Bolded words indicate that English is being spoken.
x~~*~~x
Deuxième partiè: Renshu to Ren'ai
The ojou had noticed both Sei and Sawako leave the dining table at almost the same time earlier. She wouldn't have given it another thought, thinking that all Sei wanted was to have Sawako autograph her posters when suddenly, Yumi had stood up as well, excusing herself to the restroom.
"I wonder what that could be about," thought Mugi curiously. "I don't know what Sei-san and Sawako-sensei were talking about on the beach earlier but… No use overthinking it, Mugi."
When most of the cake was already gone, Sawako and Sei returned, taking their seats without as much as a word between each other. Mugi felt as though there was something between the two that was palpable and yet at the same time it eluded her perception.
What could have happened…
Ritsu and Mio had excused themselves a short while earlier; Ritsu had spotted a netbook on the kitchen counter and when she had asked one of the maids what it was for, the maid replied, "This is the kitchen laptop, mainly used for quick and easy Googling."
Amused, Ritsu had dragged Mio, who resisted at first but like always, eventually relented to the kitchen to abuse the free internet that was afforded to them by Mugi, who was now directing her maids to clean up the dining table while handing out after-meal breathmints to everybody present.
Meanwhile, Ritsu was seated on a stool in the kitchen, feverishly tapping the laptop's touchpad while Mio stood behind her, her eyebrows raised in somewhat condescending amusement at what the drummer was looking up.
"Seriously Ritsu, you still have time to go onto 2ch?" said Mio with a smirk on her face.
"Yeah," said Ritsu, who was clicking through random threads until she chanced upon a photo thread that was most recently bumped by a user named Legendary Girl A.
"Wonder what pictures she's got this time. First, she got that busty friend of hers to dress up as Sheryl from Macross Frontier, now let's—"
Ritsu's mouth just stopped operating as though her nervous system had gone through deep paralysis. Mio's mouth formed a large "O" before the two of them looked at one another and back to the small netbook's screen in blank shock.
After a couple of minutes, Ritsu recovered and called over the maid she had talked to earlier, a blue-haired one named Ilfa who had a pair of white gadgets in the spots where her ears should be.
"Excuse me, may I take this out to the dining room?" said Ritsu in an uncharacteristically polite and demure voice, a sign that she was still in shock.
Ilfa nodded, and Ritsu and Mio robotically stood up and exited the kitchen, heading back towards the dining room. Everyone, including Yumi who had just returned, looked up when the two entered and immediately noticed that something was off about them.
"Ricchan, is everything alright?" asked Mugi with a hint of confusion in her voice. "Is she worrying about the test of courage tonight?" thought the ojou; she had assisted Ritsu in planning this out to scare Mio to attempt to change the dynamic they currently held and thus thought that the drummer was troubled about that.
Ritsu wordlessly set the netbook on the now cleared table where everyone could see the screen. Mugi and Sei gasped, then giggled at what they saw, while Sawako, who was drinking some juice, immediately spat out the mouthful she had when she saw the screen.
"Mugi, I didn't think you liked cosplaying that much," casually remarked Ritsu. "To be caught by Legendary Girl A herself on camera; you're now famous on 2ch. Everyone's asking for more pictures of the daughter of the Kotobuki patriarch cosplaying as Fate Testarossa."
Sawako was extremely intrigued by this at the very least. "Oh if only…," the redhead thought wistfully. "I didn't think she was the type to watch anime though. Then again, there's Nanako, who introduced me to my love of cosplay stemming from anime…"
She had noticed how both Mugi and Sei giggled, their eyes meeting with the former immediately averting her stare the moment she had looked. Sei definitely had something to do with this.
"Well, Sei-san here was the reason for all this," said Mugi uncertainly, unsure on what she should even be feeling right now. Should she be amused that a fun experience was had because of Sei, or should she feel confused because it involved Sei? Her thoughts were in shambles at the moment, and the keyboardist decided to take a neutral stance. "She handed me the costume and I decided to play along. If only I had a Bardiche replica…"
The blonde giggled half-heartedly, and thankfully, no one noticed that. Except for the two oldest women in the group.
"She definitely had fun on that day, and yet Sei ruined it with that kiss," thought Sawako angrily. "I'm an expert at reading people, and yet what Sei is doing is beyond my comprehension. What the hell is she up to?"
"Mugi, you've gone over to the dark side," said Mio with a look of utter seriousness on her face; all those sessions involving Sawako forcing her to cosplay had an effect on her. Of course, she eventually grew to like those sessions, but she would take the secret to her grave before should would admit it.
"Just like my feelings about this idiot," thought Mio morosely, looking at Ritsu who had gotten over the shock and was now discussing other prospects of cosplay for Mugi with Yoshino.
"…and I think she'd do a fine job dressing up as Sophitia from Soul Calibur and as Minami Haruka from Minami-ke," said Yoshino animatedly to Ritsu.
"Uh, guys," said Mio. "I think it's about time we practiced; this is still a training camp, after all. Shimako-san and everyone else—" she gestured towards Yoshino, Yumi and Sei, "—I'd be honored if you watched us practice. It's only fitting you see how good Mugi is on the keyboard."
"We've already seen that, actually," responded Yumi, taking a gulp of water. "Mugi-chan used to play piano arrangements of songs whenever we'd have tea in our room. The warmth she exudes is just wonderful, don't you agree, Yoshino-san, Shimako-san?"
The two addressed nodded, and Mio smiled.
"Well, then it's about time you guys saw us perform as a band. Yui, Azusa, let's go!"
"Osu!" said Yui and Azusa at the same time, while Ritsu called a maid over and handed the netbook to her so that it could be returned to its default spot on the kitchen counter.
