Touched by an Angel!

by GearUnlocked

One dream. It's the only dream they have, and I'm here to make it real. My name is Satoshi Tainaka and I've taken up the task with making Houkago Tea Time's dreams become reality. With Ui Hirasawa, we set out on an adventure of romance and comedy as we find love and form friendships. Mitsu, YuiAzu, and a slice of Mugitsu.

10. Chapter 10 - The Storyteller

Author's Notes

- Hey everyone! Check my profile to vote on a sequel to Touched by an Angel! You have three decisions, so go and vote now! Your votes will decide on TBAA's fate, so make 'em count! Just click above on my name GearUnlocked and you should find it on the top of my bio. Vote now!

- Well, as sad as it is, I present to you guys the last and final chapter of Touched by an Angel! This is the last chapter of the storyline, but there will be an extra chapter and an epilogue after that. Let's jump into the story. I hope you all enjoy this last chapter and as always, don't forget to leave a review of what you think!

- Please note, long chapter up ahead! Sorry, but this story needs to go out with a bang. Again, I hope you enjoy! Reviews appreciated!

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Touched by an Angel!

Chapter 10 – Finale, The Storyteller

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"Fundamentally, I think of myself as a storyteller, not a writer." – Tom Clancy

---

"Yo, baby brother," Ritsu said with a grin as she waved to me. I cringed and slowly waved back. She patted the chair next to her and gestured for me to sit down, "Surprised to see me?"

"Yeah…" I muttered as I made my way over to her, sitting down on the blue cushion and leaning back in the wooden chair. I exhaled with pleasure as I could finally relax, "Bless you, by the way."

"Thanks, bro!" she said to with a wide smile. Before I knew it, she placed her elbows on the table and rested her head on her hands, starting intently at me, "So…"

My eyes widened as I realized that Ritsu was actually here, and this wasn't some dream or anything like that. I leaned forward in the chair and looked at my sister, poking her face to make sure she was real, "You're actually here…"

"Yep!" she said as I continued poking her cheek. She looked at me with a sour look on her face and I retracted my hand, "Thanks for poking me."

"Sorry…" I said as I continued looking at her, "I thought you were sick, Ritsu… why are you even here? Wait, were you even sick or was Mio-senpai right?! That you just sent us here to make us all look like fools!"

"I was…" Ritsu groaned, "But then I woke up a few hours after you left and I was feeling a bit better… after I dragged myself out of bed, I brought Yui here with me."

"Ho-how you could feel better so quickly?" I asked before batting my eyes at Ritsu, "Wait… Yui-senpai's here? Where is she?"

"Rikkun!" I heard the voice of Yui-senpai sound throughout the room. I turned towards where the voice came from and found Yui-senpai in casual clothing, coming out of the closet with a stuffed toy of a turtle in her hands, "Hello!"

"Yui-senpai…" I muttered her name as she stared at me. I mustered a small wave to the brunette and her eyes lit up with sparkles. Yui-senpai approached me and set the turtle down on the table, "When did you two even get here?"

"Uh…" Ritsu checked her phone as Yui-senpai continued looking at me, "Right before your performance? You just didn't see us because we were in the back of the crowd, finding a good angle to record you guys."

"With your forehead, I'm positive I would've seen you…" I said to her. Ritsu looked up at her forehead and covered it with her hands, shooting me a glare, "Oh, by the way, you should wear your hair like that more often. You actually look pretty without a headband."

A blush formed across my sister's face as she put her hands back on the table, "T-thanks…" she muttered as she looked away. I chuckled and looked over at Yui-senpai, who continued to stare at me intently.

"Y-yes, Yui-senpai?" I asked the girl as she giggled. I raised an eyebrow at her and she stifled her laughter.

"You look nothing like Ricchan," Yui-senpai said as she picked at the black hoodie I was wearing, "How did Mio-chan and the others believe you were Ricchan with that disguise?" she blankly asked with a goofy smile on her face.

"S-senpai…" I felt my head throb from Yui-senpai's lack of understanding, "I'm not… I'm not wearing my disguise… I'm in casual clothing, Yui-senpai," I said to her. Yui-senpai oohed and nodded in understanding.

"Considering I saw you perform with your regular clothes on, I suspect you were caught," Ritsu chuckled, "Let me guess. Mio caught you, didn't she?"

"Yeah…" I groaned as I remembered the pain I received when Mio-senpai threw a book at my forehead, knocking off the wig and revealing my true identity, "It was embarrassing… standing in-front of all of them wearing a skirt – a short skirt, to be more precise."

"Don't blame me if I look attractive in them," Ritsu pouted. I sighed and rubbed my temples.

"Sis… you never know what kind of creep out there is watching you. And all because you were wearing your uniform…" I exhaled as I looked her, "Anyways, back on subject. You two were able to perform, so why didn't you? You still had me and Ui take your spots."

"Because, I wanted to see my baby brother rock out!" Ritsu said energetically, "And you did! I know I don't say this much, Satoshi, but I'm really proud of you. You did a good job, kiddo. Same with Ui."

"You were awesome, Rikkun!" Yui-senpai leaned in and smiled, "First you were like ba-dang-tiss~ and then you were all like boom-tiss-dang~!" she said happily, "I don't know how to describe it, but you were awesome!"

"Oh, please…" I nervously said, feeling my face what up from the compliments, "Ui had a harder time than I did… she deserves the recognition more."

"Oh, it's just to make you feel good," Ritsu blankly said, "Ui was wayyyyy better than you by a longshot. Yui must be so proud of her, aren't you, Yui?" Ritsu asked Yui-senpai. The latter nodded approvingly and I felt my heart drop.

"But everyone deserves a compliment!" Yui-senpai added as she turned to me, "Like I said before, Rikkun, you were awesome too!"

"When are you going to stop calling me that?" I asked her, ignoring her compliment. Yui-senpai frowned and slouched over, her head colliding with the table. I stifled my laughter at her as I heard her mumble in a sad tone.

"Rikkun is so mean…"

"Now, now, Satoshi-kun," Ritsu said as she patted my back, "No need to make Yui sad. You did your best and everyone loved it. You did what I told you what a drummer had to be for the band."

"What would that be?" I asked as heard Yui-senpai continue to mumble to herself how mean I was and how hungry she was. I couldn't help but mentally laugh at how goofy Yui-senpai acts. She would make a great actress, if she chose to pursue that path.

"The heart of the band," Ritsu said as she slowly tapped the area of her chest where her heart is, "The beat us drummers set is what brings the whole band together as one – together as a family. Think of the drummer as the hardworking and providing mother or father. We gotta guide the others."

"And soon they'll be able to guide themselves…" I said. Ritsu slowly nodded and opened her mouth to continue.

"Then at the end of the song, they need to guide us as we finish," Ritsu finished with a grin upon her face.

"That's pretty smart, sis," I said to her, "But I don't think I've ever heard that from you."

"Trust me, padawan!" she said as she slapped my back, "You've heard it from your master before! It's the sacred code of the drummers to teach their students this moral!"

"Nope, doesn't ring a bell," I said to her. Ritsu looked at me and frowned, "All you ever did was hand me a pair of drumsticks and tell me to 'beat the shit' out of the drums. In fact, that's exactly what you said to me."

"Don't ruin the moment, Satoshi!" Ritsu angrily said to me, "I'm trying to create a comfortable atmosphere between the two of us and actually teach you something!" she said as she slowly slumped over, her head colliding with the table – just like what Yui-senpai did, "I'm such a failure of a teacher…" she groaned. I furrowed my eyebrows and let my body roam free.

I felt my head collide with the wooden table, "Hnnnnggghhh…" I moaned. Ritsu opened her eyes and looked at me with a curious look on her face.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked in a lazy, yet surprised voice.

"It's the duty of a student to follow their master," I said. I watched as a smile slowly formed on Ritsu's face, "And plus, I didn't want to feel left out with you and Yui-senpai doing this."

"Doing what?" Yui-senpai's voice asked. Ritsu and I lifted our heads up and found Yui-senpai sitting up, her arms wrapped around her legs as she watched us, a look of happiness on her face. She changes emotions way too fast!

"What are you so happy for?" Ritsu and I mumbled in unison.

"There we go!" Yui-senpai happily clapped her hands together as she giggled excitedly, "Now you two look alike! Rikkun, Ricchan, you two are so cute!"

"T-thanks, Yui-senpai…" I said in a low voice to her as she nodded her response. Ritsu looked at Yui-senpai with a blank face and sighed.

"Anyways, Satoshi…" I turned back to her, "There were some bad things we saw during your performance."

"Eh?" I asked, "What would that be?"

"All three of you are such newbies at this," Ritsu chuckled. Yui-senpai and I looked at her with questionable looks and she leaned back in her chair, "But I gotta hand it to you, you three really surprised me."

"Who's the 'three of you'?" I asked her.

"You, Ui, and Azusa," she answered back. I thought and then I remembered that this was Azusa's first year with the Light Music club and her very first performance under the band Houkago Tea Time.

"Oh yeah…" Yui-senpai slowly nodded, "Today was Azunyan's first performance with us, huh? And we weren't there to play with her… I feel bad for leaving Azunyan like that…"

"It's not like you had a choice, Yui," Ritsu said to her, "You were sick. So was I. Well, we kinda still are, but it doesn't matter now. We wouldn't have been able to play anyway."

"How's that a bad thing?" I asked my sister.

"You can tell by the expressions on your faces that even you were surprised yourselves," Ritsu said, "If you had, like, legit rock and roll fans as your audience – they could tell if you were newbies or not."

"So if I smash my instruments like Keith Moon and Pete Townshend, I'll be a pro?"

"Hey, hey, hey, hey," Ritsu held her hands up towards me, "Don't you dare drag The Who into this. They're awesome. Even though I don't really like how Keith can just do that to his drum kit, I still think they're one of the best bands."

"I know, right?" I agreed with her, "Those things cost money, but since they got, like, super famous… I guess they can keep on buying more drum kits once he smashes the previous one."

"They don't grow on trees," Ritsu nodded, "Anyways, Satoshi. We should be heading down soon. The day is still young and we've still gotta greet the others. How pissed off would you say Mio is?"

"Considering she almost didn't let me and Ui play," I said to her, "She was pretty pissed. It took Sawako-sensei two tries to convince Mio-senpai to let us take over. She was dead-set on cancelling the performance."

"Damn, sorry you had to witness the wrath of the Dangerous Queen," Ritsu said to me. I chuckled and she continued, "What else happened?"

I stopped on the thought of what Sawako-sensei said earlier. The decision of the band outweighs the decision of the bassist. If I didn't tell Ritsu about what Mio-senpai told Sawako-sensei to do, Houkago Tea Time would lose trust in one another. And from how terrified Sawako-sensei was when she mentioned the agents from her past, I don't think Mio-senpai would be able to handle the pressure.

