Chapter 59 – The Foreigner Girl's Sick for Home
Miharu's POV
"Come on, Miharu! We're going to be late!"
"*yawn* Yeah, yeah…I'm coming." I replied to Mugi as I was walking up to the front of the hotel. "Geez…I've been here for nearly a year at this point and I still can't get used to waking up this early."
"Well, this is what happens when you stay up until 2:00 in the morning all the time. What were you doing, anyway?"
"I found this late-night true crime channel yesterday and I was watching a whole bunch of specials. Like this one where a second-year middle schooler disappeared without a trace 6 years ago. And search parties and investigation leads all resulted in nothing. It's even known as the biggest unsolved mystery to ever hit the Earth. Pretty crazy."
"Uh…Miharu. That story was about Kaho-chan."
"Kaho?"
"Kaho Tsuyaki. Remember? She helped us see my father in the Dream World."
…
…
…
"Oh, you mean the ghost girl!" I said after thinking it over. "Weird how they're still running stories about her. She is dead, right?"
"Yes, but nobody outside our group knows that she's dead. To the rest of Japan…and even the world…she's still labeled as "missing"."
"Huh…"
Now that I think about it, how DID she die?
"Anyway…let's hurry up and go before we miss the next train. Sumire and Mikuru-chan already left and I stayed behind waiting for you."
"Alright, alright. Geez. No need to nag about it."
"H-Hey, wait. Hold on a sec, you two." Yoriko said as she power-dashed over to us.
"What's up, Yoriko? Someone need help?" I asked.
"No, it's not that. I actually got a letter for you, Miharu. Looks like it's from Sceaux."
"S-Seriously?! A letter from Sceaux?!" I shouted in excitement as I took the letter from Yoriko. "Ooh~…It's from Danielle! *sniff* Ahh~…the sweet smell of French country paper!"
"That's not a thing…" Mugi gained a sweatdrop. "…Look, you can open it when we get to school. Now, come on! We're seriously late!"
"Thanks for the letter, Yoriko!"
"Have a good day, girls." Yoriko said as she saw us off.
It's been a few days since that event with Yui, Ui, and Yui's ex-boyfriend. And we've gotten back to the usual routine of daily school life. We come to school, learn stuff, go to the clubroom and not do any practice whatsoever…
Makes me wonder why we're even a band in the first place…
And most recently…
"For the last time! I will NEVER produce, distribute, or sign any nudes of myself! QUIT ASKING ME!"
*SLAM*
Yeah. That.
"*sigh* They just don't stop…" Mugi said as she rejoined us at the clubroom table.
"You sure are popular, Mugi." Ritsu said. "Must be nice being a superstar, huh?"
"Giving out nudes has nothing to do with being a superstar, Ricchan."
"I know that much. But if we as a band can get as famous as Mugi is now, we'll have a whole line of fans asking us for stuff. Hell, we might even get boyfriends from it all."
"But I'm gay…" Yui said.
"Me too…" Azusa said.
"I'm bi…but I'm perfectly fine with Azusa." I said.
"My life's too hectic for a boyfriend…" Mugi said.
"Tch! Son of a…you at least agree with me right, Mio?"
"H-Huh? Well…" Mio grew a huge blush on her face as she looked away from us. "…I-I wouldn't say I DON'T want one. B-B-But…"
"What? You thinking of going lesbo, too?"
"TH-THAT'S NOT IT! I just…I want to focus on my studies first and build up to be a powerful successful woman. Relationships are really not important and thus in the back of my mind right now. That's all."
"Huh…"
…
…
…
"You're such a pleb, Mio." The five of us said as a group.
"Sh-Shut up! What does that even mean?!"
It's definitely not a compliment…
At some point during this…"conversation", I guess you can call it…I stopped listening and finally opened the letter I got this morning. Reading it quietly to myself without any of the others noticing.
…
Or…so I thought.
"Hey, Miharu-chan…are you okay?"
