If anyone's still reading, sorry for the long gap between updates! I was unsure on how to write this chapter out, and I guess writer's block got the better of me.
You may notice that I'm not focusing much on Mitsu as of yet; most of their development will come in future chapters.
/
Youthful Vibration
"…and this is my onee-sama, Ogasawara Sachiko-sama," finished Yumi, gesturing towards a black-haired woman wearing a coat on her right.
Sachiko's eyes widened in surprise as her eyes fell on Mugi, seated on the bed in the dorm room. She strode to the foot of the bed, looking intently at the blonde keyboardist who was seated on the bed, her mouth agape.
"Tsumugi! I had a feeling it was you," said Sachiko with a smile on her face.
"It's been almost seven years, Sachiko-neesan," replied Mugi happily, standing up and hugging Sachiko.
Yumi looked at the two of them in complete shock, as they separated from each other. Thoughts tumbled in her mind one over the other, jumbling together as though blended by a top of the line food processor used by a master chef. The feeling of surprise at her beloved Sachiko knowing Mugi from the past did not resonate kindly with the pigtailed girl, and it took all of her willpower to not let even the tiniest tinge of jealousy appear on her face. A difficult feat, since Yumi's emotions always showed up on her face in one way or another, and she spent most of her high school days being relentlessly teased by Sei and Yoshino for it.
"Onee-sama, you know Mugi-chan?" asked Yumi of her grande soeur, trying her best to keep neutrality in her tone.
"Yes. My father and her father were business associates once. Tsumugi's father stopped bringing her along to meetings with my father due to… certain reasons, if I recall correctly. "
Mugi nodded and said,
"However, my father started to bring me to a few of his meetings and cocktails a few years after that, though that was after the business partnership between our fathers had ended. It's been far too long, Sachiko-neesan. What a wonderful coincidence; we're classmates in Economics 11! I'm quite surprised I didn't notice you in the lecture hall even though it already was the fourth meeting this week."
"The same on my end, Tsumugi. I did not notice you either, and I consider it fortunate that Yumi here thought of bringing me here. Has she introduced you to her friends? I used to be their senpai at the Yamayurikai at Lillian's high school affiliate," replied Sachiko.
"Yes. Shimako-san is quite the charming person, and Yoshino-san is really energetic and funny," chuckled Mugi. "She reminded me so much of Ricchan, though no one would ever be able to replace her as the go-to boisterous person in my thoughts."
"Yumi-san is fortunate to have friends like them. I hope I can fit in well with them as well."
"Well, Yoshino-san can get a bit annoying at times," muttered Yumi under her breath.
Sachiko heard Yumi's comment and chuckled slightly, still maintaining her dignified posture. Taking her coat off, she sat on Yumi's bed, directly across Mugi who had a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Be glad she's such a good friend, Yumi. Besides, she's like that to everyone. Try to think how Rei feels."
Yumi inwardly groaned at that, thinking how incredible Hasekura Rei must be to put up with Yoshino, who not only was her petite soeur, but her first cousin as well.
"So Tsumugi, what have you been up to since middle school?" asked Sachiko, gesturing for Yumi to sit on the bed beside her.
"The last year of middle school was unbelievably boring, but high school was the time of my life," said Mugi happily. "I met my four best friends there, and we revived the school's Light Music Club. I'm their keyboardist."
"That's surprising. I thought you'd stick to classical music, Tsumugi," said Sachiko thoughtfully.
"I regret nothing. Being in a band… it was a wonderful experience, and it made high school the happiest years I've ever had. Having tea, eating cake, and writing songs were so much fun," said Mugi fervently. "I also fell in love… That one definitely takes the cake. Had I not agreed to Ricchan and Mio-chan, the club would never have taken off, and I would never have met sensei…"
"I guess that's good then," said Sachiko. "Having a fun high school life… I can agree with that, right Yumi?"
"M-Me?" replied Yumi in surprise at being addressed.
Sachiko smiled, her posture and facial features softening when she turned to Yumi. "Of course, Yumi. You're my little sister…"
"…and girlfriend," thought Sachiko but didn't say. "Thanks to this person here, Tsumugi, I've loosened up a lot since those days. I haven't been called uptight by the servants at home in three years."
