Chapter 9: Awakening
Hillo everyone! I finally ended the day! It's now the morning, and I'm wondering if that day was just way too detailed, if that was actually good, or if that's the kind of stuff that I make all in one chapter? Cause that one day ended up being well over 20,000 words, and that's with me rushing to end it in chapter 8! I'm wondering if I should just make it so that each chapter takes place over a day each, the length of the day is the length of the chapter? XD Please, share some opinions with me, and please, if you don't like what's happening in the story, keep reading for the next chapter at least, I have some twists packed away that may or may not be obvious! Onto the chapter!
Rating: T for safety
Awakening
As Kagami awoke from her slumber, she felt something clutched around her waist very tightly. She felt oddly secure and warm in whatever it was and... happy. She turned her head to see that Konata, in her sleep, had snuggled into Kagami and was right now holding onto her with uncommon strength. Kagami, seeing her restraint, blushed a deep red as those same feeling spiked exponentially. Scared of her sudden emotions, she screamed and shoved Konata out of the bed, having forgotten everything except for the fact that her and Konata were in the same bed together! Needless to say, the scream and shove woke both Konata and Tsukasa up.
"Kagami! Are you okay?" Konata leaped up quickly to see what had scared her friend so badly.
"Is everything okay Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Ye.. Yeah..." Kagami stuttered as memories of the previous night flooded back. She suddenly got infuriated. "Konata! I told you no funny stuff!" She yelled.
"Kagami, I promise I didn't do anything! Why?" Konata asked, confused. Konata put her shirt back on.
Oh... of course, I pushed her and woke her up, she wouldn't know that she had cuddled up if she honestly didn't... "Never mind Konata, musta been a dream..." Kagami trailed off to make it seem as though she was trying to remember. What she was really thinking about was something quite different. Why did I feel so nice when Konata held me? I just felt so... safe... Is that just how friends feel when they hold each other or... Could she possibly... be.. No! I can't have feeling for Konata! She's Konata! Man, I have to get this insane notion out of my head... She tried to ignore it, but the thoughts she not only had just had, but of what she had thought when dressing herself the previous day and after she had slipped wouldn't leave her alone. She blushed. Why am I thinking of THAT again? What's wrong with me?
"Hello~? Earth to Kagami~." Konata said, trying to bring her friend out of her daze, but to no avail. "Ka~gami~..." Konata poked Kagami's tummy a few times. No response. "Hmmmm, this is going to take drastic measures!" She thought out loud, closing her eyes and putting her hand to her chin in thought. She got an idea that was just suicidal enough to work. She crept up, Tsukasa watching the entire time, and poked Kagami in the center of her left breast, still covered by the bra. It worked.
"KYAAAA! KONATA, WHAT THE HELL?" Kagami screamed at the top of her lungs.
"I wanted to snap you out of it, as soon as you mentioned that dream you went off into a trance! Do you want to talk about it? If you do, I promise I'll listen and not make fun of you." Konata asked, a look of genuine concern crossing her face that made Kagami forget her anger instantly and half consider tell Konata what was on her mind.
Idiot! I can't tell her! She'd only tease me anyway... "Nah, but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks Konata." She said, managing a smile despite the melancholy brought about by her previous thoughts.
"Alright, if you want to talk just let me know!" Konata chimed. Her stomach rumbled along with everyone else's. "Hey, is anyone else hungry?" Konata inquired.
"Meh, not so much..." Kagami said.
"Well of course not you, you ate twenty seven plates of food last night!" Konata shouted over-dramatically.
"Shut up! I didn't have that many!" Kagami retorted, looking to Tsukasa for support. She, however, was giggling at the banter between them, glad her sister was alright.
"Want me to make some breakfast, Kona-chan?" Tsukasa asked, eye-smiling.
"Awesome Tsukasa! Thanks! I'm famished!" Konata shouted, her stomach rumbling even more at this point.
"Yeah, maybe we can watch you cook? Let's see how fast you can make something!" Kagami said, pumped to see the master at work.
"Hmmm..." Tsukasa thought back to what Konata had in the house at all. I could make pancakes... No, they want to see me cook, that would only be adding water... Lets see... I think there was still some cheese left, I could make scrambled cheesy-eggs with bacon! Yeah, that'll be good... She concluded, the three making their way to the kitchen. "How about scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon?" She asked, more to Konata since Kagami wasn't hungry.
