Chapter 5: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Musician


Hello again oh readers, mine and welcome back to "Everyday Life with Ultimate Girls." I'm your host, er, writer wesst1.

Wow, can I just say that I am grateful for all of the feedback I am getting from all of you. I was a little worried about writing again after being gone for so long, but you guys made it all worth it. I hope you'll all continue to support the story as much in the future as you do now.

I have been asked, only twice but still, if there will be any lemons in this story and I feel like that deserves an answer. Well, the truth is I don't know. Given the situation I've put Makoto I don't think it would fit, not that some of the more daring girls won't try or at least think about it. Sex might be out, but this type of story demands awkward situations, once all the world building and such is done of course, we still have flashbacks to go through. I hope you'll all bear with me on that. That having been said, I do plan to do epilogue chapters, you know what-if futures, where he ends up with one girl or another, for each girl, I might even do a harem ending if you guys want it and I feel daring enough, but that's a long way off. If there are to be lemons it will be in those chapters.

Now on to what you all clicked on this for.

Here it is the Ibuki Mioda chapter. I hope you'll all enjoy it. I must admit it gave me trouble, but I think it turned out okay. I hope I got her speech pattern right.

How will our little Ultimate Hope go from Ibuki's straight man to the object of her affection? Read and find out.


Present Day

At Mioda's declaration of Naegi being her best friend, Maizono smiled although if one looked closely they could see her eye twitch. At the beginning of the year, such a statement would not have bothered her, Mioda Ibuki had said that she had no interest in a romantic relationship. Maizono knew that that had changed, and it was because of Naegi.

"Oh, you two hit it off right away then?" Maizono asked.

If Naegi had to describe Maizono's tone, he would call it "scary calm." Whether she was oblivious to this or simply ignoring it, and Naegi was convinced it was the latter, Mioda responded.

"Yep, yep, yep! Ibuki and Makoto-chan have had a special bond ever since she gave him a tour of the school," Mioda said happily, as she remembered all the time she spent with Naegi. Makoto-chan became Ibuki's friend right away, then he made her fall in love with him. Ibuki always knew her destined one would be special, but she never expected this, Mioda thought happily.

Special bond? Yeah, I guess we have. Mioda-senpai has let me see sides of her that she has never shown anyone else. I certainly didn't expect that when I bumped into on our second day, Naegi thought, as he unknowingly joined Mioda in her trip down memory lane.


Hope's Peak Academy-Class 77-B's Classroom

First Day of Classes (Second Day of School)-Midday

"I think that's enough for today," Yukizome said to her class.

To say the students were shocked would be an understatement. This was the woman who had hunted them down on her first day as their teacher and made them attend class.

"Sensei, the day is only half over…I think," the class representative, Nanami Chiaki said.

"I'm well aware of that Nanami-san. I am also aware that your kōhais' classes are ending early," Yukizome stated.

Most of the students caught on to what Yukizome was getting at, although some did not. "Alright! Old man, I want a rematch!" clearly, Owari fell into that second group.

"Actually, I was thinking that this would be an excellent opportunity to get to know some of your kōhai by showing them around the school," Yukizome suggested.

"Is this an order Sensei?" the Imposter, Twogami, asked.

"More like a suggestion," Yukizome answered.

Just don't forget who's making it, right? some of the more cynical members of her class thought. Still most where happy with this turn of events, one student in particular was ecstatic.

"Awesome! Ibuki will show them the music room and then Ibuki can have them listen to her new song!" Mioda cheered.

Her classmates felt bad for whoever met up with Mioda but stayed silent. They were fond of Mioda, it was difficult not to be really, but she could be, and usually was, exhausting. That, and Mioda Ibuki's music was something of an acquired taste and sadly, few people ever acquired it.

"Well like I said, it is just a suggestion. If your kōhai don't want a tour or want to explore on their own then don't force them," Yukizome said. Seeing that her students understood, Yukizome said, "Dismissed!"


Elsewhere

Naegi's homeroom teacher had ended classes early and had suggested that the students take the time to familiarize themselves with the school. Naegi had certainly appreciated that, he had wanted to explore the school before orientation, but given the sheer size of Hope's Peak Academy that would have been impossible. Not only was he grateful for the chance to explore the world's greatest school, but he was also grateful for the opportunity to think. Today had been light on lessons, it had been mostly introductions, but there was one thing that Naegi learned that he couldn't quite understand.

I thought Ishimaru-kun was going to explode when we were told that attendance wasn't mandatory. It doesn't bother me the way it bothers him, but I would think that a school like Hope's Peak would take attendance much more seriously. I mean this could be considered the Ultimate School, once we actually get to school work I'm sure we'll need to attend class to understand it. I get that some students are working on various projects, Fujisaki-kun is a good example of that, but he and the other students in his situation must have been balancing those projects with school work already. I feel like there's something I'm not getting. Figuring that he would understand better the longer he was at Hope's Peak Naegi pushed decided it would be best to focus on exploring the school.

By this time Naegi had unknowingly wandered close to Class 77-B's classroom just as they were being dismissed. What happened next was something Naegi could only attribute to his luck: the door to the classroom had burst open and a pink, black, and blue blur crashed into him.

Ow, what happened? Naegi wondered. Once Naegi managed to get a good look at what hit him, he realized that it was Mioda Ibuki and asked, "Are you okay Senpai?"

"Makoto-chan? Yeah, Ibuki is alright. She didn't expect you to be there. Well played Makoto-chan," Mioda said.

"Well played?" Naegi asked as he got up and went to help Mioda. His tone made it clear that he had no idea what Mioda meant.

"Ibuki thought she would surprise one of her kōhai, but Makoto-chan surprised her first. It's 0-1 between us but Ibuki will catch up soon," Mioda declared, her tone told Naegi that she was serious. About what, he had no idea.

Surprised you? I think you may have that backwards Senpai, Naegi thought. It wasn't the first time that he had run into someone and he was sure it wouldn't be the last, but Mioda was acting like it was a game and Naegi was confused.

"Naegi-kun? What brings you here?" Yukizome asked. She and the rest of her students had come to the door when they heard the crash.

"Nothing in particular, Sensei. Since my class was dismissed early I decided to explore the school and just ended up here," Naegi answered.

"It's a lucky thing you did then. I'm sure one of my students would be more than happy to show you around," Yukizome said with a smile.

"Oh, oh, pick Ibuki! Ibuki will show Makoto-chan all the best places at Hope's Peak Academy!" Mioda exclaimed.

"Really! Thank you Mioda-senpai. Like I said, I was just wandering around and I was worried that I might get lost," Naegi said, relieved.

"One Mioda Ibuki Special Hope's Peak Tour for Makoto-chan! On your mark!" Mioda shouted as she got ready to take off.

"Wait, what?" Naegi asked, once again confused.

"Get set!" Mioda continued.

"Get ready to run little guy," Nidai said.

"Go!" Mioda finished as she shot off like a rocket.

"Senpai! Wait!" Naegi shouted as he ran after her, somehow able to keep up, if only barely.


An hour and a half and one lecture from Ishimaru about running in the halls later, Mioda and Naegi had finished the tour of the main building. It probably would have taken longer had Naegi had a tour guide interested in giving him a proper tour, but at least he had a general idea of the layout of the school. Naegi would have said something, but Mioda seemed so happy that he just couldn't bring himself to complain. He made a mental note to take a better, and more thorough, look around later, but for now he decided that it would be alright to just go along with whatever it was that Mioda was doing.

Mioda soon stopped in front of another building on campus and said, "Here we are Makoto-chan, the best place on campus is inside here: the old school building. And what is the best place on campus you may ask. Why the Music Room, course!"

Naegi who had managed to catch his breath said, "I guess it makes sense that the Ultimate Musician would want to show me the Music Room. Are you going to play something, Mioda-senpai?"

"Does Makoto-chan want to hear Ibuki's music?" Mioda asked. She was excited, none of her classmates, not even Saionji, the only one who seemed to enjoy Mioda's style of music, ever asked Mioda to play something.

"Sure, I'm actually curious about what kind of music the Ultimate Musician plays," Naegi admitted. That was true, while Naegi had researched his own classmates he did not do any research on his upperclassmen and therefore had no idea what to expect.

"Then let's go, go, go!" Mioda shouted as she grabbed Naegi by the hand and prepared to drag him to the Music Room.

"Before that though Senpai, could we finish the tour?" Naegi asked. He genuinely wanted to hear Mioda play, but he also wanted to learn more about the school.

"Right. Okay we'll upgrade the "Mioda Ibuki Special Hope's Peak Tour" to the "Mioda Ibuki Special Hope's Peak Tour/Private Concert Package!" Invite friends to take advantage of Ibuki's group rates," Mioda said.

"Lead on then Senpai," Naegi said as he smiled. He quickly got used to Mioda's randomness, although he wasn't sure if that was something to be proud of or if he should be terrified.


After the Tour

Once the tour was over Mioda led Naegi to the Music Room. Even with the brief glimpses that Naegi got of the other various rooms in the old school building he could see just how well equipped those rooms were to suit the needs of the students and he was expecting the Music Room to be the same. He was not disappointed. Not only did the Music Room in the old building at Hope's Peak Academy look like a small concert venue, it came with everything a musician could ever need for practice and for live performances. From a plethora of instruments to state of the art sound equipment, the Music Room seemed fitting for a school like Hope's Peak.

"You weren't kidding Senpai, this place is great. All it needs is a place to sell t-shirts and I might forget I'm at Hope's Peak Academy," Naegi said.

"See, didn't Ibuki tell you? This place is G-R-E-A-T, great. Now what does Makoto-chan want Ibuki to play?" Mioda asked, barely able to contain her excitement. Maybe Makoto-chan will understand Ibuki's music, she thought.

"Whatever you want Senpai, I'm sure I'll enjoy it," Naegi answered.