"Don't call me 'this person', onee-sama! Mugi-chan, have you and your friends ever held a concert or anything like that?" asked Yumi in curiosity, thinking that it'd be cool if her current roommate had had successful performances.
"Well, I don't know if it counts but we participated in a Live House competition around a year and a half ago. It was a lot of fun, even if we didn't win," replied Mugi, a tinge of reminiscence in her voice.
Mugi's thoughts turned inward to that winter last year, where they participated in that competition and they had all been inspired by other bands to do their best. Their conquest for Budokan was only beginning, a journey that Houkago Tea Time would undertake at their own pace, on their own terms.
She was somewhat unsure though, since the band was currently split into three, with herself at Lillian University, Mio, Ritsu, and Yui together, while Azusa remained in Sakura High School with both Ui and Jun. She remembered the promise they all made that day so long ago, that they'd play at Budokan someday. Composing herself, she told Sachiko and Yumi.
"Our band's dream… is to play at Budokan someday," she said quietly. "But right now, we're all apart from each other. I don't know how those older onee-sans do it. How can they find time to practice when they'd probably be going to different universities from one another?"
"Don't worry about it for now, Mugi-chan. The mere fact that you're in a band is amazing to me. Keep going forward, and success will be within your grasp eventually. Take things at your own pace, so to speak. Forgive me for my presumptuousness, but I think that it matters not when, but how and with whom. You'll get there eventually," said Yumi kindly.
Sachiko looked at her petite soeur, her mouth agape in shock.
"Excuse me, Rosa Chinensis, how did you get so sage-like in a year away from me?" she asked Yumi teasingly.
Yumi blushed in embarrassment and replied,
"Well onee-sama, you know how… p-popular I was. I had to uphold the reliable image you projected, you know."
Oh indeed, Yumi had been popular with the women of Lillian Girls' Academy. The annual Valentine's Day Yamayurikai Rose card hunt two years had had hordes of smitten girls scrambling across the campus to find the red card that corresponded to the Rosa Chinensis en bouton. When found, the finder was allotted a date with Yumi as a reward. Two years ago, when she was still a bouton, she had deftly hidden the red card under herself while she was seated, having tea with the current crop of petite soeur prospects. It was the current Rosa Chinensis, Matsudaira Touko, who had found the card, beating Sachiko to it by mere seconds.
"You're a pretty charismatic person, Yumi-san. I'm not really surprised," replied Mugi. "Sometimes I wish I could get the spotlight every now and then. When we had our concerts at the school's founders' festival, it was our two vocalists, Mio-chan and Yui-chan who got most of the attention. Of course we all shared the spotlight, but then Mio-chan has this fanclub at our high school that was formed way back when we were freshmen."
Chuckling, Mugi recounted to Yumi and Sachiko how Mio had tripped over a microphone wire that fateful day, thus sealing her fate with the formation of the Akiyama Mio fanclub. Yumi laughed out loud while Sachiko had a thoughtful look on her face, imagining what it would have been like if Yumi had tripped over in a manner that would expose her underwear to the Yamayuri—
"Onee-sama, why are you blushing? Are you not feeling well?" inquired Yumi, poking Sachiko in her left cheek.
Sachiko, who had zoned out on thoughts involving Yumi tripping, Hosokawa Kanako, and some string, abruptly returned to reality when poked, covering up her blush with a cough.
"Oh, it's no big deal, Yumi. So, Tsumugi, what would you like to do this fine afternoon? Classes are all over and the weekend begins now. Would you like to join Yumi and I for a cup of tea?" asked Sachiko, changing the subject deftly.
Mugi shook her head and replied,
"I've actually made plans to meet up with my bandmates this afternoon, near our neighborhood. I'll have to take the train if I want to get there in an hour; I don't want to trouble my chauffeur so much."
More like I really don't want to abuse and flaunt my wealth.
"I see, then. In that case, I shall be seeing you around Tsumugi. Come, Yumi," said Sachiko. "Would you like some ice cream or tea today?"
"Whatever works for you, onee-sama," said Yumi, as she and Sachiko stood up, the latter putting her coat back on. "That being said, Mugi-chan, please lock up after you leave, alright? If it's not too much trouble though, I'd like to listen to you play something soon!"
