My first day at Sakuragaoka had ended, and everything was going just as planned. Well, maybe not the part about having to clean up the music room, but everything else was.
As I walked home I decided to make a small detour, to a small local music shop near my home. It had everything you could want; well, aside from instruments itself, the place sells CDs, accessories for pretty much any instrument, old magazines, and they also offer fixes.
I've been going to this place for about seven years. The shop owner is a nice lady, she's pretty relaxed. The shop has become almost a hangout place for me and Rei, although most of the time I go alone.
I entered the store and just as I thought, the place was empty. "Oh, Hey Yumi." The owner greeted me while waving.
"Hello, Akiyama-san." I waved at her back. "So, looking at that uniform, first day?"
"Yep! It was awesome, incredible, fabulous, it was pretty good!" "Well, I'm glad that you liked it."
"Also, the plan is going just as I wanted."
"A-Ah, the thing with that music club, r-right?" I don't get why but every time I mention my plan to Akiyama-san, she gets all nervous and usually brushes me off.
"Yeah, they say that the clubroom hasn't been used for years so they've been keeping some audio equipment there, so Rei and I have to clean it up to be able to use it."
"It's been unused for years?"
"Yeah, the music classes are held in the classrooms, and no one has tried to open the club so… yeah." I shrugged, but then I noticed the expression on Akiyama-san. It wasn't the usual nervousness, she had this kinda bitter look on her face.
I thought for a few seconds, but no, I wasn't going to ask the same question, she already told me. [what question?] When she was in Sakuragaoka she joined the literature club, she didn't know any members of the club personally, just by name, although she's forgotten them by now.
Honestly, it was kinda frustrating that the only two persons that went to Sakuragaoka I knew didn't interact with the music club at all.
Akiyama-san noticed me staring silently at her and tried to move the conversation. "So, have you checked what stuff you gotta move?"
"Nope, the third floor was closed today so I just went home without checking."
...
We talked until Akiyama-san had to close the store. I said goodbye to her and started to make my way back to my house.
...
The day had passed and today is the second day at Sakuragaoka. Just like yesterday I woke up early and made my way to school, got into the classroom and took a seat at my desk.
"Yo." I jumped a bit as the girl at the desk beside mine looked in my direction. "H-hey."
I couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated when she talked to me, the girl seemed kinda older, with long blond hair, and earrings and various rings on her hands.
"Oh right, Emi Hidetoshi, that's my name," she said while extending her hand to me. "Uh... Y-Yumi Doujima." I accepted her handshake, still feeling a bit overwhelmed. "So, Doujima... what's up?"
"Uhhhh... well, nothing really."
"Yeah, right? This class is boring as hell," the girl said while chuckling a bit.
"Eh, it's not that I find it boring, I just want the classes to end, so I can go to the music club… well not going to the club but to clean up the room."
"Oh, you're in a club? To be honest I'm not really into that stuff; when classes end I just leave this place." "You really aren't interested in anything?"
"Nope, also it's kind of a pain in the ass having my father walking through the school all day." Wait, Hidetoshi... Hidetoshi?... Hidetoshi! I thought as I recognized her name.
"W-wait, your dad is Mr. Hidetoshi?!"
How didn't I get that?! They even share those piercing eyes, and the menacing presence. "So you know him. Well yeah, he's my dad, heh you seem rather surprised."
"W-Well... you just seem like... too old?"
"Everyone says that, he had me when he was pretty young." "Huh..."
"Well, nice talk, I'm pretty tired so, bye!" Emi waved while dropping to her desk to sleep.
... That... happened right? I guess... I made a friend?
As soon as I heard the bell ring I ran outside and went to the classroom right next to mine. "Rei!"
Raising her head from her desk, Rei looked at me. Completely clueless and just waking up she probably started wondering why I was there, until her expression changed.
"Oh right, alright let's go."
After getting the keys from Yamanaka-sensei we reached it. The club room. Finally, here it is! I hoped it wasn't very messy, I was so excited! Opening the door, I was expecting a few boxes around, maybe some wires thrown on the ground, but as soon as it was open a bunch of boxes fell onto me.
"What the hell?!"
"B-Bha-bhahahaha! Oh man! T-That was... t-that was! Hahahaha!" Rei laughed at the situation I had found myself in.