"Okay, Ibuki will play "I Squeezed Out The Baby But I Have No Idea Who The Father Is" just for Makoto-chan. Just give Ibuki a minute or two to warm up," Mioda said as she grabbed an electric guitar, checked her mic, and then made sure guitar was in tune. Once she was satisfied she screamed into the mic, "Hello Makoto-chan!" Then she started to play.

Now when Naegi had met Mioda, he noticed her appearance and thought that she was into heavy metal. It had turned out that he was right, so he was able to prepare himself for the volume of Mioda's music. Even though Naegi thought that the Music Room was too small for Mioda to play so loudly, he couldn't help but enjoy himself. Naegi could hear the passion in every note Mioda played and every word she sang. This is the Ultimate Musician. She may be the greatest musician in the world, but more than that she's the one who loves music the most, Naegi thought.

Mioda's performance came to an end far too soon for Naegi's liking, but he knew that it had to eventually. He also knew that they both had other responsibilities, so it was probably just as well. Once the last note had died down, Naegi's applause was so loud that Mioda could have sworn he was clapping in front of the mic.

"Makoto-chan liked Ibuki's song?" Mioda asked. She had hoped that Naegi would enjoy her performance, but experience had told her not to expect too much.

"Absolutely, you were amazing Senpai," Naegi responded.

"What did you think of it?" Mioda asked as pride swelled in her chest. Makoto-chan enjoyed Ibuki's music, she thought happily.

"Well I'm no expert on music Senpai, and while there where parts that were hard for me to follow I could feel your love and passion for music coming through. And I might be missing the point of your song, but to me it was like your song was saying 'I am an individual,'" Naegi answered honestly.

Mioda was so happy she thought she could cry, Makoto-chan gets it. Makoto-chan gets Ibuki. "Alright, how about an encore?" Mioda asked.

Naegi hated to disappoint her, but he said, "I'd love to hear more Senpai, but I should probably get back to the dorm and get started on dinner, I did agree to do it after all."

"Oh right," Mioda said, slightly disappointed, but she understood.

"Of course, I'll be happy to listen to your other songs when I have the chance Mioda-senpai," Naegi said.

That perked Mioda right up. "Alright, it's a promise between Ibuki and Makoto-chan!" she happily exclaimed as the two made their way out of the old school building.


Hope's Peak Academy

Second Day of Classes-Lunch Time

Mioda's classmates had noticed that she had been in a good mood all day, more so than usual. When asked about it, she had said that she had had fun with Naegi the previous day. When Mioda had mentioned that Naegi had enjoyed the song had played her class was happy for her, although some members of Class 77-B wondered if there was something wrong with Naegi.

Mioda herself was excited to see her new friend again, so much so that when the lunch break started she had bolted from her classroom the very moment Yukizome dismissed them. For the first time in Class 77-B's history someone had beaten Owari and the Imposter to the cafeteria as Mioda searched for Naegi.

Naegi's only warning was a loud, excited, "Makoto-chan!" before the pink, black, and blue blur from yesterday tackled him.

As soon as his shock, and the pain from the impact with the floor, wore off, Naegi cheerfully said, "Hello Mioda-senpai."

Most of their respective classmates had made their way into the cafeteria at this point and most of them found the scene in front of them amusing. Had Mioda been paying attention however, she might have noticed the glares being shot her way courtesy of Ikusaba and Maizono.

Still not moving from her spot on top of Naegi, Mioda declared, "Ibuki is super excited for you to try come of Teruteru-chan's food. Ibuki means hellaaaaaa stoooked! And Makoto-chan will be thirty-one flavors of stoked for all of the deliciousness."

Naegi had been interested in trying food prepared by the Ultimate Cook, so he was kind of excited too.

"And when I'm excited, I get hungry-mungry!" Mioda shouted.

Realizing he was in for another Mioda Tangent, Naegi just smiled and decided to listen.

"I-I don't understand it myself... Why do I get hungry when I'm excited? Why do I get excited when I'm hungry?" Mioda asked herself out loud. Then she suddenly exclaimed, "Kyahaha, the human body sure is a mystery!"

Assuming Mioda had finished, Naegi asked, "Senpai can I get up?"

As if she had had forgotten the position the two of them were in, Mioda looked at Naegi and said, "Makoto-chan, you can't eat while flat on your back. Or can you? Ibuki has never tried it personally."

"I think it's bad for you, maybe we can ask Tsumiki-senpai later," Naegi suggested, still as polite as ever. It's not like going along with Mioda-senpai's randomness is hurting me or anyone else, so why not? Naegi asked mentally.

"Right get food from Teruteru-chan and talk to Mikan-chan, Ibuki is all for it!" Mioda shouted as she leapt off of Naegi and pumped her fist in the air.

"Preferably in that order Senpai, it is lunch time after all," Naegi said as he got to his feet. Some pleasant aroma soon assaulted his nose from the kitchen and Naegi soon asked, "I wonder what's on the menu today?"

Recalling her first year, Mioda said, "As long as it is not nikujaga, Ibuki recommend whatever it is Teruteru-chan makes, Makoto-chan."

"Why not nikujaga?" Naegi asked innocently.

Every member of Class 77-B that heard that question screamed, "Don't ask!"


After they had finished eating what was not nikujaga, much to Class 77-B pleasure, both Mioda and Naegi spent the rest of their lunch break talking. Rather, Mioda did most of the talking, Naegi would respond when he believed it was appropriate, but he mostly just listened, not that he could make much sense of most of it. The break passed too soon for Mioda's liking, she really enjoyed Naegi's company.

As if he had read her thoughts, Naegi said, "I wish the break were longer."

"Ibuki does too," Mioda admitted.

"I'd have liked to have listened to another one of your songs today Senpai, but more than that, you're a lot of fun even if we just talked," Naegi said with a sincere smile.

It would be nice if Makoto-chan could spend more time with Ibuki, Mioda thought. As soon as she thought that, a lightbulb went off in her head. Once it did she jumped up and shouted, "Ah! Yes, yessss!"

Naegi, who had no idea what Mioda had been thinking simply asked, "What?"

With the most serious look Naegi had ever seen on her face, Mioda asked, "Um, um, were you ever in any school clubs?"

"Not really," Naegi said with a shrug of his shoulders. He then explained, "I thought about it, but none of the clubs really appealed to me back in junior high."

"Hyaaaaha! That's a major bingo!" Mioda happily exclaimed.

"Hmm, what is?" Naegi asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Well, isn't it obvious!? Makoto-chan should be part of Ibuki's music club from now on," Mioda stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"For a while, everyone thought music clubs were outdated because the rock-and-roll boom was dying off..." Mioda explained before she trailed of. To Naegi, the serious look Mioda was giving made him feel like he was listening to a lecture on the history of music clubs.

That feeling disappeared with Mioda's next sentence, "But now, music clubs are super popular with boys for some reason! We should jump on the bandwagon, too!"

"I'd be happy to join your club Senpai, but I don't know how to play any instrument," Naegi explained.

"Nooooo problem! Makoto-chan can just pretend he's playing an instrument while a music track plays in the background," Mioda said with a wink

I really don't think that's something the Ultimate Musician should say, Naegi thought. Still, the idea of learning to play a musical instrument seemed appealing, but Naegi needed Mioda to understand one important detail, "I don't know Senpai, I wouldn't mind learning, but when I say, 'I don't know how to play any instrument,' what I mean is, 'I've never even held a musical instrument.'"

That didn't deter Mioda, who with a sage look on her face said, "Everyone starts at that point. As long as you feel the love, there's no problem."

"'Feel the love?' Okay I guess I could give it a try," Naegi said. Although he was still a bit uncertain, he could tell that this meant a lot to Mioda, so he would do his best.

"There ya go! Jamming out is sooooo much fun! Makoto-chan will be so popular with the ladies! Chicks go out with guys who pretend to be musicians all the time!" Mioda shouted. Although her tone didn't change, Naegi noticed that she didn't look happy with the idea of someone using music to pick up girls. As much as Naegi hated himself for it, an image of Kuwata popped into his head.

"Now choose the musical instrument you wanna use," Mioda said excitedly. Suddenly, the serious look found its way back to Mioda's face as she shouted, "Ah, Ibuki has dibs on the guitar, so you can't use that!"

I'm pretty much a blank slate so I suppose there's really no wrong answer, Naegi thought. Not realizing that he had started to think out loud, Naegi asked himself, "I wonder if I'm coordinated enough for drums?"

Taking that as his answer, Mioda exclaimed, "That's awesome! All right, it's decided! Drums are great 'cause you can just hit 'em to the beat, and you don't even need to know how to read music! As long as you can move your arms and legs independently of each other, even a novice can play them real easy!"

I don't imagine many drummers would agree with that, Senpai, Naegi thought

"Now that we've decided on an instrument..." Mioda started.

"Yeah?" Naegi asked. He was actually starting to look forward to this.

"We'll start with learning how to use a loudspeaker!" Mioda shouted.

"Hold on a second! Why would you need a loudspeaker!?" asked the now confused luckster. He knew that Mioda would want to practice eventually, but why start with a loudspeaker?

"What are you saying? It's a must-have item for live performances," Mioda stated matter-of-factly.

"Well yeah, but…" Naegi started. He had thought that he was getting used to Mioda's randomness, he realized that he was wrong.

"It doesn't mean you just hold it and scream into it. If you don't put your soul into it, the loudspeaker won't respond to you," Mioda explained. Then, as if coaching him she started yelling, "Gyahaha! Put your soul into it! Shout! Shout!"

"Just name a time Senpai, I'll be happy to join you," Naegi said. He was hoping it would all make sense when he started. I've been hoping a lot of things will make sense eventually recently, Naegi realized.

"Maybe Sunday at 9 in the Music Room? Yeah, Ibuki thinks that works," Mioda said.

"Okay, I'll be there. Should I do anything to prepare?" Naegi asked. While he was excited he still had some misgivings, he wasn't sure he was musically inclined. I guess if Mioda-senpai is happy then I guess there is no harm in going along with it. Provided that she never has us work with pyrotechnics or anything else dangerous, Naegi thought.

