Lucky Star

A Touch of Femininity

A Lucky Star CD/Romantic Comedy fanfic by Dumbrarere

Chapter 1

A New Student

"Now, class, can someone tell me what gender boundaries are?" Miss Kuroi asked her students. Her face was a smile as she stared at her second year students, but behind the smile was a slight bit of frustration. She wasn't used to teaching sociology classes. Nobody raised their hands. "Anyone?" she asked again with a bit of disdain. It was then that a second-year girl with pink hair and glasses raised her hand.

"Okay, Takara, give it a shot." Kuroi announced.

"Thank you, ma'am. Gender boundaries are, as the words imply, boundaries set on people based on gender. They dictate things like how people should dress, act and partake in activities in their everyday lives, as set by social, parental, and-or religious groups, and vary by popular opinion." the girl, Miyuki Takara, explained casually.

"Very good, Takara." Kuroi congratulated. Miyuki's friends, Konata Izumi and Tsukasa Hiiragi, nodded approvingly. "And I might add, that these boundaries are often broken, either in popular media, in the privacy of home, or even out in public, either through acts such as crossdressing, or through sexual preference such as transgenderism or gay and lesbian lifestyles." she added. This gave way to a few chuckles among classmates, but brought interest from Konata, who remembered seeing the act of crossdressing in her anime.

"I must remind you that social and personal acceptance has a major part in LGBT and crossdressing matters in gender boundaries. A simple comment can mean life or death for these people, as many are emotionally disturbed, feeling unloved or otherwise. As your teacher, I ask that you PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THEM! I'D HATE TO BE THE ONE TO HEAR ONE OF MY STUDENTS HAS SHAMED SOMEONE TO SUICIDE!" Kuroi continued, her voice giving way to begging.

"That sure escalated quickly..." a male student muttered to himself. That was when the bell rang for lunch. About a couple minutes later, Konata and Miyuki were greeted by the sight of Tsukasa's sister, Kagami Hiiragi, who came to sit down with them as per usual.

"Ugh! I swear, arithmetic can be such a chore!" Kagami complained as she sat down and opened her lunch.

"We had a rather interesting class discussion on sociology involving gender boundaries." Tsukasa said with a bit of happiness.

"You're kidding… those are a no brainer, boys are boys, girls are girls, etc." Kagami joked.

"More than that, really. It includes how society expects people to act per their gender, as well as the breaks in these boundaries, like through crossdressing and the LGBT lifestyles." Miyuki corrected, causing Kagami to laugh.

"Really? All that?" she continued. It took her quite a while to calm down. That's when someone new came to the table.

"Excuse me, girls, may I sit here?" the voice asked. Konata turned and saw a boy who they've never seen before.

"Hmm, you seem to be the nice type… and you look… different. Not from around here are you?" Konata asked, looking for the right words.

"No. I've been transferred to this school, as of yesterday. I only just arrived." the boy replied.

"By all means, sit down and join us." Miyuki beckoned. The boy set aside his suitcase and backpack, before sitting down.

"So, what's your name?" Tsukasa asked, politely.

"Joshua." the boy replied.

"Joshua, huh?" Kagami asked.

"Yep." Joshua replied with a kind grin. He opened his lunch pail and got out a bento box and some chopsticks.

"That's such a nice name. I'm Tsukasa. This is my sister Kagami, and my friends Konata and Miyuki." Tsukasa said, introducing everyone. "I hope we can become good friends." she continued.

"Where are you from?" Konata asked.

"Sacramento." Joshua replied, eating his sushi.

"Oh, a California boy! That sounds wonderful!" Miyuki chirped. Kagami blushed a bit at her remark.

"If you don't mind me asking, are you dating anybody?" Konata asked. This set Kagami off completely, deadpanning at the inappropriate comment.

"No, single. Not even a single first love." Joshua admitted. Konata frowned at the thought of that. That's when she thought of an idea.

