The Month of November

by Anticipate

After their final cultural festival performance, the members of the Light Music Club find themselves unsure on how to move forwards. With the promise of separation only a few months away, the very existence of the band is at stake. Though they graduate in March, the Light Music Club first has to survive the month of November. YuiAzu, reviews are appreciated.

17. Chapter 17: Friends!

November 17th, 74 Minutes Before School Starts

Very few things had the ability to fluster Ui Hirasawa, but her sister and her often hazardous exploits occupied nearly every spot on the top of her list. Even so, life with the dilatory airhead had conditioned the younger sister to be more familiar with Murphey's Law than most. She had adapted flawlessly this morning when her sister happened to wake up an hour early, having already been up for half an hour cleaning. When Yui had insisted that she get to school as soon as possible, Ui was ready with an emergency 3-minute prep time breakfast the two could eat on the road together. Not even a sudden rainstorm the weatherman had sworn up and down wouldn't blow in until tomorrow could faze Ui, who was sharing an umbrella with her sister before the third raindrop could fall. No amount of preplanning was useful, however, in telling her why her sister was behaving so aberrantly. That she wasn't a pitiful lump on the floor of her room nursing her broken heart was a fact Ui was infinitely grateful for, but this alternative of failing to even acknowledge anything had happened caused equal amounts of discord within the younger sister. Worse, she was unintentionally denied the chance to ask any questions by Yui's guitar, or rather Yui forgetting to bring her guitar with her. Despite being halfway to school already, volunteering to sprint home to retrieve and store Giita in the clubroom had been the natural next step for Ui. The only downside to her charitable act was that it left her an abundance of time she didn't want to overanalyze her sister's actions. Nothing that's happened since last night hasn't happened before. I've been over this. Onee-chan can't be heartbroken, therefore I have no need for concern. Everything is working out for the best. I have to stop thinking about it. My only job is to support Onee-chan. By all accounts, the trepidation that chased Ui's footprints and tried to drag her away from the clubroom was unfounded, no matter how insistently the anxiety tugging at her heels pulled as she approached her destination.

Uprooting her blossoming concerns with a shake of her head, Ui pushed open the clubroom door gingerly. She was so early that the lights hadn't even been turned on, leaving the room inundated in a muted grey bath of sunlight from the rain-battered windows. A girl and a guitar poked their heads through the slit they had created in the boundary between the girl's world and her sister's world. The girl's wary apology for her intrusion was uttered for no human that she or the blind sentinel on her back could detect. It was as if Ui was looking into the bedroom of a missing child that the parents had maintained in pristine condition fervently for years, riding on the farfetched hope that their baby would still return someday. Were it not for Ton, Ui might have wondered if she was in the right room. It's so different when nobody is here. I guess whatever Onee-chan needed to do wasn't in the clubroom. That makes my job easier.

Satisfied that she was alone, Ui permitted herself full entry into the clubroom, excuses she no longer needed leaving her taxed mind for the moment. If nobody was home, she could accomplish her task without having to field questions to cover up her sister's ineptitude. "I hope whatever you needed to be here so early for was worth it, Onee-chan," Ui told the vacant room as she hunted for a suitable place to park Giita.

The unaccommodating clubroom didn't have any apparent storage location that would be easily accessible to Yui without begging to be nicked by the first desperate student that happened to be in need of a Les Paul. Ui found herself setting the guitar down in several different locations, only to instantly pick it up again indecisively. The weight she bore on her back grew exponentially with each failed attempt, compounding her desire to finish her job and flee the scene. Ton looked on, probably bemused at Ui's dilemma as she abandoned discretion for efficacy. The wooden floor complained under her crimson-tipped shoes, Ui's stress imprinted on them with every tread and retread she passed down. Ui fully realized that she probably looked inane, that anywhere she chose to discharge Yui's instrument would be sufficient, but the tantalizing idea of an optimal solution bid Ui continue to search. The second time she set the guitar case down next to Ton's tank, shielded from view without being too out of the way, Ui accepted that she wasn't going to find a much better location. Noticing that her chosen corner of the room was colder than the main body, Ui shivered slightly, drawing her arms around herself. Is Ton-chan comfortable living like this? Catching herself staring with concern at the turtle, Ui stood up straight, refocusing on Giita one more time to confirm the completion of her task.

Had she set Giita in this spot the first time, Ui would have been able to leave the room with only Giita as proof that she was there. Tragically, her dallying caught up to her right as she began to leave. Artificial light invaded Ui's vision, showering down on her from all directions and making her wish she could open her umbrella again. Drenched in visibility, Ui met the blue eyes of the one who had foiled her gambit at anonymity. "Yui-chan… no, Ui-chan?" echoed a mellifluous voice from the doorway.

"Ah, hello, Mugi-senpai, it's me," Ui conceded, swaying left and right from her spot behind the couch as she searched for a comfortable way to explain her intrusion. "I don't mean to intrude. I was just bringing Giita to the clubroom for Onee-chan. I'll be going now."

"H-hold on!" Tsumugi stuttered as Ui made a play for the door, using the 17-kilogram keyboard slung over her shoulder as a tool to block the younger sister's path. "Wouldn't you like to stay for some tea? I'd been hoping to speak with you about some things, actually, so if you don't mind…" There was hesitation, concern even shrouded within Tsumugi's invitation, but the interest sparkling in her eyes was strong enough to keep her firmly rooted between Ui and her own objective.

Ui hesitated, seconds wasting away as no excuse to allow her safe passage through the door came to her. Tsumugi, despite having appeared at the clubroom far sooner than she would ever reasonably need to, was visibly out of breath, like she'd taken a lap around the school grounds before coming to the clubroom. Her chest rose and fell in an irregular pattern that indicated exhaustion, yet she maintained a perfectly firm hold on both her heavy keyboard and school bag like they were coin purses. Blinking a few times to force herself to stop staring dumbly at her senior, Ui ran through the facts she had available to her. Tsumugi's intent was no mystery to Ui, but the desire to respect her sister's privacy stayed her tongue from answering Tsumugi's unasked question immediately. This is too soon, isn't it? She shouldn't hear this from me, but if I don't tell her, she'll probably hound Onee-chan for information all morning until something goes wrong. Maybe I should just bite the bullet on this one, for Onee-chan's sake.

"I know what you want me to tell you, Mugi-senpai," Ui started, prompting the heiress to lean in closer, sapphire colored eyes gleaming. "But I'm sorry, I don't have good news. Azusa-chan rejected Onee-chan yesterday. They didn't get together." Traitorously, Ui's lips attempted to curve into a smile at that reveal, and she fought for even a fleeting amount of control over her emotions.

Tsumugi's keyboard strap sagged on her shoulder, as if she had just realized how heavy it was. The slightly overbearing enthusiasm left her expression, replaced with something Ui couldn't hope to identify. Awkward air fermented between the girls as time passed silently. "Oh. I see," Tsumugi murmured, downcast. "That's unfortunate to hear."

Callous as it was to abandon the heiress now, Ui wasn't mentally prepared to assist Tsumugi in sifting through the debris of her shattered delusions. She began to edge her way towards the door, around the oversized keyboard in her way. "Well, I should get to class, so, well, I suppose I'll see you lat-" A hand clutched Ui's sleeve, bidding her to remain.

"Ne, I know it's impolite of me to make a request like this, but would you mind staying with me, just for a bit?" Tsumugi implored, her tone wavering between detached request and impassioned plea. "Tea is better with friends, after all."

Had Ui not felt partially responsible for Tsumugi's current situation, she'd have rejected the senior outright. She was already in foreign territory having the girl who swapped between threatening her and apologizing to her on a whim request her company. At least when Tsumugi was making her antsy with just the inflection of her voice, she knew where the blonde's head was at. Jun-chan would say something here about how Mugi-senpai and I sound the same when we're trying to get what we want. I should tell her that's wrong. Tabling the unnecessary plan for later, Ui focused on the piteous guilt thwarting her attempts to leave the room. I would stay for Azusa-chan or Jun-chan. Just because Mugi-senpai was wrong about Onee-chan doesn't mean she's not a person. If I can do something to help that doesn't harm Onee-chan, I should. With a small nod, Ui retreated towards the clubroom table, detaching herself from the senior.

Taciturn was the entire process of preparing and serving tea for both students. The fragrance of fresh tea brought color back to the room, the steam rising from two cups like the first shoots of grass pushing up through the soil after a long winter. Ui hadn't realized how therapeutic the effects of tea preparation could be, her concerns melting away as she completely immersed herself in her work. It helped that Tsumugi made an excellent partner. Just through their cooperation at the party, the two had already learned each other's work habits and developed a sort of synergy that would draw the envy of any career team of butlers. Ui wanted to believe this was due to Tsumugi's experience working with Yui, but she knew better than to assume her sister was willing or able to help with anything involving manual labor. The real reason wasn't that important anyways. Tsumugi also appeared to be impacted by the shift in mood of the room, smiling pleasantly to herself as the two took adjacent seats at the table. It was as Ui lifted her teacup from her sister's seat gingerly that it occurred to her that she had no idea what she was supposed to be saying to the heiress. Tsumugi attempted to lift her own cup with her bandaged hand, only to flinch and quickly snatch it up with her other hand, sighing. Ui eyed the wrappings incredulously. How didn't I notice those before? They didn't seem to bother her while she was making the tea. Ui took a sip of her tea, tasting nothing with all of her senses unwittingly trained on her company. "How's your hand?" she blurted out, courtesy losing the battle with the younger girl's intrigue.

