Battle Royale AU.
:::
This story is supposed to take place in the universe Takami Koushun creates for Battle Royale.
A word of caution: Expect the girls to be out of character. This is supposed to be a harsher world than the one K-on! is set in.
Disclaimer: K-On! belongs to Kakifly, and the Battle Royale universe belongs to Takami Koushun.
:::
"Listen!"
[We chose the same dream; that is the power that drives us for tomorrow]
:::
Arc Two: Fuwa Fuwa Time.
Chapter Ten.
.
.
.
{"So… are you free this weekend?}
She raised an eyebrow at the message before punching in her reply, hoping that her teasing tone would be conveyed through the words.
{"Why? Are you asking me out?"}
{"I'll buy you a coffee."}
She rolled her eyes.
{"Yeah, whatever. It's a date, then."}
.
.
.
Kotobuki Tsumugi was stuck.
Her father had allowed her to reside in the boarding school on the condition that she wrote to him – and the email that she was drafting was long overdue. Mugi began the email with a salutation that she thought was awkwardly formal-yet-not, along with an apology for not writing sooner. She tried to compensate for her absence by filling him in on as much of what has happened as she could remember (though she definitely wasn't going to mention that little stint at Izakaya to him) but found that there really wasn't much that a teenage girl would like to tell her father. Mugi then decided to take the easy way out and write to him about her friends.
Writing about her newfound friends was easy (for the most part) but that could be because they were so easy to love.
Mugi wrote about Yui first. Many of the stories that she deemed appropriate for her father's knowledge were centred on Yui and the happy-go-lucky girl's adorkable antics. Yui was unbelievably optimistic – even more so than Mugi herself – with a smile that was absolutely contagious; it even made Mio crack into the smallest of smiles when Mio was being all responsible. If there was anyone who could brighten up Mugi's day, it was Yui; that was why Mugi made sure to have various treats sent to her from home over the weekends. Mio and Azusa might make a huge fuss over the girl's odd sources of motivation but Mugi had a hunch that they found it endearing, too. It was Hirasawa Yui's very quirks that made her the perfect Yui-chan.
Mio was the perfect roommate. The light music club's bassist was quiet, disciplined (mostly), studious and incredibly kind-hearted. Mio might sigh whenever she helped Yui with yet another chord that the guitarist should have memorised, or she might rap Ritsu against the head with her knuckles when the drummer crawled into their room begging Mio to study with her (well, actually, Ricchan was just trying to get her hands on Mio's special self-made notes riddled with tricks and hints), but Mugi could tell that Mio enjoyed being able to help. It was also evident that Mio was the one who had made the most effort in trying to learn music theory on her own accord as compared to the rest of the club; as a result, Mugi really enjoyed collaborating with her. Mio often tried to act all mature and responsible but Mugi thought that the real Mio-chan was the one who would turn her face away and tried to change the topic whenever Ritsu started on anything related to horror.
With all that being said, Mugi still hit a wall when it came to writing about Ricchan.
Despite being friends, Ritsu was a girl that terrified Mugi and filled her with awe at the same time. She might have forgiven Ritsu about the whole pickpocketing incident but it was definitely not something that Mugi would forget; instead, Mugi caught herself wondering about an edgier, wilder side of Ritsu at times. The club's president was quite rash and rather opportunistic, but she was also fiercely protective of her friends and extremely resourceful; Ritsu might not be the perfect, responsible leader but she was definitely down-to-earth and had much more tact than what she was given credit for.
Although it went unsaid, Mugi knew that Ritsu would be the type to go the extra mile for a friend, even if that meant that someone was going to get hurt in the process. Mugi pretended not to notice but Ritsu would come to practice with her knuckles so bruised that it must have hurt for the girl to even hold her drumsticks firmly enough to play. Mio, having caught the blonde's concerned glances, had later explained that Ritsu would occasionally train on punching bags, and that a good session at the gym would leave a grin on Ritsu's face. As a kid, Ritsu wasn't above beating up anyone who terrorized her best friend or her younger brother.
That was why it was so hard to write about Ritsu: Mugi couldn't capture the essence of who Ricchan was without seeming to imply that Ritsu was some sort of juvenile delinquent with violent tendencies.
Mugi sighed into her palm. The way Ritsu carried herself was in great contrast with Mugi's self; she was the girl that Mugi would never be – could that be the reason Mugi found Ritsu so amazing and intimidating at the same time?
The blonde was just about to try describing Ritsu to her father once more when she heard the doorknob of the room rattle.
"Welcome back, Mio-chan," greeted Mugi with a ready smile. "You look pleased today."
"I am," Mio replied. "I had a really productive day at the library."
Mio had barely set her backpack down when she swivelled around with a notebook in her hands. During the short time they've spent as roommates, Mugi has come to recognise it as the book in which Mio would jot her ideas. If that wasn't enough to clue Mugi in on Mio's hit of inspiration, the eagerness splashed across Mio's face let the cat out of the bag. It was rare that Mio would let her calm countenance drop just like that.
