Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Forgive me for my presumptuous empathizing!”

That’s what rang inside her head as she saw the man sitting alone in the park with her being picked up by his loving family.

Gotoh Hitori is about to enter her first year of highschool. Typically, a normal girl her age will be spending after school time with friends, going to trendy shops and cafes, or maybe even sing karaoke.

But Hitori wasn’t a typical girl. She was a recluse, a future hikikikomori. Throughout her life, she had never made a single friend. Her existence is barely acknowledged by her peers only during role calls or when they need her to get out of the way.

“Ah, I broke 30.000 subscribers.” Hitori said as she looked at her phone.

That’s right. The online place is where she belongs. “It sort of makes me not wanna go to schoo-”

“AH! GUITAR!”

Hitori’s self monologue was interrupted by a shrill voice coming from the park’s entrance. She looked up to find a girl running and stumbling towards her.

“Guitar! That’s a guitar!” the girl pointed out rather obviously. “Do you play?” The girl immediately started bombarding her with questions.

“Urk-!”

“Hey, you alright?”

I haven’t talked with anyone in so long, my voice-! Hitori internally monologued.

“Hehe, sorry for ambushing you like this. The name’s Ritsu, Tainaka Ritsu, Second year at Sakuragouka High!” She introduced herself. The girl, who now Hitori can finally get a good glimpse at (she was avoiding eye contact at all cost) has short sandy brown hair and amber colored eyes. Her glistening forehead, in turn, was exposed by the yellow headband she was wearing.

“A-ah. Hitori Gotoh.” Hitori responded as shortly as possible.

“Cool. So tell me, Hitori-chan, (“Already on first name basis???”) How good are you with that guitar?”

“Pretty decent, I guess..”

“Perfect! You see, I'm kinda in a pickle here. Actually, not just a tiny pickle, its a cucumber-sized problem! Maybe even watermelon sized!”

There’s nothing okay with her! Hitori thought to herself.

“Alright, I’ll stop beating around the bush. Please, can you play lead guitar for my band?”

Band?

“We got a concert coming up, and our lead guitarist decided that this was the perfect time to catch a cold! That idiot! Right before a big concert too! Although I guess maybe I’m somewhat to blame too cause I might have given her that cold..” Ritsu’s passionate plea slowly winds down into a quiet mumble.

Band? Concert? Hitori’s eyes begin to swirl.

“Our songs are not that hard! You see, our guitarist is kind of a beginner, so we have to write our songs around that fact, you’ll pick it up easily!” Ritsu continued her plea, hand clasped with her head bowed.

“Umm - err-”

“You’ll do it? Great! Just so happens we have a rehearsal right now! Come on, there’s no time to waste!” Ritsu immediately grabs hold of Hitori’s arm before she could even respond.

I haven’t even said anything yet!

-

So just like that, Hitori finds herself being dragged along by a girl she just met less than 10 minutes ago. They are now walking towards her high school, Sakuragouka High.

“So you come to that park often, Hitori?”

Now she’s even dropping the honorifics? Is this normal for people you just met?

“Oh, well…”

“All by yourself, too? Gee, what’s wrong with you Hitori? It’s almost like you have no friends or something!” Ritsu said cheerily.

“Urk-!” This girl had no filter, apparently. She didn’t even seem to register the effect her words just had on Hitori.

“Welp, we’re almost there, just one more turn and we’ll be in my school!” Hitori didn’t respond, and this seems to annoy Ritsu.

“Hey Hitori, what’s the deal? You know a conversation can’t happen with just one person talking without the other answering, you know!”

“A-ah, sorry, I just have nothing interesting to s-say…” Hitori manages to stutter out.

“Really? cause i can pick up a dozen interesting things on your person to talk about right now! Like, you really like the color pink, don’t you? You’re practically pink all over from head to waist! What’s the deal with the hair? Did you dye it yourself? Why do you smell like mold?” Ritsu began to rapidly ask questions after questions in succession.

“A-ah, my hair’s all natural actually, I got it from my parents..”

“Pfft, what? You’re such a kidder, Hitori! You tellin’ me that pink hair runs in your family’s genetics or somethin’? Get outta here! That sort of thing doesn’t happen in real life!”

Hitori was confused by this. Her entire family on her mother’s side has pink hair. Her mother, her little sister, even her grandma. What is Ritsu saying? That’s like saying you’ve never seen someone with natural blue hair, or you’ve never seen someone with a geometrically shaped ahoge. Those things are pretty common, Hitori would think.

“In any case, you gotta tell me what kind of hair dye you're using. I’m currently thinking of a potential hair dye prank on someone, I can just imagine the look on her face when I manage to pull it off!” Ritsu said cheekily, turning back to face the road ahead.

This girl must be a handful, Hitori thought to herself. An extrovert, already her least favorite type of person. How could someone be this talkative and cheery? It’s such a mystery to someone like Hitori. Where did all that energy come from? Maybe she can use this opportunity to learn on how to become one!! Hitori begun to sniff Ritsu. I can start by finding out what extroverts smell like!

“Huh? Hitori, are you sniffing my hair?”

“N-no..”

Oh god, she’s gonna think I'm weird now, won’t she? Please don’t think it was a mistake to invite me! Hitori thought.

I might’ve made a mistake in inviting her. Ritsu thought.

-

“We’re here!” Ritsu exclaimed, as they reached the top of the stairs. In front of them was a door that Hitori would presume leads to her clubroom.

She was not enjoying the walk through a crowded school corridor to get here. Everyone kept staring at her like she was some kind of water flea, not helped by how Ritsu kept attempting to talk to her throughout all of it with that loud voice of hers, which draws even more attention from passersby.

“Honey, I’m home!” Ritsu said as she opened the door to the clubroom.

“Ritsu, there you are!” a feminine voice answered. “So how did it go? Is Yui feeling better? Can she play with us?”

“Oh, I’ll do you something better! I got us a substitute!”

“WHAT?”

Ritsu moved out of the way to reveal Hitori, who was now in the process of breaking down, being unveiled as some kind of item.

“Ritsu, you were supposed to check up on Yui, not recruit some random person to replace her!” The other girl beckoned. Now that Ritsu’s not obscuring her view, Hitori got a clear view of the other girl. She had long black hair and a beautiful face, along with steel gray eyes.

“Oh, Mio. I got us the next best thing! Yui kinda sucked anyway, It’s always a gamble with her to see if she still even remembers how to play guitar right before a concert. This one right here, surely she’d be better at guitar than Yui.”

That was certainly a tall order, Hitori doesn’t know if she can live up to whoever this “Yui” person is. Her eyes began to swirl.

“And how would you know? Have you even heard her play?”

Ritsu opened her mouth, before abruptly closing it again. She turned towards Hitori sheepishly.

“I-uhh, crap. I might’ve forgotten to do that before bringing her here.”

“You WHAT? Ritsu, don’t tell me you just picked up some random girl off the street to be our guitarist?”

Ritsu does her best Hitori impression by going to extreme lengths to avoid eye contact.

Mio walked up to Ritsu, and proceeded to karate chop the crap out of her head, Hitori was taken aback by this sudden display of violence.

“OW! Mio-chan is so mean..” Ritsu said, nursing a cartoonishly huge head bump on her head. Wait, where did that come from?

“If you don’t want me to beat the crap out of you, you probably should stop doing stupid things, you baka!” Mio said in retaliation.

“Maa, Mio chan. I think it’s best for us to calm down and collect ourselves first. We’re probably scaring the poor girl.”

A third voice came from another girl that Hitori somehow failed to notice was also in the room with them. She had long, wavy blonde hair. Her face looks foreign, and she has two big blue eyes along with bushy eyebrows to compliment them. She noticed Hitori glancing at her and smiled warmly. Hitori immediately looked away, flustered after being caught staring.

“I think we got off on a rough start, so let’s start over shall we? Let me introduce myself, My name is Kotobuki Tsumugi, but you can just call me Mugi. I’m the keyboardist for Ho-Kago Tea Time. I assume you already know Ritsu, she’s the drummer and our club president. And this is Akiyama Mio, she’s the bassist for our band.”

Hitori just give a simple nod without making eye contact with Mugi, just to show that she’s listening. “Gotoh H-Hitori.” she responded shortly.

“We also have two guitarists in our band, one is Hirasawa Yui-chan, but she’s not feeling well at the moment, so she’s not here. The other one is, where’s- Ah, Azusa-chan, please come forward, don’t be shy.”

From the back of the room another girl that Hitori also failed to notice, (although this one might be more justifiable given her small stature.) walked up to her. She had long black hair similar to Mio, but hers was tied into two long pigtails on each side of her head. She was staring at Hitori with her huge garnet eyes.

“Oi, Nakano. It’s rude to stare, you know?” Ritsu piped up.

This seems to have brought her back. She quickly muttered an apology. “Sorry, it was just, your tracksuit, and that pink hair. It seems… familiar somehow.”

Hitori internally panicked. Oh no, what is she reminded of? An old friend? An ex? Does that mean I don't get to play in the band?

But before she can panic even more, Mugi decided to step in and asks, “Eh, does that mean you’ve met her before, Azusa-chan?”

“What? Oh - oh no, it was just, her attire kind of reminded me of something. It’s probably just a coincidence though.” Azusa said. Hitori wiped her forehead when no one was looking.

“About that pink hair though, she said that she got it from her parents! Ha, how crazy is that? A family filled with pink haired people!” Ritsu chimed in.

“Ritsu-senpai, that’s not nice.” Ah, so this Azusa-chan is younger?

“We’re getting sidetracked! Hitori-chan, was it?” Mio turned towards her.

"A-ah, yes!" Hitori said, jumping up at the mention of her name. Mio looked taken aback by this reaction for a moment, before mentally shrugging it off.

"Can you show us how you play?"

"A-ah!" Hitori felt everyone's eyes drawn to her. What do I do? I've never played for an audience of four, Scratch that! I've never played for an audience in general!

Hitori fidgets in place and mumbles incoherently. Before she can formulate a response however, Azusa interjects.

"Wait, Mio-senpai, are you serious? This is our culture festival! Are you really considering replacing Yui-senpai? You can't! It has to be her! What's the point otherwise?" Azusa said, rather passionately.

C-culture festival? Hitori had never even played for her own school festivals, and now she's expected to play for another school she stepped foot on less than five minutes ago? This revelation proved to be quite taxing for Hitori, and she began to melt under the pressure.

"It's just a precaution, Azusa. Since that baka had brought her here we might as wel- What the- WHAT'S HAPPENING TO HER?"

Everyone immediately looked at Hitori, who was literally melting under the pressure, as in, her body was liquifying.

"Wh-What the- How is she doing that?" Ritsu, who was closest to Hitori, immediately took a step back.

"Eww! I think I got some of her on my shoes!"

As the light music club watched in abject horror, Hitori began to mentally say her farewells.

So this is how it ends, I will soon be lost to the janitor's mop and bucket, and after that, Japan's sewage system. This is it, goodbye, cruel world.

As she was beginning to see the light, Hitori feel a strong scent pulling her back to earth.

Hitori opened her eyes, to find Mugi crouching next to her, carrying what seems to be a steaming teacup.

"Drink up, Hitori-chan. It's my own blend. It helps calm your nerves."

Hitori did as she was told. She drank the tea and felt her body relaxes (and more importantly, rematerialize).

"Wow, Mugi, how do you know that would work?" Hitori could faintly make out Ritsu's voice.

Mugi smiled. "I've had a lot of encounters with many different people thanks to my father's business ventures, Ricchan. This isn't the first time I've seen something like this happen."

"That sounds vaguely ominous." Azusa mumbled. Mugi just smiled mysteriously.

"A-ah, sorry, I'm up, I'm up now!" Everyone looked towards Hitori, who was now attempting to sit up.

"Well, good. So, Mio, what were you saying?"

Ritsu turned around to face Mio, only to find the spot she was standing on just moments ago empty. "What? Where's Mio?" Ritsu asked the room.

Azusa pointed towards the corner of the room, where Mio was currently crouching with her eyes closed, her hands covering her ears.

"Didn't see anything, didn't hear anything, didn't smell anything moldy." She muttered.

Ritsu sighed. "You know, under normal circumstances I would love to tease her even more, but I was honestly freaked out by that whole thing myself. Hitori, whatever that was, please never do it again. Or we'll sell you to some underground lab so they can study you! Actually, money seems to be running low currently." Ritsu began to actually consider that thought.

"Ah, yes. Sorry. Definitely won't happen again!" Hitori piped up, before Ritsu can properly reach a conclusion to that thought.

It took them a full ten minutes to calm Mio down. After she recollected herself, she turned towards Hitori.

"Hitori-chan, lets just forget any of that ever happened. Please." She added that last line weakly. Hitori nodded. She doesn't feel like there would be any reason to ever bring that up again.

"Well, can you show us how you play Hitori-chan? You can read sheet music, yes? We'll give you the sheet for the guitar parts for Fuwa-Fuwa time and you can learn it before playing it with us."

With that, Mugi handed her the sheet music for Fuwa-Fuwa time. She read the first line of the lyrics and immediately resisted the urge to barf.

Just as she feared. This band played seiyuun songs about falling in love and being young and being young and falling in love! All the topics Hitori was deathly allergic to.

Beyond that, she can't help but cringe at how overly cutesy and fluffy the choice of words being used were. "When i see you my heart goes doki-doki?" Hitori began to scratch her body as she felt her entire body itch (an action that was mirrored by Ritsu, as she also reevaluated her own sheet music for Fuwa-Fuwa time). But it's not like she had any room to criticize the choice this band made to sing seiyuun songs. Not many people would like to hear songs about how sad, lonely, and friendless you are. It's an acquired taste, Hitori muses to herself.

After a while, Hitori heard the club president beckon her.

"Hitori-chan! Ready for your debut?"

"A-ah, well, I-i.."

What do I do? I can't play in front of a crowd of four people! That's four people too many out of my comfort zone!

"I-i, well, can you all leave first so I can play?" Hitori asked lamely.

"Eh? But how are we gonna judge you if we leave?" Azusa asked.

"Uu… don't like.. being judged… other people's perception.. scary…" Hitori meekly said.

No one said anything in response to that. Oh no, did I manage to mess it up? Oh no, oh no, oh no. Well at least they barely know each other, so Hitori can just leave right now and pretend this never happened! But wait, they know her name! Well, it's decided, then. Tonight she is going to ask her parents to move their family to a different city, no, different country, with new aliases so she can start a new life free from-

"Hitori-chan. Could it be possible you're experiencing stage fright right now?"

Eh? That question came from Mugi. From what she's seen so far, Mugi can be highly perceptive about things. She really needs to be careful around her in case they ever come across each other again in the future.

"Ah, m-maybe." Hitori answered, to which Mugi gave an understanding nod.

"Stage fright? She's just like you, Mio!" Ritsu suddenly said.

"We are nothing alike!" Mio retorted, flustered. "A-ah! I didn't mean it as an insult!" Mio quickly added.

"It's okay, i wouldn't want to be compared to a water flea like myself either, haha."

"Hitori-chan, what are you talking about?"

"Well, this is a problem, how are you going to perform if you don't want to be watched?" Ritsu interjected.

"Didn't something similar to this happen last year? How did you manage to overcome your stage fright, Mio-senpai?" Azusa asked.

"Don't you remember the video from yesterday, Nakano? She did it by showing the entire school her pa-"

SMACK!

Hitori wasn't quite sure what had happened, but the next thing she knew, Ritsu was laying dead on the floor, now with two cartoonish bumps on her head. Is she really the only one finding this weird?

"Now no one will marry me…" Mio muttered.

"There, there Mio-senpai, don't mind her, you know how insufferable she can be."

"Oi, I'm dead, not deaf!"

Amidst all this chaos, Mugi walked towards Hitori, carrying something in her arms she retrieved from the closet.

"If you feel uncomfortable being watched, Hitori-chan, maybe this will help." Mugi said, handing the thing she was carrying to her.

"How is that gonna help?" Mio began to ask, but before she knew it, Hitori had already put on the full body horse costume.

"It's damp, stuffy, and smells like some old grandma. But most importantly, it hides my face. It feels just like home!" Hitori exclaimed. She began giggling uncontrollably.

"How are we feeling, Sakuragouka? Who's ready to party?" Hitori said, MC-ing to an invisible audience.

"I suppose that works." Mio said.

Azusa observed Hitori. From the two guitarists she has met so far, she's seeing two possible branching futures, and she liked neither of those outcomes.

"Well then, can you play us something Hitori-chan?" Mugi asked.

"Certainly!" She said, taking out her guitar. Out of the corner of her unblinking horse eyes, she could've sworn Azusa was giving her a scrutinizing look as she does.

Hitori took a deep breath, and then she played. With all her previous nervousness hidden behind her horsey disguise, she managed to play to the maximum of her ability. At least, that's what she liked to think.

Finally, the song came to an end, and as the last notes slowly came to a close, Hitori paused to take a breath.

The club was silent. They all seem to be judging her. She can feel some of her anxiety crawling back.

"Not bad." Mio finally commented. You still make a few mistakes here and there, but it's nothing a little practice can't fix."

Ritsu beams. "See, I told you, this was totally worth the time I saved walking to Yui's house!"

"Oh, that's not over yet. Don't think you're getting off that easy." Mio said curtly.

Ritsu gulped. "Aha, such a kidder, Mio is, ne, Mugi-chan?"

"I'm afraid you're on your own for this one, Ricchan." Mugi said, giving her that trademark closed-eyes Mugi smile.

"Oh boy, Nakano, help me out here, will you?"

Ritsu looked over towards Azusa, only to find her staring blankly at Hitori.

"Kid, you alright? I told you it's rude to stare. Or is it about the costume? Cause I don't think its normal for a girl to like horses that much, Naka-"

"You're guitarhero aren't you?" Azusa finally spoke.

"Eh, me? I don-"

"Not you, senpai! Hitori-chan!"

All eyes are now drawn towards the guitarist. Hitori, who was previously giggling to herself as she took in everyone's praises, immediately went through a complete flip of emotions upon hearing the accusation.

"Ah, I don't know what youre talking about.. ?" Hitori weakly rebutted Azusa's claim.

"You are her! The pink hair, the tracksuit, you even have the same guitar they use in all their videos! Oh my god, I can't believe I'm actually meeting you!" Azusa said with stars in her eyes.

"Ahk-" Hitori was blinded by the aura Azusa was emanating, Her Azu-aura, you could say.

"I watched all your videos! I can't believe this, can you sign my Mustang?" She said as she walked over towards her with her guitar in tow.

"I- w-well…"

"Alright kid, I don't know whats going on, but you're obviously making her uncomfortable."

"Ritsu senpai, you don't understand, it's-"

Before she could finish that sentence, the door to the club opened to reveal…

"Ya-ho!"

"Yui!" Everybody said in unison. They all moved towards the newcomer, leaving Hitori alone at the back of the room.

“Have you gotten better already?” Mio asked.

“Oh, my cold?” The newcomer (who apparently is named Yui, the girl everyone has been talking about.) said, before pulling off the worst attempt at a fake cough.

“Sounds so fake..” Azusa said dryly.

“I guess you’re fine. Huh?” Mio said.

“Mou, come to school in the morning if you’re fine. We were all worried about you!” Said Ritsu. Mugi nodded.

“I-Uhh, I suddenly feel better at the end of the day!” She attempts to defend herself.

“Nah, you just wanted to skip classes.” Ritsu retorted.

Hitori suddenly felt out of place here, as if she’s intruding on a scene she’s not supposed to be in. Feeling lost at what to do, she tries to unplug her guitar from the amp quietly, only to trip over the cables and fall to the floor.

“Oh, who is that?” Yui asked.

“Ah!” Ritsu threw a glance at the horse currently tangled up in wires on the floor. “You see Yui, we didn’t think you were going to come today, so uhh- She’s not a replacement for you! If that’s what you’re thinking, haha! We would never replace our precious guitarist!”

“Real smooth.” Mio mumbled.

“Eh…? But I’m here now, so I’m going to play, right? What’ll happen to them?”

“Oh yeah, umm.. Hey, Hitori, since Yui’s here, I guess you’re…”

“Going to play with Yui-senpai and see who’s the better guitarist!”

“EH?” Everyone said, as they turned towards Azusa.

“We can’t just send her home after everything we put her through, senpai. We should at least have her jam with all of us to make all the troubles worth.” Azusa quickly replied, blushing at the amount of attention directed towards her.

“Weren’t you the one going off about how we can’t just replace Yui just now?” Ritsu raised an eyebrow.

“Mou. Well, that’s still true.” Azusa said, blushing even deeper. “But she IS the legendary guitarhero. We can’t just send her home after what she just showed us can’t we?”

“Ah- I’m not-” Hitori attempted to speak from the pile of cables.

“What the hell is guitarhero, anyway? You never told us anything about that, Nakano.” Ritsu said over Hitori’s weak rebuttals.

Azusa looked at Ritsu like she just asked her what rice is. “Guitarhero? Only one of the most popular guitar cover channel on Ohtube? You don’t know guitarhero?”

“Well in case you haven’t noticed, kid. I'm a drummer.”

“Ah, I recall getting some of her videos on my recommended feed sometimes.” Mio added.

“She has 30.000 subscribers! How could you be in a band and not know her?”

“Alright, alright, I get it. This girl’s a big deal.” Ritsu said, throwing another glance at Hitori, who was still attempting to untangle herself.

“Are you really sure that’s her?” Ritsu said, seemingly still unconvinced.

“I am sure. Everything matches. The hair, the tracksuit, the guitar, the way she plays. She is 100% guitarhero.”

“F-fine. I am guitarhero! Can someone please help me out here?” Hitori finally buckled.

“Oh, sorry, Hitori-chan. Here, let me help you.” Mugi began to move towards Hitori, and in one move, managed to untangle Hitori and help her stand up.

She took off Hitori’s horse head, giving her the opportunity to finally get a good look at the newcomer. She has dark brown hair, with two yellow hair clip as accessories. She smiled politely as their eyes met.

“Hello, my name is Hirasawa Yui! Pleasure to meet you.” Yui said, reaching out her hand.

“Ah, Guitarhitori- I-i mean gotohhero, I-i mean, Gotoh Hitori! Pleasure to meet you t-too!” Hitori manages to finally stutter out a somewhat coherent introduction.

At this, Yui giggled. “Pleasure’s all mine, Hitori-chan! I’m sure we’re gonna be good friends!” Yui shook Hitori’s hand (Please don’t comment on how clammy it is!).

“Well then, I guess you want to see both of them play together, Azusa-chan?” Mio asked her kouhai.

“W-well… I guess, if it’s not too much trouble.” Azusa meekly said, obviously still starstruck over being in the same room as guitarhero.

“I wouldn’t mind! It sounds like fun! Doesn’t it sound like fun, Hitori-Chan?” Yui asked, facing her. Blasting her with her extrovert aura, The Yui-aura. No, that doesn’t sound quite right.

“Um, I-”

Truth to be told, she wanted nothing more but to leave this room right now. But with everyone looking at her expectantly, she buckled to peer pressure. Damn it, she wouldn’t be an introvert if she knew how to say no, would she?

“Y-yeah, that sounds like fun.” Hitori weakly said.

“Yay!” Yui cheered, taking out her guitar from its bag. It’s a Cherry sunburst traditional Les paul Gibson, which Hitori mentally noted, is quite an expensive model. Yui seems to catch on to what Hitori's gaze. “Do you like him? His name is Giita.”

“G-giita..” Hitori echoed.

“Don’t mind that, Yui can be quite odd at times. Last week she tried to name all the chairs in the club.” Ritsu said to Hitori.

“Well then, Yui-chan, you can probably play the lead guitar part for Fuwa-Fuwa time, while Hitori can play the rhythm guitar.” Is that okay with you two?”

Both of them nodded. After tuning their respective guitars, they began to play. Hitori once again puts all her effort into her playing. She liked to think she went “ham” on it (an expression she learned from one of the comments of her Ohtube videos). Next to her, Yui was playing the lead guitar part, and she seemed…. competent. Her playing sounds a bit clean and professional for her liking. Heh, they said she’s a beginner? Well, she still have so much to learn..

As the song ended, she looked towards her audience. Unlike previously, they all wore a mixed expression. Mio and Ritsu shared a glance with each other, before nodding.

“Hitori, you-” Mio began.

“You suck.” Ritsu finished.

“EHHH?” That was it, they weren’t lying when they said that hubris will be your own downfall. She fell to her knees after hearing Ritsu’s comment.

Mio glared at Ritsu. She was halfway through the motion of strangling the drummer before she noticed Hitori, who was slowly evaporating.

“W-what’s going on?” Yui asked.

“Oh, not again! Hitori, cut that out!”

Hitori immediately rematerialized. “Ah, right. Sorry.”

Yui just stared. “Is-is that- would anyone elaborate on what just happened?”

“Later.” Ritsu hastily responded. She’s not sure she even had the mental capacity to explain what just transpired.

“Senpai, you need to go easy on her! Obviously playing on your own and playing together in a band would be different. You already saw how she managed to pull off that solo before!” Azusa came to Hitori’s defense.

“Yes, I concur. Hitori-chan is a great solo player. Though when it came to playing in a band, she might still have a long way to go.” Mugi added. “Ah, there’s this helpful triangle chart about it, maybe I can draw it up on the chalkboard."

“I’m nothing more than a water-flea. A plankton Gotoh.” Hitori began to talk to herself as she crawled into a fetal position.

And so, Hitori crumbled into dust, never picking up the guitar again.
THE END.

Notes:

“W-wait. Wait! The story’s not over yet!” Mio said.

“Huh? Mio-senpai, what are you talking about?”

“I- I dont know. For a second there I felt like my life just flashed before my eyes, like all of us was about to meet our end or something.”

Ritsu glanced at Hitori and then Mio, before scooting away from both of them. (“Damn. maybe being crazy IS contagious after all.”)

“Regardless! Hitori-chan, don’t despair! It’s totally normal! Everyone would suck the first time they play in a band! Me and Ritsu was really bad the first time we played together too!”

“But you said we were pretty good..” Ritsu said. Mio glared at her. “Obviously I said that at the time to spare your feelings. We couldn’t even keep time when we played!”

While Ritsu sulked, Hitori slowly came back to life. “A-ahh, this is normal?”

“Of course! So don’t beat yourself up over it, Hitori-chan! There will be plenty more opportunities for you to improve!”

This seems to placate Hitori. She nodded, getting back to her feet.

“But that’s not something that I’m most concerned about currently.”

Eh? Was Mio just propping her up to punch her back down again?

“Yui!” Mio turned towards Yui.

“Hai!” Yui jumped at this sudden switch of focus.

Mio moved towards her, grabbing her shoulders.

“It’s way too perfect, you’re keeping tempo way too accurately! What happened?”

“N-nothing!”

“The moon is red…” Mugi chimed in, as she looked outside the window.

“What’s wrong with that? If it’s perfect, let it be. I really liked it!” Azusa perks up.

“Ah, yes. Azusa-chan is right.” Yui finally said.

“Eh?”

“That’s true.” Mugi said.

“I guess i was just confused.” Ritsu said, finally back from her sulking.

“Ritsu-san, Tsumugi-san, you’re both too worried! Isn't that right, Hitori-chan?

Silence. Somehow Hitori felt like Yui just said something incredibly wrong.

“Um-” Hitori started.

“Ritsu-san?” Ritsu asked.

“Tsumugi-san?” Mugi whispered.

“Haven’t you gone far enough, Ui-chan?” another voice piped up from the back.

“Eh? You were here?” Ritsu turned around towards the source of the voice, a woman with long brown hair and spectacles, who had somehow avoided detection from everyone in the club this entire time, quietly sipping her tea.

“W-wait!” Ritsu seemed to finally understand something.

“UI-CHAN?” Everyone, sans Hitori and the mystery woman, said in unison.

The woman slowly rises from her seat to face the others.“You can deceive everyone else, but not me, because…You have bigger boobs than Yui-chan!” The woman pointed accusingly at “Yui.”

“I-i don't know what you’re talking about!” Yui attempted to defend herself.

“Then what’s my nickname?” Azusa interrogated.

“A-azusa ni-go!”

“She’s a fake!”

Hitori was beginning to lose the thread. What is going on?? Who’s Ui-chan? Does Yui even exist?

Right as this bombshell of truth fell on the club and Hitori, the club room door opened to reveal…

“Ya-ho!” Another Yui stood at the entrance of the club.

This proves too much for poor Hitori to handle. Without warning, she popped.

Literally.

“AAAAAAHHHH!” Mio screamed.

“HITORI-CHAN?” Ui said in shock.

“Whoa… that balloon was pretty life-like…” Yui said.

-

“I’m sorry everyone. When I saw onee-chan lying sick in bed, I just couldn’t take it!”

They now were all seated at the table at the back of the clubroom. Mugi had served all of them tea, and they are currently talking about UI’s motivation in impersonating her sister.

“So you can play the guitar too, Ui-chan?” Mio asked the little sister, who is now currently nursing a slurring Yui.

“No, I just asked onee-chan to let me play a few times.”

So typical. Everyone at the table thought.

“Yeah, Ui-chan is really good, I dare say, even better than me!” Yui slurred.

“You have no idea.” Ritsu said.

“Anyway, I feel better now! So I came here so I can practice and- a-a ACHOO!” Yui sneezed right onto Ritsu’s face.

“Stop lying.” Ritsu deadpans. “Give me that.” She gestured towards the tissue box Ui was holding.

“Yui, you clearly haven’t recovered at all. Rest up until the day of the concert. We’ll all perform the concert together. Until then, don’t give up! Let’s all do our best.”

“Mio-chan…”

“Senpai…”

“Sensei, are you sure that piece of her goes there?”

“It’s an educated guess. Give me the tape.”

Mugi and Sawako meanwhile, are currently attempting to reassemble Hitori back together, which has proven to be quite a task, since the girl popped into at least 20 pieces.

“How’s it going over there?” Ritsu asked.

“We’re getting there.” Sawako answered without looking up from her handiwork. “Tape.”

“Oh yeah, Ricchan, you never told me who that girl was, and how she ended up here. Ui said she also played the guitar? I would love to hear her play.” Said Yui.

“She was pretty good on her own. Though she does have her eccentricities.” Ritsu said.

“Eccentricities is underselling it.” Azusa added. “I can’t believe I get to meet guitarhero, and she turned out to be just a normal girl! Well, "normal". In a way, it’s kind of inspiring, anyone can be a good and successful guitar player if they just try hard enough.” Azusa concluded.

“I guess that’s one way to look at it.” Ritsu said. “What do you think about all this, Mio?”

Mio just stared blankly.

“Mio?”

“I think you shouldn’t just pick random girls off the street to be our guitarist.”

“Alright then. Noted for next time.”

“And I really should beat the crap out of you later. Azusa, set a reminder for me.”

“You got it, Mio-senpai.”

-

After successfully being reassembled, (Sawako and Ritsu had argued about where the final two pieces should go.) Hitori reawakened, back to her (mostly) normal self.

“Ah, Hitori-chan. You’re awake. Please, have another cup." Mugi handed her another warm cup of tea.

“T-thank you.”

Sipping her tea, she begun taking in her surroundings. She was laid down on the couch of the clubroom, and everyone in the club were all crowded around her, including Yui, Ui, and the woman whose name she hazily caught in her limbo to be "Sawa-chan."

“Mou, Hitori, I told you not to do that! You had no idea how freaked out Mio was. She thought you died! I’ve never seen her that pale since she flas-”

"Hitori might have not died, but do you want to, Ritsu?" Mio said threateningly.

"Ah! Kidding, kidding." Ritsu hastily said.

"I'm sorry for lying to you, Hitori-chan. Let's start over, shall we? My name is Hirasawa Ui. I'm onee-chan's little sister." Ui said, properly reintroducing herself.

"That's me!" The girl next to her said. She looked nearly identical to her little sister, except now Ui was wearing her hair up in a ponytail. "Hirasawa Yui. I like tea and cakes!" Yui added, as if it's the most important thing someone ought to know about her.

"Indeed you do, onee-chan! Ui said, patting her bigger sister's head. Hitori's not sure she's quite getting the dynamic here. What she knows for sure is that Futari would never do something like that with her.

"A-ah, n-nice to meet you both, i guess?" Hitori said, still a bit lost.

"Sorry if this situation got a bit confusing, Hitori. These two are crazy, you see. Completely mental. This is just what people like them would do."

"That's not nice, Ricchan. You've probably done a lot weirder things than that." Mugi said to Ritsu.

"In any case, sorry for all the trouble we put you through, Hitori-chan." Mio said before Ritsu could rebutt Mugi. "Is there anything we can do to compensate you for all the things you went through for us?" Mio asked.

"W-well…" Hitori glanced at everyone, who was all looking down at her with a smile on their face. Oh sure, she would love to get something for everything that had happened to her this afternoon. But then again, even if they're a bit weird, (scratch that, they're REALLY weird.) they've also been very nice to her the entire time they've known each other. Hitori let out a shaky smile. "It's okay. I-i think your hospitality more than makes up for it." Hitori paused. "But even if it's a bit selfish, I- can we at least be friends? That would be my only request."

At that, everybody in the room fell silent. Hitori thought she might have messed things up again, but that was before she looked up to see all of them exchange glances and smiling even wider than before.

"That's not selfish at all! Of course we're friends, Hitori! After all that, how could we not be?" Ritsu said, to which Mio nodded.

"You don't need to worry about that, Hitori-chan. You'll always be welcome in the light music club." Mugi said.

"It would be an absolute honor to be friends with guitarhero." Azusa said, with a small blush forming on her cheeks.

"Ehhh.. Azu-nyan, I thought I was your guitar hero?" Yui said, before collapsing onto Azusa.

"What, where did you get that from? Also get off me, senpai! I don't want to catch your cold!" Azusa said, attempting to free herself from the sudden hug.

"But yeah, Hitori-cwaan. We might havent talk much, but I'd love to be your friend!" Yui said as she wrestles with Azusa to keep her in the hug.

"When the time comes, let's play again, ne, Hitori-chan?" Ui said to her.

Hitori smiled. She really didn't expect for them to accept her so willingly. She felt teary eyed at the thought of finally making friends for the first time.

"Oh, and c-can I keep the horse costume?" Hitori asked.

"Eh?" Everyone said in response.

"Oh, did you like my costume that much, Hitori-chan?" Sawa-chan, who's up till now had only been quietly observing this interaction, finally spoke. Her eyes glinted. "I think I could hook you up with something better. I have some spare maid costumes you could try-"

"WOW, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE TIME, I REALLY NEED TO GO!" Hitori said as she gets up from the couch and moved towards the exit with unimaginable speed.

"Wait, Hitori-chan!" She looked back to find Mugi, handing her a box of cake and some tea packets.

"For all your troubles. And something to remember us by." Mugi smiled.

"T-thank you, Tsumugi-san."

"Please, i already told you, just call me Mugi. It's what my friends call me."

She accepted the present and walked out of the clubroom, looking back one last time at all the new friends she's made.

"G-goodbye everyone, I-i'll see you all tomorrow!" (Nice one, I always wanted to say that once I made a friend!) With that, she finally stepped out into the halls, leaving the club.

"Eh, what is she talking about? Does that mean she's gonna come back tomorrow?" Mio asked.

"Is she gone? Uuu… finally, I liked her, but I really needed to lie down on that couch.." Yui said, as she collapsed onto the couch, face red as a tomato.

"ONEE-CHAN?"

"SENPAI?"

"Oh geez, here we go." Ritsu, once again, had made the mistake of thinking that for once, everything was back to normal again.

Chapter Text

“At a live house?”

It was afternoon, and Ho-kago Tea time, true to their name, is currently having tea after school in their clubroom. In the midst of their activity, Ritsu brought up the idea of playing a concert at a live house.

“Yup! I heard about it from one of my friends from Junior high.” Ritsu said.

This was big news for the club. Up until now, the biggest concert they’ve played has been on their cultural performance and start of term festivals. Playing at a live house would be the next step for them finally becoming real musicians.

“It says that it's only ten days away.” Mio said, doubt ingrained in her voice.

“We have nothing prepared.” Azusa added.

“But it sounds fun! I want to play there!” Yui piped up.

“You too, huh?” Ritsu asked enthusiastically.

“Yeah!”

“But playing in front of a huge crowd again?” Mio still seems unconvinced.

“Mio, you’ll never grow if you keep saying that.” Ritsu says, in a rare moment of wisdom.

“You look really cool when you’re playing your bass, Mio-chan!" Yui added.

“Then let’s have a vote on this..” Mio suggested. She shyly put her hands up, “Who wants to pass on it?” She asked the clubroom.

Azusa raised her hand. “Ritsu-senpai, Yui-senpai. I’m sorry.” She said apologetically.

“You’re so impudent, Azusa!” Ritsu exclaimed. “Then who votes to go?” She asked the others, raising her hand as she did so.

“Me, me, me!” Yui said, not even hesitating.

“Me!” Mugi, who up until now has been silent on the matter, also exclaimed.

“Mugi-senpai?”

“I thought you had plans with your family.” Mio said.

“Yes, but this is a rare and wonderful opportunity.” Mugi said. “Besides, I think performing together in a livehouse would be such a joyful experience.” Mugi added.

“Mugi…” Both Mio and Azusa contemplated her words.

She’s right. Mio thought.

I can’t make Mugi-senpai unhappy. Azusa thought.

Both of them slowly raise their hands. ”We’d like to perform too.”

At this, the other three brightened up. “Alright! Then we’re set on playing!” Ritsu exclaimed.

“Ya-ho!” Yui cheered.

“And we’ll be the champion!”

And that’s how the light music club decided on their first performance in a livehouse.

“By the way, Ritsu. What's the name of the live house we’ll be playing at?” Mio asked.

“It’s…” Ritsu said, before stopping herself. “Ah, I forgot what it’s called, but I do remember where it is! I’ll show you all the place tomorrow!”

-

The next day, the girls all walked through the bustling streets of an urban shopping district. Yui was in awe, gawking at all the displays they put up in the stores.

“Oi, Yui come along now!” Ritsu called after her.

“Ah, coming!”

They walked a couple more miles before Ritsu stopped in front of one of the buildings.

“We’re here!” She said, gesturing towards a descending staircase, which leads to a huge metal door.

“So this is the live house!” Yui exclaimed.

“I'm a little nervous,” said Mugi.

“Y-yeah.” Mio said.

“We’ll be fine.” Ritsu comforted. She opened the door to the live house and peeked her head in. “Excuse us!” she exclaimed into the building.

“Coming!” a soft spoken voice replied. Shortly after, a young woman with long black hair, all clad in black attire with piercings on her face, came forward to greet the band.

“Oh, hello there.” The woman spoke.

“Uh, hi! We came to sign up for this concert. We are Ho-kago Tea Time!” Ritsu said, handing the woman the flier advertising the concert that she brought with her.

“Hm, ah, yes. I know putting up those posters will help us advertise the concert to a wider audience. Tenchou’s gonna be happy about this.”

“H-hai!” Ritsu nervously said.

The dark haired woman quietly giggles to herself. “Ho-kago Tea time, eh? That’s a cute name.” She said softly, looking at the band.

At this, Yui whispered to Ritsu. “Ricchan, do you think our band name might be too fluffy?”

“The way we decide on what band will perform in this live house is that they first have to audition, and then we’ll judge their performance to see whether they’ll be a good fit for the live house or not.” The woman explained.

“E-eh? Wouldn’t a demo tape of our music suffice?” Ritsu asked.

The woman smiled. "No, I’m afraid not. If it were up to me, maybe. But this is how the manager had always run the livehouse.”

“Well then, I demand to see the manager!” Ritsu exclaimed.

“Alright. What’s this all about, then?” said a voice behind the girls.

All of them instinctively jumped, turning at the voice. It was a woman with long, blonde hair and a funny looking cowlick on top of her hair. She was looking at the girls with a stern expression in her red eyes (Wait, red?). Not expecting she would actually be facing the manager this soon, (or at all) Ritsu stumbled for words.

“I-ah, um..”

“If you got somethin' to say, kid, Spit it out. I’m a very busy woman and I don’t have all day.”

“W-we were just going to ask if we c-could schedule the audition at a later date!”

“Eh?” Everyone turned to their buchou at this complete change in demeanor.

“If that’s all, you coulda just talked to my employee about it.” She said wearily, before looking over at the dark haired woman. The woman in question gives a nervous smile.

“Ah, tenchou. You need not be so stern. You’re scaring them.”

The blonde looked away, pouting. That’s kind of a cute reaction, Yui mused. It reminds her a bit of Azusa.

“Ritsu.” Mio whispered. “We need to discuss this first, all of us. We need to know when the ideal time for an audition would be. Let’s face it, we’ve been slacking off ever since the festival. We could use some practice if we’re really serious about this.”

Ritsu opened her mouth to respond, but before she could do so, the door to the club opened as two girls their age entered.

“Onee-chan, we’re back!” one of them said. She had the same eyes and hair color as the manager, even the same funny looking cowlick (Must’ve run in the family. Huh.) But unlike the manager, who has her long hair down, Her little sister had her hair tied into a side ponytail.

“I told you not to call me that during work, Nijika.”

“Eh, but I haven’t clocked in yet!” Nijika said cheekily.

“What’s with the peanut gallery?” the other girl piped up, glancing at Ho-Kago Tea Time, who had just been standing around awkwardly. The girl had short blue hair and yellow eyes. She was looking at the group with a blank stare.

“They’re here to apply for the concert.” the dark haired woman said.

“Oh, really? Well good luck with that! My sister might look intimidating, but really she’s just a tsun, tsun, tsun, tsun, tsun, tsun..dere!”

“Excessive tsuns.” Said the blue haired girl.

“Oi! Get out of here! I’m working right now. Go bother someone else.” The manager said. Nijika stuck her tongue out and walked up with her friend to one of the tables.

“Azu-nyan, I think you should try out one of Sawa-chan’s blonde wigs the next time she dresses us up.” Yui whispered. Azusa gave her a confused look in return.

“A-ah, so, we might need to discuss when we can audition first, is that fine with you?” Ritsu said to the manager.

“Just talk with PA-san when you decide.” The manager said absentmindedly.

“Tenchou. I have a name, you know.” PA-san said.

“Well okay, cool. Gang, let’s huddle up!” Ritsu exclaimed.

The band walked up to one of the tables in the live house. Ritsu can see the manager’s sister and the other girl sitting a couple tables away from them, enraptured in their own idle chatter.

“I thought you said we could just do it with a demo tape!” Mio whispered harshly to Ritsu.

“Ah, I just thought… well, nevermind that now! We need to set the date for the audition! When do you think is the right time, girls?” Ritsu asked the band.

“We definitely need to practice, we’re in no shape to audition right now! I knew this was a bad idea.” Mio said defeatedly.

“Maa, Mio-chan, don't despair so quickly. We’ll practice as much as we need for this audition.” Mugi said in an attempt to calm her down.

Azusa nodded. “Yes! Practice! We should’ve been doing this more often in general, but this time it’s especially important!”

“Does that mean no cakes and tea tomorrow?” Yui asked innocently. Azusa glared at her.

“Well, alright. The concert is in 10 days. Perhaps we can-”

“Ah, Kita-chan, Bocchi-chan! You’re here.”

The girls turned towards the voice to see Nijika beckoning two newcomers in the club. One had bright red hair tied into a short side ponytail with emerald eyes, smiling brightly as if radiating some sort of light. While the other one is..

“Eh, Hitori-chan?” Ritsu exclaimed.

Silence. For a fleeting moment, Hitori and Ritsu’s eyes met.

"A." Hitori sputtered, freezing solid in place.

“GOTOH-SAN!?” The redhead exclaimed. "What the- someone please help me thaw her out!” She said, turning towards her other friends.

“I’ll go get my hair dryer.” Nijika said, while her blue friend walked up to the girl and stuck her tongue on the hitoricicle.

“Ryo-senpai, that’s not helping!”

“It looks like Hitori-chan hasn’t changed much since the last time we saw her, huh?” Azusa said, as a bead of sweat formed on her temple.

-

After being thawed out, Hitori had to readjust and confirm that she is, in fact, not dreaming or hallucinating this encounter.

“Hitori, there you are!" Ritsu said to her.

“R-r-ritsu-san. It’s n-nice to meet you again.” Hitori stammered.

“Likewise! How have you been? We never heard from you again after that last meeting we had! Come to think of it, we didn’t even exchange contact info last time.”

“Bocchi-chan, you know these people? Nijika asked her.

“A-ah, yes..”

“They call her “Bocchi-chan?” That seems kinda cruel doesn’t it?” Mio whispered to Mugi.

“Ah, but you can’t deny it’s a very amusing pun.” Mugi answered.

“Wait, so they were real?” Nijika asked, before looking back towards the group. “Ahahaha, pardon me for assuming that, but Bocchi-chan had mentioned you guys before, although given her personality and us never seeing any of you in person, we thought she just made you all up to pretend that she had friends that weren’t us.”

The group collectively looked exasperated. Not even her friends believed she had friends!

“Does that mean Lieutenant Guitarface and Sergeant Drummerhead were real too?” The blue haired girl piped up.

“Well. Friends of Bocchi-chan are friends of ours, so I think an introduction is in order! I’m Ijichi Nijika. It’s very nice to meet all of you. And this one right here, her name is Yamada Ryo.” Nijika said, putting her hand on the blue girl's shoulder.

Ryo gave a small nod. “Nice to meet you.” She shortly said. “And this one right here is Iku-

“KITA-KITA!” the redhead said loudly over Ryo’s introduction of her. “My name is Kita-Kita.” She said as she gave a nervous smile to the group.

“You have a funny name, Kita-chan!” Yui said. Azusa steps on her foot in response.

“Yeah, haha! Nothing weird about my name, haha, nothing at all!” said someone with something definitely weird about her name. "Right, and what about you guys?” Kita said, hastily changing the topic.

Ritsu huffed her chest. “Tainaka Ritsu, drummer and leader of Ho-Kago Tea time. Also child prodigy, genius multimillionaire, and nobel prize award win-”

“Ritsu, stop lying.” Mio deadpans. “Ignore her, she’s an idiot. Akiyama Mio. Second year, pleasure to meet you as well.” Mio, in contrast to Ritsu, gave a more formal introduction.

Kita stared at her blankly.

“Err, Kita-chan..?” Mio asked.

“Uh, oh, what? Ah, Sorry. I blanked out for a second there.” Kita said, averting her eyes, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

“Right. Mugi, why don’t you introduce yourself?" Mio said, turning to the blonde.

“Ah, Kotoboki Tsumugi, but please just call me Mugi. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.” Mugi said formally, bowing as she does.

“And this is Azu-nyan!” Yui said with her hands on Azusa’s shoulders.

“MOU! Yui-senpai! Let me introduce myself properly!” Azusa blushed. “N-nakano Azusa. Pleasure to meet you all.” She said shyly.

“Azu-nyan is so cute when she’s flustered.” Yui said, to which Azusa gave her a killing glare. “My name is Hirasawa Yui, I love tea and cakes!” She said, extending out her hands for Nijika to shake.

“Nice to meet you all too!” Nijika said. “You all seem to be a lively bunch! Tell me, how did you meet our Bocchi-chan?”

Hitori glanced at Nijika, fear in her eyes.

“Oh, well it all started a long time ago, you see, we were scouting for young tale-”

“Ritsu found her on the street and just brought her to our clubroom.” Mio spoke over her, disrupting a clearly made-up on the spot story.

“Ah, Mio! You ruined a completely good story! I was gonna tell them how we had to rescue Hitori for a gang of thugs and- ITAI!” Mio smacked Ritsu right on top of her head, where a cartoonish bump now forms.

“Stop lying in front of new acquaintances, you baka!” MIo shouts at her.

“Gotoh-san, does this happen often?” Kita whispered to Hitori.

“So you said you were going to apply for the upcoming concert? What’s your band called?” Nijika asked the group.

“Ho-Kago Tea Time.”

“Oh, that’s a cute name!” Nijika said. Ritsu grimaced.

“Ah, Hitori-chan, do you still play guitar?” Mio asked, eyeing Hitori’s guitar case behind her back.

“Of course! I hardly think you can be a guitarist for a band if you don’t play guitar!” Nijika said, giving a peace sign while putting her arm around Hitori’s shoulders.

“Eh, Hitori-chan? You’re in a band?”

“W-well, um, yeah. After I met you guys, I met Nijika-san. It was kind of like deja-vu… It’s exactly like how i was approached by Ritsu-san. It felt like rehashing a story or something.. T-they asked me to fill in for them because their current guitarist ran out on them, ah..” Hitori trailed off, glancing at Kita for some reason.

Kita averted her eyes, she took another glance at Mio before looking away again, blushing deeper.

“What’s your band name?” This time it was Ritsu’s turn to ask.

“Kessoku band.” Ryo answered. Nijika in turn, grimaced.

“Eh? Kessoku band? Like zip ties?” Yui asked.

“We could probably still change it.” Nijika muttered.

“Nope. People already know us by that name. Besides, it’s a clever pun.” Ryo smiled. Mugi nodded.

“Aaaaahh, whatever. Anyway, It looks like we’re gonna be playing together at the concert!” Nijika said to Ritsu.

“Oh, have you talked with your sister about that, senpai?”

“Nope! But I’m sure she’ll put us on again like next time-”

“Eh? I’m not putting you in.” The manager suddenly butted in.

….

“What?” Nijika asked blankly, turning to her sister. “B-but we just finished our original song.”

“Why should i care about that?” The manager bit back.

“W-we can pay our quotas if we can’t bring in customers!” Nijika added, sounding desperate.

“It’s not about the money, It’s about your skill.”

“But you let us play last time.”

“I made an exception so you can make some memories. Normally I have you play first to apply. You know that, right? I can’t have a repeat of that awful performance.”

The members of kessoku band heads shuffled uncomfortably. Ritsu averted her eyes, feeling like she’s intruding on a conversation she’s not supposed to be a part of.

“Can’t have a repeat… You mean..”

“Just stick with it as a hobby or something.” the manager finished, returning her attention back to her laptop.

Nijika clenches onto the hem of her skirt. Her sister sparing her a brief glance.

“You got more to say?”

Nijika ran towards the exit. “You can’t even go to sleep without stuffed animals to cuddle!” She shouted as she left the club.

“Ijichi-senpai?!”

“That was a weird parting shot.” the manager murmured.

“Would the stuffed animals in question be this beat up panda and rabbit?” Ryo approached the manager, showing her an image on her phone.

“That’s cute.” PA-san said as she peeked behind Ryo to see the picture.

“Delete that immediately!” The manager threatened. Azusa had to restrain Yui from also trying to take a peek at the picture.

The rest of kessoku band were panicking over their senpai running out. Hitori in particular, got progressively doodlier.

“What are we all doing? We have to go after her!” Kita said.

“Eh…?” Ryo said unenthusiastically.

“Don’t act like it’s too much trouble! You too, Gotoh-san!” Kita said, as she pushed the unwilling Ryo up the stairs.

“A-ah, yes!” Hitori stammered, tailing behind Kita and Ryo.

“Sorry everyone, it really was nice meeting all of you, but we have to go after Ijichi-senpai. Hope all goes well with the audition!” Kita said hastily, as the three of them left the club, leaving the manager, PA-san and Ho-kago Tea Time all on their own. An awkward silence briefly enveloped the livehouse.

“Ugh. She’s a handful, that sister of mine.” the manager turned towards the remaining band. “You decided on the time for the audition yet?”

“Ah, let us discuss it again for a bit.” Ritsu nervously said, before turning back towards the band. “You saw that, right? She didn’t even let her sister play at the concert!”

“Her standard must be pretty high.” Mugi nodded.

“What do we do? Should we just cancel?” Mio asked, the whole ordeal seemingly heavily affecting her. The girl was pretty much quaking in her boots.

“We’ve come this far. It’s too late to back out now.” Ritsu said. “And besides, we’re not amateurs like what that kessoku band sounded like.” She added. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“But that still means we need a lot of practice!” Azusa remarked. “I think about a week of preparation would do.”

“Alright, so next saturday, does that sound good?” Ritsu asked the others.

Everybody nodded. Mio still looked unconvinced, but she eventually nodded as well.

“Alright then, I’ll go tell that grumpy manager.”

Ritsu walked up to the counter where PA-san and the manager were sitting.

“We decided to audition in 7 days!” Ritsu said, attempting to sound confident under the manager’s scrutinizing gaze. “I-is that fine?” She weakly stammered, immediately ruining the effect.

“Next Saturday? Sure. Come here at 4 PM sharp.” the manager said, typing in Ho-Kago Tea Time in her sheet of "potential band lineup".

“Noted. Well then, if that’s all- we’ll take our leave. We’ll be back here next Saturday at 4 PM!” Ritsu said, turning around to return to her band.

“Wait, kid. Can you do me a favor?” Seika said, as she typed another band to her list.

-

“It’s so obvious when you’re sulking.” Ryo said, as they found Nijika sitting on top of some construction pipes, sipping the drink she bought from a nearby stall.

“Shut up.”

“Senpai, are you alright?” Kita asked the drummer.

“Sorry to rush out like that.” Nijika said. “She doesn’t have to be that much of a jerk about it, you know?”

“Nijika-chan!”

The band collectively turned towards the voice, finding a brunette running up to them. Before Nijika could process this, she finds herself being tackled into a bear hug by Yui.

“There you are! We looked everywhere for you! Are you alright, Nijika-chan?” Yui asked, concern in her voice.

“Ah, I’m fine. Yui-chan, was it? I just needed to cool down.” Nijika said, somewhat taken aback about how touchy this girl she just met was.

“Yui- there you are! Don’t just run off on your own like that!” Mio scolded, catching up to Yui with the rest of the band.

Hitori saw from the corner of her eyes the way Kita suddenly stiffened as Mio came into the picture.

“Mou, senpai, you can’t just go around hugging people like that!” Azusa scolded Yui.

“Ah, is Azu-nyan jealous?” Yui said teasingly.

“Anyway, Nijika-chan.” Mio said, turning to Nijika. “Your sister has a message for you.”

Nijika raised an eyebrow. “Really, what is it?

“Tell Nijika that if she wants to perform she'll have to audition. I’ll watch her performance alongside yours next Saturday and decide.” Ritsu said, repeating what the manager had told her verbatim.

“An audition?!” Nijika repeated.

“And if we pass, she’d let us play?” Kita asked.

“Well, why couldn’t she just say so from the beginning?” Nijika exclaimed. “Ugh, she’s so mean, that sister of mine.” She added.

“It just means all of us would have to practice hard.” Mugi said to the others. Ryo nodded at that.

Nijika turned towards her other two band members with a worried expression. ”Ah, yeah, that’s right.” She said.

“You have that ”those two are the biggest problem” look on your face.” Ryo suddenly appeared right next to her.

“Erk!”

“We’ll record your parts in advance, so just practice miming along.” Ryo said to her kouhais.

“Hai!” the two chorused.

“We can do that!?” Yui asked Mio.

“We’re not doing that.” Mio said, not even entertaining the thought.

“W-what, ah yeah! Akiyama-san is right, we shouldn't do that, Ryo-senpai!" Kita suddenly said.

“Whose band are you on Ik-”

“KITA!”

“No air guitars!” Nijika exclaimed.

“We’ve only got a week. Don’t push them too hard.” Ryo said.

“Even if they suck, the passion will come through if they try!” Said Nijika.

“I mean, she’s right, Just look at Yui.“ Ritsu added.

“Yeah! Wait, what?”

“We suck?!” said the two kessoku band guitarists.

“Ah, sorry! You two are better than when you started, right, Ryo?”

“Hmmm.” Ryo contemplated, putting her hand under her chin.

“C’mon, back me up here, B-bocchi-chan?! Please don’t turn into a pipe shut-in!” Nijika said as she watched Hitori crawling into one of the construction pipes.

Eh? They thought Gotoh-san was bad? Kita thought. Bu-

“Eh? you think Hitori is bad?” Ritsu voiced Kita’s thoughts out loud. Kita jumped up in surprise.

Nijika and Ryo turned to her. “W-well,..” Nijika started, looking guilty.

“That can’t be true, we’ve heard her play before, and she's really good! Isn’t that right, guys?”

Everyone in Ho-kago Tea Time nodded. “Yeah, how could you say with a straight face that Hitori-chan is bad? She's gui-”

Suddenly the air felt tense, and Azusa felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. A hand crept up on her shoulder and a voice whispered in her ear,

“Don’t tell them about guitarhero.”

Azusa yelped, nodding frantically. In an instant, the atmosphere returned back to normal. Azusa turned around only to find a wobbly Hitori next to her, taking in all their praises. What just happened?

“Ah, I'm good..? I’m not that good, you guys. Hehehe…. Oh stop it, you.”

“Still such a sweetheart when it comes to being complimented, aren’t you, Hitori-chan?” Mugi said, smiling at her.

“Hehehehehe….”

“It’s true! I’ve been practicing guitar with Gotoh-san this whole time, and not only is she a skilled player, she is also a wonderful teacher!” Kita said, with a determined look on her face.

“Hehehehehehe….” Hitori continued giggling creepily to herself.

“Ah, Bocchi chan, looks like we underestimated you, huh?” Nijika said to Hitori. “If you have this many people vouching for you, I guess I’m inclined to believe them huh?” Nijika smiled at her.

Hitori began melting from the praise.

“Oh boy, it’s happening again.” Ryo said.

“Why are all her friends so unfazed with her doing that?!” Mio whispered to Mugi.

“But that doesn’t mean you get to skip practice, Bocchi-chan!” Nijika said.

“Ah- of course!”

“Ricchan, I never heard Hitori-chan play last time, it’s not fair! I want to play with her too.”

“Your fault for catching a cold.”

“Eh? But I got it from you.” Yui pouts. “Ne, Hitori-chan, you teach Kita-chan how to play guitar, right?” Yui asked her fellow guitarist.

“H-Hai!”

“Can you teach me how to play guitar too?”

“Eh?”

“That’s a great idea, Hirasawa-san! Gotoh-san is a great teacher! She practically told me everything I needed to know about guitar!”

“E-eh? Me, a great teacher? Oh stop it, hehehehehe….” Hitori, once again started wobbling from the praise.

“I agree, perhaps Yui-senpai can learn from gui- Hitori-chan. She’s really good, you might pick up a thing or two from her, senpai.” Azusa added.

“But won’t Hitori be busy with her own band?” Mio asked.

“I’m sure we’ll be able to make it work!” Kita peppily said.

“Ehehehehe…yeah, I can teach like nobody’s business! I’m a pro after all, hehehehe…” Hitori said, still getting high off the praise.

“Ah, perhaps we can all practice together? Wouldn’t that be fun?” Mugi suggested.

“Well….” Mio said, glancing at Nijika, who still looked unsure herself.

Nijika began to open her mouth, but before she could give her thoughts-

“Yeah, sure.” Ryo said.

“Huh?”

“As long as we split the studio bill. Don’t worry, just give the money to me and I’ll pay upfront with the manager.”

“Ryo, you know damn well onee-chan let us use the studio for free! Don’t even try licking them!” Nijika said, as she began to strangle Ryo.

Azusa observed the interaction before glancing at Mio and Ritsu. Are all drummers and bassists this violent with each other? Mugi meanwhile, seems to be enjoying it, looking at the two bickering girls with a dreamy, faraway look on her face.

“So does that mean we can practice together?” Yui said, interrupting the ongoing one sided wrestling match between Nijika and Ryo.

“Ah, well..” Nijika said, looking at the hopeful look on Yui and Kita’s face, before sighing.

“It’s fine, I suppose. The studio might be a bit cramped though, but we can make it work.” Nijika said, resigning to her fate.

“Woo-hoo! We all get to play together” Yui exclaimed, embracing Hitori and Kita in a big hug.

This much skinship was too much for poor Hitori, who evaporated on contact.

“I hope i won’t regret this…” Nijika mumbled quietly to herself.

-

Mio walked to STARRY alone after a long train trip. Yesterday, the group had decided to all gather at STARRY the next day for their joint practice session. She would’ve traveled here with Ritsu, but she was apparently already at STARRY to prepare the studio for use. Mio found this a bit puzzling for someone like Ritsu to willingly do, but she decided to not look up the gift in the horse's mouth and asked no further questions about it.

She was really excited after talking with Ryo yesterday, though, Mio thought. Hopefully she’s not planning anything stupid.

The others should already be on their way to the livehouse, so that leaves Mio on her own. She was not used to the atmosphere of a busy district, but found the walk to be relaxing nonetheless. I should really get out here more often, she thought to herself. She continued her stroll, before she saw a familiar blonde hair walking amongst the crowd. She immediately recognized who it was and approached her.

“Nijika-chan!” Mio called out. The blonde turned around and gave her a warm smile in response.

“Ah, Mio-chan! On your way to STARRY?” Mio nodded. “Then let’s walk together.”

“What are you doing out here, Nijika-chan? I thought you said you lived above the livehouse?”

“Oh, I was just out getting some groceries for me and onee-chan tonight.” Nijika said, lifting up the grocery bags she was carrying that Mio just now noticed. “I personally cook for the both of us since onee-chan’s cooking is horrible, ahahaha! Though, don’t tell her I said that.” She said, smiling to herself.

Ah, another little sister getting stuck taking care of their layabout big sister. The deja-vu is strong with this girl. Mio thought.

“Sorry again for roping you into all this, Nijika-chan. I hope we’re not troubling you with this idea of a joint rehearsal.” Mio said to Nijika

“Eh, what? It’s fine, no need to apologize.” Nijika said. “Honestly, at first it’s a bit worrying, but now I’m kind of excited for it. I’m really curious about how your band plays, Mio-chan.”

“W-well…” Mio looks to the side. “I’m confident that we’re good, it’s just… we’ve been slacking off too much recently, and it’s very hard to get the others to practice and maintain our skill… especially with Ritsu’s antics.”

“Ahahaha, Ritsu sounds like a lot of trouble, huh?”

“Oh, don’t get me started.” Mio said, rolling her eyes. “She’s the biggest slacker out of all of us, besides Yui- and she’s supposed to be our leader! Last week I had to beat some sense into her for trying to change our club into the After school-Tea time club.”

Nijika chuckled. “Honestly, I can relate to that, Mio-chan. I’m usually the one who ends up taking care of all my bandmates too. And it’s really not easy with Ryo being, well…. Ryo. She always comes up with the most blatant and obvious lie to try and skip practice. “My dog died. My grandma died. My dog’s grandma died." She’s slacking on coming up with a lie to cover up her slacking. If it wasn’t so infuriating, I would’ve been impressed.” Nijika huffed, before continuing,

“But despite all that, I can’t deny how much she means to me and the band. I started the band with her, and she continued to support me through it, even though with her skill level she could’ve just joined other more promising bands. But she chose to stay and start one with me instead. I’ll forever be grateful for that.” Nijika smiled.

Mio glances at the smiling girl, before a smile of her own formed on her face. “Yeah, that’s how i feel about Ritsu too. We also started the band together, and we’ve been through thick and thin together to become the band we are today. Sure she can be quite an idiot sometimes, but she still wants the best for the band. Hell, going to play at the livehouse was her idea in the first place.”

“You’re blushing, Mio-chan.” Nijika teased. “Does Ritsu mean that much to you?”

“I’m not blushing!” Mio said with pink all over her face. “You should listen to how you talk about Ryo just now before criticizing me!” Mio retorted.

They continued to walk to STARRY, bonding over the fact how much of a pain their respective drummer and bassist are. Before they realized it, they already reached the livehouse. As they entered and descended the stairs however, they saw something that made Nijika drop her grocery bags on the floor. Mio looks at her in confusion before settling on a look of exasperation when she realizes what Nijika was gawking at.

“What are you doing?” Nijika deadpans.

In front of them, Ryo, Hitori, Kita, Ritsu and Yui were all posing as if they’re on some kind of magazine cover. They were all sporting the same mop top wig and black suit.

“V-visually showing our growth as a band, apparently.” Hitori chimed in.

“Ritsu, did you put them up to this?” Mio said wearily.

“Hey, you can’t let me take all the credit, This was me and Ryo’s idea!” She said, not picking up the exasperation in Mio’s tone, or just purposefully ignoring it.

“Drinking, smoking, and dalliances with women, they all screams “band.””

“You’re laying it a little thick don't you think?” Nijika retorted. “And no smoking or drinking til you’re twenty!”

“Everyone say mop top!” Kita said, as she took a picture with the group.

“Ne, Mio-chan, we have an opening for an uneven bang that covers one eye with a constantly annoyed expression. You want in? Azu-nyan didn’t want it when I offered it to her.”

“I’ll pass.” Mio said.

“I-i can’t have dalliances with women.” Hitori quietly said, slowly raising a trembling hand. “I’m not sure any women would dally with me.”

“Not to worry. Just stand around the streets with a guitar case on your back. That definitely would make women want to dally with you.”

“Stop misinforming her with your subjective experiences!” Nijika said. “Drop the wig and let’s actually demonstrate our growth to onee-chan!”

“But growth isn’t always visible. We’re not even sure what your sister’s criteria is.”

“It’s very clear! We just need to convince her to take us on! The only way to do that is through practice.”

“Yes, practice, Ritsu. Which is what I thought we were going to do today. If you want to play dress-up, you could’ve just stayed back at the club with Sawa-chan!” Mio said. “Where’s Mugi and Azusa?”

“They’re preparing the studio with that PA-woman.” Yui answered.

“Weren’t you the one who’s supposed to be doing that?” Mio fumed at Ritsu.

“Ah, Mio, who am I to reject Mugi’s gracious offer to help? Besides, I can’t miss the photo opp. I paid good money for this suit and tie.”

“You’re unbelievable.” Mio said before turning towards Nijika. “Where’s the studio, Nijika-chan?”

“Ah. it’s in the back. You can’t miss it.”

Mio walked up to the studio, hearing muffled sounds of conversations coming from behind the door. She gently opened it.

Right as it opened, a familiar scent wafts through the air. She looked inside to find Mugi, practically set up with her tea set and pastries that she brought, all of them placed neatly on top of one of the studio’s small tables. Next to her was Azusa and PA-san, both seemingly lost in a trance after a sip of Mugi’s trademark blend.

“Ah, Mio-chan. You’ve arrived. Come, join us.” Mugi invited. “PA-san was just telling me about one of her latest “streaming” endeavors. I didn’t even know computers could do that!”

“Mugi, what is all this? Ritsu said you were preparing the studio!”

“Hm? yes. I was preparing the studio for tea time!” Mugi replied cheerily.

“Ahhh… honey sweet tea time… “ Azusa said dreamily, apparently still lost in a trance.

“Ah, Mio-chan, was it? Come, take a seat. Your friend here has quite the talent for brews. I’m tempted to have tenchou add tea to the menu after just one sip.” PA-san said, finally acknowledging Mio’s presence in the room. Mugi smiled warmly in turn.

“Is all of this really fine?” Mio began to ask, but PA-san waved all her concerns away.

“It’s fine, as long as tenchou doesn't find out. And ! have no intention of telling her. Just make sure you clean up later.” PA-san said.

“Will do! Right, Azusa-chan?”

“Wha-huh? Yeah, sure!” Azusa said, snapping out of her trance.

Mio sighed. Of course this was gonna happen. The band didn’t get their name for nothing.

“Eh? Mugi-chan, you’re having tea without us?” Mio turned, finding Yui and the others by the door.

“AH! I see how it is, Nakano! You rejected dressing up so you can hog all Mugi’s sweets instead! Ritsu said, popping up behind Yui.

“I did not! I was really going to help her set up the equipment, but then she brought out her kettle, and oh, how could you resist that?” Azusa said dramatically, pointing at the various sweets and teacups on the table like they were the forbidden fruit.

“Don’t worry Yui-chan, Ricchan. I saved some for you. Come, join us.”

“Oh. What a delicious smell.” an emotionless voice said from the door.

Kessoku band arrived in the studio, looking dazedly at the scene before them. Without hesitation, Ryo took a seat and grabbed one of the pastries off the plates.

“What? Who said you get to eat some, Yamada? Leave some for me!” Ritsu said, immediately moving towards the table.

“Ah, Ricchan, don’t hog all the food, that’s my job!” Yui followed.

“Kyaaaa! This food is so cute! Can i take a pic for my ISSOSTA?” Kita said, squealing at the sight of sweets.

“What’s an ISSOSTA?” Yui said with her mouth full, halfway through devouring a pastry.

“Ohh, this is heaven…” Ryo muttered as Mugi poured her a cup. “I’ve been eating grass for so long I forgot how actual food tastes like.”

“Ahahaha. Mio-chan, I can kinda see what you meant about your band earlier.” Nijika said quietly to Mio.

“It’s a normal occurrence at this point. I just didn’t think they would actually set up tea time here, of all places.” Said Mio, as she walked towards the table along Nijika.

Hitori attempts to take in the scene before her A congregation of ten people all packed in a tiny space, an introvert’s worst nightmare. She had to fight the urge to run as far as possible, but before she could entertain the idea, the aroma of sweet tea stopped her on her tracks.

“Bocchi-chan! Come here!” Nijika said, patting one of the stools next to her. “Hurry, or else Ryo will eat all the pastries!"

Hitori took one look at the various food laid out on the table. She can feel her mouth water as she slowly walked towards it. Well.... surely a little social interaction won't kill her, right?

-

“And that’s exactly why I need a small loan of a million dollars.”

Ryo was talking to Mugi as the latter pours her a fresh cup of tea. Amidst all the chatter, Ryo somehow learned about Mugi’s family background and managed to corner her in an attempt to bum off her.

Mugi smiled. “Ryo-chan, I’m sure your pitch for a self playing bass is a wonderful one, but I shouldn’t be the person you talk about for financial loans. That would be my father.”

“Ah, but you are his daughter. So couldn’t you at least get a good word in for me? I can even shove some of my weeds your way, if you catch my drift.”

“Oh…” Mugi said, contemplating her next words. “Aren’t those illegal, Ryo-chan? Besides, I don’t think I can survive in that kind of business, I don’t have what they call, “streets cred” for it.”

“Nonsense. I’ve been having nothing but weeds for like, an entire week now. I’m as fit as a fiddle.” Ryo said, flexing her nonexistent muscles at Mugi, before wincing and limping immediately.

“You’ve been consuming that substance for a week straight?” Mugi looked at the entirety of Ryo. “Well, that would explain some of your…eccentricities.” she concluded.

“You have to help me out here, Mugi. I have several debt payments due this month. I really need this money, else they’ll come after me and my kidneys. I know i could probably live with just one of them, but I really like having both, so I would rather that not happen.” Ryo begged.

“If you’re short on money, why not try and ask your parents for some, Ryo-chan? I would assume you live quite a prosperous life, a Yamada and all.”

“Well- I-huh? I don’t remember telling you anything about my family.” Ryo said, genuinely showing emotion for the first time that day. “How did you know?”

Mugi just smiled. “Our families are actually long-time business acquaintances, Ryo-chan. Father has brought me to countless trips to the Yamada household for that reason, although we have never formally met, due to you never being home during my visits. But I have heard many tales of you from your parents. And they must really love you with the way they talk about you, so I find it difficult to believe they would just let their daughter be pursued for her kidneys.” Mugi concluded.

Ryo was silent for a brief moment. “I guess there was a point in joining those long boring meetings, huh.” Ryo quietly muttered.

“You’d be surprised, Ryo-chan! I’ve learned so much from many of Father’s business trips.”

“I don’t really like asking for money from my parents.” Ryo whined.

“So you choose to ask for money from mine instead?”

“Yes.”

“Hahaha, Ryo-chan, you’re quite a character, aren’t you?” Mugi said, not bothered at all by Ryo’s incessant pestering.

-

“That’s great, Akiyama-san! I can’t believe you got the idea from a stapler!”

“Hahahaha, yeah…”

Mio was seated next to Kita during their spontaneous tea-time, or more specifically, Kita scrambled for the seat next to Mio, accidentally shoving the unsuspecting Nijika to the floor in her haste. Mio had experiences with overly cheery extroverts before (she did have to put up with Yui practically everyday for the past 2 years.) But Kita was a whole nother level for the poor girl to handle. She is overly talkative, more so than Yui, and won’t stop pestering her with questions about her. She gets wanting to know each other more, but this is way too much. Mio haven’t even managed to get in a word to ask Kita anything about herself.

She’s just been talking about me the entire time! Mio thought. This is reminding her too much of her own fanclub at school, and she doesn’t like that one bit.

“So you play bass, Akiyama-san?”

“Wh- oh yeah, I do.” Mio replied.

“Just like Ryo-senpai! Gosh, I don’t know what it is about bassists, but they’re just so cool!” Kita squealed.

Mio glanced desperately at anyone in the room that could get her out of this conversation.

“You wanna hear a secret, Akiyama-san?” Kita whispered, while getting uncomfortably closer to Mio.

Mio wasn’t even sure they were at the point of friendship where they can even exchange phone numbers, let alone be entrusted with each other’s secrets. But for politeness’ sake, she nodded.

“I actually joined the band to get closer to Ryo-senpai.” Kita whispered quietly, sneaking a glance at Ryo across the table, who was fully enraptured in her sales pitch to Mugi.

“Ah, is that so?” Mio replied, also glancing at Ryo.

“Yep. I saw her out on the streets playing bass by herself and her performance was just… entrancing. Her yellow eyes, short blue hair, her unisex look, it just makes me squee! I thought to myself at that moment, Yes! I’m gonna join her band and become her girl!”

Mio got the feeling Kita might find more than Ryo’s performance to be entrancing. The way she’s been explaining her to Mio, you would think she’s some goddess, a bassist extraordinaire. But another glimpse across the table shows the aforementioned girl pathetically shoving weeds onto Mugi’s hands.

“Yeah, anyways, that's my secret. And recently, I find myself in the same predicament again.”

“What do you mean?”

“W-well…” Kita said, suddenly flustered. “There’s this other bassist, you know. She’s really cool, like Ryo-senpai. But you know, probably less air-headed. And I just don’t know what to do about it. I still like Ryo-senpai, but now this other bassist walked into my life and I just….. ” Kita let that last sentence linger on, glancing hopefully at Mio.

Mio looked back at Kita. “Why are you telling me this?”

Kita seems to be at a loss for words for a moment, blushing deeply before opening her mouth to speak. “You see, Akiyama-san, the reason I’m telling you this is because..”

“Hey Mio, you're gonna finish that? Yui devoured my entire plate when I wasn’t looking.”

Mio looked turned to Ritsu, her hand halfway to the plate of pastries laid in front of Mio.

“What? Oh yeah, sure. Take it.” Mio hastily said. “Kita-chan, what were you saying?”

Kita sputtered, her face progressively reddening as she eyed Mio up and down. “I-i’m sorry, I need to use the bathroom!” Kita exclaimed, jumping out of her seat before running towards the door.

"What was that all about?" Mio pondered.

If she needed to use the bathroom, couldn’t she just do that without telling her about her crush on Ryo? What’s that got to do with anything? Mio looked down at the table to find it empty. That’s right. She gave her sweets to Ritsu. Oh well.

After Kita ran out however, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. She looked up to find Mugi giving her one of those looks again.

-

Nijika watched as Kita ran out of the room, face as red as her hair.

She'd be lying if she said that she didn't notice the signs. Kita has never been good at hiding her emotions, like her not so subtle crush on Ryo. Seems like she got a type. Bassists, huh? Nijika makes a mental note to teach Kita about the three Bs later.

"Amhyway mmmhjika as I was swaying." Nijika turned towards Ritsu, currently stuffing her face full of pastry she gotten from Mio.

"Don't talk while you eat, Ritsu-chan." Nijika chided.

Ritsu swallowed. “Right. Anyway, as I was saying, we really have it tough huh, Nijika? Drummer and buchou of our own bands. Really, only great people are destined to shoulder such responsibilities.” Ritsu said melodramatically.

"Right." Nijika said. From what Mio had told her earlier, Ritsu is definitely lacking on that responsibility front, but she wont just say that to her face.

“Are you not going to eat, Nijika? No need to be shy! Just act like it’s your own place.” Ritsu said, smiling while pointing to the mostly untouched sweets in front of Nijika.

“This IS my place. And I’m trying to lessen my sugar consumption, y’know. I’m maintaining a diet, so I can’t just go ham on snacks like some.” Nijika replied.

“Hey! What are you implying? Besides, I don’t think you’re telling the truth.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“You seem tense, Nijika. It’s something i picked up from being friends with Mio for so long. Both of you have these tells. Avoiding eye contact, staring blankly, spacing out. I reckon there’s something on your mind. Am I right?”

Nijika did not peg Ritsu to be the perceptive type. She thought of rebutting, but something tells her that Ritsu won’t be willing to just drop this topic once it’s brought up, so she resigned herself to her fate.

“You’re right, Ritsu-chan. I do have something on my mind, And it’s been eating me this entire time. I just can’t calm myself because of it.” Nijika confessed.

“You mind sharing?”

“W-well. It’s about my band. You’ve seen what happened yesterday. I’m just not sure if we really got what it takes. Hearing my own sister tell me that we sucked, I mean- I know we suck, but gosh, couldn’t she at least give us some leeway? We’re all beginners here, other than Ryo- so of course we’d suck!” Nijika paused to take a breath.

“But still, she’s right. We’re nowhere near good enough to be performing on that stage. I have full confidence in us, don’t get me wrong- but I’ve just been dreading that audition. What if we don't pass? Then what? I’m the leader of the band, so I have to be the one that stays composed throughout all of this. I need to be the pillar for my bandmates to lean on. But it’s proving to be too much to handle, I don’t know what to do. I really don’t want this band to fail, and I don’t want to fail my bandmates.” Nijika said.

Ritsu didn't immediately answer. For a second Nijika thought she might not be listening, but she eventually spoke,

“Just like I said, Nijika. We have it tough, don’t we?” She simply said.

“What?”

“Look Nijika. I might not look like it, but I am a leader. Mio might say that it's just through technicality, but in the end I am a leader nonetheless. If anyone in this room knows how it feels to bear the most responsibility for our bands, it’s you and me. I get the notion of being a strong and dependable leader, but you’re still human. You can’t shoulder all those responsibilities yourself. I used to always blame myself for everything bad that happened to my band. Like when we couldn’t find a new member for the club after the freshman concert. I thought I've failed my club and my friends would all hate me for it.”

Ritsu continued, “In hindsight, it all seems a little silly. We got Azusa in the end, and I know for a fact my friends would never think that way about me. They must’ve all had the same concerns about the whole situation, but they would never just single me out and blame me like that. I’m just too deep in a cascade of self loathing to realize that. I’m sure that all your bandmates would understand if you talk to them about your concerns, Nijika. They would definitely empathize. You don’t have to ponder over it yourself.”

Nijika looked away. “I know you’re right, Ritsu-chan, I know I should give my friends more credit than that, they’d definitely understand. Still-”

“Well then, tell them ! That’s what friends are for! Don’t let this eat you up inside. I might not know yet what your band sounds like, but I’m sure you guys are great!” Ritsu said, putting her hand on Nijika’s shoulder. “You’ll do fine on that audition, I bet!” She gave her a handsome smile.

Nijika gazed at Ritsu's beaming face. For all of her apparently many (too long to list, according to Mio.) faults, she really knows how to lift someone’s spirits up. Nijika returned that smile with her own.

“Thanks for that, Ritsu-chan. You’re really sweet.”

“No worries, Nijika. And hey, if you ever need a fellow leader to talk to, I'm always here.” Ritsu winked at her.

“Of course. Thank you, Ritsu-chan.”

“But now, I have something to ask you.” Ritsu said, and Nijika felt the mood suddenly shifting. She puts her hand on top of Nijika’s and closes in on her. Nijika, not expecting Ritsu to suddenly lean in so close, blushed furiously.

“Nijika-” Ritsu whispered. Nijika gulped. She can feel her heart beating so fast. What’s going on with her?

“Y-yes?” Nijika shakily said.

“Nijika, are you-”

Nijika waited.

“Are you going to finish that?” Ritsu pointed at Nijika’s sweets with her other hand.

“I- wh-????”

“I’ll take that as a no, then!” Ritsu said, taking one of the pastries off the plate without waiting for further response.

“I- i, i need to use the bathroom!” Nijika said, jumping from her seat and bolting out of the room.

“Huh, what was that? She must’ve really needed to go.” Ritsu said. She looked across the table to find Mugi frowning and looking disapprovingly at her.

-

“So you’ve been playing for how long, Hitori-chan?” Yui asked the pink blob sitting next to her.

“Ah, about three years maybe. It took me the entirety of middle school to really get accustomed to the guitar.” Hitori replied.

“Whoaa…. That’s so long!” Yui said, awed at this revelation.

“Really, i think that’s normal, senpai. It also took me around that long to master the guitar.

“Eh.... then you two must’ve been playing for so long!” Yui said to both Hitori and Azusa.

“How long have you been playing, Yui-san?”

“Eh? Me? Hmmmm….” Yui put her index finger on her chin. “..... a year?”

“So you’re a beginner?” Hitori asked.

“Eh, i guess?”

“I see. Same with Kita-san then, she also just started playing the guitar.”

“Guitar is so much fun! I learned a lot from Azunyan!”

Eh? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Hitori glanced at Azusa, who had a resigned look on her face.

“I know what you’re thinking. But she’s right. I’ve been teaching her how to play guitar ever since I joined the club this year.”

“So you have been in the light music club for a year before Azusa-chan joined, and that whole time you didn’t know how to play guitar?”

“Oh, no! I already knew how to play even before Azu-nyan joined! But she still teaches me a lot of things, like reading sheet music, and tuning your guitar properly!”

Hitori was left even more confused than if Yui haven't even explained anything to her.

“You know those little knob thingy on the guitar, Hitori-chan? I usually just twist them a bit and play! But when Azu-nyan joined, she showed me this thing, what was it called, Azu-nyan?”

“A tuner.”

“Yeah, a tuna! Apparently you’re supposed to tune your guitar before playing it. This whole time I thought it was just for decorations, and people would just twist it before playing for good luck!”

This was a level of non comprehension only Kita when she was starting could've rivaled. “But aren’t those the basics? How could you have been playing for a year without knowing how to tune your guitar?!” Hitori asked shrilly.

“Now you know how I feel, Hitori-chan.” Azusa said defeatedly.

“It’s because me and Giita have a special connection.”

“No, it’s because you have perfect pitch without realizing it.”

“She has perfect pitch?!”

“I do?”

“Of course you do! Nobody else would tune a guitar like that and still manage to sound good!”

This girl doesn’t even know how to tune a guitar, yet she is somehow able to play good? It took Hitori years to master the guitar, yet this girl managed to get by in under a year without putting the same amount of effort (or any effort, if what she’s hearing about her is true) she did. This revelation was too much for Hitori, immediately falling to her knees. It’s over.

“What are you doing, Hitori-chan?” Yui asked, oblivious to her inner turmoil.

“Hitori-chan, please don’t despair! Also get up from the floor, people are going to stare!”

Truthfully, the rest of her band were already used to her antics, and everyone else from HTT is preoccupied in conversations amongst themselves. So in reality, no one really took notice of this little episode Hitori is having. Nevertheless, she got back up to her seat next to Azusa and Yui.

“Anyway Hitori-chan, Hitori-chan! What do you call your guitar? What’s her name?”

“E-eh..? It doesn’t have one.”

“What?” Yui said, genuinely bewildered. “How could you have been playing with it this whole time and not even have a name for her? That’s cruel, Hitori-chan. Even Azu-nyan has a name for her guitar. How do you think your guitar feels about her owner not caring enough to name her?” “You choose a really peculiar thing to be upset about, senpai. And I didn’t name my guitar. You did!”

“Eh? But you like the name i gave him. You still call him Muttan to this day.”

“Yui -senpai, not in front of gui-HItori-chan!” Azusa hastily said, watching Hitori’s look of panic briefly emerged as she almost once again let it slip.

“You should apologize to your guitar, Hitori-chan. She must feel betrayed. I’m really disappointed in you.”

Hitori felt like she was being lectured about why it’s okay to eat crayons from a 4 year old.

“Uh, yeah I suppose, I should consider giving it a name…” Hitori glanced at her guitar case in the corner of the room. Inside it was the hand-me down guitar she got from her father. She supposed it's unavoidable, but she did grow attached to the thing. Maybe Yui was right, she must have felt so betrayed.

“I-im sorry, Gibson-sama.” Hitori said, bowing to the inanimate guitar.

“That’s more like it, Hitori-chan! And Gibson is such a cute name!” Yui said.

Azusa sighed. Why does both of her guitar idols have to be this crazy?

-

Kita was looking at her own reflection on the restroom mirror. “God. I’m a mess. What am I doing? It’s obvious that it’s never gonna happen, anyway.” She said to herself. “Get a grip, girl. Compose yourself.” She said, taking deep breaths and letting it out. She heard Nijika telling Gotoh-san to do this after one of her episodes. She said it helps calm you down, and it always helps her whenever she-

At that exact moment, The restroom door slammed open, and in came Nijika, face flushed red and panting like she just ran through a whole 50 lap marathon. She gripped the sink next to Kita’s and began to wash her face, before looking up at her reflection on the mirror.