Several seconds passed before Tsumugi acknowledged the brunette. When she did, setting her teacup down, she appeared to be looking at some point far beyond where Ui was seated. It was as if she had forgotten Ui was there, was lost in a daydream, or both. "My hand is healing quite well, fortunately," she reassured with a small smile. "The doctor said the lacerations weren't deep enough to mar anything important. Sadly, I don't think I'll be able to play or practice for a while. I merely brought my keyboard here for storage purposes until the hand is healed." Both girls glanced at the storage room where Tsumugi's keyboard and Giita had collectively ended up.

"That's a shame about playing," Ui noted. "At least it doesn't sound too serious. I hope you feel better soon." Hundreds of useless conversation topics flooded Ui's mind, drowning her in thought before she could even try to pluck something from the list.

The gap of silence only became more pronounced as the two girls found anything to do but drink tea and chat, avoiding each other's gaze. For Ui, the silence in such times was an uncharted wilderness that anyone who ate nearly every meal with Yui Hirasawa would be woefully unprepared to handle. She's so… calm. I can tell she's really upset, that she wants me to tell her all the details, but she hasn't even tried to ask. Onee-chan would have been wailing on the floor about her band by now if this was her. That's what I've been waiting for her to do since she woke up. But instead of doing that, I'm here, when Onee-chan might need me. As irritation over that fact began to spike within Ui, she took a second to relax herself. No. There are other people out there besides Onee-chan. As long as it doesn't hurt her, this is fine. There's nothing Mugi-senpai can do at this point, anyways. It's over, so I should be her friend. If only I wasn't terrible at comforting people. Where are you when I need you, Onee-chan?

When Ui caught Tsumugi's eye, the heiress looked away, blushing. Ui tilted her head in an unasked question, setting her nearly full teacup aside. Tsumugi remained somewhat bashful, but went ahead and responded. "My apologies, I was just thinking about how you reminded me of an old friend of mine," she admitted, brushing her hair behind her shoulder.

"Oh? How so?" came Ui's immediate response, adamantly clinging onto anything to move away from the conversation hole the two found themselves in.

Tsumugi sat up in her seat with the propriety of someone befitting her social status, nostalgically observing Ton. "Well, we used to spend all of our time together, drinking tea, reading, playing music, getting into mischief. She and I were like sisters. Just having her around made every day better, worth waking up for. I felt like I could tell her anything." The heiress' features hardened. "It was because of that fact that I lost her."

There was no way Ui could come up with an excuse to leave at this point, so she settled for a sip of her flat tea. "Because of that?" she parroted, hoping Tsumugi wasn't counting on her to contribute to someone else's anecdote.

The heiress started, jolting herself back to the present moment. "Oh, my apologies. Never mind my reminiscence. My point is that family is a precious commodity to me, Ui-chan. If I lost any of my bandmates because of my actions… Ne, do you think pushing Azusa-chan and Yui-chan together is the right thing to do?" Tsumugi inquired, leaning forward aggressively once more in her chair to put her face centimeters from Ui's. "I know what you said at the party, but I want you to be honest with me, please. There's nothing either of us can do at this point anyways, right?"

Unprepared, Ui scooted back half a meter, her chair grinding harshly against the floor. Noticing this, Tsumugi reined herself in, but left the question hanging between them. The conversation Tsumugi was referring to had nearly taken a year off of Ui's life. During the party, while preparing tea for Sawako, Ui had felt an intractable urge to tell somebody about her theft of Yui's final picture, and Tsumugi was the only outlet available. Tsumugi had been what Ui assumed was enraged for a moment, but the pleasant manner she treated her junior with following this was arguably more unnerving. Ui felt like she had been shown a glimpse of a monster that Tsumugi only barely managed to contain, one the heiress reserved for those who dared to mess with her designated family. But I can't be a pushover either, not if I want to get what I want. I told her I'm not just going to blindly go along with her ideas. Mugi-senpai knows that, so why is she asking me? By Onee-chan's definition, we're both doing the right thing, right? "I'm not sure what you mean," Ui stalled, her normally reliable processing power lagging the way it did when presented with a novel challenge she couldn't easily adapt to.

Tsumugi rose, taking care to place her hand on the table a good distance away from her teacup. "Let's not pretend here, Ui-chan. All I want is for us to be happy together. Everything I've done has been to meet that end. But if Azusa-chan really rejected Yui-chan, perhaps I've terribly misjudged things. I'm not so fixated on my goal that I can't admit when a change of tactics might be necessary. Perhaps Ricchan truly does abhor the idea of continuing to function as a band with us in college, and I've only ruined things for her and the others." The heiress began to pace back and forth like a wandering specter, losing herself in her speech as she drifted towards the whiteboard. "We all love how things are, so I thought I understood what should come next, like the way one note should be played after another. But I can't give up, even if I have messed up. I won't give up, because I'm strong. I'm Tsumugi Kotobuki. I'm strong. I bear the Kotobuki name, so I'm strong. And yet my family is disappearing again." Tsumugi's pace lagged as she left her own conversation behind, her good hand finding the whiteboard for support.

Ui stood up after her senior, her mind searching for a way to draw Tsumugi back into reality rather than taking the opportunity to leave. Tsumugi's enigmatic smile contradicted the waves of sorrow emanating from her presence. The waves rose and broke against the walls of the clubroom, Tsumugi standing safely at ground zero while Ui struggled to avoid being tossed about by her sister's friend's melancholy. This is how she feels? What could have possibly happened to cause her to fear failing this much? I-Is this what would happen to me if I lost Onee-chan? The possibility was so terrifyingly real to the younger Hirasawa that Tsumugi glanced up sharply, as if she was really noticing Ui's presence for the first time.

"If what you said last week is still true, then we share the same end goal," Ui responded to Tsumugi's look, hoping she was choosing the right words to cheer the heiress up. "Everyone makes mistakes though. You're not wrong for messing up, Mugi-senpai."

Realizing that her host didn't agree as Tsumugi didn't respond, Ui racked her mind for another approach. Come on, Ui. That argument wouldn't have even worked on you. I have to say something else. Mou, how do I keep ending up in these situations? I can't allow her to continue misdirecting Onee-chan. Making her way over to the brooding heiress, Ui placed a hand awkwardly on her shoulder.

Tsumugi didn't reject Ui's advance, nor did she accept it. Ui had touched a statue, a portrait of Tsumugi cut out of time the very second Ui touched her. Realizing she couldn't back down without saying anything, Ui let out what she hoped was a calming smile. "We all make mistakes. It's hard to admit it, but that's the first step towards fixing things, ne? Don't let this failure get you down. You're not wrong for wanting to be their friend, Mugi-senpai. Just…" Ui found herself unable to emulate the same type of forewarning message Tsumugi had used on her nearly a week ago, allowing her encouragement to reach the heiress undiluted.

The support came off as hollow to Ui, but Tsumugi's eyes quickly lit up as time began to move again. "You really think so? No, you're right, Ui-chan. I can still make this right! There must be something I overlooked that caused Azusa-chan to react like that! Ricchan too! I just have to keep trying! I won't get it wrong this time! Things cannot end like this." In the wake of Tsumugi's about face, Ui found her free hand clenching at how easily Tsumugi let her regret go.

Here in front of Ui was the girl who had caused her sister all the grief she knew Yui was withholding from her failure with Azusa. Here was the heiress who tried to force her sister and her best friend into a relationship one of them didn't want and the other didn't understand. Here was the bully who had shoved her and Jun around for the past two weeks to achieve her goals. Ui didn't get truly angry often. Mild irritation at her sister's or Jun's antics, sure, but real anger was generally beyond her. "No, Tsumugi-senpai, you fool," Ui harshly reprimanded, ignoring the niceties she normally barred herself from discarding. "You don't get my sister or Azusa-chan at all. They don't want you to keep meddling with their affairs. If you want to stay with them, then do that. You don't need to turn my life upside down to do that, got it?" Realizing she had adapted a death grip on Tsumugi's shoulder, Ui released Yui's friend quickly.

Tsumugi tilted her head, unaffected by Ui's grip. "Are you sure it's not your affairs you're concerned that I'm meddling with?" she questioned innocently. "I suppose that means you really don't want them to get to get together then. I had suspected as much, but I wasn't certain one way or the other. Ne, how is what I'm doing any different from you stealing Yui's present?"

Ui gulped down her next line, caught off guard by the fierce barrage of accusations from her adversary. "It's different. I wouldn't have done anything if you hadn't done something. I was trying to say that what you're doing is wrong. I wanted to say it from the beginning, but I didn't, because I wasn't sure myself. After talking with Onee-chan about it, though, I was certain. Friendship with Azusa-chan is best for her. If you can accept that like you said, then there's no issue here." Even on the back foot, Ui managed to balance her argument out enough to sound coherent, not missing a beat once she began to speak once more.

The conviction behind Ui's claims piqued curiosity in her opponent. Interlocking her hands behind her back, Tsumugi offered Ui a reassuring smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Hm. If I believed you, then I would easily accept that, Ui-chan. I know I've made some mistakes since the festival. Sometimes I have trouble controlling my emotions regarding these matters, but I don't regret trying to get my friends to be honest about their feelings. Until they do that, I don't want to give up just yet. I wanted you to help me make things right for HTT again, but I don't think we really agree on how to go about things, ne?" The statement solidified the transformation in status between the two girls, each now completely aware of the other's intent.

