The lunch that was on her desk was presently being uneaten. She was staring out the window, gazing pensively at the clouds that passed by slowly through the sky. So deep was she in her own thoughts that she didn't realize someone was staring at her. "Mio?" The words didn't reach her ears as she rested her chin in her hand, sighing quietly. "Mio?" Her stomach rumbled, but she paid it no mind. Funny: one of the clouds even looked like- "Mio!"

"Huh?" Mio finally snapped out of her trance, turning away from the window and blinking once, twice, before focusing her attention on the girl sitting across from. "Oh, sorry Nodoka. I was just..." She almost spoke, but then she bit back her words. Those thoughts weren't ready to be spoken into existence. Even when she was alone, she refused to say out loud the truth that her mind and heart both knew. It would make it all too real. "... thinking about band practice."

"Ah, yes..." Nodoka didn't seem to be convinced, but she didn't say anything contrarian to Mio. "How's that going? Everyone still practicing?"

"Well, sometimes..." That got a quiet laugh out of her, and soon enough Nodoka joined her. They both were well aware of two particular members in After-School Tea Time and their practicing habits. Or, rather, their lack of them. It really was amazing they performed so well when their focus was so lackluster. That was what made being in the band so special, though. Despite what common sense would say, they performed musical miracles on the stage. With all her intelligence at her disposal, Mio still didn't know why this was the case. She did have an idea of what it might be, though.

"You all perform so well, I find myself thinking that you girls practice all the time." There was something off about Mio today. They were having a conversation, but Nodoka could tell that her mind was only partially there. Something else was occupying it, but what? Maybe there was some tension within the band that Mio didn't want to discuss. That would be understandable, but there wasn't much she could do to help without any further knowledge. "Despite all knowledge to the contrary."

Mio laughed, but quieted down when her stomach rumbled again. She had been daydreaming so intensely, she'd barely eaten any of her lunch. It looked even more appetizing now that she'd been neglecting it. She was just about to take another bite when the bell rang, signaling that classes would begin again soon. "Aww..." She looked down at her food regretfully, feeling like it was now mocking her.

"Sorry Mio." Nodoka shot her a regretful smile, standing up and clearing up the remains of her lunch. "Oh by the way, the school festival is coming up. I figured I'd remind you to remind Ritsu to turn in the club's paperwork on time."

"Ah, yes. Thank you for that." For someone who had been so eager to be the president of the Light Music Club, Ritsu sure was lazy when it came to filling out the club's paperwork. There had been enough times where she just plain forgot to turn in important papers, to the point where Nodoka had decided to speak to a reliable middleman. That was clearly a good idea.

"Well, we'd better get ready for class." Mio nodded, giving her unfinished lunch one last longing look. Then she looked up, noticing that Nodoka had turned around, and another cursory glance showed that their classmates were preoccupied with one thing or the other. It was undignified, but she scooped up part of her lunch in her hand and shoved it in her mouth. Hopefully that would satiate her until school was over.

Though she was often miffed at the group's lack of focus on what they were supposed to do, she had to admit that the treats Mugi brought were absolutely divine. That was one of the perks of being rich, she supposed. She delicately took a bite of her cheesecake, inwardly sighing with delight. It tasted so good, especially since she hadn't gotten to eat a full lunch. This wasn't supposed to be what they were doing, of course. They were a band: they were supposed to be practicing.

Her gaze went up and towards the other side of the table, where the two troublemakers sat. Ritsu and Yui... They were so undisciplined, so unfocused. How they ever improved with their instrument playing was a mystery not even Sherlock Holmes could solve. What kind of band were they, diving into excess instead of focusing on their music? If only the desserts weren't so good...

Though she had been looking at the two of them equally, her eyes soon drifted towards Yui specifically. This had been happening more often lately. It had started after Azusa had joined the band, since the prospect of having a new member had taken up a lot of their collective attention. Now that she was in the band, Mio had found herself staring more and more at Yui. It didn't make a lot of sense. Why would one person joining make her want to look at another?

