A light tapping represented the only sound in the room, the rest shushed by the natural rules of the library. While the tapping didn't grow any louder, it did increase in tempo, as if it was performing its own percussion routine. Normally, this kind of thing would bother Mio, but today she didn't have the energy to scold Ritsu as she tap tapped away on the library desk with her pen, staring half-cocked at the open book in front of her. It was no secret that the short-haired drummer loathed studying, and moving up to university hadn't changed that; it showed in her antsy and annoyed stare, as if she was trying to will her studying materials out of existence. However, Mio chose to pay no mind to it today, instead keeping her nose buried in her own studywork. With an exam coming up, the two girls had made their way to the library to study, though not with the same intensity. Truth be told though, the raven-haired girl wasn't quite as into her work as she usually was. She soon realized that she'd read the same sentence twice in a row, and had to pull her head away to breathe. The words seemed a lot blurrier than she remembered; when had she started crying? "Mio?"

Ritsu was looking at her with concern. Slightly embarrassed, she wiped away the freshly-formed tears from her eyes. "It's nothing, Ritsu." She could already guess what her friend was going to ask, and she honestly didn't have any answer. She hadn't even noticed she was crying in the first place, and she didn't feel sad, so there were no reasons for tears to be there. "I just need a break."

"A break? You?"

"Haha, very funny." She knew Ritsu would take any excuse for a break though, and true to form she immediately stood up and headed outside, with Mio in pursuit. She would've walked right past her friend leaning against the outside wall if she hadn't of called out. Whipping around, she stood in front of Ritsu without knowing exactly what to do. She definitely needed a break, but she didn't know what to do with the time.

"You're still thinking about your phobias, aren't you?" This caught Mio by surprise, and she stared at Ritsu without giving a response. "Heh, you know, despite all the times I've seen you terrified or hiding in a corner or something, I've barely ever seen you cry. You've always been a lot better at keeping your emotions in check than the rest of us, so don't think I wouldn't notice this." She still had no response for this. After knowing Ritsu for so long, it was weird any time she decided to be so... mature. It'd be nice if she was like that more often, but she didn't think she'd ever get used to it if that was the case.

"It's just been a part of my life for so long, it seems normal," she admitted quietly, giving Ritsu a sideways glance.

"Maybe you need to talk to someone who can be a bit more serious than me; see what they have to say."

"Like who?"

"Oh, Mio-senpai! Good afternoon!"

"Ahah, hey Azusa. You don't have to keep calling me that, you know? Just 'Mio' is fine."

"Ah! Sorry Mio-sen... I mean, Mio." It had been awhile since Mio had actually spoken to the former youngest member of the Light Music Club. Sure, they had texted on occasion, but this felt like something that needed more vocalization. After she and Ritsu had finished studying, she went back to her room and made the call, but now she was hit with an awkward pause. While she was sure Azusa was aware of her fears - looking back on it, she wouldn't have been surprised if the entire school knew - she didn't know if the younger girl felt that it was that big of a problem. Well, it was time to find out.

"Azusa, the reason I called was because I wanted to ask you about something."

"Oh? About what?"

"Well..." It felt embarrassing to say now that she was finally about to say it, but it would've been a complete waste of Azusa's time if she just called and said nothing. "What do you think about me being so... well, scared of everything?"

"It's actually kind of cute." A blush crossed Mio's cheeks; that wasn't quite the answer she was expecting.

"I've started to realize that it's really unbecoming of me, and I..." And she what? Somehow the end of that sentence had not crossed her mind. Surely Azusa wouldn't be able to get rid of her fears; that was a silly thought. So what did she want? She didn't realize how long she'd let the silence drag on until the younger girl's voice sounded through the phone.

"You want to cure your fears?"

"Yeah..."

"Have you thought about seeing a therapist about it? I'm sure they'd be able to help you." Mio bristled at the thought of that kind of help. It seemed even worse to be so deep in something that she needed therapy, as if she was crazy. Well, maybe she was, but she certainly didn't want to admit that. Apparently Azusa got the hint from the continued silence. "Or maybe you could just do a mind over matter thing. If you believe you're not afraid, maybe it'll help you truly not be." It sounded better than therapy, at least.

"Yeah, I could try that. Uh, Azusa...?"

"Mhm?"

"Do you... do you think less of me because of how easily frightened I am?"

"No, of course not! You're awesome, Mio-senpai! I-I mean Mio." That got a chuckle out of her, and a small smile formed on her lips.

"You really mean that?"

"Of course!"

"Thank you, Azusa. I'm going to try what you suggested. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay; glad I could help. Bye Mio!"

"Goodbye." Mio set her phone down and leaned back in her chair, glancing up at the ceiling. 'Mind over matter, huh?' That was easy enough in theory, but how well would it work in practice? With that thought still on her mind, she stood up and walked out into the living room, where Ritsu was lounging on the couch and eating chips.

"So, how'd it go?" This was mumbled through a faceful of chips, causing Mio to roll her eyes at her friend's impoliteness.

"She suggested I try believing that I'm not afraid in order to actually not be afraid."

"I guess it couldn't hurt. You'd need to be out in a perfect situation to try it though."

"Yeah, but I don't think I want to go to the beach again." Ritsu laughed softly, setting down the bag of chips and looking over at the taller girl.

"Yeah yeah, good point. I have an idea though! There's this haunted house that's setting up just before Halloween, and it looks really awesome. You should come with me; that'll give you a great testing ground." Mio froze up and stared at Ritsu with wide eyes. Last time she'd done something like that was in high school, and it wasn't exactly by choice. It was also not exactly a time she wished to remember. Clearly Ritsu remembered it too. "Hmm, maybe you need more incentive. You could come to the haunted house with me, or perhaps I can make a call to Sawa-chan and have her make you a perfect Halloween costume." What a terrible choice!

"Alright, alright, I'll go!" This felt like blackmailing, but she knew Ritsu would probably follow through, and there was absolutely no way she would go anywhere public in something Miss Sawako made. Over her dead body! Ritsu laughed and shot Mio a thumbs up, clearly enjoying her friend's discomforting choice.

"Alright! This is going to be fun." 'Yeah right.'