The pigtailed brunette gestured at Mugi's Korg, which was carefully placed in its leather carrying case, leaning against Mugi's closet.
"Sure, Yumi-san, I can do that sometime," replied Mugi, happy that someone here in this far off university wanted to listen to her play her tunes.
"Oh by the way, Tsumugi," interjected Sachiko as she stood in the open doorway. "Whenever you have trouble, come to me. My arms are open if you need any assistance. I know a few people in the school's administration, just so you know."
Mugi nodded as Sachiko smiled, turning around and then leaving, with Yumi following in her wake.
The blonde opened her closet and took out a wide-brimmed hat, noting that the afternoon sun was intensifying as it was nearing two-thirty in the afternoon. Taking her keys and bag, she locked up the room and left, idly wondering what on earth had possessed Sachiko to wear a coat in this kind of weather.
/
"Mio, Mugi said that she'd be here in twenty minutes," said Ritsu, holding up her phone and showing the newly-received message to Mio, who was seated beside Ritsu and Yui in a McDonald's chain near Sakura High School.
It was a quarter past three in the afternoon, and the unusually pervasive heat outside had the three thankful that they were in an air-conditioned fast-food restaurant. Mio and Ritsu had come from their last class, Philosophy, while Yui had come from her first year culinary arts class, which was basic appreciation and understanding of major world cuisines. Their university was much closer to Sakura High School than Lillian, so they'd decided to take their time, telling Mugi to text them when she was half an hour away by her estimate.
Mio was perusing a printout on Immanuel Kant while Ritsu was watching Yui play Tekken 6 on her newly acquired PSP, a gift from her parents for graduating. Though Ui was understandably apprehensive of giving her older sister such a gadget, in the end, she decided to put her faith in her older sister, since the training that she herself had asked for was a sign that she was willing to mature and think of important things other than food and Gitah.
Yui herself knew that she had to grow up at some point. The accident Azusa had a few weeks ago was the major eye-opener that had convinced her that she had to change her ways. After all, Charles Darwin said that only the fittest survive. Thus, it was logical that she became fit, so as not to be drowned and defeated by the grueling tasks involved in housekeeping.
"Say Ritsu, how's Satoshi been lately? Has he gotten any better at the drums?" asked Mio absentmindedly, turning a page.
"Oh yeah, he certainly has, since I'm the one teaching him," replied Ritsu smugly. "You know how that goes, Mio. Hell, he even mastered half of Utauyo! Miracle's drumming in just two days."
"You're giving yourself too much credit, idiot," said Mio, gently patting Ritsu on the head with her printout. "Haven't you considered that the guy might even be better than you are on the drums? I mean, his learning curve is definitely gentler than yours. He hasn't had any major difficulties in learning, so far, right?"
Ritsu nodded glumly and said,
"Well, we're both good drummers, and that's what matters."
"That's the spirit, Ritsu," said Mio with a smile on her face.
All she could do right now was to keep Ritsu happy, and encouraging her talents was just one of the many, many things she could do to accomplish that objective. While Ritsu continued to watch Yui play, she remembered their graduation party, and the act she had committed that night. To her, it felt like she was sealing a contract with herself and with Ritsu. A contract she vowed she'd keep… until the target decided to sever it.
Would she even accept me as a romantic partner? The alcohol spurred me on, and she was probably drunk as well, which is why she isn't avoiding me or anything like that.
The raven-haired bassist inwardly sighed, unsure on how to drop the bomb that she was also into girls and that she romantically lusted after her best friend.
Not just romantically, no.
She was a healthy girl after all, and her parents, the Akiyamas, hadn't held back on the typical rigors of basic sex education. It was that time after all; their daughter was headed towards university, so the most they could tell her was "please don't get pregnant on us" and "make sure he has a condom if you really decide you want it".
Unbeknownst to her, Ritsu was also partially of the same persuasion, and the fact that these two couldn't decide on how to tell their best friend about it would be a source of uncertainty between the two of them for quite some time.
"Guess what Ricchan," said Yui enthusiastically as she landed a Dragon Uppercut on Ganryu using Heihachi. "I looked up some nice recipes in some of my textbooks a few days ago and I learned how to make spaghetti al pesto. It's actually pretty easy."
