Chapter 13 – A Girl's Hidden Feelings
Miharu's POV
"Oh, come on! I got 10th AGAIN!"
This was yelled out by Ritsu over the mic. She, Jun, Himeko, and I were playing Mario Kart together online. And Ritsu was mad that first place was robbed from her.
For the 4th time.
"Woah, Ritsu." I said. "Four in a row would've gotten you 12 points on a Grand Prix."
"Don't you think I know that, Miharu? I'm usually WAY better than this. But freaking Jun keeps picking Rainbow Road."
"It's called a road, it's called a Rainbow Road.
It is a road that you go..."
"Oh, shut up, Jun!"
"Anyway…you're actually doing really well, Himeko-senpai. I thought you said that you barely have time to play this game."
"Well, yeah. That's still true. With school, work, and softball practice taking up most of my time. But when I do find time to play, I'm always in it to win."
"Alright!" Ritsu cheered. "Looks like I found the right people to form a group with. I could never get Mio on board with this. She says video games are a waste of time."
"Seriously? Is Mio always this…well…stuck up?" I asked.
"You have no idea, Miharu. I've known her since grade school and she hasn't changed a bit."
"I see…"
"It kinda makes those stories of you both on FanFiction look a lot more sense." Jun said.
"Th-They don't mean anything!"
"Don't mean anything? Have you SEEN the thread? The majority of them are about you and Mio-senpai."
"It's true." I added. "And a lot of them have you two doing some trucs romantiques très torrides."
"Why do I feel like you just described us having sex in French?" Ritsu asked me.
"Because I did."
"Miharu…"
"Thank God I'm too much of a minor character to be in one of those stories." Himeko said with a sweatdrop.
"Miharu, it's about time." Mugi said to me as she entered our room.
"Really? Alright, then. Hey, Ritsu. We're gonna get changed now."
"Oh, right. I'm about to do the same."
"What are you guys about to do?" Jun asked.
"Miharu's saved enough money to get her own instrument and we're all gonna go down to the music store to help her pick one out."
"Really? You're NOW getting an instrument, Miharu-senpai?"
"Hey, it wasn't easy. I had to figure out what Yen was and convert my remaining Euro into it…which wasn't much. I was lucky enough to save up enough for something before Christmas."
"Fair enough."
"What instrument do you plan on getting, Miharu-san?" Himeko asked.
"Hmm…not sure. Probably the reason why everyone's tagging along."
"That and you'll probably get lost because of your lack of Japanese knowledge." Mugi said from behind me.
"N-No, I won't!"
"Yes, you will." The other three girls replied.
"Tch. Wh-Whatever. I'm logging off now."
"Yeah, me too." Ritsu said. "See you guys later."
"Later." Jun said.
"Goodbye, for now." Himeko said.
I turned off the game and turned to Mugi who was already dressed. She wore a wooly pink sweater that doubled as a dress. With a white scarf around her neck, black tights underneath the dress, and brown boots on her feet.
That outfit just SCREAMS rich girl…
"You really have no idea what instrument you're going to pick out?" Mugi asked.
"Not really. I mean, I have a few ideas. But I'm not sure which to go with. And I bet when we get there, the decision will be even harder."
"I see…" Mugi then went silent for a bit. "Hey, Miharu. Do you remember what you said the day we first met at school?"
"Huh? What I said? I said a lot of things that day, Mugi. Both in English and French."
"Right. Well…it was after school that day. When we kept perusing you to join the club. You said something that really piqued my interest."
"Really? What was that?"
"You said: "Yes, I can play an instrument. But I have no interest in making music. At least…not anymore."."
…
…
…
"O-Oh. I-I said that, huh?" Miharu asked in a depressed tone.
"Along with the reason being personal."
"I see…"
"Miharu. Is that reason…related to your mother?"
…
…
…
"My mother…she loved playing music. She was a musical genius back home. And I naturally followed in her footsteps. She was good with all genres, but Jazz music was her specialty. So, I tried picking up the saxophone and the two of us would always..."attempt" to practice together every day.
