Author's Notes
- The story's finally bringing its wheels up and we're at a takeoff! I'll see you all at the end and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter, thanks and don't forget to leave a review of what you think!
Symphony of Hearts!
Chapter 5 – Secret's Out
OyasUmI. That's all that's been on my mind for the past week – OyasUmI. Never did I think that I would be so stressed out over something I thought would change my life for the better. Being the dubbed leader of OyasUmI, I've been in charge of finding places to practice and other sorts of small work for the band. So far, it's been a pain, but knowing that everyone is by my side is what helps me continue forward.
"We can always practice at someone's house," Jun said as she sat opposite me at the coffee table. "But not mine, my brother doesn't really like the noise."
This coffee shop has become a newly-found headquarters for OyasUmI. Being an official band for a little over a week, we've gathered here more than a couple times to discuss about the band and changes that can be made to ensure an inspiring hope for us.
"Can't use mine, not enough space," Kurisu-senpai sighed.
"Oh, oh! My living room is spacious, so we may be able to practice at my house!" Ui said with a smile.
"Are you… are you sure, Ui?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "What about your parents? Wouldn't they mind?"
"As far as I know, my parents are off in France for a few more weeks," she said. "They even sent me a picture of them at the Champs-Elysees yesterday!"
"And Yui-senpai?"
"Onee-chan would love to have each and every one of you at our home!" Ui giggled. "She might even prepare food for us if she's that excited."
"Sounds good then, Ui," I smiled.
"But… we won't be able to use my home for long…"
"We can't rent out a place, 'cause we're flat broke…" Kurisu-senpai replied as he laid down atop the table.
"You can always get a job, senpai…" I frowned. "You're old enough to get one after all."
"I'm too lazy…"
"That's the spirit…" Jun sarcastically said as she shook her head.
"Don't you ever get tired of borrowing money from me?" I folded my arms over my chest and puffed.
"But I end up paying you back…" he whined as he brought himself up to look at me.
"Do you really?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yes, I do!" he said with a pleaded look on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him and he sighed. "Fine, fine… I'll go find one…"
"Try the convenience store near Sakuragaoka, senpai," Ui said with a smile. "I believe they're hiring for a part-time job to stack the counters."
"How did you know?" I asked, raising an eyebrow to my girlfriend.
"Onee-chan told me. I believe she heard it from one of the girls in her grade."
"Isn't it the one just around the corner from Sakuragaoka?" Jun asked.
"Yes! That one!"
"Yeah… I thought so. Tachibana-senpai's family owns it. I think you should try asking her for a job, Kurisu-senpai – I saw the two of you during the School Festival, acting all chummy together. I'm more than positive that she'd convince her family to give you the opening."
"Tachibana-san…" Kurisu-senpai muttered, looking as if he was about to drift off into a daydream.
"Anyways…" I shook my head. "Once you get a job, we'll be able to officially rent out a place so we can practice with the money you make! Until then, we can use Ui's house to do it!"
"Y'know… I never heard you say anything was wrong with your house. Why can't we just go there?" he frowned.
I ignored him and felt a tug on my shoulder. I turned towards Ui and found her frowning.
"What's wrong, Ui?"
"I have something to say, Satoshi-kun…"
"Although we have a place to practice for the mean time, I totally forgot about something…"
"What would that be?"
"I… I don't have a guitar to play."
Mio walked down the hallway of Sakuragaoka High School. Usually she would wait for Ritsu and the rest of Houkago Tea Time to join her before they left to school to walk home, but she found herself alone today as she had to stay behind for classroom chores, ushering for the rest of her friends to head home without her.
"Mio-chan!" a voice called out to Mio.
"Hmm?"
She turned around and found Sawako walking towards her with a fastened pace. Soon, the bassist found her bespectacled club advisor standing before her, attempting to catch her breath through short puffs.
"Mio-chan, I have something to say to you…"
"If it's another cosplay idea, you already know my answer, sensei," Mio frowned. "You can always ask Tachibana-san or one of the other girls to cosplay for you."
"It's not that…" Sawako cringed. "Although, I did have some costume ideas for you, but… that's not the case at all right now!"
"Alright…" Mio slowly nodded her head. "What's going on?"
"Remember how you asked me to contact the agent that helped me out during my Death Devil days? For Houkago Tea Time?"
"Ye-yes…"
"Well, I sent them a video of your performances from both your first and second year, and they responded," Sawako smiled. "They thought highly of your performances, and they'll come see the next gig that Houkago Tea Time can manage to get."
"Really!?" Mio's eyes shot up with stars. "Are you serious!?"
"I'm dead serious, Mio-chan! They're going to send in an agent from their company to come and watch Houkago Tea Time perform!"
"I-I have to tell the others!" Mio shouted with glee. "I knew that keeping it a secret from them so far would be a good idea! I can't wait to see the look on Ritsu's face when I tell her the good news!"
"U-um… Mio-chan…"
"We need to get ready… I need to write a new song for the gig! Oh, wait. The next gig! We have to find a new place to perform!"
"Mio-chan…"
"It has to be a big place where a lot of people can watch us perform! It will be amazing! I can picture it now…"
"Mio-chan!" Sawako shouted, gaining Mio's attention.
"What's wrong?" the bassist took a step back in surprise.
