The Rabbit and The Puppy

by Mama Mitsu

As the group of girls has a pleasant conversation about smells and "cooking", an offhanded comment is made about Tsukasa's prospects as a wife. However, when Kagami agrees a little too... vehemently, what does she mean? Could this be the start of something new?

11. Chapter 11: Onee-chan, The Hard Worker

Chapter 11: Onee-chan, the Hard Worker

Hey everyone, how was your Christmas? Mine was crazy busy. My laptop finally died on me, can't go online for more than five minutes and then it overheats even when I fix it (it stays fixed for about five minutes anyway), so I think it may be a lost cause. I ended up typing this on an old laptop I happened to have laying around. So THAT kept me up. And also, it turns out, I can not, in fact, clean manga and write for four different stories at the same time. I can do all of those thing individually, but with work and all of that, there simply isn't time in the day. So, that kind of sucks. Besides, two of them are Luckier Star and this one and the other two, none of you will likely ever read anyway, so that also sucks. One is an original story and the other is... well... I DID say I would practice my lemons. Anyway, enough of that, I hope you guys had some great holidays!

Redler, here's some more stuff to read on your way to school! I hope it's squeal worthy!

Jman, how about another, even BIGGER chapter? Technically, it took a while to write, but should I count that as from the time I updated TRTP last, or the time I updated Luckier Star last, since I didn't work on this story until after I updated that one? 'Cause that's a huge time difference. And I really hope I don't disappoint! This is an idea I haven't seen a lot myself, so that's the main reason I decided to try it!

Wingsofseyfert, heh. While the pink muscle was a reference to Kenichi, it is a real thing too. I always imagined Kagami would be rather fit, and her main asset her iron will. I always thought that, if anything, Kagami's will would conquer just about anything. I also kind of took the training I did when I was a kid and ramped it way the hell up. The way I was taught though, was... well, the same way I had Konata be taught. If you wanted to liken it to Kenichi, think of Konata as Kenichi at the end, while Kagami is him at the beginning... I guess? And Misao... Well, I wonder if I can use her. Of course, I'm writing this after I've written the chapter, so I already know if she features here. I guess you'll just have to see!

Yuri-sage, Hiyori was referencing Sword Art Online Abridged by Something Witty Entertainment. It's an abridged series AT LEAST on par with TeamFourStar, in my opinion. And probably better than my abridged series too.

NoMutant! I love the Holy Grail, it's one of my favorite movies! And I always imagined Kagami was just made ridiculously sturdy, just because she has to be for Tsukasa. It's always a pleasure!

DavesRepublic, I never have found a way to really translate when English speakers are speaking in English rather than Japanese, since this IS in English. I think in Luckier Star I always had them in doubt quotes, but I don't know if that really works or not. And actually, as for Otaku showing up, yes they do. In fact, the Washinomiya shrine actively has prayers from Kagami and Tsukasa and the rest of the family as if they actually tended to the shrine! And Konata's house is officially recognized as such, I'm sure, because of Otaku showing up or something. But yeah, Washinomiya shrine makes a lot of money off of Otaku tourists. And if I ever get to visit Japan, I'm definitely going.

Speaking of which, I totally found Kagami's address in English.

1 Chome-6-1 Washinomiya, Kuki-shi, Saitama-ken 340-0217, Japan

How did I find it you ask? Ridiculous amount of research. It isn't even the Shrine's address. It's the house Kagami lives in. So, do with it as you will, just don't drive by it slowly at night or something. That'd be creepy.

Because, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Don't worry, it'll happen soon... Probably. Maybe. I think?

JollyRG, I will definitely get working on making things happen! Of course, when they actually happen has been decided, but... you know!

So between Kagasa and KagaTsuka... I dunno, Kagasa rolls off the tongue easier.

Redline, I'm glad you liked it!

Oh yeah, the crossroads thing I was talking about. Resolved it. Like, five minutes ago. Figured it all out. So yay! I've probably bored you all to death now, I'll let you get on with the story. I hope you like it!

---

In the Morning

Kagami's eyes opened, blinking a few times to clear the sleep away. She bent forward slightly so she could peck Tsukasa on the forehead, as had become the usual. He stifled a bit of a groan. She was still VERY sore from yesterday, but her massage seemed to have helped. Tsukasa hummed in her sleep. Kagami couldn't help but think this was just the cutest little sister anyone could ask for. Kagami, already knowing her arm was around Tsukasa's back, began rubbing her back to ease her awake.

"Mmm..." Tsukasa hummed again. "... Five more minutes..." She mumbled.

"No five more minutes, Tsukasa. We have to get up now." Kagami said. Tsukasa whined a little, but the constant back rubbing seemed to be pulling her from her sleep. After another minute, her eyes opened drearily as she looked up at Kagami.

"Morning Onee-chan~..." Tsukasa yawned the last word. It was so cute Kagami wanted to swoon. Of course, she was in bed and couldn't, so she didn't. Kagami, her arm now free, sat up too and stretched.

"Morning Tsukasa... Thanks for the massage yesterday, you have no idea how much that helped." Kagami said.

"No problem, Onee-chan! I'm glad that you liked it!" Tsukasa said.

"I'm still a little sore, but I might have had to miss school if I were much sorer." Kagami said. Tsukasa smiled.

"I guess we have to get ready for school, huh Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami nodded.

"Yeah, might as well get dressed." Kagami said. The two were still in pajamas after all. Huh. When had she dressed in pajamas? Yesterday at home had sort of blurred. She remembered bathing with Tsukasa and Matsuri giving her chocolate, and she definitely remembered Tsukasa's massage. Other than that, it was kind of hazy from her exhaustion. Kagami began undressing, though she felt extremely embarrassed. Like she was nervous about someone seeing her almost naked. That would be weird though, the only other person here was Tsukasa. Which Kagami made a point to avoid looking at. Her sister deserved to be able to change without being looked at. Kagami blushed rather darkly. Why was this so embarrassing? She shook her head. This was ridiculous.

"I'm ready Onee-chan!" Tsukasa chimed as she began turning around. Kagami hastily pulled her skirt up and her shirt down in record speeds, so Tsukasa wouldn't see her with so little clothes on. As if the little airhead hadn't seen her naked in the bath yesterday. Kagami was about to put her hair up before remembering something.

"Tsukasa, I'll be right back!" Kagami said as she rushed from the room. Tsukasa stood there blinking a few times.

"O...Okay Onee-chan..." She said. She began humming to herself and rocking on her feet. She looked away from the door for a moment before Kagami opened it again.

"Ready?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded before realizing that her sister couldn't see her.

"Ready Onee-chan." Tsukasa said. Kagami stepped into the room, sporting her new ribbons.

"Tada~! How do I look?" Kagami asked. Kagami swore she could make out a bit of a blush on her little sister's face.

"You look really cute, Onee-chan!" Tsukasa cheered. "Do you like them?" Kagami twirled.

"I love them!" Kagami said cheerfully. I'm special to her... Kagami felt her heart warm. It was something she knew already, but it was like having that physical gift from her little sister made it more real somehow. Finally ready, the two exited the room and sat at the living room table.

"How you feeling today, Imoto?" Matsuri, surprisingly awake, asked.

"Much better, thanks." Kagami smiled. "And thanks for the chocolate last night, Matsuri." Kagami said. Matsuri smiled warmly.

"It's fine, Imoto." Matsuri said. "I'm just glad you're alright." She said.

"Breakfast." Miki came out of the kitchen with said breakfast and set it on the table.

"Mom's breakfast~..." Matsuri returned her attention to the table and grabbed herself some.

"That looks awesome." Kagami said as her stomach growled quite loudly. It was only now she realized that she hadn't eaten any dinner the previous night, only the chocolate snacks Matsuri had brought her. It was odd, she hadn't been particularly hungry yesterday directly after her run. She'd have thought THAT much exercise would make her famished. Whatever the case, she was starving now. Thus, she grabbed a bunch of food and began shoveling. Tsukasa beside her giggled.

"Hey Mom..." Tsukasa started, picking at her food.

"Yes honey?" Miki asked.

"Would it be okay... If I got a part time job?" Tsukasa asked. Miki hummed.

"Where will you be working?" Miki asked.

"At a-..." Tsukasa glanced to Kagami, who was rather engrossed in her meal, and then leaned over to her mother. Kagami noticed, and tried to listen in, but couldn't hear her sister.

"Ah~, so it's a place like that, is it?" Miki asked. "I suppose it's okay, as long as you're back at a decent hour."

"Awesome, thank you so much Mom! Don't worry, I won't take any shifts that end after curfew!" Tsukasa said. Kagami was indeed curious now. However, the way Tsukasa had avoided the question made Kagami sure that Tsukasa wouldn't tell her even now. Well, as long as she was safe and not alone with Miyuki, Kagami was okay with it. The two of them finished their breakfast quickly, Kagami eating much more and much quicker than Tsukasa. Tsukasa could have eaten more, but the way Kagami was eating, she assumed the Tsundere was insanely hungry and decided to hold back. Thank goodness for that too, as Kagami had finished the food and looked around for more before finding there was no more. She sighed.

"Alright, we ready for school Tsukasa?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"Ready when you are, Onee-chan!" Tsukasa chimed.

"We're heading out, everyone." Kagami waved.

"Have a good day, Imoto!" Matsuri smiled. Kagami also smiled, but didn't reply as the two left the house.

---

Meanwhile, at the Takara House

Miyuki sighed and poured tea for their guest, though it was no one who would require it.

"Miyuki, you can go to school. I'll take care of Yukari." Honoka smiled.

"Did she need to drink so much..." Miyuki sighed as she served her friend's mother the drink.

"I'm sorry, I really should have stopped her." Honoka smiled sympathetically. Miyuki sighed.

"I also apologize for leaving you here with her, but school is also important. Are you sure you'll be okay?" Miyuki asked the older woman. Honoka smiled a small smile.

"I'll be fine. Have a good day." Honoka smiled. Miyuki bowed.

"Thank you very much." Miyuki said. She turned and walked out of the house. Honoka looked at the fallen mother and giggled lightly.

"Thanks Hono-chan..." Yukari sighed, a hand on her head. "I guess I can't drink like I used to..." Honoka smiled.

"But your singing was great." Honoka complimented.

"Thank you Hono-chan... We had fun, right?" Yukari asked, looking up at her childhood friend. Honoka sat in the chair near Yukari, who was lying on the couch, and began stroking her head.

"I'm very glad you dragged me to Karaoke." Honoka said.

"Next time though... I'm not gonna drink as much, no matter what you say..." Yukari said.

"But you're so fun when you're drunk." Honoka smiled.