"Huh? What do you mean, Yui?" I asked her.
"Well, you are crying a little…"
"H-Huh?" I then felt my face to then realize that I was crying. "O-Oh…I-I guess I was. Kinda funny when you think about it."
"Uh…not really."
"Miharu, are you okay?" Mugi asked. "Was is something in that letter you got?"
"Letter?" The others asked.
"Well, I…I got a letter from one of my friends back home. And I guess…it got me a little emotional."
"Ooh~…a letter from France!" Yui said in an excited tone. "Does it have the sweet aroma of French-made paper?"
"Seriously? That's not a thing…" Mugi retorted with a sweatdrop.
"What does it say, Miharu?" Mio asked.
"Well, it's in French. So, I'll have to translate it as I go. But…" I then mentally prepared myself to reread the letter so that the others (besides Mugi and Azusa) can understand what was on it. And possibly know what was wrong with me.
Though, it should be obvious at this point…
Dear Miharu,
Hey, Girl! How's it been? We haven't heard from you in so long that Éliott made a bet that you died. It was funny seeing him agonize in defeat once it was proven otherwise by your dad.
Plus, I made that MONEY!
Anyway…I'm finally writing to you because I miss ya, girl. We're over here about to graduate and it feels lonely without you. We all promised that we would walk across that stage together…admiring the cherry blossom petals as they flew across the sky…not having you and Zoé here really defeats the purpose of making that promise.
I really wish we could see you again, Miharu. You were, strangely enough, the mold that kept us all together. And we wouldn't have it any other way.
Hope you continue having fun being Japanese. You gotta tell me what it's like someday.
Best wishes,
Danielle
The letter even came with a picture of all of us together before I moved. Taken back during our first day of high school.
Going from left to right…the girl with the brown hair made into a single huge ponytail is Danielle. She's got that French country girl personality…but is also the most level-headed person in the group.
Then there's Zoé. Looking like a derp at the last second due to it being so early in the morning.
Then it's me in the middle. Not much to say here.
And then the boy with the short blonde hair is Éliott. He's a bit of a douche…always hitting on girls…but still likable.
And then on the far right is Danielle's twin brother André. He's a lot shyer than his twin sister (probably as shy as Mikuru) and his long bangs always covered his eyes. It was honestly amazing that he could see like that.
"Woah…so, these are your friends from back home. This is pretty cool, Miharu." Ritsu said.
"But isn't Zoé younger than you?" Azusa asked. "How would she know them like you do?"
"What do you mean? Zoé's 18."
"S-Seriously?!" The five girls yelled in shock.
"There's no 12th grade in France. So, since Zoé was an 11th grader back home, they just made her a second-year here in Japan. She's basically doing it over."
"Wow…never would've guessed…" Mio said.
"Now, I'm just concerned if Ui knows about Zoé-chan's real age." Yui said. "Especially since they're so close to each other."
I'm sure she told her. Otherwise, they wouldn't have slept together, like Zoé said they did…
As we all continued to read the letter and look at the picture, I started remembering so many memories of my time back home before I moved to Japan. And they were flowing through my mind like the La Grande Cascade (a waterfall in Paris).
And that wasn't the only thing, apparently.
"Miharu-chan…you're crying again."
"H-Huh?" I checked my eyes again after Yui spoke to me. "Aw, damnit…"
"Senpai…are you really okay?" Azusa asked.
"Y-Yeah…I-I'm fine. I'm just gonna…show these to Zoé. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear from the others again. Be right back!"
"H-Hey! Miharu!"
I ignored Mugi calling out to me as I rushed out of the clubroom and down the stairs to a spot hidden from the rest of the school. Once I was sure nobody was around, I slumped down to the floor…with my head nuzzled into my arms…
And began to cry…
"*sniff* I-I…I-I wanna *sniff*…I wanna go home~…"
Mugi's POV
"Gee…Miharu-chan looked really sad just now." Yui-chan said after a small moment of silence from us all.