"That sounds wonderful!" Kagami exclaimed, her stomach rumbling.
"Wait a minute, weren't you not hungry just a minute ago?" Konata asked, looking at Kagami's growling black hole.
"True... But that sounds so good, I wanna try it!" Kagami said with passion.
"Okay, I'll make enough for all of us then!" Tsukasa confirmed, having planned to anyway.
"Thanks a lot Tsukasa!" Kagami thanked before letting Tsukasa get to cooking.
"We're lucky you woke us up Kagami, now we get to witness the Mastah~!" Konata grinned.
Tsukasa closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on cooking as fast as she could like she always had to when she wanted to cook full speed, having gotten the ingredients while her sister and friend had talked. She felt a surge of energy as she looked around. She turned two burners on and sprayed non-stick spray on the frying pans she had placed on them, letting it sit for a moment. Tsukasa cracked the eggs while starting to grate the cheese. Having cracked all of the eggs, she placed the bacon on the pan, flipping it occasionally. Mixing the eggs in a bowl, she poured milk and added salt and pepper until it was well blended. She dumped the mixture into the other frying pan, sprinkling the grated cheese throughout. She stood there, flipping both pans simultaneously, much to the awe of the onlooking Konata and Kagami.
"Tsu...Tsukasa? You... looked like you had several more arms..." Kagami commented while Konata thought.
Focusing for a minute, superhuman speed, doing many thing at the same time, afterimages... Perhaps... "Tsukasa! You're the God of Cooking!" Konata shouted suddenly while pointing at Tsukasa, startling the girl and her sister.
"Konata? What are you talking about? You almost made Tsukasa drop the bacon!" Kagami shouted, annoyed.
"It's like how Keima is the God of Conquest and how Tony claims to be the God of Fighting! She's, like, the best of the best of cooking!" Konata excitedly chimed as two plates were set in front of her and Kagami, filled with eggs and bacon. "Tsukasa, I swear you're going to be a magnificent wife one day!" Konata yelled out, clearly happy with her friend.
"Th-Thanks Kona-chan!" Tsukasa blushed slightly at the high praise Konata had given her. Me married someday? That seems so... weird...
"This is really good..." Kagami said, having taken a bite.
"You really think so Onee-chan?"
"Yeah, it's delicious, thanks Tsukasa."
"Do-don't worry about it!" Tsukasa shouted, unused to being thanked so much.
"So are you SURE you don't wanna talk about that dream Kagami? It seemed to shake you up quite a bit, you even blushed!" Konata said, a serious look despite her playful words.
An odd combination... Kagami thought as she observed the ever-so-rare playfully serious Konata. "No thanks, it would bore you..." Kagami said, trying to change the subject. Konata would have none of it.
"No it wouldn't! I'm genuinely interested in my Kagami's welfare!" Konata grinned, seeing serious apparently wasn't getting her anywhere.
"Well, there's no need to worry your cute little head, Konata. My welfare is doing well." Kagami said, completely unaware of her fatal mistake. Konata sure caught it.
"Kagami! You just called me cute!" Konata halted her eating to give an utterly shocked look.
"... I did, didn't I..." The upper half of Kagami face faded into blue lines as she realized she had just spoken her mind without restraint. What scared her is that she had meant it. She had focused so hard on NOT thinking about it, the thoughts had manifested themselves in speech. She began to eat more to try and make it seem she wasn't thinking. Damn it! What is WRONG with me? Gotta think quick... "So... Everyone thinks you're cute! Tsukasa, Miyuki, Tony, everyone! It isn't just me!" Kagami hurriedly explained.
"Kagami, you're lying." Konata said, adopting a serious look again and looking Kagami straight in the eye. "You always talk like that when you are." She added, her gaze unmoving.
Crap, I can't fool her! I have to think of something...
"It's okay Kagami. I'll get it and that dream out of you yet." Konata relaxed and laid back in her chair, having finished her breakfast. Kagami sighed in relief as she realized Konata was ready to move to a different subject.
"Hey Konata, shouldn't you get changed? We have to leave for school within half an hour and you're still in your nightshirt and shorts." Kagami commented, seeing the time.
"Yeah, I guess." Konata pouted. She shuffled back to her room.
"Onee-chan, are you sure you're okay?" Tsukasa asked, concerned about her sister but not having gotten in a question before Konata could ask it.