Mustering up the intimidation factor she was told she was famous for, Ui folded her arms. "Mugi-senpai, I told you that Onee-chan tried to confess yesterday and was rejected. There's nothing left to reveal."

Something in Ui's soul ached as Tsumugi smiled understandingly at her. "How about this then: Tell me why Azusa-chan turned her phone off last night, and I'll accept that you were right. Does that sound fair?"

It became very apparent to Ui that Tsumugi was closer to understanding the current situation than she gave her credit for. She's sharp. I can't become complacent. "How would I know? She forgot to charge it?"

Tsumugi's enigmatic gaze found focus on her junior. She smiled softly and patted Ui on the head. "You're a model little sister, Ui-chan. If Azusa-chan really tried to confess, I have to image you were there. It's why I chose to confide my intentions to you in the first place, since you'd find out yourself eventually. Did you speak to Azusa-chan after school yesterday?"

Ui felt cornered, despite Tsumugi looking more amicable than she had since coming into the room. Backing down now means letting Onee-chan go, though. There's only one option. "No," she lied. "I found out what happened from Onee-chan. If Azusa-chan isn't answering her phone, I don't know why."

Demanding her body control its urge to twitch nervously, Ui looked on as Tsumugi's smile became distinctly somber. "Alright, Ui-chan," she conceded. "I understand. We both can't afford to lose the people we care about. They make us who we are, ne?"

An image of Yui holding Azusa desperately under a streetlight flashed in Ui's mind. "Yes. What does that have to do with-"

"Then it's settled," Tsumugi declared decisively. "I should have seen your intent from the beginning, Ui-chan. You have my apologies. It would be nice if we could just sit down and have tea together again, but that can't happen yet." The resolute expression Tsumugi wore would have inspired Ui under different circumstances. "To be completely honest, I'm rather tired after everything that's been going on. My tea breaks only get longer the fewer people come to them, but that's all the more reason not to stop here. I'll probably be here for a while still, so please give Yui-chan and Azusa-chan my best when you see them."

It took Ui a moment to realize that their conversation had ended with that statement. Tsumugi had already begun to clean up the pair's dishes, leaving nothing for Ui to do but stand there dumbly. "Right, I should be going," she announced weakly, edging towards the door as she shouldered her bag. "Jun-chan and Azusa-chan will be waiting for me."

Smiling warmly at Ui as she ran water over the pair's teacups, Tsumugi gave her friend a wave. "Please be careful, Ui-chan. No matter what you might think, your actions can have just as much impact as your sister's, perhaps more," Tsumugi whispered, barely audible over the clamor of the sink. "It's much harder to successfully put things together than it is to fall apart trying."

As soon as the clubroom door closed, Ui began to breathe again, placing a hand on her chest to steady herself. Talking with Tsumugi was an endurance exercise Ui was terrible at. It was as if Tsumugi could read her soul as she spoke, and it didn't help that she seemed to know exactly what Ui was trying so valiantly to hide. "I'm not wrong," she muttered to herself. "I can't be wrong. No matter what Mugi-senpai thinks or how much she believes in herself, she doesn't have to be right because of that. I just need to focus on protecting Onee-chan." Ignoring the concept of holding herself to her own logic, Ui started for hew classroom.

Mugi-senpai is weird. I'm not like her. What I'm doing is right. I'd never question myself like she does because this is what's best for Onee-chan. She's not ready to grow up yet. Until she is, I'll be the one to take care of both of us. The only thing Ui Hirasawa needs to be is a good little sister.

---

November 17th, 12 Minutes Before School Starts

"Good morning, Yamanaka-sensei."

"Good morning, Tsukasa, Toshimi. Make sure you dry yourselves off before you go in!"

"Morning, sensei."

"Good morning, Nobuyo. It's nice to see you."

"Ne, sensei, what are you looking at?"

"Hm? Ah, don't worry about it. Ne, would you mind if I borrow your umbrella for a few minutes? I'll have it back to you before the bell."

"Sure, go ahead. I hope you find what you're looking for!"

Taking the plain black umbrella in hand, Sawako mulled over the best way to approach her target. There had been little need to hunt her mark down, not since it had planted itself outside the school gate 15 minutes ago. From her self-assigned position at the front entrance of the school greeting students, she had a crystal-clear view of her quarry if one ignored the pouring rain. She hadn't even needed an excuse to camp by the door. Contrary to a certain club president's rumor mongering, Sawako relished the opportunity to interact personally with her students, to see them off at the end of the school day and welcome them as classes began. It was a perfect combination of her innate desire to be adored and to erase every modicum of the school rumor mill's belief that she was anything but a refined, elegant young woman of a teacher. In short, all the proper conditions were lined up for her to make Ritsu Tainaka's life hell. Time's running out, drummer girl. You might have saved me the trouble of hunting you down, but if you don't get in here, I'll drag you inside myself. How Sawako had ended up holding the bag of her more eccentric club's issues was beyond her, but she wasn't about to let them get away with it unscathed. If they think they can start fights and ditch class without hurting the reputation of their poor teacher and advisor, they're sorely mistaken. I'll show those brats.

The original plan of remaining more or less aloof to the teenage drama Sawako had had her fill of in high school had appeared bulletproof on first glance. As much as Sawako cared for her students, she drew the line at having anything to do with the dizzying quagmire that was their personal lives. Dealing with personal quirks was the most she was usually willing to tolerate or offer assistance with as a teacher, of which there were more than enough of to occupy her time. Chizuru Shima couldn't handle stressful situations. Yoshimi Sunahara had a bad pranking habit that many of her classmates only embolden her in indulging in. Chika Nojima utterly refused to study for her exams. And Ritsu Tainaka likes to run away from her problems, Sawako noted, detecting movement by the school gate.

Ritsu was on the move, slinking forward under the presumed cover of several other groups of students. The dark green umbrella she had been using since arriving at the gate was closed to avoid drawing attention to herself. She had even removed her trademark yellow headband to mask her presence, which would have admittedly worked had Sawako not been watching for her so diligently. Waving pleasantly at the group of students as they passed, Sawako put on her sweetest tone as the drummer attempted to pass her homeroom teacher. "Tainaka-san, would you mind speaking with me for a minute?" she pleasantly requested.

The drummer froze up, causing the girl behind her to bump into her. Ignoring the scathing look she received, Ritsu rubbed the back of her head casually. "Yo, Sawa-chan! Good to see you! I'd love to stay and chat, but I have, ah, stuff to do. I think I hear Mio or Yui or Ton-chan calling me sooo- hey!" Ritsu protested as Sawako gabbed her arm and yanked her out of the stream of passing students.

"Come on, you. We need to have a chat," she hissed through a faux smile.

Continuing to put on her front until she had dragged Ritsu over to the school founder statue, Sawako let the girl go, allowing her to stumble a few paces backwards into the building downpour. Taking the time to work out how to open her borrowed umbrella gave Ritsu the chance to become indignant with her treatment. "Jeez, who dumped you this week? It's unhealthy to take out your heartbreak on others, you know." There was already another set of waggish insults on the drummer's lips, but Sawako silenced her by removing her glasses.

This act alone brought a bead of sweat to both Ritsu's and the founder's brow as Sawako took a deep breath, silently thanking her Death Devil persona for one of its rare useful moments. "You know, it's funny," Sawako scoffed, her eyes that of a starving viper's. "When my students don't show up to school, claiming to be sick, and I call home to find out if they're okay, usually the parent tells me that their child is fine and will be back in a few days. Everyone's happy. Of course, when I call your home, what do I find out? Oh, that's right, you're playing hooky and it's somehow my job instead of your mother's job to make sure you show up to school. If you hadn't shown up today, I would have had to waste my whole morning hunting for you, you know that?"

"Well, I'm here," Ritsu stated the obvious. "Sorry about all that, but I can't do anything about the past. I'll get the homework from someone. Can I just go to class? It's raining out here, you know."

The wind left Sawako's sails. Of all the Light Music Club members, she could usually count on Ritsu to have enough backbone to handle her less professional side. "They're worried about you," the teacher pointed out, putting her glasses back on. "Frankly, I am too. It looks bad for me when my clubs get into fights. Do you want to tell me what the hell you were doing yesterday?"

As soon as Sawako stopped pushing, Ritsu took the opportunity to reconstruct her wall of bravado. "Dealing drugs," she instantly responded, flashing a smile under the bangs partially obscuring her eyes. "You want some? I can hook you up if you have the cash."

Sawako glowered at the child who probably couldn't tell the difference between beer and vodka and sighed. "You'd be dead in a week in that business," she confidently asserted. "Don't you have a job here you should be dealing with first?"

"Eh?" Ritsu questioned, tilting her head backwards to put her headband back on. "What are you talking about? Do I owe you money or something?" Smoothing out her hair to reveal her reflective forehead, Ritsu began to fiddle with her own umbrella.

"Last time I checked, your clubroom was on fire," Sawako reminded her student. "I was going to stay out of it, but when you ditch class and get people hurt, it becomes my problem. Just because Tsumugi covered for you doesn't mean I'm letting you off the hook. You need to fix this, president."

Cursing silently as her umbrella failed to open, Ritsu took a second to huff at Sawako's order. "Gee, what a warm welcome. It's all my fault then, is it? Pretending to care is a bad look for you, Sawa-chan. Just stay out of it until the others come to their senses." The hidden threat to Sawako's authority was clear to Sawako, and probably only her.