“God. I’m a mess. What am I doing? It’s obvious that it’s never gonna happen, anyway.” Nijika said to herself. “Get a grip, girl. Compose yourself.”

“W-what? Ijichi-senpai, are you okay?”

Nijika looked over towards Kita, both of their face still red from embarrassment.

“I should be the one asking that. Why did you just run off like that after talking with Mio?”

“W-well, I-i- d-don’t change the subject! Why did you just barge in here like you just ran laps around a basketball field? Look at yourself!”

“I’m good, thanks.” Nijika said, turning away. “And it’s fine Kita-chan. Just need to calm myself, is all.”

“W-well, it’s fine senpai, you asked earlier, but I came here to do that too.”

Nijika nodded. Both of them were silent for a moment.

“Drummers.”/”Bassists.” They both said in unison. They shared a glance.

“You too, senpai?”

“Yep. More of a spur of a moment thing, I guess. I’ll get over it in a moment.”

“Gosh, I wish I could do that. This is gonna take a whole week to get over.”

They both fell silent again, until Nijika decided to break it.

“Hey, Kita.”

“Yes, senpai?”

“When dating, remember to avoid the three Bs and D.”

“What is that Ijichi-senpai?”

“Bassists, bassists, bassists. And drummers.”

-

“What is going on in there?” Seika said, as she watched her sister running into the restroom. First Kita, and now her sister. What exactly are they doing in that studio?

She listened as water started running in the restroom. “What are those kids up to now?”

“Hello, tenchou.” PA-san greeted her, as she sat down next to her.

“Finally, you’re back. What took you so long?” Seika said, looking at her employee.

“Oh, just had a talk with the Ho-Kago Tea Time girls. They’re really sweet. You really should interact with them more.”

“Pass. I don’t need them to get buddy-buddy with me to try and gain an advantage in the audition.”

“My, tenchou~ A tsundere through and through aren’t you?”

“One more word about that and you’re fired.”

“Mou, they’re really good for a highschool band, tenchou. Did you listen to the demo tape they gave yesterday?”

“Nope. Besides, if they can’t recreate whatever it is in that tape live, I still don’t think they’re good enough for STARRY.”

“Such a stickler for the rules, you are, tenchou.”

“Some of us have to have standards to keep this place running.”

"What about Nijika?"

"What about her?"

"Her band. Do you really think they're not good enough for your standard?"

"Objectively speaking, judging from their last show, no."

"But you want to let her perform, don't you, tenchou? You saw yourself how hard they've been practicing after that last live. They won't be the same amateurs they were in that live."

"I know they won't be. Which is why iIm pushing them to audition. I need to assess their growth myself."

PA-san could only chuckle at Seika’s insistence, even when it’s clear as day how she’s been rooting for Nijika’s band since the beginning.

“Of course, tenchou.”

-

“That was fun, wasn’t it?” Ritsu said to the others. They were preparing to leave STARRY after their spontaneous and extensive tea-time session.

“Hai! We should really do this more often!” Yui piped up

“I would not be opposed. Mugi, you have my number. You can contact me whenever your father approves of my sales pitch.” Ryo said, in that same monotonous voice.

“Ahahaha. I’ll be sure to contact you Ryo-chan, no worries about that.”

“You’d talk with your father about it won’t you?” Ryo asked, to which Mugi only smiled.

“Thank you again for your hospitality, Nijika-chan. Sorry if we were bad guests.” Mio said, on behalf of her group.

“I’d appreciate the sentiment, Mio-chan, but don’t worry, I had fun with you all. You weren’t bad guests at all!” Nijika said, smiling at her. Mio noticed her smile wavering for a second as her eyes moved towards the rest of the group, but when she blinked, Nijika was still smilinng warmly. Maybe she’s just imagining things.

Kita stepped forward. She extended her hand towards Mio. Confused, Mio took it for Kita shook it.

“It was lovely to have you with us today, Akiyama–san. I would’ve loved to get to know you better… but it seems like the time has come for us to part ways. I just want to say, I will never forget you, Akiyama-san. And when the time comes for us to meet again, i promise, i promise on my ISSOSTA account with 15k followers, that I will be a better, stronger woman. I’ll make you proud, Akiyama-san!” Kita ended her speech with a bow.

“O-okay..?” Mio said, looking back at her clubmates to discern what just happened. Ritsu was sporting a grin on her face, while Mugi was silently shedding tears from the corner of her eye.

“Kita, you know we’d see each other again next week, right?” Nijika said exasperatedly.

Kita retreated back to her friends, leaving the still confused Mio piecing together what just happened. Ritsu whistled and elbowed Nijika's shoulder. “Sheesh, get your clubmates under control, girl.” Ritsu said.

Nijika moved away without even looking at Ritsu. Now it was Ritsu’s turn to be confused.

Hitori, not picking up the ongoing tension, said innocently, “It was nice to meet all of you again, truly. H-hopefully both our bands would pass the audition, and we’d get to be in that same stage, performing together.”

“We’ll do our best, Hitori-chan.” Mugi said.

“Yep! You’d better believe we’ll be on that stage!” Azusa said.

“Well then, we gotta go. See you next time, everyone.” Mio said, leaving the STARRY’s regulars with her friends in tow.

“See you next week!” Yui waved.

Kessoku band waved back, and shortly, Ho-Kago Tea Time blended in with the rest of the afternoon crowd. They stood in silence for a moment, before Ryo spoke.

“Your friends were just as weird as you are, Bocchi.”

“Ryo-senpai!” Kita exclaimed.

“A-ah, y-yeah, hmm.. But I’m also pretty weird, so it’s balanced out, I think…” A-ah, K-kita-chan, you’re okay, right? You seemed really sad when you said goodbye to Mio-chan earlier.”

“Oh?” Kita looked over towards Hitori. “I’m fine, Gotoh-san. I think i got it out of my system!” Kita said, smiling and returning to her usual peppy self. “Thanks for the concern, though.”

“You were acting really strange, Ikuyo. Especially around Mio. What happened back then? Usually you only act that strange way around me now that I think about it.....”

“Don’t think too much about it, senpai!” Kita nervously said. “Overall, I think today was fun. We get to meet new friends, and eat lots of tasty treats!” Kita exclaimed, in an obvious attempt of diversion.

“Y-yeah, I wish we can hang around with them more often.” Hitori replied.

“Agreed. I really need Mugi to update me on whether or not her father is willing to give me that loan of a million dollars.”

“That’s so much, senpai! What are you gonna do with that much money?”

“Well, I'm going to-”

“I KNEW IT!” Nijika, who has been silent for the entire conversation, suddenly exclaimed. I know we forgot to do something today! And I just remember what it is!”

“Eh, what is it, senpai?”

“We forgot to practice!”

Everyone processed this revelation in stunned silence.

“EH?!”

Chapter Text

Let’s recap the story so far! Hitori Gotoh is a slightly shy, socially anxious, and isolated guitar enthusiast!

“This guitar is my only friend, but some day, I’d like to join a band!”

And as she thought of that,

“Hey, come substitute for our lead guitarist!”

Well, it didn’t go as smoothly as she would’ve hoped, as before she got to join a band, she got caught in some shenanigans involving one peculiar light music club! And ever since that day, her life has been one event after another!

“You’re guitarhero, aren’t you?”

“Do you like him? His name is Giita.”

“Of course we’re friends, Hitori, after all that, how could we not be?”

“Just call me Mugi. It’s what my friends call me.”

Eventually, she met another colorful cast of characters, and from that humble beginning, she formed a rock band with them!

“Hey! Come join our band!”

And just now, the club manager said, “I can’t put you in that stage unless you pass the audition,” which inspired a huge panic!

And after hours of practice and…. tea time?

“Ahhh… honey sweet tea time..”

They managed to pass the audition! Happiness blooms!

Or so they thought, as Hitori still has a towering wall before them, it was….the five ticket quota! What was a girl with no contacts outside of her family and band were to do? What will you do? What will you do Hito-

Hitori sighed, pushing out the narration happening in her head to the lake she's sitting by. Just yesterday, her band managed to pass the audition at STARRY, making them eligible to perform for the concert.

Ho-Kago Tea Time also passed, although not without hiccups. On their first attempt, Yui got distracted by the lights on the stage that she forgets to start singing, before hitting her nose on the mic in front of her. This led to a chain of events beginning with MIo stumbling over a bunch of tangled up cords on the stage, which was followed by Azusa launching herself in front of Mio in a seeming attempt to cover up something from the audience. Mugi, seeing everything unraveled, attempted to help the others before also stumbling and falling on stage.

Luckily, the manager was kind enough to give them another shot at performance (egged on by PA-san, who loudly proclaimed how the manager herself has actually been anticipating listening to both Ho-Kago Tea Time and her sister’s band all week). Needless to say, both of them passed, and they will be performing at STARRY in 2 days.

That’s right. 2 days til the concert, Hitori thought to herself. She looked down at the five intact tickets in her possession.

She was initially under the impression that she got 4 out of 5 of those tickets taken care of, but after both her parents informed her that neither Futari nor her dog will be able to come to the live house to watch her, she went through another bouts of hysterics before proclaiming to her family that she will just get her “many friends at school” to come and watch her show.

"I shouldn’t have bragged like that!" Hitori exclaimed to herself. What do I do? If I can’t find three more buyers for the tickets….

Hitori looked down at the poorly made flyers in her hands. She made some promotional flyers to hand out in her neighborhood, but HOW IS SOMEONE WITH SOCIAL ANXIETY SUPPOSED TO HAND OUT FLYERS?

In her panic, Hitori slipped, falling on her back with flyers flying all over the place, one landing on top of her face.

She feels so powerless, too scared to move.

Her spiraling bouts of despair were interrupted by her phone buzzing, a notification from the band’s LOINE group chat.

“It looks like a lot of my friends are coming, thank goodness!”

“I got mine sold.”

“How are you doing Bocchi-chan? Got your quotas taken care of?.”

She puts her phone away. They’re all taking care of it! What do I do? Lie and tell them I got it covered? Or do I admit that I can’t handle the quota? But if I do that…

“You can’t be in the band if you can’t handle the quota.”

“Bye-bye, Bocchi.”

“Senpai! Through my extensive connections, I have found us an amazing and totally extroverted guitarist!”

A caricature of a guitarist with pink hair and star sunglasses appeared in Hitori’s mind.

“Yeah! Rock you!”

“Rock you!”

“Why can’t I just accept mom’s help!?” Bocchi said, putting an end to her ridiculous imagination, grasping her head with both of her hands.

“Where the hell is she?” A stern voice suddenly said from around the corner.

Bocchi jumped back to her senses. Oh no! What was that? The voice sounded angry, is she about to be caught in between an extremely violent gang war? She should’ve just stayed in bed today! But wait, that voice seems oddly familiar somehow..

A woman rounded the corner, long brown hair and bespectacled. She looked around the place with an annoyed look on her face. Wait, isn’t that..

“S-sa-sawa-san?”

“Eh?” The woman turned towards Hitori. “Oh, Hitori-chan. Long time no see. This is quite unexpected.” Sawako said.

Hitori simply nodded. She wasn’t the best at socializing, you see, and had no idea what she should say after that. Thankfully, Sawako seems to be completely immersed in whatever she’s doing to notice.

“I know i shouldn’t have agreed to this.” She sighed.

Curious, Hitori decided to bite the bullet. “Uhh… S-sawa-san, who are you looking for?”

“Hm? Oh, right. I’m looking for a rat. A big, deadbeat, constant pain in the ass, purple rat.” Sawako replied.

Purple rats? Is this supposed to be like, a riddle? A song..?

“You wouldn’t happen to see one passing by, would you, Hitori-chan?”

Hitori shook her head, still finding it hard to believe that such things exist.

“Dammit. Shima told me she was supposed to be around here somewhere. I swear, if i didn’t owe her one, I would have never agreed to this.”

Sawako seems to be thinking to herself, taking a moment before realizing that Hitori was still there with her.

“Ah, Hitori-chan, I got so caught up in trying to find this scoundrel that I forgot all about you. How have you been?”

“F-fine..” Hitori doesn’t really know how to feel about Sawako. The last time they met, they only interacted once, and that was when Sawako tried to get her to wear her maid costume. Though she doesn’t have any negative feelings towards her, she’d be pressed to say she had any positive feelings about her either.

“The girls said something about meeting you again last week, something about playing in a live house together? My, all of you are truly taking the next step to becoming real musicians, huh? As the advisor for the light music club, I’m proud.” Sawako said.

“Ah.. I suppose..” Hitori simply said.

“Hmmm… I brought up how the girls could spice up their performance with some of my tailor made costumes, but they vehemently rejected my gracious offer! Can you believe that?”

“Uhh…” Hitori wasn’t sure what to say.

“But perhaps, you’d be interested in my help, Hitori-chan? Don’t worry, I won’t charge you anything, I just need your measurements ....” Sawako said sinisterly, wiggling her fingers.

“A-ahh! T-that won't be necessary! W-we…”

At that moment, Hitori was saved by a woman collapsing onto the ground right in front of them.

Wait! A woman just dropped on the ground in front of them! What should I do?

“H-help…. Please… I need water…” The woman weakly said.

“R-right!" Hitori stammered. "I’ll buy you some water!”

“And hangover medicine…”

“Yes!”

“And miso soup with clams, with rice porridge… and a comfortable bed to lie on, and oh…”

“Don’t you think you’re wringing out a bit much from her already, Kikuri?” Sawako interrupted.

“Eh?”

“Wh- Sawako-senpai, is that you?”

“Yes. It’s me, Kikuri. Get up.” Sawako sighed.

“Ehhh…? I don’t want to… the ground is just so… well, it’s not exactly comfortable, but it beats standing up.”

“Well at least sit down properly, you half-wit.” Sawako said sternly, she began to move towards Kikuri to help her into a sitting position. “Hitori, if you may, please buy that water. We need to sober this idiot up.”

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

-

Kita lay on her futon silently. It was Sunday, and she didn't really have anything planned out, other than band practice to prepare for their upcoming concert later today. So currently she is just laying on her bed, staring off into the ceiling. During this, her mind wandered to a scene that had happened last week.

“I’ll make you proud, Akiyama-senpai!”

“Aghhh! Why did I say that!??" Kita exclaimed, grasping her head with both of her hands. “That was sooo embarrassing! What was I thinking?” She said to the empty room.

She and Mio haven't interacted further after that. Technically, they did meet again a couple of times when both their bands had one of their joint training sessions, and yesterday during the audition. But they didn’t say anything to each other during that time frame, other than simple greetings and farewells, as well as congratulating each other for passing the audition.

“God, I still can’t get her out of my mind.”

Unlike what she had said to Nijika in the restroom last week, it did not take Kita at least a week to get over this infatuation. When she closes her eyes, all she can imagine is just Mio’s beautiful steel gray eyes, her long silky smooth hair… the way it smells too, ehehehehehe… Ulp!

Why is she giggling creepily to herself about her supposed crush on Mio like this? Who was she? Hitori? Okay, that was kinda mean, but that’s definitely something she would do, Kita thought to herself.

On top of all this, she still has conflicting feelings about Ryo, does she still like her? Or did she even like her in the first place? Was it just some girl crush that she was bound to get over? Wait, would that be the same thing she’s feeling towards Mio right now?

....Nah. Ryo was definitely a crush of the week, but Mio, Kita can feel it. This must be it, this must be what true love is! Kita swooned at the idea of her and Mio being a couple, Mio smiling at her, holding her hands, letting her play with her silky smooth hair…. ehehehehehe… GAH!

There she goes again. Kita sighed. She really needs something to get my mind off Mio before practice today, scrolling through her ISOSSTA to distract herself. While scrolling, she found a post promoting a festival somewhere near the pier tonight.

That looks like fun. Maybe I could get the band to go there after practice, Kita thought to herself, before suddenly, her mind wandered off to Mio again. Agh, i still can’t get her out of my mind! Kita stared at the post in frustration.

Suddenly, a lightbulb switched on in Kita’s head. Or… she could use this as a date opportunity with Akiyama-san! Ohohoho, she likes that even better! Kita began squealing and kicking her feet in the air at the vision of her and Mio, alone together at a festival.

But that would mean potentially skipping practice… Kita’s more rational side came out to burst her bubble. We can’t just abandon our friends to go on a date with Akiyama-san!

But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! (it really isn’t) Her more selfish side assured. We can just miss one day of practice, we practiced practically everyday this past week anyway, it’ll be fine, Nijika and the others will understand!

Oh, what do I do? Kita internally pondered. This question was eating her up inside.

In the end, her more selfish side won. "I’m sorry, Ijichi-senpai! I promise it would just be this one time!" She said as she begam typing up an excuse for her to try and get out of practice today.

-

“Straight to the liver, you’re a lifesaver! Ah, i didn’t think you’d buy me the miso soup too!” Kikuri said, as she demolished the soup Hitori had bought her.

“You shouldn’t have, Hitori-chan, really. But don’t worry, I’ll get her to pay you back.” Sawako said, glaring at Kikuri.

Hitori just stayed silent throughout all of this. Apparently, Sawako was here because she was looking for Kikuri, the “rat” she mentioned earlier. Kikuri had drunk herself to the point of blacking out last night (which according to Sawako, was a normal occurrence). She eventually stumbled her way here, where Sawako was tasked to go look for her by their common friend, Shima, which Sawako apparently owed.

“I wanna take my head off and power wash it…” Kikuri mumbles to herself, still under the effects of a hangover. “I wanna take my guts out and wring all the alcohol out of it!”

“I-i think I should be going…” Hitori starts to stand up.

“Say.. What’s your name? Kikuri asked.

“Gotoh H-hitori.” Hitori said as she slowly sat back down.

“You would’ve known that if you’ve been paying attention, Kikuri. I have called her by her name multiple times already." Sawako chided.

“Ahahaha, Gomen, gomen. That's a cute name.”

“T-thank you.”

“The name’s Hiroi Kikuri, alcohol expert!~ Hic-!” Hiroi attempted to introduce herself to Hitori, to the exasperation of Sawako.

“Drinking should be done in moderation, y’know, hahaha!” Kikuri said, as she slowly took out another carton box of alcohol from her blazer.

“Are you seriously drinking again? It’s 1 PM, Kikuri.” Sawako said.

“Hair of the dog that bit ya, hic- senpai, and all that!”

Sawako buried her face in her hands. In the amount of time it took to do that, Kikuri managed to down 6 carton boxes of sake, and is now gulping a bottle of liquor. Hitori wonders how her liver hadn’t exploded yet.

“Ya want some, Hitori-chan? Sorry it’s the cheap stuff.”

“I- WHAT!? ARE YOU SERIOUSLY OFFERING ALCOHOL TO A MINOR?!”

“Ehh…. hic- I swear she said she was 18…”

“SHE NEVER EVEN MENTIONED HER AGE, YOU BLABBERING DRUNK!”

Sawako began to put Kikuri in a chokehold. Hitori took this as an opportunity to finally flee. Unluckily for her, she stumbled on her own feet.

Oh no. She was about to hit the ground! She braces for impact, but the pain never came. She opened her eyes to find…

“Ah! A guitar, do ya play?” Kikuri was holding the guitar bag she was carrying, unknowingly saving Hitori from the fall. “I’m in a band too! Indie, of course.”

Oh no! I’ve never met an adult rocker before! Scenes started playing in Hitori’s head of what will happen if she told Hiroi that she plays.

“Sheesh, kids today… don’t know what rock is!” Kikuri said, slamming Hitori’s guitar onto the ground.

I have to get out of here before I say something stupid!

“Get your slimy hands off her you-”

“A-actuallyiboughtitandjustgaveupafteroneday,imactuallygoingtoapawnshoptosellit!”

“Eh?” Both Sawako and Kikuri said in response.

“Iwashopingforafarmoreworthypersontousethisguitarsotheycanfindtheirwingsandsoarwithit,butidontplayatall!Geeiwonderhowmuchillgetforit,itsallyoucaneatyakinikuformetoday!!!” Hitori sputtered out as she began to flee.

“Wait!” Kikuri grabbed ahold of her hands. Hitori turned to face her.

Kikuri lifts up her head, giving her a look of concern. “Giving up after one day is a waste. You can sell it anytime you want, but if you stick with it, you might become someone worthy of that guitar someday.” she said genuinely.

Hitori and Sawako was taken aback by such words coming out of the woman whose speech so far has been half drunk dribbles about alcohol.

“Ah look at me, tryna act wise all a sudden!” Kikuri said, taking another sip out of her carton box.

“That was very unexpected of you, Kikuri.” Sawako said, bemused.

“W-well you know what they say s-senpai, broken dog walks twice a day! Hic!”

“Right.” Sawako said, returning to her previous state of exasperation.

“Oh, how about I give you lessons?” Kikuri said to Hitori.

“That won’t be necessary.” Sawako replied.

“Eh, why? Are you teaching her?”

“No. It won’t be necessary cause she’s lying to you. She’s actually quite good at playing that guitar.”

“Huh? That’s one smooth lie you just told, then! You had me convinced!”

Being able to convince a drunk woman of her lie did not give Hitori any sort of feeling of accomplishment whatsoever.

“Ah, you definitely took good care of your guitar.” Kikuri said while playing it, after Hitori took it out of the bag.

“Sawako-senpai, wanna give it a try?” Kikuri said, handing the guitar to Sawako.

“Eh? Sawa-san, you play too?” Hitori asked the woman.

“K-Kikuri, shut up! I’ve already left that part of my life behind!” Sawako said, flustered.

“Eh… why, senpai? You were really good. Especially when you’re still with Death devils-”

Sawako clasped her hands onto Kikuri’s mouth. Hitori just looked puzzled at this reaction.

“D-death devils?”

Sawako sighed. “Death devils. My old highschool and college band.”

“You don’t know about Death devils, Hitori-chan? Ha! You should've seen senpai back during our college years, She was quite popular. Man, she was a maniac back then!”

“Yes, thank you for telling her that, Hiroi.” Sawako said through gritted teeth.

“S-so you two went to college together?” Hitori asked the pair.

“Yup! Mou, I used to always go to her concerts back then, it was the highlight of my college years.”

“It’s the only thing you did in your college years. You dropped out after two years.” Sawako said.

“Ahahaha, no regrets! I have SICK HACK now, and it’s way better than staying in school to get some crummy diploma.” Kikuri said.

“What a wonderful message to send to the kid, Hiroi.”

“SICK HACK?” Hitori asked.

“My band. But like I said, we’re mostly popular in the indie scene, so it’s understandable if you haven’t heard of us.” Kikuri explained. “Ah, man. I really wish we started it way sooner, if we did, we could’ve jammed with your band, senpai. Oh, and maybe with Ijichi-senpai’s band too.”

“Hmph. That girl is still kickin’ around?” Sawako asked Hiroi.

“Ahh, i don’t think she still plays, she disbanded her band around the time Death devils did, don’t you remember, senpai?”

“Hardly. I couldn’t stand that woman.”

“I-ijichi? Y-you mean Ijichi Seika?” Hitori inquired.

At this, both Hiroi and Sawako turned towards Hitori. Now it’s their turn to be puzzled. Hitori shrank under the gaze of the two adult women staring her down.

“You know Seika?” Sawako asked sharply.

“A-ah, forgive me! I just work at her livehouse and am a part of her sister’s band! T-that’s all! I don’t really know her that well!”

“Oh right, senpai now runs a live house. What was it called? Rry… Blurry?” Kikuri asked no one in particular.

“STARRY.” Hitori helpfully added.

“Ah, yes, STARRY!”

“So Seika runs a livehouse now.. Wait, don’t tell me the livehouse you and the girls will be performing in, is it STARRY?” Sawako asked.

Hitori nodded. Sawako groaned.

“I already bought a ticket to see the girls' show. I really hope I don’t run into her.”

“Hey, that’s great! At least she’s still kicking around in the music scene. You should too, senpai, it’d be better than being a driving instructor.”

“I’m a teacher.”

“Isn’t a driving instructor some kind of teacher? Anyway, I’m proud to say that I never left the music scene! Bassist through and through. Booze and bass are worth more than my life. That’s why I always keep 'em close by.” Hiroi proudly claims.

“So uh.. Where’s your bass?” Hitori asked.

….

“Ah, I left it at the pub.”

-

Nijika was walking with Ryo through the hustle and bustles of a busy shopping district. Unexpectedly, Ryo had invited her over for lunch today due to Nijika canceling band practice.

Nijika was surprised when Kita had suddenly said that she needed to go visit her grandmother today, and therefore can’t show up to practice. On top of that, Hitori has not responded to any of her messages. Seeing as it was pointless to practice with only two people (Nijika was almost sure Ryo would’ve come up with some half baked excuse to get out of practice anyway), Nijika decided to have today as a break day for the band. They’ve been practicing for a week straight anyway.

Having Ryo treating her to lunch instead of mooching off her and Seika was a pleasant change of pace, but she can’t help but be suspicious of her partner’s motives.

“I couldn’t believe it when you said you’re treating me to lunch today, Ryo. Are you feeling well?”

Ryo simply nodded. “Healthier than ever.”

“Huh, what’s the catch?”

Ryo looked back at Nijika, staring blankly. “Nijika, is it really that hard to believe that I just wanted to treat my dear friend to lunch?”

“Yes.”

“Well, it’s just been a while since we hung out together, just the two of us, y’know?”

“Ryo, we meet everyday. We’re in the same class in the same school.”

Ryo decided that the conversation should end there and then. She simply stopped responding to Nijika.

Nijika sighed. “Where are we going anyway?

“WcDonalds.”

“WcDonalds? You brought me all the way out here just for WcDonalds?”

Ryo nodded.

“Ryo, you know there’s a WcDonalds just 2 blocks away from STARRY, right? Why did we even need to take a 2 hour train trip here?”

“This WcDonalds is different. Trust me Nijika, you won’t regret it.”

Nijika sighed. Ryo won’t tell her, but she’s definitely planning something by taking her to this specific WcDonalds over every other WcDonalds back home. Knowing Ryo, she would bet that the reasoning would be something very, very stupid.

After a short walk, they arrived at the WcDonalds. Ryo looked at her phone to check something before entering the establishment, Nijika tailing behind.

“Welcome to WcDonalds, may I take your order?” The waitress asked peppily at both of them.

“Hello, Mugi.” Ryo said blankly.

Eh? Nijika wasn’t paying attention before, but true enough, Mugi was standing behind the counter, dressed in a WcDonalds uniform, with sparkles in her eyes.

“Ah, Ryo-chan, you made it! And I see you brought Nijika-chan along with you as well.”

“Mugi-chan, what an unexpected surprise! You work here?”

“Ahahaha, I'm still a trainee, Nijika-chan. But yes, I do work here for the time being.”

“That’s great, good for you!” Nijika smiled, to which Mugi smiled back. “I assume this is why you wanted to visit this WcDonalds over the others, Ryo?”

“Mm-hmm. Mugi chan.” Ryo said, turning to Mugi.

“Yes, Ryo-chan? Have you decided on your order?”

“No. Have you talked with your father about my pitch yet?”

Nijika stared blankly. Oh. So this is why she wanted to go to this specific WcDonalds over the others.

“Ahahaha, Ryo-chan. You’re very persistent about this, aren’t you?”

“Ryo, really? Just when i thought you actually just wanted to do something nice for me for once, you turn around and do this?” Nijika spat.

“It’s very important, Nijika. My pitch is on the verge of breaking barriers and boundaries in music. It will revolutionize the way we play instruments with it’s conception.”

“You just want to make a quick buck!”

“That too.”

“Sigh, I could watch you two bicker all day. It’s wonderful to see two girls being affectionate with each other, you know?~” Mugi interjected.

“!!? Mugi-chan wha-”

“But you’re holding up the line. Please make your order and wait for it to be prepared, thank you.” Mugi said, returning to a professional tone.

“Uhhmm.. Well, i guess we’ll have two WcWhoppers and colas.”

“Two WcWhoppers and colas. That’ll be 1200 Yen.”

Ryo looked at Nijika expectantly.

“You’re supposed to be the one treating me!” Nijika exclaimed.

“Can we at least split the bill?”

“Urgh!” Looks like nothing changed at all.

-

“Ta-dah! It’s my own bass! Super Ultra Shuton Doki EX! Cool, huh?” Kikuri said, her beloved bass in hand.

This is all too incomprehensible, Hitori thought.

She, Hiroi, and Sawako are now all sitting somewhere near a pier. It was afternoon, and the streets were crowded with people passing by to what seems to be a nearby festival that is currently ongoing.

“We rocked the club last night, but I drank too much at the afterparty, and the next thing I know, the sun was up, and I had no idea where I was!”

“How many hours did you spend drinking, Hiroi?” Sawako inquired exasperatedly.

“Lessee, it started at 10:30 but it was all a blur after that… Figure I’ll just stay up til tonight at this point.” Kikuri said, downing another carton of cheap sake.

“Y-you really like d-drinking that much?” Hitori asked, humoring Hiroi.

“Sure do! Drinking lets me forget everything, so..”

“Everything?”

“You know, like pension problems, rural depopulation, poverty gaps. Just down a bottle, and all that goes away! I call it the happiness spiral! Hic- ahh, a visual would be good right about now…”

“Your brain has never had any of those thoughts enter it. You’re just a deadbeat alcoholic, Hiroi.” Sawako said curtly.

“It’s the way I cope, senpai, you don’t get it, hic- it’s so hard to be someone like me in our current society.” Hiroi said, feigning tears. “They don’t want women to be independent music icons. T-they want us to just be stay at home wives! What men would want to be with someone like me? Not like you would get it, senpai. I doubt you ever had to worry about IMPRESSING A MAN or anything like that…”

“Hiroi, I swear to god if we don’t have a kid with us, I would be beating the shit out of you right about now.”

“E-eh? Impressing a man?”

“Ahahaha, Hitori-chan, get this, the entire reason senpai even started playing music was to impress some guy in her senior year of highkh-!”

Sawako spares no word, but moves towards Kikuri and puts her in a chokehold.

“i-is that true?” Hitori inquired further, ignoring the extreme display of violence before her. There seems to be so much more to Sawako than she previously thought.

“Ahk- it’s true, Hitori-chan! I told you how she used to play in a band before!” Hiroi said in the middle of being choked to death. “Senpai, please, I’m seeing a bright light..”

Sawako lets go of Kikuri, her gaze falling onto the ground.

“S-sawa-san..”

“Eight long years ago.” Sawako began to monologue. “I fell in love.”

-

“I love you.” Sawako said. It was a gray, dull afternoon. She and the boy of her affections were standing under the cherry blossoms as Sawako confessed her love to him. Silence fell between both of them. A silence that to Sawako, felt like it stretches on for an eternity. The boy finally opened his mouth to respond, and Sawako waited in anticipation.

“I’m sorry.” He said. “I prefer wilder girls.”

The wind blows, playing with Sawako’s hair as he watches the boy walk away. It was there and then she decided. She would be the type of girl he likes.

The wailing of a guitar. A serenade of a broken heart. Sawako was standing on the stage, front and center, as she took it the roar of applause from the crowd beneath her. But her eyes were fixed on one person only. The boy stood in the middle of the crowd, motionless.

I’ll be wilder. Sawako thought to herself. Much wilder. Much, much wilder. Yet, throughout her transformation, the boy remained unmoved, still as a statue made out of stone.

“I’ll let you date me.” It was the same gray and dull afternoon as it was years ago. They were standing under the same cherry blossoms. She has changed herself to be the type of girl he likes. A much, much wilder girl than who she was back when she first asked him out. This time, she thought confidently, there will be no way he’ll refuse.

But to Sawako’s surprise, he instead puts his hands on her shoulders.

“Sawako.”

Sawako waited in anticipation.

“You’ve gone too far.”

She can feel the wind blowing once again.

--

“AHAHAHAHA! That’s pretty messed up isn’t it, AHK-”

Sawako puts Hiroi in another chokehold. “At least I didn’t end up a washed up, drunk, broke bassist!”

“Ahk- I’m not broke! Ginjiro just bill me after every performance since I always break the equipment after drunk playingkhkh-!”

As she watched the two grown women bicker like misbehaving children, Hitori’s mind began to wander. So is this really what her future will be? Would following the path to becoming a musician lead to these two outcomes of either broken dreams and heartbreak, or rampant alcoholism?

Scenes begin to play inside her head of her as an unemployed, unmarried 25 year old woman, slowly withering away inside her closet downing another can of beer to wallow in her sorrows.

“EYAAAAAAHHHHHH!” This totally fictional scenario proved too much for Hitori. Her scream caught the attention of the two adult women.

“Ha, kid, you’re pretty messed up too, huh?” Kikuri said, chuckling at her absurdity.

“I-i’m sorry, I lost my head.”

“It’s fine, I kinda like it. What were ya doin back there anyway?”

“A-ah, well actually..”

Hitori delivered a passionate, heartfelt story about her current predicament.

“I see.” Kikuri said, choking down a sob. "It was very hard for me to sell tickets when I just started too.”

“You haven’t filled your quota yet?” Sawako asked Hitori.

Hitori shook her head.

Sawako frowned. “I see, that is unfortunate. I’d help you out, but I already bought a ticket from Ritsu. So I can't.”

“It’s fine senpai! I’m putting my skin in the game.” Kikuri said, slowly taking off her blazer.

“Now prepare yourself. Hiroi breathed out. “You and I are going to…”

Hitori glanced panickedly at Sawako, who was staring at Kikuri, guard up.

“...play a street concert, here and now!” Kikuri said, holding her bass.

“Eh?”

“S-street concert?”

“Yeah, you got those flyers already. The best way to pick up an audience is to play a street concert. Seems like there’s a festival here today, so there’s a lot of people out, perfect for a street performance!!”

“B-but-”

“Ah but we don’t have amps and stuff..” Hiroi quietly muttered. And Hitori felt a gush of relief.

“T-too bad, I guess we’ll have to try another tim-”

“Hello? Yeah, it’s me." Hiroi said on the phone. "Yeah, I’m not dead! I’m going to have a street performance, so could you bring in the stuff? Nah, the equipment’s enough.”

Hitori panickedly turned towards Sawako, desperate for a lifeline, but Sawako was staring off towards the distance with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“A street performance, eh?” She glanced at Hitori, that glint in her eyes still present. Hitori shivered.

“I think I've got just the thing. Tell Hiroi to wait for me to return before starting.” Sawako said, before running off at speed comparable to a professional athlete.

Hitori stared blankly at the sky. Why is it so hard to have a proper responsible adult figure in her life?

-

“I can’t believe you, Ryo.” Nijika said. She, Ryo, and Mugi were now walking away from the station after a two hour train trip. “Dragging me off to a WcDonalds just for you to try bumming off of Mugi.”

Ryo said nothing. She didn’t wanna test her luck, especially after being punched in the stomach by Nijika immediately after leaving the WcDonalds with Mugi at the end of her shift.

“Sorry for dragging you into this Mugi-chan. You must be tired after a full day’s work.” Nijika said to Mugi, who up til now has been quietly observing the interactions between the two Kesokku band members fondly.

“Ah, I really don’t mind, Nijika-chan. I would never refuse the opportunity to spend time with friends. And this festival seems like it’d be a lot of fun too.”

“Mm-hmm!” Nijika nodded. “It’s gonna be fun Mugi-chan, just you wait! Just treat this as my apology for allowing Ryo to bother you during work.”

Since they were all already out anyway, Nijika decided to just take Mugi to a festival that is happening near the pier to not let this day go to waste.

“Mugi didn’t even mind-” Ryo immediately shuts up after receiving Nijika’s death glare. Mugi smiled.

“Ahh, what a wonderful relationship you two have~” Mugi said, with a faint blush on her cheeks.

“Uhh, yeah…” Nijika said. Maybe Mugi-chan’s not as pure and innocent as i initially thought, Nijika thought to herself.

“Ah, by the way, what about Hitori and Kita-chan, Nijika-chan? Do they not want to join us?” Mugi asked.

“Kita had other plans apparently, and Hitori hadn’t been active on LOINE at all today, so I assume she’s probably busy.” Nijika answered.

“I wonder what those two are up to on their own, oh my~”

Yup. definitely not the pure innocent girl i thought of.

-

“Azu-nyan, i’m gonna get us some roasted corn!”

“Wait, Yui-senpai!”

Azusa watched as Yui ran off on her own to one of the food stalls. She sighed. Kita, out of the blue, had invited her and Yui to meet up in this festival, though she doesn’t really know why. But not wanting to seem unapproachable or unfriendly, she accepted the invitation. Yui, of course, accepted the invitation without hesitation, always the first to jump at the opportunity to hang out with friends.

“Azusa-san! There you are.”

Azusa turned around to find Kita, already dressed up in a kimono for the occasion. She looked really pretty, Azusa thought to herself.

“Ah, Kita-san. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Where's Yui-chan?”

“Getting roasted corn. Anyway, why did you invite both of us here today, Kita-san?”

“Oh.” Kita was caught a bit off guard by the question, as if this was something unusual to ask. It took her a bit to finally respond.

“You see, Azusa-chan, I-i just needed some advice.”

“From me and Yui-senpai?”

“Yeah. But since she’s not here right now, I assume just you will suffice.” Kita said.

Azusa tried to find any link between her and Yui to find what commonality they both share to qualify giving Kita advice on something, before deciding that it’s definitely something guitar related.

“Of course, Kita-san, always happy to help a fellow guitarist with their problems!”

“Eh, why is that relevant?”

“What do you mean? You said you needed advice from both me and Yui senpai, and the only thing the both of us have in common with you is that we play guitar. So, I thought you’re trying to ask us for guitar advice?”

It took a bit for Kita to process this chain of logic. Finally, she shook her head.

“No, it has.. It has nothing to do with guitars. It’s actually something else.”

“Oh.” Azusa said. If it’s not guitar advice, what could it possibly be? “What is it, Kita-san?”

“This is embarrassing…” Kita said shyly. “But I need your advice on how to ask Akiyama-san out!”

….

“Eh?”

“I need your help Azusa-san! You’re in the same band as her, so you must know her well, right? Tell me, how can I win Akiyama-san’s heart?”

“K-kita-chan, I-”

“Oh but she’s such an untouchable goddess, her beauty is miles above some norman like me to be able to comprehend, am I even worthy enough for her, Azusa-san?

“B-but I-”

“I actually invited her here tonight, Azusa-san, and I’m planning on telling her how I feel at this festival!” Kita said determinedly.

“Wait, wait, Kita-san, slow down!”

Kita paused. Azusa massaged her temple.

“So, you invited me here to ask me for advice on how to confess to Mio-senpai, who you also invited here. Tonight.”

Kita nodded.

“Why? Why did you decide to do everything on the same night, Kita-san?”

“Eh, wouldn’t getting it done as quickly as possible be better? I thought maybe after giving me advice, you and Yui-chan can be my wingwoman on my date with Akiyama-san!”

“Okay, that’s the second thing. Why me?”

“Eh, what do you mean?”

“Why me? I’m sorry Kita-san, but I’ve never been in a relationship before, and neither has Yui-senpai, to my knowledge. And on top of that, I’m straight. So I wouldn’t know how it would be to confess to a girl anyway.”

“What? But aren’t you and Yui-chan together?” Kita asked innocuously.

There was a pause.

“WHAT!? WHAT EVEN GIVES YOU THAT IDEA?!” Azusa said, face red as Kita’s hair.

“I-i thought it was obvious..? You both hug all the time, and you seem to enjoy it, Yui-chan even has a pet name for you, what was it, Azu-chan?”

“Azu-nyan!” Azusa, realizing she unintentionally validated Kita’s point, blushed even deeper.

“Yeah. But you’re telling me you’re straight? Are you sure?”

“I-wh-”

“I’m back! Hey, Kita-chan!” Yui said, with two roasted corn in her hands.

“Yui-senp- Yui senpai!”

“Mou, Azu-nyan, what’s wrong? Your face is red. Do you have a cold?”

“I-i.. I need to use the restroom!”

With that, Azusa quickly fled the scene.

“Mou, she must’ve really had to go. Ne, Kita-chan, did you just got here?”

Kita, deciding to not bring up anything that just happened for Azusa’s sake, nodded. “Mm-hmm! I just got here and had a bit of a talk with Azusa-san, that’s all.”

“Oh. What did you two talk about?”

Before she could respond, she could feel her phone buzzing. She took it out of her pocket to find it was a message from Mio, telling her she arrived. “Oh, Akiyama-san’s here!”

“Eh, you invited Mio-chan too? This’ll be fun!” Yui said.

“There she is! Akiyama-san, over here!” Kita waved to try and get Mio’s attention.

Mio noticed her and waved back. She approached Kita and Yui with a smile on her face. Ah, there she is… Kita’s imagination began to run wildly. Her eyes, it’s so bright… it puts all the stars in the sky to shame. Her hair, flowing perfectly in the wind. She’s so beautiful… I just can’t take it! By the end of the night I’m gonna make myself yours, Akiyama-san!

Kita was so transfixed on Mio that she didn’t notice that someone was tailing behind Mio, until Yui calls out,

“Ricchan! Mio-chan! You came!”

Kita can feel her imagination shatter into a million tiny pieces at the sight of Ritsu’s impish smile.

“Hey, you know I wouldn’t miss hanging out with you guys for the world!” Ritsu said, giving a peace sign and smiling broadly, to the clear annoyance of Mio.

“Sorry about this, Kita-chan, But when the baka found out I was going to this festival, she insisted on tagging along.”

“Oh don’t be such a killjoy, Mio-cwaaaan.” Ritsu said, leaning her head on Mio’s shoulder “I’m sure Kita wouldn’t mind, right?”

Kita however, wasn't listening to Ritsu. She was focused on her hand, which was intertwined with Mio’s. On top of that, Ritsu’s general touchiness when it comes to Mio, the affectionate nickname she just called her, Kita began to piece everything in her mind.

“Mou, if only Mugi-chan is here, then we’ll have the full club.” Yui said.

“What about Azusa? Is she here?” Mio asked.

“Yea, she had to use the restroom though, so- Kita chan- what are you doing?”

Kita fell to the ground on all fours, emanating an aura of despair around her.

“It’s Ikuyover…” she muttered.

“What? Kita-chan, what’s wrong?” Mio asked.

“Could this day get any worse?” Kita said to the ground.

“Eh, Kita-chan? Is that you?” A familiar voice interjected from the crowd.

Kita looked up to find Nijika and the others looking confusedly at her.

“Weren’t you supposed to be at your grandma’s?

Kita dropped dead on the ground, her soul slowly leaving her body.

“Nijika! Ryo! Mugi!” Ritsu called over to the newcomers.

“Ah, hello Ricchan. What a pleasant surprise to run into all of you here.”

“Sup.” Ryo greeted simply.

Nijika, upon noticing Ritsu was also there, immediately became stone-faced.

“Ritsu.” she simply acknowledged.

There was an awkward silence. Nobody was sure what to say after that.

“Mou… when will Azu-nyan come back..? Her corn is gonna get cold.” Yui said.

-

“I-i’m not wearing that!” Hitori said, attempting to maneuver out of Sawako’s reach.

“Ahahaha, but it will be fun, Hitori-chan!” Kikuri said, already wearing the costume Sawako had brought them.

“You could’ve probably changed in a more secluded spot instead of doing it out in the open Kikuri, but I appreciate that you like my costumes.” Sawako said. “Now hold still, Hitori-chan!”

“NO! You can’t make me! I’d rather die than wear something like that! Especially in public!”

Sawako paused in her attempt to get Hitori into her outfit to take a breather.

“Hitori-chan, I’m doing this for you, you know. This outfit would be so eye-catching that people can’t help but stop and watch your performance!” She wheezes out.

“B-but it’s so embarrassing!”

“Hitori-chan, you’ll never grow if you can’t conquer your embarrassment! How do you expect to get up on stage and play in front of other people for your concert if you keep holding on to that mindset?”

Hitori knows Sawako was right, but she couldn’t help to think that there should be a more tactful way to get the point across.

“Then you leave me no choice, Hitori-chan. Hiroi.”

Hiroi, who has been absentmindedly sipping on another sake carton, looked over towards Sawako. “Yes, senpai?”

“Restrain this girl!” Sawako pointed towards Hitori.

“On it!” She enthusiastically responded, hugging Hitori from the back.

Hitori was too slow to react, and she tumbled forward when Hiroi pushed her weight onto her. She smells of sweat and cheap booze.

“Don’t worry Hitori-chan, this will be quick and painless. For me, that is.” Sawako said with a sinister smile on her face.

Hitori let out a scream so high that only dogs were able to hear it. Sawako’s glass cracked. Hiroi’s carton box, despite not being made out of glass, exploded.

After a back and forth struggle, Sawako managed to fit the costume onto an unwilling Hitori.

“There you go! Chin up, Hitori-chan!"

“Wooow… you look so cute, Hitori-chan!” Hiroi said.

Hitori just wants to die at this point. She’s standing in public, wearing a matching frilly maid dress with a drunk woman probably twice her age. This is definitely the lowest point of her life.

“I always have a good eye for stuff like this, I know it’ll fit you well, Hitori chan! With this, you’ll catch crowds from the entirety of Japan, don’t even worry about that quota anymore!”

Hitori heavily doubts that. She looked over towards Hiroi, who is now scribbling up some advertisements for their spontaneous street concert. Hiroi for once seemed attentive, and looked at Hitori after noticing her staring.

“What’s wrong, girl? Still nervous?”

Hitori didn’t answer, she just looked down at the ground.

“If you’re that scared, you could shut your eyes.. I guess you’re really scared of strangers, eh? I feel you.”

That might just work, Hitori thought to herself. She’s been playing in the dark in her closet where she can’t see her fingers the whole time anyway. Yeah, maybe she can do it.

“But just so you know.” Hiroi said, earning the attention of Hitori, “You’re not in combat with the people in front of you.”

Hiroi opened her eyes for the first time that entire day. Hitori could see those deep magenta colored eyes boring through her soul. “Don’t get it twisted who your enemies are.”

Enemies? What did she mean by that? Hitori pondered.

They did a couple sound checks to make sure their equipment and instruments are functioning properly. Satisfied, Hiroi hollered, “Hey, everyone! We’re about to play an original song by her band, kessoku band! Please come and watch! Give her a round of applause!”

Hiroi started clapping. From the audience, Hitori could see Sawako clapping politely along. Behind her, groups of onlookers and passersby stood still, curious to what is currently taking place. It seems that Sawako was right, the maid outfit definitely drew some eyes to the performance.

“Go on, play.” Hiroi said, breaking Hitori from her stupor

“R-right.” Hitori began to play the opening riff.

From the audience, Sawako watches as Hitori opens the song, with Hiroi ad-libbing along on bass.

When I first met her, She doesn’t even have the courage to play in front of the light music club, and now she’s about to play in front of a crowd of people. And tomorrow, she’s going to play in an actual livehouse, Sawako thought to herself. Sawako might have not been as close to Hitori as the girls, but she can’t help the feeling of pride swelling inside her as she watched this girl grow alongside the children she tutored. She smiled as she tapped her foot to the rhythm of the music. Go, Hitori-chan. I’ll be there to support you along the way!

She’s ad-libbing! Hitori thought to herself as she listened to Hiroi’s playing. The way she plays is so confident, giving her such a firm foundation to play. You can tell she’s having fun. And there’s me, by comparison.. I-i’m too scared to look up!

“You’re doing great!” a voice from the audience broke Hitori out of her spiraling thoughts.

“Eh what are you doing?” Another voice piped up from the crowd.

“Well, the guitar girl looked nervous, so it just came out.”

Hitori looked up and opened her eye.

I see. I never had any enemies here. Hitori finally understood what Hiroi meant earlier. It was all just my imagination. She began to play her guitar more confidently.

Hiroi, noticing the drastic improvement in performance, looked up from her position towards Hitori. Whoa, She thought. She’s opening her eyes. Her performance is way more stable. So this is how Hitori-chan plays, interesting. That’s right, Hitori chan. You have no enemies here. The only people who stopped by are the people who want to watch your performance.

And with that, the song concluded. Hitori paused as the audience clapped in awe at the performance they just witnessed. Hiroi looked up towards her proudly.

Realizing and conquering her flaws in such a short amount of time… Amazing! She’ll get better, my instinct never lies! Hiroi thought as she looked at Hitori, bowing down to the audience in lieu of the applause she had gotten from them.

They’re all smiling. If I do more concerts, will i see more faces like this? Hitori thought as she watched the smiling faces in the audience. I think I’d like that.

“Hitori-chan, great work!” Hiroi said, giving her a thumbs up.

“T-thank you!” What a relief.. Hitori thought. She didn’t realize... I only have one eye open during that!

“Hitori-chan!” She suddenly hears Sawako beckoning after her.

“Eh?”

“These two girls, they want to buy a ticket to your concert!”

“E-eh, is that true?” Hitori asked, turning towards the two girls next to Sawako, which she recognized as the girl who shouted their support for her during her performance.

“Yep! We’ll take two, please!” one of the girls said.

“Oh and I love your outfit! You look cute as a maid! Does your band always dress up like that for performances?” The other girl asked.

“Isn’t that great, Hitori-chan? Huh, did you freeze up from the joy?” Hiroi said as she observed Hitori’s unresponsive state.

Hitori collapsed to the ground, her face rapidly swapping between all emotions at once.

“Ah that’ll be 1500 yen a piece, 3000 total!” Sawako said on behalf of Hitori, who is still malfunctioning on the ground.

“Is that right, Hitori-chan?” Hiroi asked.

“A-ah, yes! Are you sure you want to buy these t-tickets?” Hitori said as she got up from the ground.

“Hey, give it up, Hitori-chan.” Hiroi said teasingly.

“B-but-” Hitori attempts to object, not picking up the teasing tone.

“This was my first time seeing a street performance, but you were so good! Keep up the good work on your next concert, yeah?” The girl from the audience said to her.

“A-ah, right. I’ll do my best!” She said, as she handed them two tickets to her concert.

“Will you be playing that song again at your next concert?” The girl asked.

“Y-yes, we will!”

Hiroi and Sawako watched the scene fondly.

“To think we once had a shining period like that in our life, senpai…” Hiroi said, as she sipped on another carton of sake.

“I know, Hiroi, and look at us now. All old and washed up compared to these youngins.” Sawako replied.

With that, both grown women hugged and cried loudly on each other’s shoulders, making themselves a public nuisance. Hitori turned towards them panickedly.

“W-why are you two crying?”

“It’s fine, Hitori chan, I’ll be back in my happiness spiral soon!” Hiroi said, as she sipped on her carton sake again.

“Hiroi, give me some of those while you’re at it.”

“Eh, but I thought you wanted to set a good example, senpai?”

“Ah, to hell with it! This is too much even for me!”

“T-that can’t possibly be good for you two..”

“OI, you can’t play here!” a new voice said from where the audience stood just moments ago. It was a man in a police uniform.

“Oh no! It’s the fuzz! Are they going to take me away?” Hitori said, her face falling onto the ground (literally, as all her facial features detached itself from her face and fell to the ground.)

“Nah, of course not, but they are pretty mad, so let’s pack up.” Hiroi said, as she began packing up their equipment.

-

"Tonight was fun, wasn't it?" Mugi said to her friends as they left the festival together.

Yui nodded. "It was, Mugi-chan! The fireworks were amazing! We should go out together more often! Don't you agree, Azu-nyan?”

"Huh, what was that, senpai?" Azusa asked. She seems unusually reserved, and is keeping a distance from Yui. Mugi wondered if anything happened between the two of them when she wasn't present.

"I said that we should go out together more often! You know, going out? We should go out, Azu-nyan!"

"!!!" Azusa flushed a deep red and walked hurriedly past Mugi and Yui.

"Eh, Azu-nyan? What's wrong? Does she not wanna go out with me?"

Mugi meanwhile, just smiled dazedly at the other two's conversation. "Ah, today was a good day…." she mumbled absentmindedly, to the further confusion of Yui.

-

"You should've just been straight with me from the beginning, Kita-chan. Instead you got caught up in your own lie.” Nijika said to her red haired companion.

“If I said I was going on a date with Akiyama-san today, would you cancel practice?”

“Well, no.”

“Exactly.”

Nijika sighed. “My point is, don’t just impulsively jump into doing something without so much of a second thought! If you come to me and the others first, we could probably help you out and come up with a plan first.”

“Maybe…”

“Well anyway, since you’re pretty much out of it tonight, I assume it didn’t end well?”

“I didn’t even get a chance to start.” Kita said. “I realized someone already beat me to the finish line before I even knew there was a competition.”

“Ah. So how do you feel about it, Kita-chan?”

“Honestly? Kinda relieved.”

“Eh?”

“I spent the past week just thinking about her, about what it would’ve been if we got together, if we ever become an item. Now that I know that it would’ve never even happened in the first place, I feel kinda free? Like a huge burden had just been lifted.”

“I see. So I guess you just needed some sort of closure, huh?”

“Yep. Besides, that was totally just some crush of the week, I know that now. I’m over it!”

“Huh, you’re really quick to move on, Kita-chan, does this happen often?”

“Eh, not really? This is like the first time something like this ever happened to me.”

“Still, I guess that’s not a bad mindset to have, being able to recover quickly after something not going the way you wanted. You’re pretty unique in that regard, aren’t you Kita-chan?”

“If you say so, Nijika, senpai!” Kita giggled. “Besides, i know now, my true love isn’t Akiyama-san, it was always Ryo-senpai! From this point on, I promise to be loyal to her and her only!” She huffed.

At this, Nijika chopped Kita’s head playfully. “Looks like you learnt absolutely nothing, Kita-chan. Oh well, at least you're back to the cheery Kita-chan that I knew.” Nijika smiled.

-

“Nijika-chan and Kita-chan’s been acting strange lately, haven't they?” Ritsu said to Ryo.

“I haven’t noticed anything different.” Ryo said in that disinterested voice of hers.

“That’s cause you’ve got the awareness of a cardboard box, Yamada! How could you not notice something’s up with your own friends? Mio, back me up here!”

“Eh? Don’t just drag me into one of your arguments! But you’re right, they have been acting a bit odd this past week.”

“Right? I’m not the only one who notices it! You’re just weird, Yamada.”

Ryo just shrugged, apparently not that invested in the conversation.

“What do you think is up with them, Mio? I notice that whenever she’s around me, Nijika-chan just becomes so cold. I don’t even know! Did I do something wrong?”

“Knowing you, you probably offended her at some point and are too dense to notice you did anything wrong.” Mio said bluntly.

“Eh? No way! I’ve been nothing but kind to her!”

“Kita-chan’s been acting weird around me too.” Mio said. “It’s like, I’ve seen her talking normally with Yui and the others, but when it comes to me, she stutters and stumbles through her words, and sometimes she just stares blankly at me! What’s that all about?” Mio shook her head.

“Maybe she has a crush on you or something.” Ritsu snarked.

“Huh? Ritsu, take this seriously! There’s no way that’d be the case. We don’t even know if she swings that way.” Mio said, rejecting the notion on the spot.

“Well then, I don’t know.” Ritsu said. “These girls are a mystery.”

They continue to watch Nijika and Kita interacting with each other.

Hm, they seem to really enjoy each other’s company. Mio thought, as she watched Kita laugh at something that Nijika had said to her.

They’re really touchy with each other, aren’t they? Ritsu thought, as she watched NIjika chopped Kita’s head playfully in response to something the redhead had said to the blonde.

“Hey, Mio.”

“Hm?”

“You know, I think Nijika might have a thing for Kita.”

“I know I said that we didn’t know if she’s like that, but Kita’s been really close with Nijika, so I was thinking Kita might like her.”

Ryo looked at Mio and Ritsu, listening to the conclusion that came to them from watching her two bandmate’s interaction. She started piecing together the puzzle in her mind.

Eh. She shrugged. She doesn’t really care.

-

Hitori, Hiroi, and Sawako finally finished packing up their equipment (and in Hitori and Hiroi’s case, outfits as well.), and are now walking to the station. During that walk, Hitori kept smiling to herself.

Ah, I sold out! I still have one more ticket to sell, but still, I sold two! That’s something, right? She thought to herself.

“Ah, by the way, kid. I’ll buy that last one.”

“Eh?”

“The ticket. That’ll fill your quota, right?”

“A-are you sure?”

“Of course, I operate close by. Plus it's a chance to reunite with senpai, just like the old days. Sawako-senpai, you’re coming right?”

“Damn straight. Already got my ticket. And after the performance, how could I not?” Sawako said, winking at Hitori. “Even if it means running to that old nuisance again.” She added.

“T-thank you so much!”

“A concert costing more than five onikoros… This’d better be worth it!”

“H-hai!”

Hitori handed Hiroi the ticket, which she gladly accepted. She began to walk inside the station, waving to both Hitori and Sawako as she did.

“Let’s play together again sometime! Maybe you can join along too, senpai. You still keep your Gibson, right?”

“I don’t know, I think I’ve stored in the clubroom somewhere, I'll go and find it when I have the time.”

“Bye-bye, you two!” Hiroi began walking towards the platform entrance.

“Hitori-chan, you need a lift? I can drive you home if you wan-

“Wait, senpai!”

Hitori turned around, finding Hiroi running back towards them.

“I spent the last of my money on that ticket, can I borrow some for the ride back home? I’ll pay you back at the concert! I swear!” Hiroi said desperately.

“Why was I expecting anything else…” Sawako said as she took out her wallet. “You still owe me for that bottle of sochu from the last time we went drinking.”

“Ahahaha, gomen, gomen, I’ll pay you that at the concert too!”

“Why does this sound oddly familiar…” Hitori thought to herself.

After Sawako lended Hiroi her money, She entered the platform for real, leaving Hitori and Sawako on their own.

“So Hitori-chan, about that lift..”

“A-ah, yes! I’d be grateful if you would drive me home.”

On the way to the car, Hitori typed up a message to all her friends to inform them of her success today.

-

“Achoo!”

“Whoa, Ryo-senpai! Do you have a cold?”

“No, I think someone- nevermind.”

“Today was fun, wasn’t it? It’s such a shame Gotoh-san missed out on all of it… I feel kinda bad for leaving her out.”

“You were planning on ditching all of us today either way, Kita-chan.”

“Look, I’m sorry about that! But it didn’t turn out that way anyway, right? We ended up hanging out with Akiyama-san and the others, but we didn’t invite Gotoh-san! I feel bad about that!”

“Well, she hasn’t been responding to any of our messages today, including ones where I invited her- Oh, look at this, a new message from Bocchi-chan, finally!”

“Ah, what does it say, Nijika-senpai?”

“I’m sorry I haven’t been responding to your messages. Also…. i sold all my tickets! May our concert be a success!” Nijika read aloud.

“Bocchi chan…”

“She’s totally lying, isn’t she?”

“Totally.”

“Our LOINE messages must’ve put pressure on her.”

“Let’s be nice to her at practice tomorrow.”

Everyone nodded at that.

Chapter Text

“Ohh… I really wish I brought an umbrella today.”

A harsh storm has graced itself on the prefecture. Water dropping down like bullets from the dreary sky. The streets were devoid of the usual lively crowds and traffic, except for one young woman, walking hurriedly alone through the storm, desperate to reach her destination quickly to not spare another moment out in the rain.

“Phew, I made it.” PA -san said, as she reached the front steps of STARRY.

She descended the stairs and entered the venue, relieved to be finally out of the storm and within the warm confines of the livehouse. She dried herself off before looking around. The livehouse is the same as ever, except for little dolls being hung on top of the bar counter, where the manager is currently slumped on.

“Nijika and her friends made them.” Seika said, without looking up.

“Ah. Rain charms?” PA - san inquired. “But in the end the typhoon came through anyway.”

Seika said nothing. She just kept slumping on the counter.

“At this point the people who bought the tickets might not even show up. I hope the girls aren’t too heartbroken about the lack of turnout.” PA-san said.

“Real bands get screwed over by life all the time.” Seika finally said. “They need to learn to adapt to any situation.”

There was a pause as PA-san observed the manager's sulking figure.

“Ah, I have a handkerchief here somewhere, manager.”

“Oh, beat it.”

-

“Looks like my friends can’t come either.” Kita said, as she checked her phone.

“Neither will my parents… My grandma was supposed to look after Futari, but now she can’t come, so…” Hitori added.

“I don’t think any of my friends can come too.” said Mio.

“Our audience will be less than half of what we expected.” Kita said.

“Well, it is what it is! Let’s take it in stride!” Nijika tries to lighten the mood.

“Hai, don’t worry Hitori-chan, Kita-chan, Ui and Nodoka-chan told me they’re still coming!”

“The world could literally be ending outside and Ui would still find her way to watch your performance, Yui.” Ritsu grinned.

“We need not despair. Nijika-chan is right. I’m sure our performance would be stellar regardless, even with less eyes on us.” Mugi added.

“Less people watching doesn’t mean we should strive for less, though!.” Azusa said passionately. “We can’t just let a simple rain get to us!”.

“Yes, exactly!” Nijika peppily said.

Ryo, who has been quiet through the entire conversation, lets her head fall onto Nijika’s shoulders.

“Come on, look alive here.” Nijika deadpans.

“It's the weather, it’s making me sleepy…” Ryo sleepily mumbled.

Nijika-chan… she’s been working so hard to make this band a success… Hitori thought, as she watched her friends. She even cheered me up for our first concert when I was so scared. O-okay! For today’s concert, I will bring the hype! As she thought of that, she whipped out her trusty party outfit.

“Bocchi chan, this is a serious concert. Take those off.” Nijika deadpanned.

“Woah, you look like a real party chick, Hitori-chan!” Yui said.

“E-eh, really?”

“Oi, don’t encourage her now.”

At that moment, the door to the venue opened, and in came two young girls and what seemed to be a walking hairball, soaking wet from the rain.

“Onee-chan! We made it!” One of the newcomers said, as she put away her umbrella and raincoat.

“Ui!” Yui greeted the newcomer. They both embraced each other, before Yui acknowledged the other girl who came in alongside her little sister.

“Nodoka-chan, you made it too!”

“Ah, of course, Yui. I wouldn’t miss out on one of your performances.” The girl called Nodoka said.

“Thank you for taking out the time to come and see our performance, Nodoka-chan!” Mio bowed.

“Ah, it’s nothing, Mio, really.” Nodoka said, waving her hand at Mio’s comment. “Like I said, I wouldn’t miss out on my friend’s performance, even if the weather decided to be uncooperative.”

Nodoka looked at the rest of the ensemble. She greeted the rest of the Ho-Kago Tea Time members, before addressing the kessoku band members at the back.

“Ah, and you must be kessoku band. Yui has told me so much about you. Manabe Nodoka. I’m looking forward to seeing your performance as well.” Nodoka said politely.

“Thank you, Manabe-san! We’ll make sure to rock your socks off with our performance!” Nijika replied.

“BRRRR!!!!!” The thing everyone has mistaken for a fuzzy hairball shivered, akin to a cat shaking off water after being forced to take a bath. A girl revealed herself from underneath that bushy mane of hair.

“Finally, I thought I was gonna die of hypothermia out there!” The girl exclaimed loudly.

“Ah, Jun! You made it too.” Azusa said to the girl.

“You bet I did! We had to walk through a freakin’ hurricane to get here, Azusa! So this concert better be worth it!” Jun said playfully.

“It will be! At least, I hope it will..”

“Look at her hair, it’s so spiky.” Ryo muttered to Kita.

“Ryo-senpai, that’s not nice!” Kita said. “But yeah, her hair looks a bit odd and out of place, I have to admit.”

Mio turned towards the red and blue headed girls, bemused.

“Well, things are starting to look up, we at least have you three to come and watch our performances!” Nijika said to the trio.

Hitori smiled. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Right as she thought that, the door opened again, and in came two other figures. This time, it was two people Hitori recognized.

“Bocchi-chan, I made it!” One of the newcomers said, She was dripping wet from top to bottom, and was barely standing straight.

“Onee-san!”

“Some rain outside, huh? I didn’t bring an umbrella, that’s why I’m wet. Isn’t that right, senpai?” Hiroi said to the person next to her.

“Sawa-chan!” Yui excitedly exclaimed.

“Hello, girls.” Sawako said. “I see that we’re early to the party. I was afraid we were gonna be late because I had to escort this drunk to the livehouse.”

“Eh? So mean, senpai. I can walk here by myself!”

“You almost slipped twice on the steps outside.”

“Ugh. Why does it have to be you two?” Seika said from her seat at the bar.

“Seika.” Sawako said, finally acknowledging the presence of the blonde manager.

“Eh, Sawako-sensei, you know the manager?” Azusa asked her teacher.

“We went to college together.” Sawako replied simply.

“Ahahaha! Betcher havin’ an afterparty tonight, huh?” Hiroi said, as she drunkenly stumbled towards Seika, putting an arm around her shoulder. “Picked an izakaya yet? I know a good one!”

“Ugh, get offa me, you reek of booze!” Seika said, trying to get Hiroi off of her.

“She has that “I just discovered drinking parties” energy college freshmen usually have.” PA-san said from her corner.

“She never grew out of that phase, more like.” Sawako suggested.

“How come you became even more of a pain in the ass?” Seika said, struggling to throw Hiroi off of her.

Hitori watched the scene in front of her plays out, as she does, the door opened again, and this time, came two more figures.

“I’m so wet!”

“Hitori-chan, there you are!”

The girls from the street concert? “Y-you really came?” Hitori asked the pair.

“Of course we did! We’re your fans!” One of the girls said.

“We’re expecting a performance powerful enough it’ll blow this typhoon away!” The other girl said.

F-fans? Hitori began giggling to herself. As she did, a beam of light started forming around her, everyone in the venue watching in astonishment.

“Fans… hehehehehehe…”

“Y-you are Hitori chan, right?” One of her self-proclaimed fans asked.

“I think the rain probably knocked me out and I’m having a fever dream right now. Are we all seeing this?” Jun piped up.

“My fans!” Hitori is currently in cloud nine right now, flying high above the clouds with her various imaginary instrument friends.

“It is the wrong person!”

-

“We’re about to start, but there’s not many people out there.”

The two bands are now backstage. The concert was about to start and Ho-Kago Tea Time will go up first, prompting them to do some last minute checks to make sure all their instruments are in proper working condition.

Hitori peeked at the crowd, spotting Ui-chan and her friends standing in the audience with expectant looks on their faces. She can also spot her two fans in the front row as well, chatting excitedly with each other. The rest seems to be a jumbled assortment of people that was mostly here for the other bands that will be performing tonight, though there weren’t many of them due to the ongoing storm.

“More will definitely show up as we start.” Ryo said, as if she read Hitori’s mind.

“Have you heard of this first band? Ho-Kago Tea-Time?” As if on cue, one of the attendees asked her friend about the band.

“Don’t know. Don’t care.” her friend responded, not even looking up from her phone.

“You're right. Seems like a waste of time. Don’t know anything about this second band too, kessoku band. Does that ring a bell?”

“Nope. Couldn’t care less.”

Ryo slowly closed the backstage door. Nijika trying to lighten the mood in lieu of what they just heard.

“Hahaha, we’re new, so of course they’re not gonna know who we are! Don’t let it get you down.” Nijika nervously said.

“E-exactly!” Kita said.

“Don’t sweat it. Don’t sweat it.” Ryo repeated, as if she’s trying to convince herself.

“R-right..” Hitori said weakly.

“But they also dismissed Ho-Kago Tea Time… i wish that doesn’t get to them.” Kita said, stealing a glance towards the other band.

“Yeah, hopefully they’re faring well. They’re almost up.” Nijika said, following Kita’s gaze.

Hitori stayed quiet. She glanced at Ho-Kago Tea Time, who seemed to be caught up in their own discussion. She can feel the terse atmosphere in the air. She wonders how they’re handling the situation.

-

“Oh, we are so not ready for this. This is a terrible idea,” Mio said, breathing heavily as their performance drew closer.

“Mio, calm down.” Ritsu attempted to comfort her. “We practiced our butts off for this, nothing should go wrong.”

“I can kinda get where Mio-senpai’s coming from. This is an entirely different ballpark from playing at school festivals. It’s a totally different audience out there. They might not like us.”

“That is true. But risks come with every new experience. No need to stress ourselves over it. If we keep thinking and worrying it over, we’ll just be stuck here and never actually progress.”

Mio and Azusa still looked unconvinced. At this, Yui frowned. Why are her friends so restless?

“Ne, Azu-nyan. Do you not want to do this?” Yui asked her kouhai.

“Eh? Of course i want to do this, Yui-senpai.”

“Then why are you so worried? We’re here to have fun, right?”

“I guess, but that’s not all of what we’re here for, senpai.”

“But it is a part of it, right?”

“Yeah, i guess?” Azusa said, not really understanding where this conversation is going.

“Well, how can you have fun if you're just gonna worry over everything?” Yui asked her.

Azusa seems to be caught off guard by this chain of reasoning. Mugi chuckled.

“You’re right, Yui-chan. Our prime objective here is to enjoy ourselves to the fullest first and foremost. This performance might seem daunting, but let’s not lose sight of that.” Mugi suggested.

“B-but, we should also concern ourselves with things other than simply having fun! Don’t you all realize the implication of this? We’re playing at an actual livehouse!” Azusa passionately defended.

“We are playing in a real livehouse. Don’t you think that in itself is already quite an achievement?” Ritsu replied. “I think we’ve done enough to be able take it easy. Yui and Mugi’s right. Just treat this like another school festival, and let loose.”

Azusa fell silent, but it’s clear she’s still not wholly convinced. She turned towards Mio for support.

Mio, realizing Azusa was waiting to hear her thoughts on the matter, let out a sigh.

“I suppose for once the baka is right. I can’t really help it, but I will try my best to quell my worries for now. Stressing over the performance will only lead to worse playing anyway.” Mio finally said.

At that, Azusa conceded. “Alright, I guess you all have a point.”

Yui smiled. “That’s more like it.”

“Ho-Kago Tea Time.” One of STARRY’s staff called out from the stage. “You’re up.”

“Good luck, you guys!” Nijika beckoned them as they began to step towards the stage.

“We’ll be here, rooting from the sidelines!” Kita cheered.

“Break a leg.” Ryo said, giving a thumbs up.

“I-i hope everything goes smoothly.” Hitori muttered.

Yui waved at them. “We’ll give you guys the best performance ever!”

With that, Ho-Kago Tea Time ascended to the stage.

-

“Good evening, everyone! We’re Ho-Kago Tea Time! It’s a pleasure to be performing for you here tonight!” Yui said to the audience.

Ui watched as her sister introduced her band on stage, enthusiastically clapping along with Jun and Nodoka. The two Hitori fans on the front row also politely clapped for them.

She’s not seeing much enthusiasm from the general audience though.

“Ne, it’s our first time performing at a live house, and we’re all very excited! Isn’t that right guys?”

The others all gave silent nods and murmurs of confirmation.

“Haha, Yui, let’s just skip the talking and get to the song for now, shall we?” Ritsu said from her spot at the back.

“Just get to the songs already.” Ui can hear one of the girls from the audience pipes up. Ui sent a glare towards her direction- that went unnoticed.

“Eh? Oh, right! Everyone, please enjoy our first song, Fuwa-fuwa time!”

With introductions done, Yui played the opening riff to the song while the other band members clapped along. After about five seconds in, the rest of the instruments joined in, starting the song.

“Whenever I look at you, my heart goes doki-doki.”

Ui watched the performance with awe in her eyes. Next to her, Jun was bobbing her head to the music, while Nodoka watched the show intently. The adults at the back watches silently, emotion unreadable, with the exception of Kikuri, who has a content smile plastered on her face.

Still, there doesn’t seem to be any strong reaction from the audience. Ui frowns. What is it with this crowd? Can’t they see the performance currently happening in front of them? Well, Ui might be a tad bit biased, but this is in no way how you’re supposed to react.

The lack of a response seems to be getting to the band as well. She can see Mio’s terse movement, causing her to make some easily avoidable mistakes in the process. Azusa looks overwhelmed and misses some notes she would normally play without issue.

“Ah, Kami-san, please, give me some dream time with just the two of us!”

Ui winced. She can hear her sister's voice crack a bit at that verse. Next to her, Jun, who was normally aloof, has even taken notice of the slightly off performance from the band.

“Fuwa-fuwa time!”

As Yui and Mio sang the end of chorus back and forth, Ui glanced around at the crowd to garner their reaction to the performance. Much to her dismay, they remained unmoved, some were even going back to scrolling through their phones. Eventually, the song came to an end, and as the last note of the song faded out, Yui once again spoke to the crowd.

“That was our first song, Fuwa-fuwa time!”

Next to her, she could hear Nodoka and Jun clapping. It was brief however, and the atmosphere returned to a tense one.

Outside those initial reactions, no one in the audience seemed affected by the performance. She can see Mugi’s eyebrows furrow. Mio had her head down while Azusa looked uncomfortable by the lack of reaction. Ritsu seemed lost at what to do, but what pushes Ui over the edge was seeing the smile on her sister’s face slowly drops.

“Sheesh, is this a graveyard? Where's all the excitement?” Jun muttered, rather annoyed at the turn of events.

“Ui, are you okay?” Nodoka said, putting her hand on Ui’s shoulder, but before Nodoka could say more, Ui had acted.

“Ho-Kago Tea Time!” She exclaimed at the band.

This puts everyone's eyes towards her, including the adults at the back. She could hear Hiroi mutter something, but Ui couldn’t care less. What matters to her right now is her sister.

“You guys are doing great! I want to hear the next song!” Ui cheered and clapped. Next to her, Jun simply looked bemused, while Nodoka had a small smile on her face.

Under normal circumstances, Ui probably would’ve been embarrassed to make herself the center of attention. She’s the type that prefers to stay in the background rather than being in the spotlight. She can even feel her cheeks burning up as consequences for her action already.

Nobody reacted at first, but slowly but surely, she could see light returning to Yui’s eyes as she smiled at her. Yui turned around to face the rest of her band with a huge smile on her face.

“Well, Ricchan? You heard her! Let’s move on to the next song!”

-

Yui watched the crowd as she sang the last few verse of Fuwa - fuwa time. She can see Ui, Nodoka, Jun, Hitori’s fans at the front row, along with Sawa-chan, manager, and the other woman at the back. They were all watching the performance intently.

Yui can’t say the same for the rest of the audience though. She can see some of them either staring blankly at the stage, yawning, and some not even watching and scrolling through their phone. Yui wasn’t sure what to make of this. This was the first time the band has been met with indifference from the audience.

“That was our first song, Fuwa-fuwa time!” Yui concluded over the crowd.

She saw a couple of people, mainly Ui and her friends, politely clapping, while the rest of the audience remained unmoved.

At this, Yui can feel a frown starting to form on her face.

Next to her, she caught a glimpse of Mio looking down, while Azusa looked restless on her other side. She can imagine things not looking so great for either Ritsu and Mugi at the back too. Yui can feel gears turning in her head.

Were we not good? I guess we did make a few mistakes during the song, but I didn’t think we were terrible. But apparently the audience disagreed, and it seems to be getting to everyone, what should I do?

Yui was feeling lost at what to do, until she heard a voice from the audience.

“Ho-Kago Tea Time! You guys are doing great! I want to hear the next song!”

It was Ui, and she was exclaiming her support for her.

Yui was silent for a moment, before everything finally fell into place. She slowly smiled.

“Well, Ricchan? You heard her! Let’s move on to the next song!”

Who cares if the audience hates them? Yui thought. We’re here to have fun! And if they’re just being a bunch of stuck ups who can’t enjoy a good performance, then that’s on them! One person seems to like what they’re doing. And that one person is the most important person to Yui. As long as she’s there to watch, Yui will see this performance to the end.

Ritsu was taken aback for a bit, before she smiled back and nodded. She appears to have reached a similar conclusion to Yui. Yui can see it in her smile, she can almost imagine Ritsu’s voice in her head saying, “Well, we’ve come this far so might as well,” as she began counting down the next song with clicks from her drumsticks.

Ritsu began the song with a couple of hits on her drums, before Yui joined in with her guitar, playing the opening riff of the song.

The rest of the band took a bit to adjust and realize that they’re about to play their next song, but once they realized what was going on, they all wore the same determined expression on their faces.

We might as well see it through, Azusa thought as she prepared to play her part of the song

Mugi soon joined in with her keyboard to support the melody Yui and Ritsu had created, accepting their invitation to play the song. Azusa quickly followed, filling the role that was demanded of her.

All the instruments worked and blended together in a mixture of sound, opening their way for Mio to enter with her vocals. Taking a deep breath, she began to sang,

“I wonder why it is~”

“In this worryful night~”

“I began to write on a paper~”

“These feelings for you~”

It happened unconsciously, but Mio began to smile as she sang the lyrics she had written herself, losing herself to the song as she plucked away on her bass, maintaining the foundation of the song throughout.

“Could it just be that~”

“I’m being whimsical?~”

“But the sheets will only keep on increasing~”

Yui took Mio’s place on the vocals as the song builds up to a climax on the chorus. She sang in an airy whimsical tone, contrasting Mio’s more passionate and soulful delivery, adding another side to the story being sung.

The second verse kicked in, and Yui let Mio take over the vocals again, retreating back to support her with her guitar. In the background, Ritsu kept the tempo steady with her drums, as Azusa swayed her body to the rhythm of her playing, while Mugi and her keyboard supported the melody in the background.

In came the bridge, and Yui once again took over the song, this time with her guitar as she played the main riff of the song, building up to another verse.

“My sparkling, shining wishes~”

“Have slopped in with all my worries~”

“That’s right, lets just staple them together!~”

“But somehow these stapler no longer go through~”

“I’ll see you tomorrow~”

With that, the song came to a close, as Mugis’ gentle plinking on the keyboard slowly faded away.

-

“At least the audience seems to be responding well this time.” Nijika commented.

The leader of kessoku band was watching the performance from the side of the stage. Ho-Kago Tea Time just finished their second song, and Hitori can hear a much more enthusiastic clapping coming from the audience compared to their first song.

Needless to say, there was tension in the air. Hitori saw how Yui’s expression fell and how Azusa looked unsure of herself after the lackluster reaction from the audience. She is willing to admit that that first song wasn’t exactly the band at its peak (Hitori would know, as she had seen the band perform well during their audition.), but it was nowhere near as bad as how her first STARRY concert was.

Hitori eyed her bandmates to see how they are coping with the pressure. Nijika was still watching Ho-Kago Tea Time intently, eyes fixed to their performance as if her life depended on it. Ryo was sitting on one of the couches in the room, catching up on some last night’s sleep she claimed to have missed.

Kita meanwhile, had her attention solely on her phone, scrolling through her ISSOSTA. Hitori has to wonder how she managed to keep her cool at times like this. Hitori was so nervous she could practically feel her heart trying to jump out of her body.

Kita finally took notice that Hitori was looking at her, and she looked back and smiled in response.

“Are you nervous? Gotoh-san, you’re staring at me really hard.”

“!!” Hitori immediately diverted her stare, flustered. She’s gonna think I’m weird now, nice going, Hitori!

“I thought you performed with Nijika and Ryo-senpai before, so I expected you to have been more experienced in this, haha. But it’s okay to be nervous, Gotoh-san.”

Hitori turned back towards Kita, to find her warmly smiling at her. There's no hint of mockery in her voice. Kita seems to sincerely be trying to be understanding towards her.

“R-right. Sorry.” Hitori said. “W-what about you, Kita-san?”

“Hm?”

“W-well, Are you not nervous?” Hitori asked.

Kita seemed surprised by this, before she chuckled quietly.

“Oh no, Gotoh-san, I’m actually very nervous right now. Can you not tell?” Kita answered.

Hitori really couldn’t. How could you be nervous but not show it on the outside?

“I think all of us are nervous right now, even Ryo-senpai. If you noticed, she seems to be stirring in her sleep.”

Hitori looked over to the couch where Ryo was dozing off in a sitting position, and Kita was right, Ryo seems to be restless in her sleep, sleepily muttering something about grass and loans.

“It’s perfectly fine to feel nervous, Gotoh-san. It is our big debut after all.” Kita regarded her.

“I-i suppose.” Hitori responded. “I really wish you guys didn’t throw my mango box away though.”

“Gotoh-san, you can’t seriously consider performing inside a cardboard box? You’d look ridiculous!” Kita asked exasperatedly.

“I-it helps my nerves!”

Kita just shook her head at that.

“It’ll do you no good to keep hiding yourself from the world like that, Gotoh-san. You need to stand proud and show them what you’re capable of! You have the talent, so why not show it off?”

“E-eh..? You think I have the talent…? Eheheheeh…. I’m talented…”

Apparently all it took is one word of praise to clear out all Hitori’s worries. Kita sighed and smiled fondly at her guitar partner.

Suddenly, applause and cheers were heard from the main venue. Ho-Kago Tea Time had finished their last song and is wrapping up their performance. This woke Ryo up with a start, as Nijika steps away from the door connecting the stage from the prep room to make way for Ho-kago tea time to walk in.

“Nijika-chan!” Yui said, as the band walked in to the room. Yui made a beeline straight to Nijika to hug her, which caught the poor drummer off guard. “Did you see us out there, Nijika-chan?”

“Ahahaha - yes, I did, Yui-chan.” Nijika wiggled her way out of the hug as she addressed the band. “You guys did great out there. How are you feeling?”

“Well, coulda been worse.” Ritsu said simply.

“The first song really didn’t go over too well.” Mio said. “But the rest of the performance went better, I think. At least the audience seems to be listening.”

“Bah, who cares, Mio? It’s their own damn fault if they can’t recognize the talent in front of them, I think we served out there!” Ritsu said proudly.

“I agree with Ricchan. I see tonight as an absolute success for us. All the friends and fans we have in the audience seemed to enjoy it, and that is what I think matters most. Whether the rest of the audience enjoyed it is merely a secondary concern.” Mugi added.

“Yeah!” Yui nodded. “Tonight was fun.”

Mio just gave a bittersweet smile. “We can’t change what has already happened, so I guess there's no point being such a downer about it.”

Azusa still looked troubled, but before she could speak her mind, a voice piped up from the prep room door.

“Kessoku band? You’re up.” The STARRY staff said, as she peeked into the prep room.

“Ah, we’ll be there! C'mon guys, that’s our cue!” Nijika called over her bandmates.

“We’re ready, Ijichi-senpai!”

“H-hai…”

“Ugh… five more minutes…?”

“Oi, enough of that, let’s go and play this concert!” Nijika said, pumping her fist in the air.

“Hai!” Kita and Ryo followed.

“Hai…” Hitori imitated weekly.

“Good luck out there. Give them your all.” Mugi said to them as they exited the room towards the stage.

Hitori gave one last glance at the room before entering the stage. Members of Ho-Kago Tea Time were all smiling back at her, reminding her of the scene that happened in what feels like so long ago in their clubroom, right after Hitori was about to part ways after asking them to be her friends.

She worked up a nervous smile.

“Y-yeah, we w-will..”

-

After finishing their sound checks, the stage lights up to reveal Kessoku band to the audience. Hitori gulped as she took in the scene before them.

“A pleasure to meet you all!” Kita greeted. “We’re Kessoku band, we appreciate your attendance despite this awful weather!”

“Kita-chan, that’s way too polite for a rock band!” Nijika said from the back.

Hitori’s two fans politely laughed at this banter while others in the audience remained silent. Hitori wants to disappear altogether.

“Well, then let’s just get into our first song, please lend your ear for our original, Guitar, loneliness, and the blue planet!”

Nijika began the song with a couple hits from her cymbals, before the rest of the instruments joined in along with Kita and her vocals.

“A sudden evening shower falls, and yeah it figures, I don’t have an umbrella-”

Everything is going well so far, or so she thought.

Nothing is going well at all!

None of them are in sync. The drums are too slow, while the two guitarists aren't able to harmonize their instruments together. The bassist is totally divorced from the band, off in her own world without any regard to her fellow bandmates. On top of that, Kita’s vocals are off-key, causing the entire song to be a jumbled mess of sound.

Hitori scrambled to sync up her playing with the others, but it looks like Kita has chosen this moment of all time to finally break and show off her nervousness for the entire world to see. She was making mistakes she wasn’t making at practice and her voice cracks at the notes she’s singing.

Throughout all of it, Hitori can see the smile wearing off from her two fans at the front, while Ui and Ho-Kago Tea Time’s entourage just watch in silent confusion. The adults were too far from the stage for Hitori to see, but she can see Hiroi bobbing her head to the music. That’s… good..?

And the audience in general, they weren’t even watching! At the start Hitori could see some mild anticipation and curiosity (courtesy of Ho-Kago Tea Time) for the second high school rock band to appear on the same night in this concert. But any sort of excitement that was present from Ho-Kago Tea Time’s initial recovery of their performance was now long gone. People are back to watching their phones instead of the stage.

“Who am I supposed to show “just who I am” to?”

“So I’ll keep singing like the fool I am, and lay it out to the stars!”

The band finishes off with a big instrumental breakdown, or what is supposed to be one. With how they’re playing just now Hitori would much rather compare it to someone randomly banging and strumming on instruments they have no idea how to play.

“That was our first song, Guitar, loneliness, and the blue planet!” Kita said, while recovering her breath.

“I can’t believe this one is even worse than the last.” someone from the audience said.

“The last one managed to pick it back up though, but yeah, no saving that one.”

