Keion!

Episode 1: Reforming!

Houkago Tea Time

"U & I"

Just by having you at my side, I always had courage
I want to be together with you forever
I want to tell you how I feel

On sunny days, too, on rainy days, too
You were by my side
When I close my eyes, your smile is shining

It wasn't a feeling I could describe with words. About four years ago in that concert, there was a girl who clapped eagerly with everybody else. Smiling and cheering in admiration. The five girls playing their instruments with loving familiarity in their last cultural festival. The tight bond they shared and their bright smiles.

Even until now, I can't describe that wonderful feeling.

But whatever it was, I want to recreate it. I want to make people feel the way I did while watching them.

"Tei-chaaan. Tei-chaaaaan. Tei-chaaaaaaan."

Tei's eyes opened slowly, and the first thing she saw was a camera at her face. "Nono?" She yawned.

Nono giggled. "You're so cute when you're sleeping." Waving her hand at her, Tei put her head down again, making a mess of her straw-colored hair. "Hey! Don't go back to sleep!"

"What do you waaant?" Tei asked sleepily, her head still in her arms. Having had the cliché fortune of getting a seat next to the window, the spring wind suddenly blew a gust at her, and she shivered, going upright in an instant. Nono smiled.

"So, have you joined a club?"

Tei looked at her sleepily. "Nooope."

"Come on, it's high school! You should at least do something!"

"But I'm too laaaazyy," Tei sang as she dropped her head to her desk again. Nono frowned at her. Tei looked at her, smiled, lifted her head up and put it on a hand. "Well? What about you, Nonochi? Have you joined a club?"

Nono beamed at her. "The Photography Club!"

"No way! You actually joined something this time!"

"That's mean! I'm not as lazy as you! This is just the first time I found something I like!"

"Why not some baking club, then? You make great cakes, after all."

"Ehhh, I already do plenty of that at home. Er, wait. This isn't about me. You should go join a club."

Tei pouted then looked away. "Fine, fine. I'm going to check out the music clubs later then."

"Will they be fine with you? I mean, you do nothing but sleep all the time."

"Do you want me to join a club or not?"

"Excuse me, I came to obse—it's empty." Curious, Sara entered the empty room of the Light Music Club. It was rather dusty, having been unused for the whole of spring break. Apart from that, though, there was a faint smell of tea that seemed to be stuck to the room. There was nothing much of worth apart from the odd-looking statue of a frog—wait, are those expensive-looking teacups in that cabinet?

After a few moments, Sara went down to the faculty to ask about the Light Music Club.

Ms. Yamanaka, a teacher well-known for her beauty and elegance, enlightened her to the situation. "It's on the verge of disbandment."

"Disbandment?" Sara echoed. "Did all the previous members graduate?"

"Yes. Unless four members join before the end of April, it will be disbanded." Ms. Yamanaka chuckled softly. "This feels kind of nostalgic."

"Sensei," a soft voice called out from behind Sara.

"Oh, Cecil!" Sara smiled when she saw the blonde girl.

"Sara-san," Cecil greeted with a slight bow.

"What is it, Cecil-san?" Ms. Yamanaka asked.

"Oh, I came to ask about the Light Music Club."

Sara smiled. "What a coincidence. I just asked about that."

Ms. Yamanaka: "It's on the verge of disbandment."

Sara: "We need four members so that it won't happen. Do you want to join, Cecil?"

Cecil blinked in confusion before she replied. "Oh, uhm. Sure. Yes, I'd like to join."

Ms. Yamanaka: "Eh? Are you going to reform the club?"

Sara nodded. "Yes! Only two more members to go!"

Aira poked the blunt end of her pen to her cheek, deep in thought. Should she join the Jazz Club? Her love for jazz said so, but the Judo Club also called out to her fondness of martial arts. She sighed, leaned her chair back then faced up at the ceiling. Well, if Sara's face wasn't blocking it.

"Aira."

"What?"

"Leaning back on your chair is dangerous."

"Oh, leave me alone." Aira straightened herself up, faced Sara and saw Cecil standing next to Sara.

"Have you decided on your clubs yet?"

Aira looked at her questioningly. "Hmm, not yet."

Sara and Cecil smiled at each other then, and nodded. "Do you want to join the Light Music Club?" Cecil asked.

"Ehh, I was thinking more about either Jazz or Judo."

"Come on," Sara said, "the club's going to get disbanded if we don't get four members by the end of the month."

Aira: "Woah, it's odd for you to force someone to do something."

Sara: "I do it to you all the time, what's odd about it?"