The showdown between student and teacher was starting to garner attention from the passing cavalcade of students, forcing Sawako to smile and wave them along while she considered what to do next. Ritsu smiled and waved too, which only served to befuddle onlookers into continuing to walk rather than stand out in the rain trying to figure out what was going on. Sawako crossed her arms over her yellow dress. Ugh. Teenage girls. The damn world can't revolve around all or any of you, you know that? No, calm, Sawako. Peaceful thoughts. Death metal, guitars, smashing guitars. You're getting paid for this. "Don't be a delinquent if you don't want to be treated like one," Sawako chided. "I care enough about you morons to call you on your bull. You're better than this. Mio and Yui can play the ingenuous card, but you can't. It's not a question of whose fault it is. You're the band's leader, aren't you?"

The question elicited a resentful scoff from Ritsu. "That doesn't matter," the drummer insisted, kicking at the moistening dirt in frustration. "Everything's screwed now. You said you know what's going on, so you tell me Nakano hasn't shattered Yui's heart and probably her own in the process by now. Mugi's probably still in romance fantasyland, and Mio's acting more insane every day. Not to mention Mio… ah, whatever. You get the idea. It's all screwed by now. I can't do anything about it." Ritsu's shoulders sagged with an infuriating amount of placid complacency as she turned her head away towards the entrance.

Sawako took this opportunity to get in her student's face. Any pretense of personal space Ritsu presumed she had was torn asunder as Sawako nearly touched noses with the drummer. The amorous nature of their proximity and sharing of an umbrella was offset by the malicious intent behind Sawako's glasses. "Cut the crap, Tainaka. This is all high school romance bullshit for you and you know it. If you're gonna predicate your friendships on who's going out with who or who knows who likes who, they're not friendships. Do me a favor and think about the future instead of the present for half a minute. Nothing you're talking about is going to have any impact on your life after you leave this school. Do you understand? Everything is as big a deal as you make it out to be. I said it before and I'll say it again: you need to get your priorities in order if you truly care about this band, got it?"

As Sawako watched Ritsu flounder for a response, she began to question her own actions just as much as the brave few students still watching her. I know I have to deal with this, but why am I getting so fired up? I'm making a fool of myself. Maybe it's because she's so much like I used to be. Yeah, that has to be it. There's a connection here or something, I just overreacted. I should just relax a little and let things work themselves out. Sawako could have continued to back down on her stance, had Ritsu not risen up to meet the teacher head on.

"Maybe I don't 'got it'," Ritsu growled, covering the last two words in air quotes. "I've planned on a future that lets me enjoy the present. If I can't do that, the future doesn't matter. If you or the others can't understand that, then there's no need to keep this farce of a club together. I -ow!" Ritsu yelped as Sawako pinched her cruelly on the cheek.

"Don't swear at your teachers like that!" Sawako ordered loudly enough to cover her actions to any would-be tattlers before lowering her voice so only Ritsu could hear. "This is for the others, who I'm sure would do worse if they could hear you talking like that. You're the mouthpiece to this whole operation. Just because you took the job on a whim doesn't mean you can't be the leader they need."

Ending her hold on Ritsu, Sawako held out her umbrella forcefully. "Take this. You're gonna catch something."

"What do you know?" Ritsu spat, rubbing her reddening cheek while taking a defiant step out of the umbrella's range. "You don't know them like I do."

Sawako merely frowned. She hadn't wanted to make use of her trump card, given the weather, but she didn't appear to have a choice. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew a crumpled sheet of paper and handed it to her student. Ritsu snatched the paper from the woman's grasp. "What's this, a confession letter? Did you finally give up on chasing boys?" The venom behind Ritsu's tone was about as potent as the raindrops falling on Sawako's head.

Despite Ritsu's lack of conviction, it required all of Sawako's self-restraint to prevent her from sending Ritsu through a wall. "I found that in the trash, deposited by your kouhai," Sawako barely managed to get out with an even tone, holding the umbrella over her student dutifully. "I thought you might be interested." Fortunately, Ritsu was becoming too absorbed in the paper to question why Sawako happened to bear witness to Azusa's trash disposal.

Shielding the paper with her body to prove she didn't need Sawako's help, Ritsu scanned the letter quickly. Her mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish, but when she spoke once more, she was dumbstruck. "Who the hell is this? This isn't me. God, I feel like Mio could have written this, it's so cringey. Are you sure your eyesight isn't failing you? Nakano and Mio look really similar from beh-"

"Shut it," Sawako countered, snatching the paper back and almost tearing it in the process. "And yes, it's disgustingly cloying in its praise, but I think that's the point. Azusa was trying to express how much you all meant to her, likely because of what's coming up in March. She wrote one of these graduation letters for each of you, but after when I assume you had your fight, she threw them away. What does that tell you?"

"She doesn't believe in us?" Ritsu guessed, her voice betraying her concern over that concept. "I mean, Yui's pushing her, sure, and we're not the most serious club out there, but we pull through when it counts, don't we? Sawa-chan, tell me I'm not ruining the lives of the youth with this club. I don't need crushing her dreams on my conscious!"

The teacher smirked wickedly, her baited trap bearing immediate results. "I don't know, the club president seemed to think everything is fine with the club until a few days ago, so there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with this letter from my perspective. Maybe if she keeps sitting on her hands and closing her eyes, all her problems will disappear. That's how a coward would handle it, anyways."

Ritsu's indignant bravado was crushed by the intensifying rain around her. When she met Sawako's expectant stare, there was a rawness to her expression that startled her teacher. "I'm not a damn coward. Back at the party. You said the college would be a step down for Mio. I don't want to hurt Nakano's feelings, but if keeping the band together means holding Mio back, it's not worth it. That's how I feel. That's why I can't be their leader. I play favorites." Ritsu smirked to herself, displaying a mirth her eyes couldn't mimic. "Yui or Mio'd be much better leaders. Hell, even Nakano could probably handle it. She's going to have to do it next year anyways."

It took precious time for Sawako to conjure up a rebuttal. In truth, she had had a similar conversation with her own band, years ago. Navigating relationships of any nature was complicated, but at least she had some experience when it came to clubs. "No you don't play favorites, and no, nobody else can have the official title of leader but you," Sawako told Ritsu for her. "If you were playing favorites, the band would have collapsed years ago. Bands don't function on relationships like that, unlike clubs. Azusa doesn't believe that. Yui, Tsumugi, and Mio don't believe it. If anything, you're too scared to tell them how you really feel. Nobody's telling you not to like Mio more or less because you've known her longer. If every relationship you make is constantly compared to the one you already have, you'll never form any new bonds. That's how I know you're wrong. Speaking strictly musically, it would make more sense for you all to attend college together. I won't lie and call you the next big thing as you are, but if you put some real effort into those performances of yours, you could have something more special than you know. I played with several metal bands over the years besides Death Devil, and none of them have ever come close to approaching HTT's best sound on a good day, much as I loathe to admit that. If I didn't despise every lyric that your bassist created, I'd call you idiot savants. What I'm getting at is that it's not as terrible a decision as you think. It considers everyone, because what Mio truly wants is to be with everyone. If you're playing favorites, then you should agree with her." Sawako paused to breathe, pushing her glasses up her face.

The umbrella Sawako had held out was now stuck in limbo between teacher and student, not really covering either of them and making Sawako's hand tired. It was becoming difficult for Sawako to tell what part of her face was covered in rain and what was covered in sweat. The courtyard was abandoned, the rain coming down in torrents, punishing the two people and the bust foolish enough to remain outside. Had Sawako not started yelling, she was fairly certain Ritsu wouldn't have heard her. "You don't get it!" Ritsu shouted back. "She can't get closer to me! If we stay together, she'll be stuck to us all the way through college, and she'll never get the chance to grow the hell up! I'm not going to murder her potential like that." Shivering slightly, Ritsu moved to stand more directly under the umbrella. "I'm the one who's always dragged her away from what she should be doing. It's time I grew up too and forced her to reach her potential herself. I rely on her too much."

"So what?!" Sawako snapped back, now standing right next to Ritsu under the umbrella. "What's wrong with that? You can be self-sacrificing without sacrificing yourself, you moron! Listen to yourself! You're exactly the kind of person any band would kill to have. If you had the brains to look yourself in the mirror and see that, maybe you wouldn't be in this mess!"

In opening her mouth to respond, Ritsu sneezed into her arm, sparing herself a violent haymaker from Sawako had she missed her target. The drummer tried again, only to sneeze once more. Sawako frowned. "Come inside. We can talk about your punishment for ditching class and the next steps after school. Right now, you need to get dry."

Sniffling, Ritsu stepped forward without even a trademark complaint. As the two half-jogged, half-walked into the school, Ritsu muttered something Sawako couldn't hear. "What?" Sawako exclaimed. "I can't hear you, it's pouring."

Ritsu sighed. "I said I'm doing this for me, just to be clear," she explained as the two made it into the school. "I just realized that I can't let things go with this bad taste in my mouth."

Sawako only smiled knowingly as Ritsu shook herself off like a wet dog. The fact that she hadn't chosen to retreat and had bothered to show up to school had already told Sawako that. What she was doing was reminding the drummer exactly what that something she had to do was. "Well, I wish you luck. It would certainly get quiet around here if I only had one club to deal with."