"U-uh, yeah…" I said to her. Ritsu's attention opened up and she looked at me, along with Yui-senpai, "So… in order to let us play, Sawako-sensei and Mio-senpai made a deal."

"Eh?" Ritsu raised an eyebrow, "What kind of deal?"

"From how Sawako-sensei acted, it was a bad deal," I said to her. Ritsu nodded along as she was trying to comprehend what I was trying to say, "It was as if Sawako-sensei didn't want it to happen at all."

"Do you know what the deal was about?"

"Y-yeah… apparently Mio-senpai wants Sawako-sensei to do work. Considering that Sawako-sensei was a part of Death Devil in her days at Sakuragaoka, Mio-senpai wants Sawako-sensei to contact the agent that Death Devil had," I said to her. Ritsu tapped her chin lightly.

"What's so bad about that?" she asked, "From what I see, it's a benefit to HTT. If we ever make it big, we'll need an agent for sure."

"Sawako-sensei told me and Ui that Death Devil's agent is someone who would use HTT to benefit themselves," I said, "They wouldn't care if you guys got hurt, just as long as you would provide them with money."

"I see…" Ritsu said, "How about this, Satoshi? We keep this a secret for now. Only me, you, Ui, and Yui will know about this. Azusa and Mugi will be told later on. Until then, we seek out the rest of Death Devil and see if they have the same thing to say about this agent."

"Sounds good, sis," I said to her. She nodded in approval and looked at Yui. The rest of Death Devil? I don't even know anything about them, "But, you don't trust Sawako-sensei, Ritsu?"

"It's not that I don't trust her, Satoshi," my sister answered, "It's only because I want to learn more about this agent first. It would be helpful if I had the opinions of the other Death Devil members, since I'll be calling the shots."

"R-right…" I nodded. Wow, looks like my sister is actually taking responsibility for once. You're getting there, sis. You're almost to adulthood. I still don't feel easy about this… maybe if I bug her enough, she'll talk to the rest of HTT.

"Yui, keep quiet about this. This is your first and final warning," my sister said as she collided her index finger with her thumb and lifted her hand towards Yui-senpai, "Capisce?"

"What is this, The Godfather?" I deadpanned. And with a snap, I'm back to seeing my sister as an immature kid.

"Gotcha, boss," Yui-senpai deepened her voice and nodded. Her act was over as soon as it started as the guitarist began giggling uncontrollably, "I sound so funny when I talk like that!"

"What the hell are you two doing?" I asked both of the brunettes as their eyes shifted towards me.

"Don'tchu talk to me like that, kid!" Ritsu said as she folded her arms over her chest, "Ya better get outta here before I break ya face, eh?"

"Why do you feel the need to do this…" I sighed. Ritsu giggled and I looked up at her, "But seriously, don't you think you should confront the rest of HTT about the agent? Call a band vote?"

"We should get more information first. That's why we're going to ask the rest of Death Devil before we step into that," Ritsu said, "After all, this is some serious stuff! We wouldn't want to blow this opportunity away!"

"What opportunity?" I asked her, "It's not like Sawako-sensei talked to the agent already. We don't even know if she can even get ahold of the agent. Great, now I feel bad for crushing your hopes."

"You ask too many questions, Satoshi!" my sister said as she stood up, pushing the chair back, "We need to head down. We still haven't greeted the others yet. If Mio has a karate chop directed to my head, I'm ready for it!"

"This discussion still isn't over, nee-chan," I said. My sister's eyes lit up with sparkles and she looked at me with a wide smile upon her face.

"That's the first time you called me 'nee-chan' ever since we were little…" my sister said as she wiped a fake tear from her eye, "Why don't you do it more often, you brat?! I'm your older sister, dammit! Give me the respect I deserve!"

My eyes lit up with fire and anger surged through my veins. I stood up and our foreheads bumped together as we forced each other back.

"That's why, you act like an idiot!" I yelled back to her.

"Don't yell at me, you're an idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot, you are! I even have Mio-senpai to back me up on that!"

"You are! And Mio's just being a pessimist!"

"Do you even know what a pessimist is?!"

"Nope! But I know that you're the real idiot!"

"See! You're the idiot in the family! A pessimist isn't what you think it is!"

"Like I care!"

"Both of you are idiots," Yui-senpai happily said. We turned to her and directed our anger towards the guitarist as she shrunk in fear.

"WE DON'T NEED TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU!" both of us yelled in unison towards Yui-senpai. She rubbed the back of her head and giggled as we turned back towards each other.

"This argument is pointless, nee-chan," I sighed as I felt the fumes die down.

"Yeah…" she agreed as she calmed herself down, "Wait, 'nee-chan'?"

"Mhm," I nodded, "I'll try my best to call you 'nee-chan' more often. No promises, since I got too used to calling you Ritsu."

"That's nice to hear, Satoshi…" my sister smiled, "Let's head down to the festival now, huh? I'm sure the others are looking for you as well."

"Right behind you, nee-chan," I said as Yui-senpai stood up. We walked towards the double-doors and I took a glance back at where we sat. I'll be missing the sight of the Light Music Club's room. I hope I'll be able to come back one day.

"Lead the way, Yui," Ritsu said as we opened the doors to come in view of the staircase. She looked back into the room and her eyes met with something, "Hold on."

"Roger, Captain!" Yui-senpai mock-saluted my sister and turned to skip down the stairs, her fingers grazing over the turtle statues that lay on the staircases banisters. My sister came back and this time, her yellow headband held her hair back and her forehead shined.

"You got your headband back," I said. My sister nodded and glided her fingers through her brown hair.

"I couldn't just leave my precious all alone there!" my sister said, "I would be a bad owner if I just left my headband sitting all alone on top of the wig."

I chuckled and we followed Yui-senpai. As Yui-senpai walked down the stairs, my sister turned to me and tapped my shoulder. I looked at her and she leaned in, whispering into my ear, "So… you gonna ask her?"

"Ask who what?" I asked. She leaned back in and whispered.

"Ask Ui out. I know that you've been planning to do that for a while now, Satoshi," she said. My eyes widened and I back away from my sister, "You didn't think I wouldn't know? I've had my eyes on you, Satoshi."

"W-what? H-how would that make you know that… that I'm going to ask Ui o-out?" I stuttered. A devilish grin appeared on my sister's face and I tensed at the touch of her hand on my shoulder, "W-what?"

"That told me, baby brother," she giggled, "Thank you for telling me your intentions. Now I know what you're trying to do – I'll try my best to help you in any way I can."

"You'll help me ask out Ui?" I asked her. Thank God that Yui-senpai wasn't paying any attention to us. I don't know how she'll react when she finds out that I have feelings for her beloved little sister. Maybe she'll kill me if I take Ui away from her – she does have that yandere look in her eyes sometimes.

Ritsu nodded and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, lightly tapping her chin as we walked. Something must have popped up in her head as she quickly turned to me, a smile upon her face, "You're in the Literature Club, right? That means you also write stories?"

"Yeah, I'm on chapter 16 of 'Full Fledged Orchestra'. I've been working on it with Kurisu-senpai for a while now," I said. That's when it hit me – Full Fledged Orchestra. I haven't touched that story in days, in fact, I've been so caught up with helping Houkago Tea Time that I don't even remember where I left off.

"Then answer this question for me, Satoshi," my sister said, "Do you like writing stories?"

I nodded in response and said, "I don't just like it – I love it. I want to be a professional author one day. Maybe even a mangaka."

"Right, right… you're an otaku…" my sister muttered, "I forgot. Anyways, I'll tell you this. You should ask Ui out with how you think you should. Combine it with something you love. Be creative – you are a writer after all."

"Got it," I nodded as I began thinking about ways I should ask Ui out. I have a lot of options, really. Winning her a prize at one of the games, take her out for a bite to eat, mess around at the festival grounds, or tell her a story. I have so many options. But wait… I think I found my solution. I mentally grinned and asked myself.

Why not do all of that?

---

"Idiot!" I heard Mio-senpai yell as the three of us met the rest of the girls at the auditorium. I watched as Mio-senpai's fist landed on my sister's head, causing Ritsu to stumble back and rub the newfound bruise on her head, "You were here all along?! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Ouch! But Mio-chuan~!" my sister said as another blow landed on her head. She groaned in pain and began rubbing both of her bruises. I covered my mouth, trying my best to hold my laughter in. How did it all go from calmly walking down the stairs to Mio-senpai whacking my sister on the head?

"Don't call me that! Never call me that!" Mio-senpai's face flushed with embarrassment as she rubbed her hand. I remembered that once we finally found the rest of the girls, my sister quickly ran up to Mio-senpai and jumped on the bassist. It went downhill from that.

"Fine, fine… Dangerous Queen! I just wanted to – aaahhh!" a third blow hit my sister, but this time to her forehead. She rubbed her bruises and looked up at Mio-senpai, who was now blushing and had fumes coming from her ears, "Why, Mio?!"

"Y-you idiot! Don't call me that either! Never! Do it again and I'll make sure your forehead gets more!" Mio-senpai said with a flustered look on her face.

"Sorry, sorry!" my sister cowered, "Just please no more! I promise I'll never do it again!"

"Now, tell me, Ritsu!" Mio-senpai said, the blush still present on her face, "Why didn't you tell us you were here, so we could perform together?!"

"Because Satoshi and Ui have talent!" my sister retaliated, "They played well, didn't they?! Why are you getting so angry? I didn't do anything wrong!" Mio-senpai lifted her fist into the air and Ritsu flinched, closing her eyes and shrinking.

"Mio-chan," Mugi-senpai stepped in between the two and had a look of concern on her face, "We shouldn't be angry at one another. Today is a day of celebration after all!"

"Eh? A… celebration?" Mio-senpai asked as she set her fist down. Mugi-senpai nodded her head and the bassist seemed to have calmed down.

"Yes! Today is the school festival and we just finished our performance!" Mugi-senpai clapped her hands together, "That means we have the whole day to explore and enjoy the other parts of the festival! It will be great!"

"It is tradition to have fun at the school festival, Mio-chan," Yui-senpai said as she pulled Azusa into a half-hug. The latter looked up at her and pushed Yui-senpai away, giving the brunette a glare, "Eh, Azunyan? What's wrong?"

"I'm still angry at you…" Azusa muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Yui-senpai, you could've at least told us you were coming first…"

"Don't blame me, Azunyan!" Yui-senpai frantically waved her hands in the air before she pointed to my sister, "Blame Ricchan! She's the one who made me come! If it wasn't for her, I would still be sleeping at home!"

"Eh?" my sister shot up and stared at Yui-senpai, "What are you talking about?! Don't blame me! If anyone, you should…" she looked through the confused faces of those around her, "Blame Satoshi!" she pointed at me.

