Onee-chan: The Surprising

Damn it, I got distracted and didn't post this on the day I meant to. I've had this chapter done for, like, a week, but I've been so busy with stuff I forgot to post this on the twelfth like I meant. Oh well. So I didn't lie about this chapter having eight thousand words done by the posting of Luckier Star. The only thing I was wrong about was how long this chapter was. Oh my god. Did NOT know I was less than half way through the chapter. I did still get this done a bit earlier than the monthly update I've kept the last two months, so I did a bit a work done on Luckier Star, but I've recently been busy on every single one of my days off. And will be for at least a week. So~ that's a thing. So I'll be doing my best!

Redler, sorry for not posting this on a day with classes, but I've been doing pretty well with keeping it on a month by month thing. Well, technically, it's been two months for this story, but last month was Luckier Star! And I've liked writing Misao! She's not a character I've ever considered myself good at writing, but I'm glad to see how she was writing is good here! And I've come up with a secret to giving everyone screen time! You want to know this secret? Come back again in ten years! Thank you for all of the compliments!

Yuri-sage, I'm glad the Omake pleased! I had that planned from the moment I wrote the one before it and I can't tell you how excited I was to write it out. And Kagami taking part in a martial arts tournament... Um... Well, I could tell you what I intended one way or the other, but my stories rarely tend to go exactly the way I plan on them going. I planned on wrapping up the story by this word count. Obviously that's not happening. I've already had to scrap a few different events from this story because of how it changed while writing it. So... Maybe? I guess?

Crazyjman, I presume? A lemon? Uh~... I've practiced them more, but they're a little way off. Or, at least, because of plot. It's entirely possible that I can write a kinda decent one now! And I think Kagami responds better to stories about Tsukasa than she would getting yelled at. And rooting for Miyuki to win. Ahehehe, ahehe, ahe~... And nasty things in the bath tub, bed and other bed? You forgot the kitchens, the beds of any hotels they may visit, any public bathing area, the front lobby, and every public staircase in the building. As to whose preference will be whose... I'll leave that up to your imagination.

Prospector, I'm glad it's been entertaining! And the length keeps... lengthening... It really hasn't felt like that long, has it? And thank you very much, you too!

Crack Pairings, no problem! Yeah, Misao has been unexpectedly fun to write. I've honestly enjoyed including her. And considering how close Kagami and Tsukasa are, you can't really blame Miyuki for wanting to get Kagami's blessing. But the twins are always the most enjoyable to write. And I'm so glad I started Omakes!

NoMutant! I hope these continue to please! And while I did know that their shrine was right near their house, I only knew because I have the address of both Washinomiya shrine and the Hiiragi household. I'm glad to see you like Misao here! I've had a great time writing her. Ayano, Misao and Kagami being childhood friends since childhood is, indeed, canon. Misao's brother, Kurono, having picked on Konata... Well, his name and that role are both originally from Flygon Master's Lucky Life series. They're canon as far as I'm concerned, but neither of those things are from the manga or the anime.

SPEAKING OF WHICH. THE MASTER HAS RETURNED. Flygon Master has updated his story and announced his return! I cannot express how excited I am. I literally cannot. Welcome back Flygon! May your reign last a thousand years! BONZAI!

Jolly, I'm sure we'll get to that eventually~. As for how far into the story we are... Well, that's an extremely difficult question to answer. Not because I don't know where I am in it or I don't have a rough estimate of how long this story will be. Just... Would you consider an epilogue as part of this story? It'd be a separate story but in this universe.

...

Should I have said that? I shouldn't have said that. Oh well, it's been said. Yes, I guess this would be the time to announce it. Flygon coming back kinda makes this announcement pretty lackluster by comparison, but here goes! I have a nearly complete idea about the plot of this story. It's mainly writing it. But that's not it, I had an idea for an epilogue. Not a one chapter thing, summary "All lived happily ever after!" sort of thing, like a separate story. It's still very much in the works, but I think it's a complete enough idea to announce. So... Epilogue! Yay!

I should probably mention that while I have the main events of this story pretty done, I also don't have a lot of it done. I know the plot points, but not how to get there. So~, there's still some mystery!

I guess I never really answered the question though... For this exact story, The Rabbit and the Puppy, excluding the epilogue, I'd say maybe half way? Of course, the last time I predicted I was halfway through a story, I more than doubled the word count without getting anywhere close to it. So take that estimate with a grain of salt. Or a few grains.

WingsofSeyfert! I really can't write short stories, so I kind of have to take my time! And I'd like to consider this story at least semi-realistic. I can't imagine two people going from twins to romantic partners that quickly. If I couldn't write a regular Yuri story in less than 250,000 words, albeit with interruptions, this story couldn't last any less. Which, this story just passed the half way mark to reaching. And... Well, I don't think I would want to write a KagamiXMisao story. Not because I particularly dislike the pairing or anything, it's just that I'm not sure if I could do it justice. I think I've been doing an alright job of writing her in this story so far, but it would take me a while to get used to writing her regularly. Of course, a few years ago, I would have never thought I'd be writing this story, so who knows? And isn't Misao being on the track team canon? I dunno, maybe I read it somewhere. I think I made up her being the star of the track team, but again, it might be canon.

... Crap.

Okay, forget what I said about having this story down. Better idea popped up. Thanks Wings, this is why I love long and detailed reviews. Not gonna say which part inspired it, but~...

DavesRepublic, I understand! Life gets in the way! Believe me, if anyone gets that, it's me. And yeah, if I ever go to Japan, those are definitely places I'm visiting as well. Eh, Misao and Konata are a lot alike in a lot of ways, but very different in others. Their main quality is annoying our favorite Tsundere though. Somehow, Kagami seems to attract people who annoy her... And Matsuri and Inori are both in college, as far as I recall from the manga and anime.

So, several people have said that they like this story more than Luckier Star. To be honest, Luckier Star is my baby. It was my first story and I enjoy writing it immensely. However, I would probably consider this story to be my best. I made a lot of mistakes as an author, and I like to think I've learned from them. I'd say this is the result, although the fact that I'm having as much fun as I am from writing this story is also probably a factor. I guess what I'm saying is don't feel bad about it!

Whew. Alrighty, so, this chapter hit over 18,000 words. I'm gonna have to start splitting days into multiple chapters again. But god damn, that's just ridiculous. That's with me trying to end it early, too. Anyway, I'll let you get to it.

In the Morning

Kagami woke up slowly, smiling. She instinctively leaned down and kissed her sister on the forehead. The airhead snuggled in. Kagami sighed to herself. Her sister looked so cute and so comfortable. It seemed a shame to wake the little angel. Suddenly, her stomach growled loudly, alerting her to how really freaking starving she was.

"Mm..." Tsukasa's eyes cracked open. "O...nee-chan?" Tsukasa pushed herself up and wiped the sleep from her eyes. Kagami blinked a time or two in surprise.

"Hey, good morning sleepy head." Kagami ruffled Tsukasa's hair. Tsukasa giggled and pushed her head into Kagami's hand.

"Onee-chan, are you hungry?" She asked. Crap. So that's what had woken her.

"Is it that obvious?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa giggled.

"I'm hungry too... 'Nee-chan, would you mind... if I make you food?" Tsukasa asked shyly. Kagami giggled a bit.

"Why would I mind? Don't you do that already?" Kagami asked.

"No, I mean..." Tsukasa blushed a bit. "Ex...Exclusively...? Is that the word?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami tilted her head to the side.

"You mean... You're the only person that will cook my food?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded excitedly.

"Yeah, that!" Tsukasa said. "I want to be the only one who cooks for you!" Tsukasa blushed. Kagami blushed darkly at the declaration.

"Well... Yeah. I don't mind at all. In fact, that's awesome! Your cooking is the best!" Kagami said. Tsukasa nodded.

"Thanks, Onee-chan!" Tsukasa smiled brilliantly.

"What brought this on, Tsukasa?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa looked up and hummed.

"Kona-chan... said that if you have certain stuff in your food, it'll really help!" Tsukasa said. Kagami huffed.

"Well... What kind of stuff?" Kagami asked.

"Protein, I think a few kinds of vitamins, and fish oil..." Tsukasa said, though it was from memory so she couldn't exactly rattle off what kinds of vitamins they were. Kagami smiled.

"Awesome... Yeah, I totally don't mind. Thanks." Kagami said, feeling finally returning to her arm.

"Yay~!" Tsukasa cheered. "Thanks Onee-chan!" Tsukasa said. Kagami giggled.

"No, I should thank you. That I get to horde you to myself is super awesome." Kagami said. Tsukasa blushed a bit darker and fidgeted.

"Um... Shouldn't we get up, 'Nee-chan?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami nodded.

"Yeah, my internal alarm probably woke me up, so it's about time to get ready for school." Kagami said. Tsukasa made a sour face.

"Then I have to get moving if I'm gonna cook breakfast!" Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled.

"You don't have to start immediately or anything." Kagami giggled.

"No, I do!" Tsukasa said fiercely. "Especially if it's to help you!" Tsukasa said with conviction. Kagami almost reeled back a bit before smiling again.

"Alright, let's get dressed and go then." Kagami said. Tsukasa smiled.

"I'm glad we only have a half a day, Onee-chan." Tsukasa said as the two got changed. Kagami hummed as she observed her sister. Normally, Kagami would look away, but something was odd. Tsukasa seemed to be looking everywhere but at Kagami. Then Kagami realized her sister was in her underwear and promptly looked away. Of course Tsukasa would avoid looking at the Tsundere, who would purposefully look at someone changing?

"Yeah, do you work today?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"I do... I have to go right after school too, but I'll come to Kona-chan's after work! You're still going there even though it's half a day, right?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami nodded.

"I assumed as much. Well, do you mind if I watch you cook?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa shook her head.

"I don't mind at all!" Tsukasa said. The two finished and headed out of the room. Miki sat at the table, as per usual, while Inori and Matsuri sat at the table.

"Wow, how are you two up before us?" Kagami asked with a giggle.

"The more important question is why are you two still sleeping together?" Matsuri asked, glaring at Kagami. Kagami growled back.

"Is that a problem?" Kagami asked. Actually, she kind of wished her sister would drop it because, holy crap, she realized she had no good reason. The other nights, the two were tired and sleeping in the same bed was pretty much the only option. Last night, however, Tsukasa had just wanted to. Kagami enjoyed it too, though.

"It's just a little weird..." Matsuri said.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Kagami and Matsuri looked at Tsukasa in surprise. "I like sleeping with Onee-chan, is that really such a bad thing?" Tsukasa asked.

"It's..." Matsuri was almost speechless. "It's just really weird!" She pointed at the two accusingly. Inori sighed.

"Don't let her fool you two, she was pretty old the last time she came to sleep in my bed." She chuckled. Matsuri blushed and glared at Inori.

"Hey, don't tell them that!" She protested.

"Oh~, how old?" Kagami asked. "Thirteen? Fourteen?" Kagami asked. Inori giggled.

"It was the winter before last." She said.

"SHUT UP!" Matsuri shouted, an embarrassed blush on her face. "The power went out and it was really cold and I totally heard a serial killer!" Matsuri shouted.

"A branch. You heard a branch." Inori gave a cheesy grin. Kagami giggled at her older sister.

"I don't want to hear it!" Matsuri shouted at the Tsundere. "That was different! I was scared! What's your excuse?" Matsuri shouted, standing up.

"Maybe I just like sleeping with my sister?" Kagami challenged, feeling her blood getting heated.

"You don't have one then? So you're just some little sis-con bitch who doesn't know what she's-" Matsuri was cut off as a hand crossed her cheek. She stared at the wall for a moment, processing what had just happened. The whole room froze in shock.

"Ts-...Tsukasa..." Kagami mumbled.