There was no response from Ritsu, but she didn't bother concealing the small smile that appeared on her face as she exchanged her shoes. Sawako ran a towel through her hair slowly, doing her best to dry off without ruining her morning of styling. Well, that was way more effort than it should have been, but it looks like I reached her. Now I just have to figure out how to dry my hair in the next four minutes. Mou, the things I do for this club. Watching Ritsu take off towards her classroom, Sawako found a smile contradicting her complaining thoughts. At least one thing went right this morning. I'm looking forward to you showing me what HTT is capable of, Ritsu Tainaka.

---

November 17th, Lunchtime

Nodoka Manabe had seen very little of her best friend in the last two weeks. In fact, the two had barely interacted at all since the cultural festival, their sharing of the same classroom akin to two ships drifting ignorantly past each other in the night. It was as if Nodoka's childhood friend had forgotten she was there, which sadly wasn't the most outlandish explanation for her behavior. Admittedly, student council president duties post-festival had absorbed the vast majority of Nodoka's free time until very recently, but a hello now and then compared to actually spending time with her best friend didn't compare. Yui's newfound autonomy was encouraging for the girl's developing maturity, but it left Nodoka a little disappointed, knowing her childhood friend since kindergarten didn't need her as much anymore. The two of them arguably shouldn't have become friends from the beginning due to their harshly contrasting personalities, which only made the sudden gap between them more noticeable. Nodoka kept Yui from doing anything that would get her killed both physically and academically, and Yui kept Nodoka's life interesting. The idea that this dynamic was finally breaking down soured Nodoka's mood more than she expected. It's for the best though. This had to happen at some point. As long as she's happy, there's no issue. As the students began to mill about, finding their destined locations for lunchtime, Nodoka found herself frowning at the empty desk by the window. "And she's gone again," the brunette grumbled to herself, adjusting her red-rimmed glasses in frustration.

Though Nodoka hadn't expected the pouring rain outside to deter Yui from making for the roof to eat her lunch, she would have at least expected the guitarist to tell her why she bothered to run off without so much as a goodbye every day by now. She had considered following her childhood friend several times without acting on her thoughts. The one time she had worked up the nerve to act, Yui's bandmates beat her to the punch and left the air between them all markedly tense. Ritsu disappearing altogether also drew hesitation out of the student council president. False. Ritsu's not gone. She's currently in the nurse's office riding out a cold or some similar ailment. She's supposed to be back by the time the day ends, but that might not happen if she's still gone after this long. I'm responsible for giving her today's notes, as usual. Yui hasn't asked for those recently, either. Shoving aside notions of what a polite level of nosiness for gossip would be, Nodoka pondered on her friend's aberrant behavior as she took her homemade lunch out. Yui has been acting irregularly, for her at least, for a while now. Since the festival? Wrong, it started before that, but symptoms of subdued response times, failure to emote regularly, and withdrawal from non-club related activities appeared shortly after the festival. Signs would indicate that the festival was a potential catalyst. There's also the rumor going around that Yui is participating in illicit activities with her kouhai, though that rumor was perpetrated by Azusa-chan's class, not mine. Therefore, the relevance between Yui's shift in mood and the Light Music Club is likely centered around Azusa-chan, but they could just be correlated events. Circumstantial evidence includes Mio and Mugi-chan's wary demeanors around Yui, indicating some desire to avoid interacting with her under a certain context. Yui is affectionate towards Azusa-chan specifically. If the rumors aren't baseless, then the most reasonable conclusion would be… "A falling out," Nodoka whispered, her deduction complete. "It makes sense if there was a fight in the club over the relationship between Azusa-chan and Yui. That just leaves the question of what to do about it."

If Yui's band was having a fight centered around Yui and Azusa, there was little Nodoka felt she could or should do to intervene unless she was approached directly. Seeing as how Yui hadn't seen fit to do that, she was left in the interesting yet ultimately frustrating land of speculation. Shoving the rice in her bento around absentmindedly, Nodoka distracted herself by taking a headcount of students who had left the room. Somebody had to make sure that all the students showed up to their afternoon classes, and Sawako's apathy towards work frequently left the burden on her shoulders. Mugi-chan isn't here. She probably went after Yui. Ritsu still isn't back, which leaves-

"Ne, Nodoka, would you mind eating with me?" came a voice that desperately wanted to sound casual from Nodoka's right.

Already expecting her guest, Nodoka nodded once at Mio, gesturing to the empty chair in front of her. Mio smiled gratefully and took the offer swiftly. Yui aside, Nodoka was closer to Mio than any other member of the Light Music Club, thanks to the two of them being the only people they knew in their second-year classes. Contrary to Yui, Nodoka found much more familiar ground with the intelligent and competent Mio, the two of them often partaking in friendly competition for the top spots on exams. The two had clicked instantly and had even hung out on Sundays on occasion. "It's been a while since we've had the chance to eat together," Mio admitted guiltily. "I apologize for that. Things have been a bit crazy since the festival."

"No need to apologize," Nodoka waved off before placing her hands together in prayer over her food in silent thanks. "It's as you said. My duties dealing with the aftermath of the cultural festival have kept me much busier than I'd have liked. It's nice to be able to eat with company again." Mio followed her friend's example, and the two began to eat in silence.

Mio was never much of a conversationalist, which was completely fine with Nodoka. In her opinion, it made the things they did end up talking about all the more meaningful. What did bother the student council president was how Mio appeared to be more interested in pushing her food around its container as opposed to eating it. Wistfully glancing towards the door wasn't doing anything for her case either. "She'll come back when the nurse is sure she doesn't have a cold," Nodoka reminded her friend. "There's no need to get restless over things we can't control."

Startled, Mio nearly knocked over her lunch by kicking her legs upward as she snapped her attention to her friend. "Right, right! No no, I'm fine. I wasn't just thinking about that baka. She didn't even acknowledge me when I was coming in today. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of letting her bother me."

"Then perhaps you're worried for Yui or Mugi-chan?" Nodoka presumed calmly, brushing past Mio's excessive protesting. "Admittedly, I am too. They shouldn't be up on the roof in this weather. Not that the snow in the past few days was much better." Had she not spent years conditioning herself not to judge Yui's erratic behavior so harshly, the rational side of her would have called the girl a moron.

Once again, Mio shook her head. "It's not one of them, it's all of them. They've never acted this weird before, even Azusa-chan. She's never turned her phone off before now."

Nodoka tilted her head, marking that fact down in her mind for later use. "Do you want my advice?" she asked. "Because if you do, you'll have to explain what the problem is. I have to admit I'm a bit curious. Yui doesn't normally let things bother her for this long without doing anything about it or forgetting it entirely."

"Is it that obvious we're in a tight spot?" Mio lamented to Nodoka's immediate nod. "Of course it is. Maybe Yui was wrong. It's tradition for most seniors in culture clubs to quit by this point anyways."

For any other club, Nodoka would have instantly agreed. The influx of resignation forms she'd received over the past three weeks were physical proof of that. "That's not what you want, is it?" Nodoka pressed, setting her utensil down. "Your club is subject to disbandment if the seniors quit now. Didn't you mention the other day that you wanted to attend college with all of them? That was your idea, right?"

Abandoning the pretense that she intended to eat anything, Mio folded her arms. "I don't know. I mean, yes, I want that, but I don't know if it was my idea anymore, or if that matters. They all keep saying that we want the same thing, but it certainly doesn't feel like it. I don't know what to do." The bassist's head met Nodoka's desk, nearly smashing into her lunch comically.

Pushing her lunch away from the smattering of black hair encroaching on her space, Nodoka smiled slightly. "Tell me what's been happening with my friends for the past few weeks," she requested gently.

At her behest, Mio lifted her head and spoke. Nodoka noted every detail, every event Mio described, accounting for perspective bias and missing pieces of information with what she knew from being around the others for the past month. As Mio continued to vent, her grievances coming fast and without pause, Nodoka's powers of deduction began to struggle to keep up. This is more complicated than my initial evaluation presumed. I can't just solve this with words. Ritsu and Azusa-chan's behavior is of particular concern. I should confront one or both of them to get their side of the story before acting. Noticing that Mio's pace had slowed, Nodoka finished the last of her meal. "I think I understand the gist of it," she mused aloud. "If I've surmised things correctly, the crux of the problem is you don't know what the next step for your band should be now that the cultural festival has concluded. Am I wrong?"

Mio sighed over her untouched lunch. Her tangent had left her too exhausted to even consider eating. The chatter of the classroom faded away as Nodoka focused herself on the person in front of her. "Yeah, that sounds about right. What should I do?" the bassist asked, playing with her hair indecisively.

Nodoka sighed over her finished lunch. There was too much in front of her to unpack immediately, and she knew she had to somehow explain as much. "Look, this is a bit much to take in all at once. I'd like to at least speak with some of the others on this matter before I draw any conclusions for you. At the least, however, you still want to go to the same university as your band, correct?" she questioned, adjusting her glasses.

Immediately the bassist's hopeful gaze fell. "I… don't know. With how that baka and Mugi-chan have been behaving, I'm not sure what to believe anymore… It's scary."

"If you spend all your time thinking about it, the decision will be made for you," Nodoka helpfully pointed out.

"Wouldn't that be swell," Mio pouted, no longer listening closely.

The downtrodden speech annoyed Nodoka, who expected better from a rival in academia. She pushed Mio's lunch back towards her with her chopsticks. "That's your empty stomach talking. You can't face the problem properly if you're not eating."

Drawn back in, Mio glared up at her friend. "I did face it, didn't I? And now they're all mad at each other, and I'm mad at them. Everyone's mad."

"I'm not mad at you, Mio-chan," Tsumugi interrupted, appearing right next to Mio.