"W-what?!" I shouted. Yui-senpai slid to my side and pulled me in closer to her.

"Rikkun…" she loudly whispered, gaining the attention of everyone else, "Azunyan's mad at me… so please take the fall so she'll stop being mad. It's not fun cuddling her when she's mad."

"Yui-senpai…" Azusa muttered as she looked at the two of us, "Just… please tell me if something important happens. I was worried about you…"

Yui-senpai's eyes lit up with stars as she left my side and rushed over to Azusa, jumping onto the small girl and pulling her into a hug. Yui-senpai dug her cheek into Azusa's and I swear I heard a small purr come from Azusa.

"Azunyan was worried about me!" Yui-senpai giggled as she nuzzled Azusa even more, "I promise I'll tell you everything! No need to fear, neko-chan!"

"Get off me!" Azusa said as she tried to push Yui-senpai off her, but to no avail. It seemed like Yui-senpai was glued onto the girl, "Yui-senpai, this isn't the time or the place for this!" Azusa squirmed in Yui-senpai's grip. I have to say… the interaction between the two of them… just… wow. Someone cleared their throat and I found my sister to be the culprit.

"Anyways, I do have one thing to say about your performance," my sister said, "Overall, it was nice, I really liked it! I wish I was there! Well, I was… but I meant I wish I was there to play!"

"Oh, oh! Same here!" Yui-senpai raised her hand as she clung onto Azusa, "Azunyan! You and Ui were amazing! I felt your energy spray all over me, but in sweat form!"

"That's just gross, Yui-senpai…" Azusa muttered as Yui-senpai continued to cuddle with her.

"The thing is…" my sister's eyes narrowed, "Your MCing sucked."

"What?!" all of us except Yui-senpai shouted to my sister, who rubbed the back of her head and grinned.

"If Yui and I were there, I would do the best MCing the audience would ever hear," my sister said with a confident look upon her face, "Their minds would be blow by how awesome it would've been."

"Oh, really?" Mio-senpai raised an eyebrow towards her, "Explain to us how 'awesome' it would have been, Ritsu."

"Well… if you really want me too…" my sister said in a low voice and looked down at the ground. We looked at her with confused and concerned looks. Before we knew it, she shot up and pretended to hold a microphone to her mouth, "On lead guitar, Houkago Tea Time's one and only Lazy Fairy!" she pointed to Yui-senpai, who let go of Azusa and smiled. The brunette clapped her hands together and giggled.

"That sounds so cute, Ricchan! I love it!"

"On bass guitar, she's awfully mean and won't hesitate to break a bone in your body if you cross her path the wrong way!" my sister gestured to an annoyed Mio-senpai, "The Dangerous Queen! She'll rock your world, in a good and bad way!"

"W-what?!" Mio-senpai shook with anger, "Don't you dare call me that! Ritsu!" my sister deviously snickered as she ignored Mio-senpai, which caused the bassist to flush with embarrassment.

"Moving on to our keyboardist!" Ritsu pointed to Mugi-senpai and the latter smiled, "Do-Re-Mi! The Airheaded Princess! The richest one of all, the Princess will make sure you end up 'missing' if you dare test her!"

"I like it, Ricchan! I've always wanted to be given a nickname!" Mugi-senpai happily said. Ritsu nodded in acknowledgement and turned towards the pigtailed rhythm guitarist, who watched with a lazy look on her face. She gasped as she realized it was her turn to be called on by my sister.

"And our rhythm guitarist, she's the baby of the band!" my sister nodded towards Azusa, "The Diligent Kitten! She may be small, but she packs a mean and cute 'roar'!"

"Ritsu-senpai!" Azusa said, a faint blush on her face, "You're so immature!"

"Finally, the greatest one of them all!" Ritsu pointed to herself and I rolled my eyes towards her, "Me, Everyone's Idol! The one every girl dreams to be and the one all the guys wish they could have!"

"Who would want to be you?" Azusa sarcastically asked.

"Apparently you weren't listening to me, Nakano," Ritsu grinned, "You see, every girl wants to be me, because let's be honest. I'm awesome!"

"I was being sarcastic, Ritsu-senpai…" Azusa sighed as she face-palmed. Yui-senpai suddenly shouted, gaining the attention of everyone else. She pounced on Azusa and began cuddling the girl again, much to Azusa's distraught and struggle in Yui-senpai's arms, "Let go of me, Yui-senpai!"

"Come on, Azunyan!" Yui-senpai said as she let go of Azusa, "Let's go to the booths! I heard the Swimming Club has Mapo Tofu at their booth! Isn't that awesome?! They're supposedly super, duper spicy! I can't wait to try it!"

"Yui-senpai, I don't think – hey!" Azusa's voice shrieked as Yui-senpai began dragging the girl away from the stage. Yui-senpai ran as Azusa trailed behind her, screaming for the former to release her hand.

"Hurry, Azunyan! I don't want the line to be long when we get there!" Yui-senpai yelled as the door opened.

"W-wait, Yui-senpai!" Azusa's last words echoed throughout the auditorium as the door closed. I turned to the other girls as they were watching Yui-senpai and Azusa with confusion. They blinked and Ritsu turned towards Mio-senpai.

"Hey, Mio…" my sister nudged the bassist and the latter faced her, "I hear they have Onigiri here… want to come with me to get some? I know you really like rice…"

"Idiot. You mean you really like rice?" Mio-senpai said. My sister pouted and looked at Mio-senpai with a sad look on her face, "But… I am a little bit hungry. And after what's been going on today, I could sure use a meal."

My sister smiled and raised her finger in the air, "Just watch how much you eat, Mio. I've been noticing that you've gained a few pounds lately and–"

"Ritsu…" Mio-senpai growled. My sister's eyes widened and she turned towards an enraged Mio-senpai, "I advise you stay away from the mentioning of sensitive subjects such as that."

"Please forgive me!" my sister bowed, "Akiyama-san, will you still accompany me to go and get some Onigiri?!"

"Fine, fine…" Mio-senpai as she held her hand out and pointed to the door, "Lead the way, Ritsu."

"Alright!" my sister excitedly looked at Mio-senpai and looked towards those who would remain behind if her and Mio-senpai left – Mugi-senpai, Ui, and I. Mugi-senpai's eyes sparkled as I believed she was in another daydream. The blonde quickly shook her head and looked at Ritsu.

"What shall I do, Ricchan?" Mugi-senpai asked with her thick eyebrows raised.

"Do you wanna come with us, Mugi?" my sister asked her, "If you don't want to, you can go hang out with Kurisu or Sawa-chan. Although, I have no idea where they went."

"Speaking of those two," I turned to Ui, "Where did they go anyway?"

"I believe Sawako-sensei had urgent matters to attend to while Kurisu-senpai left with Satō-senpai earlier on," Ui answered me, "About 10 minutes before you, Ritsu-senpai, and onee-chan arrived."

"What will you two be doing, Satoshi-kun, Ui-chan?" Mugi-senpai asked us. I faced the blonde and I tapped my chin. Before I could answer, my sister grabbed Mugi-senpai and whispered something into her ear. Mugi-senpai's eyes widened and a blush sprouted across her face, "Please forget what I just asked. I will be going with Mio-chan and Ricchan. I hope you two enjoy!"

"E-eh?" I stuttered as I watched my sister drag Mio-senpai and Mugi-senpai away from Ui and I. I flinched at the sound of the door opening and closing, leaving Ui and I alone in the auditorium. Sure, there were a few girls and visitors lingering about, but I was alone with Ui. I turned to said girl and flashed her a nervous smile.

"Ui?" I asked her as she stood next to me, "Don't you want to go hang out with them?"

"I was promised a date, Satoshi-kun," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at me with a soft smile on her face, "And I'm still waiting on that promise."

"O-oh yeah…" I felt my face heat up, "W-well… what do you want to do first?"

"You should decide for us, Satoshi-kun!" Ui happily said, "There are a lot of things to do at Sakuragaoka's school festival, so we should try to enjoy it as much as we can."

"You're right," I nodded and rubbed my chin in thought. What would Ui want to do first? I don't know what's going through her mind right now, so I can't decipher what she'd want to. Leaving me to choose… hmm…

"I'm a little bit hungry though, Satoshi-kun," Ui said as I heard her stomach grumble. She blushed in embarrassment and rubbed her stomach, nervously chuckling as I watched, "Uh… please excuse that."

"It's fine, it's fine," I waved my hand. Seeing Ui acting like that… how cute, even her bashful side is cute, "So, what are you craving, princess?"

"I see you called me 'princess', huh?" Ui asked. I nodded and the corners of her lips curved into a smile, "I believe I am craving… tamagoyaki. Would you please escort me there, my shining and noble prince?"

What am I doing? Princess? Prince? How did it end up like this? She's not even my girlfriend and already we're giving each other pet names. Oh, boy…

"Right away!" I said as we began walking towards the exit. I felt someone grab my arm and turned to find Ui, her hands wrapped around my right arm, "U-Ui…"

"It's so nice to act like this around you, Satoshi-kun!" Ui giggled, "Calling each other 'prince' and princess' just makes me feel warm inside. It's great to have a friend like you, Satoshi-kun."

"A friend…" I repeated. As she said that, I felt my heart drop all the way down to my feet. I felt as if my head was going to explode from deciding what to do now. She sees you as a friend, Satoshi. Do you want to ruin the friendship and try to pursue something greater than that or should you just stay as her friend?

"But something deep down also tells me you're more than just a friend, Satoshi-kun," Ui said as she looked away, "You're a special friend to me. I, honestly, don't know what I would do if I lost you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be saying this…"

"No, no! It's fine!" I said. I was touched by her words… they really hit me deep. It would be the same for me. Ui's become so dear to me that she's one of my closest friends. I don't really have many friends that are girls, so I could say that Ui's my girl best friend.

"Are you sure, Satoshi-kun?" Ui asked me as she looked up. Our eyes met and I nodded towards her, "W-well… I… lately I've been…"

Gurrrrgggllleeee…

Ui was cut off by the sound of my stomach grumbling. Skipping out on breakfast and lunch isn't something you should do. Now I pay the price for my crimes against my intestines.

"Sorry… that was me…" I said, rubbing the back of my head. Great, thanks a lot, stomach. You just ruined it for the both of us. Ui giggled and she tightened her grip on my arm.

"Let's get you some food, huh?" she offered. I agreed and we opened the double-doors of the auditorium. We met the bright light of the sun as we stepped outside into the courtyard. The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of the outside world and conversations from all around.

Now, Ui Hirasawa, what were you going to say?

