The Other Two Chapter 2: Feelings & Froyo, a lucky star fanfic

Chapter 2 – Feelings & Froyo

Misao's POV

"Misao…Misao…"

"*moan* So good…want more…all of it is for me…*moan*"

"Seriously…I'm not doing this again. Wake up!"

*BONK*

"Ow!" I rubbed my head from the sudden blows I got while sleeping. "Geez, Ayano…why do you gotta be so freaking brutal?"

"I wouldn't have to hit you if you would stop sleeping in class. I'm getting tired of bailing you out everyday."

"It's not everyday." I claimed. "And besides…it's not my fault that the teach is boring as hell. He oughta make the class more interesting."

"I wonder how he would react if you told him that face-to-face…" Ayano gained a sweatdrop.

This here is my childhood best friend and current high school classmate Ayano Minegishi. Compared to my tomboy & proud self, she's your standard girly girl. And her appearance, her hobbies, her abilities as a person, and her overall gentle and kind demeanor are definitely proof of it all.

But she can get rather pissed sometimes. And when she does…i-it's rather scary. S-So to speak.

Trust me. You do NOT want to experience it.

"So, what now? Time to go home?" I asked.

"No, Misao. It's lunchtime. And it just started, too."

"Oh." I went silent for a bit. "Well, good. There was no way I was going to miss Froyo Friday!"

"You mean that cake from yesterday didn't fill you up? I'm still so full that I couldn't eat breakfast this morning."

"Well, you just have a tiny stomach. An appetite as big as mine and you'll be able to eat anything. Hahaha!"

"Yeah, and gain weight. I think I may have to diet after all…" Ayano whined.

"Aw, don't worry, Ayano. You're not that fat."

"The hell do you mean "not that fat"?"

"Well, everyone's fat to some degree. I mean, look at me."

"Heh. I find it hard to believe for someone on the track team to be fat." Ayano gained an exasperated look.

"W-Well, it could happen. I-I just…keep getting lucky, that's all."

"Right…"

She totally doesn't buy it…

"A-Anyway! Let's go get some froyo! To the cafeteria! Away!"

"Calm down, you froyo fanatic." Ayano retorted to me.

It was the day after Ayano and I decided to only focus on our friendship instead of trying to get closer with Kagami without…the other one. And it's been going great so far. Staying at Ayano's house again for the first time in…a while, actually…was a lot of fun.

We had so much fun doing stuff together. Watched TV, played video games, did some studying (although that part wasn't all that fun. Stupid midterms coming up!)...I don't remember staying at her house ever being that…exciting. But I truly had so much fun. I kinda didn't want to leave.

…

Is it weird to think that? Not wanting to leave your best friend's house. I don't want to sound like a freeloader or something like that. Ayano's too precious to me to be treated like that.

…

Precious, huh?

"Hey…Misao..."

"H-Huh? Wh-What happened?" I jumped up from hearing my name being called.

"You were spacing out just now. You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just fine. I was just…thinking of what kind of froyo to get. That's all."

"Hmm…well, if you say so." Ayano shrugged the whole thing off.

*phew* That was a close one.

The two of us each got a container of frozen yogurt from the cafeteria and were now eating it outside. Sitting on one of the outdoor tables the school had recently added. It was averagely warm today for it being near the end of April. Not that I'm complaining, though.

It sure as hell beats the summer months…

I was just about to snarf down on this delicious frozen yogurt that I've waited all week for when…

"So, how's your studying for midterms coming along?"

"Gak! *cough* *cough* Ayano! Why'd you bring something like that up?!" I whined as I nearly choked on my yogurt.

"Misao…you do know that midterms are coming up, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to think about it right now! Let me enjoy my froyo!" I then took a huge bite of the yogurt out of anger.

…

"Gah! Brain freeze!" I then held my head in pain.

"Serves you right, Misa-chan." Was all Ayano said to me.

"*sigh* So, why did you wanna know how my studying is going?"

"Well…I was just curious since you're my friend and all."

"That's it?"

"Well…not really." Ayano blushed a little. "I asked because…well…basically if you need help studying, you can come stay at my place again and we'll…study together. You know…" She then looked away from me as her blushing became brighter than before.

And I sat there in shock as I was witnessing it all.

H-Holy crap. She's actually blushing…

"Ayano…"

"Oh~…I sense a new story arc building up~."

…

"Gah! Wh-Where the hell did you come from?!" I yelled as we were both surprised by the sudden appearance of one Konata Izumi.

"I sensed this powerful yuri aura coming from nearby. So, I had to investigate. Never would've thought it would come from you two, of all people. So who started it~?"

"What?" We both asked.

*BONK*

"Knock it off, you nosey otaku." And then came Kagami and Miyuki-san as they had caught up with the third person of their "group". As they call it.

It should be the three of us, but…I'm finally letting that go.

"So…what brings the three of you here?" Ayano asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Chibikko said as she quickly recovered from the smack in the head she received not too long ago. "Listen up, ladies! We've got something good coming up!"

