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.

18. Chapter 18: Play!

November 18th, 7:22 AM

"Don't go!" Azusa pleaded desperately, clawing at air as she sat bolt upright in her bed.

Delirious eyes scoured unfamiliar territory for their target, ignoring the groans of the rest of the body's muscles as they roved around for something familiar to anchor themselves onto. I… what am I looking for? Where am I? Blinking the sleep away carefully, Azusa squinted at the picture she could see in the distance, trapped between her outstretched fingers.

Somewhere out of Azusa's grasp, she was flashing a peace sign with her fellow bandmates, commemorating what was probably a practice where no actual practice took place. Already stretching towards her goal, Azusa pushed her complaining body forward, straining to close an impossible distance as she attempted to grasp the scene in front of her. Only when she became fully aware of the fact that she was awake did she relax her reach, feeling somewhat foolish. What am I doing? Is it my senpais I'm chasing, or something else? That's the second time in two nights and I can't even remember what happened. Mou. Useless dreams. As Azusa lowered her rapidly tiring hand, the picture on the wall was abducted by an interloper Azusa only just then recognized the presence of.

Startled, Azusa's gaze snapped to the owner of the offending hand absconding with her arbitrary target. Mr. Nakano eyed the picture with an unusual amount of nostalgia, leaning casually against the doorframe in Azusa's room. In half a second, Azusa was completely alert and active. The child practically leapt out of bed, putting herself firmly between her father and the rest of her room. Mr. Nakano raised an eyebrow at Azusa's impressive reaction time, but didn't attempt to challenge his daughter's position. "This is them, isn't it?" Takumi asked, waving the picture slightly in his hands. "It looks like you've found yourself a nice band of people, if you're that worried about them."

Behind the casual statement was a question Azusa didn't want to answer, but she couldn't conjure up a way to get her father to leave without giving him anything. Remain calm. You've prepared for this eventuality. "I respect them," Azusa explained neutrally. "They opened my eyes to music again." The words were curated carefully, having rested in the recesses of Azusa's mind for over a year should this exact conversation take place.

"I… see." Takumi replied, holding the picture out to his daughter kindly.

Without hesitation, Azusa snatched the photo back. She knew she should be more concerned about her father pulling the trigger on her wall as whole, but his sudden invasion of her territory only permitted her to form plans that resulted in his immediate expulsion from her room. "Why are you here?" Azusa asked, smoothing the photo out in its proper place once more without taking her eyes off the man.

Before he responded, Takumi remove his glasses, wiping them idly on his untucked shirt. Azusa faced her father fully, her pajamas doing a poor job of completing the intimidating stalwart defender of her land look that she was going for. "When my only daughter starts whimpering and crying in the middle of the night twice in a row, I tend to get concerned," he reasoned out loud, brushing some stray hair out of his eyes as he put his glasses back on. "That was quite the awakening. Are you feeling alright?"

With a jolt, Azusa immediately recognized that she'd been put on the defensive. To claim she was perfectly fine would be a bold-faced lie in the face of what her father had seen, and the whole truth was something Azusa couldn't properly explain herself, not when her useless head couldn't even remember what it was dreaming about. Idle hands found hair to play with as Azusa raced to locate a solution before her silence became suspicious. First mother brings me clothes, then father is checking on me while I sleep like I'm five. They must need something important of me. There weren't any house visits scheduled this month though. Yet father is here and not at work, so something has to be happening, something immediate. I haven't been paying enough attention. I'll never let them blindside me again, even if they try to catch me off guard, prevent me from having a plan. That means there's only one acceptable response. "It was just a nightmare," Azusa dismissed bluntly, removing her father's need to show concern for her. "I've already forgotten it, so it's nothing worth getting worked up over. I need to get ready for school now."

Mr. Nakano stared solemnly at his daughter. Confident that he couldn't pick apart what was technically true, Azusa met the stare evenly. She searched exhaustively for anything she could use to end the conversation aside from the concern in his eyes but came up empty. Slightly frustrated, she took a step forward in absence of her father's reply, risking ceding the impact of her point to incite a reaction from her foe. "Father, you don't need to worry yourself over me. I told you and mother I would keep my grades up," she reminded the man, moving a hand to her chest as a show of conviction. "I'm doing exactly what you wanted, aren't I?"

Sighing somewhat dramatically, Takumi ran a hand through his own mop of black hair. As his fingers vanished within a mess of black curls, he nodded towards Azusa's guitar. "I want you to be able to talk to me openly, Azusa. I'm not your enemy. You might not believe me, but I'm Azusa's father before anything else in life. That hasn't changed since you were born. If you want to hold a grudge, that's fine, but you won't stop me from being your father."

Azusa's aversion to boldly and knowingly lying to get what she wanted apparently wasn't a hereditary trait. She felt her fists clench and her toes curl in pent up fury as her father justified himself to her. Despite the room's building animosity, Azusa's training permitted her to maintain her cordial tone, and with a deep breath she was able to relax enough to continue. "I understand, father. People make mistakes. I already forgave you and mother, so there's no need to go over this. I really do need to get ready, or I'll be late. Tell mother I'll come down shortly."

Confident as her tone was, Azusa's words rang hollow in the context of her actions, something she was well aware of. From the downcast expression on his face, Takumi had picked up on this sentiment as well. The man pushed himself up from the doorway, reaching his full height in time to roll the stiffness out of his shoulders. "Alright. I won't force you," he conceded, retreating a few steps out of the room. "But know that I don't intend to give up. Breakfast is ready when you are. Please eat something with us before you leave." A million unsaid words trailed behind Takumi as he strode out of Azusa's sight and reentered the dark hallway.

"Because me dropping dead from starvation would be inconvenient, right?" Azusa muttered under her breath when she was certain she was alone once more.

The first thing Azusa did once she'd closed her door was inspect herself. Despite the abrupt nature of her awakening, everything appeared to be intact, though she didn't exactly feel like she'd gotten a good night's sleep. The clock on her nightstand told her there wasn't much of a reason to rush in getting dressed, but Azusa had no intention of allowing her mind to ruminate on anything but the upcoming school day. Catching her expression in the mirror as she retrieved her uniform, Azusa huffed at herself. "What's with that look?" she asked her reflection. "You can't trust him or mother at all. Whatever's going on, they'll drop every pretense as soon as it's over, just you wait. Be patient, just like with senpai." The discussion could have been left at that had the photo Azusa had just stuck back to the wall lost its grip, fluttering to the ground at Azusa's feet, as if it knew the girls in the picture were being discussed.

Already irascible from her morning interaction, Azusa scooped the picture up and pressed it more forcefully into the wall. When this instantly failed, an inspection of the back revealed that the adhesive had lost its most useful function. Thanks, father. Unwilling to delay her shower any further, Azusa tossed the picture in her school bag as a temporary storage location and proceeded to the bathroom.

Scalding water burned away any thoughts Azusa could have had, and so she only started to consider her position as she finished putting her uniform on and picked up her silent phone. She turned the device over in her palm as she combed her hair ineffectively with one hand. It would be easy to turn it on. We could practice again, have tea, look at the photo album. But Ui-chan is right. Trying to approach any of them, especially Yui-senpai after the fight and what Yui-senpai did is a mistake. It's a rough patch I don't need to make worse. They'll let me know when they're okay again. Just because Yui-senpai messed up my original plan doesn't mean I can't find success with HTT if I don't let them heal, so they don't fizzle out. Still, Yui's insistence that she was good enough tugged at Azusa's heartstrings, urging her to rescind her order of self-imposed distance. No. I told her what she needed to hear. There's nothing more that needs to be said. For the sake of both of us having a successful future, this is the only option. For the good of the band. The resolve took root in Azusa's mind as she pocketed her phone and put her hair up in her familiar pigtails. "The Nakano has to be stronger than her emotions. I won't break down in front of anyone again, especially mother and father. That's probably why they're on my back right now. Don't let them get involved with HTT. Get to school, keep your head down, and trust your senpais." Setting a goal for the day, Azusa finished her preparations and made her way downstairs with her bags.

Passing the entrance to the kitchen where both of her parents sat, Azusa made the mistake of pausing to take in the enticing smell drifting from the room. Mr. Nakano glanced up from his paper, waving his daughter over in an overtly friendly manner. Mrs. Nakano beamed at Azusa, flipping a pancake at the stove like she'd been doing it her whole life. "Azusa! Good morning!" Rin greeted boisterously as Azusa threw away her plans for slinking by the room unnoticed. "Please, eat with us, eat with us! I made pancakes!" She indicated the pancake proudly, like it was a massive fish she'd caught.

Setting her expression to neutral, Azusa joined her parents in the kitchen, making sure to keep herself between her parents and her guitar. By the time she sat down, a cup of coffee and a pancake were already in front of her, a surreal sight that sent the youngest guitarist in the room back years in time. "Is it a holiday?" Azusa asked, wondering if her calendar was playing a prank on her.

Mrs. Nakano chuckled, taking her own seat across from her husband at the cozy three-person table. "If only, dear. Takumi here's got the next few days off, remember? I thought we'd take advantage of the situation and eat together. I know you have school, but you can spare a minute or two, right?" Rin's expectant look meant she knew very well how much time Azusa could spare.

Refraining from making a comment on how her sleep schedule was normal for someone her age, Azusa nodded wordlessly. Without a way of explaining away the thirty minutes or so she had to spare, Azusa quietly partook of the admittedly well-prepared meal in front of her. As she ate, letting her mother drone on about anything but an interesting topic while her father sipped his coffee contemplatively, Azusa felt an iota of guilt attempt to lower her guard. Maybe they're just trying to be nice. This isn't terrible. But I can't give in this easily, just because mother knows how to cook really good food. Focus up, Nakano. You know it's coming. With every sip of coffee, the world became that much crisper and clearer to the girl, allowing her thoughts to run away from her. I need to start brewing my own coffee. Maybe I do sleep too much, like mother says. It's not like turning in earlier makes the nightmares go away. In any case, I should be paying more attention. They'll spring their real purpose any second now. As Azusa demanded herself to refocus on her parents, she noticed that both of them were staring at her expectantly.

"Aren't you excited, Azusa?" Mrs. Nakano repeated from her seat, cutting her pancake into edible squares. "We talked about this already, so I told them you were fine with it. It's for you, after all. You didn't forget and go making plans for tomorrow, did you?"

"Eh?" Azusa uttered rudely, looking up from her coffee. This is bad. I missed what she was saying. When did we talk about this? Yesterday? Yesterday is a blur. I barely talked to anyone yesterday. Just now? I was drinking coffee. Shit. I need more information before I commit to anything, but I can't let them know I wasn't paying attention. Don't lose before you even start!

"I don't have any other plans for tomorrow," Azusa responded carefully. "Tomorrow evening, right?"

"Of course," Mrs. Nakano responded matter-of-factly. "When else would you have a dinner? You can't very well skip school either."

Flipping the page on his paper, Takumi stroked his chin. "It should be interesting," the man noted, tapping out a beat with his free hand as his reading balanced perfectly on his leg. "We haven't had any lively company in the house in forever."

Right. Another visitor to the Nakano museum. I should have guessed they just wanted to show off their only living exhibit. I got riled up for no reason. "I'll make sure not to offend our guests, then," Azusa retorted curtly, sliding her partially eaten breakfast away and standing up. "I should be off. I'll see you tonight, mother." Downing the last of her coffee, Azusa made for the exit, her parent's goodbyes chasing her out the door.

Remain strong. Everything will be exactly how it was after tomorrow. They're just making sure I stay in line. Don't dwell on this. Focus on school. Despite her own encouragement, Azusa continued to catch herself musing on her unusual morning as she marched through the frigid November morning. Cold. Father was home when he shouldn't be. They're acting like nothing happened, just like we tried to do earlier. Feels like I'm back in middle school. Feels warm. It's better to just pretend painful things didn't happen, isn't it? But I can't forget. I can't pretend my senpais aren't struggling. That's why I absolutely can't make things worse for them. All I have to do is be a good student at school. That way, Azusa Nakano can't hurt anyone. That way, everyone can be successful. The thoughts were her own and not at the same time, and the dissonance hurt Azusa's head to the point that she started walking with one hand to her brow. "November is too cold," she griped at the air forming in front of her face.