There was something fascinating about how Yui interacted with other people. She could be completely overbearing, yet she'd never seen anyone make a concerted effort to distance themselves from her. If anything, it kept bringing them back, like they had no choice but to be drawn in by her exuberance. Honestly, it was an admirable trait, one that she secretly admired. It had only been when Azusa came in that she began to feel twinges of jealousy that she hadn't noticed before.

Yui seemed to have something outside of the club that linked her with the other members. She and Ritsu were the queens of laziness and procrastination, her and Mugi bonded over the desserts, and now with Azusa, it was like Yui had her own pet cat. The way she would put those cat ears on the poor freshman and make her meow, it was equal parts pitying and cute. It wasn't that Mio wanted to wear cat ears and be fawned over, but... she kind of did. She felt left out.

It felt like she was the most distant from Yui, whether that was accidental or a byproduct of her cool demeanor. Then again, she had never hung out alone with any of the others members, outside of Ritsu. She had made three new friends, four including Nodoka, yet she still stayed by Ritsu's side, like that one friendship was a security blanket she couldn't let go. It wasn't like she was actively thinking of hanging out with Mugi or Azusa though, even if that sounded kind of mean-spirited. All she would think of was becoming better friends with Yui.

These thoughts had their origins over the summer, when the four of them would hang out together. Before that, she only considered Yui a nice girl with a habit of being lazy or clumsy. Sometimes both. There had to be something that happened over the summer that began to change how she felt, but it didn't seem like it was just one thing. Rather, it was a confluence of events. She would see Yui stop everything just to pet a random street cat, and it would look rather cute. The way she would joke around with and tease Ritsu tended to make her laugh.

Once the school year started, she found herself staring at Yui more often. She even thought of her guitar playing in a more positive light. Sure, she was lackadaisical about her practicing, she didn't know simple musical terms, and would often learn one thing only to forget something she'd previously learned. When she was completely focused though, her playing was incredible. It was like all of the previous complaints didn't even exist. She was an amateur playing like a pro. It was fascinating. Mio sometimes wondered what it would be like if all of Yui's focus was on her.

There was no doubt that it was a crush of some kind. Wanting to hang out more with friends was one thing, but wanting them to put all of their attention on her? That had to be something else. She wasn't sure what to do about it, though. This was her first crush, and she wasn't comfortable putting herself out there by asking Yui directly to hang out. Maybe she just had to be content with staring and spacing out.

"Mio? Why are you staring at Yui?" Or maybe she'd get caught staring and spacing out. Mio blinked herself out of her trance and found that everyone was staring at her. A blush crept onto her cheeks at the realization that she'd been caught. She turned away from Yui and looked at Ritsu instead.

"I was not staring! I just think that we've been sitting here too long, and that Yui should be more interested in practice."

"Ehh? But Ritsu wasn't practicing either!"

"Hey, don't throw me under the bus! You practice even less than I do!"

"H-Hey, don't fight." Azusa tried to break up the argument, staring at her two friends with wide eyes. "We could all use more practice, right?" At least Azusa got it. In both looks and mannerisms, she was almost like a mini-Mio. Mio wished she didn't feel jealous of her, since she was the most hardworking member among them.

"Fiiine." Both Ritsu and Yui whined, but they slowly stood up and dragged themselves over to their instruments, shuffling along like zombies. Azusa sighed and followed them, which seemed to end any continuation of the previous conversation. Mio was able to breathe an internal sigh of relief, thankful that a crush crisis had been avoided. However, Mugi was still sitting there, and now she was staring at Mio.

"Wh-What?" She didn't like the look in Mugi's eyes, like she knew more than she was letting on.

"Mm... I dunno." She smiled and stood up, patting Mio on the shoulder before heading over to join the others. Mio stared after her, confused and a bit ill-at-ease. Did Mugi know something about her crush on Yui?

"Oy, Mio! Why are you staring at Mugi?"

"I-I'm not staring at anyone!"