"Never again..." Yukari mumbled as Honoka got her a glass of water, giggling.

---

In the Subway

Kagami and Tsukasa rode the train as it stopped at what Kagami remembered was Konata's usual stop. She looked at the door expectantly. She wanted to know what the little brat had in store for her today. Hopefully it wasn't as bad as yesterday. Something in her head told her she would have no such luck, however.

"So Tsukasa, do you start your new job today?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"Yeah, I hope everyone is nice." Tsukasa said.

"Me too. Do you know where it is?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"I've been there before." Tsukasa said. Kagami nodded.

"Alright." Kagami said. So it's somewhere I've been. Kagami thought. She looked over at the door to again as they called the last call for this stop. "Seriously, where is that idiot..." Kagami mumbled.

"I wonder where Kona-chan is..." Tsukasa said.

"I don't know." Kagami shrugged. As if on some mystic cue, Kagami's phone went off. She pulled it out and read it. "... That idiot. Tell us earlier." Kagami said.

"What is it, Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked.

"Hey, I'm not coming to school today, tell Teach that I'm sick or something. And don't forget your warm up Kagamin." Kagami read the message as the door closed and the train started moving again. Kagami sighed. "If she was planning on being absent, she could have said something yesterday." Kagami said.

"Well... Now we can ride the train with just the two of us!" Tsukasa said cheerfully. Kagami looked up from her phone and stared off for a second before realizing that, aside from all of the faceless nobodies around them, it was just the two of them. Kagami blushed.

"Yeah... We can..." She smiled to herself. For some reason, the idea just... really appealed to her. Miyuki had boarded with them several times recently, undoubtedly having left her house extra early to catch the train to get on with them since she usually took a different train, but she couldn't do that all the time. Kagami imagined that she could try, but she'd have to go to bed much earlier to get up that early. Even if Miyuki did like Tsukasa, there had to be a limit, right?

"Onee-chan..." Tsukasa asked. Kagami hummed, her sister calling her from her thoughts.

"Hm? What's up?" Kagami asked.

"... I really like it when we get some time with just the two of us, you know?" Tsukasa smiled. Kagami smiled widely.

"I know what you mean. I love having some time with just us." Kagami said. Tsukasa giggled cheerfully.

"And we've been spending a lot of time together recently! It's been so awesome!" Tsukasa said. Kagami chuckled.

"Yeah, this has been an amazing week, Tsukasa." Kagami said.

"I've had the most fun I've ever had this week!" Tsukasa squealed. Kagami could feel herself getting drawn into her sister's excitement, especially since she shared that sentiment, but she couldn't help but be curious where this was coming from.

"I feel the same way Tsukasa, but where are you going with this?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa blushed lightly at having gotten so carried away.

"I... I dunno. It just feels like... It feels like it's the same, but it's all brand new... I just wanted to tell you that I love you." Tsukasa smiled. Kagami's heart skipped a beat as a dark blush crossed her cheeks.

"I..." Kagami mumbled. "I love you too." Kagami said. The train stopped again.

"Ah, hello Tsukasa. Kagami-san." Miyuki said. No way...

"Hi Yuki-chan." Tsukasa said. She sounded... decidedly less enthusiastic than she usually did. Kagami hummed, intrigued by her sister's change in attitude.

"I see you're wearing the gift Tsukasa got for you yesterday." Miyuki said. Kagami nodded.

"I'm probably never gonna stop wearing them." Kagami said.

"Onee-chan, you have so many cute ribbons, and they all look great on you! Just 'cause I got them for you doesn't mean you have to wear only those!" Tsukasa protested. Kagami averted her gaze, the rapid fire compliments making her embarrassed. Was Tsukasa complimenting her more often, or did Kagami just notice her compliments more these days?

"Those other ribbons are alright, but these are so pretty! And they're made of such a comfortable material... I never thought something like that mattered, but it really does! I feels so silky and nice on my head..." Kagami said. "I don't think I could go back to wearing my other ribbons, even if I DID want to!" Kagami smiled. Tsukasa smiled.

"I'm glad you like them so much..." Tsukasa smiled. "You really are... really cute in them." Tsukasa blushed lightly. Kagami smiled.

"Thank you so much, Tsukasa." Kagami said. Miyuki hummed as she observed the two. "Miyuki, you sound like Konata when you do that." Kagami looked over at Miyuki The Meganekko didn't seem to be smiling like she usually did.

"What is it, Yuki-chan?" Tsukasa asked. Then, Miyuki smiled a wide smile.

"You two just seem so close. I'm rather jealous." Miyuki said. With as close as the two of them are, it may be difficult to convince Kagami-san that I can care for Tsukasa as well as she can. However, that just means that I need to show her all of the ways I'd be a great in-law! Miyuki thought to herself. If she realizes just how happy Tsukasa will be, doubtlessly she'll give me her full blessing! Miyuki affirmed to herself.

"Of course we're close." Kagami said. "I'm closer to Tsukasa than I am to anyone else in the world." She said.

"Onee-chan is the most important person in the world!" Tsukasa smiled as she closed her eyes and cocked her head to the side. Kagami blushed. Miyuki seemed to not notice. In fact, she seemed like she was actively trying to ignore what Tsukasa had just said.

"I see. So Tsukasa, do you have anything planned after school today?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa fidgeted.

"Sorry Yuki-chan... I got a part-time job! I wanted some extra money for a gi-... Um, something!" Tsukasa said cheerfully, barely cutting off her intentions of buying another, much more expensive gift for her sister.

"Hm?" Miyuki's eyebrow raised, wondering what Tsukasa had been about to say. Money for a gi... Girl? Perhaps Tsukasa DID have someone she liked. Maybe it was for a gift for someone. If so, that someone could very well be Miyuki herself, as Tsukasa had just gotten Kagami a gift. It's possible it could be a thank you present for lending her money, although Miyuki wasn't sure she would accept it. After all, it was originally a gift from Miyuki to Tsukasa. It was Tsukasa herself who had insisted on paying it back.

"Yuki-chan!" Tsukasa shouted at the girl. Miyuki looked around, blinking a few times as she was brought from her trance. "We're at our stop!" Tsukasa said from outside the train. Miyuki nodded and left the train with the twins.

"Do you mind if I asked where you were planning to work?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa hummed.

"Um... I'll tell you later!" Tsukasa said. Kagami hummed.

She's not excluding me specifically at least... Same thing she said to me. Kagami thought. "Don't worry Miyuki, she won't tell me, either." Kagami said.

"It worries me that I don't know where you'll be." Miyuki said. "What if an emergency arises and I need to find you?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa looked confused.

"What kind of emergency?" Tsukasa asked, cocking her head to the side as if mimicking a puppy.

"Well... Say something were to happen to Kagami while she were training and we couldn't find you." Miyuki suggested, knowing that Tsukasa would likely get protective over her sister. Kagami gave Miyuki a sour look, but had to admit that yeah, it was kind of a good point.

"If something were to happen to Onee-chan, Kona-chan will be there, right?" Tsukasa asked.

"I would assume." Miyuki said.

"Kona-chan knows where I work! She's the one who got me the job!" Tsukasa said. Miyuki gave a frustrated breath at the effective dodge of her question.

"Well... Please tell me when you care to." Miyuki sighed. Tsukasa nodded.

"I'll do that!" She said. Kagami smiled. If she were going to be kept out of the loop, she was happy someone else was there too.

"Hey Tsukasa, you have your phone on you, right?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa gave it some thought before she began patting down her pockets.

"Um... I dunno..." She dug through them in an attempt to find it. "Um... I don't think so..." Tsukasa mumbled.

"Are you sure you didn't put it in your bag?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa blinked a time or two before opening her bag and digging around in it.

"Ah! There it is! Thanks Onee-chan!" Tsukasa smiled as she took it out.

"I'm okay with you not telling me where you're working, as long as you keep your volume up and always answer if I need to call you." Kagami said. Tsukasa nodded.

"Got it!" Tsukasa said. "I'll know that it's you 'cause I have a ringtone just~ for you!" Tsukasa giggled. Kagami hummed.

"What kind of ringtone do you have for me?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa blushed and opened her phone, clearly silencing her phone.

"Nothing, don't worry about it!" Tsukasa said, hiding her phone as if seeing it was going to give her ringtone away. Kagami sighed.

"You're keeping a lot of secrets lately, Tsukasa." Kagami said. Tsukasa looked down and started fidgeting.

"Sorry Onee-chan, it's just... really embarrassing..." Tsukasa blushed and looked to the side. Kagami couldn't stay upset with her little sister if she was going to look that cute about it.

"I'll hear it later." Kagami said. "Just, keep your phone volume up in case I need you." Kagami said.

"No problem, Onee-chan!" Tsukasa said. The three finally arrived at the school. "I wonder why Kona-chan is missing school." Tsukasa said, looking up as if the clouds held the answer.

"She's probably preparing something to crucify me and say it's some "endurance" bull or something." Kagami chuckled.

"Kona-chan wouldn't really do that! ... Would she?" Tsukasa asked, looking to her friends for confirmation.

"I'm sure she wouldn't take it that far." Miyuki, however, was the only one to agree with Tsukasa.

"Hey, I gotta go. See you guys at lunch!" Kagami waved. Tsukasa, though she was trying to put on a happy face, seemed sad to part with her sister.

"Bye Onee-chan!" Tsukasa said, waving.

"At lunch it is then, Kagami-san." Miyuki said. Kagami sighed, also quite unhappy with having to leave her little sister. However, it had to be done. And so she left for her class. She sighed and stood at the entrance. She was way too tired for what was to come. She opened the door.

"HIIRAGI~!" Misao shouted as she flew through the air, as if drawn by some sort of magnet. She glomped onto Kagami, who sighed. "It's been so long, Hiiragi!" Misao shouted.

"Come on Misao..." Kagami sighed.

"Hiiragi, what are you doing after school today?" Misao asked.

"I'm going to go get tortured by a little brat." Kagami said.

"Tortured? By the midget?" Misao asked.

"Yeah." Kagami sighed. Misao seemed to think.

"... Didn't know you were that kinky, Hiiragi." Misao said.

"It's not a sex thing! It's martial arts!" Kagami protested.

"Martial arts, huh? Right, you said something about that before..." Misao said, as if contemplating something. "Can I come with you?" Misao asked.

"Well... If you really WANT to, I suppose." Kagami said. After all, last time she had been so sore, she had almost needed Tsukasa's help to walk home. And she was still sore from yesterday, not to mention she would need to run that same damn fourteen kilometers before whatever the hell Konata was going to do to her today. The thought of having Misao there to help her if she needed was appealing, not to mention that she hadn't really spent much time with the girl recently. Oh wait... "Wait, that's no good." Kagami sighed. Misao frowned, though she could tell Kagami was legitimately disappointed.