“Umm..” Kita was not prepared to handle that reaction.

“Kita-chan, let’s move on to the next song!” NIjika said from the back, apparently desperate to just get it over with.

“A-ah, right this next one is another one of our original-”

Everything began to blur for Hitori. Her grip on her guitar tightens.

She looked over towards the audience to see her two fans staring at the stage, disappointment etched across their features. She cast a glance towards the side of the stage where the preparation room was, where Ho-Kago Tea Time was watching their performance. She locked eyes with Azusa, who seems to be the most invested in her performance.

Azusa only stared back at her, her big garnet eyes boring curiously into hers.

What are you gonna do now, guitarhero? Hitori can feel those eyes speaking to her.

Hitori pondered. Our songs, our performances, they’re still not good enough. What am I to do?

She glanced at Ho-Kago Tea Time again.

Ho-Kago Tea Time has made its mark on the live house. Whether it was a good or bad one, that was up to the audience’s interpretation. That's right. The audience interpretation. It all comes down to that, doesn’t it? Ho-Kago Tea Time has proclaimed that they don’t care about what the audience thinks, and they’ll keep on doing their own thing regardless of it.

So the question now is, would the same be true for Hitori, and by extension, her band?

What does she want out of this performance? Nijika has asked her a similar question right before the audition, about what dreams Hitori was pursuing with this band. At the time Hitori only thought of superficial motivations for joining a band, like fame and money.

That might’ve been her motivation when she started playing, but now…

She turned her attention back to the crowd, to her two fans. The frown they wore on their faces. Hitori remembered how just yesterday those two were smiling after her street performance.

She’s been looked over her entire life, and the only thing she ever wanted was for people to look at her. She wants to be appreciated. Just like how Kita-chan looked up to her as a teacher. How Nijika thanked her for being in her band. How Ryo compliments her song writing.

She wants to be admired. She wants everyone to go crazy for her. Only now, it’s not just her.

She wants the four of them to be shining brightly, at the top of Budokan, just like Nijika dreamed.

So that’s why…

She stepped suddenly on her effects pedal, to the surprise of everyone.

I refuse to let it stay this way!

She began playing an impromptu guitar solo. Her bandmates looked towards her, awestruck.

This stunt was successful in grabbing the audience’s attention. Many faces set their eyes towards the stage. Hiroi, in particular, opened her closed eyes as she witnessed the performance.

As she began nearing the end of her solo, Nijika and Ryo traded glances, nodding as they came to a mutual understanding.

With that, they started their second song.

“That band’s song sounds to me-”

“Like shrill laughter all around.”

As Kita sang the lyrics, Hitori supported her with her guitar. This time, their playing is in sync. The band was trying their best to not repeat what had happened in the previous song.

Nijika was now keeping a steady tempo throughout the song. Ryo worked on maintaining the bassline. Hitori, meanwhile, delivered a powerful performance on the guitar as Kita sang her heart out to the audience.

“I close my eyes-”

“There’s a halo in the darkness, i cover my ears.”

“There’s a steady beat pulsing deep in my chest.”

They’ve managed to capture the audience now. Everybody has their eyes set on the stage. Her two fans are bobbing their heads along with the music along with Hiroi at the back, While Ui, Nodoka and Jun was watching the scene in awe.

They finished off the song in a big way, all instruments blending in together in harmony before climaxing and stopping completely, leaving the audience with nothing but the massive impact of what they’ve just witnessed.

This time, the audience clapped enthusiastically at their performance.

“Hey, that wasn't bad.”

“Yeah.”

“That was so cool!”

“Way the go, Hitori-chan!” She could hear Yui exclaiming from the prep room.

“Yui-senpai, not so loud! Save it for after the performance!” Hitori could hear Azusa's small voice chiding her senior. She was, however, also sporting a smile as she looked at the band. She briefly caught Hitori’s eyes, and in that moment, Hitori can see awe written all over in that swirling pool of garnet.

Hitori looked back towards her bandmates. All of her was smiling fondly at her. Nijika in particular, beamed widely as she gave her a thumbs up.

That was our second song, “That Band!” Kita said to the audience.

“Now, for our last and final song-”

-

“Well done, all!”

“Cheers!”

The two bands were now sitting in a restaurant, courtesy of the manager, along with some of their acquaintances of UI, Jun, Nodoka, Sawako, PA-san, and Hiroi. All of them deciding to have an afterparty to celebrate the success of both of their concerts.

“This is all on my tab, so drink up.”

“Manager, are you seriously treating the twelve of us tonight?” PA-san inquired her employer.

“Why not? Tonight has been a success, I don’t see why we shouldn’t celebrate.”

“Mou, I suppose I get the sentiment.” PA-san said wearily. “But don’t come wallowing to me when it comes time for the monthly financial report for the livehouse." PA-san added in a low voice.

“Love ya, senpai!” Hiroi said, as she moved to hug Seika.

“You two pay on your own.” Seika said curtly at both Hiroi and Sawako.

“I haven’t even said anything.” Sawako bitterly mumbled.

“Ah, manager, who exactly are these two women?” Kita asked.

“Genius bassist and unparalleled bass lover, Kikuri Hiroi!” Hiroi introduced herself, swinging around her mug filled with alcohol as she did. “I left my bass at an afterparty yesterday, but I forgot which one, hehe…”

“Instant contradiction…” Kita muttered.

“And Sawa-chan is Sawa-chan! She is our teacher from school!” Yui piped up, attempting to introduce Sawako to members of kessoku band.

“Thank you Yui.” Sawako said, with a laughter that doesn’t seem to quite reach her eyes. Yui seems to have caught on, as she immediately shut herself up. “Yamanako Sawaka, I’m the teacher and advisor of these girls’ light music club. It is a pleasure to meet you all.”

Seika snorted from across the table. Sawako turned her head towards her so quickly Kita could hear a crack. “Is something the matter?”

“That tone does not suit you, Sawako, Who are you trying to fool?”

“Yea, senpai, you don’t talk like that during your Death devils days, what gives?” Hiroi added.

“Ah, keeping up appearances, perhaps?” PA-san suggested.

“You three…” Sawako said exasperatedly.

“I’ve heard of your music before!” A voice suddenly said from across the table. It was Ryo, and she had sparkles in her eyes as she continued talking. “The Death devils is a deep cut in the underground indie scene, so I’m proud to say that I’m a fan! I recognize your voice, you’re the main vocalist, aren’t you?” Ryo said in one breath.

“Ahahaha! You got taste, hon! Not many know about the Death devils, especially someone as young as you!” Hiroi said.

“Oh, and I’ve been to a lot of your concert, Hiroi nee-san. You stepped on my face and sprayed me with booze once. I would go again. Blind drunk concerts are the best.”

Kita shivered at the story being told by Ryo. “There’s so many things about rock and roll I’ve yet to learn.”

“Perhaps it’d be fine to not learn that side of it.” NIjika said in response.

“Mio-chan, what does “motherfather” means?” Yui asked after hearing a word mentioned by Hiroi when talking about her concert with Ryo.

“Yui-chan, no need to concern yourself over that for now. You’ll understand what it means when you’re older.” Mugi said gently.

“Ehh….”

“Glad all your concerts ended well, though!” Hiroi addressed the two bands.

“For an audience of ten, sure.” Nijika replied.

“Hey, every single one of 'em left satisfied. So I’ll say it’s worth it.” Hiroi said.

“Exactly, don’t sell yourself short.” Sawako said.

“Haha, i suppose you’re right.”

Seika took a long look at her little sister before speaking up,

“Well, keep it up, and soon you’ll pick up fans. Work hard for your next concerts. And make sure you pay your quota fees.”

“That would’ve been more inspiring without that last part.” Nijika said.

“But you guys were really good! For real!” Jun said over the table, catching the attention of everyone. “That performance of yours was awesome! Kessoku band, was it? You’ve earned yourself a fan!” She said, grinning. “I think i even like you guys more than Ho-kago tea time now!”

“J-jun!” Azusa said, shocked at her friend’s unexpected betrayal.

“Oi, what happened to school solidarity?” Ritsu said, moving next to her.

“Can’t help that they were better, senp- AAGH! I kid, I kid, let go of me!” Jun wallowed as Ritsu began nudging her head at that comment. “Azusa, help!” Jun said to Azusa, who’s silently scooting away from the commotion.

“Ahahaha. Jun, was it? So you’re a fan of us now?” Nijika asked.

“I am, Nijika-chan!” Jun said from Ritsu’s hold. “I’ll attend all your concerts from now on!”

“In that case, buy your ticket from me, kid. A guaranteed quota will ease my troubles slightly.” Ryo said.

“And what about you, Manabe-san? Did we win you over as well?” Nijika teased.

“Ah. please. Just Nodoka will suffice. Both of your performances were great. I enjoy both equally.”

“Is that true, Nodoka-chan?” Yui asked, her face pouting. “You're not gonna betray us like Jun-chan, are you?”

“I won’t, Yui. You all did great.” Nodoka said as she patted Yui on the head.

“No need to ask Ui, we all know which performance she preferred.” Ritsu smirked.

“Oh, who is it Ui, is it us?” Yui asked obliviously. Ritsu wondered how Yui can be so obtuse sometimes.

“O-onee chan…”

“Ui, what’s wrong?”

Ui pointed to the figure limping next to her at the edge of the table.

“Eh? Bocchi-chan? She turned into a husk?!”

“Bocchi-chan, don’t ash!”

I’ve grown so tired… Bocchi thought as she laid there, her two imaginary instrumental friends descending down as they prepared to take her to the next life.

“Omedetou! Omedetou!”

“Wrong show! Here, order as much food as you want!” Seika said, in an attempt to bring her back to life.

“Ah, r-right!”

“What are you getting, Hitori-chan?” Ui said to Hitori as she handed her the menu. “I’m thinking of getting the karaage..”

“You should order some rice, Ui! Rice is a side dish that goes with anything!” Yui said to her sister from across the table.

“Kita, what are you doing?” Seika asked Kita, who was taking a picture of her drinks with her phone.

“ISSOSTAgramming! I’m the minister after all!”

“Minister? Why do you like doing that anyway?” Seika asked.

“Huh? Well, isn’t it more fun to share everything with your friends?” Kita said, as she began emanating her trademark Kit-aura.

“Ack!” Mio, who was sitting next to Kita, had to shield herself from the assaulting Kit-aura blast.

“Nice going, Kita-chan! Use that aura of yours to purge my sister’s twisted spirits!”

“Twisted? But manager-san is so nice!” Kita said, shining even brighter.

“Stop… You’re killing me.. “ Seika said, as she slowly withers away.

“Here’s the menu, I’ve made up my mind.” Hitori said, handing Kita the menu.

“Thanks!” Kita said, as she received the menu. “I think I’ll have the avocado and cream cheese pinchos, and the spanish omelet with the hollandish sauce!”

“Hollanda-what?”

Kita-san’s so fluent in trendy gibberish! Hitori thought. I bet she can just casually walk into a starpucks and order something like a puri-puri pepero papipupepo peroppe pacina shortcake!

“Hitori-chan, what is it that you want to order?” Hitori can hear Ui’s voice beckoning her.

Ah, this is my chance! I’ll order something trendy too!

She confidently smirked. “I’ll have the Macchu picchu ruins, Mississippi river, Grand Canyon San Diego hash!”

“Eh, what was that? Matsu pitsu?” Azusa asked.

“No, she said Macchu pichu.” Nodoka said.

“My pikachu?”

“There’s no Macchu picchu anything in here…” Seika said, as she and the other adults look through the menu.

“A-ah, sorry… i read it wrong. I meant to get the fries…” Hitori said, deciding to concede before being caught in her lie.

“How’d you even manage to get it that wrong?” Seika asked.

“Picked fish offals for me.” Ryo said as she ate one of the fish sticks they prepared on the table.

“How old’re you again?” Hiroi asked the girl sitting across from her.

-

“Ah, izayakas are fun! Don’t you agree, Hitori-chan?” Yui said to her.

“A-ah, yes… they really are..” Hitori said, as she looked at the table. Everyone was enraptured in their own conversations, enjoying the moment as they dine the night away. “I wonder if they’ll become even more fun as I grow older and be able to drink..”

“My wife's taste in clothing changed. And she began locking her smartphone.” Hitori overheard a conversation happening between two other patrons on the bar counter.

“What? You checked your wife’s smartphone?”

“No, I just happened to notice.”

“Sounds like cheating to me.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. But perhaps I deserved it. I’m so busy with work everyday, and when I get an early break, what do I do? I go out drinking with you.”

“You don’t deserve it, man.”

“Sometimes I look at the station platform and find myself about to throw myself onto the track.”

“C'mon, have some more to drink.”

Hitori was shaken. Is life really just gonna be an unrelenting hell? Her imagination began to run wildly, involving her failing an office job as she was shunned by her boss, her becoming an alcoholic shut in as her mom begs her to come eat dinner, and for some reason, an elaborate clay figure of herself being played on top of a giant board game.

“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!” She screamed. Averting everyone's eyes to her before collapsing.

“Eh? Another Bocchi-chan episode?” Seika asked from her spot at the table.

“This happens often?” Jun asked.

“If i can’t make money with my guitar, I’ll end up a neet…” Hitori began mumbling incoherently in her half conscious state.

“She’s making a silly face! Ui, look!” Yui said.

“Onee-chan! Ui lightly slapped her on the wrist. “It’s rude to point. Anyway, let me handle this, Kita-san.”

“Eh, are you sure you can fix up her face, Ui-chan?” Kita said, stopping in her motion to get closer to Hitori. "Gotoh-san is very delicate.” Kita said.

“Why are you guys talking as if she’s a porcelain vase or something?!” Mio asked. She never understood how people just accept Hitori’s reality bending powers to be the norm.

“It’s fine, onee-chan gets into all sorts of antics, so I’m used to taking care of bizarre injuries.”

“Uuu… Ui… they don’t need to know that…”

“You’ll need this.” Kita said, handing Ui a sheet of sandpaper.

“What are they even gonna do with that…” Sawako muttered.

“Just watch as an expert does her magic.” Ryo said.

“Ah, Ui-chan, I don't think she’s supposed to look like that.” Kita interjected Ui as she began working on Hitori’s face with the sandpaper.

“What do you mean, Kita-chan, doesn’t she look better this way?” Ui said, before presenting the newly shaped Hitori faces to everyone.

“What do you think?” Ui said, smiling as she presented her work.

There was a pregnant silence over the table as everyone took in Ui’s display.

“Umm.. Ui…” Mio began.

“Why does she look exactly like you and Yui?” Ritsu finished.

“Eh?” Ui said, looking back at Hitori’s face. “Oh, I suppose I was thinking of making her look like a cute girl, and I just happen to have onee-chan on my mind for something like that!”

“Ah, Ui! I think you’re cute too!” Yui said as she hugged her little sister. “It’s like I’m looking at a mirror!” Yui said, looking back at Hitori, who was wearing a look so despondent that you will never see it on either Ui or Yui’s face in a million years.

Seika and Nijika traded glances with each other after this display, and they both silently nodded. A silent agreement was reached,

We are definitely never going to be that crazy!

“Actually, let me fix it up a bit, Ui-chan, haha..”

-

After Nijika managed to return Hitori’s face back to normal, they continued to dine.

“Oh by the way, Ikuyo.” Ryo suddenly said.

“Ack!”

“You played well today, despite only having been playing for three months. Good work.” Ryo said simply.

“Eh, Ikuyo? Who’s that?” Hiroi asked.

Suddenly, Kita was trembling uncontrollably as her body (including her clothes) turned paper white,

“A-ahahaha…. dunno… who’d have a crummy old name like that…?” Kita stammered.

“Isn’t that YOUR name?” Seika said.

“Ah, so it’s Kita-chan’s name…” Hiroi said.

“That face surely is contagious, huh?” PA-san said as she observed Kita’s “bocchi” face.

“WAAAAHHH!! I hid it for so long! I hate my name so much!” Kita whined.

“Why, Kita-chan? it’s a beautiful name.” Mugi said.

“You wouldn’t understand, Tsumugi-san, you’d have such a beautiful name, But mine sounds like a stupid pun, KIta! Ikuyo! AHAHAHAHAHA!” Kita began laughing like a maniac.

“Whoa, look at her freak out.” Hiroi said. Sawako bonked her on the head.

“I think we broke her.” Seika said.

“I don’t think your name sounds stupid, Kita.” Mio suddenly said.

“AHAHAHAHAHA, MY NAME IS KITA-KITA, I-wait, what was that, senpai?”

“I don’t think your name is stupid. I think it fits you pretty well.” Mio said, as she gave her a warm smile.

Kita felt time froze as she locked eyes with Mio. Ah there it is again, that familiar feeling bubbling in her chest.

“Ah, Akiyama-san… You musn’t.” Kita said, with one hand on her heart. “I’ve been trying to forget. Please, don’t make this more difficult for me than it already is.”

“I-uh, what…?” was Mio’s only response to that.

“Sigh… Oh, Mio.. if you only knew…” Mugi sighed as she shed a stray tear from her face.

“What, Mugi, Kita, what? Ritsu, what was all that about?” Ritsu only shrugged.

“Hey, you.” Kita could hear someone whispering to her. She turned to the voice to find Jun next to her, one hand covering the side of her face to hide what she’s saying from the table.

“I saw the way you look at Mio-senpai just now.”

“!!” Oh no, does that mean Jun has caught on? And they’ve only known each other for a day, does that mean she’s been too obvious? Does that mean Mio knows about her crush on her?

“I know what you are.” Jun said, looking straight into Kita’s eyes.

“J-jun- chan, this is not what it looks like, I-”

“You must be another one of Mio-senpai’s fans aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t tell anyone, but I’m actually a part of the Mio fan-club back at school. Jun said, handing Kita a card with Mio’s face plastered on it. On top of it, Jun’s name was written, along with the number 00010.

“That’s right, I was one of its founding members!” Jun said proudly, so I was just going to tell you that I understand the sort of admiration you possess for Mio senpai and- Kita chan??”

Before she knew it, Kita was already grabbing hold of her shoulders as she locked eyes with her.

“Jun-chan. Please tell me more about this Mio fan-club.”

-

Hitori watched as Kita underwent a mental breakdown over the revelation of her full name, before she felt light tapping on her shoulder.

“Ah, Mana- Nodoka-san.” Hitori jumped.

“Hello, Hitori-chan. You mind if I sit next to you?”

It’s not like there’s any reason for Hitori to reject, so she scooted over to give Nodoka space.

“Thank you.” Nodoka said as she sat down.

“So, Hitori-chan, I overheard what you were saying just now, about supporting yourself with your guitar and becoming a NEET.”

“A-ah, I’m sorry for losing my head! Please just forget about it!”

“There’s nothing to be ashamed for, Hitori-chan. Everyone has these kinds of worries. In fact, let me share something in regards to that. I’m not sure you know, but I’m actually Yui’s childhood friend.”

Hitori cast an unbelieving look at Nodoka and then Yui, before returning her gaze back to Nodoka.

“Yeah, I guess it’s a bit hard to believe, huh? Given how different we are and how long we’ve actually been friends. With that in mind, you could say I know Yui the most out of everyone here. Well, minus her sister, of course. And I’ve had the same concerns you did when we started high school, Hitori-chan. Yui never took her education seriously, and I remembered badgering her about it as we entered high school, as I don’t want her to be a NEET after she graduates. Well, that pushed her into joining the light music club. At first, I was skeptical, I thought her finding a hobby was good and all, but I didn’t really know how this would affect her outlook of school in general.”

“But then, I saw her began to change, She began to show up to school on time, she began paying attention to her studies and actually passed her exams, all for the sake of the light music club. She was having fun in that club, so much so that it became her purpose to actually take her studies seriously.”

Nodoka paused as she smiled and reminisced the events of the past.

“I guess its just my own long winded way of telling you that even if you have a bigger goal in mind, that you should not forget the present, okay? Yui and the light music club had told me that much, at least. That you can still have fun while you chase your dreams.” Nodoka finishes with a smile.

There it was again. A call to just stay put and enjoy what she has at the moment. But would such a mindset be compatible with her aspirations?

“Ahahaha! Preach, Glasses-san! All of what you just said was right!”

“Her name is Nodoka, Hiroi, Get a grip on yourself.” Sawako sternly said. “But that’s right Hitori-chan. If you don’t stop to have fun and maybe enjoy some delicious tea and cakes every once in a while, you’ll be missing out on a lot of things that chasing your dreams has opened up for you..”

“Getting soft, aren’t you Sawako?”

“Oh, piss off, Seika. You know what I’m trying to get at here.”

“Yeah, yeah. Bocchi-chan, just remember to enjoy the process of making your dream come true. Otherwise you’ll end up a salarywoman with below average wage.”

“What’re you getting at? I’ll have you know, a teacher’s salary is just about enough to-”

“What both of them are trying to say is that if you put the weight of success on your shoulders all the time, you’ll just end up miserable.” PA-san said, over the two bickering adults.

Hitori nodded. She suppose it makes sense. She shouldn’t have to be so narrow minded in achieving her goals to just shut in anything else that might’ve potentially come her way. Which ironically, is what she’s the best at doing.

“Ricchan, have you seen Azu-nyan?” Hitori could hear her fellow guitarist asked.

“I don’t know, I think she’s in the bathroom.” Ritsu replied.

Hitori looked over to where Azusa was sitting and true enough, she wasn’t there. But Hitori also noticed someone else missing from the table.

Where’s Nijika?

-

After putting on her shoes, Azusa opened the izakaya’s door and stepped outside into the cold night. The streets were deserted, except for one person.

“Ah, Nijika-san.” She greeted.

Nijika turned towards her. “Oh, Azusa-chan!”

“Is something the matter?” Azusa asked the drummer.

“Oh, no, Nothing of the sorts. I was just looking for some fresh air. What about you?”

“Well. I suppose you could say the same. It was getting a bit too cramped in there.”

“Can’t be helped, i guess.” Nijika smiled sympathetically.

The conversation stopped there. There was a comfortable silence as both parties just decided to take in the night scenery in silence.

“Say, Nijika-san.”

“Hm?”

“Why do you play?”

“Pardon?” Nijika turned towards Azusa, who was looking down at the ground.

“I was asking you the reason why you play in a band.” Azusa repeated her question.

“What has gotten you curious? Is this somehow related to the events of today?” Nijika asked back.

Azusa was silent for a while, until she utters a quiet, “Maybe.”

“Your band did well back there, Azusa-chan, no need to worry about that. I watched your performance myself from backstage.”

“Was it really?”

Nijika finally focuses her gaze solely towards the younger girl. Azusa continued, “The rest of the band seems satisfied with our performance, same with all of you. But I just can’t agree!”

“And why is that?”

“I get the feeling that we’re not as good as we’re supposed to be, and I don’t know why everyone’s just fine with that! They keep telling me that I should just relax and have fun, but how can I have fun when I realize that we’re just wasting our potential?”

“Azusa-chan..”

“Even the audience thinks so. I just knew it. From their initial reaction, I know they were disappointed. Yui and Ritsu-senpai kept insisting that we picked it back up on our second and last song, but if we were good, we wouldn’t have butchered that first song to begin with. It’s the first time we ever performed outside of our school, and we finally got to see what people unfamiliar with us would think of our band.”

Azusa paused. Nijika observed her friend’s face to find tears beginning to form in her eyes.

“And now we know what they think. They think we su-”

“That’s enough, Azusa-chan.”

Nijika had to step her foot down. She can’t bear to keep listening to her friends berating herself like that.

“You’re setting an impossible standard for anyone to clear. It’s only your first performance outside your school, no need to be so harsh on yourself.”

“But-”

“And did you hear yourself talking just now? Downplaying your band like that, what would your friends think of you talking like that about them? Worse of all, what would they think about you talking that way about yourself?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just-” Azusa sniffled, she began wiping her face with her sleeves. Nijika began to blame herself. Shit, that might’ve been too much.

“Look, Azusa, I’m sorry, that was-”

“No, don’t apologize, you're right. I don’t know why I'm being so unnecessarily harsh on myself and the others.” Azusa said in between sobs.

“It’s just… sometimes it feels like I’m the only one taking this band seriously.”

Nijika watched as Azusa began crying her heart out. As she does, Nijika moves to hug her.

“It’s okay, Azusa-chan, Just let it all out.” Nijika cooed as Azusa continued sobbing onto her shirt.

Once Azusa calmed down, Nijika began to speak.

“You asked me the reason why I play in a band, Azusa-chan?”

Azusa quietly nodded.

“My mom died when I was little, and my dad was never home, so onee-chan's the only family to me. But since I hated being alone, my sister used to take me to clubs all the time whenever she has a gig. It all seemed so shining to me, I never been happier then I was when I’m in that atmosphere.”

“That was her inspiration for quitting her band and starting up her own club. STARRY was made because of me. Although she would never admit that if you ask her. That’s why my dream, the reason I play in a band, is to make one popular enough for me and my sister to make STARRY even more famous!” Nijika said.

Azusa looked up to face Nijika, the moon behind her makes it seem as if she was glowing, akin of an angel. Compared to Nijika’s heartfelt dreams, all her ambitions seems trivial in comparison.

“Forgive me for whining about such trivial matters to you when you yourself have been through so much, Nijika-san.”

“Hey, none of that now! Just cause I’ve been through a lot does not make your feelings any less valid.” Nijika chided. “So, now that I told you my reason, shouldn’t it be fair for you to tell me yours?” Nijika said to Azusa.

“Oh. Well I suppose that would be fair. It seems so stupid now though, after you told me about yours.”

“Stop talking lowly of yourself, Azusa-chan. It doesn’t suit you.” Nijka reminded.

Azusa nodded. “Well. My dream was always to be able to turn this hobby into a career, just like my parents managed to do. But after joining the band, iI want to do it with them, the band. I want the five of us to keep playing and making music forever. It’s why i always push them to practice, because whenever it is the time for us to shine, whether it’s in Budokan like Ritsu-senpai imagined, or anywhere else, It would be with everyone, not just me. That’s my reason for playing in this band.”

Azusa sniffled. “Which is why it hurts and confuses me most when they don’t seem to take the band as seriously as i am. If we don’t strive to be the best, then how are we supposed to succeed? They seem content in simply toiling and playing about, but we’re never gonna improve if we just keep doing that!” Azusa said wearily. “It took us this far, but till when would simply being passable be enough?”

Azusa paused at that. Her face was red from being flustered as she confessed the troubles she had in her mind. Nijika picked her next words carefully.

“I get your frustration, Azusa-chan, but they probably didn’t intentionally mean to be dismissive and alienate you. But yeah, maybe in their haste, they forget to consider your feelings on the situation. But you’re right and I agree with you. Simply just being “acceptable” won’t be enough sometimes.”

“Thank you, Nijika-san! Finally, this is the first time today I finally get to say it out loud.”

“Do you feel better about it?”

“A little.”

“Well, you can talk about it with them later, okay, Azusa-chan? They must hate seeing you troubled by yourself like this..”

“Thanks, Nijika-san, i will.”

“Still, taking things seriously doesn’t mean you aren’t able to enjoy yourself every once in a while, you hear? I think your senpais just want you to keep having fun with them at the end of the day.”

“Sigh. Even you, Nijika-san? Well, i guess you’re right. Perhaps the answer lies in finding the perfect balance between having fun and working towards our goal.”

“Ahahaha, is such a thing even possible?’

“Probably not. But I’ll do my best to find that balance, and I’ll be sure to not forget to enjoy myself while I’m at it.” Azusa said, smiling at her senior.

As if on cue, the door of the izayaka opened again to reveal Hitori, who didn't look quite surprised to find both Nijika and Azusa standing outside.

“Ah, guitarhero-san, please join us!”

It took a second for Azusa to process the word that just came out of her mouth, when it finally hit her, it was too late. Hitori was as pale as a piece of paper.

“Ah-Ni-nijika-san! It’s not like you think!” Azusa scrambled to cover her blunder.

“Oh, it’s fine, Azusa-chan. The truth is, I’ve known for quite a while now.”

“I-uh-what..?” Both Hitori and Azusa were caught off guard by that.

“Yeah, it’s embarrassing to admit, but it took me a while to notice the way you two play is exactly the same. Also you have the same guitar.” Nijika said simply.

“Y-you’re not mad that I’ve kept it a secret from you..?”

“Why would i be mad? If anything, it makes me happier to have you in my band,” Nijika replied.

“I didn’t hide it on purpose. It’s just, I don’t feel justified in calling myself a hero at this point in time. I am anything but. Especially towards you, Nijika-san.”

“I assume you didn’t just got here, Bocchi-chan. How much did you hear?” Nijika asked, straight to the point.

“Um…” Hitori was flustered by the fact that Nijika caught on to the fact that she’s been eavesdropping. “I-i’ve pretty much heard the entire thing…”

“Even the part where I-” Azusa began to speak before Hitori interjected.

“A-ah! I promise I won’t tell anyone about that! I’m sorry Azusa-chan!”

Azusa wanted to disappear right there and then. “If I could turn into ash like you, Hitori-chan, I would be doing that just about now.”

“I-if, it means anything to you Azusa-chan.. I don’t think your dream was silly. M-my dreams and reasoning to play in this band are pretty similar to yours, actually.” Hitori said earnestly.

“Oh is that so, Bocchi-chan?” At this, Nijika’s interest was peaked.

“Y-yeah. As a guitarist, I’d like to make Kessoku band the best band it can be! And i want to shine bright, with all of you with me on that stage!”

Nijika felt herself moved by Hitori’s dedication.

“Ah.. I also want to have this band become so popular that we’d all be able to make money and not have to finish school and ah…”

“Geez, you would’ve sounded so cool without that last part, you know that right, Hitori-chan?” Azusa interjected.

Nijika chuckled at Azusa and Hitori's interaction.

“Well then, I suppose that means you’ve also heard about my dreams, haven't you, Bocchi-chan?”

“Y-yes..”

“Sometimes, when I’m working towards that dream, I've hit a wall. And I began to think it was out of my reach, like today. Everyone was so disheartened.” Nijika paused before continuing, “But everytime things are looking bad, you come in and break us through!”

Hitori looked toward Nijika, who looked back at her.

“Bocchi-chan, you’ve been one heck of a hero for me today!” Nijika said with the most sincere smile on her face. “Now I know for sure, having you with us will help us make our dreams possible! So please keep showing us Bocchi-chan’s rock!”

Hitori locked eyes with Nijika, and at that moment, it felt like a thousand words are being spoken between them.

“Bocchi the rock!”

It was at that moment, realization struck Hitori.

“H-hai!”

Both Hitori and Nijika re-entered the izayaka, leaving Azusa alone to piece together what just happened.

"Bocchi the rock...? What did she mean by that?!"

Chapter Text

It was a picture perfect afternoon. The streets are filled with people strolling, from salarymen going home from their jobs, to children playing after the school day is over. One might find the busy atmosphere to be scenic and serene in it’s own ways.

“I’m tellin ya, senpai, she’s been acting so weird recently!”

“And why am I supposed to care?”

Which is why Seika finds herself currently sitting on a dimly lit bar counter inside her livehouse, hunched over her laptop while being pestered by her junior from college about their old acquaintance.

“Eh…? You don’t..? But you and Sawako-senpai used to hang out with each other all the time, I thought you liked one another!” Hiroi said, either not picking up Seika’s increasingly aggravated tone, or just intentionally ignoring it.

“I thought you were still sober back then, Hiroi. Because only drunk people or idiots would describe what was going on back then as us “liking each other.” Seika responded curtly. “We only hang around each other cause our bandmates at the time are friends with each other. That’s all.”

“Mou… I just needed someone to talk to about this. She’s just been oddly distant lately, y’know? Ignoring all my messages inviting her out for a drink and everything.”

“I think that’s the normal response people would have to your text in general, Hiroi.”

“What? So mean, senpai. PA-san liked talkin’ to me through texts! Don’t you, PA-san?”

PA-san, who’d been sitting in the corner scrolling through her phone this whole time, looked up and smiled.

“I do enjoy our conversations, Hiroi. But I’d appreciate it more if it didn’t always happen during 2 in the morning.”

“Those are always the hardest times…” Hiroi said to no one in particular.

“Couldnt’ you go bother somebody else? We’re about to open up here.” Seika said.

“Geez, alright! It was getting crummy in here anyway! I’m gonna go buy more booze and go play panchiko somewhere.” Hiroi said, getting up from her seat, to Seika’s relief.

“Don’t hit yourself on the way out.” Seika said without even sparing her a glance.

“OW!” Hiroi found the door faceplanting straight to her face as Nijika opened the door from the other side, right at the moment she was about to exit the venue.

“Ah, Onee-san, I’m so sorry, are you okay?” Nijika immediately approached Hiroi, who had her hand on her face as she reeled in from the impact of the door.

“Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine- I was about to leave anyway, so don't worry too much about me, see you later, Nijika-chan!”

“Ah, well if you say so-” Nijika didn’t have time to finish her sentence, as Hiroi already hurriedly left the live house.

“Couldn’t even make a quiet exit..” Seika said with a blank expression, although there’s a tinge of concern in her voice.

“Why was she here?” Ryo, who just appeared behind Nijika, asked.

“Nothing that should be a problem for us.” Seika simply responds. “At least for now.” she added. Trouble seems to always find it’s way back to Hiroi. But hopefully, she doesn’t have to deal with any of it this time.

-

“I have homeroom in the morning, then back to back class from 1st to 3rd period. At lunch, I take the anemic girl home, then in 5th period I check around campus to see if anyone’s cutting, and after school I instruct the wind ensemble club, who have a concert coming soon.”

Sawako wailed as she recalled her busy schedule. She was sitting in the light music club room, feet inside a bucket of warm water that Mugi had graciously prepared for her as soon as she mentioned the ache in her heels.

“That’s why you ended up like this!” Yui responds.

“Pretty much.” Sawako replied wearily.

“You really are on your feet all day.” Mio commented.

“Why don’t you just wear massaging sandals?” Yui asked.

“I can’t! I’m trying to appear elegant for the freshmen.”

“Maybe we should tell them about your days in the light music club.” Ritsu sneered. “In reality, you used to look like THIS!”

Ritsu pulled up a photo of Sawako in her Death devils attire, hair fashioned with pink streaks and face heavily tainted with eyeliner and makeup.

“AAAAAHHH! DON’T!” Sawako exclaimed, snatching the picture out of Ritsu’s hand. “You don’t understand, do you? Any carelessness at school would only lead to disaster, if this past of mine was to be discovered…”

Images of barren school hallways began forming in Sawako’s mind, profanities spray-painted all over the walls and students dressed in torn apart uniforms with rambunctious hairdos toppling over tables and bookshelves.

“G-girls, please listen to…”

“Shut the fuck up! Why should we listen to you? You used to be just like this in high school too weren’t you, Sawa-chan?” the imaginary delinquents snapped back at her. She can hear their sounds of unruly laughter echoing in her head.

“…that’s what’s going to happen!!” Sawako said overdramatically.

“You’re taking it too far.” Azusa deadpanned.

Right at that moment, Sawako felt her phone buzzing in her pocket.

“E-excuse me.” Sawako said, as she answered the phone. “Hello? E-eh? Why are you calling me now?” Sawako said hastily.

Realizing she was not currently by herself, Sawako gave one small glance at the girls before excusing herself out of the room.

“Very suspicious.” said Azusa,

“W-why are you calling me now?” Ritsu said, pulling off an impression of their flustered teacher. That earned a couple of giggles from the other girls at the table.

Suddenly, Mugi perks up as if she remembered something.

“Ah, by the way this morning…”

-

“S-senpai!”

Seika could hear the voice of her junior barging in into her livehouse. Hiroi looked like a mess, hair messier than usual and her clothes all strewn about. She looked like she just ran through an entire continent.

“W-what the? What happened to you?” Seika asked the still recovering Hiroi.

“Hiroi, Are you alright?” PA-san asked, concerned over her friend’s state.

“I, t-this is an emergency!” Hiroi said, ignoring her surroundings completely as she kept on rambling.

“Hiroi, calm down! You’re out of breath! Take a seat first.” PA-san advised, as Hiroi looks like she’s seconds from collapsing.

“No time for that!” Hiroi said, waving away PA-san’s concern. “I- huff.. Okay maybe there is time for that.” She immediately conceded, taking a seat at the table along with PA-san and the manager.

“So what is it that got you all uppity like this?” Seika asked. Hiroi’s usual demeanor was airy and relaxed, so it's quite a rare sight to see her like this, even when she’s blackout drunk.

“It’s senpai! I think she’s in danger!” Hiroi said.

“Senpai? You meant manager? But she’s fine.” PA-san said in response, gesturing at the manager next to them, who is still watching with a bemused expression.

“No, not- not her. It’s Sawako-senpai! I think she’s hanging around shady and dangerous people!”

Silence followed this declaration. It was eventually broken by a question from Seika.

“What makes you say that, Hiroi?” She asked, in a much gentler tone than the one she usually uses on Kikuri.

Hiroi began recollecting the events of this morning “W-well, earlier today I woke up in the back alley of some store, ah, I can’t remember what it was… maybe a convenience store… or maybe it wasn’t a store, was it an izayaka?

“Hiroi, focus.”

“R-right! Point is… when I walked out to find out where I was, I saw Sawako-senpai across the street! I was about to go up and greet her when suddenly a mysterious car pulled up in f-front of her, and she boarded it… But she looked really nervous when doing so!” Hiroi added desperately in the end.

Seika, who so far has been listening intently, immediately switches back to her usual demeanor after hearing Kikuri’s explanation. She leaned back on her seat before resuming her work.

“Sounds to me like she just got a lift from her friend to school or something.” Seika said dismissively.

“Senpai, aren’t you concerned?” Hiroi said, she was almost pleading. “She could be hurt!”

“Hiroi, no offense, but you were probably drunk when you saw her, so I don’t know how true your claims would be in this case. Your state of mind could have exaggerated the details.”

“But it could also be her being ushered into a car.” PA-san supplied. Hiroi immediately nodded.

“Why are you egging her on? Anyway, I still don’t think she’s in trouble. And trust me, if she was being kidnapped, the kidnapper would be in bigger trouble than she is.”

“Come on senpai, it’s time to let bygones be bygones and come and help a friend in need! She might need our help!”

“So why didn’t you just bring this up to the authorities?” Seika finally asked the drunkard.

“Uhhh, well, umm-”

Seika knows that hesitation anywhere. Hiroi was hiding something.

“So?”

“Well, ahahaha, senpai, i might’ve been carrying some, you could say… less than legal things on me at the time, and I really don’t wanna risk it, y’know..?”

“You’ve been drinking some off-brand bootleg stuff again haven’t you?”

Hiroi only averted her eyes, unwilling to answer.

Seika sighed. “So you had illegal booze with you and you can’t go into the police station, so instead of that, you traveled all the way here, which according to your story probably took a couple hours given where Sawako’s school is, to tell us about it? Hiroi, if something were to happen to her it probably already happened at this point!” Seika said exasperatedly.

“I was stressed out, okay! And maybe a bit tipsy…”

“Couldn’t you just call her to make sure she’s okay?”

“I think she blocked me… I can’t message or call her!”

“Well, i don't have her number. I doubt you have it?” Seika asked, looking over at PA-san, who only shook her head.

“Right.” Seika sighed. She should’ve known better than to expect Hiroi to not drag her into her mess.

“Ah, why don’t we ask the girls? They must have contact with their friends at the school Sawako teaches at.” PA-san suggested.

“Well, you know they’re at school right now, right? No phones during class. We’d probably have to wait for them to come during their afternoon shift.”

“But that’ll take too long!” Hiroi said desperately. “Senpai, we need to help her, now! We need to get to her school, ASAP!” Hiroi said as she got up from her seat, holding onto Seika’s hands in an attempt to pull her along with her.

“W-what? Let go of me! I can’t just leave STARRY!” Seika said.

“Senpai! Which is more important? STARRY being opened maybe 2 hours later than usual, or our friend’s well-being and safety?” HIroi asked her, as if she was giving Seika an ultimatum.

“Gkh-! Hiroi, we don’t even know if she’s actually in danger or not!” Seika attempts to reason with her junior.

“That’s why we need to go check on her ourselves to find out!” Hiroi stubbornly rebutted.

“But it’s going to take us two hours to get there at the very least! Won’t it be too late!?”

“Better late then never, senpai! Please just help me out here! If not for Sawako-senpai, then for me!” Hiroi was practically pleading at this point.

Seika watches as her junior pathetically clings on to her sleeve. As she does, she felt a tug on her other sleeve to find herself face to face with PA-san.

“She’s clearly still under the influence, manager.” PA-san whispered to Seika. “I’ll say we just do what she wants for now, and step in when she takes it too far.”

Seika frowns. She really doesn't wanna get involved in another one of Hiroi’s antics, but she also doesn’t want her to get into trouble, cause usually she would somehow be the one having to get her out of said troubles anyway. Hiroi’s bandmates have long given up on trying to correct her behavior and only steps in to do damage control after Hiroi inevitably screws something up.

And wouldn't doing what she's telling her to do just be enabling her? Seika hates this type of behavior from Hiroi, and part of her really just wants to say no and let Hiroi run off on her own.

But Hiroi would most likely run into more trouble without supervision, which would mean a bigger headache later on. She really has to take care of this head on isn't she? What got Hiroi so concerned anyway? Oh right. Sawako.

She's not too sure what to think of Sawako. Their old band "rivalry" ended ages ago, so to speak. But the animosity between the two is still there. Why is it still there? She asks herself. Why are both of them still holding onto a bygone era's grudge? She shook her head. She can ponder all of that later. Right now she has an alcoholic nuisance to worry about.

Is Sawako really in that much trouble to warrant this much concern? She's a capable girl, Seika doubts Sawako would ever be in immediate danger. Then again..

She turned back to Hiroi, still clutching onto her sleeves. If this worried her so much.. she sighed.

“Fine. But you’re coming with me. I really don’t want to handle this drunk idiot on my own.” Seika said to PA-san.

“Huh? Does that mean we’re closing STARRY today?” PA-san asked.

“We’ll just be gone for like 2 hours at most. There’s no bands lined up today so it’ll probably be a lazy night anyway. The girls could probably handle it on their own, and if they can’t, I’ll just tell Nijika to close up shop.” Seika explained.

“But… do we even know where her school is..?”

“I know where it is!” Hiroi immediately pipes up.

The other two adults look at her with doubts on their faces.

“What’s with the look? I do know where she works!”

“Really, where is it?”

“Ah-umm… Sarugoka high school?”

“Do you mean “Sakuragaoka?” That’s the name that pops up when i typed “sarugoka".” PA-san said as she looked at her phone.

Seika looked over at the phone to find images of the school, along with some images of the students that seems to be a part of the marketing advertisements for said school. Most of them were wearing the same school uniform Seika remembered Ho-Kago Tea Time was wearing during their concert.

“Alright Hiroi, close enough. Let’s get to the station. You tell us which train to take and where we should go to get to her school.” Seika said, desperate to get this over with.

“Alright! Behind me, girls! I’ll lead the way!” Hiroi said as she stumbled forward.

This definitely isn’t gonna end well.

-

“So you really saw something like that? She got a lift to school but they fought before the car left..” Ritsu pondered over Mugi’s recollection of events.

The girls were walking home from school together, and Mugi just finished retelling them what she had seen this morning before school.

“And the sudden shift at school… the prime suspect of this crime would be Sawa-chan’s…”

“Eh?” Mugi said in disbelief.

“No way!” Azusa exclaimed.

“Her mother?” Yui piped up, immediately killing the suspense.

“Yui-senpai, please stop talking.” Azusa deadpanned.

“Eh… why?” Yui whined in response.

“She’s not a child.”

“S-speaking of her..” Mio suddenly said, diverting everyone's eyes towards her. All of them immediately turned towards the direction she was facing.

Right across the street, Sawako was standing cautiously. Looking around with her posture guarded as if she was expecting someone jumping her.

“Look at how suspicious she’s acting!” Ritsu said as they moved to hide behind a tree..

“This isn’t her normal route home..” Mio pondered.

“Oh.. you sound like a detective, Mio-chan!” Yui said in response.

“Let's follow her!” Ritsu said, as she began moving away from the tree.

“H-hey, wait! Ritsu-senpai, should we really be doing this?”

“She went left! We need to hurry!” Mugi said, interrupting Azusa’s question.

“Even Mugi-senpai’s on it too?”

“Wait a minute! Ricchan, who is that?” Yui suddenly piped up.

“Wait, isn’t that-”

-

As she expected, the train ride from STARRY to the district where Sawako’s school was took about 2 hours. Seika immediately stretched her body and let out a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the train that was filled to the brim with people leaving their offices to go home for the day.

“Well, the map said we should be here.” PA-san said to the other two.

“Then we need to hurry! Come on, she needs our help!” Hiroi said as she ran past a couple of people on the platform, shoving and ushering them off her path.

“We don’t even know that for sure..” Seika said, as she watched Hiroi trip on one of the passerby’s luggage.

“Pardon us, haha. Our friend had a bit too much to drink. She’s not in the right state of mind at the moment.” PA-san explained apologetically to the spectating crowd members.

“At 5 PM?”

“Yes, at 5 PM. Come on, hurry before we lose that idiot.” Seika said as she grabbed ahold of one of PA-san’s long sleeves. Kikuri already began moving away from their line of sight.

“Ah, here we are!” Hiroi said as the three of them stepped out of the train station. “Here we are in- in uhh… where are we?”

“Really?” Seika said, unamused.

“We’re still quite a bit from her school.” PA-san said, wholly focused on her phone. “Perhaps we should call over a cab? It’s quite a trip by foot.”

“No need.” Hiroi suddenly said,

“Well have fun walking that distance then, me and PA-san is gonna grab a ca-”

“No, I mean there’s no need to go to her school, look!” Hiroi said, pointing across the street.

Right across the street was Sawako. She looked fine as always, which meant this whole trip was a waste of time. From the beginning she really doubted Hiroi’s concern was legitimate, But she wasn’t expecting to be proven right the moment she steps out of the train station.

“Well, that’s that. She’s fine. Let’s head back, or at least find somewhere to eat. That train trip left me a bit peckish.” Seika said as she turned around.

“You’re not even going to at least go up and greet her?” PA-san frowned.

“Ugh. Do we have to?”

“No wait, senpai! Look at her! Don’t you think she looks a bit… nervous?” Hiroi said.

Seika looked across the street again. Sawako does seem to be somewhat on high alert, occasionally glancing left and right and eyeing nearby passersby as if she was expecting someone.

“She's probably just going to meet up with a friend or something, you’re overthinking it.”

“I don’t know, manager. Her expressions told me she might not have been here willingly.” PA-san steps in.

Hiroi gasped. “Do you think someone’s threatening her and this is the spot where they’re going to confront her?”

“Possibly. We can’t know for sure.” PA-san replied.

Seika turned towards her employee and idiot junior respectively. “Seriously, why are you dragging this on? Do you really believe in her or something?”

“Well, we can’t rule out the possibility yet, manager. Besides, I feel like you’ve been too dismissive of Hiroi’s concerns here. I personally found it to be founded. Even if the severity might not be as overblown as she makes it out to be.” PA-san retorts.

“Well then what do you suggest?”

“We should just walk up to her and ask her what’s up.”

“NO!” Hiroi suddenly exclaimed, which made PA-san, who was closest to her jump up in surprise, while Seika slightly flinched at the raise of volume.

“Think about it. If we approach her right now, if she was being threatened, she might not talk. But if we wait until the moment of confrontation, we’ll get an insight on who they are and what they want! We can also put a stop physically there and then.” Hiroi attempted to explain.

Seika and PA-san swap glances. PA-san is giving her a look. Seika sighs.

“Alright. Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Oh, she’s moving away!” PA-san said, pointing at the now retreating Sawako.

“Then we need to hurry! We can’t lose her!” Hiroi said as she stumbled forward.

After a couple of turns, Sawako stops again at another intersection. This time, the trio was hot on her heels.

“Target in sight! PA-san, keep watch on the right! Senpai, you keep watch on the left without being seen.”

“Hai!" PA-san said, inadvertently becoming invested in Hiroi’s little spy games.

“Oh my god. Are you two 12? What are we even doing.” Seika asked exasperatedly.

“Mou, look at her. She’s watching her surroundings.” Hiroi said, ignoring Seika’s comment.

“My, I wonder what’s going on in her head.” PA-san replied.

“I wonder who’s she’s expecting… OH! Wait, maybe…”

“Hiroi, what is it?”

“Maybe we’re thinking about this all wrong, PA-san!”

Seika huffs. It took these morons this long to figure that out. Hopefully now that they’re done she can get back to her flat and just collapse on her couch.

“I wonder… she said she’s been feeling a bit lonely..”

“GASP! You don't think..?” PA-san put her hands on her mouth.

“Oh… i’m definitely thinking!”

“It’s a guy!” Both of them said at the same time, squealing in delight.

Nevermind. Seika facepalmed.

“How did you two move from her being potentially threatened to being on a date!?” Seika harshly whispered.

Both women turned towards Seika.

“My, isn’t someone grouchy?” PA-san said with one hand over her mouth.

“Haha, senpai, are you jealous of Sawako-senpai…?" Hiroi said in an insufferable teasing tone.

At this, Seika could feel her face heating up. “WHAT? AS IF! WHY WOULD I CARE IF SHE GOT A BOYFRIEND?” She immediately turned away.

“Not like I have time for any of that. Actually, STARRY is like my boyfriend right now.”

…..

Hiroi and PA-san both clapped.

“WHY ARE YOU CLAPPING?!” Seika said as she landed a hit on Hiroi’s head.

“OW! Why only me…" Hiroi lamented as she faceplants onto the concrete below.

“But that would explain why she’s been acting weird! And this morning might’ve been their first date, where he drives her to work, which explains why she's nervous!” PA-san said with stars in her eyes.

“Yeah exactly!” Hiroi said with her voice muffled, her face still flat on the ground.

“How many hoops did you jump to get to that conclusion? Oh and she already left, by the way.”

“WHAT!?”

There was a noise akin to a plunger as Hiroi retracted her face from the ground. “Senpai, where did she go?”

“She left with someone, didn’t get a look at them, but I think they went into that restaurant.”

“Well then, come on, I wanna see the lucky guy!” PA-san said, with obvious glee in her voice. She began moving towards the restaurant.

“W-wait up!” Hiroi said, as she got back on her feet before following PA-san on her mad dash towards the restaurant.

“Hold it, you two.” Seika said, grabbing the collar of both her cohorts.

“Ahk! Senpai, what was that for?”

“I think we’re not the only ones doing the sleuthing here.” Seika said. Still grabbing tightly to both of them.

“What do you mean?”

“Hey isn’t that-”

-

“Aren’t those the adults from STARRY? What are they doing here?” Mio said as she spotted three figures slowly tailing behind Sawako.

“I don’t know, but do you think they might be involved in this whole Sawa-chan thing?”

“Maybe… it’s possible.” Mugi silently mulled.

“Oh I get it now! Wait…” Yui suddenly gasped. “Does that mean Sawa-chan is three timing?”

“Oh my.” Mugi blushed.

“Why does your brain only connect at the most inopportune times, Yui-senpai...” Azusa mumbled.

“Ah! We’re losing them, c'mon!” Ritsu said, beckoning the others to follow.

“Wh- is this a good idea?” Mio asked. No one paid her any mind as all of them began to follow Ritsu.

“Wait- don’t leave me here!” Mio said, running to catch up with her friends.

The five of them ended up trailing three people that were trailing Sawako.

“They’re watching over her…. What’s going on…” Mio muttered.

“Maybe they’re win-manning.” Ritsu commented. Mugi vigorously nodded.

“Or maybe they're the one threatening Sawako-sensei!” Azusa said.

“Eh?” Everyone turned towards her in shock.

“It’s possible.” Mugi suddenly said. “Didn’t the manager have bad blood with Sawa-chan?”

“Eh… did they?”

“I recall them being a bit tense when they’re around each other..” Mio said.

“But what do they want from Sawa-chan?” Yui asked.

“Maybe Sawa-chan’s band one-upped the manager back in college, and now she’s back for revenge!” Ritsu suggested.

“Ritsu-senpai, come on. No one can be that petty.”

“You were the one who brought up the possibility! Besides, you don’t know that. Mio is still not over some things I did to her in 5th grade.”

“If you’re referring to the time you slipped a fake spider inside my lunchbox-”

“Look, look!” Yui suddenly said.

They saw one of them standing over the other, who was laying flat on the ground with bumps on her head.

“Whoa… she looks like Ricchan..” Yui said absentmindedly.

“What’s that supposed to mean!?”

“Ricchan, not so loud! They might hear us!” Mugi said, hushing her.

“Huh, look! Sawako sensei is going to the restaurant with another woman!” Azusa said, pointing at the scene.

“A woman, huh…” Mugi pondered.

“Don’t overthink it.”

“Looks like those three haven’t noticed yet.” Mio muttered. She was right. The three seem to still be bickering with each other.

“Let’s follow after Sawa-chan!” Yui suddenly said.

“W- But what about those three?” Mio asked.

“They’ll be here a while. They actually do kinda remind me of us. And if I’m right on that, that means that argument won’t be ending anytime soon.” Ritsu said.

“I don’t know.. What do you think Mugi-senp- Mugi-senpai?”

Unbeknownst to them, Mugi had already followed Sawako into the restaurant.

“Mugi-chan’s really eager!”

“Mugi, hey- wait!” Ritsu said, rushing over to her.

“Ya-ho!”

“Senpai, where are you going?”

“Oh boy..”

The five of them followed their teacher into the restaurant. Sawako and her companion sat down on one of the tables as the girls peeked from behind one of the potted plants.

“We ended up following them here..” Mio said, exasperated.

“Just like a TV show!” Yui said.

“Pardon me?” a voice piped up from behind them. “Five of you?”

“A-ah, HAI!” all of them said in unison, before moving to a table with a clear sightline to Sawako’s table. Fortunately, she’s sitting in the opposite direction, and has witnessed none of the commotion.

Unfortunately however, the table was not built for 5 people.

“Eh, Azu-nyan, scoot over!”

“Stay on your side!” Azusa said as Yui forced her way on to the seat next to her and Ritsu.

“Aw, come on!”

Meanwhile, the three adults entered the restaurant at that exact moment.

“Ah, I see her!” Hiroi said, pointing at Sawako’s table.

“Pipe down, you idiot.” Seika said, clamping her hands on Hiroi’s mouth, which she immediately regrets due to it being somehow wet.

“Where are the girls?” PA-san asked, searching the venue for them, before her eyes landed on the current struggle between three of them fighting over a seat.

“Erm, excuse me, table for three?” A waitress politely asked them, making the three of them leap in surprise.

“Y-yes! Pardon our manners.” Seika said, carrying Hiroi to one of the nearby tables.

Now they were seated a couple tables away from Ho-Kago Tea Time’s table. Thankfully, the way the venue was set up, a potted plant obscures their table from view.

Meanwhile, a waitress walked up to Ho-Kago Tea Time’s table.

“Can I get you anything?” She asked the group.

The five of them just looked back in confusion. It did not occur to them that entering a restaurant would mean ordering food.

“Uhh… five hot tea, please.” Ritsu said.

“The drink bar is over there.” The waitress gestured towards the dispensers at the other side of the restaurant, which would need them to pass through Sawako’s table to access.

They look back at each other. That was clearly a no-go.

“Then I’ll have this chocolate cake.” Ritsu decided.

“Eh….?” Yui whimpered.

“What are they ordering….” Hiroi said from behind the plant, spying on the HTT girls.

“How is that important?” Seika asks.

“Uhh, who are we supposed to be spying on?” PA-san said quietly.

“You guys spy on Sawako-senpai. I’ll figure out what these kids are up to.”

Seika looked completely uninterested in joining, so PA-san decides to monitor Sawako on her own. She looked over towards Sawako’s table. Sawako was facing away from them, which is good. The person she’s talking to, a woman about her age, however, was facing towards their direction. Thankfully, she has her full attention on Sawako. But she is constantly glancing to her left too. Why is that? Has she also noticed the HTT girls? What would that mean for them? She kept her eyes trained on this woman, trying her best to catch any bits of conversation from afar. The woman suddenly turned towards her, and PA-san quickly retreated behind her menu.

“What’s wrong? What are you looking at?” Sawako asked, noticing her friend’s behavior.

“Nothing, I just thought someone was watching us. I guess it was just a feeling.”

The five girls, hearing this, immediately ducked under their seats. Their waitress simply looked on in confusion.

“Okay…?” Sawako said, a bit puzzled, but she doesn’t press further than that.

“Is she on to us??” Mio asked panickedly.

“No, I think she felt someone else was looking at her.” Mugi peeked over the table to check whether the coast was clear.

“Who else is spying on people in this restaurant other than us? This isn’t something that commonly happens!” Azusa spat.

“Hggghh… I can’t pick up anything that they’re saying..” Hiroi said, with her ears out in the direction of HTT’s table. All i can feel is my ears getting itchy!”

“That’s cause you have it against a potted plant, genius.” Seika retorted.

“Pumpkin pudding a la mode? Is that code for something…?” Hiroi mumbled to herself.

“I think she’s ordering something to eat, and you’re just crazy. Face it. This could just be a coincidence.”

“There’s no such thing!” Hiroi stubbornly retorted.

“It’s not a guy, Hiroi. She’s here with a woman.” PA-san said from behind her menu.

“Hey, who knows, maybe she has that preference as well. I wouldn't know. She never talks about her love life with me.”

“Wise choice from her.” Seika said over the two.

“What? That’s uncalled for!”

“Keep your voice down! This is a public space!” Seika lightly hits her.

“Did you guys hear that?” Mio asked in hushed whispers.

“Yes, that’s that drunk woman’s voice isn’t it? Ah i can see some purple peeking out of that bush there.” Ritsu said.

“Oh gosh, they’re here too? What do we do? We’re surrounded from every corner.” Azusa said, beginning to panic.

“Here are your orders, miss.” The waitress finally returned to their table with their food.

Sparkles were forming in Yui’s eyes. “It’s so big!” Yui said, admiring the tower of ice cream parfait in front of her. I feel like it’s my birthday!”

Ritsu’s face suddenly lights up, as if she just struck gold. Mio recognized the look.

“Oh, no. What are you thinking?”

“Hehehe! Just finish your meal first, girls! I got an idea to get us outta here! Oh, miss waitress!”

“Are you getting anything, PA-san?”

“No, I can’t read lips! I wish I didn’t drop out of highschool!”

“They teach you how to read lips in highschool?” Seika asked in a bored voice.

“I wouldn’t know, I dropped out!”

Glancing at Sawako’s table, Seika finally got a good look of her friend, and Seika recognized who it was. She could easily put a stop to all of this right now if she wants, glancing at her two companies, she mulled this over. A thin smile formed on her face.

Let’s just enjoy this for a bit longer, she thought.

A waitress finally approached their table. Oh, good. Looks like their food’s here.

But that waitress was followed by another one, and then another one. Soon enough, there were a dozen waitresses surrounding their table.

“Who’s the birthday girl?” One of the waitresses asked the table.

“What? Erm…” Seika was caught off-guard by this, lost on what to say. “I think there's some kind of misunderst-”

“Oh, don’t be shy! There’s no shame in celebrating your birthdays! Even if you’re pushing 40!” The waitress replied.

Seika felt a vein throbbing on her head hearing that comment. She turned towards both her companions with a murderous look in her eyes. They, in turn, just looked back in utter bewilderment. Either they’re innocent, or are really good at putting a front.

“Okay, everyone, just like usual, One, two-”

“Wait, what are you-”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU-”

Seika’s face turned bright red as the entire staff began singing the happy birthday song to her. Every other patrons was looking at their table, except for Sawako’s. Both her and her companion too invested in their current conversation. Next to her, both PA-san and Hiroi were holding back their laughter.

Seika bents one of the forks on the table by gripping it really tightly. That successfully shut them both up. In the midst of all this chaos, she could’ve sworn she saw little feet scurrying around to leave the restaurant.

-

“So think about it some more, okay?”

“Enough of that.”

The girls watch from behind one of the cars at the parking lot as Sawako departs the scene, while her friend told her to rethink whatever offer she had given her.

“Oh.. 1480 yen and tax… that’s my entire allowance…” Yui whined.

“Your fault for getting carried away.” Azusa replied.

“I wanted to get the best treat in the group!”

“So we never found out who it was she was talking with.” Mio said.

“We didn’t.”

“I know who she was.” Yui suddenly piped up.

“Eh, you do?”

“Yeah. She was in the old photo with Sawa-chan.”

“Old…Oh!”

“The one with the black hair, wasn’t it?” Mio said, reminded of the old photo they used to blackmail Sawako.

“Yes, t’was I, Kristina!” a voice suddenly said from behind the girls.

“A-” Mio immediately jumped and froze in place.

“Sorry, was that too much?” Kristina said as she observed the Mio statue.

“Nah, this is normal.” Ritsu said in response.

“Mio must've learnt a trick or two from Hitori-chan!” Yui said, observing the still stone-solid Mio.

“Oh. You’re the light music club of Sakura high school right?”

“Whoa! We have another detective!” Yui said.

“We’re wearing our uniforms and carrying our instruments. It’s not that hard of a guess.” Azusa replied.

“Haha, good one, kiddo. Though I’ll have to say, we’re not the only detectives currently sneaking around this restaurant.”

“Oh?”

“Come on guys, come out. You can’t seriously be still playing these games when you’re pushing 40 aren’t you?” Kristina said to no one in particular.

“OH, SHUT UP!”

From behind another car, came out Seika, fuming at the seams, with PA-san and Hiroi following behind.

“I am nowhere near 40, GOD DAMN IT! Were you behind that whole thing back there?”

“Hey I didn’t even know you were gonna show up, but you’re right. That sounds like something I’d do, doesn't it? It’s not me this time, though.”

Kristina glanced at HTT, and Seika followed her gaze, a newfound rage was visibly boiling in her.

“H-ha-ha, manager, woooow…. what a coincidence that we ended up meeting each other here… Isn’t that crazy?” Ritsu awkwardly said.

“Oh, that’s it! You kids are BANNED from STARRY!”

“WHAT?” All five of them said in unison. Mio immediately broke out of her stone shell. Azusa pictured a butterfly emerging from a cocoon as she did so.

“Manager, it was all that baka’s idea!” Mio immediately singled Ritsu out.

“Yeah, Ritsu-senpai is to blame!”

“Last time we were at STARRY, she drank your apple juice when you weren’t looking!” Yui added.

“WHAT? What does that have to do with anything, Yui? Where is your solidarity here? Come on, people! This is a problem we should face as a band! Moreso, as friends!”

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Mio immediately said.

“This was your idea, senpai!”

“I’ve never seen this person in my entire life, manager! Please don’t ban us from STARRY!”

“Oi!”

“She didn't mean it, girls.” PA-san said, saddened at their pathetic in-fighting.

“What if I do?” Seika reiterated.

“Manager, if I may speak. I can arrange some financial compensation for how we have mistreated you today. I know mere money would not return your lost honor after the humiliation, but please, at least consider our pleas.” Mugi said with teary eyes.

Looking at Mugi’s genuinely hurt expression, Seika immediately faltered. “I-i didn’t actually mean it, d-damn it! Just stop looking at me like that! I’m not banning you kids from STARRY, it’s just bluff.”

“Ha, great work with the act, Mugi!” Ritsu whispered, though still audible to Seika.

“Act? That was not an act, Ricchan.” Mugi said, confused. “But since manager has graciously let us stay in STARRY, I’ll tell father to hold onto the 1 million yen check for now.”

“W-wait, 1 mil-”

“GA-HA-HA-HA! Oh, you all are a riot!” Kristina hollered at the scene. “Ah, this really takes me back. Me and my bandmates used to act just like you girls!”

She wiped a tear from her eye. “I wanna talk to you as an alumni of the light music club. Who’s the buchou?”

Ritsu was paralyzed, as vision of this woman standing over her in her Death devils get-up materialized in front of her.

“M-mio is…” Ritsu said, pointing at her.

“W-what? Baka! Don’t run away!”

“Since you’re here Seika, you might as well come. We haven’t had time to catch up yet, have we?”

“Haah, might as well.” She said distractedly, clearly still thinking about that now-gone 1 million yen check. "What says you guys?”

PA-san just smiled and nodded. Hiroi, meanwhile, was uncharacteristically quiet.

“Hiroi, what’s up with you, airhead?”

“S-senpai, that’s Norimi-senpai isn’t it?” Hiroi quietly said, hiding behind Seika’s body.

“Norimi-senpai?” Yui said curiously.

“Oh hey, I remember you! You’re that quiet junior who used to hang out with us backstage!”

“GAAAHHH! DON’T REMIND ME, PLEASE!” Hiroi said, covering her ears.

“Hiroi nee-san? Quiet?” Mio fails to visualize this concept.

“Haven’t changed much, have you?” Norimi beams at Hiroi. The latter just scowls.

Seika was at loss for words. She had almost never seen Hiroi like this, even while drunk. It kind of reminded her of the Hiroi she used to know, back before she got into drinking. Clearly, something is up with these two, but Seika couldn’t for the life of her remember anything particular between the two of them from their days back in college. She just have to shelf this thought for now.

“Alright then. What’re we waiting for? Let’s have another round, my treat!”

-

The group find themselves in one of the street food stalls that Norimi frequents. The vendor even already knew her by name.

“Give’ em another round, why don't you?” Norimi said to the vendor.

“Ok, Nori-chan.” the vendor simply replied.

“Nori-chan?”

“Mm-hmm. That’s my real name, Kristinna is just a stage name.”

“You’re not foreign?!” Yui asked.

“Clearly not.” Ritsu said.

“Come on, if you have anything you like, just order it.”

“Then I’ll have the ganmodooki!” Mugi said enthusiastically.

“Gandomo, comin’ up!”

“Eh, do you like it?” Azusa asked the heiress

“Ah, I’ve never actually seen one. But it sounds cool doesn’t it?”

“You think so?”

“That goes for you too, Seika! And you guys too, of course.” Norimi gestured to the adults sitting at the other end of the table.

“Ha! Do they have some sake here?” Hiroi immediately said.

“Oh no you don’t, I’m not carrying you all the way home if you drink.” Seika reprimanded her.

PA-san just smiled wearily at the interaction.

“So, you said you want to talk with us?” Mio said to Norimi.

Norimi paused while drinking from her glass. “Ah, well..” She put her glass down. “It’s not a big deal, really… but… Sawako is getting married soon.”

….

“EEH???”

All five girls was shocked, but none of their surprises matches the one of Seika’s, who spits out her drink onto Hiroi’s face after she heard Norimi.

“WHAT? SHE’S GETTING MARRIED?” Seika said.

“Oh my, she’s moving fast, huh. We only thought she was just dating this afternoon, but now, marriage?” PA-san mulled silently.

“Eh…? Senpai’s getting married…?” Hiroi was slowly comprehending what she just heard. ”I-i can’t believe this…

She started sniffling.

“Hiroi, why are you…” PA-san said, concerned.

“UWAAAA!! I CAN’T BELIEVE SAWAKO-SENPAI’S GETTING HITCHED! I’M LIKE, SO HAPPY FOR HER! BUT WHY DIDN’T SHE EVER TALK ABOUT IT WITH ME? AREN’T WE SUPPOSED TO BE FRIENDS?” Hiroi began to whine.

Here we go. Seika half-hoped they actually serve sake here so that she can drink to forget all of what she’s about to endure.

“Hiroi, calm down, maybe it just slipped her mind…” PA-san tried to assure.

“And to think, she was so young… does that mean she’ll stop hanging out with us? She got a husband to take care of now after all… She’s gonna have someone to come home to while the three of us are still alone and getting older….”

“Oi, what do you mean by that?” Both Seika and PA-san said in unison.

From the other side of the table, They could hear the sound of a miffed laughter.

“Huh? What’s your deal?” Seika asked, looking over towards Norimi, who was trying her best to contain her laughter.

“HAHAHAHA!” The dam finally bursts, “Of course i was joking! Do you really think i was serious? Sawako’s not getting married, not with that attitude of hers! HAHAHAHA!”

“That’s a bit harsh, but fair.” Mio mumbled.

“Eh, so she’s not getting married? Senpai, why’d you lie to us?”

“Well, I just wanted to mess with the kids, but you were the one who gave the most entertaining reaction. Still easy to tease, aren’t you Hiroi-chan?”

“I- y-you jerk!” Hiroi said, flustered, pouting while throwing her face away.

“Yeah, screw you, you jerk.” Seika added. “Thank god. To think she would’ve beaten me to it…”

“My, so you ARE jealous, manager-san.." PA-san said.

“Oh, shut up. At least i don’t have fictitious relationships with my potted plants.”

“Hey!”

Norimi was still chuckling to herself. “She isn’t, but another person from our old club is getting married. And she’s asking us to play for her in the second reception. But so far, Sawako’s the only one who refused to do so.”

“That’s cause she wants to distance herself from her Death devils’ persona, isn’t it?” Ritsu guessed.

Norimi just smiled cryptically.

“Here’s your gandomo!”

“Hai!”

Mugi looked at her plate to find her order before her, and Its…

“It’s way more normal than i expected.”

“What were you expecting?” Azusa said.

“Oh by the way, thanks for lending me this.” Norimi said, handing Giita back to Yui. “You’re rockin the high quality stuff.” She said.

“Hehe, thanks!” Yui said, taking her guitar back.

Yui plucked a couple of strings on her guitar and smiled.

“Oh, sorry, did I mess something up?” Norimi asked.

“No, everything’s fine!” Yui replied, as she continued playing her Giita.

At this, Norimi smiled. She doesn’t know why, but she’s growing quite fond of the light music club after seeing their antics this afternoon. Sawako, you really picked the best children to continue our legacy, huh? She thought, as she observed Yui’s playing.

-

“We’ll have a study hall instead of english today. Please study quietly.” Sawako announced to the class, before sitting down behind the teacher’s desk.

“Akiyama-san.” Mio turned around, a girl next to her is passing off a piece of paper.

“From Kotobuki-san.” Mio turned to Mugi, who was waving at her. She received the note and opened it

“Have you come up with an idea yet?” The note said.

Mio wrote her reply and pass it off to Mugi. “I thought of different ideas, but if her old band couldn't convince her, What could we do?”

Mugi read her reply before writing another note, passing it back to her.

“Do you think we can conceal her with makeup? But we still have to consider the possibility of her being recognized.”

“True. What do you think, Yui?” Mio wrote another note, and passed it off to Yui.

Yui read her note and wrote her reply immediately, passing it back to her.

“You have pretty handwriting, Mio-chan!” Mio read the scribbles on the piece of paper. Mio sighed.

“What do you think, buchou?” Mio wrote another note and passed it off to Ritsu.

Ritsu read the note and passed another one back to her.

Mio had to stifle a laugh. Instead of a reply, Ritsu had drawn a crude figure of a googly eyed granny.

“Take this seriously!” Mio wrote another reply, which she passed back to Ritsu.

In response, Ritsu pass back another crudely drawn doodle to her. Mio was struggling to contain her laughter.

“Akiyama-san.”

Mio looked up, and to her horror, Sawako was standing over her.

“Did you draw this?” Sawako said, holding the note in front of her.

“Um, I-” Mio looked at Ritsu, who was pretending to read her assignment.

Traitor! She thought.

“It was me!” Mugi suddenly interjected, raising her hand.

“Eh? Kotobuki-san?” Sawako said, turning towards her.

“I-it’s me. I started passing off the notes. So… don’t punish Mio for it. Instead.. Can i stand in the hallway?” Mugi asked, sparkles in her eyes as she did.

“Eh, but..”

“I want to!” Mugi said with the same conviction.

And that’s how the four members of the light music club found themselves standing just outside the classroom, in the hallway.

Mugi smiled. “So this is how it feels to stand in the hallway. Twelve years after starting school, my dreams finally came true. I’ve seen everything.”

Ritsu, who has been told to stand in the hallway at least twice a week, just looked at her in disbelief. “What kind of dream is that?”

“Oh, I got it! Ricchan, I touched it” Yui said, after finally managing to touch the class sign on her tiptoes.

“At least you all are having fun.”

“So anyway, what’re we gonna do?” Mio suddenly asked.

The other three simply stared at her. “You know, the favor Norimi-san asked of us?"

The four of them collectively reminisce back to the events of last night.

“So try convincing Sawako for us.” Norimi said to the group.

“But she’s really stubborn!” Ritsu said in response.

“Don’t give up before you even try.” Norimi said. “If you can’t convince her…”

“I’ll put you in special training!”

“Eh?”

“Piling off your work to the children, huh? Disgraceful.” Seika said, looking away.

“Don’t you do the same thing in your livehouse, senpai?”

“That’s paid work!”

“We made a deal like that?” Yui said, returning back to the present.

“Did you seriously forget already?” Ritsu said.

“What’s this “special training” anyway?” Mugi asked.

“Well, usually special training by an alumni is a really intense practice session for us.”

“We’re not a sports club though…”

“Well, maybe in our case it would be like… making us play air guitars!” Ritsu said, as she began explaining a hypothetical scenario.

“Come on now, start playing until i can hear the music!” Norimi demanded.

“But we don’t have our instruments…”

“As long as you play with your heart, I should be able to hear it even without instruments. Get started!”

“H-hai!”

The girls began playing with imaginary instruments. To no one’s surprise, no sound was made.

“I’m not hearing anything!” Norimi exclaimed.

“Forgive us!”

“Like that!” Ritsu said, finishing her hypothetical scenario.

“Really?” Mugi and Yui said in unison.

“Quit joking.”

“Oh.”

“It’s a joke?”

“Let’s just talk to her after school.”

As she said that, the classroom door opens, and Sawako poked her face out.

“Are you gonna stand there all day? We’re gonna continue study hall, so please come back in." She said to the girls.

“Hai!”

After classes were over for the day, the girls head up to the faculty office to find Sawako and attempt to talk her into accepting Norimi’s proposition.

“Maybe we could try and blackmail her again.” Ritsu suggested.

“To do the thing that’s IN the blackmail? Ritsu-senpai, you can’t be serious.”

“It was just a suggestion!” Ritsu defended. “If you’re so smart, why don’t we hear your plans, then?”

“Well, I uhm-"

“Just as i thought. So shut your yap if you got nothin’ to say for your own.”

“Be quiet, would you?” Mio said to the two. “We’re here.”

“Pardon the intrusion.” Mugi said, as she opened the door to the office.

“We’re looking for Sawa-chan!” Yui said.

“Sawa-chan?” One of the teachers said, confused.

Ritsu bonked Yui on the head. "She meant Sawako-sensei. We have some matters to discuss with her.”

“Oh, Sawako. Sorry girls. She left just now.”

“Eh? To do what?”

“That, I don’t know. But she said she was meeting up with a friend.”

“Could she be meeting up with Norimi-san to accept the proposition already?” Mio asked the group.

“Eh, but we haven’t even done anything! I haven’t even sung my convincing song!” Yui said, pulling out Giita from her bag.

“So that’s why you were carrying your bag.” Azusa said

“Well thank you for your help, sensei. We’ll take our leave now.”

“So now what?” Yui asked Ritsu, who seemed just as confused.

“I don’t know? Maybe we should just meet up with Norimi-san?”

“Yeah, sure. She asked for a report today anyway, let’s just come and find her.” Mio said.

-

“Oh, of course you’re also invited, Seika, Hiroi-chan. You can even bring your employee there as a plus one if you really want.” Norimi said to the three adults after they watched the girls went home for the night.

“Oh, I've never attended a wedding before! Manager, can we please come?” PA-san said, begging her as if she’s a little kid at a candy store.

“Sheesh, are you the one getting married or something? Why are you inviting us instead of the bride?”

Norimi just smiled. “Hey, it’s been ages since we all last saw each other. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you there.”

“I’ll see if I have an opening.”

“Splendid! And what about you, Hiroi-chan?” Norimi said, looking down at her kouhai.

“Ehh… I don’t know how to act at a wedding…” She said. “Am I not allowed to drink there?”

“Well, maybe at the afterparty.”

“Then I’ll come! Death devil’s afterparties were the jam back then!” Hiroi said, immediately flipping on her stance.

“Oh, you’re hopeless.” Seika said.

“Haha. well most of us have mellowed out. So we won’t be as rowdy as we used to be.”

“Aw…”

“But Seika, I really want to talk with you about something.” Norimi suddenly shifting towards Seika, the mood shifting with her.

“What’s with the sudden switch up? Is it serious?” Seika asked her.

“Well, you could say that. It’s just, I also want you to try and convince Sawako to play at the wedding.”

Seika was confounded. “Didn't you just ask the girls to do that for you? They’re her students, what would I be able to do to convince her that they or you as her close friends can’t?”

“Seika, come on. You’re also her friend, weren’t you? I’m sure she’d listen to you.” Norimi responded. “Besides, weren’t you two really close back then?”

“We were not! Why do people keep saying that?

“See, I told you, senpai, all of us saw you as really close back then!”

“What!? PA-san, back me up here!”

“What? What do you expect me to say?”

“Neither of us liked each other, in fact we couldn’t stand the sight of each other. Like, come on, how is that being close?” Seika attempts to defend herself.

“I don’t recall that being the case. If anything you both seem a bit.. uhm…” Norimi seems to be thinking about whether to say her next sentence.

“You both were so flirty!” Hiroi finished for her.

At this, Seika could feel her face heating up.

“WHAT?!”

Norimi and Hiroi swapped glances with each other, seemingly holding a silent conversation. Norimi seems to be sending warning looks to Hiroi that the drunk somehow didn’t catch or purposefully ignored.

“We thought that both of your constant arguing, throwing insults, and constant one-upping is uhh- your own way of flirting?” Hiroi said, treading on dangerous territory.

“Wh- y- this is just some drunk rambling isn’t it? Hiroi, just shut up please!” Seika said, flustered.

“What? No it’s not! I’m not drunk!” Hiroi said, to the bemused look of the rest of the group. “Uhm, well maybe just a bit tipsy, but all I said was exactly what I thought about your relationship back then!”

“Norimi, you put her up to this didn't you?”

Norimi just stared back at her, sighing. “Nope. we all genuinely thought you two had something going on. Like, I'd love to tease the kouhai, but she’s just saying what all of us think.”

“How could yo- wait, “All of us”?”

Norimi and Hiroi exchanged another glance. “Look Seika, the way you two acted just got us curious, that’s all. Both our bands were just trying to figure out why you two act the way you do around each other and we might’ve, uh…. come up with some theories… to explain it.”

“Oh god, and both of our bands and this drunk know about your bullshit made up theories?”

“Uhm, well…”

“Well?” Seika don’t think her face could feel even hotter than this.

“Uhh… both of your bands were popular, senpai. Needless to say, we weren’t the only ones wondering about it on campus.”

“Are you KIDDING ME? You guys are lying to me, aren’t you? How come this is the first I’ve heard of it?”

“Well the rumor only started to spiral once you started coming to school less due to your livehouse, and you’ve cut contacts with us and your own band.. so..”

“Me and her? Like that? Preposterous. Insane.” Seika muttered. Something finally clicked for her at that moment.

“She… she doesn’t know about any of this, does she?” Seika nervously asked.

“As far as I know, no. You know how boy-crazy Sawako is. She was too focused on her classes and crush of the week to care about gossip.”

“Thank god. If she were to hear of it-”

“Why do you care, manager? Do you really care about what she thinks of the rumors that both you and her are together?” PA-san finally spoke up. Seika almost forgot she was here for a moment.

“I- what- OF COURSE I DON’T, YOU IDIOT!” Seika immediately rejected the notion.

She’s such a tsundere… The three of them thought.

“Uhm, well, sorry for bringing it up, then.” Norimi said, genuinely looking remorseful. “If you don’t want to convince her on our behalf then that’s fine. No need to trouble yourself, Seika.”

“No.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll talk with her. I have some records that need to be straightened.”

-

“Eh, why can’t we use the studio today?”

“I’m gonna be having a meeting here today, and I need the place to myself.” Seika responded curtly to her sister.

“We’ll stay in the studio, promise! Right, guys? We won’t come out til you say so!” Nijika said, looking back at her band.

Kita nodded. Hitori, trying to find the most socially acceptable way of responding, just copied what Kita did. Ryo meanwhile, just blankly stared at Nijika.

“...Huh? What were you saying?”

"Ignore that last one." Nijika glared at Ryo. "Sis, please. We need to practice!"

“Sorry, Niji. Maybe next time.”

“Is it a business meeting or something? Regarding STARRY?”

Seika averted her eyes. “Well. Sure. Let’s go with that.”

“If that’s the case, then why is she here?” Nijika pointed at Hiroi, who was seated at one of the tables at the corner with PA-san.

“Ehehehe, I’m here for emotional support!” Hiroi said.

“E-emotional support…?” Hitori mumbled.

“Ignore her. I’ll kick her out later.”

“Onee-chan! What is actually going on?”

“It’s grown up stuff, Niji. You won’t understand.”

“I’m not a kid!”

Seika was growing exasperated by this never ending conversation. “Look, I promise I’ll make it up to you later. For now, please just leave the venue. I really need to have this meeting on my own.

Nijika still looked unconvinced. However, seeing her sister resolve, she conceded. “Fine. But you owe us big time!”

“Yeah, i expect a raise for this.” Ryo said.

“Keep up with that attitude and I’ll cut your pay instead.” Seika deadpanned. Ryo eeps.

“I kid! A-anyway, you heard the manager, Nijika. Let’s leave!”

“Hmph. Bootlicker. But fine. Come on you two.” Nijika said to Hitori and Kita.

“Yes!”

“A-ah, hai..”

With that, the four of them left the venue. Bocchi glanced briefly at her, before immediately retreating once Seika noticed her gaze.

“Geez, it hasn’t even started and I’m already exhausted.” Seika said.

“What a lively bunch.” PA-san said fondly.

“Senpai! When will Sawako-senpai be here?” Hiroi whined, her chin over the table top . She was already on her 4th bottle after only 10 minutes of waiting.

“She’ll be here shortly.” Seika replied simply.

What is she even doing? She invited Sawako over to STARRY after the conversation last night, contacting her with the number Norimi had given her. Initially, she thought Sawako would just ignore her message, but to her surprise, Sawako actually responded and accepted the invitation.

Something just doesn’t feel right.

Why is she doing this? Perhaps for some peace of mind? She herself doesn’t know. That conversation last night just left her with so many unanswered questions. And why did Sawako just easily accept her invitation without any trouble?

Seika didn’t have much time to ponder the answer, as at that moment, the door to the venue opened, and Sawako entered. She was wearing her usual teacher’s uniform, and a blank look on her face.

“Alright. I’m here. What do you want to talk about?”

“A simple greeting would be nice.” Seika immediately responded. Sawako just gave her a bored look in response.

“Ekhm!” From the corner, PA-san obnoxiously cleared her throat. Seika turned around to find the woman glaring at her. Seika rolled her eyes. Alright, fine.

“Good afternoon, Sawako. Please, have a seat.” Seika said, with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.

Sawako just stares at her, confused. “Are you feeling well?”

“GAH! Just take a damn seat, would you!” Seika said. She can feel PA-san shaking her head in disapproval in the corner.

“Now that’s the Seika I knew. Alright.” Sawako took a seat by the counter.

Seika took a deep breath. She looked Sawako straight in the eyes.

“Uh.. well. Norimi contacted me last night.” She began.

Sawako raised an eyebrow. “I think I know where this is going.”

“Right. Well, she invited me to one of your bandmate’s wedding. She invited Hiroi and PA-san too.”

“Yep, she did!” Hiroi added in an unneeded confirmation. Sawako briefly glanced at her and PA-san before returning her gaze at Seika.

“And she asked me to ask you about-”

“No.”

“I’m not even finished.”

“I know what you’re going to say, and the answer is still no.”

Seika looked over at PA-san and Hiroi, confused as to what to do. Both of them didn’t help matters much, looking as lost as she was.

“Are we done? I need to go home. I still have work tomorrow.”

“Well I- Ah, dammit all! Why did she even ask me to ask you?! I knew you weren’t going to budge!” Seika said, immediately giving up.

“I’m surprised you even entertained her if you already know I’m not going to budge.” Sawako replied.

Seika doesn’t have any answers to that. She doesn't even know why she’s doing this.

“Well at least tell us why you won’t do it? It’s your friend’s big day, and you won’t even do her a favor?”

Sawako sighed. “It’s just. I don’t want anything to do with that part of my life anymore.”

“Eh… but why, senpai? You were so cool back then!” Hiroi interrupted. Sawako glares at her.

“I have a respectable job now as a teacher. If my past were to resurface, I would lose the respect of my students. I can't risk that.”

“Cut the shit out, Sawako. That’s not the reason.” Seika butted in.

“Excuse me?”

“You know what I’m talking about. None of your students are even invited to that wedding are they? Why would you even be concerned by that?” Seika said.

“I- they don’t have to be present to know! T-there’s such things as recordings! And the internet!” Sawako sputtered.

Seika just deadpans at her, unconvinced. Sawako looks genuinely annoyed now.

“Alright! I’m just ashamed of the person I used to be, okay? That part of my life is just genuinely embarrassing!”