"You see... the thing is, Mio-chan…"
"Wh-what…" Mio felt her heart slowly sink as the emotion on Sawako's face provided bad news for the bassist.
"The agent was only interested in you."
"Only interested in me…" Mio repeated to herself as she walked down the street of suburban Osaka. The sun was setting and the blue skies were gone, replaced with a pink-purple tint that matched the time of the late afternoon.
She could faintly remember the parting words Sawako gave her before she left the campus.
"I don't know what this will mean for Houkago Tea Time, Mio-chan. I warned you that the people from my past are heartless and they'll do anything to get a quick buck – and yes, that means they're willing to split you away from Houkago Tea Tme."
Mio shivered at the thought of leaving her friends, and all just for fame and fortune. Although the idea disgusted her and made her feel worse every time she thought about it, she could imagine living a successful life – even without her friends by her side.
"Akiyama-san?" a familiar voice called out to her.
Mio looked towards the voice and found Kurisu Otomo, rhythm guitarist of the newly formed OyasUmI, standing a few feet ahead of her. He held a bright pink paper in his hands that read Application and was facing towards the convenience store
"Otomo-kun…" Mio nodded.
"What are you doing out this late?" he asked, his eyes filled with wild curiosity.
"I… I had classroom chores to do… and it took a little bit more than I anticipated…" she narrowed her eyes towards the paper in his hands. "What are you doing here, Otomo-kun?"
"Well, after Literature Club activities, Satoshi wanted me to stop by and fill out a job application to get some income flowing towards OyasUmI," he scratched the back of his head. "Hirasawa-san is the one who directed me here, this convenience store near Sakuragaoka."
"Oh… I see…" Mio nodded. "Well, I should be getting home now, Otomo-kun, so…"
"He-hey…" he called out. "It's getting late, Akiyama-san… you shouldn't be walking around the streets at this time, especially when you're alone. Allow me to walk you home?"
"U-um…" Mio clasped her hands together in nervousness and began playing with her fingers. "I don't… I don't want to be any intrusion to you…"
"It's no biggie!" he brightly smiled, giving Mio a thumbs up. "I heard from Satoshi that you live near him and Tainaka-san, and I'm supposed to head there after I finish up here. Satoshi wanted to talk to me about something."
"If you're so sure…" Mio looked at him.
"Yeah, just give me a sec and I'll be right out with you," he said with a smile.
"Alright…" Mio nodded.
Kurisu returned the nod and ran into the convenience store. Mio leaned against the wall and titled her head back, looking up to the pink and orange sky as she sighed.
All she could think about was the future – the future of Houkago Tea Time. She didn't know whether to use the people she's trusted for a long time as a way to earn fame or to just let this opportunity of stardom pass by.
Mio shook her head frowned.
"I'm not sure what I should do, sensei…"
"Mio-chan… sometimes life throws these amazing opportunities at you, but there's always a cost to what you have to pick – with you it's going to either be friendship or fame. Knowing you girls for the past two years has taught me that you don't want to throw it all away."
"What would Ritsu do…"
"I think you should finally tell Ricchan what you've done and she'll be more than happy to help you fix it, Mio-chan. Ricchan is the type of girl who values friendship over anything else in this world, and I'm sure she would appreciate the fact that you wanted a higher destiny for Houkago Tea Time – I know I would be."
"I…I-I guess…"
"Houkago Tea Time will make it to Budokan one day, Mio-chan. And if they're going to make it, they'll need you."
Mio was brought back to reality as she found Kurisu walking out of the door. He waved to her and brightly smiled.
"Hey, Akiyama-san! I'm finished! Want to walk home now?"
"Sure… it's getting dark…" Mio nodded.
The two of them began walking down the street side-by-side, with silence taking charge over their conversation.
The silence was broke as Mio found Kurisu staring at her. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow, facing away to avoid eye contact with him.
"Wh-what's the problem, Otomo-kun…? Do I have something on my face?"
"Are you alright, Akiyama-san?" he asked. "You seem like you're worried about something."
"Huh? I-I'm fine… really, I am!"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive!"
"If you say so…" he shrugged.
The silence that once reigned over their conversation came back to rule again. The pair walked in silence, with Kurisu stealing glances at Mio every so often, which the shy girl caught and shivered too.
The two of them soon made it to the neighborhood where Ritsu and Mio lived. Mio looked up at her two-story home and let out a sigh of relief.
"He almost found out…" she muttered.
Mio walked up the step to the front door, unlocking it and opening it. She took a step inside and looked back at Kurisu, who stood in the driveway of her household.
"Goodnight, Otomo-kun…" Mio nodded with a faint smile. "Thank you for walking me home."
"Likewise, Akiyama-san," Kurisu saluted the bassist with his index and middle finger. Mio closed the door and Kurisu found himself walking away from the Akiyama household.
He gazed back towards the house of the Akiyama family and raised an eyebrow.
"Just what are you hiding, Akiyama-san?"
Symphony of Hearts!
Author's Notes
- And there we have it, the end of chapter 5!
- If you've read Touched by an Angel!, Mio personally asked Sawako to find an agent for Houkago Tea Time, without the consent of the others.
- Total drama incoming.
- That's all I have for now, see you all later! Stay beautiful! :]