"I know it sounds a little aggressive but I just couldn't let it go."
Mugi scooted on the bed to allow Mio room. The handwritten score that Mio had drawn in her jotter looked promising to Mugi, prompting the girl to move over to her keyboard to try out the tune. The music, along with Mio's enthusiasm, drove the blonde to add a couple more lines as well as suggest some amendments to help smooth some parts out.
The blonde was very on board with the idea. The two roommates then launched into a music-writing session littered all over with easy conversation.
Perhaps the email to her father could wait a little longer.
.
.
.
Yui might think that she was being covert but Sawako could feel the teenager's scrutinizing gaze on her from across the hallway. The second-year student seemed to stare at her with knitted brow and pursed lips. Sawako could practically hear the gears turning in the girl's head.
The young teacher bit her lip. The Hirasawa girl couldn't be on to her, could she?
From what Sawako had heard from the girl's teacher, Yui was a cheerful student. Whimsical would be a rather nice way to put the girl's demeanour – most would just chalk it up to Yui being rather airheaded.
But Sawako didn't buy the idea.
Her gut had told her that the student was hiding something ever since their first meeting – when Yui had pleaded with Sawako to help her enrol in Sakuragaoka High School.
And now that she has put some thought into it, the ragtag bunch that made up the light music club was definitely an intriguing lot.
There was Ritsu, whose surname sounded sort of familiar to the young woman in a rather uncomfortable way. And Tsumugi, a tycoon's daughter, had transferred into the school all of a sudden – as did Yui, bringing with her a rather dubious explanation for her academic absence in the previous year. It seemed that the only 'normal' one was in the quartet was Mio…
"Good morning, Yamanaka-sensei!"
Sawako was at least a little startled. She turned around to find one of the light music club's members behind her. It was the exuberant one, Tainaka Ritsu – the president of said club. It didn't take long before Yui wandered by as well, greeting the teacher.
"Yamanaka-sensei, could you please come by practice today? Being a music teacher and all, we're hoping that you could help us with our musical direction and all that. The performance is coming up fast– "
"Ricchan, it's her."
Sawako could only blink at Yui's non-sequitur statement. She was about to ask the girl to clarify on the seemingly random declaration when Ritsu stole the question right off the tip of her tongue.
"What's that? I don't get it," said Ritsu, swivelling on the spot to face her friend instead. It wasn't exactly how Sawako would have phrased the question but it had definitely captured the gist of it.
But it looked as if that question would remain unanswered as Yui posed a question of her own. The youngest of the three brunettes asked:
"Sawachan-sensei, you're an alumna of this school, right?"
It seemed as if Yui's way of thinking tended to skip around a bit. Taken aback by the abrupt change in conversation flow, Sawako was in a stupor when she confirmed that there was truth in that premise. Yui took a step towards the teacher, which prompted Sawako took a step back to maintain the distance between them. Ritsu hooked her finger at the back of Yui's blouse's collar to keep the girl from moving forward but that did nothing to prevent the girl from inspecting the grown woman from different angles. To say that Sawako was only a little perturbed was an understatement.
Noticing the teacher's discomfort, Ritsu executed a light chop on her friend's head before asking, "What are you going on about, private?"
Yui hummed to herself as she continued to examine the teacher. The young guitarist eventually answered, "Do you remember the things that Mio-chan found the other day, Ricchan? I've been wondering about that."
That had Sawako on alert. They couldn't have found out about that, could they?
"W-Where did you girls find those things and where are they now?" Sawako chose to ask despite the risk of making the situation worse.
It was the drummer who answered. Ritsu's hazel eyes darted to the top right corner briefly as she thought. The sudden development of things had caught Ritsu off guard and the girl was more than a little lost about what was happening. The teacher was acting highly suspicious, and that made Ritsu question if it was safe to reveal the answer; after all, the material in question wasn't exactly in line with the nation's vision of an independent and progressive republic. But, then again, Yamanaka Sawako seemed to be aware of what they were referring to. Ritsu took the risk and drawled out a hesitant, "It's still in the music room, I guess…"
.
.
.
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry to have to cut our conversation short but I've just remembered that I have some urgent matters that need attending to. Please excuse me."
Sawako took all but three shaky steps before breaking out into a sprint, leaving the two astonished students in the dust. But if the sounds of a loud "Hey!" and thundering footsteps were anything to go by, Tainaka Ritsu was probably hot on Sawako's heels.
She was persistent, Sawako would give the kid that. She may not look like it much but Sawako was built to run, and she did go running often. Yet, this Tainaka girl matched her speed even as she raced up the stairs and blazed through the corridors as fast as she could. The light music club's drummer refused to be thrown off even when Sawako executed extremely sharp turns that would have sent an ordinary person barrelling into the nearest wall. When the teacher leapt over the book trolley that had appeared out of nowhere, the student was quick to follow suit, scaring the man who had been pushing the cart near witless; when Sawako dove under the table that was being moved out of one of the classrooms, Ritsu performed a clean slide under the very same table just in case the shock caused one of the men to lose his grip; and when the bespectacled woman bulleted through the hula hoops that the gymnastics club was borrowing, the teenager jumped right over the mess of rings on the ground without missing a beat. And as irritating as it might be to be pursued, Sawako had to admit that she was somewhat impressed by the young musician's running prowess. Well, at least the obstacles along the way had been enough to slow Ritsu down and increase the distance between the two of them.