"Yeah Tsukasa. I'm fine." Kagami said, obviously wishing that the topic be dropped.
"Well if you say so..." Tsukasa trailed off. They continued talking about relatively nothing until Konata poked her head out of her room twenty minutes later, her uniform half on.
"You guys go on without me! I'll catch up!" She shouted, knowing that Kagami hated being late.
"What's taking so long? Do you need help?" Kagami shouted back.
"No no, don't worry! Go on, there's still something I need to take care of!" Konata replied. She closed the door quickly.
"Okay... Let's go Tsukasa!" Kagami shouted as she grabbed her sister and made for the door.
Meanwhile in Konata's room
Konata finished her diary entry, rereading it to make sure it accurately conveyed what was happening inside her.
Dear Diary,
Yesterday was so much fun, I wanted to tell you about it but I had already written in you twice! When Kagami and the others came over, Kagami and Tsukasa ended up staying for a slumber party! It did get really weird at one point though. I was chasing Kagami and got tired so I laid down and asked her to get some manga. But when she did, she slipped and fell above me! It happens I know, but then it got... different. She started to lean in really close, she almost kissed me! Thing is... I don't know that I would hate it... I don't know what I'm feeling right now Diary but I really need to find out soon. I think I have feelings for Kagami... I've always joked about how cute she was and everything, I guess that's coming true. I don't know... I'm sorry you're getting stuck with all my problems Diary, but that's what you're for, right? Well, I gotta go now or I'll be late for school! Bye Diary!
Konata~
She concluded that this was indeed an accurate portrayal of her thoughts as she placed her diary next to her bed. She finished putting her uniform on and headed out to see that Kagami had taken Tsukasa and left.
Meanwhile outside the house
Kagami was pulling Tsukasa along to get to school. "Onee-chan! I can walk myself!" Tsukasa said, getting a little agitated that she kept getting pulled everywhere.
"Oh, sorry Tsukasa. I guess I'm just a little use to it, my bad..." Kagami realized that she was still treating Tsukasa like the little sister she hardly was. There was only a slight time difference between them, not even an hour.
"Hey Kagami! Hey Tsukasa!" They heard the by-now familiar voice of Tony behind them. "Kagami, can I ask you something in private?"
"Sure! Tsukasa, go on ahead, we'll catch up!" Kagami said to Tsukasa.
"Alright Onee-chan, just don't be late!" Tsukasa shouted as she walked off.
Kagami waited until her sister was out of earshot before asking, "Okay, so what's up?"
"Look, Kagami... I know we've only known each other for a short time, but would you consider going on a date with me? Like, maybe after school?" Tony asked nervously. He decided straight forward would be the best way to go.
Perfect, now I can prove to myself that I'm not a lesbian! I'll go out with a guy and have a great time and not think of Konata! I know Tsukasa would support me either way but my father... Her thoughts trailed off as she realized that Tony would be waiting for an answer. "Sure, we can try a date... Besides, we had a great time the other day when I showed you around, didn't we?" Kagami smiled.
"We sure did!" Tony replied. They both heard a door slam as they looked and saw Konata at her door, looking for her bike to catch up with her friends. She spotted Kagami and Tony as she looked and ran over.
"Kagami! What are you doing here? Where's Tsukasa?" Konata asked. Kagami felt REALLY bad about telling her about her date for some reason.
Maybe I'm afraid I'll hurt her feelings somehow... She would probably find it funny and tease me or something... I should probably tell her but I really don't want to... Well, here goes. "You see-"
Don't you know that Tony was so sly, so slick, that he thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick.
"She waited for you and told Tsukasa to go on so that she wouldn't be late. I happened to come out at about that time and decided to wait for you as well to see if you needed any help, seeing as how you're sick."
*Gasp* "Kagami! You waited for me!" Konata shouted, latching onto Kagami by the waist. Kagami blushed suddenly and pushed the Otaku off.
"Ye-yeah, I waited for you..." Kagami said, looking at Tony with a raised eyebrow for an instant. Luckily, Tony was the only one to catch it.
"Shall we go? You could take your bike and I could piggyback Kagami so she doesn't fall behind." Tony smirked.
"No way! I wouldn't do something so embarrassing as that!" Kagami shouted in frustration.
"I know you wouldn't, I just wanted to see that face." Tony laughed. "Anyway, here you go! You can use this again." The boy offered, bringing his bike out.