"Seriously Yui, how much better did you get thanks to that one-week of in-depth training you had with Ui?" asked Ritsu in a half-skeptical, half-amused tone.
"Well, when I was making the pesto sauce, the only mistake I made was to add too many Spanish capers," replied Yui nonchalantly, setting her PSP aside and placing it gently on the tabletop beside the iron number where their receipt was taped to, a sign that their order hadn't arrived yet.
While Ritsu stared dumbly at Yui, Mio decided to ask Yui if Azusa had been coming over to her apartment room. Anyone with half a mind would've noticed how much closer those two had become ever since the accident. Once, it used to be Yui hugging Azusa while the latter struggled momentarily, before giving up in exasperation. Since that time however, she had noticed something subtly different about the dynamic the two held. She couldn't quite pin it down; though she was positive that they weren't dating or anything, she knew something had just… clicked into place.
Yui replied in a flat tone,
"Azu-nyan's been really busy lately with trying to recruit a member to the club. She's told me that she's being bullied by some students in her year. They'd leave her harassment messages in her shoe locker, and they'd keep saying that she just leeched off our talent."
Yui wrinkled her nose scornfully as a clerk approached the trio with a tray in his hands, setting down on the table the tray that held their orders: a Double Cheeseburger for Yui with cola and fries, fried chicken and rice for Ritsu, and salad with a side of fries for Mio and Mugi. Yui stowed her PSP safely in her backpack to clear the table of clutter.
"Those idiots don't even know what they're talking about. I will freely admit to anyone who asks that Azu-nyan is a much more skilled guitarist than I am," said Yui with a note of displeasure in her voice.
Ritsu glanced at Yui as she sliced her chicken; inwardly amused at the fact that three years ago, Yui would have denied such a fact to the bone, even if it killed her.
"Even folks who appear immature do have some latent maturity in them, huh…," thought the drummer.
Such thoughts bade well for her, since on the exterior, she was such an irresponsible tomboy, but that night… she had honestly felt the strength of Atlas himself in her fervor to reciprocate Mio's promise.
She hadn't forgotten the kiss either; anyone with a sane mind wouldn't have. She didn't want to get her hopes up though; after all, it could've been spurred on by the fear of university and alcohol combined in one fell swoop.
"Azu-nyan even called me up that night, crying. It was Tuesday, and the entire situation just ruined my nice mood since the only full class we had that day was our Algebra class with Satsuki-sensei. She told me how she felt like everyone was out to get her. Some of the perpetrators were even members of your fan club, Mio-chan," said Yui disgustedly. "I promise; that was the first time in my life I wanted to hit somebody with Gitah, and you know that I don't want to do that using Gitah."
The brunette's hands were shaking in contempt, as she bit a large chunk of cheeseburger, downing it with a gulp of cola.
"I just hope she can hang in there…," said Yui worriedly, calming down after that huge chunk of meat had been swallowed. "It's just so… frustrating that I can't do anything for Azu-nyan."
Mio and Ritsu both nodded sagely as the former packed her printout away, motioning for Ritsu to pass her a fork so she could begin consuming her salad.
"They need a drummer, right?" asked Mio as she poured Thousand-Island dressing all over her greens.
Ritsu nodded and said,
"If only Satoshi was a girl and went to Sakura High, this wouldn't be a problem."
Mio and Yui laughed at that remark, with the former saying that he'd lose some of his charm points if he was a girl instead of a guy.
"Hello everyone!" came a voice that could only belong to a certain keyboardist, though it seemed to be tinged with something that Mio couldn't place.
/
Mugi had entered the restaurant at exactly three thirty-five in the afternoon when her eyes immediately located her three friends: Mio, wearing jeans and a white shirt, Yui, wearing a lime-green t-shirt and shorts, and Ritsu, wearing jeans and a… blouse?
Her surprise at Ritsu's attire was washed away by the laughter that the three exhibited simultaneously. A wave of melancholy momentarily washed over her, seeing her friends so happy despite her absence.
Well, I'm glad to see them happy, and yet… Why do I feel a bit saddened by the fact that they can be that happy without me being there? It's like I'm just a side-character, even though that's not how they feel.
The ojou shoved those intrusive thoughts out of her head when she called out to them in a happy tone, though the undercurrent of sadness could still be felt in her greeting.