"Why not, Hiiragi?" Misao asked.

"Konata makes me do this stupid "warm up" where I run to her house." Kagami said.

"How far away is her house?" Misao asked.

"Fourteen kilometers." Kagami said. Misao stayed quiet for a moment.

"Fourteen kilometers... huh..." Misao seemed to think again for a moment. "You want some company?" She asked, deciding to set aside her objections to her friend running that insane distance for the moment. After all, Kagami wouldn't do it if she didn't want to. And while Misao didn't particularly WANT to run for that long with the midget, who would undoubtedly be there since she was training Kagami, she would if it would let her spend some time with the Tsundere.

"Wait, seriously Misao? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love some company, but that's a seriously long way!" Kagami said.

"It's nothing! Don't forget, you're talking to the star of the track team! I started out by running four kilometers every day when I was a kid!" Misao said, pointing her thumb to herself proudly. Kagami huffed.

"Well... That's awesome. Thank you." Kagami smiled. "You sure Ayano is gonna be good with that? I know you two have been spending a lot of time together recently." Kagami said.

"I'll talk it out with her at lunch! She'll understand if I tell her that I can spend some time with you!" Misao said. Kagami smiled.

"I look forward to it." Kagami said. She looked around to see the class staring at them, along with the teacher. She blushed at all of the attention for some reason focused on her now. "Um..." She tried to think of something to say.

"Oh no, please continue. I'm sure you two hooking up is of the utmost importance." Sakuraba said. Kagami reeled back a bit.

"We're not "hooking up"! Are you even a teacher?" Kagami asked.

"Is that any way to talk to your teacher?" Sakuraba asked.

"That's exactly the way to talk to my teacher..." Kagami sighed as she walked over to her desk and sat. Misao followed, ecstatic that she would have some time with her Hiiragi.

---

Lunch Time!

"Hey, I'm here for lunch!" Kagami waved as she entered her sister's classroom. She might have wanted to talk to Misao more about after school, but without Konata here, it would just be Tsukasa and Miyuki for lunch. And Miyuki was too smart to pass up such a prime opportunity to get close. Thus, Kagami had sprinted down the hall and dodged everyone she could, bulldozed the rest, and burst into the classroom almost immediately after the bell for lunch rang.

"Hi Onee-chan!" Tsukasa waved. Miyuki sighed a bit before putting on her smile. Kagami noticed, but deemed it unworthy of comment.

"Hey Tsukasa, what's up?" Kagami asked as she sat down. Tsukasa smiled.

"We were just talking about nice places to eat!" Tsukasa said as she opened her lunch and began eating. Miyuki mirrored her.

"Oh yeah? What kind of place?" Kagami asked.

"Any kind!" Tsukasa chimed.

"Oh, cake buffets are nice!" Kagami said. When the discussion was about food, Kagami was in her element.

"I always thought that cake buffets were okay, although I always end up taking more than I can eat and feel sick attempting to force the rest of it so as not to incur a fee." Miyuki said.

"I do the same thing..." Kagami chuckled and scratched the back of her head. "But before that happens, you can eat all kinds of cake! Isn't it worth it?" Kagami asked.

"I think I prefer ordinary buffets though. That way, I can also eat things other than cake. Pace myself." Miyuki said.

"But then you can't get as many varieties of cake!" Kagami protested. She waited a moment for Konata to comment on what a glutton she was. She couldn't decide on if she was happy or disappointed with the lack of said commentary.

"Onee-chan always had more of a sweet tooth." And there it was. Wait, Konata wasn't here. Kagami looked over and saw Tsukasa smiling almost... slyly? Was Tsukasa teasing her? That was decidedly un-Tsukasa.

"Maybe it's because you always make such delicious sweets." Kagami smiled. Tsukasa smiled.

"That's very sweet of you to say." Tsukasa said. Kagami giggled a bit.

"Heh. That was clever." Kagami said. When did her sister get so smart? Oh god, did Konata die and she was possessing Tsukasa now? That was pretty much Konata's main ability, witty banter.

"Thanks Onee-chan!" Tsukasa smiled.

"So what type of restaurant do you like, Tsukasa?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa hummed. Kagami gave a sour look. This wasn't a question she could interrupt without looking suspicious and, while she wouldn't support Miyuki and wanted to actively sabotage her chances, she didn't want to do so blatantly. If questioned about it, she would no doubt have no good reason for doing so. She got an idea.

"Don't you like those restaurants where they cook the food in front of you Tsukasa?" Kagami asked, not giving Miyuki a specific restaurant to offer to take Tsukasa to. Tsukasa nodded happily.

"Yeah! I love seeing how they prepare the food and stuff! That way, I can do it too later!" Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled. In a contest of Tsukasa, she was also unmatched.

So, the best gift I could get for her would be new ways to prepare food... I'll have to research them. Miyuki thought to herself. Perhaps she could find some strange and unusual cooking methods that would interest Tsukasa and that the two could try together.

"What do you think Kona-chan's favorite kind of place to eat is?" Tsukasa asked Kagami.

"Why are you asking me?" Kagami asked.

"You're Kona-chan's best friend! You would know best!" Tsukasa said. Kagami hummed. Was that true? Certainly, she talked to Konata more casually than, say, Miyuki or even Misao. The little brat annoyed her so much, and all the time though! And did Konata think of her that way? Kagami shrugged.

"I guess she'd probably just want her coronets." Kagami chuckled. "But to be honest, I think she'd want to eat at a cosplay cafe." Kagami said. Tsukasa jumped a bit, but gave no comment. The bell for lunch to end rang. "Damn, I'll see you guys later." Kagami said.

"I'll wait for you after school Onee-chan!" Tsukasa waved. Kagami smiled.

"Thanks Tsukasa." Kagami said warmly. She began to leave, but she was caught by the teacher.

"Hey Hiiragi, do you happen to know why Izumi isn't here today?" Kuroi asked. Kagami looked a bit confused.

"She said she was sick. Did Tsukasa and Miyuki not tell you?" Kagami asked.

"I didn't ask. Figured you'd have the answer when you came over." Kuroi shrugged her shoulders.

"She said she was sick." Kagami answered, wondering why the teacher asked her instead of her sister. It wasn't like she was concerned about not getting the information. Tsukasa was undoubtedly with Kagami all the time and Miyuki remembered god damn everything.

"All right! Thanks Hiiragi, you can go now." Kuroi said. Kagami nodded and, with one last glance to her sister, left the room. Miyuki observed as Tsukasa's gaze lingered on the door before she stood. The two of them began putting their desks back to the correct way before sitting and starting afternoon classes.

---

After School

Kagami stood as soon as the bell rang and was about to start sprinting to see her sister when she remembered the promise she had made earlier that day. She looked around and saw Misao saying her goodbyes to Ayano and grabbing her bag. She walked merrily to Kagami, who smiled.

"Ready when you are, Hiiragi!" Misao said. Kagami nodded.

"Let's go. I wanna see Tsukasa before we go." Kagami said. She was glad Tsukasa said she would wait for her, as Misao had taken her sweet few minutes to come over. The two set off from the classroom and made it to Tsukasa's class in short order.

"Onee-chan!" Tsukasa waved.

"Hey Tsukasa!" Kagami waved.

"Imoto!" Misao shouted as she waved enthusiastically at the air head.

"Ah! Misa-chan!" Tsukasa smiled.

"Hello Kagami-san. Kasukabe-san." Miyuki smiled. Kagami sighed a bit. Why was Miyuki still there? It's not like she knew where Tsukasa was going, and she knew Tsukasa would likely be displeased if Miyuki decided to follow her to wherever it was. Misao looked around.

"Huh. No chibi?" Misao asked.

"Huh? No, Konata isn't here today. I would have been running alone if you hadn't come." Kagami said. Misao cheered.

"Woohoo!" She shouted. Inside her head, she thanked God or Buddha or anyone who was responsible for this turn of events.

"Geez, it's not that good of a thing. You really don't like her, do you Misao?" Kagami asked.

"Of course not! She's taking away our Hiiragi!" Misao complained. Kagami was about to counter, but she really couldn't. Although it wasn't Konata that Kagami had been spending more of her time with recently, she couldn't help but admit that she hadn't spent as much time with her childhood friends since she had met the Otaku.

"Onee-chan, are you going to Kona-chan's again today?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami nodded.

"Yeah. Geez, I'm still so sore from yesterday... I don't know what she's going to do to me today, but I'll make it through it." For you. Kagami unconsciously added in her head. Tsukasa thought.

"When is it going to end tonight?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami hummed.

"Mm... I don't really know, to be honest." Kagami said.

"Okay, I'll call you when I get off today and if you're still there, do you mind if I come and watch?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami blushed.

"I dunno... It's kind of embarrassing." Kagami mumbled as she scratched the back of her head.

"Aw~, come on Onee-chan~..." Tsukasa gave her best puppy eyes. Kagami did no better against those than she would against Tsukasa in a cooking contest.

"Alright, call me when you're off from wherever you're working and, if I'm still training, you can come and watch." Kagami said. Tsukasa cheered.

"Yay~! Onee-chan's the best!" Tsukasa chimed. Kagami smiled as her heart warmed. The four of them made it out of the school.

"I believe this is where we separate." Miyuki said.

"Yeah, Konata's house is in the opposite direction from the subway." Kagami said. Tsukasa nodded.

"I gotta take the subway to get there, so I gotta go this way." Tsukasa said, seemingly disappointed at not getting to see Kagami any more until after her job.

"I'll walk you to the subway, Tsukasa." Miyuki smiled. "I have to get home as well." She said. Kagami cursed to herself. Yet another thing she couldn't intercept without suspicion.

"You two... have... fun..." Kagami barely struggled out without sounding like she wanted to split the two up somehow. Miyuki gave a concerned look to Kagami, but said nothing before smiling again.

"Let's go Tsukasa." Miyuki smiled. Tsukasa nodded.

"Bye Onee-chan~! I'll see you after work~!" Tsukasa said. Kagami waved as she watched her sister leave with Miyuki.

"Bye!" She said. As the two began to fade from sight, Kagami let out a small curse. "Damn it." She mumbled.

"Is something wrong, Hiiragi?" Misao asked. Kagami shook her head.

"No... No it's nothing." Kagami said. Misao studied her for a moment.

"You're worried about Imoto, aren't you?" Misao asked. Kagami reeled back.

"Gah! H-How could you tell something like that?" She asked. Misao smiled proudly.