"Music is not only an art to me, but right now, it's what I need to clear my thoughts," thought the blonde. "I hope no one's noticed how I'm acting towards Sei-san… well, other than Sei-san herself."
Everyone stood up, headed for the garage where all the instruments were kept. Inwardly, Mugi was feeling bad for avoiding Sei, and she decided that she needed to clear her head for this to end. She hoped that Sei would understand why she was avoiding her; after all, no matter how talented Mugi was, she was still only human.
Had she known that she was now closer to her happiness than she was before, she would've had a smile on her face when she headed for the garage in Ritsu and Mio's wake. Years later, knowing what happened between Sei and Sawako, she would look back on this day and she'd acknowledge that this was, indeed, the turning point.
x~~*~~x
"The acoustics of this garage is great," said Sawako with a tone of approval. "You did good, Mugi-chan."
She then kicked back on the couch beside Yoshino, Shimako, Sei, Ui, Satoshi, and Jun. "Excuse me, could the seven of us have some tea please?" she called to the maid named Motoka, who nodded and hurried to the kitchen to comply with her request. Everyone was still in their swimsuits; they were all dry already and none of them felt like changing just yet.
Mugi smiled and replied, "Well sensei, it's for practice after all; the setting's got to be perfect so we can practice at a performance level."
"Senpai, what song should we do first?" asked Azusa of the four girls while the Lillian contingent watched with bated breath, eager to finally experience the music that was credited to Houkago Tea Time. Sawako glanced beside her and said, "Relax guys, they're not going to be completely stellar for the first song. Of course, I could be wrong, but hey…"
"Ichigo Parfait ga Tomaranai!" exclaimed Yui, while Azusa sighed, wondering how large a percentage of Yui's brain was wired to give attention to comestibles. Motoka had returned with a large tray laden with teacups filled with oolong tea and she placed it on a small wheeled table beside the couch. Sawako took a cup and motioned for the others to do the same.
"Cagayake GIRLS!" said Ritsu, raising her drumsticks in the air with enthusiasm.
"Why don't we do the songs we've never performed live before?" suggested Mugi. "Like, the songs each of us had written for ourselves before. What do you guys think?"
The four nodded and Mio replied, "That's a good idea Mugi; we've never played these songs for anyone else other than ourselves before."
The songs were more personal to the band members and reflected facets of their personality through the powerful medium that was music. "I vote we should do the song Yui-senpai composed for Gitah," said Azusa with a grin. "Yui-senpai's into companion cubes after all."
"Haha, that's definitely perfect for a starting song; pretty fast paced too," said Ritsu, nodding with approval.
"You better write something for Azusa-chan that's like that too, Yui-chan!" exclaimed Mugi with glee, having some success at pushing thoughts involving Sei out of her mind. "I guess I do need to push the others along to distract myself. Now I know what they meant by 'nice girls finish last'."
"Gitah ni Kubittake it is," said Mio. "Ready Ritsu? Entry beats in three, two, one…"
And off they went: Ritsu delivering the opening beats flawlessly, while Yui charged on with her guitar parts. Mio's low tones stood firm amidst the drums and guitar parts, while Mugi's synthesized tones provided flavor to the song. It was a song that Yui had written a long time ago as part of the club's activity on lyrics writing that Mio had forced onto them; none of them knew that it was an excuse for Mio to write Heart Goes Boom! without embarrassing herself more than the usual. Azusa continued to support the beat as rhythm guitar while Yui went over the lead, singing along happily while she strummed.
When the song ended, the spectators burst into applause, with the loudest applause coming from the Lillian contingent.
"You guys are awesome," remarked Yoshino. "You definitely live up to the hype. Well, the hype we got from Tsumugi-san's tales, at the very least. The swimsuits make it look more awesome too."
Yui looked at Mugi happily and leapt onto her after relieving herself of Gitah. "To say such good things about us; you're the best, Mugi-chan!" exclaimed Yui as she glomped the keyboardist, who was smiling broadly. "You might as well give Azusa-chan a hug too, Yui-chan."
"No need to tell me that," said the brunette as she immediately leapt towards Azusa, who had already seen it coming and had relieved herself of Muttan in anticipation of the glomp. "Azu-nyan's so huggable~"
"Yes yes, Yui-senpai. I think we should move onto the next song," said Azusa amidst Yui's crushing hug.
"Right! Since we did the song I wrote, we should do what everyone else did! It's only fair," said Yui as she let go of Azusa and took up Gitah.
The other four nodded and Ui spoke up from the couch. "Tsumugi-senpai, if it's not too much trouble, could I have a keyboard lesson from you sometime later? Apparently, it's better for our band Okawari if I play the keyboard instead of the guitar."
"Absolutely no problem at all, Ui-chan. I'm glad to help!" said Mugi with a smile on her face.
Jun turned to Ui and said, "I know we've talked about this, but what happens to your Pacifica, Ui?"
"About that… Sawako-sensei, I think I'll just sell the guitar back to you. You did help me acquire this, so it makes sense that you should have it. How does half-price sound?"
"I'll take it; can't go wrong with a guitar that isn't even three months old for half the price," said Sawako gleefully. "But I think half-price is too low, Ui-chan. Tell you what, here's what we'll do. Give me your guitar and I'll find a nice keyboard that costs almost the same."
"That'd be even better sensei; now we can just return the keyboard you borrowed for us!" said Ui happily. "Isn't this great, Satoshi-kun?"
Ui clasped his hands in her own, forgetting that she wasn't alone with the younger Tainaka in her euphoria. Satoshi just nodded dumbly, while Ritsu coughed loudly. "Okay, that's a little too sweet for my own taste, but congrats Satoshi!"
Ui then realized where she was and she let go of Satoshi's hands, blushing profusely, metaphorically sinking into her seat on the couch while Yoshino, Jun and Sawako giggled unashamedly.