"Oh, thanks! Sure, it would be the only way I could keep up with you two!"
"What, you think you can run as fast as I can cycle?" Konata challenged Tony, having not seen his speed earlier.
"Why, I do believe I can." He smirked. "Challenge Accepted."
"Alright Kagami, you're going to have to pedal hard to keep up with me!" Konata shouted as she got ready. "Go!" She shouted, cycling at a moderate speed. She looked to her left to see Kagami riding behind her and Tony keeping close to Konata.
"Let's kick it up a notch!" Tony shouted, running faster. Konata pedaled more to keep up.
"Full throttle!" Konata shouted, one upping Tony and accelerating past him. What she saw next was what really pissed her off.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" Tony said, having turned, folded his arms and was now running at the same speed as Konata backwards. Konata had had enough.
"What the-! How can-! Alright, I like Sonic X as much as the next girl, but that's going too far!" She shouted, pedaling her hardest. To her relief, Tony did not match her speed backwards. She started to pull away. Hehe, that's right! He can't keep up with m-
"Ride, ride, ride as fast as you can, you can't beat me, I'm a FREAKING HEDGEHOG!" Tony shouted as he took off past Konata, much to her dismay. As she reached the school, she looked to see him looking hardly fatigued.
You're kidding! Was he playing with me? Where did he come from? She thought to herself, unaware of the truth.
"You're pretty fast! But I think we may have lost Kagami..." Tony commented. Truth be told, he was tired. He had just become adept at hiding it.
"Aw man! She waited for me so I'll wait for her!" Konata reasoned. "So how the hell can you run so fast?"
"It helps to be used to having weights on. Just the other day, I was running around with about 140KG on my back. Not to mention my uniform."
"What's your uniform have to do with anything?"
"Well you see-" Tony started to explain. He was swiftly interrupted.
"Hey! What the hell was that?" Kagami yelled as she pedaled hard to catch up. They had REALLY left her behind.
"That was me showing off I think." Tony replied.
"Yeah, no kidding..." Konata mumbled, locking her bike into the rack. Kagami caught up and did the same, the two taking the opportunity to catch their breath.
"I guess Tsukasa must have made it already." Kagami figured, as she hadn't seen or heard her on the way. "Come on, let's hurry!"
"Right!" Konata and Tony both shouted as the three departed towards their classes.
"Well, have fun in class you two!" Kagami shouted as they entered the class, her walking to her own before the bell rang.
"Thanks Kagamin! You too!" Konata waved back.
"Bye Kagami, see ya at lunch!" Tony shouted before entering the class. As they arrived at their seats, Ms. Kuroi came over.
"Ah~, Izumi, you've decided to grace us with your presence, have you?" The teacher asked with a smile, her fang prominent.
"Yeah teach, I was really sick! I still am kinda, but I- ... What are you doing?" Konata asked as Ms. Kuroi backed away slowly.
"I don't wanna catch whatever it is that could keep you away from your games!" She shouted, speaking rather informally since the bell hadn't rung yet.
"Don't worry Ms. Kuroi, it isn't contagious." Tony testified. "If it was, I would have caught it myself." He added, not thinking of the implications.
"Oh~, I see~, so you two are~..." Kuroi started, her intentions rather obvious.
"No we are not." Tony said, not missing a beat.
"Alright... Whatever you say..." Their teacher teased just before the bell rang.
You know, I didn't think to see if Tsukasa arrived okay... Tony thought to himself. He looked behind him to see Tsukasa preparing for the school day, oblivious to the fact that they had entered. Cool, glad to see she made it.
Class C
"Oi Hiiragi! You look like you just got out of bed, what happened?" Misao shouted the second Kagami walked in.
"Hm? What do you..." Kagami cut herself off as she remembered. Oh. That's right, I was so shocked about Konata this morning that I forgot to brush my hair or teeth... I must look awful, the only thing I did was put my hair into pigtails, and THAT was out of sheer habit... "Um.. I accidentally slept in late and didn't have time to fix myself up..." Kagami lied.
"Ah yeah, I know how that is Hiiragin." Misao nodded her head knowledgeably.
"Not that I... Hiiragin? What's with the 'n' all of the sudden?" Kagami asked, a question mark appearing above her head.