“But why?” Seika was confused by this. As much as it kills her to admit it, Sawako was a decent player, good, even. She could easily captivate the audience with her performance. So Seika really couldn’t fathom this line of reasoning.

“It’s just the sort of immaturity and resentment I carried on in my performances back then, okay? I genuinely hate how I used to be, and it’s very much reflected in the music I play! I just… cringe when I look back at myself during that period of my life. I just know that i needed to grow up. I can’t just keep being that same resentful angry woman I used to be. So I left that part of me behind, to start a new life as a respectable figure, a teacher.”

“So you’re just okay with killing that part of you?” Seika asked bluntly.

“I- yeah. No.. I don't know, okay?”

“Sounds to me like you’re just running away and not being true to yourself by leaving your band and your music behind. Do you even enjoy being this type of “respectable” figure?”

“Why are we even talking about this? You also left your band, earlier than I did, even! Why do you think you can lecture me about this?”

“Just like you, I know that I can’t keep being the same immature idiot I was back then. I have a responsibility to take care of. Me leaving the band was not me running away from my past to embrace the responsibility of adulthood, in fact, I embraced that part of my life, and build this place to support me and my sister’s livelihood.”

Sawako was just staring at her in a mix of frustration and confusion. Seika continued.

“I didn’t abandon my identity just because I decided it was time to grow up. I think that’s silly. And i think you feel the same way, Sawako.”

“I can’t, I just cant. I don’t want to go back to the person I used to be.” Sawako just keeps repeating like a broken record.

“Not even for one afternoon?” Sawako didn’t respond to that, keeping her head down.

“Alright, then i guess that’s a bust. I’ll just have to inform Norimi you're too much of a pussy to do it.”

“God, I hate you.” Sawako said, almost automatically.

Normally such a low brow insult from Sawako would not get to her, at all. But she doesn’t know why this time, that jab stings.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why do you hate me?”

“Are you serious right now?”

“I actually am. Like, tell me. Why do we even hate each other that much? What is even the reason? Cause I can’t even remember how our mutual dislike towards each other even started.”

“Are you seriously asking me that? I can’t believe this! It’s because- I-it’s because..”

Sawako fell silent. “I don't know..” She eventually said.

More silence filled the venue, none of them knew what to say .

“Maybe it’s just, this feeling I have..” Sawako eventually spoke up.

Seika doesn’t know why, but she feels her heart skips a beat at that, is she finally going to know what Sawako actually thinks about her?”

“The moment I first saw you, you were talking with one of your bandmates, and I just thought to myself…”

This is it. PA-san and Hiroi were clasping each other’s hand behind the two guitarists, silently anticipating Sawako’s answer.

“...Wow. What an absolute bitch.”

The atmosphere completely shifted. PA-san and Hiroi had to do a double take.

“I mean, like, you were literally bullying them to buy you a cigarette, Like, what the hell was that? How can you be fucking broke and still be that prideful? I just know from that, I’m going to absolutely despise this woman.”

There was a pregnant silence in the room. PA-san and Hiroi looked over towards Seika, who had her head down. She began trembling, and both of them were ready to get up to comfort her, but to everyone’s surprise, she started laughing.

“HAHAHAHA! Are you seriously telling me that I’m a bitch? YOU? Saying that to me?”

“Err…” Her two envoys look at her, confused.

“Oh then let me tell you, you’re not any better, you prick. Do you even see yourself when you’re on stage? Fuckin’ show-off, parading yourself with that mediocre run of the mill guitar playing. When I first watched one of your concerts, I thought to myself, who did this bitch think she is? Having all that confidence and no talent to back it up is an amazing feat.”

At this, Sawako grinned, which left the two other women even more confused. What is even happening right now?

“Well, fuck you, asshole. At least my bandmates actually like to be around me.” Sawako replied.

“Oh, I won’t be sure about that. Whenever you’re not around, they are always talking about how annoying you are, talking non-stop about a guy you have no chance of being with, and throwing temper tantrums whenever said guys deservedly left you for a hotter chick.”

Both women smiled at each other. “So I was right then, the moment I first laid my eyes on you. I just know that it was-”

“Yes, it really was-”

“Dislike at first sight!” Both of them said in unison, before devolving into uncontrollable laughter.

PA-san and Hiroi looked at the two raving maniacs in front of them. Hiroi turned to PA-san.

“I think i might’ve drunk too much, PA-san. Are you really seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Apparently it’s not the liquor, Hiroi. I have no idea what’s going on either.”

“So that’s why we hate each other. We do it..”

“...We do it just because.” Sawako finished.

Both of them smiled at each other. Unknowingly, the burden they’ve carried for many years now has just been lifted.

“... I assume this still doesn’t change your decision on playing for the wedding?”

“Pfft. Why would it? Me finding out why I hate you doesn’t have anything to do with that.”

Seika sighed. “Welp. Better to tell Norimi now then, that you’re still too much of a pussy to play for your friend.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

As they continued their banter, PA-san looked at Hiroi, who is already chugging down her 5th bottle now.

“I think i at least know now why’d you all think they're dating now.”

-

Today was the day of the wedding reception. Sawako had decided to keep it lowkey today, favoring a simple dark blue dress with a light blue short jacket on top of it. She also kept her hair in a nice tidy bun. The self acclaimed fashionista inside of her were screaming to herself about how they’re supposed to go all-out and flaunt their superior taste in clothing, but the more rational side of her realize that she need to keep it modest to not attract any attention, which she needs to do now.

As she entered the venue, she found it already packed to the brim with people, some she barely recognized from her college days, while some were completely alien. She walked up to the center of the venue where the groom and bride were sitting, conversing with their acquaintances, which just happens to be…

“Well, look who decided to show up. Tardy as usual.” A familiarly irritating voice greeted her. “Sawako?” The bride and a former member of the light music club, Mihoko, gawked at her.

“Congratulations on the wedding. And i see our mutual acquaintance managed to show up before i did. Congratulations to her for that as well.” Sawako remarked.

Sawako noticed the way Seika’s lips curved slightly upwards at her remark. Well that confirms that talk a couple days ago wasn’t some fever dream Sawako had due to overworking, as much as she kept trying to insist that that was the case.

“I was just catching up with Seika here. An owner of a livehouse now! And you never even told us about it?” Mihoko said, feigning anger at Seika.

“Sorry. Must’ve slipped my mind.” Seika nonchalantly replied.

“Still the same distant and apathetic Seika, huh?” Mihoko said, letting out a small chuckle. ”You gotta work on that.”

“It’s on my to-do list. Besides, you probably haven’t seen Sawako in a while either, have you?”

“Ah, yes Gomen, Mihoko-san. Sorry for not keeping in touch more.”

“It’s okay, Sawako. I heard from Norimi that you’ve become busier due to your job now. A teacher, huh? And in our old highschool?”

“Mm-hmm, Which is the reason I can’t play today. I’m sorry about that. I need to behave.”

Mihoko just smiled. “Don’t worry, even if you’re not performing, I’m still looking forward to it.”

“Eh?”

While the two were conversing, Seika felt a tug on her left arm. Looking at the culprit, she found herself face to face with PA-san.

“Manager, have you seen Hiroi? I seem to have lost her.”

“No. And why are you so concerned anyway? She’s a grown woman. She can take care of herself without you hovering over her.”

“Maybe, but that’s not why i'm looking for her. I caught her trying to spike the punch bowl a couple minutes ago, and I’m afraid she’s gonna attempt to do it again.”

“Ah, Goddammit, Hiroi! Where- Look! Isn’t that her?” Seika pointed at the other side of the room, where a flash of purple could be seen for a second.

“Hiroi, hiroi! Come here you little troublemaker!” PA-san called over to her while sprinting to the spot Seika pointed at, in the same way a mother would do to a misbehaving child. Seika simply shook her head.

-

“GIITA!”

“Yui-chan, don’t cry! It needs to look scarier!”

“Mugi-senpai, you’re getting too into this.”

“Hey, buchou, can you blow a fire using this?”

“I-i cant!”

“Alright, girls! Everyone! come here for a second.” A commanding tone successfully put an end to the commotion happening in the dressing room. The girls all fell to a single row formation in front of Norimi.

“Is everybody ready?” Norimi asked the group.

“We just need to put some finishing touches on the guitar, Norimi-san! And then-”

“NO, you can’t! Giita doesn’t want you to do that to him!” Yui said, while hugging her guitar protectively.

“Yui- chan…”

“Norimi.”

Norimi turned to her bandmates, both who were wearing skeptical looks on their faces.

“You sure this gonna work out?" Della asked. “I’m not exactly opposed, seeing it's not a serious performance. But still.”

“I’m sure. And even if it's not, at least we’ll be having fun, right? I’m sure Mihoko won’t mind.”

“They are really cute.” Jane absentmindedly commented. “It’s nice to see Sawako managed to keep the club going with such enthusiastic members.”

“Guys, you’re on in 5.” One of the reception staff informed them.

“Alright. We’re just wrapping up.” Norimi said to him. The staff nodded.

“But first, we gotta take care of these girls.” Norimi said, as she observed Yui on top of one of the boxes, holding her guitar in the air to stop her bandmates from decorating it to match Death devil’s look.

-

The lights in the venue have all been dimmed, the performance of Death devils is about to start. Seika stood behind Mihoko, waiting in anticipation for the band to appear.

Sawako suddenly appeared on her right, carrying a glass of punch.

“Eugh. This thing tastes funny. What the hell kind of drink do they serve here?” Sawako whispered, to which Seika just stared blankly in response.

“Have you seen Hiroi and PA-san?” She asked Sawako.

“We’re here, manager!”

PA-san was carrying Hiroi by the collar, like how one would do to a cat.

“Can you put me down now? I won’t run off again, promise!”

“I’m holding you to that.” PA-san let go of her grip on Kikuri’s collar.

“Let’s continue with a performance from Death devils, the bride’s former band.” The MC said from the stage, putting an end to hushed conversations among the audience. They all politely clapped in response.

“They have a special formation today!”

Sawako hiccuped. She tries to make out the figures moving on the stage, and when she does, Her face pales. On the stage were her students and former band, all dressed up in their old Death devils outfit. They even made new ones for her students.

“Err, did you know about this?” Seika said next to her.

“No-hic. This is the f-first I’ve seen of it.” Sawako slurred.

“Uhh, are you okay? You’re slurring a little.”

“I’m fine. W-why wouldn’t I be? Hic- J-just what is she up to…” Sawako said, looking at Norimi in particular, who just winked at her from the stage.

Seika seems skeptical at this, eyeing Sawako’s drink, before finally making the connection with what happened earlier with Hiroi and PA-san.

Oh no.

“We’re gonna blow the house away!” Norimi said to the enthusiastic cheer of the audience.

The band began playing. Yui was shredding on her guitar, until..

“Oops!” She missed a note. Sawako died inside as the entire performance came to a halt.

“What are you doing?” She can hear Azusa’s voice reprimanding her senpai.

“S-sorry! Let’s start again from the top!” Yui said.

“I was wondering what Death devils were like, and they turned out to be really cute.” One of the audience members said.

C-cute? Sawako was caught off guard by the comment. Seika eyed her warily.

“Go, Death devils! You have our support!” Another audience member said.

The crowd began cheering for Death devils.

NO! This is not what death devils are! Death devil’s style is where our souls collide with each other. Sawako was internally fighting herself. No, don't! I’ve left that part of me in the past! I can’t step in now, when the girls are trying their bes-

“Oops! I goofed up again!” Yui said once again from the stage, greeted by laughter from the audience.

No.. My ultimate death devil is… Sawako clutched her hand tightly. Seika looked at her in concern.

“Hey, Sawako, don’t do anything stu-”

Suddenly, the lights turned off completely.

“What? What happened?” Yui said from the stage.

“It’ll come back in a minute.” The groom said to her bride.

“Yeah.”

Seika couldn’t see anything, but she felt Sawako leaving her side and moving towards the stage. Ominous footsteps filled the venue, catching the attention of the audience.

Before they knew it, the lights came back on, and Sawako jumped onto the stage.

“Sawa-chan!”

“Isn’t that Sawako senpai?” Hiroi piped up.

“Here we go.” Seika facepalmed.

Sawako took Yui’s guitar from her and began playing an intense riff, silencing the venue with it’s sound. Norimi smiled as she saw her plan falling into place. The audience gawked.

“You fucking MORONS! Death devils isn’t some child’s play! I’ll show you the real deal!” Sawako shouted, as she took off her glasses, her tied up bun undoing itself to let her hair flow behind her.

“OK!” Norimi bellowed.

“One, two!”

Death devils began playing for real now.

“Be careful of his sweet talk, I’m not used to those words.”

Sawako began singing. The audience was stunned at her transformation. Seika watched as the Sawako of the day's past reemerged on the stage in front of her.

“So I’m staying cautious, But he seems to be honest.”

As the hard metal music began filling the audience, Hiroi shouts at the top of her lungs, “There she is! That’s Catheryne!”

“CATHERYNE!” Mihoko stood up from her seat and began rocking out to the music. Her groom next to her was momentarily shocked, before joining her bride in cheering for the band.

“CATHERYNE! CATHERYNE!” The audience cheered.

Seika smiled. It kills her inside to say it. But Sawako really was an amazing performer. Maybe, just maybe, even better than her.

-

“I’m done for.”

The next day, Sawako was sulking with her face on the table in the light music club.

“I’ve tried so hard to appear graceful.”

“We’re truly sorry.” The five girls said in tandem.

“It’s okay, after all you were only..”

“Yeah, it was your fault that you snappe-”

“I said. It’s okay.” Sawako reiterated with a look that can kill, pointed at Ritsu.

“I-im sorry…” The buchou immediately squeaked.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

At the door were a couple of first years, standing nervously.

“Is Sawako-sensei here?”

“Eh?”

“The concert yesterday was so cool!” The first years said to Sawako, who was still trying to process what just happened.

“We’re looking forward to the next one! Can we have a picture with you?”

“W-why?”

“Mou, so Sawa-chan is popular either way.” Yui said, as they observed Sawako being mobbed by a gang of adoring first years. "You'd think one day w'll be like that?"

“We can’t leave an impression like that unless we really make it big.”

“Then let’s do it! Put some makeup on Mio!”

“Never in a million years!”

“Maa, I’d love that!”

“You’d only get carried away, Mugi-senpai!”

“You think so?”

-

“I think I’m blocked by her for real now…” Hiroi whined.

It was a picture perfect afternoon. And Seika, once again, was spending it in her dimly lit venue surrounded by a drunk and her eccentric employee.

“She’ll forget about it in a couple of weeks if you’re lucky, Hiroi. Does it still hurt?”

“My head! She doesn’t have to hit it that hard! What did I even do?”

“You spiked the punch she was drinking causing her to reveal her Death devil’s persona to the public, You deserved every beating you got.” Seika said without looking up from her work.

“But the concert was a success and everyone loved it! Shouldn’t she be thanking me instead?” Hiroi whined further.

“Oi, you really are hopeless.” Seika responded.

“Things got really intense in the end though. Didn’t you have to carry her to a quieter place once she collapsed from exhaustion, manager?” PA-san inquired.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I did that.”

“I see.” PA-san said, giving her a look.

“I know that look. What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing. It’s just, we didn’t see you again for a while after that. I’m just wondering if something happened between you two during that time.”

“Whaaa- Senpai! Why didn’t you tell us? What happened between you two?”

“Nothing happened. We just talked and then she fell asleep. I just stayed to make sure she’s safe.” Seika dismissed.

“Eh, you’re no fun, senpai!”

“Mm-hmm, are you sure nothing else happened after that?”

“Nope. Why don’t you start prepping the equipment? We have a packed schedule tonight.”

“Whatever you say, manager. Come on, Hiroi, instead of sulking, why don’t you help me out with some of the work?”

“Am i getting paid for it?”

“Ahahaha, we'll talk with manager about that later.”

With that, the both of them left Seika by herself. Making sure the coast was clear, Seika closed her laptop and sighed.

She began reminiscing about the events of that night. She closed her eyes. Her lips curled to form a semblance of a smile. What happened between the two of them that night while Sawako was inebriated, is something that she alone has to take to the grave.

Chapter Text

Recently, a new star has risen in the indie metal scene. A bunch of young, upstart girls have made a name for themselves by topping the most recent monthly metal charts in Japan.

No one knew who they were and where they came from, but one day, they suddenly appeared and took the nation by storm. Their single, "Carnivorous" has been an instant hit with long time metalheads, and in this article, we will be discussing everything we know about this mysterious band, who has decided to call themselves “SIDEROS.”

SIDEROS is quite an enigma from an outsider’s perspective. This name went from being completely unremarkable to anyone into a sudden sensational hit in a little under 2 years. Not much is known about how such a band came to be, and what more baffling is the working in and outs of SIDEROS itself. The band has only been active for almost 3 years now, but rumor has it that no less than 5 people have entered and left the band in a span of less than 6 months.

These so-called oddities could be chalked up to the self proclaimed leader of SIDEROS, vocalist and lead guitarist Ohtsuki Yoyoko. Spunky, mean, and overly self confident, Yoyoko is rumored to still be in highschool. She arrived in the scene with no former history or remarkable connections, but managed to make quite a name for herself in under a year to the point of being able to hold a live solo performance on her own.

Other than Yoyoko, the band also consists of Akubi Hasegawa, the mysterious, mask-wearing drummer of SIDEROS, rhythm guitarist Fuko Honjo, and the eccentric bassist Yuyu Uchida. Much like Yoyoko, all of them are rumored to only still be in highschool. This lineup has persisted for almost a year now and seemed unlikely to change. But given the band’s messy history regarding its members, one can never be certain.

To read more article about SIDEROS, refer to more article suggested below:

By Poison Yami, Published ▇▇▇▇

-

“Yui, let’s go practice!”

“Oh, wait up!”

Hirasawa Yui and her friends were a part of the school’s light music club, and right now, her friends are beckoning her to pack up her stuff so they can finally go to their clubroom to start their club activities.

“You looked pumped, Yui.” her childhood friend and student council president, Manabe Nodoka, commented after seeing Yui enthusiastically answered her friend Ritsu’s call.

“That’s because the school festival is near! We need to practice, Nodoka-chan!”

“I see. Well don’t get too excited and catch a cold like last year.” Nodoka gently reminded.

“I’ve been eating oranges everyday to make sure that doesn’t happen!” Yui replied. “It turned my hands yellow!”

While she doesn’t see the correlation, Nodoka appreciated the thought regardless. The way Yui’s mind works has always been so intriguing.

“See you, Nodoka-chan!” Yui said, as she left the classroom.

“Good luck.” Nodoka waved.

“I’m ready!” Yui said, stepping out of the classroom to meet up with her friends.

“Finally! Now, let’s go to the clubroom!” Ritsu said.

“Oh, about that.” A voice suddenly said from behind them.

All four girls turned back to find Sawako, looking back at them with a somber look on her face.

“You can’t use it for a while.”

“Use what?” Ritsu asked.

“The clubroom.”

It took a moment for the group to collectively process this, but eventually, it clicked.

“What?”

-

“So do you really only ever goof off in there, Azusa-chan?”

“We do not!”

Azusa was currently having a conversation with her two other classmates, Suzuki Jun and Hirasawa Ui, sister of her fellow guitarist in the light music club. Said club was being the current topic of discussion.

“Oh, ho? Then write down everything that your club does everyday!” Jun said smugly, opening a pen’s cap and handing the pen to Azusa.

“Sure.” Azusa said, with a determined look on her face.

As Azusa began writing down their schedule, Jun and Ui watched. Seeing the contents, Jun can’t help but comment,

“That’s a lot of meetings.”

Azusa looked up from her writing.

“So what do you talk about in these meetings?”

“Uhh! Umm…” Crap, i can’t tell her!

“You talk about music, don’t you?” Ui added helpfully.

“Y-yes!” Azusa was grateful for Ui throwing her a lifeline. “We talk about the name of the next concert, the setlist, topics for em-ceeing, all that stuff.”

Jun looks unconvinced. “You really have changed, Azusa.” Azusa flinched.

Jun turned away from Azusa. “The jazz club have started practicing for the school festival already.” She added absentmindedly.

Crap! I’ve gotten accustomed to my senpai's pace already! Azusa thought to herself.

“But that’s to be expected, I guess. The seniors probably just wanted to show off. It’s their last concert, after all.”

Azusa was brought back from her internal panicking by this. “Huh?”

“Oh right, they’re graduating soon, aren’t they?” Ui said.

“Mmm-hmm. They usually leave the club right after the culture festival too. Which would mean I will be the one bossing those juniors around from now on!” Jun said with a big grin on her face.

“Jun-chan…” Ui smiled exasperatedly.

“Last concert…” Azusa mumbled.

Azusa ended up spacing out on her way to the light music club. It didn’t occur to her until Jun had said it, but this is their last year of highschool. After the festival, they would leave the club, and in turn, Azusa would be all alone.

Well, there would at least be Ton.

“Ah, Azusa!” Ritsu said, as the kouhai ascended the steps to the clubroom.

“What’s going on?” The junior asked, seeing all her senpais and club knick-knacks by the door.

“Ton-chan!” Azusa exclaimed, as she spotted the club's pet turtle in a bucket also by the club's various instruments, making a quick beeline towards it.

“We can’t use the light music club since they’re redoing the plumbing.” Mugi informed her.

“We can’t have our tea-time!” Yui added.

“That’s not what you should be worried about!” Mio chided.

“According to the school schedule, you won’t be able to use the clubroom for ten days.” Sawako explained.

“We can’t use the clubroom for ten days?”

“Well, let’s find somewhere else to practice then!” Yui said.

“Do you want me to ask for permission to use the other music room that’s being used by the wind ensemble club? Maybe you’ve forgotten, but I am also an advisor for that club.” Sawako suggested.

“Thank you!” Ritsu said.

“In that case, I’ll go ask them right now.” Sawako said, leaving the scene.

“There’s nothing we can do but wait.” Ritsu said, sitting down the stairs. The rest followed suit.

“I wonder what it looks like inside while it’s off limits.” Yui pondered.

“Do you want to take a peek?” Mugi asked.

The two of them moved towards the door, Yui reaching for the doorknob.

“Oi, don’t do it!” Mio reprimanded.

Azusa took one glance at her senpai’s antics and just sighed. Ritsu seems to notice her junior’s somber mood, deciding to ask what’s up.

“Everything alright, kid?”

“Hmm, what?” Azusa said, only half listening.

“Well usually you’d be the first to reprimand Yui when she’s about to do something stupid. What’s wrong? You left poor Mio to do it in your place instead.” Ritsu tries to joke.

“Oh. I’m fine, senpai.” Azusa simply replied.

Ritsu knew that that was a bold faced lie. But before she can continue to interrogate her junior, Sawako has returned, out of breath, to the first landing of the third floor staircase.

“Sensei, you’re back.” Azusa greeted.

“How did it go, Sawa-chan?” Yui asked.

“Haa, sorry girls. I couldn’t get you the room.”

“Aw.”

“So much for your confidence.” Ritsu muttered.

“Gomen, gomen.”

“Then where should we practice?”

“Let’s see…” Sawako began to think. “What about your classroom?”

-

“Beer?”

The young girl looked up at her senior and mentor figure with an exasperated look. “Onee-san, you know I can’t legally drink that.”

“Ahahaha! Gomen, gomen! Was just testing your resolve, is all.” Hiroi Kikuri said to her apprentice, Ohtsuki Yoyoko.

The two were sitting by their own in an empty FOLT. The manager is still setting up the place to open for business. It just so happened that Yoyoko and Hiroi managed to arrive at the place at the same time, right before opening time.

“Why are you here so early, Ohtsuki-chan?” Hiroi asked the kouhai to get rid of the dead air around them.

“Eh? W-well, we have practice today, so…”

“When is it? Why aren't your band members here yet?”

“Well, there’s still three hours left until practice time, technically… so they might still be on their way…?” Yoyoko lamely answered.

Hiroi just stared blankly at her junior. “Eh? Then why did you come so early? Shouldn’t you meet up with your friends first and, I don't know, hang out?”

Yoyoko flushed at that. “W-well! I fail to see how that would be productive! Merely hanging out serves no purpose in the betterment of the band, unlike practice!”

“Right, but if you didn’t want to do that you could at least show up a bit later, you know?”

“Showing up early is essential! The lead vocalist for the esteemed SIDEROS can not be caught being tardy, after all! I simply do this to maintain the image of SIDEROS as a serious, no nonsense band!” Yoyoko proudly declared.

“Really? So no other plans with your friends?”

“N–no! They were all…. busy! Yeah!”

Hiroi gave her a scrutinizing look. Yoyoko threw her face away.

“Anyway! I don’t see what’s so weird about showing up three hours early for practice! Aren’t you here for the same reason?” Yoyoko obviously tried to change the topic.

“Me? Oh, haha! Nope. It’s just me here today. No SICK HACK rehearsal or anything.”

“Eh, then why are you here?”

“Ginjiro wanted to talk about some money I owed him. Y’know, property damages and all that.”

“Oh,” Yoyoko looked down. SICK HACK was notorious for their blind drunk concerts, in which Hiroi is known to break stage property in her drunken stupor.

“Just a tip for ya kid, don’t try to hit the audience member with the mic stand! Haha! Oh, the pending lawsuits…” Hiroi took another gulp out her bottle.

“Right.” Yoyoko simply nods, as she sees no situation in which that advice would ever be useful to her. “Is it wise to drink this early, onee-san?” Yoyoko asked.

“Eh? Oh. Of course! Don’t worry about me, kid. My liver's made out of steel! It can handle alcohol anywhere, anytime.” She said with misplaced confidence.

“I really doubt that. But I'll believe whatever you say, Onee-san! You're my mentor, after all!”

“Bahh, but enough about boring old me! What about you, kid? Any interesting developments lately? Any new friends? Or maybe… new more than friends? A boy maybe? Or girl, I don’t judge.”

“W-what? No! Nothing of the sorts happened.” Yoyoko said, blushing furiously, "It’s just been the same old same old.”

“Ah, I see.” Hiroi said.

An awkward silence followed, Yoyoko was not sure how to continue the conversation, and Hiroi just silently kept chugging her bottle of alcohol.

“Hiroi. Come.” The FOLT’s manager peeked out from behind his office’s door. "We have some unfinished business to settle.”

“Arrright, I’m comin, I'm comin!” Hiroi lazily said, throwing her bottle in the trash.

“Talk to you later, Ohtsuki-chan.” Hiroi said as she walked into Ginjiro’s office.

“Yeah. See you, onee-san.”

With that, Yoyoko was now alone in the venue.

She checked her band group chat to find it the same way she left it previously, an announcement from her that there will be a practice session today. 3 read notifications are shown on the message, but no replies.

She looked up from her phone. There’s still 2 hours and 50 minutes left to go.

-

“The drama club is using the auditorium and the literature club is using the rooftop.” Ritsu informed Sawako.

After an entire afternoon of hauling their instruments all around school, the band returned to their own classroom, meeting with their advisor to talk about their unsuccessful attempts in finding a place to settle.

They first tried this classroom, but the noise was too bothersome to neighboring classes, so they moved to the gymnasium, where the noise was too bothersome for them. In addition, the gymnasium provides too many distractions to make the girls able to play properly.

Mio shivers. “I don’t like those literature club girls. Those four give me the creeps.” Mio said.

“Good thing I bailed you out of that there heap, then, huh?” Ritsu said.

“Azu-nyan.” Yui said to her junior.

“Eh? What is it, senpai?”

Azusa was once again, spacing out. She’s been out of it this entire day, barely reacting to any of the antics her seniors got into.

“I was gonna tell you to sit on Nodoka-chan’s seat, but you seem to have something else on your mind.” Yui said, showing a rare, perceptive side of hers.

“I’m fine, senpai.”

Yui tilted her head, Azusa simply looked away.

“It can’t be helped. I’ll help you in finding another place where you can practice. Anyway, it’s getting late. We’ll talk about it more tomorrow.” Sawako dismissed the group.

“I hope we’ll find a place where we can settle tomorrow.” Mugi said, as all of them put on their outdoor shoes before leaving the school.

“We couldn’t even eat sweets today!” Yui said, while looking at her kouhai next to her. Azusa didn’t even react to reprimand her for that. Yui frowned.

“Oh by the way, Mio. Have you finished the lyrics yet?” Ritsu said as they began leaving the school grounds.

“Oh, do we have a new song?” Azusa piped up, excited by something for the first time today.

“No. We have Mugi’s song.” Ritsu said, referring to the song Mugi had composed for the band earlier this year. “But…”

“I’ve written lyrics for it. But Ritsu rejected all of them.” Mio said with a disappointed tone.

“It’s because.” She sighed. “Just look at this.” Ritsu gave a piece of paper to Azusa.

“In a sweet smelling forest…” Azusa began to read aloud. “I chat with the little birds..”

“I like it! Sounds delicious!” Yui said.

“I have more of them, do you wanna hear it?” Mio said.

“Oh, do you?” Ritsu said unenthusiastically.

“I have "Color my love black and white, like a panda bear." Or… "dance dance like little penguins"!”

“What’s with the animal theme?”

“Mio is like this when she hits a wall. They all sucked when she started putting animals in the lyrics.” Ritsu said.

“I want to be tricked by a raccoon dog… Abduct me mandrill…”

“Then should we all write some lyrics?” Mugi suggested.

“That’s a great idea, Mugi-chan!”

“W-wait. Mine are rejected?”

“We’ll keep 'em as backup. It’s settled then. Everyone write some lyrics and bring them tomorrow!” Ritsu announced.

“Roger that!” Yui answered enthusiastically.

“I have to write lyrics too?” Azusa asked.

“I’m looking forward to yours!” Mugi said to Azusa.

“I’m so excited! What should I name it?” Yui said.

“You’re starting with the title?” Azusa deadpanned. Yui smiled, seeing her kouhai beginning to be reactive again.

“How about… “attractive protractor"?” Yui said, holding out a protractor.

“Or maybe… Bags go Bang"!” Ritsu suggested, holding out her school bag.

“They’re all about school supplies… Come on, take this seriously!” Azusa chided.

-

“Yuyu! I need to talk to you about these lyrics you’ve written!”

“Sure. What about it?”

“I don’t get what any of these lyrics mean. It’s almost nonsensical. What is it about?”

“The spirits helped me write that one. The meaning of the song is not one to be easily discerned by normal people~” Yuyu said, with her eyes closed as if she was meditating.

Yoyoko just gave her a blank look. “This simply won’t do! I need a rewrite of these lyrics!”

“What?! But if we do not sing the song with the provided lyrics, we will anger the spirits beyond!” Yuyu said, flabbergasted, as if Yoyoko just asked her to parade around school in her underwear.

“I need to be able to understand the lyrics written to be able to sing it properly! I, the great vocalist of SIDEROS, cannot be caught on stage unaware as a headless chicken, singing lyrics she doesn’t understand the meaning of! When I offered you to write lyrics for our next song I expect you to understand that much! If you’re not willing to tell me what it means, then rewrite it! You got that?”

Yuyu just looked at her briefly before turning away. “Of course, Just as you say, senpai.”

“Well as for you, Akubi. Stop rushing! We all couldn’t keep up with you during practice earlier! Take this seriously!”

Akubi just rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, senpai.”

“Fuko! Your playing still needs some work. You think we can meet up to rehearse that part of the chorus sometime later this week?”

“Oh, sure. If you say so, Ohtsuki-senpai.”

“Well then, i think we’re done here. You are all dismissed!” Yoyoko clapped.

Murmurs began forming among the three bandmates as they packed up their stuff and moved towards the exit.

“Umm..”

The three of them stopped their idle chatter to turn towards Yoyoko, who seemed to be struggling to say something.

“If you guys aren’t busy… maybe we could stop by somewhere and, uhm… hang out today?” She asked cautiously.

Her three members swapped glances with each other.

“Uhm.. senpai we’d love to, but..”

“I got a meeting with a friend after this.” Akubi said.

“I also need to be back home to help my mother prepare dinner.” Fuko said.

“Tonight is a full moon! I must prepare for the ritual! So i must decline your offer~” Yuyu said ominously.

“Oh you guys have other plans you know, y- that’s cool. Well, don’t mind me. I have plans too actually, yeah, it’s just, you guys go on ahead. I need to prepare for my plans!” Yoyoko sputters.

The three swap glances with each other again. Akubi just shrugged, while Fuko smiled at her.

“We just didn’t expect you’ll be asking us to hang out, senpai. Next time, we’ll make sure we’re able to make it.”

“As long as it does not coincide with a full moon! Or a leap year day!” Yuyu said.

“Well, see you at our next practice session, senpai.“ Fuko said, as the three of them left the studio.

“Heh, yeah. At the next practice session.” Yoyoko said to the empty room. "Cause that’s the only reason we ever meet up with each other anyway."

Obviously, Yoyoko lied about having plans. Now with nothing to do, she left the studio to go home. on her way out, she found Hiroi fast asleep on one of the couches in the bar area.

She sighed. She veered towards the couch and gently shook her mentor on her exposed shoulder.

“Come on, Onee-san. You’re gonna get kicked out by Gin-chan again if you sleep here.”

“Wh- I swear I’ll pay you next month! Oh, it’s you Ohtsuki-chan.” Hiroi said, yawning. “What time is it? Are you done with practice?”

“Mm-hmm. Everyone has gone home for the day.”

“Oh, you didn’t ask them to go hang out like you said earlier?”

“Hmph. They have other plans.” Yoyoko said, huffing. “It’s fine. Like I said, it’s an unproductive activity to partake in, anyway!”

“Perhaps. But you gotta live out a little you know? You can’t spend everyday just practicin’.” Hiroi said.

“Well, as long as I’m striving for my goals, then I’m living life to the fullest, as far as I’m concerned!” Yoyoko said, moving away from Hiroi. “Anyway, see you later, onee-san. I have to go home. Got some unfinished homework to take care of.” Yoyoko said as she hurriedly walked towards the exit.

“Be careful!” Hiroi calls after her. Yoyoko just kept walking til she was out of sight.

“Oh, Yoyoko.” Hiroi said sadly. “What am i gonna do with you?”

-

“I considered all the different options, but I still can’t find anywhere for you guys to practice.” Sawako said, reading from a piece of paper.

“Easy for you to say..”

“Hey, I did my part too!” Sawako defended. “I asked for you to use the jazz club’s room, the science lab, home ec room, conference room, even the principal’s office! My heels were out so much in one day!”

“You did so much for us…”

“Thank you for all your hard work.” Mio said to Sawako.

“Should we just hold off practicing til we can use the clubroom?” Ritsu pondered.

“We can’t, the festival is getting closer.”

“Then why don’t you try a rental studio?” Sawako said.

“Rental studio?”

“Y’know, like in STARRY. Actually, you guys could probably just practice at STARRY now that I think about it.” Sawako suggested.

“It’s quite a trip though.” Azusa said.

“Well we’ll get to meet Hitori-chan and the others again, wouldn’t that be fun?” Yui said.

“W-well, i guess…”

“Then it’s settled! We’re going to STARRY! Pack up, girls!”

“Oh by the way, if you're going to STARRY, say hi to the manager for me.” Sawako said.

“O..kay…? Wait, did we miss something here?” Ritsu said. Mugi's eyebrows furrow, her radar picking something up.

“You better get moving if you don’t wanna be there too late.” Sawako said, dismissing the question.

“Hey! Uuu.. we’re not done here!” Ritsu said, as she and the others walked out the room.

The whole train ride to STARRY, Mugi was smiling from ear to ear. Nobody knew why and no one wanted to be the person to have to ask her. So they all just let her be for now. Technically, there’s nothing wrong with her good mood, anyway.

The same can’t be said for Azusa, however.

She has returned to the same melancholic state she was in yesterday. This of course, did not go unnoticed. Mio decided she should be the one to step in this time.

“Everything okay, Azusa?”

“Oh, Mio-senpai. I’m sorry, have you been talking this entire time? I was spacing out.”

“Don’t worry, Azusa. I was just wondering if you have anything you’d like to talk about?” Mio warmly smiled at her. Out of all her senpais, Mio always seems to be the most dependable, when she is not cowering in fear, that is. However, something in her (pride? Denial, maybe?) Forced her to stay silent about her internal conflict.

“It’s nothing, Mio-senpai. I’ll get over it in a bit.” Azusa lied.

Mio didn’t seem convinced by that. “We’re all worried about you, y’know? Yui and Ritsu have talked to me about you seemingly out of it. And I’m sure Mugi would also have the same concern if she ever noticed how you were the past few days. If you really have something to say, we’re always here, okay?”

But that’s the thing. You won’t be. Azusa had to fight the urge to retort that lie Mio just said to her. However, in the interest of keeping the conversation short, she merely smiled and nodded.

“Of course, Mio-senpai.”

“Oh boy, I can’t wait to practice with Hitori-chan and the others again!” Yui said, as they boarded off the train.

“Mm-hmm. I wonder if there has been any new developments between the four of them as well.” Mugi said.

“Huh?”

“Ritsu, have you messaged Nijika to tell her we’re coming?” Mio asked the buchou.

“Nah. Do we really need to? I’m sure when we get there, they’ll just welcome us and say..”

“You can’t use the studio.”

“What? Nijika, come on!” Ritsu was practically begging her fellow drummer.

Nijika crossed her arms. “Look, if you tell me ahead of time, we could have probably reserved the studio for you guys, but the fact of the matter is, the studio is already booked for the next week or so.”

“Nice going, genius.” Mio said, pinching Ritsu’s arm. Ritsu wailed in pain.

“A week? But we can’t wait that long, Nijika-chan!.” Yui said to Nijika.

“I’m sorry Yui-chan. I don’t like this either, just so you know. This meant my band’s practice time was cut tremendously. But does my money grubbing sister care? No!” She said, throwing her arms in the air.

“Please just stop talking about it…” Ryo said weakly from one of the tables. She’s been going on and on about her sister the past few hours. It's driving the rest of us nuts.”

“A-ah, maybe we can practice in my house? I don’t have a drum kit t-though…” Bocchi said.

“The gesture is appreciated, Bocchi-chan, but no. We don’t want to disturb your family. Why do you guys need to use the studio anyway?” Nijika turned to the group.

“We need to practice for the upcoming school festival.” Azusa said determinedly. “Our clubroom back at school is under repairs.”

“Another festival? O-oh boy,… who kept making these…” Hitori mumbled.

“I see.. “

“What do we do now, Ricchan?” Yui asked the buchou.

“Fret not! Let’s just look for other rental studios! Just so happens I actually still have some budget surplus for our club!” Ritsu said.

“Ah, Ricchan! I’m so glad you’re greedy!” Yui said, hugging her.

“Oi now…”

“Hmph. See, Ryo? Maintaining a budget is not a stupid idea.” Nijika said to her layabout bassist.

“Yet you refused to let me handle the band’s.”

“It becomes a stupid idea if you’re the one managing it.”

“Well, good luck, guys… Ahahahaha… I sure am glad I never have to deal with school festivals… heh.” Hitori said. “Uhh… why does saying it out loud make me feel like something terrible is going to happen…”

Right as Hitori finished that sentence, the door to the venue opened, and a girl steps in. “Oh my gosh, all of you are here! Why didn’t you tell me you guys were coming?” Kita said, descending the steps.

“Greetings, Kita-chan. Unfortunately, we were just about to leave.” Mugi said to her.

“Aw… come on… right as i arrived? You weren’t trying to avoid me were you?” Kita chuckled. “Speaking of avoiding, I think I saw Hiroi-nee-san outside on my way here.”

“Onee-san?”

“What was she up to?” Nijika asked wearily.

“Oh, I don’t know, she was just prancing around drunk as usual.” Kita shrugged.

“Well, she’s most likely coming here.” Nijika sighed. “I’d advise you guys to leave now if you don’t want to chance an encounter with her.”

“I like her. I think she’s funny.” Yui said.

“Noted. Let’s leave, guys.” Mio, on the contrary, would not chance an encounter with the unpredictable drunk.

“Oh, and by the way, tell the manager that Sawa-chan said hi.” Mugi said dreamily.

“We’ll see you later, everyone!” Yui waved to kessoku band as they left the venue.

“So what were you talking about before I got here?” Kita asked as HTT finally left the premises.

“Oh they were talking about their school f-”

“FOOTBALL MATCHES! T-they volunteered to be the water girls!” Bocchi suddenly said.

“H-huh?”

I can’t let Kita-chan know about them performing for the school festival! She’d definitely get ideas! Bocchi thought to herself.

“Well, anyone know any other rental studios around here?” Ritsu asked the group once they’re back out on the streets.

“I thought you suggested the idea because you know where to go.” Mio said.

“I’m merely taking suggestions! Anyone?”

“I know a place!”

“Alright, who said that? “ Ritsu turned around, frowning when she found out who had said that.

Hiroi was there, a big smile on her face, raising her hand. Like Kita had said, she is certainly drunk currently.

“You all tried STARRY yet?”

“We were just there. The studio is not available for a week.” Ritsu replied.

“Really? Drats.” Hiroi said, scratching her head. Suddenly, her face lights up. “Oooh, I know where you could go!”

-

“Welcome, welcome! This is my base of operation! FOLT!”

Hiroi led the girls into another livehouse, FOLT, claiming that they also have a studio like STARRY that the group can use to practice.

“This place is kind of scary… It’s not like STARRY at all!” Mio said from behind Ritsu.

“Calm down, Mio! It’s the same type of place!” Ritsu remarked.

“Gin-chan! Oi, oi!” Hiroi greeted a man sitting by one of the tables in the venue.

“Huh?” He turned towards the group, a piercing gaze on his face.

All the previous air of confidence left Ritsu immediately at the sight of his unfriendly face.

“So much for all that talk.” Azusa mumbled.

“This is Gin-chan! The manager for this place!” Hiroi introduced the man to the girls.

“Ah, Hiroi! You didn’t tell me you’re bringing such cute little friends here!” Ginjiro said, immediately switching into a friendly demeanor once he got a good look at the group. “My name is Ginjiro Yoshida, 37 years old, punk rock is my favorite type of music!”

“The contrast between how he looks and how he talks must’ve taken you all by surprise huh? I won’t blame ya!” Hiroi said, as the girl watched in astonishment. “Gin chan’s an old man with a heart of a pure maiden!”

“O-oh, ah.. We’re here to rent the studio.” Ritsu stammered.

“Oh, you can come and use our studio anytime, darling! Since you’re all still in highschool, i won’t charge much for it! It’s always nice to see such young unadulterated talents taking interest in music!” Ginjiro said.

“Ah, thank you so much, Ginjiro-sama. It is a pleasure for you to be so accommodating for us.” Mugi said to Ginjiro, bowing as she does.

“No need to be so formal, dear. You can just call me Gin-chan.”

Mugi giggles. “Then thank you so much for the support, Gin-chan!”

“Ah, but I’m afraid you've come at a bad time. The studio is currently under use.”

“Eh?”

“Ah, but they’re probably willing to share, they’re nice girls. Hiroi, why don’t you take them to the studio?” Ginjiro said to Hiroi.

“On it!” Hiroi said, giving a salute. “Right this way, girls.”

Hiroi led them even deeper to the venue. This livehouse was way bigger than STARRY.

“Everyone here is so nice!” Yui said.

“They are! I’m so happy about that.” Mugi replied.

“Everyone here is friendly! They might look intimidating, but they're really just a bunch of big softies!” Hiroi said to the girls. “Shima and Gin-chan can be kind of scary if you get drunk or break studio equipment though… so make sure not to do that!”

That advice was so oddly specific that everyone was sure it only ever applies to Hiroi.

“Anyway, we’re here.” Hiroi said, stopping at the door. Azusa could hear a bunch of muffled dialogues and muted guitar playing from the other side. What will they find inside? Hiroi rapped her knuckles on the door.

-

“No, no! That’s not how you play it!”

“Ohtsuki-senpai, we’ve been at this for hours now. Can I atleast take a break?” Fuko pleaded.

“But everything has to be perfect! We need to be number one!”

“Just let her rest, would ya? She looks like her arms are gonna fall off.” Akubi said from her drumkit.

“Then she’ll be an armless spirit! Ooh, that’s interesting! Are you guys getting this?” Yuyu said to nobody.

“Err, who are you talkin’ to?”

“My spirit friends, of course!” Yuyu said, as if Akubi just asked a silly question.

“Right. They’re not behind me, are they?”

There was a knock on the door. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards it.

"That better not be one of them ghosts." Akubi muttered. Her concerns were unfounded, however- as seconds later, Hiroi barged into the studio.

“Onee-san!” The four girls exclaimed.

“Are you guys still practicing? Can I borrow the studio?”

“Why? I thought SICK HACK doesn't have rehearsals today?” Akubi asked.

“It’s not for me! It’s for my friends! Girls, come on in, don’t be shy!”

Five girls stepped into the room. The smallest one immediately gasped as she spotted them.

“Uhh, Nakano, what’s with you?” The frontmost one, a short girl with sandy brown hair, said.

“S-senpai! Don’t you know who these girls are?! They’re SIDEROS!”

“Si-what now?”

“SIDEROS! Only the recently most popular teen indie metal band in Japan?!”

“Never heard of em.” The brown haired girl said. She immediately realized the implications of her words as she turned to the band. “Uhh, no offense.”

“Oh boy.” Fuko said.

“You’ve done did it now, newbie.” Akubi said, smiling behind her mask.

“I’ll prepare your casket and make sure your transition to the afterlife goes smoothly.” said Yuyu.

“Huh? What did I do?” She turned towards Yoyoko, whose face was red and looked ready to explode.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF US, SIDEROS?” Yoyoko shouted. “OUR SONGS HAS BEEN NUMBER 1 ON THE RECENT JAPAN’S MONTHLY INDIE CHARTS! OUR OHTUBE AND TWITTA FOLLOWING AMOUNTS TO A MILLION FOLLOWERS!”

“She’s inflating the numbers, right?” Akubi whispered to Fuko.

“IT WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE FOR US TO NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOU INSTEAD, WHICH IN FACT, WE DON’T! WHAT INSIGNIFICANT WORM DARES TO DISTURB THE GREAT SIDEROS’ PRACTICE SESSION?”

“D–dude, calm down! You're scaring Mio!” The girl Yoyoko was shouting at gestured towards her other friend, who was crouching with her hands covering her ears.

“Take me back home! I’ll take my chances with Sawa-chan! Just please take me home!”

“Mio chan…”

“Ohtsuki-chan.” Hiroi said, for once dropping her airy manner of speaking.

“A-ah, Onee-san…” Yoyoko, finally realizing what she just did, cowered under the scrutinizing look of her mentor.

“Let’s talk for a bit shall we?” She nodded off towards the exit. You girls get to know each other. And someone get this girl a cup of water or something.” Hiroi said, gesturing at the still cowering Mio.

Yoyoko walked outside the studio, not sparing a glance at the group of newcomers eyeing her with a mix of interest and concern. Hiroi closed the door on her way out.

“Onee-san-”

“Ohtsuki-chan, what was that?”

Yoyoko flinched. Hiroi didn’t sound mad at all. It sounds more like she’s disappointed, but why?

“I-i simply have to defend my honor! I am the great vocalist of SIDEROS! How could someone just say they don’t know who we are so nonchalantly? They should be trembling under the shadow of an uprising star.”

“Oh, Yoyoko, you need to humble yourself if you ever actually want to be respected in the industry.”

“B-but-”

“I simply wanted to bring these girls here to give em’ a chance and do em’ a favor. Surely you remembered them? Haven’t I talked about them before?”

Yoyoko's eyes lit up. “So is this that “kessoku band” you’ve been talking about?”

“Huh? Oh, no. That’s… a different band.”

“How many highschool bands do you even know, Onee-san..”

“Point is, I see much potential in them, just like SIDEROS. And I personally think they’d be good for you too.”

“!! W-what does that mean?!”

“Well, you could do with some friends…” Hiroi bluntly said.

“I have friends!” Yoyoko defended.

“Outside the band?”

“Y-yeah..!? All the people that have come to watch us perform, and my many followers on TWITTA!”

“Those don’t count.”

“.... What about the staff I talked to at the music store?”

“Come on, Yoyoko, at least give them a chance?”

“They’re not worthy to be in my presence, I don’t even know what their band is called!”

Hiroi put a hand to her forehead. Normally, her brain doesn’t see much usage, but it’s clear she has to think of a different approach to convince Yoyoko to let her share the studio with Ho-Kago Tea Time.

“Won't having some newbies that you’re able to boss around and gloat to sound enticing?” Hiroi said.

“Huh?”

“Think about it. Your bandmates already know how great you are. And these girls don't even know who you are! So isn’t this an opportunity for you to show them who SIDEROS truly are and how great you are?”

“Well, I'm- and SIDEROS, by extension, IS great.” Hiroi could see gears moving in Yoyoko’s head as she thought. “Fine! Someone needs to educate these girls anyway! If they don’t even know SIDEROS, what kind of music do they even listen to? Urgh, I bet they only listen to those dumb garbage they play on the radio!”

“Well, go on and ask them, then.”

“I will!” Yoyoko said as she walked back to the studio.

-

“Sorry about senpai.” Fuko said to the newcomers.

“It’s fine. Mio-chan just gets scared easily.” Mugi said, waving her hands.

“Mommy…I’m scared.”

Ritsu sighed. “Whats your senpai’s deal anyways? We just got here and she immediately screamed at us?”

“That’s just how she is.” Akubi lazily said from her drumkit. “Ever prideful, oh Yoyoko-senpai. You not knowing who we are probably offended her greatly, since she thinks we’re the hot stuff.”

“Are you the hot stuff?” Yui innocently asked.

Akubi chuckled at that. “You guys really don’t know who we are, huh?”

“Forgive my senpais for their insolence, Hasegawa-san! They don’t mean what they said about your band!” Azusa bowed and apologized in one breath.

“Calm down, girl. I didn’t say it was a bad thing. Honestly, Yoyoko-senpai’s probably the only person who cares that much about popularity and numbers in our band.” Fuko and Yuyu nodded at that. “Finally meeting someone who doesn't just see us as the “popular SIDEROS” and treat us like actual people is nice, y’know?”

“O-oh… then forgive my insolence instead!” Azusa bowed again. Akubi chuckled.

“You sure love apologizing, huh? How about instead of that, you tell me your names?”

“O-oh, my name is Nakano Azusa! I-i’m such a fan of your music! And here are my senpais, Hirasawa Yui, Kotobuki Tsumugi, Tainaka Ritsu, and the one currently cowering, Akiyama Mio.” Azusa gave a quick introduction of the band,

“Yo, sup.” Ritsu nods.

“Pleasure to meet your acquaintances.” Mugi said cordially.

“Nice to meet you, Mask-chan!” Yui greeted.

“Mask-chan?” Akubi giggled at that. “I like your style, girl. The name’s Akubi Hasegawa, this here is Fuko Honjo, and that there is Yuyu Uchida.” Fuko smiled at them while Yuyu gave a little wave. “The one that just shouted at you back there was our senpai, Ohtsuki Yoyoko. And together, we’re SIDEROS!”

“What a lineup.” Ritsu said, eyeing all of them.

“What’s your band called?” Yuyu asked them.

“Oh, it’s Ho-Kago Tea Time!” Yui chirped.

“That’s a cute name!”

“We didn't pick it.” Ritsu sighed.

Fuko moved towards Mio and kneeled next to her. She handed the cowering girl a glass of water.

“Drink up, Akiyama-san. It’ll help your nerves.”

“T-thank you.. “ Mio said, picking up the glass.

“So what brings you here?” Akubi asked.

“Our clubroom at school is being renovated! We need a place to practice in the meantime!” Yui said.

“I see. For how long?”

“A week, mostly!”

“Hm. Well it shouldn’t be a problem really. If Gin-chan have no objections then I think it should be fine.” Fuko said.

“Well that is if senpai’s willing to cooperate.” Akubi wearily said. "But chances of that are-"

“Great news everyone, I am willing to cooperate!” Yoyoko said, as she barged into the room.

“That was easier than expected.”

“You!” Yoyoko pointed at the person closest to her, which just happened to be Azusa, who squealed in surprise at the gesture. “What’s your and your band name again?”

“N-nakano Azusa from Ho-Kago Tea Time, ma’am!”

“It’s settled! From now on, I will also be your mentor and senpai to help you navigate the world of bands! Ho ho ho!” Yoyoko lets out a (what she hope is) regal laughter.

Her three members just trade glances. Ritsu looked utterly confused, while Mugi smiled weakly.

“Being mentored by Ohtsuki Yoyoko from SIDEROS herself? Someone pinch me! I must be dreaming-” Ack! Yui-senpai, not literally! It’s a figure of speech!”

“Ho-ho-ho! you better believe it, girl! And first of al-”

“Ohtsuki-san, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Huh? What is it, onee-san?” Yoyoko turned towards Hiroi.

“You know, maybe you should… apologize to them first?”

Yoyoko looked utterly perplexed at this. “A-apologize for what..?”

Hiroi sighed. “Just tell them you’re sorry. I can’t believe you’re making me the responsible one here.”

“S-so… sauwrree…?” Yoyoko said, struggling to even pronounce the word, as if it was foreign to her.

“Close enough.” Ritsu said. “Mio, do you forgive her?”

Mio, who was still sitting on the ground, just eyed Yoyoko warily, and gave a silent nod.

“Excellent! Then I’ll leave you guys to it! And remember, Ohtsuki-chan, don’t raise your voice at your friends.”

With that, Hiroi left the girls on their own in the studio. All the other girls turned towards Yoyoko with expectant gazes.

“Alright! Then let’s start with your guitarists! Which one of you is the guitar?”

“Ooh, me! Me!” Yui said, enthusiastically raising her hand to the air.

“Yui-senpai, behave!” Azusa chided. “Me, as well, umm.. Ohtsuki-senpai!”

“Ha ha, yes! Refer to me as Ohtsuki-senpai!” Yoyoko was thoroughly enjoying this. Akubi rolled her eyes. “You, play me a F chord!” Yoyoko said, pointing at Yui.

“Yes, ma-am-senpai!” Yui said, taking out Giita out of her bag and putting the strap around her.

“Well?”

“Uhh… which one is F-chord again, Azu-nyan?”

Azusa could almost feel herself die a little inside once Yui said that. “Senpai! We went over this multiple times! Hold your fingers like this!” Azusa instructed, putting her own fingers on her muttan to demonstrate it.

Yui followed Azusa’s example and played the F-chord. “I did it! Thanks Azu-nyan!”

“Uhmm senpai…”

“No, no NO! I’m the senpai here, wh-WHAT just happened? Why are you tutoring your senpai on how to play the guitar?”

Azusa flushed. “It’s a really long story, senpai…”

“Azu-nyan’s a great teacher!” Yui said, causing the kouhai flush even deeper.

"WHAT? But I’m supposed to be the great teacher! This simply won’t do! Play a C chord next!”

“Right! Umm, Azu-nyan?”

“Like this, senpai.”

“W-what? NO! Stop teaching her!”

“Eh? Why?”

“I’m supposed to be the teacher, I- GAHHH!!!”

“You guys have quite the dynamic.” Akubi said.

“Tell me about it.” Ritsu replied. “Uhh, so is it true? You guys are supposed to be popular?”

Akubi chuckled. “In the indie scene, sure. So I won’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of us, even if we’re "technically" popular.”

“Mio, what does indie mean?” Ritsu whispered.

“It means self-published music, you baka! Are you a real musician?”

“Alright geez, calm down.” She glanced at Akubi again. “So you’re the drummer, then?”

“Uh-huh. Been drumming since elementary.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yup. Bought my first drum kit myself from the money I’ve saved up after years of doing side gigs. First it was just small acts, you know, maybe filling in for the drummer at a local comedy club, before I moved on to actual musical acts, like filling in for some of my acquaintances at a local community college or FOLT. Sometimes I also fill in for Shima-senpai too if SICK HACK needs to rehearse and she’s not available. I also tutor some of my friends’ little siblings at school. They surprisingly pay really well. Anyway, that’s how I got this baby.” Akubi said, crashing one of the cymbals on her drums. “So what about you? You’re the drummer in your band?”

Ritsu blinked comically at this exposition, suddenly feeling inadequate. “Umm.. yes. I-i play drums. It goes clang, clang.”

Mio meanwhile, was sitting with Yuyu in the corner, trading stories about how their respective band leaders rejected their lyrics.

“I worked really hard on them, you know! But the baka rejected all of them! Does she even appreciate all the work I’ve done for the band?”

“That’s a shame, Akiyama-san. I’m sure your lyrics are great!” Yuyu said sympathetically.

“Yeah.. do you… do you maybe want to read some of them?” Mio said, shyly.

“I’d love to~”

Mio’s eyes lit up at that. She took out a neatly folded piece of paper out of her bag. “Here, please judge it yourself!”

Yuyu unfolds the piece of paper and began reading it. She starts to chuckle lightly as she did.

“W-what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Akiyama-san. You write really cute lyrics~” Yuyu said.

“I, ah, umm… I suppose you could say that.”

“I love this line about penguins.”

“Right? I think this might be my magnum opus!” Mio said rather passionately.

“I would agree.” Yuyu said, handing back the piece of paper. “Do you wanna read the lyrics I proposed to Ohtsuki-senpai?”

“O-of course!”

Yuyu handed her a piece of paper in turn and handed it to Mio. As she began reading, Mio could feel her soul starting to leave her body. These lyrics! W-what are they describing? It’s so… graphic! Mio had to stifle the urge to shriek.

“T-they’re-your lyrics, they’re really, umm.. d-descriptive.” Mio stuttered.

“Thank you, Akiyama-san! My friends would love to hear that!”

“Oh, did Akubi-san and Fuko-san helped you write the lyrics?”

“Hm? Oh, no. My other friends helped with it.” Yuyu giggled.

“Other friends?”

“Yep, my ghost friends.” Yuyu leaned closer to Mio.

Mio immediately paled after hearing that. “G-ghost???”

“Mm-hmm. They’re really helpful in finding inspirations. They really seem to like you too, Akiyama-san.”

“Y-you mean, T-they’re HERE?”

“Yes! One of them is sitting next to you! She really likes you! Akiyama-san, what’s wrong?”

Mio had fainted in a sitting position, becoming unresponsive to her surroundings.

“Oh no, silly ghosts. I think you might’ve broken her!” Yuyu said, to no one in particular.

Fuko, witnessing this, stepped in to revive Mio, before she caught a whiff of a homey scent in the air.

“What the.. This smells like..”

“Tea?”

Fuko turned around to find Mugi, holding out a cup of tea.

“Ah, Kotobuki-san, you made tea?” She said, as she retrieved the cup of tea from the heiress.

Mugi nodded. “Just “Mugi” will suffice, Fuko-chan. I always prepare tea and cakes for my band before we practice.”

“Whoa, really? Wait, and cakes? You brought cakes?” Fuko asked.

“Mm-hmm. It’s in my bag. Do you want some?”

“Oh, no, thank you. They’re for your band, aren’t they?”

“Nonsense. I always prepare extra, because Yui-chan always asks for more when we eat. You can have some if you want, Fuko-chan.”

“Oh, well. If you insist.”

Mugi opened her bag to take out a large box. From it, she took a slice of a strawberry cake and handed it to Fuko on a plastic plate.

“This tastes superb, Mugi-chan!” Fuko said, after taking one bite.

“Ahahaha. Thank you.”

“Did you make this yourself?”

“Oh, no. It’s a gift from one of my father’s business associates. Since my father is not personally a fan of sweets, I usually take them to school to feed my bandmates.”

“Is that so, Mugi-chan? What does your father do?”

“He’s the head of our family business, Kotobuki enterprises.”

Fuko sprayed some of the tea she was drinking. “Your father runs THE Kotobuki enterprises? One of the biggest companies in Japan?”

“I thought my name would’ve been a giveaway.” Mugi just smiled politely at that.

“U-uh, in that case, I apologize for any of my previous rudeness, Miss Kotobuki.” Fuko bowed.

“What? I told you to just refer to me as simply "Mugi", Fuko-chan.” Mugi frowned.

“But-”

“Just like how you don’t like it when people don’t treat you as individuals because you are a part of SIDEROS, I also don’t like it when people treat me differently because of my father’s job. So please, Fuko-chan. You don’t need to act any differently around me.”

“W-well if you say so, Mugi-chan. It’s just- I’m a bit shocked, y’know? That was quite a bombshell you just dropped on me.”

“Is that so?” Mugi giggled. “In that case, just forget about all of that, Fuko-chan. Just think of me as Mugi, a friend in your music endeavors.”

“Aye, aye, Mugi!” Fuko gave a mock salute. Mugi chuckled.

“Hirasawa Yui!” Yoyoko barked.

“Yes, Yoyo-chan?”

“Y-Yoyo-chan? Nevermind that for now! How are you this bad? We practiced this just 3 minutes ago! How could you have already forgotten how to play it?” Yoyoko exasperatedly asked.

“Ehehehe…. I tend to forget how to do things after I learned something new..” Yui said sheepishly. Azusa covered her face in embarrassment.

“What?!” Is this girl really that airheaded to have literally forgotten something they just learned minutes ago?! How is she able to play so well when she’s this dense? Yoyoko couldn’t comprehend any of this at all.

“Okay, then play me this bridge!”

Yui played the bridge effortlessly on her guitar.

“Now this ending part!”

Flawless playing.

“Now the beginning!”

Yui paused. “Ehh…”

“GAHHH!! It’s like this!” Yoyoko puts her hand on top of Yui’s and begins guiding her fingers through the motion.

“Waaah… Yoyo-chan…”

“What?”

“You have really nice hands.. They’re small and soft..”

Yoyoko immediately retracted her hand as if she just got electrocuted. She suddenly noticed how close Yui and her were, and scooted herself away from her.

“Eh, Yoyo-chan, what’s wrong?”

“H-hirasawa Yui! Stop saying stupid things!”

“Eh? But it’s like, my thing!”

Yoyoko hears a snort from behind her, turning around to find Akubi, who had been watching the interaction with a smirk on her face (at least, that's what she assumed was happening behind that mask ).

“Yes, Akubi? What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing, senpai. You’re enjoying this, huh?”

“What?? NO! She’s a really polarizing student!”

“Woah, thanks, Yoyo-chan!”

“That wasn’t a compliment!”

“Huh? So then what does “polarizing” mean?”

Akubi snorted again.

“Ohtsuki senpai… I’m so sorry about Yui-senpai.”

“Nnnggnhhh!! How is this possible? How come you, the younger one, have a better grasp in playing than your supposed senpai?”

“Well, I’ve been playing longer than her, technically. Since middle school. She just started in high school.”

“That’s true!” Yui confirmed.

“Well that explains some of it. But how come you still lack basic knowledge like how to properly tune your guitar?!”

“I just tune by ear!”

“Y-you- what?”

“Here!” Yui re-tuned her guitar and played a chord seamlessly.

“I-wh- You have perfect pitch!”

“She does.” Azusa sighed.

“How????”

“I don’t know.” Yui simply answered.

“It’s best to not think about it, Ohtsuki-senpai.”

Yoyoko fell onto her stool. Lady luck really does only smile on those who do not deserve it.

“Hirasawa Yui! How long have your band’s been going?”

“Oh- uhm… 2 years?” Yui said.

“Nearly 3.” Azusa corrected.

“Then tell me, what does your band do with all their time for you to still lack basic musical knowledge?”

“We eat lots of cakes- and drink lots of tea that Mugi-chan brought to the club! They’re so tasty! You should try some, Yoyo-chan!”

“You just eat sweets? You don’t even practice?!”

“We do practice. Sometimes.” Azusa’s defense began crumbling as she said it.

“Yeah, sometimes we play songs, too! Mio-chan writes them!” Like this one! Yui immediately started an impromptu solo of one of her band’s songs. Yoyoko’s jaw dropped at the amount of expertise the airhead showcased in her playing.

Yui eventually finished the performance, and everyone in the studio clapped.

“That was Curry with rice!”

“Senpai-”

“What is it, Azu-nyan?”

“That was Fuwa-fuwa time…”

“Oh, oops! I meant to play the other one!”

“But you did play it well.”

Yoyoko could hear Akubi snorting from behind her again.

-

“These girls just doesn’t make sense!” Yoyoko said as she paced around FOLT’s backstage room.

“Uh-huh. They don't?” Hiroi whispered to the rest of SIDEROS next to her.

“Nah.”

“They’re fine, very adorable, even~”

“They were very pleasant.”

“No they weren’t! The skills they’ve displayed simply just don't match the amount of knowledge they seem to possess!” Yoyoko objects. “Like that Hirasawa Yui! I refuse to believe she is that skillful when she lack the simplest of knowledge! How does she play so well?! And how come the youngest of them all, that Nakano Azusa, seems to be the guitar mentor and the mature one? This makes no sense!”

“I think you might be overthinking this, Ohtsuki-chan.”

“No I’m not! From what I’ve gathered from the incessant blabbering of that Hirasawa Yui, the only thing the band does during their meeting time is drink tea and eat cakes! (Fuko burped at that, letting out a very embarrassed “excuse me!”) They never practice! So how come she’s able to play so well!!??”

“I think senpai might just be jealous of how skillful Yui is without trying as hard as her.”

“Huh? I-I AM NOT JEALOUS! CEASE THESE STUPID BABBLING AT ONCE, AKUBI!”

“Alright, alright geez. Just stop yelling.”

Hiroi sighed. “Every band has their own dynamic and their own way of playing. Who knows? Maybe lazing around and putting in the bare minimum is their style.” Hiroi said.

“Yeah if SICK HACK can remain popular with Hiroi nee-san being the way she is, why are you even surprised a band like Ho-Kago Tea Time exists?”

Hiroi nodded. “Yeah, exactly! Wait...”

“I’m gonna get to the bottom of this!” Yoyoko said determinedly. “I need to figure out what secret makes them be able to play well despite all their slacking!”

“Aw, you missed them already~”

“What? NO!” Yoyoko vehemently denied.

Still, a part of her can’t deny that she awaits her next encounter with the band. Merely due to her fascination with their practicing habit, that’s all!

-

The next day arrived, and Yoyoko decided to show up early again to FOLT. This time, it was so she can be the first one there to interrogate Ho-Kago Tea Time and uncover the truth! Those “tea times” they speak of must be some sort of secret training regimen! Yes, that's it! Well too bad for them, Yoyoko was here to expose them for the frauds they are, yes!

She was about to open the door to the studio when she noticed sounds coming from behind the doors. What? They’re already here? She could’ve sworn she could’ve heard Akubi’s voice in there as well. What should she do? Damn those bandmates of hers! They're never this early normally! Should she just enter and join them? No, she got an even better idea!

Yoyoko backtracked through FOLT and made her way to the security room. That's it, she could just listen in on their conversation from one of the security cameras. She’s such a genius! She spotted them on one of the screens, and was proven right. There seated Ho-Kago Tea Time, together with her bandmates. Traitors! Yoyoko needs to make sure to punish them accordingly after this. She turned up the audio from the security footage.

“Your tea is simply superb, Mugi-chan.”

Mugi smiled. “Thank you, Akubi-chan.”

“Ah, I can finally relax..” Yui said.

“Oi now, we didn’t come here just to relax.” Mio chided.

“I’ll practice after this cup of tea!”

“I’ll drink to that! Cheers, Yui-chan!” Yuyu said, raising her cup.

Yoyoko clenched her fist. Damn! Don’t get close to the enemy, you fools!

“Why don’t we use this opportunity to review lyrics?”

“Oh you guys are writing a song?”

Yoyoko perks up at that. Wait. This could be huge. She gets to see the inner workflow of HTT. Has her bandmate been subtly helping her? Maybe she’s been too harsh on them.

“Who wants to go first?” Ritsu asked the table.

“Me! Me!”

“Yui senpai? You actually brought lyrics?”

Yui took out a piece of paper out of her bag and cleared her throat.

“Rice is amazing, it goes with anything! Ramen, udon, okonomiyaki, it’s a dream collaboration-”

“Stop. we heard enough.” Ritsu said, putting an end to Yui’s nonsensical lyrics.

“Eh, but the bridge is the best part! Ichi, ni, san, shi, go-han!”

The table remained in deadpan silence. “The title is “Gohan wa Okazu!”

“Let’s see yours, Mugi.”

“Eh…?”

So far, this has been going as well as Yoyoko has expected. Hirasawa Yui has, of course, shown nonsensical lyrics about rice, which Yoyoko has no doubt she herself had written given the stupidity of the topic. She was surprised that Tainaka Ritsu even let her go first if she had expected her to fail, though admittedly- Yoyoko find the bridge a bit amusing. Drats! Why is she siding with Hirasawa Yui? It was just good word play, okay?

“Watch this, Yui-chan!” Mugi said, standing up. “The piercing cold wind is blowing. Yoshie cornered the criminal into a cliff. Kenichi san, you are, you are, YOU ARE the culprit!”

“Denied. We're writing a song, not a crime novel.”

“Eh?”

What was that? Were those even lyrics? Yoyoko was getting even more confused by the minute. How is this band even functional?

“Azusa, you’re next.”

Azusa stood up, took one glance at the paper before hiding her face behind it. “Umm- do I have to read this out? I’m not very confident in them.” She said shyly.

“Let us hear it!” Yui said.

“Come on Azusa!” Fuko cheered.

“Embarrassing myself in front of SIDEROS… I’m so done.."

Azusa began reciting her lyrics, “I know you always look at me as you sway, Look at me, No, don’t look!”

“Yes, that’s it!” Ritsu said enthusiastically. Akubi whistled from beneath her mask.

“I know it won’t be long now, so please wait for me…Ton-chan.”

All of HTT collectively felt their faces drop at that, while SIDEROS just looked on in confusion. Fuko starts awkwardly clapping before stopping when no one joins in.

“It’s a song about Ton-chan?”

“Who’s Ton-chan?” Akubi asked.

“It’s our club’s pet turtle.”

“Ritsu-senpai!”

“What? You’re the one who wrote a song about feeding a turtle!”

“That’s it, I'm never writing lyrics again.” Azusa hid beneath her paper, embarrassed to have been rejected in front of her idols.

Now this is just confusing Yoyoko even more. That song was about… feeding a turtle? But it started out so good! Is this band just filled with idiot savants?!

“And what did you write, Ritsu?”

“Here!” Ritsu said, pulling out her piece of paper proudly.

“How much is the salmon roe… Not picking up the phone.. Cats are sick…?” Mio read aloud.

“Hahaha! None of those are lyrics, they just sound funny!”

“Write lyrics!” Mio exclaimed

“What about you, Mio-chan.?” Yuyu asked the fellow bassist.

Mio’s face immediately lights up at the request. “What about Raccoon’s newly washed love, or Giraffe rin-rin+?”

“Ehhh….” Akubi trailed off. Fuko simply smiled politely.

“Mm-hmm! Maybe my spirit friends have some thoughts on these… You mind handing them over to me for us to review?~”

“M-my lyrics, b-being reviewed by ghosts…?”

Yoyoko couldn’t stand more of this idiocy. How could Hiroi-nee san have seen potential in this band? All they do is eat food and write lyrics about eating food! She’s willing to bet that “kessoku band” is probably just gonna be the same as this. But this does not alleviate her suspicions at all. How come a band as lackluster as this be so good in performing? This requires more intimate observation, she thought, leaving the security room.

“By the way, where’s Ohtsuki-senpai?” Azusa asked.

“Yeah, where’s Yoyo-chan? I want to share all these tea and cakes with her!” Yui said, holding out a plate of cake.

“Huh. She’s not here yet. Now that you mention it, we’re the one who ended up here earlier than usual.” Fuko said.

“She’s so excited to meet you again, yesterday too~” Yuyu said.

“Really? From the sound of it, she seemed fed up with us.” Ritsu mumbled.

“That’s just how senpai shows her appreciation. Trust us. We would know.” Akubi said, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, she goes hard on you, but really, it’s because she cares.” Yuyu added.

“It’s just a shame that because of that, none of us ever managed to get close to her.” Fuko said sadly.

“Eh, but isn’t Yoyo-chan’s your buchou? Like Ricchan!” Yui asked.

The three girls looked at each other.

“Well she just insist on keeping her distance. It’s hard to reach out to her.” Akubi began.

“And trust us, we tried.” Fuko added.

“The one time she actually reached out to us, we weren’t able to go with her, which was unfortunate. We really have to make it up to her somehow.” Yuyu concluded, and the other two nodded.

“B-but, forgive me if this might be a bit too personal.” Azusa said. “Isn’t SIDEROS notorious for it’s constantly changing lineup? Rumor has it that, Ohtsuki senpai is the cause of that.”

Akubi paused for a moment before answering. “Well, I won’t deny or confirm that, since it’s work related. But, it is true that Ohtsuki-senpai has really high standards. She takes her goal of making SIDEROS be number 1 very seriously. And that means everyone in the band needs to be someone she thinks is capable of bringing her closer towards that goal. The fact that we make it this long seems to indicate that she’s confident in us.” Akubi said.

“Yeah. We know that most of the time, she merely see our relationship as a professional one, but all of us see her as a friend.”

“A very stubborn and controlling friend.” Akubi said, which earned her an elbow from Fuko.

“But a friend nonetheless! I do hope she learns to mellow down a bit and see us the same way, given she stuck with us this long~” Yuyu added.

“Well, that was a bit more personal than what I thought this lyrics sharing session would entail.” Akubi joked, which made Azusa blush.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s fine, really. So, what are you gonna do now with the lyrics?”

Ritsu sighs. “If push come to shove, we’ll just use Mio’s-”

Ritsu was interrupted by the door being slammed open. “Everyone, I’m here!”

“Always one for a dramatic entrance.” Akubi remarked. Next to her, Mio was clutching her heart, reeling in from the shock.

“Yoyo–chan!" Before Yoyoko managed another word in, Yui had tackled her into a hug. Yoyoko blushed furiously at the contact. When was the last time she's been hugged by someone that’s not her parents? She momentarily lost herself to the embrace, before realizing people were watching.

“H-hirasawa Yui! What was that? You can’t just hug people out of the blue like that!” Yoyoko said, shoving the brunette away.

“Huh, does Yoyo-chan not like hugs?”

“I-” It would be a lie to tell her that she didn’t like the hug, but she can’t just say that with all her bandmates watching! Damn this girl and her quirks! Somehow, she can feel Azusa giving her an understanding look.

“N-nevermind that! Hirasawa Yui! Why are you just sitting around and drinking tea? Don’t you all need to practice?” Yoyoko said, pointing at her.

Azusa jerkily stood up. “You're right, Ohtsuki-senpai! Come on you guys, let’s practice!”

Yui and Ritsu groaned, but eventually got up and walked towards their instruments along with the others. Yoyoko in turn, approached her band members. “So! Getting chummy with the enemy, huh?”

“Ohtsuki-senpai, they’re not an enemy.” Fuko said.

“I don’t wanna hear it! Why are you all sitting around drinking tea instead of practicing?”

“You haven’t had a taste of this tea, have you? Trust me, when you do, the thought of practice won’t even cross your mind!” Akubi said, as she held out a cup for Yoyoko.

“Stop being hyperbolic!”

“It’s true~ This tea seems to hold some special quality to it… a powerful aura…” Yuyu said, staring deeply into her cup of tea. “That, or it’s just a good blend.”

“Oh yeah, Yoyo-chan! I saved some cake for you! Want a a bite?” Yui said, holding out a piece of cake on a fork in front of Yoyoko’s mouth.

“Hirasawa Yui, wha-hmph!” Yoyoko’s words were interrupted as Yui shoved the piece of cake into her mouth. As her tongue came into the soft, spongey texture of the cake, she immediately entered a state of bliss she has never experienced before.

“Here, have some tea while you’re at it.” Akubi handed her a cup of tea.

Yoyoko was in heaven right now. Is this it? Has she finally figured out the reason why HTT slacks so much? This tea is just so-so good! No, wait! She can’t fall for this trap! She immediately broke out of her trance.

“Nice try! I know what you were trying to do, Hirasawa Yui! It might work on my susceptible bandmates, but not me! I won’t fall for your ruse!”

“Susceptible bandmates?” Akubi said, raising an eyebrow.

“Eh, so Yoyo-chan doesn't like cake? Oh i guess I’ll finish this on my own then.” Yui said sadly.

Yoyoko sputtered as Yui brought the cake away. “What- I-i mean is- I’m fine with them every once in a while..”

“So you like it?” Yui said, extending her arms to offer Yoyoko the plate of cake.

“Yes…” Yoyoko's face lit up. “I-i mean, no! Not at this very moment…”

“Oh, okay then…” Yui retracted her arms.

“B-but if you’re having trouble finishing it… it’ll be fine to-”

“Geez, senpai. Is it that hard to admit you want the cake?” Akubi interrupted.

“What? No, i don’t! I was just-was just-”

This is fun, Yui thought to herself. Azusa, who's been silently observing, felt a rush of nostalgia induced embarrassment. She just have to pray for Ohtsuki-senpai's able to bear with Yui’s senpai’s antics for the next couple of days.

-

“Uuuu… still needs to think about those lyrics…”

Yui was now back in the comfort of her own home, papers scattered in front of her as she scribbled out dozens of proposals for lyrics that never came to be.

“Onee-chan! I peeled some pears.” Ui said, carrying a plate to serve to her sister. “What are you doing?”

“We're all supposed to contribute lyrics for a new song…” Yui said as she kept scribbling.

“You wrote lyrics? Can I see?” Ui moved towards one of the papers strewn about.

“Sure.”

“This is great, onee-chan!” Ui said, in a genuinely appraising tone.

“I think so too, but no one seems to be interested.”

“I think it’s creative.”

“No matter! I’ll stay up all night to finish these lyrics and present them to Ricchan!”

“Are you sure you want to push yourself that hard, onee-chan?”

“I’ll be fine, Ui. Umm, these pears are so good!” Yui said, as she began stuffing her face with the sliced pears Ui brought.

Ui studied the lyrics for a moment. “Do you want my help, onee-chan?”

“Eh, really? You’d do that for me? Thank you, Ui!” Yui cheered, causing Ui to smile in response.

“So are you having fun at that new livehouse you’re practicing in temporarily?” Ui asked as she began jotting down some of her revisions to Yui’s lyrics.

“Mm-hmm! Everyone’s so nice! There’s friendly people too, like Akubi-chan, Fuko,-chan, and Yuyu-chan!”

“They all sound lovely.”

“They are! Akubi-chan is strong and gentle, Fuko-chan is nice like Mugi-chan, and Yuyu-chan is funny! She tells ghost stories that scare Mio-chan’s socks off!”

“Oh, poor Mio-san.”

“And there’s Yoyo-chan! She’s the leader of their band, SIDEROS. She looks mean and unfriendly, but she's secretly a softie! Just like Azu-nyan!”

Ui giggled at that. That does sound remarkably like her friend.

“Mou, Ui. Have you noticed Azu-nyan acting weird lately?” Yui asked her sister.

“Hm? Not that I’m aware of, onee-chan.”

“She’s just been distant lately… I’m worried about her.”

Not many are aware of how perceptive Yui can be, especially when it comes to her friends. So Ui is more than inclined to believe her sister's concerns.

“I’m sure she’s fine, onee-chan. If she needed your help, she would’ve told you, no?” Ui tried to assure her sister.

“I guess…” Yui said, taking another one of the pear slices from the plate. “Mmm, Ui, these are so good! You’re the best!”

Ui smiled at the comment. “Thank you, onee-chan! You’re the best, too!”

-

“Writing lyrics is hard…”

HTT are currently gathered at FOLT again, still trying to brainstorm new ideas for lyrics.

“Is this really your songwriting process?” Yoyoko said, observing all HTT members, who were currently spacing out and laying their head on the table as they think.

“Well, what’s your process, Ohtsuki-senpai?” Azusa asked curiously. “Can you tell us how you write lyrics for the band?”

“Ehh…” Yoyoko stammered, attempting to visualize her creative process. Memories of her just goofing around and watching mentos cola videos played in her head.

“W-well! It takes a lot of reading and cross-referencing existing songs to-”

“Don’t listen to her. Her process is pretty much the same as you guys.” Akubi cuts in Yoyoko’s spontaneous lie.

“Perhaps you could use some extra helping hands? Some of them are just spirits of severed hands, however…” Yuyu said ominously.

“NO, thank you!” Mio immediately said, not entertaining the thought. “Hey, wait a minute..”

“At least you look confident, Yui-chan.” Fuko said.

“Hm! I already wrote three songs!”

“Sure you did.” Ritsu said, her head still laid on the table.

“No, really! Here!” Yui shoved a pile of papers onto Ritsu’s face.

“Huh, what? You actually did?”

The rest of the group approached Ritsu to read the lyrics Yui had brought.

“It’s really cute.” Fuko said.

“Y-you're even using rhymes?” Mio asked.

“Eh, isn’t this just the rice song from yesterday?” Yoyoko accidentally slipped out.

“Huh? What do you mean, senpai? You weren’t there when we were sharing lyrics.” Akubi said.

“U-uh, actually, Hirasawa Yui herself showed me the lyrics after practice!” Yoyoko sputtered.

“Eh, I did?”

“Yes, you did!”

“Oh, I guess I did.” Sometimes Yoyoko have to thank the gods above for Yui’s blatant stupidity.

“You write this all by yourself, Yui?” Mio asked her.

“Ehehehe… Ui might’ve been helping me a tiny bit.”

All her band members stared at her for a moment, all thinking the same thing. Ui definitely wrote this entire thing.

“Who’s Ui?” Akubi asked.

“She’s my little sister! She’s the best! She takes care of me, cooks me meals everyday, and she helps me with my homework!”

“Sounds more like you’re the little sister.”

“Right?” Ritsu said.

“Oh, I really want you guys to meet her! She’d love you guys!”

“I guess we’re using Yui’s lyrics then?” Mugi asked the buchou.

“Well, none of us came up with anything else, this is as good as it gets.” Ritsu said.

“Eh? You really just gonna decide on lyrics just like that? No market test or gauging audience’s reactions or anything?” Yoyoko asked, baffled.

“Huh? What do you mean?” HTT all looked at her in confusion.

“Nevermind.” Yoyoko forgot who she was talking to.

-

“Bye, guys!” Yui said to SIDEROS as they parted ways after leaving FOLT.

Well, most of them, anyway. Turns out, Yoyoko commutes in the same direction as HTT. Which made the situation a bit awkward for the vocalist.

"Stuck with the enemy... drat! Should've just waited them out like yesterday.." Yoyoko muttered.

“Ohtsuki-chan, you live further from FOLT?”

Yoyoko jerked up. “Y-yes. I commute between here and my house.” Now not within the confines of the livehouse, Yoyoko feels herself mellowing down. Sometimes she wonder if the environment of FOLT is one of the reasons for her intense go-getter attitude.

“Whoa, kind of like Hitori-chan!” Yui said.

“Hi-hitori-chan?”

Yui nodded. “She’s our other guitarist friend! You really should meet her Yoyo-chan! I think you guys are gonna hit it off well!”

Yoyoko somehow doubts that, given how eccentric Yui is, she would just assume any friend of hers would be far from “normal”. Though, painful as it is to admit it, Yui had manage to grow on her quite a bit, just barely.

“Geez, just imagine Yoyoko and Hitori together, that’d be a disaster.” Ritsu whispered to Mio.

Right at that moment, Yui can feel her phone buzzing in her pocket.

“Oh, It’s Ui! Perfect, I get to introduce you, Yoyo-chan!”

“No, you don’t have to-”

“Hey, Ui! Why’d you call? Do you need me to buy something for dinner?” Yui said as she picked up the phone. “We’re just finished with practice, I’m heading home right now! Yeah! Uh, Ui.. what’s wrong?”

Yoyoko observed Yui, whose face grew increasingly worrier as the call continues.

“Ui, are you okay? Please hang in there, I-i’m on my way!”

“Hirasawa Yui, what’s wrong?” Yoyoko asked.

“I-it’s Ui! She’s sick!” Yui cried.

The whole train ride, Yui was restless. Her bandmates kept trying to comfort her, to no avail. Finally, once they reached their stop, Yui sprung to the exit, bringing Yoyoko with her.

“W-wait! This isn’t my stop!”

“Yoyo-chan! I’m gonna need your help!” Yui said panickedly. “The more hands I have to help Ui, the better!” Yui babbled almost incoherently, tears all over her face.

“Yui, Yoyoko probably needs to get back home… It’s late.” Mio said, attempting to comfort her guitarist.

Yoyoko took another glance at Yui’s pathetic display. Looking at her now just feels her with a great sense of pity. Yui's sobbing features reminds her of a sad little puppy, and just like a sad little puppy, only a heartless monster would turn away from the sight and not help it.

“I’ll come with you guys.”

“Eh, senpai, but what about-”

“I’m not gonna turn away a friend in need.” Yoyoko determinedly said. She herself was surprised at the words that slipped out of her mouth. Friends? Weren’t she just clamoring about how Yui is her enemy just now?

“Ah, Yoyo-chan! Thank you so much!” Yui said, jumping up to tackle her into a hug.

“Ah, Yui! Your sister, remember?”

“Oh, you’re right Yoyo-chan! Come on everyone, Ui needs us!”