"Attempt?"
"I...ended up being really bad at it. Like...REALLYbad.
"Huh..." Mugi gained a sweatdrop.
B-But the point of it is...it was just the two of us. A memory that I will always cherish. In fact, it was the last good memory of my mom before…y-you know."
"I see." Mugi then crouched down next to me and embraced me in a hug. I returned said hug…with a small amount of tears leaving my eyes and dripping down my face.
"*sniff* After she died…I vowed to myself that I would give up on music forever. Which is why I was so adamant about refusing to join the club back then. But, like with a lot of things recently, meeting you changed all of that. We sure are good at solving each other's problems without really doing anything, huh?"
"*giggle* I guess that's true."
"Mugi…just…thank you. Thank you for always being there for me. And from the very start, too."
"I can easily say the same thing about you, Miharu."
The hug lasted for about another minute or so. It was only interrupted when Mugi's phone began to ring. And I had to wipe my tears onto something else.
That sweater did wonders, though. It's so freaking soft.
"Hello? O-O-Oh. H-H-Hello, Mother. S-So I see that you have returned. Y-Yes, that did happen. Yes, I am with her. And I do plan on continuing to accept her as my half-sister. I do not care what he says. To do this after doing THAT years ago is…M-Mother…Mother, I…yes…yes…*sigh* I know. Well, I'm coming over to grab some more stuff. I guess I could try to talk to him. Okay, Mother. Goodbye."
Mugi hung up the phone and released a very exasperated sigh as she pinched the top of her nose.
"What happened?" I asked.
"That was my mother. She had just returned from her business trip and is now aware of the fight my father and I are currently in. She's trying to be the peacemaker."
"I see. So, it's another talk with your dad, huh?"
"*sigh* Unfortunately. My mother is hoping we can make up before the holidays. But knowing my father…"
"Mugi…"
"I know, Miharu. I know. I know I have to make up with him eventually. But…if I obey him, I'll never be able to see you again. And I really don't want that! You're the best thing that's ever happened in my 17 years of life, Miharu! Losing you and going back to my suppressed life as a stereotypical rich girl…*sniff* I-I…I-I just can't do that, Miharu. More like…I DON'T want that. I like the life I have now. Even though I'm estranged from my father and barely have any money…I'm just glad to be with you, Miharu. You're…really all I got now. Waaaa…"
It was now me giving a hug to Mugi as she cried her eyes out all over my sleeveless tee. If there was ever a contest of who had the worst life before meeting each other, Mugi would win hands down. Just the fact that she's hidden it for that long is mind-blowing to me.
But…I can understand her pain.
"Mugi…it'll be alright. You know that if there's anything you need, anything at all…I'm here for you."
"*sniff* Thank you, Miharu. I know I can always count on you."
"You sure can. Now, uh…I should probably get dressed now. We're kinda running late, I think."
"Huh…O-Oh, right! Geez, I let myself get too emotional again. I really need to stop that."
"Oh, I don't know, Mugi. You're a lot cuter when you cry like that." I teased.
"D-Don't make me hit you!" Mugi yelled with a faint blush on her face.
"Alright, alright. I'm gonna go get dressed now. Should be done in a few minutes."
"Alright."
I went to the closet (that we now share) and picked out the clothes I was going to wear. Everything was out and ready. Except…
"Mugi…"
"Yes, Miharu?"
"You're wearing my favorite bra, aren't you?"
…
…
…
"I-I'll wash it later."
"MUGI!"
"I'm sorry, okay?! I'm going over to get more of my stuff. And yes, it includes my underwear."
"*sigh* It better. I'm pretty sure this is something regular sisters don't even do."
"Yui-chan and Ui-chan do it a lot…"
"What?"
"N-Nothing! J-Just talking to myself. Hahahaha." Mugi said while rubbing the back of her head.
