Mio has gotten home, her mom greets her at the door and asks her to dinner, but Mio just quickly went upstairs to her room, saying that she had something important to do. As soon as she enters her bedroom, she locks the door behind her and sits at the floor; she was now holding onto her chest, her heart was thumping loud.
Swallowing with anxiety Mio tried to calm herself,
Oh my God, I just dashed at Miyu, and I actually lied too, well it's not a complete lie, I did confess to Ritsu, but I didn't directly say I love her.
Mio stands up from the floor, she is still holding onto her chest and takes a look at the bed at the end of her room, and she remembered how her untimely confession was delivered out of the blue.
"How about you, Mio? Will you fall in love with a girl if given the chance?" Ritsu asks while she laid in the bed with her hands at the back of her neck, she was now scolding her inner self for asking such a dumb question, she had no doubt that Mio wasn't going to answer yes, but shock soon overcomes her as she hears not only a yes, but an "Absolutely, and you might be the only girl" answer.
The happy go lucky drummer is dumfounded with her friend, but she soon comes to conclude that this is only a statement, a joke that Mio had thrown at her to keep quiet. She then laughs and tells that she gets it now, she'll shut up and just sleep, Ritsu then takes her hands off the back of her neck and crawls herself under the blankets, but Mio takes the blankets off and yells at her.
"I'm not joking Ritsu!" Mio's face was blushing so red and Ritsu noticed this, feeling a warm blush coming on her own cheeks, she didn't know what to do, Ritsu wasn't in the mood to reject another one within 24 hours, and hell all, it was Mio. She couldn't reject Mio.
Mio's hands were tightly holding the blankets and it was evident that she was shaking, why she was shaking was all vague to Ritsu, she didn't know if Mio was mad, sad, or nervous, but it was probably shyness, because never would Ritsu imagine Mio to confess to someone, and most especially to her. A long silence is eating the two of them now, and all Ritsu could think about is what was wrong with Mio, she then comes close to Mio and tries to hold her shoulder, but she saw how Mio was sobbing lightly now, she then swipe the bangs that covered her best friends bowed face, and slowly lifted her head whilst holding her face.
"Ritsu, I really do like you, more than how a friend should" Ritsu was just staring at her friend, she was obviously trying to think of a good answer, but she couldn't think of one, she just looked behind her and saw the analog clock blink 4:00 am, she then looks back at Mio, she is still holding the long haired girl's face.
"Well, will you look at the time" Ritsu removes her hand from Mio's face, "I'm really stupid to not bring my uniform, so I have to go now, bye then" with this, Ritsu leaves the room.
Mio is left at the bed, the blankets are scattered through her thighs, she hears the click of the gate seconds later and starts to let her tears roll down, she then sits at the edge of her bed in the dark room until shards of sunlight come through her window.
Mio was now changing into her pajamas, she was feeling really down and weak, and she has just realized now that she hasn't eaten anything since morning, she then decides to come down and take dinner, she walking at the flight of stairs when the doorbell rang, two rings rang when Mrs. Akiyama surfaced from the living room, she was drying her hands in her apron, apparently she must have been washing some dishes. Mrs. Akiyama opens the door and finds Ritsu standing outside, Mio's eyes opens wide
Ritsu? What's she doing here?
"Oh, Ricchan! You were just here yesterday, are you going to sleep over again?" Mrs. Akiyama happily inquires the short girl in front of her steps who was now welcomed inside the house.
"Thank you Mrs. Akiyama, but I'm only here to give back Mio's clothes" Ritsu raises the brown bag she was carrying; she was blushing a little when she noticed Mio in the stairs.
Ah, it must be my PE uniform she went home with this morning
"I see" Mrs. Akiyama takes the brown bag from Ritsu "Will you stay for dinner then?"
"ah, well…" Before Ritsu could finish, Mrs. Akiyama began to persuade her, and since she honestly answered that she hasn't had dinner yet, Mrs. Akiyama has started to drag her to the dining room. Mio follows on in a brief. She see's Ritsu sitting at the head chair from the right, and so she takes the head chair at the left. Mio's mother came out with a pot of steamy beef stew, she noticed the girls were too far from each other and asked Mio to sit next to Ritsu.
"Mio, dear, please sit next to Ritsu" Mio was blushing, it was awkward to sit next to Ritsu right now, but she can't tell this to her mom
"I'm fine here mom" Mio answers with a big smile
"Well, yes you are dear, but I plan to wash less so I 'am giving the two of you a whole pot, and if you're this far from each other then it would be hard for the both of you to share"
"I'll wash the dishes then" Mio suggests so surely. Mrs. Akiyama would have been fine with this but it made her curious why the two best of friends didn't want to sit next to each other. "Is there a problem with you two? Are you avoiding each other?"
"Huh, no, It's nothing" Mio is trying hard to hide the situation, she is then looking at Ritsu for help, at the first contact of their eyes, they seemed to have blushed slightly, Ritsu then nods to Mio
"It's ok Mrs. Akiyama"
finally, Ritsu will surely change the topic
"Mio-chan and I are just playing with you, but don't be mad, I'll just seat next to Mio-chan now"
Ritsu's teasing was surreal and happy, she then moves to the chair directly adjacent to Mio, they then awkwardly smile at each other. Mio asks her mom to eat along but Mrs. Akiyama said that she's finished along with her dad, and so only Mio and Ritsu eat dinner together, only looking at their food until they finished.