"Don't you dare talk about Onee-chan like that!" Tsukasa said angrily. "She does so much for me and you don't get to insult her!" Tsukasa shouted. Then, as if only just realizing what she had done, the anger melted from Tsukasa's face. "O-Onee-san... I'm sorry..." She mumbled. Matsuri felt her cheek where the airhead had slapped her.

"No... I lost my temper... I'm sorry..." Matsuri mumbled, still in shock. She turned to Kagami, a blank expression on her face. "I'm sorry Kagami..." Matsuri mumbled. Kagami blinked a few times.

"I-It's alright... I guess..." Kagami mumbled. Tsukasa looked almost on the verge of tears by this point.

"I'm sorry!" Tsukasa retreated to the kitchen. Matsuri simply sat back down.

"... Go after her..." She said to Kagami. Kagami nodded.

"Right." She entered the kitchen. Matsuri and Inori looked at each other, and then at their mother. Miki, for likely one of the first times in either of the sister's lives, looked legitimately surprised.

"I didn't expect that." She said.

In the Kitchen

Kagami pushed her way into the kitchen to see Tsukasa sitting at the table, her head in her hands.

"Hey Tsukasa." Kagami said as she walked over to the airhead.

"I'm a horrible person... I just hit her..." Tsukasa said.

"Tsukasa, you could never be a horrible person! Besides, she had it coming." Kagami said. Tsukasa shook her head.

"But... That's so unlike me..." Tsukasa said.

"You just got upset, it happens to everybody sometimes. The fact that you feel this sad is proof that you're a good person!" Kagami said, rubbing her sister's back. Tsukasa sighed.

"I'll have to apologize again..." Tsukasa mumbled.

"Tsukasa, it's fine. She isn't angry at you." Kagami said, her stomach growling again. Tsukasa sighed.

"Right, I still have to cook." Tsukasa said as she got up. It was a good thing too, because after that little incident, she really needed some kitchen time.

"What are you gonna make?" Kagami asked, trying to help her sister get her mind off of it. Tsukasa thought.

"Eggs have protein, right?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami raised and eyebrow and nodded.

"Yeah, they do." She said. She was surprised Tsukasa knew that, but she didn't want to say anything about it. That was basically doubting her sister's intelligence, and that was not something Kagami wanted to do.

"Are there any kinds of cheeses that have protein?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami hummed.

"I think cottage cheese does..." She said. Tsukasa nodded.

"Then that's good!" She said. "If you wanna watch, then watch closely!" Tsukasa chimed as she began focusing. The two had relatively little time before they had to leave for school, and she had to prepare breakfast and a bento for her sister and herself. For that, she would need to cook her absolute fastest. Kagami smiled as she observed her sister. If she really had to liken this to something, it would be like Konata getting challenged to a gaming contest with a serious prize on the line. She could practically feel the energy radiating off of Tsukasa as her sister prepared. Then, in a blur of movement, it began.

"Whoa..." Kagami mumbled to herself. She had seen this before, but damn it, it was still unreal. Tsukasa reached for a pan as she beat the eggs that Kagami hadn't seen her retrieve or crack. By the time Kagami focused again, Tsukasa was already pouring egg into the pan and spreading cottage cheese that she must have gotten at some point inside. Kagami looked over to see the rice cooker was already on and full. She had thought she had seen a blur move over to it, but she had dismissed it as nothing. By the time she looked back, a pan with chicken was already cooking. Kagami chuckled. This was ridiculous. If Konata had wanted a true martial artist, she would have gotten Tsukasa to use this kind of power while she wasn't cooking. Tsukasa put the rolled egg on a plate and chopped it up into sections quickly before flipping the chicken on the oven. Tsukasa passed her knife through the vegetables, slicing them several times. Finally, she took the seared chicken from the pan and chopped it up, scooping the rice from the cooker. She put them into bento boxes and sighed, letting her focus slip. She began decorating them cutely before closing it.

"Okay... Lunch and breakfast are ready..." She said, bringing the tamagoyaki to the table Kagami sat at. Kagami smiled and stuffed a piece in her face.

"Delicious~..." Kagami hummed happily. The two ate for a few minutes. However, Kagami ate regretfully fast and the experience was over much too quickly. The Tsundere leaned back and patted her stomach, sighing happily. "Ha~... Tsukasa, you're going to be such a perfect wife some day~..." Kagami practically moaned. Tsukasa blushed.

"I... don't really know about that." She mumbled. Kagami smiled.

"What, you still don't think you're the perfect wife?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa blushed. Kagami chuckled. "Let's take a look." Kagami said as she stood. Tsukasa followed her sister to the counter. "You've been in charge of the kitchen for the most part for a while now. See, there are a ton of dishes and cooking stuff put in easy to know and easy to use places. You use a lot of them every day and they're still so well-tended to. Everything is sparkly clean. Even the dishes you JUST used are already washed!" Kagami said. Tsukasa blushed.

"Well... I just put it where it makes sense..." Tsukasa mumbled.

"Let's continue." Kagami said as she walked to a different part of the counter and opened the drawer in it. "Look at how efficiently you're using tension bars and stuff. There's almost no dead space, but it's still all so easy to use!" Kagami said as she closed the drawer and opened the one next to it. "Look at these plastic bags." She pulled out a little triangle. "Look at it! You folded each of the plastic bags into triangles AND organized them by size, and have it all set up so that it's easy to pull them out one at a time." Kagami said. "And to top all of that, even all of your cooking is amazing!" Kagami said as she opened the fridge after closing the drawer. She pulled out a plastic bowl. "Whenever we get grapes, you spend the time to wash each one and take it off the vine so that anyone can just take a couple when they want." Kagami said.

"I like grapes..." Tsukasa said.

"Homemade yogurt." Kagami pulled out a jar. "Made by you. It's super healthy! I don't even like yogurt and I love this stuff." Kagami said. Tsukasa blushed again as she fidgeted.

"That's... why I make it..." Tsukasa said.

"You tailor each dish you make to the taste of the eater. That way, no one is ever dissatisfied with anything you make. I'm not gonna lie, that pepper omelette you made me when we switched roles was still pretty tasty. Even though I don't like peppers, it was still good." Kagami praised. Tsukasa blushed.

"I... I hadn't thought about that stuff..." Tsukasa mumbled. Kagami nodded.

"You're just too good a wife..." Kagami giggled.

"Hey." Miki poked her head in the kitchen. "Shouldn't you two be heading to school?" Miki asked. The two sisters looked at each other for a moment before realizing that, yeah, they still had school.

"Right, thanks Mom!" Kagami said as the two began getting ready and getting their lunches before they left the kitchen.

"Kagami!" Matsuri called after them. Kagami paused and turned.

"What's up?" She asked, already preparing to move again.

"... Sorry... I'm sorry for cursing at you, things have just been... stressful recently..." Matsuri mumbled, looking to the side. Kagami smiled sympathetically.

"I understand. It's alright, I get it." Kagami said. Matsuri smiled back sadly.

"Thanks... Have a good day..." She said. Kagami flashed her a smile before turning.

"You too!" She said as she left. Matsuri sighed and sat back down at the table. Inori hummed.

"Hey, what's been so stressful? Come on, you can tell me." Inori said as she walked around the table and put a hand on Matsuri's back. The younger sister sighed and put her head in her hands.

"I'm failing a couple of my classes, along with in... other... areas..." Matsuri mumbled. Inori nodded a few times, more to herself as she thought about anything she could do to help. After a moment, Inori rubbed Matsuri's back.

"It's alright, Matsuri. I'll help however I can." Inori said.

"If history is a class you're failing, I can tutor you." Miki offered. Matsuri smiled.

"Thanks guys. That might help me with my class problems." Matsuri chuckled. Inori hummed.

"And what are the other problems?" Inori asked. Matsuri shook her head.

"Those, I have to work through on my own. But thanks." Matsuri said.

"Come on~, I'm a psychology major, so if it's a mental thing, then maybe I can help?" Inori asked. Matsuri shook her head a bit more this time.

"Yeah, I don't exactly want my sister poking around in my head." She chuckled. Inori could see that she wasn't going to get anywhere by insisting.

"Well, alright. If you change your mind, let me know." Inori said. Matsuri nodded.

"Thanks... Onee-chan." She mumbled, an embarrassed blush spreading across her cheeks. Inori giggled.

Back with the Twins

Kagami and Tsukasa rushed out the door. Kagami looked at her phone.

"Crap, we might not make the train..." She cursed. She thought for a moment.

"What are gonna do, Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked.

"Give me your bag!" Kagami said. Tsukasa looked at her with a confused look.

"What?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami slowed to a stop.

"Give me your bag." Kagami said, holding the hand that wasn't holding her own bag out. Tsukasa confusedly gave her sister her bag.

"Okay..." She mumbled. Kagami knelt down.

"Get on." She said.

"Onee-chan, I can't! I'm too heavy!" Tsukasa protested.

"It's fine, we don't have time!" Kagami said. Tsukasa blushed and fidgeted before eventually walking over and getting on Kagami's back. The Tsundere was surprised that Tsukasa did, in fact, weigh more than she expected. However, compared to Konata and that damn tire, this was nothing. "Hold on tight!" Kagami said as she pushed off. Tsukasa's arms wrapped around her neck as the Tsundere ran with all her strength. She had been slow earlier so that Tsukasa could keep up, but now that her sister would go whatever speed Kagami herself would go, she didn't have to hold back. Of course, with the added weight, she wasn't all that much faster than before, but every little bit would help.

"Onee-chan~!" Tsukasa's hug tightened on the Tsundere. Kagami pushed that much harder to get there quickly so that Tsukasa could get off. Not that Kagami necessarily minded the contact. In fact, she was rather happy right now, but she thought Tsukasa might not like riding her big sister. After a much shorter time than they would have traveled apart, Kagami slowed again and knelt.

"Alright, awesome." She said. "We should have made it on time..." She panted a bit. Man, with the crap Konata had her doing, she wouldn't have thought that this would be that tiring.

"We did! You were awesome, Onee-chan!" Tsukasa said happily. Kagami smiled as the two got on their regular train. They rode for a while before either said anything. "It's been a while since you carried me, Onee-chan..." Tsukasa giggled.

"Has it really been that long?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"Unless you did it while I was asleep or something." She said. Kagami giggled.

"Well, I hope the next time is under better circumstances." Kagami said. Tsukasa nodded, but blushed a little bit.

"N-Next time... Let's not be late for the train next time!" Tsukasa said. Kagami chuckled.

"Hello~!" Konata chimed as she boarded the train. Tsukasa gave a small sigh, but her excited demeanor returned by the time Kagami looked over at her.

"Hi Kona-chan, what's up?" Tsukasa asked.

"Nothing much~, just coming up with Kagamin's training regiment today." Konata said in way too cheerful a voice. Kagami sighed.

"Man. Guess there's no real reason to complain about it though." Kagami said.

"You're free to quit whenever you want, Kagamin." Konata said. Kagami shook her head.

"No no, it's fine. I'll just push through it like I did the last two days." Kagami said. Konata giggled.

"Oh, it won't be that easy today Kagamin. I'm upping the training." Konata said. Kagami glared at her.

"... Wait, so you mean this whole time has been happy fun time?" Kagami asked. Konata nodded.

"Uh~-huh!" She chimed. Kagami stared at her for another minute before sighing.

"Idiot." She mumbled.

"While you'll still be doing what you have been doing, I'm gonna change up what you do in the middle, rather than have you do the exact same thing over and over again for hours and hours. That way, you'll be working everything out rather than killing one part of you." Konata said. Kagami sighed.

"I guess some variety would be nice." She said. Konata nodded.

"That's a good way to think about it. Keep that mind set." Konata said. Kagami huffed.

"Ah, hello everyone." Miyuki said. Oh for the love of god...

"Hi Yuki-chan!" Tsukasa smiled.

"Miyuki? What are you doing here?" Konata asked, rather confused. Miyuki tilted her head to the side.