Aira: "What brought this on, anyway?"

Sara: "Well, it's high school. I haven't joined any clubs before, so I'd like to do it for high school, at least. Yuka's been pretty reliable lately, and since she's insisting that I join a club, I might as well join one."

Aira looked at her childhood friend thoughtfully. Sara was the model big sister: she was kind, gentle, cool, and mature. She wasn't just any model big sister, though; she was the big sister to five siblings. Because of all the time she spends taking care of the family, she never got to join any clubs in her previous years. Her wanting to join one this time… well, Aira didn't want to disappoint her.

Aira: "So, why the Light Music Club?"

Sara: "Remember that cultural festival we went to once?"

Aira: "Ah! The one with the magic tricks?"

Sara: "Not that one! The band!"

Aira: "One, two, three, four!"

Sara punched a fist into the air. "Rice!"

Cecil laughed. It was so unusual seeing Sara act childish.

Aira smiled. "So, what are you playing?"

"Nothing." Then both Aira and Cecil stared at her. "W-what?"

"What?" both Aira and Cecil asked.

"I don't play any instruments, so I'll be the vocalist." Sara shrugged. "I don't have the money to buy instruments, anyway."

Aira sighed. Then she smiled, "Fine then, I'll join." Sara smiled widely. "So. If Cecil's playing guitar and I'm playing bass… then I guess we need drums?"

Hikari couldn't help but eavesdrop. She couldn't help it. She didn't know anyone in this class; she was bored out of her mind. From what she gathered, they only needed one more member, and they needed a drummer. It was a perfect chance; she had been looking to join a club since Aoi joined the Wind Ensemble Club. She stood up and headed towards the three girls speaking.

"I can play drums," she said.

Aira: "Ohh, that was like a surprise hero to the rescue."

Hikari laughed. "Oh please, it's nothing that amazing. I was eavesdropping."

Aira: "You couldn't have at least said 'overheard'?"

Sara: "Hikari-san, was it?"

Hikari: "Yeah?"

Sara: "Welcome to the Light Music Club!"

Hikari smiled at the beaming Sara. "Thanks!"

Aira: "And we were just about to discuss some strategy on recruiting."

Cecil: "Aira-san, we don't have to stop here; we can still recruit other people."

Aira: "Oh, derp."

Cecil: (Derp? What is that? Is that a Japanese word?)

Hikari: "Oh, the bell."

Sara: "Aren't you going to class, Cecil?"

"Ohh, so this is the clubroom," Hikari remarked as they all entered the music room. "It's pretty plain."

Sara: "Well, it hasn't been used in a while. We'll make the room alive. Do you need help setting your drums up?"

Hikari: "Nah, I'm okay."

Aira: "Woah, what's with these fancy-looking teacups?"

Cecil: "They look really expensive."

Aira: "They look like they'll break if I touch them."

Ms. Yamanaka: "Oh, one of the previous members left them here so the future members could use them."

Cecil: "That is to say… us?"

Aira: "That's nice of her—WAIT, when did you get here?"

Ms. Yamanaka: "How rude! I came through the door, you know?"

Hikari: "Wow, those look really nice. Sensei, do you want some tea?"

Cecil: "You brought tea to school?"

Ms. Yamanaka: "Would I!"

Sara: "I'd like tea, too."

Aira: "Snacks?"

Hikari: "I've got pudding!"

Cecil: "I thought we were a music club."

"Oh!" Ms. Yamanaka exclaimed. "I forgot to give this to you earlier, Sara-san," she said as she handed a piece of paper to Sara.

"Ah, the club application form. Thank you, Sensei."

"Excuse me, I came to obse—I smell something wonderful," a voice called. Coming in from the door was a girl with straw-colored hair. She had a nice figure, too. Sara felt like she recognized her….

Everybody froze, and Cecil's expression was one of passiveness and deadpan. "Don't mind them; we're totally a music club."

Then the new girl's eyes sparkled. "I want some too!"

Sara: "You're going to run out of pudding, Cecil."

Cecil: "Let's play something after this, please."

It happened a lot quicker than I expected, but the Light Music Club quickly reformed as soon as I joined it. We even got more than four members, thanks to the power of pudding.

On bass we have a childhood friend and neighbor of mine, Michiru Aira. She's a boyish, playful, and energetic girl who acts mostly on instinct. She has short black hair and black eyes.

Hikari: "So, Ai-chan,"

Aira: (Ai-chan?)

Hikari: "Why'd you pick bass?"

