"Misa-chan!"
"Hmmm?"
The Yamada sisters exchanged worried glances. "Misaki-chan," Minami started cautiously, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, "does your unusual absent-mindedness have to do with lack of sleep?"
"Lack of sleep? What do you mean?" Misaki blinked, feigning innocence and resisting the urge to yawn.
Hanako got up from her spot and moved to stand in front of Misaki. She bent over so that she was right in Misaki's face, looking directly into Misaki's eyes. "Misa-chan, you suck at lying so stop pretending. Mimi-chan told me that you've been waking up in the middle of the night from nightmares for the past few weeks."
The brown-haired girl turned her gaze to Minami, who stared back with a serious expression. "None of your nightmares before have ever lasted this long. We're worried that something is really bothering you. You can tell us."
Misaki sighed and closed her eyes. "I understand that you both are worried about me, but I assure you that nothing is wrong. I admit that I've been having nightmares. It is true that this particular nightmare is persistent, but it will go away, just as the others have over time."
Hanako was not happy with that answer. "But Misa-chan, it's not even close to the anniversary yet! That's always been the time when you have nightmares! And even then—"
"Hanako!"
With Minami's sudden shout, Hanako realized that she mentioned a taboo topic and hastily apologized. Both girls saw the pain that briefly flashed through Misaki's eyes before she recovered her composure.
"Just… don't worry about it. I just have to put up with them for now. They'll go away soon. They always go away. So don't worry. You know how much I don't like worrying people."
"Too bad you always seem to worry us anyway," Hanako teased. She pounced, tackling Misaki to the ground, and tickled her sides. "Now tell Mama Hana all about this nightmare!"
"S-stop it! Hanako-chan!" Misaki squealed and squirmed, trying to escape but failing. Tears were pooling in the corners of her eyes. This went on for a few minutes until Hanako finally stopped, knowing from experience that Misaki wasn't going to give in.
"Feeling better now?" Minami inquired, rather amused at Hanako's method.
Misaki clambered to her feet and took a second to catch her breath. She moved to stand before her two friends and pulled them into a hug. "Thank you. You both really are such great friends. What would I do without you?"
Hanako, being Hanako, just had to kill the moment. "You'd probably be a sheltered brat without the amazing worldly experiences I continue to give you and the street smarts I taught you."
"And you probably would still have trouble staying organized and keeping up with your busy schedule without my guidance," Minami continued, piggybacking off of Hanako's argument.
"I am most definitely getting Shadow to pay you two back for that," Misaki deadpanned, pulling away from the hug.
Hanako and Minami glanced at each other, seeming to have just noticed the dog's absence. "By the way, where is Shadow?"
Misaki plopped down on her bed, shifting around until she was comfortable. "Grandmother picked him up this morning. She said she was taking him to the vet for a checkup. She'll bring him back by dinner." Misaki sighed, placing her chin on her open palm. "It always feels so weird when Shadow's gone. We've been together for so long that everything just feels off when he's not with me."
Hanako perked up, knowing just what to do. The war cry that she let out startled the other two girls. "GIRLS' DAY OUT! IT'S SHOPPING TIME! LET'S GO!" [1]
Misaki and Minami didn't have a chance to escape before Hanako dragged them out the door to their doom.
[1] Ended up adding this because I started to rewatch Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers not to long ago. xD