"I came on an earlier train to take this one with you all." Here, Miyuki glanced to Tsukasa. "I've done this before, remember?" She asked. Konata hummed.

"Well, alright then." Konata shrugged.

"So Tsukasa, do you have work today?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"Yep! Right after school!" Tsukasa said. Miyuki hummed.

"I see. Would you mind if I walked you to the subway as well today?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa shook her head.

"I don't mind." Tsukasa said.

"Kagami-san, are you and Konata-san training again today?" Miyuki asked. Kagami nodded.

"Yup. Same as we did the last two days." Kagami said. Miyuki nodded. A silence fell over the group. As nothing had really changed since yesterday, there simply wasn't a lot to talk about. The rest of the train ride passed rather slowly. They arrived at the station, but still no topic of conversation presented itself. They walked a little bit before someone broke the silence.

"So Kagamin, any chance I can see your homework real quick so I can memorize the answers?" Konata asked. Kagami paused for a minute.

". . . No, no you can not." Kagami said.

"Come on Kagamin~! Why not?" Konata asked.

"... I forgot to do it." Kagami said. Konata gave the Tsundere an incredulous look.

"Come on Kagami, be serious. Is this because of my training?" Konata asked.

"Actually, kind of yeah. I really did forget." Kagami said. The group was silent for a moment.

"Kagami-san, I've never known you to forget something like that." Miyuki said in disbelief.

"Kagamin, did you really forget?" Konata asked. Tsukasa gave a concerned look to her sister.

"Yes Konata, I really forgot." Kagami answered.

"... Kagami, I'll train you today, but from today on, you have to keep up with your homework or I'm done." Konata said. Kagami glared at her.

"How the hell do you expect me to train until I almost faint and still get my homework done?" Kagami asked. Konata shrugged.

"You're a tough girl, you'll figure it out." Konata said. Kagami sighed.

"Fine, whatever." She said as they arrived at the class. "I'll see you guys after class." Kagami said as she walked down the hall.

"See ya at lunch, Kagamin~!" Konata chimed as they went into class. Kagami sighed as she arrived at her own class and entered.

"Hiiragi~!" Misao shouted as she appeared in front of her. "What's up, Hiiragi?" She asked. Kagami shrugged.

"Not much. Were you interested in coming to Konata's again today?" Kagami asked. Misao smiled and nodded energetically.

"Definitely, Hiiragi!" Misao cheered. Kagami smiled.

"Awesome. Thank you Misao." She said. She went to take her seat, along with Misao.

"Any time, Hiiragi." Misao said warmly. The class started on time, a rather unusual occurrence.

Lunch Time After School

Kagami walked into the room with a wave. Misao had stayed behind to eat lunch with Ayano and to explain that the two were running again today.

"Hey everyone, I'm here for lunch." She said as if there were any other reason she could have for coming. She had to admit, she was rather excited to eat today. After all, it was a lunch made by Tsukasa especially for Kagami.

"H-Hi Onee-chan..." Tsukasa mumbled, a dark blush on her face. Kagami hummed, drowning out the other two greetings.

"Tsukasa? You okay?" Kagami asked, coming to the table and sitting down.

"I... Well..." Tsukasa mumbled. Kagami looked at Konata to explain.

"Tsukasa found something in her desk this morning~..." Konata giggled. Kagami looked back to her sister, who was now holding up a letter. It was sealed with a heart shaped sticker.

"... A..." Kagami mumbled.

"Love letter~..." Konata finished, giggling. This had turned rather interesting. She could only imagine how Kagami would react. Kagami stared blankly at her sister for a moment.

"O-Onee-chan... What should I do?" Tsukasa asked, looking around as if in a panic. "I've never gotten one of these before!" Tsukasa shouted. The table looked over to the Tsundere.

"... Have you opened it?" Kagami asked, though she felt it was sort of a silly question. Obviously the envelope was still sealed, but she was almost dreading it being opened.

"I haven't... Should I...?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami thought for a moment. She sneaked a glance at Miyuki, who was obviously against the idea. After all, if this person proved to be someone who Tsukasa might like, that would obviously get in the way of HER taking Tsukasa. Kagami didn't like the idea of Tsukasa reading it either though. Kagami sighed as she thought. She knew she could stop her sister from even opening it by simply giving the word.

"... Yes." Kagami said. Miyuki and Konata gave her a surprised look.

"I should?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami nodded.

"Yes you should. Whoever it was that wrote that put their heart and feelings into that letter. Regardless what you may think, you at least owe it to them to read their feelings." Kagami said. Tsukasa nodded slightly before she slipped her finger into the envelope. While she did her best to open it without damaging it, Kagami glanced at Miyuki again. The bookworm was staring at her with a curious look. A contemplating look. Tsukasa opened the letter and read it. It was almost like a puff of smoke exploded from her head.

"Who is it from? What does it say, Tsukasa?" Konata asked. Tsukasa blushed.

"Someone named Sadao Nao..." Tsukasa mumbled.

"Oh~, he's on the track team!" Konata said. "He's not bad looking for a boy!" Konata said.

"He also does well academically." Miyuki said.

"He is pretty popular..." Kagami mumbled, crossing her arms.

"H-He said he's been watching me... He's says I'm nice and can cook in economics and he really likes me and wants to go out..." Tsukasa blushed increasingly as she read it. It was weird. These were compliments she had received from Kagami, but they didn't seem to mean as much coming from whoever this was.

"Oh~ Tsukasa!" Konata chimed.

"H-He said that if I w-wanted to go out with him, t-to meet him after school outside the back gate... What should I do, Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami sighed.

NEVER GO NEAR THIS PERSON AGAIN. She screamed in her head. "... I can't tell you that, Tsukasa." Kagami said. "You have to give him an answer though. And it's gotta come from you." Kagami said. Honestly, while she wanted to butcher this person, Kagami was curious about how Tsukasa would answer.

"B-But I've never even met this person!" Tsukasa said. "Do I have to answer him?" Tsukasa asked, panicking a little. Kagami nodded.

"No matter how you feel about it, you should respond to him. In person." Kagami said. Tsukasa looked at her sister.

"I-I have to meet him? In person?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami nodded. "W-Why?" She asked timidly.

"Because he likes you." Kagami said seriously. Tsukasa looked down at the letter, an embarrassed blush coming across her cheeks. "He was serious when he wrote that letter, Tsukasa. You should respond in kind, no matter how you feel about him." Kagami said. Tsukasa seemed to think.

"What would you do, Onee-chan... If you got a love letter?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami blushed.

"M-Me?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded. Kagami sighed. "Well... I would meet him and calmly reject him." Kagami told the truth. After all, that was what she had done when faced with this situation. Well, not THIS situation, as her letter hadn't been an actual love letter, but that's what she WOULD have done!

"Should I reject him?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami sighed again.

"Tsukasa, I can't tell you that. You have to come up with that answer yourself." Kagami said. "What do you think?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa thought for a while.

". . ." She waited for a moment. Suddenly, the bell went off for lunch to end. "Are you ready, Tsukasa?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa sighed and nodded a small nod. The group stood and began walking. They met Misao outside the door.

"Hey guys!" Misao smiled. She looked around at everyone. "Huh, what's with this kind of atmosphere?" Misao asked.

"Tsukasa got a love letter." Konata said.

"Really Imoto? From who? Details, girl!" Misao elbowed Tsukasa in the ribs. Tsukasa blushed.

"S-Someone named Sadao Nao..." Tsukasa mumbled. Misao gasped.

"Wait, from my team?" Misao asked. "No way! He's pretty cute, and smart too! Whatcha gonna do?" Misao asked.

"I dunno..." Tsukasa said.

"Misao, what kind of person is he?" Kagami asked.

"As far as I know, he's a pretty good guy." Misao said. Kagami sighed. She had actually kinda hoped he was a jerk so she would have a reason to step in. The group walked out of the building and looked over to the back gate. Tsukasa sighed, blushing again.

"... I have to?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami nodded.

"Go give him your answer." Kagami said. Tsukasa nodded and began walking. The lot of them began following.

"It's pretty rude to listen to other people's confessions Kagamin." Konata giggled.

"And yet you're still coming with me..." Kagami mumbled. They crept up to the gate and got within ear shot...

Outside the Gate...

Tsukasa walked up to see the boy who had written her the letter waiting. She blushed and fidgeted.

"H-Hello..." He mumbled, obviously shy. "I... I wasn't sure you'd show up..." He mumbled. Tsukasa nodded, but remained silent. "So... H-Hiiragi..." He mumbled.

"Yes?" Tsukasa asked.

"A-Are you seeing anybody right now?" The boy asked. Tsukasa shook her head shyly.

"N-No... I'm not..." She mumbled. The boy looked hopeful.

"T-Then...! If that's so! Then..." He mumbled. "Would you like to be in a relationship with me?" The boy asked. The honest confession made Tsukasa's heart skip a beat. Kagami and the others gasped. They had be expecting as much, but it was still shocking to hear. Kagami held her breath as she waited for Tsukasa's response.

"..." Tsukasa bowed her head and thought for a while.

"I-I've always been watching... And I've liked you for a while now..." The boy said. Tsukasa sighed.

"Thank you." Tsukasa said. "But... I'm sorry." She mumbled. Kagami gasped again. "Right now... I don't think I can be in a relationship, you know?" Tsukasa asked. "Thank you so much for telling me this though! It makes me really happy!" Tsukasa said. The boy sighed.

"Then... Do you have someone you like?" The boy asked. Tsukasa blushed.

"I..." Tsukasa looked up. "I dunno." She said. "I don't think I really know what it feels like to like someone like that." She said. "I'm sorry... I'm afraid I can't accept your feelings like that... It wouldn't be fair to you!" Tsukasa said. "But thank you very much... You really made me happy." Tsukasa said. The boy sighed and nodded.

"No, thank you... I feel the same way." He bowed his head so that his bangs covered his eyes. "Thank you for being honest." He said as he turned and rushed away with speed built by his club. Tsukasa sighed.

"... That wasn't fun..." Tsukasa said to herself. Kagami and the gang walked up to the airhead, the Tsundere putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"Yeah... I'm okay." Tsukasa said. "I didn't lie! It really did make me happy that he was so brave!" Tsukasa said. "I hope... that when I DO know what love like that feels like, I have half the courage that he had..." Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled and rubbed her sister's shoulder for a moment before patting it.

"I'm sure you'll be brave, Tsukasa. Besides, you might have to get used to this. After all, everything he said was true." Kagami smiled. Tsukasa looked down and blushed deeply.

"Y-You really think so Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked shyly. Kagami nodded.

"I know so Tsukasa." Kagami said. "You're an amazing person that no one could possibly not fall in love with." Kagami said, blushing for some reason. Tsukasa blushed deeper.

"T-Thank you... Onee-chan..." Tsukasa squeaked out.

"Oh right, guys." Kagami turned around to address Konata and Miyuki. "I think we decided that the day we're gonna spend together for winning in that poker game is gonna be tomorrow." Kagami said.

"Oh?" Miyuki asked.

"I guess that means no training tomorrow then, since there are no interruptions." Konata said.

"Wait, what poker game?" Misao asked. Crap.

"We all played poker the other day! The prize was the ability monopolize someone for a day!" Konata explained.

"I wanted to play!" Misao complained. "Maybe I coulda won and got a day with Hiiragi!" Misao sighed.

"Sorry, there were too many people there already..." Kagami mumbled.

"How many people were there? Where was this?" Misao asked. CRAP.

"There were eight... And at a slumber party Konata hosted." Kagami admitted.

"Well, if the Midget hosted it, I can guess why I wasn't invited..." Misao crossed her arms.

"You can come to the next one!" Konata offered. Misao smiled.

"Thanks Midget. So Hiiragi won, no wonder she chose to spend it with Imoto..." Misao chuckled.

"That's not the case." Miyuki said. "Tsukasa won and chose to spend it with... Kagami-san." Miyuki said, a slightly bitter tone in her voice. Kagami scowled a bit, but other than that, no one seemed to notice.