---

"Alright!" I exclaimed as I pulled out the seat and sat down, feeling the warm steel of the chair as someone sat there before. I eyed Ui as she looked down at her plate of Tamogoyaki. For our sides, there was an Onigiri that was designed to look like a panda's head. As for the drink, a bottle of strawberry-flavored Ramune served as the thirst-quencher.

"Wow… the Jazz Club did an amazing job with designing the Onigiri…" Ui said, her eyes still donned upon the rice, "I wish I could turn food into art. It's so cute…"

"You're right…" I said as I looked down at my own plate of the cuisine. I picked up my chopsticks and poked the Tamogaki. The squishy feeling of the delicacy made my stomach ruble even more.

"Oi, you two!" I heard a voice sound from behind me. I took a glance behind my back and found a bushy-haired brunette standing behind me, her hands on her hips as she grinned. Jun Suzuki, a friend of Ui's and someone who I haven't seen all day.

"Oh, Jun-chan," Ui said as she looked at her friend, "Would you like to eat with us? You must be starving from working all day."

"You? Working?" I scoffed as I pointed my chopsticks at Jun, who frowned.

"Yes, I actually had to work. And it's rude to point at someone like that!" she shouted as I felt her swat the chopsticks away from my fingers.

"H-hey!" I said as I watched my chopsticks land on the grassy floor a few feet away. As I was about to stand and go pick them up, I felt Jun grab my wrist. The bushy-haired girl leaned in closer to me, a little too close for my comfort. I felt my body shake as her breathing blew into my ear, "Uh… J-Jun?"

"You do anything that hurts Ui and I'll make sure you die a slow, painful death…" she whispered. My body tensed and I quietly gasped, "Ya got me, Tainaka?"

"W-what are you talking about, Jun?" I whispered back, "I would never do a thing that would hurt Ui. It saddens me to even think of her hurt, nonetheless to see her actually hurt."

"Good," she said as she let go of my wrist. I looked back up at Jun as she leaned back. Stealing a quick glance at Ui, I could see the brunette was still intrigued by the panda Onigiri. So cute… anyways, back to Jun.

"Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?" I asked her.

"I'm just protecting my friend."

"Eh? But she's my friend too, Jun," I said to her, "I don't see how two friends can't just have a little bite to eat without people assuming something between them."

"You and I both know you want to be something more than friends," Jun grinned. My eyes widened and I grabbed the girls' hand, pulling her in closer to me.

"H-how do you know that?" I whispered.

"Oh, please… even though I'm a dense kind of person, I can still see where two people like one another," she whispered back, "Also, Ritsu-senpai kinda told me when she and Mio-senpai stopped by to buy some Onigiri."

"My sister…" I groaned.

"So… you gonna ask her out or what?" Jun teased.

"I will, I will…" I said, reassuring the girl, "I have a plan. It's well-thought out and I'm sure she'll say yes by the end of it."

"Like your plan for HTT's Road to Budokan? That's one long ass plan, by the way," Jun asked, "For all I know, it could be months before you muster up the nuts to finally ask out Ui."

"No, this plan will only take up the day," I said, "By the end of the day, Ui will be my girlfriend, hopefully. Everything needs to go according to the plan and it'll be smooth sailing."

"You like planning things, don't you?"

"I like to stay organized, yes."

"Then why was your room a complete mess when we all video-chatted?"

"Eh?! You're the one to talk! Showing off in your bra and everything!" I said. Little did I know that I would experience the pain my sister receives when she pisses Mio-senpai off.

"You pervert!" Jun shouted as I felt her fist slam down on top of my head. My brain rocked from side to side as my head shook from the impact, "You were staring at me like that?! Satoshi-kun, you're a pervert," she covered up her chest.

"W-who are you, Charlotte Dunois?!" I asked, "I'm no pervert! I was just making a comeback!"

"I know you probably couldn't resist my voluptuous figure, like most boys, but never reveal to a girl you were staring at them!" she said.

"I wasn't staring!" I shouted, "Like I said, I was just stating something as a comeback and it happened to land on that event! Why? Because you mentioned video-chatting!"

"Oh, don't lie to me, Satoshi-kun," Jun shook her head, "Anyways… I'll keep this as a secret between you and I. Ui will never know, but you owe me a favor in the future for keeping quiet."

"Such black mail…" I groaned. I looked back at Ui as the brunette was still fully concentrated on the Onigiri. She had the rice ball in her chopsticks and was examining the bottom of the delicacy, "Fine…"

"Also, nice performance," Jun smiled.

"Y-you watched?"

"Mhm! You and Ui were pretty good, you guys should form a band or something. Talent like that can't go to waste!"

"Thanks for the advice, but no thanks… Houkago Tea Time is enough to be focused on."

"Alright!" Jun shouted, "Well, I need to get back to working. Those Onigiri can't wrap themselves! Later, Ui! Best of luck, Satoshi-kun!"

"See you later, Jun-chan," Ui waved her bushy-friend off. The brunette was now looking at me

"Wait! My chopsticks!" I called after Jun. The girl looked back at me and grinned.

"I'll grab you a new pair, this one is dirty!" Jun yelled back as she scooped the chopsticks off the ground and tossed them into the nearest trashcan. I turned back to Ui and we smiled at one another. I soon found a hand slap down on the table, a pair of chopsticks in them. I looked up at Jun and nodded my thanks.

"Thank you for the food!" Ui and I clapped our hands together. I picked up my chopsticks and dug into the cuisine, picking up a roll and stuffing it into my mouth. I melted away at the sweet taste of the Tamagoyaki. I looked at Ui and I could only say one thing about her.

Even with a full mouth, she can still pull off a beautiful look.

---

After the two of us finished eating, we made our way throughout the tents. I would initiate another part of my plan – time to win Ui a stuffed animal. Hopefully my skills of going to the arcade over the past years will help me succeed.

"So, what do you want? The elephant, cat, or rabbit?" I asked Ui as we stood in front of a game booth with a layout of three rows of three empty bean cans standing. The objective was to knock all three rows down with the use of a beanbag. You only had three beanbags under your arsenal and the table where the cans stood was quite far away. This type of game was common among festival grounds.

"Hmm…" Ui scanned the top of the booth, where the prizes hung from the ceiling. Other than giant stuffed-animal versions of an elephant, cat, and rabbit, there were small prizes. One I could note would be the plastic statue of some anime character. I've heard about it around before, what was it? The silver hair and angelic wings sprouting from her back… hmm… I believe it was called Angel Beats!

"There's so many to choose from, huh?" I said.

"Yeah…" Ui nodded, "Maybe we should wait until you actually win for me to decide on which prize."

"Eh? You sound like you doubt my skills, Ui," I said, feeling a little gloomy.

"It's not that, Satoshi-kun… but have you actually played this type of game before?" Ui asked, a little hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"Plenty of times! My sister and I have visited enough amusement parks and festivals that we know this game by heart!" I confidently said. Although, I didn't mention how many times it took for us to actually win one prize…

"I suppose…" Ui said as she looked away. I frowned a bit before I walked up to the stand, where I was met by a brunette with her hair tied into two curly pigtails. The blank look on her face told me that she was bored as hell.

"Welcome to the Baton Club's booth," she said in a monotonic voice, "Would you like to participate in playing this game?"

"Yes, please!" I said with determination, "How much for one round of

"For three balls, that would be 700 yen," she said. My eyes widened. 700 yen just to toss three balls at cans?! What is this madness?

"I'll take three balls then, please…" I sighed as I pulled out my wallet. I fished the 700 yen from the leather wallet and hesitantly handed it to the girl. In exchange for my yen, she placed three balls on the table, "How many cans need to be knocked out so I can win one of those?" I pointed to the giant stuffed animals.

"If you knock down all the cans and win one game, you receive this," she said as she placed a sock monkey on the table, "You need five of these to trade them in for the stuffed animals," she answered back. Doing the math, if I were to be an ace and win all five games… that would be… 3500 yen… shit.

"C-can… I just buy it instead?" I asked. The girl shook her head no and I mentally swore.

"Here in the Baton Club, we like to uphold the tradition of winning your prizes. Offers to buy or trade for a certain prize will be rejected. Please do it legitimately."

"Satoshi-kun, are you sure about this?" I felt Ui's hand touch my arm, "We can just go somewhere else. You don't have to do this."

"Oh, but I want to," I grinned, "I have some extra funds that I've been meaning to spend anyway."

"If you're willing to do so," Ui said.

"Here it goes then!" I said as I picked up one of the balls. I took a few step backs and I aimed down my line of sight and found the cans standing. Putting enough momentum into my arms, I retracted them and threw the ball. I watched as the ball soared through the air, colliding with the bottom left side can.

"You hit it!" Ui clapped with excitement. The cans of the first row, plus one from the top middle row fell down to the grass. 4 down, 5 to go. We can do this.

Two balls later, I had knocked down all of the cans – winning one sock monkey. I grinned as I handed Ui the sock monkey so she could hold it. I laid down another 700 yen and the girl handed me three more balls. It took me three games to finally win a second game. Gee, my luck is really with me today. I slapped another 700 yen and had to play at least two more games before I won a third time. The fourth game came and I knocked down all of the cans with one ball remaining.

The stunned look on the girl's face and Ui's face were quite the sight. Even I was shocked, who knew I would get this far? After 6300 yen and 9 games in I'm not regretting a single thing. I looked at Ui and she cradled two of the sock monkeys in each arm. I winced as I found my wallet to be completely empty now, except for one last 700 yen.

As I put down the final 700 yen that I had in my wallet, I picked up one of the three balls and aimed. My arm was felt a little sore and I could feel my muscles crying for mercy. Just like the idiot I am, I threw the ball, only for it to go straight past the cans and hit the other side of the booth.

"Miss," the girl said. I felt my heartbeat increase as I picked up another ball out of shock and frantically threw it, only to have the ball do the same thing as the first, "Miss again. One ball remaining."

"Satoshi-kun…" I felt Ui tug on my sleeve, "I know you're getting tired… do you want me to throw it for you? It's your last ball and only chance to win."

"I… can do it, Ui…" I exhaled. I took a deep breath and aimed the last ball towards the full rows of cans. As I was about to throw the ball, I heard a familiar voice yell over the crowd.

"Damn! I lost again!" I looked around and found the source of the voice to be no one other than my sister. She stood with Mio-senpai and Mugi-senpai at another game booth, where the player had to roll small bowling balls into a ring.

"Don't be so loud, Ritsu…" Mio-senpai scolded my sister as she folded her arms over her chest. I continued staring at my moping sister until she looked up, our eyes meeting.

"Hey, there's Satoshi!" she pointed at me. She, Mugi-senpai, and Mio-senpai made their way over to me and Ui, a bright smile upon their faces, "So, what'd ya win, baby brother?"

"After 9 attempts, Satoshi-kun was able to win four sock monkeys," Ui answered her, "It seems he is trying to win one of the giant stuffed animals."