"Ibuki is glad that Makoto-chan is getting into it," Mioda stated happily.

"Of course, Senpai. You're inviting me to be a part of something that means so much to you, so I'll do my best," Naegi said.

"Huh?" Mioda asked.

"Well, like I said I never really thought to learn to play an instrument before and I really don't know if I'll be any good, but since you asked me to join your music club I just couldn't say no," Naegi explained.

"Why is that, Makoto-chan?" Mioda asked. It wasn't often that people went along with her schemes, so when Naegi did Mioda decided that she wouldn't question it. Now, however, she couldn't help herself, she had to know why he seemed so gung ho.

"Well, I have to admit that the idea of learning to play an instrument is appealing but more than that, it's because you asked me to," Naegi told her.

"What does Makoto-chan mean?" Ibuki asked.

"We're friends right Senpai?" Naegi asked back.

"Yes," Mioda answered simply. Mioda didn't know what Naegi was getting at. By this time, her usual energy was gone, and she was unusually focused. Her classmates that were still in the cafeteria had been listening in had wondered how Naegi had managed to do that, and if he could show them how to do it.

"Well, if being in this club will make my friend happy, what more reason do I need?" Naegi asked with a smile.

Mioda didn't answer, the question had been rhetorical after all, but she did turn red and felt something in her chest.

Catching sight of a clock on the wall, Naegi said, "We should probably get back to class Senpai."

Calming herself down, Mioda said, "Y-yeah, Makoto-chan is right."

"Are you okay Senpai?" Naegi asked, oblivious to the effect he had on the older girl.

"Ibuki is a-okay Makoto-chan!" Mioda said as she got up. Fortunately, she managed to collect herself enough to get some of her usual pep back.

"Okay, I'm looking forward to our first club meeting. If anything changes, or if you want to hang out later, well, you know where I live," Naegi said jokingly before he headed back to his classroom.

"Sure thing, Makoto-chan," Mioda said as she did the same. On her way back to her classroom, Mioda tried to figure out just what it was that her kōhai had made her feel.


Hope's Peak Academy-Music Room

First Weekend-Sunday at 9 o'clock

Mioda wasn't able to figure out what Naegi made her feel, so she put it out of her mind. She had other things to do after all, and it was something she had been looking forward to all week.

"Okie dokie! Let's start the club!" she shouted happily.

"Hai, Senpai!" Naegi responded, trying to match her enthusiasm. He had arrived early so that he could attempt to set up everything that he thought they would need. He had no idea how he did it, but somehow, he managed to set up the drum set properly. Naegi had wanted to do a sound check for the loudspeakers that Mioda had been so eager to practice with, but he figured that he should leave that to an expert.

"Um, today's training is...badum-badaum-badum-badum-tish!" Mioda started as she made a thinking pose. She soon pumped her fist in the air and happily exclaimed, "Racing! Aw yeah!"

"Wait, I thought you wanted to practice with the loudspeakers. Does racing have anything to do with music?" Naegi asked. He was confused, he had been prepared for Mioda's club activities to be unorthodox, but this still caught him off-guard.

"Hell to the yes!" Mioda shouted with glee. Then crossing her arms and adopting a serious look and tone, she explained, "If you wanna learn proper music theory, training yourself in the rhythm of racing is a must. Music has its own language too, y'know. It's always nice to hear music that adheres to the principles of music theory... And it's easier to make people feel the beat as well."

"Wow, that's deep Senpai," Naegi said, impressed.

"...But Ibuki doesn't care about that at all though!" Mioda added.

Okay, maybe not, Naegi thought.

"Come on! LET'S GO!" Mioda shouted as she took off.

"W-wait, Senpai!" Naegi shouted as he ran after Mioda as fast as he could.


Five laps around the Hope's Peak campus later and Naegi's chest felt like it was on fire. Naegi didn't think he was in terrible shape, but he didn't think track star was in his future either. As he tried to catch his breath, he looked over at Mioda who was completely fine.

"Man, that was really fun, Makoto-chan!" Mioda shouted.

"If you *huff* say so *puff* Senpai. How *huff* are you *puff* so *wheeze* energetic?" Naegi managed to ask.

"What are you saying? There's no way you could go through a live performance if you get winded by something like this," Mioda said as if the answer should be obvious.

I guess that makes sense, Naegi thought. He then asked, "Senpai, do you usually train like this all the time?"

"Ibuki don't do it for training. Running is her hobby," Mioda said in all seriousness.

Wait, what about proper music theory? No, wait, she said she didn't care about that, Naegi thought.

"Ibuki also likes playing one-person tag and one-person hide and seek too! It's a lot of fun! Have you ever found an eight-leafed clover by the riverbank? It's seriously sooooo hard, Ibuki definitely can't find one at all," Mioda said, going off on one of her tangents.

I would ask Obara Shigeo-san about that Senpai. He did find a 56-leafed clover after all, Naegi thought.

Oblivious to Naegi's thoughts, Mioda continued, "Also, it's fun to play a game called, 'Will I Get There?' It's super thrilling! Ibuki forgets lots of stuff really fast, so she tries to write memos for important things."

Figuring that it would be best to just listen to Mioda, Naegi nodded and did his best to focus.

"But on days Ibuki plays that game, she goes outside without thinking about anything. And when she does that... Surprise, surprise! No matter how long she's out, she can't get back home! Ibuki just thinks of fun stuff all the time, and after she's taken a bunch of shortcuts and detours... She usually ends somewhere she's never been before," Mioda said.

Unable to keep himself from commenting, Naegi said, "That sounds kind of dangerous." Naegi was hoping against hope that nothing bad had happened to Mioda when that happened.

Ignoring Naegi's comment, Mioda continued, "One time, Ibuki nearly walked onto a fishing boat and almost ended up in a foreign country."

Should have known. Well, if she's here then I guess nothing too bad happened to her, Naegi thought.

"Ah, but sometimes Ibuki likes to spend time relaxing, too. The other day, she woke up in the morning with a powerful hankering to look at the stars. So, she just waited all day till the stars came out!" Mioda gleefully exclaimed.

At this point, all Naegi could do was nod.

"Also, also...!" Mioda started.

Naegi just stood there and listened with a smile on his face. Like he had said earlier in the week, if this made Mioda happy that was good enough for him. Though, something Mioda had said earlier had stuck with him so the next opportunity he got he asked, "Mioda-senpai, when you say you play one-person tag and one-person hide and seek…?

"Everyone is usually too busy to play with Ibuki. She understands that everyone has their own things to do but…" Mioda never finished her explanation because at that moment, Naegi had poked her on the nose.

The only thing Naegi had said was, "Tag, you're it!" as he ran as fast as he could away from Mioda.

A smile much different from her usual one had made its way onto Mioda's face before she shouted, "No fair, Makoto-chan! Ibuki wasn't ready!" and chased after her kōhai, no, more than her kōhai, her friend.


Their game of tag had ended a while ago and Naegi was putting away the drum set that he hadn't gotten to practice on. Maybe next time, he figured. While he was thinking of next time, he turned to Mioda and asked, "When is the next club meeting, Senpai?"

Mioda thought about it for a while and finally said, "Let's not worry about that, Makoto-chan."

"Huh?"

The only explanation Mioda gave was, "Improv isn't just limited to the blues, jazz, and jazz fusion. It has been a big part of music since Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt."

"You mean the club meeting will be whenever?" Naegi asked, somehow managing to get Mioda's point. Given how spontaneous Mioda-senpai is, I guess that makes sense. Well, it's not really a problem since it's just the two of us, Naegi figured.

"Right, right, right!" Mioda happily exclaimed.

"I suppose that works. Even with my responsibilities at the dorm and my assignments, I do have a decent amount of free time," Naegi said. As he finished putting the drums away he said, "You know Senpai, I may not have learned anything about playing the drums, but I had a lot of fun with you today. I'm really glad you invited me to join your music club."

Mioda felt that feeling in her chest again as a smile made its way onto her face before quietly saying, "Ibuki is glad too."


Hope's Peak Academy

Second Week of Classes-Monday

Lunch had arrived for the day and Mioda was looking forward to seeing Naegi. In almost no time at all, the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78 had become her best friend. As soon as her class was dismissed for lunch she ran as fast as she could to the cafeteria to meet him, but on her way there she soon ran into another student of Class 78.

"Oh, Mioda-senpai! Heeey!" a voice called out.

Immediately stopping, Mioda turned and greeted the voice's owner, "Heeeeyyy! That's me! Mi-o-da I-bu-ki!" As it turned out, the voice belonged to Kuwata Leon. Mioda recognized him from descriptions from the girls of Class 78 and her own male classmates

"Hehe...I wanted to talk with you at least once!" Leon exclaimed, looking rather pleased.

"Ooh? And what business does Kuwata Leon, the Ultimate Baseball Star, have with me?" Mioda asked, her curiosity apparent.

"Forget about baseball! I'm gonna explode onto the stage as a musician!" Kuwata shouted.

Slightly intrigued, Mioda asked, "Huh? Leon-chan, you know how to play an instrument?"

"Nah. I'm gonna be vocals," Kuwata said as he rubbed the back of his head.

Still curious, but for a different reason, Mioda asked, "Hmmm...then how about writing lyrics and composing?"

"Not really. I'm gonna have one of my other members do that pain in the ass stuff," Kuwata admitted.

"W-Wow...so does that mean that Leon-chan already has band members ready to go on stage with him?" Mioda asked in shock due to both Kuwata's lazy attitude and at the possibility that he could have band members with said attitude.

"That's what I'm recruiting people for right now! So..Mioda-senpai, you wanna join my band?" Kuwata asked nonchalantly, or from Mioda's perspective, shamelessly.

"Huh?"