"What? Imoto won at poker?" Misao asked, obviously surprised.

"Yep, and she's gonna be my Onee-chan!" Kagami hugged the still blushing Tsukasa around the arm. Tsukasa's cheeks grew darker.

"Oh, that's happening again." Misao said.

"What's happening again?" Konata asked. Misao glanced over at Kagami to see her smirking and shaking her head. Misao nodded.

"Nothing~..." Misao chimed, happy that Kagami was giving her a secret that Konata didn't know.

"Um..." Tsukasa mumbled. "I... I have to go or I'm gonna be late for work..." Tsukasa said shyly. Kagami smiled and let go of her sister.

"Alright. Have a good day at work, Tsukasa." Kagami said. Tsukasa smiled.

"I will. Don't push yourself too hard, Onee-chan!" Tsukasa said as Miyuki walked to her side.

"Don't worry! See ya!" Kagami smiled as the two groups went separate ways. Kagami, Misao and Konata began running to Konata's house.

"So Hiiragi, anything new or interesting happening?" Misao asked.

"Not really anything that's changed from yesterday. Tsukasa is cooking for me exclusively now!" Kagami said cheerfully.

"Oh, I'm glad she's doing that." Konata said. "I guess now she can cook healthy stuff for you."

"Yeah, thanks for suggesting it Konata. Now all of my meals are gonna be epic!" Kagami said. Konata gave a confused look.

"Huh? I didn't suggest it. I just told her certain things would be good for you." Konata said. "I didn't tell her to cook for you or anything." Konata said. Kagami huffed.

"..." She was stunned silent for a moment, although she did keep running.

"Didn't Imoto cook for you already, Hiiragi?" Misao asked.

"Yeah, she did. But now she's the only one who will cook for me. She asked if it was alright." Kagami said.

"That's pretty cool!" Misao said.

"That's pretty useful." Konata added.

"She's cares so much about me..." Kagami felt a blush creep across her face. Somehow, hearing that the arrangement had been her sister's idea and not Konata's made her really, really happy.

"Well, you're always taking care of her!" Misao said.

"Not recently..." Kagami said. "She's doing just as much, if not more, for me than I do for her." Kagami said. "Maybe before, I was helping her out and doing stuff a lot, but she's really blossoming..." Kagami said. It was a weird feeling. Tsukasa was really growing a lot recently and, while Kagami knew this day would come, the times when her sister seemed to rely on her were getting few and far between. She felt happy and yet, incredibly depressed.

"You okay Kagamin?" Konata asked.

"What do you mean?" Kagami sighed.

"That's your depressed face, Hiiragi." Misao said.

"I'm fine, idiots." Kagami said.

"Hiiragi." Misao said.

"Hm?" Kagami hummed.

"Your twin tails are growing." Misao said.

"... You're both idiots." Kagami said.

"So, are you okay with the glasses girl being around Tsukasa then?" Misao asked.

"Hm? So it was that it was Miyuki sitting next to Tsukasa?" Konata asked. Kagami cursed to herself.

"Damn it Misao..." Kagami sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's out in the open now, huh?" Kagami asked. "I think Miyuki might like Tsukasa..." Kagami said.

"Obviously." Konata said.

"How did you- You know what? Never mind." Kagami said. "Yeah. Miyuki does like Tsukasa."

"And you don't like that?" Konata asked. Kagami sighed.

"It's not like that... I just... I don't want someone to take Tsukasa away..." Kagami said.

"... Take Tsukasa away from you." Konata said.

"Why do people keep saying that?" Kagami asked.

"It's true, Kagamin." Konata said. Kagami shook her head.

"I just don't want Tsukasa to be in a relationship! Relationships can end and then she's gonna get really hurt, you know?" Kagami said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself.

"And you think Miyuki is going to end a relationship with her, if Tsukasa was to go out with her?" Konata asked. Kagami shook her head.

"I don't know!" Kagami said. "Can we just drop it?" Kagami asked. Konata and Misao exchanged a look.

"... I don't think we should." Misao said.

"I think that Tsukasa would like to go out with someone some day. And if you didn't want Tsukasa to get in a relationship, why did you tell her to open that love letter today?" Konata asked.

"I... I wanted to see what she would do if she were confessed to." Kagami said. "I hoped that she would say no, but that was her decision. And if Miyuki were to confess, I wouldn't get in the way if Tsukasa said yes, but... If Miyuki doesn't confess, then Tsukasa can't say yes." Kagami reasoned. Konata shrugged.

"I guess." Konata said.

"Hiiragi, isn't that a little..." Misao mumbled.

"SELFISH, YES I KNOW." Kagami shouted. "I know I'm being selfish here, and I hate it, but I can't help feeling what I feel!" Kagami said.

"And what do you feel?" Konata asked. Kagami shook her head.

"I'm done with this conversation. I feel like I don't want to lose Tsukasa. That's it." Kagami said. While Konata and Misao asked a few other questions, Kagami proved unflinching in her statement. Thus, most of the rest of the run was spent in silence.

With the Topic of their Conversation

Tsukasa and Miyuki walked down the street towards the subway.

"Tsukasa, may I ask you something?" Miyuki asked.

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

"Why did you turn down that gentleman?" Miyuki asked. "He was smart, good looking and well respected by his peers. He seemed rather nice." Miyuki said. Tsukasa sighed.

"I... I don't know. I just didn't want to go out with him..." Tsukasa said. "It wouldn't be fair to him if I went out with him and didn't have feelings for him, you know?" Tsukasa asked. Miyuki nodded.

"I suppose I do." She smiled. So she's not the type to date someone merely because they're a good person, but she also needs feelings for them before hand... "May I ask you something else?" She asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"Sure!" Tsukasa chimed.

"Do you like boys?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa gave her a confused look.

"What... do you mean...?" Tsukasa asked.

"If you had to choose who you would date, would you prefer to date a boy or a girl?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa looked down and blushed.

"I... I don't really know..." She said.

"I understand the type of background you come from and, while I know that Shinto has no specific ban on homosexual relationships, you may have been raised differently." Miyuki said.

"No!" Tsukasa shook her head. "Mom and Dad never really told us that any kind of relationship is bad or anything! I just... I never really thought about it..." Tsukasa said. Then, she seemed to think of something. "Yuki-chan, can I ask you a..." She seemed to contemplate something, as if trying to remember. "A hypothetical question?" She asked. Miyuki smiled.

"A question based on assumptions rather than fact?" She asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"Yeah, that!" She said.

"Of course, Tsukasa." Miyuki smiled.

"Well, we were talking about relationships that some people don't like... What do you think about incest?" Tsukasa asked. Miyuki looked at her rather curiously.

"Hm? Incest?" She asked. "Where did this come from, Tsukasa?" Miyuki asked, a smile on her face.

"Well... I was talking about it with someone before and they said some people didn't like it... But then they said that it was fine as long as there was love!" Tsukasa said. She didn't want to say that that person was Kagami, just in case Miyuki said she didn't like that kind of thing. Miyuki hummed and closed her eyes for a moment. She wondered who Tsukasa had talked to about such a topic.

"... Honestly, I don't know. I've never given much thought to it." Miyuki said. She thought for a time as the two walked. "I've heard children of incestuous couples are often deformed, but I can't seem to recall how often it occurs. Also, incestuous couples wouldn't be able to marry, though if they truly love each other, I'm sure that would be a minor factor." Miyuki said.

"But what do YOU think about it?" Tsukasa asked. Miyuki sighed.

"I suppose... It's fine if the two DO truly love each other. And if two people related to each other were to meet as adults, then Genetic Sexual Attraction would lead to them being much more attracted to each than normal. However, when two people are raised together, the Westermarck effect typically counteracts that..." Miyuki thought out loud for a while. "If I recall correctly, incestuous marriage between blood related siblings is illegal, but as far as the simple relationship is concerned, I don't think there are any laws specifically forbidding it." Miyuki said. Tsukasa nodded.

"If Minami-chan and Yutaka-chan were related, like they were sisters, would you still support their relationship?" Tsukasa asked. Miyuki nodded.

"Of course." Miyuki smiled immediately. "While my opinion may not be the general consensus, I suppose even if the two of them were related, I wouldn't attempt to stop them or anything." Miyuki said. Tsukasa smiled, happy to have finally gotten her friend's opinion on the subject.

"Thanks, Yuki-chan!" Tsukasa said. Miyuki smiled back.

"You're very welcome." She said, happy to have made Tsukasa happy. She would have to research this topic in case Tsukasa asked about it in the future. The two arrived at the trains.

"Bye Yuki-chan! Have a good rest of your day!" Tsukasa waved.

"See you soon, Tsukasa. Have a good day at work." Miyuki bowed. The two went about their own ways.

At a Cafe...

Yutaka blushed as she sat across from her girlfriend.

"Minami-chan, thank you so much for coming out with me!" Yutaka chimed.

"No, thank you, Yu-chan." Minami smiled. "I'm having a great time." Minami said. "I think your hair is very cute." Yutaka blushed.

"Thanks! I worked really hard on it!" Yutaka said.

"I can tell... But you didn't have to go to that much trouble." Minami said.

"It was no trouble at all, Minami-chan! If it looks cute, then it was really worth it!" Yutaka said happily.

"So... How have you been, Yu-chan?" Minami asked.

"I've been alright..." Yutaka said shyly. It seemed weird, as this was the type of conversation the two always had. If they were having this sort of conversation on their date, what had really changed? "How have you been, Minami-chan? Are you healthy?" Yutaka asked. Minami smiled a small smile.

"Yes, thank you. Even when I'm feeling under the weather though, I'm usually already with the nurse so it's fine." Minami said. Yutaka nodded.

"I guess that's right." She smiled. "So Minami-chan, what perfume is that you're wearing? You smell really nice!" Yutaka asked. Minami blushed.

"I'm... not wearing any..." She mumbled. Yutaka blushed.

"Oh... So it's just that you smell nice!" Yutaka said through her blush. Minami blushed a shade darker.

"I... suppose..." She blushed. Yutaka smiled, happy that she had said something. After all, while she could tell Minami's emotions better than anyone else in her year, she was very cute with an actual blush on her cheeks. The waitress came with their food without a word, setting it down before bowing professionally and rushing off.

"... I think you scared her..." Yutaka giggled a bit as Minami took a bite of her food.

"..." Minami didn't answer immediately. "... While she was right, you ARE cute, you're also MY girlfriend." Minami answered calmly. Yutaka giggled.

"Yes I am~..." She chimed. She had never pegged Minami as the possessive type. When they had gotten in and sat down, the waitress had called Yutaka cutie. There was an uncharacteristic glare from Minami that quickly silenced the server. Since that obvious attempt at flirting with the younger girl, Minami had switched sides and was now sitting next to her girlfriend rather than across. Draping an arm around her girlfriend had embarrassed the smaller girl for a while, but Minami was too busy in Guardian mode to care. Now, Yutaka was leaning on the taller girl, smiling pleasantly while they ate. "I didn't know you were so protective, Minami-chan~..." Yutaka chimed.

"Of course I am." Minami said. "You're so small and cute." Minami said, but didn't even look at her. In fact, it didn't even sound like a compliment, more like a statement of fact. She was keeping an eye on every other person in the diner.

"Minami-chan, I'm sure she was just being nice..." Yutaka said.

"No one would compliment you to be nice. You're too cute." Minami said. Yutaka giggled a bit.

"Minami-chan, you're so silly sometimes!" Yutaka giggled. Minami nodded.

"Perhaps. But better safe than sorry." Minami said. Yutaka sighed contently.

"So when are those tickets for, Minami-chan?" Yutaka asked. Minami smiled a small smile.

"It isn't for a few weeks, unfortunately." Minami said. Yutaka cheered.

