Chapter 7 – The Test of Musical Bonds
Azusa's POV
"Tu sais. Je suis vraiment content que tu aies rejoint notre club, Miharu-senpai."
(You know. I'm really glad that you joined our club, Miharu-senpai.)
"Vraiment? Je pensais que tu acceptais que je ne rejoigne pas."
(Really? I thought you were okay with me not joining.)
"Pour être honnête, je ne voulais tout simplement pas trop vous pousser. Comme comment les autres ont fait."
(To be honest, I just didn't want to push you so much. Like how the others did.)
"Je vois."
(I see.)
"Aussi ... je suis juste content de ne plus être novice dans le groupe!"
(Also...I'm just glad that I'm no longer the newbie in the group!)
"Quoi?!"
(What?!)
"*giggle* Pardon, Miharu-senpai. Même si tu es plus âgé que moi, il semblerait que tu devras apprendre les bases de moi! C'est bien!"
(*giggle* Sorry, Miharu-senpai. Even though you're older than me, looks like you'll have to learn the basics from me! It's great!)
"Vous avez attendu ce jour, n'est-ce pas?"
(You've been waiting for this day, haven't you?)
"Ouais je l'ai. Depuis que je suis moi-même membre de ce club. Certes, j'ai dû attendre sept mois pour que cela se produise. Mais je suis content que ce soit finalement le cas."
(Yeah, I have. Ever since I joined this club myself. Granted, I had to wait seven months for it to happen. But I'm glad it finally did.)
"Intéressante…tu es une fille très sournoise, Azusa."
(Interesting...you're a very sneaky girl, Azusa.)
"Uh…guys."
We looked in front of us to see the other older girls staring at us with confused looks.
"Since we're going to be around each other a lot, could you two ease up with the French?" Ritsu-senpai asked.
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…
...
"J'ai honnêtement oublié qu'ils étaient là."
(I honestly forgot that they were here.) I whispered to Miharu-senpai.
"Ouais moi aussi. Je suppose qu'ils ne nous intéressent plus lorsque nous parlons français."
(Yeah, me too. I guess they become irrelevant to us when we speak French.)
"Oui, ça y ressemble…"
(Yeah, it sure looks like it…)
"Okay, I don't know what you two just said. But for some reason, I feel insulted."
"Ah bon alors."
(Oh, well then.) We both said as we shrugged our shoulders.
"What does that even mean?!" Ritsu-senpai yelled at us.
"Neroni-san." Mio-senpai said. "It's great that you have someone to speak French with. But for the sake of less confusion, could you go easy with it?"
"*sigh* Alright, alright. Sorry for the confusion."
"Glad you understand."
"By the way…why do you call me by my last name?"
"Well…because it's something we do here in Japan. It's a sign of respect."
"What she means is that we call each other by our last names until we gain the right to use first names. Like if a group become friends or something to that nature." Mugi-senpai said.
"I see. So…aren't we friends? I mean, I've been here for a few days now."
"Well, duh." Ritsu-senpai said.
"Of course!" Yui-senpai cheered.
"You're my friend AND my half-sister." Mugi-senpai said.
"We're totally friends, Miharu-senpai." I said.
We all then looked at Mio-senpai, who had stayed silent during the whole thing.
"W-Well…I-I didn't think we were that close already. B-But, sure. We're friends, Neroni-san."
"That's great. So, can you call me by my first name? Being called "Neroni" sounds kinda weird to me."
"I-I-I, uh…" Mio-senpai then went silent again.
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…
…
"S…Sure…Mi…Miharu. *sigh* If that's what you want, Miharu."
"Great! Merci, Mio!"
"What?"
"She said "thank you" in French." I said.
"Oh, sorry. I switch to French mid-sentence when I'm excited."
"Oh. That's pretty cool, Miharu-chan." Yui-senpai said.
"Yes, indeed. It really is interesting."
…
…
…
We looked over to where that extra voice came from. And when we finally noticed her…
"Gah! Vieille dame effrayant!"
(Creepy old lady!)
"I don't know what you just said. But I feel insulted for some reason." Sawako-sensei said to Miharu-senpai with a pissed-off look.
"Join the club, Sawa-chan." Ritsu-senpai said.
"When did you get here?!" Mio-senpai yelled.
"Just a few seconds ago. I came in while you girls were talking earlier."
"Why didn't you knock?" Yui-senpai asked.
"I'm a teacher and your advisor. I shouldn't have to knock."
But doing so would be nice…
"So…this is a teacher?" Miharu-senpai asked.
"This is Sawa-chan. She's our homeroom teacher, Miharu-chan." Mugi-senpai said.
"Huh. Now that I think about it, I think I remember seeing you."
"H-How could you forget your own teacher?!" Sawako-sensei asked.
"Well, I don't really know you."
"I'm your teacher!"
"Well, I get that now."
"*sigh* And besides, I don't remember giving any of you permission to call me by that name."