Yui ran the entire trip back to her house, Yoyoko in tow. The other band members followed behind, trying to keep up with Yui’s surprisingly agile movement. When it came to her sister, Yui became a different person entirely.

“We’re here, Okaeri!” Yui said hurriedly as she takes off her shoes. Yoyoko and the other pants behind her.

“O-onee-chan, you’re home… I prepared some tea..” Ui weakly said as they all steps into the house, weakly carrying a tray of tea.

“UI!!” Yui exclaimed.

“What? Ui, get some rest!” The others chided.

After taking the tray off her hands, the band- plus Yoyoko, escorted Ui to her room and put her to bed.

“Well, if that’s all, we best be off now, Ui can't properly rest with all of us hovering over her." Mio said.

“But what am I supposed to do with Ui?” Yui said desperately at her friends.

“D-dont worry… I’ll help you, onee-chan.” Ui said, getting up from her bed.

“You’re the one who’s supposed to be helped!” Azusa chided, pushing Ui back to her bed.

“I’ll help you.”

Six pair of eyes turned towards Yoyoko. She blushed.

“But Ohtsuki-chan, aren’t you supposed to be home? It’s getting late.” Mugi said.

“It’s fine. I have the day off tomorrow from school. I can stay here for the night and help you take care of your sister, Yui-chan.”

“Yoyo-chan…” Yui said with glossy eyes.

“Well, in that case, we’ll be off.” Ritsu said, getting up. Everyone else followed suit. “Get well soon, Ui.”

Ui just nods silently. Yui and Yoyoko see the others out the door.

“Are you really fine with this, Ohtsuki-chan?” Mugi asked again.

“Yeah, I’ll just call up my parents and tell them what’s up. I think they won’t mind.” Yoyoko answered.

“Is that so… well in that case, have fun on your sleepover!” Mugi beamed.

“Goodnight, guys.” Mio said, as she and the others left the Hirasawa residence.

Now it’s only the two of them in the house, plus Ui. Yoyoko suddenly realized what she just agreed to.

Oh god.. A SLEEPOVER? I’ve never had one of those! Yoyoko internally panicked.

“Don’t worry, Ui. I’ll make sure to take care of you just like you’ve taken care of me in the past.”

Yoyoko turned, in all her time knowing Yui, she'd never seen Yui this determined before, certainly not with practice.

“Ah, how about we cook her a meal?” Yoyoko suggested.

Yui turned towards her. “That’s a wonderful idea, Yoyo-chan!” Yui beams at her. “Oh, but usually Ui cooks for me, so I don’t know what to make.”

“Well, you don’t need to worry, cause I, the great Ohstuki Yoyoko, is here to help!” Yoyoko said, returning to her prideful self.

“Waaaah, thank you so much, Yoyo-chan!” Yui hugged her for what feels like the thousandth time today.

“Y-yeah, but please let me call my parents first.”

Yoyoko’s parents were surprisingly chill with Yoyoko spending the night at a friend’s house. In fact, they seemed ecstatic that Yoyoko finally found herself some friends she could spend time with, instead of hanging out with that “drunk from the livehouse.”

“Well, they said they’re fine with it.” Yoyoko said as she hung up.

“Okay! Then let’s get cooking for Ui-chan!”

“Hmm… what should we make…”

Upstairs, Ui couldn’t rest peacefully as she heard all the loud clangs and commotion coming from the kitchen.

"I can’t sleep when i’m worried about you, onee-chan!" She mutters to herself.

After an hour of preparation, Yoyoko and Yui finally finished the dish they’ve cooked up for Ui.

“This looks so good, Yoyo-chan!”

“You know it, it’s because I made it!”

“Yeah, it’s because we made it!” Yui reiterated.

“Yeah, we made it..” Yoyoko said to herself. She never cooked a meal with someone other than her mother before. This feels… nice. You know, if you removed it from the context of the meal being for her friend's bedridden little sister.

“Let’s deliver it to Ui!” Yui said, picking up the plate and running up the stairs.

“Yui, wait, slow down!” Yoyoko said,

“Ui! We made you dinner, oh-”

“Shhh!” Yoyoko shushed. Ui was peacefully sleeping in her bed. “Let’s just put it here for now.” Yoyoko said, placing the plate on Ui’s desk.

“Oh, Ui. I’m so sorry. You must’ve caught this cold because you were staying up all night to help me finish those lyrics.” Yui said to the sleeping figure of her sister.

Yoyoko observed as Yui watched over her little sister. She seems deep in thought, a rare sight for the usually airheaded girl.

“Ne, Yoyoko-chan. I’ve been thinking.” Yet another sentence Yoyoko never thought she would hear from Yui.

“What is it, Yui?”

“I just tend to take what I have for granted. Like the clubroom. Now that it's being renovated, we have to look all over the place just to find somewhere to practice. Of course, I'm grateful that it led me to you, Yoyo-chan! But still… you never truly know what you got til it’s gone.”

That was much more profound than what Yoyoko would ever expect from someone like Yui. “Y-yeah, I suppose so.”

“Same with Ui… I’ve always taken her for granted. She did so much for me. And it pains me to see her like this.” Yui said somberly.

Yoyoko watched Yui for a moment, before deciding to speak up.

“Yui, I recalled Azusa asking me about my songwriting process earlier today.” Yoyoko said.

“Oh, and what about it, Yoyo-chan?”

“Well, Akubi said that my process is not unsimilar to yours, which is, just not true at all, by the way! Well maybe sometimes, but the point is! When I’m writing a song, I'll jumble up all the problems I'm facing, all the conflicted feelings I have in my heart, and I pour those into my lyrics. You could say it’s my way of venting. What I’m trying to say here is that you obviously have very strong feelings about your sister. Plus your recent realization of how you take the things you have for granted… why don’t you just write those into a song?”

“Eh? You think so, Yoyo-chan?”

“Yeah, lyrics that embody the author's feelings and passion is one that audiences resonates with most, given my experience in writing and listening to music.”

“You’re right, Yoyo-chan!” Yui said, suddenly inspired. “Do you want to help me write it?”

“M-me? Help you write it?”

“Yeah, you’re smart, Yoyo-chan! I’m sure you’d be able to help me, right?”

Yoyoko felt her face getting warmer. “O=of course I’m smart! What are you saying? Fine, then! I’ll help you write your song!”

-

Ui awoke the next morning to find her cold gone. She rose up from her bed, to find her sister and another girl dozing peacefully on her desk, with a now already cold dish, a joint effort from both girls to cook up a sick meal for her.

“Sunny side up on porridge?” Ui just chuckled at the sight, though she appreciates the gesture from her sister and Ohtsuki-san nonetheless. She noticed a piece of paper next to the two sleeping figures. Picking it up, she began scanning the page. It was lyrics for another song. Yui and Ohtsuki-san must’ve written it last night before falling asleep. The song was called..

“U&I?”

“Yup! I realized the value of something only when I have lost it! That’s the feeling I wanted to convey in this one!” Yui said to her bandmates.

“Did Ui help you with this one too?”

“No, she was sick! Actually, Yoyo-chan helped me with the lyrics for this one!”

Everyone turned towards Yoyoko, who was hiding her face behind the cup of tea she was drinking from.

“Is that so, senpai?” Akubi interrogated.

“Getting chummy with the enemy, huh?” Fuko added.

“So you wrote this last night in your house when taking care of Ui?” Ritsu asked.

“You were in Yui-chan’s house, senpai?” Yuyu asked.

“So what if I was! I just want to help a friend in need!” Yoyoko spat.

“Friends, huh? Well I’m glad you’re at least not avoiding the thought anymore.” Akubi finally said.

“Whatever. And of course it turned out good. I’m the one who helped write it!” Yoyoko stated.

“Yeah, Both of us wrote it!” Yui said.

“Well then, should we use Yui’s lyrics?" Ritsu raised the paper high up in the air. There were an unanimous support among all the band members. Yoyoko unknowingly also nodded, but quickly caught herself. No one noticed, but she could’ve sworn Akubi was smirking behind that damn mask of hers.

“It’s settled then, we’ll use your lyrics, Yui!”

“Yay!”

“But what about my lyrics..” Mio said with glossy eyes, hiding her face beneath her lyrics notebook.

“W-we’ll write two more songs, m-maybe three, heck, why not four!” Ritsu said, flailing her arms in an attempt to reassure the bassist.

As Ritsu scrambled to comfort Mio, Yoyoko cleared her throat. Fuko, noticing this, merely sighed. “I’ll prepare our instruments, Ohtsuki senpai.” she instinctively said.

“N-no, it’s not that. I have something to say to all of you.”

All eyes turned towards her. Yoyoko bit her lip, averting her eyes as she parse through her words.

“In the process of writing that song, it just got me thinking, you know, about taking things for granted… so I just, I just want you to know that I appreciate all of you- your hard work and contributions to the band! Yeah. It’s because of all of you that SIDEROS managed to make it this far.”

Her bandmates just stared blankly at her for a second. Yoyoko thought she might’ve said something weird, before they all smiled at her.

“Damn, that sleepover really changed you, huh? What did you two do alone in her house yesterday?” Akubi said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“What?! No, it didn’t! I’m just t-trying to show my appreciation here! GAH! And we didn’t do anything! Get your mind out of the gutter!”

Her bandmates chuckled.

“Of course, senpai.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“My spirit friends thank you too, but they still don’t like how you rejected their lyrics yesterday.”

“Right.” Yoyoko tried to ignore the implication of what Yuyu’s spirit friends might do to her. “I’m glad that you guys are a part of SIDEROS.” Yoyoko said.

“We’re glad to be a part of your band too, senpai!”

-

Unbeknownst to SIDEROS, one member of HTT had been intently watching interactions.

“Azusa-chan? Everything alright?”

It felt like someone asking her that question has been a recurring thing recently. Azusa looked up to find Mugi, looking over at her with worry on her face. “Nah, I was just, thinking.” She glanced at the senior.

“Hm. Is it about the song Yui wrote?”

Is it? Well maybe partly. The song and what Ohtsuki-senpai had just done made her think about her situation more clearly. She loves her senpais greatly, even if their practicing habits leave something to be desired. They’re her most trusted friends and confidants. In some ways, Azusa has also noticed how much she had fallen in line with her senpai’s behaviors. She initially thought it was a bad thing, but now, she’s not so sure.

Graduation is edging closer. And that means Azusa would finally have to bid farewell to her senpais. She doesn’t know if she’s ready for that goodbye. Maybe she’s exaggerating a little, but just the thought of one day finally walking up into the clubroom to find it empty just saddens her greatly. Yet time catches up to all of them eventually. Her current problem is not one with a solution. So for now, Azusa has to just brace herself to accept it when the time comes.

“Yep. I’m fine, Mugi-senpai. That song just got me thinking, is all.”

“Hm, about what? Do you share the same sentiment with Yui about the clubroom and Ui-chan?”

“Ah, uhm- you know.. I was just thinking about Ton-chan, and how one day I'll have to leave him behind when I leave the club.” Azusa blatantly lied.

Mugi however, seems to catch on to what Azusa was really thinking, as she smiled sadly. “Well, just so you know, Azusa-chan. When that day comes, you and Ton would still carry on all the memories you shared together. So even if you physically left, those moments are never truly gone.”

Azusa just nodded stiffly. She tries her best not to show any sort of emotion that might reveal her state of mind.

“The funniest thing just passed in my mind.” Mugi absentmindedly said. Azusa looked over towards her, silently asking her her thoughts. “Well, i just think that somehow, you and Yoyoko-chan are really similar.”

“Eh, how come?”

“That’s what makes it funny. I don’t really know. Maybe both of you just share some characteristic or personality trait that I subconsciously link with each other.” Mugi elaborated. “Or maybe it’s just the twintails, you know, one of the two.” Mugi rubbed the top of her kouhai’s head before leaving to refill the kettle.

She’s gonna miss those headpats too.

-

“Thank you for all your previous hospitality.” Mugi said, bowing to the FOLT ensemble. A week has passed, and their clubroom would be back in business tomorrow, so today will be the last day they’re practicing at FOLT.

“It’s nothing at all, dear. Please, come back anytime you’d like, you are always welcome!”

“Please, have some of these as a token of our appreciation.” Mugi handed Ginjiro a box of cake with some tea packets alongside it.

“Ah, strawberry! My favorite! Don’t you know the best way to get to a man’s heart is through his stomach? Are you trying to capture my heart, Tsumugi-san?”

Mugi just giggled. “Well i’m glad you liked it, tenchou.”

“It’s sad to see you guys go…” Yuyu said sadly. Couldn’t you stick around longer?”

“Yuyu, come on now. They still have a festival to prepare for, don’t they? It’s best if they could do so in a more stable and distraction free environment.” Fuko said.

“Yea, sure. Not that it matters.” Azusa mumbled.

“You all are invited to come, if you want!” Yui beamed. We’ll be happy if you guys can make it!”

“Well, then we won’t miss it! You better rock our socks off, ya hear?” Akubi said.

“We will!” Yui said confidently.

“Hm, senpai, you’ve been awfully quiet.” Akubi said, as she noticed her usually loud vocalist humbled.

“What? No. i was just thinking.”

“Sad to see your friends go?” Akubi sneered.

“As if! I'm just glad to have the studio to ourselves again!” Yoyoko said, turning away and striking a classic tsundere pose with her arms crossed.

“Aw, we’ll miss you too, Yoyo-chan!” Yui said, tackling her into a hug. It’s weird how familiar this feels to Yoyoko now.

“You better come to our concert, or else… I’ll be mad at you!” Yui pouted.

Yoyoko felt a smile making its way to her face. She slowly returned the hug. “Of course, Yui. I’ll be there.” She said softly.

“Do actually come by if you have the time.” Yuyu said. The rest of the band are more forward with their sadness. “Me and my spirit friends will sorely miss you all.”

“Hear that, Mio? Ya better not keep those spirits waitin’! Else they come for you, wailing, “Why did you leave me… MIo-cwaaan…” Ritsu teased.

Mio paled and stepped on Ritsu’s foot in response.

Yui finally lets Yoyoko out of her embrace. She gave the fellow guitarist another smile before stepping away with her other bandmates. “Bye everyone! See you at the concert!” Yui waved.

SIDEROS waved at them until they were out of sight, Yoyoko smiling contently as she watched them go. She suddenly realized that everyone was looking at her.

“W-what?!”

“So, Ohtsuki-chan.” Hiroi finally said. She has been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole farewell. But now she was grinning at her protege. “I see you actually made some friends.”

“We’re just mere acquaintances!” Yoyoko denies.

“So what was that thing about helping a friend in need?” Akubi teased.

“Shut up!” Yoyoko said, covering her face in embarrassment.

“Well, I’m glad you managed to make some new friends, Ohtsuki-chan.”

“Don’t forget about your old ones though!” Akubi said.

“Yeah, don’t be sad that they left, senpai!” Fuko added.

“We’re always here for you! In my spirit’s friends case, they even watch you sleep~”

Yoyoko, for once, doesn’t reject the idea outright. She looked up at her friends and smiled.

“Thanks, guys. I’m glad you’re all a part of my SIDEROS, but moreso, I’m glad that you’re my friends.”

-

“Ah, clubroom-san! How i miss you!” Yui said, as she stepped into the now no longer off-limits clubroom. She began smooching the floor.

“You’ll get sick if you keep doing that, Yui.” Ritsu said wearily.

“I miss this place too. FOLT was nice, but this clubroom just holds a special place in my heart.” Mugi said.

“It’s where we made all our memories.” Mio said. The other nods.

“I think this calls for a celebration! Let’s play a song!” Ritsu announced.

“Hai!”

“Azu-nyan, come on! Time to practice!”

Azusa never thought she would hear Yui say that to her. She glanced at the other seniors, who were already standing by their instruments.

“Well? Let’s play while we still can!” Yui held out her arm for Azusa to take.

Azusa knew Yui meant that in the context of finally getting the clubroom back, but the other implied meaning was not lost on her.

“Sure, senpai. Let’s play til we blow the roof off this room.” Azusa said, taking Yui’s hand.

“Well maybe not to that extent. We don’t want this room getting renovated again!”

Chapter Text

“What lovely weather!”

Mom opened up the curtains in my room to let some light in. Another day of summer break, Dad is lounging around in the living room watching soccer matches while Futari and Jimihen ran all over the house chasing each other, mom going around the house cleaning up after them.

What about me, you ask? Heh. It’s my first summer after joining a band. Our first concert was a success! And in celebration, this summer, I’m gonna live it up to the fullest.

NOT!

It’s summer break, and I’m not doing anything differently! Day in and out, all I’ve been doing is sitting in the comfort of my room playing this guitar. Well, playing guitar is fun and all, but I would’ve thought kessoku band would hang out together during the break. Bandmates hang out with each other, don’t they? I even cleared my schedule from anything aside from work! Of course it's usually clear regardless, but.. but keeping it clear has a totally different feel to it!

Still, even at work nobody suggested the thought of hanging out. It's always, “See you next time at work, Bocchi-chan!” O-of course if we all gathered, the time would probably be better off to use for practicing, but still.. Just this once… I’d like too.. Hm! That’s right! I can’t stay passive forever!

Hitori opened up the band’s group chat. No one has sent any messages since Nijika asked for someone to cover for her shift tomorrow. Her finger hovered over the keypad, but she stops.

I-if I’m the one to bring it up, I’ll have to be the one to pick the time and place, a-and I can’t think of a plan that’ll satisfy everyone! Hitori panicked internally. No! I just have to work up the courage! Hitori looked down at her phone again, this time already displaying Nijika’s LOINE profile. I’ll start with Nijika-chan!

Hitori stared intensely at her phone. If one were to look at her right now, they would think she’s trying to focus on reading something important on her phone, but a closer guess would be a girl trying to telepathically call her friend with her mind.

She didn’t end up calling Nijika.

It’s too late to call now. Hitori thought to herself, fully aware of how she intentionally did nothing for the last 3 hours. She can hear her mother calling her for dinner downstairs. T-there’s still more summer break left, no need to rush or anything, ha ha! Hitori thought, as she laid down on her futon. She’ll do it tomorrow for sure!

.

.

.

The general theory of relativity states that the passing of time greatly slows in the presence of a powerful gravitational force. The black hole, theorized to exist through space, is believed to be the end state of a massive star’s life cycles. Their extreme density and gravitational pull means that not only matter, but even light, becomes forever trapped in their pull. The gravitational field causes time to slow so much that it nearly stops.

“Hitori-chan, I’m coming in!” Her mother said from outside her room.

It’s been a week. Hitori still pondered over whether to call Nijika or not, and to this day she still hasn’t done it. Instead, she's been binge watching space documentaries. It started as a way for her to procrastinate on inviting the band to hang out, but now she had fallen deep into the rabbit hole. She laid for days in her room just staring at her phone for hours straight on top of her futon.

Well, she did that for the last couple of days, right now she was just laying down on the bare floor.

“I’ll air out the futon for now. The air is nice, why don’t you spend some time outside?” Her mother said to her, as she carried her futon outside.

“Ehh….”

Futari, who was also in the room with her, observed her sister's inactivity and returned to writing her summer report. “Sis is doing nothing again, real funny.”

-

Today is a beautiful summer day, and one girl decides to take the opportunity and spend it the best way she can.

Tainaka Ritsu hopped off her train and walks aimlessly along the street, just enjoying the weather. The sun was out at its highest point now that it’s noon, but a rare pleasant summer breeze made the atmosphere quite nice for one to spend outside. Yes, it truly was the right call to go out today.

Which is why she doesn’t understand her friend’s refusal of her invitation to go out today. Today was such a pleasant day, and she decided to hole up in her room instead, doing what? Studying? Ritsu shivered at the thought. She took out her phone from her pocket, and decided to call her childhood friend.

“Moshi-moshi?” Mio said from the other end of the line.

“Ha, you answered! Mio, where are you right now?”

Ritsu could hear Mio’s frustrated sigh from the other end. “I told you, I’m at home, you baka.”

“Why? It’s such a nice day out, let’s go out and play!”

“The summer study session starts tomorrow! I need to study!”

“Can’t you do it tonight?”

“Going out makes me tired and sleepy. I’ll pass.”

“What? What’s more important here? Me or studying?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. See ya.” Mio hung up the call.

“What a bummer that girl is.” Ritsu pouts, before dialing her number again.

“Moshi-moshi?”

“Little missy… what color is your panties?”

“WHAT THE- STOP CALLING ME YOU WEIRDO!” Mio shouts, immediately ending the call.

Ritsu chuckled. Now that she had her fun with Mio, she should really find things to do. She intentionally took the train here because she thought of visiting some friends to see if they wanted to hang out. She looked around again to configure her surroundings, before spotting a familiar blonde hair amongst the crowd.

Mugi? What’s she doing here? Ritsu thought, as she hid behind one of the buildings along the street. Mugi doesn’t seem to notice her presence, simply continuing her walk.

Where is she going? A thought began brewing in Ritsu’s mind. Hehe. I’ll surprise her!

Mugi took a turn, and Ritsu followed. Ironically, to her surprise, Mugi was nowhere to be seen.

Huh? Where’d she go?

“Waah!”

“EYAAAHHH!!” Ritsu jumped, turning around to find Mugi behind her. “Mugi, you scared me!”

“I noticed you were following me, so I decided to surprise you!” Mugi said, smiling innocently.

“Yeah you got me, alright. Serves me right.” Ritsu mumbled, still recovering from the shock.

“It’s rare for us to run into each other out of school like this, Ricchan.”

“Yeah. Where’re you goin’?”

“The summer study session starts tomorrow. I wanted to finish my shopping today.”

“Oh. Well, do you have some time to go out and play today? Mio flaked out on me, so…”

Mugi didn’t immediately respond, staring blankly at her before a wide smile make its way to her face.

“...is that a yes?”

“Just a moment, please!”

“Huh? What’s with the englis- wait-”

Mugi had already scurried over to the side to make a phone call. “Hello, this is Tsumugi. Can we reschedule the shopping trip today to a later date? Yes! Thank you!”

“I’m free! I’m very free!” Mugi said, moving way too close for comfort towards Ritsu.

“I-i see…”

“Well, where are we going, Ricchan?” Mugi said enthusiastically.

“Hmm well, since we’re already around the area… why don’t we stop by at STARRY?”

“That sounds wonderful! We’ll get to meet Hitori-chan and the others, let’s go Ricchan!” Mugi said, taking Ritsu’s hand and pulling her along.

“W-wait, Mugi! Slow down!”

-

“Something the matter, Kita-chan?” Nijika asked her bandmate, as she cautiously approached her. Kita had a worried look on her face, and looked like she was lost at what to do.

“Yes! It’s Gotoh-san!” Kita said, voicing her concern. “Don’t you think she’s been acting weird lately?”

The four of them were currently working their day shift at STARRY. Since it’s summer, the livehouse starts operation earlier than usual to take advantage of people being on vacation at this time of the month, though it still means lazy days like this one sometimes, because most bands still book night and afternoon time slots for performances. Nijika was standing behind the bar counter with Ryo lazily leaning in front of the counter next to her, Kita standing on the other end, pouring out all her worries for her fellow guitarist.

“Bocchi-chan, acting strange?”

“Yeah, she’s been staring off into space, and she barely talked in days.”

“Sounds like typical Bocchi to me.” Ryo said blankly.

“Yeah Kita-chan, maybe you're just a bit-” Nijika paused at that thought, recalling back to how Hitori was yesterday, sputtering out things like “astaxanthin” and “canthaxanthin”.

“...over exaggerating.” Nijika finished, though not as certain as she was when she began that sentence.

“I’m not! She could be on the verge of tears in one minute, and spontaneously dancing the samba the next!”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Nijika conceded.

“Typical Bocchi.” Ryo said, unmoved.

“It is not!”

“Oi, you three! Can you tell Bocchi-chan to quit it?” Seika interrupted. She was carrying a plastic bag, evidently just finished running some errands before returning to STARRY. “She’s been making cicada graves in front of the club all day.”

“That’s too out there! What got her like this?”

“Maybe because it's almost the end of the summer?” Kita suggested.

“I don’t wanna go to school either.” Ryo said.

“Say, guys. Did any of you invite Bocchi-chan out this summer?”

“Huh?”

“One time when you all were working, I asked her how she was spending her time off. And she said..”

“..Uuumm, my little sister asked me to teach her guitar so I did.” Bocchi said to Seika.

“Really? That’s great.”

“B-but.. “

“W-what she wrote down was- "I asked onee-chan to teach me how to play guitar today! I thought it was awesome how she stayed inside all day, always practicing her guitar! I have too many things to do and too many friends to play with this summer, which is why i can’t stay inside and practice guitar like her all day! That’s why i think it’s awesome"!”

Her summer report sent me into a spiral that caused me to not get out of my bed for 3 days.”

“I-i see…”

“B-but I cleared my schedule!”

“What?”

“Not because I have nothing to do! I promise that!”

“Anyway. That’s what she told me.” Seika said, finishing off her recollection

“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Nijika said to her sister.

“I wanted to invite her.. But my schedule’s packed everyday I’m not here, and I thought she wouldn’t be comfortable hanging around people she doesn’t know.. So I didn’t invite her.” Kita said. “What about you, Ijichi-senpai?”

“Well, when we’re not practicing, I’m at home taking care of the house and working here, so..”

“R-ryo-senpai?”

“I thought you two had invited her out already.” She said simply.

“Y-you mean…”

“No one invited Bocchi-chan out the entire summer?” They all said in tandem.

“You guys really should reconsider your band name.” Seika said.

Nijika and the others ran out of the venue to confront Hitori. “Bocchi cha-”

“Maa, Hitori-chan, is something the matter?”

“Docosahexaenoic acid… Eicosapentaenoic acid…”

“Uhh.. should we get someone?”

At that moment, Nijika’s eyes met with one of the two figure standing over Bocchi, which just happened to be-

“Nijika! There you are!” Ritsu greeted, waving at her.

“Nijika-chan, do you have any idea what’s happening with Hitori-chan? She’s been muttering the names of prescription medications this entire time.” Mugi said.

“Ahahaha, sorry about that! Gotoh-san, please come back to us!” Kita desperately said, as Hitori continued burying more cicadas.

“Why are you guys here?” Ryo asked the pair.

“Oh, right. We were just in the area and we thought maybe you guys wanted to hang out? Summer’s almost over after all, so let's make the most of it!” Ritsu replied.

“Almost over…”

“Gotoh-san!!”

Nijika glanced at Ritsu, and then back at the current state of her guitarists. “Bocchi-chan? Hear that, Ritsu-chan is inviting us out! What do you say?”

“Hmh..?” Hitori momentarily returns to a conscious state.

“Yeah, Gotoh-san. It’ll be fun, don’t you say?” Kita added.

“F-fun.. Yes, fun…”

“It’s settled then! Hahaha!!” Kita immediately took hold of Hitori’s hand and helped her stand up.“Where are we going?”

“Well you guys are more familiar with the area. I thought of taking Mugi to an arcade. You guys know if there’s any around?” Ritsu asked.

“There’s an arcade just around the corner! Come on, I’ll bring you guys there! Kita-chan, you carry Bocchi-chan!” Nijika said.

“Huh?”

“Onwards, then! Lead the way, Nijika!”

“Gotoh-san, I promise that we’ll make those summer memories for you!” Kita said determinedly at the still somewhat unconscious Hitori.

“What’s up with Hitori, anyway?” Ritsu grabbed on to the easiest topic to start a conversation.

“Oh, she just realized she wasted her summer vacation.” Ryo said bluntly.

“What? You guys don’t hang out at all during summer vacation?”

“Of course we do. We hang out at work and during practice.”

“You guys still practice during summer break?” Ritsu seems taken aback by this.

“The grind never stops.” Ryo said. Ritsu had no idea what that meant.

“Well, anyway, what have you been doing this summer, Ritsu-san?” Nijika asked.

“Well, we went to Natsu Rock festiva-”

“You went to Natsu Rock?!” Nijika stopped at her tracks, turning around to face Ritsu.

“Err… yeah. Sawa-chan had some spare tickets cause all her friends flaked out on her.”

“Lucky.” Nijika pouts, continuing her trek. “Those tickets cost a fortune. I wanted to go too!”

“There’s always next year, Nijika. And the bands performing this year are all overrated anyway.” Ryo chimes in.

Nijika rolled her eyes. “Yeah sure, Ryo. After all, you have the better music taste when you follow Saudi Arabia's EDM charts or whatever.”

“Exactly.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Ryo just shrugged. “It’s a shame, but music festivals aren’t exactly rare to come by. There’s already another upcoming one. MIka-mikakunin, something, I forgot. We can even be the one performing there for that one.”

Nijika sighed. “I admire your optimism, at least.”

“How far are we to the arcade?” Ritsu asked, already tuning out of the conversation the moment Nijika brought up Turkish radio charts or whatever.

“We’re almost there.”

“Hey, Mugi, isn’t this exciting? You’ve only been to the arcade once before right? Ritsu turned to Mugi, but Mugi was wholly focused on something else. Her gaze was fixed on Kita, who was supporting Hitori with her shoulder as they walked together behind them.

“Mugi?”

Mugi immediately turned around, blushing furiously as she did. “Ah, sorry Ricchan. I- i was lost in my own head, Were you saying something?”

“Well, Nijika was just saying we’re almost there, so I was just-”

“We’re here!”

Sure enough, they’ve arrived in front of the arcade. Ritsu glanced at Mugi, who was now staring in awe at the building like she was a kid on christmas morning.

“Gotoh-san, wake up! We’re here.”

“Methamphetamine…”

“Waaaah! Ricchan, what is this sparkly-chandelier looking thing?” Mugi said, enthusiastically pointing to one of the machines in the arcade, jumping up and down like a kid in a candy store.

“You’re still impressed every time, huh?” Ritsu asked fondly. “That’s a coin game.”

“What about that one with the steering wheels?”

“That’s a racing game.”

“There’s a fishing pole there!”

“Yeah.. that’s a fishing game.”

“There’s so much! What do we do?”

“Hmm, well for starters…”

“Oh, what about that one?” Mugi pointed to an arm wrestling game.

“Wait- Mugi!” Ritsu finds herself once again being pulled away by Mugi, with a surprisingly strong grip for someone who looks so gentle.

“Well, guess they’re out.” Nijika said, watching Ritsu attempting to beat (and failing) the arm wrestling game. “So, what do we want to do, gang?”

“Oh, is there a karaoke booth? I’d love to sing with you guys!”

Kita immediately felt Bocchi jitter violently in response to that.

“Well, maybe not. Any other ideas- Ryo, where are you going?”

Ryo didn’t respond and just kept on walking. Nijika snorted. “Seriously! What is up with her!” She and the others follow behind.

Ryo eventually stopped in front of one of the arcade games. The band looked up to find-

“Guitar hero?” Kita said, reading the title printed on the machine.

“Wh- that’s not me! I swear!” Hitori immediately woke up. “W-wait, where am i?”

“Gotoh-san! You’re awake!”

“Bocchi. Care to join?” Ryo said, picking up one of the guitars from the machine.

“A-ah, i don’t know…”

“Gotoh-san! Try it! I bet you’ll do great!”

“A-ah, you think so..?”

“Yeah, Bocchi-chan! Go for it!”

“Ehehehe… alright..” Bocchi said. Praise is her one true weakness, she’ll go along with anything if she ended up praised for it. She picked up the other guitar hooked to the machine.

“Urgh, they don’t have any of the good stuff.” Ryo mumbled to herself as she scrolled through the song selection.

Bocchi stares at the screen in horror as she is greeted with seiyuun songs as far as the eyes can see. Before she could faint again, she noticed a song that she recognized and told Ryo to pick that one.

“This one? Huh, i didn’t think you’re the sort of person to like this type of song, Bocchi.”

“I-i don’t… but it’s better than most of the songs in there…” Bocchi said, conveniently leaving out the fact that it’s a pop song that she recently covered on guitarhero’s channel, which meant she still memorized most of the chords needed to play it.

“Well, get ready, Bocchi.” Ryo said before turning to the screen. Hitori followed.

“Woah, Gotoh-san! You’re really good at this!” Kita said, as she watched Bocchi’s performance.

“Really..? Ehehehe…”

“Eyes on the screen, Bocchi.”

“H-hai..!”

As she expected, the song was easy enough as she still memorized most of it, and she went through the entire thing seamlessly with very little effort.

“A 100? That’s amazing!”

“You even beat Ryo!” Nijika said.

Hitori looked over at Ryo’s 98. She just shrugged.

“I missed a couple of notes.”

“Can you play this one next, Gotoh-san!?” Kita said, scrolling through the song list.

“Ack!” As expected from the resident extrovert, she picked the most blatant and shameless seiyuun song out there. It’s so bad that even Ryo had to turn away in disgust.

“Yeah, I’m not playing that.” Ryo said, taking off the guitar and placing it back onto the machine.

“Eh? Then I’ll play with you, Gotoh-san!” Kita said, immediately picking up the guitar that Ryo put down. “What do you say?”

“A-alright..”

Dammit! If only she can say no..

“Yay!”

The song started, and the two guitarists immediately got into it. It took a bit for Hitori to get familiar with the song, but once she did, she played it seamlessly just like before. The song is somewhat repetitive (Hitori internally bemoan the current state of the popular music) which made it easier to memorize and get to know the patterns.

“How could you play it with no trouble at all?” Kita said in disbelief, struggling to keep up with Hitori’s pace.

The song ended, and Hitori looked up to find another 100 greeting her on the screen. “Aw, man! I only got 86! You’re so good at this, Gotoh-san!”

“Ehehehe…” Hitori scratched the back of her head.

Ryo silently observed Hitori, a mischievious glint flashing in her eyes. She scrolled through the song selection before settling on one.

“Bocchi. Play this one.”

“Ryo. You can’t be serious.” Nijika deadpanned.

Hitori looked at the screen. It’s an English song, and the title is also in English, so she can’t really decipher it.

“Well, get ready, Bocchi.” Before she could object (not like she can, but having the option would be nice) Ryo had already started the song. Hitori returned her gaze to the screen. Nijika just sighed.

It started off simple enough, just a standard country rock song. Bocchi could hear the English lyrics being sung by the singer, though she understands none of it. Was she missing something? The song was quite slow, and she couldn’t understand Nijika’s reluctance in her playing it.

It wouldn’t occur to Bocchi there’s anything wrong until she reached the middle of the song, where the song immediately picked up in speed.

“What the-”

“Good luck, Bocchi.”

“Ryo, I can’t believe you.”

“H-how long is this solo?” Bocchi began to freak out, albeit still maintaining a stellar performance.

Kita just stared in awe. Bocchi began sweating profusely. Damn! This song just won’t end! What the hell? Unbeknownst to her, a small crowd had started to gather around her, all transfixed on her performance.

“Dude! This chick is playing Free Bird!”

The crowd began cheering and whooping, which didn’t help Hitori’s focus much. She decided to just tune it all out, focusing solely on the screen that is tracking her progress and performance. The singer isn’t even singing anymore, this song just devolves into a pure guitar solo.

After what seems like an eternity, the song eventually ends. Bocchi pants, struggling to breathe properly as she stares back at the 100 displayed brightly on the screen.

Cheers erupted in the crowd. People were clapping and hooting, and Bocchi was immediately made aware of how she just became the center of attention of everyone in the arcade.

“You’re fucking crazy, girl!”

“Go get em’ pinky!”

“Play Disappearance of Hatsune Miku next!”

The crowd were all cheering and chanting different things at her, all at once. Her pupil began shrinking in fear as he took in all the attention directed to her by the masses. It’s too much! I can’t handle it! I- I MIGHT JUST-

POP!

“Huh, what was that?” Ritsu looked up from the pictures she and Mugi just took out of the photo booth.

“Ritsu-san! Quick! We need to get out of here!” Kita ran up to her.

“Eh, Kita-chan, what’s wrong?” Mugi asked.

“No time! Let’s go!” Kita took a hold of both of the older girl’s hands and ran.

“Man, am I just gonna be dragged around all day today?” Ritsu lamented.

“This is the last time I’m letting you go to the arcade with Bocchi-chan, Ryo!” Nijika said, as she ran with a deflated Hitori over her shoulders. Looks like another miraculous “Bocchi time” just took place, Mugi thought to herself.

“Wait, no! Where are you going? Play one more song!” The crowd pleaded behind them.

After making sure they were a good distance away, recuperating, and Nijika berating and physically reprimanding her bassist, the girls tries to find their next destination.

“Where to next?” Nijika asked the group.

“Well, what about a cheap sweets shop? We already spent a lot back there. It’s best to go thrifty. What do you say, Mugi?”

Mugi didn’t respond, still focusing on Ryo, who’s nursing a cartoonishly huge bump on her head, a result of Nijikas “reprimanding.”

“Moogs?”

Mugi blinked and turned towards Ritsu. “A-ah yes, I’d love to go to a sweets store!”

“There’s a sweets shop somewhere near here, though I wouldn’t exactly call it cheap.” Nijika said.

“Don’t worry about the prices. I can cover for all six of us.” Mugi smiled gently.

“Then what do you say if we visit a music store next, Mugi? There’s some effect pedals I've been eye-”

Nijika whacked Ryo on her still recovering bump. Ryo cried in pain, and to Ritsu's confusion, Mugi seems to be looking at her with some sort of... envy?

“Hopefully the sweets can help rejuvenate Gotoh-san..” Kita said, glancing at her shoulder where the deflated Hitori is now resting.

-

“That was so much fun!”

The girls were now sitting down at a WcDonalds, deciding to end the day with a nice meal. Mugi’s treat, of course. (Nijika had to personally supervise Ryo’s order to make sure she’s not taking advantage of Mugi’s generosity).

"I learned so much about the art of saving up a lot of money when buying candy. And won this guy for 500 yen!” Mugi said, showing the group the bear plushie Ritsu had gotten her from the crane game at the arcade.

“Don’t mention it.” Ritsu said, sipping on her drink.

“Feeling better, Gotoh-san?” Kita asked the still recovering Hitori.

“A bit…” Hitori said, picking at her fries instead of eating it. Looks like the arcade is a place they need to blacklist from another group outing, at least that specific one. Nijika had mentioned that local myths and legends tend to form about good players there, and Hitori’s performance today would likely not be forgotten about for months, which would cause trouble if the pinkette were to return there and be swarmed by overzealous fans. The plan to create summer memories for Hitori hadn't been a successful one. Kita frowned at the thought.

"Well, since we still have some free time tomorrow, why don't we spend it together again?”

“Huh?”

“We have to give Gotoh-san a summer that she’ll never forget, you guys! After all, it’s her first summer out with friends!”

“Kita chan…” Nijika exhaled at Kita’s indirect insult.

“A-ah, it’s fine… she’s right… it’s my first summer where I have friends… technically today is already a step up from my past summers…”

Everyone at the table just shuffled awkwardly.

“Well, then here’s to many more summers with friends, Hitori-chan!” Mugi said, giving a toast.

“Y-yeah! And also, I don’t mind hanging out again tomorrow! Might get Mio and the others to tag along too, the more the merrier, right?” Ritsu hastily added.

“We have summer study sessions tomorrow, Ricchan.”

“Crap. I forgot! The day after tomorrow then!”

Hitori could only smile at her friend’s efforts to cheer her up. “Thanks, guys…”

“No problem, Hitori! Ah, but the expenses today are already a pain for us common folk.” Ritsu said.

“Really?” Mugi asked.

“Yeah. Just like last month, me and Mio went to the music store, but when I was about to pay, I realized I was broke! So i asked Mio to spot me.”

“Did she?”

“Mio was mean that day. She smacked me right on the noggin!” Ritsu proudly beamed.

“Why would you be proud of that? You and Ryo really are of the same breed.” Nijika commented dryly.

“Heh, I can appreciate a fellow struggler as well. We need to make the most of the small amount of money we have, y’know?” Ryo stated.

“Ryo, your parents are bajillionares.”

“Smacked you on the noggin…” Mugi seems to ponder that. Ritsu was left to figure out why this throwaway comment would cause Mugi to react that way.

“Ricchan, i have a favor for you.”

“I don’t have any money.” Ritsu immediately replied.

“I know.” Mugi instinctively said. “ That’s not what i meant! It’s not that- It’s.. this is something I’ve desired for a while now..”

At this, the attention of everyone at the table was diverted towards Mugi. Ritsu waited in anticipation.

“Desired?”

“Yes… Ricchan, please smack me!”

…..

“What?”

-

“Enoshima?”

“Yeah, Nijika invited us to come along too tomorrow.”

It’s the day summer classes started. Ritsu is currently telling the others about Nijika’s plan to invite them to go to Enoshima the next day to make summer memories for Hitori. Apparently, they had spent the previous day hanging out to try and do that, but a series of unfortunate events prevented such from happening. When they came up with the idea to visit Enoshima, it was already late, and Nijika decided to shelve the idea for another day. However, she still promised Hitori that they would get her those summer memories.

“Poor Hitori-chan! We should’ve invited her to go with us to Natsu Rock!”

“She would’ve had to buy her own ticket. Sawa-chan only had enough for us, remember?” Mio said to Yui, as she entered the elevator to the library with the others.

Frankly, Mio wasn’t expecting both Yui and Ritsu to show up to these sessions. They’ve been vocal about having absolutely no plans on what they wanted to do after graduating. So it’s a pleasant surprise to see them study for entrance exams. While she wanted to say that was the weirdest thing to happen today for her, It’s not.

Surprisingly, that goes to Mugi.

She had showed up to summer class in a beach dress for some inexplicable reason. Mio just chalked this up to one of her friend’s eccentricities and let it be, although she made sure to take off the tag Mugi still had on the dress.

“And then she took my strawberry! Isn’t that weird, Mio-chan?”

Yui was in the middle of re-telling her own study session with Nodoka, (where they somehow ended up eating cake instead of studying, Mio supposed this is just what happens when you hang around Yui) Mio had only been half listening, but she decides to respond out of courtesy.

“She probably did it lightheartedly. But I get what you mean, Ritsu ate the strawberry on my cake before too, and I was so mad that I smacked her for that.” Somehow, Mio could feel Mugi listening intently to her conversation with Yui.

As they exited the elevator, Ritsu held Mugi behind. “Oi, Mugi. Come here for a sec.”

“Yes, Ricchan, what is it?” Mugi stares innocently at her buchou.

Ritsu sighed, her mind wandered off to what happened at the restaurant yesterday.

“Would you smack me?”

Mugi had reiterated her request, thinking she hadn't been clear enough the first time. Everyone just stared confusedly at her.

“It just hurts, there’s nothing special.” Ritsu said.

“I still want it!”

Ritsu looked at the others at the table, but all she’s seeing is just her confused expression being met with other ones across the table. “Fine, since you asked for it. Just a light tap, okay?”

“Hai!” Mugi bowed, presenting her head to Ritsu.

“There’s no SP around right?”

“Nope!”

Ritsu hesitates. “M-maybe I’ll try an open hand chop instead.”

“Do what you must!”

She looked again at Mugi, still expecting that smack, but Ritsu couldn’t muster it in her to do so. She ended up just lightly tapping her friend’s head with her own hand.

“I cant! Dang it!” Ritsu fell back on her seat. “It’s not just something you can ask of someone. It’s all about the flow.”

“The flow?”

“Yeah, you know, like how Mio would smack me when I do something stupid. If you act like a fool, maybe I would feel more justified in smacking you.” Ritsu explained.

“What are you even teaching your friend..” Nijika said wearily.

“But it’s true isn’t it? Just look at yourself and Ryo, you beat the crap out of her all the time.”

Nijika and Ryo trade glances.

“Okay, fair.”

“Is that so…” Mugi said, deep in thought after Ritsu’s explanation.

“Tsumugi-san, why do you want to be smacked?” Kita asked the heiress.

“Well, it’s something I wanted after I watched all of you interact with each other. Mio-chan would smack Ricchan all the time, just like Nijika-chan and Ryo-chan, while Yui-chan would hug Azusa-chan all the time just like you and Hitori-chan. I feel like I'm being left out of all the intimate physical contact!” Mugi said passionately.

“I-intimate p-physical contact?” Hitori and Kita blushed furiously and took one glance at the other, before immediately scooting away from each other.

“I don't really think you were being left out..” Ritsu said, half glancing at the amusing reaction from both Hitori and Kita. “But alright, if this is something you so badly want, I’ll help you with it!”

“You would? Thank you so much, Ricchan!”

“This is gonna devolve into some harebrained scheme isn’t it?” Nijika deadpans.

“Mugi, I can smack you if you pay me.” Ryo said.

“Oh, shut up you.” Nijika instead smacked Ryo on the head.

Ritsu returned to the present, where Mugi was spinning around, showing her summer dress to her.

“Is this not foolish enough? I would have thought this would be a most improper outfit for a summer study session.”

“It's just not that apparent. You need to make it more obvious, like wearing a catsuit in a hundred degree weather.”

“Right. Of course!” Mugi said, jotting down what Ritsu said on a small notebook.

“Why are you taking notes? Just don’t be ashamed in your fooling around! Go big and push your limits!”

“Hai!”

“Just watch an expert at work.” Ritsu said, winking at her friend as they approached Mio and Yui, who were currently talking next to some bookshelves.

“Mio.”

“Hm? What the-”

Ritsu stood over her with goofy glasses, holding up some dictionary. “I’ll make sure I pass those entrance exams next year!” She said in a goofy voice.

“Stop that!”

“Me too, Mio-chan!”

“Oh?” Mio turned towards Mugi, the girl wearing formal spectacles.

“Those look good on you, Mugi.”

“Don’t wear regular glasses!” Ritsu said, pushing Mugi off to the side.

“Eh… It’s too bright for me to read..!” Yui said, squinting at the book she’s reading.

“Yui!” Ritsu sees this as another opportunity to rile Mio up. “Pay attention! When you have your eyes half closed, you can make out hidden letters in the paragraph!”

“Oh, I see it! I see the letter A!”

“No you didn’t!” Mio cried.

Mugi, taking the hint, immediately got to work.

“I see it too. Guessing by the flow of the story, the answer would be A.”

“Oh? Good work, Mugi!”

Ritsu softly elbowed her. “Don’t actually solve it!”

After some reading, the group handed their photos to the administrative staff to process their IDs.

“I shouldve picked a better picture…” Mio mulled as she looked at the photo printed on her ID.

“Mine’s pretty good!” Ritsu said, showing Mio the picture on her ID. She was facing the other direction. “You know how shy I am.”

“Don’t fool around here!” Mio said, chopping her on the head. Ritsu winced. Your turn! Ritsu said wordlessly to Mugi. The latter nods.

“Ah, look at mine, Mio-chan!”

Mugi showed the picture on her ID, which was of her with a pig snout.

This’ll surely work! Both Ritsu and Mugi thought.

“Hm? Oh you put a sticker over yours?” Mio said, peeling it off, uncovering the actual photo beneath it. “You have your eyes half open.”

“Don’t put a weirder picture below it!” Ritsu chided.

“Look at mine!” Yui said, not wanting to be left out, showing Mio the photo on her ID.

“Isn’t this your sister?!” Mio asked in befuddlement.

“Ehehehe… I submitted the wrong picture.”

“A natural idiot pulls it off so easily…” Ritsu lamented.

-

“I really tried my hardest!” Mugi said. They were now outside the building, waiting for Yui and Mio to finish up.

“It’s just so hard to hit you. I guess even Mio hesitates.” Ritsu said.

“So I can never get smacked…” Mugi said, defeated.

“Ah, there you two are!”

“Thanks for waiting!” Yui said.

“So are we still going to Enoshima with Hitori-chan tomorrow?”

“Let’s do it! Let’s invite Azu-nyan as well! She’d love to reunite with them again!”

Ritsu can feel a lightswitch being flicked on in her head. “Mugi, this is it! Going to Enoshima might open up more weird things we can do to get Mio so riled up she’ll hit you.” Ritsu whispered.

Mugi looked at Ritsu for a brief moment, before nodding. “You’re right, Ricchan. We must take the advantage given to us!”

“I say we should go! More bonding time between bands would be good isn’t it?” Ritsu said to the group.

“Hai! I agree with Ricchan!”

“Mou, well I guess there’s no class tomorrow anyway. Where would we meet up?”

Hook, line, and sinker! Ritsu smiled at Mugi, who returned the gesture.

-

“Is she getting better?”

“No…”

Kessoku band was watching over the big mess of pink puddle that used to be their lead guitarist.

“She really needs to reform soon. Else manager might accidentally mopped her when cleaning the floor.”

“Don’t worry, Kita-chan. My sister would probably die before she cleaned up after her own messes.” Nijika confidently answered.

“When are those five gonna get here?”

“Patience, Ryo. It’s quite a commute from where they live.” Nijika chided.

Right as she said that, the door to the venue opened, and a familiar brunette peeked inside. The rest of HTT were all walking behind her as she descended the stairs.

“Ya-ho!” Yui said, immediately slipping on the floor as soon as she descended to the floor, landing on her butt. “Owie!”

“Yeah, watch your step. You might slip on Bocchi-chan.”

Mio immediately paled at the sight. She walked back outside.

“I=i’ll wait outside! Just come and get me when H-hi-She’s back!”

“How has she not gotten used to this by now.” Ritsu said to her retreating figure.

“I think it's’ good that she hasn’t been desensitized to Hitori-made horrors beyond comprehension.” Azusa said.

“You watched her turn into a stone statue too back with Norimi-san, didn’t you?”

With the arrival of HTT, the pink puddle slowly reformed into the anxiety ridden pink haired girl.

“A-ah, everyone! You made it!”

“We’re here, Hitori-chan.” Mugi smiled gently. “Have you been doing well?”

“M-maybe… I told my parents that I’m forever banned from entering arcades. Dr. Ijichi’s orders.”

Azusa merely stared in confusion. “What?”

“Well, are you guys ready? Best to not keep Mio waiting.” Ritsu said.

There were murmurs and nods among the group, as they all moved to leave the venue.

“Oi! Where’re you going? Who’s gonna run the club?” Seika said, emerging from the break room.

“Uhh, you obviously? You have PA-san too, don’t you? We’re just taking our union mandated day-offs! See ya onee-chan!”

“What? STARRY isn’t even unionized! Get back here!”

Nijika and the rest of kessoku band had already hurriedly left the venue before Seika could even finish her threats. HTT just followed suit, but Mugi had spared the manager a apologetic smile as she left.

“She’s gonna be so mad when we’re back.” Ryo said.

“Bocchi-chan’s more important!”

Kita nods. “Yeah, I agree! Right, Gotoh-san?”

Hitori, however, didn't respond. The dark look had already returned to her face.

“I am so getting fired… it’s gonna look bad on my resume… there'll be a gap… I’ll never have another job again…”

“We lost her. Kita-chan, you’re on Bocchi carrying duty again today!”

“What? Aw.”

“To the station!”

-

“So what should we do now, Ricchan?”

“We’ll wait and see, Mugi. It’s best to take a good look at the environment before planning out our next move.”

Azusa, sitting next to Mugi and Ritsu on their commute, tried to tune out whatever idiotic thing her senpais was plotting.

Not my problem, not my problem. She chants over and over again in her head.

“m’ in a black hole reaching deep into the galaxy… Too far for the summer sun to reach…”

“What got Hitori-chan talking funny?” Yui asked, poking the unconsciously mumbling guitarist on her cheek.

Nijika sighed. “Could be plenty of reasons. But most likely just her reluctance to go back to school.”

“Is your school really that bad?” Mio asked Kita.

“No, I’d say its pretty liberal… The culture festivals are a lot of fun, too!”

Ah, the culture festival, Mio would have to think about that again as school starts again in fall. She dreads getting her clubmates to actually practice for once.

“Lucky.” Nijika offhandedly commented. Our school’s festival is just boring presentations and science fair stuff. It’s super uptight.” Ryo nodded in agreement.

“That’s right, you two went to prep school, don’t you? I bet you both are really smart!” Kita said to the two seniors.

“I say I’m about average.” Nijika waved off the praise. Ryo, on the other hand..”

“I bombed my last round of tests.”

“Huh?”

“She picked the school for the same reason as me, it’s close to home. She crammed in the night before the entrance exam and forgot all of it the next day.” Nijika explained.

“I forgot how to play bass when I study too hard.” Ryo said.

Kita's eye widened. “Which means Ryo wasn’t mysterious and thoughtful at all, and more like…”

Kita’s eyes drifted towards Yui, who is currently in a failing battle against her own shoelaces. “I keep forgetting how to tie it!”

Nijika began shaking Ryo’s head, which made a small rattling sound.

“AHH!! STOP IT!! HER BRAIN IS SO SMALL YOU CAN HEAR IT RATTLING AROUND IN HER SKULL!” Kita exclaimed.

“Maybe we can use this sound in a song… “ Nijika mulled.

“Stop it! Stop destroying my fantasies! I’m deleting this conversation off my memories!”

“Done!” Yui got up from tying up her shoelaces, and with the speed she got up, Mio could’ve sworn she heard the same rattling sound coming from her cranium.

“The curvature of spacetime…” Bocchi mumbles. This succesfully caught the other's attention.

“What do you think she's seeing right now?” Nijika asked the others.

“Mou, Hitori-chan is funny! I bet she has a lot of friends at school!” Yui said.

Nijika and Mio turned to Kita for confirmation. Kita just smiled wearily.

“Ahahaha, she’s a bit.. isolated.. But she’s not being bullied or anything!” Kita hastily added.

“She’s so fun to be around though.” Ryo said.

“I wish everyone at school could see how cool she is!” Nijika stated.

“I’ll make sure I talk to her more when school starts again!” Kita said.

“Mou.. maybe she just needs a light music club in her school.. It worked for me!” Yui said. Mio sighed.

“Don’t you know that her dream right now is to quit school?” Nijika said to Kita.

“Can you even call that a dream?” Kita asked in shock.

The conversation continued til they boarded off the train. “That’s why, let’s use today to make some memories for Bocchi-chan!”

“It didn’t work last time.”

“Hush, Ryo. We just needed a change of scenery. That’s it!”

“Mouuu, I’m hungry! Let’s get something to eat!” Yui immediately said as she stepped out into the sun.

“Senpai… is it only ever food with you?” Azusa chided.

“I agree, let’s get something to eat.” Ryo said. Azusa glared at her.

"Why don’t we get some Takosen?” Kita said, pointing at a nearby stall.

“Haaa! What is that, Kita-chan?” Mugi enthusiastically asked.

“It’s a takoyaki that’s been pressed with a ton of force! Come, let’s buy some, Tsumugi-san!”

Kita and Mugi scurried towards the stall with Bocchi still on her shoulder. Mio sighed.

“Oi, those two.” She said exasperatedly. Ritsu took note of this reaction from Mio. Perhaps letting Mugi mingle with kessoku band is the thing that will finally rile her up enough to hit her? The band bought their takosen, thoroughly savoring it.

“Itadakimasu!” Kita said, before eating ither Takosen. Mugi followed.

“Haaa… this is amazing, Kita-chan!” Mugi said. Yui nodded.

"H-huh, how did I get here?"

“Go on, help yourself, Gotoh-san.” Kita said, handing a piece to the recently recovered Hitori.

Hitori received the takosen took a small bite. “It’s good…”

“Let’s take a picture!” Kita took out a selfie stick from her bag and placed her phone on it.

“Everyone move into frame! Yui-chan, look at the camera, Ritsu-san, move a bit to the right, alright! Cheese!”

“Lemme see!”

“It turned out great! Though Azusa’s a bit cropped at the edge here.. Should we retake the photo?”

“Oh no, it’s fine.”

Hitori looked down at the Takosen in her hands, and then up at the sky. I ate tako-senbei with them… and took a photo.. summer memories…

“T-thank you…” Hitori said, tearing up.

“Huh?”

“Thank you for today…”

And so, my summer came to an end.

Fin.

“Hey!! We’re just getting started!” Kita exclaimed.

“Mou… did anybody just see those big letters in the sky..?”

“You mean you saw the clouds spell out letters, Yui-senpai?”

“Maybe.. I couldn’t make it out though, it’s in cursive! I think it said fin!”

“Well if we’re just getting started, where should we go next?” Mio asked the group.

“What about the beach?” Kita suggested.

“Ehh… it’s full… And i don’t think any of us brought our swimsuits?” Ryo said, as she took one glance at the packed beach.

“I don’t even have one…” Bocchi mumbled.

“That dress you wore yesterday would be perfect if we did went to the beach, Mugi.” Mio offhandedly commented. Ritsu winced.

“Yeah and the beach in your private villa was way better, Mugi-chan!” Yui said.

“Huh? Private villa?” Nijika looked quizzically at Yui.

Yui just nods. “Mugi-chan owns a villa where we hold our training camps every year! Playing on the private beach was fun too!”

“You get a private beach for yourselves? What?!” Nijika said, jealousy oozing from her words.

Mugi just waved her hands exasperatedly. “Ahahaha… it’s really nothing.. I’ll take you guys there if we plan another training camp, I promise.”

“Maybe we should have our own training camp… Ryo, doesn’t your family own a summerside resort?”

“Maybe. One night would cost you though.”

“You have the heart to bill your own friends?!”

“I know! Let’s just visit the Enoshima shrine! We can’t travel all the way here without visiting its most noteworthy landmark!” Kita interjected.

“That is true. The site is quite a sight to behold. I’ll say it's worth visiting on our journey.” Mugi said.

“Oh, hm. Well, Bocchi-chan, what do you say?” Nijika looked at Bocchi, who was caught by surprise at having the decision put on her shoulder.

“A-ah, well I don’t have any objections…”

Little does she know, Bocchi will soon regret those words as they actually arrived at the site.

“Stairs?” Ryo said, looking at the enormous amount of steps before them.

“I’m not climbing up all that.” Ritsu immediately said at the mere sight.

“Come on, you guys, what’s more beautiful than a scenery you have to work hard to see?”

“Screw that.” Ryo said immediately.

“Let’s do it!” Kita stubbornly said.

“Ah, I agree with you, Kita-chan. Let’s do it!” Mugi said to Kita.

“No!” Ryo vehemently rejected.

“Gotoh-san?” Hitori just shrunk at the question. “Ijichi-senpai?”

“I’m not super into it either- Ack!” Nijika never got to finish her sentence, as at that moment, she was blinded by a bright light.

“Kita-chan! She's glowing more than ever!”

“H-how?!” Ryo said in disbelief.

“Perhaps her usual extrovert aura is being amplified by the sun! It’s too bright!” Hitori sputtered.

“Mio, help me cover my eyes!” Ritsu said, desperately fending off the light.

“I’m busy trying to not have my own burn, thank you very much!”

“Eh, what are you guys doing?”

“Everyone else turned towards Yui, completely unaffected by the Kit-aura.

“Yui-senpai! She’s immune to Kit-aura!” Azusa pointed at her senior.

“Everyone, behind her!” Ritsu instructed as the others retreated behind Yui, using her as a reflector of Kita’s fully blasted Kit-aura.

“Come on, Yui-chan! Let’s do it!”

“Will there be food up the stairs, Kita–chan?”

“You bet!”

“Waaah! Then let’s go!” Yui said, running towards the stairs.

“Yui, no, wait!”

“So what do you say, guys?” Kita turned back towards the others, now with their last line of defense gone, was left exposed to the full assault of the Kit-aura.

“F-fine!”

“Come on, everyone!” Kita said, running up the stairs with Yui in tow.

Yui and Kita walked up the stairs with such ease, while the rest of the group lags behind.

“Pant.. I.. Pant.. I’m done… no more climbing!” Ryo said, struggling to breathe.

“They’re getting .. pant… further and further ahead.. pant…” Nijika said.

Mugi, who is surprisingly the most athletic out of the group beside Kita, was looking over at the other girls with concern.

“I give up…” Ritsu said, as she fell to her knees on the steps.

“Why… pant… did that Yui agreed to this… pant… I’m gonna kill her…”

Mugi perks up. Mio had said that. Mio was gonna kill Yui? Wait, that means she’s gonna hit her, right? A lightbulb been switched on in her head.

“Mio-chan, come on! Let’s get moving! We need to climb to the top as fast as we can! We can’t let Yui-chan and Kita-chan beat us!”

“Pant… Mugi… what-” Before Mio could finish formulating the sentence, Mugi had already taken her by the hand and ran up the flight of stairs.

“Mugi, AHHH, STOP! STOP!”

Mio was screaming, which stopped Mugi on her tracks. She stops at the first landing, where Mio immediately collapses onto the ground.

“Never do that again, Mugi, please…”

“I-i’m sorry Mio-chan..”

“M-mugi, what was .. that?!” Nijika said, as she also reached the first landing.

Ritsu looked at Mugi and seemed to understand what she was trying to accomplish. She whispered encouragingly.

“Well… pant.. I would definitely get beaten to a pulp by her if I attempt that, but keep in mind Mio has to stay alive if you want her to hit you, Mugi.” Ritsu cast her gaze at Mio, who was laying flat on the ground, limbs sprawled open.

“Ah, right. That was my mistake. I’ll make it up to her.”

“I’m out! I’m done!” Nijika said, leaning onto an arch on the landing.

“Who cares about the view? Not me.” Ryo said, absolutely drained from the climbing, collapsing next to Nijika.

Behind all of them, tiny hands were grabbing onto the stone steps as its owner slowly climbed over each one.

“Hitori- chan… let GO..!”

Azusa heaved her way up the steps, which was made harder due to a pink guitarist clinging on to the her, freeloading her climbing attempt.

“Nooooo…” Hitori wailed, as Azusa broke free of her clutches.

“Only Yui-senpai get to.. hug..” Azusa mumbled, completely out of her mind from exhaustion.

“Hang in there, you all! We’re just getting started!” Kita said, standing over all of them.

“Lemme take a break first…” Nijika said desperately.

“What am I gonna do with you all?” Kita shook her head.

“Kita-chan, where's all the food?” Yui said, surveying the area. Amazingly, the girl who ate the most dessert out of them didn’t break a sweat, and is actually looking for more dessert to fill up that black hole she calls a stomach.

Hitori collapsed on to the ground as she reached the landing. She looked to her right, to find an amazing sight.

“Escar…”

Everyone looked over towards Hitori.

“Escalator! We can ride an escalator to the top!” Hitori said, pointing at the entrance to the escalator access to the right.

Newfound vigor was injected onto everyone as they took in the sight.

“No! We’re supposed to climb the stairs!” Kita said, but nobody listened, already scrambling towards the escalator.

Ryo was the first to reach the escalator's entrance, but stopped as she saw the sign in front of it. “Y-you have to pay to use the escalator?”

“You have to buy a ticket to use the escalator! That’s why we should just climb the stairs!” Kita smiled.

Ryo didn’t seem to budge. She walked to the ticket booth with fire in her eyes.

“Welcome!” The staff greeted.

“I don’t have money, but… Do you take bass as payment?” Ryo said, magically taking out a bass to show the employee.

“Um I don-”

“I’ll give you two!” Ryo said, picking up another bass. “Or three, maybe?”

“Where is she getting all those bass?!”

“Knock it off, you.” Nijika said, chopping her bassist’s head.

Mugi perked up at the display. That’s right! Just act stupid!

“So, 9 tickets, I take? Which payment method will you use?”

“Um, cash will do. You guys brought money, right?” Nijika asked the group.

“One ticket for a full trip costs about 360 yen…”

“All I have is this!” Mugi said, taking out a bunch of tea packets from her pocket.

“Eh?” Nijika blinked.

Ritsu, noticing what Mugi was doing, gave her a thumbs up. Mugi cast a hopeful glance at Mio.

“Mugi, do you need me to cover for you? I have enough money for two people.” Mio said worriedly.

“What?”

“What-hey, no! Mio, buy me a ticket too, then! Please!” Ritsu begged.

“Buy your own ticket, baka!” Mio chopped Ritsu on the head. Mugi cried inside.

In the end, everyone bought their own tickets, with the exception of Ryo.

“Thanks for spotting me, Bocchi.”

“You’ll pay me back next month, right?”

“I have never broken a promise in my entire life.”

“Y-you didn’t pay me back last time...”

Ryo averted her gaze. “Don’t worry, Bocchi chan! I’ll cut it out of her paycheck.” Nijika said.

“How could you!”

As they reached the end of the escar, Kita excitedly exclaimed, “Now that we’re here, let’s hit the observation deck!”

“Even with the escar, that trip was exhausting!” Nijika commented.

“That took way too long.. but the view from this height really does feel liberating.” Ryo said, as she got a good view of the beach below.

“Yeah… I can feel positivity welling up within me." Hitori commented.

“That’s the fresh air and exercise talking!”

“Should we take a photo?”

“Those two sure changed their tune quickly.” Azusa said.

“Cheese!” Nijika, Ryo, and Hitori closed in to each other to take a group photo.

“Well at least they’re finally getting it..” Kita said.

“Look, isn’t it pretty? Hey, are you even listening?” a voice piped up from behind the three. A couple was conversing right next to the group.

“A-ah, sorry!” the man said to the girl chiding him. “Your beauty just made me forget everything else!”

“Oh, you’re so silly..” The girl said, nuzzling onto him.

“Yuck. PDA, people! Get a room!” Ritsu said, not even trying to keep her voice down. Mio moved to whack her for the comment, before halting midway when Mugi threw herself between her hand and Ritsu’s skull.

“Mugi! Be careful! I almost hit you there!” Mio said.

At this, Mugi just blinked comically. To Mio’s confusion, the heiress frowned at her warning.

“Ahh… that didn't work. We’ll try something else, Mugi.” Ritsu whispered.

“Well, anyway, are you guys done taking that photo, eh.. guys?”

The three girls had wordlessly moved as far away as possible from the lovey-dovey couple behind them.

“The observation deck! Let’s go to the observation deck!” Kita scrambled to say.

“Mou, Azunyan, when do we get to eat?” Yui asked her kouhai. In response, Azusa just pinched her by the ear, dragging her to follow behind Kita.

“Stop thinking with your stomach for once.”

“Waaaah! Azunyan! That hurts!”

Mugi scowled even harder. Ritsu just hopes they manage to get Mugi hit before she reaches a breaking point.

The group made their way to the observation deck, where Kita immediately moved towards the giant window overseeing the scenery with glee.

“Look at that! The view from the observation deck is even more fabulous!” Kita said, as she was greeted by the view of the entire Enoshima island.

“Ahh… I love air conditioning!”

“It’s heaven.”

“Truly.”

“Err… guys.. The view…” Kita tried to direct her bandmates to the scenery.

“You know, long, long ago, humans tried to build a tower to the heavens, to prove themselves equal to God.” Ryo said, as she walked forward to observe the view.

“Ah, are you talking about the tale of the Tower of Babel, Ryo-san?” Azusa asked the bassist.

Ryo nods. “God, furious, scrambled the language of humans, and casted the land into chaos.”

“Yet humans failed to learn and build another tower like this..!” Hitori said in horror.

“Guys.. the scenery..”

“Oh no! Is that gonna happen to us, Ricchan?”

“Don’t be silly.” Ritsu flicked Yui’s forehead, before immediately realizing what she did. As Yui reeled from the pain, Ritsu glanced at Mugi, who was looking away, frown etched on her face.

“Well, that’s that. Kita got her view. Let’s blow this joint.” Nijika said.

“Good idea.”

“My favorite part was the air conditioning.”

“You filthy indoor-types!” Kita exclaimed to her retreating bandmates.

-

“Ryo, didn't you just have sea salt soft serve earlier after eating those takosen?”

“I always have room for ice cream.”

“Please pay me back for the ice cream too.” Hitori said weakly.

“What should we do next?” Kita asked.

“Eh, don’t you think we had plenty of fun already?”

“We need one more memorable event to cap today off!”

While kessoku band were discussing ways to end off the day, Ritsu and Mugi were recuperating their plans.

“What are you thinking, Mugi?”

“I don’t know, Ricchan! Everything I do doesn’t seem to work!”

“We’ll figure something out, it’s-” Ritsu paused, as a squawk was heard from the sky.

“Ricchan, what are those?” Mugi asked, pointing up.

“Oh, those are kite birds. They like to steal human food, so..”

“That’s it!” Mugi said, standing up.

“Mugi, what are you-”

“Come here, my feathered avian friends! I have some snacks for you!”

“Mugi! This might be too stupid, even for-”

Before she could finish her sentence however, a bird had swooped down to scoop up Mugi’s ice cream.

“KYAA!”

“What was that?” Nijika asked, caught surprised by Mugi’s squeal.

“Mugi, why did you do that?” Mio said, her tone a mix of irritation and worry.

Oh, this is it! She’s getting riled up! Hit me, Mio-chan!

“Mugi-”

“AH!”

Another bird had swooped down and stole Hitori’s ice cream.

“Gotoh-san, are you okay? Do you want my ice cream instead?” Kita said, to the mortified Hitori.

Mugi looked up to the sky. The kites were circling above them, blocking the sun. The next moment, they swooped down again, all fixed towards Hitori.

“AGGGHHH!” What happened next became a spectacle, as Hitori finds herself being beaten down by a flock of kites.

“They’re attacking Bocchi-chan!” Nijika said as she attempted to fend off the birds. “Scram, you feathered beasts!” Nijika said, as the bird flew away from a beaten down Hitori.

“Gotoh-san, are you okay?” Kita asked the lump of pink laying defeatedly on the ground.

“It’s Gotohver…” Hitori said weakly from the middle of a giant crater the birds left in their wake.

“Hitori-chan, I’m so sorry…” Mugi said, tearfully, genuinely remorseful for the pain she indirectly bestowed on Hitori. “That was stupid of me.. I just wanted to see how they reacted.”

“Seriously, Mugi? Don’t do that again!” Mio reprimanded harshly.

“Mio-chan…” Mugi glanced towards her, still with that same tearful look on her face.

Mio's face softened at Mugi's tearful display. “Err… just don’t do it again, okay?” She said, before turning away.

Mugi couldn’t believe it. “That’s it?!”

If the situation was any different, Ritsu would’ve laughed at these series of unfortunate events, but she just resorted to patting Mugi on the back.

“Really, now I feel like Mio has been way too violent with me. How come you got away from that head chop-free?”

“You tell me.” Mugi said in an uncharacteristically bitter manner.

“Well, memorable moment achieved.” Ryo said.

“This is not what I meant!” Kita cried.

“We should really head back. It’’s getting late. Bocchi-chan is in bad shape too.” Nijika said to Kita.

“Then how about one last visit to the shrine before we head home?”

“Well… sure. It’d be a shame to not visit the shrine when we’re already here anyway.”

“Azu-nyan! The birds took my ice cream too! Can i have yours?”

“Yui-senpai, I watched you swallow your entire cone in one second. Don’t try and trick me into giving you my ice cream.”

“Aw.”

-

“This shrine is dedicated to a goddess called Myo-on Benzaiten. She is the goddess of music and performance arts. I always thought of visiting this place with you guys If we ever went to Enoshima together.” Kita explained to the group, as they reached their final destination for the day.

“Then let’s wish for the success of our bands!” Nijika said.

“Great idea, Nijika-chan!” Yui responded.

All of them threw a coin each and made a wish. Nijika glanced at Hitori to find her really focused on her prayer.

“Ah, I’m beat! Still a little hungry, though..” Yui said, as all of them head back from the shrine.

“Senpai, you can’t be serious.”

“You looked like you wished really hard back there, Bocchi-chan. What did you wish for? I was praying really hard too! Thanking her for our success so far and wishing for that fortune to keep coming!” Nijika beams.

“I see..”

In that case, she can’t tell her that she wished for the goddess to turn back time to the first day of summer and make her famous with a lot of money! That’s such a vapid wish! Bocchi cried internally.

“Well, Mugi. I guess that was that. I’m sorry we couldn’t get Mio to smack you.” Ritsu said to Mugi.

Mugi smiled sadly. “Well, it’s fine, Ricchan. Maybe it’s just not meant to be.”

“Congratulations, dear! You’ve won!”

“Huh?”

The girls stopped on their tracks. A man has approached Mio, carrying a slice of cake on a plastic plate.

“That’s right dear! You have been chosen to test a sample of our new strawberry cake!” the man said to Mio, handing her said slice of strawberry cake. Apparently Mio just got picked randomly to be a tester for one of the nearby food stalls.

“Please tell us what you think and post your testimony on your social media! Don’t forget to tag us!” The man said.

“Whaaat? Mio-chan is so lucky! I want a strawberry cake too! I should've wished for that at the shrine!” Yui whined. "Was that your wish, Mio-chan? To eat cakes?"

“I-i don’t know what to say…Thank you, sir!” The man bowed before returning to his stall.

“Don’t forget your testimony, dear.” He called after her.

“I don’t have a social media though..” Mio mumbled.

“I’ll post it on mine, Akiyama-san! I have 15k followers on ISSOSTA! It’ll be good engagement for the food stall. After all, a pretty girl eating a delicious cake would surely drive up numbers!”

“H-huh? Oh, well.. Thanks.” Mio blushed. Nijika just shook her head. It seems Kita still has a bit of Mio fever, despite claiming to have been over her this whole time.

Mugi watched all the commotion passively, before a memory of yesterday’s event replayed in her head.

“But I get what you mean, Ritsu ate the strawberry on my cake before too, and I was so mad that I smacked her for that.”

This is it. Her last resort. If this doesn’t work, then nothing will. The opportunity has literally presented itself on a silver platter. Well, plastic, if you want to get technical.

“Well, itadakima-”

Before Mio could touch the cake with the plastic fork she was given, Mugi had taken the strawberry on her cake and ate it in one fell swoop.

Silence followed. Kita, who was filming the occasion, just stared blankly at her screen, mouth agape. Mugi kept chewing while glancing at Mio, trying to gauge her reaction. Mio was immobilized, her entire body frozen in shock.

Slowly however, her eyes started to tear up.

Oh no.

-

Nodoka was finishing up her final bouts of summer work. She jotted down the last few words on her english essay before putting down the pen and stretching. Another productive day, she thinks to herself.

She turned on her phone to see if she had missed anything during her studies. Unsurprisingly, there were several unread notifications from Yui. What is it with the friend of hers this time, she wonders?

She opened the chatroom to find a picture of Mio, standing still with a frozen expression, crying over a slice of plain old cake? Confused, she read the message Yui typed below for context.

“See, Nodoka-chan? Strawberries really are the heart of the cake! Mugi ate Mio chan’s and she was so distraught over it. Now you see, Nodoka chan? It is that important!”

Nodoka blinked. So she was still on about that. Sighing, Nodoka typed up a response.

“Is that so? Then I apologize for taking your strawberry, Yui.”

-

“So you just wanted to get smacked? Mugi, you should’ve just said so from the beginning.” Mio said, after she had calmed down.

“Yes, apologies Mio-chan. I was being selfish.”

“It’s partly Mio’s fault for not picking up after so many goofs!” Ritsu chirped.

“The baka must’ve put you up to this, huh?” Mio said, staring daggers at Ritsu.

“H-hey, I just wanted to help out a friend, that’s all!”

“I told you this won’t end well.” Nijika said. “Ryo?”

“Fine. You won the bet. Just take it out of my paycheck.” Ryo said defeatedly.

“You were betting over us?!”

“Well, Mugi, all you want is a light tap, right?” Mio asked.

“You’ll do it?”

“It’s no big deal.”

“T-then, do it now, please!” Mugi said, presenting her head to Mio.

“Eh? Well, alright..”

Mio lifted up her hand in preparation to hit Mugi. She watched as Mugi waited in anticipation for the smack.

“Are you nervous, Mio-senpai?”

“Hngggh..” Mio relented, smacking Ritsu on the head instead.

“ACK! Why me?!”

-

Mugi and Ritsu walked alone along the streets. The sun had set, and they had already parted ways with kessoku band earlier that afternoon.

“In the end it still didn’t work out. Sorry, Mugi.”

“It’s fine, Ricchan. You tried your best. It was my fault for making such a strange request in the first place.”

“But there must be a way if you really wanted to get smacked. Maybe..”

“Thanks, but it’s fine, Ricchan. Does your forehead still hurt? I have some band-aids here.”

Mugi plastered a band aid on the spot Ritsu was smacked by Mio earlier that day. “There we go.”

“You know, Ricchan. You’re really good at escorting girls. You’re kind, and you go the extra mile to help people. If you were a guy, I bet you'd be popular with girls.” Mugi said.

???!!!

“How am I supposed to react to that?!”

“Ouch!”

Ritsu smacked Mugi square on her forehead.

-

Hitori and Kita parted ways with Ryo and Nijika at the station. As she and Kita sat on the mostly empty compartment of the train, Hitori thought about what had happened today.

My first long train trip in a while.. She thought to herself. I almost wished we could’ve stayed longer..

“Alright! Let’s spend winter break together as kessoku band, along with HTT as well!” Kita suddenly said.

“Eh?”

“Where do you want to go, Hitori-chan? Let’s spend every day together!”

I don’t want to spend everyday outside! Hitori panicked.

“I-i’ll think about it…”

“Sure! You can rest up now, Gotoh-san. I’ll wake you up when we arrive at our stop.”

“A-actually, I spent most of the trip unconscious, so I’m pretty alert now..”

“I guess the fun continues then!” Kita beamed.

“H-hey, Kita-san..”

“Hm?”

“I enjoy hanging out with everyone today.. Now I’m sure i can face school tomorrow!”

“Really? I’m glad to hear it! Let’s enjoy the new term together!”

The memories of today will surely help get through to winter break. Hitori thought, happy to have finally spent her first summer together with friends.

-

New post from @kita0421

Liked by ahogegirl, YamadaWorldwide, iwasforcedtomakethisaccountfortheband, and others you know

Had fun today at Enoshima with the girls! Tsumugi-san took the strawberry from Akiyama-san’s cake because she wanted to be smacked by her and i was like, OMG? DRAMA!! We made so many memories today and I’m so happy!! Here’s to a bright future for all of our bands! May fortune continue coming our way! And thank you for the free sample @enoshimasweets! Everyone, go check them out!

Chapter Text

“Emergency! Emergency!”

A young girl ran to the backstage area, shouting panickedly as she did.

“The band we scheduled cannot perform!”

The two staffers in the room gawked in surprise.

“Then how are we supposed to replace them?” One of them said.

Footsteps echo in the dim halls as a figure slowly approaches them.

“Perhaps I could be of assistance?”

The staffers all turned to the approaching figure.

“You’re that girl from that-..”

“The name’s Gotoh.” The figure stepped out of the shadow, taking off her shades to reveal her bright blue eyes, wearing a look of determination as she walked towards the stage.

The crowd cheers.

“Gotoh-sama!”

“Hold me!”

“You’re a national treasure!”

Gotoh-sama stood on the stage as she took in the atmosphere, a full stadium all chanting her name.

“Gotoh! Gotoh! Gotoh!”

Fireworks burst behind her as the crowd erupted to even more cheers.

“Buh-!”

“And that’s one more vote for maid cafe.” a voice said from the front of the classroom.

Ah, it was a dream… How long has I been out? Hitori thought to herself as she began regaining her consciousness after abruptly waking up.

I think I’m in homeroom? And they were throwing out ideas for the school festival… It’s no use! Everything just comes up blank!

“Well, that’s six votes for the first option! So that’s what our class will be doing for the school festival!”

Eh?

“We’ll have to get a lot of costumes!” One of her classmates said.

C-costumes..?

“Yep! I can’t wait to see how it turns out!”

D-do I have to dress up too? Wait, what was the result again? She squinted at the chalkboard, but its too far to make out what it says! Dammit! I should’ve gotten prescription glasses like mom said! Hitori's face darkened. She fought the urge to vomit. No way! This is too out of my league! Maybe if it was a haunted house… Hitori began picturing herself dressed up as a ghost, greeting customers into the venue.

G-gah! I almost blanked out again!

“Oh, and if anyone wants to perform on the second day of the festival, just put in your forms in the box in front of the student council room!” The girl speaking in front of the classroom said, holding up a registration form to show to the class.

“Hai.” The class said in uniform.

Performing at the festival… I never got to do that in middle school… But I did daydream about it a bunch.. That counts right? Hitori shook her head. Who cares! I have a band now, and they play in real venues! It’s not just fun and games! Hitori closed her eyes.

“If someone from our class played they’d be the coolest person ever!”

…

Hitori opened her eyes to be greeted by a white wall.

It took a moment for her to recollect herself and figure out where she was. She looked down at her outstretched arm, halfway in the motion of putting in a paper inside a box in front of the student council room.

“AAAAAAGHHH!”

Hitori fell backwards, throwing the form away. How did I get here? W-what’s this piece of paper? She said, scrambling to pick it up from the floor.

An application for band registration for the school festival.. Kessoku band?!!! Who wrote this?! Her eyes traveled to the bottom of the paper, where the name “Hitori Gotoh” greeted her.

HITORI GOTOH WROTE THIS?!!! Hitori began smacking her head repeatedly on the floor.

I’m a professional guitarist now! Begone, lust for school festivals! Focus on your band career! She chanted in her head as she repeatedly banged her head on the floor.

Good… I can feel the lust fading away… She thought as she collapsed on her back.

“What’s all that noise?” The door to the student council room opened, and a girl shrieked.

“SENSEI! SOMEONE DIED OUT THERE!”

-

“Akiyama san.”

Another number added to the chalkboard.

“Tachibana san.”

Another scratch as the number was written on the board.

“Akiyama san.”

The class president turned her back towards the chalkboard, addressing the class.

“Well, with that, the leading role for our class’ school festival goes to Akiyama Mio-san.” Nodoka concluded.

Polite claps were heard around the classroom.

“Whoa! Mio-chan is the star!” Yui said from her seat at the back.

“That’s amazing, Mio-chan!” Mugi said.

“Hey, hear that, Mio? Congratulations!” Ritsu said from the front, looking back at the middle row where her friend sat.

“Huh, Mio?”

The girl has so far not responded to the announcement. Ritsu got up and approached her childhood friend, waving her hand in front of her unmoving face.

“Ah, she fainted.” Ritsu said.

“I-i object!” Mio immediately awakened from her stupor.

The class was instantly filled with buzz and murmurs among students, Mio cautiously glanced at her surroundings. “I-i don’t think a vote is the best way to decide these kinds of things…” Mio sputtered out.

“But no one volunteered. We have no nominations.” Nodoka said simply.

“Then I nominate Ritsu! She’s brave, charismatic, and likes to practice pro-wrestling moves!”

“What does any of that have to do with what we’re doing?!” Ritsu said.

Ritsu puts both her hands on Mio’s shoulders. “Don’t compare me to the great Mio-chan, who’s popular enough to have her own fanclub! I’ll even do your own makeup for the festival, Mio!”

“I-im not a doll!” Mio protested.

Ritsu chuckled. “Don’t worry Mio-chan. I’ll be in the front row, recording every last moment!” She said gleefully.

“You got it easy..”

“Tainaka-san, congratulations on being her co-lead.” Nodoka said from the front.

“Objection!” Ritsu immediately raised her hand.

“You’re quick to act when you’re implicated.” Mio side-eyed her friend.

“I can’t help it. That’s what the vote says.” Nodoka replied.

“Why me? There’s other more fitting candidates, like Ichigo!” Ritsu said, turning to the brunette with curly twintails sitting in front of the classroom.

“Hell no.” She said simply.

“Wh- then how about Mika? She’s cute!”

Mika blushed. “W-well Mio-chan’s already the center of attention.”

“If Mio’s the lead then it has to be Ritsu!”

“Yeah, you can’t be the straight man without the fool!”

“What are we, a comedy act?”

“If there’s no other objections, we’ll start delegating other roles.” Nodoka stated.

She ignored us… Both Ritsu and Mio thought.

“For outfits-”

“I volunteer!” Sawako immediately raised her hand.

“Eh? But we can’t possibly trouble you-”

“Don’t worry. “ She puts a hand on Nodoka’s shoulder. “I won’t disappoint you.”

She smiled brightly and turned towards Mio and Ritsu, both clutching each other’s hands and staring in fear.

“Why are you two so afraid?” Nodoka sighed.

-

“An unfamiliar ceiling…” Hitori mumbled as she awoke, only to be greeted by a white ceiling above her.

“Ah, you’re awake!” A voice said from next to her.

Kita took off her earphones as she watched Hitori gather in her surroundings. Oh, I’m in the infirmary. I must've passed out at some point.

“When I heard you collapsed, I was so worried and rushed here! I’m glad you’re okay!” Kita smiled.

Hitori glanced at the table next to her, where that piece of paper sat, crumpled.

Oh, god, what do i do? If I tell Kita about that, her eyes will sparkle and she’ll go, “Yes sure! We should definitely do that, Gotoh-san!” I can’t let that happen!

“What’s the matter, Gotoh-san?”

“I-it’s nothing! I’ll get back to work once I recover, t-thank you for the concern!” Hitori said.

“Oh, are you sure? Won’t you be lonely?”

“I-it’s fine! You have plans with your other friends, right?”

“Sure, but I can cancel them.”

“N-no, please don’t worry about me!” Hitori said as she hid herself under the covers.

“Well if you insist..” Kita said, getting up from her seat. “Oh by the way, Gotoh-san! I look forward to our class’ collaboration for the school festival! It’s going to be so fun!”

Eh? Their classes are collaborating? What are they even doing? Drats, she should’ve paid attention!