"Exactly how long do you think we've known each other Hiiragi?" Misao asked. "I know all of the Hiiragi looks! And that last one you gave was that you were concerned for your sister!" Misao said. Kagami huffed at being seen through so easily and began jogging to hide her blush. Misao soon followed, giggling at the embarrassed Kagami.

"Well... Isn't it normal to be concerned about her? She's my sister, after all!" Kagami said.

"But isn't that glasses girl with her?" Misao asked. Kagami made a sour face.

"Yeah, she is..." Kagami said.

"Whoa! Hiiragi, are you concerned about glasses girl doing something to Imoto?" Misao asked. Kagami skipped a step and almost face planted, but successfully caught herself before falling.

"W-What would I be concerned about Miyuki for?" Kagami asked.

"It is that, isn't it!" Misao said. "That look on your face when I mentioned her and that denial just there proved it!" Misao said. "You know, if I turned and sprinted, I could still catch them in time before they got on the subway! You want me to go intercept them?" Misao asked. Kagami shook her head haphazardly as she ran, nearly bulldozing someone who barely got out of the way in time.

"No, don't worry about it! It's just..." Kagami sighed. "I think Miyuki might like Tsukasa." Kagami admitted. Misao hummed.

"... And you don't like that?" She asked. Kagami shook her head.

"No. I don't want anyone to take Tsukasa away. Not even someone as smart, pretty, and rich as Miyuki." Kagami said. Misao studied her Tsundere.

"... Take her away from you." She said, more as a statement. Kagami shot a glare at Misao before sighing.

"I don't know where you got an idea like that, but it isn't right. Tsukasa will always be my sister, no matter what. Regardless if she dates Miyuki, or some boy, or whoever." Kagami said. Misao hummed.

"Well, I don't really get it, but my relationship with my brother isn't all that great. And they say twins have a special bond or whatever, you know?" Misao asked. Kagami hummed.

There's that line again. She thought to herself. "Misao, what do you think is different about siblings and twins?" Kagami asked. Misao, in an impressive bit of athleticism, shrugged while in the middle of jogging.

"I dunno. I always guessed you'd have to be a twin to really know. What do you think is different, Hiiragi? I mean, you have siblings who you aren't twins with. What's different between how it is with them and how it is with Imoto?" Misao asked. Kagami thought for a moment.

"Um..." She listed off what she felt for each sister. Inori: A troublemaker, but always willing to help out if need be. Matsuri: ANNOYING ANNOYING ANNOYING kinda sweet ANNOYING. Tsukasa: Adoration. Pure, simple adoration. Tsukasa was cute, she was nice, she could cook, she could sew, her general personality was just downright pleasant. Kagami couldn't think of a single bad thing to say about her little sister aside from she tended to sleep in and not do her homework. Compared to all the pros though, those were two incredibly small cons. "Well, I dunno. Inori and Matsuri can be annoying sometimes, but they can come through when you really need them. But I can't think of a single complaint about Tsukasa." Kagami said. "I mean, she sleeps in, but she's so cute when she sleeps. And she doesn't do that well in school, but she really tries her best!" Kagami said.

"Yeah, some of us just aren't academically gifted!" Misao said. Kagami smiled.

"You each have your strong points. You're able to run like this and Tsukasa can cook like she's a professional." Kagami said.

"Hiiragi is good at everything!" Misao said.

"I'm not good at cooking, THAT'S for damn sure. And you still beat me in athletics, I'm sure." Kagami said. Misao smiled.

"I'm sure if you keep up training like this, you'll either get better than me, or die!" Misao said jokingly. "Don't die Hiiragi!" She cried as if Kagami were laying on the ground with a bullet wound. Kagami rolled her eyes, but chuckled.

"Hey Misao." Kagami said.

"Yes Hiiragi?" She asked.

"Thanks for coming with me today. I've had a lot of fun talking to you." Kagami said. Misao smiled.

"I've had fun with you too, Hiiragi!" Misao smiled. "I'll come with you whenever you want, Hiiragi!" Misao said. Kagami chuckled.

"On other days, Konata is going to be running with us too." Kagami said. Misao sighed.

"I'd run with that pipsqueak if it meant I could run with you too, Hiiragi." Misao said. Kagami smiled.

"Well, let's keep at it for today at least." Kagami said.

"You got it, Hiiragi!" Misao said as she ran a little faster. Kagami smiled and chased after her, knowing she would have to be out front since Misao didn't know where Konata's house was.

---

With the Other Two

Miyuki and Tsukasa walked down the street. The Meganekko observed Tsukasa, who seemed rather disappointed that they had had to separate from Kagami. If the air head didn't need to go to work, Miyuki would offer to take her to a cafe like she had described earlier. Miyuki stepped a bit closer to the girl, smiling and hoping that smile would spread. When it didn't, Miyuki sighed.

"It'll be okay, Tsukasa. You'll get to see Kagami-san after work today." Miyuki said.

"Yeah..." Tsukasa mumbled. The two walked in silence for a moment.

"... If you would like, I could walk you all the way to work." Miyuki suggested.

"No thank you..." Tsukasa said. Miyuki sighed. It was odd. Tsukasa was usually sad when she parted from her sister, yes, but it was never this bad.

"... Tsukasa?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa hummed.

"Hm?" Tsukasa asked.

"Are you okay? You seem sad." Miyuki said. Tsukasa sighed.

"I just miss Onee-chan." Tsukasa said. Miyuki huffed. Here she was with Tsukasa, and she couldn't truly spend much alone time with her. Tsukasa shook her head. "I'm sorry Yuki-chan, I'm being silly." She said.

"No, not at all. I understand missing one's sibling." Miyuki said. Tsukasa smiled a bit.

"Thanks Yuki-chan. I just... I miss her." Tsukasa said. Miyuki giggled. A Tsukasa who looked like this was sad, but also cute.

"So when do you get off of work? Would you like to meet somewhere?" Miyuki asked.

"But I'm going to meet Onee-chan after work..." Tsukasa said, her tone suggesting that, while she wanted to see her sister, she felt bad about refusing to see Miyuki. Miyuki sighed, understanding that she could force the issue, but she would have to force Tsukasa to see her when she didn't want to. As the two reached the subway, Miyuki decided she would retreat for the day.

"Well, whatever it is you're doing, I hope you have a wonderful day." Miyuki said. Tsukasa smiled.

"Thanks Yuki-chan. I'll see you tomorrow!" Tsukasa said. Miyuki bowed, but waited a moment.

"One moment Tsukasa, could you tell me one thing?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa cocked her head to the side.

"What's that, Yuki-chan?" Tsukasa asked.

"How long is the train ride to your job?" She asked. "How many connections?" She asked. Tsukasa looked confused.

"Why?" She asked. Miyuki hummed.

"I was just curious. If you don't want to tell me..." Miyuki trailed off.

"I have to switch trains two times, I think... I only ever go there with either Kona-chan or when Onee-chan wants to get a book that isn't in any of the book stores near our house." Tsukasa said.

"How long does it take the get there?" Miyuki asked.

"Um... I think about an hour...? I don't really remember." Tsukasa said. Miyuki hummed and called up a list of trains and how they ran. It was rather large, however, as a one hour train ride split between three different trains could lead to any number of places. She huffed, knowing she was likely not going to get anywhere close to Tsukasa's work place without explicitly asking her.

"Thank you very much, Tsukasa." Miyuki said.

"Um..." Tsukasa fidgeted. She hadn't known there would be such random questions.

"I suppose this is where we part ways." Miyuki said. Tsukasa nodded. She had to start out on the same train she took to get here, so she would be taking a different train from here on. Besides, she didn't stay on that train for more than a minute before switching.

"Bye Yuki-chan~!" Tsukasa chimed as she waved, walking onto the train. Miyuki sighed sadly while waving back, watching her crush ride off. She turned and got onto her own train. She walked to an empty seat without really looking and sat down, running through the list of places she had thought of earlier. Is she limited the locations it would carry Tsukasa to that both Kagami and Konata had reason to visit, maybe she could find it out...

"... Onee-chan?" Miyuki was brought from her thoughts by the sound of her surrogate little sister's voice. She looked over and saw Minami sitting next to her.

"Ah, Mi-chan." Miyuki smiled. "How are you doing today?" She asked.

"I've had a good day. I was just talking to Yu-chan about tomorrow." Minami said.

"Oh? What's tomorrow?" Miyuki asked.

"We're going on our first date. I was wondering where you think I should take her." Minami asked.

"Where do you want to go?" Miyuki asked. Minami blinked a time or two before looking up.

"Hm... I think I would enjoy going to the railway museum, but I'm sure Yu-chan would find it boring." Minami said. Miyuki giggled.

"If you're loved one is having fun, it'll make it fun for you." Miyuki said. "However, if you're wondering on a place to take her, perhaps a cafe? I suppose that's the usual place new couples would go." Miyuki said. Minami smiled.

"Perhaps we can go together with you and Tsukasa-senpai." Minami said. Miyuki blushed lightly.

"So... You figured it out." Miyuki smiled a small smile.

"Once I started paying attention, it was pretty obvious." Minami smiled the same smile.

"I think... If I were to pursue Tsukasa, I would want Kagami-san's blessing." Miyuki said. Minami hummed in thought.

"I don't know much about Kagami-senpai, but I can tell she's very protective of Tsukasa-senpai." Minami said.

"Impressively so." Miyuki said.

"That's good." Minami nodded. "With someone as amazing as you, it should be pretty easy to convince her that you're the one." Minami said. Miyuki smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Mi-chan." Miyuki said. Minami smiled warmly.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help." Minami said.

"I most certainly will." Miyuki smiled as the two continued to chat.

---

Back with Kagami and Misao

"So Hiiragi, when did Imoto get a job?" Misao asked. Kagami and Misao had made small talk the entire way, but nothing really too dense since they would get more winded when they were talking and they were trying to keep up a constant jog.

"Yesterday, actually." Kagami said.

"What is it? What's she doing?" Misao asked. Kagami shrugged.

"I dunno. She won't tell me. In fact, the only person she told was Mom. She just says she'll tell me later." Kagami said, wishing she could shrug without throwing off her run.

"That's weird. You don't think it's something weird, do you?" Misao asked.

"Of course I was worried about that at first, but Konata is the one who got her the job." Kagami said. Then she thought on it for a minute.

"... Um, Hiiragi..." Misao began.

"Yeah, not that good a reason to trust the job, but she told Mom about it and she was okay with it! It must not have been something bad!" Kagami said. Misao shrugged.

"I really want to know what she's doing now." Misao said. "Imoto with a job just seems so..." She trailed off.

"Wrong." Kagami finished for her.