"Anyway, I think we better get back on track. Watch us guys!" exclaimed Ritsu while she glanced at Ui and Satoshi who were now consciously moving away from each other in embarrassment. "So, whose song are we doing next?"
"I think we should do yours," said Mio. Yui, Azusa and Mugi nodded. "Here we go!" said Mugi happily as she began the opening tunes to Girly Storm Shissou Stick alongside Ritsu's opening beats.
x~~*~~x
After they had rocked to Heart Goes Boom!, Jajauma Way to Go and Dear my Keys ~Kenban no Mahou~, Mugi suggested they take a break, realized that her playing was becoming a bit scattered. It was had that Houkago Tea Time was, as their name attributed partly, having tea along with Sawako, Yoshino, Yumi, Shimako, Sei, Jun, Ui and Satoshi.
"So sensei, what do you think so far?" asked Mugi of Sawako.
"Well, to be honest Mugi, you were a bit off back during the last song. You made a few mistakes here and there, with the tempo. I'd attribute it to the long layoff, nothing to worry about," said Sawako airily.
"The scary part is that I loved to play this song to calm myself back at the dorm," thought Mugi sadly. "It's no layoff; I'm definitely still distracted. I better do something about this and quick."
"Ricchan, may I speak to you alone for just a moment?" said Mugi. "Mio-chan, if I may?"
Both of them nodded, and Ritsu stood up, following Mugi to the exterior of the garage.
"Why'd Mugi ask me though?" pondered the bassist aloud as the two exited the garage.
They stood under the shade of the roofing, gazing out at the sea and the beach, bathed in sunlight. It was three in the afternoon and it afforded a good view, birds were chirping happily and the surroundings seemed more colorful than usual. Mugi gestured to the forest and said,
"Ricchan, are we all set for tonight's test of courage?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I've written down the plans," said the drummer. "It's not with me right now; it's in my luggage."
"Are they detailed?" asked Mugi, leaning against the wall and looking towards a tree whose branches were sagging heavily with fruit.
Ritsu nodded and said, "As detailed as my mind could imagine. No way could I specify distances and stuff; I don't know the layout of the land after all."
"That's no problem," said Mugi, waving a hand. "After we practice, hand the paper over to Chiharu-san and she'll handle things. I'll probably lend them a hand as well while everyone goes back to swimming later in the afternoon."
Ritsu smiled, clapping a hand on Mugi's shoulder. "Thanks a lot Mugi. You're such an awesome friend."
Mugi, overwhelmed, hugged Ritsu instinctively. "You too Ricchan, you too."
The two returned to the garage, and Azusa suggested after Yui's fourth strawberry that they resume practicing, to which everybody acceded.
"What'll we play this time?" asked Mio. "I'll have to save my request for later. It'll probably be better that way," she thought, considering how she'd make her mark in a way she wouldn't do normally.
"You pick this time, Azusa," said Ritsu, taking up her position behind the drums.
The kouhai pinched her chin with her thumb and index finger, thinking hard. "How about something from the cassette recording we made?"
"That's a good idea Azusa. You get to pick," said Mio.
"Ichigo Parfait ga Tomaranai," whispered Yui discreetly to Azusa, who glared at the brunette in mock irritation. Looking into Yui's eyes, she said clearly,
"Tokimeki Sugar."
"Aww… but caramel sauce is good too, right, Mio-chan?" said Yui, whose pout immediately evaporated upon rationalizing that caramel sauce was a vital component of various delicious pastries.
Sawako prodded Yoshino beside her and said, "This is one of Mio-chan's usual songs. She loves writing diabetes-inducing lyrics. Back in my day, this stuff would never fly with the Light Music Club."
Sei chuckled at that comment and Sawako had to smile despite the altercation the two of them had earlier.
"I guess, Yui," said Mio. "Alright Ritsu, let's go!"
Ritsu nodded and said loudly, "One, two, three, four!"
Mio's fingers immediately took off, dancing all over Elizabeth with Ritsu and Mugi entering, followed by Yui and Azusa. Mugi's playing was better, possibly aided by the fact that Tokimeki Sugar was nowhere near as keyboard heavy as Dear my Keys. Once again, like when they had done Heart Goes Boom!, the Lillian contingent all gaped at Mio's beautiful singing voice.
"Mio-san's voice sounds so sexy…," said Yumi dreamily before she could stop herself. "Don't let Sachiko hear you say that, Yumi-chan," teased Sei, who ruffled Yumi's hair.
"Mio-san is a wonderful singer indeed," said Shimako. "I wonder if she can do enka though…"
Yoshino and Sawako laughed loudly when they tried to imagine Mio doing enka. No matter how ill-suited Azusa was for enka, Mio was that triple-fold. "Tsumugi-san's got a very wonderful voice as well," commented Yoshino. "Definitely," agreed Yumi, both of whom had heard her sing alongside her playing back at the dorm.
When the song had ended, everyone applauded them as usual. Mio had taken note of the compliments for Mugi's singing and thus, she suggested that they do Honey Sweet Tea Time next. The four agreed, and Ritsu tapped the first three beats out and Yui followed with the opening guitar part.
Mugi's turn to enter came, and she played the notes, rapidly using the synthesizer when the keyboard wasn't the main instrument that carried the melody. Alongside this, she sang as well. Mio looked at Mugi every now and then while they played the song that she and Mugi had co-written, and she continued to be amazed at how quick Mugi could flip between synthesized and unsynthesized notes at the drop of a hat on top of singing.
When the song ended, Sawako commented on Mugi's performance this time around.
"You did much better, Mugi-chan. You seemed more focused unlike earlier."
Mugi sheepishly scratched her head and replied, "Singing keeps me focused more, sensei. Oh but wait, I was also the vocalist for Dear my Keys… Ehehe, my mistake. It was probably the tea break we had, in that case."
