"I hear your mom's out of the hospital," said Konata.
"She'll be going back in a few weeks," said Miyuki, "to see if anything can be done about her burn scars."
"So, is it true you're now staying at Minami's?"
"After further thought, we felt it would be best to stay in the neighborhood while our house is rebuilt. That, and the Hiiragi residence is somewhat packed as it is." Miyuki briefly paused. "Come to think of it, how's Yutaka doing?"
"Yu-chan?" said Konata. "She's fine now. It turns out some jackass with a cold wasn't wearing a mask, and he sneezed right in her face."
"How horrible!" said Tsukasa.
"It's a shame how some people can be so inconsiderate," said Miyuki.
"Like I said," said Konata, "she's just fine now. She might even be heading over for a visit."
"When I see her, I'll have to warn her against buying those candles."
"I'm sure she already knows," said Konata, with a guilty-as-charged look on her face.
School got out for the day, and Miyuki went back to Minami's place.
"I am mad at you!" yelled Minami's voice from inside the house.
"WAAAAAH! I'm sorry!" said Hiyori, and she ran outside and down the street.
Miyuki went inside. "Would it be out of line to ask what that was about?" she said.
"It's nothing," said Minami. "I just found out about her 'interpretations' of me and Yutaka, and I called her here to confront her about it."
Miyuki heard what Hiyori had drawn. "Does Yutaka know about it?"
"No, and I want to keep it that way. Promise me you won't say anything."
"I promise." Miyuki went into the kitchen to pour herself some juice. "I'm rather surprised at how good of spirits Mother's in, all things considered."
"Being on fire must've been terrifying for her."
"I would imagine," Miyuki said. "The worst part for her, though, seems to be what happened to our house. She had become somewhat attached to that place."
"Your father should be home from work soon."
"When Father got the call about Mother's accident, from what I hear he had a small freak-out. He had to leave the meeting for a few minutes to get some air."
"I can't imagine anyone blaming him," said Minami.
"His boss was somewhat upset that he disrupted the meeting, but he ultimately overlooked it."
While they were still staying at someone else's house, Miyuki and her parents were finally settling back into something resembling their old routine.