Letting out a girly shriek that most of the class was fortunately well acquainted with at this point, Mio took in the keyboardist's sudden arrival. "Mugi-chan? Stop doing that! Where's Yui-chan? What are you doing here?" Every question added just a bit of hostility to Mio's tone.

Nodding once to Nodoka in greeting, Tsumugi smiled cryptically. "I didn't mean to interrupt your lunch, Mio-chan. Yui-chan just asked me to retrieve her bag for her. I was speaking with her, and you'll be glad to know that she's holding up rather well after yesterday, given the circumstances. Oh, would you like to join us? We're in the clubroom, and –"

"No," Mio cut her friend off. "I'll stay here with Nodoka. Go have fun." The hostility in Mio's tone surprised both girls she was talking to.

It looked like Tsumugi had plenty more to say, but she followed Mio's order without another word, a bit of hurt crossing her features as she left the room. The second Tsumugi disappeared, Mio raised her hands towards the door, indicating something Nodoka couldn't see. "Did you see that? Can you believe her?"

Wiping her glasses to make sure her vision wasn't obfuscated, Nodoka frowned. "I saw you panicking like you'd seen a ghost. Was there something else to see there? It looked to me like you brushed her off for no reason."

Mio huffed. "That's what she wants me to think. She's still trying to manipulate Yui-chan, even after what happened. Yui-chan just went through getting rejected, and Mugi-chan's still trying to work her over. How am I supposed to trust someone like her, revealing secrets for the sole purpose of hurting her friends? Worse, she set Yui up to fail, and she won't even apologize." Having evidently held this frustration back for days had made the release all the more fervent for Mio, to Nodoka's chagrin.

Turning over a chopstick in her fingers, Nodoka considered Mio's perspective once more. There was no immediate way to determine if what Mio was saying was true, which meant she could only speculate on what had riled up the bassist to the point that she was doubting her friends and herself. Though the problem's source eluded her, Nodoka decided to mollify its symptoms while she was here. "If you go looking for something to mistrust or doubt in your friends, you'll find it. If you look for a reason to hate someone, you'll find it. The only thing you can't find by looking is trust," Nodoka posited, holding her chopstick out to Mio. "Trust can only be given, not taken. It's not an object, like this chopstick. If there's one thing Yui's taught me since I've known her, it's that you can't judge people or hold grudges for every mistake they make forever. Yui messes up constantly, but she's a good person. I'm almost certain it's a similar case with Mugi-chan. It might be difficult, but you should give her another chance."

In a move that was confusing to Nodoka, Mio heaved a sigh, giving in to her hunger as she finally began her lunch. "That doesn't help. I already know I should trust them. They're my best friends. I have way more reasons to trust them than not, but it goes beyond that. We're talking about our future as a band here, and they're all treating it like some dumb game when it should be simple." An angry tear formed in Mio's eye. "I have to find a way to keep everyone together, because I promised Yui-chan I would, but it's like everyone else forgot who we are overnight."

No deduction was necessary for Nodoka to determine her next sentence. All she had to do was channel what Yui would say. "Then maybe you should show them again," Nodoka suggested, setting her chopstick down. "It should give you some answers, if nothing else."

"How?" Mio responded instantly. "How do I do that?"

Realizing she hadn't accounted for the most important step in the exact same way Yui usually did, Nodoka could only shrug. "I… don't know. I'm not great at remedying club issues that don't have something to do with budgets or usage permissions."

Watching Mio's face fall made Nodoka feel like she had just killed a puppy. That's not fair. Yui must be rubbing off on all of them. Mou, this is how I ended up buying Yui ice cream after school every day in middle school. "Look, I don't know if I can be of any help, but I'd like both you and Yui to be able to lean on me if you need me. Please tell her that."

Swallowing a bite pensively, Mio found it within herself to smile gratefully. "I really appreciate that, Nodoka. It means a lot. You're right. There's no way I can let them get away with keeping things from me scot free. I'll set them straight if it's the last thing I do."

Tugging on her collar nervously, Nodoka hoped she hadn't just made a mistake in encouraging Mio. "Well, that's not quite what I meant, but I suppose it works." She straightened herself out in her seat, resting her hands on her desk. "Give me a day or two to gather some information. Between the two of us, I'm sure we can resolve everything neatly."

The relief on Mio's face nearly made Nodoka's proposal worth making all by itself. "Thank you thank you thank you!" she exclaimed, startling some nearby students. "I won't forget this, Nodoka!"

As a general policy, Nodoka tried not to get too deeply involved in the business of other official clubs. The Light Music Club had a bad habit of being her exception to this rule, between allowing late club applications, late auditorium permission slips, and installing air conditioners in the music room in the middle of summer. Even as graduation loomed, it appeared that little had changed. Perhaps you still need me for a little longer, Yui. That's fine. I don't mind helping out a bit longer. Rising from her seat, Nodoka picked up her empty lunch with a reassuring smile at her friend. "Don't mention it. This is what friends are for, right?"

---

November 10th, Jun's House

"You say that, but I still feel bad for imposing on you so suddenly," Azusa retorted, shifting uneasily from her seat against the wall in Jun's bedroom. "It's bad friendship etiquette."

Jun had to stifle a laugh from her bed. Her room was cozy in her opinion, consisting only of some bookshelves, her bed, nightstand, and bass guitar, with little room remaining to walk around. Most would find the mildly cramped space stifling, but Jun appreciated the accessibility the limitations in size afforded her. Despite her affection for her living space, she knew very well that her room was only meant to hold one person at a time, so hearing Azusa apologize for tagging along with her after school was amusing. "Bad friendship etiquette would be not hanging out with your friend when you have free time," Jun corrected. "You pass the friend inspection for today. Ne, did you wanna catch a movie or something? There's nothing to read in here and I need to be constantly entertained or I'll die." The joke went right over Azusa's head, but Jun awarded herself points for amusing one of the two people in the room.

Azusa looked around dubiously at the fully lined bookshelves and various manga eating up what little floorspace Jun had to work with. Shrugging sheepishly from her spot on her bed, Jun's head flopped backwards onto her pillow. Her dark brown hair flopped right along with her, released from the ties that normally held it in two nebulous bunches on either side of her head. She had finally gotten the rare chance to hang out with Azusa alone for the first time since the festival, and the aloof guitarist was spending the time contemplating some grand design Jun would never understand even if she wanted to. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, even though it meant that they ended up reading old manga for an hour at Jun's house when they couldn't decide what to do. As long as Azusa was willing to hang out and not yell at her, Jun could put on a smile for her friend. What she couldn't do was tolerate insisting that hanging out was what friends were for over and over again, as Azusa continued to question the validity of her presence in Jun's house. "Is there anything decent playing?" Azusa asked, stretching her arms out cutely.

The bassist shrugged. "Hell if I know. Why don't we go find out?" Her attempt at chumminess fell short of the response she wanted as Azusa tucked her knees in, staring at nothing in particular.

"Okay, sure," Azusa agreed without much enthusiasm.

Whether Azusa had any problem with her apathy was of no concern to Jun. She'd been more than patient with Azusa and Ui both, waiting on the two of them to resolve whatever conflict plagued their other friend group so they could hang out again like the world wasn't at stake. Now that she had Azusa alone and the young guitarist was still moping about something or other, Jun wasn't about to sit on her ass until she saw the friend she respected come back to her. "Alright, time to spill," the bassist ordered, rolling off her bed to clamp a hand on her friend's shoulder aggressively. "Give me the dirt on HTT. What have you been getting up to in that music room lately?"

Taken aback by Jun's borderline hostile approach, Azusa jumped and scooted the short distance she had to get away from Jun's assault. The move dragged Jun all the way off the bed and onto the carpeted floor face first, her body careening to the ground behind her at an awkward angle. "Jun-chan!" Azusa cried, instantly regretting her overreaction.

Holding up a slightly twitching hand to indicate that she was still alive, Jun dragged herself into a cross-legged sitting position against her bed. "Well, now that I'm awake, care to answer my question?" Jun asked as if nothing had happened.

Averting her eyes from her friend, Azusa puffed up her cheeks and put on a defiant frown. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing wrong with HTT."

"I-I know that you do know," Jun mocked dispassionately. "And I didn't say something was wrong, you did. Look, I've known that something's up for a while because of Ui. I've known Ui longer than you, so I know when she's pretending that everything is fine, and I know that no matter how close I am to her, I can't get anything out of her if it's got something to do with one of her sister's problems. Hell, she paid me off to not get involved with whatever the hell's going on at first. The last thing I want is a repeat of yesterday because I can't get the three of us to see that we're all on the same side for next year. You're going through some shit, so talk to me. I owe you for yesterday, at least."

Azusa went silent. From her position against the nearby bookshelf, one foot crossed over another pensively. Jun bade herself to be patient, but watching Azusa remain stiff in front of her only made the quickening of her heartbeat more noticeable. "You don't owe me anything, Jun-chan, but I'll humor you," the guitarist reasoned. "It's as I said. I'm sad that they're leaving, so I'm trying to do something about it. There's nothing wrong, because we're going to fix it."

"Mou!" Jun cried out as the answer she wasn't looking for entered the room.

Allowing her head to crash backwards onto her mattress sent Jun's tangled mop of hair into a small firework pattern around her head. "You say that, and even when you come over to hang out, you still keep moping. Just propose to the damn guitarist already, would you?!"