Sawako noticed how flustered Mugi was getting and she was now concerned that something else was troubling her. Her thoughts turned to her altercation with Sei earlier and she froze in horror when she realized that Mugi could've easily deduced something was up when they both left the table at nearly the same time. Neither of them had mentioned DEATH DEVIL posters, so it was completely justifiable for Mugi to feel uneasy about the whole matter.
"Fuck this," thought the blonde, berating herself for the language she used in her thoughts. "I just wish I could stop thinking about Sei and sensei for a while… Is this how young maidens really are when they're in love and things become exceedingly complicated?"
Mugi sighed internally and continued her quest, feeling guilty that she was now using the practice session as nothing more than a tool in distracting herself. "What shall we play this time, everyone?" she asked of the other four, taking great lengths to ensure her voice betrayed none of the turmoil she was feeling.
"Hmm, I think I should pick this time," said Ritsu thoughtfully. "Curry Nochi Rice, anyone?"
"Good choice, Ritsu-senpai," said Azusa.
After they had played Curry Nochi Rice, they decided to perform Ichigo Parfait ga Tomaranai to satisfy Yui who had been clamoring for the song for a while now. Then they did Pure Pure Heart, Watashi no Koi wa Hotchikiss, Fuwa Fuwa Time, No Thank You!, U&I, at which Ui animatedly told the group on the couch how Yui had composed that song for her when she was bedridden due to fever, Listen!, and Utauyo!MIRACLE.
"I think we should do one last song before we head out to the beach," said Ritsu. "We still gotta smash some melons, Mio."
Mio nodded and decided that she should do it now. "Hey guys, can I pick the last song?" the bassist said.
"Sure, Mio-chan," replied both Mugi and Yui. "Go ahead, senpai," replied Azusa, while Ritsu nodded.
"Alright… Let's do Fuyu no Hi," said Mio. "However… Yui, I want to do the vocals for this song."
Yui looked nonplussed for a moment; normally, she was the vocalist for Fuyu no Hi but then she recalled exactly what she had been singing and smiled. "Go ahead, Mio-chan."
"Thanks," said Mio as she nodded. "Ready guys?" she said, taking a deep breath.
"Okay!" said Ritsu, Mugi, Yui and Azusa at the same time.
And so they began, with Ritsu and Yui leading the way. However, unlike what they were normally accustomed to, Mio was the one singing, and the bassist decided to give her all in singing this song.
"Perhaps she'll notice it…," thought the raven-haired bassist as she began to sing.
x~~*~~x
donna ni samukutemo boku wa shiawase / No matter how cold it is, I'm happy
shiroi toiki hazumasete kaketeku kimi wo miteru to / Watching your white breath as you spring into a run
x~~*~~x
kiri soroeta kami ga totemo niatteru / Your hairstyle really suits you
demo maegami wo oroshita kimi no sugata mo mite mitai / But I want to see how you look with your bangs down
x~~*~~x
"I definitely like your hair better when it's not in a headband."
x~~*~~x
nani kara hanaseba ii no kana / I wonder what I should say
"suki" kara hajimete ii kana / Is "I like you" a good way to start?
mau yuki odotta kimochi mitai / My feelings are dancing like fluttering snow
nanka ureshii ne / But somehow I'm happy
x~~*~~x
"Even so, I'm truly happy with the way we are right now… As long as you don't leave me, Ritsu, I'll be happy. Just like the day you found me troubled over a fourth-grade essay. I wish you'd never leave."
x~~*~~x
konna ni azayaka na shiroku hikaru machi / On this vivid white, shining road
kimi to boku de arukitai te wo tsunaide nara ii no ni na? / I want to walk with you; it would be okay if we held hands?
x~~*~~x
itazura na egao ga totemo niatteru / Your mischievous smile really suits you
demo hoho wo akaku shite tereteru kimi mo mite mitai / But I also want to see your shy, blushing face
x~~*~~x
doushite kotoba ga dete konai no kana / Why is it that no words will come out?
jisho demo hiite miyou ka na / Should I look some up in a dictionary?
furu yuki tomanai kimochi mitai / My feelings, like falling snow, won't stop
chotto setsunai ne / It kind of hurts
x~~*~~x
"Despite the sadness, I am still happy with what we have."
x~~*~~x
kokoro no oku de / On the inside of my heart
ookiku iki wo shiyou / I'm taking a deep breath
x~~*~~x
mune ga itamu koto mo fueta ki ga suru kedo / Even though I feel like the aching in my heart is increasing
demo sono bun kimi no koto omotteru tte kiduita yo / I think it made me realize my feelings for you
yappari ne / Just as I thought
x~~*~~x
"I knew a long time ago yet deluded myself into thinking it wasn't so. Afraid to face the music? Perhaps."
x~~*~~x
ashita mo itsumo no basho ni iku yo / Tomorrow we'll meet at our usual place
kakete kuru kimi wo matsu yo / You'll be running and I'll wait for you
hatsuyuki matsu you na kimochi ga hora / Just like I'm waiting for the first snow of the season
motto hazunde / Run a little faster
x~~*~~x
"Now I'm running faster, embracing what I once denied. Should I tell you 'I like you'? I'm still afraid."
x~~*~~x
nani kara hanaseba ii no kana / I wonder what I should say
"suki" kara hajimete ii kana / Is "I like you" a good way to start?
mau yuki odotta kimochi mitai / My feelings are dancing like fluttering snow
nanka ureshii ne / But somehow I'm happy
x~~*~~x
As Mugi played the final note, Mio was thinking.
"I did it. I've always expressed myself through music, and I've done it in a more proactive way. This is the only way I can express how I feel for you right now."