Arriving at school, Azusa's thoughts were obfuscated by the urge to reach her desk. As long as she could reach her private oasis, she would be safe and warm, which was the only thing that mattered at the moment. Azusa did not look around for her senpais as she exchanged her shoes, and she didn't need to talk to anyone about the cavalcade of conflicting emotions that had been building up in her since November 16th. When she dropped her guitar off in the clubroom for the day, Azusa did not linger longer than she should. There was no need to ask if she was doing the right thing, because she was. That's what everyone else had said. She knew exactly where she stood with everyone, especially Yui thanks to her sister, so there was no need to bother her senpais. The hallways took longer to traverse when Azusa stalled after each step, dragging her feet as she didn't wait for someone to call out to her. She lagged behind her traditional pace because she was tired, and no other reason. Ui-chan and Jun-chan are probably at school by now. Ui-chan has been helpful, passing messages along. Jun-chan has been… present. I should hang out with them on Sunday. I'll need a reason to be out of the house after that dinner, and it's been a while since the three of us got together outside school. Having a plan brought some light back into Azusa's eyes, granting her ears access to some of the conversations her presence had apparently been dragging out of her fellow students as she wandered the halls.

"You heard about their keyboardist, right? She lost her entire arm!"

"That's sad. I feel terrible for the kouhai, stuck with senpais who fight like that."

"Makes sense that she's the only one. You'd have to be insane or a masochist to stick with people like that this long."

The poor excuses for whispers invaded Azusa's space, making her desire her desk all the more. Last week, she'd have set whatever ignorant fools dared to spread lies about her and her friends straight, but after over a week of trying to do exactly that, she'd grown rather disenchanted with the endeavor and left the task to Ui. More specifically, since Yui's reveal that she was partially responsible for the school's rumor mill and that it didn't bother her, the drive to fight the favorite pastime of the student body felt somewhat pointless. Is this how news of our fight has spread already? Does nobody have anything better to do? Mugi-senpai obviously still has both of her hands. Morons. Things could have been perfectly left at that had a familiar challenge not rang out in Azusa's ears. "Excuse me, are you talking about the Light Music Club?"

Azusa jerked her head towards the voice of her friend. Ui was politely smiling at a group of four girls from her grade, all of whom became visibly tense at the younger sister's presence. If the events of the past two days had curbed Azusa's enthusiasm for conflict, they appeared to have only emboldened the drive within Ui. Stalling in the hallway, Azusa debated whether or not Ui needed her help as one of the four girls, a tall redhead and the obvious leader, took a daring step forward. "What's it to you?" she challenged, unaware of her precarious position.

"I have several dear friends in the Light Music Club," Ui explained patiently, her voice pleasantly empty of warmth. "It bothers me when people spread misinformation about my friends. If there's something you're curious about regarding the club, I'd be happy to inform you. You need only ask."

None of the girls knew how to respond to that. From the sidelines, Azusa willed them to say nothing and walk away. Though Azusa knew a thing or two about getting her way, Ui was a professional. The light of recognition flashed in the eyes of the girl who had planted herself at the front of her clique. "I know you. You're that guitarist's little sister, aren't you? Yeah, you're a dead ringer for her. Is telling people off for badmouthing big sis's club fun or you? If I were you, I'd be more concerned about how I was damaging my own reputation." A simple glance backwards for support was all it took to get the three lackeys to nod in agreement with the lead girl's assertion.

Azusa noted before any of the girls standing in front of Ui the clenching of her friend's fists, the spark of frustration that shot through the younger sister before it was gone, lost to anyone who wasn't paying attention. "I don't care what people have to say about me," Ui refuted. "I will not stand for the proliferation of baseless rumors about my sister."

Noting the appearance of the redhead, with her unkept uniform and hostile posture, Azusa began to make her way over to the scene. Whatever Ui thought she was getting herself into, Azusa wasn't about to let Yui have a panic attack because her sister thought she could avoid starting fights with delinquents through words. The wide berth the flow of foot traffic was giving the encounter was another encouraging sign. Mou, is this your definition of laying low, Ui-chan? You'll get the whole school hating us. This doesn't work. It just makes people mad. As she approached, a mousey brown-haired lackey borrowed some confidence from her leader and spoke up. "If they're baseless, they wouldn't spread this fast, would they? Did your sister put you up to this? Can't she fight her own battles without sending her little sister to fix things for her?"

Unbeknownst to the girl, she'd pushed a button even Azusa would be terrified to push. Ui's cheeks puffed up in rage, which probably looked cute to anyone who didn't know Ui. Azusa picked up her pace as Ui jabbed a finger towards the girl who'd spoken. "Now you listen here," she demanded, the shift in her tone startling her target as Ui's composure fractured. "Onee-chan didn't tell me to do anything. My only objective is to-"

"Not stir up trouble," Azusa broke in, finishing Ui's sentence for her while resting a hand on her friend's shoulder reassuringly let firmly. "We all have better things we could be doing than gossiping, don't we?"

Personally, Azusa felt like she was doing the gaggle of girls in front of her more of a favor than Ui. Her hand was like leashing a tiger that several passersby had the nerve to poke with a stick. "Azusa-chan, I've got this," Ui complained, shifting around uncomfortably under Azusa's grasp. "I would never get violent with anyone."

"They don't know that," Azusa shot back over the confused looks the four girls exchanged. "I don't like what they're saying either, but you're not making things better. Come on, let's get to class." Ui remained uncertain, the urge to seek satisfaction for the slights against her sister's honor making it difficult for her to retreat.

Thankfully, Ui eventually relented and allowed Azusa to lead her away with one final angry look at the group that had insulted her. Azusa was in the middle of patting herself on the back for diffusing the situation when the redhead spoke up again. "Hey, guitarist, it's a shame about your band. Your performances were pretty good. Why don't you tell us how the fight went down? If you got underneath your senpai's skirt, surely you know a thing or two." At the callout, Azusa stopped dead in her tracks.

Anyone who happened to be passing by at the moment quickly moved along. Don't respond to that. You're better than that. Be strong. You're supposed to be laying low. "Nobody got under anybody's skirt," Azusa retorted, tightening her grip on Ui more for herself than for her friend. "Any fool would be able to see that. Go find someone else to bother."

"Hey, she started it. We were just talking," the leader claimed innocently. "Come on, guitarist. Can you do something besides pluck strings, run your mouth and walk away? Do you just not give a shit about your senpais?" the goading continued, but Azusa had stopped listening.

Azusa exchanged a look with Ui. She saw the same rage she felt accumulating within herself reflected in Ui's eyes. It occurred to Azusa as her friend rose to meet her that escalating the situation might not be the best idea, as well as that she didn't particularly care. Maybe I should just do something stupid. Acting logically hasn't worked out for the entire month. Ui-chan knows how to fight, right? I've never seen her actually attack someone, for all the times she looked like she was going to. No time like the present. As soon as the thought passed her mind, Azusa regained the self-awareness to pinch her arm, shattering her dangerous momentum. Come on, Nakano. You're better than that. Think, then speak. "That's enough. We're leaving," Azusa told her friend, who apparently also had the presence of mind to nod.

Grateful that Ui had a better head on her shoulders than she had initially given her credit for, Azusa started off once more, only to stagger forward as she was shoved from behind. Stumbling, Azusa was only spared an impact with the ground by her connection to Ui, who managed to steady her friend like she'd been expecting this turn of events. Swinging around to face the culprit, the same redhead, Azusa finally let go of her self-control. "What the hell was that for?" Azusa spat at the girl.

"You think you can try and get in my face, tell me and my friends what we can and can't talk about, then just leave like nothing happened? I'm not done talking to you yet, guitarist," the girl insisted, maintaining a dangerous tone. "You know, an apology would go a long way here."

"Then apologize," came a booming voice from the observing crowd of students. "Move along, all of you. Nothing to see here."

As the students listened to the man's authoritative tone, Azusa took in the form of a man she recognized as one of the senior instructors Yui and Ritsu constantly complained about. Said man stared down both parties before shaking his head in disappointment. "Honestly, it's every other day with you, Akira-san. Are you trying to get expelled? You're skating like you don't know how thin the ice you're on is, young lady." The man nodded to Azusa. "I saw what happened. Are you alright?" he asked, his voice surprisingly concerned.

Unable to form words, Azusa only nodded. "We're okay," Ui spoke up for the two of them. "Thank you, Mr. Horigome."

Nodding curtly, Mr. Horigome turned his attention to Akira and her three friends. "Good. Get to class, then. Don't let me catch you involved in something like this again, or I'll assume it was your fault. Akira-san, come with me young lady. You have some explaining to do." Without waiting for a response, the teacher stalked off down the hallway.

The redhead, apparently named Akira, tsked and spun around. "Whatever. I was just playing around. They're not worth it." Shoving her way past her own friends, Akira followed the teacher compliantly, hands shoved into her untucked blazer.

The small crowd that had gathered quickly dispersed, along with Akira's lackeys. As soon as the offending girl was out of earshot, Azusa released Ui, allowing herself to breathe once more. That was scary. I almost did something I'd regret again. We're lucky that teacher happened by. "You're welcome, by the way," Jun greeted her friends, emerging against the tide of moving students. "That could have gotten ugly if I hadn't pulled that big dude aside and told him what was happening. Ne, why am I suddenly the voice of reason between you three? I thought you were done with this shit, Azusa."

Realizing that Jun was the reason things hadn't escalated, both Ui and Azusa bowed at the same time. "Thanks, Jun-chan. You really helped us out," Azusa thanked gratefully. "I was just trying to help Ui-chan and I might have made things worse."

"I wasn't thinking clearly," Ui apologized.

Unprepared for such genuine gratitude, Jun blushed. "Yeah? Well, I'm glad you appreciate my quick wit and intelligence. Can we finally be done with this rumor crap? It was tolerable when it was just our class, but you don't want to cross people like Akira, not even you, Ui. That girl's insane."

Leading the way to their classroom, Ui's brow creased. "You know a vulgar girl like that, Jun-chan?" she asked a bit suspiciously while ignoring Jun's question.

"Yeah, we're in the same gang," Jun responded with a straight face for all of three seconds until Azusa smacked her on the shoulder. "Alright, alright. She was in the Jazz Club for all of a week before she got kicked out for picking three fights in two days. Her friends aren't much better. You both should keep your distance. I don't think she's one to hold grudges, but I don't know her very well," Jun warned in a rare serious moment.

If the headstrong Jun was warning her about someone, Azusa was inclined to heed her warning without question. As they arrived outside their classroom 2-1, Ui bowed once more. "I apologize again, Jun-chan, Azusa-chan. I was reckless. I can see now that this is causing more problems than it solves." The rather thorough apology drew a sigh of relief from Jun.

Tabling a scathing lecture, Jun patted Ui on the back when she straightened up. "Good. Let's just be normal girls and not rumor vigilantes for a while, alright? I want to have a social life again."

As Ui and Jun continued to chat pleasantly, a wave of unease washed over Azusa, preventing her from contributing to their conversation as her mind replayed the last five minutes. I almost lost control again. It would have been really bad if I had. I have to be more careful. I have no reason to get riled up about things that aren't true. I don't feel that way about Yui-senpai, and our band is going to be fine, so I don't need to get riled up. That's all the more reason to stay the course, isn't it? It makes Ui-chan and Jun-chan happy. It's nice having them together. Things have been weird between them before today, I think. It's hard to remember everything clearly. "Azusa-chan," Ui properly addressed her friend, snapping her out of her reverie. "Are you alright? I'm sorry again for dragging you into my mess. That girl didn't hurt you, did she?" There was nothing but worry in Ui's tone.

"No, I'm just fine," came Azusa's automatic response, complete with a wave of her hand to reassure her friends. "I guess I'm just a bit frazzled. The rumors spread faster than I thought they would. How's Yui-senpai today? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Honestly, she's been less affected by the rumors than I could have reasonably hoped for. I'm just being overly cautious." All three girls knew that wasn't what Azusa was asking about, but nobody called Ui out on it. "More importantly, what happened to our plan, Azusa-chan? I thought you trusted me!" The sudden change in topic gave Azusa whiplash as she attempted to process what she had just been accused of.

Fully aware that she was being excluded from the conversation, Jun raised her head to the sky dramatically, as if praying for somebody to acknowledge her. Azusa knew that Jun knew what was going on through Ui, but she hadn't a clue what the bassist thought of the whole situation. Since Jun had mocked her senpai in an eerily similar way to the rude girl in the hall, this was the most they'd interacted. Jun caught Azusa glancing at her instead of answering Ui's question and shrugged. "Don't look at me. You obviously don't want my help with this, and I don't want to get slugged by Ui. Leave me out of your mess."

"Leave you out of what?" Azusa responded, bewildered. "I don't know what either of you are talking about."