"It's honestly the first time I've seen her sad at all." Mio-chan added. "It's totally not like her."
"Hey, Mugi…" Ricchan asked me. "…Miharu did look kinda depressed while reading the letter to us. You think she could be homesick?"
…
"*sigh* Yeah, I do." I said after staying silent for a bit. "To be honest, she's been acting like that ever since we came back from Odaiba. Sometimes, she would even skip dinner and stay in her room. Crying herself to sleep."
"O-Oh, wow…"
"And the worst part of it is, she never wants to talk about it. She keeps it all to herself and acts like nothing's wrong with her. Even though she's really bad at it."
"Senpai…" Azusa-chan said in sadness. "…I'm gonna go look for her."
"And do what? I just said that she never talks about it."
"Well, I can't just sit here and ignore her suffering! I wanna help her, damnit!"
"And you don't think I don't?! I feel the same way! But you and I both know just how stubborn she can be!"
…
…
…
"*sigh* You're right." Azusa-chan gave in as she sat back down.
"There really is no way to help her?" Yui-chan asked.
"Well, asking her directly is definitely out of the question. If there really is another way, I can't think of one." I then gained a sad look of my own. "And it really hurts that such is the case…"
"Mugi-chan…"
"Well, well…it seems that you girls are in a bit of a pinch."
…
…
…
…
…
We all then turned to the source of the sudden additional voice as she was eating random parts of our lunches without a care in the world. Normally, when this happens, the person would be Sawa-chan.
But this time, it wasn't her. In fact, it was someone that none of us thought we would see again for at least a while. If ever.
"Wh-What the hell?!" Mio-chan shouted in shock.
"Woah! Sokabe-senpai!" While Ricchan cheered in excitement.
"*giggle* Hello, Tea Time. It's been a while."
Megumi Sokabe. The former Student Council President of Sakuragaoka Girl's High School. She has a HUGE reputation here. Some admire her for her strong leadership and serious tone when she was President. Others found her creepy due to her weird attraction to "cute little shy girls" and her being the President of the Mio Akiyama Fan Club.
…
Yes, that club's still a thing. Only Nodoka-chan is now the President and neither she or Mio-chan ever want to bring it up.
And I don't blame them…
"S-Sokabe-senpai…what are you doing here?" Mio-chan asked.
"Oh, I was just on a surprise visit. Took some time to check up on my NEW little cutie Mikuru-chan. *giggle*"
"Oh, God. You already met Mikuru-san…" Mio-chan then mumbled to herself in mild worriedness.
"Don't worry, Akiyama-san. I won't do anything to her. You'll always be my number one cute little shy girl~. *giggle*"
"H-How is that supposed to make me feel better?!"
"Anyway…you girls really do have a bit of a situation on your hands. All because of that Neroni girl, huh?"
"What's it to you, Sokabe-senpai?" I asked in a serious tone.
"Woah, woah. Hang on. No need to get hostile, Kotobuki-san. I just want to help out, that's all."
"Help out?" And right when we all asked that…
"Sokabe-senpai!"
"Oh, Nodoka-chan. You've found me." Sokabe-senpai replied as Nodoka-chan came into the clubroom in a raging fit.
"Senpai, you can't just walk around the school as if you're still a student! I can get seriously screwed if the teachers and principal find out that I keep letting you come here!"
"W-Wait, you're LETTING her come here?" Mio-chan asked.
"*sigh* I…kinda owe her for somethings last year. And this is, unfortunately, her way of me paying her back."
"You say "unfortunately" as if I'm a nuisance or something." Sokabe-senpai said.
"With how these past few days have been, you are a nuisance."
"Wow…rude."
"So, what did you mean by "helping us out", Senpai?" Ricchan asked.
"Ah, yes. That. Well…after sitting here listening to your situation while eating all of your food…"
"Wait, when DID you get here?!" Azusa-chan asked but was ignored.