"I'm busy." I said with little to no emotion.

"You don't even know what it is."

"I don't care. I'm busy."

"Sheesh. The froyo's not the only thing that's cold today…"

"What…"

"Misao…you're letting your resentment show." Ayano whispered to me.

…

"*sigh* Fine." I gave in. "What is it, Chibikko?"

"Glad you asked, Misakichi! We're planning a welcome back party for one Tsukasa Hiiragi!"

"Huh?! Tsukasa's coming back?!" We both asked in shock.

"She's coming over for the holidays to help out at the shrine. It was by our dad's request." Kagami said.

"Oh." Ayano said. "So, she's still going to school in Takaoka, huh? It's been almost a year since we last saw her."

"Hey, wait. Didn't you and Tsukasa get into a fight shortly before she left?" I asked Kagami…who then went dead silent as she held her head down in sadness and shame.

"Wh-Why'd you bring that up?!" Chibikko yelled at me.

"Geez, sorry. I didn't think it was still going on. What, we're coming close to…month 10 of this feud? That's gotta be like a new record or something."

"Misao…" Ayano said.

"Um…Kusakabe-san. You could at least be subtle about it." Miyuki-san said.

"Subtle? What's there to be sub…"

"A-Anyway…" Ayano cut me off. "…Tsukasa-chan must be having a lot of fun over there, is she not?"

"Yes, she is." Miyuki-san said. "To the point to where she's actually bringing someone from there with her. You girls remember Otoguro-san, right?"

"Otoguro…you mean Kei Otoguro?! Aw, hell yeah!" I cheered in pure happiness.

"Kei-san's over there, too?" Ayano asked.

"It seems that when he transferred out of here last year, he started attending Shinohara. He and Tsukasa-chan ran into each other one day and, from what I've been told, they've been hanging out ever since. Along with the Takaoka girls."

"Wow. What luck."

"Right?" Chibikko said. "Tsukasa seemed really happy to be around Kei again. Makes me think that there are deeper feelings involved~. Fufufufu~."

*POW*

"Don't make crazy assumptions!" Kagami yelled after hitting the little girl in the head again.

She sure recovered quickly…

"Anyway…" Chibikko continued. "…we're throwing a small welcome back party for them during the break. And you two are invited!"

"Pass." I said. Again, with little to no emotion.

"What?!"

"Misao!" Ayano yelled at me.

"You mean, you're still not coming?! Even after I explained it?!"

"I wasn't kidding when I said that I was busy. My family and I are going to Hakone for the holidays."

"Hakone?!" Everyone asked in shock.

"It was my anniversary present to my parents when my brother outdid me for Christmas. The looks on their faces were priceless! *giggle*"

"You gotta be freaking kidding me! You're going to Hakone?!" Kagami yelled.

"Geez, Kagami. What's with that reaction?"

"Isn't it obvious, Misakichi?" Chibikko asked with a cheeky grin. "You've flipped Kagamin's excitement switch."

"Sh-Shut up!" Kagami then yelled at her.

"Kagami-san's been trying to go there for months. Even trying to save enough money for a trip." Miyuki explained. "But the hotel prices keep rising just when she gets enough money."

"I swear…they're doing this just to screw with me. How did you afford such a thing at this time of year?"

"I had a special friend help me out with it." I said with a grin.

"Special friend?" Ayano thought about it for a bit. "Wait…do you mean Ichiko-san?"

"Ichiko? As in Sachiko Ichiko?" Kagami asked.

"Yep. The very same. I told her what I wanted to do and she hooked me up through a friend of hers. "Anythang for my country-girl friend, y'all!" is what she said to me."

"But you're not a country girl…" Ayano said with a sweatdrop.

"Tch! Damnit! Of course, the two country girls worked out some kind of deal!" Kagami yelled.

"But she's not a country girl…" Ayano's sweatdrop grew even more.

*INSERT CLASSIC JAPANESE SCHOOL BELL CHIME HERE*

"So, yeah. Can't make it. Tell Tsukasa and Kei I said hi, though. Well, see ya."

"H-Hey, Misao!" Ayano called out as I grabbed what was left of my frozen yogurt and made a mad dash away from the group. While doing so, I looked at the container in my hand. And grew slightly angry.

Damn you, Chibikko. My froyo's all melted now.

After school came and I was walking home with Ayano as usual. I was still upset that I never got to finish my yogurt. After all, Froyo Friday only happens during the spring and summer months and April's almost over. Meaning that I only have 3 more months to enjoy some froyo.

That may seem like enough time…but you never know when time could screw with you. It happens.

But as the day went on, my anger subsided a little. I shouldn't let something as minuscule as "not eating frozen yogurt" bother me so much.

Especially because of…

"So, you're really going to Hakone for Golden Week?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Can't wait to go. It's gonna be so freaking fun." I replied to Ayano's question.

"I see…" Ayano then gained a somewhat sad look on her face. Which was rather odd to me.