Minutes later,
Ritsu was now tapping her shoes to the pavement, getting ready to leave; Mio appears from her back, without facing each other Mio starts to talk.
"You didn't have to return the clothes so quick"
"I needed an excuse to see you" Mio was now surprised, could she be planning in rejecting me now?
Ritsu breathes deeply first and suddenly faces Mio "Mio, can we meet tomorrow after school?"
"Whe..where do you want us to meet?" Mio was slightly stammering, clearly nervous
"Whatever random place…" Ritsu answers, a blush slowly forming in her cheeks "as long as we'll be alone" Mio was now blushing too
Ritsu's blushing, how cute...
"yeah, whatever random place" the two of them exchange smiles, Ritsu then walks out of the gates, Mio was still following her in the back and quickly took her hand before promptly leaving, Ritsu looks back, Mio was smiling widely with blush still evident in her cheeks "take care"
Ritsu smiled wide too "Roger"
With that done, Mio hops happily back inside her house, when she got to her bedroom, she sat at her bed and repeated the scene inside her head, she falls back on her bed and starts to realize Ritsu's scent the other night
Mio, you might really have a chance!
Mio excitedly thought, now tossing and turning while hugging her Ritsu scented blankets.
The next day at school -
Ritsu and Mio greeted each other good morning, they still didn't go to school together, although things were milder, there was still a present awkwardness.
Miyu was at the window close by, and she saw how the two warmly exchanged greetings, she handed an emotionless yet annoying expression to Mio who just bowed her head. Miyu then went to her seat and greeted Ritsu too, being the nice person Ritsu is, she greeted back, but her smile a while ago with Mio was different from her smile now. It was formal and friendly, not warm and fuzzy.
The class then begins, yes, a very normal day is yet progressing when suddenly loud footsteps could be heard from the hallways, the student of 3 – 2 ignored this for a while but the footsteps were closing in on them, faint voices were also arising, those who were seated near the front row could hear that the voices were stopping the footsteps to continue walking, but nothing made it stop. The front door of the classroom opens abruptly, a tall, slender, middle-aged lady wearing a cliché office uniform, and has black hair tied tightly upwards came into the classroom with a sour and stern expression. Everyone was looking at the visitor who has just barged in to their room; The teacher of that time was now asking the Lady what she needed, but the Lady ignored the teacher and went to pursue her purpose, she was angrily looking at one particular student who was sitting just beside Ritsu. The girl being angrily looked at knew from the opening of the door that it was her mother who has come to pass judgment on her.
Miyu was grief stricken to recognize her mother; she was sweating nervously and shaking with fear, within seconds of marching her mother had a hold of her in the right arm and quickly drags her out of her seat, the students of the classroom then begin to protest to the Lady. The teacher was now scolding the Lady that harming of students cannot be done there and just a few seconds later, other teachers came inside the classroom. The lady was now irritated,
"This girl here is my daughter, and I have every right to do what I wish" Her grip was evidently getting tighter and poor Miyu was already twitching with pain,
"I believe it would be better if we talk at the office, there are students here who are studying, Mam" Sawako sensei calmly talks to the parent.
"Are you the adviser of Miyu?" The lady has let go of her grip on her daughter now and was talking less angrily, realizing that she was in a classroom,
Sawako sensei comes closer to the parent, "Yes, I 'am the adviser of this class, and if there is a problem with Miyu, then I will gladly talk with you at the office"
The mother is looking bitterly at Sawako sensei and her daughter, she then agrees and tells Sawako to lead the way to her office.
The other teachers leave one by one and the commotion has died down, but 3 – 2 was like a bee hive now, the girls are buzzing with comments and questions, and even their teacher decided to discontinue the lesson, seeing her students were now in another planet.
Later on at the club room, the four seniors were still talking about what had happened in the afternoon, Azusa was now being filled with the events and was clearly feeling worry and pity for her new senpai,
"I hope Miyu-senpai is alright" Azusa expresses with worry in her voice, Ritsu smiles at her kouhai and patts her head lightly "Hai, we all do"
"I wonder why her mother was so mad" Mio wonders aloud while she seated in front of the two,
Mugi was now putting down their cups of tea, the other four were still talking and Yui was wondering why Mugi was quiet since what happened.
"Ne, Mugi-chan, you've been really quiet now" Yui finally asks after Mugi sits down in front of her, Mugi sips her tea before answering Yui "Well, I think I know the reason why Miyu's mom went to school very mad"
Everyone then looked at Mugi, almost standing up at once, they shouted in chorus
"Why didn't you tell us?" Mugi was still sitting down and looked sad to have kept a secret from her friends "I was having double thoughts, I wanted to be sure first" Mio, being the nearest at her side tilts her head closer to Mugi "Sure of what Mugi?"