"Wrong, yeah. That's the perfect word for it." Misao said. "She's the type that stays home, you know?" Misao said.

"No kidding. She really isn't the working type." Kagami said. Finally, Konata's house came into view. Misao and Kagami gave a tired cheer.

"Honestly Hiiragi... You did a lot better than I expected..." Misao said as they arrived at the Otaku's house. Quite frankly, she was ridiculously tired. She was trying to put on a front for the Tsundere.

"I know, but it still makes my knees shake." Kagami said as she knelt down for a little bit. A bit of rest before calling Konata out wasn't a bad thing.

"Like, how is that a warm up?" Misao asked.

"I know, right? Konata's all like "This is just a warm up, you should see what I have planned for you next!" and I'm already dead tired!" Kagami said.

"Why are you doing this then, Hiiragi? She's not making you, is she?" Misao asked. Kagami shook her head.

"I'm doing it so I can protect people who are precious to me." Kagami said.

"What a cliche line..." Misao chuckled. "So, this precious person... Is it Imoto?" Misao asked. Kagami blushed and looked away.

"... Yeah. I want to protect Tsukasa from anything that might threaten her." Kagami said. Misao smiled.

"Don't worry. With your will, I know you're gonna be one of the best." Misao said. Kagami gave an appreciative smile to Misao.

"Thanks, Misao." Kagami said. Misao smiled back.

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Hiiragi." Misao said. Kagami stood again and stretched. Her body hurt, but she wanted to get this over with. God she hoped it wasn't more running. She, Misao in tow, walked to Konata's house.

"Done resting?" They heard. Kagami looked around the corner of the house to see Konata standing under a giant cross.

"... Oh hell no." Kagami said. She sighed. "Konata, what the hell is that thing?" She asked.

"It took all day to set up is what it is." Konata said. "This is your next training tool!" Konata chimed. Kagami's eye twitched.

"... I'm not dragging that thing while you sit on it." Kagami said.

"No, that's not what you're doing today! You're done running." Konata said. Kagami breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank god..." Kagami said. She and Misao walked closer. Konata made a sour face at Misao.

"Misakichi." Konata acknowledged her presence and little else.

"Chibi." Misao reacted likewise. Kagami, meanwhile, was looking at the giant cross. It actually was large enough that one could be crucified on it.

"Konata, you're not crucifying me." Kagami said.

"I'm not doing that!" Konata said. Kagami saw that there were four buckets, two on the ground and two hanging on the horizontal beam.

"So what is all of this?" She asked. Konata climbed up and put a leg on horizontal beam, on either side of the vertical beam.

"Here, this is what you do!" She said. She reached into the buckets on top and pulled out a couple of small bowls. They likely only held a few ounces at most and were very nearly flat. Then, Konata straightened her back, laying upside down on the cross, and dipped the bowls in the buckets below. She then did a sit up and poured what liquid she had gotten into the bowl from the bottom bucket into the top bucket. Kagami blinked a few times. Konata dismounted from the cross and handed the bowls to Kagami. "You're getting the water from the bottom bucket into the top bucket!" Konata said cheerfully. Kagami stared for a moment.

"... Those buckets are huge." Kagami simply said.

"They each have about five gallons in them." Konata said.

"... And the bowls hold..." Kagami trailed off.

"I dunno, a hundred milliliters?" Konata shrugged. Kagami sighed.

"Geez Konata. Why can you never be realistic?" She asked.

"You want unrealistic results, so the training has to be the same way." Konata said.

"Hiiragi, are you really gonna do that?" Misao asked. Kagami nodded.

"Yeah Misao, I'm really gonna do that." Kagami said. Misao whistled.

"That's crazy impressive Hiiragi. I have no idea how you're gonna pull that off. There's no way I'd be able to after that run we just took." Misao said. Kagami shrugged.

"It's for my little sister. There's no way I can back down." Kagami said. Misao smiled.

"You always were that kind of person, Hiiragi. You remember that time you shoved one guy's head up another guy's butt?" Misao laughed.

"Wait, when did this happen?" Konata asked. Kagami smirked.

"Yeah, he was picking on Tsukasa. He had his little friend there for back up, so I kicked the other guy in the stomach, grabbed his friend, and... well, you can guess where I put his head." Kagami giggled a bit. Misao was laughing rather loudly, likely remembering the sight.

"It was so awesome, Hiiragi!" Misao laughed.

"Yeah, he didn't bother Tsukasa anymore." Kagami smiled.

"Heh, so you've always been the type to kick someone in the face if they picked on Tsukasa." Konata giggled. Kagami nodded proudly.

"Damn right!" She said.

"Then think about how much better you'll be after you finish training." Konata chuckled. Kagami sighed.

"Yeah yeah, let's get it over with." Kagami said as she walked over to the cross. She climbed up and laid upside down on the cross. "Konata, all of the blood is rushing to my head." Kagami complained.

"Well, when you put the water in the top bucket, the blood will go back down." Konata said. Kagami sighed as she filled the bowl with water, ignoring her shirt falling up.

"Hiiragi, your panties are awesome!" Misao laughed, Kagami's skirt having fallen down as well.

"M-Misao, you idiot!" Kagami sat up quickly and got down. "Konata, do you have anything for this?" Kagami asked. Konata hummed.

"The martial artist in me says yes, but the pervert in me says no..." Konata mumbled. Truly, a battle for the ages was raging inside the Otaku.

"Just get me some pants or something!" Kagami shouted. Konata sighed and nodded, walking into the house. After a few moments, she came out with a Gi.

"Here Kagamin! This was my first one, but it was too big so I never really used it! It should fit you though, Kagamin!" Konata said. Kagami ignored the "too big" comment and decided it was just because Konata was a midget. She sighed and walked into the house to change. Konata looked over at Misao and hummed.

"What? You wanna fight or something Midget?" Misao asked. Konata shook her head.

"I was just surprised you came here today." Konata said. "Don't you hate my guts or something?" Konata asked.

"Well... Don't you hate me?" Misao asked. Konata shrugged.

"I hate your brother for bullying me and all, but I guess I don't necessarily dislike you." Konata said. Misao huffed.

"Well... You're still stealing Hiiragi away from me! Us!" Misao corrected. Konata smiled knowingly.

"Don't worry, I know Kagami still likes you guys too. In fact, she almost didn't want to come today because she was going to hang out with you." Konata said. Misao blushed and smiled a bit.

"So, why is Hiiragi doing all of this?" Misao asked.

"In case Tsukasa needs to be defended or something. I dunno, it's pretty vague." Konata said.

"Ah, I understand." Misao nodded. "If it's for Imoto, it makes sense." Misao said.

"You've been Kagami's friend for a long time, right?" Konata asked. Misao nodded and beamed with pride.

"Yup! Since Kindergarten!" Misao said. Konata cocked her head to the side.

"I'm guessing Tsukasa has had a problem with bullies then?" Konata asked. Misao nodded.

"Yeah, she's so gentle that she attracts bullies all over the place. It's kind of settled down since high school though since everyone who picked on her before was... taken care of... by Hiiragi." Misao chuckled.

"Taken care of, huh?" Konata asked. Misao nodded.

"Ayano gets scary when she's angry, but I've never felt like she was going to kill anyone. Hiiragi though..." Misao trailed off. "I've seen her beat a guy twice her size into the dirt for picking on Imoto though. It did even look like it took any effort." Misao said.

"When was that?" Konata asked. Misao hummed. While her memory wasn't exactly the best, she could definitely do her best when it came to her Hiiragi.

"I think it was second grade." Misao said. Konata chuckled.

"So she's always been this ridiculous when it comes to strength." Konata said.

"Speaking of which, what kind of ridiculous training is this?" Misao asked.

"It's pretty simple, really." Konata said. "You see-"

"Alright, let's get this over with." Kagami said. Konata giggled.

"Well, go ahead." Konata smiled. Kagami sighed and began climbing onto the cross again.

"Looks good on ya Hiiragi!" Misao said.

"Thanks Misao." Kagami said as she laid upside down on the cross, grabbing the cups. She began working out, slowly filling the top buckets.

"You see." Konata said, lower than Kagami could hear. "Kagamin has a body made of white muscle, so her strength is ridiculous. That said, I don't think her endurance is anything special. Kagami has amazing bursts of strength, right?" Konata asked. Misao nodded.

"Yeah, usually when she gets angry." Misao chuckled.

"Especially whenever Tsukasa is involved, right?" Konata asked. Misao nodded.

"Yeah, then too." Misao said.

"So, what we do is force Kagamin to use that insane strength more and more often. During all of this training, I'm going to make it so that that kind of strength is something she can pull out whenever she wants." Konata said. "She wants to do this quickly, so I don't have to time to hold back her training, or to give her a body full of pink muscle like mine. But I can train her endurance to match her strength and, after some time, train her strength so that that monstrous strength is kind of like her base." Konata said. Misao whistled.

"Gotta admit, that's pretty impressive, Midget." Misao said.

"Well, that's why I'm putting her through this kind of training. Truthfully, she can use techniques now if I taught her. The only thing is that if she finds someone who can outlast her endurance, she's out of luck." Konata said. "By building her foundation, she won't be overcome nearly as easily." Konata said.

"Wow, you've really thought this through, haven't you Midget?" Misao asked. Konata nodded.

"This is what my masters did to me. And I wasn't as strong as Kagami is." Konata said. "I did a little more than triple the distance to run by having the destination be my home." Konata said.

"So what did you start out doing?" Misao asked.

"My first distance was just over four kilometers, every day." Konata said. Misao whistled.

"Thought I was the only one who did that kind of training." Misao said.

"Well, I added weight once I got under a certain time." Konata said. "And just kept adding more when I reached that time again." Konata explained.

"So are you really that strong, Midget?" Misao asked. Konata put a hand up.

"Move my hand." Konata said. Misao looked at Konata's hand as she put her arm in an arm wrestling position. Misao grabbed Konata's hand and began pushing it, but made no progress. The verbally abundant girl put her other hand behind her other and began pushing with all of her strength. However, it was to no avail. In fact, Konata didn't even seem to particularly strain to keep her hand from moving.

"The hell, Midget?" Misao asked. Konata shrugged.

"I have explosive power and the endurance to use it constantly. There's not a milligram of useless muscle on my body." Konata said. Misao hummed.

"You're like a teeny tiny bomb!" Misao chuckled.

"If that bomb could explode a million times in a row, yeah." Konata agreed.

"I found a flaw in your training, though!" Misao said.

"Oh?" Konata asked.

"What happens when Hiiragi gets used to this? When it's easy for her?" Misao asked. Konata chuckled.

"Don't worry about that. I'll be making it progressively harder as time goes." Konata said. Misao hummed.