"You know, the same way the squ... Konaka calls you 'Kagamin'! From now on, your new nickname is Hiiragin!" Misao shouted happily, her only detriment the fear of living another punch from the "Squirt" comment. Luckily, this fear would not come to pass.
"Her name is 'Konata', but I appreciate you making the effort this time. If you must call me Hiiragin, I suppose you may." Kagami sighed, knowing her resistance to the new name was as futile as her resistance to cake. *Rumble* Oh great. Now I want cake. She thought as the bell rang.
Lunch Time
"Hello everyone, I've come for lunch!" Kagami said as she entered the class. She sat at Konata's desk, happy that things were back to normal. As Tsukasa, Miyuki, and Tony all sat down, a thought passed her mind on seeing the boy. Well, almost normal... She thought, curious as to what headaches her new friend would give her today.
"Hi Kagami!" Konata shouted, waving her arm in the air. "Anything new or exciting happen in class today?" Konata asked in such a way that everyone could tell she wasn't expecting a serious answer.
"Not really, Misao told me I looked like a mess. Why didn't you tell me?" Kagami asked.
"Because you looked cute all ruffled up like that!" Konata replied.
*Sigh* "Back to normal so far, but how are you? Are you feeling okay? Does your throat hurt?" Kagami continued asking such questions until interrupted.
"Kagami! I can't answer if you don't stop asking!" Konata shouted, waving her arms in front of her to tell Kagami she couldn't find an opportunity to speak.
"Oh... Sorry, well answer already!"
"Geez Kagamin~, you sure are worried aren't you? Yes, I'm feeling okay. A little bit after the bell rang, my throat itched a bit, but nothing too bad. Happy Kagami~?" Konata catgrinned as her Tsundere blushed, realizing that said Tsundere had worried a LOT for no particular reason.
"Yeah, could we just move to a different subject..." Kagami requested, flustering from being exposed.
"Hmmmm..." Konata attempted to think of a subject they could breach, but was cut off before she could think of one.
"So Miyuki, how did your dentist's appointment go?" Tony asked, smiling that he remembered.
"It's a little embarrassing, but the dentist said my teeth were very bad, despite the fact that I brush in the morning, night, and after every meal. I even brushed and flossed my teeth for fifteen minutes before I came to school yesterday..." Miyuki sighed, putting a hand to her cheek.
"Oh~~, I so understand! Even when you take good care of your teeth, they somehow manage to get worse! How bad is it Yuki-chan?" Tsukasa asked, concerned for her friend.
"Well, one of them may need a root canal and crown and another definitely needs one. Thankfully, we have enough money to have both preformed." Miyuki said, at least a little relieved.
"Yuki-chan, what's a root canal? And why do you get a crown at the end?" Tsukasa asked, a picture of a royal crown appearing in a thought bubble above her head.
"Well you see, a root canal is an operation that is preformed when a tooth has an excessive amount of damage to it where the tooth is filled with a material to help build a fake tooth. The standard filling material is gutta-percha, a natural thermoplastic polymer of isoprene. The crown is what you call the porcelain glass they put on to make it look and act like a regular tooth. Even though the procedure is supposed to be relatively painless, it would appear that it isn't for me..." Miyuki defined, her tone darkening as she finished.
"That's our Miwiki, always with the textbook explanations! Man, I missed that!" Konata shouted happily.
"You were only gone for two days..." Kagami scolded, smiling at how over-dramatic Konata was being.
"Besides, I think poor Miyuki only got a couple lines in while you were gone Konata. Like, maybe three." Tony said, commenting way below his breath, "Man, I guess the writer is SORTA getting better, Tsukasa has had a slightly bigger part in the story, but he's still focusing a lot on me, Konata and Kagami... I wonder if that's going to change..."
"Hey, what are you mumbling over there?" Kagami asked.
"Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it." Tony said, dismissing the subject.
Well, at least he didn't say Classified Information again, that would have been annoying, even though I still didn't get an answer... Kagami thought to herself.
"At least I didn't say Classified Information again, eh?" Tony remarked, unknowingly simultaneous with Kagami's thought. He only saw what had happened as he saw Kagami's expression change to shock.
"How... did you..." Kagami started.
"Muffin Button." Tony simply replied.
"...Wha?"
"Huh?"
"...Okaaay..." Kagami confusedly said, not knowing what the hell a 'Muffin Button' was. Tony chuckled to himself before Konata interjected her thoughts.