I didn't really know what she just said (or have the time to figure it out) so I decided to just let it go for now and get dressed. I'm about to get my first instrument since Mom died. And get back into music.
I wish I could do that while wearing my favorite bra, though…
Mio's POV
"*sigh* Where is everyone? We all said to be here at 11:00."
"Yui-senpai and Ritsu-senpai are always late. That's nothing new." Azusa said. "Though, I'm not sure about Mugi-senpai and Miharu-senpai."
"Well…that hotel is near the outskirts of Shiga. I can understand if they're running late because of the amount of trains they have to take."
"True..."
I ended up being the first one here at the mall. A common trend of mine that I just can't seem to stop. But on the bright side, Azusa showed up not too long after. So didn't have to stand alone for too long.
"I see that the Christmas decorations are already up." I said.
"Christmas is in a few days, right? Should we get together for it?"
"I mean, I guess. But I don't think Tamura-san would let us have another party there when we just had one two weeks ago."
"Yeah, true." Azusa then went silent for a bit. Releasing a small sigh as she slouched over a little. "H-Hey…Mio-senpai. Can I ask you something?"
"Huh? Ask ME something?" To be completely honest, I was shocked that she said that. Not many people come to me when it comes to advice. Which is a shame, too. Because I've got a lot of ways to help people. "Sure, Azusa. What's wrong?"
"Well…y-you see…have you ever been in a friendship with someone but you have this weird feeling that…you don't want that friendship?"
…
…
...
"Wh-What? Wh-Where's this coming from?" I asked after recovering from the shock. To hear Azusa ask such an emotional question like that…something's definitely upsetting her.
"W-Well…i-it's for a friend that I know. I-I'm just asking for her."
*sigh* So, we're playing this game, huh?
"Alright. What made your friend think of that?"
"Well, from what she told me…she was at this party the other day for a friend she met a while back. The two have…some similarities to each other. One of them is that they can speak a different language."
She's clearly talking about her and Miharu…
"A-Anyway…the two get along really well and at that party, the friend said to her that…she was her best friend. The thing is…this friend of mine is kinda now questioning it. As if "best friend" wasn't something she wanted to hear from her. And now she doesn't know what to think. So, what should she do?"
So…Miharu told Azusa that she was her best friend…but for some reason, Azusa is upset about that. That's what I'm picking up, but…of all people, why would Azusa be feeling this way? She isn't really the type of person to be emotional about stuff like this.
"Well…I can't really help you…r friend about that, Azusa. I've never really experienced such a thing."
"Huh? Never experienced? But don't you deal with it every day?"
"Every day?" I was confused.
"You know. With Ritsu-senpai."
"Ritsu? What are you talking about?"
"Well…I figured that since you two were such good friends most of your lives, you would…see her differently now. As in…not a "best friend"."
"A-And just what are you implying, Azusa?" I asked with a faint blush on my face.
"Well, I'm just saying. You two kinda look like a…"
"D-Don't you DARE finish that sentence!"
"But isn't it true, though?"
"N-NO, IT ISN'T TRUE!"
"Why, though? It could work, you know."
"Wh-When did this become about me?! I thought this was your problem!"
"N-No, it's my friend's problem!"
"Oh, come on, Azusa! I wasn't born yesterday! I clearly know it's about you!"
Azusa went silent as she sunk her head down to the ground. Upset that either her true feelings were revealed or that I never believed her "friend" story from the start.
"*sigh* Alright, fine. It's true. It is about me. I've been feeling this way for a couple of days now. For some reason, I don't want to be Miharu-senpai's best friend. I-I mean, I still like her. Don't get me wrong. But…"
Should I tell her? I mean, it's completely obvious what it is. But should I flat-out tell her?
…
…
…
"Azusa…" I gained the junior's attention. "If you truly want my advice, all I have to say is…just follow your heart."
"Follow my heart? Isn't that a bit cheesy?"
Ch-Cheesy?! H-How is it cheesy?!