"Any place to stay? You're welcome to come over and stay at my place." she offered. Joshua thought long and hard about it, before smiling.

"I like the offer, Konata. I'll take you up on that." Joshua said with a wink. Konata just smiled in response.


After lunch came mathematics, then History, with Miss Kuroi again, and finally Home Economics. The day seemed like a blur to everyone, before they took light rail to their stop.

"So, I just got to thinking… Where is Joshua going to be sleeping? He's not sharing your bedroom, is he?" Kagami asked. Joshua wasn't quite sure where the conversation was leading to.

"We have another room, but we've got it set aside for storage at the moment. It'll take some time to clean out. He might have to share my room." Konata replied with a frown. Kagami looked like she'll pop a blood vessel.

"Konata, think before you do the unthinkable!" she groaned.

"What's bad about a boy sharing a bedroom with a girl?" Tsukasa asked her sister.

"Two things. One, the boy might have perverted thoughts. And two, it could lead to something no girl wants to get involved with without consent." Kagami replied.

"Without consent? What do you mean?" Tsukasa asked once more. Kagami sighed heavily.

"I'll explain when we get home, it's not something to discuss in public." she finally replied.

"Well… I can work with sharing her bedroom… I'm not exactly what you call "pervert material" and I know my boundaries… So long as I am careful, it should be fine." Joshua said. Kagami looked at him, unsure what to think.

"Well, he does sound sincere… I don't think there will be a problem." Miyuki said, before the PA announced the stop. "Oh! This is my stop! I'll see you all tomorrow at my place for notes, as promised. Have a pleasant weekend." she said with a bow, before leaving. After ten minutes, the train was off again. "It's so nice, how courteous and well-mannered Miyuki is." Joshua complimented, staring out the window at the Japanese countryside.

"Oh, yes! She's always been like that. She's the smartest girl in our school." Tsukasa said cheerfully.

"Really now?" Joshua asked with a chuckle.

"Yep! Ask her a question, and she'll give you an essay's worth of information." Konata chided.

"A living, breathing encyclopedia… She definitely seems the kind of person who would get involved in the sciences, or perhaps mathematics." Joshua mumbled, just loud enough for the girls to hear.

"I've been kinda wondering myself what she wants to do with her life. Certainly not slouch around and play games all day long." Kagami said, before giving the odd rude comment to Konata, who grumbled in response.

"Hey, now… let's be nice, no need to insult each other." Joshua said with a frown.

"Huh? But Sis and Kona-chan do this all the time." Tsukasa countered.

"Wait, really?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah, our teasing is kind of an odd way of saying we like each other as friends." Konata explained, which gave Kagami a pretty big blush. Before she could respond with something, the PA announced their stop, before the train slowed to a crawl to stop at the platform. Everyone got off and went where they needed to go.

"By the way, Joshua." Tsukasa began as they were walking down the sidewalk.

"Hmm?" Joshua hummed.

"What do you like to do with your spare time?" Tsukasa asked.

"Oh. I like video games, anime, manga, novels… the list goes on." Joshua replied with a smile.

"Sweet! I've got a gaming buddy! Tell me, what genres do you like?!" Konata chirped.

"Woah, slow down, Konata!" Joshua said, trying to calm down the now-hyperactive blue-haired otaku maniac. He just sighed, before placing a finger on his chin. "Well… I mean, I like all genres, but… I suppose arcade, RPG, first person shooters, simulation, and real time strategy are my absolute top favorites. Just as long as the adult content is kept to an absolute minimum, I'm alright." he finally responded properly.

"Real time strategy and first person shooter, huh? I think you, Konata and I are going to be pretty competitive at gaming." Kagami said, smirking.

"I'm not too competitive, really, but I get that way when it counts." Joshua said.

"Well, Konata likes those moe games, those dating sims, and a few others, but when it comes to competitive gaming with other genres, she's an absolute shark." Kagami said, forewarning him.