"So what did she do before?" Misao asked.

"She ran here, then ran to her house with me sitting on a tire she was dragging." Konata said matter-of-factly. Misao gasped.

"What the hell is that? Is she training for the special forces or something?" Misao shouted.

"Hey, she did it. Successfully." Konata said.

"She did?" Misao asked.

"Well, she had some trouble at first, but as soon as Tsukasa was mentioned, she tackled the training relatively quickly." Konata said.

"That crazy." Misao said. Konata nodded and walked up to the still working Kagami.

"Wow Kagamin, we've only been here an hour and you're almost done." Konata said. Kagami panted as she kept working.

"I wanna... get this done...!" Kagami said. Konata giggled.

"Fight, Kagamin." Konata said.

"Yeah... Yeah..." Kagami panted. Konata walked back over to Misao.

"She's doing well." Konata said.

"Well, Hiiragi is the ultimate hard worker! Even if she had no talent for this, she'd do really well!" Misao said. Konata chuckled.

"No doubt." She said.

"Konata! I'm... done!" Kagami shouted. Konata walked over and looked. Sure enough, there wasn't enough water in the bottom of the bottom buckets to get any in the small cups. Konata looked around. It hadn't taken as long as she had expected. Kagami climbed down and began stretching. "Thank god, the blood was rushing to my head..." Kagami groaned as she shook her head. Her mid-section hurt like crazy, but it was mostly bearable. Konata climbed the cross part way and took the buckets off of the horizontal part. She put them on the ground before picking up the nearly empty ones on the ground. "Konata, what are you..." Kagami began. Konata put the empty ones where the full ones were, and put the full ones where the empty ones had been.

"Alright, now do it again!" Konata said cheerfully.

"... You're an idiot..." Kagami complained.

"Kagamin, you could barely lift me before, but you could throw be earlier. Why do you think that is?" Konata asked.

"How... the hell should I know?" Kagami panted a bit, though she was recovering her strength.

"Obviously, you drew power from your core, mainly your center of gravity. Your waist plays a large part in that, so if you could throw ME earlier, think of what you'll be able to do when you power up your waist." Konata said. Kagami stared at her for a minute before sighing.

"Fine, I get it, I get it." Kagami said. She stood for another moment to let the blood settle back regularly before she climbed back up. Since she was constantly bending up, the blood didn't settle in her head or anything, but it was still uncomfortable.

"Remember you're doing this for Tsukasa!" Konata called out.

"Yeah, I know!" Kagami began with renewed strength. Misao whistled.

"You're a cruel teacher, you know that?" Misao asked.

"Yeah, but I get results." Konata smiled. With that, the two watches as Kagami struggled to continue.

---

With the Remaining Hiiragis

Matsuri and Inori both worked in the living room on their homework.

". . . Hey Mom, if I ask you what the answer to this question is, are you gonna give me the wrong answer?" Matsuri asked. Miki put down her paper to look at her daughter.

"Are you going to believe me either way?" Miki asked. Matsuri sighed.

"This sucks. Mom's the best at history." Matsuri complained. Miki smiled and returned to reading her paper.

"I can try to help if it's that important." Inori said.

"You said you haven't taken this class." Matsuri said.

"No, but I can try. Maybe you can help me with my homework too." Inori offered. Matsuri walked over to Inori and looked over her shoulder.

"Who invented corn flakes in part as an anti-masturb-wh-what the hell kind of question is that?" Matsuri shouted, a dark blush coming over her cheeks.

"Hm? It's the Psychology of Human Sexuality." Inori said.

"Wh-Who even would invent something like that?" Matsuri asked, pointing accusingly at the paper. Inori put a finger to her lip and thought for a moment.

"Hm... I think it was... John something Kellogg." She said as she wrote it down, simply leaving out the middle name.

"Wh-What hormone is responsible for the maturation of external male genit- Do you need to know this stuff?" Matsuri asked, having read another question.

"Um... I think it's Dihydrotestosterone..." Inori thought as she wrote it down.

"You have a seriously weird major." Matsuri said.

"It's this class. There are less embarrassing ones." Inori said.

"Yet you don't seem embarrassed at all." Matsuri said. Inori shrugged.

"Hey, I'm just trying to learn here." Inori said. "If I don't stay on top of my game, Kagami is gonna catch up to me." She chuckled. Matsuri sighed.

"Yeah, that's true. That little sister of ours really a force to be reckoned with." Matsuri said. Inori pointed to where her little sister had been sitting just a moment ago.

"So go and get working." Inori said. "Or you're gonna get passed by Kagami." Inori warned. Matsuri sighed and sat down.

"Alright, alright..." She mumbled as she kept working.

---

Several Hours Later

Misao sat in the chair that Konata had brought out for her to sit. She wasn't necessarily tired or anything, but she had been there a while and this was more comfortable. It was astounding, really. She wasn't sure what amazed her more. The fact that Kagami was actually doing this ridiculous training regiment, or that Kagami was still doing this ridiculous training regiment. It simply amazed Misao that the Tsundere could even move at this point, let alone continue working out. She had thought that her own training regiment was hard, but Kagami was blowing even that out of the water. Albeit, the Tsundere was moving a lot slower than when she had started, but she was still moving. Whenever she would get too tired and begin to stop, Konata would just give some speech about how it was to help protect Tsukasa, and Kagami would perk right up again. However, with this last time, it seemed as if even that was hitting it's limit.

"Kona... ta... I'm... finished..." Kagami panted. "I'm done... I can't... do anymore..." She said. Konata walked over to the buckets and looked in.

"Kagamin, there's only a little left! You can't do just a little more?" She asked. Kagami gave a rather sad attempt at a glare.

"... Idiot..." She barely struggled out.

"Onee-chan?" Kagami heard. She looked over to see Tsukasa walking up.

"Tsukasa?" Kagami asked. "What's up? What are you doing here?" She asked. Tsukasa smiled.

"I asked Kona-chan if you were still here and she said you were! So I wanted to come see you." Tsukasa chimed. Kagami smiled.

"Thanks Tsukasa. I'm glad you're here..." She mumbled.

"Alright Kagamin, you're done for the day. You can head home now." Konata said. Kagami groaned.

"I'm not... done yet..." She said. The Tsundere filled her bowls and began working again. Extremely slowly, but she kept going. She had to put on a strong front for Tsukasa, after all. She finally finished off her buckets and practically fell off the cross. She managed to climb off, but barely.

"Onee-chan!" Tsukasa rushed over and began supporting her sister. Misao also ran over, taking Kagami's other side.

"I gotcha Hiiragi." Misao said.

"Kona-chan, this is insane! Why do you keep doing stuff like this?" Tsukasa asked. Konata shrugged.

"Hey, if she didn't want to do it, I'm not forcing her. She can stop if she wants." Konata said.

"Yeah, well... Still! You could go a little easier on her..." Tsukasa mumbled.

"If I went easy, she wouldn't get the results she wants." Konata said.

"I'm gonna die..." Kagami mumbled. Her waist hurt so badly. Or, at least, it had before it went numb. She could barely feel anything below her waist.

"Hey Kagamin, how about if Tsukasa comes over after work everyday and picks you up? Then, that'll be the cut off point for that day!" Konata said. Kagami groaned.

"Yeah... Okay..." She mumbled. Tsukasa huffed.

"Then I'm coming as soon as I get off, okay Onee-chan?" Tsukasa said. Kagami nodded.

"Okay..." She said. "Tsukasa... Misao... Could I bother for you help me home? I really don't think I can make it on my own." Kagami said drowsily.

"Of course, Hiiragi." Misao smiled sympathetically to her friend.

"No problem, Onee-chan!" Tsukasa said.

"Thanks for helping her home you two!" Konata waved. "You can keep the Gi Kagamin! It's yours now!" Konata said. Kagami said nothing in reply, but gave a very tired thumbs up.

"Later Midget." Misao said.

"Bye Kona-chan!" Tsukasa said.

"See ya Tsukasa, Misakichi!" Konata waved as the three of them departed.

---

Walking down the Street

"Onee-chan, you need to stop pushing yourself so hard..." Tsukasa said, almost sounding like she was scolding her sister. Kagami chuckled tiredly.

"I gotta get stronger though... In case something happens..." Kagami said.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Tsukasa asked. "Are you expecting something?"

"Just... Anything..." Kagami said. She didn't want to tell Tsukasa that she was doing all of this for her. After all, if Tsukasa thought it was her fault, she would blame herself, and Tsukasa definitely did NOT need to blame herself. For anything. Ever. Regardless of if it were technically because of her.

"Well I think that it's really nice! In case you two run into anyone that isn't nice!" Misao said.

"If we run into someone like that like we are, Onee-chan is gonna be too tired and hurt to do anything..." Tsukasa said. Kagami chuckled tiredly. She felt almost like the younger sister again.

"Misao... Thanks for helping me home..." Kagami said. Misao smiled.

"Any time, Hiiragi." Misao said. "Are you gonna be training tomorrow too?" Misao asked. Kagami nodded, somehow finding a way to make the action look exhausting.

"Yeah... I'm gonna train tomorrow." Kagami said.

"Can I come tomorrow?" Misao asked. Kagami smiled a little.

"If you want to..." Kagami said. Misao cheered, though she was rather burdened physically, so she wasn't really all that exuberant.

"Thanks Hiiragi!" Misao smiled. Kagami chuckled tiredly.

"Konata's probably gonna be there again..." Kagami said.

"The Midget isn't all THAT bad, I guess..." Misao said. The three arrived at the station, where they climbed aboard a train. Misao and Tsukasa breathed a sigh of relief. While neither of them would say anything about it, Kagami seemed a bit heavier than normal. Even though there had been two of them, it was still pretty exhausting to carry her all the way to the subway. It had only been a few minutes, but she was still heavy.

"I'm glad you guys are getting along better... You're two of my best friends..." Kagami said. She was finally able to feel her legs fully again. It was good because she'd be able to walk on her own from here on, but it sucked because now she could feel the discomfort she was in.

"I'm glad to hear you say that Hiiragi." Misao smiled. "You feeling better already Hiiragi?" Misao asked. Kagami stretched and nodded.

"Yeah... I can walk on my own again, but I'm glad for the help. My waist hurts. It's all sore..." Kagami complained.

"You keep pushing yourself like this, and you're only gonna hurt yourself, Onee-chan." Tsukasa sighed.

"Nah, I'll be fine." Kagami said.

"But man Hiiragi, what is your body made of? You recovered ridiculously fast considering what you just went through." Misao said.

"Is that so?" Kagami asked.

"Totally, Hiiragi!" Misao shouted. "I had to rest just from the run we took! That you did something like that right after a run like that is crazy!" Misao said.