"You're guitar, right? Well, I don't have any instruments yet, so anything's fine," Kuwata explained. He went on to say, "Me and the former star Mioda Ibuki... The both of us will get a lot of attention from our debut! And our fans probably won't overlap, so I'll let it slide if you stand out a little!"

"Hu...huhuhuhuhu... Haaa..." Those noises sounded like a mix of Mioda's desire to laugh and her best effort not to. Then she simply said, "Ahhh...Ibuki doesn't even have a face for this. She's never felt this un-pumped up...Not bad, Leon-chan! Not bad!"

Whether he was in denial of how badly this had gone, or he simply hadn't been paying attention Mioda didn't know, but Kuwata then asked, "Then you're gonna be the guitarist for my band, right!?"

"Nooope! Not even if Leon-chan paid Ibuki a million, a billion, or a gajillion yen!" Mioda shouted. She looked like this conversation had become painful for her. Although, part of her was impressed, she didn't think anything could bring her down like this, but it had happened. Kuwata looked discouraged but he wasn't ready to give up just yet. However, before he could attempt to persuade Mioda further, the Ultimate Musician saw salvation in the form of her favorite kōhai.

Deciding to go for it, Mioda yelled, "Makoto-chan!" to alert Naegi to her presence.

Turning towards the voice of his senpai, Naegi raise a hand in greeting before shouting, "Mioda-senpai! Kuwata-kun!"

Running over to Naegi, Mioda said, "Sorry Leon-chan, Makoto-chan and Ibuki need to discuss club business."

"We do?" Naegi asked.

"We do. Makoto-chan is gonna be Ibuki's new drummer after all," Mioda said hurriedly.

Attempting to salvage his "bright" future as a musician, Kuwata started to say, "Well maybe I could-,"

"Makoto-chan and Ibuki are gonna go play now, let's pick up this conversation again never Leon-chan," Mioda said as she grabbed Naegi and ran.

Mioda had said the last part so quickly that Kuwata couldn't tell what she had said. He did however hear the word "play" and it didn't sound like she meant music. This led Kuwata to ask, "Wait 'play'? What kind of club activities are those two up to?"


Once Mioda thought that they were a safe distance away, she stopped, turned to Naegi, and asked, "So Makoto-chan, what do you wanna play today?"

"Well there are a few songs I'd like to learn to play, but I don't know if I've practiced enough," Naegi admitted.

"No, no, no! What do you want to play… Wait, Makoto-chan has been practicing the drums by himself?" Mioda asked.

"Whenever I get a chance. Playing with you is great Mioda-senpai, but I want you to know that I am serious about the music club too," Naegi explained.

"But Makoto-chan, playing is a big part of music clubs! Do you know what's the most important thing about playing music in a band?" Mioda asked.

"Well if you're playing in a group then I guess you would need a sense of unity," Naegi said, not really sure if that was the answer Mioda wanted.

"Ding ding ding! You got it right, Makoto-chan!" she exclaimed happily. Mioda then adopted a serious look before continuing, "Yep, that's correct. It's all about that! The band members performing as a singular unit on stage... That is the ideal live concert! That's where the greatest music is made!"

Naegi was nodding in agreement, everything Mioda had said had made sense.

It didn't last long though. "In order to do that, it's particularly important to eat cake with everyone after school!" Mioda exclaimed happily.

I'd be all for that right now, Naegi thought. Cake sounded good, but that was probably because it was lunchtime.

"Sooooo your training today is for Makoto-chan to roll his eyes to the back of his head!" Mioda shouted. She soon demonstrated what she meant. Naegi was a little unsettled when she started foaming at the mouth.

"I'm not sure I'm able to do that Senpai," Naegi said, trying his best to be diplomatic. He really wasn't sure he could do it, but he also wasn't in a hurry to try.

Ignoring what Naegi had said, Mioda excitedly exclaimed, "Also, Makoto-chan will need to learn how to break guitars, and how to splatter pig guts! Those are the three basics!"

"I don't think I'm comfortable with that last one Senpai." Naegi told her. In truth, he didn't really want to break guitars either, but he was very much opposed to the idea of splattering pig guts.

"Oh my-my-my-my, are you gonna give up before you even do it? Ibuki has a reward for Makoto-chan, y'know," Mioda told him. She then said, "If he's able to withstand the training, Ibuki'll make his stage costume!"

"You know how to sew Senpai?" Naegi asked, a little surprised.

"Of course! Sewing is a minor necessity when you're in a band!", Mioda exclaimed proudly.

Naegi had seen Mioda in her current outfit a few times, but this was the first time he had taken a good look at it. He soon said, "Now that you mention it Senpai, all of your clothes look really unique. You must put your heart into making your clothes so they're not just another commercial product. It's very you Senpai."

"What do you mean, Makoto-chan?" Mioda asked.

"They say, 'I am Mioda Ibuki and I am an individual'" Naegi answered.

A soft smile appeared on Mioda's face as she said, "Ibuki was right about you Makoto-chan, you do get it."

A smile that matched Mioda's soon made its way onto Naegi's face. The moment was soon interrupted when both of their stomachs let out loud growls simultaneously. With an embarrassed blush on his face, Naegi said, "Looks like our stomachs get each other too Senpai. We should probably go get lunch before we need to get back to class."

Mioda just laughed and said, "Ibuki thinks Makoto-chan is right. Maybe Teruteru-chan will have made cake! Ibuki isn't sure why, but she really wants cake."

All Naegi could do in response to that was laugh.


Hope's Peak Academy-Music Room

Third Week of Classes-Thursday

Classes had ended for the day and Naegi had met up with Mioda in the Music Room in the old building. As much as Naegi had enjoyed spending time with Mioda, he didn't think he would be good company today, as Maizono Sayaka had been on his mind for the past few days. Maizono had been out of sorts all week and having no idea how to help her, Naegi was worried. She refused to even admit that something was wrong and continued to go through the motions of daily life as a high school girl. At this point, Naegi could only hope that it didn't affect her performance as an idol.

I hope Maizono-san can get through her show Saturday night. I just don't get it, she seemed fine after I talked to her the night of Mimose-san's interview. Maybe she's still worried about her future. I certainly hope it wasn't anything I said to her. I should figure out a way to get her to open up about whatever is wrong, Naegi thought.

Mioda had noticed that something was wrong with Maizono too. Mioda wanted to help the young idol, of course, but since Maizono had a show to prepare for, Mioda hardly saw the younger girl. When Maizono wasn't in class she was rehearsing with her group and did not return until it was almost lights out. Lunch hardly offered enough time to make any sort of progress, and so Mioda had decided to wait until after the younger girl's performance to try and confront her.

Mioda had also noticed that whatever was bothering Maizono, it was affecting Naegi. It was clear to everyone that he was worried about his friend, but for reasons Mioda didn't understand, she was jealous. She had grown so accustomed to Naegi's undivided attention whenever the two of them were together that it bothered her that he was thinking about someone else, another girl no less. Mioda was by no means a selfish girl and she hated that she was jealous when something was bothering Naegi and Maizono. She couldn't figure out why it bothered her that Naegi was thinking about another girl, after all Maizono was his classmate and she was upset, but the fact remained that it did bother her. That was part of the reason she decided to have club meeting today. She wanted to take Naegi's mind off of the problem, but she also wanted him to herself.

With that thought in mind, Mioda adopted a thinking pose and asked, "Now then, what should Makoto-chan and Ibuki play today?"

"I don't know if I'll be much fun today Senpai, I've got too much on my mind," Naegi said. He felt bad that he would be disappointing Mioda but couldn't lie to her either.

"Ibuki has decided! Today we're gonna do 1000 practice head swings!" Mioda exclaimed. This always helps Ibuki when she has a lot on her mind, Mioda thought.

"You mean headbanging?" Naegi asked. He still had reservations, but he figured Mioda was going somewhere with this.

"Ibuki will start us off!" as soon as she said that, Mioda started swinging her head back and forth with amazing speed.

"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" Mioda shouted. Whether that was supposed to be something he could understand or if it was a noise Mioda made when she was excited, Naegi didn't know, but he was too focused on Mioda's speed.

She's so fast that her head is a blur. I can't believe her tiny neck can keep up with that, Naegi thought, impressed.

"You do it too, Makoto-chaaaaaan! It's fuuuuuuuun! GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" Mioda said without stopping.

Naegi wasn't sure, but he trusted his friend, so he started headbanging too.

M-My head is ringing. Make it stop, he thought.

Mioda's condition wasn't much better as the only sounds that came out of her mouth were, "Da boom na da mmm dum na ema..."

When his head finally stopped ringing Naegi noticed something. I feel like all the stress from this week has been lifted off my shoulders, Naegi thought.

"Oh my, Makoto-chan. You look pretty refreshed. I feel like we were playing pretty well together just now," Mioda said.

"Yeah, I do feel refreshed Mioda-senpai. Thanks for putting up with me," Naegi said. He wasn't sure he'd have been as patient with himself as Mioda had been.

As if she had an epiphany, Mioda then said, "Ibuki just realized it. When she's with Makoto-chan…Ibuki plays really well."

"And we haven't even eaten cake after school yet," Naegi laughed. After he stopped, he said, "I really do appreciate you putting up with me Senpai. I've been worried about Maizono, I keep wondering if it's my fault that she's been so out of it this week."

"O-oh really," Mioda said as she forced a smile. Makoto-chan, Ibuki is worried about Sayaka-chan too, but pay attention to Ibuki now, she thought.

Naegi didn't notice and kept talking. "I can't think of what I might have said. Maybe I didn't do anything, and work is just getting to her. She's said that she enjoys being an idol but she's also afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Mioda asked, her jealousy momentarily forgotten.

"Well, I don't know if I should say anything, but maybe you can help. Senpai, you saw how she was after watching Mimose-san's interview, right?" Naegi asked.

"Ibuki remembers," Mioda said simply. It wasn't easy to forget and not just because it was recent. Maizono looked as though she had gone completely numb after that interview segment was over, Mioda had been one of the first to comment on it.