Everyone was stunned by how good the performance was. Even the band members themselves were momentarily stymied by how good their rendition of Fuyu no Hi had been compared to any of the other songs that had preceded it.
"That, my dear kids, is fucking god-tier," said Sawako victoriously, standing up and applauding loudly. Shimako, Yoshino, Sei, Yumi, Ui, Satoshi and Jun all stood up and applauded as well.
"That was amazing, Mio-senpai," said Jun in admiration, wishing that she could be as good as the person she idolized.
"It's completely different when Mio-chan is the one singing this song," said Yui, turning to the others. "Yes, the song seems to ascended to a superior level, no offense to you Yui-chan," said Mugi, clearly seeing through everything as usual.
"I agree completely Mugi-chan; Mio-chan's better off singing this song than me," said Yui flashing Mio a "V" to signify that she had done well. "Ricchan, what do you think?"
"It was great, Mio. It was really great. R-Right, so that's enough practice for today," said Ritsu with a note of finality in her voice. "Time to have fun, then?"
Sawako nodded, and even Azusa nodded. "To the beach!" cried the drummer as Yui set Gitah aside before dragging Azusa towards the door, barely giving her time to set Muttan down, with Mugi chatting with Sawako about DEATH DEVIL posters with Sei in tow. Following them were Yumi, Jun, Ui and Satoshi. Last was Yoshino, who had a look of inquiry on her face as she looked at the drummer. Ritsu shrugged, at which Yoshino raised an eyebrow, and right then and there it was as if a subliminal message was exchanged between the two. Ritsu felt that through such a series of simple yet cryptic gestures, she had conveyed to Yoshino what she had felt.
"Yoshino, can you come with me for a moment?" asked Ritsu. "I need to hand something to one of Mugi's maids, and I'd be happy if you helped me out."
"No problem, Ritsu-san," said Yoshino.
While Ritsu had explained the plans she had for test of courage to Yoshino, she realized that she had gained another valuable ally in her pursuit of happiness. Egged on by Mio's singing earlier, she suddenly felt a confidence boost in herself for what she had planned.
"You're a lot like onee-sama," commented Yoshino as the two made their way towards the beach to join everyone else after they had modified Ritsu's plans and giving them to Chiharu.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Ritsu, curious, as she saw Mio get hit in the face with a beach ball by Yui, who laughed and mock-ran away from Mio who was chasing her in mock-rage with Azusa looking on with an exasperated look on her face.
"She's tough on the outside but loving and caring on the inside," said Yoshino. "You're like that as well, Ritsu-san."
"I guess I am," whispered Ritsu as she ran ahead of Yoshino towards the jet ski just as Sei had disembarked leaving a winded Yuuichi waiting for the next driver.
x~~*~~x
Yoshino had called Yumi and Shimako out of earshot from everyone else on the pretext that they were going to phone their parents. They headed towards the front entrance to the villa to talk in private.
"Well, I think they're all a very interesting bunch," said Yoshino. "No wonder Tsumugi-san loves and cherishes them so much."
"Agreed, Yoshino-san," said Yumi while Shimako just nodded serenely. "However, it's become painfully clear to me that they've got… complicated things going on amongst themselves, to say the least," continued Yoshino.
Once more, Yumi and Shimako nodded in agreement. "Therefore, I've taken it upon myself to help Ritsu-san out and I wish for your cooperation as well on this matter. It's definitely going to be a fun evening."
"Sure, I'll help out," said Yumi. "Me too," echoed Shimako.
"Yui-san and Azusa-san seem to be a-okay compared to Ritsu-san and Mio-san," said Shimako. "Yui-san's sister's got it good though even if she also happens to be the odd one out."
The three girls giggled until another voice joined theirs.
"Don't forget me," said Sei, peering at them from behind the screen door, which she opened, stepping out onto the porch along with the three. "As much as you don't trust me Yumi, I definitely know what I'm doing for Mugi-chan. What's the plan, Yoshino-chan?"
"We're all going to have a test of courage later; Tsumugi-san's going to announce it over dinner and I'm going to have to talk to her to let her know that we're in on the plan. I'll explain more later; for now, I think we should make the most of the beach before the sun sets, no?"
The other three nodded, and both Shimako and Yoshino returned to join the others, leaving Yumi and Sei alone together. "Sei-sama, I just really hope you truly know what you're doing…," said Yumi.
x~~*~~x
Dinner time had arrived and this time, Mugi was content in letting her maids do all the work without her overseeing things. Ritsu, Mio and Yui were able to split quite a few watermelons earlier; she had these removed completely of the seeds and served in neat slices to all the participants for dessert later
While the final preparations for dinner were being laid, Yoshino had beckoned Mugi, saying that she needed to speak with her in private. After a short while, Mugi nodded and she knew that she had more hands to work with to make Ritsu's plans end in success.
"Don't forget everyone – the changing room's that way," pointed Mugi towards the large room that contained nothing but swimsuits. "Drop your used swimsuits in the hamper; Misa-chan is going to have all of those laundered and dried so that they can still be used tomorrow."
The girls all followed, with Ui lagging at the very end just so she could give Satoshi a peck on the cheek when she thought no one was looking. When she passed Mugi, the blonde whispered into Ui's ear.
"Ehehe, good job Ui-chan."
"T-Tsumugi-senpai!" exclaimed the ponytailed brunette in surprise, nearly jumping out of her skin while Mugi just chuckled. "Yes, a job well done. Now go, everyone else's already changing."
Mugi followed Ui to the room and stuck her head in. "By the way guys, shower rooms are outside so that everyone can get showered without waiting in line."
The blonde would take her shower in her own bedroom to give herself some time to mull things over. Heading back to the porch, she saw Satoshi standing around uncertainly, unsure on where to go for changing or showering.