"W-What kind of school needs so much audio equipment!? I mean this is ridiculous!"
When I asked Yamanaka-sensei about the specifics she just said "audio equipment" was inside here but this... alright... alright... I'll calm down. I-It can be that bad right...?
Maybe, just maybe they left most of the things at the entrance, maybe the rest of the room was actually empty! I just had to take this stuff and start cleaning...
...
I... I was wrong... somehow the club room was completely full, and the worst part?
Half of the stuff there isn't even audio related, they are just personal belongings, I mean it's kinda neat to find things from the previous members but it's 8 pm!
Me and Rei had been there for hours and hours taking out stuff. It's crazy, it doesn't stop. We take out four boxes and there are six more in place of the ones we took out.
We continued with our task until we heard footsteps coming from the stairs. "What are you doing here?" I turned towards the ominous voice coming from behind. "H-Hidetoshi-san!"
"Oh... wait... Dojima-san, right?" "You almost forgot my name?"
"Sorry, sorry I'm not very good with names, but anyway what are you two doing here? I was about to close the place but I saw light coming from in here."
"Uh... well, we are cleaning the music room."
He looked at all the boxes, sighing and kneeling to my height. "Alright listen, you two go home ok? I'll stay here and finish the work."
I almost dropped the box I was holding from the surprise. "R-Really? But... it's so much! Are you completely sure Hidetoshi-san?"
"Yes yes, don't worry I'll lock the doors and stay a bit longer that usual," he chuckled while taking the box I was carrying. "Ok girls, go home, when you come back here tomorrow the club room is going to be just like new." Hidetoshi-san walked to the small auditorium besides the clubroom to leave the boxes.
"Thank you so much!" Rei and I said while bowing, and then we started to walk away from the third floor.
...
"Alright, now that we have the club room ready, we gotta get new members!" I said enthusiastically to Rei as we walked through the entrance of Sakuragaoka.
"So... do you have a plan for getting them?"
"Hm... well... we could do what all the other clubs do, you know?" "I guess... we also need an advisor."
"Yamanaka-sensei is a pretty obvious option, so yeah. We have everything ready to start the club!" "If you say so."
Rei and I kept walking until we said our goodbyes and parted ways.
I couldn't believe that this was actually happening, the excitement had me hopping around while I returned home.
...
Sweep... Sweep... Sweep...
How long had I been sweeping the floor? I honestly couldn't remember. When Rei and I had gotten to school Hidetoshi-san informed us that the clubroom was ready, so we went there and started cleaning it. The club room was neither big nor small, and right beside the entrance a blackboard was hanging on the wall. In front of the blackboard there was a blue sofa… actually, Rei and I thought it was gray originally but after dusting it off it's original colors came back. In the back of the room a big cabinet was placed behind some classroom tables arranged to make a bigger table. To be honest, after we cleaned it and left it like new the place was pretty cozy, but we didn't have time to enjoy the atmosphere of the room as we had to go back to class, luckily the last one of the day. Rei said that afterwards she would be going directly to the club room to begin drawing some posters and fliers to promote the club, so after getting our plans ready we said goodbye and entered our respective classrooms.
...
As soon as the school bell rang I ran outside of the classroom to go to the faculty room. Now that the room was clean and ready for use we had one thing to do next: get our advisor, aka Yamanaka-sensei.
I opened the faculty room door so fast that it made a loud banging noise and all the teachers looked at me...
"S-Sorry!" I tried to give my nicest smile. Luckily that seemed to do the job and detour the annoyed looks away from me.
I looked around the room until I finally found who I was looking for. "Yamanaka-sensei!" She seemed to get startled at my greeting, looking at me with a kind of distressed look. I... I have to dial down the enthusiasm.
"O-Oh, Doujima-san. Did you get the clubroom cleaned up?" She seemed more calm.
"Yup! A-Ahem... with a bit of help. But yeah! The clubroom is ready for use." "Alright, I accept."
"Hm? What...?"
"Uh, the advisory position? I accept being the advisor of the club." "W-Wait, really? Just like that?"
"Well, of course. I've been the advisor of the last two clubs. Ok ok... let's go to the clubroom, alright?"
With the surprise of the easily acquired advisor, I walked to the clubroom beside Yamanaka-sensei. When we got there I opened the door and said a quick "Tadaa!"
