Settled
It had been four years since Houkago Tea Time had separated. The tearful partings and the promise of calling daily, long gone and half forgotten. The cheerful songs that had once drifted their bubbly tune through the school had faded, replaced by new songs and new members of the Light Music Club.
Yui, Mugi, Ritsu, Mio and Azusa had moved on from their childhood dreams of making it great, all pursing their own individual dreams and hobbies so different to what they had thought of before. Yui had promised that they would be together forever, but even her enthusiasm wavered.
Yui left to a bustling city, miles away from Ui, to pursue animal care. She had decided some time ago that she wanted to care for animals much like Ton-Chan; she worked very hard and provided a great air of delight to the young children who pressed their cheeks to the glass to see the animals that sat inside.
She knew a lot about the cute animals that would run to the edge of the cage to greet you, she knew what the big animals liked to eat, what the little ones liked to do and which turtle looked like Azusa's favourite. She enjoyed her job a great deal, and found herself practising on her old guitar once in a while too.
Mugi had moved abroad a year ago, to a marvellous villa she inherited in a quiet countryside village in England. She spoke English very well, thanks to her choice of college, which provided courses in which Mugi fell in love with the language. She didn't particularly like all of the food there, but she enjoyed drinking her favourite flavour of tea with a hot cross bun or a scone on the side.
She fell in love with literature and attended a well established university, and settled into a comfortable journalist job for a popular newspaper. Mugi still had an interest in music, though never found herself playing on a piano or keyboard. She became close friends with a quiet girl in a choir, who, much like Mugi, had been a talented pianist. She played songs for Mugi on a warm summer's day, when Mugi visited her quaint little cottage which she loved so much.
Mio had also stayed in Japan; she worked as a secretary for a well known company. She prided herself in being a model employee and made many friends in the office. Not one like Ritsu, Mio had thought dryly on those days when she missed her friends even more than usual. She fell in love with a sensible man who worked near her. He often smiled at her though the glass doors of her office, making her blush a furious pink. She had been smitten with him from the start and eventually pushed herself to talk to him without tripping over her words.
He had asked her on many dates, and they shared their first kiss on the third. Mio had lived in a modern styled flat and she was overwhelmed when he asked her to move in with him. She always smiled her sweetest smile when he kissed her on the way to his office.
Ritsu, the one Mio always thought would never be serious about anything, became a news presenter for a popular television channel. Her bubbly attitude proved a wonderful thing for her and she was very committed to her job, making the morning breakfast segment a cheerful start to the day. She would involve her audience in a way that many people loved her for; she brought a silly, yet genuine air to the set.
She had fallen for a woman who was already married and she would steal glances across the station and smile sheepishly at her. They became friends without a problem as they were much alike in many ways. Ritsu knew she would tell her about her feelings at some point, though she was content with the way things were. She figured another would appear into her life and steal her heart again.
Azusa, the last to leave Houkago Tea Time, had comfortably decided to work part-time for a shop selling musical instruments while she continued her education in college. She had not yet decided on a solid idea for her future. She wouldn't mind working in a music shop for the rest of her life, she thought it was relaxing. Azusa had also moved to a lively city and enjoyed walking home while looking at the familiar neon signs which illuminated the street.
Azusa had not yet fallen in love, she had not experienced the thrill from looking at the person you desired the most, yet she had always imagined herself falling in love with anyone who gave her the slightest bit of attention. She smiled at the young musicians who came in for a tune up or she would give advice to first time buyers, she fuelled the dreams of aspiring artists and told them of her experiences in school. She would carefully dart around the edges of the subject of her band members, and would move the subject on to questioning which instrument they liked to play the most, while recommending the best ones they held in their cosy little shop.
Houkago Tea Time had moved on. The members no longer played and no longer saw each other's happy faces each day. They became friends with different people and all worked in different places, making a lifestyle which was entirely their own.
Yet they all shared a particularly fond memory, one in which days were spent in the airy music clubroom, whittling away the days with relaxed practise sessions and eating delicious cakes with tea. One in which they were all together, and dreamed of nothing other than togetherness.