"…I've come up with a pretty easy solution. Care to hear it?"
"Situation?" Nodoka-chan asked. "What is she talking about?"
"Well…"
*ONE EXPLANATION LATER…*
"I see…so, Miharu-san is feeling homesick."
"It is coming close to a year since she moved here." I said. "With that in mind plus the letter she got…it wouldn't make sense if she WASN'T homesick."
"*moan* There's gotta be something we can do to help her!" Yui-chan whine. "I don't wanna see Miharu-chan this sad!"
"Easy there, Hirasawa-san." Sokabe-senpai said. "This is where my idea comes into play."
"I still have a bad feeling about this…" Mio-chan said.
"Come on, Mio. It's Sokabe-senpai." Ricchan said. "When has she ever let us down?"
I can actually list a TON of situations in which she's let us down. But that would take up the rest of this chapter, so I'll keep my mouth shut about it…
…
For now…
"Now, then…since everyone's now in agreement, here's what I had mind…" With no objections to the matter, Sokabe-senpai went on to explain this "idea" of hers and how it could help cheer Miharu up. Like Mio-chan, I had my doubts about this working. Especially since it's coming from the mouth of a very controversial person…
…But I'm willing to do anything for my half-sister. Even if it ends up being the most ridiculous thing ever.
Himeko's POV
"Hey, isn't the school trip coming up soon?" Yoko asked as the three of us were eating lunch together in the classroom.
"We're supposed to vote on the destination later today. And then in two weeks is the actual trip." I replied.
"Oh~…man, I'm glad that we get to vote for our trip this year. It would've sucked going to freaking Kyoto AGAIN."
"I can feel you there, Yoko." Mika said. "I mean…we went to Kyoto last year AND twice during middle school. It's supposed to be an educational spot, but I've got more knowledge about Kyoto than what girls our age are supposed to know."
"Yeah, definitely." Yoko and I agreed.
"So, with that in mind, what do you girls think it's gonna be?!" Yoko continued in an excited manner. "Ishigaki?! Obihiro?! Hakone?! God, I hope it's Hakone!"
"You seem pretty excited about this." I said. "More so than usual."
"Well, I'm still mad that you went to Okinawa AND Odaiba without us!"
"It's not like it was planned or anything. I just happened to be there when the chance came in those situations. And besides, you went to Takaoka with Mika, didn't you?"
"*sigh* Yeah, but…other than watching Kotobuki-san's idol debut and listening to Mika brag about her breasts getting bigger, nothing insane happened over there. Despite Akiyama-san saying that it's the city where crazy things tend to happen."
I then looked at Mika with a "what the hell?" kind of look.
"Wh-What? You guys know damn well how proud I am of my now C-cup breasts. I mean, look at these babies." Mika then made her breasts jiggle in a show-off manner. Not really caring that others can see her doing it.
"I'm still bigger than you. In fact, between the three of us, you're still the one with the smallest chest. Even for C-cup standards."
"You might as well have stayed flat since it didn't really make a difference." Yoko added.
"Screw you, D-cups." Mika said to us in a pissed-off tone.
"Hey, hey! Himeko! Himeko!" This conversation about breasts size would've gone longer than it really should've if Yui didn't come bursting through the door and rushed over to me.
"Y-Yui? Why are you so excited?" I then thought for a moment. "Well, actually…you're always excited. But this time feels more of a "sugar rush" than a "little kid running through a candy store" like you always are."
"I'm gonna ignore that hurtful comment…" Yui retorted with an exasperated sweatdrop. "...anyway, have you seen Miharu-chan around?"
"Miharu-san? No, I haven't seen her. Didn't she go with you guys to your clubroom?"
"Yeah, but…"
"It's all good, Yui. We found her." Tainaka-san said as she was dragging Miharu-san into the classroom.
"Geez, what the hell?" Miharu-san asked. "How did you even think of checking that small crater-like hole underneath the second set of stairs?"