"I can't wait! It's gonna be so much fun!" Yutaka chimed, wiggling happily. Minami couldn't help but smile a little wider. The waitress came back and picked their finished plates up quickly before rushing off. Yutaka sighed. "Minami-chan, maybe we should apologize... She didn't know we were dating." Yutaka said.

"Maybe..." Minami sighed. "Alright." Minami nodded. Yutaka smiled. "Would you like dessert, Yu-chan?" Minami asked. Yutaka nodded.

"Always!" She cheered. When the waitress returned, the two got dessert and continued their date, talking about nothing in particular.

Several Hours Later...

Kagami groaned.

"Konata... What... The hell... IS THIS?" Kagami shouted at the Otaku as she pulled two small weights, one in each set of toes.

"Toe training!" Konata said.

"The hell... do I need... that for?" Kagami grunted. "The other workouts all made sense, even if it was a ridiculous amount!" Kagami said.

"Strong toes are better than weak toes!" Konata said, as if that was infallible logic.

"How much longer do I have to do this?" Kagami asked. As much as she complained about the training, she was doing it.

"Five more minutes, Kagamin!" Konata said.

"I've been doing it for five minutes already! My toes are gonna fall off!" Kagami complained.

"Now now Kagamin, I've never heard of someone's toes falling off because they worked too hard." Konata said.

"I have! People work too hard and parts of them fall off!" Kagami shouted.

"Hiiragi..." Misao mumbled, a drop of sweat rolling down the back of her head.

"This is stupid! What use will this possibly have?" Kagami asked. Konata smiled.

"Imagine you and Tsukasa are at the edge of a cliff..." She began.

"ALRIGHT, I GET IT." Kagami shouted as she redoubled her efforts. She'd heard so many of these stories, she didn't even need to hear the rest of it. It would probably be something like she needed toe strength to climb up or to stop them from falling off the cliff or whatever the hell she thought. Never mind that such a situation was highly unlikely at best. The mere possibility of it ever happening was all she needed. She worked for a few more minutes.

"Alright Kagamin, you're finished. Next exercise." Konata said.

"Finally..." Kagami sighed. "What's next?" Kagami asked, sweating profusely. She was sick and tired, but knowing Tsukasa would be coming for her soon let her push through it all.

"Well since we're not doing techniques or anything, and Tsukasa isn't here to pick you up, let's go ahead and do one more set of the bear crawl." Konata said. Kagami sighed.

"That freaking five hundred yard crawl?" Kagami asked. Konata nodded.

"Yeah, but since we're winding down, you don't have to do it strapped to a tire or with me on the tire this time." Konata said. Kagami nodded.

"Alright..." She got down on all fours and began her exercise.

"..." Misao watched the Tsundere work. "... Midget, you're cruel." She chuckled.

"You know it." Konata smiled.

"That run here, this bear crawl, fifty pull ups, a hundred push ups, two hundred sit ups, and three hundred squats. And then that toe thing?" Misao asked.

"Frankly, I started out doing that, but I couldn't do it all." Konata said. "I just did what I could. I swear, Kagami must have some kind of super ancestor or something to do this the first time she tries it." Konata said.

"Wow, so even you, the martial arts prodigy, weren't doing this much when you started?" Misao asked. Konata shook her head.

"Nope. Kagami is just as ridiculous as the training I'm putting her through." Konata said. Misao whistled.

"I know Hiiragi loves Imoto and all, but even this is pushing the limit..." Misao said.

"The most surprising thing is that she's still doing it." Konata commented. However, Kagami was just passing her as she said it.

"WHAT?" Kagami shouted. "You mean you didn't even expect me to do this?" Kagami yelled at the Otaku.

"Not really, no." Konata said. "I didn't do this much when I was starting." Konata said. Kagami groaned as she kept crawling.

"KONATA YOU SUCK!" She shouted as she continued on.

"Maybe after you've had a bath!" Konata called after her, even though she was at most a few yards away. Misao chuckled.

"I always knew Hiiragi was supernaturally awesome!" Misao shouted. Konata hummed, a serious look on his face.

"Yeah, apparently..." Konata said.

"Hi Kona-chan!" Tsukasa chimed as she walked up to the two.

"Imoto!" Misao chimed.

"Hey Tsukasa." Konata said.

"Where's Onee- Onee-chan!" Tsukasa caught sight of her sister on the ground, crawling around. "Kona-chan, what's going on?" She asked.

"Bear crawl!" Konata said cheerfully.

"Kona-chan... Always with the weird things..." Tsukasa sighed.

"Hey Tsukasa!" Kagami smiled as she began to get up.

"You have a hundred yards left!" Konata said. Kagami nodded and grumbled, but got back down on all fours and began finishing her exercise.

"Kona-chan, are you really getting harder and harder on her every day like this?" Tsukasa said, more a statement of disbelief than an actual question.

"You think today was more difficult than yesterday?" Konata asked.

"Of course! Look, Onee-chan is crawling through the grass and dirt!" Tsukasa complained.

"Alright, if it's so much harder..." Konata trailed off. "Kagamin, you're done." Konata said. Kagami breathed a sigh of relief before standing and stretching.

"God damn..." She mumbled as she stretched her aching muscles. "Konata, you're ridiculous." Kagami said as she walked over to the small group.

"Kagamin, you seem pretty alright." Konata said.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Kagami asked.

"You can walk. You're not even limping." Konata said. "I wasn't able to do this much when I was in your shoes. You're surprisingly alright." Konata said. Kagami sighed.

"Well excuse me for doing what you tell me to do." Kagami said. Konata chuckled.

"Well, you're done for the day Kagamin. If you wanna head home, you're welcome to." Konata said.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna do that." Kagami said. She took a few steps away. "Hey Konata..." She said.

"Hm~ Kagamin~?" She asked.

"... Thanks for all of this." Kagami said. Konata giggled.

"You went deredere~..." Konata chimed.

"You're an idiot." Kagami said as she left with her sister and friend. Konata waved after as the small group walked away. The three walked to the subway.

"Hiiragi, how are you still able to move?" Misao asked. Kagami sighed.

"I don't have time to get all hurt and everything... I still have dinner, homework and a bath." Kagami said. Misao huffed.

"Onee-chan, was today harder than yesterday?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami hummed.

"It's hard to say. Yesterday I had so much trouble because the entire day was focused on my waist." Kagami said.

"What a waist of time." Misao said.

"Heh." Kagami chuckled. "Today was a lot more balanced. I went from my legs to my whole body to my arms to my waist to my legs again." Kagami said. "Since I worked everything out individually, I would imagine it wouldn't take as much of a toll on any one part." Kagami said as they arrived at the trains. They got on and sat down. Kagami quickly took the seat next to Tsukasa, which, maybe because of their earlier conversation, seemed odd. It was weird how quickly Kagami rushed to get in the seat despite Misao being the only other person of note there.

"Onee-chan, what would you like to eat when we get home?" Tsukasa asked.

"I dunno... Anything you make will be amazing." Kagami said. Tsukasa hummed.

"There's a new recipe I was thinking of... Oh wait, no. It has peppers." Tsukasa said. She knew that Kagami hated most kinds of spicy foods. Kagami hummed.

"Were there any other ones?" Kagami asked.

"Of course! Hm..." Tsukasa hummed as her brain worked. "Onee-chan, if you're really, really alright, do you mind if we stop by the store? I never did get to pick up special stuff for your food!" Tsukasa said.

"No problem, Tsukasa." Kagami smiled. Misao observed the two talking. They seemed somehow closer than they ordinarily were. "So what were you thinking?" Kagami asked.

"It's a surprise~!" Tsukasa chimed. "Misa-chan, do you want to stay for dinner today?" Tsukasa asked. Misao hummed.

"Sure! I wanna see what Hiiragi is eating!" Misao said. Tsukasa hummed.

"Then I'll have to make enough to feed everyone..." Tsukasa thought for a moment, undoubtedly multiplying to amount of food she'd need to accommodate the family. After a moment, she nodded. "Okay!" Tsukasa smiled.

"I can't wait..." Kagami said. The two disembarked from the train as it arrived at their station. The three of them walked a ways, going to the same store Tsukasa bought her gift for Kagami at.

"Hey, welcome back." The gentleman from the last time greeted them.

"Hi!" Tsukasa waved cheerfully.

"Did your sister like he-" The clerk cut himself off as he saw Kagami. However, it was too late as Kagami's attention turned to him. There was a stare that he could tell meant she was going to be coming back to him later.

"Yes she did!" Tsukasa said. The clerk chuckled nervously.

"I can see she's wearing them now..." He said. Tsukasa nodded cheerfully.

"Yeah she is!" She said happily.

"They're really comfortable and they look so pretty." Kagami said, though her eyes never left the young man. Her staring at him made him start to shiver.

"I-I have to go... inventory..." He mumbled as he left. Tsukasa giggled, unaware of the look Kagami was giving the man.

"I'm gonna go get the stuff I need!" Tsukasa said. Kagami took her purse out, finally breaking her stare now that the boy was out of sight. "No, don't worry about it Onee-chan! I'm gonna buy it!" Tsukasa chimed happily. Kagami huffed as Tsukasa skipped away merrily. Misao put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hiiragi, she still needs you." Misao said. Kagami inhaled sharply at Misao knowing exactly what had gone through her head.

"Yeah... I know... It's just that... The days that Tsukasa needs me seem like they're coming to an end, ya know?" Kagami said. "She does her homework and gets good grades. She's already better at housework than me. Now she has her own job and income. Just... Everything I help her with..." Kagami mumbled. "It feels like it's coming to an end." Kagami finished. Misao shook her head beside the Tsundere.

"No way, Hiiragi." Misao said. "Imoto may be getting better about things, but she'll always need you." Misao said. "Even if she does better in school, that's only 'cause you help her, right?" Misao asked. Kagami smiled a little.

"Well... Yeah, I guess..." Kagami nodded to herself.

"And housework has always been Imoto's thing!" Misao chuckled. "And once she gets enough money to buy what she wants, I'm sure the job will go away and you two can spend more time together!" Misao said. Kagami chuckled.

"Man, I must have really sunk low. First Konata cheers me up, now you." Kagami said.

"Hey, I've known you since we were kids, Hiiragi! Don't underestimate me!" Misao chuckled. Kagami smiled and put a hand on Misao's shoulder.

"Could you go help Tsukasa? There's something I gotta do." Kagami said. Misao nodded.

"No problem, Hiiragi!" Misao saluted before going off to find the airhead. Kagami turned back in the direction the clerk had gone before walking down that isle.

Down That Isle...

The clerk shifted some items around on the shelf. He wasn't sure why that girl had stared at him like that, but it felt ominous. She came in here plenty of times before, but it had never happened like that before. He shuttered at the mere memory of that stare. Then, he heard something. His head whipped around, desperately trying to figure what it was and where it had come from. He tried to sneak over to the next isle, but he felt something that made him begin to shiver.

"These ribbons..." He heard a voice say ominously.

"What?" He looked around.

"When did she buy them?" The voice of the girl from before asked. He shuttered.

"W-What?" He asked out.

"How much were they?" That voice asked. He backed up in fear.

"W-Were what...?" He mumbled.

"There are all kinds of things..." He heard her. "... I want to know!" Kagami appeared behind him, her eyes gleaming in a brilliant light.

With Her Sister

"Gah!" Tsukasa and Misao heard the clerk from before shout. They looked over in the direction it came from, but couldn't see anything.

"Huh." Misao said. "Hiiragi musta found him." Misao chuckled.

"What does that mean, Misa-chan? Why would Onee-chan do something to him?" Tsukasa asked. Misao shrugged, although it was pretty clear she knew.

"Who knows?" Misao said. "So whatcha gonna make?" Misao asked. Tsukasa hummed.