"Sup, Mugi?" said Ritsu, saluting her with a chicken drumstick in her right hand.
"Hi Mugi," said Mio warmly, a genuine smile across her face.
"Mugi-chan! How I've missed you!" wailed Yui, who immediately hugged Mugi's arm the moment she came within reaching distance of the brunette.
"Looks like there's nothing to worry about in that department, " thought the keyboardist happily. "Though I'm seriously beginning to wonder if I can last in Lillian University away from them. Despite the wonderful people I've found in Yumi-san and her friends, as well as Sachiko-neesan, Houkago Tea Time will always be special."
"Mugi… Mugi!" half-shouted Ritsu, which shook Mugi out of her daze. "Is the weather getting to you? It's freakin' hot today! Good idea wearing that hat."
"Sit over here Mugi-chan," said Yui, patting the seat beside her. "I also ordered your salad, like you told Ricchan over the phone."
"Thanks, Yui-chan," she nodded, feeling very relieved that she was able to feel so at home again among the three girls. "Ricchan, what's with the blouse, by the way?"
The drummer nearly spat out her spoonful of chicken when Mio replied in her stead.
"Beats me; she just showed up today wearing that. Some bastards in our Philosophy class said she'd look better in a dress to compensate for being such an 'annoying toerag'."
Mio gestured in the air with her fingers indicating air quotes, a note of contempt in her voice. "Really Ritsu, you should know better than to listen to stuck up university senpai."
"I don't know Mio, I just mindlessly got the first blouse I could lay my hands on in my closet," said Ritsu absently.
"Lies; I bet you had to search your closet for a blouse to begin with," retorted Mio half-heartedly.
She could relate to what Yui was talking about earlier when she said that she wanted to hit the people bullying Azusa with Gitah. Those stuck up senpai were noisy themselves and when they were caught by the professor, they laid the blame on Ritsu, who just happened to be facing Yui.
She decided to cool her head; her promise to Ritsu wasn't worth making a scene in class for something she assumed her best friend would just brush aside.
She was proven wrong though, as evidenced by the fact that Ritsu was indeed, wearing a blouse today.
"Mugi-chan, we have a problem. Azu-nyan's being bullied," said Yui, who had just finished eating her cheeseburger. "Thanks for the meal."
She put her hand together in thanks to the gods, and she turned to Mugi, a look of unusual seriousness and ferocity on the brunette's face.
"She's being bullied because people think that she's just been leeching off of us, and as a result she can't find anyone to fill in the final spot for the club to be officially recognized once more."
Mugi gasped in shock,
"How could they? I'm sure they all saw how good Azusa-chan was at each of our concerts."
Ritsu shook her head balefully and said,
"Some of the people are apparently, Mio-fanatics. Rabid members of her fan club. They've even gone so low as to insult her height."
Yui hissed angrily and Mio nodded in agreement.
"This has gotten out of hand; mostly it's the recruitment process I believe where she'll have to endure this," said Mio thoughtfully. "Once she gets a fourth member, the hate will dilute into dislike and eventually indifference and apathy. Then, they'll all be won over once again when they hold concerts at the founders' festival."
Wracking her brains, Mugi wondered if Sawako and/or Nodoka could pull strings to let the club live on with only three members.
"Mio-chan, when is the deadline for recruitment anyway?" asked Mugi, an idea forming in her mind.
"It's actually today at five in the afternoon. Basically, she has an hour and fifteen minutes, more or less to find one more member," said Mio flatly, spearing the last bit of lettuce with her fork and eating it.
"Ricchan… How realistic would it be for Satoshi-kun to join the club?" asked Mugi.
"…can we even do that?" asked Ritsu skeptically. "I mean, he is in another school in all, not to mention that Sakura is an exclusive girls high school. I really, really doubt it, if we're going by policy and such. Ability-wise, he's more than ready for the task."
"I guess it can't hurt to try," said Mugi determinedly. "I'll call sensei up. Yui-chan, try to get ahold of Nodoka, see if she can pull some strings. I'll step outside for this call."
Yui nodded and took her phone out of her pocket, punching in Nodoka's number as Mugi rose and departed from the table, deciding to talk to Sawako in a more private location.