At that, Jun's diffident expression became confused, then concerned. She opened her mouth to say something, but Ui beat her to it. "Azusa-chan, Onee-chan already told me you were involved. Why would you assume I didn't know? I thought we agreed that letting Onee-chan and the others sort things out themselves was the best option. Did you change your mind?" As Ui's questions became more pressing, Azusa backed up a little. "Onee-chan told me that your mother-"

"Already discussed this with her daughter, so it's a waste of time going over what everyone knows, right?" Jun finished for Ui. "Just let it go, will you? You're stressing me out by being stressed out over every little thing you think is going wrong. It was hard enough just getting you to tell your best friend in the world Jun what was going on." Guilt returned to Azusa's conscious, but Ui was the one who responded, just as she had been for over a day.

"Jun-chan, your grievance is justified, but we're talking about critical components of Onee-chan's future here. I will not sit idle and-"

"Allow my sister to proceed down the path of ruination, yeah, you said something like that yesterday," Jun interrupted for the second time in a row, stifling a yawn. "It won't kill your sister to hang out with her friends. You know that, right?"

Ui huffed, pouting rather cutely. "T-that's not my point! I'm doing what's best for everyone! If I hadn't stepped in, Onee-chan might have-" Ui caught herself, returning to a neutral expression like nothing had happened. "My apologies. Azusa-chan has made her own decision. I'm only trying to help her stick to it." The younger sister explained on behalf of her friend.

Shaking her head, Jun made way for some students to enter the classroom she was blocking unintentionally. Taking a circuitous route back to her friends, Jun jabbed a finger lazily towards Azusa while looking at Ui. "You and I both know she's in denial about literally everything regarding your sister, loathe as I am to admit that now. I've been watching you both for the past few days. Azusa's acting like the one who got rejected, and Ui, you're more wound up than I've seen you in years. Maybe she does need to take this chance to rethink things." A pointed shift in Jun's glare to Azusa didn't slow the indignant reddening of her cheeks.

"I still don't know what we're talking about!" Azusa blurted out, looking to steer the conversation anywhere else. "And you know what? I'm sick of talking about this. Ui-chan, whatever you're thinking, my position hasn't changed. Jun-chan, I'm sorry Ui-chan and I have been so belligerent this week. Can we take you out to lunch on Sunday to make up for it?"

Azusa's invitation was met head on with Jun's eager grin. "So the Nakano I know is in there somewhere. That's the smartest thing you've said in a month, you know that? As long as you're paying, I'm there. What say you, Ui? Can you get away from your kid for an hour or two?"

Ui gave Jun a look that melted all of her bravado before turning to face Azusa-chan. "Look, it's not easy for me, but I do trust you, Azusa-chan. I hope letting you go through with this proves it. I look forward to Sunday, then, once I check that it's okay with Onee-chan." Ui held out a hand that Azusa took instantly.

Noticing this, Jun place her hands over the handshake, creating a strange sort of mess of a hands in that nobody was immediately able to untangle themselves from. Smiling, Azusa shook her head. This is a much better method of doing something without thinking. It's better I have something to take my mind off the club right now, until they're ready. "I still don't know what you're talking about, but I appreciate that, Ui-chan. And I don't need your compliments, Jun-chan. I offered because that's what I want to do, if you're both free."

Jun smirked at Azusa. There was something in her eyes that startled the guitarist, something warning her about a threat she couldn't see, or so Azusa thought. Before she could confirm anything, Jun threw everyone's hands up in the air in a cheer with no actual cheering involved. "Then it's settled. Now let's get inside. My shoulder is killing me from carrying my bag this long." Another fight had been averted, but the way Jun had looked in that moment and how spirited the laid-back girl had spoken out against Ui made Azusa feel more like she was just kicking a can down the road. The idea disturbed her slightly, and she fought to shake it off as classes began. I trust them, just like I trust my senpais. Jun-chan was more or less herself this morning. It's just me that's been acting strange. It's as Ui-chan said. I should just listen to her and let things cool off. Be a good student, don't rock the boat, don't let them get too close or you'll mess things up. That's normal. That's the one thing I'm good at. I'll get them to tell me what they were talking about later. What I want can wait.

With little other recourse to find a reprieve from herself, Azusa immersed herself with a fervor she never knew she possessed in her studies. The lessons certainly weren't interesting, but they didn't try to confuse Azusa with their purpose or content. If nothing else, she knew exactly what was being expected of her right up until the first break of the day, and the monotony soothed her. As Azusa dutifully finished recording down the teacher's blackboard notes over sound of the bell signaling break time, a senior Azusa didn't recognize entered the classroom. She looked apathetic to the world around her, yet she carried an air of superiority to go with her yellow disciplinary committee armband that instantly put the kouhai and the other students who noticed her off. "Is there a Nakano here?" the girl called out, tilting her chin upwards condescendingly. "You out there, Nakano?"

Somewhat surprised to hear her name invoked by the disciplinary committee, Azusa rose from her seat. "Here."

Frowning for no obvious reason, the girl sauntered over to Azusa and dropped a hall pass on her desk. "Go to the student council room. The student council president wants a word with you. No, I don't know why, and no, I'm not going to walk you there. You probably know what you did. Now, I have important work to do. Return that to your next teacher before break ends." Before Azusa could so much as thank the girl for her rude behavior, she was out the door.

Shaking off the fetters of disgust cropping up from the holier-than-thou attitude the girl left behind, Azusa looked to her friends for guidance, but Ui only provided a shrug, and Jun was busy reading a manga she'd snuck into the school. Truly on her own, Azusa sighed and made her way out of the classroom. So much for normal. Mou, what could Nodoka-senpai possibly want with me? It must have to do with this morning. But that teacher didn't think I was to blame. The student council doesn't handle fights, I don't think. Why can't they just leave me alone today? Though she knew Nodoka and Yui were childhood friends, it struck Azusa as odd that outside of watching the president berate Ritsu for failing to turn in forms on time, she didn't know much about Yui's closest friend at all. No time to find out more like the present, I suppose.

As she crossed the hallway and descended the stairs to the student council room, Azusa could feel frustration building up in her under each step. She had resolved to simply visit Nodoka and find the truth for herself, but that didn't stop her mind from speculating. It has to be about the rumors, then. But it's not my fault people are talking, sort of. There's nothing else I could have done for Yui-senpai, if this is about two days ago. I didn't start that argument, though I guess I didn't help. Someone like Nodoka-senpai should understand that. Maybe it's something else. She probably knows I'm trying to let everyone bring themselves back together. She's smart, like Mio-senpai. She won't do anything to inconvenience my senpais. Reassuring herself that everything would turn out fine, Azusa knocked on the student council room door and let herself in on Nodoka's command.

Easing herself into the dimly lit room, Azusa was made small simply by the presence Nodoka carried from her position at an empty circle of desks. When the door opened, the student council president glanced up just long enough to confirm Azusa's arrival before returning to filling out some form from a pile in front of her. The closest comparison Azusa had was to her unintentional crusade against her homework through the night several weeks ago, another result of Yui's meddling. Contrary to that time, Nodoka was fully awake and alert, her laser focus entirely on the paper in front of her rather than wringing the neck of the person who put her in that position. Nodoka's prim and proper demeanor, devoid of wasteful movements, brought out a feeling of inferiority within Azusa that she forced herself to swallow as she closed the door behind herself. "Azusa-chan, come in. Sit anywhere. Pardon my work, I have to get started on these during breaks or I'll never finish at a decent time. It's better than starting fights in the hallways though, right?"

Azusa barely had time to sit in her seat before Nodoka got to the point. "Nodoka-senpai, that other girl started it! She was insulting my club and Ui-chan got involved and I-" Azusa's excuses faltered when Nodoka raised her free hand for silence.

"You don't need to justify yourself to me, Azusa-chan, or call me senpai. I wasn't there, but knowing Ui and that Akira girl, I have a pretty good idea of what happened. You're not in trouble, but I'd encourage you not to go looking for fights. I won't be able to excuse any intentional violence on campus, not that it's really my jurisdiction, thankfully." Nodoka adjusted her glasses as she spoke surprisingly candidly, her gaze still trained on her paper and her rapidly swerving pen despite carrying on a conversation.

Unsure of how to respond, Azusa fidgeted in her seat. If the small smile that appeared on Nodoka's face was amusement at Azusa's unease, the president didn't drop any additional tells that she was even paying attention to her guest, let alone interested in her. "It won't happen again, I promise, Nodoka-san. But, if you didn't call me here for that, why did you call me? Is it about Yui-senpai?"

Nodding as she replaced her completed form for a fresh one, Nodoka spun her pen in her hand once before beginning to write again just as the new paper settled on the desk. "To be frank, your incident this morning was convenient. It allowed me to call you here without any raised eyebrows." Digging into her pocket, Nodoka withdrew a membership card Azusa was sadly very familiar with, sliding it over to the kouhai. "This is what I really need to speak with you about, and without your phone, this was the easiest way. As you know, I reluctantly inherited the title of president of the Mio Fan Club from the previous president in addition to my more important duties. As such, I'm used to the odd rumor regarding the Light Music Club here and there, but it's gotten a bit out of control in the past few weeks, wouldn't you agree?" Though she still hadn't looked up, Azusa felt like she'd be shot dead where she sat if she so much as flinched in her seat.

Gulping, Azusa called on her mind to prepare a reasonable response. "The rumors regarding myself and Yui-senpai are false. The one about the fight is true, technically, but it's been exaggerated greatly. I've already spoken with Ui-chan and Jun-chan, and we've decided to just let the rumors run their course. Trying to dispel them ourselves has only made things worse." Azusa had to resist the urge to bow like she'd seen politicians caught in scandals do after finishing an apology, her legs and feet twisting around themselves as her anxiety manifested where she hoped Nodoka couldn't see.

Nodoka's pen stalled. She appeared to be lost in thought, the tip of her instrument balancing precariously on the atoms of air between itself and the paper. Made uncomfortable by the ambiguous silence, Azusa struggled not to fidget and fill the empty room with the grating of her chair. Nodoka's presence practically ordained respect, as if she was facing a teacher rather than a peer or even a senpai. It would have been more admirable to Azusa were she not distracted trying to figure out how Nodoka tolerated being friends with someone like Yui. "You're very blunt, much more so than your senpais. Oh, that's not a bad thing. I could use more girls like you in the student council, but I digress. I've received most of the story from Mio and some of it from Yui, but I wanted to get your opinion. I'm just trying to sort out what's true and what isn't without, as you stated, making things worse by asking around directly, given my position." As soon as she stopped talking, Nodoka began writing, her pen advancing that much more quickly to regain the ground lost to time.

Her purpose here revealed, relief shot through Azusa. It made perfect sense that someone in Nodoka's position couldn't just go asking around about club drama, particularly a club she had such close ties to. If that's all she wants, I can stay the course. Maybe she'll be able to help the others where I couldn't. "Then please, tell me what you need to know," Azusa insisted, leaning forward in her seat. "I want to help."

"Why'd you reject Yui?" Nodoka immediately asked without missing a beat. "She's a nice girl, if a bit daft. You could do worse."

The question Nodoka had just asked as if she was asking Azusa to pass her a piece of paper took the kouhai aback. She stuttered for a full second before she managed to respond properly. "W-what? Why does that matter? It's between us! What does that have to do with the rumors? I mean, I get what it has to do with some of them, but ah, it was just a dumb mistake, okay? I'm not going to let that get in the way of the Light Music Club, so there's no need to bring it up!" In her frantic backpedaling from her offer, Azusa nearly fell out of her seat waving her arms in front of her and eventually settling for slamming them on the table while standing up.

Azusa's frantic defense prompted Nodoka to actually look up from her work as her stack of papers was jostled by the guitarist's slam. "Your starting the rumor was a mistake, or your rejecting Yui was a mistake?" she asked, adjusting the stack into a neat pile with one hand.

"Yes and no!" Azusa exclaimed, before realizing she was still yelling and quieting herself. "That is, my mistake was starting the rumor, though I found out Yui-senpai has been spreading it unintentionally too. I believe it will pass with time though, so there's no need for further action. Sorry for losing my head."

Smiling over her work, Nodoka motioned for Azusa to sit once more. "You don't have to try so hard to be respectful, Azusa-chan. Yui's descriptions of you were shockingly accurate, you know. She must really like you. Well, you're mostly right. If it wasn't affecting the club and your futures, the rumors, or rather their source, wouldn't be my business. To understand what happened to the atmosphere of the club most of my friends attend, I need to understand them." The deduction was perfectly logical to one of the girls in the room, leaving the other one perplexed.

"The atmosphere?" Azusa repeated, her heartbeat slowing over Nodoka's compliment. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's no secret that things are tense between you and your friends in my class right now," Nodoka admitted as she snatched a new form, just quickly enough to avoid disturbing the rest of the stack she had finished organizing. "Specifically, from Yui and Mio, though they're hiding it well enough. As the governing body for the students and Yui's friend, I've taken it upon myself to lend her a hand. Thus, I'd like to speak with you about what's behind the atmosphere of the club." Lowering her head, Nodoka's rhythmic work persisted.