"I think I'm gonna make sesame honey tempeh with some carrot slaw..." Tsukasa said. "What to put it over though..." She idly thought. After a moment, she made a decision. "Brown jasmine rice. Onee-chan needs protein and that has a lot of protein!" Tsukasa smiled as she nodded. "I should probably pick up a lot..." She said. Misao picked up a twenty pound bag and put it into the basket that Tsukasa had gotten when they split from Kagami.

"Gotcha Imoto!" Misao smiled. Tsukasa smiled.

"Alright... Next is..." Tsukasa began reciting the ingredients she would need for the meal with an unusual confidence, walking about the store to pick them up. Misao followed her around with a grin on her face. Was this really Tsukasa? She seemed... strangely different from how she had been the last time Misao had had an extended interaction with her. She moved with more certainly, more decisiveness. Misao could recall before when Tsukasa would shyly fidget and second guess her choices regardless of the subject matter, but here there was no such lack of confidence. Even though Misao tried to reassure Kagami to the opposite, Tsukasa was definitely growing up.

"Hey, I'm back." Kagami waved near the end of the list of things they were to get. "What did I miss?" Kagami asked.

"Not a lot, Onee-chan! I'm just picking up a lot of stuff for dinners and breakfasts and stuff!" Tsukasa smiled. "Plus, I wanna try a few snacks." Tsukasa said, though it was more to herself now as she began adding to her mental list. While she might not be able to usually remember long lists, she just composed it in her head as a list of the things she wanted to cook and then went through them each with their respective recipe. She figured out she could remember lists like that easier since the list of things she would cook was much smaller than the list of ingredients she would need. Kagami smiled.

"You really don't have to go that far, Tsukasa." Kagami smiled.

"Of course I do! You said you were working out like you are in case something happens, right?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami scratched the back of her head.

"Well... yeah." She said.

"Then I have to do my part too!" Tsukasa smiled widely, going back to shopping. Kagami huffed before looking at Misao again. Misao gave her a knowing look, as if to say that she understood what Kagami felt earlier.

"Well alright..." Kagami found herself silent, though whether she was without a rebuttal or unwilling to make one was anybodies guess. The three of them went through the rest of the list before finally coming to cash register.

"Hello! I hope you found everything you needed." The girl behind the register smiled cheerfully. A chill went down Misao's spine.

"Hey, what happened to the guy who was working here before?" Misao asked. The clerk fell silent and seemed to very much try to ignore the verbally abundant girl's question. Meanwhile, Kagami glanced at Misao as if to tell her that she damn well knew what happened to the guy. Misao said a silent prayer for him.

"We found everything alright!" Tsukasa chimed as the clerk rang her up.

"That's good!" The woman smiled. "Or bad depending on your budget." She added. Tsukasa giggled a bit.

"Hang on Tsukasa, you've only worked for a few days, how do you have money from it already?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa smiled.

"I get paid a little every day!" She chimed as she pulled out an impressive amount of money. Kagami hummed.

Somewhere me and Konata have been before, that Mom approves of, where she can cook but she's not a chef and she gets paid daily... She thought about what she knew about her little sister's job. Damn it, this seems like it should be obvious. She scolded herself for still not getting it. Tsukasa paid for the items while Kagami thought.

"Oh!" Misao put her fist in her other hand. She leaned over to Tsukasa and began whispering in her ear. Kagami began paying attention, but couldn't hear what Misao was saying. Tsukasa's eyes widened as a blush crossed her cheeks.

"H-How...?" She mumbled.

"So that IS the kind of place you work!" Misao said. "I can totally see that..." Misao scratched the back of her head.

... What the actual hell. Kagami thought. How the hell was MISAO able to figure it out, but I can't? Kagami wondered to herself. She added that to the list. Something Misao would know... Maybe it's somewhere I wouldn't think of because I'm her sister? Kagami thought. I guess if it were some kind of weird restaurant, she could be getting tips. But tips are more of a western thing. Of course, since she's part time and it's... well, Konata... maybe Konata has some kind of arrangement that Tsukasa gets paid by the day? Kagami wondered. After all, if Tsukasa wasn't planning on staying long, it was entirely possible for that to be the case. Kagami sighed. This was giving her a headache.

"Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami blinked as she began paying attention to her surroundings again. The three of them had since checked out and were on the way home. Kagami scratched the back of her head.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." Kagami said.

"I know that thoughtful face anywhere, Hiiragi! You're thinking of Imoto!" Misao pointed accusingly at the Tsundere. Kagami blushed a bit and, oddly, Tsukasa did as well.

"Shut up! So what?" Kagami asked. "Is there something wrong with thinking about my sister?" Kagami asked. Misao grinned triumphantly.

"What were you thinking about... Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked a little shyly. Kagami sighed, seeing no reason to lie.

"Trying to figure out where you work." Kagami folded her arms across her chest. Misao giggled.

"M-Misa-chan..." Tsukasa mumbled.

"Don't worry Imoto! It's our secret!" Misao said. Kagami glared at her.

"Your what? Hey, tell me too!" Kagami protested.

"Well, if Imoto wanted you to know, you'd know, right?" Misao asked. Kagami growled.

"Misao..." She growled at the girl.

"Hey, if I found out and you didn't, doesn't that just mean that I did a better job than you did?" Misao poked the rabbit in the cheek.

"If I wasn't so tired Misao, I swear to god..." Kagami growled a bit deeper. Misao knew enough to back off after that one, for even though her prey was a rabbit, it may as well be the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog, with big pointy teeth. Misao also knew enough to not say as much.

"It's alright, Hiiragi, you'll get it soon I bet!" Misao said.

"Onee-chan, don't worry about it! I'll tell you later!" Tsukasa said. Kagami shrugged.

"Fine, I guess." Kagami sighed.

"That's my Hiiragi!" Misao shouted as she hugged the Tsundere around the arm, snuggling into it despite the groceries she held.

"Wha- Get off!" Kagami tried to shake the verbally abundant girl off, but to no avail.

"Nope! I got you!" Misao laughed. Kagami sighed.

"Geez, whatever." She said exasperatedly. The three walked a ways before Kagami felt a tug on her other arm. She looked over to see Tsukasa had hugged her other arm and would occasionally squeeze it even harder than she did when she was scared. Kagami blushed. However, her face looked too calm to be scared or anything. In fact, she didn't look particularly happy, either. While Kagami was looking, however, she caught Tsukasa glance at Misao before squeezing Kagami's arm again. The Tsundere blushed even more. Was Tsukasa getting... possessive of Kagami? That was weird. Despite her protests, Konata constantly hugged Kagami and the air head had never acted like this before. Not to say that Kagami disliked this. Her heart was beating like crazy, and she would definitely say she was happier now that Tsukasa was hugging her. But still, it was odd behavior. The growing silence was almost a bit awkward, so Kagami looked around to see if she could find something to distract herself with. She locked eyes with someone across the street.

"..." Patricia stared at Kagami.

"..." Kagami stared at Patricia. The two followed each other's gaze down to Tsukasa on one arm, and Misao on the other, then they met each other's gaze again. Oh god damn it.

"Good job!" Patricia mouthed as she put her damn thumb up. Kagami was way too damn tired to deal with her right now. Kagami simply nodded, assuming that would be enough to placate the American. It was, and the blonde have a cheer of "Bonzai!" before scurrying on her way.

Honestly, how is it that she always finds me in these sorts of positions? Kagami wondered idly. It was as if the annoying girl had some kind of sensor in her head that led her to misunderstandings. Kagami sighed as they continued down the street. It wasn't long before they arrived at home. They stood at the door for a moment as no one had a free arm to open the door. Both girls had both arms around Kagami's, effectively rendering them all useless. Kagami sighed as they stood there for a full minute. Finally, as if realizing Tsukasa wasn't going to let go first, Misao released Kagami and the Tsundere opened the door for them to walk in.

"We're home~!" Tsukasa let go of Kagami as she chimed.

"Welcome home!" They heard from inside the living room. Tsukasa instantly went through the room and into the kitchen. Kagami smiled.

"Onee-chan, I'm gonna go make dinner, okay?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami nodded.

"I can't wait!" Kagami said. Misao grabbed Kagami's hand and began leading her to the Tsundere's room.

"Hiiragi~, let's go do homework~!" Misao said.

"Onee-chan, want to watch me cook?" Tsukasa immediately poked her head back through the door. Kagami blushed under the intensity of her sister's stare. As mild as Tsukasa generally was, it didn't sound much like a request. Kagami hummed.

"Yeah, if you don't mind..." Kagami smiled. Tsukasa seemed pleased with that.

"Yay~!" Tsukasa cheered. She reentered the kitchen happily. Misao scowled.

"Aw~! I'm gonna bring our homework in there!" Misao said. True to her word, Misao made sure to bring both her and Kagami's homework into the kitchen as they sat at the table.

"Misao, I'm watching Tsukasa, I'm not working on homework yet." Kagami said.

"I don't mind Onee-chan." Tsukasa smiled as she turned to the counter. She began concentrating again and burst into a blur of motion. Kagami, however, turned towards her homework this time and began working. As much as she loved to see her sister cook, her homework was something that needed to be done if she was to continue her training. Not that she couldn't do that by herself. After all, she just had to choose a bunch of ridiculous, over the top, impossible things, and the complete them.

"Yay Hiiragi!" Misao cheered as she shamelessly looked over at Kagami's paper. Kagami made it a mental note to show it to Tsukasa later on. Tsukasa was helping her with her training, so the least Kagami could do would be to help her with her homework like she always did. And Misao was hanging out with her a lot too, and even running with her to get tortured, so she deserved some help too. She worked through her homework with speed that Misao wishes she could and Kagami smiled. While she didn't work anywhere nearly as fast as Tsukasa was cooking, she at least knew that she could get a lot of it done while her sister cooked.

"What kind of honey should I use..." Tsukasa mumbled to herself. Kagami smiled at hearing her voice, but made no comment. The lot of them worked in silence for a short time. Kagami yawned. It had been a tiring day and she couldn't wait for a bath with Tsukasa later. Wait, what? Had they agreed to take a bath together today? Well, regardless, it was probably still going to happen. Even if Tsukasa didn't request it, Kagami couldn't promise she herself wouldn't. The two of them had taken a bath together for the last few days as well, so it would be weird if they suddenly stopped, right?

Right?

And Their Sisters...

"Finally finished!" Matsuri sighed. She shut her book. "Hey, when is dinner?" She asked, slumping over the table after finally finishing her homework.

"Whenever I make it." Miki said, flipping the page of her newspaper.

"Seriously Mom, do you ever do anything but read the newspaper?" Matsuri asked. Miki smiled a bit.

"Of course. Sometimes I watch the news." Miki said.

"Why?" Matsuri asked.

"It's good to stay up to date on current events." Miki said. "Besides, I only read the interesting things." Miki said.

"But I'm hungry~..." Matsuri complained.

"Then make something. You don't have to wait for me to make food. You're free to cook." Miki said. Matsuri groaned.

"I don't wanna make anything!" She complained. "I just want to eat!" She said. Inori chuckled.

"You're so hopeless sometimes." She said. "Once Tsukasa is done with the kitchen, I'll make you something." Inori said. Miki giggled.

"That's why I haven't made anything yet. Those two came home earlier than usual because it's Saturday, so they're in there while I usually cook." Miki said. Matsuri sighed.

"Why isn't Tsukasa making enough for the family~..." Matsuri complained.

"Do you want health food?" Inori asked. Matsuri groaned.

"I want fish!" She stated.

"Hey Mom, you don't have to worry about it tonight, I'll make dinner tonight." Inori said. Miki put a hand to her cheek.

"My! What's the occasion?" Miki asked. Inori shrugged.

"I feel like making my little sister some fish." Inori smiled. Matsuri crawled over to Inori and draped herself over her.

"Onee-sama is the best~!" She said. Inori giggled.

"Just wait until you try it before you thank me." Inori said.

"Onee-sama is a great cook! If she cooks, I don't have to!" Matsuri said. Inori chuckled.

"Why are you so lazy these days?" Inori asked.

