Feeling mentally exhausted due to culture shock and the possibility of his club being rejected, Nathan decides to go to the music room to find a guitar and play. Unbeknownst to him, a girl with short red hair beat him to the room and is currently singing while playing the piano. Nate then waited until her song is finished before coming inside, startling the girl.

"W-Who are you?" The girl asked with an anxious expression on her face.

Not in the mood to deal with the girl, Nate shows a calm and collected expression in response, but remains polite, nonetheless.

"Excuse me, sorry to disturb you, but I would like to play with the guitar for a little bit if you don't mind."

The girl then calms down, but remains cautious of Nate. "I would like to know who you are first. I don't remember seeing you in this school."

Nate sighs. "My name is Nathan Calaway, I am an American student enrolled here due to the school's international student program. Does that answer your question?"

"Hey, there is no need for you to be rude!"

"Look, I've been through a lot today so I am not in a good mood, okay? I just want to settle down, play some music, and relax. If you think I am being rude then I am sorry, but please try not to make this any harder for me."

The girl becomes displeased, but understanding. "Fine, an acoustic guitar is in the corner if that is what you want."

"Thank you. I will make sure to go outside so I don't disturb your practice."

"I am already done playing. That was my last song so go ahead and play here if you want."

Nate notices her just sitting on the piano seat looking at him. "I am guessing that you are staying here just so you can here me sing, am I right?"

"Well, it's been a while since I've heard a boy singing so I am kind of curious."

Nate sighs, but does not make a big deal out of it. "Alright, since I've heard you sing, I guess its only fair for you to listen to me as well."

The girl becomes slightly embarrassed. "I see. So you were listening the entire time outside."

"Like I said, I didn't want to disturb you so I waited until you were done with your song. Anyway, I am starting."

"Right."

As Nathan begins playing the guitar, the only audience in front of him becomes curious what kind of song he is singing as if she has never been exposed to any other kind of music other than what she plays on the piano. Nate then starts singing, revealing the song to be a slow acoustic ballad with a bit of a country sound to it. Despite the song being in English, she seems to show some understanding on the lyrics Nate is singing, but gets confused in certain parts. After the song ends, the girl finds herself impressed over Nate's vocal abilities.

"That was actually a very nice song you played."

"From the way you were listening, it looked like you understood some of the lyrics. Are you proficient at the English language?"

"I still lack experience holding long conversations, but I have been taught English before so I understood some of the words of the song. What is the song called anyway?"

"The song is titled To Let You Go. I wrote this with my band back in my old school. We used to play live venues in San Francisco whenever there is space available for fun. Later, however, our drummer got very depressed that a girl he fell in love with for a while is actually in love with his best friend. Being the gentleman that he is, he had no choice but to wish her the best of luck. The girl got together with his best friend and eventually he became so depressed that he started growing distant from his us and even his family. It took us a while to find out that he had loved her for a long time. At this point, we realized we needed to do something so we thought about writing a song to help him recover."

"I see." The girl responded.

"We felt that a cheery song will not help him in the mood he is in now. We needed a song that shows understanding based on what he is going through right now. That's when we decided that unrequited love should be the theme of the song. Wait a minute, why am I telling all of this!? I don't even know you!"

"I-I am Maki Nishikono by the way." Maki is holding back her laughter after seeing Nate realizing his mistake wait too late.

"Ah, I recognize that name. You are the member of that idol group μ's, right?" Nate asked.

"How do you know that?"

"I saw you girls practicing on the rooftop during my first day here. I then asked other students who the μ's are and your name was mentioned. You girls are very popular."

"Yeah, because without the μ's, we wouldn't have been able to save this school from closing down, let alone having the budget to promote the school internationally."

Nathan's apathetic behavior soon relaxes as he continues his conversation with Maki.

"I am not surprised that you are a member of the group. When I heard you sing, I thought you have a very beautiful voice."

Hearing Nate's compliment, Maki becomes flustered. "Beautiful? Hey, don't start teasing me!"

"What part of that was teasing? I meant what I said. Listening to your voice really, it felt like a little of the stress I had throughout the day vanished just like that. I kinda wished I have that song on my Iphone."

Maki's face becomes even more red. "Geez. Do whatever you want. Its getting late for me so I am going home."

Maki turns around and prepares to leave, but Nate calls out to her. "Nishikono-san. Its a little late, but nice to meet you."