"Well, everyone else started doing it once we did." Ritsu-senpai said. "It's too late to force the change now."
"*sigh* Just great…"
"So, why are you here? Aren't you busy with the Wind Ensemble Club?"
"It's the off-season." Sawako-sensei said as she took a bite of one of the sweats Mugi-senpai had brought. "We won't be doing anything until after Christmas break. So, I'm back here once more."
"Great…" Mio-senpai and I said with a sweatdrop.
"In other news…congratulations, Kotobuki-san. Finding your half-sister must be a huge milestone, isn't it?"
"You could say that." Mugi-senpai said. "Though, we've only known each other for 3 days at this point. So, we've been getting to know each other as much as we can."
"Mugi's been coming over to my place every day after school and we talk about what our lives were like before meeting each other." Miharu-senpai added. "Although, I'm REALLY jealous of Mugi's so far. How are you so freaking rich?"
"Well…"my father" is a successful business man and such. It just kinda happened."
"I see…"
Wait, why did she put "my father" in parentheses?
"I see…" Sawako-sensei said. "Well, you're in for a treat, Neroni-san. These nutjobs are always having a good time together."
"Wh-Who are you calling nutjobs?!" Ritsu-senpai took offense to that.
"Yeah, I'm that I am. Thanks again, uh…"
…
"…Wh-What was your name again?"
"I'm Sawako-sensei! YOUR TEACHER!"
"R-Right…" Miharu-senpai gained a sweatdrop.
"*sigh* Geez. Foreigners are always the tough ones." Sawako-sensei then took a sip of the tea Mugi made. "Makes me wonder how she's going to work out in the band."
"Band? What band?"
"The five of us formed a band together." Yui-senpai said. "We named ourselves Hō-kago Tea Time!"
"H-Ho…Ho…Ho…k-Ka…go…?"
"Yui. You know that Miharu doesn't know any Japanese." Mio-senpai said.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot." Yui-senpai rubbed the back of her head.
"Hōkago means "after school" in Japanese." Ritsu-senpai said.
"So…After School Tea Time? I don't get it."
"It represents us getting together after school as friends and doing stuff."
"Mainly eating snacks, drinking tea, and talking about random topics as if we're in Lucky Star or something." I added.
"Like what?" Miharu-senpai asked.
"Azu-nyan! Don't break the 4th wall!" Yui-senpai yelled at me. To which, I rolled my eyes.
"It doesn't sound like you guys practice at all."
"Hey, we do practice! And we make really good songs, too!" Ritsu-senpai said. "What do you say, girls? Shall we prove it to her?"
"Alright!" Yui-senpai cheered. "I'll get Gitah!"
"Who?"
"Her guitar." Mugi-senpai said to Miharu-senpai.
"She NAMED her guitar?"
"Come on, Miharu. It's not that weird. Mio named hers Elizabeth and Azusa named hers Mu-tan."
"R-Ritsu!"
"R-Ritsu-senpai!" Mio-senpai and I yelled with a faint blush of embarrassment.
"That's…really weird. Is this a common trend?"
"No, not really. I play the drums, but I didn't name them. It's too embarrassing and childish."
*POW*
*POW*
"Ow…"
"You're the last person we want to hear that from!" Mio-senpai and I shouted after hitting Ritsu-senpai in the head.
"You girls are freaking weirdos…" Miharu-senpai said.
"Well, you're a part of us now. So you're a weirdo, too." Mugi-senpai said with a giggle.
"*sigh* Fils de pute…"
I would translate what Miharu-senpai had just said under her breath, but I'm not the one to curse. Even in a different language.
Though if I did, I could probably get away with it…
"Well, you girls have fun." Sawako-sensei said. "I've got papers to grade so I can't watch."
"Alright." Yui-senpai said. "Okay, Miharu-chan! Prepare to be amazed! As the Light Music Club's Hō-kago Tea Time is about to preform to you our most popular song! Fuwa Fuwa Time!"
"F-Fu…wa…?" And…Miharu-senpai was confused again.
"Aw, geez. Let's just start playing before she starts asking questions again." Mio-senpai said.
"Right! LET'S GO!"
Miharu's POV
*DURING THE PERFORMANCE…*
And so I sat in a chair as I watched these girls play this song on their instruments. Yui, Mio, and Azusa each had a guitar, Ritsu played the drums, and Mugi…I didn't think she could play a keyboard so well. It's kind of odd based on what she's told me about her life so far.
As for the song itself…I honestly have no idea what they're saying. It's in Japanese, after all. But I have to admit, they are pretty good. The fact that they're in sync with each other is rather impressive.
...
Although…there IS one question that I have.
"So. How was that, Miharu-chan? Pretty good, right?" Yui asked me after the song was finished.
"Well, to be completely honest…I have no idea what the lyrics are."
"Right…" The five girls gained a sweatdrop.