“I’ll see you at work, Gotoh-san!”

As the sound of footsteps slowly died out, Hitori took off her sheets and exhaled. She grabbed the paper, straightening it as she re-reads its contents.

“I'd like to perform… but I’ve so far only done one real concert, and it’s still scary… Although, don't people who perform at school festivals usually amateurs? Hitori took out her phone to confirm.

“WHAT’S UP EVERYONE? ARE YOU FEELING THE HYPE?” The extrovert aura began emanating out of her phone, demolishing Hitori’s fragile soul. “WE’RE GONNA MAKE A HELL OF MEMORIES TODAY! JOIN ME ON THIS JOURNEY!”

Hitori collapsed onto the bed. I’m so worn out, no way I could do that. Realization suddenly struck. But the loner type shining at the school festival is a classic trope! She began imagining the scene.

“And up here we have the drummer and bassists from Shimo-Kita high, Ijichi Nijika and Yamada Ryo!”

Applauds greeted the two as Nijika waved and Ryo bowed.

“And then on the guitar, it’s uhh- the girl from class- uhh… Gotoh-san.. yeah , that’s her name.”

…

“And lastly we have the vocalist, our school darling, Kita Ikuyo!” Everyone loudly cheered and clapped, as Kita took in the adoring reaction from the audience.

The scene in her head concludes, and Hitori finds herself laying flat on the floor. Nope. Yeah, that’s not happening. She said, as she threw the paper into a nearby trash bin. I need to know my place.

On her way to STARRY, her mind was blank. Her body moved purely on autopilot. As she entered the venue, she went inside the nearest trash bin and resided there.

“Good afternoon, manager.” She greeted the manager, who stared confusedly at her from her seat at the bar.

“Uhh… what’s happening? Also, get out of the trash bin, it’s unsanitary.”

Hitori stepped out and took a seat next to the manager. Curiously, mostly to herself, she managed to speak out her problems to the older woman, as she and PA-san listened intently to her vent.

“If you’re that on the fence about it I’ll say you should just go for it.” Seika said simply. “These high school days would be gone before you know it.”

“Ah, m-maybe..”

“Not that I’d know. I barely cared much about high school.” She added,

“I dropped out!” PA-san chirped.

I asked the wrong people… Hitori thought.

“Eh Bocchi-chan talkin’ to sis? That’s new.” A voice said from the entrance. Nijika and Ryo had just arrived at STARRY for their shift.

“She’s waffling about her school festival.” PA-san said.

“She’s pondering about kessoku band performing there.” Seika added.

Hitori was not expecting Seika to just lay it out that bluntly, but Nijika seems to react positively to the idea. “Performing at a school festival? Let’s do it!”

“Um- but…”

“It’ll be different from performing in a club!”

“You’ve done it before, Nijika-chan?”

“Yep. In middle school!”

“Same here.” Ryo piped up. “Played all obscure songs and bombed the whole thing.” Ryo said, confidently giving a thumbs up.

“Why are you proud of that? I never played with Ryo at a festival though.” Nijika said as she took a seat with Ryo in front of PA-san. “So i’d love to play this one!”

“Really?”

“We just recently formed kessoku band, after all, and it would be great to advertise ourselves!”

“B-but won’t you get expelled for playing something that’s not seishun rock at school festivals?”

“Course’ not, where do you even get that from?”

“I get why Bocchi’s scared though.” Ryo suddenly said. “There’s a high chance you’d be playing in front of a large audience, and that can get scary. So you don’t need to rush this decision, Bocchi.”

“Ryo-san…”

“To be honest, I still have nightmares about that concert I bombed…”

“So that was a front just now?” Seika deadpans.

“Oi. Well anyway. Just make sure you don’t have any regrets. Bocchi-chan.” Nijika ultimately said.

“I’ll think it over..”

“Everyone!” A peppy voice called from the entrance. “Look who I ran into on the way here!” Kita said, as she entered the venue with a familiar figure.

“Ah, Mio-san?” Nijika said, recognizing the black haired girl cowering behind Kita, with both her hands on Kita’s shoulders.

“I found her just standing outside so I brought her in!” Kita said.

“What brings you here, Mio?” Ryo asked the fellow bassist.

“I’m moving away to Irskutsk for papa’s new job. I’ve come to say goodbye.”

“Irskutsk?”

“Papa?”

“My father!! A-anyway. Can I please hide in your livehouse?”

“What?”

The conversation was interrupted by loud music blaring out of Nijika’s pockets. Bocchi glanced to see her picking up her phone.

“Oops, that’s for me. Eh? It’s from Azusa-chan.”

Mio paled at that comment. Bocchi had to wonder what was exactly going on with the bassist.

“Moshi-moshi?”

“Nijika-san! Very sorry to disturb you like this, but is Mio-senpai currently with you?” Azusa’s voice was heard from the other end.

Nijika glanced at the now trembling bassist, who was frantically shaking her head. Nijika tried to look at the others for affirmation on what she should do, but everyone else seems to also be in the dark.

“Ritsu-senp- what-”

“Nijika! Are you hiding Mio?!”

“What?! Ritsu, what are you talking about!”

“She must be with you, STARRY is the only place she’s ever been to around here!”

“Uhh..”

“We’re going there right now! Whatever you do, keep her there!” Ritsu said, hanging up the call.

Silence filled the venue, before it was broken by a scream coming from Mio.

“They found me! I gotta leave!” She said panickedly, already moving to run out of the livehouse.

“Oh no, you don't!” Seika moved quickly to restrain the runaway bassist. “What’s going on here?”

“They’re trying to execute me! You have to help me! Hide me somewhere safe!” Mio cried.

Bocchi just stared. Somehow she doubts that was the case, and the sentiment seems to be shared by Seika, as she scowled even harder.

“What? Just be honest kid, why exactly are you running away?”

“It’s-”

Before Mio could answer, the door opened to let in the remaining four girls of Ho-Kago Tea time.

“Ya-ho, Hitori-chan, Kita-chan!” Yui greets.

“Mio, chan! There she is, Ricchan!” Mugi said, pointing at Mio, who was still attempting to wrestle out of Seika’s hold on her arm.

“Mio, come here, you lunatic!” Ritsu calls out as she moves towards Mio.

Mio just shrieked in response, kicking her feet. “Stay away from me!”

“Mio-senpai, please just calm down.”

After about half an hour trying to pacify the bassist-and many whacks to Ritsu’s head, Bocchi and the others at STARRY finally managed to get an explanation for what had happened.

“She tried to run away after being appointed as the lead for our class’ school festival event.” Ritsu said. “She hopped onto the first train that came her way. Luckily, another train to this destination was only like, ten minutes apart.”

“If I didn’t get lost first I would’ve gotten away…” Mio mumbled.

“Ugh, you kids..” Seika said from her seat at the bar. PA-san chuckled.

“What is your class going to do for your school festival anyway?” Kita asked the group.

“We’re doing a maid and butler cafe.” Mugi answered. “Mio was appointed to be head butler, and Ritsu as head maid.”

Nijika tried to imagine Ritsu in a frilly maid outfit. She waited and waited for the image to be less funny. It didn’t. She snorted.

“Go on then, laugh! See if I care!” Ritsu cried.

“BWAHAHAHAHAHA!” Nijika howled with laughter.

“Why, you Ijichi!” Ritsu cried as she put Nijika in a chokehold.

“M-mio-chan, as a butler..?” Hitori said.

“GYAAA! PLEASE DON’T REMIND ME!” Mio began wailing, putting her hands up to cover both her ears.

“And what about the rest of you?” Kita asked.

“Well, I’ll be in the kitchen to prepare the food with others, and as for Yui…”

“I’ll be holding the sign outside the cafe!” She said proudly.

“So is that why you’ve been standing still and rigid like that this whole time?” Seika asked, as she observed the girl standing behind the group, miming to hold an invisible sign.

“Nodoka-chan said i must not move! Mou.. this is hard!”

“I don’t think she ever said that…” Azusa deadpans.

“Oh wow, that sounds exciting! Gotoh-san’s class actually considered doing that for our school festival, but they ended up doing something else with my class instead!” Kita chimed in.

H-huh? Hitori glanced at Kita. She thought they were doing the maid cafe? M-maybe that’s a good sign, she doesn’t have to dress up in a maid outfit! Doing it once with Sawako and Hiroi already broke her down mentally. She’ll never recover from that.

“Oh, what are your classes doing, Kita-chan?” Mugi asked.

“We’re doing our own production of Romeo and Juliet, as a school play!”

Nevermind. This is infinitely worse. Hitori began falling apart, limb by limb.

“Damn. She turned into legos again. Anyone still kept the instruction around?” Ryo said as she observed Bocchi disassembling herself.

“G-gotoh-san!? What’s wrong? I thought you knew this already!” Kita panickedly said, scrambling to piece Hitori back together.

“First the band’s performance at the school festival and now this? She must be overwhelmed.” Nijika said in concern.

“Huh? Oh, that’s right! Gotoh-san, I did it for you!” Kita said, as she put the final Bocchi piece in place.

“W-wh…”

“I submitted the registration form to the student council! It must’ve fallen into the trash can by mistake!”

Hitori’s face slowly morphs into a Picasso-esque painting.

“Never knew Bocchi was so artsy deep down.” Ryo commented.

“Let’s put on the best festival performance ever!” Kita beamed.

“H-haha, I guess the decision has already been made for you, Bocchi-chan- B-bocchi chan?”

Bocchi is dead.

A big coffin seems to have materialized from thin air, placed in the middle of STARRY, where members of Ho-Kago Tea-Time were all standing around it, weeping.

“Oh, Hitori-chan! To think, she was so young, Ricchan! So young!” Yui cried onto Ritsu’s blazer. The drummer just stood silently as she watched the funeral procession.

“We’ve gathered here today, to celebrate the life of Hitori Gotoh. A kindred soul that was taken away from us too soon. She loved her friends dearly. And all her friends loved her. Before she passed, her dream was to be famous, wealthy, and drop out of school. A noble dream for a noble girl. I wish that wherever she is now, she’s looking down at us from a better place. Thank you for your time.” Mugi gave a passionate eulogy, causing Yui to sob even harder. Azusa sighed at her senpai’s antics.

“They’re gonna have to label me a murderer for this…” Kita said, with a sign on her neck with the words “I’m a criminal” written on it.

“What are you guys doing!?” Nijika said, moving towards the coffin. “Bocchi-chan, get up!”

“Just bury me six feet under… I’m better off dead than acting on stage or performing at a festival..”

“Bocchi-chan, you might not even have to act! You know you could probably just be appointed as set or prop designers, right?” Nijika tried to push some rational thought into her friend’s head.

Bocchi slowly rises from the coffin. “I-i guess… but the second day… kessoku band performing…”

“Couldn’t you just retract the application?” Ryo asked Kita.

“They said once you submit it you can’t take it back. But I’ll try to talk with them tomorrow.” Kita said, full of remorse.

“There will be so many people there that I don’t know… I’m too scared to perform..”

“Daijoubu, Hitori-chan!”

Hitori glanced up to find Yui looking back, smiling at her.

“Culture festivals are a lot of fun! I bet the people in your school are going to love you!”

Hitori couldn’t help but let out a shaky smile at how naive Yui is sometimes, but blind optimism is something she really envies her for having.

“Yeah, speaking from experience, Hitori, but most people at culture festivals won’t really care if you’re good or not.” Ritsu said. “It’s just an event to have fun. Hell, we’ve put the bare minimum most of the time and we still manage to impress Azusa enough to rope her into the band!”

“I should’ve set my standards higher.” Azusa muttered quietly.

“Don’t poison her with your subjective opinions!” Mio chided. “Hitori-chan, it’s okay to feel nervous about this. I feel the same way you do during our first culture festival. B-but I manage to pull through, and I have faith that you’d be able to do the same!” Mio tries her best to encourage the downtrodden guitarist.

“Ah, Mio-chan. Glad you’ve returned to your normal self.” Mugi said. Mio blushed.

“Well you also did something else during that concert, Mio. Don’t you remember-”

“Step aside Hitori-chan. I’ll throw this bastard into that casket myself.”

“I’M JOKING!”

That final interaction between the two managed to crack a smile from Hitori. “T-thanks, guys…”

“Let’s just handle things one step at a time, Bocchi-chan. Focus on the most imminent first. Kita chan, they haven’t decided on the roles for the play yet, right?”

“Oh, not really. I heard some people really wanted me to play the lead role, but nothing is set in stone yet.” Kita replied.

“See, Bocchi chan? You don’t even have to participate! Just calm down for now, alright?” Nijika said, in an almost motherly tone.

“O-okay.”

“And honestly Ritsu, I appreciate you comforting Bocchi chan, but you probably should be more concerned about being head maid cause, pfft-”

“Shut up!” Ritsu retorted. Behind her, Azusa silently chuckled.

At that, Mio paled again. “Hitori, is there still space in that coffin?”

“Mio-chan, no! We can’t lose you too!” Mugi cries.

“Gotoh-san!” Kita suddenly approached Hitori, who had just been passively observing the commotion. “They’re going to hold a vote tomorrow to decide who gets to play the roles!” Kita said, showing her a text message from one of her many friends at school.

“A-ah… right” Hitori exhaled in relief. There’s no way people would vote for her! Half of them probably don't even know her name. She’s safe! The culture festival suddenly became less grim. Her assortments of imaginary instrument friends began circling around her and dancing happily.

The perks of being an introvert loner! It’s actually good for something! Hitori cries with joy.

“What’s up with her?” Nijika said to Kita, at the sight of Hitori dancing in circles alone while crying.

“I.. i don’t even know..” Kita said.

-

“And the role of Romeo goes to Kita-chan!”

The whole class applauded and cheered. Kita stood up and bowed.

A day has passed since that meeting Hitori had with the HTT girls at STARRY. like Kita had corroborated yesterday, her and Kita’s class are tallying up votes for the roles in their school play. Hitori, of course, casted her vote for Kita, because she knows that an extrovert like her would probably crush it on stage. But more so because Kita was the only person she recognized in the sea of other options.

“Congratulations, Kita-chan, You’d kill it as Romeo.” The girl who was counting the votes said.

“Aw, shush, Sattsu!” Kita replied. There were a few chuckles here and there.

“Alright, and now for the role of Juliet.” Sasaki said, looking at the results paper. “Oh, my. This one’s quite divisive.” Sasaki sneered. “We have 8 votes for Ogawa-san, 14 votes for Tanimura-san, and 17 votes for Kita-san!”

“Eh?” Murmurs began forming in the classroom.

Ah… Hitori thought. Perhaps I shouldn't have voted for Kita-chan twice.

“But Kita-chan can’t play both Romeo and Juliet!” One of the students said.

“Well, obviously.” Sasaki rolled her eyes. “So, congratulations, Tanimura-san!” Sasaki said, looking at a girl with golden locks sitting in the front row.

“A-ah, I’m honored, really, but actually… I won’t be around for the culture festival.”

“What?” the crowd said in shock.

“Y-yeah, i can help you with the preparations.. But unfortunately, I won’t be present for the festival. My parents decided to take me for a business trip to Australia.” Tanimura-san said.

“Waaah, that’s a shame, Tanimura-san!”

“Well, in that case, Ogawa-san?”

Sasaki looked at a girl with indigo locks sitting in the middle row. She lets out a strained smile.

“I’d love to, Sasaki-san. Unfortunately, a generous scholarship offer was given to me recently, and the entrance exam is on the day of the performance. So while I’m willing to, I can’t let go of this opportunity.”

“It’s okay, Ogawa-san!” The class comforted her.

“Well, shit.” Sasaki said. “That’s all the votes. But, there is one vote left here.” Sasaki said, looking down at the paper.

There was an air of anticipation amongst the students, everyone trying to figure out who the last vote was.

“Gotoh-san? From class 2.”

The classroom was dead silent as everyone tried to figure out who that is, until an explosion was heard from the backmost row, where a pink haired girl laid face first on the table, smoke emanating from her head.

“Oh, no, Gotoh-san! The result must’ve short circuited her and fried her brain! I’m so sorry!” Kita said, moving towards the unconscious Hitori.

“Gotoh-san… who is that?”

“It’s the girl that sits in the back of class, right?”

“I think i remember her coming to school with tacky accessories a couple of times.”

Kita propped Hitori up, and Hitori jolted awake.

“K-kita-san… I have the most horrible nightmare. I was casted as Juliet for the s-school play! That was horrible! Good thing it was just a dream, right, hahahaha…”

“Gotoh-san…”

“That’s no dream, Gotoh-san! Congrats on being Juliet!” Sasaki exclaimed.

“HUH?”

“Gotoh-san, I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have put in your name!” Kita said.

“Kita-san..voted for me?” Hitori repeated to try and make sense of it.

“I just thought, y-you were just so cool at our performance back at STARRY… I thought seeing you shine in a school play would’ve been just as awesome..”

Hitori was not sure how to respond to this, but she managed to process that it was a praise somewhat. She began wobbling uncontrollably.

“Eh? Me… ? Cool…? Hehehehe… Kita-san… you shouldn’t have… hehehe…”

“Wait, this was the guitarist girl you kept talking about, Kita-chan?” One of Kita’s friends piped up.

“Yeah, she is!” Kita cheerily replied.

“The one you perform with at that club?”

“Now that you said it, I recognized her! She’s on some of your ISSOSTA’s post right? You went with her to Enoshima!”

Urk! I’m in Kita-san’s ISSOSTA?

“She’s kinda cute now that I see her clearly.” Someone whispered.

“If Kita-chan voted for her, then i’m down!”

“Yeah, they seem very close too, their dynamic would surely translate well to the play!”

Eh? What? They’re praising me, but.. does this mean…?

“Then, it’s settled. Congrats on being Juliet, Gotoh-san,” Sasaki grinned.

Everyone in the room clapped enthusiastically, congratulating her, but to Hitori, they were all clapping as they sent a dead girl walking to her execution.

-

“Nope, nope! Start over!” Mugi said, whacking Ritsu’s hand with a rolled up newspaper.

“Ouch, Mugi! Was that really necessary?”

“Payback for our summer retreat, Ricchan!” Mugi winked.

“But you wanted that smack…” Ritsu sighed. “Alright then, so which one is this?”

“That’s the salad knife, Ricchan! Don’t confuse it with a butter knife again!” Mugi said.

As preparation for the festival. Ritsu and Mio are being trained in proper table manners and etiquette after school. And who better to teach her than Mugi, who was born and raised with this stuff directly injected into her brain by her high class family the moment she stepped out of the womb?

“Ugh…”

“Ah- Mio-chan, posture! Don’t slouch! A butler must keep perfect form at all times!” Mugi instructed Mio, who was walking towards her.

“M-mugi… my outfit’s too tight..” Mio said, carrying her butler uniform in her hands, neatly folded.

“Eh..? Is it? But Sawa-chan tailored it! And she has your exact measurements!”

Mio grimaced. She really does not like to be reminded that their homeroom teacher has their exact measurements. And if she still feels like the outfit’s too tight despite the fact, She could bet that Sawako did this intentionally.

“M-maybe I’m just not cut out for this, Mugi…”

“Eh…? But Mio-chan…”

Mugi was looking at her with such clear disappointment etched across her face that Mio had to look away. Next to her, Ritsu was looking at her with a contemplative look.

“Well,” Ritsu started, “If you really don’t want to do this, I guess we can talk to Nodoka about it.”

“Talk to me about what?” The class president said as she approached the three.

“Mio’s having second thoughts about being head butler.”

“Eh? Is that so, Mio-chan?” Nodoka said, turning to Mio.

“I can’t play the lead role…” Mio whimpered.

“It’s regrettable, but we do have a concert to prepare for as well.” Mugi said defeatedly.

“Well, if you insist, then I’ll reconsider.” Nodoka said to Mio.

“You will?”

“But the whole class has given you this chance, wouldn’t you like to at least honor the request? I’m sure everyone is thrilled to see you play the part.”

Mio glanced at her classmates, all working diligently to prepare the props for the upcoming maid and butler cafe.

Mio contemplated. Everyone has trusted her into this role. Eventually, she relented.

“Alright. I’ll give it a chance.”

“Great!” Mugi said, smile returning to her face.

“Good work, Nodoka.” Ritsu whispered. “Though I can’t help but feel like some people are not genuine in their reasoning.” Ritsu mumbled.

“Akiyama-san looks so hot dressed in a butler suit!” A girl whispered to her friend. They both giggled.

After a few more back and forth between Mugi, Ritsu, and Mio that included several more paper roll whacks from Mugi, the girls decided to call it for the day. The light music club picked up Azusa who was practicing alone in the clubroom, and walked home together.

“Ughhh….”

“No more…”

“So I think everyone’s a little concerned…” Mugi said over her two sulking friends.

“I do think being a maid doesn’t quite match Ritsu-senpai..” Azusa commented.

“No need to be so blunt….”

“That reply had no energy to it!”

“Guys! Kita-chan just texted me!” Yui suddenly said.

“Hm? What did she say, Yui-senpai?”

“She asked if we wanted to hang out. She said she’s trying to distract Hitori-chan from trying to commit seppuku on herself.”

“Huh?!!”

“She shared her location!” Yui showed them her phone.

“I don’t have any plans tonight, I’d love to hang out!” Mugi exclaimed.

“Yeah, Kita just texted me too.” Ritsu said. “We better get there quickly. The situation seems dire. Apparently Hitori has started dancing the samba.”

“Oh, dear.”

The girls all went to the location Kita had shared, the same restaurant Mugi was working part time over the summer. They went inside to find Kita consoling a completely out of it Hitori, face laid on the table.

“It’s Gotover…”

“Everyone! Welcome! Have a seat!” Kita hastily said as she caught sight of them. “I already told Ijichi-senpai that me and Gotoh-san will be off work today!”

“What happened with Hitori-chan?” Yui asked.

“Uhm.. well.” Kita said, glancing at Hitori’s unmoving body. “Well, remember about the play my class was conducting for the festival I told you all about yesterday?” Kita begins.

“Oh, right! You were doing Romeo and Juliet! Ah such a powerful, moving story. I would’ve loved to be the playwright for such a production. Maybe in another life.” Mugi said.

“Uh, yeah how did that go, Kita-chan?” Azusa asked, ignoring Mugi’s theatrics.

Kita lets out an uneasy smile. “Well, as expected, i got the lead role. Romeo, to be more precise.”

“Woah, congrats!”

“Yeah. The problem is, well… Gotoh-san also got the lead role..”

“Eh?”

“She was casted as Juliet.”

Silence blanketed the table. Nobody knew how to respond to that.

“So you two will act as lovers on stage?” Yui bluntly asked.

“Wh-?!!!" Kita flushed a deep red at that. Hitori shattered into million pieces.

Mio let out a stifled scream as the Hitori shards fell towards her shoes, making her lift her feet onto her seat.

Azusa chopped Yui’s head. “That’s not the takeaway, stupid senpai!” Azusa looked down at the shattered pieces of Hitori on the floor. “I guess this is why she’s acting like this?”

Kita was still recovering from Yui’s blatant comment, but nodded regardless. “I tried to get Sattsu-chan to roll back the decision, but she said no one else wanted the role.”

“And they just decided to give her the role? Have they seen her?” Ritsu asked. “No offense.” Ritsu remarked at the pink pile of dust on the floor.

“N-none taken.” Multiple shrill tiny voices replied.

“Well that’s the point, Ritsu-san. They haven’t. She’s not exactly well known in school..” Kita began shuffling uncomfortably on her seat. “I- might’ve talked a big game about her to my friends, and that might’ve skewed people’s perceptions a bit… They think she’s this really cool mysterious rocker girl..”

“Well, she is, technically, in a way,” said Ritsu. She immediately shuddered as that comment caused the pieces to start giggling, like thousands of disembodied voices of children all laughing at her.

“D-don’t get me wrong! I-i think so as well..” Kita said, blush returning to her cheeks. “But it did create a huge expectation from others to be thrusted on to her. I’m so sorry, Gotoh-san!”

“Ghgh!” Hitori grunted, as she began reforming. “I-i-it’s okay, Kita-san…”

“But, wouldn't this burden you? With the concert happening as well..”

Hitori paled at that, reminded at the prospect of two mentally taxing performances back to back. She lifted out a fork from the table and pointed it at her stomach, ready to commit seppuku.

“Gotoh-san, NO!”

“Hitori-chan!” Mio suddenly said to the pink haired girl.

Everyone turned towards the bassist. The black haired girl took Hitori’s hand in hers and puts away her fork. She stood up, pulling Hitori with her. Everyone looks on in confusion.

“RUN!” Mio dragged Hitori and fled the table.

“Wh- A-akiyama-san-?!”

“Hey, Mio! Where are you going!?” Ritsu got up and began chasing after the two.

“Let’s run away together, Hitori-chan! You and I, we don’t need to perform on either school festivals, let’s just live as free kindred spirits forever! HAHAHA!” Mio said, completely losing it.

Hitori had entertained this sort of thought plenty of times before, but to think Mio was the one to finally act on that intrusive thought, the usually cool and collected Mio, shocked her quite a bit. She could do nothing as the bassist dragged her away from the restaurant.

“Where’d you think you’re going!?” Ritsu said, as she took hold of Hitori’s other arm. The escape plan suddenly turned into a game of tug of war using Hitori as the rope.

“You’re not leaving me here with all the responsibility!” Ritsu said, struggling as she pulled Hitori towards her. “If anyone’s gonna bail, it’s me!”

“Not if we do it first!” Mio said, completely deranged.

The two opposing forces were successful in tearing Hitori in half, like a piece of paper. Both girls fell on their rear with their respective parts of Hitori.

“AAAAAHHHH!!!!’ Mio screeched at the half-Hitori in her grasp.

“This is all your fault!” Ritsu said. “I don’t have tape on me, how are we supposed to piece her back together?”

“Mio-chan, Ricchan!” Both of them looked up at the voice. Yui was running after them with Kita, Mugi, and Azusa in tow.

“Please don’t fight!” Yui said, squeezing Mio, Ritsu, and Hitori’s remains into a big group hug.

“Urgh..”

“Can’f, breatfe..”

“Akiyama-san, don’t take Gotoh-san away like that! You’re scaring me!” Kita exclaimed. “A-and, if you’re taking away Gotoh-san, take me with you too!” She added, blush flaring up in her cheeks.

Azusa just stares in disbelief. What is even happening.

“I think all of us could use a little calming down.” Mugi said over the chaos. “Let’s head back to the restaurant and order something. A nice meal might help us calm down and rationalize the situation.”

After being able to mobilize the chaotic group back to the restaurant, they placed their order to a very confused worker, and before long, food was already set up on the table as they began conversing over what had happened to HTT that day.

“Well, basically Mio’s just been at this non-stop the whole day, trying to run away from being head butler for the cafe.” Ritsu explained.

“I can’t, I just can’t!”

“I see…” Kita said wearily while stitching Hitori back together.

“Your problem is really just the lack of confidence, Mio-chan. You’ve shown yourself to be quite capable of showing proper table manners and etiquette from our earlier training.” Mugi said.

Ritsu rolled her eyes at this indirect jab.

“I do have to say however, neither of your mannerisms seem to quite fit the roles you were assigned.” Mugi added.

“I have an idea!” Yui piped up.

“What is it..” Ritsu has the feeling Yui was about to suggest something very stupid.

“Ricchan needs to act more ladylike, and Mio-chan needs to act more boyish!”

“I like that idea.” Azusa said.

“Here, Ricchan, hold this!” Yui said, handing her her drink. “Stuck your pinky out!”

“W-why?”

“And tuck your shirt in!”

“Seriously?” Ritsu begrudgingly obliged, buttoning her blazer and tucking her shirt in.

“This feels weird.” She muttered.

“It does feel weird.” Azusa agreed.

“Mio chan’s ready too!”

Yui presented Mio, blazer unbuttoned and shirt untucked. He hair was tied into a high ponytail.

“It’s so embarrassing…”

“Whoa..”

“What happened to my Akiyama-san…” Kita quietly muttered.

“Whatever.” Ritsu sat down grumpily, picking up her drink.

“Stuck your pinky out!” Both Yui and Mugi exclaimed.

“GAH!”

-

“M-my, d-d-do you happen to be Sir R-romeo f-from from.. M-montague..”

“Cut!”

Sasaki massaged her temple. Another school day has passed, and it’s time for preparations for the school play. Sasaki was appointed as director, and she decided to have intensive rehearsal sessions for actors every day after school. However, this script reading is turning out to be such a disaster. While she could admit that from looks alone, Hitori could be on par with Kita as her co-lead playing Juliet, her acting leaves many, many, many things to be desired.

“Kita, why don’t we hear from you now?” She said, diverting her attention to the redhead.

“Sure, Sattsu!” Kita cleared her throat. “No, if you dislike that, then you may-”

“Cut! Kita-chan, you’re still acting too upbeat for Romeo! Remember, your character is supposed to be stoic and gentle, not cheery and peppy!”

“Ah, sorry, Sattsu!”

While Kita doesn’t have problems reciting her lines properly without stuttering, she still isn’t acting according to her role. The class all began trading worried looks. Is this play already doomed before it even started?

“But Sattsu, I have a problem with this script! If they’re so in love with each other, why don’t they just run away? Clearly they hate their families so much, so why stick around? These characters just don’t make sense!”

Sasaki facepalmed. “If you have problems with the script, take it up with Shakespeare. We’re just following what he had written down.”

“Maybe we should consider modernizing this script for our 21st century audience!” Kita chirped.

“What? No!”

“R-romeo from Montague… Ah, i did it, I managed to not stutter through the sentence.”

Sasaki could only stare blankly at the pink haired introvert. She exhaled. “Why don’t we call it for today? I’d like both of you to keep practicing your lines before our next reading tomorrow.”

“A-ah, hai…”

”Hai!”

Everyone began getting up, and idle chatter began forming amongst the group. Hitori just stood still as she reread her script over and over again. It’s no use! She thought to herself. I can’t do this! Why did this even come to be? Curse you Kita-san for thinking that I’m cool! Why would she even think that? I’m the lamest person I know. Which is not saying much since I barely know anyone, but still.

In the midst of all these internal ponderings, the girl Hitori repeatedly cursed in her head began to approach her.

“Gotoh-san!”

Hitori looked up from her script to find Kita worriedly looking at her.

“Are you okay? You don’t have to do this if you want to.” She frowns.

Kita chan is so considerate… But then again if she really was that considerate, she wouldn’t have nominated me in the first place, she bitterly thought. Ah damn it! Why am i thinking like this? I don’t know…. but it doesn’t make any of this less scary.

“It’s f-fine, Kita san.” It’s really not. “I just need to get this line right, haha…” The way Kita looks at her makes her think that there is more than that that she needs to get right, But Kita abstained from commenting. Instead, she put on a warm encouraging smile.

“I’m here if you ever need help, okay? Let’s give it our best!”

“Hai…”

“Oh, Kita-chan, by the way-” One of her friends got up and started talking with her.

Hitori looked around the classroom. Everyone is currently preparing the props for the upcoming stage play. Some other actors are doing their own script reading. Hitori examined them closely.

They’re all so good… she thought. Why couldn’t they play the leading role instead of me? She looked on as Sasaki-san gave more critique for the actor’s performance.

“Less stiff! Your character is supposed to be uptight and unreasonable, but not to that extent! Loosen it up a little.”

“Mou, Sasaki-san. You’re really strict all of a sudden.. What gives?” The actor said to the olive haired girl.

She could see Sasaki’s jerked uncomfortably at the question. “To make up for the others who can’t do it as well.. I need everyone else who can to pick up the slack!” She said vaguely.

Hitori cried inside. They’re talking about me and Kita-san!

“Gotoh-san! What do you say if we practice more at STARRY today? I bet Ijichi-senpai and Ryo-senpai would be able to help!” Kita suddenly said, done from her previous conversation with her friend.

Hitori can feel more eyes looking at both of them. She doesn’t dare to look around to confirm whether or not it’s just part of her paranoid mind, but Kita seems to be unaffected, which made Hitori believe that she was imagining it. However, she felt it’d be good to get away from this place as soon as possible, away from the judging and prying eyes of her classmates.

“Y-yes, let’s go, Kita-chan!”

-

“What, Bocchi-chan as Juliet?”

“Pfft-”

“Ryo-senpai!”

Bocchi could hear the commotion from inside of STARRY’s trash bin as Kita scolds her senpai, while Nijika disciplined her bassist violently.

“Uncle, uncle! Please! I didn’t mean to laugh!” Ryo desperately said.

“It’s okay, Nijika-san… please don’t kill Ryo-san over it-”

Hitori puts her head out of the trash can, expecting to see Nijika beating Ryo up, but to her surprise, she finds Kita violently putting the bassist in a chokehold.

“Ah, sorry then, Gotoh-san!” Kita said, letting go of the bassist.

“Shouldn’t it be me you’re apologizing to-nevermind.” Ryo immediately cowered under Kita’s stern gaze.

Nijika, who seemed as bewildered as Hitori at the turn of events, quickly recovered. “S-so, have you had any rehearsals yet?”

“We had an early script reading.” Kita answered. “Sattsu was really strict! She told us to practice more before our next reading.”

“I see..”

“Which is why I thought that maybe we could practice here? I think it’d be good for Gotoh-san to be practicing in a quiet, isolated place first!”

“Huh? Well, I mean it’s fine. I think. It’s fine, right, sis?”

“What do you mean STARRY is a quiet isolated place? We have customers!” Seika retorted.

“Ah! That’s not what I meant, manager!”

“She’s joking, girls.” PA-san said as Seika huffs. “You should know by now that our manager is a huge tsun-”

“Do you want to be unemployed?”

“Well then, do you wanna do it on the stage? There’s no live scheduled for today, I think.” Nijika said. Seika quietly cried in the background.

“Let’s do it!” Kita peppily said. Come on, Gotoh-san!”

“Hai…”

Both of them got up on stage, script ready in hand.

“Well then, today I am director Ijichi! Lucky for you girls, I’ve actually performed in a middle school play before!”

“Really?”

“She was on stage for a total of 1 minute and 34 seconds.” Ryo said.

“Shush! Who’s counting? Only weirdos like you!” Nijika clears her throat. “Needless to say, that means I know the jist of school plays, so I’ll help correct anything that I find odd about your performances.”

“Thank you, Nijika-san…” Hitori bowed.

“Ah that’s not..” Nijika waved her hands hastily. “Anyway! Why don’t we start with you, Kita-chan?”

“Okay!” She clears her throat. “I fear too early for my mind misgives, some consequences, yet hanging in the stars, is about to begin!” Kita said, with a dramatic swaying of one of her arms.

“Ah.. Kita-chan, I think you don't need to do all that stuff with your arm…” Nijika said.

“Oh, really? But doesn’t it add dramatic flair?”

“Ahahaha… Bocchi-chan? What about you?”

“A-ah! Umm…Okay, uhh.. P-part-parting.. Parting is- is such sweet s-sorrow.. I’ll see.. you on the m-morrow?”

Nijika and Ryo trade glances. They see the problem now. This is definitely gonna take a while to correct.
.
.
.
.
,

“I’m so tired!” Kita said, after rehearsing the same scene five times in a row.

“Well, you are getting better, Kita-chan.” Nijika suggested. Next to her, Ryo shook her head. Nijika elbowed the bassist. At least she stopped doing that swaying thing with her arm.

On the other hand…

“Bocchi-chan…”

“I’m sorry for being so useless!” Hitori bowed repeatedly, I swear I’ll get it eventually!” She pathetically pleaded. “The end of the night is n-near. Like a shackle around a prisoner’s leg-”

“You’re stuttering less and less, Bocchi-chan. That’s great.” Nijika smiled.

“Your acting is still very wooden though.” Ryo said blankly.

“Couldn’t you word it out more tactfully?!” Kita retorts in annoyance.

The usually stoic and emotionless Ryo winced in fear and muttered an apology. Kita’s sudden change of attitude towards Ryo is something that should be investigated, Nijika thought.

“Y-yeah, Bocchi-chan. While I wouldn’t word it as crass as that, Ryo does have a point.”

Bocchi fell to her knees. “Uuuu… I’m never gonna get this right.”

“Hmm.” Nijika puts her hand under her chin. “Well, you have no problem memorizing the lines, clearly. And I’m sure we’ll be able to work on your confidence. You manage to perform a live in front of an audience already, after all!”

Bocchi internally disagreed with that assessment, but Nijika wasn’t psychic and was not made aware of her internal predicament.

“So right now, what we have to tackle is your acting. You have to try and get into the character of Juliet.” Nijika said, pointing at Bocchi.

“Eh? H-how do I do that?”

“Well first, we have to think of what kind of character Juliet is. She is a daughter of a noble family. So she has to act elegant and feminine, as expected of women of such a background.”

“I can’t do that! I’m a NEET!”

“Don’t say that about yourself, Gotoh-san! You’re genuinely amazing!”

“Huh?”

“Think about it, Juliet might seem soft-spoken, shy, and quiet at the surface, but she harbors great intelligence and bravery, being able to stand up against her family to get what she wants! I actually find her very similar to you, in a way. You seem shy on the outside, but you harbor great passion for the things you do, and I find that admirable!” Kita said, without breaking eye contact from Bocchi.

Bocchi blushed. “Kita-san.. really think that way about me?”

Kita nodded.

Both girls looked at each other for a moment.

“So uhh…”

Bocchi snapped out of it, flushing an even deeper red. She turned towards Nijika. “Y-yes, Nijika-san?”

“Right.” Nijika decided to just shelf that interaction in the back of her mind for now. “As I was saying, you need to figure out what kind of character Juliet is, and try to act accordingly. So, as a simple exercise, think of someone with those characteristics, and just try to act like them!”

Bocchi tried hard to think of the most elegant and feminine person she knew. The list wasn’t extensive. Maybe Kita-san? Ah, she’s too upbeat.. Same with Nijika-san. Ryo and the manager were too apathetic, and Hiroi nee-san is uhh…

In the end, She finally found someone that somewhat fit those characteristics. She nodded. “I think i got it, Nijika-san.”

“Alright then, try and act like that, Bocchi-chan.”

She closed her eyes.

“Hitori-chan, dinner is ready!”

“Wh-”

“Uhh, Bocchi, who did you have in mind?” Ryo asked in confusion.

“Eh? W-well when I try to think of someone who’s feminine and elegant, the only image that comes up is my mom.. A-ah, was I wrong?”

The three of them gaped.

“Okay, well, let’s try a different approach.” Nijika said. “Can you imagine your mother as Juliet, Bocchi-chan?”

“Eh?” Bocchi tries to conjure up the image in her mind. Her mother, dressed in medieval era attire, being swooned on a balcony by her father. Does that make Kita my dad?

“Uhhh…”

“This might be too weird, even for her.” Ryo said.

“You don’t need to think of it so literally! Just imagine your mother acting and saying these lines, you can do that, right Bocchi-chan?”

Bocchi tried again. This time she tried to imagine her mother saying her lines.

“What storms is this that blows so contrary? Is Romeo slaughter’d, and is Tybalt dead?” The imaginary mom said in her head. Surprisingly, it fits.

“Y-yeah, i can picture it…” Bocchi eventually said.

“Okay! Well, you have those as a point of reference for your acting. Let's try this again. Kita-chan?”

“Oh, right! Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear. That tips with silver all these fruit tree tops-”

Kita stops, it was now Hitori’s turn. She took a deep breath.

“O, s-swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, That monthly changes in h-her circled orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.”

Everyone went silent. Oh no… i messed up again, didn’t I?

“Gotoh-san, that was incredible!” Kita said, leaping towards her, tackling her into a hug.

“A-ah!”

“Well done, Bocchi.” Ryo clapped.

“Yeah, good work. We just need to work on your stutter, but that was smooth!”

“Ah… really…? Ehehehehe…”

“Yeah, keep it up, and you’ll ace our play, no sweat!” Kita said.

“Well maybe not that easy…” Nijika said, but Kita paid her no mind, too busy showering Hitori in compliments. Bah. Who cares, no point in bursting their bubble now, Nijika thinks.

-

“This isn’t what I ordered!”

“Are you sure m-ma’am?”

“Do you think I’m stupid? I would know what I ordered, and this is not it! Such terrible service!”

“Terrible service, huh? Well let’s see how you do it instead, you ungrateful piece of-”

“Whoa, Mugi-chan!”

“No, Bad Ricchan!” Mugi said, whacking the maid on the head with a roll of paper.

“Ouch, that hurts, Mugi!”

“Now we have to start all over. Don’t lose your temper, Ricchan. A maid needs to be able to maintain their composure at all times.”

“Ggh! Even when the customer is being unreasonable?”

“Especially if the customer is being unreasonable.”

“Well that’s a lot of horsesh-”

“Ah, ah! A maid does not use such foul language, Ricchan!”

A knock was heard at the door, and the class president entered.

“How’s the ‘maid training’ going?”

“It’s going well, Nodoka-chan!” Yui replied.

“For you, maybe. You’re enjoying being an annoying customer way too much, Yui.” Ritsu exhaled.

“I’m just following what Mugi-chan told me to do!” Yui pouts.

“Where’s Mio?” Nodoka asked.

“Sawa-chan is refitting her outfit. They should be back by now.”

“Everyone!” Sawako barged into the room. “Have at you, my magnum opus!” She said, as she pulled an unwilling Mio into view. The girl was clad in a black suit and pants, with a black bow tie and white gloves to boot. The club took in the display with awe.

“Waaah! Mio-chan, you’re so cute!” Yui said.

“You look dashing in that suit, Mio.” Nodoka commented.

“This is so embarrassing!” Mio said.

Mugi frowned. “You need to be more confident, Mio-chan. You have a pretty face and a gentle disposition, perfectly befitting for a butler. This role should fit you well.”

“I-i don’t feel that’s the case!” Mio rebutted.

“Well, suck it up. We got to deal with this now.” Ritsu said, shoving a tray onto Mio’s hand.

“Remember your training, Mio-chan. Why don’t you serve us some tea? I already prepared the kettle.” Mugi said, pointing at the electric kettle being plugged in the corner of the room.

Mio sighed defeatedly. “Alright…”

Mio moved to prepare the tea. Mugi smiled, before looking at Ritsu.

“Well, Ricchan? Aren’t you gonna give her a hand?”

“With what? She got everything taken care of.”

“Ritsu.” Nodoka gave her a pointed look.

“Alright, alright! Geez.”

“You can help her with the sweets, Ricchan. Then you can help her serve the food and tea to us.”

Ritsu grumbled, but eventually moved towards the corner where Mio is currently brewing the tea. She took out the pastries Mugi had prepared for their training and placed them onto the tray.

“This is so stupid.” She commented.

Mio hums in agreement.

“Why did we even agree to this?”

“I wanted out, but you stopped me everytime!” Mio hissed.

“That’s cause you kept leaving me behind! If you want to bail, at least bring me with you!”

“So you agree? Should we just make a run for it?” Mio said.

Ritsu sighed. “It’s kind of too late for that now. We’re in too deep. Everyone’s counting on us.”

“I suppose it would be unfair to everyone. It doesn’t make this prospect less nerve wracking, however.” Mio conceded.

Ritsu watched as her friend shakily poured hot water into the respective teacups. Pity started building up in her at the sight, as she realized how she and Mio had been thrusted into this situation neither of them are happy with. She sighed.

“Well, let’s just bear with it for now.” She said defeatedly. Mio didn’t respond.

“Alright, come on now.” Ritsu said. “The tea’s getting cold.”

Mio and Ritsu moved back to the table, tray in hand. Yui and Azusa are having an animated conversation about the importance of standing still to hold a sign, while Nodoka watches. Sawako was busy reading her magazine. Mugi, however was watching them intently, scrutinizing their every movement.

“Here’s your food!’ Ritsu said, plastering a fake smile on her face as she served the sweets to everyone.

“Food!” Yui exclaimed.

“And perhaps, some tea to compliment it?” Mio said, putting down all the steaming teacup on the table.

“Oh, this is the stuff. You guys should really consider dropping the band and just opening a cafe or something.” Sawako said, as she took a sip from her warm cup of tea.

“No, never!” Azusa immediately rejected the notion.

“Anything else we’d be able to help with?” Ritsu asked politely.

“Can I have some tissues?” Azusa said.

“Eh, did you spill your tea, Azu-nyan?”

“No, it’s to wipe your face, Yui-senpai! Eat properly!”

“Here, ma’am.” Mio handed Azusa a box of tissue with a smile on her face.

“R-right.” she glanced briefly at Mio’s smiling figure and took the tissue box. “Thanks, Mio-senpai.”

“Right now, I’m not your senpai. M-merely a humble servant to help you in your needs.” Mio said.

Mugi clapped. “Well done, Mio-chan!”

Mio exhaled. “That was hard…”

“My face hurts from smiling so much.” Ritsu complained.

“You two have really improved.” Nodoka said. “Commendable effort from you both.”

“Thanks, Nodoka-chan.”

“Well done, Mio-chan, Ricchan.” Mugi said, clapping. “I’m proud of you both.”

“Can we lose the get-up now?” Ritsu said. “This thing is stuffy and hot as hell.”

Mugi exhaled at the profanity, but nodded regardless. Ritsu let out a sigh of relief.

“Finally!” Ritsu said, as she puts on her school uniform.

“This look suits you better.” Mio stated.

“Hey! I could pull off a girl-ish look if I want too, okay?” Behind her, she could hear Azusa chuckling. “I heard that, Nakano!”

“So, what do you think, Mugi-chan?” Nodoka asked the heiress.

“Well, I'll say they’re improving, but it’s hard to tell without testing in a real live environment.” Mugi suggested.

Upon realizing the conversation was about her and Mio, Ritsu perked up.

“Oi, what’s this supposed to mean? Is this not enough for you lot?” Ritsu spat.

“Ricchan, please. I only want the best for both of you! Say, are you both free tomorrow after school?” Mugi asks.

Mio and Ritsu trade glances. That doesn’t sound good at all.

“Y’know what, Mio? Let’s do what you suggested earlier.”

-

“Cut! Cut!”

Another day of mundane classes passed. A slog to get through for most students, since most of them only care about the preparations for the festival that are getting ever closer. Which is why, class 1 and 2 are training even more diligently for their play the moment the school bell rang.

Sasaki put her hand to her forehead. “Gotoh-san. Please look up when saying your lines.”

“I-i’m sorry…”

Sasaki watches the pink girl sulks in front of her. She sighed. “Well, overall your performance has improved drastically. You barely stutter and your acting is better than yesterday.” Sasaki said.

Hitori just stood silently.

“But still, you have to actually look at your co-performers, Gotoh-san!” Sasaki cried. Next to her, her other classmates watch the scene with exasperated smiles. It was kinda bizarre seeing Hitori manage to act decently, but always with her head down, or turned away from her fellow actors.

“She’s trying her best, Sattsu.” Kita said.

Sasaki sighed again. “I know, and I appreciate the effort. But she can’t act on stage like that, still.”

“We’ll work on it, Sattsu, I promise!” Kita said determinedly.

Sasaki looked back at the fire in Kita’s eyes. “Alright then.” She nods. “Well, i think that should do it for today. Don’t forget to keep practicing during your spare time, everyone.”

“Hai.”

Everyone gathered up their things and began to leave the classroom. Kita approached Hitori, who was still reading her script intently.

“Gotoh-san?”

“A-ah, yes, Kita-chan?”

“We should probably get going. We have practice at STARRY today, remember?”

“A-ah, right…”

On top of play rehearsals, Kita and Hitori were also practicing for their upcoming band performance on the second day of the festival. Needless to say, it was quite taxing, but Kita tried her best to manage all the work. While notably more stressful, she was still able to handle the pressure.

She wasn’t sure how Hitori was handling it, however.

Of course on the surface, Kita knows that Hitori is very much overwhelmed. It’s not exactly hard to figure out, considering Hitori’s state of mind and current mood usually dictates the shape and form she takes. But still, Kita doesn’t really know how she’s really feeling internally. Does she resent her for basically signing her up for this play and concert? Why is she so inconsiderate? She should’ve known this was too much for a girl like Hitori.

This is all her fault.

“Kita-san?” Hitori’s voice broke her out of her stupor.

“Yes?”

Hitori looked a bit puzzled at the reaction, but decided to not push it. “Shall we go?”

“Ah, yes, let’s!”

The trip was uneventful. Kita noticed that Hitori was still reading the script and mouthing her lines as they commuted on the train to STARRY. While she admires her dedication, her heart couldn’t help but ache at the thought that she caused Hitori to be pressured like this.

What is wrong with me? Isn’t this what I wanted for her?

“Kita-chan-”

I’m so selfish, I never asked her if this is what she wanted-

“Kita-chan.”

What a terrible friend I am. So inconsiderate-

“KITA-CHAN!”

“Huh, what?”

“You alright?” Kita was met with Nijika looking back at her with a worried expression.

“I’m fine, Ijichi-senpai!” Kita replied cheerily. Where is she? Ah right. STARRY. They were just done rehearsing. Hitori and Ryo must’ve already left to tend to their shift, leaving Nijika and Kita alone in the studio.

Nijika paused to examine Kita’s features. Her eyebrows furrow in worry.

“Something on your mind?”

“Hm? Oh. Just thinking about the festival and all. Me and Gotoh-san technically have two performances back to back.”

“Ah. Right. Of course.” Nijika contemplated. “So, are you worried about that?”

“Not really. I’m able to handle it just fine. I’m more worried about Gotoh-san.”

“I see..”

Silence fell between both of them. Kita looked down at the floor, suddenly finding her shoes to be a very interesting thing to look at.

“Well. I suppose it’s natural to worry over Bocchi-chan.. but you can’t underestimate her, Kita-chan! That girl has a strong resolve, she’s very passionate. You said it yourself, Kita-chan.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Not to say you’re worrying over nothing, though. But if Bocchi really was pressured, she would’ve come to us already. And if that happens, we’ll just have to make sure we’re there for her.”

“Yeah. I understand.”

“Well, if that’s all, let’s get up, Kita-chan! Onee-chan’s gonna riot if she finds both of us slacking off instead of working.”

At this, Kita giggled. “Alright, Ijichi-senpai.”

Both of them walk out of the studio, where they soon find Seika watching over Ryo and Bocchi setting up tables.

“What’s going on, sis?”

“Oh, Niji. There you are. I need you to set up the tables.”

“Why are we laying them out like this?”

“This place is gonna be a cafe for today.”

“Eh?” Nijika looked at her sister like she’s clinically insane.

“The manager has gotten a generous offer from an ‘anonymous’ sponsor to make this happen.” PA-san calmly explained.

Nijika squinted her eyes. Seika averted hers.

“Anyway, get to work. Else I’m docking your pay.”

“Onee-chan, you’re a sellout! How much is it, anyway?” Nijika whispered to PA-san.

PA-san whispered into Nijika’s ear and the drummer immediately paled.

“Ijichi-san?”

“Come on, Kita-chan! Those tables aren’t gonna set themselves!” Nijika said, doing a complete 180.

Kita probably should know better than question her boss, especially when said boss is glaring at her. She moved to help the others setting up the table.

“That’s all of em!” Nijika said, as she set the last seat on the table. “Now tell me onee-chan, who gave us all this money?”

Seika opened her mouth to speak, but before she could formulate a sentence, several figures entered the venue.

“Maa, this is wonderful. Thank you so much for the cooperation, tenchou-san.” Mugi bowed at Seika.

“Don’t mention it.” Seika said, averting her eyes.

“I guess that answers my question, then.” Nijika side-eyed her sister.

Mugi smiled. “I hope you don’t mind, Nijika-chan. We’ll be using the venue today to train for the upcoming festival.”

“W-well, it’s just for one day, so..”

“Splendid. Everyone, we will be working here today!” Mugi addressed the rest of her band.

“W-why?” Mio shakily said.

“It’d be good to see how well you fare in real world situations, Mio-chan.”

“Also it helps build up your confidence, and helps you overcome your stage fright.” Ritsu said. At this, Kita perks up. Gears started spinning in her head.

“Weren’t you complaining about this yesterday, too? How much did she pay you to say that?” Mio blankly asked.

“I-it’s for the best, Mio!” Ritsu hastily stated, hand reflexively moving towards her bag’s pocket where she kept her wallet.

“Manager, I assume you’ve prepared the outfits?”

“Yep. Don’t worry about that. Do you want to try them on now?”

“That would be lovely.” Mugi said, as she and the others followed Seika into the backstage area.

“I guess you can do anything if you have a lot of cash in your pockets.” Ryo commented.

“Ryo, stop pretending you’re poor. You know you could also do this if you wanted to.”

“Gotoh-san!” Kita suddenly said.

“W-wh-Yes, Kita-san?”

“Let’s join them!”

“HUH?!” The three girls all gawked at her.

“Ritsu-san was right! It’ll help you overcome your stage fright!” Kita said, looking at Hitori.

“I-i-i…”

“You’ll be playing the role of a maid, as practice for playing Juliet, and since it’s within the familiar routine of serving customers, this shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

“There’s some merit to it..” Nijika said, mulling it over.

“Do you want to join them too?” Ryo said.

“Eh? Well….sure, what the hell. We’re still gonna have to work our shift anyway. This’ll make it more fun, dont’cha think?” Nijika ultimately concluded.

“Huh? Nijika-san?!”

“Come on Bocchi-chan, we’ll all be with you, so don’t worry!”

Under the expectant looks of everyone- Hitori can’t help but sigh.

“O-okay…”

“Yay!”

Kita suddenly stopped herself. She’s doing it again. Forcing Hitori into uncomfortable situations. She was about to tell Hitori that she doesn’t have to do it if she doesn’t want to, but the pink haired girl had already walked away with Nijika and Ryo.

She really needs to stop being such a terrible friend.

-

“You look cute in that, Azusa-chan!”

“Y-you think so? I think you look cute, too, Mugi-senpai!”

“You too, Ritsu senp- PFFT.”

“Spit it out if you got sumn’ to say!”

“HAHAHA!” The laugh didn’t come from Azusa, rather, Nijika was laughing hysterically at her fellow drummer.

“Ggh…” Ritsu pouts.

“How do I look?” Ryo said, showing off the butler suit to Kita.

“You look dashing as always, Ryo-senpai!” Kita smiled.

“Hm.”

“What’s wrong, Ryo-senpai?”

“I was expecting you to- nevermind.” Ryo said.

“Eh, what do you mean, Ryo-senpai?”

“What’s taking Hitori-chan and Mio-chan so long?” Yui said, putting her ears up to the dressing room.

“They’re just getting ready, Yui-senpai. Stop creeping around and just fix your suit!” Azusa said, as she buttoned Yui’s suit properly.

“Ehehehe… thanks, Azu-nyan..”

The dressing room’s door eventually opened to reveal both Mio and Hitori in a butler and maid outfit respectively.

“KYAAA! Gotoh-san! You look so cute! Can you let me take a picture, please?” Kita squealed, taking in Hitori’s appearance.

“Huh. There it is.” Ryo said.

“P-please.. no pictures..”

“You look great, Mio-chan.” Nijika said.

“Thanks… let’s just get this over with..” Mio said defeatedly.

Mugi nods. “Well, it’s simple really. Just remember your training, Mio-chan, Ricchan. It might take a bit to get accustomed to the environment, but just remember to smile and be welcoming towards the customer.”

“Smile…”

“Let’s try it, Azu-nyan!”

“Welcome!” Yui said, smiling sweetly.

“Please come again.” Azusa replied.

“Hai, hai, aren’t you two cute.” Ritsu said blankly.

“You try it, Ricchan!”

Ritsu glanced to her side. Mugi nodded encouragingly. She forces out a smile, “Thank you for your patience.”

Yui and Azusa clapped. “You’re so cute, Ricchan.”

“PFFT-”

“Piss off, Nakano!”

“Oi, you done in there? We’re about to open.”

“We’re ready, sis!” Nijika chirped.

“Hm.” Seika eyed her little sister in her maid outfit. “Come along now.”

“Where’s Akiyama-san?” Kita asked.

“She’s hiding over there!” Yui said, pointing at the closet.

“!!”

“Oi, come now, Mio.” Ritsu said, moving towards her friend.

“I’ll pass, we have enough hands on deck to serve.”

“This is training for us. Why would you let the others do everything?”

“Sigh. Alright.”

They exited the dressing room to find everyone else already serving customers.

“Thank you for your patience!”

“Let me take your order.”

“How can they do it so well..?” Mio said, observing the others.

Ritsu meanwhile, eyed the corner where Kita is currently consoling a shaken up Hitori. Mio followed her gaze.

“Ah well, the rest of us might’ve built up an immunity thanks to a certain someone.” Ritsu said, and Mio immediately thought of their advisor’s unfortunate habits.

“Excuse us?” a pair of customers sounded.

“Ah, they need you out there.”

“Eh, why me?”

“I’ll take the next customer. You go.”

“B-but!”

“Oiiii- senpai! A bottle of sochu please!” A sudden interruption in the form of a drunk, magenta haired woman entered the cafe.

“I changed my mind, Mio you can-”

Mio immediately scurried towards the two customers calling after her, which left Ritsu to be the one handling the drunk.

“Serves me right.” Ritsu muttered defeatedly.

“Eeh? What’s goin on’ round here?” Hiroi said, confusedly looking around the place.

Prepare yourself Ritsu. Just smile and be welcoming. Remember your training!

“Welcome! Table for one?”

“Eh? Oh, hii Ri-chaaan! Why’re you dressed like that?”

Ritsu had to hold her breath as the smell of alcohol began invading her nostrils. Just bear with it, Ritsu! “A-ah, just for today, STARRY will be a temporary cafe. Would you like me to take you to your seat?

“Ahhh….” Hiroi said, finally understanding the situation. “Suree.. take me to my seat!” Hiroi giggled.

Ritsu walked Hiroi to an empty table. Hiroi made a scene for herself by falling backwards while trying to take a seat. Ritsu prayed to every god that is up there to give her strength to deal with this woman today.

“Are you ready to make your order?”

“R-right! Umm… wait, what should I order…?”

Ritsu forces out a smile. “You can read the menu laid out in front of you and decide, onee-san.”

Hiroi looked down at the table, where the menu was placed. “Oh, ahahaha! When did this get here?” Hiroi said, picking up the menu.

“It’s been there the entire time.” Ritsu replied patiently.

Hiroi began reading the menu, but was momentarily distracted by a passing Azusa. “Oh, oh Azusa-chan!” She said, waving her hand obnoxiously.

“Oh, nee-san. I didn’t expect to see you here.” Azusa said warily.

“Are you guys all dressing up? My, that’s cute! Hic- ah.. If only I was still young and it was still acceptable for me to walk around in cute maid outfits..” Hiroi began to ramble.

“R-right. Well, I have to go, nee-san.”

“Have fun out there, haha!” Hiroi said, waving her hand again.

Azusa spares a sympathetic glance at Ritsu’s pleading look, before leaving to tend to another customer. Ritsu sighed.

“Have you decided on your order?” Ritsu pushes.

“Huh, what? Oh, right!” Hiroi said, looking back at her menu.”Almost forgot.”

It was quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time.

“Onee-san? Something the matter?”

“I- i might’ve forgotten my wallet, hehe..”

Ritsu had to suppress the urge to scream. Remember your training, Ritsu! Refrain from killing this woman!

-

“Are you ready, Gotoh-san?”

Hitori shook her head vehemently. Kita was having second thoughts at the current sight of Hitori. She was a mess.

“Gotoh-san, I’m so sorry. Let’s just go back to the dressing room if you don’t wanna do this.”

To Kita’s surprise, however, Hitori shook her head again.

“I-i need to do this!” She said, determinedly.

“Gotoh-san… It’s fine, you don’t have to push it…”

“N-no… I’m tired of being a coward… everyone in our class is counting on m-me. I-i-i want to improve, Kita-san, to be worthy of the same stage as y-you, and the rest of the band!”

Kita was taken aback. Gotoh-san, she- she’s so cool! Kita can feel her heart beating even faster. Why is it doing that?

“Kita-chan, Hitori-chan!”

Kita looked at Yui, who suddenly appeared in front of both of them. Or maybe she’s been there the entire time, and Kita just didn’t notice.

“Can you guys cover for me? I need to use the restroom!”

“I-”

“Thanks, Hitori-chan!”

“W-wait!”

Kita returned her gaze at Hitori. “This is your moment, Gotoh-san!”

Hitori deflated in response.

“Gotoh-san! I thought you said you wanted to do this?”

“I’m still scared…” the deflated girl said from the floor.

“I don’t understand.. You were okay performing a live previously… and yesterday you performed your lines perfectly fine with us..”

“A-ah, I just get nervous in front of strangers! In all those situations I had y-you guys..”

“Well, then how about this? Just imagine that the customers you’re serving are Ryo-senpai and Ijichi-senpai!”

“Eh?”

“You’ll be less nervous serving a familiar face, right?”

“I-i guess..”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, there’s customers. Gotoh-san, this is your chance!”

“A-ah, yes…”

“Go get them, Gotoh-san! I believe in you!” Kita cheered.

Hitori took a deep breath, bracing herself. “Alright.”

As Hitori approached the customer. Kita had to fight back her tears. "My Gotoh-san is growing up! I’m so proud!"

“W-welcome, a-ah, have a nice day!” Hitori said, bowing.

The customers just stared in confusion. “Uhh… can we make our order?”

“A-ah, yes!” Hitori said, taking out her notebook.

Focus, Hitori! Remember what Kita-san said, just imagine them as Nijika and Ryo-san!

Her vision of the two customers in front of her turned into that of Nijika and Ryo.

“I'll have this cappuccino, please!” Nijika cheerily said.

“Orange juice for me.” Ryo said.

“Right, cappuccino for Nijika-san and orange juice for Ryo-san..” Hitori said, jotting the order down.

“Huh, who’s Nijika?” Nijika said.

The illusion immediately shattered, as Nijika’s face slowly returned back into the customer’s.

“A-ah, s-sorry about that! I-i’ll get your order right away!” Hitori bowed, before immediately scurrying away.

“Is she a highschooler?”

“She’s pretty cute.”

Hitori recollected herself at the counter, where Seika was manning the bar.

“Hmm, Bocchi-chan, what’s up with you?” Seika asked as she noticed Bocchi breathing frantically at the counter.

“I-it’s fine manager..” She panted. “One o-orange juice and cappuccino, p-please…”

“Sheesh, you look like you just ran a marathon or something. Alright, I’ll go get it.”

“Oh, hey, Bocchi-chan! How is it so far?” Hitori turned to find Nijika smiling at her.

“I-i’m about to serve the cappuccino that Nijika-san ordered..”

“What?”

“Uhh…!” Crap! She did it again!

“Bocchi-chan, here’s the cappuccino and orange juice-”

Bocchi immediately snatched the tray out of Seika’s hands. Seika wasn’t expecting Bocchi to move that fast, and furtively stepped back in shock.

“T-thanks, manager! I-i’ll have to serve t-this, t-talk to you later, Nijika-san!”

“Wait, Bocchi-chan!” Nijika called, but Bocchi was already scampering away. “Sis, what was that about?”

Seika just shrugged. “Beats me.”

“H-here’s your order!” Bocchi said, handing the customers their order.

“Oh, thanks.”

Phew! She did it! Wait, think! Wasn’t there supposed to be another thing she has to do? That’s right, smile!

“A-ah..”

The two customers looked up to meet her eyes. Bocchi gulped.

She forces out the least creepy smile she could muster. “E-enjoy your drinks…”

Hitori left the table and the two customers, who were shuddering.

"That smile... was that a threat..?" One of them whispered.

“Gotoh-san!” Kita greeted her. “How did it go?”

“I-i don’t think picturing people as Nijika-san will help, K-kita-san..”

“Eh?”

-

Mio forced herself through the motions of serving customers. The whole process were quite taxing- so taxing that she didn't even realize that she was the only one left serving customers.

“W-where is everyone?” Mio looked around to find none of her band members in sight, only the girls from kessoku band, serving the other customers.

“Goddammit. Ritsu must’ve been behind this! I know I should have never trusted her.” Mio said, leaning against the wall.

At that moment, Hitori passed by.

“A-ah, Akiyama-san…”

“Oh, hey, Hitori.”

“W-we need you out there, the others seem to have taken a b-break.. And Nijika is busy supervising Hiroi nee-san washing the dishes..”

Dammit, if someone needs a break, it’s me! I’m gonna kill that baka.

“Right. Just give me a second." Mio said.

“A-are you okay, Akiyama-san?”

“No.” She replied curtly.

“O-oh… okay…”

Hitori shuffled awkwardly at her response. Mio sighed. No, this isn’t right. She shouldn’t be mad at Hitori, she didn’t even do anything.

“No, sorry.. I shouldn’t have snapped at you, you didn’t do anything.”

“A-ah, right..”

There was an awkward pause after that. It occurred to Mio that despite their bands frequently meeting up, She and Hitori in particular barely talked with each other. Maybe due to the fact that both girls are somewhat shy, and neither want to initiate the conversation.

“D-do you maybe wanna talk about it?”

Mio looked up in surprise at that. Hitori, initiating the conversation? She could only afford to be shocked briefly, however, as she still needs to answer her question.

“W-well.. It’s nothing, really. It’s just… I feel kinda pressured into this role.”

“A-ah, I get the feeling…”

“Right? Ugh. I don’t have anything against Mugi, but she’s very pushy about this. And that baka, sometimes I swear she’s just going along with it to bully me! I know she doesn’t want to be put in this role either, so why go out of her way to make it harder for me?”

“U-um..”

Mio looked at Hitori. Ah, that might’ve been too overwhelming for the poor girl.

“Sorry, that might’ve been too much.”

“N-no, it’s fine. Like I said, I get the feeling…”

Hitori played with the hem of her skirts. Mio waited for the girl to elaborate.

Hitori exhaled. “Y-you know, it’s very similar to Kita’s attitude with me… Sometimes she just feels too overbearing and p-pushy.. B-but it’s not necessarily bad! I-i think..”

Mio raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“W-well, you know what kind of girl I am, I-i couldn’t talk or interact with strangers for the life of m-me.. And to have Kita-san suddenly pushing this role onto m-me.. Where I have to act in front of a bunch of s-strangers.. It’s overwhelming, I-i guess..”

Hitori paused to take a breath. This might be the most Mio ever saw her talk. “B-but I recognize that it’s necessary in some form.. I can’t keep b-being that introverted shy loner forever.. Even though it’s easier for me to do so.. S-so.. while it’s a bit annoying, I guess I’m sort of glad Kita-san is there to give me the push, y-you know?”

Mio took a moment to take in everything Hitori said. She can’t help but recognize the similarity of their situation. But is the situation she has with Kita comparable to what’s going on with her? Mio stopped to think.

She sighed. Well, she supposed that Hitori had a point. Mugi, and even to an extent, Ritsu, must’ve had a reason to do what they did. Even if it comes off as very pushy sometimes. She suddenly recalled the memory of Ritsu trying to help her with reciting her writing to the entire class back in 4th grade.

In hindsight, the advice Ritsu gave her back then hasn't been too helpful (which she concedes, is understandable given that she and Ritsu were literally what, 10?), but she remembered how hard Ritsu tried to cheer her up and help her build up the courage to recite her writing. Mio can’t help but smile at the memory.

I guess this is just her way of helping, huh? Years passed, and she’s still a kid. Mio sighed.

“You’re right, Hitori.” I guess they’re just trying to help me overcome my stage fright. “Thanks for talking with me.” Mio smiled.

“Ah? Well, ehehehe… it’s no biggie, really…” Hitori began wobbling at the comment.

“Still, I can’t help but still be nervous..”

“Ah, have you tried picturing the customers as your friends? K-kita-san advised that for me but it didn’t quite work out.. Maybe it would with you, though, I don’t know…”

Well, she did serve her friends yesterday to train, perhaps this would be more familiar? Mio tried to picture serving Yui and Ritsu in place of the customers.

“I’ll have a parfait, a cake, vanilla ice cream and uhh- give me a minute..” Yui said.

“Certainly.”

“Give me a huge serving of milkshake, in a bucket!”

“W-we can’t take such orders..”

“What? Sure you can! Just put the shake on a bucket! What do you mean you can’t?”

Mio felt one of her eye twitch. “All this does is just piss me off..”

“A-ah.. w-well I guess that means it doesn’t work on anyone, haha… Maybe we really should stop giving out this advice to others…” Hitori said.

-

“Thank you again for your cooperation today, Manager-san.”

“Don’t mention it, and if you ever have some other crazy plans you wanna enact at STARRY, just give me a call. As long as you have money to afford it, of course.”

“How shameless can you be, onee-chan..” Nijika shook her head.

“Well, how was it, Mio-senpai? Did the training work?”

“It must’ve! Look, she has a perfect smile on her face!” Yui pointed at Mio’s smiling figure.

“A-ah, actually s-she’s been smiling like that for a very long t-time now… I think her face is stuck like that.” Hitori said.

“Eh, is that right, Mio?” Ritsu asked. Mio nods.

“It hurts.”

“W-well then, let me help with that.” Ritsu said, as she pinched Mio’s face, causing her face to contort in pain.

“It’s back…” Mio said, nursing her cheeks.

“Mio-chan’s Mio chan again!” Yui said.

“Sorry about that, Mio.” Ritsu said, smiling awkwardly.

Mio immediately glares at her. “Sorry won’t cover it! How could you just leave me alone back there?”

“H-hey, you weren’t alone! You had Hitori, Ryo and Kita, right?”

“That’s not what i meant! You left me! We were supposed to be in this together!”

“I just thought you would have performed better if you’re in a pinch, you know, like in our concerts?” Ritsu tried to reason.

In response, Mio just chopped the drummer on the head. Ritsu wallowed in pain as a cartoonishly huge bump formed on her head.

“Woah. Drama.”

“Ryo, shut up.”

“Ricchan, Mio-chan.” Mugi suddenly said.

The two girls being beckoned turn towards her. Mugi was wearing a melancholic look.

“I’m sorry if I pushed you both too hard.. I realize that my actions could have been read as too controlling and overbearing the last few days, but I only did what I thought was best for you both! I realize that is no excuse, so I will take full responsibility for it. If you want to hit me or berate me too Mio-chan, you can. Please just don’t single out and blame Ricchan for this.” Mugi bowed.

“Eh, Mugi, that’s not-” Mio waved her hand frantically. “I’m not mad at you, or anything! S-sure it might’ve come off as a bit pushy at times, but I realize that it was necessary. I want our cafe to succeed as well.” At this, Mio eyed Hitori, who offered a shaky smile in return.

“Is that so? I’m glad. Thank you for being understanding, Mio-chan.”

“Shouldn’t I get a moment of understanding too?” Ritsu winced.

“Don’t push it.” Mio said, although her lips curled into the smallest of smiles.

“And to answer your question, I guess it worked, Azusa-chan. At least, I hope so.”

“So my methods worked after all!”

“I said don’t push it.”

-

After a while, HTT bid farewell to kessoku band, who stayed back to clean up STARRY.

“Are we getting paid double for this?” Nijika asked her sister.

“Hm. I’ll think about it.” Seika responded.

“I know how much Mugi-chan paid you, sis! You better share all that money with us!”

“I really could use the greens for more greens.” Ryo looked around the room. “By that I meant grass.”

“C-couldn’t you buy actual food with the money?” Bocchi asked.

“Oh, right.”

“Well, I think we’re pretty much all done here! You guys can go home for now.”

“A-ah, okay.. Thanks for today, Nijika-san..”

“Nijika, can I bunk with you tonight?”

“Oi, you. Just check if you still have spare clothes in my room.”

“Will do.”

“Well, see you two Monday!” Nijika said, as she saw Hitori and Kita out the door. “Good luck with the play! I hope today helps you build up courage to overcome your stage fright, Bocchi-chan. It might also help with our concerts too, haha.”

“A-ah, yes… it might’ve helped a bit..”

“Well, see ya!” Nijika waved, as Kita and Hitori waved back, climbing up the stairs out of STARRY.

Hitori and Kita walked silently under the night sky, which was odd for Hitori. Usually, the redhead would be running her mouth right now, talking with Hitori over everything that had happened today. While sometimes she wished Kita would tone down the talking, this silence is just eerily uncomfortable.

“Gotoh-san!” Kita suddenly said, breaking the previous silence.

Hitori looked back at Kita, and was taken aback. She was close to crying.

“I’m sorry! The truth is.. I know you threw away that application form! But I turned it in anyway! I’m so, so sorry for that, and for forcing you into the school play! I realized that now, from what Akiyama-san said earlier, how uncomfortable it probably made you feel.” Kita bowed.

Kita waited for the moment where Bocchi would chastise her, where she would be angry and call off their friendship because she messed up so, so bad.

“Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“T-thank you for doing it. I was f-freaked out at first, but now I’m looking forward to it. Both the concert and the play.”

Kita looked on in disbelief.

“T-that wouldn’t happen if you didn’t turn in the application, o-or voted for me So, thank you, Kita san. For having faith in me..”

“G-gotoh-san..”

In the heat of the moment, Kita ran up to Hitori, and took both of her hands in hers.

“Gotoh-san! I’ll promise I’ll practice as hard as I can for both the festival and the play! Let’s make our culture festival the best it can be!”

“O-okay..”

They continued walking under the night sky. This time however, the previous tension has been lifted.

The truth is, I wanted to perform with Gotoh-san at the culture festival.

Because Gotoh san. Gotoh-san is-

Chapter Text

“....and we’re all invited!”

Kita finished reading the message Yui had just sent her regarding their upcoming school festival, to visit their maid cafe. Kessoku band had just finished their shift at STARRY for the night, and were now gathered on one of the livehouse's tables, having small talks when the notification came through Kita’s phone.

“Huh, well. That’s nice.” Ryo said.

“Well we already knew about their maid cafe, didn’t think they’d invite us though!” Nijika said, looking over the text message Kita was reading off her phone.

“We should definitely go! You guys don’t have anything going on that weekend, right?” Kita asked her two seniors.

“Nah.”

“Nope.”

“Me neither! This is perfect! Oh, I forgot, what about you, Gotoh-san?"

Kita turned around to look for her pink bandmate, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Uh, where’s Gotoh-san?”

“Uhhh…Kita-chan, she’s there.” Nijika said, pointing at a nearby trash can.

“What? Gotoh-san, come out!” Kita said, lifting the girl out of the trash can.

Nijika and Ryo swapped worried looks.

“What is it this time?” Nijika sighed, expecting another round of "Bocchi time".

“I-i can’t go to a culture festival! I-it’s too crowded.. So many people, I-i’ll die!”

“What? Haven’t you gone through culture festivals during elementary and middle school?”

“T-that’s the thing! They’re a bane for introverts everywhere! I-if you refuse to participate or chant in s-solidarity, you’ll be burned at the s-stake!” Hitori said as she visualized a very graphic re-enactment of a person being burned at the stake by a crowd of angry extroverts.

“That’s not true! No one is going to be burned at the stake in modern day, Gotoh-san!”

“Geez, and to think you would’ve gotten over this by now, Bocchi-chan. You’ve played in a live already, y’know?” Nijika shook her head. “Oh yeah, how’s your rehearsal going, Kita-chan?” Nijika asked.

“Oh, it’s been great!” Kita chirped. “Gotoh-san has made so much progress! She doesn’t look like she’s about to barf when reading her lines anymore! I’m so proud!”

“Sounds like a major improvement.” Ryo said, nodding.

“Ahahaha..” Nijika laughed awkwardly. “So everything’s set for your performance, then?”

“Mmm-hmm! Sattsu said, “Well this is the best we can get.” And everyone pretty much agreed!” Bocchi nodded.

“Sounds like she is just accepting her impending failure more than anything.” Nijika exasperatedly said.

“Oh, Sattsu is just like that, she loves to joke! I’m sure she’s fine!” Kita obliviously said, as Hitori visibly deflated.

“Well, you’re her friend. So i guess I’ll just trust you on that. When’s the play, anyway?”

“It’s on the first day of the festival next week!”

“So right after the play, it’s immediately the concert for you and Bocchi-chan, huh?”

Bocchi jerked violently at that.

“Gotoh-san, are you okay?”

“J-just thinking of what would happen next week, I-i feel like I’m gonna explode!”

“Please don’t explode, Bocchi-chan! We just cleaned the countertops! Onee-chan’s gonna be so mad if you bocchi’d all over the place again!”

“W-what if we bombed the performances, Kita-chan? I-i might forget my lines during the play, o-or something inexplicable might happen during our concert, l-like the equipment might be faulty, o-or someone got too rowdy and starts making a ruckus in the a-audience..”

“It’s fine, Bocchi. There’s four of us. We’ll share the shame 4 ways.”

“UE-”

“Ryo-senpai, that’s not helping! None of that is going to happen, Gotoh-san!” Kita said, holding both of Bocchi’s hands.

Bocchi looked down. “I’ve seen this happen so many times! E-everything’s going well for you, and then, BOOM! Everything goes to ruin because of one m-mishap!”

“Where have you seen something like that happen?” Kita asked, brows furrowing.

“M-manga…”

“Gotoh-san…” Kita sighed exasperatedly, albeit not in an annoyed way. She squeezed both of Hitori’s hand, rubbing her thumb in a soothing motion on the back of her hand.

“That’s not gonna happen. Real life isn’t a manga.” Kita said, in a tone a mother would use to tell their children that santa isn’t real. “Just calm down, okay? You always create these wild scenarios in your head, but you know the probability of them happening is low, right? Calm down, I’m here.” Kita gently said.

Hitori slowly looked back up. Kita smiled and pats her head, eliciting a small giggle out of the pink guitarist.

“Err…”

“Oh, Ijichi-senpai! Were you saying something?”

Nijika was looking at them with a pink flush on her cheeks. Ryo for the most part looked the same as always, though Kita could feel her something behind that unreadable stare. Both swapped another round of glance.

“N-nevermind, we’ll unpack all of that later! You guys have been working hard, huh?” Nijika hastily said.

“Y-yeah…” Hitori said weakly.

“Well then how about I treat you after all of this is over? To reward you guys for all the hard work you’ve done!”

“You’d do that, senpai?”

“Mm-hmm! Gotta make sure to treat my band members right!” Nijika smiled.

“You’re the best, senpai!” Kita smiled back at her, deploying her Kit-aura to the fullest extent.

“T-thanks, Nijika-san…”

“Looks like you’re getting dethroned, Ryo-senpai.” Nijika said teasingly.

“Whatever.”

“Eh, what are you guys talking about?” Kita asked.

“Nothing, Kita-chan! So anyway! We all agree we’re going to Yui-chan’s school festival?”

“I’m down!”

“Yeah, sure.”

Everyone turned towards Hitori.

“Gotoh-san?” Kita tilts her head, pulling the saddest pleading puppy look she could’ve mustered.

Hitori cast one glance at Kita’s expression and relented. “A-alright…”

“Yay!”

Nijika swaps glances with Ryo again.

“I want the sun to explode.” Ryo said.

-

Meanwhile, at another livehouse, another band has just finished their performance.

“That’s all from us tonight, thank you, FOLT!”

“Ohtsuki-chan!”

“Marry me, Hasegawa-san!”

“I love you, Honjo-san!”

“I think I saw something pearly white next to Uchida-san. Guys, should we do something?”

The audience kept on cheering as the members of SIDEROS began leaving the stage.

“Another packed venue tonight, ain’t that something.” Akubi said, collapsing on a couch.

“I think one of the audience members staring intensely at you, we should really hunt him down later.” Yuyu giggled.

“I’m not interested.” Akubi said in a bored voice.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Akubi~”

“Then who-”

“Why do you even have to ask at this point, Akubi? She’s talking to one of her ‘friends'.” Fuko answered.

Akubi immediately got up from the couch and took a seat on one of the other chairs in the room instead.

“Can you tell your friends to not sit next to me?” Akubi shivered.

“Oh, that’s just rude, Akubi. You’re breaking their little hearts.” Yuyu pouted.

“Oh, there's more than one. Got it.” Akubi said, dragging her chair further from the couch.

Over all this commotion, Fuko noticed that one person had been eerily quiet. She turned around to find her band senpai, Yoyoko, locked onto her phone.

“Ohtsuki-senpai, everything okay?” Fuko asked.

“Huh, what?” Yoyoko looked up from her phone. “Uh.. yeah, I’m fine.”

“I noticed you’re not doing your usual post concerts analysis, what’s up?” Fuko egged on.

“Isn’t it obvious? She’s waiting for a message from her ‘new’ friend.” Akubi said from her seat.

Yoyoko flushed a deep red at the remark. “Oh, shut up!” She pouts, turning her face away.

“Hai, you’re so cute when you’re sulking, senpai.” Akubi sneered.

“Ah, Yui-chan hasn’t messaged you yet?” Fuko asked.

“No, and it’s not like I care! Maybe she’s just busy, it happened before! She’ll definitely send something tomorrow!” Yoyoko said.

“You’ve been saying that for the past week. You know you could just send a message to her first, right?” Akubi stated matter of factly.

“Maybe she just doesn’t want to look desperate~” Yuyu suggested.

“S-shut up, seriously! I’m not desperate! Geez, when did you guys become so nosey!” Yoyoko scowls, putting her phone on the table with such force.

Her friends just giggled at her flustered reactions.

“Honestly, we’re glad you found another friend, but your insistence on downplaying it is just kinda adorable, senpai.” Akubi said.

“I-i’m not downplaying anything!” Yoyoko sputtered. “Well, anyway, I don’t care if she doesn’t text me. A-and I’m not texting her first because she should’ve been the one seeking me! I’m the great Ohtsuki Yoyoko, and to be my friend is a privilege! At least I still got you guys here- to l-listen to my post concert analysis, of course!”

Fuko smiled. “Of course, senpai.”

“First of all, I-”

At that exact moment, Yoyoko’s phone buzzed, and she immediately scrambled to get it from the table.

“Not desperate, huh?”

“Finally! I knew she wouldn’t have forgotten about me! We’re still friends after all!” Yoyoko said, as she unlocked her phone.

“Does she really get so few notifications she immediately thought it was Yui-chan?” Fuko said to Yuyu.

“Maybe we should text her more often.” Yuyu whispered.

Yoyoko reads the text message, her ecstatic expression soon turning into a bemused one.

“What’s wrong, senpai?”

“Oh, Hirasawa Yui was just inviting me to her school festival tomorrow.”

“That’s great! We should all go!” Fuko said enthusiastically.

“Sure! My friends has expressed missing Akiyama-san~”

“I pray for that poor girl.” Akubi said. “Anyway, they’re still on for that concert at their school festival?”

Yoyoko looked at her phone, eyebrows furrowing. “Yeah, it’s on the second day of the festival. For the first day, they’re inviting us to their….”

“... Maid cafe?”

“Huh?”

“That’s what their class is going to be doing apparently.” Yoyoko said.

“Interesting. So each class is doing their own thing for the festival, right?” Fuko said.

“You think there’s gonna be a haunted house at that festival?” Yuyu asked.

“Every culture festival I’ve been to always has a haunted house.” Akubi responded.

“Sweet! Then I don’t mind going!”

“Yeah, me too!” Fuko exclaimed. “..not for the haunted house, though.” She quickly added.

“Well, maybe they have a gaming club or something there that’ll host an event. I mean, it beats doing nothing on the weekend. I’m in.” Akubi said.

Yoyoko however, was still silent.

“Senpai? What’s wrong? Are you thinking of not coming?’

“H–huh, no! Of course not! I-i’ll come! I already promised Hirasawa Yui i’d come.”

“Then why are you looking at your phone that intensely?”

“She’s probably just savoring every inch of that message. The first message I’ve gotten from Hirasawa Yui after weeks, Kyaaa~” Akubi does a crude impression of their leader.

“S-shut up! That’s not it!” Yoyoko said, flustered.

“I assume this means we’re all going, then? Great~ I don’t want to go there on my own, My spirit friends hate spending time out in the sun.”

While Yuyu rambled on about her ghoulish companions to a reluctant Akubi, Yoyoko cast her gaze on her phone again.

First message I got from Hirasawa Yui in a week…. she squealed internally. I must cherish this.

-

“..is that all?” The cashier said to the two girls standing opposite to him.

“Can we get a receipt?” Azusa said.

“And address it Sakourugoka High, Class 2-1.” Jun added.

“Of course.” The cashier happily provided.

After sorting through all their groceries, Azusa and Jun walked out of the convenience store, hands full of supplies for the teahouse their class is doing for the school festival.

The day every student in Sakuragaoka has been waiting for has finally come. The school ground was filled with booths set up by the students and crowds of people all walking around to see all the festival has to offer. Of those many people, Jun and Azusa were one of them, navigating through the masses to get to their own established venue in their classroom.

“Maybe we should’ve gotten some milk too?” Azusa said.

“We could probably wait until we need more.” Jun replied.

“Haaah, why is it so chaotic?” Azusa whined.

“Well that’s to be expected on the first day. Frankly, I'm disappointed that we decided on a teahouse of all things.” Jun sulked.

Azusa stared blankly at her friend. “Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on the fact we didn't go with your idea?”

“Look, all I’m saying is that a wrestling match would draw in more eyes! Have you seen some of the girls in our class? Satou-chan is practically built for it.” Jun passionately defended.