"Well last week Maizono had told me she was worried about being forgotten or that her group would go their separate ways, maybe she's afraid Mimose-san will be the reason," Naegi finished. The more he thought about it, the more likely that conclusion seemed. As Naegi had told Mioda, he couldn't think of anything he had said that would cause Maizono any distress.

"Well, Ibuki has never been an idol, but she would imagine that the destiny of an idol group is the same as that of a band," Mioda said, not sounding too worried.

"The destiny of a band?" Naegi asked, not entirely sure what Mioda was getting at. One thing is for sure though, I don't think telling Maizono-san that will make her feel better, he thought.

"Sit down Makoto-chan and Ibuki will tell you a tale," Mioda started dramatically.

Naegi did as he was told. In truth, he was looking forward to hearing more about Mioda. He had realized that even though he had been spending all this time with her, he knew very little about Mioda's past.

"Before Ibuki attended Hope's Peak Academy, she went to an all-girls school called Shiba Academy. There, she joined a light music club named 'Black Cherry'. We had a rival named 'Summer Tree', they were a boy band. Ibuki wrote the songs we performed, and our hit single was called 'After School Poyoyon Hour,'" Mioda said.

I think I remember hearing that song somewhere before, Naegi thought, but soon returned his focus to Mioda.

"When a talent scout was going to be watching one of our performances, Ibuki refused to play more traditionally appealing pop music, as she was much more into the heavy metal genre," Mioda continued.

"So, you split with your band due to creative differences?" Naegi asked, even though he pretty much knew the answer.

"Hmmm, how should I put it? Creative differences...? Personality differences...? Well, it's not that big of a deal. That's the destiny of a band member after all!" Mioda said.

To Naegi, it sounded like she wasn't too sure how to explain it. Even though Mioda hadn't told him anything that might be able to help Maizono, he was glad that his senpai trusted him enough to tell him all of this.

"Like Ibuki said earlier, what's most important is a sense of unity. Technique is something you gain just by practice. But you won't know if the group really meshes well together until you try it once... And if it's no good, that's something you can't really help. That's why Ibuki doesn't really regret leaving the band." Mioda said with a serious look on her face.

Naegi nodded, what Mioda said made sense. I know that's what Mioda-senpai has been trying to tell me, but it wasn't until just now that I realized just how important that connection between band members is. I guess that's why Maizono is so worried about losing it and why Mioda-senpai is able to discuss it so casually, he thought.

"But being alone...is a teensy bit lonely," Mioda soon admitted.

"As long as we're friends Senpai, I won't let you feel lonely," Naegi told her.

A blush erupted on Mioda's face as Naegi's words caught her off guard. Once she got her blush under control and was back to her peppy, happy self, Mioda then shouted, "Theeeeen I shall keep playing with Makoto-chan today!"

"Yeah!" Naegi shouted as he pumped his fists. It was out of character, he knew, but he was more than happy to play along for Mioda's sake. I may not be able to help Maizono with whatever is bothering her, but I can at least keep Mioda-senpai from feeling lonely, he thought.

"Let's continue our headbanging. This time it's for the championship! Whoever loses has to steal food from Akane-chan or kick Nekomaru-chan in the shins!" Mioda shouted. Naegi swore he had yet to see her look so serious about anything else.

Either way, losing is a death sentence, Naegi thought. He didn't know for sure that Nidai would kill him, but Naegi knew that the most dangerous thing, or at least one of the most dangerous things, to do at Hope's Peak Academy was to come between Owari and food. With that thought in mind, and the desire to prolong his life by however much he could, Naegi decided to ask a question, "Hey Senpai?"

"What's up Makoto-chan? Do you want Ibuki to give you a handicap?" Mioda asked.

"That would be appreciated Senpai, but I wanted to ask something else," Naegi told her.

"What is it?" Mioda asked, her curiosity clearly piqued.

"I know you said that you don't regret leaving your old band, but would you ever consider playing with them again?" Naegi asked. Naegi may have asked this question to stall for time, but he was genuinely curious about the answer.

Mioda adopted a thinking pose before she said, "Ibuki has thought about this before. She knew she was being stubborn back then, but she won't play a different type of music just to be popular."

"I understand Senpai, you can't feel the love if you don't love the genre," Naegi agreed.

"Exactly Makoto-chan. So, while Ibuki has thought that she wouldn't mind playing with Black Cherry again, she doesn't feel a need to either. Although, sometimes Ibuki does wonder if she made the right decision," Mioda admitted.

"I think you did Mioda-senpai. After all, you're the one who became the Ultimate Musician, not one of the other girls," Naegi reminded her.

"Wow, now Ibuki feels bad for the other girls. Careful Makoto-chan, you hit below the belt again and Ibuki will have to give you a penalty," Mioda joked.

"Okay, okay, I'm already at a disadvantage going up against a pro," Naegi said with a laugh.

A soft giggle escaped Mioda's lips. Something about Naegi brought out this side of Mioda, one that was different from her usual loud, energetic self. She was still random, but she was calmer. Mioda actually kind of liked it. Almost as much as she liked that feeling in her chest that she got whenever Naegi was focused on or would praise her. What is it you do to Ibuki, Makoto-chan? Mioda asked internally.

As the two started headbanging, with Naegi praying that those stakes were just a joke, neither of them noticed was a strawberry blonde pigtail poking out from behind a corner. A devious smile was on Enoshima Junko's face as she pulled out her phone and started typing something.


Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm

Fourth Week of Classes-Sunday

It was the morning after Maizono's televised performance and Naegi and the girls were happy to see that she was back to normal, although some thought she seemed happier than usual. Of course, Mioda was happy too: happy that the younger girl had apparently resolved whatever issues she had been having; and happy that Naegi would no longer be distracted the next time they played.

Breakfast had proceeded the same as any other day, or it did until Enoshima spoke up.

"Mioda-senpai, do you know that you're trending on Trigger?" she asked.

That question put Ikusaba on guard. Enoshima wouldn't bring something like this up if she didn't have a plan of some kind.

"Ibuki is trending? She can't imagine why, she barely uses Trigger," Mioda said.

"Well to be more accurate the idea of a Black Cherry Reunion Concert is trending," Enoshima said. Seeing everyone's confused looks, she showed everyone her phone. In a post, Enoshima had typed: Just listened 2 "After School Poyoyon Hour." Am dorm mates with the writer and Ult. Musician Mioda Ibuki. Wish I could hear it live at least once. #blackcherryreunion.

There was a follow-up: Mioda-senpai is still writing songs. Am sure those are great too. If only Black Cherry would play them live. #blackcherryreunion

It looked like all of Enoshima's followers liked and re-fired both her original shot and the follow-up and the responses ranged from simple agreement to demands for a reunion concert.

"Ibuki feels bad that she'll have to disappoint everyone, but she hasn't seen her old bandmates in a long time," Mioda said as she shrugged her shoulders. Ibuki would love to perform in front of a live audience again though, she thought.

Just then, Yukizome's phone rang. "Yes, this is Yukizome Chisa," she said.

"…" The person on the other end was clearly speaking, but no one but Yukizome could hear what they were saying.

"Yes, she's here."

"…"

"Hold on," Yukizome said as she turned to Mioda. She then said, "Mioda-san, it seems like there are people for you at the front gate. They said to tell you that 'Yamamoto Rin and the girls want to talk to you.'"

"Rin-chan and the girls! Ibuki's old bandmates have come to see her!" Mioda shouted. Contrary to what she had said when she and Naegi were discussing the subject, she seemed pretty excited at the thought of seeing her old band again.

"Should we let them know you're coming?" Yukizome asked, both for her and the security guard on the other end of the phone.

"Ibuki isn't sure," Mioda said. She wasn't sure what to tell her old bandmates. Even if they wanted to, they didn't have the means set up a reunion concert.

"You should go, Senpai. I'll even go with you," Enoshima offered.

"Junko-chan?" Mioda asked, still not sure.

"It's my fault this started, If you do decide to do a reunion concert I know people that can help set everything up," Enoshima explained.

"Okay! Ibuki and Junko-chan will be right out!" Mioda exclaimed. She still wasn't sure what she would say to her old band. She couldn't even be sure that they had come to discuss a reunion concert, but Mioda figured it would be nice to see them again.

"She says she'll be there right away," Yukizome told the guard.

"…" *click*

"Let's go Junko-chan!" Mioda said as she jumped to her feet and ran over to grab Enoshima's wrist.

"Let's," Enoshima said with a smile as she got up and she and Mioda left.

Something about that smile made Naegi uneasy. He wanted to ask Ikusaba about it, but he wasn't sure if he was just worrying too much.

"I didn't know those two were close," Maizono said.

"They aren't, we've lived together for almost a month and I think this is the first time my sister has said anything to Mioda-senpai," Ikusaba explained.

That was all Naegi needed to hear. He turned to Ikusaba and asked, "Ikusaba-san can I speak with you? Alone?"

"The kitchen?" Ikusaba asked.

"Yes," Naegi said as he got up. Ikusaba soon joined him and the two walked into the kitchen. Thankfully, everything went back to normal at the table. It seemed that even some of the more distrustful girls decided that Naegi wasn't going to attempt anything: maybe it was how serious he seemed or maybe it was because Ikusaba was the Ultimate Soldier, Naegi didn't know and right now it hardly mattered. All that mattered right now was the answer to this question, "Ikusaba-san should I be worried about this?"

"Junko-chan wouldn't have done this if she didn't know that it would end badly for Mioda-senpai," Ikusaba told him.

"What should we do?" Naegi asked. Then he said, "I'm sorry Ikusaba-san, being suspicious of Enoshima-san makes me feel like I'm breaking my promise."

"Don't be and you're not, you said you wouldn't act differently around Junko-chan and you really aren't. When she does something that raises red flags I fully expect you to notice," Ikusaba said. She then smiled and said, "As for what 'we' should do, you just work your magic when the time comes."