At Jun's suggestion, Azusa snapped her gaze viciously towards her prone friend. Were it not for her telltale blush, Jun would be counting her blessings that Azusa's bite was much less terrifying than her bark. "That's a stupid rumor I started on accident and you know it. It has nothing to do with graduation," she insisted, folding her arms.

Jun didn't mimic the gesture, instead staring at one of the blades of her ceiling fan spinning lazily around, ruffling the pages of upturned manga scattered around the room. Her vision was so skewed that she felt as if she could reach out and touch her ceiling from her position against her bed. Instead, she pointed a finger at her guest. "Now you listen here, child. These problems of yours are absolutely intertwined. I get not wanting to lose the good thing you've got. Perfect logic. Flawless. Ten out of ten, way to go. If you want the dirty truth, I'm jealous of your club. The jazz club never looks like it's having half as much fun as the Light Music Club, so the fact that you're upset about March makes sense to an outsider like me. But, and this is a big but, there's not a damn thing you can do about it, so you're better off not letting your senpais worry you with their issues by letting them go sooner rather than later. Your present will become a million times better when you're not freaking out over someone else's future, trust me. It works just fine for me, anyways." Her pearl of wisdom delivered, Jun joined her hands behind her head and waited for Azusa to praise her genius.

"What are you saying, that I should tell them to retire?" Azusa fretted, falling forward on her hands to lean in closer to Jun's now flustered face. "I can't do that. They're my senpais. Would you tell the jazz club seniors to leave the club for any reason?"

Controlling her breathing and reminding herself where she was, Jun pushed herself up onto the bed to gain a bit of distance from Azusa's piercing brown eyes. "I don't have to," she boasted. "They all quit already to study for entrance exams, and you should tell your senpais, especially the stupid ones, to do the same, if you want what's best for them," Jun insisted, wagging a finger knowingly.

Sensing that Azusa still needed convincing, Jun rolled away from her friend on her bed and scooped up a convenient wayward manga. "If you're really hellbent on making sure Yui doesn't start going carnal on you, entrance exams should be distracting enough for her. Unless you're planning on taking entrance exams soon, you're not graduating this year. Regardless of how you feel, that's where the conversation should start and end, am I wrong?"

Azusa sat up on her knees, scrounging around in her mind for something to say as rebuttal and discovering nothing. "You're right, Jun-chan. I know you are, but it hurts. I hate that they're hurting me like this. I hate that I care so much. I was never supposed to care this much about them. They sucked me in with their cakes and kindness and laziness and cakes and Ton-chan and music and-" With every and, Azusa pounded a fist onto the ground next to her, jostling the pile of manga stacked precariously at her side.

Watching the dwindling health of her manga collection, Jun waved her arms frantically in front of her. "Hey hey now, easy girl. There's no need to get into it with yourself like that, or take it out on my stuff. We agreed no more hitting anything, didn't we? Get mad at me if you need to get mad at someone, but not yourself. Beating yourself up for having a good time is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard of, and I've been around you for years."

"But it's true," Azusa pouted, missing Jun's insult by a mile. "They drew me in with their performances. I tried really hard to find another band when I found out what they were really like, but no band I've heard sounds like they do. I hate to admit it, but I let them become special to me, Jun-chan, knowing that we couldn't last together. I wasn't supposed to make that mistake again. I'm the only one who's really powerless."

Jun smiled to herself over Azusa's self-deprecation. "You dolt. You can do anything they can do, and you've proven it plenty of times. You'll prove it again when we're the Light Music Club next year."

"No I can't," Azusa insisted, finally toppling the manga pile beside her with one decisive pound. "I can't soldier on through this the way they do, pretending everything is fine. I have to get us out of this rut somehow. Yui-senpai has done better than everyone in that regard. That's why I have to make up with her. It's not fair to her that she suffers because of m-ow!" Azusa clutched her arm, a crimson mark appearing where the manga Jun had hurled at it had impacted it.

"That was for my poor manga. I didn't go for the head, so you should be praising me," Jun quickly reminded her friend. "And like I said, give yourself some damn credit you moron. If you want melodrama, go to the movies with me. Maybe you'll keep them together, maybe you won't. Maybe I'll win the lottery tomorrow, maybe we'll live like queens forever. There's nothing to think about here. Just get out there tomorrow and do your best and cut out the moping. It's counterproductive."

Silence gripped the room. It occurred to Jun that she had possibly gone too far once more, but her concern was assuaged as Azusa began to nod to herself, giving up on responding physically to Jun's assault. "Yeah, I know. I appreciate being able to vent, though, Jun-chan. I can't exactly go telling the others how I feel about Yui-senpai when I don't get it myself. It's frustrating."

Jun sat up, letting her legs dangle over her bed as she locked eyes with Azusa. The two were only a meter or two away from each other, but the distance appeared to be shrinking to Jun. "I understand, really. That being said, how do you think you feel about her? I'm not teasing you. I want to know, as your, um, friend."

Picking up on unusual hesitation from Jun, Azusa stared the girl down curiously. "She's my senpai." The answer was as prosaic as Jun could come to expect from Azusa, but that didn't stop the bassist from rolling her eyes.

"Don't be like that. I'm not Ui. Whatever you say isn't going to leave this room." Jun was tapping into a side of her that also didn't leave her room, one that had a visible effect on Azusa's self-imposed distance from a proper response.

Precious seconds later, Jun was allowed into Azusa's mind. "Like I said, I don't know how I feel. She's annoying, overwhelming most of the time. I feel like I'm running out of energy just by being around her, but at the same time, she's always the first one to look out for me when I need help." Jun glanced away at that comment for an instant refocusing before Azusa could notice. "It's like she only acts like a senpai when she absolutely needs to. Mio-senpai does a much better job being a respectable senpai than any of the others, but it's not the same. Something about Yui-senpai makes me want to behave irrationally, and I can't explain it. I can't just follow every stupid whim I have, though. I know for a fact that I find her annoying, but I don't do anything about it. Maybe I'm just lazy."

Jun smirked, fronting for the rapid beating of her heart. "That's certainly one conclusion you could come to. You're not lazy, though. If you listened to your heart instead of your mind on this one, your thoughts might be a bit clearer."

Not following her friend's line of logic, Azusa frowned. "You don't need to try to cheer me up or anything. It's confusing, but I'm not letting it bother me." The blatant lie was so bad that Jun had to put in effort not to burst out laughing. "You're more confusing. Aren't you supposed to be mad at me still?" she accused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

Why indeed. Unlike you, I know when to listen to my heart, even when the brain says it's wrong. Jun couldn't say that out loud, but she knew another way to speak her mind. "Curious about little old me?" Jun spoke with faux bashfulness as she leaned forward suddenly, pushing her face right into Azusa's. "Well, you must know, Azu-nyaaan, it's because I happen to like you," the bassist whispered in her best Yui impression, giving Azusa a small boop on the nose for good measure.

Azusa's blushing face scrunched up adorably as she attempted to slap Jun, only to be blocked by the bassist's already prepared hand. "Y-you're an asshole!" the pigtailed girl cried out, scooting backwards until she collided with the wall behind her. "Don't do that! You'll give me a heart attack!"

Chuckling heartily, Jun toppled backwards, too amused with herself to think straight for a moment. When she managed to properly sit up again, she was staring down the enraged guitarist she knew and loved, familiar fire reignited within her. This didn't take her life out of immediate danger. "Alright, alright, sorry. Just do me a favor and know how to respond when the real deal says that, okay? Oh, but another reason I wanted you to hang out today was this." Eager for a distraction, Jun popped to her feet and traipsed into her closet, rummaging around through mishandled clothes and perilously stacked knickknacks for a specific box she had stored in there months ago.

Idly, Jun wondered if Azusa had actually heard what she was trying to say through her teasing. Though Azusa certainly knew nothing about how Jun actually felt, that was by design. Little expressions like the one within the small parcel Jun snatched out of a spot between a coat hanger and some old notebooks were plenty for her. Hm. It doesn't really matter what she does, so long as she doesn't mope too much longer about it. Until next year, it's not really my problem, and next year is forever away. Tossing the small package to her friend, Jun grinned widely. "There you go. Happy early birthday or whatever. Since we're both going to be occupied for the next few days, now's as good a time as any, right?"

Though there was murder in her eyes, interest took over Azusa's hands as she turned the box over, inspecting it. Insisting that she wasn't done talking to Jun yet, Azusa began to gently open the box. Contained inside was a small keychain with Azusa's exact guitar make and model on it. The guitarist gasped giddily, forgetting everything that happened in the previous minute. "Jun-chan, this is awesome!" she exclaimed. "I'll put it on right away!"

As Azusa made for her bag by the door, Jun held up a hand to stop her, said hand containing a similar keychain that depicted her bass guitar. "Hold on there. Put it on after this semester. There's one for me and one for Ui, too. Don't tell her though, I'm saving it for her birthday. I took inspiration from your current keychain. Treat it like an official symbol of our new band."

Jun's victorious smile faltered a little as Azusa's face took on some sort of sadness that Jun couldn't place the source for. When she realized Jun was looking at her strangely, Azusa straightened up. "Ah, yes, of course. I'll do just that, Jun-chan. Thank you, this is a wonderful present."

"Don't mention it," Jun insisted, eyeing the sticker with Azusa's nickname that Yui had plastered on Azusa's current keychain. "Pay me back by settling things properly with those idiots of yours, alright?"