"Well, you should have seen what I did yesterday." Kagami chuckled. "That was entirely leg work."

"Hiiragi, doing something for one day isn't enough to build up endurance or anything. Just 'cause you did all of that stuff yesterday shouldn't make what you do today any easier. But, the Midget told me you ran a whole lot." Misao said.

"Yeah, that wasn't very fun." Kagami said. She sighed. "Geez, I gotta take a bath when I get home. I'm all sweaty and stuff." Kagami complained.

"Onee-chan, I'm a little worried that you're gonna fall asleep in the tub!" Tsukasa quickly piped up, a small blush across her cheeks. Kagami blushed a bit too, but smiled.

"Well darn." She snapped her fingers in mock sadness. "I guess you'll just have to take a bath with me then, won't you?" Kagami smiled warmly to her sister. Tsukasa's face lit up a little bit, also getting a bit redder.

"I can too~!" Misao shouted.

"You can't." Kagami shot down immediately.

"What? But I helped too!" Misao complained. "And I'm worried!" Misao said.

"Our bath isn't big enough for three people." Kagami said. "You can take a bath after us if you want." Kagami offered.

"Actually, if you want don't mind, I might just see ya home and head on home myself." Misao said. "I'd probably be asleep by the time you two got out of the bathroom anyway! If I don't keep moving, I'm gonna crash from that run we took on the way to Midget's house." Misao said. Kagami shrugged.

"If you want. Are you sure you'll make it home alright?" Kagami asked. Misao nodded.

"As long as I keep moving, I'll be fine! I'll stand when I get to the subway back!" Misao said cheerfully. Kagami smiled.

"That's good. Thanks again for seeing me home, Misao." Kagami said. Misao smiled a toothy smile.

"My pleasure, Hiiragi." Misao said.

---

Back with the Otaku

Konata rubbed the back of her neck as she went back into her house. She sat on her couch and put her feet up.

"Hey Konata, what have you been doing?" Sojiro asked, sitting in the chair perpendicular to the couch. Konata smiled.

"Did I not tell you? Kagamin wants to learn martial arts." Konata said.

"Oh? Oh~! Sounds like you have a great chance to raise some flags!" Sojiro said happily. Konata chuckled.

"Dad, you're an idiot. I can't violate the sanctity of martial arts like that." Konata said.

"But isn't she a Tsundere? Aren't they your favorite types of girls?" Sojiro asked. Konata smiled and thought for a moment.

"Well yeah, they are. But are you seriously asking me to cheat on my waifus?" Konata asked. Sojiro's eyes widened.

"I... I'm sorry! I hadn't... I hadn't thought about it..." Sojiro said with a grave seriousness.

"See? This is why you aren't as good at this stuff as I am." Konata said. Sojiro bowed his head.

"You're right, Konata. I... I have to go... I've lost sight of what's truly important..." Sojiro mumbled. Konata put a hand on his head.

"It's okay, Dad. You'll get there some day." She said. Sojiro nodded before departing from the room to meditate on the true meaning of Otaku. Yutaka opened the door and walked in, a bag in her hand. "Hey Yu-chan, where have you been?" Konata asked. Yutaka blushed a bit and smiled, holding her bag.

"Me and Minami-chan are having our first date tomorrow! So I wanted to get some new clothes so I'd look cute for her..." Yutaka said. Konata smirked.

"Yu-chan, I don't think she cares what you wear. In fact, I bet she'd find you cute even if you wore nothing at all!" Konata said cheerfully. Yutaka blushed rather badly as she imagined herself naked in front of Minami.

"N-Nee-chan! Wh-Why would you say something like that!" Yutaka complained, as the image would no longer leave her mind. In fact, she also saw was Minami would probably look like in front of her.

"'Cause it's true! It would certainly cause a stir in wherever you two end up going." Konata chuckled. Yutaka blushed even worse.

"Nee-chan, will you look at my new clothes and tell me what you think?" Yutaka asked. Konata smiled warmly.

"Of course, Yu-chan. I have no problem watching a fashion show." Konata said. Yutaka looked delighted.

"Thanks Nee-chan!" She shouted as she ran from the room. Konata smiled and hummed a little while she waited. After a few moments of waiting, Yutaka came out again, sporting new attire. "How do I look?" She asked. Konata whistled.

"You look super cute, Yu-chan." Konata said. Yutaka looked a little apprehensive.

"I was kind of hoping I could do something different with my hair..." Yutaka said.

"But it looks so adorable now!" Konata said. Yutaka smiled a bit.

"But it's our first date! I wanna do something different..." Yutaka said. Konata hummed.

"I think I have just the thing! Let's go!" Konata ran up and grabbed Yutaka, dragging her from the room.

"N-Nee-chan!" Yutaka squealed as she was pulled away.

---

Arriving at the Hiiragi Household!

Kagami, Tsukasa and Misao walked up to the house. They hadn't made the best time as, while Kagami was now able to walk on her own, she couldn't necessarily do so quickly. So the two had walked at a leisurely pace so that Kagami could keep up easily enough. They finally arrive home, however, and Misao sighed.

"That wasn't much time at all..." She complained. "You two gonna head right for the bath?" Misao asked. Kagami nodded.

"I was planning on it." Kagami said. Misao sighed and shrugged.

"Well, have a good time I guess." She said. "I'll see you in class tomorrow, Hiiragi!" She said. Kagami smiled.

"See you tomorrow, Misao." Kagami said, waving. Tsukasa and Kagami smiled as they walked into the house. Miki was walking in the hall, carrying a box of some sort. She saw the twins and smiled warmly.

"Well hello you two. Welcome home." Miki said. Tsukasa smiled a bit wider.

"Hi Mom!" Tsukasa chimed.

"Hey Mom, what are you doing?" Kagami asked.

"Oh, I'm just taking an old dress out of storage. I wanted to see if it still fit." Miki smiled nostalgically. Kagami hummed.

"What kind of dress is it?" Kagami asked.

"It's my old Uchikake, the dress I wore for my wedding." Miki said. "I was feeling nostalgic, and wanted to know if it would fit." Miki said. Kagami chuckled.

"Well, honestly Mom, you don't really look any older than you did when we were kids." Kagami said. "I don't doubt for a minute it'll fit just like it used to." Kagami said. Miki, balancing the box on one hand, put a hand to her cheek and closed her eyes.

"My, such high praise. Thank you very much." Miki giggled lightly.

"Yeah, she hasn't aged a day, has she?" Tadao chuckled as he poked his head through the door, mainly to say hello to his daughters.

"Aw Ta-kun." Miki lightly punched him in the arm. "So what are you two planning to do now? Are you hungry for dinner?" Miki asked. Kagami sighed. She knew she should be hungry and that she should eat because of how much she had just worked out, but she frankly wasn't hungry. She just wanted to take a bath and go to bed.

"I'm not really hungry... Is it alright if I take a bath?" Kagami asked. Miki nodded.

"I don't see why not." Miki said.

"We'll keep the dinner out for you in case you two change your mind." Tadao said.

"Oh, I ate at work! Sorry, I forgot to tell you!" Tsukasa apologized. Kagami looked over.

So they make food where she works... She made a mental note. Is it a restaurant? That would make sense... She thought to herself.

"So what are you going to do, Tsukasa?" Miki asked.

"I'm gonna take a bath with Onee-chan!" Tsukasa said quite cheerfully. Kagami blushed a bit. Oh. Oh yeah. That was happening. Miki raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Well, have fun." Miki giggled lightly as she continued down the hall to the parent's room. Likely to change. Tadao chuckled.

"See you when you get out then." He said. Tsukasa smiled and hugged Kagami's arm for a moment, causing the Tsundere to blush.

"See you later Dad!" Tsukasa said after releasing her sister. The two walked down the hallway to the bathroom and entered. Tsukasa began to take her uniform off, but paused just before. "Um... Onee-chan, I'm gonna strip so... You can leave if you really want to..." Tsukasa said, looking down at the ground. Kagami blushed. Right. The two were gonna be naked. Together. They were sisters, this shouldn't feel weird. Tsukasa was blushing too though, so it must not be SO weird! Wait, did Tsukasa usually blush when they took a bath together? Kagami then realized that her sister was actually waiting for a response before she would strip.

"Well, we're gonna be bathing together anyway, so I'll see you naked anyway." Kagami smiled. "Besides, we've bathed together a million times in the past. Why would it be weird now?" Kagami asked, though it was almost like she was asking herself. Tsukasa smiled.

"You're right, Onee-chan." Tsukasa said. Thus, she began to strip. Kagami blushed deeper and, again, felt like she was seeing something that she really shouldn't be. To distract herself, she began undressing. It didn't help her embarrassment however, and her heart was fluttering. This was ridiculous, why was she so nervous? She looked down at her naked body. Yeah, she needed to go on a diet. She couldn't let Tsukasa see her like this. At least, not a whole lot. The two of them naked, they entered the actual bathroom and began running the bath. "We should probably have run it before we got naked..." Tsukasa giggled. Kagami smiled through her blush.

"Well, now we can talk some." Kagami said with a smile. "I feel like it's been a while, somehow." Kagami said. Tsukasa giggled.

"It's only been since lunch, Onee-chan." Tsukasa said.

"I know, it's just been a little while since we were apart for that long. I mean, for the past week, we've spent so much time together, you know?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"Yeah... It's been amazing..." Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled.

"So, how was work?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa hummed.

"It was... interesting. But it was a lot of fun, too!" Tsukasa said.

"Oh yeah? What parts?" Kagami asked.

"Well, I got to cook! That was a lot of fun!" Tsukasa said.

"So it's a restaurant? And you're a cook?" Kagami smirked at her sister. Tsukasa blushed.

"Wah! Uh... Uhwah..." Tsukasa mumbled.

"I'm so right." Kagami smiled.

"No..." Tsukasa said.

"What?" Kagami asked.

"You're wrong..." Tsukasa said. "I'm not a cook there, but I can cook there..." Tsukasa said. Kagami kicked her head to the side. In what type of setting would someone who WASN'T a cook be ALLOWED to cook? It didn't make sense.

"So you're not a cook there?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa shook her head.

"No, I'm not." Tsukasa said. Kagami huffed and crossed her arms. Tsukasa blushed a little more, but Kagami gave no mind to it. Tsukasa got up and walked up to the bath to test it. "It's a little cold... I guess we talked too much, huh Onee-chan?" Tsukasa giggled a bit. Kagami nodded.