"I'm always tired, I go to college you know!" Matsuri said.

"I know, I go to college too. I'm a Psychology major, remember?" Inori asked. Matsuri groaned.

"But you're way better at cooking..." Matsuri said. Inori chuckled.

"I feel like this conversation is just going to keep looping around. I already said I'm cooking for you." Inori said.

"Thanks~ Onee-sama~!" Matsuri chimed. Inori chuckled.

"Yeah yeah." She stretched, getting up. "If I know Tsukasa, she'll be done soon. That girl can cook ridiculously fast." Inori smiled.

"Yeah... She may not be the smartest, but Imoto's cooking is angelic..." Matsuri chimed.

"That it is..." Inori agreed.

Back in the Kitchen

"Alright Misa-chan, Onee-chan, time to eat!" Tsukasa chimed happily. Kagami cheered.

"Awesome! Thanks Tsukasa." Kagami smiled.

"Woohoo Imoto!" Misao cheered. The three of them began eating.

"Tsukasa, this is ridiculous..." Kagami said.

"I tried to put a lot of protein stuff in it!" Tsukasa said.

"I really can't think of anything to say other than what I say every other time you cook. It's amazing." Kagami said as she ate even faster. In most other aspects, she may be a rabbit, but when it came to eating, Kagami was a wolf through and through. Misao indeed gave a valiant attempt at keeping up, but she couldn't even begin to match Kagami's pace. Tsukasa watched Kagami feverishly, smiling and fidgeting as Kagami wolfed it down.

"Is it okay?" Tsukasa asked.

"It's almost all gone..." Kagami barely got out. Her speech was muffled behind her food though, so Tsukasa almost didn't understand her. The Tsundere's feelings got through though, and Tsukasa smiled a bit wider. It wasn't long at all until the three polished off the entire meal.

"Awesome Imoto!" Misao smiled.

"Thanks Misa-chan. Onee-chan..." Tsukasa smiled and closed her eyes. Suddenly, the door to the kitchen opened.

"Hey guys, you finished cooking Tsukasa?" Inori asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"Uh-huh!" She said. Inori nodded.

"Good, I'm gonna cook dinner for the rest of us." She said. Tsukasa blushed a bit and gave a panicked look.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't even think about it! I'm sorry!" She apologized quickly, though Inori began chuckling.

"It's no problem Tsukasa. Besides, I want to make dinner tonight. Matsuri wants fish, so I figure I can make her some." Inori said. Tsukasa smiled.

"Let me know if you need any help!" Tsukasa said. Inori giggled a bit.

"Will do." She said.

"Hey guys, I should probably be heading home. I gotta get back before a certain time or Mom'll get mad..." Misao said, scratching the back of her head.

"Well alright." Kagami smiled. "Thanks for coming with me today too, Misao!" Kagami said.

"Any time, Hiiragi! I hate to eat and run, but..." Misao trailed off.

"Those are literally your two favorite things to do." Kagami commented. Misao giggled.

"Other than being around you, Hiiragi!" Misao hugged Kagami around the neck.

"Gah! Misao!" Kagami complained.

"Onee-chan, can you help me with my homework?" Tsukasa asked, pulling her books and such out quickly. Misao let go of Kagami and chuckled.

"I'll leave you two to it!" Misao said as she dashed out of the room.

"See ya Misao!" Kagami said. Then, she turned to her twin. "No problem Tsukasa, I managed to finish my homework. Did you want to see?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa seemed to think.

"Hm... I kinda want to do it myself, but I don't know if I'll have time with a bath and everything..." Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled.

"It's up to you, Tsukasa." Kagami said. "Whichever you want to do." Kagami smiled. Tsukasa hummed.

"I think... I'm gonna do it myself!" Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled with a bit of pride, and a bit of sadness.

"Alright, cool! I'm glad you're taking your academics seriously." Kagami said. Tsukasa smiled and nodded.

"Uh-huh!" She said cheerfully as she began working herself. Kagami couldn't help but notice that her sister was answering the questions a tad quicker than when she and Miyuki had worked during their hooky day.

"Hey Tsukasa, do you understand all of this stuff?" Kagami asked.

"We went over it in class today, right?" Tsukasa asked as she worked. Kagami smiled.

"Yeah..." Kagami huffed. She didn't know why she was so impressed. Honestly, her sister had been keeping up with her work a lot better as of late. Kagami just sat there and watched her sister puzzle through each of the problems. Occasionally, her tongue would lick the top of her lips cutely as she came across a particularly difficult question, but she would usually resolve it after a few moment. After a while, the sounds of cooking died down and Inori exited the room.

In the Living Room

"Dinners here~!" Inori chimed as she entered the room again. Matsuri hadn't moved from her place, slumped over the table, though their mother had turned the television on and was watching a show.

"Ah, I can't wait to have some." Miki smiled.

"Finally... Thank you..." Matsuri said, a hint of both impatience and gratitude in her voice.

"Eat up." Inori put the fish on the table before disappearing back into the kitchen. Matsuri instantly reached over and took a huge hunk of it.

"Thank you very much!" Matsuri said cheerfully. That sentiment lasted until she placed the food in her mouth. "..." She heard Inori reenter, but that was at the absolute back of her mind. "HOT!" Matsuri shouted as she began fanning her tongue off.

"Heh." Inori chuckled. Miki hummed as she popped a piece of it in her own mouth.

"Oh! That IS spicy." Miki commented, but gave no complaint.

"Why have you betrayed me..." Matsuri wilted. Inori giggled.

"Don't complain so much when someone else is cooking for you." Inori said.

"Inori, you suck!" Matsuri shouted.

"Fine, then I'll just eat the non-spicy fish myself." Inori said as she set down another fish that looked much differently seasoned.

"I instantly regret my decision!" Matsuri complained. "Onee-sama is the best!" Matsuri said. "May she live a thousand years! Bonzai!" Matsuri may as well have been waving a banner in her sister's favor. Inori giggled at her sister's fickle alliances in the face of her ultimate weakness, hunger.

"Here you go." Inori pushed the fish closer to her sister as a sign for the younger to dig in. With speed that nearly matched Kagami herself, Matsuri began chowing down. Inori chuckled. "Matsuri, you're gonna get a stomach ache." Inori said.

"Worth it." Matsuri said as she kept eating. Inori smiled.

"It's not that good." Inori said.

"I didn't have to cook it, so that's good enough!" Matsuri said. Inori began eating the spicy fish, as Matsuri seemed like she may even polish the entire fish off herself. Inori chuckled.

"Matsuri, you're cute when you eat." Inori said. Matsuri's chopsticks missed the beat she was on and her breath hitched, causing her to choke.

"Ahg!" She coughed a few times before gulping down some of her drink. Catching her breath, she glared at Inori, a light blush on her cheeks.

"The hell are you saying?" Matsuri asked, anger desperately hiding her embarrassment. The older sister chuckled.

"You may have a rough exterior, but sometimes I think Tsukasa isn't the only cute little sister in this house." Inori said. Matsuri's glare softened a bit, but didn't disappear. Apparently not wanting to comment further, perhaps fearing more such embarrassment, she simply continued eating. Inori took a drink and their dinner continued.

Outside the Izumi Household

"Thank you very much for walking me home, Minami-chan!" Yutaka bowed lowly. Minami smiled.

"It was my pleasure. That means I got to spend more time with you." Minami said. Yutaka blushed.

"T-Then I'm glad you walked me home too!" Yutaka said.

"Make sure you get plenty of rest, Yu-chan." Minami smiled.

"I will! You do too, Minami-chan!" Yutaka said. Minami smiled. Then, however, she blushed.

"Um..." She mumbled.

"What is it?" Yutaka asked, fidgeting a bit.

"Do... Do we... I mean, do you want... to kiss?" Minami asked. Yutaka blushed deeply.

"Oh! Um... I... I don't know..." She mumbled. The two avoided eye contact for a moment.

"Oh, just kiss already!" Konata said after a moment. The two jumped and looked over at her, standing in the open doorway. "Come on, you guys have been out for hours, you were obviously having fun! A good date ends in a kiss!" Konata said. The two looked down at the ground and fidgeted around for a moment. Then, Minami took Yutaka's hand.

"Yu-chan..." She mumbled, looking up to bring her girlfriend's face into view. Yutaka jumped at the contact and looked into Minami's eyes.

"Minami...chan..." Yutaka blushed. As Minami bent over, Yutaka began standing on her toes to further close the gap. As they got closer, the smaller girl's eyes clenched shut as if struggling. Finally, she went back to standing on her feet. "'Nee-chan, I can't do it with you staring at us like that!" Yutaka complained. Konata giggled.

"Alright Yu-chan, I'll give you two some space." Konata said as she went back in the house. Yutaka breathed a sigh of relief.

"Minami-chan, I'm ready!" Yutaka chimed. Minami smiled through her blush. It was almost like her girlfriend was embarrassed to kiss her only because Konata had been there. Minami nodded, bending over again. Yutaka stood on her toes again and reached up. Their lips met and they held together for a moment, their feeling passing between them as Yutaka wrapped her arms around Minami's neck. However, after a moment, the two separated as Yutaka was forced to stand correctly again. Minami put her hand to her lips and blushed. Yutaka smiled, a shade of red herself.

"That was..." Minami began.

"Awesome..." Yutaka chimed. "I'm so happy Minami-chan." Yutaka said. Minami smiled an uncharacteristically wide smile.

"If you're happy, I'm happy." Minami said. Yutaka sighed.

"I wish you didn't have to go..." She said, eyeing the taller girl expectantly. Minami gave it serious thought, but realized she really did have to go. She turned around.

"I'll see you later Yu-chan." Minami waved. Yutaka waved enthusiastically.

"Bye Minami-chan! I can't wait for our next date!" She said. She wiggled in happiness before running into the house. "'Nee-chan, 'Nee-chan!" Yutaka shouted as she ran through the house to find her surrogate sister. She entered Konata's room to see Konata on her computer, playing an MMO. Konata put her headphones down around her neck.

"Hey Yu-chan! How was your date?" Konata asked as if she didn't already know. After all, half of the fun of a date was talking about it!

"It was awesome! We talked about a lot of stuff! And a lot of stuff was the same as always... but that's still good!" Yutaka said excitedly. Konata chuckled.

"Yeah, more of the same isn't bad. After all, that's what made you fall in love with her, right?" Konata asked. Yutaka nodded.

"Yeah..." She said. Konata rolled over to the bed and patted the place next to her.

"Come on and sit! Give me details!" Konata said. Yutaka looked a bit concerned, glancing between Konata and the computer.

"I'm not interrupting you, right? I don't want to stop you from playing!" Yutaka said. Konata giggled lightly.

"Don't worry about it, Yu-chan! I'm not in a party or anything." Konata said. "Besides, my adorable little cousin just got back from her very first date! I gotta hear about it!" Konata said excitedly. Yutaka smiled and sat next to her surrogate sister.

"Well, when we got there, the waitress called me cute!" Yutaka chimed. Konata chuckled.

"Of course she did. You're like, the cutest little blob of adorableness on the face of the planet." Konata said. Yutaka blushed lightly.

"'Nee-chan~..." She said. "But then, Minami-chan did something I didn't expect!" Yutaka said. Konata's eye brow raised.

"Oh?" Konata asked.

"She got really protective and sat beside me instead of sitting across from me! And every time that waitress would come back, she would get really close to me and glare at the waitress with a scary look..." Yutaka mumbled.

"Wow, I never would have guessed Minami would get so possessive." Konata commented. She hummed, not entirely sure about this development. It meant that Yutaka would be protected, sure, but would that become troublesomely possessive. Would it go to the point of controlling? Konata sighed. If it got to such a point, she also knew that she could stop it.

"It's okay 'Nee-chan! Minami-chan just got jealous! It just means she likes me that much, right?" Yutaka asked. Konata hummed.