"Sorry Satoshi-kun, but as the only boy, you'll have to use a separate bathroom for showering and changing. I can hand your shorts over to Misa-chan later if you give them to me after you've changed. Before that though, I'd just like to ask you about Ui-chan."
"A-about Ui-chan?" echoed the boy nervously; clearly, he was embarrassed to talk about his relationship with Ui.
Mugi nodded and continued, "I'm just curious as to how it happened. Would you mind telling this onee-san how it went down?"
Satoshi nodded and he began his tale. "I guess I could say I really liked Ui-chan after she showed me how dedicated she was to music. She'd always talk about how she'd want to follow in Yui-senpai's footsteps, how she'd want to make Okawari a great band with everyone's help. And then after that… actually, she was the one who made the first move, I think… We were practicing one time when during the break period we had set aside, she pulled me aside and said that she wanted to talk to me alone. We both talked about many things, but I'd say that what we shared in common the most was our dedication to music."
Satoshi coughed and continued, holding the keyboardist spellbound by his tale. "The drum set nee-chan and I share is almost never unused; when one isn't on it, the other surely is. Ui-chan then asked me, 'Satoshi-kun, why did you help us out? Was it out of pity for Azusa-chan?' then I replied, 'Of course not; sure, there's a bit of concern but mostly it was because I saw this as an opportunity for my love of music to take a tangible form.' After that day, I guess we grew closer and closer until around two weeks ago when I finally stomached up the courage to ask her out. I was waiting for her at the gates of Sakura High School's Girl's campus when I finally asked her out in front of her home when I escorted her back. Thankfully, she said yes and well, here we are…"
Mugi nodded thoughtfully and extended her hand. "Congratulations, Satoshi-kun. I hope you and Ui-chan stay happy."
The younger Tainaka took her hand and excused himself to change and shower. Mugi directed him towards the bathroom he had used earlier that day and this finally left Mugi all alone in the dining hall.
At that moment, she realized that the test of courage was only a few hours away, staring at them in the face. She then realized that she couldn't afford to be spacing out on such an important night for Ritsu and Mio. Heading towards her bedroom's bathroom to take a hot bath and change, she began to mentally tally and check everything Ritsu had told her over the phone beginning from a few weeks ago. She would then corroborate this information with Chiharu-san after dinner, along with Yoshino, Yumi and Shimako. She considered letting Yui and Azusa in, and thought that despite Yui's clumsiness, it would be a good idea so long as the cat isn't let out of the bag.
She understood that if Mio realized that she was being set up by nearly everyone in the group, she would definitely take things the wrong way and Ritsu's plan would end in failure. She had reached her bathroom; she was now stripping down to her birthday suit while the bathtub filled up with hot water. She felt a bit guilty for delegating everyone else to showers while she had a warm tub bath, but she realized that she needed some relaxation badly, or anything, anything at all to keep her thoughts away from Sei.
While she was scrubbing her body, she had a stroke of inspiration: To keep things as innocuous as possible from Mio's point of view, she had to plant a sleeper to accompany her and Ritsu for the test of courage. The best choice would be Azusa, definitely. She could have a second group composed of Ui, Satoshi, Jun, and Sawako to further throw suspicion off as well.
All these flooded Mugi's mind and, for the first time that day, she felt a feeling of victory. "I'll definitely do my best to make this a success for Ricchan," she whispered to herself as she stepped out of the tub and wore a tank top and shorts after drying herself off.
x~~*~~x
"Alright guys, we're going to be having a test of courage tonight," said Mugi, having gathered everyone at the porch at the stroke of midnight. "Here's the necessary equipment," she said, gesturing to a table that had bottles of bug spray and multiple LED flashlights all primed for usage.
"We'll be headed over to the woods for this, so please take care not to lose your footing. All of my maids are trained in basic first-aid, but please do be careful. I don't want to have to airlift a doctor onto the premises, and that's not because of the expense I'll have to spare for that. Everyone, just keep safe, alright?"
Everyone nodded, and Mugi glanced at Yoshino, Ritsu, and then Yui, who all replied with actions of differing subtlety. "Right, so for now, we'll form groups that'll undertake the test of courage. Ricchan, Mio-chan, and Azusa-chan, you're in one group, the first. Ui-chan, Satoshi-kun, Jun-chan, you're in the second group."
The three nodded, with Ritsu and Azusa already in on the plan; Azusa had to make sure that her role as the sleeper plant was dead on for Mio not to suspect anything. Though she had been briefed by Ritsu and Mugi on what the obstacles were, she still couldn't fathom the outlandishness of some of them.
x~~*~~x
"You're saying that you've got three portable projectors all triangulated towards one point to produce a projection of the Flying Dutchman from Spongebob Squarepants?" asked Azusa incredulously during their closed doors meeting with everyone who was involved, namely Ritsu, Mugi, Yui, Shimako, Yoshino, and Yumi.
Mugi nodded and replied, "There's also a huge replica of Olmec from the western game show Legends of the Hidden Temple somewhere along the path; I didn't even know that Ricchan knew of the show and I was happy to find out about this part of her plan."
The drummer in question sheepishly laughed and said, "There's also the last bit, a corpse hanging by her neck from a tree. It'll be in the likeness of Nodoka to throw Mio off completely. Crude as it is, I think it'll be the knockout punch for the small test of courage. The three major landmarks are enough, Mugi?"
The blonde nodded and said, "Right then. Let's get this show on the road!"
x~~*~~x
While Ritsu, Mio and Azusa headed towards the track, Mugi turned to the rest and said,
"Alright, standby ready, guys, we've got some work to do."
"I think I'll pass this time, guys," said Sei, to the surprise of Yumi. "Sei-sama, are you seriously not going to do this?"