For the first time that day, Jun felt like she was being smiled at genuinely. It hurt, knowing that Azusa wasn't really the one she turned to, or even that Ui turned to. Even after everything she's done, she's still turned to them, to Yui. That just proves she's lying to herself harder than even she probably realizes. Mou, how does a girl I barely know know my friends better than I do? That's a stupid question. I probably at least know Ui better than she does, not that anyone's keeping track, so take that, guitarist. "Alright. I'll do my best," Azusa promised, nodding her pigtails once and breaking Jun's line of thought. "Do you still want to go see a movie?" she asked, motioning towards the door she found herself standing by.

In spite of her doubts, Jun plastered on a smile for her more insecure friend. Whether Azusa listened or not wasn't really of any concern to her. Trying to overthink something like that was a mistake for people like Azusa and Ui to make, not her. "Yeah, sounds good. I could go for something to scare the shit out of me right now."

---

November 17th, Yui's Room

A funeral dirge gave the rain outside Yui's window company. It blared insistently, demanding the subject of the sound respond to its call. Yui glanced over with marked irritation at her cell phone. "I put you over there for a reason," she told the object. "You're supposed to stop bothering me."

Yui's phone didn't listen, continuing to beg and plead for attention like a poorly trained puppy. Leaning her head back over the head of her chair, Yui read the name of the offending party upside down, or tried to. "Leave a message please," she told the line of numbers on her screen as she allowed the phone to go to voicemail.

The noise offending Yui's ears died out to make way for the pattering of rain, but she remained limp against the chair at her desk. She was already tired at this time of day right before dinner, when her food reserves were at their lowest, but the absence of practice had prevent the guitarist from refilling on both friend and cake energy as well, leaving her completely void of power. This was supposedly thanks to Ritsu being held up in remedial classes with Sawako to catch up on what she missed over the past two days, and even Yui could tell that Mio and Tsumugi were uncomfortable sharing a room together after watching them all day. Well, I guess I can't expect them to just get over everything, not when they need to talk to Ricchan about a bunch of stuff. That just means I have to do my best better for them when Ricchan comes back.

Complicating this plan was Azusa Nakano. The kouhai hadn't shown up to the clubroom at all in the short time between the senior's arrival and Ritsu's text to Yui that she wouldn't make it. What bothered Yui was that this turn of events had greatly relieved her. Ui had claimed that Azusa had some homework to finish when Yui had asked, but Yui couldn't help but ponder over the kouhai's ulterior motives, given yesterday's disaster. The unrelenting downpour outside wasn't helping Yui's mood either. Of all the weather conditions, rain was one of the worst. Yui could learn to fight heat or cold, but she could never seem to get out of a storm without getting soaked, or worse, getting Giita soaked. It was a small miracle that she'd been so out of it this morning that she'd forgotten to bring it with her when the storm first started. Forgetting it kind of defeated the purpose of coming to school early though. Or maybe not. Or maybe… "Mou!" Yui cried out, flailing her arms around with half a second of energy before collapsing against her chair again. "I just wanna sleep."

Fate reminded Yui that sleep was impossibly as the girl's homework fluttered angrily to the ground at her feet, jostled off the table by her half-outburst. Spinning around in her chair and scooping up a math paper stylishly, Yui spent all of five seconds trying to solve the problem in front of her before giving up and sighing. This is no time for math, not that there's ever time for math. How long can I keep pretending I'm fine? No, I shouldn't think like that. This is what I want, too, because Azu-nyan wants HTT, not Yui. Completely distracted from the task that she was supposed to be accomplishing, Yui's hands began to work on autopilot over her paper while she thought. I know for certain that I love Azu-nyan. Azu-nyan doesn't feel the same way. That's what she said. I'm supposed to just accept that, right? That's the mature thing to do, I think. Azu-nyan is worried about me and my future. She doesn't have to be. I'll be okay. Even if it's not what quite what I want, as long as I'm around everyone, I can be happy. That's enough, right?

No.

Yui blinked several times, but there was no mistaking the word she had written out subconsciously on her paper. Shaking her head, Yui attempted to distract herself by looking at her photo wall. This only drew attention to the noticeable gap where one of Yui's pictures had been removed. Since Ui had returned the photo, Yui had stashed it in her bag to give to Azusa, only to miss every available opportunity due to her own poor memory of what she should be doing. Yui's four closest friends judged the lead guitarist with their smiles as tears coalesced in Yui's eyes. "It's not enough…" she breathed to herself. "No! No! I have to be stronger than this! Azu-nyan and the others are counting on me! If I can't even do my homework, I'll never go to college with them!" Snapping her attention back to her homework, Yui erased her word and the other random doodles dotting the page as she attempted to begin her quest anew.

"Onee-chan?" came a slightly muffled voice beyond Yui's closed door that broke her concentration immediately. "Are you alright? I heard yelling."

Wiping her eyes and nearly stabbing herself with her pencil in the process, Yui jumped out of her seat like she was still in class. "I'm fine, Ui, don't worry!" she insisted in a perfectly normal voice.

In the time it took Yui to mull over how good she had gotten at sounding like everything was fine, Ui responded. "Alright. Dinner's in five minutes, alright? Come down when you're ready. No rush." There was clear concern behind Ui's gentle reminder, proof she wasn't entirely convinced by Yui's act.

The brunette set her jaw at the faceless foe behind the door. I'll have to convince Ui that everything is fine at dinner so she tells Azu-nyan for me. The band needs to focus on itself, not the members. Does that make sense? Nothing makes sense. That used to sound more fun. Yesterday was fun. This reminder brought Yui's mood full circle as she plopped into her chair again.

Anything sounded better than competing to see how fast she could skip around problems until she ran out of questions to not solve, leading Yui to put on her guitar over her pajamas. Only a few strums in, however, and Giita was back on its stand. The sound was far too upset for Yui's liking today. Maybe it's a good thing Ricchan got held back today. I need to do better for everyone. Oh, I bet I could get tips from Azu-nyan! Wait, that won't work. I can't face her yet, not until I'm sure Yui-senpai can control the immature parts of Yui. I'm not mature. I don't want to be mature. I'm not ready, but I have to be. And my phone won't be quiet!

Yui considered smothering her phone with a pillow as its dulcet tones pierced every fiber of her being once more. An odd sense of déjà vu from several weeks ago washed over her, but this time, the offending caller didn't even have the decency to give her a name to direct her ire towards. Fortunately for the caller, Yui was looking for something to distract herself. Snatching the phone up, Yui put on her best angry Mio voice. "I don't want to buy anything!" Yui shouted at the speaker, hoping whatever persistent telemarketer was assailing her line her would leave things at that.

"Ms. Hirasawa, wasn't it?" came a vaguely familiar voice on the other end of the line. "I take it I haven't been calling the wrong number for the past half hour then. How have you been?"

Unprepared to be thrown into action, Yui's brain was slow in determining exactly who she was talking to. Were it not for the use of Ms. Hirasawa, she likely would have been standing in her room for over a minute. "Ah… Azu-nyan's mom?" Yui asked aloud. "That's you, right?"

There was a pointed silence on the line. Yui checked several times to make sure the rain hadn't somehow killed her connection. "Yes, I'm Azusa's mother," the other line finally responded. "I'm calling about a proposition our family has for you. Azusa and I were hoping you and the rest of your band would be willing to join us for dinner on Saturday. We haven't had the chance to properly meet, you see, and I'd be remiss if I didn't get to meet the little band my darling is so attached to at some point. Would you be able to attend?"

Yui glanced to her calendar to check for upcoming events and found it completely clear save for her and Azusa's birthdays marked in pink highlighter, surrounding the 19th like some vibrant vanguard. This, of course, wasn't the biggest hurdle in Yui's mind to coming over to Azusa's house for dinner. "Azu-nyan wanted me over for dinner?" Yui questioned, wondering if she was somehow hearing things wrong.

Why is she suddenly inviting me to dinner? Do her parents want to kill me for hurting Azu-nyan? Did they get the whole band in on it? I don't wanna die! I'll miss everyone too much! I'll have to skip town with Ui, start a new life as a hitchhiker! Yui's lamentation over her new life was interrupted by the clearing of a throat on the other line. "Of course! You're her guitar senpai, aren't you?" Though technically correct, even Yui knew Azusa would never call her something like that unless someone put a gun to her head. "If it helps matters, Ms. Kotobuki, Ms. Akiyama, and Ms. Tainaka have all already agreed to come. We'd hate to have you be the only one absent." Mrs. Nakano added.

An automatic response kicked in for Yui as she nodded to someone who couldn't see her. "You're right! I have to go! I'll be there!" Yui declared with unfounded confidence.

"Good girl, it's a date then," Mrs. Nakano praised disingenuously. "I'll send you the details tomorrow. Make sure your parents know where you're going. That is all." With a click, Yui's conversation was over.

Yui frowned at the phone. She had gone from planning on how to avoid Azusa to meeting her parents in a matter of minutes. This development was more than a Yui with no energy could handle, so she sat down hard on her bed, willing herself to hold on until she could get some energy into her and start figuring things out. Miraculously, Ui came in seconds later, holding a tray of food. "Onee-chan, who were you talking to?" she asked. "I brought dinner in case you wanted to eat in here." Yui didn't need to be told twice, and she had downed her drink before Ui had the chance to set her food down on the table.

Realizing that Ui was waiting on a response, Yui forced herself to think again. She stared through her younger sister as the most recent event that had happened played in reverse in her mind. With conflicted eyes, she recounted the most important part of her phone call. "I have a date with Azu-nyan's mom on Saturday."