"Guys! I think I'm actually all the way better, let's go to a bar after school and celebrate!" Konata shouted, her arms thrown in the air for emphasis. Tony and Kagami exchanged an uneasy glance.
"Sorry Konata, I have... plans..." Kagami stated, looking away.
"AWWW~! Kagami! It won't be as fun!" Konata shouted, dropping her arms as her bones seemed to lose structure.
"My apologies, I also have a prior commitment." Tony said.
"Oh~, I see how it is. You two are totally seeing each other, aren't you?" Konata said, slightly losing her cheery disposition. Tony looked over to Kagami for an instant.
She isn't gonna be able to answer this one without saying something she doesn't want to... Think, Think, THINK! He started trying to think of a way to dismiss the subject before Kagami said anything. Brain blast! He shouted in his head. "Yeah, we're hanging out together! Her and Misao are getting married and I'm the bridesmaid!" He said, seeing Konata's reaction to the name 'Misao', he pressed further. "She was going to ask you, but she knows you don't like Misao." He finished. The entire table deadpanned for a minute.
"PFWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Konata threw her head up, unable to contain her laughter anymore. Kagami, however, was not so enthusiastic.
How does he know Misao? That's one more thing I need to ask him... She questioned herself as the new bell that signaled the end of lunch in five minutes went off. "Crap! I gotta go guys!" Kagami said as she ran to the door.
"Bye Kagami!" Konata shouted as her friend hurried back to her class. "So Tony, are you two hanging out?" She asked, turning towards him, completely ignoring the fact that there was a new bell. Tsukasa and Miyuki had moved back to their seats at the sound.
"Don't you think she would have told you if we were?" Tony replied, an eyebrow raised. "Doesn't she tell you everything important?"
"Yeah, but I'm still not sure..." Konata said as she turned forwards. The rest of the time before lunch ACTUALLY ended was spent in silence.
Class C
"I'm here! Sorry I'm late ma'am!" Kagami shouted as she saw that Ms. Yukari was in class already.
"Hm? Hiiragi, you're not late. The bell for lunch to end hasn't rung yet." The teacher looked over at her.
"But... but I just heard it!" Kagami said back.
"No, there's a new bell that rings five minutes before the end of lunch so everyone knows to get back to class. It helps for certain people who leave class during lunch..." Yukari said, giving Kagami the eye.
"Well I like eating with my sister!" Kagami shouted back, unintentionally raising her voice.
"Yeah I know!" Yukari laughed, dropping the serious act before adding, "And since you scored high on the last test, I'll forget you just yelled at me. I'll pass them back now, since everyone is here." She said as she did so. The bell rang about half way through. She walked over to Kagami, muttering happily, "Good job Hiiragi." as she passed.
100%! Yes! All those hours of studying are paying off! Kagami cheered in her head.
"Oi Hiiragin! How'd you do?" Misao asked, trying to look around Kagami at her paper.
"I got a hundred!" Kagami cheered outside her head.
"... 30%!" Misao shouted.
Another girl with shoulder length hair ran over quickly, shouting "31%!"
Yet another with longer hair that ran about to the middle of her back seemingly floated over, yelling "42%!"
They all started shouting in unison "TOGETHER, WE ADD UP TO 103%! TEAM IDIOT WINS!" before laughing triumphantly.
"Oi, Hiiragi! Come up here for a minute! I forgot something." Yukari shouted.
"Yes Ms. Yukari!" Kagami said back.
"And bring your test paper!"
"Alright!" Kagami shouted as she grabbed her paper and made her way to the teacher's desk.
"What do you think the teacher wants?" T*mo asked.
"I hope we didn't get Hiiragin in trouble!" Misao whined. Kagami walked back, an expression of joy on her face. "Oi Hiiragin, what's up?"
"Ms. Yukari forgot to grade some extra credit I did! I got 105!" She shouted in joyful excitement.
"..." *Sniffle*
"Whoa! What's with that reaction?" Kagami asked, taken aback.
"Even all three of us can't beat you Hiiragin..." Misao moped as the three walked back to their desks. Kagami sweatdropped.
Geez, I didn't know it was that important to them... Well, I'll have to worry about it later! I got a 105! Kagami shouted to herself, ecstatic.
"Now everyone sit down and take out your books..." Yukari managed to say before the end of the section.
Afterschool
"Oi Hiiragin! Whatcha doing after school today?" Misao asked as the bell rang.
