Akaza Akari slowly walked through the halls of Nanamori Middle School. The sunset colored everything in a warm, orange glow. She sighed to herself. The graduation ceremony for her and the rest of her third year classmates had ended earlier in the morning and Yui, Kyouko, Ayano and Chitose took time out of their high school schedules to celebrate their underclassmen's promotion to high school students in the old Amusement Club's room afterwards. They, Chinatsu, Himawari and Sakurako had already headed home along with just about everyone else a few minutes ago, save for the few teachers and faculty that still lingered about. Akari was probably the only student left wandering around.
"So I guess this really is my last day here...It kinda feels like saying goodbye to an old friend in a way..."
She traced her fingers along the wall in thought. "I got to be with Yui-chan and Kyouko-chan...met Chinatsu-chan and the Student Council...and had a whole lot of fun and learned a lot of new things, too..." Akari chuckled to herself. "Akari may not have gained back too much of her presence since she first came here, but I do feel like I slowly started standing out a bit more over these past 3 years."
She ran through her middle school memories briefly. It already felt incomplete enough when Yui and Kyouko graduated the year before along with Ayano and Chitose, leaving only she and the other underclassmen to tend to both the Amusement Club and Student Council. Now their times with both had come to an end. It was honestly sad for everyone when they locked the clubroom up for the last time. It was only less than an hour ago, yet thinking about it still made Akari slightly misty.
"We've been through a whole lot, haven't we?" Akari spoke out-loud to no one in particular. It was as if she was speaking to the school itself.
Akari's face grew a bit glum. The fact that things were going to change even more never really hit her until now. Yui and Kyouko were busy with high school work and chances are neither she nor Chinatsu would be as lucky getting into the same school as them, let alone the same as each other. Hanging out together and having fun was probably going to become a lot less frequent.
"Nanamori-san...We all became really good friends under your roof, right? That doesn't mean that we'll start drifting away now that we're moving on...does it...?" Akari looked up to the ceiling, almost as if she was expecting an answer. Instead, she simply received silence.
As she continued her walk through the school, she happened upon the music room. The door was still open, so Akari decided to poke her head inside to take a look around. All of the instruments usually used for classes had already been packed away until the new school year. The only thing left was the grand piano, which sat in the center of the room. She slowly walked over to it, noticing the keys had yet to be covered up. Akari sat down daintily, pressing a few of the higher notes as she did so. The piano lessons her older sister Akane gave her were suddenly starting to come back to her as she adjusted to a more proper position. Her hands moved to their positions along the piano's teeth as she let herself go, creating the beginnings of a beautiful melody.
Meanwhile Yui, Kyouko and Chinatsu had returned to the school and were currently busy searching each hall and class for their red-haired friend. They had already checked both the clubroom and Student Council room and were currently snooping around the third floor.
Yui pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Honestly, Kyouko, how did you forget to tell Akari that we planned to go to karaoke after the party?"
"Is there anything you don't screw up, Senpai...?" Chinatsu scoffed, causing Kyouko to quickly attempt to defend herself. "O-Oi, why is it only MY fault?! You two could have told her too, y'know! Besides, I got caught up in all the fun...!"
Both Yui and Chinatsu glanced away, not wanting to agree that it was partly their fault for forgetting about their friend as well. Yui decided to break the awkwardness. "In any case, she shouldn't be too far away. She did say she was going to hang around for a bit longer, right?"
Before either of the other girls could answer, the soft sound of a piano began to fill the hall. The trio looked down to the hall's end, seeing that the music room's door was open. They quietly made their way over and peeked inside, surprised to find their search had conveniently come to an end.
"Akari...?" Kyouko whispered out. Akari was too absorbed in her piano-playing to notice her friends watching her. Her fingers glided over the keys with ease as she poured her heart into the music she was creating. And then, in a small yet sincere voice, she began to sing...
" When I think back, I suddenly remember...
...everyone's smiles as I slowly close my eyes.
As I try to sleep in my warm and fuzzy bed,
I don't know why, but I softly start to cry... "
Akari's playing became more heartfelt as she continued.
" Our conversations come and go,
our lazy days were so spectacular...
...but even then, the days keep passing us by.
That's why I must convey to you, with all of my heart,
before we're forced to say goodbye...
My friends, I love you all,
but this is our last call...
I want us to have fun before
my tears begin to fall.