"Just trust me, Azusa. You'll know it when you feel it. In your heart, I mean."
"In my heart? Just what are you talking about, Mio-senpai?"
"Well…"
"S-Sorry, we're late!"
We then saw Yui and Ritsu rushing over to us. The former with A LOT of cookie containers in her hands.
I'm going to regret asking, am I?
"Yui…what's with all that stuff?"
"Can you believe it, Mio-chan? I won the Yoshi's Cookie Lottery!"
"The what?" Azusa and I asked.
"It's a special event held every year here to show support for Yoshi's Cookie." Ritsu explained. "Yui and I entered last week and the drawing was today. So, we made a quick stop before coming here."
"Yoshi's Cookie is a 30-year-old game." Azusa said. "Why is there still support for it?"
"Hey. Yoshi's Cookie is a GODSEND when it comes to puzzle games. An instant classic!"
"It's up there with the top-tier ones like Panel de Pon, Puyo Puyo, AND Tetris!" Yui added. "It's just THAT good!"
"Panel de Pon, sure...but not Puyo Puyo and Tetris." Azusa gained a sweatdrop.
Meanwhile, I just stood there with an exasperated look on my face. Having a hard time understanding how these three can just get into an argument about video games out of freaking nowhere.
And yet, I get ridiculed for not liking them...
"So…Mugi and Miharu aren't here yet?" Ritsu asked.
"Well, they live pretty far, Ritsu. They probably have to take a train or two in order to get here."
"Yeah, true. Plus, there was the fact that Miharu and I were playing Mario Kart before we left."
"So, you were playing video games instead of studying for the exams?" I asked Ritsu with a stern look. Which made her panic a little.
"Tch! W-Well, not really. I-I was uh…m-m-multi-tasking! Yeah, that's it! I was multi-tasking!"
"Wow…that's impressive, Ricchan." Yui said.
"*chuckle* Thanks, Yui."
The only thing this girl multi-tasks on is eating and horse-playing...
"We're here!"
"Sorry, we're late."
Heading towards us were Mugi and Miharu. As I predicted, they were the last to show up. But their outfits were something to look at. While Mugi's was something you would expect a rich girl to wear (don't tell her I said that), Miharu's was as common as you can get. Pink scarf, white-ish sweater, black pants. The only thing that the two had in common were the black boots. Mugi probably bought them for her.
"Hey, there you guys are." Ritsu said. "Don't worry. We weren't waiting long."
"Yeah, we all *chew* *chew* just got here." Yui added while eating some of the cookies she had.
"Wait…those cookies, Yui-chan." Mugi said. "Are they from…"
"Yep! I won the Yoshi's Cookie Lottery!"
"Aw, phooey! And I was hoping to win this year, too!"
"Isn't Yoshi's Cookie a 30-year-old game?" Miharu asked.
"Yes..." Azusa replied. "...but apparently it still has a dedicated fanbase. SOME even calling it as good as the top-tier ones."
"What? No way...well, maybe better than Panel de Pon. But that's about it."
"Okay, seriously. What's you two's deal with Panel de Pon?" Ritsu asked.
"Yeah! It's a cute puzzle game with fairies!" Yui added. "What could be bad about it?!"
"Well, if I had to start..."
"L-Look, can we just go now?!" I shouted. Highly irritated about being in the middle of a video game discussion again.
"Alright. Geez, Mio. You didn't have to yell." Ristu said.
I had EVERY reason to yell!
"So, has it been decided what instrument we're getting?" Yui asked.
"Well...that's still unknown." Mugi said. "But Miharu's been excited to pick it out. Right, Miha…ru?" She then looked next to her and realized that Miharu was no longer next to her.
"Where did Miharu-senpai go?" Azusa asked.
"Sensationnel...merde sacrée…"
And then once we heard that voice, we knew what it was. And so, we turned to where Miharu was and her mind was currently blown right now.
"So, this is a Japanese mall…C'est tellement énorme! So many stores and crap…a stereotypical teen girl could DEFINITELY live here!"