/
"Hello, sensei?" came Mugi's voice as Sawako answered her cellular phone.
"Oh hi Mugi-chan, what's up?" asked Sawako in a slightly weary voice.
She was the only person in the faculty room at this point in time, the rest having gone out for an afternoon snack or having gone home already.
"Has Azusa-chan found a member yet?"
Sawako sighed audibly, she had offered to report to the disciplinary office the situation regarding Azusa being bullied, but the twintailed guitarist had outright refused, saying that such an action would surely put an end to all their efforts to recruit a new member for the club. She had felt the desperation in Azusa's voice when she had spoken to her half an hour ago out of concern, and she was sincerely beginning to think that this entire process was plainly unhealthy for her, as well as Ui and Jun, who were also trying their best to get one more member for the club.
"No, not yet," said Sawako tiredly into her cellular phone. "She's been at it the entire week, and after those idiots left her those messages, she carried on, not willing to be discouraged. However, I can see that it's already grating on her and that this isn't good if it carries on. I think she may feel obligated to you four at this point to keep the club running; and I think that time you guys visited me when I was sick drove the point even further home, since Norimi and the rest of DEATH DEVIL showed up that day."
"When push comes to shove sensei, the four of us think that it's okay for Azusa-chan to just drop it, if she'll endanger herself and cause herself unhappiness," said Mugi fervently.
Sawako smiled; the solidarity Houkago Tea Time had was to be envied, doubtless. She felt pained that despite all the support and concern, Azusa still couldn't catch a break. Why some of the girls in her year decided to turn on her was a mystery to her, but she suspected it involved Mio's fan club.
Man, that club has people so obsessed with Mio-chan that they even rival otaku…
"In any case, sensei, we have an idea, but we may need to pull some strings for this to work. Our idea is to have Ricchan's brother, Satoshi-kun, be the fourth member of the club. We just need to get approval from the school administration, and we need some help from your end."
Sawako pondered the thought: a boy visiting a girl's high school for a band. Back in the day, it would've flown, no problem, but these days, she had a bad feeling that it wouldn't be approved.
"I'll go talk to the principal now and I'll try to discreetly bring up the matter of bullying; see if it can sway him to our cause," replied Sawako. "In the meantime, sit tight there; I'll call you back if anything happens."
"Sawa-chan… One last thing… When can I see you again?" came Mugi's voice softly, as though she were whispering into a sleeping baby's ears.
Sawako perked up at Mugi's words and remained silent for a heartbeat, before replying.
"After this recruitment business is settled, one way or another… I'll let you know when I'm free after class. But not on days where your first class is early, alright? I know how long the commute is, whether by train or whether a chauffeur drives you."
"Thank you, sensei. Good bye."
Mugi hung up and Sawako proceeded to the administrative office, hoping that the principal would consent to Tainaka Satoshi's entrance to the school grounds after hours to participate in club activities.
/
Six in the evening, at Sakura High School: Nakano Azusa stood solitarily in front of the gates, dejection evident on her face. Two hours ago, Sawako had texted her about the plan that the four senpai had come up with; to get Tainaka Satoshi permission to enter the school after hours so that he could be the club's fourth member.
Permission to enter was indeed, granted. However, the principal told Sawako that for a club to be official, the club must have at least four members from Sakura High School. Satoshi obviously didn't fall into that category, and no matter how Sawako tried to… grease things, the plan just didn't follow through. Sure, Satoshi could enter the campus, but the Light Music Club would just be demoted into an unofficial organization in any case. Funding, lodging, the works, all rendered null.
The most Sawako could do was to offer to take Ton-chan home and take care of it. She didn't even say anything about the Pacifica that she had bought for Ui. Azusa remembered numbly nodding, before feeling Sawako's hand pat her gently on the head.
"You tried your best, Azusa. You endured everything those people threw at you, and you did your best. No need to be so hard on yourself, okay? I'm sure Yui-chan and the others feel the same way," Sawako had said.
Despair seemingly etched into her very being, she began to wander aimlessly away from the school before reorienting herself to a destination she realized she wanted to go to badly.
Yui's apartment. She was glad that she asked Ui for Yui's address, and she noted that it wasn't so far. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough money for a cab to take her there, so she trudged on foot towards her destination, failure and sadness enveloping her being.