Sei nodded and replied. "Changed my mind: I wanna take the night off. Probably have a couple of drinks. You in, Catherine?" she asked Sawako who was surprised that Sei had addressed her despite the altercation that happened earlier that day.
"I guess I could join you… Might as well autograph your posters, right?" said Sawako, thinking that she could probably use this opportunity to find out more about what Sei wanted to happen for Mugi. "I will get to the bottom of this."
"Well, that's in order then. Motoka-san!" called Sei to the blonde maid who was standing by the kitchen door in the dining room. "Catherine and I are a-go, wanna join us as well? Oh right, sorry Mugi-chan, but I kinda befriended Motoka-san here and asked her to join Catherine and I for a few rounds of drinks."
Mugi sighed internally at Sei's headstrongness but realized that this was what made Sei, Sei. With a wry smile, she nodded and called to Motoka. "Motoka-san, it's alright; go ahead and have fun with Sei-san and Sawako-sensei. I'll just coordinate with Chiharu-san for the rest; she's already up in the woods fixing up the projectors anyway."
"My deepest gratitude, ojou-sama," said Motoka as she bowed, at which she beckoned to Sawako and Sei, holding up a couple of beers in her hands. When the two women followed the blonde maid to a small side room, Mugi turned back to the rest.
"Right, so we need someone to control the voice recording for the Olmec replica. Yoshino-san, would you like to do it?" asked Mugi.
"Sure Tsumugi-san, I'll do it. Shimako-san, Yumi-san, come with me if you please. You too Yui-san, if it's alright," said Yoshino, taking the remote that Mugi proffered to her.
"Sure, Yoshino-chan!" replied Yui happily.
"This remote controls the playback, so make sure that you loop the audio. Also, you guys might want these if you're going to huddle inside the large Olmec replica," said Mugi, showing multiple small Ziploc packs to them.
The Ziploc packs contained earplugs, and when Yumi raised her eyebrows inquisitively, Mugi said, "The sound system will be deafening if you're inside the replica underneath the speakers that Yuuichi-san set up a while ago. Please use these to protect your ears."
"Thank you, Mugi-chan," said Yumi, accepting the packets for the four of them. "We're off then."
"Have a safe trip," said Mugi to the quartet as they headed up towards the woods.
"I'll have some cake when we get back!" exclaimed Yui as she waved before turning to the other three as they walked towards the woods.
Smiling to herself, she went back to the kitchen and retrieved the ski mask she had been keeping. Tying her hair up into a small ponytail the way Mio did it on occasion, she slipped the ski mask over her face and illuminated her face with the flashlight.
"I've always wanted to do that," said Mugi to herself as she headed towards the woods to begin the long trek involved in overseeing the test of courage.
x~~*~~x
"The wind's pretty cool tonight, don't you think, Mio-senpai," remarked Azusa casually as they traversed through the woods through the path that Mugi had set earlier.
"Y-Yeah, I guess you could say it is pretty cool," replied Mio with a twinge of nervousness in her voice; already, she was clutching Ritsu's arm with the latter trying her hardest not to look too pleased at that fact.
Mio could feel that she was internally freezing up due to fear of the task at hand. And yet… she felt so safe as long as she was with Ritsu. I guess I can do anything as long as I'm with her. Just like my fourth grade essay so long ago…
While her body was next to Ritsu and Azusa, her mind was wandering off to a far-off place in the past.
x~~*~~x
"Hey you, you're Akiyama-san, right?" asked Ritsu of the raven-haired girl sitting on a swing in the playground, holding a piece of paper in her hands.
"Y-Yes, that's me, A-Akiyama Mio…," mumbled the girl in reply.
"What's wrong?" asked Ritsu, staring at the paper Mio was holding in her hands. "Oh right, you won the essay contest thingy, right? Heh, I wish I could write essays that won prizes. You're lucky."
"Of course I'm not lucky? What do you know anyway?" snapped Mio, as though the walls surrounding her feelings came down all at once, goaded along by the pressure she felt when she had discovered that, since her essay had won, she was supposed to read the essay aloud at the school assembly the following week as was stipulated by the notice in her hands.
"Calm down, Mio-chan," said Ritsu. "I'm not sure if you know me, but I'm Tainaka Ritsu, one of your classmates. You can call me Ricchan."
"R-Ricchan," said Mio tentatively, her anger dissolving at Ritsu's blunt introduction. "R-Ricchan," repeated the raven-haired girl, her tresses drooping across her shoulders as she continued to hold the notice in her two hands.
"Tell you what: come over to my house and we can practice. I'll be the audience, and you can keep practicing for the assembly, Mio-chan," said Ritsu gaily. "In fact, I can tie up my hair like this—"
She took an elastic out of her short pocket and tied her bangs into a small lump on the crest of her head.
"See, I look like a pineapple now? Imagine that everyone watching are pineapples," said Ritsu, extending her hand to Mio.
The shy girl looked at who would become her future best friend and took her hand, being led along by Ritsu as they headed towards her house to practice.
x~~*~~x
"Hello~ Earth to Mio-san," called Ritsu, snapping her fingers in front of Mio.
"Mio-senpai, are you alright? I hope you weren't traumatized; it's just a projection," said Azusa, gesturing towards the likeness of the Flying Dutchman from Spongebob Squarepants hovering in front of them.
"Wha…?" said Mio softly, snapping out of her reverie. Apparently, unbeknownst to Azusa and Ritsu, Mio was far too immersed in the memory of the day she had become friends with Ritsu to even parse the projection that had appeared before her. "Oh, hey, isn't that from Spongebob?"
Ritsu and Azusa simultaneously slapped their foreheads in frustration (though it was much easier for the former to do that) and they trudged towards the second location, towards the replica of Olmec from Legends of the Hidden Temple where Yui, Yumi, Yoshino and Shimako were waiting.