"Yeah, nice to meet you too." Maki smiled.

"Oh, and one more thing, please refer me as Maki if you can."

"Alright. See you then." Nate is then finally alone after Maki left and resumes playing music in peace.


In Akihabara...

Since Nathan is still not used to living in Tokyo, he decides to talk a walk in Akihabara to get some familiarity of the district. He then sees several maids handing out flyers promoting the maid cafes they work at. One sees Nate passes by and handed a flyer towards him, which he accepts out of courtesy before putting it away due to lack of interest. Looking at the billboards, signs, and LED screens, Nathan grows to be a little curious at Japan's pop culture and stops by one of the smaller stores filled with anime and manga products. Nate is amazed at the amount of merchandise in such little space. While he finds the manga very cheap, he becomes dismayed at the outrages prices of DVDs and other anime merchandise.

"What the heck? 80 USD for a two episode DVD? You can get a whole season plus OVAs on Blu-ray for around twenty dollars less in Japantown!" Nate spoke to himself in English.

After looking around a bit more, he spots a familiar face looking at manga, but with a bruise on his right cheek.

"Mark? Is that you?"

Mark turns around and is surprised to see his friend standing behind him.

"Hey Nate. I guess you heard what happened to me this morning, huh?"

"I would like to ask questions, but here is not the place to talk about it. Let's head outside."

"Yeah, sure." Mark then follows Nathan out of the store.

"Okay, tell me what happened this morning. This little incident nearly cost us the school's approval for the club in case you didn't know."

"Look, I am very sorry for what happened, alright? You know that I tried not to pick fights."

"Yes, I am well aware since you are my friend, but I want the exact description of what happened, especially since I've heard you were in the police station."

"Okay, I was on my way to the crowded train when I accidentally bumped into two rough-looking Japanese men. They seemed pretty mad so I bowed and apologized and they seem to have taken it well at first."

"And these are the guys who picked a fight with you?"

"Yes. After they left me alone, they went around the corner of a nearby building while I was going straight. I turned my head into their direction and I noticed they suddenly slowed down behind this cute girl who looks like she is around our age who is walking around with her bag. From the way they are moving, I realized they were stalking her. I didn't know whether they plan to kidnap her or snatch her bag, but I knew these guys were bad news by then. I didn't want to see a crime unfold in front of me so I yelled "Run!" very loud, causing the girl to turn back to see the guys staring at her intensely. They were surprised that they saw me again so soon after I apologized. I figured that they weren't going to let me go so I am pretty sure you know what happened next."

"Let me guess, the guys tried to beat you up, you fought back, but the fight got out of control so the cops were called and all of you were detained for questioning."

"Yes, that's pretty much what went down this morning. Since you saw me here, I am sure you know that I was considered innocent after being questioned for about an hour. The girl I saved had actually witnessed the fight from afar after getting to a safe distance and told the officers what happened. I became a free man in ten minutes after that and thanked the girl, but I knew I couldn't get back to school since the gates have probably already closed by now so I just walked around Akihabara since then. I tried treating the girl to lunch, but she refused since I am still a stranger to her. I understand though."

Nate sighs. "You really have got to be careful Mark. I really went through a lot of stress today after what happened."

"I already said I am sorry. Look, I will talk to the principal tomorrow to sort this whole thing out. I want this club to exist just as much as you do Nate."

"Its not just the club. We have been friends since middle school and I don't want our folks back at home thinking you are a bad influence to me."

"I know, I know. I thought things would settle down for me after coming to Japan as a student, but I guess there will always be something that reminds us of home no matter how far we are from there. I promise you, I will never be the one that picks a fight, but sometimes I can't help, but be involved in it."

"Look, I prefer that you avoid getting into fights no doubt, but if it can't be helped, make sure that there are witnesses so that its less likely that people would want to bother you. At least that way, like the girl who bailed you out, other people can see whether you are innocent or not if you are accused."

"If that's the case then I shouldn't be a member of your club."

"I never said that! You will always be welcome as a member if you want to join. My friends are more important to me than a club, so if a club gets canceled due to whatever reason, I will be okay as long as you guys are still here. We will all work something out if things don't go our way."

"Thanks man. So did you managed to get the approval or was it rejected because of me?"