Mio was sitting at her desk at home, listening to After-School Team Time through her headphones. She hoped it wasn't egotistical to listen to her own band's music. It helped to relive their style and origins, which helped her write new lyrics for the band. She'd prefer if Ritsu didn't wriggle around and scratch at herself every time she read the lyrics, though...

A tap on her shoulder made her turn around and pull off her headphones. Her mom was looking down at her with a soft smile. "Mio dear, one of your friends is here to see you."

"Really?" That seemed odd. No one besides Ritsu ever came to her house, especially uninvited. Now, that was something Ritsu would certainly do, but wouldn't her mom have said 'Ritsu' instead of 'one of her friends'? Confused, she removed her headphones completely and stood up, following her mom into the living room. Standing there was Mugi.

"Mugi?" Mio had a bad feeling about this. She remembered the look that Mugi had given her earlier, and now she showed up out of the blue at her house. This wasn't a mere coincidence. "Is something wrong?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. We'll see." Mugi smiled, her words cryptic. This was certainly suspicious, but she didn't want to be rude, so she invited Mugi to her room. However, her senses were certainly heightened now. "Ah, you have a very lovely room."

"Thank you. Now..." Mio gave Mugi a curious look, crossing her arms. "Is there something going on? You've been very cryptic with me since the club meeting."

"Yes, that's true. I do apologize." Mugi smiled serenely, but there was something in her eye that showed other intentions. It was like there was a fire burning there, though Mio didn't know why. "But I just felt like you were hiding something, Mio. Feelings for someone, perhaps." That fire was turning into an entire aura, burning around Mugi almost physically. It made Mio back up, more nervous than she'd been previously. "Feelings for a girl!"

"Wh-What are you talking about?" So she did know. Why did Mugi have to have some kind of ESP when it came to these things? She wasn't ready to voice these feelings out loud! Not when she could barely admit to them in her own mind. "I don't have feelings for anyone! N-Not like the ones you're thinking of, anyway."

"Oh? But you were staring at Yui so intently." Mugi definitely didn't seem convinced, rubbing her chin with a faraway gleam in her eyes. "I always thought you would be more attracted to Ritsu, but it seems the lovely Yui has caught your eye. I'm not surprised. You like to try and control rambunctious girls, don't you?"

"You're way off base!" She knew that she was blushing, but it was fair, considering what an embarrassing topic this was. "I-I'm not trying to control Yui. And I wasn't staring at her anyway."

"Oh Mio, you don't have to hide anything from me. Your feelings are nothing to be afraid of. They're wonderful and full of young love." Mugi was romanticizing this a little too much.

"L-Love?! You're getting ahead of yourself..." Mio sighed and slumped her shoulders in defeat. It was clear that Mugi saw through her and could see the truth. There wasn't much point in hiding it anymore. "You're right, though... I have a crush on Yui. It's just fleeting feelings though, so no need to blow this out of proportion."

"Even fleeting feelings can blossom into something more." Mugi sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her, which Mio reluctantly sat on. "You don't know what could happen unless you put yourself out there and try!"

"I don't know how to approach her though. What could I talk to her about?" If she was this deep, she might as well admit everything to Mugi. In the event her secret was let out to the rest of the band, she could always move far away. Maybe to the seaside.

"Talk to her about..." Mugi looked like she was about to say a specific topic, but then she stopped and rubbed her chin again. "Well, maybe..." She looked at Mio, then her eyes seemed to glaze over again. "No... Oh! You could talk about food. You both like food." Mio blanched at that, looking down at her stomach. She didn't want to remember how many pounds she had gained from eating all those sweets every school day. Mugi seemed to understand, her smile faltering as she looked down as well. They were both in the same boat there. "Maybe not..."