"But other than that, you girls are really good. I'm actually impressed."
"Wow. Thanks, Miharu." Mio said.
"But I do have one criticism. What kind of music was that?"
"We like to think of ourselves as a Pop Rock band." Ritsu said. "We rock out til we can't rock out anymore!"
That sounds reckless…
Isn't this the Light Music Club?"
"Yeah." The group answered.
"Then…what you just played…isn't Light Music at all."
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…
"WHAAAAAAAAT?!" And then they all shouted in shock.
"Wait. You mean you didn't know?"
"Of course not! We just assumed that Light Music was a general term!" Ritsu yelled.
"So, you're saying that Light Music is its own genre?!" Mio asked.
"Yeah. It is. Light music is, basically, a less-serious form of Western Classical music. It originated in the 18th and 19th centuries but it was mostly popular in the mid‑20th century."
"Western Classical music? Wow." Mugi said.
"That's…nothing like the songs we play." Ritsu said. "Not even close."
"Well, it's also known as "mood music" and "concert music"."
"Ooh! We definitely play at concerts!" Yui said. "And our music brings the mood to everyone that listens, too!"
"Is that mood a calm one?" I asked.
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…
...
"W-Well…no."
"It's basically the complete opposite." Azusa said.
"So, then…why is this called the Light Music Club?"
"Well..." Ritsu said. "The thing is…Mio and I actually found this club to be abandoned. This is actually the first time it's been active for years."
"Really? Just how old is this club?"
"Like really old. As in, it was around when Sawa-chan went to school here."
"Wait, she did?"
"It was a shock to us, too." Mio added.
"I see…"
Well, I was right about her being old…
"It was just Mio, Yui, Mugi, and I last year. And then this year, we got Azusa. And then not long after that, we got you."
"I see. So even then…you couldn't just Google what the genre was before starting it?"
"Look, Miharu." Ritsu started getting defensive as she continued speaking. "Getting this club up and running once again was a lot of hard work, you know. And so what if we're not playing right music. We're pretty damn good and a lot of people think so, too. So if you're going to criticize us for not knowing about what it means, then you can just…"
"Ricchan!" Mugi yelled.
"*sigh* Alright, I get it." I said as I stood up from the chair.
"M-Miharu-chan, wait!"
"No, it's fine, Mugi. I can take a hint."
"Ricchan!" Yui then yelled at her.
"W-Wait! Th-That's not what I…"
"You girls seem really passionate about this. Alright, I'm in."
"M-Miharu, this a huge misunder…WAIT, WHAT?!"
"Wow. You were right, Mugi. Being convoluting and conniving really is fun."
"*giggle* See? I told you, Miharu-chan."
"Wait, what the hell is going on?" Ritsu asked.
"So sorry, everyone. But all of this was planned out in advance."
"What?!" The four girls yelled.
"Miharu-chan really wanted to be sure that joining this club wouldn't be a mistake or a waste of time. So, I suggested that she push our buttons a little to get our true feelings about making music together."
"So, basically…this was the "trial" Miharu-senpai was talking about?" Azusa asked.
"Pretty much." I said.
"And I couldn't have any of you suspicious. So, I played along as well." Mugi added.
"I see. I think I understand it all now." Mio said.
"Man...the two of you tricking us like that. You really are sisters." Ritsu said.
"I guess we are." We both said with a giggle and a smile.
"So, it's official, right?!" Yui asked. "Miharu-chan's a part of the band now?!"
"Yes, Yui. I'm in." I said. "What you've been wanting since earlier this week."
"Yay! Alright! We got a new member! For real, this time! Let's go out and celebrate!"
"You mean now? Sorry, I can't. I'm supposed to pick up dinner for everyone from Knock-Off McDonald's."
"It has a name, you know..." Ritsu said.
"Yeah. Knock-Off McDonald's."
"That's not it!"
"Well, it looks a lot like McDonald's."
"But it's not McDonald's!"
"*sigh* Whatever. It's still food. See you guys tomorrow." I said as I grabbed my schoolbag and headed out the door.
"See ya." The others said.
*A LITTLE WAYS DOWN THE ROAD…*
"You're really tagging along with us, Mugi?" I asked as we walked through the streets together.
"Sure. I really don't mind, Miharu-chan. Think of this as a…family gathering of sorts."
"Yeah, but what about your family? Wh-which is technically my family but also not really so...y-you know what I mean."
"Y-Yes...I do." Mugi said before going silent. Lowering her head in sadness.
"Mugi…"
"M-Miharu-chan…c-can I…can I stay with you guys for a while?"
"Huh? What about your mansion?"
"I, uh…d-don't live there anymore. I-I was kicked out."
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…
...
"A…ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
Author's Note: Miharu officially joins both the club and the band! It's all happy news…until she learns that Mugi was kicked out of her home! What could've happened to cause this event? Next chapter explains all.
Thanks for reading. Later.