"What happened to you did affect our chances of getting the approval for our club. Right now, the decision is being upheld until further notice. We don't know what is going to happen right now, but I am still a bit hopeful now that you've been declared innocent from any wrongdoing by the police. Whatever happens, happens. Let's stop talking about this and look around the district some more, shall we?"

"Right. That will take our mind off of the things that happened today." Nate and Mark then proceed to walk around all over Akihabara and explore their new surroundings.

While exploring, Nathan noticed a familiar figure in a maid costume, handing out flyers like the other maids in this district. Wanting to get a closer look at her, Nate made up an excuse of wanting to check out a store next to the maid café where she worked. Mark, who is not interested in the store, decides to go their separate ways since they both live in different apartments, promising to see each other tomorrow at school. With his friend out of the way, Nate approaches the girl closer and finally recognized her.

"Kotori? Is that you?"

Kotori gets startled after seeing Nathan all of a sudden. "Wah! Nate-kun!? What are you doing here?"

"Since I am new to living in Tokyo, I wanted to get the feel of the city so I won't get lost whenever I go far away from my apartment. Of course, I wanted to start with the district that is closest to my apartment so here I am walking around Akihabara. Didn't expect to see you here though, let alone work here."

"For me to be seen by someone who I only met today, how embarrassing..." Kotori's face turns slightly red.

"I don't think there is anything to be ashamed of Kotori. Working in Akihabara is probably the same as having a part time job elsewhere I think."

"I am actually working here to build my confidence here as a school idol since I am a member of the μ's. Working as a maid in a maid café requires me to interact with people to promote our services in the café so that way, I wouldn't be as anxious being in front of a crowd."

"Does your other friends know you work here?"

"The μ's eventually caught me, so only you and they know so far."

"Why would you want to keep your job a secret from your friends?"

"Because so then I can come to them with new ideas and confidence to do new things. Many are able to find confidence within themselves, but as for me, I actually needed a little help doing that so that's why I work here."

Nate gives Kotori a reassuring smile. "I think that's fine Kotori. Everyone has their own way to build confidence and is not like your way is uncommon since I know people who work part time to get the confidence to accomplish something. Plus, i think a job like this suits you very well."

"Really?"

"Really. You look really good in a maid outfit."

Kotori's face turns red again from Nate's compliment, but felt relieved and smiled. "Ehehe, thank you. I thought it looked good on me myself."

"Anyway, I better not delay you any further from doing your job and I still got more areas to explore and find my way back from there. See you tomorrow."

"Hai! See you tomorrow Nate-kun. Oh, and take a flyer please."

"Sure." Nathan then takes the flyer from Kotori's hand.

"Thank you again!" Kotori said before finally parting ways with Nate.

As Nate begins to walk away, he turns around once more to see Kotori, who is too busy passing out flyers to notice.

"Hmm. I think I know where I am going to go for lunch on the weekend." Nate said in his thoughts before walking away for good.

As he passes by the Hanamasa grocery store, where he now shops everyday for food, he notices a poster promoting the Japanese version of the popular broadway show Wicked. Nathan soon started having flashbacks from one of his family vacations when he first watched a Broadway show as a young child in Las Vegas based on a famous Disney movie titled The Lion King. He later remembers how the musical inspired him to pick up his first guitar and started playing for the first time. He was laughed at when he first performed in front of a crowd due to his inexperience with the instrument, but later got much better due to years of practice and eventually started singing. While he seems to be having fun playing in a rock band, he got laughed at again when he announced that his dream is to play in a lead role in a Broadway production. Only his closest friend, Ken, did not laugh and seems to respect his dream. As the flashback ends, Nate still finds himself staring at the Wicked poster in front of the store.

"Someday I will be on that stage. Just you wait." Nate said to himself before leaving.

"Yo Nathan!" Ken's voice called him from behind, accidentally startling Nate.

"Woah! Since when were you here!?"

"I just arrived and I happened to see you staring at that poster. Do you still have that dream of being in the same stage?"

"Yes. I believe that someday, a chance for me to perform on such a grand stage will come and once it does, you can count on me to act and sing my heart out in front of all of these people."

"Actually, that just gives me an idea. If the club gets approved, maybe we can have one of the themes to be Broadway music. Think about the having the songs Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, and Wicked, performed in one room with the people in costume. We can even perform a song from one of the musical that requires a large amount of people starting from one at a time until the whole class sings."

"I actually like that idea. I got to put that down on the list of themes I have for the club. Of course, that's only if it gets approved though."