"Yeah, I guess." She smiled. She was sure she wouldn't need to worry about it. If it came to it, she would step in, but for now, Yutaka was happy. Besides, Minami was always taking care of Yutaka, so it was likely something like that.

"So, what else happened?" Konata asked. Yutaka smiled.

"We shared a sundae! Minami-chan got some on her cheek and it was funny." Yutaka giggled.

"Oh, did you do that classic, rubbing it off and sucking your finger, thing?" Konata asked. Yutaka blushed.

"Um... No... I didn't..." Yutaka mumbled. Konata noticed Yutaka was now averting her gaze and twiddling her thumbs. Konata's mouth took on the characteristics of a cat's.

"What did you do, Yu-chan?" Konata asked.

"... Lick..." Yutaka mumbled. Konata gasped excitedly.

"No way, you licked it right off her face?" Konata asked. Yutaka's face turned a shade or two darker. "Oh my god you licked it right off her face." Konata said. "Wow, you're so bold, Yu-chan!" Konata giggled.

"It's embarrassing~!" Yutaka put her hands on her cheeks, covering her eyes as if to hide.

"So, I wonder what you're gonna lick next~..." Konata giggled. Yutaka shook her head from side to side rapidly.

"No! Why did I say anything..." Yutaka mumbled to herself. Konata put an arm around her cousin's shoulder, half in support and half so that the younger girl couldn't escape.

"I want to hear all~ about it, Yu-chan." Konata smiled suspiciously. Yutaka shivered, a mere squirrel being played with by a fox. Her prey now safely in her arm, Konata began to play.

Back With Our Hiiragis

"I'm done~!" Tsukasa chimed, finished with her work. Kagami had stayed seated, merely enjoying being around her sister and watching her as she worked. It was weird, the two were always together, but it seemed every time Kagami looked at her twin's face, it was like it was the first time. Kagami couldn't help but smile at how happy her sister was to be finished. And now, she needed to take a bath.

"Great job, Tsukasa." Kagami smiled. "Are you ready for a bath?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa smiled.

"Wanna take one together?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami nodded.

"Well, we've been taking baths together for a while now. Wouldn't it be a little weird if we stopped now?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa smiled happily and nodded, though she blushed as well.

"Uh-huh!" Tsukasa said. Kagami hummed a bit, noticing that blush. Funny. Did she blush all the other times they had bathed together? Then again, she seemed to recall Tsukasa blushing the day before. Maybe she just hadn't noticed before then. Kagami smiled and stretched. "Let's go, Onee-chan!" Tut seemed to sukasa said, seemingly excited. The two began walking through the house.

"Hey guys, we're gonna go take a bath, alright?" Kagami said. Miki looked slyly at the two.

"Hm hm... Have fun." She said simply before turning back to the television. Kagami had the sneaking suspicion that her mother meant more, but didn't comment. Kagami looked over at Matsuri to see if she had anything to say. She looked up, but didn't comment either. The two passed through the living room and went into the bathroom.

"'Nee-chan, if you want to look away..." Tsukasa suggested. However, unlike the last few times, she didn't say it sadly. In fact, it came out much more like a request. Kagami hummed to herself.

"I will." Kagami said. She made it a point to look away as she stripped. It was weird, as if the two wouldn't see each other naked in a moment. Kagami blushed at the thought. After a moment, the two finished and turned. The both of them blushed and averted their gaze.

"I-I'm gonna wash you first!" Tsukasa said. Kagami scratched the back of her head.

"I'm not that tired Tsukasa. I can wash myself." Kagami said. Tsukasa blushed and looked at her.

"... B-But I don't want you to tire yourself out too much!" Tsukasa protested. Kagami almost stepped back. Then, she giggled.

"... Sure Tsukasa, would you mind helping me out?" Kagami asked. She didn't know why, but her little sister seemed intent on washing her. Tsukasa smiled and nodded happily.

"Yes! I'll help you out!" She said cheerfully. Kagami shrugged and sat down on the stool as Tsukasa came over. Tsukasa placed her hands on Kagami's shoulders and began rubbing, her touch going from gentle to rough before repeating. Kagami hummed in satisfaction as her little sister massaged her.

"Tsukasa, that's awesome..." Kagami said. Tsukasa smiled happily.

"I'm glad, Onee-chan." Tsukasa said. Kagami sighed, reluctant about what she was about to say.

"Weren't you going to wash my back though?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa giggled lightly.

"Well, I'm scrubbing now! You're super dirty from crawling around on the ground." Tsukasa said. As if to bring attention to it, Tsukasa left her sister for a moment to retrieve something to scrub her with. She came back and continued, though now there was a barrier of cloth between them. Kagami decided that it was somehow decidedly less comfortable now that Tsukasa was actually cleaning her. It still felt pretty damn good, but less so now that Tsukasa was using a cloth. She moved down Kagami's back, sending a shudder up her spine.

"Ts-Tsukasa..." Kagami mumbled.

"What is it, Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami's blush had darkened considerably.

"I... I think I can wash myself... I'm a little tired, so we have to go quickly, you know? Maybe we can both clean ourselves so we can soak sooner?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa sighed.

"I guess, Onee-chan..." She said, sounding rather sad. She backed up from Kagami, leaving the cloth she had used on the Tsundere. Kagami took the cloth and began scrubbing as she knew Tsukasa was doing the same. Tsukasa walked over and began running the bath.

"So how was your day at work, Tsukasa?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa smiled.

"It was great, Onee-chan! Everyone is really nice there!" Tsukasa said cheerfully. Kagami chuckled.

"Well, I'm glad they're nice to you." Kagami said. "Of course, anywhere Konata recommended for you had better have nice people." Kagami chuckled. Kagami yawned. "Anything new, Tsukasa?" Kagami asked. She heard Tsukasa hum and got the distinct impression of her shaking her head.

"No, nothing really." She said. Kagami sighed.

"Hey... Tsukasa?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa hummed inquisitively.

"What's up, Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami hummed, trying to think of how to ask her question. The two finished cleaning while she thought and dipped down into the water. Eventually deciding to just go for it directly.

"Tsukasa, why did you turn him down?" Kagami asked. "I mean, I understand you didn't have feelings for him, but he's a nice guy." Kagami said. Tsukasa sighed.

"I..." Tsukasa seemed to find herself at a loss for words. "I didn't want to date him... I don't know him, so it would be weird if I went out with him, right?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami sighed.

"I dunno, I mean, a ton of confessions are done to people who don't know the confessor." Kagami said. Well, she didn't have experience with this, but she had her novels! They talked about these sorts of things in detail!

"'Nee-chan... Can we not talk about this?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami glanced at her. Her sister seemed troubled by it. Seeing that, Kagami decided to drop it. It was odd to see her sister being so bothered by something.

"... I understand, Tsukasa." Kagami nodded. Tsukasa smiled a bit. The two closed their eyes, humming happily. "You seriously didn't need to have it be cool again, Tsukasa..." Kagami tried her best to protest, but the tone of her voice very much betrayed her relaxation. Tsukasa giggled lightly.

"It's alright Onee-chan. I know it feels nice after a work out like that..." Tsukasa said. Kagami sighed in content.

"It really does..." Kagami said. It felt like the two were getting into a routine these days. They seemed to say the same things day after day, but Tsukasa was stepping up more and more. Well, that routine is gonna get broken tomorrow... Kagami thought to herself, excitement building. After all, the last time the two had switched roles, Tsukasa did an amazing job as the big sister. As if through some sort of twin telepathy, Tsukasa giggled.

"I can't wait for tomorrow, Onee-chan." Tsukasa smiled.

"I know, right?" Kagami giggled.

"I've already thought of a bunch of stuff to do tomorrow~..." Tsukasa chimed. Kagami raised an eyebrow, opening her eyes. Tsukasa was staring at her with a wide grin on her face.

"Oh really~?" Kagami smiled. "Well I can't wait to see what you have planned O-nee-chan~." Kagami giggled, a bit harder once she saw Tsukasa blush. "May we need to just turn this into a regular thing." Kagami said. "I guess if I asked what it was..." Kagami trailed off.

"You'll have to wait and see~!" Tsukasa chimed. Kagami chuckled.

"I guessed as much." She said. The two sat back and simply enjoyed the cool water. However, before long, it was time to get out. The two stretched, looking pointedly away from each other, as Tsukasa didn't want to particularly be watched, and Kagami was embarrassed to watch her. They each dried off separately and got dressed in relative, comfortable silence. The two left the bathroom.

"Onee-chan, wanna... sleep together again...?" Tsukasa asked shyly. Kagami nodded.

"Of course." She said. "Hey guys, we're gonna head to bed, alright?" Kagami called out.

"Good night Imoto!" Matsuri called out.

"Have a good night." Miki said.

"Night everyone!" Tsukasa called out cheerfully as the two walked into Kagami's room. Kagami giggled.

"Tsukasa, your bed is gonna get lonely ya know." Kagami said. Tsukasa blushed lightly.

"I'll sleep in my bed some time soon." Tsukasa mumbled. Kagami giggled.

Then I'll get lonely. Kagami meant to say, but couldn't quite voice it. Instead, she walked over to her bed and climbed in. Tsukasa fidgeted a bit before joining her. Snuggling in, Kagami let her arm fall around her sister.

"I love you Onee-chan." Tsukasa said. Kagami tightened her hug on her sister for a moment.

"I love you too, Tsukasa." Kagami said. The work of the day catching up with the both of them, they were quick to sleep.

After Section

Fun fact time! This was actually the first chapter I was going to use a time skip for, to skip to Saturday. Out of curiosity, I went back to the last time I knew what day it was (Sunday, when they switched roles) and counted the days to see how many days I would have ended up skipping. The answer would have been zero. It's been eight days in story since the beginning of this story, as the story started on a Saturday. No, I'm not going to do that for Luckier Star because it would be so much more difficult, but it's cool to know how long it's been. I really DO wonder how much time has passed in Luckier Star.

So, next chapter. I'm excited. Not normal excited. Not, "Hey I'm excited to work on this story!" excited. I super can't wait to write it. I guess that means I just gotta pound out Luckier Star that much quicker! I know generally what I'm doing the next Luckier Star, so hopefully it won't be too long. It shouldn't be too long if I can wrench myself away from my newest craze long enough to work on it... Anyway, I've droned on long enough. I guess I just wanna say thanks for reading!

And welcome back Flygon!

OMAKE

Hiyori sat in the other room of Konata's house, seeing as Kagami gave Konata a high five, the Otaku leaving the room. She came into the room Hiyori sat in and sat back.

"So~... What are you gonna do~...?" Konata asked as Hiyori looked desperately between the two rooms. In one, kitty kat Kagami and puppy Tsukasa. In the other, a hawkward Minami and squirrelly Yutaka. Both of them were having moments that Hiyori could capture, but even she wasn't good enough to capture the both of them at the same time. She began drawing quickly, her head still moving between the two rooms.

"I... I don't know... I don't..." She mumbled, drawing ferociously. Konata giggled. If Kagami knew what was going on, she may kill the both of them, but the Otaku knew how this would turn out anyway. "How do I choose?" Hiyori added Konata to the list of things she was switching between, giving her a desperate look. After a few minutes, her pen raised. Konata giggled and looked over at the drawing.

"... What is this?" Konata asked. Tears streamed down Hiyori's eyes.

"I don't know!" She complained. Konata could swear that the abomination on the page winked at her. A shiver ran down her spine. She didn't feel too bad about letting Hiyori draw the couples, as literally nothing usable came out of it other than a laugh for the Otaku.

"Seriously, Yutaka, as tall as Minami, with Kagami's twin tails making out with Tsukasa with my hair, some glasses and a cape? Where did you even get a cape?" Konata asked.

"I don't know, I panicked..." Hiyori mumbled. Konata giggled again.

"Well, at least you have original characters now." Konata said.

"I don't know..." Hiyori slouched over, defeated.