"I see, I see…" my sister rubbed her chin, "How much money do you have left on you?"

"That was the last of my allowance…" I groaned as I slouched over. I felt Mugi-senpai pat me on the back and the blonde said something.

"Don't worry, Satoshi-kun, I'm sure you can win this."

"Yeah, bro!" my sister exclaimed, "Or you can just buy it."

"They won't let me buy it," I explained to her. My sister raised an eyebrow before turning to the girl who ran the game.

"Whoa, it's Ichigo!" my sister said.

"Tainaka," the girl I now know as Ichigo nodded, "I'm guessing this is your sibling?

"You two know each other?" Ui and I asked with confused looks.

"All of us know each other! She's in the same grade as us!" my sister said. Turning back to the girl, she wrapped an arm around me and gestured towards Ichigo, "Satoshi, Ui, this is Ichigo Wakaōji, a member of the Baton Club and a classmate of ours. Ichigo, this is Satoshi and Ui. My brother and Yui's little sister."

"Ah, so Hirasawa-san has a sister. It's nice to meet you," she said. Her monotonic voice gave off that she didn't really care, but I guess that's just how some people are. Ui and I bowed to Ichigo and the brunette returned the bow.

"So, Ichigo, you scammin' my idiot of a brother?" my sister asked. I leaned in closer to Ritsu and whispered.

"We are so going to talk about this idiot thing when we get home…"

"Tainaka-kun has decided that he will attempt to win one of these stuffed animals," she pointed to the said items, "But in order to do so, he would have to win 5 games and trade in 5 sock monkeys to receive one. Buying or trading other items for the stuffed animals will be rejected and ignored."

"So, you have four…" my sister said, "Alright, well! Last ball, make it count! I bet you're tired from having wasting that much energy and money on this game. Why not give Ui here a try?"

I looked at Ui and nodded. She smiled and handed the sock monkeys to Mio-senpai and Mugi-senpai.

"These are cute," Mio-senpai said, "Ritsu tried winning one of these, but she lost – for the fourth time in a row."

"Wow, so this is a sock monkey…" Mugi-senpai oohed at the toy and squeezed it, "I've never seen one in real life before…"

"Here, Ui," I said with a smile as I handed her the ball, "So, just lean back and put all your might into the ball. Once you do so, you want to throw the –"

I was cut off by Ui's grunts as she threw the ball. The ball zipped by us and before I knew it, it collided with the middle of the cans. As if someone was there to help her, all of the cans, including the bottom row, were knocked down to the ground.

My jaw dropped and Ui giggled.

"I guess I was just lucky!"

"That throw… so gracious…" I muttered.

"Nice throw, Ui!" my sister gave her a thumbs up.

"Amazing, Ui-chan!" Mugi-senpai clapped her hands together.

"You have a strong arm," Mio-senpai nodded.

"Here you go," Ichigo said as she placed another sock monkey on the table, "Would you like to trade the five you have in for one of the stuffed animals?"

"Hmm…" Ui said as she looked up at the stuffed animals, "I believe I would like to trade these in for the stuffed rabbit, please."

"One rabbit coming up," Ichigo said. Mugi-senpai and Mio-senpai handed Ichigo the four soft monkeys and Ichigo swooped the last one of the table, setting them somewhere behind the counter. She pulled the stuffed rabbit down from the ceiling and placed it down on the table.

The design of the plushy was that of a basic looking rabbit with white, glossy fur. I felt the soft touch of the toy land in my hands as Ui gave it to me. Seeing a slight smile on her face, I cleared my throat and clenched the stuffed rabbit in my hands.

"This is actually… for you, Ui," I said as I held out the giant rabbit. Ui looked at me and I saw a light blush form on her face. I felt my own face heat up and she took the rabbit away from my hands.

"T-thank you… Satoshi-kun…" Ui said in a stuttering, sweet voice as she held the stuffed rabbit in her hands. The toy was enormous enough to cover Ui's torso. She held it close to her chest and I smiled at the sight.

"Well, we'll be off! We got some more stuff to explore!" my sister waved as she began walking away, "See ya! Have fun!"

"Enjoy your day, Satoshi-kun," Mugi-senpai said with a smile as she followed after my sister.

"Satoshi, Ui…" Mio-senpai said as she stood in-front of us, "I… I was wondering if I could talk to you two later… if that's fine?"

"Sure, Mio-senpai," I answered, "Just meet up with us later on and we can talk about whatever you want."

"What Satoshi-kun said," Ui said with a smile. Mio-senpai's lips formed into a small, shy smile.

"Alright! Like Ritsu said, have fun with your activities!" she waved before following after my sister and Mugi-senpai. We watched as the three of them disappeared into the crowd of people and the afternoon.

"I must say something," Ichigo-senpai spoke up. We turned to her with our eyebrows raised and she cleared her throat, "You were able to buy the stuffed animal. Actually, you most likely could have bought it at your local pharmacy for less. But seeing you with your girlfriend, I know you had to earn it for her."

"G-girlfriend?!" I asked, my eyes widening, "W-we're not together! She's just a… a friend!"

"Satoshi-kun is just my friend, yes!" Ui said. Ichigo-senpai nodded towards a reaction and I could tell from her blank face that she was most likely giggling inside.

"Very well. Your donation to the Baton Club is appreciated," she said, a faint smile upon her face. I nervously grinned and slightly bowed towards her, a gesture to which she returned. Ui and I turned and walked away. I turned back and found Ichigo-senpai waving us goodbye. I waved back and looked at Ui, who was cuddling the giant stuffed rabbit.

"I think I'll call her Usagi-chan," she said with a smile.

"That sounds nice. Easy too," I said with a grin, "Real convenient. So, Ui… what do you want to do now?"

"Oh… hmm…" Ui gazed off, "There are so many things to do… how about we just walk around and just pass the time before the bonfire starts?"

"Bonfire?"

"Yes. There's a bonfire at the night time for everyone, consider it an after party as all the booths will be gone. There won't be that many people, usually the students who worked at the festival stay that late," Ui said.

"That sounds nice," I said, "Bonfires during winter nights, just where everyone would want to be."

"Yep!" Ui happily said, "Oh, I know! Let's go check out the play that the seniors from Class 3-1 will put on! I heard they're doing Othello!"

"Aha, the classic Shakespearean tale of love and betrayal! Count me in. I'll be right behind you, Ui!"

---

Nighttime had fallen upon the city of Osaka. As Ui and I exited the auditorium after watching Class 3-1's rendition of Shakespeare's Othello, we made our way back tothe festival grounds, only to find a majority of the visitors exiting the gates of Sakuragaoka. The booths were gone or being taken down by their operators and the cold wind of the October's night flew by Ui and I.

"Geez… who knew it would be this cold?" I asked as we stood in the middle of what were the festival grounds an hour ago. I found schoolgirls and a few other teenagers who were most likely from Osaka High or the rivals of Osaka High and Sakuragaoka – Yuhigaoka High School – gathered in circles around the grounds. Fires were in the middle of each group as what Ui had said earlier – a bonfire.

I looked at Ui and didn't find the brunette to be shivering at all from the cold, considering she was wearing a skirt. Out of concern I asked, "Hey, Ui… are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Ui looked up at me, "Yes, I am! Why do you ask, Satoshi-kun? Is something the matter?"

"No, no, it's just… you're wearing a skirt, Ui… and it's pretty cold out here. Do you want me to grab you a jacket or something? I don't want you catching a cold."

Ui smiled a warm smile, "Thank you for caring, Satoshi-kun, but I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"I'm positive, Satoshi-kun."

"I'm not a guy who likes to take risks, Ui," I lied. I took off the black hoodie Kurisu-senpai lent me and handed it over to Ui. In turn, she took it and handed me Usagi-chan. She looked at me and took a sniff at the hoodie.

"It smells like cheap cologne and pomade," Ui winced.

"Yeah… Kurisu-senpai lent that to me for the day," I rubbed the back of my head, "It may smell like that, but it'll keep you warm."

"I can't, Satoshi-kun…" she said as she held the hoodie out, "What about you? I know you must be freezing already."

"I-I insist…" I said as I felt my teeth chatter.

"If you're so sure… then…" Ui said as she slipped into the black hoodie. After she put it on, I looked at her. It was quite big on Ui – the sleeves were baggy as she had to roll it up a bit so it matched her arm length. The hoodie in length covered her uniform, but I could still see the red ribbon and white under button-up, along with glimpses of her navy-blue blazer underneath, "How do I look?"

"Beautiful…" I muttered. I shook my head and cleared my throat, "I-I mean you look, ahem, nice! It fits you! How ya feeling?"

"The real question here is how are you feeling, Satoshi-kun? Are you fine with just wearing that t-shirt? I can give you my blazer if you'd like, or maybe you want the hoodie back."

"Oh, please, Ui! I'll be fine!" I pointed to myself, ignoring the goose-bumps pop up all over my body from the cold, "Let's just… let's get to a fire, shall we?"

"Let's," Ui said with a smile. I carried Usagi-chan with me as we searched for a bonfire to go to.

We walked over to a fire that wasn't so far. There were a few people I didn't know that were sitting around it on benches and on the floor. I sat down on a bench and Ui sat down next to me. There was a little bit of space between us so we could each have our own respective space. Looking around the crowd, I tapped Ui's shoulder and found a couple sitting across the fire.

"Oh, it's Kurisu-senpai," I said, looking at him as he sat next to Satō-senpai on the bench on the opposite side of the fire. The two of them looked at different directions and they had a large amount of space in between them, as if they were ignoring each other.

"And he's with Satō-senpai," Ui added, "But they're not talking…"

We watched as Satō-senpai pulled out a small pink box from her pockets and opened it. I realized that it was a box filled with strawberry-flavored pocky's. Pocky's… man, I really like the chocolate ones. She took out a piece of the delight and bit down on it, chewing on the pocky until she finished the stick.

"Oooh, a pocky," I happily said. As I said that, Satō-senpai looked over at Kurisu-senpai and the latter's eyebrows raised. She hesitantly pulled out another pocky and shyly held it out.

"For me?" I heard Kurisu-senpai's voice ask. Since we weren't that far away from each other, I could easily hear their voices. Satō-senpai nodded and Kurisu-senpai scooted in closer. He took the pocky from her hands, causing the girl to flinch, "Thanks…"

Satō-senpai shook her head again and took out another pocky and ate one herself as Kurisu-senpai ate. Kurisu-senpai finished his pocky and cleared his throat, gaining the attention of Satō-senpai.

"Hey, Akane…" Kurisu-senpai spoke up, "I need to ask you something… why do you hate me?"

"I should-should be asking you t-that question…" Satō-senpai said, "It seems that you've hated me ever since you saw me at the Computer Room last year."

"I was only… only mad because it took me that long before I could find you again…" he said with a huff.