Naegi, having no idea what she meant by that just let out a confused, "Huh?"


Mioda was happily chatting away as she and Enoshima made their way to the front gate: about her old band; about how she wanted them to meet her new friends and classmates; and sometimes something completely random. Mioda would not have noticed but anyone else looking would have seen Enoshima's head bow and her shoulders slump, clear signs of boredom, until Mioda turned her way. Then she perked up and smiled like she was actually interested in what Mioda was saying.

"Ibuki doesn't regret leaving her old band, but she has wanted to make up with the girls for a while," Mioda explained as she turned to look at Enoshima.

"I'm sure that you'll get your chance Senpai," a smiling Enoshima responded. As soon as Mioda turned, Enoshima slumped again.

"Do you think that the girls will like Ibuki's new friends, Junko-chan? Does Junko-chan think that they will like Makoto-chan?" Mioda asked.

Perking up again, Enoshima replied, "I'm sure they would."

"I wonder if the girls have been practicing their headbanging? Do you practice headbanging Junko-chan?"

"Never really had a reason to." Wanting Mioda to stop talking, Enoshima tried to see if she could spot Mioda's former band. Thankfully by this time Mioda and Enoshima were close to the front gate and as soon as Enoshima pointed the other girls out, Mioda took off running.

"Rin-chan! Hikari-chan! Mebuki-chan! Chinatsu-chan!" Mioda shouted as she approached the group of girls.

"Oh, hey Mioda-san!" A tall girl with black hair and green eyes greeted. This was Yamamoto Rin, the keyboardist from Black Cherry.

"Look at you. You made it to Hope's Peak Academy. I'm impressed," a girl of about Mioda's height with pale skin, red hair, and hazel eyes said. This girl was the drummer, Takamine Hikari.

"Guess we should have listened to her when we were all together, eh Natsu?" another girl asked as she looked at the last girl. The girl asking the question was about as tall as Naegi, had dark skin, bleach blonde hair, and was wearing colored contacts that made her eyes blue, a ganguro gal. She was Kazama Mebuki, the bassist.

"It certainly was fun. Playing together, I mean," the last girl said. She was a little shorter than the others; had strawberry blonde hair; and brown eyes. Her name was Kanzuki Chinatsu, the former rhythm guitarist, and current lead guitar.

"Ibuki agrees, it was fun. We just wanted to go in different directions," Mioda said as she nodded.

"Well, that's kind of why we're here," Yamamoto started.

"When we mentioned that were in Black Cherry with you the shots just pouring in," Takamine added.

"Yeah, sorry. When I fired that shot I didn't really expect it to catch on the way it did," Enoshima lied as she spoke up.

"I'm impressed that our single caught the attention of the Enoshima Junko," Kazama said.

"Did you really think it was that good?" Kanzuki asked.

"It was like nothing I had ever heard before. I just wanted my followers on Trigger to listen to it too. Like I said, I didn't really expect to reunite a band," Enoshima answered. This was a lie too, but none of the other girls could tell.

"Wait a minute, pause, Ibuki never said she was reuniting with her old band," Mioda said.

Tensions had been high when Mioda had split from Black Cherry. The other girls had been desperate to make a name for themselves when they knew that a talent scout would have been listening. It had been years and Mioda hadn't forgotten how angry the others had been when she said she would not play more traditional pop music just to be popular. Even when the others tried to say that once they were famous they could switch to whatever genre Mioda wanted, Mioda stood firm. Mioda was not opposed to becoming famous, but she didn't want to sell out to do it.

"Mioda-san, we did come to ask if you would play with us again, but we also came to apologize. It seems that you were right. You stuck by your principles and now people want to hear your music," Yamamoto said.

"Ibuki accepts your apology, but she doesn't know. Isn't this another way of selling out?" Mioda asked.

"Mioda this is your chance. You wanted to play the kind of music you wanted, and now people are demanding it," Kazama said.

"Mioda-san when you left we started to wonder what would have happened if we had listened to you. Now we have a chance to find out," Takamine added.

"It would be fun to play together again," Kanzuki said.

"Do you girls really want to play with Ibuki again?" Mioda asked.

She received four nods in response.

"Ibuki is happy to hear that but…" Mioda trailed off.

"If you want to schedule a show I can make it happen as soon as you want," Enoshima said.

"Enoshima Junko is going to book us a gig? That's pretty cool," Kanzuki said.

"Let's see if we can still play together, then we'll let you know," Takamine said. The others looked expectantly at Mioda after that.

"Ibuki isn't sure, are Hope's Peak facilities even available to the public?" Mioda asked.

"Both the Headmaster and security like to know about visits from the public ahead of time from the student receiving the guests. Although if it is for the purpose of developing your talent exceptions may be made. If you want, I can call and check," the security guard, the one who had phoned Yukizome earlier, said.

"Would you?" Enoshima asked, a little too sweetly.

While the guard called the Headmaster, the members of Black Cherry were already making plans. Mioda had still had mixed feelings, but she knew she'd come to a decision if she could play a song with her former band.

"Well it's all settled, you can go on in," the security guard said.

"What's all settled?" a new voice asked.

"Makoto-chan, what are you doing here?" Mioda asked, although she was happy to see him.

"I wanted to be sure everyone was getting along alright," Naegi said. It wasn't a lie, Naegi knew that Mioda left her old band, although her wasn't sure if they were on bad terms. The one he really wanted to keep an eye on was Enoshima, he had no idea what she was trying to accomplish and that worried him. Ikusaba had made it sound like Enoshima was planning something cruel and he would do whatever he could to make sure Mioda was alright.

"We're fine Naegi-kun, why wouldn't we be?" Enoshima asked sweetly.

That's what I came to find out, Naegi thought.

"Girls, this is Ibuki's new best friend, Naegi Makoto-chan," Mioda said as she ran over to Naegi and introduced him. Turning to her old bandmates, she introduced them each in turn, "Makoto-chan this is Rin-chan, Hikari-chan, Mebuki-chan, and Chinatsu-chan!"

"Hi, as Mioda-senpai just said I'm Naegi Makoto, I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78 and I'm a member of Mioda-senpai's music club," Naegi said.

After they had all greeted him, Enoshima said, "Mioda-senpai and the other girls were just about to see if they could still play together like they used to."

"Makoto-chan should come and listen! Oh, we should see if Hiyoko-chan will want to hear this too!" Mioda exclaimed.

"Okay, Enoshima-san and I will go ask her while you get set up in the Music Room," Naegi said, wanting to keep a close eye on Enoshima.

"Sounds like a plan. Girls follow Ibuki!" Mioda said as she ran off towards the old school building.


40 Minutes Later

Saionji had come along to listen to Mioda and Black Cherry and Naegi could tell that she was enjoying herself, no matter how hard she tried to pretend otherwise. She wasn't the only one, Naegi thought that Black Cherry sounded amazing, like they had never stopped playing together. As for Enoshima, after the performance she made some calls.

The band seemed happy, Mioda certainly was, but she was always happy when she could perform. The other girls seemed genuinely happy too.

"We've still got it," Yamamoto said.

"That makes it sound like we're coming out of retirement," Kazama responded.

"Having Mioda-san as lead guitar and vocalist again is kind of refreshing," Kanzuki added.

"If we do go on stage together again we should do great," Takamine said.

"Well I've got good news on that front, after making some calls I managed to get you booked at a nearby club, Black Box, on Saturday. You're the opening act," Enoshima said.

"This Saturday? Can they be ready by then?" Naegi asked. He had faith in Mioda, but that was not a lot of time to prepare.

"Ibuki and the girls will be fine, we have 'After School Poyoyon Hour' down, we just need to practice the other two songs," Mioda said optimistically.

"So you'll come back?" Kanzuki asked hopefully.

"Ibuki's hands are kind of tied now that Junko-chan made those calls. She did have a lot of fun though, so she figures why not?" Mioda explained. Despite her words, Naegi could tell she was looking forward to this, maybe even more than the other girls.

"We can also throw in a few covers, but we'll be fine," Yamamoto said.

"Yeah, but we really do need to practice though, would you three mind leaving us to that?" Takamine asked.

Saionji huffed and said, "You've got a lot of nerve for a guest. Oh well, come on Servant."

Naegi, having learned to just play along with Saionji, just said, "Okay then." He turned to Mioda and said, "Good luck Senpai."

Before Naegi got to the door Mioda asked, "Makoto-chan, you'll be there Saturday right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Senpai," Naegi answered.

That put a smile on Mioda's face and made her more motivated than ever.

Saionji, feeling left out, yelled, "What about me?"

Enoshima said, "I'll get you two in if that's what you want. I'll also spread the word on Trigger, I want this to be a night you never forget Senpai." With that she left.

Naegi thought that sounded rather ominous, but he had faith that Mioda would be fine. What am I worried about? Mioda-senpai is great, she'll be fine. Ikusaba said I was right to worry but maybe I'm worried about nothing, Naegi thought as he left the Music Room.


Club Black Box

Fourth Week of Classes-Saturday Evening

This is it, the night Ibuki and the girls have been practicing for all week, Mioda thought as she tried to psych herself up. She was a little nervous which was unusual for her, but Black Cherry hadn't even had a whole week to practice. "After School Poyoyon Hour" and the cover songs were no problem, these were songs they were very familiar with. She did notice something was off when they practiced "From Me To You Too" and "I Squeezed Out The Baby But I Have No Idea Who The Father Is." Every time they practiced those songs Mioda would notice a grimace on at least one of the girls. The songs sounded fine when they played though, and Mioda figured that they would warm up to those songs come show time.

"We're on in five," Takamine said.

"Wow, the club is packed," Kanzuki noted as she peeked through the curtain.

"This is it girls," Kazama said.

I sure hope Makoto-chan is here for this, Mioda thought. No matter how well the show went Mioda knew it would only be perfect if Naegi were present for it.

