Duran-kun and Kiyo-chan's Omake Theater

(featuring the Kuga-Fujino family pets)

Natsuki Kuga let her head drop to the meeting table with a thump.

"Somebody just shoot me now," she groused.

Yukino Kikukawa blinked in surprise. It was true that Natsuki was a reluctant member of the Executive Committee—in word, at least, if not in deed; she complained often but worked as hard or harder than anyone other than Yukino herself. But in her experience, that reluctance was directly related to the type and intensity of the work to be done. It was, for lack of a better phrase, proportional complaining.

"What's wrong, Natsuki? Did the brass band object to the new schedule concerning the use of the recording studio? I know they've been used to leaving their instruments in place between session days, but I assumed they'd understand what a hardship it was to the light music club and the shamisen club. If they gave you a hard time—"

Natsuki waved weakly, as if brushing aside the suggestion.

"No, no, they didn't try to argue the point. Well, the tuba player did, but you can sort of understand that. I'd give us grief if I was told I had to schlep that thing around. And she shut up right away when I glared at her."

"You do have a way with intimidation," Yukino noted.

"Only with the irrelevant," she sighed.

"Well, your friends know the real you. They can tell when you're acting."

"Okay, Shizuru and my friends, sure, but why Nao?"

Yukino let a smug little smile show. It was there just for the barest instant before vanishing like a ghost, but it was definitely there. Natsuki decided that all of Haruka's lessons in encouraging self-confidence in her former assistant must have been paying off.

At this rate, she's going to run for president next year, and probably win.

The thought gave Natsuki a faint premonition of danger. If Yukino became the council president, then who would she get to do the grunt work of heading the Executive Committee?

Natsuki decided that she was way too tired to worry about the future and let her head drop back to the table.

"You're clearly not all right, though," Yukino went on talking. "If it wasn't the work, then what happened?"

This is the problem with people caring about you, Natsuki concluded. There had been a time in her life when she could have crawled off into a corner and died of gunshot wounds without anyone taking any notice other than complaining about her getting blood all over the clean floor. Then along had come Shizuru, and then Mai, and it all kept snowballing until now she couldn't even take a nap without someone actually being worried about her, and interrupting that nap.

The path of least resistance and therefore more sleep, she decided, was just to explain.

"Duran," she said.

"Your CHILD?"

"That's the one. See, the Ishiharas across the street have their son and daughter-in-law visiting for a week. Shizuru said that Mr. Ishihara had some minor back surgery and they're there to help out with household chores and stuff. Kiyohime sent over a hot pot."

"Are they loud people?"

"What? Oh, no. That'd be better; then I could just yell at them. No, the problem is the son's car. Duran knows all the vehicles on the block, only now there's an extra one, and he keeps forgetting that it's supposed to be there. So for the last two days, every time he has to go out, or gets up for a drink of water, or whatever else he's doing, he walks by the living-room window, sees the thing, and starts doing his 'Suspicious characters! Warn the neighborhood!' bark. I swear he must have gotten up five times in the middle of the night to check if it was still there. Then, of course, I'd take another twenty minutes to get back to sleep once I had him settled. If I got a total of an hour and a half's sleep all added together I'd call it a miracle. I swear, I'm about ready to call up Sister Yukariko and ask if she'd like to swap me St. Vlas!"

Yukino laid a comforting hand on Natsuki's shoulder.

"Why don't you go borrow the couch in the break room? I'll tell the others not to go in; we can get our tea from the cafeteria today."

"Really? Thanks, Yukino." Maybe this "friends" thing has its advantages.

"Of course! I can't have my best committee member trying to do her job when she's dog-tired!"

Then again, maybe not.