Stereotypical teen girl? I'm not even going to ask…
"Oh, yeah…this is Miharu's first time here." Mugi said with a sweatdrop.
"We'll have to keep a good eye on her or else she'll totally break something." Ritsu said. Also with a sweatdrop.
"Right…" The rest of us agreed. Finishing up the remaining number of sweatdrops that were needed for this moment.
We eventually got Miharu to calm down once we walked around the mall for a bit. Showing her all the stores and stuff that you can go to.
Although, that alone took a long time. Geez…Yui really knows how to distract others from what they need to do.
Now, we had finally arrived at the music store and it was more so Yui who was excited about this and not Miharu. Kinda odd since we're here for her and not Yui.
"Wow…being back here brings back so many memories."
"Of what?" I asked Yui. "We were only here for a few minutes."
"Yeah, but…how we all got part-time jobs to afford the guitar that I wanted. And then Mugi got the worker to lower the price because her dad owns the place. *sigh* Good times. I'm so grateful for you guys helping me getting Gitah."
"Wait, so what was the point of getting part-time jobs?" Azusa asked.
"Friendship, Azu-nyan!" Yui then hugged Azusa as tightly as she could.
"Th-That makes no sense, Yui-senpai! A-And get off of me!"
"*moan* Your face is so warm, Azu-nyan. Just like a kitty."
"S-Senpai!"
"So, uh…is this normal?" Miharu asked us."
"Pretty much." Ritsu said.
"I see…"
"Um…h-hey, everyone. I'll just, um…w-wait outside. I-I don't…feel right here." Mugi said with a sad tone.
"Right." I said. "This is your dad's…"
"Yeah…that."
"*sigh* Mugi…I'm only going to say this once." Ritsu said as she grabbed hold of Mugi by her shoulders. "You shouldn't let your father's words and actions get to you so much. If that douchey bastard wants to push you out of his life just because of a mistake he made years ago…"
"Mistake?" Miharu got offended.
"Y-You know what I mean! A-Anyway…if he wants to do that and expects you to follow him, then that's his problem. You said it yourself. You want to be your own person and not your father's puppet."
"I never said that."
"Well, it was close."
"Stop throwing your own words into Mugi's mouth." I said.
"Fine, fine. The point is, you shouldn't be the one to just give up and run back to him. It'll be the other way around and we'll help you make it that way. Right, everyone?"
"Yep." I said.
"Sure thing." Miharu said.
"I'll help you, Mugi-senpai." Azusa said.
"Most definitely!" Yui cheered.
"W-Wow…o-okay. Th-Thank you, everyone. I'll count on you all." Mugi said as she grew a small smile."
"Haha. There's the Mugi we know." Ritsu said.
"Yes…thank you. But…Ricchan…"
"Yeah, Mugi?"
Mugi didn't reply right away and just placed her hand on Ritsu's shoulder while still smiling a little.
...
Though...it wasn't a friendly one.
"I appreciate you caring about me…but call my father a "douchey bastard" again and I'll rip that damn tongue of yours out of your mouth. Got it?"
"H-Holy crap. M-Mugi-chan's scary when she's angry." Yui said as she and the rest of us felt chills in our spines.
"Y-Y-Yeah. O-O-Of course, Mugi. I-I-I'll never say that again. Pr-Promise." Ritsu said. Currently scared out of her mind.
"*giggle* Good. I think I'm well enough to join you girls again. Let's go pick out an instrument for Miharu, shall we?"
Mugi then walked past us while still having that smile on her face. It took us a few minutes to completely calm down from that side of Mugi that we'd never seen before. And we hoped to never see it again.
E-Even after all of this, she's still Daddy's little girl…
Author's Note: This was originally planned to be longer. But I'm kinda running on a tight schedule right as I want to update two more stories before Christmas. So, I had to stop it right here.
This might be the last chapter for the year. I'm not positive, but it's looking to be that way. So, in advance, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Later.