Whatever part of Azusa had told her that telling Nodoka she'd tell her anything was a good idea was currently being yelled at in Azusa's mind. "The atmosphere will recover," Azusa told the president. "Everyone just needs some space, that's all. Ui-chan suggested having my phone off, so I did that to not worry them. I absolutely can't make things any worse for them." If there was anything Azusa could be certain of, it was her last line, and she endeavored to make Nodoka understand that with her tone.

Tapping her pen to her chin, Nodoka frowned in a way that made Azusa feel like she was being forced to chew ice cream. "That doesn't sit quite right with me. Yui's never complained about your presence, and I've heard her complain about the floor being too shiny. You're never one of Yui's messes that I've had to clean up. Quite the contrary, it's nice to know the Light Music Club has a voice of reason. Do you really think this plan of yours is wise?"

It has to be. I can't entertain the alternative. "Yes," Azusa answered, without a clue as to where she was borrowing her confidence from. "My senpais just need time to figure out what they want. They always figure things out eventually." Like she'd been called on to answer a question in class, Azusa tried to sit down in the seat she forgot she was already sitting in.

Smiling calmly over Azusa's humiliated blush, Nodoka's glasses glinted mischievously. "Oh? Then perhaps this next part will be as informative for you as it is for me."

Before Azusa could ask what that meant, the room's door exploded open. "Nodoka-chan, what's… oh God… what's…. need air… the emergency?!" Yui cried out, doubled over in exhaustion. "I came really… fast… Eh? Azu-nyasa-" Yui stuttered, teetering between saying Azusa's name properly and using her nickname.

It was hard for Azusa to process what she was looking at. She blinked several times, going so far as to rub her eyes as she took in Yui's appearance. She hadn't so much as sensed the presence of someone trying to hug her since the 16th, and what bothered her now was that she still couldn't. Aside from being out of breath, Yui looked exactly how Azusa remembered seeing her two days ago, complete with a crooked blue ribbon on her uniform. Of all her features, it was Yui's fading smile that Azusa became fixated on as the senpai and kouhai locked eyes.

Azusa wanted to say something, ask Yui how she was, apologize, tell her she'd been waiting to hear from her, but it was like a wall had been erected between them. All attempts at speaking sputtered and died in Azusa's throat. What do I say? Is now the right time? Can I talk to her now? "Yui-senpai, I…" Azusa started, only to abruptly turn around.

"Sorry, wrong room! Didn't meant to interrupt, Azu-nyan!" Yui declared before bolting for the exit, nearly colliding with the wall in her rush to escape. "Bye, Nodoka-chan! Let me know what the emergency was later!"

Azusa's words vanished into the ether. Once again, Yui had subverted her expectations in an annoyingly critical moment. What the hell was that? She was almost acting scared of me, but that's probably just because she was startled. But something else was off. It's like she had some wall between herself and me. Like… some weird game of hers? No, Ui-chan said she was fine.

Ui was lying.

Jun's voice rang idly in Azusa's head, a memento of the look she'd received at the beginning of the day. The image sat conspicuously in Azusa's head for a moment too long before she managed to shake it out. Or Ui-chan is choosing not to pay attention.

Wanting to ask a voice in her head what she meant would probably get her committed somewhere, so Azusa settled for turning back to Nodoka. The senior's expression hadn't shifted once since Yui arrived and promptly left. "Interesting," was all she said, making a note on a nearby notepad. "Well, Yui is still Yui, at least."

"What just happened?" Azusa managed to ask. "You expected her to do that? What's wrong with you? Oh, sorry."

"Please, speak your mind," Nodoka encouraged. "Watching her act so casual yesterday after what happened sparked my curiosity. Also, it's funny when she gets flustered. Doesn't this work out well for your plan?"

It became apparent to Azusa that she'd grown complacent in her ability to play mind games. Constantly playing against lightweights like Yui and Ritsu had dulled her senses, something a more proficient player like Nodoka happily exploited. "I… don't know. No, wait, yes!" Azusa insisted. "So nothing's wrong. I need to get back to class. Jun-chan and Ui-chan will worry for me." Azusa rose from her seat, but her stance was flimsy, practically begging to be halted.

"Hold on," Nodoka ordered, indoctrination keeping Azusa firmly planted to the ground. "Give me another moment, please. I want to help you all."

It doesn't feel like it. Azusa desperately wanted to say that, but tact stayed her tongue. Even if she was Yui's friend, Azusa wasn't about to push her luck by drawing the ire of the most powerful student on campus towards the Light Music Club. "If you want to help, then let them figure things out without us," Azusa explained in what she hoped sounded like an authoritative tone. "I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. They don't need to be around me."

"So you say," Nodoka mused, beginning her work anew. "What I just saw is proof that they depend on you. Yui's taking cues from you on how to behave, especially now. She thinks you're mad at her, even if she won't say it. She can't read your mind, Azusa-chan."

Pushing down the feeling that Nodoka was right, Azusa rose from her seat. "I have no right to let myself break down like a child in front of her after I rejected her like that," the younger guitarist asserted. "To complain when I've already been given so much by them would be absurd. This whole month, I've only been screwing things up by letting my emotions get the better of me, and it has to stop here. I trust them, Nodoka-san."

Nodoka set her pen down. Her gaze was that of a real senpai, one Azusa was sure she'd be proud to look up to in different circumstances. "I was hoping you'd be a bit more open with me and yourself, truthfully, Azusa-chan. If you trusted them, you'd be acting more on your own whims, wouldn't you?"

Azusa was taken aback, nearly tumbling back into her seat. How can she tell? Nodoka-san can't actually read minds, can she? No, don't start this again! Stay calm! "I appreciate your willingness to help," the younger guitarist responded, bowing. "I will do my best to ensure I and my club don't trouble you in the near future. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?"

Sighing, Nodoka crossed through some lines on her current form. The action felt more final than Azusa would have preferred, even if her perceived interpolation between Nodoka's words and actions was a superficial comparison. "I wish I could hold you to that, Azusa-chan, but I can't. I want to help Yui and Mio, who happen to be in your club, so I'm sure we'll be speaking again sooner rather than later. For now, though, I have another meeting to take before break time ends. If you've nothing else to say, you may leave."

Nodding at someone who wasn't looking at her, Azusa made to leave quietly, only for the sudden cessation of writing to halt Azusa's movement right as she reached the door. She glanced back to find Nodoka staring at her. Embarrassment crept up on Azusa as she held the gaze far longer than she anticipated having to. "Sorry about that," Nodoka eventually apologized, looking away with just a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "Give Ui my regards. And have a bit more faith in your senpais. They're more mature than you think." With that, the meeting truly ended.

Nodoka was the polar opposite of her best friend, and Azusa could feel the differences grating against her. As much as she loathed Yui's laidback personality, she'd grown disappointingly used to it. Having someone so much like who Azusa aspired to be around only reminded her how far she had to go as she stepped out of the room, several justifications for her pathetic defense of her stance crossing her mind. You have the wrong idea. I'm sorry I couldn't do what Yui-senpai and Mugi-senpai wanted, but I can't feel that way. It's not that there's nothing there, it's just that I- Reentering the hallway without even bothering for the propriety of a goodbye, Azusa's mind ran further and further away from her. It's complicated. It shouldn't be but it is. Entertaining what Yui-senpai is offering isn't possible right now, so I don't need to consider how I feel about it. It's not doing what other people want, it's doing what's best for me, for my future. I have to succeed, find a way to shine, with or without them. This is the best way to help everyone. I can help by refusing to move. That's what it means to face myself. No matter how much it hurts, I can't move. "Did you want me to ask your permission to enter?" someone outside of Azusa's sphere of existence asked.

"I can't move," Azusa thought aloud to the mysterious voice. "Even if it hurts." Only when the second line came out did Azusa pause long enough to realize she should probably look at who she was speaking carelessly to.

"What, is this your rebellious phase now? Don't tell me I'm gonna have to wrangle you too this afternoon, Nakano," Ritsu joked from her spot against the wall next to the student council room.

Thanking every god she knew that she was talking to someone who wouldn't think she was crazy, Azusa calmed herself quickly. "Ritsu-senpai," she addressed affably, pretending the previous lines hadn't happened. "What are you doing here? I thought you were ditching school again."

Ritsu scoffed, kicking off the wall fast enough to wrap an arm around her kouhai casually before she could react. She began to rub Azusa's head cruelly with her knuckle as she responded. "I go away for a day and you've already completely forgotten about poor old Ritsu, huh?" the drummer lamented over Azusa's complaining. "I'll have you know I'm a very diligent club president, and I was worried about my irreplaceable club members. You should feel bad for talking down to me like that."

"Okay, I feel terrible, I'm sorry!" Azusa whined, the mixture of pleasure and pain erasing the self-restraint her dignity normally demanded.

Satisfied, Ritsu let her kouhai go for the moment. "Eh, could have used some more emotion, but I'll let it go for today," she deigned. "It's good I caught you here. We have an important meeting after school today. Don't be late."

Azusa huffed, smoothing her hair out while she glared at the president. "Wait a second, Ritsu-senpai. Why didn't you tell me you were back? You didn't even say hi when I saw you outside the gate yesterday!"

"I can't talk to someone who doesn't have their phone on, and rain makes vision hard, sue me," Ritsu fired back, dangling her own phone in Azusa's face. "More importantly, meeting. You. Me. Mio. Mugi. Yui. Deep personal secrets. It's gonna be great. Don't miss it or you're banned from teatime for a week."

Color started to drain from Azusa's face. She hadn't planned on returning to the clubroom so soon, and Ritsu could tell. In her ideal world, Yui would have come to her and told her they had fixed everything without running off like a scared puppy. The idea of confronting the reason behind Yui's behavior sent an odd chill up Azusa's spine. What's wrong with me? I shouldn't care what Yui-senpai thinks. I'm the one hurting her. If I let my heart start bleeding, I won't be able to think logically. Avoidance is the only way I can make this work. "Look, I know what you're thinking, maybe. Don't run away from this now. We're all responsible for this mess, so I'm going to make sure we all fix it. I'm serious. No teatime. I'll get Nodoka to lock the tea cabinet and everything."

"You can't do that!" Azusa protested, before realizing how much of her hand she was showing. "I mean, I don't care, but you'll drive Yui-senpai insane! More importantly, Yui-senpai doesn't want to be in the same room as me after what happened. I don't want to force her into this."

Ritsu only shook her head good-naturedly. "I saw that little debacle just now. I don't know the details and I don't need to. Don't worry about your crush, alright? I'll drag her kicking and screaming if I need to. Just make sure you show up for practice, got it? Oh, and turn your phone back on already."

"She's not my crush!" Azusa protested. "And I'll think about it. I don't want to make anyone worry."

Almost immediately, Ritsu rolled her eyes. "You're doing that already, no matter what you do, so you might as well show up and see where this ride goes with us if we're gonna worry either way. Think about it, alright?"

Before Azusa could respond, the door next to them opened, revealing an irate Nodoka. "Are you done messing around with your kouhai?" she asked irritably. "Break time doesn't last forever, Ritsu-chan."

"Yeah, yeah," Ritsu waved off nonchalantly, before turning to Azusa one more time. "Call the meeting an order from the club president if it makes you feel better. You and Yui are two parts of a whole HTT. Don't forget that." With that, Ritsu followed her fellow president with a wave of her hand, mumbling about the woes associated with her position.

Nodoka nodded once to Azusa before shutting the girl out of the conversation. It hadn't occurred to Azusa that Nodoka's other meeting was with someone she knew as she turned back towards her classroom absentmindedly. The kouhai withdrew her phone and stared at it, as if waiting for it to tell her her next move. Parts of a whole… If I'm going to meet them all after school, maybe I should go ahead and turn it back on. Then again, it can probably wait until after our meeting. I don't know what Ritsu-senpai's thinking, but I should respect Yui-senpai's space while I can. She'll come to the meeting if she wants to. The bell rang to end break time as Azusa made her decision, prompting her to return to her classroom.

Pocketing her decision for later, Azusa took off for the rest of her day, suddenly far less interested in her next class than she had been before the break. It was one of many effects of the Light Music Club she'd grown accustomed to over the last two years, but this time, knowing that not everyone was necessarily waiting for her, Azusa couldn't decide how she felt, only that she couldn't think about anything else.