After ten minutes of gloomy, solitary walking, rain began to fall. It wasn't so strong, but it wasn't too weak either. Azusa was far too immersed in her own thoughts to take her umbrella out, so when she reached the block where Yui's apartment was located twenty minutes later, she was drenched from head to toe. Yui was lodged in room 206, so she had to ascend the wooden staircase on the exterior to reach Yui's room on the second floor.
Knocking gently on the door, she heard a voice call out in reply,
"Who is it?"
She breathed in heavily and shivered due to the wetness enveloping her entire body.
"It's me, Yui-senpai."
The door then abruptly opened and there stood Yui in her lime-green t-shirt.
"Hello Azu-nyan!" she said cheerfully, until she noticed that Azusa was completely and utterly wet. "What happened to you? Don't you have an umbrella with you? Come in, before you catch a cold."
Azusa followed her senpai's wake, cursing the combination of humidity and being drenched in rainwater. What kind of weird weather were they having anyway? First, it was so hot and then it suddenly rains after the sun sets.
"Here's a towel; now go take that uniform off and dry yourself," commanded Yui, tossing a towel decorated with repeated patterns of green, pink, and blue dango. [1]
"But senpai, right in front of you…," trailed Azusa into silence.
"What are you talking about?" asked Yui, eyebrow raised. "The bathroom's that door over there."
She gestured to a door on the far side of the room, across the unkempt and messy bed. Azusa blushed furiously, realizing her words. Leaving her schoolbag at the door, she went to the bathroom. Entering it, she shut herself inside, looking at herself in the mirror as she stripped herself of her school uniform, socks, and outdoor shoes.
Wow Nakano, you look like an utter mess. How can you show yourself to Yui-senpai in this state?
"Azu-nyan, I'll be leaving some clothes on the mat outside the door, okay?" came Yui's voice from the other side of the door.
"Okay, senpai," she replied, toweling herself dry and washing her face, removing the ties that kept her hair in pigtails. She took a good look at Yui's bathroom and saw that it was a simple setup. There was no bathtub, only a small shower area roughly 1 square meter in area with a plexiglass sliding door separating the shower area from the rest of the bathroom, which included the toilet bowl, and the sink where Azusa washed her face. The mirror she was looking at was part of a medicine cabinet, which, upon her perusal, contained a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a box of floss.
She seems to be doing fine here on her own. That's one less thing for me to worry about.
Azusa was thankful that her underwear didn't get wet; apparently, her school uniform had absorbed the worst of the rain. Quickly opening the door and retrieving the clothing, she put on jogging pants and a white shirt with a picture of Takamachi Nanoha, circa Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS on the front, her pose replete in authority as she pointed Raising Heart at you in a threatening manner while her face was grimaced in determination.
"I had that kind of determination as well… And yet I failed," muttered the kouhai softly.
She opened the door and there was Yui, busy boiling something over at the stove in the corner nearest the door.
"Dinner will be ready in a bit Azu-nyan; come eat with me, okay?" said Yui as she stirred the linguini noodles, making sure that none of it would clump together.
Azusa nodded silently and sat at the traditional Japanese table in the very middle of the room, taking this opportunity to further survey Yui's living conditions. Upon entering the apartment room, there was a wall that blocked your view of everything, like an entrance alcove of sorts. Stepping into the room, on the immediate right was the kitchenette, where Yui was now draining the linguini of water, a small plastic can containing spaghetti al pesto sauce on her side. She reached into the cabinet on top and pulled out two dinner plates where she transferred the noodles in equality, dumping about four large tablespoonfuls of pesto sauce on the noodles in total.
As her senpai began to mix the noodles, Azusa's eyes wandered further. As she was seated across Yui, directly behind her was a study desk, which had a few books on cooking and a desk lamp on it. Beside it was the refrigerator, and beside that was the television, which was directly in front of the bed. Leaning against the wall near the bathroom door was an ironing board and an unplugged flat iron.
Just… what kind of magic did Ui work on her for her to become this domestically reliable?
"Here we are, Azu-nyan!" said Yui happily as she placed the two plates on the low table, along with a towel and utensils. "I'm out of tissue paper, so let's just share this towel, okay? Itadakimasu!"