"I'm sorry for leaving in the first place…" Satō-senpai said as she looked down at the ground with a sad look upon her face.

"Ah… don't worry about that…" Kurisu-senpai smiled, "You're here. I'm here. A promise made ten years ago is the past. It's important, but it's still the past."

"It's been that long, huh?" Satō-senpai asked with a tearful smile, one to which Kurisu-senpai nodded to. I felt Ui poke me in the arm and I turned towards the brunette.

"Do you happen to know what they're talking about, Satoshi-kun?" she asked. I shook my head a frowned a little.

"Everyone has their own secrets," I said, "Best friends are supposed to tell each other everything, but there are some things that aren't shared… I guess this is one of them."

"I see…" she muttered, "It must be nice to have a best friend, huh? Someone who you can always turn to in your hour of need, I wish I had one."

"Eh?" I raised my eyebrow, "I thought your best friend was either Jun or Azusa?"

"They're close friends, Satoshi-kun," she said with a smile, "Everyone in Houkago Tea Time is a close friend of mine as well, minus onee-chan. I just haven't been able to find the true person to call my best friend yet."

"You-you'll find them soon enough…" I said as I looked out at the fire. I watched as Satō-senpai held out another pocky for Kurisu-senpai. As he was about to reach out to grab it, she retracted it and shook her head no. She gestured to her mouth and Kurisu-senpai lightly blushed, as did Satō-senpai.

"Hopefully," Ui sighed.

"You're… sure?" he asked Satō-senpai. The latter nodded and he scooted in, opening his mouth.

"Oi, Kurisu-senpai," I called out his name. He turned to me and waved towards us.

"Yo, Ui-chan, Satoshi," he said, "I see you two are still here!"

"You are too, senpai," I said. He nodded and looked at Sat ō-senpai.

"Yep, I'm here… with her," he smiled. Satō-senpai smiled politely towards Ui and I, before turning back to Kurisu-senpai.

"C-can you just eat it already, i-idiot?" Satō-senpai asked with an angry look on her face. Kurisu-senpai bowed his head in apology.

"What's she doing, Kurisu-senpai?" I asked them.

"Feeding me…" Kurisu-senpai muttered as a small blush formed on his cheeks. He looked at the strawberry pocky that Satō-senpai held in-front of him and sighed as he bit down on the treat. Leaving only half left, Satō-senpai finished the rest.

"B-be lucky… t-that I'm spending my time to be with you…" Satō-senpai said to him as she pulled out another strawberry pocky from the box. I grinned as the deep blush was still on her face, "I-idiot…"

"Yeah, yeah… sorry…" Kurisu-senpai said to her as he bit down on the pocky. As he chewed away, Satō-senpai scooted closer to him. Kurisu-senpai noticed her action and raised an eyebrow at her. She looked away and he scooted towards her. They were so close that their thighs touched and the breeze of the night blew past us.

"I-it's cold…" Satō-senpai shivered. Kurisu-senpai shot her a caring look as he grabbed one of the blankets that sat on the bench next to them and wrapped himself and Satō-senpai in it. The warmth of the blanket turned Satō-senpai's shivering into a cuddle between the two of them, "T-thank you…"

"Sharing is caring," Kurisu-senpai said in a goofy voice, "Pass it on."

I heard the two of them laugh as I looked at Ui. She stared at the fire and was lost in the sight of the flames. It took me two pokes to her arm to get her attention. Ui gasped and looked at me.

"Want to walk home together later?" I asked her.

"Sure! That would be nice, Satoshi-kun," she answered, "I'm sure onee-chan has already left anyway. So walking home with someone else would be nice."

"Alright then, allow me to escort you home, princess," I said with a smile, "But first, let's enjoy the fire a little bit more, huh?"

"Sounds good to me!" Ui happily said, "But let's not leave too late. My parents would be angry at me for coming home so late."

"Right," I said as I looked up at the night sky. I looked at the crescent moon and the stars that polluted the black sky. It was so beautiful. I stargaze every now and then, it all depends on my mood. I tend to look up at the sky when I hope for something to happen or I just want to relax. The sight of many different worlds out there really intrigues me – but hey, I've always been a geek.

"I also see you still have my hoodie," Kurisu-senpai said.

"O-oh yeah!" Ui said as she looked down at the black pullover she was wearing. She was about to take it off before she was cut off by someone clearing their throat. I looked over at Kurisu-senpai.

"Keep it, Ui-chan," he grinned, "It's cold out, y'know? While I live near here, I'm sure you'll need it more than I do. And plus, I have Akane here to help me stay warm."

"R-right," Satō-senpai said, the blush still upon her face, "I'll be sure t-to watch out for him… since he tends to be an idiot at times."

"H-hey!"

"At least most of the time," I chuckled.

"Aw, come on, man!"

"There are times where Kurisu-senpai is useful," Ui said, "But that's on serious and rare occasions."

"Aha! Thank you, Ui-chan! W-wait, what?" Kurisu-senpai blinked.

"Just kidding, Kurisu-senpai," Ui smiled. Kurisu-senpai grinned and turned back to Satō-senpai. The two began eating their pocky's once more as Satō-senpai continued to feed Kurisu-senpai the strawberry-covered treats.

"Today was so fun…" I muttered to myself. I looked at Ui and she yawned, stretching her arms wide into the air.

"We should head home, Satoshi-kun," Ui said to me as she folded her arms. I nodded and looked at Kurisu-senpai as a smile formed on his face. The smile turned to Satō-senpai and the corners of her lips curved into a small smile. She fed him another pocky and the two of them shared it.

"Alright…"

"He looks happy," Ui said as she sat next to me. I slowly nodded as I watched Kurisu-senpai and Satō-senpai share a laugh together. I smiled and found him wrapping his arms around her. Sat ō-senpai's blush grew deeper and so did Kurisu-senpai's.

"He always is," I said. Ui looked up at me and smiled. Ui and I exchanged nods before we stood up. Kurisu-senpai noticed that we were about to leave and I waved to him.

"We'll be going now, senpai."

"See you at school on Monday, Satoshi," Kurisu-senpai waved. I looked at Satō-senpai and lazily waved to the older girl, "Make sure you bring Ui-chan home."

"Right," I nodded, "I'll be sure to do so."

"Be safe on your way home," Satō-senpai said to us with a faint smile on her face as she nodded.

"Goodbye, Kurisu-senpai, Satō-senpai," Ui slightly bowed to the older two. They returned the gesture by bowing their heads. As we began walking away, I heard Kurisu-senpai say.

"Later, you two."

We walked past other groups that were huddle around their own bonfires. Small talk and the sound of the fire burning sounded throughout the air of this night. As Ui and I walked down the path of reaching the gates to leave, a figure jumped out of the darkness, startling Ui and I.

"Ah!" Ui shouted.

"What the hell?" I narrowed my eyes at the figure.

"Yoo-hoo!" the figure waved. I sighed and blankly stared at the figure as she walked out and was revealed to be no one other than Yui-senpai. She smiled and put her finger on her lips, "Did I scare you two?"

"Onee-chan!" Ui said, "You shouldn't do that to people! It's rude and some people can faint from those kinds of stunts!"

"Like Mio-senpai," I added.

"Like Mio-senpai!" Ui repeated, but in a demanding voice, "If Mio-senpai was here and she fainted, I would be very angry with you, onee-chan!"

"Uwa~…" Yui-senpai nervously chuckled, "Sorry, Ui, Rikkun…"

"I guess it shouldn't be too much of a deal…" Ui said, "Anyways… I thought you already left? It's getting late, onee-chan."

"But Azunyan's still here, so is everyone else!" Yui-senpai exclaimed, "Azunyan!"

"Yui-senpai, where did you go? Don't just leave us like that," I heard Azusa's voice say. I found Azusa walking up to Yui-senpai and the brunette smiled.

"Azunyan! Look, Rikkun and Ui's still here!" Yui-senpai pointed at the two of us.

"Who's Rikkun?" she asked. I slowly raised my hand and nervously grinned.

"That'd be me."

"Why does she call you that?" Azusa asked, "Ah, never mind. Yui-senpai, we're waiting for you. I think Ritsu-senpai wants us to come over to her house. I know it's late, but tomorrow's Saturday, so we'll be fine."

"Oh, oh," Ui spoke up, "Satoshi-kun and I were about to walk home together. Since Ritsu-senpai's house is in the same direction as mine, why don't we leave together?" she offered.

"Eh? You're walking home with Rikkun, Ui?" Yui-senpai asked, "Why don't you two just join us?"

"I'm a bit tired, onee-chan," Ui said with a sad smile, "And I need to bring Usagi-chan home."

She held the stuffed rabbit up to Yui-senpai and the older girl's eyes lit up with sparkles. Yui-senpai set down the two shopping bags she carried and took Usagi-chan from Ui's hands. She brought the rabbit to her cheek and began rubbing against the stuffed animal.

"So cute!"

"Satoshi-kun won it for me earlier at one of the games," Ui said. I raised an eyebrow towards her and she responded with a wink, "We'll be fine to walk with you guys though."

"I'll go tell Ritsu-senpai," Azusa said with a nod.

We spent the next couple of minutes waiting for my sister and the others to join us so we would all leave Sakuragaoka High School together. Yui-senpai was cuddling Usagi-chan as Ui watched with glee. I spent the time looking at the stars, wondering when it'll be time for me to tell Ui how I feel.

You have at least one good hour left, Satoshi. It's now or never. After an amazing day she spent with you, you're bound to get a yes. Don't worry, man, it won't be an out-of-pity type of yes. It will be for real. You, my good self, will most likely get your first real girlfriend.

"Yo, Satoshi, Ui!" I heard my sister's enthusiastic voice yell out, "I see you two are still here!"

"Onee-chan," I said with a smile as I turned towards my sister as she arrived with the other members of Houkago Tea Time, minus Yui-senpai. I noticed none of them were victims of the October cold and found the reason to be… hoodies. Colorful hoodies that were in different shades of color, with the five members of Houkago Tea Time wearing their own color. On the hoodies was that of a steaming hot tea cup in black outline, underneath the logo were the words 'Houkago Tea Time' in bold black lettering.

While my sister wore a yellow hoodie, Mio-senpai wore a blue version, Mugi-senpai wore a pink hoodie, Yui-senpai had a red hoodie on, and Azusa had a green version of the hoodie. I noticed Yui-senpai was carrying a shopping bag, possibly some more clothes.

"Look, Satoshi!" my sister said with a wide grin, "The Mio Akiyama Fan Club were selling these cool HTT hoodies for only 2500 yen a piece! We all got one!"

"I really like the design of the logo," Mugi-senpai said. She turned to Yui-senpai and the brunette smiled, "Yui-chan, you told the Mio Akiyama Fan Club what to put on the hoodie, right?"