"Oh goodness… Remind me not to compete with her, then." Joshua replied with a chuckle, before they arrived at the Hiiragi residence, and Kagami and Tsukasa split from the group with a wave, before Joshua and Konata continued the rest of the way.

"So, you play on what consoles?" Kagami asked.

"I have a Playstation 4 at home in California, and I brought with me a Nintendo 3DS and my gaming laptop. I got a nice collection of games from Steam, that will hopefully grow with time." Joshua replied.

"Nice." Konata chirped. The conversations continued, until they arrived at her house. She knocked at the door, and her father opened it moments later.

"Hey, Konata. How was school?" he asked her.

"It was great, dad! I made a new friend! This is him, right here. He needed a place to stay while he sticks around here in Japan for the remainder of his classes. His name's Joshua. He will be sleeping in my bedroom, with that spare sleeping bag." Konata said, introducing her father to Joshua. He seemed unsure about letting a boy into his home and sleeping in the same bedroom as his daughter.

"Are you sure about this? I mean, he can definitely sleep in the front room, where you and he at least have privacy…" he asked, looking between Konata and Joshua.

"It's fine. He said he can work with it." Konata replied.

"I see…" her father said.

"Don't worry, sir, I'll try not to be any trouble. If I am careful about leaving her room when she's changing, and knocking before entering, I shouldn't be met with any surprises I wouldn't want." Joshua announced.

"Well, then, Joshua. Come on in, make yourself at home. Konata can show you around." Konata's father announced as he let his daughter and her friend inside.

"What should I call you, sir?" Joshua asked him.

"My name is Sojiro, but you can call me Mr. Izumi if you want." Sojiro said, introducing himself. "Well, I'd better get dinner ready for tonight, as a welcome meal for our new guest." he added, before walking to the kitchen.

"Come, let me show you my room." Konata said as she took him to her room. He was in awe at the look of it. Figurines dotted shelves, posters adorned the walls, and she had her own TV and computer. The computer seemed quite a bit out of date, sporting an early 2000s look with a Windows XP OS, an old CRT monitor, and some speakers. "Well, what do you think?" she asked.

"It's nice. I think I'll like it here." Joshua replied as he laid down his backpack and suitcase. Konata would show him around, showing him where everything is, before returning to the bedroom, where Joshua began unpacking.

Konata then goes out and gets a sleeping bag, returning with one that was girlish with stars and things, but featured the Vocaloids Rin and Len Kagamine, Miku Hatsune, and Luka.

"I know that I agreed to using a sleeping bag and sleeping in your room, but isn't this a little… girlish?" Joshua asked as he looked the sleeping bag over.

"This was mine from our last camping trip, before I got a new one. It should work until we get an actual bed set up in here." Konata explained. When she imagined him sleeping in her old sleeping bag, a thought came across her mind.

"I suppose that will work…" Joshua said without much thought.

Konata then asked him something at random, and took on her signature cat face. "What do you think of girl's clothing?" she asked. Joshua looked to her, unsure where she was taking this.

"Uhm… I think it's… nice? Pretty colors and probably softer fabrics, but… probably not something I'd wear… Why do you ask?" Joshua asked as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Oh, no reason. I was curious, is all." Konata replied, still holding her signature face. An imaginary light bulb lit up over her head as she thought up a trap for him tomorrow morning before they head to Miyuki's place.

"Uh… Konata… are you okay?" Joshua asked her.

"Mmm? Oh, sorry, I was just daydreaming." Konata replied, dismissing the issue. Joshua, a little skeptical, looked at her.

"R...right…" he said. He then set up his gaming laptop and turned it on, before scrolling through a few things on his menu bar. He then played a little bit of Supreme Commander, before he closed his laptop for the night.

"That was an interesting game. What else do you use your laptop for besides gaming?" Konata asked.

"Oh, surfing the web, reading email, watching Youtube, doing homework, all that stuff." Joshua replied.