"I am sure it will."

As Ken and Nathan continue their conversation, they are overheard by a passerby who happens to have black hair tied into twin tails. She stops to listen briefly out of curiosity, but left after the boys started walking towards her direction, though they didn't notice her since they are still talking to each other.

"Hey Nate, did you feel that someone has been listening on us while we were talking?"

"Probably. I did feel something similar to a gaze directed towards us. Oh well, even if someone was watching us, we didn't really say anything important so I don't think it matters if he or she heard us."

"That's probably true. Anyway, I better go. I got quite a bit of homework I still need to do back in my apartment."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

"See you." Ken waves goodbye before leaving Nathan on his own again.

Nathan than realizes something after seeing a train pass by. Still having to suffer from the crowded trains every morning during the last couple of days, Nate felt embarrassed for not being able to remember what he promised to get himself after his first experience on the morning train.

"Can't believe I forgot to get a bike."

Nate then hurries off to Yodobashi Akiba, an electronics store that also sells toys, bikes, anime merchandise, in addition to electronics such as TV and cameras. With his parents financially supporting him, Nate had no trouble purchasing a bike of fair quality and is relieved after he was told that its fast enough to travel him to school on time. Nate is also warned about possible thievery of his bike so he bought several bike chains in response for security. With transportation to school being taken care off, Nathan decides to head back to his apartment to prepare for his next day.


The next day...

Nathan heads to the entrance of the school when he sees Honoka waving at him at the entrance.

"Nate-kun, over here!"

"Yes Honoka, what is it?"

"We actually have some good news! Come on, let's go to Eri-chan!"

"Again!? I just went to her office yesterday!"

"I know, but this time, she has good news waiting for you! Let's go!" Honoka then grabs on to Nathan's arm and starts dragging him.

"No need to drag me Honoka! I will move on my own!" Nate yelled, which Honoka ignored.

Once both of them step inside of the office, Nate and Honoka then see Eri and Nozomi smiling at them.

"What is going on?" Nathan asked.

"Your idea for the club manages to pull through. You got the approval you wanted to start a club and a vacant room has already been assigned for you."

Nathan was taken back by the news as Eri hands hime the approval slip. "Are you serious!? After what happened yesterday!?"

"The Headmaster decided that after the whole incident with your friend, it maybe good for foreign students to get a taste of home in school. Culture shock does bring problems for foreign students trying to adjust to their new environment and she thought that a western-style club might help them feel more comfortable being here." Nozomi explained.

"I am very thankful for this."

Honoka also seemed very happy with the result and gives a smile to Nate. "Congratulations Nate-kun! It looks like things work out after all."

"It did! I better let my friends know before class starts!" Nathan then rushes out of the office with the approval slip.

The three girls in the office were surprised by Nate's excitement, often thinking he was more of a quiet type than what he exhibited just now, but are happy for him, nonetheless. As Nate runs further into the hallway, the same black haired girl approaches the hallway down the stairs and mistakenly got in his way.

"THUD!" A loud sound was heard when Nate accidentally crashed into the girl.

"That hurts..." The girls rubbed her head as she sat up.

"I am very sorry about that. I got a little overexcited and ran to find my friends. It was my mistake for not watching where I was going."

"Geez, be careful next time. It feels like I've been hit by a..." The girl suddenly becomes silent after taking a good look at Nathan's face.

Nathan becomes a little creeped out over the girl's sudden stare. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Huh? No, nothing."

"Really? It looked like you wanted to say something to me."

"I said its nothing! I have to go to class and be careful next time you get all excited!" The girl left without turning back, leaving Nate confused.

"What was that all about?"

"There is no way someone like him will make it into Broadway." The girl said silently as she walked away.


During free period...

Many of Nate's friends are gathered into a classroom to discuss plans for the club.

"So the club is finally approved. I am glad, but what are we going to do about our first meeting since it is scheduled today?" Jenny asked.

"Since today is Thursday, which means that this is the first and last club meeting of the week, we could use today to plan what we are going to do for next week since Japanese cultural clubs meet more than once a week and we have to decide on the positions of course, like who is going to be the head of the club." Mark said.

"If that's the case, I nominate Nathan since he is the one who first came up with the idea. I am pretty sure that he has some plans for the next few weeks." Ken turns to Nathan, who is currently writing plans for each meeting day for the club.