"Hm, you really got the place looking like the old days." I was a bit underwhelmed by her reaction, but at the same time I could see a weird kind of comfort in her eyes.
"Uh huh!" I tried to enter the room but I was quickly stopped by Yamanaka-sensei.
"I-It's here... IT'S ACTUALLY HERE!" I could see some tears forming in her eyes as she looked with a dreamy expression at something inside the room.
Before I could say anything she ran to the back of the room besides the tables where Rei had been drawing ideas for some recruiting posters. I walked to where she had ran to just see sensei hugging the big cabinet.
"Oh thank you Kotobuki-sama! Oh thank youuuuuuuuuuuu!" She cried while sobbing, tightly hugging the old piece of storage.
"Uh... Yamanaka-sensei?" I kneeled to be at her height since she was practically on the floor.
She didn't seem to respond. Rei, who had still been drawing, sighed and walked to where Yamanaka and I were.
"SENSEI!" Rei screamed directly at her.
She slowly turned her attention to us, finally giving me the opportunity to ask what the hell was wrong with her. "Sensei... um, what's wrong, what's up with the cabinet?"
"This... *sniff* was a kind, kind donation from a previous club member... I'm so happy that this is still here..."
Oh... so she was just happy to see a previous member's gift still being here... that's kinda sweet... "I can still drink some sweet tea here..." Huh…?
"Drink tea?" I asked, again pretty confused.
"Do any of you know how to make tea?" Sensei asked while looking back at the cabinet. Rei raised her hand. "I do."
After a bit of waiting, Rei somehow had made black tea for us three. Hm... I didn't know she knew how to make this... Taking a good look at the cup and plates I noticed something.
"T-These... look really expensive!" These designs... the feel of the cups themselves… everything gave me the sense of being in some kind of royal tea party.
"Also... why did a student donate these...?" Rei asked, also looking closely at the cups.
"Oh! I think these were a gift from the royal family of... uh... from a royal family." Sensei said with little care for the origin of the tea set.
"Oh, alright... WAIT, WHAT?!" I almost choked on my tea as I heard the words that came out of sensei's mouth so casually. Rei's expression changed to one of pure horror as she looked at the cup, her face clearly saying what have I done...
"These are royal tea sets?!" I almost felt like I had committed a crime by drinking from these cups. "Uh huh." How is sensei so casual about this!?
"W-What kind of student would donate these!?" My head filled up with questions about the previous clubs as Yamanaka-sensei spoke again.
"Well, I can't tell you any kind of personal information... but we had a wealthy student years ago, she brought these tea sets to... give the club some identity, honestly, drinking tea from them became a bit of a tradition around here." Her casual tone changed to one more affectionate, while she talked about the old clubs and the stuff they did years ago.
"So... that student just left these here for other clubs to use?" I asked, still dumbfounded about the fact that royal tea sets were just sitting in the dusty old clubroom.
"Yeah, I was scared that maybe they were taken away or something, but luckily they are still here." Sensei calmly drinked her tea while she looked at the cabinet behind her.
"Alright, enough of my nostalgia. We have a clubroom and me as the advisor, so now you two need two more students and you'll have your music club." She put down her tea cup as she said this.
"I know, but um... how do we get new members exactly? Rei has been here drawing since the bell rang but I don't think that some posters and fliers will bring lots of people here..." I said, trying to think of ways to bring more people to the club.
While my thinking continued I noticed sensei. Her hand was on her chin, a mischievous smile on her face. "Uh... Sensei? D-Do you have an idea?" I asked, having a bad feeling about whatever sensei had thought about.
"Ohohoho... I have one, a good one..." She kept smiling, looking at Rei and I closely. "For now girls, how about we go to the faculty room and make some copies of those posters Rei-san drew?" Her expression went back to the normal, sweet teacher, as usual.
"Sure..." Rei and I got up from our seats and followed sensei to the faculty room.
After several minutes we had gotten a nice quantity of posters and fliers. We went around the school putting the posters up, and I put the fliers in my backpack for tomorrow. Rei and I said goodbye to sensei before saying goodbye to each other.
...
I walked back home along the usual path, passing by the music store... I was way too tired to go and say hello so I let the idea pass and kept walking home.
I may be tired but my enthusiasm hasn't died. I'm ready for tomorrow!