Just when Mugi was about to tell them, the club room door opens, the girls attention shifts to it, they were afraid that it might be Miyu, but they all sighed in relief when they saw Sawako sensei enter.
"Sawako sensei" Azusa exclaims happily,
"Sawako sensei what happened to Miyu?" Mio was the first to ask
Sawako walked close to them first before answering her student "Well, the whole things a mess, and her mother's dropping her out"
"What?" Ritsu yells
Sawako fixes the position of her glasses "It turns out that she forged her enrollment to her parents, she told her parents that she was attending a coed school and made her aunt believe her"
"Forged the enrollment?" Azusa curiously notions "Why would she forge her enrollment?" Sawako was now sighing, she pulls the head chair below her and sits down "I don't know if I should share this to you girls, it's kind of personal"
The club members were then silent, yes, they wanted to know what was happening, but were they that desperate?, if sharing to them the reason would violate Miyu's personal life, were they even allowed to know the truth?
Mugi then stepped out of her thinking, "I know the reason, and I will share it"
Sawako sensei looked at Mugi "You do?"
Mugi nods "Yes, apparently, I knew Miyu before she transferred here"
Ritsu is now confused, "She's never talked about you"
"Well, yes, because, I know Miyu but she doesn't know me"
all of them are then speechless, silently the five girls and Sawako sensei seat their selves properly, and without any notion, Mugi starts to tell her story, not looking at anyone but at her hands.
"Miyu-chan's old school, which she never talked about to anyone, was also an all girl's school,
one of the most prestigious in the north district at the other side of town. I got to know Miyu because her school was behind my middle school back then; she was always the talk of many due to her beauty and brains, rumors about her spread a long way even to our campus. She was like a celebrity in the area, after graduating middle school; I heard from my classmates that she continued her high school at the same campus, and that she was repeatedly rumored to having many romantic exploits with her classmates and schoolmates, that's the last I've heard, and just after a year I was surprised to see her transfer in here. I felt annoyed of her, I knew from the start that she was lying about many things, I've never heard one rumor of her being in a band, and I knew that like her harem in her old school, she'd do it again here, and I hated it more when I realized that Ritsu was the first one she wanted to victimize!"
Mugi was clearly mad now; she was hiding all of this while everyone was naïvely getting along with Miyu.
Mio was also mad but she was having many questions of her own, "So, Miyu was suppose to transfer to a coed school, because of her harem record with the girls in her old school?"
"Probably yes, I can't be sure, but it must be a part"
"Well, you're not very much mistaken Mugi" Sawako assures the girl "It'll be good if you girls talk to her"
"We can go to her house now" Ritsu suggests
"What if her mother's still there? She's a scary woman you now" Yui face was getting terrified with the thought
"Well, there's five of us and one of her, besides I don't think she'll harm us out of the blue"
"She might scold us hard and loud" Mio mixes in, getting terrified too, "Just remembering her scream gives me goose bumps"
"Oh come on Mio, Yui, I was seating next to Miyu when that Lady started screaming, she's not that bad, she was just really really really angry"
"And you're really really really really trying to convince us" Mio answers her
"Yes ! I 'am! She's a member of the club and a classmate, and my neighbor, don't you guys care about her?"
"Of course we care Ricchan! But what will we do after Miyu-chan tells us her story?"
"We help her talk to her mother"
"I don't like the sound of that" Mugi comes into the conversation
"Ok, we won't but I just think there's more to Miyu than what Mugi has heard and what Sawa-chan isn't telling" Trying hard to convince them, Mio couldn't resist to back her up now, she was still thinking of the scary woman and she was a bit jealous that Ritsu was caring too much for Miyu but she can't resist her baka.
Oh, Ritsu, the things I do for you
"Yeah, Ritsu's right!" Mio yells, the others then look at her "Miyu-chan has only been here for a short time, but Ritsu was the closest to her, and if this drumhead says we help her, then we will"
"Mio" Ritsu smiles with watery eyes at her child hood friend
"Lead the way Buchou" Mio smiles at everyone. Ritsu nods "Ikuzu!" the auburn hair girl shouts as she raises her right hand in the air.
After leaving the club room, Sawako is left alone in the table; she is happily smiling at the void door to where the members have just left. She then stands up and looks around the room, at a cabinet in her right side, Sawako sensei see's the ivory teapot where Mugi's delightful teas are always pouring, "There you are, come to mama" Sawako says aloud in the empty room, She happily takes the Teapot and a cup from the cabinet and goes back to her seat. She puts down the cup and slowly tilts the teapot above, excited to smell the fragrance of the tea and relax in quietness, Sawako is slowly feeling stupid as she realizes that the teapot has nothing to pour. Sawako's face goes from cheerful to annoyed, she opens the teapots lead and finds almost to none amount of tea, her mouth then goes down in a growl, she lifts the teapot above her mouth and shakes it up and down to drop its little contents. Only one droplet falls to Sawako's tongue and nothing more. Sawako lays the pot down and puts back its lead, she then makes her way out, with a bread in her mouth, "I haven't had lunch yet too" Sawako sighs and leaves the club room disappointed.
Chapter Six End.