"Considering that we can't afford to change themes everyday, our club will meet three days a week while the theme of the music will change once a week so that we have enough time to get the materials needed to actually play the music." Nate said.

"Um, I can also help if school equipment is needed." One of the girls who joined Nate's music club raised her hand.

"Think you can get us a projector and a screen to play it on? We don't need it for today, but do you think you can get it by the last club meeting this week?" Nate asked.

"Hai! Leave it to me! For now, the club needs a whiteboard right? I can get permission to obtain one."

"Please do Sayako-san." Ken said.

"So anyway, who is going to be the vice president?" Jenny asked.

"I would have to say my best friend Ken, since he seems to be very knowledgeable about after-school clubs in Japan. You won't know when he will be needed for advice." Nathan gives a small laugh.

"I can agree with that."

"Me too."

Jenny and Mark nodded in approval while the Sayako smiled at Nate's decision.

"Wait! I also don't want this to be a simple club where we would just watch and listen. Like the Idol Research Club, I want our members to have an experience that they can take with them. We have got to make this club memorable to everyone."

"How exactly are we going to make such a club?" Sayako asked.

"Is anybody willing to let us use their laptop for the club." Nate asked.

"I will. I record with this thing all the time, although mainly when I am playing the drums though." Ken said.

"Perfect! We have the laptop, but is it possible to bring drums as well?"

"Its kinda impossible for me to buy a set as a foreign exchange student, but the music room should have one if the school allows us to use it."

"I can help with that." Sayako said.

As the club members get more prepared, Jenny pulls on Nate's left sleeve.

"Hmm, what is it?"

"If you are going to make a club with different themes every week, I have a friend who goes here whose mother is a fashion designer back in San Jose. She and her mother usually accepts requests to have outfits made for free as long as we are willing to have pictures taken wearing them. That way, her mother can decide if these outfits would be suitable for a fashion show, magazine, or even sell them as a costume if she wants."

"She is not going to put our pictures in the media, is she?"

"No, she just wants to know if the outfits are suitable for the media. If she likes them, she plans to hire models to wear them and have their pictures taken."

"You do know that the outfits are mainly costumes for the theme, right? None of this would be suitable for a fashion show or a magazine."

"She can still make use of them regardless. Believe me, she knows how to sell."

"If you say so. Is she a part of this club?"

"Yes. She signed up not long after the club was approved."

"Alright then. Since we won't be able to bring our instruments by tomorrow, we will make new flyers and distribute them. Me and Ken will handle the content in the flyer while Sayako copies them. The theme for next week other than today has already been decided anyway."

"What's the theme?" Mark asked.

"Something that almost everyone listens to, western pop music. By then, we would have brought our instruments so we should be able to play. In order to do that, some of the members would need to form a house band to allow other members to sing in case they don't have their own instruments or band to play with. I don't mind putting the effort of being the guitarist and occasional singer, but you guys don't have to if you don't want to."

"Are you kidding me? Being in a band is much better than recording myself, playing drums alone, even if we are just going to be a house band. Consider me as your drummer." Ken said.

"The 90s were an era of American pop music. I can ask Lina if she or her mother can make costumes from that era and since some of the clothes are still fashionable today, it can still be used for fashion shows if her mother likes them. We can have a set done by next week." Jenny is also getting excited.

"Um, if I am not passing out equipment, do you mind if I am the bass player? I know how to play the instrument."

"As long as you know how to play it and don't mind playing western pop music, why not? I may not be able to play my trumpet next week, but I can still be useful by making a list of sheets of the songs you guys are going to play."

"Thanks Mark. It looks like the International Music Club is going to be off to a strong start. Let's start preparing once school is out!" Nate ordered.

"YEAH!" Everyone yelled, unintentionally attracting the attention of the rest of the class, though they didn't seem to mind.

Outside of the classroom, the same girl that constantly runs into Nathan overheard them, showing interest and concern in what the new club have in store.


I decided to do a third chapter of this Love Live fanfic after managing to get a ticket for the Love Live movie in San Francisco. Although I won't continue this until one of my current fanfics is finished, it shouldn't take too long since both of them are at the final arc. I know it might seem overwhelming for a club, but since the μ's started it out from a small club, I wanted Nate's club to have a strong start and continue to remain strong despite the limits and obstacles that might be set on them in the future chapters. Hopefully, the next chapter will show Nathan meeting Hanayo and Rin. Look forward to it.