Aira: "Ah! That's because of that cool-looking lady I saw in that cultural festival concert! Ahh, she was so pretty and lady-like. Everybody seemed to love her, too."

Cecil: "You picked bass to be more ladylike?"

Aira: "I can see you smirking, you know."

Sara looked away.

Aira: "OI, I can HEAR YOU GIGGLING there."

Sara: "Sorry, sorry. Pfft."

On guitar is Cecil Jordan, a foreign exchange student from America. Me and Aira met her during junior high. She's usually silent and usually looks emotionless, so she's sometimes mistaken for being cold. Don't get her wrong, though! She's only silent because she finds speaking Japanese a bit uncomfortable, although she speaks it like a natural. She has long blonde hair and green eyes.

Tei: "Sessirru?"

Cecil: "Se-sill."

Tei: "You're pretty good with the guitar, Cecirru."

Cecil: "…"

Tei: "Have you been playing it for a long time?"

Cecil: "Oh, uhm, not too long. About five years."

Tei: "Ohhh. That's pretty great playing for five years. You must be pretty dedicated to it, Cecirru."

Cecil: "Uhm, it's Cecil."

Tei: "What was that, Cecchi?"

Cecil: "… Please stick with Cecirru."

Hikari: "Cecchi. PFFFT."

Aira: "I… shouldn't… laughpffft."

Sara: "That's cute."

Cecil: "Sara-san!"

Aira: "HAHAHAHA!"

Hikari: "PFFTAHAHAHA!"

On drums is Matsuoka Hikari. Her image looks like that of a diligent student of sorts. She's a geek, and she isn't bashful about it, either. She's "eccentric", friendly, and outgoing. She has back-length brown hair and hazel eyes with glasses.

Tei: "Oh, I just noticed, Hika-chan."

Hikari: (Hika-chan?) "What?"

Tei: "You're the smallest one here."

Hikari: "Hah! A wise man once said: 'size matters not.'"

Cecil: (She means Yoda, right?)

Tei: "What? I didn't even say anything."

Aira: "You're pretty sensitive about your height, aren't you?"

Hikari: "Stop smirking, my height doesn't bother me at all!"

Tei had an innocent face, but was pushing her breasts up with her crossed arms.

Hikari bolted up from her chair. "Are you picking a fight!"

Tei: "Ayaaaaa, what a scary child!"

Hikari: "I probably shouldn't give you any sweets."

Tei: "I apologize profusely."

Cecil: "… So, why did you pick drums, Hikari-san?"

Hikari: "Because drums are cool… I guess?"

Sara: "Maybe because you thought a guitar doesn't fit you?"

Hikari: "Sara-san, not you too!"

Sara: "I… I didn't say anything?"

On keyboard, we have Masayuki Tei. Tei is a very laid-back and sleepy person, but she's mischievous and loves to tease people. She has neck-length twin-tailed straw-colored hair and brown eyes.

Sara: "Why did you pick the keyboard, Tei-san?"

Tei: "Haha! I didn't pick it. My parents have been making me play it since I was four. I just grew to love it."

Hikari: "By the way, Tei, I've been thinking about this since we saw you, but you seem sorta familiar."

Tei: "Oh?"

Sara: "Same, actually. Aren't you one of the models in that fashion magazine?"

Hikari: "Oh, you're right!"

Tei smiled. "Yup, that's me."

Sara: "That's amazing. I'm jealous."

Aira: "You want to model?"

Cecil summoned up an image of Sara modeling. Well, she tried. It just didn't fit Sara's personality.

Sara: "No, no. It's all of those clothes! The pretty clothes I can't afford!"

Tei: "I have too much of them, I can lend you some."

Hikari: "Why are you so nice all of sudden?"

Aira: "Girl talk."

Cecil: "I thought you wanted to be 'lady-like', Aira-san."

Aira: "I can see you smirking, Cecil."

The fun times of a new Light Music Club! Our first year begins here!

"Now, to commemorate the start of the new Light Music Club," Aira was saying as she took Cecil's camera, "let's take a photo!"

Cecil: "When are we going to play something?"

Sara: "It's already late. We should go home."

Glad I got that done! I hope that was fun to read. The genre of K-ON! is a completely new thing for me to write. It's a light slice of life comedy with heavy reliance on dialogue, so I had to revamp my writing. Since I normally write action-y, broody stuff. It wasn't really hard, but it wasn't easy either. Although, it sure was fun! Anyhow, I'm rather new to the fanfiction world, so please be gentle with me!

PS: Character profiles (drawings and all) can be found in my profile!