"Late Night Chat Room, Losing Confidence"

µ's side
"So it didn't go well for you either, Hanayo,"

Late that night our first years started a chat room and talked about their day, neither of them could get Honoka, Umi or Maki to join, with that said, Nico couldn't even find Maki.

"I wonder what's happening with them, nya."

Rin was putting stickers in her replies, so it was easy to get what she was trying to say.

"Maybe they are thinking about what happened that time."

"Maybe, but that doesn't explain why Nozomi refused it."

"Why?" Hanayo asked, not being too sure if she got what Nico was trying to say.

"It was Honoka, Kotori and Umi's problem, Nozomi and the others are more mature than that and we aren't that angsty."

"Do you think?"

"Then what are we going to do?"

Nobody texted anything after that, they thought about their possibilities and the few available ones were a bit difficult.

"Should we start to search for new members?" Nico suggested, she was sure Hanayo and Rin would be against the idea but she still suggested, "We still need a new composer if Maki isn't going to be around."

"But, that's…" Hanayo stopped writing halfway, not sure of what to reply, Nico was right, they would need a composer, even if they get no members and continue as a trio.

"I know it's not the best, but what else can we do?"

"It's not as if Kotori was here, after all," Rin adds, and something in Hanayo's mind clicked.

'Oh, she forgot to tell them'

"Actually, ummm..."

They were a group three years ago, their name was µ's.

Honoka started it after talking with Hanayo, who wanted to be an idol but didn't feel confident enough to throw herself into it; Rin, who had a hard time fighting with some boys from elementary school and Nico, who was stubborn but didn't want to be one if it wasn't by herself, were her first members.

Hanayo felt very thankful for Honoka and her kindness, because she didn't have to bother with helping around her juniors, but she did anyway.

It took some more time to convince Kotori and Umi, Honoka's childhood friends, to join and somehow they got Maki, Nozomi and Eli too.

They started as school idols and every day was interesting, they could have their practice, write songs, make costumes and perform via internet from time to time. Some days would get tiring and frustrating but it was worth it.

Around the time their group started to be as famous as A-rise (A popular school idol group from Akihabara's UTX) they got bad news: Kotori was going overseas to study design, everything was decided as Kotori herself decided to follow her dream of being a designer.

Honoka did not take the news as well as everyone thought, a.k.a. she was completely against it.

Long story short, they fought and they probably hadn't talked again since then. That was the last time the nine of them were together in the same place.

Maki, Nozomi and Eli graduated and got into Otonokizaka, Honoka and Umi followed them one year later and then it was their turn.

They continued being school idols, but they didn't want to use the name µ's so Maki decided for them using the first song she composed for them.

Navigators, that's the name.

"I don't think you can avoid them for long Maki-chan." That was the first thing she heard upon picking up her phone.

"Are you not going to greet me, Nozomi?"

"It's good to know that you are doing fine, Maki-chan," Nozomi continued, ignoring Maki's frustrated sigh, "Avoiding them isn't going to be of any help, you know?"

"Why would I ignore them?"

"Also, Sakurauchi-san returned the copy of the keys to the music room we lent her."

"Would you at least pretend you can hear me?" Maki was exasperated at this point, Nozomi could say.

"You are too stubborn to even want to admit you were worried about them."

"I was not worried."

"Ergo, I was right," The silence to this point alerted Nozomi that Maki was about to hang up, "And? What are you going to do now?"

"Study, obviously," Before Nozomi could say anything else Maki spoke again, "My time is up, I don't have that chance anymore so you must be able to do it without me."

And, at this, the call ended, leaving Nozomi in a tough position.

-
Aquors side.

Riko moved her hands unsure and clumsily, cardboard tape sealing boxes with her name written on them.

She was moving out.

Her father was offered a better job than the one he had and he accepted it without a second thought. That could be good.

The couple delayed the moving because of their daughter, because she had a piano contest and they wanted her to participate, she was working hard after all.

Now was finally the time to move out and a lot of things had to be prepared. She already returned the keys to the music room that the student council lent her, and her transfer papers were submitted.

She no longer belongs to Otonokizaka.

There was a feeling in her gut that told her she didn't want things to end like this, to run away from there like a coward, that she could do more.

The piano of the music room seemed more intimidating than before, and her fingers felt sore while playing it, she felt agonizing pain playing each piece.

Her own piano was different, maybe for the key that always sounded off at hitting it, no matter how many times she tried to tune it.

'Do you like playing the piano?' That junior's question left her thinking all this time.

Did she really enjoy playing?

Would she let her failure sink in further?

Why was she playing, anyway?

She took the music sheets and wanted to crumple them, but she could not do such a thing, nor could she manage to just throw them away.

She sat in the piano's seat and lifted the cover, setting the sheets down where she could read them.

Maybe she could find something by playing it, right?

But all she could find was a feeling of emptiness, as her fingers refused to play a single note.

She felt like crying.