Kagami grinned as she said, "I have a marriage to attend." and with that, she walked out of the class.
Hmmm, I know Konata will probably ask what my plans are and why they can't come with me... What do I tell them... The truth? The thought gave her a pit in her stomach. I never thought how Tony must feel about me not telling them... but he did help come up with something before... Maybe I can tell them my mom has me running an errand? No, Tsukasa would see through that, mom would have asked us both. Maybe I'll stick to the joke and marry Misao... I wonder how he knows her... She thought as she arrived at Class B.
"Hello Kagami! We waited for you so we can walk you out of the school!" Konata shouted upon seeing her Tsundere walking closer.
"Thanks!" Kagami shouted back, catching up with her friends.
"So where are you going after that?" Came the inevitable question from Konata.
"Told you, to my wedding." Kagami said with her best attempt at a serious tone.
"Can I come?" Came the inevitable followup that Kagami had predicated.
"Sorry, my dad can only afford one bridesmaid, and Tony asked first." Kagami said, failing to suppress a grin at how utterly ridiculous the words sounded.
"Then I'll be the flower girl!" Konata shouted. Tony spoke before Kagami could retort.
"But my little sister was going to be the flower girl! She was so excited when I told her she could have an important job, I simply hate to take that away from her." Tony said, coping a sad tone.
"I'll be the ring bearer!" Konata shouted desperately, trying to find some way to show Kagami how much she wanted to be around her.
"Ayano is the ring bearer, Misao's request." Kagami said, trying not to sound like she was lying.
"I... Fine, I'll just go have fun with Tsukasa and Miyuki at the bar then... If you get bored with your wedding, you know where to find me!" Konata shouted as they parted ways, Tsukasa and Miyuki going with her, Kagami and Tony going different ways. Tony knew that Kagami wanted to be a little secretive right now, and he knew what was going on in her head. They met about a minute later.
"So where do you wanna go?" Tony asked.
"I dunno, surprise me?" Kagami replied, unsure of exactly what was supposed to happen on a date.
"Alrighty!" Tony shouted as they started heading off.
"By the way, how do you know Misao?" Kagami asked.
"I don't know him, I just heard you mention his name before you sat down." Tony explained.
"... Misao's a girl."
"Oh..."
POV: Konata
"Hmmm, those two are definitely doing something together..." Konata said, her eyes closed as she walked towards the bar with her friends.
"But Onee-chan and Kan-chan were headed in different directions, wouldn't they just leave together if they were up to anything?" Tsukasa asked.
"True, but I just can't shake this feeling..." Konata mumbled suspiciously. "Hey Tsukasa, could you do me a favor?"
"Sure Kona-chan, whadaya need?" Tsukasa asked.
"If we get checked for age, could you..." Konata started whispering.
" Sure thing!" Tsukasa confirmed.
"Awesome, thanks Hii-chan!" Konata shouted, surprising Tsukasa with her seldom used nickname.
"Kona-chan, we're here!" Tsukasa shouted as they arrived at the bar. They entered and sat at the bar.
"Grape Nehi please." Miyuki ordered.
"Grape... whatnow?" The female bartender asked, confused.
"Oh Miyuki-san, you're so old fashioned! She means a grape soda ma'am. I'll take sake, Tsukasa?" Konata explained, sure that she wouldn't get carded.
"Can I see some ID?" The bartender requested, holding her hand out. Konata began to tear up and buried her head in Tsukasa's chest.
"Ma'am! My friend has a disorder that affects her height! Please don't treat her like a little kid! There, there Konata-sempai... It's okay..." Tsukasa comforted the faking Konata in a soothing tone, though feeling a tad weird with the name she was using.
"... called me short..." a muffled voice could be sorrowfully heard from Tsukasa's chest.
"Oh! I'm sorry miss! Here, first round is on the house!" The bartender shouted in a cutesy voice, putting out a bottle of sake and grape soda. "And for you ma'am?" She asked, referring to Tsukasa.
"Nothing for me thanks." She refused, patting the seemingly recovering Konata on the back. "Are you okay Konata-sempai?"
"Yeah... I guess so..." Konata sniffled, pouring her sake into a small glass. "Cheers..." She said. A pang of genuine misery attacked her as she wished Kagami was there. And the night continued on.