“Mou, Jun. You just want to see those girls fight for your own entertainment. Satou-chan would never hurt as much as a fly.”

“Whatever.”

In their trek to go back to their classroom, the two girls passed by the auditorium. Azusa stopped to look at the board placed in front of it, which has activities scheduled written down on it.

We’ll have our concert here tomorrow. Will we be okay? We’ve barely practiced due to their maid cafe… Azusa thought to herself.

“Hm. Azusa, what’s wrong?”

Azusa was brought back from her thoughts. “Nothing. Let’s head back to the classroom.”

This time however, Jun was the one who stopped in her tracks. Azusa tried to figure out what's wrong, and she noticed Jun staring at the commotion happening on a nearby stall. Lots of people were gathered around one booth specifically.

“What’s going on over there?” Jun muttered.

“I don’t know..”

“Wanna take a closer look?”

“But what about these?” Azusa said, lifting up one of the plastic bags she’s holding.

“It’ll be quick. I just wanna see what’s going on over there.” Jun said, already walking to the booth.

“Ah, Jun, wait up!”

As they both approached the stall, Azusa could finally see that the booth was some sort of shooting game, and familiar figures were standing around the booth, with one of them holding the prop gun, acing the game.

The girl pulled the trigger, and with perfect accuracy, shot down all the boxes propped up as targets on the other end. The crowd around her cheered.

“Great shot, Ryo!”

“Ah, Ryo-san, Nijika san.” Azusa greeted.

Nijika turned towards Azusa, smiling when she recognized who called after them.

“Azusa-chan! Jun-chan! Fancy meeting you here!” Nijika said.

“Sup.” Ryo said simply.

“What are you two doing here?” Azusa asked.

“Winning.” Ryo said, aiming her gun before successfully shooting down another target.

“Yui-chan invited us to come to your school festival. They really want us to see their maid cafe, haha!” Nijika explained.

“Ah, right. Of course they wanted you to see the fruits of their labor.”

“Are you not also in their maid cafe, Azusa-chan?”

“I’m still in second grade, Nijika-san. Me and Jun’s class is doing a teahouse, actually.”

“Ah, right. I forgot you’re actually a year younger than them sometimes, Azusa-chan. I guess it’s because you’re so mature compared to your bandmates.”

Azusa blushed. “W-well, thanks, Nijika-san.”

“Haha. So easily flustered are you, Azusa-chan? You remind me of Bocchi-chan.”

“Speaking of, where is she?” Jun interjected. “Did you not come with her and Kita-chan?”

“Oh, we did, but uhh-”

“Everyone!”

“Speak of the devil.” Nijika said, turning around.

“Azusa-chan, Jun-chan!” Kita greeted the two, while dragging one of the huge trash bin scattered around the school grounds.

“Kita-chan, so glad to see you again! Where’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in the last couple Mio fan club meetings!” Jun said.

“Huh?” Nijika looked confusedly at Kita.

“Nevermind that, Ijichi-senpai, hahahaha!” Kita nervously laughed. “Not so loud, Jun.” She whispered harshly.

“Whoops. My bad.”

“Hey, Kita-chan. You’re on your own? Where’s Hitori-chan? Also why are you carrying that trash bin?” Azusa asked.

“That’s cause Gotoh-san is inside! Come on out, Gotoh-san! It’s Jun and Azusa-chan!” Kita said, as she opened the lid to the trash bin, revealing a disheveled, wild looking Hitori inside.

The first thing Hitori did after being exposed to the outside was hiss at the incoming sunlight falling directly on top of her face. She reached for the lid and slammed the bin shut.

“U-uhh, is this really necessary?” Jun asked.

“It shouldn’t be. But she jumped straight into one of these trash bins when she got a good look of how many people there are here.” Nijika sighed.

“Gotoh-san! Come on out! I can’t keep dragging this thing everywhere! Someone will bound to tell us off eventually! Also it’s really heavy!” Kita said to the trash bin.

“B-but I feel safe here!” The trash bin replies.

“Don’t be ridiculous Gotoh-san! Come out!” Kita said, opening the lid again and pulling an unwilling Hitori out of the trash bin.

“G-gah! Please don’t burn me at the stake!” Hitori said, as soon as she got on her feet.

“What?”

“Don’t mind that, Azusa-chan. You know how Bocchi-chan is, haha. Overactive imagination!” Nijika said.

“Gotoh-san, come on! What do we say when we want to greet our friends?” Kita chided like an apprehending mother.

Hitori, finally realizing the presence of Jun and Azusa, bowed as she greeted them.

“A-azusa-chan! J-jun-chan! It’s an honor to meet you two again.”

“H-hitori-chan.. It’s fine, we saw each other last week, remember?” Azusa said. It amazes her how even after countless meetings, Hitori was still unable to greet people she knew normally.

“So that’s what they call dumpster diving…” Jun muttered.

“K-kita-san, can I come back in now?”

“No! No more trash bin, Gotoh-san!”

“No, Kita-san please! I need this! Or else the extroverts are gonna get me!”

“You mean, like me?”

“Ah, no Kita-san, y-youre, um.. one of the good ones..”

Jun watched the commotion silently, until a lightbulb lit up in her head. “You know what’ll help you calm down, Hitori chan? A nice, warm cup of herbal tea.”

“Jun?” Azusa casts a questioning look at her friend.

“Hey, we can’t pass up on potential customers. What do you say?” Jun said, turning back at Hitori and the others.

“Why not? Nothing like supporting our friends! And we’ll get tea too, it’s a win-win!” Nijika said.

“Will it be quieter with less people than out here..?” Hitori said, throwing wary looks around.

“Well, we try to maintain a calm and peaceful atmosphere, but we don’t know how many people there’ll be when we get back there.” Azusa replied.

“I-i’ll take it! Anything to get out of the crowds!’ Hitori said, desperately clinging onto any lifeline at this point. Kita smiled brightly at that.

“Well, can you show us the way there, Azusa-chan?” Nijika said.

“Of course, Nijika-san.”

“We could take a couple of detours on our way there! It’s your first time visiting Sakuragouka, isn’t it? Let’s give you guys the full experience!”

Azusa rolled her eyes. She began to understand the reason Jun offered them to visit the teahouse.

“Jun, don’t tell me you only offered to show them around to avoid working at the teahouse.” Azusa sternly said.

“What? Noooo… I would never!” Jun said, in the most incriminating way possible. “But we should at least give 'em a tour around the school, don’t ya think?”

“I can’t believe you.” Azusa said defeatedly. Jun just gave her a toothy grin.

“Come on, Ryo, we’re leaving.” Nijika said.

“Hold on, Nijika. I’m about to win this whole thing.”

“You’re paying for yourself for the next round.”

“Let’s go.” Ryo said, immediately putting her gun down.

“Come on, Gotoh-san! That cup of tea’s waiting for us!” Kita smiled encouragingly at Hitori.

“Alright.. If it’s anything like Mugi-san’s.. It’s probably worth it..”

“Then it’s settled, then! Come on, Azusa-chan, Jun-chan!”

-

“Is everything ready over here?”

“In a bit, we’re just setting up the tables.”

“Few minutes before opening time. Are you nervous, Yui chan?” Mugi said, as she tightened Yui’s apron, completing her maid outfit.

“Not at all, Mugi-chan! I practiced a lot for this moment! Here, look at this!”

Yui proceeded to stand perfectly still without blinking for several seconds.

“That’s 10 seconds! I’m as still as a statue!”

“That’s great, Yui-chan.” Mugi clapped.

“Yui, all you need to do is just hold a sign outside the cafe, no need to go that far.” Nodoka said. “Are all of our maids and butlers accounted for?”

“We’re all here and accounted for, prez!” One of the students replied. All around the classroom, students were preparing for opening time, fixing up their bow ties and aprons, setting utensils up on tables, and readying up the kitchen for use.

“Very well, how about our leading women?”

“Sawa-chan is doing some last minute touches on their outfit. She’s very persistent on making this as perfect as possible.”

“Hmmm. I didn’t know sensei was so committed. That’s commendable.”

“Haha! You have no idea, Nodoka-chan!” Yui said.

“Gasp!”

“Oh my god!”

“Akiyama-san, you look so good!”

The three turned towards the commotion to find a gaggle of students gathered around the back of the classroom. Their classmates were currently taking in both Mio’s and Ritsu’s appearance in their respective outfits.

“D-don’t stare too much…” Mio said, shyly hiding her face by pulling up the collar of her suit. As head butler, she was wearing a black coat with long coattails, and a gray vest with white collared shirt, complete with a black tie. As opposed to the more simple white shirt and gray vest combo the normal butlers wear.

“Pardon Moi!” Ritsu said, walking into the scene, clad in her head maid outfit. It’s a long skirt, much more traditional maid outfit compared to the ones the normal maids use, albeit with way more frills.

“Ahh, you look cute too, Tainaka-san!”

Amidst all the commotion amongst the students, Sawako walks by unnoticed, before taking a seat in the corner next to where Nodoka, Yui and Mugi were standing. As soon as she reached her seat, she immediately collapsed onto the windowsill in front of her.

“Sensei, are you okay?” Nodoka asked.

“Ah, I’m fine!” Sawako yawned. There were clear black lines underneath her eyes. “I’ve just spread myself a bit too thin this year, but I'll be fine! I gave it my all to make all these costumes!” She said, stretching her arm out to gesture at the entire classroom filled with students dressed up as maids and butlers. “Don’t you like them?”

“Commendable effort, sensei. We appreciate all your hard work.” Nodoka bowed.

“You look like a panda bear, Sawa-chan!” Sawako only gave a half hearted glare at Yui, clearly too exhausted to be properly mad at that comment about her appearance.

“It’s still so weird looking at you in a maid dress, Ricchan!” Yui commented as Ritsu and Mio walked over towards them.

“I don’t wanna hear that from you.” Ritsu retorts. “What kind of maid has unkempt hair like that?”

“What! But I just brushed it this morning!” Yui said, scrambling to straighten her hair.

“You can use my comb, Yui chan.” Mugi said, comb at the ready in one of her hands.

“I can’t believe I agreed to this….” Mio muttered, still eyeing her outfit warily.

“Mou, do you think Hitori-chan and the others are going to actually show up?” Yui said, as she combed her hair.

“Well, didn’t you get a text back from them already?” Ritsu said.

“Yeah, but we don’t know if they can actually make it or not! Maybe they have emergency band practice or something!”

“I doubt it, Yui-chan.” Mugi gently said. “It’s the weekend. They must’ve set some spare time aside to come visit us.”

“Mou, I’m so excited for them to see what we’ve got in store!” Yui exclaimed.

Mugi nods in excitement.

“I still wished Azu-nyan was able to join us…”

“She has her own class to worry about.” Ritsu said.

“I know, but still!” Yui pouts. “Do you think she’ll come visit us too today?”

“Well, guess we’ll see.”

“And tomorrow we'll still have a concert to play!” Yui exclaimed.

“That’s right, the concert…” Mio suddenly said.

“Mio-chan? Is something the matter?” Mugi asked.

“Hm? Oh, no. It’s- I just realized that tomorrow might as well be our last concert in high school.”

“Oh, You’re right!” Ritsu exclaimed. “Man. Time sure flies huh? Felt like only yesterday I dragged you into the music room.”

“Unwillingly on my part, if I might add.”

“Hey! You didn’t end up regretting it didn’t you? All’s well that ends well!”

“Ah, that was also the day I met you two!” Mugi chimed in.

“That’s right, Mugi! And you didn’t regret joining us instead of the choir club, did you?” Ritsu asked. Mio rolled her eyes.

“Never. Joining this club was the best decision I’ve ever made, Ricchan!”

“I still remember the snacks you guys gave me when we first met…” Yui said, daydreaming about snacks of days long gone.

“Oi, you’re reminiscing about the wrong things here.”

“And after that we played our first concert! That was so fun!”

“Yeah, especially since Mio- Okay, okay! Geez! I didn’t even finish the sentence yet.” Ritsu said, wincing as Mio winds up for a slap.

“And after that we played another concert, and that’s when Azu-nyan joined us!”

“That’s right, Azusa....” Mio muttered.

“What about her?” Ritsu queried.

“You baka. You do realize this could be her last concert with us too?”

“Oh.”

Of course, all senior members of the light music club were aware of the day where this would happen. It just always seemed so far away.

“What’ll happen to Azu-nyan when we’re gone?”

There was silence between the four as they finally addressed the elephant in the room.

“Well, she'll be the next buchou, that’s for sure.” Ritsu said.

“Probably the vocalist too.” Mio added.

“But, she’ll be all alone, won't she?”

“No, of course not! There’s still Sawa-chan.” Ritsu said, glancing at the unconscious teacher slumped next to them. “. …and Ton.”

At that, Yui frowned. “Poor Azu-nyan! Can’t she graduate with us so we don’t have to leave her behind?”

“Don’t be silly, She’s still in second grade.”

“Then I’ll stay behind to keep her company!”

“What? You can’t do that! What’s the point of you attending those summer classes, then?”

Mugi smiled sympathetically. “Don’t be sad, Yui-chan. We knew this would happen eventually. It’s nobody’s fault, really.”

“Then..”

All three looked at Yui, anticipating what she had to say.

“If Azu-nyan visits us today, we’ll have to give her the VIP treatment!”

There was a moment of silence as the others processed Yui’s words.

“Maybe we should.” Mio suddenly piped up.

“Huh?” Everyone turned towards her.

“I-it’s just- I feel we’ve kind of been neglecting her lately, with all this cafe preparation. We’ve barely practiced for the concert!” Mio exclaimed.

“I guess there’s some truth to that.” Mugi agreed.

“I can’t believe that we’re so focused on this cafe that we forgot about this being potentially our last moments with Azu-nyan!” Yui said sadly. “From now on we have to make every moment we spend with her count!”

“Well, then! If she does show, we’ll make sure to treat her like a king! How’s that sound?” Ritsu asked her other three friends.

“Yeah! For Azu-nyan!”

“For Azusa!”

“We’re about to open up now!” One of the students said, breaking the discussion happening between the four.

“What? Oh, crap. We’ve been talking for that long?” Ritsu glanced at the clock hanging above the chalkboard. “Ready, Mio?” Ritsu turned to the girl next to her.

Mio gulped. “W-well, it’s now or never.”

“Hirasawa-san, come here, you’ll be holding the sign outside the cafe!” One of the maids said, holding out the sign Yui was going to be holding.

“On it!” Yui said, moving to retrieve it.

Mugi walked to the front of class and addressed everyone.

“Everyone! We all worked hard to prepare for today, so let’s give it our best and have no regrets!” Mugi said to the classroom. “Is everyone ready?”

“Hai!”

Ritsu elbowed Mio, eliciting a sigh from the latter. “..hai…”

“Then starting now, I-uhh, can someone move sensei out of the dining area? Be gentle now, I think she’s asleep. Alright, thanks. Then starting now, our cafe will be open for business! Yui-chan!”

“Yes, Mugi-chan?” Yui, who was standing next to the door, responded.

“Open the doors! Let the customers in!”

Yui opened the door, revealing a small crowd already gathered around the cafe.

“Hello, everyone! Please file into a single line!” Yui said to the crowd. Our capacity is limited to 15 people, so please wait patiently for your turn!”

“Delivered exactly as written.” Ritsu muttered. She casts a final glance at Mio, smiling encouragingly.

“It’s showtime.”

As the first group of patrons filed in, Mio worked hard to demonstrate her practiced perfect smile.

“Welcome, ladies and gentleman.” She addressed the crowd. “Please have a seat, and let us be of service.”

-

“Here we go!”

“Nice, senpai! You won the jackpot!”

“Yay!”

“A chocolate banana crepe?”

“How would that taste like? Should i just buy the tart flavored one?”

“Why don’t you buy both and give whichever is tastier to me?”

“On it!”

“No casual extortion!”

“What do you think this painting is about?”

“Could be anything!”

They ended up taking no less than ten detours on their way to the teahouse. Hitori expects the festival would be over before they even get to their supposed first destination.

“K-kita-san, are we there yet?”

“Hm? No, Gotoh-san. I promise we’ll get to the teahouse after this, okay?”

“Y-you said that after all of our previous detours so far!” Hitori said.

“I promise this is our last detour! Jun-chan really wants to get her palm read in this booth!”

Hitori starts sulking like a child. Kita sighed and put her hand on her hips.

“Really, Gotoh-san. You should try and enjoy this festival more! Yui-chan and the others would’ve wanted you to enjoy this festival in its entirety too! Not just their cafe and concert!”

“F-fine…”

With that, Hitori retreated back to where Azusa was standing, watching exasperatedly as Jun ran off cheerily to the palm reader booth.

“Oh, Hitori-chan. You’re not getting your palm read?” Azusa asked when she noticed Hitori standing next to her.

“N-no… I don’t want some stranger touching my hand and rubbing lines on my palm. It’s practically sensory overload f-for me..”

Azusa blinked confusedly. “O-okay…” She turned her gaze back at Jun and the others.

“I can’t believe Jun’s dragging her feet this long. They’re gonna come looking for us eventually!” Azusa tapped her feet impatiently. Arms crossed with one hand still holding the plastic bag full of supplies for their teahouse.

“R-right! We should really go to the teahouse after this! N-no more detours!” Hitori was glad to find someone like minded in this case.

“You get me, Hitori-chan.” Azusa sighed.

“I-is that why you aren’t participating in their extroverted activities, Azusa-chan?” Hitori asked.

“Extroverted what-? I just don’t believe in that kind of stuff.” Azusa replied.

“Oh.”

“And besides, I don’t really wanna think about the future right now.” Azusa muttered, suddenly harboring a somber look on her face. Hitori could see Azusa staring off at Jun and the others, but her vision wasn’t focused. Something was on her mind.

“W-why?”

“N-nothing! Just- I-it’s nothing…”

“Oh, sorry…”

Great! You made things awkward, Hitori! Now what should we do? Azusa-chan looked so sad.. But she won’t tell me what it is that makes her sad. What would a normal human being do in this situation? Find a distraction!

Hitori looked around the place to find any sort of activities they could do while waiting for the others that could serve as a distraction for Azusa. They were currently in a hallway, which displayed all sorts of magical and supernatural stuff (which made Hitori quite concerned that a highschool apparently had enough interest for dark supernatural stuff to warrant an entire corner for itself). Eventually, Hitori’s eyes land on one of the attractions.

“A-azusa-chan, what if we do something while we wait on the others?”

“Hm, what did you have in mind, Hitori-chan?”

Hitori pointed to a classroom with a small line forming in front of it. Azusa pales.

“You want to go t-there? A haunted house?!”

“A-ah, I figured it’d be quieter there, you know.. Compared to out here… It gives you more peace of mind to t-think..”

“What part of a haunted house would give you peace of mind?!” Azusa said.

“A-ah.. I always enjoyed dark and gloomy spaces… It’s peaceful in it’s own right..”

Azusa just looked at Hitori in disbelief. Was that weird? Gloomy dark places are where she finds the most peace, after all. Azusa glanced back at the palm reading booth, where Jun is currently fighting the palm reader over her divination on the subject of love prospects.

“You know what? I need the distraction, Let’s go, Hitori-chan.”

“Oh, you do? W-well… yay…” Hitori said, relieved Azusa gave her suggestion the time of the day.

The line had already started dissipating when they got to the entrance. There were only three other people in front of them. The attendee lets them in as three other guests run out of the haunted house screaming.

“Hold it.” The attendee said to the two girls. “You can only enter in a group of three. You have to wait for another person.”

“Oh.”

“M-maybe we can get Ryo-san to join?”

“There’s another girl behind you on her own. Maybe she wants to join your group?”

“Why, I would love to~”

“AHH!” Azusa jumped, the girl had appeared out of nowhere, suddenly standing behind Azusa and Hitori.

“O-oh.. M-hmm..” Hitori wasn’t sure about the prospects of entering with a stranger in tow.

The girl was covered heavily under layers of thick clothing. Scarf, coat, and a beanie to boot. Well, it has gone a bit cold this time of year, but isn’t this a bit overkill? The girl almost looked like they’re trying to actively cover up their appearance with how many things they’re wearing. Hitori thought.

“It’s either that or you’ll have to look for another person.” The attendee said. “Sorry, it’s just the policy.”

“Well, we might as well, Hitori-chan.” Azusa said.

“Ah, I promise I wouldn’t overstep any boundaries~ I’m just here to admire the handiwork of this here haunted house.” The girl said.

Admiring a haunted house? Hitori couldn’t really get behind that sort of thinking. Azusa, however, seems fixated on this stranger, as if she somehow recognized her.

“The way you talk is somehow familiar. Have we met?” Azusa said.

“What ever do you mean?” The girl giggled. “This is the first time we’ve ever met, I assure you~”

Hitori could sense that Azusa wasn’t just going to drop the topic, but before she was able to dig deeper, the three guests that entered before them had run out of the attraction, screaming their souls out.

“Oh my, that seems promising~” The strange girl said.

“You three can come in now.” The attendee said.

With that, Hitori, Azusa, and the strange girl entered the haunted house.

“Well, you’re right about it being quiet here, Hitori-chan.” Azusa said, as they walked deeper in the attraction.

“I-it does remind me of my closet..” Hitori muttered.

Behind them, Hitori could hear their plus one muttering to herself, sometimes whistling and giggling. She could even make out the sound of a camera flash, even though there was a big sign outside prohibiting usage of such devices inside the attraction. Seems like she was serious about coming in to appreciate the handiwork. Hitori didn’t think she'd ever meet someone weirder than herself.

At the first corner, The girls were stopped by a creaking sound. The noise caused Azusa to clutch onto Hitori’s arm.

“W-wha-who’s there?” Azusa said.

From the darkness, A pale figure of a woman steps out, it’s white clothes covered in blood, stitch marks covering her pale face with a syringe stuck on top of her head. The figure jumped and growled at the girls.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!” Azusa shrieked and closed her eyes at the sight, clinging even harder to Hitori.

Seconds passed, and Azusa opened her eyes. Next to her, Hitori was standing, motionless. Apparently not at all bothered by the figure looming in front of her, just staring back at it with a thousand yard stare.

“Impressive!” Their odd companion piped up. “Such attention to detail on the outfit. I love it! And what’s the blood made out of?” She reached out to touch the fabric of the figure’s clothes. “Hmm… red dye.. from the texture, I think I can recognize the brand. Given the dim lighting of this specific venue, I suppose this choice of dye works fine enough, but if you were to explore various other lighting options, I could probably refer you to better synthetic blood options!”

Hitori observed all fear leaving Azusa’s body as it was replaced by mere confusion. She was not alone in this, as the ghost visibly looked dumbstruck at this reaction. If Hitori’s lack of one was already puzzling for her, Azusa doesn’t look like she can fathom what kind of response the ghost is supposed to have for this reaction.

“Umm, we’ll be going now.. I guess.. Wh-where should we go?” Hitori said.

The ghost awkwardly shuffled. Unsure what to do, they merely pointed to the left, and Azusa uttered a quiet thank you before dragging Hitori onto the next point.

“So far so good. For a highschool production, this is not half bad.” There were sounds of scratching on a piece of paper. The girl was taking down notes.

“A-alright. Pause. Who are you, exactly?” Azusa said, turning at their companion.

“Hmm? Oh, I thought you’d figure it out by now, Azusa-chan~”

The girl pulled down her scarf, and Azusa immediately recognized her.

“Uchida-san?!”

“Just Yuyu is fine, Azusa-chan.”

“Y-yuyu-san, I- i didn’t expect to see you here.”

Yuyu giggled. “Did you really expect me to miss out on a haunted house attraction? I simply couldn’t resist. It’s an art form, you know.”

“Does that mean the others are here too?”

“Yup, I split off from the group earlier cause I was just deathly curious about this attraction.”

“Um..”

Azusa turned towards Hitori, finally realizing that this revelation meant nothing to her.

“Ah, Hitori-chan, this is Uchida Yuyu. She’s a- uhh…” Azusa looked at Yuyu briefly. “She’s an acquaintance.” Azusa finished.

Yuyu doesn’t seem at all bothered by how Azusa tries to cover up her affiliation. She merely giggled.

“I wouldn’t personally care if Hitori-chan here knows who I am, Azusa-chan. But I appreciate the thought. Senpai would probably prefer for us to keep our anonymity. She was the one who insisted on the disguise, after all.” Yuyu winked.

“N-nice to meet you?” Hitori shakily said.

An introduction in the middle of a haunted house is really weird, even for Hitori’s standard.

“Likewise, Hitori-chan~ Perhaps further introductions could wait until we are out of here. If my predictions are correct, the next scare would just be around the next corner. I have much more to observe and question out of this attraction!” Yuyu said with delight, as if she was writing a field report.

“A-alright..”

They continued further into the attraction. Needless to say, none of the supposed scare had any lasting impact with Yuyu’s immediate commentary after the thought. Finally, they reached the exit, to Hitori’s relief.

“Azusa!”

“Gotoh-san! There you are!” Kita stalked off towards Hitori.

“Did Azusa ask you to go to the haunted house with her?” Kita asked.

“No, Hitori-chan was the one who asked me to go to the haunted house.” Azusa answered.

“Did she?” Kita said in disbelief. She turned towards Hitori with a wide smile. “Gotoh-san, you did that? I’m so proud of you!” Kita said, pulling her into a hug.

“I don’t think you need to smother her anytime she does anything, Kita-chan.” Jun commented.

“Hush, Jun! This is a big moment for her! She’s actually partaking in the festivities instead of going off to hide somewhere.” Kita said.

“Ahahaha, yeah…” Hitori glanced at Azusa, who averted her eyes. They’re not gonna mention that the reason they entered the haunted house in the first place was basically because of that.

Next to her, Yuyu nudged Azusa on the shoulder, she had already put her disguise back on. “Well, Azusa-chan. It’s been fun. But I think I’m gonna reunite with senpai and the others now. They’re probably looking for me at this very moment.” Yuyu said.

“So you came here without telling them, Yuyu-san?” Azusa stares disapprovingly.

“You remind me of senpai sometimes, Azusa chan.” Yuyu giggled. “I did tell Fuko. Senpai was so dead set on going to Yui-chan’s maid cafe that she refused to do anything else. Looking for me might cause them to explore the area more, and in turn expose senpai to more stuff to do.” Yuyu said.

“That’s quite.. elaborate. Did you really think of all that yourself, Yuyu-san?”

“Me? No. Honestly, it’s just an excuse for me to visit the haunted house~”

Yuyu began walking off. “Welp, might see you in the cafe later! See you, Azusa-chan~”

“Azusa-chan, who was that?” Nijika asked as Yuyu disappeared between the crowd.

“Oh, it’s an… acquaintance.”

Hitori has finally broken free of Kita’s hug, retreating behind Azusa as Kita began talking with Ryo.

“Oh by the way, Hitori-chan.”

“W-what is it, Azusa-san?”

“Thanks, back then. You must’ve noticed i was distressed and offered to go to the haunted house as a reprieve, right? I appreciate it. Even if it didn’t pan out exactly as planned.” Azusa said.

“O-oh, I- ye-yeah. You're welcome.” Hitori stuttered out. “D-do you maybe wanna talk about why you were so distressed in the first place?”

Azusa seemed to ponder that question, but eventually shook her head.

“No, I don’t want to burden you with my problems, Hitori-chan. You’ve done enough in trying to cheer me up.”

“O-oh, alright…” I guess if she doesn’t want to talk about it, she can’t force her, right?

It took Hitori a bit to realize Jun had also walked next to them, frown etched on her face.

“Well? What did she say?” Azusa asked.

“She said that my love prospect was bleak.”

-

After pulling Jun away from yet another detour, they finally arrived at the teahouse. Just as Azusa expected, they’ve gotten an earful from Ui about how everyone was looking for them and was waiting for the supply. Jun immediately got sent to the kitchen to be supervised by the other girls to make sure she doesn’t make another attempt at an escape, while Azusa showed kessoku band their table and served them tea.

“Thanks for the tea, Azusa-chan!” Nijika said.

“Hmm. It doesn’t beat Mugi’s. But it’s good.” Ryo commented.

“No need for that comparison, Ryo.” Nijika chided.

“Ahahaha, any tea would lose if you compare it to Mugi-san’s.” Ui said, as she appeared next to Azusa. “Are you going to my sister’s cafe after this?” Ui asked the group.

“Yeah! I can’t wait to see Akiyama-san in a butler outfit again! Kyaaa!” Kita squealed.

“U-uh, um… I really just wanna get this day over with… so yeah..” Hitori in turn said.

“I see. Why don’t you join them, Azusa-chan? You deserve a break.”

“Huh, really?”

“Hey! Why does she get a break?” Jun said from the kitchen.

“Watching over you is work, Jun!” Ui reprimanded.

“That is true.” Azusa agreed.

“Say hi to my sister for me when you do get there, okay? I think I’ll visit the cafe later if I have time.” Ui said.

“Will do, Ui-chan!”

They quickly finished their tea, now with Azusa in tow, they left the teahouse and walked towards the maid care.

“This cafe better be worth it with how much is being hyped up.” Ryo said absentmindedly.

“Of course it’s gonna be worth it, Ryo! And even if it, um- didn’t, we’re still gonna have to support our friends!” Nijika said.

“It better be worth it given how much practice they sacrificed for this.” Azusa mumbled.

Hitori meanwhile, couldn’t care less whether it was worth it or not. Visiting this cafe will be the bookend for today, and she doesn’t want anything more than just collapse on her futon right about now.

“Well, the cafe should be in their classroom, which should be around her-”

“Ha! You’d better believe I showed up, Hirasawa Yui! It’s an honor to be visited by the likes of me, after all!”

“I thought we’re supposed to be incognito right now. Why are you loudly proclaiming your importance for everyone to hear?”

“T-they don’t need to know why I’m important! I could just be an influencer with a great ISSOSTA following or something!”

“What’s all the commotion? Is this the place? That’s Yui-chan, right?” Kita said, looking at the maid currently holding up a sign in front of the cafe. Yui was currently immersed in a conversation with a group of girls wearing suspicious clothing.

Yui turned towards Hitori and the others, before her eyes landed on Azusa. At this, she smiled brightly and waved them over.

“Azu-nyan! And others! You did show up after all!”

“You were expecting me?” Azusa asked. “A-ah. Ohtsuki senpai.” Azusa added in a whisper, greeting the heavily disguised girl in front of her.

“Nakano Azusa. We meet again.” Yoyoko responded.

“You know these people, Azusa-chan?” Nijika asked.

“Y-yeah, they’re… acquaintances.”

“Do we have to make a reservation to get in?” Ryo said, absolutely uninterested in the group of odd looking girls in front of her.

“Huh? Oh, no! It’s just, the cafe is full at the moment.” Yui smiled. “So both of your groups have to wait here for now. Don’t worry, they’re almost finished.”

“Why couldn’t you make an exception for me? I am the great Oht-uhh, O-” Yoyoko caught herself and sputters, desperately looking at her bandmates to try and come up with an incognito name on the spot.

“Ogawa. Just go with Ogawa.” Akubi harshly whispered.

“Ogawa Yo- Yoko, Ogawa Yoko! Yeah. I have 250k followers on ISSOSTA!” Yoyoko tries to land that absolute failure of a recovery. Akubi facepalmed.

“A-ah, is that Yuyu-san a-at the back? H-hey, Y-yuyu san..” Hitori suddenly said.

At this, Yoyoko snapped her neck to look at Yuyu, who was sweating bullets. It might be either because Yoyoko was glaring at her, or the heavy clothing.

“Y-yeah, Hey, Hitori-chan. It’s me Uchida Yuyu, hahaha. It’s a very common name, no need to google it.”

“Are you sure these people aren’t here to bother you, Yui-chan?” Kita said, stance alert.

“Not at all, Kita chan!” Yui cheerily said, not picking up the building tension.

“We don’t mean any harm! Yui and Azusa-chan here are uhm, acquaintances.” Fuko, who had been silent for most of the interaction, spoke.

“Yeah!” Yui helpfully supplied.

“I see.”

“Mou, I’m so glad that all of my friends showed up to our maid cafe, and at the same time, too! Even Azu-nyan!” Yui said obliviously.

“So you guys are Yui and Azusa’s friends?” Nijika asked skeptically. “How did you guys meet?”

“Oh, umm-” Yoyoko falters, struggling to make up an origin story on the spot.

“We shouldn't have bothered with these disguises in the first place, senpai! Look how much trouble it became!” Akubi whispered harshly.

“Shut up! It’s necessary!”

Seeing this astronomical failure of a performance at display, Azusa decided to step in.

“We met them during Natsu Rock!”

“I-huh-?” Yoyoko sputtered, glancing at Azusa who was winking desperately to try and send a signal. “O-oh yes, that’s right! That’s where we met!”

“Hm? Azu-nyan what are yo-”

“YUI-SENPAI!” Azusa grabbed onto Yui’s sleeves and began to whisper something.

“Oh, okay!” Yui nodded. “Anything for you, Azu-nyan!” Yui chirped. “Yeah, we met at Natsu Rock in the mountains.”

“I see, um- that’s great.” Nijika said. She still seems unconvinced, but neither party seems to want to discuss it, so she dropped the topic.

There was an awkward silence as everyone just stood there, unsure what to do while waiting in queue.

Hitori observed the group of girls standing before her. They looked so awkward with their odd looking outfits and nervousness when speaking. Hitori immediately felt some sort of comradery with them over the fact. She glanced silently at Kita, who was still eyeing the group suspiciously, even after Yui and Azusa backed them up. She knew that Kita was just worried about her friends, but she can’t help but feel unease at the indirect hostility. It’s not their fault they’re awkward. If Kita was able to see past Hitori’s awkwardness, then she should be able to warm up to them too!

“A-ah, so you met at N-natsu fes?” Hitori said, trying to bring down the tension.

Kita looked in amazement, perplexed at how Hitori is making small talk.

The girl wearing a mask behind the short commanding one responded. “Yeah, it was fun. It’s a long story though. So maybe we’ll tell you some other time.” Her tone wasn’t hostile, but the vibe of her dialogue gives Hitori the sense that she was trying to avoid talking about it.

“A-ah, okay.”

Welp. You tried, Hitori.

Did Hitori-chan just attempt to make small talk with strangers? Kyaa! I’m so proud of her! Kita screams internally in joy.

Is this girl trying to break the ice and be accommodating? That’s cute. How thoughtful. Akubi thought.

Why is she speaking to me like we know each other? Who is she and what is she up to? I’ve to keep my guard up with her around… Yoyoko thought.

“Oh, I think they’re done!” Yui finally said, looking at the group of people walking out of the back classroom door. “You may come in. Please, enjoy your stay!” Yui said welcoming Yoyoko and the others in,

“Mio-chan! Our VIP is here!” Yui called after the head butler.

Yoyoko perks up. VIP? Does that refer to her? She began huffing her chest proudly. She sees a girl approaching them in a butler suit, a perfect smile etched on her face. It took Yoyoko a bit to realize that the girl was Mio, because she was acting completely differently from the time Yoyoko and her band met her just last month.

“Is that really her?” Akubi whispered. “She’s so… confident.”

“Something’s not right.” Fuko muttered.

“She must be possessed! Let me get my detector out!”

“Ah. Azusa-chan. And Hitori chan and the others too. Welcome.” Mio smiles handsomely. “We’ve been expecting you. Our butlers and maids would come to your service momentarily.” Mio gestured to one of the butlers standing by to take them to an empty table.

Yoyoko watched indignantly as Azusa and her entourage were being escorted to their table.

“Ah. And welcome to you all too! My name is Akiyama Mio, your head butler. We hope you enjoy your time at our cafe. Please, Ichigo-san. Will you do the honors and show them to their seats?” Mio said to one of the maids.

“Whate- I mean- Of course. Right this way, dear customers.” Unlike Mio, the maid doesn’t seem that interested in putting up a proper act. She showed them to their table, and excused herself to attend to other customers.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Yoyoko whispered angrily as she sat. “How come we’re not VIPs?”

Her bandmates just stare back in bemusement.

“We’re undercover right now, senpai. This was your idea, remember? They probably didn’t recognize us. Yui-chan didn’t earlier, until you practically spelled it out for her.” Akubi said.

Yoyoko only sulked at that answer.

“Do you want to maybe tell them who we are, senpai? I think they’d be delighted to have us here as ourselves, like how Yui was.” Fuko asked.

“If it means losing these stuffy outfits, I’m fine with it.” Akubi said.

“What? No! Disguises are important! Haven’t I ever told you about the time I went to the grocery store to get mentos and got jumped?”

Akubi rolled her eyes. “You’ve told us that story a million times, senpai. You were in the grocery store next to FOLT. Right after a concert. Of course you’re gonna be jumped by fans. We’re miles beyond FOLT right now. No one would know who we are.”

“SIDEROS is known way beyond Shinjuku!” Yoyoko defended. “We’re a national sensation!”

“Where’d you get that from, a Poison Yami article?” Akubi raised an eyebrow.

“You need to stop reading those so much, senpai. They're sensationalist garbage.” Fuko said. “We’re not that big. She’s clearly exaggerating it.”

“She’s the worst. How come Gin-chan hasn’t banned her from FOLT yet?” Akubi asked.

“He has. But she kept finding ways to slither in.” Fuko answered.`

“I kept telling Gin-chan it’s the air vents, but he wouldn’t listen!” Yuyu butts in.

On the other table, Ritsu was attending to their VIP guest.

“Welcome, esteemed guests! My name is Ritsu, head maid of this fine establishment. How may I be of service?” Ritsu said, bowing down as she spoke those words.

“Pffft-!”

Nijika and Azusa couldn’t contain their laughter. Ritsu, for the most part, kept a calm controlled smile on her face, though her twitching eyebrows betrayed this collected display.

I’m beginning to have second thoughts about treating this twerp like a king, Ritsu thought to herself.

“Well? Are you prepared to make your order? The menu has already been laid down in front of you.” Ritsu said, fighting against gritting her teeth.

“Yeah, we’d like the order, please!” Kita laughed awkwardly, trying to hastily divert Ritsu’s attention from the two girls currently laughing at her. She picked up the menu laid down in front of her. “What would you like, Gotoh-san?”

“A-ah, do they have karaage…?”

Ritsu could feel someone staring down at her. Looking to the side, she finds Ryo eyeing her up and down from behind her menu.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“You know, Nijika might beg to differ, but you actually look good in that maid outfit, Ritsu-chan.” Ryo said matter of factly.

Ritsu wasn’t expecting this compliment out of Ryo of all people, But she still felt some sort of validation at the comment. She briefly glanced at Nijika and Azusa, looking smugly at them. Suck it, ya brats!

“Thank you, Ryo-san.” Ritsu said, putting out a practiced smile. Although there was some genuineness behind it in this case.

“We can market this look.” Ryo continued, proceeding to turn to Hitori.

Hitori, noticing this shift of attention towards her, immediately hid behind her menu.

“Before you say anything, Bocchi. Think of the vision. You with a maid outfit on a music video. I guarantee at least a million views. 2 millions if we were being more risque.”

“A.”

“Or we’ll cover you in black tape. Maybe have you wear a swimsuit. I know it. You’re such an uncut gem.” Ryo said, yen sign in her eyes.

“C-can we just make the order?!”

“Yeah, stop making a cash cow out of Bocchi-chan!” Nijika chided. She turned towards Ritsu.

“Sorry for laughing before, Ritsu-chan.” Nijika smirked. “But you actually do look good in that frilly dress. It’s just the way you act, it’s really, pff- it’s really not you. Sorry, sorry! I’ll stop.”

Ritsu has to gather everything in her to stop herself from exploding, opting to keep smiling through all the embarrassment she has to endure.

“Senpai.” Azusa beckoned at Ritsu, mostly recovered from her giggling fit at Ritsu’s expense. “Can I have the “Melt-in-your mouth magic omurice"?” Azusa said, pointing at the menu.

“One Melt-in your mouth magic omurice!” Ritsu jotted down the order. “What kind of drink do you want, Azusa? It’s on the house.”

“Eh, senpai, really? I don’t-”

“You’re our VIP for today! And that also goes for your guest! You can pick a free drink of your liking!”

“Why am I your VI-”

“Oh then I’ll have the milkshake, the chocolate smoothie, the-”

“One free drink. Yamada-san. Don’t push it. Our policy doesn’t exclude removing undesirable patrons from the premises.”

“Um. Okay. Just a glass of water please.”

Across the cafe, a heavily disguised girl was glaring down Azusa's table. “Look at them! Immediate service! We’ve taken a seat just mere moments from each other yet the service takes significantly longer for us! Unbelievable!" Yoyoko said, envy in her eyes. “And free drinks too?”

“You’re making this a bigger deal than it needs to be, senpai.” Akubi said without looking up from her menu. “We can literally just call over a waiter to take our order anytime.”

“Yeah, but they have dedicated one, It’s unfair! What do they have that we don’t?”

Who are these people that they’ve gotten special privilege over other patrons? What makes them remarkable?

“And a strawberry parfait.” Ritsu said, as she wrote down Kita’s order. “That leaves you Hitori-chan. What would you like?”

“Eeeh…? Ummm….”

“It’s okay, take your time.” Ritsu said.

“Yeah, Gotoh-san! Take your time!” Kita said kindly.

“Did you like the tea from before, Hitori-chan?” Azusa asked. “We could order some tea for you, if you want. Ritsu-senpai, do we have any tea?”

“Of course! Anything for our VIP. We have various selections of tea, please have a look.” Ritsu said.

Yoyoko’s eyes widened. So is this Gotoh Hitori the reason they’re getting special treatment? She’s the VIP?! Her suspicion about that girl was right, She’s clearly bad news! Yoyoko fumed.

“Who is this Gotoh Hitori person? Akubi! Google her!”

“I’m not doing that.” Akubi said, miffed.

“Senpai, remember our lessons on basic social interactions. What do we say when we want to ask someone for help?” Fuko said.

“Gah! Of all times why does it have to be now you guys decide to be difficult?! Our honor and dignity is at stake!”

“I could say the same to you.” Akubi said. “Waiter! We want to make our order.”

Mio walked over to their table. “Yes? What would you like, dear guests?” Mio said, taking out a notebook.

“Uhh… Akiyama-san.. It’s us.” Fuko said, taking off the glasses she was wearing as part of her disguise.

The others also began slightly taking off their disguise to reveal their identity.

“Oh. I-it’s you guys..” Mio said, the smile on her face faltered, her charade broken for a brief moment.

“Everything fine, Akiyama-san?” Fuko asked worriedly.

Mio blushed. “N-no! No, it’s fine! I’m just- god, I can’t believe you guys got to see me like this, it’s embarrassing!”

“Why, Akiyama-san? You’re very elegant~” Yuyu said, putting her disguise back on.

Mio blushed even deeper at that. Akubi chuckled.

“Ekhm!”

Everyone turned at the one girl that didn’t take off any of her disguises, sitting with her arms crossed, still glaring at the table across from them.

“You’re the head butler, yeah?” Yoyoko said, looking at Mio.

Mio gulped, and returned back to her head butler persona. “Y-yes. Is there anything I can do for you?”

Yoyoko smirked. Her bandmates swap worried looks.

“Tell me who this Gotoh Hitori is, now! I demand it!” Yoyoko said, pointing at the other table.

“Hitori-chan? Uhm, well she’s an acquaintance.” Mio answered simply. “Yui-chan invited her and her friends to come to our maid cafe yesterday.”

“Hirasawa Yui invited her personally?!” Yoyoko exclaimed.

“Senpai! Quiet down, we’re in public!” Akubi said.

Fuko restrained Yoyoko from being a public nuisance while they all finished their orders to a very shaken Mio. She eventually bowed and retreated to the kitchen area, passing their order to the chefs.

“So that’s how it is!” Yoyoko broke free of Fuko’s hold once Mio had left their table. “Hirasawa Yui has personally invited her and made her the VIP!” Yoyoko deduced.

“Senpai, whatever you’re thinking about, please stop it.”

“I now know why Yui-chan hasn’t been contacting me this past week! Gotoh Hitori… she.. she has taken my spot as Hirasawa Yui’s best friend!”

Question mark hangs above all of Yoyoko’s bandmate’s head at the statement.

“What..?”

“I see it now! I must’ve- Hirasawa Yui must’ve thought that I failed as a friend because I didn’t text her first! So she replaced me with this Gotoh Hitori!”

“Yui’s your best friend? I thought we’re your-”

“So she invited us here, both of us. To see who was the better friend, to finally decide who is worthy of becoming her best friend! Well! I won’t lose to you that easily, Gotoh Hitori! Mark my words!” Yoyoko said with fire in her eyes.

“You think it’s too late to stop whatever she’s plotting right now?” Fuko asked.

“Yup.” Yuyu said.

“Senpai, I swear..” Akubi massaged her temple.

Back at the other table, Hitori felt her whole body itch.

“I-i think someone’s watching me..” Hitori said.

“Nonsense, Gotoh-san! How many times do I have to tell you? No one’s out to get you!”

Hitori looked around to try and find if someone was looking at her. At the table across of hers, she noticed the previous group of girls was seated, and Yoko-san was glaring at her intensely. Eyebrows furrowed and lip pressed into a thin line. If looks can kill, Hitori would be six foot under by now.

“T-thanks for the meal… I need to go now…”

“What? Gotoh-san, the meal hasn’t even arrived yet!”

“Head maid Ricchan!” Yui approached Ritsu, who was handling the food Mugi prepared. The brunette gave a salute. “Can I deliver Azu-nyan’s table’s order? I’d like to serve our VIP guests personally!”

“Huh, Yui? If you’re here, who's holding the sign outside?”

“Ichigo-san agreed to swap with me! She said she’s practically made for standing still and staring at people!” Yui chirped.

“She also still needs to greet the patrons coming in, not just stand still and stare…” Ritsu said wearily.

“May I, please, madam Ricchan, ma-am?” Yui said, hopping on her feet.

“Behave yourself, do not act in a way unbecoming of a maid!” Ritsu chided. “But okay, here.” Ritsu passed the tray with drinks Azusa’s table ordered.

“Waaah! Isn’t this-”

“Aah, sorry, Ricchan, Yui–chan! We ran out of clean dishes back here. I have to make due with some of our china from the clubroom. I hope you guys don’t mind.” Mugi said from the kitchen.

“Is this Azu-nyan’s drink?”

“No. Hers is the chocolate shake. That’s Hitori’s order. Don’t get it mixed up.” Ritsu said.

“Aye, yes sir, head maid!” Yui said, taking the order to Hitori’s table.

“Ladies!” Yui said, diverting everyone’s (and another brunette girl at a nearby table) attentions towards her.

“Here’s your drinks! Strawberry parfait?”

“That’s mine!” Kita raised her hand, accepting the glass of parfait from Yui’s extended hand.

“Look at them…” Yoyoko narrowed her eyes from behind her menu. “Enjoying faster service and free beverages…”

“Senpai, you’re gonna burn a hole through that menu if you keep that up.” Fuko said.

“And this glass of water is for Ryo-chan! Which leaves..”

“Here you go! A cup of tea for Hitori-chan!” Yui said, as she held out the cup of tea.

“Ehh? What’s that cup? It looks so cute!” Kita exclaimed.

“Whoa. Bocchi gets her own cup?”

“Isn’t that..” Azusa muttered.

Hitori took the pink cat shaped cup from Yui’s hand. Yoyoko glares at the exchange.

“Enjoy your tea, Hitori-chan!” Yui smiled.

“U-um… yes.. thanks..”

WHAT?! The VIP gets a special cup of their own?!! Yoyoko fumed even harder.

Hitori gulped. Somehow the feeling of being watched returned. If I turn around right now, I bet I’ll find Yoko-san glaring at me again! W-what did I do to make her so m-mad?!!

“Ladies, here are your drinks.” Yoyoko's attention was diverted by Mio, who had arrived at their table with their drinks.

“Ah, thank you, Akiyama-san.” Fuko said, taking her drink from Mio’s hand.

“Head butler! Tell me what’s the meaning of that teacup!” Yoyoko pointed at Hitori, holding the pink cat-shaped teacup.

Mio looked at the direction Yoyoko was pointing at. A sweat drop formed on her temple. Damn it, Mugi! Why do you have to use that cup out of every other one?

“It’s um- a special cup.” Mio said, trying to cover up the fact that they’re reusing china.

Yoyoko’s eyes widened. So it is true! They give out special cups to VIPs!

“I want my drinks to be served in one of those cups as well!” Yoyoko demanded.

“H-huh? But-”

“Akiyama-san, just do what she said.” Akubi said, clutching her temple. “Trust me, the last thing you want is for her to throw a tantrum here over teacups."

“A-ah very well, I’ll forward your request to our chefs, my lady.”

With that, Mio retreated to the kitchen. Akubi stares disapprovingly at Yoyoko.

“What?”

“Can you not make trouble when we’re out and about?”

“I am simply defending my honor as Hirasawa Yui’s best friend!”

“More like former best friend, by the looks of it.” Yuyu commented. Fuko elbowed her.

“It will not come to that! I will prove that I am still her best friend!”

“By being an absolute nuisance in her cafe?”

“By showing her that I am better! This must be a test! She’s trying to see if I would fight for my position as her best friend against this Gotoh Hitori! That must be her reasoning!”

“Senpai, that’s not how friendship works…why couldn’t you put all this energy into being normal…” Akubi said, putting her face in her hands.

“Mugi-chan! Why did you use that cup?!” Mio immediately fussed when she arrived at the kitchen.

“Ah, apologies, Mio-chan. I know it had the potential to lessen our image, but we were working with what we got! I thought Hitori-chan wouldn’t mind our tardiness, so that’s why I used the cup.” Mugi explained her reasoning.

“Right. But now other customers are demanding a personalized teacup too!”

“Really?”

“Well, just one person, actually. It’s Ohtsuki-san.”

“Yoyoko-chan is here?”

“She and the rest of SIDEROS. They’re undercover, which is why I didn’t recognize them at first. Anyway, she wants her drink served in a teacup like Hitori’s. Do we have any more cups like that?”

“Ahh… no…”

Mio grimaced. “What do we do now? She was very persistent about this.”

“Mio-chan, what’s wrong?”

Mio turned towards the voice to find Yui, tilting her head in confusion.

“A customer is demanding to get a “special teacup” after she saw you served Hitori tea with Azusa’s cup.”

“Ehh…? But there’s only one teacup for one Azu-nyan!” Yui replied.

“I know! Now I don’t know what to do.”

“Here. Tachibana-san just finished washing this cup.” Mugi said, handing a cup of tea with an intricate pattern on it’s surface that they use in the club. “This cup is imported from Germany. That should be special enough, right?”

“Whoa, I don’t know we’ve been drinking from such expensive tea sets!” Yui said.

“Well, most of the china we used in the clubrooms and in the cafe are technically imported or family heirlooms of mine, but Yoyoko-chan doesn’t need to know that.”

“Woah, you’re so sneaky, Mugi-chan!”

“Akiyama-san!” One of the maids ran up to Mio. “We have trouble up front, it seems that Ichigo-san’s blank stares have been scaring the customers off.”

Mio sighed. “Can you deliver this to Ohtsuki-san’s table, Yui? I have to deal with this situation at the door.” Mio said.

“I’m on it, Mio-chan!”

“Oh, and deliver this to Azusa-chan’s table as well. Their orders are up!” Mugi said, handing a tray of their order.

“I got it!”

Yui put Yoyoko’s drink on the tray and walked off to her table first.

“Yoyo-chan!”

Yoyoko jumped at that, turning away from glaring at another table. Yui wondered what that was about. “Hirasawa Yui! Don’t call me that! I’m undercover, remember?”

“Oh, right. Sorry Yo- Yoko-chan.” Yui said.

Y-yoko-chan? Is this a new nickname for me? Yoyoko beamed. Take that Hitori Gotoh! I have two nicknames now! Who’s the best friend? Yoyoko thought to herself. Next to her, Akubi shook her head, as if she could read Yoyoko’s internal monologue.

At the other table, Hitori felt a shiver down her spine.

“Gotoh-san, what’s wrong?”

“I felt the cold of a thousand winters…. A powerful aura of wrath is being deployed onto me…”

“What?” Nijika quizzically said.

“Here’s your drink!” Yui said, handing Yoyoko the special teacup. ”It’s a special teacup Mugi-chan got from Germany!”

Yoyoko retrieved the cup, looking like she was about to cry from sheer joy. Her hand trembled. Such an important cup…? Reserved for me…? This totally beat that dinky cat tea-cup! She smirked.

“Thank you, Hirasawa Yui. I’ll cherish this forever.”

“Oh, you don’t need to do that! Just drink it!”

“Why is she handing her a cup of tea? Wasn’t senpai’s order the milkshake?” Fuko whispered.

“The special cup totally made her forget her own order.” Akubi responded.

“Ah, is that our order, Yui-chan?~”

“Oh? No, this is for our VIP guests! Thanks for reminding me! I almost forgot to deliver it to them!”

Yoyoko’s face immediately dropped after hearing that.

“Well, enjoy your drinks, everyone!” Yui said, moving towards the other table.

“Grrr…. Looks like I haven’t won yet… Hitori Gotoh… you’re a formidable foe…” Yoyoko grumbled.

“Here’s your order, everyone! Who’s karaage is this?” Yui said, as she arrived at the “VIP” table.

“A-ah, m-mine…”

“Here you go, Hitori-chan!”

Yui proceeded to serve everyone their food, while Yoyoko watched intently from the other table. She handed out everyone’s food until Azusa’s was the only one left on the tray.

“And here’s your omurice, Azu-nyan!”

“Thanks, senpai.”

“Oh, and one more thing! Free hugs for the VIP!”

Yui moved in to hug Azusa. Fortunately for the kouhai, years of being tackled into a hug by the brunette has trained her reflexes for avoiding her surprise hugs. Azusa ducked out of the way, causing Yui to hug the girl sitting next to her instead.

“Ah-Azu-nyan! I don’t remember you smelling this moldy!”

“Uhm- Yui-chan..” Nijika begins to say.

“Huh?” Yui tried to get a good look at the person in her embrace. Since when did Azu-nyan have her hair dyed pink?

“Gotoh-san! Are you alright?!”

“Eh? Hitori-chan!” Yui exclaimed as she finally realized that she actually had Hitori in her embrace the whole time. Hitori’s pupil shrank. She can feel that aura of powerful annoyance returned. Oh no, I don’t know what I did, but Yoko-chan is definitely gonna kill me for this! Hitori deflated.

“Gotoh-san!”

WHAT?! THE VIPS GET HUGS TOO?! Yoyoko’s pupils shattered into a million pieces at the sight.

“B-but, those hugs she’s given me… did that mean nothing at all?!” Yoyoko said with tears in her eyes.

“Senpai…” Fuko looked on in pity.

“No! I haven’t lost just yet! Ohtsuki Yoyoko is not one to just simply surrender! I am not losing!” Yoyoko stubbornly said, as she’s losing the one-sided competition she made up for herself.

As Kita tries to resurrect Hitori from the surprise hug attack, Yui confronts Azusa.

“Mou, Azu-nyan! Why did you dodge? That hug was on the house!”

“I’ll pass, senpai. Please just tell me why all of you have been acting like this today?”

Yui began blinking her eyes innocently. “Eh, what do you mean?”

“Making me a VIP out of nowhere? Giving free drinks? Hugging me in public? What’s the meaning of this? Is it a prank?”

“Oooh. The girls are fighting.”

“Shut up, Ryo. Just eat your salad and be quiet.” Nijika reprimanded.

“Azu-nyan, it’s not that! It’s-”

“WAITER! WE’D LIKE TO ORDER!” Someone from another table shouted, destroying the atmosphere the emotional confrontation have set up.

“Oops. Be right back, Azu-nyan, I need to take this.” Yui said, glad to find an excuse to dodge Azusa’s question.

“Senpai, seriously.. What is up with you all?!” Azusa said exasperatedly.

“Yes, Yoko-chan?” Yui said, immediately attending to Yoyoko.

But Yoyoko wasn't looking at her, shooting Akubi an annoyed look. “That hurts. You are so not off the hook! I’ll make you go through hell during our next practice sessions!” Yoyoko said, massaging her arm where Akubi pinched her.

“I already told you to stop being a nuisance! It’s a good thing we’re wearing disguises! You know how much trouble the suits are gonna give us if they saw you fooling around like that in public? SIDEROS’ image is gonna go down the gutter!” She whispered.

“So now you admit the disguise is important!”

“It’s only important because you’re making a fool of yourself!”

“Guys, please. Let’s not fight. Yui-chan is here.” Fuko said, moving the band’s attention to the maid, dutifully waiting for them to make an order.

“Ah, yes! Hirasawa Yui!” Yoyoko addressed the maid.

“Yoko-chan, Akubi-chan, did you guys fight? What’s the matter?” Yui asked in concern.

“It’s nothing! It’s-”

“Senpai, you might as well come clean now.” Fuko advised. “We don’t want for this to escalate further.”

“What’s wrong Yoko-chan?”

“It’s NOTHING, Hirasawa Yui, I-”

“Senpai think you’ve replaced her with Gotoh Hitori.”

“YUYU!”

Yui looked on in confusion, gears were spinning in her head as she processed this information.

“Yoyo-chan thought I replaced her with Hitori-chan? Why…?”

Yoyoko stopped trying to strangle Yuyu from her seat and slumped.

“Y-you stopped texting me for a while, Yui. I thought you’ve forgotten about me. When i saw you treating that Gotoh Hitori so well, I thought you must’ve replaced me with her.” Yoyoko said.

“Yoyo-chan…” Yui said, moving to hug Yoyoko. “I would never replace my friends! Both you and Hitori chan are my friends… I would never pick one over the other.” Yui said.

“But then, why did you make her a VIP and not us?”

“Eh? Hitori-chan’s not a VIP, Yoyo-chan! It’s Azu-nyan who’s the VIP!”

Yoyoko and the rest of SIDEROS blinked stupidly at that. “Eh?”

“Well, we’re trying to make up for casting her aside this week because of our cafe preparations, so we made her a VIP guest. Ah, that’s why I haven’t been texting you too, Yoyo-chan! I’ve been busy! Sorry about that!” Yui said quickly.

“S-so, you don’t like Gotoh Hitori better than me…?”

“I love all my friends, Yoyo-chan! I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise!”

At that, Yoyoko smiled brightly, before attempting to cover it up immediately. She coughed.

“R-right, of course! This was just a misunderstanding due to miscommunication! Which happens all the t-time between friends! ..I think, right?” Yoyoko looked at her bandmates for confirmation.

Fuko and Yuyu nodded. Akubi just looked away.

Yui smiled. “Thanks for understanding Yoyo-chan. Are you still planning to make that order?”

“A-ah, yes, can I have the…omurice, please?”

“Noted! Anyone else want to order anything?” Yui asked the table. The other politely shook their head.

“Okay, then! I’ll tell Mugi-chan to prepare your order, Yoyo-chan!” Yui said to them, before walking away from their table.

“Do you feel better now, senpai?” Fuko asked.

Yoyoko nodded silently.

“Haaa, that’s good to hear. You and Yui are so cute together. I would hate if you two were to fight.” Yuyu commented.

Yoyoko looked up to see Yuyu and Fuko smiling at her. She smiled back at the two. She turned towards Akubi, who was sitting next to her, but Akubi was avoiding meeting her eyes.

“A-akubi, what’s wrong?” Yoyoko began to ask.

“Here’s your order, Ohtsuki-san.” said a voice, who turned out to be Mio, back to deliver her omurice.

“Whoa, that was fast!” Fuko said.

“Yui told us everything. Sorry for the misunderstanding, take this fast service as an apology on our behalf, We're really just trying to make it up to Azusa for unintentionally alienating her this entire week.”

“You guys really care about her, huh?” Akubi asked.

“Well, she’s our kouhai. It’s our duty as her senpais to care for her.”

Akubi mutters something unintelligible in response, which causes Yoyoko to turn to her in worry. Mio, realizing she probably said too much, clears her throat awkwardly.

“Well, anyway. Enjoy your meal! You can call on our maid and butlers if you have any further requests.” Mio said, returning to her head butler persona, before walking off.

“Welp. Bon appetit.” Yuyu said. Fuko nodded, and started digging in to her own food.

Yoyoko spares a brief glance at Akubi, who was silently eating her food as well. She looked at the freshly prepared plate of omurice in front of her.

Her troubles with Yui were settled, yet she still felt unease as she picked up her spoon to eat her omurice.

-

“Feeling better, Gotoh-san?” Kita said, as she spoonfed Hitori her meal.

“Ummm… a bit..” Hitori said through a mouthful of karaage.

Ryo observed the two and turned towards Nijika.

“I’m not doing that with you.” Nijika said, returning to eating her plate of pasta.

“Aw.”

Ryo looked to the other side of the table, where Azusa was silently playing with her food.

“Azusa, are you not gonna eat your omurice? I’ll finish it for you.” Ryo said.

“Wha- oh, no. I’m getting to it. Sorry. I was spacing out.”

“Hm. Something on your mind?”

Azusa sighed. “You’re coming to our concert tomorrow too, right, Ryo-san?”

“Of course. I’ll always support upcoming indie acts. Also it’s free.”

“Well, what if we suck?”

“Pardon?”

“Well, what if we blows? We barely practiced cause all of my senpais were too busy with this damn cafe! And now they’re being weird towards me to top it all off!” Azusa said.

Ryo didn’t respond, which caused further unease on Azusa’s side.

“Sorry. Shouldn’t have said that. I’ll just go back to eating my omurice, forgive me for my insolence, Ryo-san.”

“Maybe they just want to make it up to you.”

“Huh?”

“Well, you said they’re been missing practices for the cafe, right? Maybe now they’re trying to treat you well as a way of asking for forgiveness, maybe even some sort of approval.”

“Huh, but-”

“I’m not them, so I wouldn’t know.” Ryo shrugged. “But I don’t think your band is gonna suck, Azusa.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Well, first of all, I’ve already seen you guys perform before. You guys are decent. Maybe even slightly better than average for a highschool band. Missing a couple practice sessions wouldn’t really hamper any of that, especially since I know you guys even went over to FOLT to practice when your clubroom was out of service earlier last month. I’d say that skill and talent wise, you guys are definitely not lacking.” She said, as she continued eating her salad.

“O-oh, thanks, Ryo-san.” Azusa was caught off guard by the sudden praise from Ryo of all people.

“And really, for a band like yours, cohesion and unity is very important.” Ryo said with a mouthful of lettuce. “And if your senpais are willing to go out of their way to treat you the best they can like they do today, I can say that they definitely care about you. And that means the dynamic in your band would prosper.”

“Well, they have a very roundabout way to show they care, then… I would’ve preferred it more if they showed it through practice instead of this…”

Ryo shrugged again. “Again, that’s just their way of showing it, but I wouldn’t take it for granted regardless. I was in a band before kessoku band, and all the members were very individualistic, myself included. Needless to say, it didn’t work out in the end. So cherish this bond you have with your band. As long as you care about each other, none of your performances would suck.” Ryo said, looking Azusa straight in her eyes. “Cause you guys care too much about one another to ever let each other down.”

“Nijika-san said something similar to me after our live at STARRY…”

“That’s how you know she’s right. Cause her advice is the same as mine.”

“Mou. She was way more reassuring. Especially because she’s not stuffing her face with omurice when she’s giving me advice.”

“Mmhh, mell mobody’s merfect.” Ryo said through a mouth full of omurice.

“Hey wait a second, your order was the salad!” Azusa looked down at the table to find her plate of omurice missing. “That’s mine, Ryo-san!”

-

“Finally! It’s over!” Mio said.

“You said it. Gah, that get up is stuffy as hell! I’m sweating up a storm!” Ritsu said, fanning herself with the cuff of her shirt.

“Congratulations for today, everyone.” Nodoka addressed the classroom. “I say we knocked it out of the park. Thanks to everyone for their participation, and special thanks to our head maid and butler, Tainaka and Akiyama-san.”

There were claps and cheers all over the classroom, everyone celebrating their successful maid cafe.

“Yeah, haha! Clap more! I need the validation after humiliating myself the entire day!” Ritsu whined.

“T-that could’ve been worse…” Mio muttered.

“Let’s do this again sometime!” Yui said.

“When, Yui-chan? We’ll be graduating this year!”

“Oh, right.”

There were giggles all around the classroom, as Yui rubbed her head.

“Anyway, let’s all clean up the classroom now. Once again, good work everyone!”

“I need a nap.” Ritsu complained.

“You’ll get one soon enough, buchou.” Mugi said.

“Hirasawa-san! Someone’s here to see you!”

“Ah, hai!”

Yui walked towards the exit to find Hitori and the rest of kessoku band.

“Congratulations on the succesful opening day, Yui-chan!” Kita said to the brunette.

“It’s the only day. We’re not doing this again tomorrow.” said Ritsu, who followed Yui to the door with Mio and Mugi in tow.

“You guys did great.” Nijika said. “You were so confident, Mio-chan! That must’ve been hard for you, huh?”

“You have no idea.” Mio sighed. “I’m just glad this is over.”

“Y-yeah, congratulations Mio-chan, Y-you did it. I couldn’t ever imagine myself doing what you did today.” Hitori said.

“You already did it, Gotoh-san! We had that mini training cafe at STARRY, remember?”

“Oh, right. I-i guess i did do that.”

“Hm. Well. Looking forward to your concert tomorrow.” Ryo simply said.

“Oh, right! There’s still the concert tomorrow!” Yui said.

“How could you forget?” Ritsu sighed.

“Oh, by the way, where’s Azu-nyan? Wasn’t she with you guys?”

“She excused herself earlier after we left the cafe. We just said goodbye to her at her teahouse. She said she’ll be waiting for you guys in the clubroom.” Nijika said.

“Oh, alright!”

“You guys will probably have a lot to talk about with her.” Ryo said.

Mio winced. “Right, that we do.”

“Well, come on everyone, let’s go to the clubroom so we can meet Azu-nyan!”

“Hirasawa Yui!”

Yui turned around, finding a girl with glasses and heavy clothing walking up to her along with two other girls.

“Thank you for your service today! I appreciate it.” Yoyoko said, bowing.

“Ah, it’s nothing Yo- Yoko-san.” Yui caught herself. “Anything for my friends!” She smiled. Yoyoko smiled back.

“Huh, is um, “Mask-chan” not with you?” Mugi said, carefully trying to avoid mentioning Akubi’s name in front of kessoku band, who just looked on in confusion.

“No, she’s waiting at the entrance. She extends her thanks to you guys as well.” Fuko said.

“That being said.” Yoyoko steps forward, until she is face to face with Hitori.

“Umm…”

“Gotoh Hitori. I acknowledged that I might’ve acted stupidly earlier, but I realized that we can both be Hirasawa Yui’s friend. So I apologize for thinking that she had replaced me with you as her friend, and resenting you for it.” Yoyoko extended one of her arms.

“H-huh..?” So she was mad at me? But.. w-what? She accepted the hand nonetheless. Yui beamed brightly as they shook hands.

“Besides, if Hirasawa Yui was willing to be your friend, then I think you must be a nice person. I trust my friend’s judgment in one’s character.” Yoyoko said firmly.

“She is! Hitori-chan is such a nice person.” Yui said happily.

“Well, we’ll be taking our leave now, everyone.” Fuko said, nodding to HTT and kessoku band. “Give our regards to Azusa-chan as well.”

“Give ours to err…”Mask-chan as well!” Ritsu replied.

“My friends said hi, Akiyama-san~” Yuyu chirped. Mio immediately looked away.

“We look forward to the concert tomorrow! Goodbye everyone!” Fuko bid farewell to the others.

With that, the three girls walked away. Yui waved after them til they were out of sight.

“What was that all about?” Nijika asked, turning towards Hitori, who still had her hand outstretched.

“I-i have no idea....” Hitori said.

“Did you know who those three were, Bocchi?” Ryo asked.

“N-no… why was she apologizing to me again…?”

“Long story.” Ritsu simply said, clearly not interested in telling them the story.

“Well would you look at that, Gotoh-san! You made a new friend! Today’s a big day for you, huh?” Kita said, patting her head.

“Ehehehe…”

“Ohh… so a development did happen..” Mugi whispered.

“Huh?” Mio turned towards Mugi, who had stars in her eyes as she watched Kita and Hitori interact.

“Anyway, shouldn’t you be meeting Azusa-chan in the clubroom?”

“Ah, you’re right, Nijika-chan! Come on, everyone! Let’s not keep Azu-nyan waiting any longer!”

“Goodbye, everyone! We’ll see you at the concert tomorrow!” Nijika waved.

Kita smiled and turned to look at Hitori.

“Well, Gotoh-san! Did you have fun today?”

Hitori tried to memorize everything that happened today in quick succession. Trash bin, haunted house, teahouse, and cafe. Her expressions unconsciously reflected how she felt at each passing memories.

“M-mm, w-well, it wasn’t the worst thing ever…”

“See? That’s why you should be more open to more experiences! You must've made many unforgettable memories today!” Kita said.

“Not all good ones, judging by her expressions.” Ryo said, Nijika quietly nodded.

“T-that was enough youthful experience for me to survive for my entire youth…” Hitori said, as she began winding down. “Now we just have to watch the concert tomorrow and be done with this.”

“G-gotoh-san, you can’t sleep here, Gotoh-san, wake up!”

“Well, and then we’ll have our own concert next week, and your pla-” Nijika puts a hand over Ryo’s mouth to stop her from talking.

“Just let her have peace of mind for now.” Nijika said. Ryo obliged, and both of them watched as Kita desperately tried to keep Hitori up.

-

Akubi waited for the rest of he band at the school entrance. Today has been a long day, she wished for nothing but to just fall asleep on her futon back home.

“Akubi!”

Akubi looked over to find Yuyu running up to her.

“Yuyu. Where are the others?” Akubi said, looking for Fuko and Yoyoko.

“They’ll be here shortly.” Yuyu pants.

Shortly after, Fuko and Yoyoko arrived, the latter looking down while holding something in her hands.

“Finally, what took you so long?”

“Akubi, Senpai has something to say to you.” Fuko said.

Akubi raises one of her eyebrows and casts her gaze towards Yoyoko.

“A-akubi. I realized that I’ve been acting like an idiot today, all because I was too hyper focused on trying to maintain my friendship with Yui. I've forgotten that I already have friends who will do anything for me, even tolerate my stupidity. P-please accept this as a form of an apology.” Yoyoko said, handing the object she was holding for Akubi to take.

Akubi retrieved the object, which turned out to be a card with a big “SORRY” and frowny face sealed on the cover.

“Senpai… what is this?” Akubi said, opening the card.

“It’s a sorry card. I-it’s like thank you cards, but for when you want to say sorry instead.” Yoyoko looked up. “T-they were selling it for 200 yen each in one of the booths we passed.

Akubi chuckled. “Damn. 200 yen for this? They ripped you off, senpai.”

“D-does this mean you’ll forgive me?”

“Come on, do you really think I can stay mad at you? You’re my friend.”

At this, Yoyoko and Akubi traded smiles. Yuyu and Fuko watched with relief as their two friends reconciled.

“I did tell you that even if you got new friends, you shouldn’t abandon your old ones, remember?”

“Sorry.”

“Sheesh. You really have changed. Usually the senpai I knew would’ve just denied it instead of apologizing.” Akubi chuckled again.

“Mou! Is it that unbelievable for me to change with time?”

“Of course not, senpai. I’m just pulling your leg. Now, come on. Let’s get out of here. I’m tired. Today was exhausting. We still have that concert to look forward to tomorrow.”

“I did get to visit that haunted house, so I say today has been very productive!” said Yuyu.

“Senpai even made a new friend today.” Fuko jokes.

“What? Who?”

“Well, judging by the patterns, I wouldn’t be surprised you ended up friends with Gotoh Hitori as well~” Yuyu smirked.

“As if! I only recognize her as Hirasawa Yui’s friend, not mine! You might as well say I’m gonna be friends with the “Bocchi-chan” that’s been hogging Hiroi nee-san all for herself recently!”

“Well, never say never, right?” Akubi said.

-

Azusa sensed the door being opened and looked up from her guitar.

“Ah, finally back in the clubroom!” Yui said, stretching her arms. Azu-nyan!”

Yui immediately ran up to the kouhai seated on the couch, kneeling in front of her.

“Azu-nyan! What do you think about the cafe?”

“Well…”

“Were you getting lonely that we weren’t here to practice with you the past week?” Ritsu teased, as she and the others entered the classroom behind Yui.

“Ritsu.” Mio warned.

“I-it’s nothing like that! It’s just, you guys haven’t been here a lot recently, and I was worried you weren’t taking the concert seriously… I-i understand that you wanted your cafe to be good, so all the preparations were necessary! B-but still..”

The seniors paused for a moment to take in Azusa’s words. A fond smile began to form in each of their faces.

“Silly Azusa.” Ritsu said.

“We do take this club very seriously.” Mugi smiled.

“Sorry to make you worry like this, Azusa-chan.” Mio added.

“You guys..”

“That’s right, Azu-nyan! I’ve been thinking about you all daaay!” Yui said, moving close towards her face while puckering her lips.

Azusa blushed, reaching out with her hand to keep Yui from kissing her. “You don’t need to go that far!”

“Alright! Then let’s stay overnight in the club so we can practice for tomorrow!”

“Are we even allowed to stay in school after hours?” Mio asked.

“It’s all good!”

“Eh? Can we do that? I haven’t prepared anything!” Mugi said.

“No problem!”

“Can we have bottomless bowl of rice, too?”

“Oh, by the way..”

The seniors all turned towards Azusa. “What was the deal with all that VIP thing?”

All of them shuffled awkwardly.

“Uhm, well… you know, we just wanted you to have the best experience.. to make up for all the practice we lost.” Mugi said.

Azusa sighed. “So Ryo-san was right. You know, if you guys just wanted to show to me that you care, you could do it by practicing seriously instead, right?” She chided.

“Ehehehehe…” Yui rubbed the back of head sheepishly. “We also just want you to enjoy the cafe regardless, Azu-nyan. We put a lot of effort into it, we want to make sure our kouhai is getting the most out of it.”

“Well, I can’t say watching Ritsu-senpai as a maid hasn’t been entertaining.” Azusa smirked.

“Oi, kid. Now I’m off the clock. I could beat you up with no repercussions!”

“Enough with that. Come on, let’s practice. The concert is tomorrow after all.” Mio said.

“Hai.” Everyone said in unison.

And with that, the light music club began their practice session, their sound echoing in the hallways outside for passing students to hear. Tomorrow is gonna be another big day for them.

Chapter Text

A lone girl walked through the now deserted school corridors. Various booths and stalls were pushed to the side as the first day of the festival came to an end. The girl basked in the afternoon sunlight making its way through the window, as she journeyed through the halls while listening to the echoes of a faraway singing coming from the school’s highest level.

“Ah. They’re working hard.” Hirasawa Ui said.

She climbed up the steps to the light music club, bento prepared on her hand to supply her dear big sister through the night that she’s going to spend in the light music club.

The song soon came to an end right as Ui reached the doorstep. Muffled sounds of conversations heard from behind the closed doors. Ui giggled, imagining the kind of antics her sister is currently partaking inside the room. Gently, she knocked on the door, announcing her arrival.

“Onee-chan! I brought you your meal for the night!”

“Ui!”

Yui enthusiastically greeted her little sister as she entered the room, throwing herself onto her sister in an embrace.

“Thank you so much! What is it?”

“Sushi rolls. It’s so you are energized throughout your overnight practice session.” Ui said, as Yui took a peek inside the bento box her little sister had brought to the clubroom. “I made plenty, so be sure to share them with your other club members, okay?”

“You’re very considerate, Ui-chan.” Mugi said from her keyboard.

Ui smiled politely as a response. She took a glance at the corner of the room, where five sleeping bags had been laid out.

“Sawa-chan brought it earlier!” Yui helpfully pointed out after following Ui’s gaze.

“Is she staying with you guys tonight?” Ui asked.

“Nope.” said the club president. “Apparently she’s going to pull an all-nighter finishing all our outfits tomorrow.”

“She said not to take a peek!”

“I shudder to think what that vile woman would make us wear…” Mio shivered.

“It can’t be that bad, Mio-senpai. Last year’s outfit was fine.”

“You weren’t here the year before that, Azusa-chan. Some of her suggestions were…” Mio wobbled at the thought, apparently too painful to reminisce.

“Well! Since Ui-chan has come and brought us dinner, let’s take a short break!” Ritsu announced.

“I’ve also brought some snacks on my own. I’ll bring them out now so we can eat it after.” Mugi added.

“Hai, hai! Pull out the carpet! Let’s eat on the floor!” Yui said.

With that, the band and Ui laid out all food that they brought and merrily went through it all

“Mmmfh. So good.” Ritsu said through a mouthful of rice.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, you baka.”

“What are you, head butler of the night? Calm down, Mio! We don’t have to care about any of that “proper table etiquette" anymore! We’re not even on a table!” Ritsu said, continuing to devour her sushi rolls. Mio just sighed at that.

“This is delicious, Ui!”

“Thanks, onee-chan!”

“Ah, we also have desserts. So be sure to stay for that.” Mugi said.

“Really? Thank you, Tsumugi-san!”

Mio was hesitant. “But sweets at night will…”

“No worries!” Ritsu said, putting her hand on Mio’s shoulder. “We’ll burn all those calories because we’ll be practicing all night!” Ritsu exclaimed, winking at Mio.

“We are?” Azusa said in surprise.

“Of course! Everyone stays up all night before a school festival!” Ritsu said confidently.

Azusa felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, finding Yui winking back at her.

“I won’t let you sleep tonight, koneko-chan.”

“W-why did you say it like that, don’t involve me in this..” Azusa said, looking away with a blush on her cheeks.

“Eh, that’s mean, Azu-nyan..!”

While the others laughed at the guitarists’ hijinks, a knock was heard on the door. It opened to reveal the student council president looking down at them.

“You can stay overnight, but did you file the required paperwork?” Nodoka asked.

“I-i forgot!” Ritsu exclaimed.

“Figured as much.” Nodoka sighed. “Here.” She handed the buchou a permission form to use a clubroom overnight.

“You’re a lifesaver, Nodoka-chan!” Ritsu cries.

“Would you like some, Nodoka-chan?” Ui said, offering the president some of her sushi rolls.

“Ah, thank you.”

“So are there many people staying overnight?” Azusa asked the president.

“There’s quite a few.” Nodoka said in between eating her rolls. “A lot of people just like to wait til the last second to prepare.”

“That doesn’t sound like you at all!” Ritsu said. “Did Ryo possess you?”

Nodoka just chuckled quietly at that. “I’ve done my work days in advance. It’s just the view many share that I’m currently expressing.” Nodoka said.

“Speaking of,” Nodoka continued, adjusting her glasses. “I heard there was quite a commotion happening during our maid cafe earlier today.”

Mio choked on her sushi rolls. Mugi graciously patted her on the back.

“Oh yeah, that.” Azusa said.

“What happened exactly? I was away overseeing the other activities around school with the student council, so I didn’t witness anything that had happened.”

“Do you remember the Yoyo-chan I told you about, Nodoka-chan? She came to our cafe today! And she got jealous of Hitori-chan!”

“Oh, and why is that?”

“She thought I replaced her as a friend with Hitori-chan! Oh, Hitori-chan came to the cafe with the others too!”

“Ah, what a shame that I’ve missed them.” Nodoka said. “It’s been a while.”

“Don’t worry, they're coming for the concert too. You can save your greetings for them for tomorrow.” Ritsu said plainly.

“Well, back to Yoyo-san. Why did she think you replaced her with Hitori-chan?”

“Apparently it’s because I hadn’t texted her in a week!” Yui suddenly gasped. “Oh no, Nodoka-chan! You’re not thinking I’ve replaced you too, right? I was just busy with the club this year, I’m sorry we haven’t been texting!” Yui cried.

“Oh, ahaha. Thank you for being considerate, Yui, but I don’t think that. I’m just glad you managed to make more friends.”

“You’d think Ohtsuki-san would be of the same mind..” Mio muttered.

“I would’ve thought she would’ve been more cordial about these sorts of things. Isn’t she a world famous celebrity?” Nodoka asked.

“Where’d you get that? Yui is just exaggerating. They’re a popular indie band, but nowhere near that glam. But still, you would think she’d have a bit more self restraint than that.” Ritsu said.

“Yoyo-chan is just a sweetheart! Even if she’s popular, she’s just a teenage girl like us!” Yui said.

“Yeah, but I really wasn’t expecting that musicians would all be this odd.” Mio commented.

“Ha, yeah! So far we’ve met a drunk, tsundere, and a moocher all in one year! Why are they all so weird? Aren’t there any normal girls that do music?” Ritsu asked heartily.

“Hark who’s talking.” Azusa muttered.

“Azusa…. Come on.. Let’s bail.” a drowsy voice said from the clubroom entrance.

Everyone diverted their attention to the door, where Jun was walking sleepily with her eyes closed. She opened her eyes lazily and took in the sight of the feast happening in the light music club.

“Eh? You guys are staying overnight?!”

“The jazz club isn’t?” Azusa returned her question.

“No we aren’t! Ah, so jealous! It’s not fair!”

-

“So, did you get home safely, Bocchi-chan?” Nijika asked over the phone.

“A-ah, yes, Kita-chan accompanied me t-til her last stop… she was very hesitant to part, even. S-she suggested that since we were going to the festival together tomorrow that maybe she c-could even… stay over at my place.” Hitori shuddered.

“Oh really? Dang, she’s right! We should’ve just stayed over at STARRY and gone to the concert together tomorrow! Much less of a hassle.”

“P-please no! I’m not sure I’m prepared for s-sleepovers!”

“Ah, sorry Bocchi-chan, maybe sleepovers aren't really your style, then.”

“Y-yeah, I haven’t prepared the disco ball y-yet…”

“That’s not what I meant!” Nijika sighed.

“O-oh… right…”

“Anyway. Are you excited for tomorrow, Bocchi-chan?”

“Ohh, umm, yeah. I-it’s been a while since I’ve listened to them play, I-i wonder how much they’ve improved s-since we last did..”

“Oh, I guess you’re right, the last couple meetings we had with them doesn’t involve any music, haha.”

“Y-yeah, I-i do wish we played together more, N-not to say I don't enjoy the time we’ve spent together! But I wanted to be able to play with them as a band. Their sound isn’t really something that I prefer, it’s a bit too light and fluffy- you could call it, but their techniques are undeniably very polished, especially given their, umm… practicing habits. Even though Yui-chan is a beginner, you can hardly tell from the way she played. Haaah, some people are just born with talent, it’s so unfair.”

Nijika was stunned with how coherent Bocchi became the second she began talking about music. Bocchi apparently took in this silence as a sign she had said something wrong.

“A-ah, forgive me! I must’ve rambled too much, haven’t I? I-i’m sorry for my transgressions!”

“H-huh? What, No, it's fine, Bocchi-chan! There’s nothing wrong with being passionate about something!”

“R-really?”

“Yeah, I was just caught off guard by how confident you became just now. I think you should talk like that more often.”

“U-um, I don’t think I can, that just happened out of the blue.. I don’t know what came over me..”

“Bocchi-chan, it wasn’t a bad thing, you know? Well, nevermind. I guess it’s safe to say you’re excited for tomorrow?”

Bocchi could be heard mumbling indecisively from the other line. “I suppose.., A-although…”

“Hm? What is it, Bocchi-chan?”

“A-ah, no. Back at their cafe… I could’ve sworn I-i heard Azusa-chan muttering something about “last concert..” and “f-final performance…”

“Oh? Well, I suppose it is true that the seniors of HTT will be graduating this year. Does that mean they’re going to disband?” Nijika gasped.

“Y-yeah, well… now that I think about it, it makes sense, doesn’t it? Why she looked so anxious earlier today… she must’ve been thinking about it the entire time..”

“Ah, yes. I did notice her spacing out a couple of times during our outing. So that’s why. Geez, poor Azusa.”

“Mmm… I wonder if that will factor into their concert t-tomorrow. H-hopefully it’s nothing bad.”

“Yeah, hopefully. Are you worried about Azusa, Bocchi-chan?”

“A little.. I can understand where she’s coming f-from.. Her dream was to sell out budokan with her senpais, don’t you remember, Nijika-san? Back then, she told us after our second live at STARRY…”

“Ah, yes. I remember what she talked about with me that night too. She really cares about her band.”

“Y-yeah, I w-wish she doesn’t take it bad if t-they were to disband..”

“Yeah…”

“I-i apologize! I just ruined the mood of our phone call again! Ah, I’m such a useless, no good conversationalist!” Bocchi said suddenly.

“Whoa, whoa! Bocchi-chan, don’t say that. It’s okay to worry about your friends, y’know?”

Nijika could hear Bocchi mumbling something unintelligible from the other line.

“Anyway, I think you should go to sleep, Bocchi-chan. You must’ve been tired from the trip back home, right? Rest up, we still have another day of festival tomorrow.”

“O-oh, right. Y-yay…? Um, well I’m really not sure how I should feel about another day at a crowded festival…”

“Feel excited! It’s possibly our friends’ last performance tomorrow! We gotta be there and support them to the best of our abilities!” Nijika said, pumping her fist in the air.

