A/N: Yes, it's still short. :\ I guess my chapters and chapters of the manga have this in common. Yay?

This alone took me forever to edit anyway, if you can believe that. Blame my lack of command over ellipsis and syntax, coupled with my OCD perfectionist approach. XD

... I suck, don't I? D:

Throughout the short while their president had been absent, all but one of the members of the Light Music Club had begun to discuss her; the possibility of a new development in her social life had become a topic of infectious interest. A great majority of their comments offered praise for Ritsu, expressing how enjoyable it was to be together with her, and so forth. The odd one out this time was Akiyama Mio.

As a diligent student, Mio had more pressing matters to attend to, such as shooting down each and every theory her friends could produce involving the drummer in question and her potential love life, simultaneously trying her damndest to concentrate on her studies.

Unfortunately, the frustrating difficulty of this task was revealed to Mio all too soon.

Little by little, her state of mind was enshrouded in haze; amongst prying glances from Tsumugi, and the obtruding backdrop of positive remarks about Ritsu among the band, her eyes couldn't hope to focus on the image of the pages in front of her. A mixture of confounding emotions intoned within the darkness that clouded her thoughts; her vision suffered a similar affliction of obscurity, blurring her sight to complement her mind.

In the end, amidst the mystification ravaging her psyche, Mio set her pencil down beside her notes, having given up on studying for now. Her thoughts were far too mired in Ritsu.

In an attempt to ease her mind, Mio took a moment to consider her friends' thoughts about the drummer, as well as her own. She realized this was counterproductive, negating her withdrawal from the gossip and her initial denial of her friends' theories. She forced herself to ignore the irritation.

"Though she's loud... and annoying at times... I guess I do always end up feeling happy when I'm with her..."

Mio's lips slowly curved into an earnest smile. She knew her friends were right about Ritsu being a good catch.

It was then that her curiosity began leaning less toward whether or not the drummer was involved with someone, and more toward why she wasn't.

"Could she really- ...? !" A feeling of poignant disbelief came over her.

Mio was suddenly desperate for a change of topic.

"N... No, no! Two people start dating after they both come of age, right?" The bassist stated abruptly, as if to erase the uncertainty looming behind the answers to questions she never wanted to ask. She had returned to the conversation to put an end to it, but ultimately, she received only a comment from Azusa suggesting her views were too archaic. Coming from her junior, it made sense.

"Maybe Azusa's right...," Mio mused as she folded her arms. "Girls my age... or even younger than me have even... had sex before, right...?"

Thankfully, the rest of the band was far too engaged in chatter to notice how flushed Mio's cheeks had become.

In that moment, Ritsu's absence seemed truly conspicuous to the bassist. She would definitely be the first to notice, and tease her...

Before long, everyone had arrived at the consensus that they'd studied long enough for today, and that it was time to leave for home. In truth, they all realized the inaccuracy of this agreement. Embarrassment over their plethora of gossip that had devoured the majority of their time was a mutual feeling among the band.

"Yui-senpai, please make sure you concentrate on studying at home, as well." Azusa reminded as she buttoned up her coat.

"Oh, Azu-nyan, don't be so strict~" Yui whined as she pulled the smaller girl into her arms from behind as they walked.

"Don't hug me out of nowhere, please!" Azusa scolded her upperclassman as she attempted to wriggle herself free from her tight embrace. Tsumugi watched and smiled as Yui rubbed cheeks with an eventually defeated Azusa, seeming to enjoy the display of affection.

Mio remained silent, making a point to saunter at the back of the group, and ignore them. She held no grudges, and harboured no anger. She simply knew the topic she wanted to avoid would arise at least once more. One she had no desire to participate in.

Thankfully, Yui was able to distract the group for a while after staring up at the sun and the clouds surrounding it, commenting on how the image vaguely reminded her of eggs.

Soon enough, the group had reached the point on their way home where it was time for them to part ways with Mio. While Yui and Azusa said their goodbyes and proceeded to cross the street, Tsumugi stayed behind. Her eyes conveyed warmth and understanding, and perhaps, even a tinge of pity.

"Mugi-chan?" Yui called. Tsumugi simply motioned politely for them to continue on their way. Azusa reminded her senior to look both ways, though the warning was a tad late; they were already standing in the middle of the road.

"See you tomorrow, Mio-chan." Mio immediately discerned reluctance in the affluent girl's voice.

"Yeah... See you, Mugi."

Mio waved briefly, watching her turn away, cross the street, and jog to catch up with the others. The look in her eyes upon her departure had expressed such contrite... And Tsumugi hadn't done her any harm. The bassist was confounded.

Mio decided to ignore it for now, and turned her eyes to the empty sidewalk before her. No one was within her sight; the only dissonance came from passerby cars that were few and far between.

"I haven't walked home without Ritsu in a long time..." Mio discovered aloud.

Times long past of when they had taken the same commute home together as children suddenly came flooding into her mind...