"Because that's where couples here have been going to make out and have a few quickies. We heard people complaining that someone was talking too long in there and figured it was you."
"The hell? Who would even do that?"
Right then, I felt Yoko and Mika's eyes leering at Yui and me. Both of them having small smirks on their faces.
"W-We don't do that!" I yelled with a huge blush.
"Sure, you don't~…" They both teased.
"I'll freaking punch you!"
"You can't skip the rest of classes, Miharu. So, just push on until the end of the day." Kotobuki-san said to her half-sister.
"*sigh* Fine, whatever. Let's get this over with."
She seems rather depressed about the idea…
"Hey, Yui…is something wrong with Miharu-san?" I asked her. "She looks highly depressed."
"Don't worry, Himeko. After today, Miharu-chan will be back to her normal self. Probably even better."
"Even better?" The three of us were confused.
"You'll just have to wait and see~…*giggle*" This was all Yui had to say as she went off to join her bandmates. Leaving us more confused than when we were just a few seconds ago.
"You think they're up to something?" Yoko asked.
"They're the main characters of this whole series. They're always up to something." Mika said.
"Yeah, true…"
"Since when did you become aware of the 4th wall?" I asked.
"I had a friend of mine explain it to me when we were in Takaoka for that training camp. It was a real eye-opener…to realize that we're not real."
"It kinda sucks…but at least we don't have to worry about aging and all that crap." Yoko added. "We basically stay like this forever."
"Huh…" Was all I said.
After school finally came and everyone was excited about the voting for our school trip this year. The fact that we get to choose our final trip of high school was a welcomed change since Manabe-san became Student Council President. It gives us the feeling of actually being adults choosing things for ourselves.
…
E-Even though Yoko said that we don't age at all here.
The more I think about it, the more unbelievable it truly sounds…
"Alright, everyone. Settle down." Manabe-san said as she stood in front of the chalkboard. "Now…as you all know, today is when we all vote as third-years on where to go for our school trip. The other classes have already made their decisions. So, our class really gets the final say in it all."
"Ooh~! The final say…I feel like a total badass thinking about that!" Yoko cheered.
"As if you can be a badass, Sasaki-san." One classmate said.
"I can too be a badass! Like that one time I accidently came to school without any panties and people though highly of me."
"That wasn't "badass". You're just an airhead." Mika and I said with sweatdrops.
"*clears throat* A-Anyway…" Manabe-san continued. "…these are the current top picks for the voting. Ishigaki, Obihiro, Hakone…
…
New Orleans, for some reason…"
New Orleans? As in New Orleans, Louisiana? Who voted for that?
"…And as a last-minute entry…Paris."
"Ooh~…" The entire class was amazed at the selection. To think that two of the options would be international destinations is actually pretty exciting.
Especially since one of them is…
"W-Wait, what? Paris? People are actually voting to go to Paris?"
"I bet it's a total surprise for you right, Miharu-san?" Manabe-san said to her. "Believe it or not, a good amount of people want to see what kind of city Paris is. Since you and Zoé-san are from there."
"W-Well, technically…we're from a city NEXT to Paris…but even then, who even suggested it? I sure as hell didn't."
"That would be me, Neroni-san. *giggle*" Then, from behind the desk, appeared a person that, depending on who you ask, has a certain reputation here at Sakuragaoka.
"Sokabe-senpai!" Half of the class (including Yoko) cheered in excitement.
"Aw, crap…" While the other half (including Mika and myself) groaned in agony.
I thought we were DONE with her! Why is she back?!
"Uh…who are you?" Miharu-san asked.
"Megumi Sokabe. Former Student Council President and forever a Mio Akiyama worshiper."
"D-Did you had to put it like that?!" Akiyama-san yelled.
"I heard that you were feeling a little homesick. So…I used my last good graces with this school to make a few changes to the voting poll. Isn't that great?"
"What good graces?" Mika and I grumbled to ourselves.