"…" Yamamoto didn't really say anything, she seemed the most nervous about their upcoming performance. Mioda thought that there was something else, but she couldn't quite place it.

"It's showtime girls," a member of the club staff told them.

"And now tonight's opening act, Black Cherry!" a voice announced as the curtain rose.

"Hello Black Box!" Mioda screamed into the microphone.

Once Black Cherry started playing things seemed to be going well, the audience seemed to enjoy "After School Poyoyon Hour." Things were still going well when Mioda announced that they would be playing "I Squeezed Out The Baby But I Have No Idea Who The Father Is."

When they started playing it however, that was when it all ended. They barely made it thirty seconds in before the audience started to complain.

"Boo!"

"This sucks!"

"What is this crap!

"Get them off the stage!"

The curtain came down and the manager, a woman in her thirties, approached them. "It seems that it was a mistake to book you girls. Get your things and leave this establishment," she said with a cold look in her eyes before she left.

"Ibuki doesn't understand what happened, we sounded great," Mioda said.

"I knew this was a mistake," Yamamoto said.

"Rin-chan?" Mioda questioned.

"Why did we think that performing with you again was a good idea?" Yamamoto asked angrily.

"This should have been our chance, our second chance, to make it big since you ruined the first one!" Takamine shouted.

"What you girls wanted to play wasn't our music Hikari-chan! What we played tonight was…" Mioda said attempting to defend herself.

"We thought you being the Ultimate Musician would make up for your awful songs!" Kazama screamed.

Mioda felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Her old band was just using her, she had to admit she had feared that might have been the case, but she didn't want to believe it. "But, but I-," Mioda started, the words catching in her throat.

"Your style is too wild," Kanzuki added more quietly but just as angrily.

"Everything about her is too wild. Remember how she tried to turn our band into her own personal circus act?" Yamamoto asked.

Mioda couldn't take it anymore, she ran out of the club as fast as her legs could carry her. She could hear the voices of her former band mates and the jeers of the audience.

"Us splitting with her was the best thing we ever did."

"Ultimate Musician? More like Ultimate Has Been."

"Try Ultimate One Hit Wonder."

"Maybe Ultimate Never Was, heh heh."

As soon as she got outside her legs gave out and she curled herself into a ball and tried her hardest not to cry.

"Mioda-senpai, are you alright?" a worried voice asked. Mioda had never been unhappy to see Naegi, but right now she wished that he hadn't come tonight.

"Oh, h-hey Makoto-chan," Mioda said. After looking around she asked, "Where's Hiyoko-chan?"

"Backstage probably, when we came to see you after the curtain dropped we saw you run out. I went after you and I think Saionji-senpai wanted to 'talk' to the other girls," Naegi said. Both he and Saionji had heard what the other girls had said. Naegi couldn't remember feeling that angry at anyone in a long time and if the look on Saionji's face was anything to go by, she felt the same.

"O-oh, she doesn't have to do that," Mioda choked out.

She tried to keep her voice even, but Naegi knew she had taken what had happened pretty hard. He wasn't sure about what he was about to do, he had gotten odd looks when he took a bouquet of roses into the club and when he and Saionji forced their way backstage, and he wasn't sure how Mioda would feel about receiving it now, but he knew she needed some support. Holding out the bouquet, he said, "I know roses are usually given after a theatre performance, but I didn't know what else to get you. If you still want them, of course."

"Why do you have those, Makoto-chan?" Mioda croaked out. Holding it together was clearly getting harder for the poor girl.

Not wanting to upset the girl anymore but realizing that she needed to let her feelings out, Naegi said, "I got them because I wanted congratulate you on a great show. I for one loved your music as much as I always have."

That did it. The tears came and Mioda couldn't do anything to stop them. Pulling her into a hug, Naegi tried to soothe her as best he could. He couldn't blame her really, he knew just how much she was looking forward to this show and for her to get booed off the stage, for her old band to talk to her like that… Naegi couldn't imagine how she felt right now.

"It's okay Senpai. I know you had a bad night, but everything will be okay," Naegi said in a soothing tone.

When she was calm enough to speak, Mioda managed to choke out, "Makoto-chan, I worked so hard for this. I didn't reach anyone else tonight."

She's not speaking in the third person, this is bad! Naegi thought.

"If I can't reach people with my music then I guess I have no business being a musician. You and Hiyoko-chan have been great but it's only just you two. No one else cares," Mioda said in between sobs.

Having heard enough, Naegi shouted, "You've got that wrong!"

That shocked Mioda enough for her to stop crying momentarily, but it didn't really make things better. "What did I get wrong? Do you and Hiyoko-chan hate my music too?" Mioda asked cynically.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it!" Naegi shouted.

"Makoto-chan?" Mioda asked, as she cried harder. Naegi felt terrible, but Mioda needed to hear this.

"Musicians have bad nights, not every performance can be a winner. If a musician never has a bad performance, then they aren't really performing. As the Ultimate Musician, you may have more bad nights than any other musician out there. I believe in you though, Mioda Ibuki-senpai is someone who can bounce back from anything. Maybe this audience didn't get your music, but there are people who will, Saionji-senpai and I are proof of that!" Naegi continued.

"I-I need time to think Makoto-chan," Mioda said, her eyes downcast and her usual energy nowhere to be found.

"Okay, I'll go get Saionji-senpai and we'll head back to campus," Naegi said.

They both soon heard, "Alright, I'm leaving. Get your hands off me! This club sucks anyway. Not a single person in there would know good music if it bit them in the a-,"

"Saionji-senpai!" Naegi called out with a wave.

"Servant! Ibuki-nee!" Saionji responded as she ran over as well as she could in a kimono.

"I think we better head back," Naegi said as he helped Mioda to her feet.

"Yeah fine, this club sucks anyway," Saionji said as she joined them and helped lead Mioda back to Hope's Peak. Thankfully it wasn't very far.


Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm

Fifth Week of Classes-Saturday

Mioda had not gotten any better on the way back. She thanked Naegi for the roses before dropping them in the trash. "These were supposed to be for a musician, you shouldn't have wasted your money," she had said when she saw the shocked look on Naegi's face. Mioda had not gotten any better as the week went on. She had not attended class, she hadn't even left her room. Naegi had explained what had happened to Yukizome, so she did not force Mioda to attend class, but she was worried, everyone at the dorm was. Or at least all but one was worried, but that one gave a very convincing performance of a concerned friend.

Naegi had done his best to console Mioda. He and some of the girls had spent as much time with her as they could, attempting to cheer her up, not that it seemed to do much good. Mioda was grateful that she had friends who cared so much, but she couldn't get past what happened at the Black Box.

Naegi had just gotten back to the dorm that day with Yukizome in tow. There was something that he had been working on that he had hoped would help Mioda feel better and Mioda's homeroom teacher was more than happy to help him do it.

"I really appreciate what you're doing Sensei, I just hope this gets through to Mioda-senpai," Naegi said.

"I'm more than happy to help Naegi-kun. It's for one of my students after all," Yukizome responded.

"Well whatever the reason is, between helping me with this and letting us into her room, you've been an invaluable ally," Naegi said.

"You think we'll be ready soon?" Yukizome asked, worry clear in her voice. Mioda Ibuki's energy was infectious and Yukizome firmly believed her class benefited from it. If the mood in class this week had been anything to go by she was absolutely right.

Before Naegi could answer, another voice asked, "Uh, Naegi-kun? Yukizome-sensei?" It was Maizono and she looked worried.

"What's wrong Maizono-san?" Naegi asked, although he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

"Whatever you two have planned, could you do it soon? It hurts to see Mioda-senpai like this," Maizono said sadly.

"Has she gotten worse?" Yukizome asked.

In response, Maizono answered, "She's wants to throw out her guitar."

"Sensei, I don't think it matters if we're ready or not anymore. We should do this before Mioda-senpai does something she regrets," Naegi said, finally able to answer Yukizome's question.

"I agree," Yukizome said simply.

"Maizono-san, could you tell the girls to meet in the Music Room in the old building, in say an hour? And, I hope it's not necessary, but you may want to take Ikusaba-san with you when get Mioda-senpai," Naegi said.

"Sure," Maizono said. She was a little confused, but she trusted Naegi.

"Yukizome-sensei, could you tell the rest of you class to do the same and meet me in the Music Room ahead of them?" Naegi asked.

"Can do," Yukizome said with a nod.

"Naegi-kun, where are you going?" Maizono asked.

"I'm going to get everything set up. Oh, and make sure Mioda-senpai brings her guitar," Naegi said as he ran out of the dorm.


It was only a few minutes later and Maizono and Ikusaba were standing outside Mioda's dorm room with the master key Yukizome had given them. It had hardly taken any time to spread the word among the girls, so Maizono couldn't understand why Naegi needed an hour.

"Whatever Naegi has planned I hope it works," Maizono said as she put the key in the lock.

"You aren't doubting him, are you?" Ikusaba asked playfully.

"Of course not. I think it's really sweet of him that he's working so hard to cheer up Mioda-senpai," Maizono said.

"He's sweet like that," Ikusaba added.

"Think it will make things hard for us later?" Maizono asked.

"Yep," Ikusaba answered.

"Me too. But that hardly matters right now," Maizono said as she opened the door.

The lights were off, Mioda must have turned them off when Maizono left the room last. Mioda was there lying on her bed, curled up and holding a pillow as tightly as she could, just as she was when Maizono left. Her hair was down, and she hadn't changed out of her pajamas since she got home last week.

"I'm starting to think that Naegi-kun wanted that hour for us," Ikusaba whispered, this was the first time she had seen Mioda this week. She had taken it upon herself to keep Enoshima away from Mioda, a full-time job if there ever was one. She never realized how annoying her sister's gloating was until she came to Hope's Peak.

Maizono nodded and then turned to Mioda and asked, "Mioda-senpai, will you come with us?"

"I don't want to," Mioda answered.