Later
I wonder how Konata and the others have been doing... Kagami thought to herself. She had been lost in thought about Konata for what seemed a good five minutes. She suddenly came to her senses and started paying attention to her surroundings. She was walking. It was dark. She looked to her side to see Tony staring at her, as if studying her. As soon as he saw her looking, he started to laugh.
"Wasn't that movie hilarious? I have to say, my favorite characters were the penguins." Tony said, laughing again. "I'm glad we got to see it so soon after the release."
"... Um.. Yeah!" Kagami hesitated. Had they seen a movie while she was lost in thought! She... couldn't remember... it seemed obvious the date was over already, seeing as how late it was. However, she remembered seeing a commercial for a comedy that released recently named "Madagascar" that had penguins in it. She tried to think of a scene from the trailer. "Yeah, I liked the lion the best though, he was cool!" She said as she started to laugh. It was a moment before she realized that she was the only one. She stopped and looked over at Tony to see a sad, defeated, yet smiling face.
So I've already lost, eh? Damn, the writer was pretty cruel to make it look like I had a chance to begin with...
"Tony, what's wrong?" Kagami asked, worried if she had gotten the wrong movie.
"Kagami, we went to a cake buffet. You had three plates. We haven't been within a mile of a movie theater." Tony stated, his smile sad but unfaded.
"Re-...Really?" GOD DAMN IT! I came on a date and I STILL thought about Konata the whole time! I can't even remember my first date... He must feel so bad...
"Yep."
"I'm... really, really sorry... Do you want to go out again some time? I promise to pay attention!" Kagami shouted, desperate for another chance and for her friend not to feel so dejected. Tony seemed to think for a moment.
"Naw, I fear the end result wouldn't change either way. Don't worry though Kagami. You'll find love soon, I'm sure of it." Tony said, practically echoing Tsukasa. Without waiting for Kagami to say anything, he turned and started to walk away. He looked over his shoulder and waved, the same sad smile etched on his face the whole time. "I understand! See ya later Kagami!"
"..." *Sigh* What's wrong with me?
Luckier Channel
"Luckier~! Channel~!" Akira shouted, sounding happier then usual. "Hiya Luckies! I'm your navigator, Akira Kogami!"
"And I'm her vigilant assistant, Minoru Shiraishi!"
"Guys! Guys! Guys! Did you all see me? I made a cameo in chapter 9 too! I love this writer~!" Akira was practically bubbling with excitement.
"Yeah, you were the bartender, right Akira-sama?"
"Uh-huh! Uh-huh! What did you think? Pretty neat, huh?"
"Akira-sama, I bet the writer has an even bigger role for you if you do as good in 10 as you did in this one! You barely got any lines in this one, but I bet EVERYONE could tell it was you!" Minoru shouted.
"Thanks so much Shiraishi-san! I'm mega-happy~! So I wonder if the longer chapters ARE here to stay after all? This one is over 7000 words!"
"I don't think so, the next one is probably going to be REALLY short."
"What makes you say that Shiraishi-san?" Akira asked.
"It's in the letter we got back from them, 'the next chapter is probably going to be really short, as the whole thing is going to be one big reference, Signed, Acsuperman.'." Minoru read.
"Ooh~, does it tell whether they're a boy or a girl?"
"Yes it does Akira-sama, but no one has reviewed about it! Maybe we'll just keep it a secret since people seem so disinterested!"
"Well at least tell me! And it kinda sounded like you were trying to guilt the readers into reviewing about it..." Akira commented as Minoru leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"Ohh~, so it's a-"
*Music Tone*
"Well I guess that's all the time we have! I hope you'll all see me in chapter 10 and keep reading! Bye Nii~!"
"..."
"Yay! I'm going to get a bigger part! I can feel it!"
"I'm happy for you Akira-sama!"
"We should ask him if you can come in too! Maybe you can play a janitor at the bar or something?"
"Think we should? You think he would?"
"Totally! I even bet-"
*End*
Aftersection
Well, what did you think? Yes, I had that twist with the date planned since I started the story. And yes, I was telling the truth in that the next chapter is either going to be incredibly short or really long since I'm making the longest reference in the story thus far. What is it? You'll have to read to find out! Don't forget to review, I'd like to know if this little plot twist was incredibly obvious or if it was any good at all! So review!
(A/N) Just realized how redundant this and other beginning and end notes are now that Konami is specified in the summary XD Glad to see you're still reading, from reviews, it's supposed to get better from here on!