---

November 18th, Exactly Four Seconds After the Final Bell

Tsumugi flew out of her chair like a falcon diving for its prey. It would have been ideal to practice the motion in the hours she had leading up to the school day ending, but she couldn't completely ignore her lessons for the day, and jumping in and out of her seat would probably disturb her classmates. Ritsu was lucky, having a position so close to the front entrance to the room. Yui had no reason to target that exit. Mio wasn't nearly as close to the back door as Tsumugi, never mind her willingness to go along with Ritsu's scheme. What this all meant was that preventing Yui from fleeing the room after school was a burden Tsumugi had to shoulder alone. After the 11th, Tsumugi personally questioned the wisdom of telling Yui there was an important meeting she had to attend after school, reaffirmed by Yui's lack of an affirmative response up to this point. However, she wasn't about to oppose anything Ritsu said when she was openly talking to her again, and it wasn't as if the proposed meeting didn't align with her own goals. Yui-chan got hurt because I've managed the situation poorly. That's why I should be the one to fix it, for her sake, Azusa-chan's sake, and for everyone else. I won't let my family down again! Tsumugi's bravado carried her all of three steps before a blur of motion darted past her.

The head start of being two rows closer to the door Tsumugi had over her quarry was erased instantly by Yui's reaction time. The starting gun of the bell should have served as a fair starting point for both girls, but Yui had either taken up running in her spare time, which was unlikely, or she'd somehow started early. Regardless of the reason, Yui could be terrifyingly quick for a girl who spent most of her days lazing around and eating food. Tsumugi's first mistake was taking the time to mull over these thoughts instead of directly pursuing the guitarist. Her second mistake was looking to Ritsu for help when she realized that she was being left behind. Already at her designated door, Ritsu gestured angrily towards the fleeing Yui, telling her to focus on her task with her hands. By the time Tsumugi processed these mistakes and reached the back door, Yui was gone, leaving behind a winded Tsumugi and most of the class staring at the odd spectacle. "Fast…" Tsumugi panted, watching her friend disappear down the hallway.

Deciding to make a tactical retreat, Tsumugi backed herself back into the classroom. Perhaps we won't be able to meet up today. I should have brought a cake to cajole Yui-chan into staying. Mou, Mugi, get it together! Slapping both of her cheeks lightly caused Tsumugi to wince as she accidentally agitated her injured hand. "That's why I didn't bother chasing her," Mio commented, appearing next to Tsumugi with her bag slung over her shoulder. "She's faster than she looks."

"What do we do, then?" Tsumugi asked, fretting with her hands. "Ricchan says everyone needs to be present. We need her!"

Mio pursed her lips. She took a half step backwards, making real the distance Tsumugi had felt from her friend since their argument. Once more, the urge to simply apologize and tell Mio she hadn't meant what she said welled up in Tsumugi, but she ignored the pressure building within her. You have every right to be upset, but I can't apologize yet. Until everyone else speaks their minds, I shouldn't speak mine. I'm just trying to help, Mio-chan. I can't give up, not when nobody else has either. Ui-chan hasn't given up either, which means I still have a chance. "I'm going to the clubroom," Mio informed the blonde as the rest of the class lost interest in watching the girls and began to file out themselves. "You and the baka can go try to track down Yui-chan if you want. Someone should be there so Azusa-chan doesn't get worried or panic." Without waiting for Tsumugi's agreement, Mio blew past her friend coldly and made for the clubroom.

"Well, she's as surly as ever," Ritsu noted, approaching where Tsumugi had been left standing with a pensive expression. "Guess I don't deserve things being easy. Come on, you. I thought this might happen. We're going after her." Once more, Tsumugi found herself being dragged out of the clubroom before she could have a chance to respond.

Being yanked around might have bothered Tsumugi on any other day, but just having all of her friends speaking to her semi-normally quelled her indignation, even allowing her to blush as she was led along. One note at a time. Getting hurt now is worth keeping us together in the long run. "R-right!" Tsumugi agreed as she and Ritsu exited the classroom. "Should we check the roof again?"

"I had Nodoka lock it in case this happened," Ritsu explained curtly. "If we hurry, we can catch her trying to find somewhere else to hide. We're taking the long way to cut her off." Without inviting further conversation, Ritsu released the keyboardist and took off in the direction of the clubroom and the roof entrance.

Tsumugi proceeded without protest, barely able to keep up with Ritsu's speed, even with the drummer's bag slowing her down. Wait, did I leave my bag in the classroom? Oh well. I'll retrieve it later. The blonde's steps pounded unevenly as she jogged after the drummer, fighting to maintain a constant pace as Ritsu's long strides pulled her towards their destination. "Ricchan, could we slow down a little? I'm not as fast as you are," Tsumugi requested between breaths.

Though it visibly irked her, Ritsu slowed herself to a brisk power walk at Tsumugi's request. Gratefully, Tsumugi found herself now able to keep up easily with Ritsu's pace. The downside was that the frown Ritsu had adopted only seemed to deepen with every step they took. Is she that desperate to catch Yui-chan? I suppose there's a chance she just goes home. That would be problematic. As they went on, a different sort of unease crept up on Tsumugi over the silence between her and her normally talkative friend. "Ricchan, are you still mad at me?" Tsumugi asked, somewhat nervously.

Without slowing down, Ritsu abruptly rounded a corner. Tsumugi had to take a step backwards to prevent Ritsu from slamming into her. By the time she'd caught up to the drummer again, she had an answer prepared. "Short answer: yes. Long answer: I trusted you with my old feelings, Mugi. Don't expect me to just get over something like that in day or two. I'm here to make things right with Mio and the others, not you. Not yet, anyways." The words stung worse than her hand ever could.

"I… I had assumed as much," Tsumugi admitted to both herself and Ritsu. "I understand, Ricchan. I still feel like I did what I needed to do, but my method of telling Mio-chan was wrong, and I went about things the wrong way. For that, I have to apologize. Please don't hate me over this!" It was tempting to tear up, but Tsumugi didn't want Ritsu to accept her apology out of pity.

Ritsu stalled by the stairs, as if she'd forgotten which way to go. The drummer cast a look to the mostly composed Tsumugi, debating something internally. "Hate you? You're still my friend, Mugi," Ritsu told the keyboardist matter-of-factly. "I don't hate you, I think you did something really stupid and brought up something that never needed to be brought up, something I have to address now that Mio's going to take way too seriously, which is a pain. That aside, friends are allowed to be mad at each other, aren't they? Just don't give me another reason to mistrust you anytime soon, and we'll call it fair."

Tsumugi was unsure of how to respond. Most of her relationships balanced on an all or nothing scale, with no grey matter between love and hate, friendship and apathy. She hadn't been raised to give people second chances. Ritsu's description of the situation didn't fit in with any of her positive stigmas, but she didn't find herself in the position to talk semantics with the drummer. "Yes, Ricchan," Tsumugi agreed, defaulting to politeness in an unfamiliar situation. "I hope you'll forgive me soon."

The only response Ritsu dignified that with was a small, ambiguous wave of her hand before she looked up the stairs. "We didn't pass Yui in the hall taking the long way, and Mio took the direct route to the clubroom, so she'd have caught Yui if she went that way. That means she either didn't go to the roof, or she somehow got past Mio." It hadn't occurred to Tsumugi that Mio's brisk exit had anything to do with Ritsu's plan, but thinking about it now, it made perfect sense to have a second pincer plan in place following the classroom plan.

"So what now?" Tsumugi asked, getting absorbed in the moment. "How do we catch the perpetrator? Where would she go if she couldn't get to the roof?"

"Not much we can do but wait," Ritsu admitted in frustration, folding her arms and closing her eyes broodingly. "The perpetrator has to come back for Giita at some point. If she had managed to swipe that, Mio would have told me. I would have preferred to tell Nakano to be on the lookout too, but the kid still hasn't turned her phone on."

It impressed Tsumugi how well thought out Ritsu's plans could be for such a strange game they were playing. The two fell into silence as they waited for news from Mio or Yui to appear, seconds stretching out into long minutes. Though Tsumugi would have preferred to converse with her friend, she didn't know what to say to get Ritsu to talk to her, and she was scared of rubbing the drummer the wrong way. She badly wanted to know if Ritsu meant to discuss her feelings with Mio, but the way Ritsu had carried herself all day and their exchanged words just now suggested that would be a bad idea. I wish we had tea to fill the gap in conversation. All I can do now is keep up appearances and wait for my chance to make everything right. I can tolerate them being mad at me. It's not too late to fix things. I… don't want to lose them. Noticing Tsumugi's expression, Ritsu frowned. "You alright, Mugi? Is it your hand? I do apologize for that, by the way. I can't pay for your teacup, but I'm sorry anyways."

Snapping her gaze upwards, Tsumugi shook her head chiding herself for making Ritsu worry. "Oh, no no, Ricchan, it's fine. I covered the bill already. I'm just tired, I suppose. All this running around, planning, working towards keeping the club intact. So much background work. There's nothing wrong with the background, I'm just tired."

Ritsu didn't say anything for a moment, taking in the attempt at reassurance Tsumugi put into her tone. "Can you do me a favor, Mugi?" the drummer asked, looking at the ceiling.

Eager to be helpful, Tsumugi perked up. "Yes! Anything!"

"Calm the hell down," Ritsu encouraged her friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. "In this whole group of morons, myself included, you're the only one I can count on to keep a clear head right now. I needed a day to figure out where I stood, and I'm still not sure if this is the best move. Understand? If you're really sorry, let me count on you to help me fix our mistakes, alright? Because we're both going to screw some shit up in the near future, and I want to be able to count on you and the others when it happens." Ritsu shot Tsumugi a small smile, the one that meant the world to the keyboardist.

Ricchan…you're so strong. She's counting on me. That means I have to earn her trust back even more. "I can do it!" Tsumugi exclaimed. "I won't let you down, Ricchan!"

"That's not exactly what I meant by calming down, but you get points for enthusiasm, I guess," Ritsu commented, running a hand through her short hair. "Maybe I'm being too optimistic. Yui might have found a way to slip by everyone. She could be halfway home by now."

"She'll turn up," Tsumugi encouraged for the sake of it. "I believe in her."

Ritsu scoffed. "People never behave exactly the way you want them to. Life isn't just going to drop her into our laps." Life responded by causing Ritsu's phone to ring.

Retrieving the device from her pocket, Ritsu practically slammed the phone to her ear. "Yeah?" she started brusquely.

"Okay. Really? Mou, of course she did. Alright, fine, we'll be right there." With a click, Ritsu sighed and faced an expectant Tsumugi. "She's in the classroom."

Validation brought a knowing smile to Tsumugi that said far more than she ever could with words. Ritsu noticed the triumph in Tsumugi's eyes and turned away defensively. "Don't say it," she warned, jabbing a finger back the way they came. "We have other places to be."

"Say what?" Tsumugi asked innocently, playing with the bandages on her fingers. "I'm just glad Yui-chan turned up. It has nothing to do with being proven right that believing in Yui-chan was the right move." The condescending look Tsumugi received didn't dampen her mood.

"Right, of course, my mistake," Ritsu sarcastically responded before starting to make her way back. "Let's get back before she runs off again."

As they returned to class, Tsumugi felt a pang of wild sadness strike her. She's acting more like the Ricchan I know. What changed? Does it matter? I suppose not. Whatever makes her happy. It didn't necessarily matter to Tsumugi in the moment if she was happy or not about that thought.

Reaching their classroom after a silent jog, Tsumugi opened the door to the sight of Nodoka and Yui as the only occupants of the room. The cleaners had evidently finished their work for the afternoon and gone home, leaving Nodoka and Yui alone. When the door opened, Nodoka looked up gratefully while Yui remained focused on something behind Nodoka's back in her seat. "Good, you're here. Take your club member with you. She's being moronic."

"Nodoka-chan stole my bag!" Yui whined, trying to reach behind her friend towards what Tsumugi now identified as Yui's school bag. "My stuff is in there!"

"You forgot your school bag when you ran off," Nodoka corrected. "I was just waiting for you to come back for it."

"I did?" Yui asked, holding a finger to her chin in confusion. "Are you sure?" The cute nature of her question didn't offset the fact that she was still trying to reach for the bag where she thought Nodoka couldn't see.

Tsumugi wanted to slap herself again. Why didn't I realize that? I forgot my bag too. No wonder Yui-chan was able to leave so quickly. And Nodoka-chan figured out that she could just wait for Yui-chan to get her bag so quickly… Ritsu raised her palms upwards and shook her head. "Figures. Well, we were going to have to come back for Mugi's bag anyways. Are you done running yet, private? We have adulting to do."

The word brought a shiver down Yui's spine. Watching her scramble for an excuse in her head was somewhat heartbreaking, but there was nothing Tsumugi could do as Yui shuffled her feet nervously. The guitarist eventually straightened out, saluting pointlessly. "Captain! I request a leave of absence!"

"Denied," Ritsu bluntly shot down. "Only the captain takes days off."

