It's so cool!" Konata was leaning forward in her chair, a blissful expression on her face.

"Um, no... We don't have anything like that..." Miyuki said.

"Miyuki-san, you really put up with a lot," Kagami muttered. "I'm not sure how you can do it, and I really envy you for that..."

"Hey, Dad. We're going over to Miyuki-san's house after school today. Is that alright? ...Okay. I'll be home by then... Okay. Bye." Konata hung up. "I'm good to go."

They were standing outside the school, classes had just ended for the day. Tsukasa had just texted her dad, and now was examining Konata's cell phone as she waited for a response. She had noticed that weird design on it before. The black circle with the glow around it. She'd seen it on Konata's phone, but never anything else. It was a pretty cool logo, maybe for the company that made the phone or the service provider. "Hey, Kona-chan... I don't think I've ever seen a phone like that before. It looks really different."

"Oh, this? I've had it for a while... Yeah, it's a special model," Konata said. "I actually ordered it online, they don't sell it in stores."

"Really?" Tsukasa said. "What kind is it?"

"Um... It's just got some special features and stuff," Konata said. "I just like the feeling of having something rare and special, mostly."

"So how much extra did you have to spend to get those 'special features?'" Kagami asked. "It just looks like a normal phone to me. But I'll admit, I've never seen that logo on anything else before."

"Yeah, it's not that common of a service provider. It was a bit more expensive than most phones. But I think it's worth it."

"Come to think of it, isn't that the same kind of phone that Jason had?" Kagami said. "But yeah... other than the two of you, I've never seen it before. Is it an American company or something?"

"It's, uh... International, you could say. Jason was the one who told me about it, and after I saw his, I thought I wanted one too."

Tsukasa's phone beeped as she recieved a reply. She opened it to read the message. "Dad says it's okay if we go to Yuki-chan's house for a little bit... I guess we can get going now."

"So you're sure your parents are okay with it, Miyuki-san?" Kagami asked.

"Oh, yes. Mother enjoys having company over," Miyuki replied. "It's no trouble, really."

"Alright! Then what are we waiting for?" Konata seemed really excited to see Miyuki's house... Tsukasa wondered why that was. Maybe it was just the way that Konata was. She was such an interesting person, but that made it hard to tell what she was thinking sometimes. "You lead the way, Miyuki-san," Konata said.

They stopped in front of a huge house with a fancy and expensive-looking gate in front of the wide front yard. Kagami wondered if this could actually be where Miyuki lived, when she saw the plaque reading "Takara" on the wall and it confirmed that fact. Damn, this girl was beautiful, smart, and rich as well? If she wasn't so goddamn nice, too, Kagami could hate her with a burning passion.

"We're here," Miyuki said. "Welcome!"

"S-seriously?" Konata said, staring at the house. "I had no idea it was going to be this big! This is incredible!" It kind of seemed like she might be overreacting, but it was really impressive.

They came up to the front door and Miyuki let them in. The interior was even more exquisite. The furnishing was in a Western style, which wasn't surprising, seeing how often the Takaras travelled overseas.

"Mother, I brought company over!" Miyuki called.

Yukari came to the door to greet them. "Oh, I wasn't expecting to have anyone over. I was even planning to clean up a little today, as well, but I got so distracted with other things that I completely forgot..." It was amazing how much she resembled her daughter. They shared the same kind of ditzy politeness and softspoken manner.

"This family..." Konata said, looking from Miyuki, to her mother, and back again, "Is totally awesome."

"Um, Yuki-chan..." Tsukasa said, looking around in wonder. "Would you mind showing us around? I can't believe we've never come over here before..."

"Sure, Tsukasa-san," Miyuki replied.

"You know, this place really is huge..." Konata said. "Maybe you should look into getting a maid service. That would be totally awesome!"

"I really wonder about you sometimes, you know..." Kagami said.

"Today another junior high school girl reported attempted assault. Local police have decided to step up efforts to patrol..." The evening news anchor continued on, explaining the latest in a recent string of crimes.

"Seriously, some people out there... They just..." Sojiro shook his head sadly.

There had been a number of stories such as that one on the news lately. Konata could never really tell what her dad was thinking about them. Shame? Jealousy...? Possibly a combination of the two?

"I've started to get a little worried going out by myself..." Yutaka said, still watching the screen. "With all these people around, you know..."

"Aren't you forgetting that we already live with one of 'those people,' Yu-chan?" Konata said, making a brief nod towards her dad. "Anyway, I'm not too worried. What really bothers me about this is how they always blame these kind of crimes on anime and games. It gives my kind of people a bad reputation."