"Itadakimasu," echoed the kouhai as she twirled the linguini and ate some. "Senpai, this is seriously good stuff. How did you come across this recipe?"
"I saw it on TV once, and I looked it up in my textbook," said Yui, pointing at the textbook labeled "Italian Cuisine: an Introduction". "Thank goodness that these books are localized versions, Azu-nyan. I'd probably get really dizzy if these books were in English!"
Yui laughed out loud and Azusa chuckled, upon which Yui smiled hugely. "Ah, I see where she's going. She's trying to make me forget about my failure," thought the kouhai.
The two carried on eating in silence, appreciating the taste of the pasta. After fifteen minutes, both of them were finished, and Azusa offered to do the dishes, an offer Yui refused point-blank.
"You're my guest tonight, and it'd be rude if I let my Azu-nyan do the dishes," said Yui as she washed. "Dango, dango, dango, dango, dango, daikazoku~"
"We're like a family, Azu-nyan. Even if you aren't able to accomplish something like recruiting one more member, I won't be disappointed in you for something like that," said Yui slowly, as she dried the plate that Azusa had used.
"But senpai… I promised all of you… when we visited Sawako-sensei when she was sick, that the Light Music Club would live on," said Azusa sadly, tears threatening to break the dikes she had imposed on herself.
"It can't be helped, Azu-nyan," said Yui as she sat down beside Azusa at the table. "It can't be helped that some of Mio-chan's rabid fan girls are jerks. I bet everyone who kept telling you that you were no good could only dream to approach your guitar skills."
"But senpai—" began Azusa before she was silenced by Yui's finger, resting gently on her lips
"Azu-nyan… If you want to let it all out, don't hold back. I'm here for you. Your Yui-senpai is here. I always will be. I promised, remember?" said Yui softly, embracing the kouhai, nuzzling her neck gently.
Nakano Azusa wailed and let go a cry of anguish, letting forth her feelings of failure and despair out into Yui, who just cuddled her like a mother would her baby.
"Shh, it's okay, Azu-nyan. There there…"
Fifteen minutes later, Azusa was rubbing her eyes with the hand towel that Yui handed her, feeling embarrassed about the whole ordeal.
"Don't worry Azu-nyan, Mio-chan, Ricchan and Mugi-chan will never find out about this. It's our secret, okay?"
Azusa nodded silently, as she looked at the pink clock on Yui's bedside table. Eight in the evening.
"Oh crap, my parents are so going to kill me!" exclaimed Azusa. "It's already this late!"
"Well Azu-nyan, you better get going," said Yui, handing Azusa her schoolbag. "I'll call ahead and let them know you stopped by and ate dinner here."
She gestured to the refrigerator, where a note in green stationery had her name and home phone number on it.
"Yui-senpai, thanks for being here for me tonight," said Azusa with a smile on her face. "I'll talk to Ui and Jun and see if we can find a place outside school where we can practice."
"You do that, Azu-nyan," said Yui, a warm smile on her face. "Remember, my door is always open to you."
"Good night senpai!" said Azusa. "You really feel more like a senpai to me now."
"Haha, that's good to hear, Azu-nyan! To seal the deal, here's another secret I want to keep between you and me," said Yui, who Azusa noticed was hiding something behind her back.
Without warning, she leaned towards Azusa and kissed her on the cheek, stuffing a light package into Azusa's hands.
"Good night, Azu-nyan!" said Yui happily, a trace of a blush on her face as she pushed Azusa away, shutting the door instantly.
Azusa remained rooted to the spot, her right hand going to the spot on her left cheek that Yui kissed so quickly and gently.
Did senpai really just…
After a minute of standing there, frozen, she remembered that she was running late and that she might get an earful from her parents for being out this late. Hastily making her way down the stairs, she noticed a small brown envelope in her left hand.
"What did Yui-senpai give me…," muttered Azusa thoughtfully as she opened the envelope.
Inside it was a small iron key.
/
[1] – The Dango Daikazoku from Clannad, representing Tomoya, Nagisa, and Ushio.
I think I'd rather not give hints as to what will happen next time, to allow myself more flexibility in planning.
I feel satisfied with the thematic use of family in this context. Hope you all liked this. Read and review please! :)