Nodoka huffed. "If only that were true," she lamented, no doubt thinking of her own presidential duties.

Tsumugi used the time to retrieve her own school bag. "Yui-chan, I think it's a good idea for us all to have a conversation about the last few days. I'm sure Azusa-chan is worried about you, perhaps even more so than we are. We can't run from this forever. Ask Ricchan." The heiress indicated her partner with her free hand.

Ritsu started. "Watch it, you," she warned before clearing her throat and trying again. "That wasn't necessary, but I agree, I guess. Yui, whatever you're feeling, you're not going to make it better by avoiding Nakano. I… get it."

For an instant, Yui's visage grew grim. "Do you, Ricchan?" Yui challenged, finally giving up on retrieving her bag in favor of meeting Ritsu's claim head on. "Have you sat down and talked to Mio-chan since three days ago? Did Mio-chan reject you then invite you over for dinner through her mother without even talking to you? How am I supposed to feel about that? Are you scared of being in the same room as Mio-chan because you don't want to upset her? Ne, tell me, Ricchan, because I don't know."

The president winced, looking away. The dinner invite Azusa's mother had extended her felt like a far-off memory to Tsumugi, one she had accepted without really thinking about it. When she'd received the call early in the morning yesterday, she'd assumed it had something to do with Yui and Azusa's meeting the day before. She could still remember jumping around in excitement at her presumed victory and getting rather tired afterwards. Coming back to the topic, Azusa's moves made far less sense than she originally thought. "Honestly, I don't know either. I don't know what's going through our kouhai's head, or anyone's for that matter, and that's why, as the leader here, I'm holding this powwow of ours today. It feels like we're all on the same page of different books. Look, I, well, uh, yeah." Ritsu's train of thought stalled and stopped as she searched for the right words to cajole the moody guitarist into joining her.

"Yui-chan, you're not alone," Tsumugi stepped in for her friend. "No matter what happened between the two of you, all of us want to help you, whether we understand or not. Don't give up on Azusa-chan yet. She wants to reach the same future we do. You were there for us when we needed you, so let's all be there for her when she's uncertain." Conviction poured from Tsumugi's voice, honey sweet yet startlingly firm.

"Romance aside, she doesn't want to lose her band yet," Ritsu finished for Tsumugi, eyeing the keyboardist carefully. "If nothing else, give her the peace of mind that you're okay by telling her in person."

Indecisive, Yui plopped down into her seat, staring past the other three girls in the room as she thought. "Band… future… Ne, can we still be a band after high school?" Yui asked her bandmates.

"Of course!" Tsumugi answered immediately, before calming herself, recalling Ritsu's advice. "Yes. Nothing would make me happier."

Both girls and Nodoka turned to Ritsu. The drummer looked away. "That's… yes. I do." She answered unconvincingly, before realizing how she sounded. "Yes. It's complicated, but yes," she repeated with more resolve.

Though Tsumugi remained concerned, Yui perked up immediately. "I understand, I think. I'll go talk to everyone then, even Azu-nyan. I owe her an apology for this morning. Oh, and you too, Nodoka-chan! I'm sorry! What was the emergency?"

Unable to suppress a smile, Nodoka stood up, offering Yui her bag, which the girl snatched up greedily in spite of her current apology. "The emergency has been resolved, Yui. Let me know how things go for you all. I'll be rooting for you." Standing up herself, Nodoka started for the door with a polite bow.

"Thanks for putting up with me earlier by the way," Ritsu thanked Nodoka as she exited the room. "I appreciate it."

Nodoka's response was to withdraw a paper and wave it warningly. "Don't mention it. Just make sure to turn your form in on time this time." The president made her exit, leaving the three seniors alone together.

Before Tsumugi or Yui could ask what Nodoka and Ritsu were referring to, Ritsu was already marching towards the door, her normal boisterous energy returning. "Alright, you two! We've got practice today, so no dawdling!"

"Yes captain!" Yui acquiesced immediately, following Ritsu and Nodoka without complaint or questioning how practice fit into their meeting and presumably planned teatime.

Tsumugi paused for a moment by the door, glancing back at the empty room. Hmm. It's such a back and forth pendulum when it comes to our condition. Is it alright to stay together simply because we've enjoyed the past more than the present? No, I shouldn't think like that. I'll figure out where they're at and help them change if necessary. It's not about relationships anymore, it's about my family. Fighting is okay, just as Ricchan said. It's necessary for change. That resolve in hand, Tsumugi found herself able to trail the playful duo with a clear conscious.

Ritsu and Yui began to banter in their normal indecipherable fashion on the way to the clubroom, though Tsumugi could tell that Ritsu was doing her best to keep Yui's mind off of the impending conversation. So considerate… and I betrayed her. No, I didn't. I had to. Ricchan needs to face this too. Tsumugi continued to follow complacently until the three noticed music coming from the clubroom. Intrigued, Ritsu and Yui fell silent, tracking the dying sound up the stairs long after it fell silent.

Even without any sort of music coming from the clubroom, Tsumugi and her companions opted to peer in through the clubroom door rather than barge into whatever was going on inside. Snooping cautiously, Yui threw away the group's odds at successfully remaining incognito by gasping loudly. Just inside the door, Azusa was sharing an intimate hug with Mio, Azusa's guitar sandwiched between them as some sort of strange buffer. The display would normally have left Tsumugi starstruck, and she was indeed stunned out of a reaction for a second or two, but the implications of the moment for her companions drew her gaze to them. Ritsu only appeared to be confused, if not mildly annoyed, but Yui appeared downright heartbroken. Before either girl could think to stop her, Yui shoved the door open, sending Ritsu and Tsumugi tumbling to the ground as Yui called out in a mournful tone to the startled pair in front of her. "Mio-chan is cheating on Ricchan!"

---

November 18th, Exactly 3 Minutes After the Final Bell

The clubroom door gave way solemnly. Azusa wasn't entirely sure if she was doing the right thing by showing up to the clubroom after school, particularly after this morning, but the urge to do something overwrote Ui's lessons in self-preservation. Expecting to have arrived first, Azusa was startled to see Mio already present, setting her bass down by the whiteboard. This prompted Azusa to scan the room for her other senpais, but none of them, especially the one she was most curious about, appeared to be present. When she detected movement, Mio looked up sharply, only for her annoyed expression to melt into a smiling mask. "Azusa-chan. You're here early," the bassist greeted, rising from her crouched position. "It's good to see you. Are you feeling alright?"

Nodding quickly as she shut the door behind her, Azusa waved a hand in front of her face nonchalantly. "I'm just fine, Mio-senpai. Please don't concern yourself over me. Where are the others? Are they not coming?"

Mio bit back a sigh, leaning on the nearest arm of the couch. "They'll be here soon. I asked about you because you turned your phone off after Yui-chan tried to confess to you, so I've heard." There was a pause as Mio allowed Azusa to set her bag down and return her full attention to the stern bassist. "I can assume how it went, but you shouldn't cut yourself off from us. Things are weird right now. I don't know what to do, but I can't do anything if I can't talk to you all, understand?" The message rang an eerily familiar tone to the one Ritsu had given her earlier in the day.

The young guitarist felt foolish. In her haste to listen to Ui and put as much distance between herself and Yui as possible, she was hurting everyone else, possibly Yui as well. Why can't there just be a right answer? Getting closer means March will hurt worse, while getting farther away means things hurt worse now. Are we destined to fail just because of our circumstances? That's not fair. This isn't what I want. I should just listen to Mio-senpai. "I understand," Azusa squeaked out, staring at her shoes. "Ritsu-senpai mentioned something about a meeting?" she prompted, hoping to move things along.

"We'll see," Mio responded vaguely, glancing at her bass. "If they manage to catch Yui-chan, there's a chance we'll be able to talk things out, but it's not like I can tell what's going on in anyone's heads. They say they want one thing, but they act like they want something else, like they don't understand how their actions affect anything else around them. You understand, right Azusa-chan?"

Azusa didn't understand, nor did she know how to respond. Of all of her senpais, Azusa looked up to Mio the most. She was usually the most composed, paid the most attention to the wellbeing of the band beyond eating cakes and tea, and was a skilled bass player in her own right. Mio's support was an oasis in the desert of Ritsu, Yui, and sometimes Tsumugi's inane games. But I don't understand. I don't know where any of you are coming from either. I don't know what Mugi-senpai and Ritsu-senpai are trying to accomplish. I don't know why Yui-senpai suddenly decided to confess. I don't know why you're able to remain so calm, Mio-senpai, why you can handle knowing about Ritsu-senpai so easily. I don't understand. How do I understand? Azusa's eyes followed Mio's to her bass. "I can't not listen when I play…" Azusa whispered to herself.

"Come again?" Mio asked, leaning in a bit to catch Azusa's whispered line.

"Mio-senpai, let's practice while we wait for the others," Azusa proposed, withdrawing her guitar from its case. "It's a waste to bring our instruments here every day and not use them, and we haven't practiced since Monday." Maybe if I play with her, I can understand how she feels, the way I did with Yui-senpai. Then I'll know what to do next.

Mio tilted her head. Her eyes told Azusa she agreed with that sentiment, but the way her eyes searched her kouhai implied that she wanted to know why Azusa had chosen now to bring that particular problem up. "Well, I don't mind," Mio eventually agreed. "It could be a while before they find Yui-chan, after all."

It was tempting to ask what Mio meant by find Yui, but after this morning, Azusa already had a pretty good idea of why Yui needed to be hunted down. I'm not necessarily looking forward to this either. But Nodoka-san was at least right in saying that I can't make progress if I don't talk to her. Hopefully practicing will calm me down a little, if nothing else. This was the mentality Azusa carried through her brief warmups and tuning. "Fuwa Fuwa Time?" Mio suggested, strumming her bass idly.

Wordlessly, Azusa nodded. Not having to think about what she was doing with a familiar song sounded fantastic right now. With a deep breath, Azusa silently counted her senpai in and began to play.

Something is very wrong here.

Azusa hadn't moved at all from where she started. Her fingers were moving physically, but it was like both of her arms were asleep. For all she knew, the opening riff was coming out of the school's loudspeaker system with how little feedback her actions gave her. Pushing this idea forward a little, Azusa attempted to stop playing, and the sound stopped, grounding her in reality. Mio raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, her time to come in on the song having not arrived. Apologizing for her sudden cessation, Azusa began again, to the same effect. This is strange. It's like I'm floating in the air and I just looked down. Maybe I just need Mio-senpai to come in.

Continuing her experiment, Azusa persisted until the bass kicked in. As an answer to her hypothesis, Azusa was blown backwards by the force of Mio's entry. If Azusa's entrance was akin to opening a door, Mio's was akin to storming in with a battering ram, a true feat considering the limitations of her instrument. The windows of the room shuddered, the clear sky outside turning unnaturally grey as Azusa shook herself, attempting to regain her bearings. In doing so, she realized that she was no longer holding her guitar. She could still hear herself playing from somewhere nearby, but Azusa herself was alone with Mio, who still had her bass firmly in hand. The development encouraged Azusa. It's happening again. We started on the same song, so we started here. Where's here? No, don't think about that. Focus on your music or you'll lose control. Though her guitar wasn't there, Azusa found that she could still feel herself as she actually was, playing the introduction with the control she was familiar with.

As Mio played on without acknowledging Azusa, the guitarist began to wonder if she was the only one who was paying attention to her partner. Aside from sounding a bit more muted than usual following her bombastic entrance, Azusa picked up nothing from Mio's performance. Is this what I looked like to Yui-senpai before I matched her sound? No, stop thinking about it! All that matters is that you don't stop playing. You can win this if you keep playing. She has to open up, and then you can be helpful. The optimistic projection wasn't justified by any progress, Mio remaining fully obsessed with her bass. Maybe I'm just creating what I want to see, who Azusa Nakano wants to be. Would that work?

Just as Azusa was going to attempt approaching Mio, the black-haired bassist looked up sharply. "Can you hear me?" she asked harshly.

What? Azusa tried to reply, only to gasp silently when she found herself unable to speak.

"I said, can you hear me?" Mio repeated, taking a step towards her partner.

Azusa found herself stumbling backwards, pushed away by Mio's presence. Mio had started singing, of that much she was certain. The kouhai hadn't expected Mio to start singing, having nearly forgotten who composed the lyrics to their chosen song in the first place, though she probably should have. Mio was the grounded Yin to Yui's Yang when it came to vocal performances, after all. As if unaware that she was doing anything at all, Mio leaned her upper body out the window dangerously as it opened itself for her, taking in the prosaic scenery as the song reached its first chorus. Azusa ran through her options silently as the song went on around her. Seeing Mio move was positive, but her aura was distinctly repulsive in nature, the queen determined to ensure that she alone could sit on her throne. Azusa took a half step forward, only to rescind her action immediately, uncertain of herself. Mio smirked at Azusa's hesitation. "Come on, get into it," she whispered, somehow loud and clear as her song raged like a storm throughout the room.