Somehow I know deep, deep down
that it'll be okay somehow
So until then...
remember me...
for when we meet again... "
Her voice grew slightly softer as her eyes slowly watered up.
" My friends, I love you all,
but this is our last call...
So until then...
remember me...
for when we meet again... "
As soon as she finished playing her final note, Akari regained her senses. She didn't realize just how into the music she got...nor the few tears that strayed down her cheeks in the process. She quickly wiped her eyes and smiled awkwardly to herself.
"I-I guess Akari got a little too absorbed in things, eheh...Huh?" Without the sound of the piano filling her ears, she suddenly made out the quiet sounds of sniffling. When she looked over to where it was coming from she was surprised to see Yui, Chinatsu and Kyouko all standing by the front of the music room. Their eyes were slightly red, like hers, with tears of their own trailing down their faces. Kyouko quickly tried wiping them away, not wanting to ruin her happy-go-lucky image too much. Chinatsu attempted to act like things were fine, putting on a smile despite her wet face. Yui was the best of the three when it came to composing herself, even if her cheeks were still a tad stained.
"W-Wait, what are you guys doing here? I thought everyone went home...!" Akari was somewhat confused.
"We came to get you." Yui responded. "We, uh...kinda forgot to tell you that we were all going to karaoke after the graduation party..."
"Eh?! Y-You forgot about me again?!...Hmmmph. Why is Akari not surprised..." Akari pouted slightly. It seems when it came to her friends that her presence still hadn't improved much. Yui chuckled slightly, smiling before walking up to her younger friend.
"Akari...You shouldn't worry about the future too much. If you do, you won't be able to focus on the fun things in life..."
Akari cocked her head slightly to the side. Yui elaborated. "Just because we're moving on from here doesn't mean we're gonna stop being friends. You, me and Kyouko have been together since we were basically babies, right?"
Akari nodded.
"And even though we met Chinatsu-chan only 3 years ago, it still feels like she's been with us since forever, too. Right?" Chinatsu's cheeks flushed. Hearing her beloved senpai acknowledge her as a longtime friend made her feel special.
Akari took a moment to respond. "Mmm...T-That's all true."
She was a bit taken off guard when Yui pulled her into a tight and comforting hug. "Then don't sweat the small stuff. We're all still close friends regardless of what'll happen."
Seeing this, Chinatsu decided to join in on the hug. Though it was to both help reassure Akari and get the chance to hug her older crush. "Yeah, Senpai's right! We'll still be together through high school and college and even beyond that!"
Kyouko grinned as she moved in to complete the group hug. "Hehe, the Amusement Club'll never die! Once you're made a member, you're a member for life!"
Akari felt more at ease being in the embrace of her best friends, smiling as the group finally separated. Kyouko patted her on the shoulder with a smirk.
"Think of it like an anime, Akari. No matter what the future has in store for the four of us, it won't be enough to break the bond we share as friends." She gave a confident thumbs up to punctuate her statement. A strong feeling of happiness welled up from inside Akari as she beamed brightly.
"Mmm! You're all right! Eheh...Akari just got a bit worried, that's all..." She rubbed the back of her head, feeling a bit silly for letting her sad thoughts get to her so much. Her friends smiled. Akari may not stand out as much as others, but her heart was always in the right place. When she worried, it wasn't just for her sake but for everyone's. They took comfort in the fact that someone was always thinking about them.
"Ah." Yui noticed that the glow of the sunset outside was starting to get darker. "We'd better head to karaoke before it gets too late. Ayano and the others are probably already waiting for us by now."
Kyouko slung herself over Chinatsu's shoulder. "Chinachuuu. It's been a while, so why don't we sing a duet or two, hmmm?"
"No. No way. If I duet with anyone, it'll only be Yui-senpai. Now get OOOOFF!" Chinatsu tried to pry the clingy blonde off of her as they and Yui made their way out of the music room, Akari a few steps behind. She watched her friends go back to enjoying themselves, feeling her overall mood quickly lighten up back to her old self. She gazed back up to the ceiling.
"Nanamori-san...I promise I'll make lots of fun, new memories with my friends after today. Just because we're leaving doesn't mean we're going to slow down."
Kyouko called out from up ahead. "Akari, hurry up! Let's go get our singing on!"
"Ah, wait up! I'm coming!" Akari quickly ran up to rejoin her friends as the group made their way out of the school and through the front gates for the last time. She couldn't help but look back at the middle school one last time.
"We're the Amusement Club, after all...Now and forever."