Sawako thought she might have just enough time to get to the music room, snatch up the things in question, and dart right out of the way before Ritsu could get to the door. Just as she had expected, the old cassette player was right there on top of the desks; the girls really should learn to put their things away when they aren't using the room. Sawako did not count on the boombox being missing the tape that it was supposed to house, however. The educator was busy rummaging through the shelves in the clubroom when the door was flung open with gusto.
"So it really was you." The even tone of voice made Sawako's sweat run cold.
The tawny-haired drummer was standing squarely in the middle of the doorway, sealing off one of the exits. She could probably make a break for it through the window but Sawako wasn't quite so desperate yet; they were on one of the higher levels of the building, after all. And besides, there are worse things to be called out on, right?
"Whoever it is that Yui thought you might be – you are her, aren't you?" accused Ritsu. "You wouldn't have ran otherwise."
It was then that the light music club's president was joined by the rest of the members. Yui looked on with an intense gaze, carefully assessing the situation. To her sides were Mugi and Mio. The two girls were exchanging puzzled looks and chancing a couple of nervous glances at the teacher; they appeared as if they had been dragged here by Yui without much of an explanation beforehand.
The guitarist then extracted Death Devil's note from her blazer's pocket and held it out for all to see. She placed her finger of her other hand on the figure in red and said:
"This is you, isn't it, Sawachan-sensei?"
Sawako recoiled from the sight of it. She turned her back on the girls and leaned against the desks, her head hung low in defeat.
"How could you tell?"
Behind her, Yui was just about to answer the teacher's rhetorical question when Ritsu nudged at the girl to be silent. For some reason, the drummer had been expecting a monologue from Sawako – much like what happens during 'the big reveal' in video games. Mio and Mugi continued standing silently, hoping that some light would finally be shed on whatever this was about.
"Yes, I used to be in the light music club," Sawako continued. She could hear Mugi whisper that she hadn't expected that.
"So, the voice at the end of the tape – the one that yelled at us – was that you as well, sensei?" asked Yui. That girl really was forcing Sawako into a corner.
Sawako sighed. She ran a hand over her face before admitting, "That was really embarrassing… But, yes, that is my voice."
Mio gasped in response, taking an involuntary step backwards. Ritsu reached out to the taller girl to steady her. The mischievous girl would usually be the first to tease Mio for not getting over such a small thing but she managed to bite her tongue for once; no, this really wasn't the time for that.
"Oh? You can play the guitar, then, sensei?" Mugi ventured. This was followed by a chirp from Yui, encouraging the teacher to play some. It wasn't lost on Sawako that all traces of Yui's solemnity from earlier had vanished. Sawako was relieved at that; there are worse things to be called out on, after all.
It was as if a switch was flicked on once Yui's Les Paul was placed in Sawako's hands. It was calling out to her – the potential of this very guitar in her grasp. The Les Paul's unique weight from its mahogany and maple blend was not lost on her; and when her finger plucked against the guitar's sixth string, the sweet and round sound of it electrified Sawako right down to her soul. It– It was all too much for her!
Before she knew it, Sawako– no, Catherine had whipped off her glasses with the flourish of a woman possessed.
"Well, what the hell," she declared as she began milking Yui's guitar for all it was worth. Shredding, tapping, and even teeth-playing – Catherine did it all. She didn't even bat an eyelash when Yui sobbed, "My guitar!"
"You've been using the music room as you please," shrieked Catherine. The mix of outrage and authority in her tone had all members of the present light music club sinking to their knees in a deep bow, apologising for their foolishness.
Catherine was ready to give the girls the tongue-lashing of their lives when the door opened yet again, cutting her right off.
.
.
.
"Excuse me for intruding. I knocked on the door earlier but there was no response, so I thought I'd let myself in–"
Azusa immediately stopped herself at the sight before her. Yamanaka-sensei – the sweet and kindly Yamanaka-sensei that all the girls on campus were fond of – was downright yelling at her four seniors, all of whom were in dogeza position. Only Ritsu dared to look up and acknowledge Azusa's presence.
'W-What is going on here?' thought Azusa, a droplet of sweat trickling down the back of her neck. This was obviously a bad time; she should probably come back later. Yes, later would be a better time. It was a good thing that she still had a hand on the doorknob.
"Please excuse me," said Azusa as she made a hasty retreat. The twin-tailed girl didn't bother looking back even when the teacher called out for her to wait. No, Azusa really didn't want to be caught up in this mess.
Unbeknownst to the young, raven-haired musician, Azusa had probably saved the light music club members for the second time in a short amount of time.
:::