The challenged opened Azusa's eyes. That's right. I have a part in this too. I can believe in my guitar playing ability. Even against Mio-senpai, I can win. I don't want to move.

Whatever Mio saw in Azusa's expression, it was apparently interesting enough to convince her to abandon her precarious position against the window. Were it not for Mio's absurdly confident smile, Azusa might have considered herself at peace with her current moment. "It's scary, isn't it?" Mio asked, wandering past her kouhai and towards the tea cabinet, the floor vibrating with each step she took. "When I don't know how I feel, I tend to sound more confident. Yui once told me we can't hide how we feel when we play. Ne, is that true, Azusa?"

Yes.

The second attempt Azusa made at responding fell as flat as the first. Only her guitar playing continued to emanate off of her spirit, the only validation in this world of her existence. Whatever ability to speak in the clubroom existed had been completely subjugated by Mio's vocals. All Azusa could do was listen, just as the word on the whiteboard written weeks ago suggested. If the bassist was aware of this, she didn't let on, and continued as if Azusa had simply failed to respond. "I'm not so sure. The truth is that I'm terrified when I perform, all the time, really. Scaredy-cat Mio, right? But nobody else cares. When I'm with you all, I can play to my fullest, because you don't mind that I'm scared. It's a wonderful feeling."

Said wonderful feeling wasn't being expressed by Mio's playing at the moment. The subtle aggression behind her movements as she waltzed between the bassline and the vocals only grew more pronounced as the song wore on. She was playing two roles at once on a stage she had created for herself, Azusa filling in a background role, stuck observing without an instrument in hand. Without any way to take over Mio's parts the way she had with Yui, Azusa could only play by herself helplessly, like a cheering fan that had bought tickets to Mio's show. But this isn't right. Our band wouldn't sound the way it does if we couldn't connect with each other. What makes now different? Aren't we all scared? Azusa shook off the pointless thought as she made to pursue her senpai, passing the couch as the second verse began.

"And yet, we're going our separate ways in a few months, Azusa. I had a plan to keep the seniors together, but Ritsu has as good as rejected it. Perhaps I'm reading too much into things. You all just want me to clean up after your messes, don't you? Solve this problem, Mio. Fix it, Mio. Sing for us, Mio. Don't you all understand why I can't accept this? I'm powerless. I can't do any more than you can about March. Ritsu can't run forever. Yui can't pretend she's okay forever. Mugi can't hide things from us forever. And you, Azusa. You can't remain silent forever, can you?"

Reaching the end of the table as Mio paused, Azusa's mind stuttered. The storm that was Mio's aura swirled viciously around her, the bassist's hair waving behind her coolly. Silent. I've been silent for days. Maybe longer. Mio-senpai has been alone as the only mature person in the band for days. But that's for the best, isn't it? As long as I do what everyone wants, nothing can go wrong. But the opposite is true too. When I went against what Yui-senpai wanted, things improved. When am I supposed to listen to myself and when should I listen to others? Taking note of Azusa's hesitation, Mio delivered the final blow, pointing the head of her bass towards her kouhai.

"You're quiet because you're afraid to tell Yui and the rest of us the truth."

The sound in the room softened, along with the color surrounding Azusa. Something beyond indignation bubbled up within her, coursing through her entire body and giving her strength of resolve like she'd never felt before. She hadn't attempted to sing in a long time, but that hardly mattered in the moment. "I think you're special, Mio-senpai! I think this band is special!" Azusa's eyes snapped open, both at her sudden decision to sing and the words she had chosen.

With two voices harmonizing surprisingly well as Fuwa Fuwa Time continued, Mio's front faded away as the bassist became confused, taken aback by Azusa's singing voice. The clubroom's form wavered, unable to immediately adjust to the new harmony meant to hold it together. Outside, the sky flickered indecisively between night and day like a girl selecting which dress to wear for a date. "What do you mean?" Mio asked, continuing on in spite of the interruption.

"I don't know what's going on with you all," Azusa confessed. "But this band is special to me. I won't run from that anymore. I've been running, ever since I saw you all together at that meeting weeks ago. I still don't know if this is where I belong, but I want to try to make it clear how I really feel to everyone. The Light Music Club should have five members."

"Then let me ask again," Mio responded, regaining some of her more regal posture as she adjusted to the current situation. "What's the truth between you and Yui?"

It was a misunderstanding that I let run too long. I don't feel that way. The words tried their hardest to be heard, but Azusa fell silent once more, startling herself in the process and almost causing her to lose her rhythm. Eh? What happened? Why can't I sing anymore?

Mio looked away as Azusa began to panic. "Maybe we're less similar than I thought. Singing has to come from the heart, Azusa."

The words struck Azusa right where her singing was supposed to be coming from. "But that means you're wrong, Mio-senpai!" Azusa insisted. "You're not powerless. Don't even act like you are! You're the one I look up to the most!"

It was obvious that Azusa's claim had an impact on Mio. For several lines, Azusa found herself singing alone, the bassist retreating within herself to consider what Azusa had said. As Azusa prepared to approach Mio once more, the bassist chuckled lightly to herself, a rare sight that might have forestalled Azusa long enough to fall out of the song had she not been working on autopilot. When Mio's voice returned, her lyrical tone took on something akin to the airy quality that Azusa had grown used to feeling from the band's first song, her own voice harmonizing well with Mio's pitch shift. Without either girl noticing, the sky chose a pale blue dress. "Yui told me something similar once. Maybe the baka will say it next. It's partially her fault, after all." Mio paused for an instant, using the time to lean in closer to Azusa. "Azusa, do you love Yui?"

"Yes," Azusa answered without question. "I love all of you." It was true, something Azusa had forced herself to admit already, but it wasn't much easier to do now.

The song rounded the final corner, both girls gearing up for a finale that neither of them was in a hurry to reach. For herself, Azusa could tell that Mio had relaxed, that she'd allowed herself to become absorbed in her playing, her aura a calm and inviting breeze rather than a violent typhoon. If they could continue playing the chorus together, Azusa wouldn't have hesitated to take Mio's hand and walk away, Mio's eyes conveying the same sentiment. Regrettably, they both knew what had to come next. "Then if you were graduating this year, you'd have given Yui a different response?" Mio asked, the finality in her tone indicating she had nothing more to sing.

Left alone on Mio's stage, Azusa felt panic creeping up on her ideal world once more. What kind of dumb hypothetical is that? I shouldn't even entertain it. It's not just the age. This is Yui-senpai. She's a girl. I haven't ever even liked a guy like that. How am I supposed to know if I like girls, let alone Yui-senpai? This whole time I've been trying to get them to see that my opinion doesn't matter. "Why does who I like even matter?! All I wanted was to shine in the way I saw you all shining! I just don't want any of you to go!"

The pitiful cry ended the song. The room around them exploded into a cascade of colliding colors and sounds, leaving bassist and guitarist back where they started in the room, instruments in hand. Mio and Azusa stared at each other as the last notes faded out of existence. How much of that did I share with you, Mio-senpai? The look in Mio's eyes suggested that she at least heard part of what Azusa was trying to convey, and that Mio had truly been trying to communicate with her, but she couldn't be sure, at least not until Mio started tearing up.

"That was an interesting performance," Mio praised, rubbing her eyes in embarrassment. "I didn't know you could sing. Your ability has really matured over the past year or two, Azusa-chan."

For once, Azusa didn't want praise from her senpai. All she wanted to know was whether or not Mio had truly heard her, her fists clenching to give herself courage. "I-I don't want any of you to go!" the guitarist repeated empathetically. "I came here to tell you all that days ago, but I haven't gotten around to it until now. After what happened with Yui-senpai, I wasn't sure, but you made me want to tell everyone again, Mio-senpai. See, I finished Yui-senpai's present for her as proof!" Azusa rushed over to her bag, digging out the photo album Yui had gifted her on her birthday party.

Mio looked on knowingly as Azusa scrambled to find her present. Setting her bass down against the couch, she met Azusa halfway back from retrieving her prize. "Thank you, Azusa-chan," Mio thanked sincerely.

Still partially absorbed in showing off her proof, Azusa started. "Huh? For what? I didn't do anything. You're the one who pushed me to sing."

Shaking her head, Mio placed a hand on Azusa's shoulder. "I'm still scared, Azusa-chan. I can't tell any of them that, partially because I'm mad at them, but also because they're counting on me, even while they reject my ideas. Well, what I'm trying to say is that I'm really glad you're here, Azusa-chan. You belong with us."

For all her desire to validate Mio's gracious praise on Azusa's growth, the words instantly broke down the younger girl's defenses. She began to tear up, diving into her senpai for an uncharacteristic hug, her guitar and the picture book still between them. Her guitar made an utterly unique sound as it was pressed into Mio by her kouhai, but the bassist didn't complain. "I missed you all," Azusa mumbled amidst fighting back sobs. "I don't deserve you all, but I don't want to lose you. When I saw you all back on the 5th, I thought you had all left me behind already." Azusa could practically hear Ui's voice among others chiding her, but she no longer cared.

Mio smiled, embracing her kouhai while rubbing her head tenderly. The older girl whispered something to Azusa, but she was no longer of the mind to listen. The two held the embrace for a moment. It didn't have the novelty Yui's random hug bursts carried, but Azusa was no less fulfilled by Mio's kind hold. "It's as you said. The Light Music Club has 5 members," Mio reminded her kouhai, loosening her grip enough to ensure Azusa heard her this time.

Oh, that's right. HTT has 5 members. I'm still a fool. I love my senpais because of who they are now, because they're the same people from the wonderful time we've spent together. That's why I can't not be their kouhai. It's why Yui-senpai always has to be Yui-senpai. No matter what it takes, I will keep my senpais together. Feeling reassured for the first time since Yui's confession, Azusa's smile lasted until Mio spoke again, unconcerned by her kouhai's silence. "Yui-chan missed you the most yesterday, you know. We're all handling this differently, and we all should be leaning on each other more, because if we don't, we'll hurt each other. That's what I absolutely cannot allow. To get to the future, we have to deal with our present properly." Mio's grip became just barely noticeably tighter. "Azusa-chan, I don't know how to feel the way you do. I envy you not knowing how to feel. It means you and she have a chance to find out together."

There was no way Azusa could respond to that. She buried herself deeper into Mio's chest instead, her heartbeat becoming the only sound she could hear. The bassist had to be wrong somehow, and Azusa wanted to tell her as such, but she hadn't the voice to continue singing in the moment. It can't be that simple. I can't win without playing, without giving up anything. That path only has one ending. So why am I still beating myself up like I made the wrong choice? I missed them. This was the only way to get this point, right? Would I do something differently given another chance? Is it not enough just to be around them now?

As the thought crossed her mind, the clubroom door exploded open, sending three people tumbling inside. "Mio-chan is cheating on Ricchan!"

For an instant, it appeared as if Yui's brazen interruption had no effect, then everything happened at once. Tsumugi and Ritsu toppled into the room on top of themselves, Yui's reckless opening of the door causing them to lose their balance. Yui was pointing accusingly at the pair of black-haired girls, her bag abandoned by the door and cushioning the fall of her friends. Ton-chan was completely unaffected. Simultaneously mortified, Azusa and Mio stepped away from each other quickly, both blushing furiously and unintentionally validating Yui's claim. The action caused the picture book to fall between them, Azusa's guitar spared the same fate by its strap. Mio began to furiously explain why Yui was wrong and stupid in the same breath, but Azusa found herself transfixed by the presence of the girl who'd she spent so much time avoiding for the past 48 hours. Yui… you actually came. So many thoughts blew by her that most of them ended up being unintelligible, those that remained no more helpful than the ones that disappeared. What does that mean? Is this what I want? What does Azusa Nakano want? Who is Azusa Nakano?

Azusa found herself walking past the irate Mio and ignoring the disgruntled comments from Ritsu and Tsumugi as they disentangled themselves. All she could maintain her focus on was her fellow guitarist. When Yui noticed Azusa approaching, she stopped apologizing profusely to Mio and gave all of her attention to her kouhai. "Senpai," Azusa prompted, addressing her senior casually when they were right next to each other.

"Azu-nyan?" Yui responded innocently, keeping a bit of distance from her kouhai. "You should have told me you like Mio-chan."

"It's not like that, moron," Azusa retorted, her voice quiet. "You know it isn't, don't you?"

A befuddled smile appeared on Yui's face. "I only know what Azu-nyan told me. Is this what you want, Azu-nyan?"