"Besides, what if her feelings for me aren't the same way? It looks like she likes Azusa a lot, anyway." Those feelings of jealousy began to prick at her again, followed quickly by feelings of guilt. It wasn't fair to be mad at Azusa for someone paying attention to her. She doubtfully was making Yui fawn over her like that on purpose. Still, she wanted to be the one Yui was trying to put cat ears on and latching onto like a sleepy koala. Then again, she would certainly be embarrassed to have that happening to her in public. These feelings were full of contradictions. She didn't like them.

"Well, are they dating? You won't know anything until you ask something." Mugi's smile was so sincere, Mio couldn't find any more reasons to argue with her. She just nodded and sighed, not looking forward to what she was tacitly agreeing to do.

"How am I supposed to even start a conversation with her, though? I don't want anyone else around, or I won't be able to do it. Especially not Ritsu." It wasn't like her to keep secrets from her best friend, but she knew how she'd react. She'd be completely overbearing and tease her endlessly, because she had no self-control. That wasn't something she could live down.

"Just wait around until practice is over. I'll make sure you get some alone time with Yui." Mio was surprised that Mugi would do that for her, after just learning of this crush. Maybe she was inadvertently selling Mugi short, though. They were friends, after all. Hopefully she hadn't become so distant that she'd started to forget that.

"Well... Okay. If you're sure this is a good idea."

"It absolutely is." Mugi pumped her fist resolutely, a gesture she must've picked up from Ritsu. "I would do anything to make sure my friends find their true loves!"

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself again, Mugi..."

After practice the next day - and they actually did practice this time - Mio enacted her plan, or what could be construed as a plan. She claimed that she had left something in her desk, and that she needed to go retrieve it. Ritsu said that she'd go with her, but Mugi intercepted her and invited her to get food. There was a moment of hesitation, but when Mio told her it was alright, Ritsu eagerly followed Mugi for the promise of free grub.

That would've left her, Yui, and Azusa, with Mio holding onto a silent hope that Azusa would just leave on her own accord. Maybe she had something to do that day, and it required her to head out before them. As it turned out, she should've been less worried about Azusa and more about Yui herself.

"Ooh, you're getting food? Can I come?" Both Mio and Mugi froze, having not expected this development. Mugi turned back, glancing between Mio and Yui. The plan didn't involve Yui inviting herself to dinner, but how could she say no without admitting everything Mio wanted to keep quiet? She locked eyes with Mio, hoping to get some sort of silent signal from her.

Resigned to her fate, Mio just shrugged. She didn't want anyone to see that she was upset with how things had developed, and she was sure this was putting Mugi in an awkward spot. It was better to just let her go and try again at a later date. "Yes, of course! Why don't we all go? It'll be good to have more bonding time, especially now that Asuka's joined us."

"Yay! I'll call Ui and tell her we're having a dinner band meeting." Yui excitedly pulled out her phone, while Mio walked away from the table, grabbing her bass case and hoping she didn't look too dejected.

"You all go on ahead. I still need to go back to the classroom and get my book." She might as well continue on with the lie, if only to get some time to herself.

"Aww, don't worry, Mio. We'll wait for you!" Ritsu shot her a thumbs up, getting Mio to smile slightly. She just nodded and left the club room, her smile quickly fading as she went downstairs. Ah well, there'd be another time to try again. Hopefully.

She felt silly as she walked back to her classroom. Everybody was waiting for her to grab something that she hadn't even forgotten. She hated that she was thinking so negatively. It was only one setback. That didn't make it the end of the world. She could get it together and keep going. The thought comforted her somewhat as she entered the classroom.

Needing another moment to collect herself, she went over to her desk and sat down, sighing deeply. Things were going to be awkward at dinner for her. Not because she'd made a fool of herself, but because she knew something that the others didn't know. Besides Mugi, of course. It would be weird looking at Yui, knowing she had been so close to admitting her feelings, only to fall short. Again, she'd just have to buck up and compose herself.

She'd taken enough time to fetch her non-existent book, so she stood up and prepared to leave. When she looked up, she was taken aback to find Yui standing in the doorway, looking at her. "Yui? What are you doing here?"