"Yup!" she happily said, "They came to the Club room a week ago, when I wasn't sick, and asked what kind of design we would want on the clothes. I ended up doodling on my hand for our logo."

"I still can't believe we have our own clothing…" Azusa said with a bewildered look upon her face.

"There was also a striped sweater – with the stripes being white and blue… to match Mio's pantsu from last year's performance," my sister chuckled, "Right, Mio?"

"Shut up!" Mio-senpai yelled as she lifted her clenched fist into the air, only to bring it down on my sister's head. We, minus Mio-senpai and my sister, laughed at their altercation, much to Ritsu's dismay.

"Is that really true?" I asked, a grin upon my face.

"They're the Mio Akiyama Fan Club for a reason, Satoshi-kun," Mugi-senpai answered with a smile. I looked towards Mio-senpai as she bent down to her knees and covered her ears, shaking her head. I heard faint whispers coming from the bassist as I looked at Yui-senpai, who was smiling towards me and Ui.

"Look, look!" Yui-senpai said happily as she raised the shopping bags into the air, "We got you two your own! Plus Jun-chan and Kurisu-kun. Mugi-chan offered to pay for them."

"Only 'cause she's rich," my sister grinned, earning a light smack to her arm from Mio-senpai.

"White for you, Ui! Ja-jang~!" Yui-senpai exclaimed as she revealed a white version of the Houkago Tea Time hoodie. Ui took the clothing and looked at it, while Yui-senpai dug through one of the bags and pulled out another hoodie – the color of it being red, "And red for you, Rikkun!"

"This is beautiful…" Ui muttered, "Thank you, Mugi-senpai!"

"Yeah, these are pretty amazing," I said, bedazzled by the red hoodie, "We'll be sure to repay you, Mugi-senpai."

I slipped into the hoodie and smiled at the warm feeling. I looked at Ui as she took off the black hoodie that she had on and replaced it with the white Houkago Tea Time hoodie. She handed the black hoodie to me and I held it in my hands. I'd better give it back to Kurisu-senpai before we leave.

"Satoshi-kun is right."

"My, my…" Mugi-senpai said with a smile upon her face, "You two don't have to. Consider it as a gift and an apology of sorts – for how we acted towards you two earlier."

"There's also navy-blue for Kurisu-kun and purple for Jun-chan!" I heard Yui-senpai happily add on.

"Are you gonna charge Kurisu and Jun, Mugi?" my sister asked, "Surely you need to at least get some money back from this."

"Most likely not," Mugi-senpai said politely, "I believe they deserve gifts as well. We aren't that close with the two of them – Kurisu-kun mostly. So hopefully this will be a sign that they'll take into forming a closer friendship with us."

"I forgot…" my sister sighed, "You're rich."

"Sadly, Ricchan, Kotobuki Enterprises isn't associated with me," Mugi-senpai pointed out, "Sure, mother and father give me money for my own expenses, but the money I spent on these clothes were from my personal earnings."

"Don't you have a job at Max Burger, Mugi-senpai?" Azusa asked.

"Why yes, Azusa-chan," the blonde answered, "I believe it was the day we ate at Max Burger with Satoshi-kun and Kurisu-kun. It was my first time there. I asked them for a job since I was interested in the fast-food industry. And they said yes – I've been working there on Saturdays from 10 AM to 6 PM since."

"Rich and the first one of us to get a job…" my sister muttered, "Wow, Mugi, you're amazing."

"We had jobs too, remember, Ricchan?" Yui-senpai said, "It was when we were trying to buy Gīta!

"Yeah, and we didn't even need to get those jobs!" my sister exclaimed, "Remember? Mugi's family owns the music store at the mall! We ended up getting Gīta for lower than we thought!

"Oh, yeah, I was never really told how you got Gīta, Yui-senpai," Azusa said.

"So… how'd you guys get Gīta?" I asked, interested in their story from the past.

"We… uh… well, I believe… we kinda… hustled the guy for it," my sister chuckled.

"Oh, oh! I got it, Ricchan!" Yui-senpai happily said, "It went a little like this. 'Lower! Lower! Lower!'"

"Huh…" Azusa cringed.

"We almost made the cashier cry," Yui-senpai added, with the tone in her voice being a bit confident.

"I don't think that's something to be proud of, Yui-senpai," I nervously grinned.

"Onee-chan! I can't believe you would do something like that!" Ui said. I turned to her and found the brunette sporting a small frown, "That's not very nice."

"I apologized after, Ui," Yui-senpai puffed her cheeks out towards Ui, "Sorry…"

"We should start heading home," Azusa broke the topic as she checked her phone, "I mean, to Ritsu-senpai's house. If we leave now, I'll most likely have a good hour to stay there."

"Same with me," Yui-senpai raised her hand, "Mom, dad, and Ui would worry if I'm out so late. I don't know how much trouble I'd be in if I got home late."

"Right," Ui nodded.

"My parents would send out private investigators and private military companies if they were worried that much," Mugi-senpai said, "Luckily, they barely worry about me. They're understandable people."

"Holy shit," I muttered.

"So, yes, we should get going now, Ricchan. I really want to spend some more time with the rest of you before the night ends," the blonde said.

"Alrighty then!" my sister exclaimed, "We're just waiting on Mio now."

We all turned our attention towards the bassist of Houkago Tea Time. We found Mio-senpai, still bent down, covering her ears and her eyes were shut. Everyone exchanged looks with one another before we diverted our attention back to Mio-senpai.

"My legs would be dead already if I had to crouch for that long," Yui-senpai spoke up, "That's amazing, Mio-chan!"

"Very flexible indeed, Mio-chan," Mugi-senpai remarked.

"It's like you haven't moved an inch, Mio-senpai," Azusa joined in, "Nice positioning."

"Mio…" my sister called out the bassist's name, "We're going to my house now. Want to get up so we can leave? We're not going to leave you behind."

"P-pantsu…" I heard Mio-senpai utter. My eyes widened and I looked around at the others, finding Ui to be shocked as well. Other than the two of us, the rest of Houkago Tea Time seemed to be calm with how Mio-senpai was acting.

"What's she talking about?" I asked.

My sister sighed and she looked at me, "Remember last year's school festival? I showed you footage of Mio's… accident?"

"Yeah, why?" I plainly asked. My eyes widened once more and I oohed, nodding my head, "I remember now. I see what's going on."

"What about last year's school festival? I wasn't show anything," I heard Azusa say. She received no response, she sighed and cleared her throat.

"That day changed her life in ways you don't know, Satoshi. It's what gave birthright to the founding of the Mio Akiyama Fan Club."

"Hello?" Azusa asked around. Receiving no response again, she puffed her cheeks and folded her arms over her chest and looked away, annoyed, "I didn't want to hear about it anyway…"

"Really? Damn," I swore, "She must be really shell-shocked. I mean, who wouldn't after what happened?"

"Er… can't Mio-senpai hear us?" I heard Azusa ask.

"Pantsu… pantsu…" Mio-senpai mumbled the words again.

"I'll take that as a yes," Azusa sighed.

"Mio-chan… the ground is a bit dirty. You should stand up before you get dirt or anything else onto your clothing," Mugi-senpai said.

"Pantsu…"

"Just saying 'pantsu' won't help, Mio," my sister said.

"… Pantsu."

"Whoa! I-I think that was an angry version, Ricchan!" Yui-senpai said. I saw Mio-senpai's head bob up and down slowly as she repeated the dreaded word.

"Pantsu… pantsu…"

"Mio-senpai," Ui spoke up, "I'm sorry you have to feel this way."

"Hopefully a cup of tea at Ricchan's house will make you feel better, Mio-chan," Mugi-senpai said.

"And here I thought after seeing those clothes her fan club made, Mio-chan would be a bit more happy," Yui-senpai frowned.

"Well, you can't blame her, Yui," my sister said, "She's never really liked the idea of having her own fan club, even from the first mentioning of it. It was pretty weird how Sokabe-senpai started it all, but hey, fans will be fans – even crazed ones."

"Mio-senpai doesn't like that she has her own fan club?" I asked my sister.

"Nah, she's always been really bashful," Ritsu answered, "You should know, Satoshi. Anyways, she doesn't really like the attention that much."

"Then why be in a band? When bands tend to, y'know… perform? In front of people?"

"Beats me. It's not like I had anything to do with it…" she nervously whistled as she looked away. Ritsu then rubbed her chin and asked herself, "How can I get Mio's attention?"

"Since she seems to be blocking out the world right now, I suggest you just… shake her until she stops?"

"Sounds boring," my sister said to me, before snapping her fingers and smiling, "I got it!"

"I don't think whatever you're going to do will–"

"Oi, Mio~!" my sister tapped the bassist's head, causing Mio-senpai to look up at her, "We're gonna leave now. You comin' or you gonna stay here with the barnacles?"

"BARNACLES?!" Mio-senpai screamed as she brought herself to her feet.

"Just kiddin'," my sister said with a grin. Mio-senpai narrowed her eyes towards Ritsu and raised her fist into the air, muttering only one word towards my startled and afraid sister.

"Idiot."

And with that, Mio-senpai's fist was brought down from the night sky, striking my sister on top of her head. Ritsu staggered back and moaned as I found a newly-formed bump rise from her head.

"Spectacular hit, Mio-chan!" Yui-senpai said, "Now I will have Azunyan, our judge, tell us your score!"

Azusa turned towards Yui-senpai, face-palmed, and sighed, "I give that hit a 10/10 for being straight forward and having remarkable aftermath damage."

"I can see the bump all the way over here," Mugi-senpai said, "The shine that your forehead gives off really brightens your face, Ricchan, so it's easy to see."

"S-shut up!" my sister said, covering up her forehead with her hands as we chuckled at her.

"The only topic that'll make you blush," I said, noting the light red line forming on my sister's face.

"I just want to say that the Mio Akiyama Fan Club did an amazing job on these hoodies!" Yui-senpai happily blurted out, "I hope we can get some more Houkago Tea Time clothing!"

"See, Mio?" my sister winced as she rubbed her bruise, "Houkago Tea Time's growing – we're growing. We already have clothes that display our band. Isn't that cool?"

"Hmm… I suppose you're right, Ritsu…" Mio-senpai said with a soft smile, "We are growing."

"I wonder what the future will hold for us?" Azusa asked.

"Hopefully something worth remembering," I replied.

"I can't wait for the future," Yui-senpai squeaked, "I want it to be now."

"You can't really do that, onee-chan," Ui said with a nervous smile, "It's the future for a reason."

"Eventually it'll be the present," I added, "By that time we'll be there, we would have been through one hell of an adventure."

"I don't know why, but this is making me sad," Yui-senpai said, "I want to stay like this – with you guys – for as long as I can."