"It's just to the Music Room. Naegi-kun has a surprise for you that he thinks will cheer you up," Maizono said.

"He doesn't need to waste his time."

"Senpai, come on get ready. Get dressed and grab your…where is your guitar?" Maizono asked.

"Where it belongs," Mioda said as she pointed at her guitar. It was sticking out of her small wastebasket.

This caused Maizono to shudder and caused Ikusaba to lose her patience. "I think I've heard enough," Ikusaba said as she went over to Mioda and picked her up. Mioda didn't even try to fight back.

"Ikusaba-san, what are you doing?" Maizono asked.

"I plan to bathe and dress her in time for whatever Naegi-kun has planned. You grab the guitar and her hairpins and whatever else she needs for her horns," Ikusaba said as she carried Mioda into her bathroom and shut the door.


"I'm sorry, I just can't get them right," Maizono said as she gave up trying to get Mioda's hair into its usual style.

"Just bring the hairpins and everything, she can style it herself if she's feeling better," Ikusaba said.

"Okay, now let's go Mioda-senpai," Maizono said as she got up and reached her hand out to Mioda.

In response, Mioda just fell back on her bed. She had let her body go limp.

Ikusaba sighed and said, "Fine, if she's going to be difficult then I'll just carry her to the Music Room too. Maizono-san grab her guitar." Ikusaba lifted the older girl over her shoulder and left the room. Maizono soon followed with the guitar and everything for Mioda's hair.


Class 77-B and the female half of Class 78 were gathered in the Music Room of the old school building. No one was sure what was going to happen, but that didn't stop them from guessing.

"Is Mioda-san going to play? Is she feeling better?" the Imposter asked.

"No, she's still really depressed. Plus, this was Naegi-kun's idea," Koizumi said.

"What is he going to do?" Asahina asked.

"I cannot say, but it would appear that it involves Yukizome-sensei as well," Ogami answered.

"Even with Sensei's help, I doubt a mere Lucky Student could do much good," Komaeda said.

"If I were you Senpai, I wouldn't insult Naegi-kun where I can hear," Ikusaba said as she, Maizono, and Mioda arrived.

"Yeah, if anyone can help Mioda-senpai, it will be Naegi-kun," Maizono agreed.

If Komaeda was going to respond, the lights going down cut him off. The curtain on stage rose and Naegi and Yukizome were set up with their instruments. Naegi with his drums and Yukizome with her guitar.

"Mioda-senpai, would you join us?" Naegi asked.

Mioda, who was still slung over Ikusaba's shoulder, did not answer. So Ikusaba carried her on stage with Maizono close behind. Maizono plugged Mioda's guitar into an amp and Ikusaba set Mioda down and helped her to her feet. When Maizono attempted to give Mioda her guitar, Mioda would not take it.

"Senpai, please, just a few songs. If you don't feel the love anymore we'll stop," Naegi begged.

Mioda just sighed and grabbed her guitar from Maizono. Maizono and Ikusaba then left the stage to join the others as Naegi grabbed his microphone.

"Hello Hope's Peak Academy!" Naegi practically screamed into the microphone. Those who knew him were a little shocked, as they knew how out of character this was for the young man.

Naegi continued, "Today we will be treating you to some of the most amazing songs, all of which have been written and performed by our very own Ultimate Musician, Mioda Ibuki!"

That got some applause, but Mioda believed that everyone was just being nice.

"Let's start things off with 'From Me To You Too.' One, two, three," Naegi said before he Yukizome started playing.

Makoto-chan wasn't lying when he said he had been practicing, Mioda thought as the music started. While he wasn't close to being a professional, he was doing pretty well. Both Naegi and Yukizome sounded pretty good in Mioda's opinion. What really caught Mioda's attention was Naegi's expression, he looked like he was having the time of his life.

Mioda remembered her own words, "As long as you feel the love, there's no problem." Looking out at all of her friends in the audience she thought, Makoto-chan got everyone together to listen to my songs. Even if my classmates and the girls don't love my songs the way Hiyoko-chan and Makoto-chan do, they came. A soft smile made its way onto Mioda's face as she started to play like herself again.

The gathered students started cheering as Mioda started to play like herself. Naegi and Yukizome would have gladly joined them had they not been playing with her. As soon as the song ended the applause was deafening.

Enoshima was not taking this well. She was glad that the music and the audience were so loud when Mioda started to bounce back, she was sure everyone would have heard her grinding her teeth otherwise. This was the second time Naegi had brought someone back from the brink and it was getting old, the despair of failure could only satisfy her for so long after all.

When the small concert ended, Mioda askedm "When did Makoto-chan and Yukizome-sensei learn to play my songs?"

"I found the sheet music you and Black Cherry used to practice and thought that we could help you put on the show you wanted. I figured that your own music was the best way to reach you," Naegi explained. Naegi then said, "Senpai, I know what happened at the club and with your old band hurt you, but please don't give up. When I met you I realized that you, Mioda Ibuki, aren't the Ultimate Musician just because you're the greatest musician in the world, but also because you're the one who loves music the most. So, don't let anyone or anything make you forget your love of music because, and I know this may not make much sense, but music is always on your side. I am too if that helps."

"Makoto-chan," Mioda said, touched by the sweetness of Naegi's words and by how far he was willing to go for her.

While the Mioda everyone knew and loved seemed to have returned, Naegi had to make sure. "Mioda-senpai, are you feeling better? Are you still feeling the love?" Naegi asked.

Mioda just smiled and said, "Sayaka-chan could you bring Ibuki her hairpins, she's not herself without her horns." As Mioda styled her hair she thought, Ibuki is feeling the love alright. For her music and for Makoto-chan. Would even a true band mate go as far as Makoto-chan goes for Ibuki? Ibuki doesn't know the answer to that, but she finally realizes what Makoto-chan is to her. He's more than just a band mate and friend. Wait a minute…

"Ibuki is feeling the love again Makoto-chan! So much in fact that she has an idea for a new song already! She thinks she'll call it 'Cupid's Arrow is Made From the Wood of an Honest Sapling'!" Mioda exclaimed.

"I'm so glad. I can't wait to hear it," Naegi said happily. He thought it was odd that the meaning of his name was in the song title, but he didn't think much of it. Ikusaba and Maizono did catch the point Mioda was trying to get across and planned to talk to her later.


Present Day

Ibuki didn't expect Sayaka-chan and Mukuro-chan to declare themselves her rivals after they helped her so much, but Ibuki doesn't mind. Makoto-chan is worth it after all, Mioda thought happily.

I'm glad I was able to help Mioda-senpai, I hope she never has to go through something like that again. Even if she does, I'll do what I can to help her through it, Naegi thought.

Wanted to get Naegi's attention, Maizono asked, "Hey you two had a music club, whatever happened to that?"

"Oh, Mioda-senpai called it off. She's been devoting a lot of her free time to writing songs since we had that concert to cheer her up," Naegi explained, sounding disappointed. He may have had to teach himself how to play the drums, but he had a lot of fun with Mioda. Well, it's not like I don't get to see her anymore, Naegi thought, trying to look on the bright side.

"Ibuki found a great muse," Mioda added as she glanced at Naegi, something that didn't go unnoticed by Maizono.

"It must be the same as mine, because I've never written songs so quickly or performed so well before," Maizono said through gritted teeth.

"Girls," Naegi said, getting the girls' attention and unknowingly diffusing the situation, "I need to get going, I'll see you both later though."

"I'll hold you to that Naegi-kun," Maizono said.

"Ibuki will miss you when you're gone Makoto-chan," Mioda said dramatically.

"I'm not going that far, there's just something I need to take care of in the main building," Naegi assured the older girl. With that done, he resumed his walk to his original destination, but he didn't get that far before someone called out to him.

"Naegi-kun darling!" a voice filled with the utmost joy called.

"Sonia-senpai," Naegi said as he looked and saw the Ultimate Princess herself, Sonia Nevermind.


And scene, I mean chapter.

As you've all noticed the girl with the most votes was Sonia Nevermind. I personally was pulling for Akane, but the people have spoken.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know it started off a little slow and the problem Naegi helped with didn't seem to last too long. Ibuki isn't easy to write for, but that's just my opinion. Giving someone who seems so happy a problem that would make her fall for Naegi and getting everything where it needed to be this chapter gave me more trouble than I thought it would. Thankfully, our very own Putain de Plagieur was there when I needed advice.

The inspiration for Ibuki having a bad show came from Rock Bottom on Youtube posted by tomatokind (redasatomato) (I don't know who illustrated that comic) and Remnants of Hope by jheyjette. Those two give a more satisfying reason for Ibuki's fall into despair that DR3 ever did.

I honestly do believe that a combination of a bad show and her bandmates turning on her would cause Ibuki to fall into a deep depression if not despair. And I know that Makoto was out of character at times, but I don't know, I can see him going along with Ibuki, he has been translated as saying he is more gung-ho than most. Plus we all know he's the type to do anything for anyone. He'd probably humiliate himself if he thought it would cheer someone up. Hmm, I may use that.

I'd really like your feedback though. What did you think of this chapter? Do I rely on the free time events too much? Was Junko too involved in this chapter? Should I take more time on these chapters to let the characters develop more? Point about that last one, I do plan to give the girls, at least some of them, more chapters so I can develop them and the relationship/dynamic between them and Naegi and the other girls there.

As for the vote tallies: Sonia won, followed closely by the original order, so I think I will do as some of you have suggested and do Sonia, Akane, Aoi, and then Mahiru. I could even make the Mahiru chapter part of a small story arc with her, Mikan, and Hiyoko. What do you think?

Anyway, read and review and I until next time stay frosty.

Oh, two more things.

First, I actually looked up the record for leaves on a clover. 56! It was found by Obara Shigeo back in 2009 as of this post.

And second:

Trigger=Twitter

Shot=Tweet

Re-fire=Retweet

It seemed clever when I thought of it the first time.