"Mugi told me to come help you find your book." Yui walked over towards Mio, shuddering. "She gave me this weird look. Like, 'if you don't do this, I'mma punish you.' I don't know why she was looking at me like that, though. What'd I dooo?"

"I'm... not sure." So this was Mugi's doing. Apparently this was a quick pivot towards a backup plan. She would really have to thank Mugi for that. "Well, it's okay Yui. I've got my book now, so we can get going."

"Oh, okay!" Yui smiled, a big and captivating smile that almost made Mio forget what she was now supposed to do. It wasn't until Yui turned to leave that she snapped out of it. She hurried to grab Yui's hand, stopping her from leaving. "Huh? Mio?"

"Wait, Yui... I need to tell you something." She could do this. This was what all that mental preparation had been for. "I have feelings for you. Strong feelings that I didn't really understand until recently. I..." Yui was just staring at her, not really understanding what kind of feelings Mio was talking about. She couldn't beat around the bush with this. It called for the full, unadulterated truth. "I have a crush on you, Yui!"

"Eh? You have a crush on..." Yui's eyes widened, Mio's words finally hitting her. "Me?" She pointed at herself, poking at her chest. "Me? Not... Ritsu? Or Azunyan?"

"No, not Ritsu or Azusa. You. I like you, Yui. It just took me a bit to realize it." Now that the hard part was over, the other hard part was up: waiting for Yui's decision. Would her feelings be accepted or rejected? She hoped that she could deal with either one of them happening, but she wasn't sure what would happen if she was rejected. Hopefully she wouldn't start crying. "How... How do you feel? Do you like me back?"

"I... Ahaha, I'm not sure." Yui laughed and rubbed the back of her neck, looking somewhat nervous. It was an odd look on her. Now Mio was nervous too, and she waited with bated breath. "I mean, I like you, of course! You're one of my friends! I just... have never thought of, like, dating, you know? But that doesn't mean I wouldn't want it!" She almost shouted the last part out, as if knowing that leaving it hanging on the previous sentence would crush Mio's spirit. "Nobody's ever asked me on a date before. I didn't think you'd ever ask me on one, though."

"Eh? Why not?"

"Well, you're super smart and pretty. I'm not smart like you-"

"Don't say that, Yui. It doesn't matter to me that we have different studying habits. Though you could learn to study more, and maybe practice more too..." Yui was pouting at her now. Whoops, she'd gotten sidetracked. "But that doesn't matter either. I like you exactly as you are. The person you are is the girl I want to date. But I'd understand if you aren't ready to do something like that yet."

"I wanna try! We can at least try, right? I'd love to go on a date with the prettiest girl in the school!" Mio could feel her face heating up, but she was too happy to care. Yui had said yes!

"I know you said you were going to dinner with the rest of the group, but maybe you'd like to go with just me instead?" She couldn't stop herself from smiling, so happy and relieved that she'd at least been able to get a date from Yui.

"Sure! Ehehe, maybe you could spot me for this one, though? I don't really have any money." Mio chuckled and nodded.

"It'll be my treat, Yui."

"Yay!" There really wasn't anything that could dampen Yui's enthusiasm, was there? That was fine. Mio didn't want that smile to go away. Then she saw Yui holding her hand out and wiggling her fingers. "Let's go, Mio! I wanna start our date!" Mio stared at her hand for a moment, then smiled fondly and reached out to grab it, entwining their fingers together. It felt warm, like an embrace that she'd been waiting for all her life.

"Yes, let's go, Yui."

Omake:

"So, you went on a date with Yui, huh?" Ritsu was laying on Mio's bed, reading a manga that she had 'borrowed' from Yui. Mio was sitting at her desk, chair turned so she could look at Ritsu.

"Yes, I did. It was a lot of fun." She turned back to her computer, smiling at the fond memories she now had of her first date with Yui.

"Hmm... So, dating Yui, huh..." Ritsu closed the book and sat up, tilting her head slightly. "That's pretty gay."

"I never would've guessed."