"Wh-What? Homesick?" Miharu-san asked. "Wh-Who said I was homesick? I'm not homesick."
"Oh, really? We're playing THIS game, Neroni-san?"
"Miharu, quit denying it already." Kotobuki-san said as she stood up from her seat. "We all know what's been going on with you."
"Wh-What? Mugi, what are you…"
"All those times where you were crying to yourself in your room…refusing to come out or even eat something…it's as clear as day at this point so just admit it already."
Everyone then looked at Miharu-san…some were shocked to hear what she's been doing lately. And were now waiting for her response.
…
…
…
"*sigh* Fine…I admit. I…have been feeling a little homesick lately. But I can handle it on my own. You guys don't have to sacrifice your school trip to make me happy."
"Who said we were sacrificing it?" Tainaka-san said. "We asked the other classes for their thoughts and they all showed high interest in seeing what France is like."
"Of course…mainly because of you and Zoé-san." Akiyama-san added.
"Why else would Paris be leading right now over three cities here in Japan?" Yui asked.
"I guess…" Miharu-san went silent for a bit. "…but then who voted for New Orleans?"
"A couple of girls in Class 3-1." Manabe-san said. "They said that they wanted to experience what Mardi Gras was like."
"Mardi Gras already past. It was back in March."
"Oh~…" The entire class went.
Well, so much for going to New Orleans…
"In any case…we shall now begin the voting." Manabe-san said. "First up…who wants the destination to be Ishigaki?"
Nobody raised their hand.
"Okay…who wants it to be Obihiro?"
Nobody raised their hand.
"Alright…who wants it to be Hakone?"
A few people raised their hands. Probably because of all the onsen hot springs Hakone is known for.
"Okay, then…and since we can all agree that New Orleans has been ruled out, we'll just go the last one. Who here wants the school trip to be in Paris?"
And then almost immediately, Kotobuki-san raised her hand. Followed by Yui. Then Tainaka-san. Then Akiyama-san.
…
And then soon more of the class raised their hands. More and more…even Yoko and Mika joined in. Which made me give in and add my hand to the vote, too.
"G-Guys…You really…" Miharu-san said in disbelief.
"Well, that settles it." Sokabe-senpai said. "The winning pick of the third-year's school trip is…Paris, France. Congratulations, Neroni-san."
"W-Wow…I…"
"See, Miharu?" Kotobuki-san said as she stood next to Miharu-san. "Now, you get to go home and see your friends and family again. I'm sure they'll be excited to see you."
"M-Mugi…e-everyone…" Miharu-san said with tears running down her eyes. This time of a different kind. "*sniff* Tout le monde! Merci beaucoup!"
"She said: "Everyone! Thank you so very much!"." Kotobuki-san translated.
"You're very welcome, Miharu-san!" The rest of us replied.
Author's Note: And so, with the trip to Paris, France decided on, the School Trip Arc officially begins! As stated before, this is the arc that heavily impacts the rest of the story. So, it's going to get rather serious in these upcoming chapters.
But here's a (not so) funny story: I almost lost this ENTIRE story! For like a while, I was saving my stories on a USB. But I guess it was corrupted or something because it would delete whatever I was working on after I close it. And it would delete EVERYTHING! The story, the current chapter I was working on, and even past chapters! And it wasn't the first time it happened, either.
I was prepared to put up an update stating that this story would be MIA while I recopied everything...when I found a copy on my Microsoft One-Drive. It was only missing part of 56 and the entirety of 57 & 58. So, there wasn't that much recopying that I had to do.
So, if there's anything I've learned from this...GET MICROSOFT ONE-DRIVE! IT WILL SAVE YOUR ASS!
In other (positive) news, I've been thinking of writing some tiny little spin-offs to this story. Kinda like bonus chapters. They won't be canon and they'll feature more crossovers with other series. It's really just an extra thing I could do. Interested to hear any thoughts about it.
Thanks for reading. Later.