"I guess. Here, I'll wash you while we heat it back up." Kagami said. To be honest, a cool bath sounded like Heaven to her, but Kagami didn't want to make her sister sit in a tub of cold water. Tsukasa blushed, but nodded again. She turned the hot water on and sat down on the stool. Kagami took a deep breath at seeing her sister's naked back. Tsukasa wiggling a bit, almost enticingly, snapped Kagami out of her trance. She reached down and began washing her sister, spending extra time to make sure she didn't scrub too hard or too soft. She leaned over her sister to get her arms and found her face near the back of her sister's head. Her hair really does smell nice... Kagami thought, smiling. Wait, there was no way the shampoo Kagami had used yesterday was still smelling. Wait, HAD she used shampoo last time? That whole bath was a blur. A delightful blur, but a blur none the less.

"Eheheh... Onee-chan, are you giving me a massage again?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami blushed even more as she had begun poking and feeling Tsukasa's skin again. Damn it, why couldn't she control herself more?

"Yeah! You worked all day, I figured you could use a massage." Kagami said.

"Mm~... Onee-chan~..." Tsukasa hummed. Her sister really was the best at giving massages. Tsukasa rolled her shoulders, which gave Kagami even more incentive to really get in there. Tsukasa moaned a bit as Kagami put her muscle into it. She hadn't worked her arms out so much, so they weren't nearly as tired as the rest of her body. Kagami closed her eyes and simply enjoyed touching her sister. Holy cow, that sounded really... weird.

"How is it, Tsukasa?" Kagami asked.

"Divine... It feels awesome, Onee-chan..." Tsukasa groaned. Kagami kept working on her sister. "'Nee-chan, I'm gonna fall asleep..." Tsukasa said. Kagami giggled.

"Should I stop?" She asked. Tsukasa groaned in protest, but ultimately knew that her sister should really stop.

"Yeah..." Tsukasa reluctantly said. Kagami made a bit of a sour face at losing contact with Tsukasa, but she did stop massaging her. Tsukasa yawned. "Now you sit down. I'm gonna wash you now!" Tsukasa said. Kagami giggled.

"Sure thing Tsukasa." She said as she sat down. Much like Kagami had, Tsukasa began washing her sister. After a few minutes, however, the washing devolved into the same kind of massage that Kagami had given her. "Mm~..." Kagami hummed happily. Her sister was seriously great at these. It wasn't exactly like she got a lot of practice, right? Well, regardless, Kagami leaned back and simply enjoyed the massage.

---

With the Otaku

"And there we go!" Konata said cheerfully. It had taken a little while to get it set up, but she had finally gotten the hair just right.

"This is... really fancy..." Yutaka mumbled as she looked in a mirror.

"But it looks good, doesn't it?" Konata asked.

"It does, but... How do you know how to do this?" Yutaka asked. "It doesn't really seem like something you'd really care to know how to do." Yutaka said.

"It's a cosplay hairstyle! You'll have the same hairstyle as Yutsuba Alice!" Konata chimed. Yutaka giggled a bit.

"She was Rosetta, right?" Yutaka asked. Konata nodded.

"Yup! I guess if there were an Anime you know, it would be Pretty Cure." Konata chuckled.

"I love you those Anime!" Yutaka said cheerfully. "Although, cosplaying on my first date is..." Yutaka mumbled. Konata giggled.

"But will Minami know you're cosplaying?" Konata asked. Yutaka sighed.

"Probably not..." Yutaka said.

"And you'll look totally cute!" Konata said. Yutaka giggled.

"Who would have thought that I'd have a first date before you, 'Nee-chan?" Yutaka asked.

"Well, I knew that you would." Konata said. Yutaka looked at her cousin.

"Eh? How did you know?" Yutaka asked.

"You're just so super cute! And both you and Minami were so obvious for each other." Konata said.

"Do... Do you even like anyone, 'Nee-chan?" Yutaka asked. Konata giggled.

"I like everyone!" Konata chimed.

"But, I mean like like!" Yutaka asked. She wasn't exactly expecting an answer, as Konata hadn't answered the last time she had asked, but she was just so curious. Konata saw that her cousin was serious and took a breath.

"It's kinda complicated, Yu-chan." Konata said. "I wouldn't say that I like anyone, per se..." Konata said.

"How is it complicated?" Yutaka asked.

"Well, I'm married to my waifus!" Konata said, although she knew her little cousin would likely not understand.

"Waifus?" Yutaka asked. Konata giggled a bit.

"Um... You know those games me and Dad always play?" Konata asked. Yutaka blinked a time or two before nodding.

"What about them?" Yutaka asked.

"Well, you know how in the games, we date the characters?" Konata asked. Yutaka's eyes widened.

Just like my games... Yutaka wondered. The games she played though, it was always the same kind of girl and the game ended once they started dating. "Y-Yeah..." Yutaka said.

"Well, I can't cheat on them! That wouldn't be right!" Konata said. Yutaka blinked. Then she began giggling.

"'Nee-chan, I was being serious..." She giggled.

"So was I!" Konata said, waving her hands as tiny beams of happiness radiated off of her. Yutaka kept giggling.

"Alright, Nee-chan." She said. One day she would get her answer. But that day was not today.

---

Back with our Favorite Hiiragis

"You seriously didn't have to do that, Tsukasa." Kagami sighed in bliss. She wanted to scold her sister, but she knew it would be half-hearted. Tsukasa hadn't warmed the bath at all. In fact, she had chilled it a little. It felt amazing on Kagami's muscles.

"I really don't mind, Onee-chan. I was sore too after working, so it was good for me, too!" Tsukasa said, although she shivered a little bit. She was grateful Kagami's eyes were closed. After a few more minutes of soaking, Kagami sighed.

"... Tsukasa, it's probably time for us to get out... I'm tired after that massage you gave me..." Kagami said. Tsukasa yawned.

"I know what you mean, Onee-chan. I'm tired too." Tsukasa said. The two sighed in content as they both relaxed. "Onee-chan..." Tsukasa mumbled.

"Yes Tsukasa?" Kagami asked.

"... I missed you today." Tsukasa said. Kagami giggled.

"We were only away for a few hours." Kagami said.

"I still missed you." Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled.

"I missed you too." Kagami said.

"Can I... sleep in your bed tonight?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami sighed a bit.

"We've been sleeping in the same bed for a while now, haven't we?" Kagami asked.

"I like sleeping with you Onee-chan." Tsukasa said. Kagami chuckled.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy sleeping with you too, Tsukasa." Kagami said. The two reluctantly left the cool water and began drying off.

"Can I Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami smiled.

"Yeah. I don't see why not." Kagami said. The company after the rough day she had had would be much appreciated. Especially with how soft and comfortable Tsukasa was.

"Thanks Onee-chan... I love you." Tsukasa said happily. Damn it. No matter how many times Tsukasa said that, Kagami's heart still jumped. And she always blushed a little more.

"I love you too, Tsukasa." Kagami said. The two got dressed and left the bathroom. Kagami sighed. She still wasn't hungry. Which was weird, considering she was... ya know... KAGAMI of all people. She sighed and stretched. Honestly, that soak had been seriously delightful. Her muscles weren't nearly as sore as they had been before, and Tsukasa's massage hadn't exactly hurt. Kagami yawned along with Tsukasa.

"Onee-chan... Do you wanna go to bed now?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami groaned. She had homework. She hadn't thought about it with the training and all, but she really should get it down.

"Well..." Kagami mumbled. Tsukasa yawned cutely and hugged onto Kagami's arm, as if for support. Damn it, how could the Tsundere say no to that? "Yeah, let's go." Kagami said.

"Yay~!" Tsukasa chimed quietly.

"Mom, Dad, we're going to bed, alright?" Kagami called.

"So early? You're not even hungry?" Miki asked. Kagami shook her head even though her mother was in another room and couldn't see her.

"Nah. I'm just really tired." Kagami said.

"Alright Honey. Good night!" Miki called. The rest of the family called their farewells as well. Kagami and Tsukasa responded in kind before turning to Kagami's room. The two entered and, after turning the lights out, began changing.

"Onee-chan... I'm gonna get changed if you wanted to look away..." Tsukasa mumbled. She sounded so sad.

"Tsukasa, I just saw you naked. Why would I mind you getting changed?" Kagami asked, though she did make a point of looking away.

"... I guess that's true..." Tsukasa mumbled. They got changed into their pajamas before crawling into bed. Kagami and Tsukasa both sighed happily as they fell into the same position they now took every night. "Onee-chan...?" Tsukasa asked.

"Yes Tsukasa?" Kagami responded.

"... I love you." Tsukasa said contently. Kagami giggled lightly.

"I love you too." Kagami said. "Good night, Tsukasa." Kagami said.

"Good night, Onee-chan." Tsukasa said before snuggling in closer to Kagami. Kagami wished this moment could go on forever. But alas, the two fell asleep shortly after.

---

After Section

So, I'm a martial artist. I trained like crazy when I was a kid. So actually, one of the reasons I gave Kagami such a ridiculous workout is because it worked out for getting to Konata's house and it was only about three times what I used to do when I first started. The only real difference is that I usually rested for four or six hours after the first run. Kagami is made of tougher stuff though, and her will is even stronger than that. Or at least, that's how I always imagined.

Man, can you believe it's been a year since I started this story? Wow, so many thanks to NoMutant. I would likely not have posted this if it hadn't been for you, so thank you so much. I had no idea this story would be so much fun.

And thank you all for sticking with me! I hope you continue to read for the coming while!

---

OMAKE

"Ko-na-ta~!" Konata heard a growl behind her. A drop of sweat rolled down the back of her head as she turned around.

"Ka-Kagamin?" Konata asked, fear entering her voice. Kagami, a demonic gleam in her eyes, glared at the Otaku.

"You really left me handcuffed out there, didn't you?" Kagami growled. "Didn't you!?" She roared as she swung the uprooted tree at the Otaku. Konata dodged, but the tree did take the fox ears from her head.

"I swear, it was for a good reason!" Konata shouted.

"What? What reason could you possibly have?" Kagami shouted as she swung the tree again. Realizing this wasn't working, she broke the handcuffs in pure rage and began walking towards the smaller girl. Konata began running to the next room.

"If I hadn't chained you up, you'd have never let me do this!" She shouted. Kagami ran, catching the girl in an instant as Konata opened the door to the next room.

"DO WHAT?" She shouted as she looked into the room.

"Woof... Woof woof?" Tsukasa barked uncertainly, her hands up like paws. Kagami stopped and stared for a good few seconds.

"So... We even?" Konata asked, putting a hand up.

"I owe you so much." Kagami high-fived her best friend in the god damn world as blood trickled from her nose. Kagami entered the room as Konata decided the two needed some privacy.

So predictable... Konata giggled in her head.