Nothing happened in the clubroom for a moment. The other club members were watching Yui and Azusa tacitly, waiting for indicators of what they should do next, but Azusa had stopped the interaction dead. Yui's expression became uncomfortably serious as Azusa let the silence continue. "Azusa-chan, I'm sorry for this morning. I know you wanted to be alone, but I shouldn't have run away and- Ow!" Yui cried out as Azusa slapped her hard across the cheek.

Ritsu winced as Yui brought a hand to her bright red cheek, whimpering a little when she touched the point of impact. "Owie… Azu-nyan, why?" Yui asked, strangely appearing to be more curious than hurt.

"Because I don't want to hear you apologize for something that's my fault," Azusa declared, trembling a little as she fought to hold on to her resolve. "I'm the one who hasn't been listening to you, or myself. I've been conflating what everyone else wants for what I want since the festival, and I'm sick of it. Let me be perfectly clear: I want to be in a band with you all. I don't care how successful we are, and I don't care how lazy we are. No matter what it takes, I don't want you all to go. That's all I wanted to say." The kouhai stopped to breathe, air coming in easier as a weight was lifted off of her chest.

The four seniors exchanged looks. Something passed between them, a memory they shared that she didn't. That thought alone would have been enough for Azusa to begin tearing up all over again had Mio not chosen to speak up in that moment. "We don't want to go either, Azusa-chan," Mio informed her kouhai. "If we haven't made that clear to you, we apologize. No matter how hard it is, I'm going to find a solution that lets us have a future together."

"We have to change to survive," Tsumugi seconded. "But I don't want to change without any of you here."

"I'll make sure those two don't do anything too stupid until then," Ritsu offered, feigning disinterest. "Our legacy as the Light Music Club can't end before we perform at Budokon anyways."

Seeing and hearing the senpais she knew in a similar yet different light, Azusa focused on Yui, who also appeared to be moved by her friends. The look in Yui's eyes was strikingly familiar, even if it had been several days since Azusa had seen it. Distant… What are you thinking about, Yui-senpai? When she looked back to her kouhai, Yui's only had childish mirth in her expression. "As long as everyone else is okay with it, I want to play together forever too!"

With those words, Azusa could feel the tension in the room deflate. The club members properly entered the room, all smiling fondly at Yui or each other. They had appeared to change moods at the drop of a hat once more, but Azusa could feel her own mood shift with her band this time. I've been looking at the future I want wrong. I want to be with them and be successful, in that order of priority. They never saw me as being out of the picture. If fate was willing to give me these senpais, it has to be up to me to help keep them together. I have to listen to what my heart wants. In admitting that to herself, Azusa found her gaze involuntarily being drawn towards Yui as she chatted animatedly with Mio about something. What I want… If they believe I'm good enough, then I will be. "Ne, Nakano, did you turn your phone on? I tried to text you to tell you what was happening, but you never responded," Ritsu questioned, looking around at the results of Mio and Azusa's practice session.

"Ah, right," Azusa responded, retrieving her phone and switching it on without thinking about it at all.

Instantly, the device lit up with a pile of unread messages. Before Azusa could even begin to unpack the messages she'd accrued, the ringer went off. Checking the caller id, Azusa considered not answering it, but the ramifications of such a rebellion weren't worth the satisfying feeling she'd get from the action. Covering her device with a hand to shut out her casually snooping senpais, Azusa answered her phone. "Mother, I-"

"Azusa Nakano, I was so worried about you! What are you thinking, turning your phone off at such an important time? Were you even listening to me this morning? Where are you?" Rin's voice blared loud enough that the entire room would have heard it even if they weren't listening intently.

"Mother, I'm at the club!" Azusa hissed, now covering the phone with her hands to block the noise out ineffectually. "We're in the middle of, um, practice. Is this an emergency?"

"When have I ever called you when it wasn't an emergency?" Mrs. Nakano sarcastically retorted. "I was worried about you. We have a dinner with your friends tomorrow and you're hardly even excited about it. We're just working towards your future, no big deal or anything."

It was suddenly very difficult for Azusa to stand. With effort, she made her way to the couch, not so much sitting as collapsing onto the seat as she struggled to control herself and process what was being told to her. "You're saying you invited my entire band over for dinner without asking me?" she uttered in disbelief. "How? When? What makes you think-"

"You said it was a great idea when I brought it up earlier this week," Rin pointed out. "That's why I assumed you'd be fine with it. Are you going to tell everyone they can't come now that the day is tomorrow? I was going to make your favorite food, too. Oh, all that work will go to waste. That's not okay, is it?"

Azusa cast a glance towards her band. Ritsu and Mio immediately looked away and attempted the worst whistling duet Azusa had ever heard while Tsumugi and Yui only nodded encouragingly, Yui going so far as to give her kouhai a thumbs up. The younger guitarist hung her head in defeat. Damn it. I can't say no at this point. Mother will know something is fishy. I have to pretend everything is normal. "I'm looking forward to it," Azusa managed to get out in an even tone.

"Wonderful! I knew you would be!" Rin cooed. "Hurry home so you can help with the preparations. Tell your band that your father and I look forward to meeting them!" With that, the phone call ended.

Azusa stared at the receiver, still feeling a bit dizzy. That's what father decides is important to take off work for? Not me, but my friends? I don't get it. What could possibly possess them to do that? Mugi-senpai? No, that doesn't make sense, she can't be bought. Mother and father don't know that though. "Was that Mrs. Azu-nyan?" Yui questioned, bouncing up and down with her hands on the nearby arm of the couch. "I was really surprised when she told us that you invited everyone over, but it makes a bit more sense now. Azu-nyan was feeling lonely, right?"

"What? No!" Azusa protested fiercely. "I had nothing to do with this. Mother set it all up behind my back."

"Why?" Tsumugi asked from the other side of Azusa. "Planning dinner parties is busy work. I wouldn't want to plan one by myself."

Frowning, Azusa stood up. She took a few steps forward, running through the possibilities in her head. No matter what reason her parents had, however, it didn't change the conclusion she came to. "All of you, I need your help," Azusa requested, bowing. "I don't know why mother did it, but if you're all going to meet my parents tomorrow, we have to at least appear to be a competent club."

"We are a club!" Yui protested, missing the point.

The younger guitarist sighed and indicated Yui. "My parents are strict. If they find out we spend all our time messing around instead of practicing, they might make me quit. Please, I need you all to pretend to be a serious club tomorrow. I'll make it up to you somehow, I swear!"

Ritsu responded before a silence could even begin to set in and let the seniors consider the offer. "If there's free food involved, I'll call it even," the drummer decided, grinning stupidly. "I'll make sure Mio behaves."

As Mio smacked Ritsu and sent her to the ground over her comment, Tsumugi nodded. "I'll behave too, Azusa-chan," the keyboardist promised, Yui nodding fervently in agreement.

Smiling politely at Tsumugi, Azusa cast a doubtful look to her least reliable senpai. You're not the one I'm worried about, Mugi-senpai. I'll have to be on my A-game tomorrow. I can't lose, not now that I understand what I'm playing for. "Hey, what's this?" Ritsu asked from the floor, picking up Azusa's photo album. "This is cool. Is it yours, Mio?"

Blushing, Azusa darted forward. "H-hey! Give that back!" she ordered, diving after her present.

Ritsu smirked devilishly, holding the album to her chest and rolling over so Azusa couldn't get at it. "Now now, that's not the respectful way to ask, is it?"

"Give it back, thief!" Azusa insisted, continuing to struggle to pry the album out of Ritsu's grip. "Yui-senpai, help me!"

Yui blinked, as if someone had just poured cold water on her. "You want my help?" She mused idly. "With what?"

"What does it look like? Do I look like I'm doing this for fun?!" Azusa retorted angrily, straining against her stronger senpai.

Tilting her head, Yui's expression didn't change. "Sort of?" she responded sheepishly.

"Don't listen to her private!" Ritsu insisted, leaning heavily into Yui's indecision.

Yui fretted, unable to decide which side to join. Tsumugi stood off to the side, mumbling about how if she had her camera, she could have added a picture of Mio and Azusa to the album, cementing her current status as useless. Mio took the opportunity to end the argument herself, pushing Ritsu onto her back with her heel and snatching the album from Ritsu's unprepared arms. "That's enough. We have enough problems without you starting another fight," the bassist chided, returning the album to Azusa. "Right?"

Azusa accepted Mio's help gratefully, nodding. "Yes. Listen, all of you. My parents are ruthless. They'll do anything to get ahead. I'm assuming they set this whole thing up to try and take advantage of Mugi-senpai's wealth or something like that. They wouldn't suddenly just decide to start caring about HTT now after two years." Azusa's arms tightened their grip on the book. "It's because of what's in this album that I can't let them take the club away from me."

Standing up and brushing herself off, Ritsu gave Azusa a quick pat on the head. "Alright. Let's have some tea and talk about what to do, then. I'm parched, Mugi." The mood of the club instantly shifted as soon as Ritsu brought up the subject of tea.

"Tea!" Yui exclaimed jovially, rushing towards the table. "I want tea, Mugi-chan!"

"Coming right up!" Tsumugi agreed, heading for the tea cabinet.

"Wait!" Azusa insisted, holding out a hand as if to pull her senpais away from the table. "If we have tea now, we'll never get anything done! We need to make a plan for tomorrow and-" The clearing of a throat cut Azusa off.

Mio smiled fondly at Azusa. "It's fine, Azusa-chan. We'll pull through eventually. We always do. Mugi-chan, let me help you. You should be resting." Without another word to her kouhai, Mio joined Tsumugi at the table.

It was tempting for Azusa to complain that they never accomplished anything in the club after teatime, but she couldn't berate the club's main pastime less than a minute after she'd insisted that she wanted to be a part of the club. Joining the others at the table reluctantly, Azusa found herself unwillingly relaxing as Yui got her to show everyone the photo album she and Tsumugi had put together. The group drank tea and discussed each photo in detail, making sure to use up enough time that there was none left to get something meaningful done. Before Azusa knew it, she was on her way home, only the enthusiastic promises of her bandmates left to convince her that she wasn't about to lose everything that mattered to her tomorrow. It's so frustrating. Being who we are makes sustaining who we are almost impossible. But that's why I have to be honest with myself. Azusa Nakano is strong enough to get what she wants. I'll make a plan and have them follow it tomorrow. Mother and father aren't going to stop me from playing ever again. Now walking home alone with Yui through the unforgiving cold, Azusa used the mantra in her head to warm herself.

"I'm cold, Azu-nyan," Yui bemoaned, just the latest in a long series of complaints about the weather. "I forgot my mittens again."

Without saying anything, without thinking about it, Azusa took Yui's hand right from her side. Yui blushed at the bold move, her breath coming just a bit heavier as she waited for Azusa to explain herself. "Don't think about it," Azusa told herself and Yui at the same time, hoping her own blush was unnoticeable behind her scarf. "I'm cold too."

Smiling gratefully, Yui refocused on the road ahead of them, swinging her new connection back and forth between herself and Azusa. The kouhai felt her heart skip a beat with every swing, emotions she'd ignored within herself for her own good now threatening to capsize her logical thinking ability. It's just to keep warm. You've held her hand before. She's your senpai. You already decided that you're going to belong with HTT. You belong with senpai. The thought almost made Azusa yank her hand away, but she somehow remained calm. Enough. You're not thinking straight. This is way too drastic a turn to make without sleeping on it at least. There's a dinner to deal with tomorrow. Keep yourself together until then. We'll figure out what to do about this after that. As she thought, Yui's jovial mood at the new development became more subdued.

"Ne, Azu-nyan, thanks," Yui thanked her kouhai.

Azusa raised her head curiously. "For what, senpai?"

Yui smiled, though her eyes didn't quite meet Azusa's. "For reminding all of us that we belong together. I think everyone had their doubts until you said something. I like the way you completed the album, by the way. That picture was nice."

You had doubts? What about me?! Azusa wanted to shout that, but her voice was already spent from an afternoon of singing and discussing every detail of the band's history together. "I had to remind myself of that," the kouhai admitted. "I still don't know if it was the right thing to do. I hurt you, Yui-senpai."

Shaking her head sadly, Yui smiled. "As long as you're honest, Azu-nyan, you can't hurt me. You meant what you said, right?"

Azusa didn't immediately respond. Breathing suddenly became a much more interesting pastime than thinking. "You don't have to answer now, Azu-nyan," Yui whispered into the November air. "Take your time. I'll wait as long as you need me to. Just promise me that you'll keep playing with us until then, okay?"

Squeezing Yui's hand as certainty overcame the younger guitarist, Azusa nodded, her response automatic. "Of course, Yui."