"Exactly!" Sojiro exclaimed. "Just because somebody sees something in a game doesn't mean they're going to go out and try it in the real world!"

Konata couldn't be sure, but she wondered if he only said that because he didn't have access to giant mecha. He was definitely the type to go out and try things from his other favorite genre, there was no doubt about that. How long was it until they caught him on the news...?

"But you're not worried about anyone trying to attack you or anything, Oniichan?" Yutaka asked.

"Of course not. Maybe you should start practicing martial arts, I think it could do you some good."

"M-martial arts?" Yutaka said, unsure how to respond. "I don't know... I don't think I'd be very good at something like that."

"But if anyone tries to lay a hand on either of you two... Well, they'll just have me to answer to!" Sojiro was clenching a fist, and getting pretty intense in that way that he had.

"Yeah, but you've probably got some other reason for saying that, don't you? I mean, other than the normal protective instinct." Konata knew her dad too well. He was just thrilled to get to live in a house with two small high school-age girls, and even more thrilled when they had friends over to visit. Sure, he genuinely cared for them, but he couldn't help his other passions.

It was a few days later, on a Saturday afternoon, when Kagami and Tsukasa came over to meet Yutaka for the first time.

"Hey! You made it!" Konata said as she greeted them at the door. She turned to call, "Hey, Yu-chan, come meet my friends!"

Yutaka arrived at the entryway a few moments later. Konata realized that, next to her cousin, she looked almost tall in comparison. Noticing that made her feel pretty good. It was another part of the big-sister role that she wasn't used to, even after nearly two months.

"Oh, you must be the ones Kona-chan always tells me about," Yutaka said. "I've heard so much about you! It's great to finally see you in person."

"We've heard a lot about you, too," Kagami said. "It's amazing that you're able to survive living with people like..." She glanced at Konata. "You know."

"You know, Kagami, you just have this really negative image of me..." Konata said. "Please don't shatter whatever expectations she has. That's all I've got. Anyway, how about you guys come on in?"

A few hours later, Konata was playing another RPG in her room, with Tsukasa and Yutaka watching, and Kagami reading one of the mangas off Konata's shelf. Konata had enough books in her room that it might as well be the public library, although without any actual novels or literature.

"You know, you should probably clean up in here once in a while..." Kagami said, looking around at those packed shelves, but also at the various games and manga scattered around the room. They were next to the bed, sitting next to the computer, a few were even stacked up on the floor against one of the walls.

Without turning from the game, Konata pointed at some game cases on top of the TV. "See those?"

"Yeah. That's kind of what I was talking about."

"No, that's not what I meant," Konata said. "Those are all unfinished games. RPGs, visual novels, all with tons of hours of gameplay. And before all of those are finished, you can bet that there'll be even more games released that I just can't let slip by. So, you see, Kagami, I simply don't have any time to clean up my room."

"Really? What about all the time you don't spend on homework?"

Konata just grinned and went back to her game. The character onscreen was exploring a vast dungeon (nothing compared to a real dungeon, though, Konata thought) and had found a rare chest.

"Durandal? What's that?" Yutaka asked, interested.

"Let's see..." Konata checked the item stats and description. "Two handed sword, it's got some good power... Once wielded by the knight Roland. Interesting."

"See what it does," Tsukasa said.

Konata equipped the new weapon on her character. "Hm... I do like the larger swords. They're kind of hard to carry around, but if you can swing it you can do pretty significant damage. Most people just use the smaller, lighter blades just cause they're easier... or even guns, but those are kind of cheap. They just don't take the same level of skill and practice that a sword does."

"You're talking about games, right?" Kagami asked.

"Of course," Konata said.

"Hey, look at the time," Kagami said later. "It's going to get dark soon. We should get going, Tsukasa."

"Already?" Yutaka said, glancing at the clock, then at the window. "Oh... Well, feel free to come over anytime! It was fun meeting you two."

"Yeah," Tsukasa said. Turning back to Konata, she asked, "Are you doing something tomorrow, Kona-chan?"

Tomorrow... "Actually, I've got to go to work tomorrow, it's a pretty long shift. Maybe another time?" Konata said.

"That sounds okay. I guess we'll see you on Monday, then?"

"Sure. I'll be there," Konata said. She was lying.

As Kagami and Tsukasa left, Konata thought about how they really did expect to see her again at school... It never crossed their minds that this would be the last time they ever saw her. She wished she could say something more to them, but if she wanted to keep her job, then nobody was supposed to know until it had already been done.