"All that? Wow, you sure know how to spend your spare time." Konata muttered. That was when Sojiro knocked on the door. Konata opened the door for him.

"Hey, you two. Dinner's ready." Sojiro announced with a smile.

"Cool! We'll be outside in a bit." Konata said, before he closed the door.

"I wonder what was prepared for us this evening." Joshua mumbled, his mouth watering at the thought.

"We can only find out. Come on, let's go outside and get some dinner." Konata said, and Joshua followed her out.


On the kotatsu was a delicious set of foods, including pasta and sushi.

"I got the sushi and pasta from the market two days ago, and didn't expect to see my daughter come home with a friend, so I felt this would be a special occasion." Sojiro declared.

"Looks good. Smells good, too." Joshua said, politely waiting to be served as he knelt down beside Konata. After the food was served, the two of them thanked Sojiro, before digging in.

"Mmm… it's delicious." Joshua exclaimed politely. As they ate, Joshua told Sojiro a little about himself, what his interests were, etc. He nodded as he listened, getting a feel for the boy's personality and archetype.

"Well… perhaps you're a lot more like my daughter than I initially thought. You both like games, anime and manga, but you also like novels, movies and the like. Perhaps a healthy medium between Konata and her other friends." he finally said.

"I suppose that's true." Joshua replied, nodding. Konata was off in Otaku-land, daydreaming about something.

"Konata." Sojiro said, knocking her out of her trance.

"Hmm? What is it, dad?" Konata asked.

"Now that I suppose we fully welcomed him into the family household, I must lay down some ground rules." Sojiro replied.

"Go on, then. Let me at 'em." Konata exclaimed energetically, knowing of the fun she's going to have.

"Okay. You're not dating or anything, so I don't want anything too drastic. Number one. No unnecessary physical contact. I don't want you getting pregnant on me without permission. Number two. No arguing or physical fighting with each other. If you have any issues, try to work them out. Number three, don't intrude into each other's privacy. If one of you is changing or anything, it's one at a time, with the door closed. That should be it." Sojiro said as he listed off the rules for the two of them to follow.

"I can work with all that." Joshua said with a nod.

"Same here. We'll be just fine." Konata chirped.

"Good. Glad to see that sorted out." Sojiro said. The night continued for another few hours, before Joshua and Konata returned to their room.

"So, you hyped for the rest of the school year, Joshua?" Konata asked, smiling.

"Mhm. I'll probably stay until the end of my high school career, too, depending on how things go." Joshua said, also smiling.

"Quite a ways away, though, since we're still freshies." Konata quipped.

"Freshies? I assume you mean 'Freshmen' though, so I agree." Joshua replied. He then let out a big yawn.

"Tired?" Konata asked.

"Mhm. I'm beat from the traveling. Going from almost midnight to daytime within the span of a couple hours is not fun, truly… Jet lag really slaps you in the face when you're traveling long distances…" Joshua replied.

"I don't know what 'jet lag' is though." Konata said with a frown.

"We can ask Miyuki tomorrow… Anyways, I'm going to sleep." Joshua said, once again with a yawn.

"Alright, then. Goodnight, Joshua." Konata replied. Joshua slid into the sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep in an instant.


AUTHOR'S NOTES

-Well, here's my Lucky Star fanfic. The fun has yet to really start for our lead characters. There's not many notes I can give out this time around, though.

-I know the first chapter alone is shorter than what I've made before. Hopefully that can change as time goes on.

-I think I nailed the girls' personalities and mannerisms this chapter - Konata with her otaku tendencies, Kagami with her mild tsundere personality and (occasional) level-headed demeanor, Tsukasa with her airheadedness, cluelessness and innocence, and Miyuki with her smarts and logic. Hopefully I can continue this trend as the story progresses.

-I have plans to mix well loved and hilarious scenes from other anime into the story, either for added comic relief or to help progress the story.

Looks like that's it. Cya everyone.