"Tch," clucked Chiharu as the projection did not faze Mio in the slightest. "Oh well, perhaps I should head back…"
Mio was still clinging to Ritsu, who was leading the way with Azusa in their wake. "Perhaps sometime, Yui-senpai and I…"
Azusa shook her head and decided to focus on the task at hand. It'd be better if Ritsu-senpai was successful, she reasoned. Perhaps having the band become even closer through that would make them a better band as well? She didn't know and yet she wanted it to happen so much, between her and Yui. Now was not the time, and when Azusa finally looked up, the replica of Olmec was dead ahead.
"R-Ritsu… what is that… thing, in front of us?" asked Mio shakingly, her grip on Ritsu's arm tightening to the point that it was cutting off circulation, causing the drummer to grimace in pain. "It l-looks like an ancient Mesoamerican statue."
"That's because that's what it is, Mio," said Ritsu, rubbing her arm, causing Mio to let go. "Oh my god I'm sorry Ritsu, is your arm okay?"
Suddenly, the deep voice of Dee Bradley Baker boomed from the speakers concealed within the replica of Olmec.
"I am Olmec and our host for the evening is my good friend Kiiiiiiiirrrrkkkkk Foooooogggg!... And here he is noooooooooooooooow!" came the hammy voice.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" screamed Mio, bolting away from the replica towards the right while Ritsu and Azusa scrambled to follow her, the former afraid that in her haste, Mio would injure herself. She would allow herself some small comfort in the fact that Mio was headed straight for the third and last stop during the test of courage.
"Azusa, I'll go on ahead," said Ritsu when she noticed that the kouhai was struggling to keep up with her.
"G-go ahead Ritsu-senpai," panted the twin-tailed guitarist, at which Ritsu sped off as fast as she could to get right on Mio's heels.
x~~*~~x
"…and so dat's the idea, Catherine… I'm not yet ready fer another ladyfriend," slurred Sei as Sawako handed her a tall glass of water. Motoka was snoozing on the rocking chair in the room, an empty can of Carlsberg in her hands while Sawako was seated across Sei at the table. "I ain't ovah Shiori yet, even if I did like Mugi-chan. She's better off in yer hands."
Everything had worked flawlessly for the schoolteacher; she had signed Sei's posters on the condition that they have a drinking contest first.
"You're a hundred years too early to try and outdrink me," bragged Sawako when Sei began to feel the effects of intoxication.
And so, with these things set into motion, Sawako decided to question Sei about everything, adding a bit of flavor to the interrogation by taking on her Catherine persona to further elicit responses from the woman.
"It was all fer ya ter realize that ya liked her too," said Sei groggily, downing the glass of water. "Thanks, ya kind motherfucker. Ah wish ah could be like ya, but in the end, Mugi-chan fell in love with the right person."
Wordlessly, Sei slumped onto the table, beginning to snore. Sawako stood up, downed the last of her sixth beer in the past hour, and headed to the kitchen to find anti-hangover medicine for Sei, Motoka, and herself.
As she left the room and was left all alone in the immediate vicinity, she absorbed everything that Sei had told her. A smile appeared on her bespectacled face as tears began to flow from her eyes. "She really was a kind person after all," whispered the former rocker as she unashamedly wept.
x~~*~~x
Panting, Ritsu was trying her hardest to catch up with the bassist who seemingly acquired Sonic's sneakers in her fear. "Mio, wait for me!" shouted Ritsu as she gave chase, and finally, Mio stopped, causing Ritsu to pant in exhaustion.
"Tch, damn it Mio, when did you get so fast… Mio?" said Ritsu tentatively as she looked up and saw that they had arrived at the third and final spot for the test of courage.
"Ritsu-senpai, Mio-senpai, are you alright?" asked Azusa, panting heavily when Mio wordlessly turned towards Ritsu.
"Mio…?" repeated Ritsu, looking at the mannequin in the likeness of Nodoka hanging by its neck from the tree branch, a strobe light illuminating it every few seconds highlighting the thick-framed red glasses that were askew across the mannequin's face.
The bassist's footing grew slack and she fell towards Ritsu, who was not expecting it to happen. Mio's eyes were distant and yet they were locked onto one thing as the raven-haired girl's lips found the lips of the drummer.
"Oomph!"
Azusa could only watch as Mio fell on top of Ritsu onto the soft earth that was thankfully devoid of rocks, kissing the drummer as tears rolled down her eyes. Her hands were on Ritsu's shoulders, shuddering in fear at what she had just seen, afraid and looking for the person of her best friend, whom she had always looked to during these times.
"S-senpai," whispered Azusa quietly, watching the two on the ground before her eyes. She noticed a movement to her left, and saw a girl wearing a tank top and shorts with a black ski mask on her head. "Mugi-senpai…," thought the guitarist in amusement.
Ritsu broke away from the kiss, fearful that the status quo may have been irrevocably broken by this moment they had shared. Mio let up and kneeled on the earth, averting Ritsu's gaze.
"T-that was an accident, Ricchan," whispered Mio, her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. "I was just scared, and I don't know what came over me, honestly…"
Liar.
"Say no more Mio… Stop crying now," said Ritsu, wiping the bassist's tears with her shirt. "I'm here, so no need to worry, alright?"
Bravely, the drummer pulled in Mio for a hug, and the raven-haired girl did not resist, for the only thing that was piercing her mind was one word.
Liar.
x~~*~~x
I'm leaving Mitsu's status completely ambiguous for now, just so you know.
Ah, Legends of the Hidden Temple, childhood nostalgia! :p
Translation and lyrics of Fuyu no Hi are credited to animelyrics . com
Heh, alcohol as a plot point returns!
Read and review please, and hope to see you all around next time! :)