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing, really. It's just…when you said you were going to Hakone, it made me realize something."

"Realize something?"

"Well, I realized…that this going to be the first time we're not going to be together for Golden Week. You know…the tradition."

…

"O-Oh, yeah. The tradition." I said after thinking about it.

This "tradition" of ours is basically us two spending the entirety of Golden Week together. Ever since we were kids, the two of us would get together…either at my house or Ayano's…and spend the entire holiday week binging whatever we could think of. Last year, it was my turn to choose and we binged a whole bunch of retro games. Space Harrier, Fantasy Zone, Contra…just to name a few. It was a blast.

It's something we don't bring up with the others (then again, they don't even ask). And it's one of the many precious memories I have with my childhood friend.

But like she said, this is going to be the first time since kindergarten that we won't be doing such a thing. A mind-blowing realization for me.

…

And also…a sad one. Honestly.

"W-Well…at least you'll have your family to spend Golden Week with, right?" I asked.

"A-Actually, no. My parents are going on a cruise and Ayuko's going camping with her boyfriend and friends."

"So, you're going to be alone?"

"Yeah…pretty much."

"W-Wow…" Was all I said.

The rest of the trip was made in complete dead silence. Neither one of us said a word or even looked at each other. In fact, the only time we made contact with each other was when we had to split up in order to go home. It was THAT uncomfortable.

Now, I would say "for some reason" at the end of that sentence. But I knew the reason. It was clear as day. Not being with Ayano for the holidays, a tradition that the both of us cherished since we were freaking 6-year-olds…just the thought of Ayano being alone for a whole week makes me sad as hell.

"I knew it was going to happen at some point. But not this early." I said to myself as I was laying in bed lost in thought. "Sure, got all those tickets for my family as a nice present…but in the end, I didn't give much thought about Ayano's feelings, huh? I bet she was going to ask at some point for us to start planning the week-long binge. But with me being in Hakone, that crushed her plans hard."

I then grabbed my phone and mindlessly swiped across the screen for no apparent reason. As the brightness glared in my eyes, an idea formed in my head. Which is rare because I'm usually a lazy thinker.

Maybe I could…

I went into my contacts and scrolled to a name that…honestly, I don't hang out much. Not because we're not friends or anything. It's just…with us living in different towns, us two hanging out more isn't really a possible thing most of the time.

But she did help me big with these tickets. Maybe she help me one last time…

"Hello?"

"Heya, Sachiko! What's up, my country-girl friend?!"

"Misao! How ya doin'?!"

"Well…"

"Hey, hey. Sachiko. Who ya talkin' to? Is it a City Girl?! Lemme talk to her!"

"What? No! Get down, you hyperactive loon!"

"Aw! Meanie!"

"Who was that?" I asked.

"My friend Yuri. She lives with me after moving from Hakone."

"I see."

Why did she refer to me as a "City Girl"?

"So, what's up? Called to thank me for those tickets? I'm sure your parents were as blown as a fish named Carl floppin' for food."

"*giggle* Yeah, they were. But I was hoping you could do me one more favor."

"Huh?"

"Do you think you can get me another ticket? This one's really special."

"Aw, geez, girl. I wish. But the ones I got were some of the last ones I could get. Betcha they're sold out by now."

"Aw, what?"

"What's the City Girl sayin', Sachiko? Is she upset? Come on, just lemme talk to her!"

"D-Damnit, Yuri! I said calm down!"

"*whine*"

"She sure is hyper, huh?"

"You don't know the half of it…"

"So, you really can't get any?"

"Sorry, girl. It'll be downright impossible now. Especially since it's Golden Week and all."

"*sigh* Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"Who's it for, anyway? Didn't ya get one for you and your family?"

"Yeah, but…f-forget it. Thanks anyway, Sachiko. Have a good break."

"Yeah. You too, Misao. See you later."

"Bye, City Girl!"

"Yuri!"

The phone hung up before I could hear Sachiko yell at her friend for interrupting. And I dropped my phone on the bed while making a huge sigh of defeat.

"Well, that idea failed…"

*KNOCK* KNOCK* KNOCK*

"Hey, Misao. Bath's ready for you."

"Thanks." I responded to my brother Tatsuji.

As I gathered clothes to wear after the bath, I spotted a picture of me and Ayano resting on my dresser. And I ended up staring at it for a good while before snapping back into reality.

Damn…why is this hurting more than it should? It's only one week. It's not that freaking bad…is it?

…

It shouldn't be…right?

Leaving that thought unanswered, I left my room to go take a bath. With an oddly sharp pain in not only my mind…

…But also my chest.

Author's Note: Another chapter is up and running. And it looks like some hidden feelings are starting to be shown. But who knows, really.

…

Well…I do. I'm the one writing this story. So, of course, I would know. Kinda.

Also, as far as I know, Misao's older brother is unnamed. So, I gave him one. I think it fits, at least.

Thanks for reading. Later.