"Right back at you, Yui," my sister spoke up, before turning towards Mio-senpai, "And, Mio?"

"Hmm?"

"The best part is that you'll have more pantsu-orientated clothing in the future," my sister said with the Tainaka trademark grin, causing Mio-senpai's face to drain.

"Please stay calm, Mio-chan!" Yui-senpai shouted.

"More… pantsu?" Mio-senpai asked in a daze, garnering the attention of everyone else. We gasped as she shook her head and wiped the sweat away from her forehead.

"Oh, shit…" my sister heaved a heavy sigh.

"See what you did, nee-chan?" I frowned, "Now we're back to square one."

"I… I'm fine," Mio-senpai said in a tired voice, "I need to stop acting so childish. It's time to grow up, right?"

"Barnacle," my sister whispered into Mio-senpai's ear as she stood behind the bassist. Gaining no scared reaction from Mio-senpai, the bassist turned around and narrowed her eyes at my sister.

"You idiot!" she screamed as she flicked my sister in the forehead.

"S-see?!" my sister chuckled as she rubbed her forehead, "Mio's fine, everyone! Look at her, she's taking it–"

"Barnacles… pantsu…" I heard Mio-senpai whimper. I turned and found her on her knees again, her hands over her ears as she shook her head.

"N-never mind…"

---

"See you at home, Ui! Bye-bye, Rikkun!" Yui-senpai yelled to us as she waved from down the street. Along with her was the rest of Houkago Tea Time, who were walking down a different street than the two of us – towards my home.

Ui and I waved to them and they continued walking down the street, eventually turning a corner at the end of the street and vanishing into the night. We turned towards the street that would lead us to the Hirasawa house and began walking.

"I had fun today, Satoshi-kun," Ui said, "I enjoyed my time with you."

"I had fun too," I smiled, "I never knew you could play the guitar so well, Ui."

"Same with you about drums," she said, "When did you start playing?"

I rubbed my chin and tapped it lightly with my index finger before turning to Ui, "I think… almost a year? I know it started because I wanted something to do – my sister's solution was the drums. What about you? Have you been playing guitar for a while?"

"I see, I see. Onee-chan came up to me one day, asking for help with playing the E, A, and B chords for Fuwa Fuwa Time," Ui giggled at the memory, "She told me the basics of the guitar and I soon found myself playing Gīta once or twice a week when onee-chan wasn't home. So, overall, I've been playing ever since she got Gīta."

"Damn!" I gave her a thumbs up, "So you basically taught yourself how to play the guitar? Very nice!"

"Not really," she replied with a blush, "Fuwa Fuwa Time and Fude Pen ~Ball Pen~ are the only songs I know how to play so far. In onee-chan's and Azusa-chan's presence, I'm still a beginner."

"I'm sure if you keep playing, you'll be amazing."

"Hey, Satoshi-kun… do you think Houkago Tea Time will make it?" Ui asked me. I sighed and thought for a second.

"Well… they're getting there. For where they're going, the road to it is long and filled with sharp turns and bumps. They'll have trouble reaching Budokan, but I have faith in 'em."

"I hope you're right," she said with a fake smile.

"You seem like you doubt them a little."

"It's just… I'm worried," she said, "What Sawako-sensei said about the agent and how Mio-senpai wants her to contact that agent. It all seems if they take the wrong step, everything will fall apart in a snap."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't agree with you," I said sternly, "My sister told me something about this agent thing. Are you up to hear about it?"

"Tell me."

"As of right now, Mio-senpai thinks that nobody else knows about the agent," I began, "Only you, Yui-senpai, my sister, and I know about it. My sister proposed a plan – we search out for the rest of the Death Devil members and ask them about what happened, since it seems that Sawako-sensei is keeping something hidden from us."

"So, mainly, Azusa-chan and Mugi-senpai are the only ones who don't know?" she asked, to which I replied with a nod, "I don't like the idea of not telling them, but…"

"It's not foolproof yet, Ui," I chuckled, "We don't even know if Sawako-sensei can still contact the agent. We're just going to ask for answers from the other Death Devil members."

"How are we going to find the other Death Devil members?" Ui asked.

"I… I have no idea…" I sighed, "I think my sister can handle that… she's the one who proposed the idea in the first place."

"Nevertheless, I'd still be happy to join you in searching for answers," Ui confidently said, "We'll be there for Houkago Tea Time, right, Satoshi-kun?"

"You bet," I grinned.

"You know, Satoshi-kun…" Ui spoke up, "The thought of performing on the stage really made me nervous. I was so scared… but then it all just went away when…"

"When what?" I asked, my eyebrow raised.

"When you told me that I can do anything, as long as I set my mind to do it," she smiled, "So, thank you, Satoshi-kun."

"I-it was nothing…" I nervously grinned. That's when it hit me. You don't have any other chances, Satoshi. You need to ask her now! Go for it!

"Hey, Ui…" I rubbed the back of my head, "Would you like to hear a story? I think I have one I'd like to share with you, if you wouldn't mind."

"I like stories," Ui smiled, "Go on ahead, Satoshi-kun. Keep a note that one of my favorite genres would be romance and drama."

"Ah, then you'll like this one then!" I cracked a smile.

"Make it count," she teased. I nodded and cleared my throat. I lightly pounded my chest and looked at Ui as she watched me.

"There was this boy… and he loved playing drums…" I started off the story as Ui intently listened while we walked down the street, "He was on his way home from school one day under orders from his sister to buy an ice cream cone. Once he got the cone, he bumped into a girl. Little did he know that the girl was somebody he would… fall for…"

"Satoshi-kun…" Ui muttered my name.

"So… he got to know her…" I continued, "Time flew by and he found them closer than ever before. This was the first time he's ever had a girl be this close of a friend to him. She truly, truly became a part of his life."

"Who was this girl?" Ui asked.

"Let me continue," I laughed, "He considered her an angel sent from Heaven. How they met wasn't just some coincidence… they were meant to meet for a reason. The boy still hasn't found out what the reason was, even to this day, he questions it."

"I think I know where this is leading too, Satoshi-kun…" Ui smiled.

"And then came the dreaded Sakuragaoka High School Festival," I said with a grin, "Little did the boy know that he was going to be impersonating his sister, who had a role as a drummer in one of the festival's events. The time came and he was caught, which almost caused the boy's chances of playing in the festival to vanish."

"But they ended up playing in the school festival!" I exclaimed, "They did their best and did an excellent job! That's when…that's when…"

"That's when what, Satoshi-kun…?" Ui tilted her head quizzically to the side and stared at me.

"Y'know what, Ui?" I said, "The boy had an awesome day with her. The best day he's had in a while. And he's damn happy to have dressed up as his sister. Otherwise, he and the girl would have just remained friends."

"The thing is though," I continued, "He's… stuck."

"Stuck?" Ui asked.

"He's stuck on deciding if he should… ask the girl to be his girlfriend… or keep quiet and maintain the current friendship they have. If he asks the girl and she turns him down, he would lose someone that means a lot to him…"

"And the boy wouldn't happen to be you?" Ui asked with a smile.

"If the boy was me, which he isn't," I cleared my throat, "That would mean the girl is you. I-If you were the girl, Ui… w-what would you tell the boy to do?"

"I'd tell him that he should just ask her," she said, "You never know what I – the girl may be feeling. If there's a chance of the feeling to be mutual between the two, why not take it?"

"Al-alright, s-so… I've been wondering, Ui… I… I really like you… and… I've felt this way for a while now…" I nervously said. I felt beads of sweat roll down my face, but I shook them off, not paying any attention to the sweat, "Will you… you… be my… g-girlfriend?"

Ui looked at me strangely and tilted her head to the side. I was prepared for a rejection and closed my eyes for the incoming heartbreak.

"I like you too! Yes, I will, Satoshi-kun," she happily said as she grabbed my free hand, which caused me to startle and open my eyes. She locked her fingers together with mine and smiled. I saw a light blush form on her face and felt my own heat up, "But tell me, Satoshi-kun."

Yes! You did it! You've won her heart, good job. I'm proud of you – well, I'm proud of myself. Play it cool, you can scream about it when you get home. Just play it cool for now…

"Hmm?" I hummed to her as I looked down at my newly-made girlfriend.

"Tell me how the story ends, please," she said to me as the wind of the night blew through us. Ui's ponytail flowed through the breeze and I swear, man… she looked majestic.

"How it ends?" I repeated. She slowly nodded her head and I nervously chuckled, "I never really wrote an ending to it."

"Let's make one then," she offered. Before I could say anything, I felt Ui's lips pressed against my own. As soon as the kiss came, it was gone in a flash, "There. We can end it at that?"

"Whoa…" I murmured, "W-we can… t-that was… unexpected… but I liked it…"

Ui giggled and released my hand, "Let's go, Satoshi-kun! I'll make you something to eat!" Ui said as she began running down the sidewalk, leaving me to carry Usagi-chan.

"U-Ui! Wait for me!" I yelled as I began jogging after her. I almost tripped but rebalanced myself and continued following Ui as she ran down the sidewalk, with the moonlight guiding her. I felt the cool breeze of the night soar past us once more and enjoyed the feeling.

I smiled as I began chasing after her – the angel of my dreams. I don't know what will happen in the future, but as long as I have Ui and my friends by my side, I won't be afraid to overcome it. Hopefully, with our help, Houkago Tea Time will make it. As for the two of us, we'll never let anyone separate us – never. This is only the beginning.

THE END

Touched by an Angel!

Author's Notes

- Ah, well, The End. The power of SatUi is very strong in this chapter! I got so much butterflies while writing this and felt sad to write in bold 'THE END', like that! It just crushed me to see their adventure come to an end. But… is it really the end?

- Satoshi and Ui finally got together! It just took, like, 10 chapters to finally make it happen.

- If you want to feel the true experience of K-On! in this chapter, play the OST 'Happy End' towards the end of the chapter, most likely where Ui and Satoshi talk about the story Satoshi just told.

- Like I said, this just the end of the official story, but there is still the epilogue! I know I said before that there would be an extra chapter, but I just couldn't go through with coming up with ideas for it, so I'll be skipping to the epilogue as the next update.

- So many plot openings for a sequel! Aha! I have so many plans for a sequel to this story. We'll see if a sequel will happen. Your reviews on what you thought of this story will surely inspire me to continue on!

- Happy Late Independence Day and Canada Day! I was writing parts of this story on both holidays, so I guess I'll include a little greeting.

- Don't forget to vote on the fate of TBAA! Voting will last until the 11th and epilogue chapter of TBAA will be posted, which gives you all a couple weeks to vote.

- Again, I'm GearUnlocked, and I want to thank you all for reading Touched by an Angel! It's been fun writing this story for you all, but I'll be seeing you again! Until then, stay beautiful.