“Y-yeah… i should be excited about this… woo-hoo…” Bocchi said, letting out the most unexcited whooping Nijika has ever heard.

“That’s the spirit! Well, good night, Bocchi-chan! See you at STARRY tomorrow?”

“A-ah, yes! S-same time as today?”

“Yep.”

“A-alright then, G-good night Nijika-san. A-actually..”

“Hmm? What was that, Bocchi-chan?”

“A-ah nevermind! Maybe you’ll see for yourself tomorrow, hehe..”

“Oh? Are you preparing a surprise, Bocchi-chan?”

“N-not exactly. A-ah, I can hear my mom telling me to go to s-sleep! Oh, no! W-well, Good night, Nijika-san!”

"Good night.” Nijika said, giggling at Bocchi’s obvious lie. She heard a click at the other end of the line, a sign that Bocchi had ended the call.

Now all alone in the comfort of her room, Nijika falls back on her bed and stares at the ceiling.

“Huh..so, tomorrow. It could very well be their last concert.” Nijika reiterated what Bocchi had said to her over the phone.

She never stopped to ponder that fact. Of course the seniors in the band would graduate soon, how could she forget that? With them graduating, that would mean the end of HTT as they know it now, wouldn’t it? She supposed it’s somewhat bizarre how in the span of a year, the conception of her own band and the eventual end of another would coincide in this manner.

Obviously, Nijika had seen bands come and go before, nothing lasts forever. Ryo is a living example of that, and HTT disbanding isn’t something that’s unique in the grand scheme of things. Yet this would be the first time she witnessed a band she’s personally close with disband. Nijika shook her head.

It made her reflect on her own band. She and Ryo would eventually be graduating as well, and what would that mean for kessoku band? Nijika knew that she would like to continue her education to university, but does that mean leaving Bocchi, Kita, and potentially Ryo behind? Is kessoku band about to end before they can even start?

She sighed. Nighttime really is the time for deep thoughts to enter and swivel in one’s head. Unfortunately, it also makes Nijika way too dizzy to be able to rest properly. She turned off the lights and forcefully closed her eyes, trying to tune out all thoughts from her mind.

Just go to sleep. Tomorrow’s a big day. You’ll have plenty of time to think about your own band later. Tomorrow should be all about your friends, and she’ll be there to support them all the way.

-

“Guys! I finished your costume!” Sawako said, barging in to the clubroom, excited to share her overnight handiwork to the girls, only to find them all still sleeping soundly as she entered the room.

“H-hey! Come on, wake up! I spent all night on this! Ritsu, wake up! It hurts to be ignored like this, you know?” Sawako said, shaking Ritsu’s sleeping bag in an attempt to wake the buchou up.

“Gomen, Sawa-chan. We’re too tired to respond…” Ritsu said drowsily.

“Eh… But I made this for you..” Sawako said, revealing a custom made white tee with a star print and the letters “HTT” embedded on top of it.

“Woah!” This was successful in waking up the girls (minus Mio).

“That’s so good!” Mugi said.

“It’s cute..” Azusa added.

“Nice work, Sawa-chan!” Yui chirped.

“Good job, Sawa-chan!”

“I know you guys would’ve said that, but this time this is nothing egregious! I simply made an, uhh- what was that?”

“We love it!” Ritsu said, getting out of her sleeping bag and snatching up one of the shirts in Sawako’s hand to inspect it for herself.

“You guys don’t hate it?”

“This is wonderful, Sawa-chan. I say all your hard work has paid off.” Mugi said, slowly unzipping her sleeping bag.

“What, I mean- of course I know you guys would’ve loved it, hahaha! Yes, praise me more!” Sawako laughed maniacally, the lack of sleep finally getting in to her.

“I think we might’ve set a terrible precedent.” Ritsu said, having second thoughts about praising the teacher’s handiwork.

“This is so cool! I’ll change into it right away!” Yui said, slowly taking off the school tracksuit she was wearing as pajamas.

“W-what! Yui-senpai, at least go to a bathroom or something! Don’t just change here in front of others!!”

“Huh? But Sawa-chan and the others don’t mind! This is normal, Azu-nyan!” Yui said with her voice muffled up by the shirt she was pushing down on to her body.

Azusa looks away flustered. Something is deeply wrong with this club!

“Ah! There we go!” Yui said, finally managing to put the shirt on. “Eh? Where’s the logo?”

“Yui-chan… you put it on backwards.”

“Oh, you’re right! Yui said, looking behind her. “Azu-nyan, can you tell me how it looks from the back?”

“Pervert! I’m not looking!” Azusa said, burying her face deeper in her sleeping bag.

“Ah! This is great, Sawa-chan!” Ritsu said after putting the shirt on herself.

“I told you so. Sometimes simplicity is all that it takes.” Sawako said, admiring her own work.

A glint appeared in Sawako’s glasses as she took out her phone. “Surely you guys don’t mind if i took a couple pictures-”

“Ooookay there it is. Off you go, Sawa-chan.” Ritsu said, pushing the teacher out of the clubroom.

“Eh? Come on, just one picture! Nothing weird!”

“Maaa… this is truly magnificent..” Mugi said, admiring the shirt as she put it on.

“Come on, Azu-nyan! Try it on too!” Yui said, shoving a shirt onto Azusa’s hands.

“Mou! I’ll change in a bathroom, far away from here!” Azusa said, as she got up and left the room with the shirt in her arms.

“Ehh.. what’s her deal..?”

“Don’t know, I’ve seen Mio change in front of me all the time.”

“Speaking of..” Mugi said, directing everyone’s attention towards Mio, who somehow managed to sleep soundly through all the commotion.

“Mio-chan must’ve been really tired from yesterday’s practice. She didn’t even wake up from all the noise Sawa-chan was making!” Mugi commented as she observed her friend’s sleeping figure.

“Ya. She’s a really heavy sleeper. Once she slept for half a day after an intense study session!” Ritsu added. “Almost missed the test she was studying for, too.”

“Let’s wake her up and have her put this shirt on!” Yui said.

“Wait, Yui! You’re forgetting the number one slumber party rule.” Ritsu said, halting Yui from waking the black haired girl up.

“What is it, Ricchan?”

Ritsu smirked sinisterly. “The first one to fall asleep shall be subjected to the other’s whims!” Ritsu said with an evil glee.

Mugi’s eyes lit up. “Waaah, tell us more about it, Ricchan!”

“A demonstration is in order! Now! Anyone got a marker?”

They all gathered around the sleeping Mio, Ritsu with a newly retrieved marker in her hands.

“There, perfect!” Ritsu said.

“Heehee, she’s sleeping so soundly.” Yui commented.

“She must’ve been tired from playing head butler yesterday.” Mugi added.

Ritsu zipped Mio’s sleeping bag back up. A lot of sudden movements around her causes Mio to open her eyes. She slowly got up.

“Morning, everyone.” She yawned.

“Well it’s like 11 now, but morning, Mio!”

“Morning, Mio-chan!”

Mio slowly zipped down her sleeping bag, before noticing something scribbled on her right arm.

A lot of things, actually.

“AAAAAAAAAH!!!!!”

“BWA-HA-HA!”

“RITSU!” Mio marched towards Ritsu, and with her scribbled hands, whacked her violently on her head.

“ITAI!” A cartoonish bump began forming on top of her head.

“WHY DID YOU DO THIS?” Mio said.

“For good luck! So you won’t be nervous!” Ritsu immediately answered.

“Yeah, Mio-chan. If you’re nervous, you write down the kanji for “people” on your hand and swallow it!” Yui said.

“You wrote too much!” Mio exclaimed.

“It’s to increase the effectiveness.” Ritsu defended herself.

“I thought it was because we wanted to pull a slumber party prank on her, Ricchan?” Mugi asked.

“We even thickened your life line!” Yui chirped, and to Mio’s horror, she found a way thicker marker line on palm of her hand.

“Oi, you two..” Ritsu hastily tried to shush her,

“Why, you..”

Right before Mio could further beat Ritsu up, the door to the clubroom opened, revealing Azusa, carrying her jumpsuit and donning a white t-shirt Mio had never seen before.

“Oh, Mio-senpai. You’re awake. I thought I heard you from downstairs.”

“Azusa-chan, what are you wearing?”

“Oh, this? Sensei dropped by earlier and gave us this. I was just taking a shower and changing into it.”

“What? Why did no one wake me up and tell me?”

“Sawa-chan did. Very violently, in fact.” Ritsu added.

Mio turned around to face the three other girls, finally noticing that they were also wearing the shirt.

“Did she make any for me?”

“I don’t know Mio… did she?”

“Ritsu!”

“Y-yeah, alright, she did! It’s on the couch.”

Mio stood up and picked up her shirt. “Whoa…”

“What’s wrong with your arm, senpai?” Azusa asked.

“Why don’t you ask these three runts?” Mio said bitterly. Mugi and Yui just laughed guiltily and rubbed the back of their heads. Ritsu, meanwhile, is still nursing the bump on her head.

“I left you guys on your own for like, 10 minutes…” Azusa sighed.

After Mio managed to clean up all the marker scribbles and took a shower of her own, she changed into the t-shirt Sawako made for her.

“Ah, this is really good… Sawa-chan finally made something that’s comfortable to wear..” She commented.

“Alright, girls!” Ritsu said, addressing the others. “Everybody ready?”

“E-eh, um-” Mio sputtered.

“Don’t worry, Mio-chan!” Yui chirped.

“We just had an intense training session last night.” Mugi added.

“You’re right.” Mio concedes.

“Let’s just play like we always do!” Azusa said.

“Alright, then. LET’S ROCK!” Ritsu exclaimed.

“HAI!” The girls pumped their fist in the air.

“Our concert!”

“HAI!”

“Our best one!”

“HAI!”

“Let’s eat lots of cake when we’re done!”

“HA- whu-huh..?”

“There you guys are.:" Said a new voice coming from the entrance, who happens to be Nodoka, diligently holding her clipboard. “You guys are on in about an hour. I presume you wanna do some sound checks first before the concert?”

“Hai, of course! Thanks, Nodoka-chan.”

“Don’t be tardy now.” Nodoka said, as she left the room.

Ritsu turned around to face band members and smiled confidently. “Alright then, let’s get going!”

-

Four girls stepped onto sakuragouka’s school grounds. All of them took in the sight of an even more crowded festival than the one they had experienced yesterday.

“Gee, it’s even more crowded than yesterday! I thought that the second day would be less packed!” Nijika said, as they watched the crowd of people before them.

“Hm. One would think.” Ryo added.

“This only means that more people will turn up to watch HTT's performance! Good for them!” Kita said.

Bocchi, meanwhile, could feel herself starting to feel dizzy. Her eyes spiraled as she took in the sea of people before her.

“Alright, everyone! Looks like we arrived here earlier than expected, and we have... at least an hour before the concert.” Nijika addressed the band.

Eh?

“Oh, if that’s so, I’d like to go shopping around the place! I didn’t get to explore much yesterday!” Kita immediately said.

“I hope no one’s beaten my record at that shooting game yet. I need to maintain my high score.” Ryo stated.

“I’m gonna buy something for onee-chan to make her see what she missed out on! “Too grown for festivals”.. as if!” Nijika said.

“Uhm..”

“Oh, there’s one of the booth I was eyeing yesterday! Look, they’re selling cute little nail polishes!” Kita pointed to one of the nearby stalls they passed.

“You want to go there, Kita-chan?” Nijika asked. Kita nodded in response.

“Go then. We’ll rendezvous before the concert starts!”

“Alright! Thanks, Ijichi-senpai!” Kita beamed. She turned towards Hitori.

“Gotoh-san, wanna come?” She asked excitedly.

“H-huh, no, thanks.. I have that-that thing I want to visit! You just go and buy your nail polish, Kita-chan..”

“Oh? Do you have something planned for today? What is it?”

“Ah, uhm, it’s something alright, you.. you just go, Kita-san… those nail polish aren’t gonna buy themselves..”

Kita beamed. “Alright then! I’ll buy some for you too, Gotoh-san!”

“A-ah, that won’t be necessary!”

“Nonsense. I want to buy it for you! Hm, let’s see.. I think I know what I’m gonna get! Just wait, Gotoh-san, it’ll be a surprise!” Kita said, waving, before walking off to the booth.

“What, she’s not buying polish for the rest of us?” Ryo asked dryly.

“Hush, Ryo. Don’t you have a shooting game you need to play or something?” Nijika said.

Ryo perks up. “You’re right. Well. It’s time for the queen to reclaim her throne. I’ll see you two at the concert.” Ryo said, walking off from the group.

Now it was just Nijika and Bocchi. Nijika turned to the pinkette.

“Well, Bocchi, do you want to tag along with me?” Nijika asked again.

“A-ah, no, it’s fine, Nijika-san.” Bocchi said, averting her eyes. She said that, but inside her head, she was pleading for Nijika to not leave her on her own.

Nijika stood and observed Bocchi for a brief moment. “Well, if that’s what you want, then alright!” Nijika eventually said. “Just remember, if you get lost, You have your phone! Just call me or the others okay?”

“A-alright..”

“And if someone you don’t know asks you to follow them, don’t. Don’t take anything a stranger offers you either, you got that, Bocchi-chan?”

“Y-yeah..?” Bocchi said, a bit dumbfounded at how she was being addressed like she was three.

“Good! Then I’ll see you in an hour, Bocchi-chan!” Nijika said, waving to her as she walked off, before disappearing into the crowd.

And now, Hitori was truly on her own.. Oh! What will happen to her? Will she get kidnapped? Will she drown in the sea of people and never reemerge? O, the tragedy! What will our poor Bocchi-chan do?

Unhelpful narration! Bocchi thought, shooing away the talking guitar she just conjured up in her mind.

Now what was she to do in this festival? She looked around, unable to see anything that caught her interest. Instead, it only reinforces the imposing feeling she felt in standing in such a crowded place all by herself. She began to panic. Oh no! What if I was right? Will these extroverts be able to detect an introvert among them? What will they do when they get her? Burn her at the stake? Not even a minute in and Bocchi was already regretting this decision.

“Ah, dammit! Where are they!”

Bocchi looked up as she heard the voice. It was oddly familiar. She turned around to find the girl from the maid cafe yesterday, all on her own. She was overdressed in the same attire she wore yesterday, long overcoat with a square patterned scarf and rectangular spectacles. She was looking around with an annoyed look on her face. Her gaze eventually falls onto Bocchi, and she fixes her with a glare that could kill.

“T-thank you for the concert…” Bocchi said, lifting up both her hands in defeat.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” The girl curtly responded.

“N-nothing! I’ll be on my way now, this was fun, haha!” Bocchi said as she began to flee.

“W-wait! You!” The girl caught Bocchi’s hand. Bocchi could feel herself almost exploding into tiny million pieces at this unexpected physical contact. It took everything out of her for that not to happen literally.

“You’re Gotoh Hitori, aren’t you, from the maid cafe yesterday? Answer me!”

“A-ah, h-hai! That is me! I was at the maid cafe yesterday. I-i apologize!” Bocchi added, hastily bowing to the girl.

“H-huh? Apologize? For what?”

“I-i don’t know! But I must’ve done something wrong for you to be this mad at me!”

“M-mad? I’m not mad!”

“But your face..”

“Huh? What’s wrong with my face?!”

“N-nothing! I apologize for that too!”

“Well. You did draw an ire out of me yesterday for taking up Hirasawa Yui’s attention, but that’s not relevant anymore!” Yoyoko hastily added. “I’m the one who should apologize for that, and I did, B-but whatever! Point is, I’m not mad at you.”

“O-oh, okay. S-sorry.”

“Why do you keep apologizing?”

“S-sorry, I-i mean-”

“Look, whatever. I just want to ask you if you have seen my bandm- m-my friends around! Y-know, y-you remember them don’t you? From yesterday?”

“O-oh.” Bocchi tried hard to remember the funnily dressed people from yesterday. “Y-yuyu-san and, umm… Mask-chan? I-i can’t say i have. ”

“Damn it.”

“D-did you get separated?”

“No! I’m just looking for them cause we agreed to meet up here! But none of them are responding to my texts!”

“A-ah, I see…”

“Hirasawa Yui’s concert is about to start, and they’re nowhere to be seen! So undisciplined. I gotta whip them back into proper discipline after this is over.” She muttered to herself.

Bocchi was unsure on what sort of relationship this girl has with her friends that would make her be able to do such a thing, but she was too afraid to ask the girl threatening to whip her friends, so she kept her quiet.

The other girl eventually turned back towards Hitori. “I assume you’re here to watch Hirasawa Yui as well?” She asked.

“H-hai! T-they’ve invited us to, and it would be rude to decline.”

“I see. Then both of us are here for the same purpose.”

“Y-yeah..”

“So…”

….

“You’re here on your own?”

“N-no… my friends only just ditched me..”

“What? Why?”

“A-ah! I’ve worded it wrong! They’re just off to do their own things before the concert!” Bocchi frantically waved her hands.

“I see..”

“Yeah.”

….

“So,” The girl cleared her throat. “Since both of us have been dit- I-i mean since both of us are on our own, and we’re going to Hirasawa Yui’s concert later, why don’t we, um… spend some time together?”

“I-uh…” Bocchi wasn’t expecting this invitation out of the blue. She pondered it for a moment.

She had nothing planned for today, and maybe spending it with someone would be better than hiding in a trash bin for an hour? Hard to say. But this girl… she’s so… scary! Her gaze is sharp and she never smiles! She’s really pretty though. And, um- what was she thinking about again?

“You’re not answering. Is this what people would call a rejection?”

“A-ah, no! I was just- Y-yes!”

“You’re rejecting me?!”

“N-no! I-i mean yes to your invitation! I’M NOT REJECTING YOU! I’D LOVE TO SPEND THE DAY TOGETHER WITH YOU!”

She said that last part out loud, way too loud. People around them were looking at them funny, some even whistled and laughed.

“Y-you! W-what- Let’s move somewhere quieter first!” The girl responded, blushing, which did not help lessen any of the whistle and laughter coming from the crowd.

“Alright! So!” The girl said, finally able to recompose herself after moving to a spot with less foot traffic. “You wanna “hang out” with me? I think that’s what it called.”

“Y-yes! Let’s hang out, I-um-”

“?”

“W-what’s your name again?” Bocchi asked.

The girl blushed furiously. “H-how could you forget! My name is-”

She paused, Bocchi could hear the gears spinning in her head. She has no idea why a simple question about your name would warrant this type of reaction.

“What was my name yesterday..” The girl whispered. “Ah- Oh-Osaka- Yuu…ko? Osaka Yuuko.”

That sounds more like a question than an answer, and Bocchi could’ve sworn that was not her name yesterday. But she really doesn’t want to probe her further.

“T-then, let’s spend the day together, Osaka-san.”

“Y-yeah, lets!”

….

….

“S-so.. what should we do?”

She invited me to hang but she didn’t even have anything in mind?!

“W-why don’t we go s-sightseeing, m-maybe… see if anything will catch our interest..”

“Ah, right! A marvelous idea! Let’s do that!”

Both of them began walking around the festival together. No words were spoken between them not due to mutual comfort or understanding, but pure, unadulterated awkwardness .

I-i feel like I’m gonna d-die! Why isn’t she saying anything?! Am i too boring? Kita-san or Nijika-san would’ve said at least 10 words by now!

Hmmm… does this Gotoh Hitori really don’t want to talk? Is it up to me to open up a conversation? But I don’t know how! I should’ve paid attention when Fuko tried to teach me about making small talks!

“So/ Do you-”

Both of them stared at each other.

“Well, you fi-/Um, were you-”

“Yuuko” furrows her eyebrows, Hitori shrank.

“S-sorry… I’ll close my big mouth! Forgive my arrogance!

“That’s not-” Yuuko sighed. “Whatever! A-anyway, um-”

….

“N-nice weather, we’re having…?”

“Oh. Um. Yeah. Right.”

“Yeah.”

….

“G-great. Good talk.”

Yuuko looks like she was ready to bury herself in the ground after that exchange. Bocchi was glad the feeling’s mutual.

She was spared the need to find other topics of discussion when they both passed the school auditorium. A chalkboard stood by the side of the entrance, listing off the schedules of today’s performance.

“Ah! So this is where HTT will be performing.” Yuuko said, reading HTT’s name in the listed timeslot on the board.

“Oh, r-right.” Bocchi said, glancing at the auditorium. She could hear muffled dialogue and laughter coming from behind the closed doors. Some sort of performance was currently happening, evidently.

“Not quite in the same caliber as FOLT, but not a bad site to hold a performance either way.” Yuuko muttered.

“A c-culture festival, huh… How could they do it? I always wondered what it would’ve been l-like..” Bocchi said to herself.

Yuuko stared at the chalkboard for another moment. “I-i guess this could serve as a bridge to another topic of discussion.”

“Huh?”

“W-well, we’re both here because of Hirasawa Yui, obviously. Right? So h-how and when, did you exactly meet each other and become friends?”

“Oh, um-” Bocchi tried to recall the event of her first ever meeting with HTT.

“It was exactly a year ago, i-i think. K-kind of funny actually, I met HTT because R-ritsu-san was looking for a temporary guitarist to replace Yui-chan, who was sick at the time, for the culture festival, j-just like this one.”

“You’ve known them for a year?” Yuuko’s eyes widened.

“Uhm, yeah..?”

Yuuko turned around and quickly whispered to herself.

“That means she had become HIrasawa Yui’s best friend even before I ever entered the picture! How is this Gotoh Hitori always one step ahead?!”

“O-one step ahead of what?”

“Wait, you said you’re a guitarist?”

“Y-yeah… um, I play in a band.”

“Oh, really?” Yuuko said, now eyeing her up and down. “You don’t really look like one…:"

Urk! What’s that supposed to mean?

“Then again, I suppose Hirasawa Yui doesn’t look like one either…” Yuuko sighed. Honestly, how does she do it?”

“I-i sort of get that, she’s really good, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, but you would never be able to tell just from how she conducts herself.”

“R-right.”

….

“Lucky.” Both of them said at the same time. They looked at each other.

Yuuko laughed, and Bocchi followed suit.

“So, I guess the feeling’s mutual, eh?”

“Yeah, I studied to play guitar for a really long time, so seeing her just able to effortlessly pull it off like it’s nothing.. A-ah! I’m not saying that I hate her for it or anything! It’s just-”

“No, i get you, really. I feel the same way, and not just towards Hirasawa Yui. The entire band is like her! They barely practice, yet they still somehow manage to sound good! How do they do it?”

“Y-yeah! It baffles me too!”

“Honestly, sometimes it’s infuriating how they could achieve what my band is-” Yuuko quickly put her hands on her mouth. Bocchi tilted her head in confusion.

“You’re in a band, Osaka-san?”

“N-no! I-i mean-” Yuuko sighed. “Y-yes. I’m in a band.”

“Y-you don’t look like you’re in a band..”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Both of them laughed again.

“T-they actually do practice a lot, though. When it counts.” Hitori said after both of their laughter recedes.

“Oh, I know. I’m witness to it. But still! It’s not enough practice that would make any of their performances make sense!”

“I-i guess…”

“I swear, some people are just born with the talents. It’s not fair.”

“R-right?”

“But it’s whatever! I am clearly still better than them, hard skill isn’t something beginner’s luck can beat! S-still, hopefully they’d still be able to get through today with just that just fine.” Yuuko said, glancing at the closed auditorium doors.

“W-what about you, Osaka-san?”

“Huh?”

“Well, h-how did you meet Yui-chan and the others? W-wasn’t it at Natsu rock?”

“O-oh, yeah! Haha, it’s pretty long though, so I might tell you some other time! L-look, something that should be able to distract you from this conversation! Let’s go over there!” Yuuko smoothly dodges the question.

“R-right.” Seems the nature of this girl’s exact connection with Yui and HTT will remain a mystery for now.

The rest of the hour went by fast for the two girls. Unknowingly, both had clicked with each other. The previous air of awkwardness, while still there, is much more subdued as Yuuko and Bocchi began talking about their shared common interest in music. Yuuko was surprisingly knowledgeable about the indie music scene in Japan, especially regarding metal and it’s subgenres, and peculiarly also psychedelic rock. She gets very talkative whenever she really gets into a certain topic, either rambling non-stop for a few minutes about how hard it is too get your start in the indie scene in Japan (Which Bocchi could relate too somewhat), or the intricate delicacies of a strawberry cake (this one, solidifies her as Yui’s friend in Bocchis’ mind).

Bocchi for the most part just listens to the girl ramble, occasionally responding with a nod or a short reply. While Kita and Nijika-san would also try to engage in a conversation with her, she could hardly ever keep up with how much of a different plane of reality they exist in. Yuuko on the other hand, is weirdly relatable to Bocchi with her hyperfixations on music and her general awkward demeanor (though she’d probably snap at her for even suggesting this), that it oddly helps the conversations between both flow naturally. Bocchi was hesitating to even think about it, but she feels that she might actually be enjoying herself…?

“...and that’s why I think grunge, as a genre, should be revived and made more mainstream.”

“Y-yes, I completely agree!”

“Of course you do! Cause, I, Oht-...saka Yuuko, have the best opinion about everything!” Yuuko said proudly. Hitori chuckled. It’s really nice to see Yuuko enjoying herself, Bocchi was almost sure she knew only to frown and scowl from the couple encounters she had with her before.

She huffed and looked straight at Bocchi. “I like you, Gotoh Hitori! You are very attentive, and not in the fake way like how my friends would pretend to listen to me when I talk! You actually do listen, and you seem to enjoy hearing my thoughts!”

“O-of course! I love hearing you talk, Osaka-san. D-does your friend really do that?”

“R-really? H-huh. No one ever said that to me before. I’m afraid my friends will just think I’m nerdy if I talk about my interests with them. They might even laugh at me.” Yuuko muttered.

“T-they wouldn’t! S-surely not… I mean, my friends are pretty understanding, an-and I hope yours is too, cause talking about all of your interests like that must’ve made you happy, right?”

“A bit.”

“W-well, hopefully your friends are of the same mind, I d-dont think your friends would be against seeing you happy.” Bocchi said.

W-wait, is this what Nijika-san meant yesterday when she said she liked hearing when Bocchi would passionately talk about something?

Yuuko smiled tenderly at Bocchi. “Y-you’re too kind, Gotoh Hitori. Ah, to think I used to hate you and fantasize about getting rid of you to have Hirasawa Yui all to myself..”

“W-wait, what-”

“Senpai, there you are!”

Bocchi and Yuuko turned around to see three girls walking up to them. Bocchi recognized them as the three friends Yuuko was also with yesterday.

“Where’ve you been? You didn’t answer any of our texts and calls.” The one at the front, a girl with a gentle, motherly gaze, said worriedly.

“Sorry, Fuu-...ka, Fuuka-chan. I was just busy talking with someone here, so I didn’t notice your calls.”

“Talking with someone other than us? You know you don’t have to lie to impress us, senpai.” The tallest of the bunch, a girl donning a mask that Bocchi had remembered Mugi to refer as “Mask-chan” said from behind Fuuka.

“H-huh? I’m not lying! I’ve been talking to Gotoh Hitori!” Yuuko said, pointing at Boochi, who up to this point, was trying hard to appear not to appear.

“Oh, Gotoh-san~” The girl at the back, who Bocchi remembered to be Yuyu-san, spoke up as they finally noticed Bocchi standing apart from Yuuko. “It seems fate has reunited us again…”

“H-haha, yeah..”

“Mask-chan” squinted her eyes at both girls. “So, you were actually hanging out with someone other than us?”

“Why do you sound so skeptical! I have a life outside of you!”

“You’re not part of some “friend rental service,” are you, Gotoh-san?" Fuuka asked.

“N-no! I was just hanging out with Osaka-san because I wanted to!” Having this question being directed at her instead of the friends she brought home was a new experience for Bocchi. W-wait, could this be considered character progression?

“Osaka-san? Who-”

“Ekhm!” Yuuko cleared her throat loudly. Mask-chan glared at her.

“Senpai. Your name is Ogawa Yoko, remember?” She whispers through gritted teeth.

“H-huh? I could’ve sworn-”

“Gotoh-san!”

Bocchi turned around to find her three friends approaching her. Kita was at the forefront, and she immediately clung onto Bocchi the moment she came close.

“There you are! We looked everywhere for you! You’re not picking up your phone!” Kita said, pouting at her,

“S-sorry, Kita-san. I-i was j-just hanging out with Yuuko-san,.. So i might’ve not noticed you guys calling…” Bocchi said, gesturing at the four girls next to them, all heavily invested in their own conversations about names.

“Ah, those girls again.” Kita said as she glanced at them.

“So she actually had something planned for today and wasn’t just lying.” Ryo said to Nijika.

“Okay, fine. I’ll give you the money when we get back.” Nijika replied.

“Excuse me. Gotoh-san.” Fuuka approached Bocchi.

“Thanks for accompanying our senpai for the past hour.” Fuuka said, shaking her hand.

“I’m sure she was a handful.” Mask-chan added.

“Hey!”

“I-it’s no problem, Yuuko-Yoko..? -san was fun to be with.. I don’t really mind..”

Fuuka's eyes widened at that, as if Bocchi just offered to swallow her foot whole. The prospect of someone spending time with her senpai willingly seemed alien to her. But nevertheless, she smiled at the pinkette.

“You’re here to watch HTT, right?”

“Err, yeah..”

“Splendid. Then why don’t we watch them together?”

“Uhh, umm…” Bocchi looked back at her bandmates.

Nijika doesn't seem to mind as she nods encouragingly, while Kita just looks at the group of girls before them with a puzzled expression.

“I-i guess we don’t mind..”

“Well then we better get goin, the concert’s about to start and if we don’t hurry, all the good seats will be taken.” Mask-chan said.

Yoko-san perked up at that sentence. “Right! We need to secure the front row seats! Come on, Yuyu!” She said as she dragged Yuyu to the direction of the auditorium.

“W-wait, senpai, whoa!”

“Welp, guess we’ll see you there.” Mask-chan said, as she followed after her senpai. Fuuka followed not soon after, smiling and waving at them.

“What a weird bunch.” Ryo said, munching on a blade of grass.

“So, what did we miss, Bocchi-chan?” Nijika asked the guitarist.

“Huh, oh, nothing. Me and Yoko-Yuuko? Just talked about stuff for an hour.” Bocchi answered simply.

“Eh? I thought you don’t like prolonged conversations!” Kita said.

“Eh, well… I guess I don’t.. but with Yuuko-san, it’s different…”

“Different how?” Kita pouts.

“Err… I don’t know..”

“I could’ve sworn her name was Yoko yesterday…” Ryo muttered.

“Well, we can talk about your new friend later, Bocchi-chan. Come on. They were right, we need to hurry before the all good seats are taken.” Nijika said, ushering her friends towards the auditorium.

Kessoku band entered the auditorium to find the lights have already been put out. Bocchi can’t really get a good look at the crowd (which was probably for the best). The only light sources in the room are the spotlights right above the stage.

Around them, Bocchi could hear people moving and rustling around, accompanied by quiet murmurs and incoherent buzzes of passing conversations.

“Here, pass this around.” Bocchi heard someone say, it was a familiar voice, but before she could turn around-

“Sawako-san.” Ryo greeted.

“Huh? Oh, it's you four! I was wondering if you guys would show up.” Sawako said to kessoku band.

“What are you doing, Sawako-san?” Nijika asked, looking at the weird lump Sawako was carrying.

“Oh, right. This is for you four. Feel free to wear it.” Sawako said, handing them each the thing she was carrying.

“Huh, is this a shirt?”

“Oh this is so cute!” Kita said, after she managed to make out what she was holding. “It’s the band’s initials!”

“Hey, it’s just like our band merch!” Nijika chirped.

“Oh yeah…” Bocchi took a good look at the shirt in her hand, a plain white tee with a star and the band's initials printed on it. “D-did you make this, Sawako-san..?”

“Ah, I know you have an eye for good fashion, Hitori-chan! Indeed, I did make these.”

“Gotoh-san? Good fashion?” Kita mumbled.

“A-and you’re handing these out to the audience?” Bocchi said, looking around, finally noticing that the crowd were all wearing them.

“Yeah. I thought I’d do something nice for the girls and surprise them with this.” Sawako said. “It is their last concert, after all.” Sawako said, gazing longingly at the stage.

“R-right.”

“Well. What are you waiting for? Put it on! And you better hurry, they’re about to get on stage!” Sawako said, before leaving to hand out shirts to other remaining audience members.

“Aw. and here I wish I could’ve shown off my custom shirt…” Bocchi suddenly said.

“Huh, what custom shirt?” Kita asked.

“Bocchi perked up at the question. “Hehe… Kita-san, feast your eyes on this..” Bocchi said, as she slowly zipped off her tracksuit.

“W-wait Bocchi-chan, what are you-” Kita covered her blushing face with her hands.

“Ta-da!” Hitori opened her tracksuit, revealing a gaudy black tee with chains and zippers all over it, including a bunch of english words scribbled on top of it.”

“Oh, wasn’t that the shirt you proposed as our merch…? Nijika asked hollowly.

“Y-yeah, isn’t it great?”

“So this is what you were preparing yesterday during our phone call..”

“Pfft. That's very rock of you, Bocchi-chan.” Ryo said. “Mind if I take a picture?”

“Ryo-senpai, don’t you dare!” Kita said. “W-well, it’s very… expressive of you, Hitori-chan, but too bad we have to wear this HTT shirt instead, you know, to show our support for Yui-chan and the others, they’d be really upset if we don’t.”

“I-i know. I was really looking forward to show it off. But oh, well. Things never go my way.” Bocchi said defeatedly.

“Ahahaha, tough luck, Bocchi-chan, Maybe next time!” Nijika laughed. Next to her, Kita wiped her brow in relief.

“Bocchi, is that your friend at the front?” Ryo said, pointing at the direction of the stage.

“Gotoh Hitorii!!! Over here!” Yuuko exclaimed from the front row. Bocchi could barely make out that she was already wearing the HTT shirt Sawako was handing out.

“Senpai, shh!” Next to her, Fuuka was trying to calm her over enthused friend down.

“Ahahaha, we better get up there before she goes and do something extreme.” Nijika said.

Kita huffed. “Where did this sudden comradery come from?” She pouts.

-

Azusa watched as the performers before them stepped down from the stage.

“Good job.” Ritsu said to them as they passed by.

“Ho-Kago Tea-Time. You’re up.” Nodoka said to the band.

“Alright! Thanks, Nodoka-chan.” Ritsu turned around to face her band members. Azusa could see the passion burning in her eyes as she did. “You guys ready?”

“Hai.” Her senpai all nodded.

“H-hai.” Azusa said.

“Alright then, let’s go.”

Azusa watches as some girls from the student council help Ritsu get her drum set on stage. In the meantime, the rest of the band were doing sound checks to make sure all their musical and stage equipments were working properly. Azusa could hear the excited murmurs of the audience from behind the closed curtains.

“Okay, we’re all set!” Ritsu said, as she finally assembled her drum set on stage.

“Ricchan, you know, this is our third school festival concert!” Yui said.

“It is.” Ritsu said as she reminisced. “Remember when you were all so nervous to get up on stage for the first time two years ago?”

“T-two years ago…” Mio shuddered.

“H-hey, don’t think about that!” Ritsu hastily said, knowing exactly of the incident Mio was thinking of. “What about our second culture festival concert, eh?”

“The one where I got sick and forgot Giita at home.” Yui said melancholically. “Sorry about the trouble I caused back then.”

“Ah- ah, it’s no big deal!” Ritsu said, her attempt at redirecting the conversation failing.

“Y-you did your best, Yui-chan!” Mugi added.

“It was also the concert where you tried to get Hitori-chan to perform with us to replace Yui-senpai.” Azusa spoke up.

At this, Ritsu turned towards Azusa. “Ah, that’s right! I can’t believe I forgot about that!” Ritsu said, rubbing the back of her head. “No hard feelings, right, Yui?”

“Sawa-chan ended up replacing me for the first song anyway, so I guess it doesn’t really matter?” Yui said quizzically.

“Looking back, it probably wouldn’t have worked anyway. Hitori-chan was such a mess back then.” Mio said.

“Yeah! Imagine getting her to perform up on stage in that state back then! I’ll take my chances with the sick guitarist instead!” Ritsu chuckled.

“Ah but she has gotten better, that live at STARRY she did with her band and us was great.” Mugi added.

The others nodded and hummed in agreement.

“We worked hard for this concert..” Azusa muttered, stealing her seniors’ attention again.

“Yeah, we did.” Ritsu said.

“We even went to FOLT to practice for this festival. I still can’t believe that happened.”

“And we met Yoyo-chan and the others there! It was so fun!” Yui exclaimed.

“Hitori and Ohtsuki-chan are surely in the crowd now, right?” Mio asked the others.

“Yeah along with their respective bands. They did say they’ll be watching us today.”

“Then. Let’s give them our best!” Azusa said, pumping her fist in the air.

“Right on!” Ritsu said, as she also pumped her fist in the air.

Mio and Mugi followed suit, leaving only Yui. Azusa looked her straight in the eyes. The senior smiled.

“Let’s give them our best, Azu-nyan!” Yui said, pumping her fist in the air as well.

“And now, the highlight of our culture festival, a performance from our keionbu, Ho-Kago Tea Time!” They could hear Nodoka’s introduction from behind the curtains.

“Sheesh, she really set the bar high for us, huh?”

“Then let’s deliver!” Azusa said passionately.

“Hai!”

“And not just to Hitori-chan and the others, but all of our audience! Let’s show them what we’re made of!”

“Hai!”

The curtain slowly lifted up, and Azusa and the others could finally get a good look at the audience they were facing. What they weren’t expecting was what they were wearing.

“What’s going on?” Yui gawked.

“They’re all wearing the same shirt as us!” Azusa exclaimed.

“Yui-chan! Over here!” Some of the audience members called, and Azusa could see SIDEROS, also clad in a white HTT shirt, waving enthusiastically at the stage. She spotted Yoyoko, not waving along with the others, but sending a nervous smile at the general direction of the stage anyway. Next to her, kessoku band was also clapping and waving at them, with Kita taking many pictures on her phone, and Hitori struggling to put on the white t-shirt over her tracksuit. Also not too far from them was Ui and Jun, watching in awe at their friends on stage.

“Guys, give them a big round of applause!” Nodoka said, as she stepped onto the stage in front of the band.

There were loud claps and whooping from the audience, loudest and most enthusiastic coming from where Yoyoko and the others were standing.

“Nodoka-chan, what are you doing?” Mio asked.

“Just hyping up the audience, as they say. “ Nodoka said as she turned to face the band. “As the president of Mio Fanclub, i have to at least show some enthusiasm for Mio’s last concert, right?”

“But still!” Yui ran up to her, followed by Azusa.

“What about the shirt that they’re all wearing?” Azusa asked.

“Calm down. Yamanaka-sensei made them. We handed them out before the concert.” Nodoka said, as she turned towards the side of the stage, where Sawako was standing, wearing her own HTT shirt.

“Thank you so much, Sawa-chan!” Yui said tearfully. Azusa nodded next to her.

Cheers erupted from the audience. Chants of “Thank you Sensei!” Followed Yui’s proclamation.

“A-ah, yes this is it! Praise me!” Sawako said.

Yui turned back to face the audience. “E-everyone. We’re Ho-Kago Tea-Time.” She sobbed.

“Come on, Yui-chan!” Azusa could hear Nijika encouraging words from beneath the stage.

“Y-you can do it, Hirasawa Yui!” Yoyoko piped up.

“We’re on the receiving end of everyone’s kindness today.. Thank you so much!” Yui said, tearing up.

Unbeknownst to her, Azusa also felt a stray tear leaking out of her eyes. She carefully shed it away, and was grateful that everyone’s attention was on Yui- that no one noticed that brief moment of vulnerability.

“Yuck, that’s gross Yui!” The audience laughed as Yui cleaned up her snot with the back of her hand.

“We haven’t even started and you’re already crying..” Ritsu said wearily from the back, eliciting some laughter from the crowd.

“Anyway!” Yui said, as she regained her composure. “Here’s our first song, Gohan Wa Okazu!”

“What the heck?” The audience laughed at the absurdity of the song’s name.

“Check it out!” Yui turned towards her band. “Ready?”

Azusa nodded, so did the others.

Ritsu began clinking her drumsticks together. “One, two, three, four!”

The song opens with a blaring keyboard intro from Mugi, as everyone else stepped aside to provide backing for the main opening melody of the song. Yui begins to sing.

“Rice is amazing, it goes with anything- hoka, hoka!”

“Ramen, udon, or okonomiyaki- kore, kore!”

“Between carbs and carbs, it’s a collaboration!”

“Atsu, atsu, hoka, hoka!”

“Rice is amazing, we’re in trouble if we don’t have any! Rice is better as a side dish!”

“If you're from Kansai, it’s all about okonomiyaki and rice! But I’m not from Kansai!”

“What did ya say?” The rest of the band collectively shot back at Yui.

The audience laughed at the back and forth Yui was having with her band in the song. Azusa can’t help but smile at this reaction.

At this point, they entered the chorus, and Mugi re-enters the song with her keyboard, repeating the same melody from the intro. Yui began to sing the chorus.

“Ichi, ni, san, shi, Go-han!”

Mugi replied to Yui’s singing by repeating the melody on her keyboard louder.

“Ichi, ni, san, shi, Go-han!”

The song continued on for a bit after that. Yui pointed the mic at the audience during some part of the chorus to get them to sing along. Eventually Yui closes up the song with her Giita.

The auditorium bursts into cheer and applause. Azusa took in the sight of the cheering audience, her friends all chanting her and her bandmate’s names, and overall just the sheer joy emanating from every person in the room. Azusa feels like everyone in the room is emanating some sort of Kit-aura, but for once, it doesn’t feel so bad. She enjoyed reveling in the adoration of the crowd like this.

“That was Gohan-Wa Okazu!” Yui said over the audience. And now, let me introduce you all to our band members!”

-

Bocchi watches as the audience clapped and cheered for Ho-Kago Tea Time all around them. She could see Kita whooping enthusiastically next to her while taking pictures on her phone, Nijika was laughing over the commotion, and Yoyoko was trying very hard to not seem too impressed by the performance, which her bandmates were not buying for a second.

“That was cool.” Ryo calmly said. Unlike the others, she doesn’t seem to have been swept up in the atmosphere around the auditorium.

“D-did you not like it, Ryo-san?”

“Hm? What makes you say that?”

“Well, you just doesn’t seem as overly enthusiastic as the others, I guess.”

“Hm. No, I liked it. I don’t think I really like their musical style, but I can appreciate a good performance nonetheless. That, was a good performance.”

“B-but, shouldn’t you be jumping up and down and clapping if y-you think it was good?” Hitori said as she looked around at the people doing exactly that, including their friends.

“Eh. I don’t want to waste my energy.” Ryo said simply. “What about you, Bocchi? What do you think of that performance just now? You weren’t “jumping up and down” either. So did you not like it?”

“Eh? Um-” Bocchi glanced at the stage, where Yui is now currently probing Mio to act like a butler for the audience. She tries to bring herself back into the performance just now.

How Mugi’s keyboard was leading and dominating certain parts of the song, how the rest of the band’s sound blended perfectly into a cacophony of sound, all supporting each other throughout the song.. And most of all, Yui’s delivery, her charismatic way of delivering the admittedly goofy lyrics, added with backing vocals from the rest of the band as if they were going back and forth as they played the song.

It was odd… but she can’t deny… it was so much fun.

She looked around at her friends and other audience members who were now laughing at Yui and Ritsu’s antics on the stage. Everyone here.. they’re having fun.. aren’t they? Is this what performing at a culture festival is like?

Bocchi returned her gaze at the stage, where Azusa was reprimanding Yui and telling her to get back to starting the second song.

M-maybe, culture festivals.. Maybe performing at one wouldn’t be that bad..?

“So you don’t like it?” Ryo eventually asked after the prolonged silence from Bocchi.

“A-ah, no! That’s not what i mean!” Bocchi hastily said, frantically waving her hands. “T-they’re good. They’re really good, actually. I wish we could have an opportunity to do something like this, just like them.” Bocchi said, as her gaze fell back towards the stage.

“A-ah, what's the second song?” Yui asked.

“I told you to write it down, Yui!” Ritsu responded.

“I did! It was in the paper that I left in my blazer… Ricchan, I lost it!”

The audience laughed. Well, maybe they could tone down on the on stage improv if it ever came down to their turn on the stage, Bocchi thought.

-

…Fuwa-fuwa time!”

The band closes their second song, Fuwa-fuwa time, to a similar enthusiastic reception from the audience.

The SIDEROS girls were amongst the loudest people that cheered HTT on. Yoyoko was trying her best to keep calm, and only politely clapped after every performance so far, but it's obvious to her friends that she was enjoying this immensely.

“Come on, senpai, you can just show that you’re excited, you know? No one’s gonna judge.” Akubi said

“What?!” Yoyoko shouts over the sound of cheer and whoops erupting from around them.

“I’ve seen you more excited at a cola mentos video. What’s the matter?” Akubi reiterated.

“Huh?!”

“I said, what’s the matter?” Akubi said, over all other noises around them.

“Oh. Nothing! I just, I think it’s probably best if I don’t seem overly excited anyway!”

“Why’s that?!”

“Well, it’s a bit umm…”

“What?”

“It’s cringe! Okay? I can’t be caught geeking out over things like these! Wouldn’t you just think I’m just weird and nerdy?”

“What? Why?”

“Huh?”

“You see me geeking out over games i play all the time! Or Yuyu geeking out over ghosts! And Fuuko- well, she’s the most normal out of all of us really. Do you think we’re weird and nerdy for that?”

“Well, honestly, kind of, yeah.” Yoyoko said in response. “But I suppose it’s part of what makes you guys, you guys.” She concludes.

“There, you get it!” Akubi shouts again. The voices around them were not dying down in the slightest. “It’s just a part of us, our quirks. Most of us are weird as hell, so no one’s gonna judge if you seem way too invested in your friend’s band, for example.”

“I guess.. But didn’t you make fun of my friendship with Hirasawa Yui previously?!”

“Well, I just like to tease ya! That’s what friends do, isn’t it?”

“Oh, right. Of course.”

Yoyoko returned her gaze to the stage.

“Thank you for listening to us so far!” Yui said. The audience cheered again.

“YEAH!!!”

“WOOO!!!”

Yoyoko looked all around her, people all excitedly shouting and cheering for the band performing before them. She’s been the recipient of such reactions in the past of course, but this is one of the few times she’s been on the other side of the exchange.

“Go on, Hirasawa Yui! You guys rock!” Yoyoko shouted at the top of her lungs.

“A-ah? Oh! Thanks Yoyo-chan! Everyone! Make some noise for my friend, Yoyo-chan!” Yui said unexpectedly.

The crowd began cheering for Yoyoko, causing her to hide behind her scarf, unprepared for Yui to be diverting the audience’s attention towards her.

“That’s the spirit, senpai!” Akubi laughed.

“Eh, Yoyo-chan? Seriously, what is her name supposed to be?” KIta confusedly asked.

“Kita-chan!” Yui suddenly said from the stage. “Thank you for coming too! Thank you Ryo-chan, Nijika-chan, Hitori-chan! Let’s play together again some day!”

“Oh, geez. Why did she have to push everyone’s attention towards me…” Bocchi said, sinking herself deeper inside her tracksuit. Next to her, Kita laughed.

“Ahahaha, thank you, Yui-chan.” Nijika said, waving at the stage. Ryo smiled thinly.

“Onee-chan!”

“Ah, Ui, too! Everyone! My little sister, Ui! She’s the best!” Yui said from the stage.

“Ah, Jun! She noticed me!” Ui said, shaking Jun, who was standing next to her.

“Of course she did. You’re her sister.” Jun deadpans.

“You too, Jun! Thank you for all the support!”

“This’ll bridge nicely to our next song, actually.” Mio said. “Yui, do you remember what our next song is?”

“Uhh, does it have something to do with Ui, Mio-chan? What is it? Did you write a song about my sister? Or maybe Jun?”

“Mou! No, you baka! This is the song YOU wrote about your sister, remember?” Azusa interrupted.

“Huh, oh yeah! Sorry, Azu-nyan!” Yui rubbed the back of her head.

“This next song, it’s called U&I! And I’d like to thank Yoyo-chan, she was the one who gave me the idea and helped me write this song! Everyone! Give it up for Yoyo-chan!”

Yoyoko hides herself again as the audience’s attention is once again, shifted towards her.

“Yamanaka-sensei, thank you for the shirt! Nodoka-chan, thank you for everyday! Thank you Giita! Thank you Ton-chan! Thank you clubroom-sama!” Yui began tearfully thanking everyone.

“After all, after school tea-time would always be… After school!”

The crowd goes silent at that. No one understood what Yui meant, but Ui and Yoyoko could still be heard clapping anyway.

“This will be our last song for today!” Yui said. Some people from the crowd starts voicing their disappointment. ”I hope all of you enjoy it! Here’s U&!!” Yui said.

Ritsu began banging on her drums to start the song, and Azusa followed with her Muttan to play the opening riff to the song. Yui, Mio and Mugi all joined in. The five of them played their parts of the intro, synchronizing with each other before Yui jumped into the first verse of the song,

“I can’t do anything without U,”

“I want to eat Ur cooking!”

“Whenever U come back, I’ll hug U with my best smile!”

Yoyoko smiled as Yui began singing the song both of them crafted on that autumn night over at Yui’s house. Part of her couldn't believe it’s been that long. A couple feet away from her, Ui was standing next to Jun, eyes locked at the stage, clapping and bobbing along with the music.

“U’ve always given me courage being next to me..”

“U’ve always given me courage being next to me..”

“I want to be with U forever! I want to tell U these feelings of mine-”

“Come rain and shine, U were always by my side.”

“When I close my eyes-”

“I can see your shining smile..”

“Arigatou~”

-

“It was a smashing success, wasn't it?”

The keionbu has returned to their clubroom. Right after the concert, they were immediately bombarded with compliments and words of praise from everyone from kessoku band to SIDEROS, to all of their classmates.

“You guys were so cool up there!” Azusa could faintly recall what Kita-chan had said to her right after they got off stage.

“Y-yeah.. Y-you guys really inspired me.. That was one hell of a performance..” Hitori said. Having her guitar idol say that about her and her band, unknowingly made Azusa felt a little queasy inside.

“You guys really have grown from your live at STARRY, huh? I’m so proud of all of you. Let's just hope our own performance next week could match up to that!” Nijika said enthusiastically. Azusa smiled at the recollection.

“I told you it would’ve been fine, Azusa. See? Your band kills it. I’m always right.” Azusa sighed as she recalled Ryo’s smug statement.

SIDEROS also had their fair share of praises for HTT, but none compared to Yoyoko’s.

“Your guitar playing might still need some adjustment, Hirasawa Yui, sometimes I can tell when you would screw up and how Azusa have to cover for you, and as for-”

“So you don’t like it, Yoyo-chan?”

“I DO! I LOVE IT, DON’T LISTEN TO WHAT I JUST SAID I LOVE THIS PERFORMANCE SO MUCH!”

The rest of SIDEROS laughed at the exchange as Yui threw herself onto an embrace with Yoyoko. Azusa chuckled as she was reminded of the memory, but she could also feel another feeling panging inside her at the sight of the two hugging.

Azusa shook her head and returned herself back to the present, after all of that, all the band wanted was just some peace and quiet, so they all returned back to the clubroom, where they all sat, basking underneath the afternoon glow making its way through the clubroom windows. All of them sat silently as they processed what just transpired today.

“I can’t even remember if I played my part properly or not.” Mugi piped up,

“The T-shirt thing blew me away before we even started.” Ritsu stated.

“S-same.” Azusa eventually said. “I still can’t tell if it was real or not.”

There was a small pause before Yui spoke up. “But it was so much fun!”

“And it was the best concert we ever had!” Mio added.

“We were so tight back there.” Ritsu said.

“We so were!”

“I bet Giita was ecstatic over it.”

“He was!” Yui said, holding out her guitar proudly. “And so was Elizabeth, wasn’t she?”

“Elizabeth!” Mio said, hugging her bass.

“A-and my Muttan too!” Azusa said, holding out her mustang.

“Your guitar name is Muttan?” Ritsu sneered.

“I-it’s a mustang, so..”

Mugi chuckled.

“Ne, ne! What do you guys wanna do next?”

“I wanna eat a slice of cake.” Azusa suggested.

“Ah, just so happen we have a surplus of our budget.”

“We don’t have to use it! I still have my own supply!” Mugi said,

“Then, let’s do that! While we eat, let’s decide on what to do next!”

“Ah, a christmas party next would be nice..” Mio muttered.

“Then it’s new years after that!” Mugi said.

“Let’s go to a shrine!” Azusa suggested.

“After that, it’s the freshman concert again..”

“And after that we’ll have another summer training camp, and another overnighter at school, and, after that..”

“Heh, there’s nothing else after this, Yui. This is our last culture festival.” Ritsu said, tearing up.

Ah, so this is it. Azusa thought. They’ve finally said it out loud. This was the beginning of the end for their band. Azusa has been dreading when this talk would happen. But strangely, now faced with it outright, She can’t help but smile over it. The band has overcome a great obstacle today, and has achieved their best performance as of it’s conception. Azusa couldn’t be anything less than happy, even if it was enveloped in such bittersweet feelings.

“We’ll be better at the next culture festival!” Azusa turned towards Yui, who had also begun to tear up as she said that.

“Hey, you plannin’ on staying another year or something? You can’t do that, Yui! This is it, the end..” Ritsu laughed sadly.

“Is it? W-well, that’s too bad!” Yui said. Azusa watched as her senpais began breaking down one by one, with Mio already sobbing onto her knees.

“I don’t want that!” Mugi suddenly shouts. “I don’t want this to end!”

“M-mugi-senpai, there’s no need to be selfish..” Azusa said sadly. “And Yui senpai, stop crying like a baby.”

“I’m just sweating!” Yui said, as her nose let out a huge snot. “Through my eyes and nose!”

“Mio.. come on you big wuss..” Ritsu elbowed Mio, who was still crying onto her knees.

“Baka.. you’re crying too..” Mio said as she looked up.

“I’m just sweating too!” Ritsu hastily said. Both of them laughed.

“Here, Mugi-senpai.” Azusa said calmly, taking out a handkerchief from her skirt pocket.

“Azusa-chan, how could you be so strong, I-, t-thank you, Azusa-chan.” Mugi thanked her as Azusa began wiping the tears off Mugi’s face.

“S-say, we were great weren’t we?” Mio suddenly asked.

“We were! We were so great!” Mugi exclaimed.

“I’m- I’m happy to be able to play with all of you." Azusa said, that bittersweet feeling in her stomach getting even stronger.

“Y-you guys..!” Yui said, holding out her arm. “C'mere!”

Mugi and Ritsu immediately accepted the invitation towards her embrace. Mio followed suit.

“S-stop it, Yui! Wipe your nose!”

“Mugi-chaan!”

Azusa watched her senpais cried onto each other’s embrace. She eventually caved in, joining them in their big group hug.

“I’m, really, really glad I got to play with you.” Azusa whispered into her senpai’s embrace, in between their sobs and sniffles. Another stray tear made it’s way out of her eyes, but this time, Azusa let it run through her cheeks and fell onto her skirt.

-

“Should we just go?” Nijika asked her other bandmates

“Eh, but I already bought this for them! When else are we gonna give it?”

“I don’t know, STARRY is going to have a christmas party in December, maybe then? We can invite them.”

“That’s too long, Ijichi-senpai!”

“Huh, what’s going on here?”

Nodoka was puzzled at the sight of kessoku band all haggling in front of the light music club room, whispering among themselves as Kita held out a package. Behind Nodoka, Sawako was also looking in an equal manner of confusion.

“Ah, you got the band something to congratulate them?” Nodoka asked.

“Y-yeah. Just an assortment of nail polishes I got earlier today.” Kita responded.

“Then why aren’t you giving it to them?” said Sawako.

“Uhh, well…”

“See for yourself.” Ryo said, opening the door gently to let Nodoka take a peek.

“Oh…” Nodoka was greeted with the sight of all the HTT members, all huddled up and fast asleep under the window. The soft afternoon sunlight falling gently onto their sleeping faces.

“Such content smiles.” Sawako commented.

“Y-yeah.." Bocchi said, as she observed the room. It’s been more than a year since she was in this room for the first time, which was also the day of her fateful meeting with the members of Ho-Kago Tea Time.

“Reminiscing about old times, Hitori-chan?” Sawako teased.

“M-maybe..”

“Maybe I’ll just put it here..” Kita said, gently placing the box on Yui’s lap. Hitori noticed that Azusa was holding Yui’s hand in her sleep.

Nijika stared blankly at the sleeping figures of HTT. Bocchi could feel a hundred thoughts passing by the minute inside Nijika's head from how she currently looks.

“E-everything alright, Nijika-san?”

“Oh, oh yeah, I’m fine. Bocchi-chan.” She sighed. “They’ve must’ve been tired, huh?” Nijika said, still gazing at the sleeping HTT.

“Y-yeah.. What’s on your mind, Nijika-san?”

Nijika looked at Bocchi. “Quite perceptive today, aren’t you, Bocchi-chan?”

“I-no…, i-it’s just clearly written on your f-face..”

“O, oh- really?” Nijika said, touching her face. “Then I guess I should learn to hide my thoughts better then, ahaha!” Nijika said awkwardly.

“What’s wrong, Ijichi-senpai?” Kita was now asking too.

“Now you too, Kita-chan? Well. If you guys really wanna know..” Nijika paused for a bit, before speaking up again,

“Just thinking about the end.. I-i know it might’ve been too early for me to do that. Our band is still pretty early in it’s infancy. B-but I can’t help but think about it anyway, since most of the problems that would cause HTT to disband are very similar to us.”

“O-oh, are you still thinking about our phone call, yesterday, Nijika-san?” Bocchi asked.

“Y-yeah. Me and Ryo would graduate before you two. Does that mean I have to leave you guys behind too?” Nijika looked down.

“Nijika-san…”

“Sorry, I really don’t wanna be a downer, ahahaha.” Nijika glanced at the still sleeping HTT. "But soon, I’ll graduate. And after that, it’s university. Would I still even have time for the band?”

“I don’t think you should worry too much about that.”

“Huh?” Nijika turned around, the voice came from Sawako, who was looking at her inquisitively.

“You’re Seika’s sister, aren’t you? You know her band is still pretty active in college, right? So was mine. As long as you have the determination and willingness, your band’s gonna be fine.”

“I suppose, but just seeing these guys today…” Nijika looked back at HTT again.

“They’re just a bunch of melodramatic band kids.” Sawako said dismissively. “I doubt this’ll be the end for them either, regardless of what they might think about at the moment.”

“She’s right, Ijichi-senpai! I think part of their grief was just how they’ll be separated by graduation! They’ve been pretty much together for 2 years, same school and all. The 4 of us don't even go to the same school, and our band meetings aren’t dictated by that!” Kita said.

Another true statement. Nijika began looking up.

“Don’t worry, Nijika. I’m not going to college. No need to worry about me not having spare time for the band.” Ryo said.

“That’s not the point!” Nijika spats.

“I’m just trying to lighten up the mood.” Ryo deadpanned.

“You still have a long road ahead of you, Ijichi-san.” Nodoka said. “And so does Yui and the others. Graduation isn’t the end, cause you guys will be friends forever.”

Nijika chuckled. “You know, Nodoka-chan, modified a bit, what you just said may make really good song lyrics.”

“Really? Hm. Then i suppose I’ll tell Yui about it. It looks like she could use it for a song for a certain kouhai.” Nodoka said, directing her gaze to Yui and Azusa’s intertwined hands.

“N-nijika-san!”

Nijika turned towards Bocchi, who was looking at her determinedly.

“Everyone else w-was right! No need to worry about the end, b-because we are still far from it! Kessoku band is just getting started.”

Hitori took a step forward.

“B-both our bands are gonna achieve so many things, I just know it… f-for now, let’s work towards our b-best, starting with next week’s culture festival!”

“Bocchi-chan…” Nijika said, clutching her heart.

“Y-yeah, I’ll be honest, Nijika-san… up til seeing what HTT has accomplished today, i still have small doubts about playing at the festival.. But now, after everything I’ve seen… I thought, m-maybe performing at the festival wouldn’t be bad. I-i’d like for our band to achieve something similar like that too.”

“You’re right, Bocchi-chan. I’d like for us to be received as well as they were too.”

Bocchi nods. “A-and even when the time c-comes for us to part ways… which won’t be for a while! Cause our band will go on and live as long as we do!-” Bocchi rambled, causing Nijika to chuckle. “W-we’ll do it with a smile, c-cause at that point, we’d be fulfilled and h-happy. W-what did they say..? Ummm.. I-it’s not about the destination, but the journey.”

Nijika smiled brightly. “This is why you should speak your mind more often, Bocchi-chan.” She said through a sniffle. “You’d make a really good motivational speaker.”

“Eh, really? B-but-”

“Gotoh-san!” Kita immediately clung onto her, rendering Bocchi unable to finish that sentence. “I agree! This is only the beginning for us, let’s keep making songs together for 5, no, 10, no a 100 more years!” Kita said excitedly.

Nijika felt a hand on her shoulder. “Got it all out your system?” Ryo asked.

“Y-yeah.”

“We’ll always be here for you Nijika. All the way through.” Ryo states matter of factly.

“I know.”

-

Separated from them right beside the entrance was Sawako and Nodoka, watching over the commotion with content smiles on their faces.

“Heh, do they really have to make this all about them in the end?” Sawako poked fun at the girls.

“Haha, don’t be like that, Yamanaka-sensei. Let them have their moment too.”

“It reminds me of my own last culture festival back in the day..” Sawako reminisced fondly. Nodoka hums.

“And here I thought I could come in here and be praised more for that whole shirt idea!” Sawako suddenly pouts. “But everyone’s too focused on themselves when they should be focusing on me!”

Nodoka laughed. “Why are you being such a child, sensei?”

Chapter Text

Footsteps echo along the halls of Sakuragouka high, as a small girl with a guitar strapped onto her back ran along the corridors. Her hair, tied into long twintails on each side of her head flying behind her as she sprinted towards her destination with only one thought in mind.

Seniors retire after the school festival.

Previous conversation with her two friends, Jun and Ui, replayed in Azusa’s mind as she marched on the path to the light music club.

“The field track looks so empty now.” Ui commented, as the three of them watched out the window of their classroom.

“Only natural isn’t it? The sports club seniors must’ve left the club already. I know my senpais at the jazz club have.” Jun replied.

Azusa quickened her pace, she was already climbing up the stairs to the music room. Would they have also been gone? She grabbed the doorknob and opened the door hastily, catching her breath as she observed the room before her.

“Why are you so out of breath?”

Mio had asked that question. Azusa had walked into the same old scene of her senpais and Sawako goofing off in the clubroom, eating cakes and drinking tea. Doing anything besides practicing.

“You okay, kid?” The buchou, Tainaka Ritsu asked the small guitarist.

“Why are you still here?” Azusa retorted.

“You rushed in here for Mugi’s sweets, didn’t you?” Yui teased as she attempted to spoon feed Azusa some cake. “Say ah.”

“I’m not you, Yui-senpai.” Azusa said, looking away.

“Nah. You rushed here cause you thought we retired and wouldn’t show up here anymore didn’t you?” Ritsu said nonchalantly.

She’s sharp about these things! Azusa thought. Before she knew it, Her drummer and guitarist senpais had moved towards her to glomp her.

“She doesn’t want us leaving her..”

“Kawaii, Kawaii!”

“GAAAH!!” Azusa broke free out of her two senpai’s hold, causing both of them to retreat and hold each other instead.

“She’s violent!”

“Scary, scary!”

“Stop acting like that! Besides, you haven’t answered my question!”

“Because it’s calming here.”

“And it’s air conditioned.”

“And sweets are served!” Their teacher and advisor, Sawako, said from the back.

“Even sensei is here too.” Azusa muttered.

“Ignore all of them, Azusa. We thought we’ll use this room to study for the upcoming college entrance exams.” Mio gave an actual coherent answer.

“You don’t mind, right, Azusa-chan?” Mugi asked.

“Not at all, Mugi-senpai.” Azusa said as she sat on her usual seat at the table. “I like having people around.”

“Aren’t you glad you’re not, ah- Hitori-bocchi, Azusa?” Ritsu sneered. Yui chuckled at the pun.

“Ahahaha! It sounds like she’s talking about Hitori-chan! But she isn’t!” Yui said.

“Yes, i think we all got that, Yui-senpai.”

“Oh, speaking of. You guys got Hitori-chan’s and the others present yesterday, right?” Sawako asked the girls.

“The nail polish? Yeah, though I don’t really use those kinds of cosmetics. It was a nice gesture, though.” Ritsu said.

“We should thank them and SIDEROS for all the support they’ve given us.” Mugi said. Next to her, Sawako cleared her throat obnoxiously. “Ah, to you too, of course, Sawa-chan. You have helped our club a lot as our advisor.”

“Ahahaha, yes! Praise me more!”

“Don’t do that.” Ritsu deadpans.

“Well, we can return the favor by coming to their culture festival.” Mio said.

“They have invited us.” Azusa replied.

“Mou, when is that again?” Yui asked.

“This weekend, apparently.” Ritsu answered. “Both their play and concert.”

“Ah, right. They were doing a play. Romeo and Juliet.”

The table fell silent for a short moment.

“I can’t picture Hitori acting on stage at all.” Ritsu eventually broke the silence.

“It sounds like a recipe for disaster...” Mio muttered.

“Ah, it makes me think of what it would have been like if we were the one doing the play.” Mugi pondered. “I can imagine Mio-chan as Romeo and Ricchan as Juliet.”

“Eh? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” Azusa said quizzically.

“Yes, but picture this, Azusa-chan. Ricchan in a gown.” Mugi said, completely unironically.

Azusa snorted, which prompted Ritsu to send a glare her way.

“That would never have happened!” Mio blushed, apparently also picturing herself and Ritsu in the role of Romeo and Juliet. “As if the cafe weren’t torturous enough!”

“It sounded like fun. I wonder what I would’ve been, maybe a tree-” Yui said, thinking of the intricacy of playing a tree.

“So Hitori chan would be playing Juliet and Kita-chan would be playing Romeo, right?”

“I’d like to see how that’ll pan out.” Ritsu snarked.

“Who knows? But I won’t discount her just like that, Ricchan. Hitori-chan, and her band to an extent, has this- hmm, how should I phrase it? tendency to be very determined in overcoming hurdles, even when all odds are stacked against them. it’s quite admirable, really.” Mugi said.

“Yeah, true! That sounds like Hitori-chan, alright!” Yui smiled.

“I know, still. It sounds really out there, y’know? But I guess you’re right.” Ritsu conceded.

“They must be practicing hard right now. I wonder how it’s coming along?” Mio asked.

“Everything’s gonna be all well and dandy, I just know it!” Mugi chimed.

Sawako, who has been passively observing the banter up to this point, decides to interrogate two seniors in particular.

“While I’m here, Yui-chan, Ricchan.” She addressed the two. “You two haven't submitted your career plans yet.”

“A-ah, do we have to?”

“We already said we want to try applying for college!”

“What college? What major?”

The two were caught off abruptly by the common sense question.

“Oh, and additionally, Mio-chan. Have you thought about that college recommendation from the school?”

Mio nods. “Yeah.”

“Well, just remember to turn in the papers so it can be processed.”

“You’re going to that university, Mio-senpai?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“Welp. That’s enough teacher-ing for me today. I’ll see you girls tomorrow.” Sawako said as she got up and left the room.

Yui took out a magazine from her bag. “Now that we’ve decided on our career plans-”

“No you haven’t.”

“Let’s talk about yearbook photos! I’m thinking about how to wear my hair for the photo!”

Azusa felt a strange knot in her stomach as her seniors began talking about college plans and yearbook photos, but she decided to keep it to herself. She silently ponders.

Well, looks like they’re not quitting just yet. But it seems like I'm just enjoying borrowed time.

Still, I won’t be alone just yet.

-

“Everything is absolutely not well and dandy! How will our Hitori conquer this obstacle? Find out more in this-”

“Gotoh-san!”

“Huh-?”

“Geez, there you are! Were you narrating over your life in your head again?”

“N-no!” Hitori said, trying to dissolve the image of a talking guitar, sitting comfortably while reading off a book to an invisible audience beside a fireplace inside her head.

“Kita-chan. Gotoh-san. You ready back there?”

“We’ll be there in a minute, Sattsu!” Kita replied, giving her friend a thumbs up. “Anyway, I do hope you weren’t just spacing out there, Gotoh-san. You’ve memorized your lines this time, right?” Kita asked.

“O-oh, mm-hmm, yeah…”

Kita pouts. “Gotoh-san, we have less than a week to prepare for the play, you know! We don’t have any time left to spare!”

“A-ah, sorry, K-kita-san, I have memorized the lines… don’t worry about it…”

Kita kept her gaze on Bocchi for a moment longer before eventually forming a smile. ”That’s good to hear, Gotoh-san. Sorry if I seemed pushy, but I really want you to do your best for this play. Surely you’ll understand, right?”

“O-of course, Kita-san…”

“Then, come on! Sattsu and the others are waiting!” Kita said, as she guided Bocchi towards where Sattsu and the others were sitting, waiting on their two leads.

“Alright, you two. Let’s start where we left off yesterday with the balcony scene. Kita-chan, you may start.” Sasaki said, as Hitori and Kita stood in place.

“Hai!”

As Kita began reciting her lines at Hitori, the girl tried her best to maintain her composure. A herculean task- when she was being watched by the entirety of no less than 6 people. Hitori tried not to think of how she has to do this in front of an auditorium full of people by the end of the week. The familiar feeling of fear and anxiety fills her up again. As Kita began wrapping up her dialogue, Hitori gulped. She braces herself for her upcoming speaking part, trying to remember the advice Nijika had given her during their mock rehearsals at STARRY so long ago.

“Just imagine your mother saying these lines, Bocchi-chan! You can do that, can’t you?”

In hindsight, the advice would’ve sounded completely nonsensical to anyone other than Bocchi, but it had proved somewhat useful for her. She took a deep breath. Kita had finished speaking her lines, and now it was time for her part.

“O Romeo, Romeo! W-wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.”

Despite all odds, Hitori had managed to finish her line with only stuttering once. Well, that could've gone worse, she thought. She could see Kita giving her a small smile before proceeding with her own lines.

“Cut! Alright, okay. That was good. Still! Some notes. Kita-chan, some of your delivery was still a bit flat. Try to get more in the character of Romeo. As for you, Gotoh-san.” Sasaki paused.

Hitori gulped again, preparing for another scathing review from their director over her performance.

“Whilst it’s good that you can actually look up at your partner while saying your lines now, you still have to work on your confidence and the way you deliver your words. You tend to speed through your lines, just relax and let it flow naturally. Overall, I just want for you to be able to maintain consistency of your performance. You tend to flip-flop between being decent to, umm… somewhat less than acceptable.”

“A-ah, hai, apologies, Sasa-san. I’ll work hard to fix myself!”

Kita frowned, though she made no comment on the exchange.

“Alright then, onto the next scene!”

Sasaki made them rehash a couple more scenes, before deciding to call it off for the day. Despite her previous remark, her overall impression on the two had improved somewhat, and she doesn’t look as full of despair as she once was whenever it was time for their rehearsals.

“How are you feeling, Gotoh-san?” Kita said, as they pack up their stuff in preparation to leave for STARRY.

“I- i’m fine, Kita-san.”

“And about the play? How are you feeling?”

“A-ah.. um.. I think I’ll manage.” Hitori lied, knowing well Kita would only be more worried and pushy if she answered truthfully.

“That’s great to hear, Gotoh-san! Don’t take anything Sattsu said to heart, okay? You know she just wants the best for you. I’ll practice just as hard as you so we both can shine on that stage together, okay?”

“H-hai…” Hitori smiled weakly, which prompted Kita to smile as well. She always loved seeing Hitori smile, she really wants to see it more often.

“Ah.. and there’s still our concert after that… I gotta say, play rehearsals, then band practice right after that… this week’s really not treating us well, huh?” Kita lightheartedly asked.

“A-are you saying you’re tired of it, Kita-san?”

“Huh? What? Oh no, I’m fine! More than fine, Gotoh-san! Hahaha! I’m really excited at the prospect of both our play and concert actually! Whenever I feel tired, I’ll just remind myself of how awesome we’re both gonna look on that stage in not less than a week, and I’ll get my spirit back up!”

“A-ah, is that so…? You make it sound so easy, Kita-san..” Hitori said, fully lost on how Kita could find any of these looming threats exciting. Kita just smiled at that, oblivious to Hitori’s actual state of mind.

They left school and commuted to STARRY together. Whilst it's nothing out of the ordinary for Hitori to not be talking much during these commutes, it struck her as odd at how quiet Kita was, only exchanging a few words with Hitori along the trip. From the brief glances Hitori snuck at her friend, Kita seemed to be deep in thought over something. It’s not until they boarded off the train and are walking to STARRY did Kita finally speak again. She stopped in her tracks, causing Hitori to pause her trek as well.

“Gotoh-san. You remember what Sattsu said earlier, right?”

“H-huh? Was it the consistency part, or the thing about me needing to s-stop mispronouncing Caputlet..?”

“It’s Capulet, Gotoh-san. And no, not that.” Kita shook her head.

Hitori tilted her head, curious to what Kita meant by the question.

“It’s about how she told me to get more into the character of Romeo. I've been trying my best to think of a way to do just that.”

“Oh. Um. Maybe you wanna do that role swap thing Akiyama-san and Ritsu-san were doing for their cafe? Y’know, how Ritsu-san had to act girly and talk like a proper girl and-”

“No, not that aspect, Gotoh-san. I’ve been thinking. Their most pointed character traits are the fact that Romeo and Juliet are star crossed lovers, right?”

“O-oh. Y-yeah, I suppose you can say that.”

“So I was thinking of how I could try and emulate that. If I understand the feeling, maybe it’ll help me get in character more.”

“Uhh-maybe.” Hitori said. She wasn’t really thinking of going to such drastic measures, but she supposed there wasn’t any harm in letting Kita indulge on her own. Because Hitori could NOT be asked to do any sort of romance stuff like that, Nuh uh. That is number one on her DO NOT INTERACT OR ENGAGE introvert list of seishun activities. She could probably only start thinking about love when she was already in her 40s, waaaay further in the future.

They continued their walk and eventually reached STARRY, where they were greeted by the regular crowd, manager and PA-san at the counter and table respectively, as well as Nijika and Ryo, the latter already tuning in her bass to prepare for their upcoming practice session.

“I got it!” Kita suddenly said.

“Huh? What’d you get, Kita-chan?” Nijika perked up, confused.

Kita turned towards the band leader, a look of determination etched across her features. “Ijichi-senpai! I want to write a song for the band!”

“Uhh, what spurred this on? Not that I’m complaining, Kita-chan, but it’s just a bit sudden.”

“After remembering HTT’s songs and performance yesterday, it made me realize that the answer to my question was obvious. I feel inspired to write a song to help me solve an issue I’m having!” Kita said, whilst smiling at Hitori.

“You were inspired by their song? You’re not talking about the one about rice, are you?”

“No, no! Their other one, what’s it called, Fuwa-Fuwa Time! I want to write a love song!”

Silence followed that declaration, broken only when Nijika decided to smartly respond to it with a “What?”

“I want to be able to feel in love!” Kita continued with a straight face. “I need to be able to get into the character of Romeo more for the class play, and I figured writing a love song would be able to do just that for me.”

“Oh.” Nijika simply said, her face turning a bit red at the answer.

“K-kita-san?” Hitori said in shock.

“Don’t worry, Gotoh-san! I know lyrics are usually your duties, but this time I wanna be able to write my own lyrics for a song! Can you trust me with that?”

“Um..”

“I’m just doing this for the betterment of the play! I really want us to succeed! And when we do, the entire school will be able to see how cool you are, Gotoh-san! Isn’t that what you always wanted? I want you to finally be seen by everyone, and I want to be by your side when it happens as well.”

“A-ah, alright..” Hitori relented and flustered at the heartfelt declaration. Kita’s smile grew wider.

“W-well, um, I’m fine with it, Kita-san, but-” Hitori glanced frantically to the side. Kita followed her gaze and caught a glimpse of Ryo, who looked like she just swallowed a plateful of rotten meat.

“Ugh.. you want to write a love song?” Ryo said sickly.

“Ryo, be nice.” Nijika reprimanded.

“Yes, Ryo-senpai. I want to write a love song.” Kita said, not backing down.

Ryo glanced at Nijika, who just glared back at her. She sighed. “Well, I have a couple of arrangements ready with no lyrics written for it yet. I suppose I could send some of them to you and you can figure out the lyrics for them. I should be fine as long as I’m not the one writing or singing it.”

“Ah, thank you so much, Ryo-senpai! I promise to not disappoint you!” Kita said, bowing.

“Don’t mention it.” Ryo dismissed. “Really, don’t. Just thinking I’m assisting in the creation of a love song is already-”

“Ryo.” Nijika shot her a look. “A love song, huh? That might be a bit of a departure from most of our current songs. Most of it broaches topics that are more depressing, like loneliness and rejection.” Nijika quickly turned towards Hitori and hastily added, “A-ah, not that there’s anything wrong with that! Your lyrics are very- full of personality, Bocchi-chan!” Ryo nods.

“In any case, I believe this is the answer! I just need to get into the headspace of someone who’s madly in love, then I’ll be able to understand and relate to Romeo.”

“W-well, not too much, hopefully, w-we don’t want you kicking the bucket, K-kita-san.” Hitori said.

“Alright, enough of that! Now that we’re all here, let’s get ready for practice! Your play isn’t the only thing happening in less than a week, you know! Let’s not let HTT beat us on this!” Nijika said, addressing her bandmates.

“Hai!”

-

“There! Great work, today everyone! We’re definitely set for the festival now!” Nijika said, after another successful band practice.

“Hm. That was a bit too sloppy for me. Needs more confidence.” Ryo said, self criticizing her performance. She looked down and readjusted herself before playing an improv piece on her bass.

“You call that sloppy? You’re unbelievable, Ryo-senpai.” Kita commented.

“I know, tell me more about it.” Ryo halfheartedly said as she continued her improvised playing.

Bocchi quietly observed the aftermath of their band practice. It seems that Ryo’s complaints were invisible to anyone but the bassist, so Hitori has to agree with Nijika's assessment here. This band has definitely come a long way after their second live at STARRY. It might still be too soon to say that, but Kita wasn’t the only one inspired by HTT’s performance yesterday. It has caused Bocchi’s own confidence and hope in her band to grow. How does that make sense? Did seeing her friend’s band be admired and adored just that impactful for her? HTT always had their own way to just make everything around them seem so lighthearted and fun, something that Bocchi really envied for herself.

So that’s what playing at a culture festival is like? It seems so silly that she was ever anxious and afraid in the first place. I’m not afraid, Bocchi proclaimed internally. I can jus-

“Oh, by the way,” Nijika suddenly asked, “How is your and Bocchi-chan’s play coming along, Kita-chan?”

All the previous air of confidence within Bocchi about the culture festival left her in an instant at the mention of the play. She visibly deflated as a result.

Whilst she was now more than confident about her band performing at the festival, the play is an entirely different beast for Bocchi. Being confident in one does not automatically make her outlook on the other more positive, quite the opposite really. Bringing up the play instantly destroyed any semblance of assurance she had in the upcoming culture festival.

“Oh, w-well. It’s mostly been fine, Ijichi-senpai, haha!” Kita said, waving her hands. “We just have to polish up our performances now, Sattsu just has some minor notes about our acting.” The “minor” doing very heavy lifting on Bocchi’s behalf.

“Ah, I see. That’s why you wanted to write a love song!” Kita nods. “It’s certainly a creative way of approaching your issue!” Nijika commented positively. Kita beamed, unleashing a powerful Kit-aura within a 5 feet radius. Ryo groaned.

“Well, I’ve been thinking of how I could contribute more to the band too! And the opportunity came up, so..” Kita said.

“I see, I see.” Nijika nods in understanding.

“But, um..” Kita was suddenly more apprehensive, looking down shyly.

“What is it, Kita-chan?”

“I was wondering if I finish the song before the end of the week, if we could debut it at the concert?”

“Eh? Kita-chan, that’s too little time to be practicing a new song!” Nijika said in surprise.

“I know, I know! B-but I just thought, you know, it’d be cool..” Kita said, looking away. Nijika just sighed.

“I’m not gonna make any promises, Kita-chan. I-”

“I’m fine with it.” Ryo interjects. “We’re pretty much ready for the concert at this point. Might as well add an extra challenge.” Ryo added.

“Kita still needs time to write it, you know! The amount of practice we’d be able to do will depend on how fast she finished it!” Nijika fussed.

“Just give me two, no, three days!”

“Then that’ll only leave us with Thursday and Friday! Are you sure?” Nijika asked again.

Kita nodded determinedly, while Ryo shrugged apathetically. Bocchi, meanwhile, seems to be off in her own world, muttering nonsense about public hangings and execution as punishment for being a bad member of a medieval theater troupe.

“If I remember correctly, Mugi told me about how they’ve only finished lyrics for their songs days before their first ever culture festival, and it went fine for them. And we’re miles better than them, so..” Ryo said confidently.

“It’s different! You do realize that HTT seems to- I don’t know how to phrase it, live in a different plane of reality than us? Everything that would seem hard to us just looks so easy to them for some reason!” Nijika said.

“What are you saying, Ijichi-senpai?”

“Nevermind, I’m just overthinking it.” Nijika shook her head. “If you can really deliver in two days, we can include your song in our performance, Kita-chan.”

“Yay!”

“Well actually, we might as well decide our setlist now. Why don’t we get dinner while we’re at it?”

“Band outings? Count me in!”

“You’ll pay for me, right?” Ryo asked Nijika.

“Bocchi-chan, cmon! We’re leaving!” Nijika promptly ignored the bassist.

“Huh- wh- o-okay!”

The band moved the conversation to a small modest diner a couple blocks away from STARRY. The girls ordered their food, and Nijika was happily feasting on her ramen as she listed down songs for their performance for the festival.

“So like I was saying,” Nijika said in between eating her ramen, “Kita-chan said each band gets about 15 minutes, which means we could fit in 3 songs at the very least, and-”

“Um- Ijichi-senpai,” Kita interrupted.

Nijika stopped talking as a loud growl emanated from Ryo. The bassist was looking down, with no food laid out before her.

“C-can I give some of my food to her-”

“No.” Nijika said, “Let this be a lesson for her for bumming off Bocchi-chan for so long.” Nijika curtly said.

“B-but-”

“Ikuyo..” Ryo said, deploying the most pathetic looking hurt puppy eyes against the redhead.

“Urgh-” Kita said, struggling against handing her entire plate to the pleading bassist.

“Kita-chan! What did I tell you about the 3 B’s? If you’re looking for a boyfriend, avoid bassists, bassists, and bassists!” Nijika said, listing off each bassist with her fingers to help punctuate the point.

“Wasn’t there a D there last time?” Kita asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Nijika flushed, caught off guard by Kita’s statement. “I-it’s fine. I got over it.”

At this, Ryo broke off her hurt puppy act and looked questioningly at Nijika. “Is there something you’re not telling me here?”

“Nothing! Here! Just take this and leave me alone!” Nijika said, pushing a plate with a single fry on it towards Ryo.

Ryo took the single fry off the plate and observed it like it was a piece of art. “I’ll forever be grateful for this, Nijika. I love you.”

This comment was the one that finally broke Nijika. Collapsing onto the table face first, she pushed the entire plate of fries towards Ryo instead. “Just take all of it.” She said defeatedly.

Kita wasn’t sure what to make of this, but shuffled it in the back of her mind anyway, it seems important somehow.

“I already have a setlist in mind.” Ryo suddenly said, after finishing the plate of fries in a matter of seconds. “Been thinking it over ever since the festival was first brought up.”

“Oh, really?” Nijika said, lifting her face off the table.

“If Ikuyo manages to finish her song by Thursday, we can slot that one in instead of one of these here instead.” Ryo said, as she wrote down the setlist on a piece of paper.

“It’s all originals! Isn’t that a bit aggressive?” Kita asked.

“So what? Let’s get all aggressive!” Nijika replied.

“It's your and Bocchi’s first ever cultural festival performance. So we should go all out for it. “Besides, there’s four of us, so we’ll split the shame four ways if we bomb.” Ryo said.

“Oi, you tryna’ push your trauma onto us or somethin’?” Nijika deadpans.

Speaking of her and Bocchi, Kita glanced at the guitarist next to her, who has kept quiet throughout the whole conversation. She probably should’ve expected this, due to the fact that Hitori was off in her own head again, muttering something about assassinating Shakespeare before he manages to write Romeo and Juliet.

“You know that would probably just mean we’ll use his other works instead, Gotoh-san. Would you still act like this if we were reciting Hamlet?”

“Didn’t he write that after Romeo and Juliet?” Nijika muttered.

Hitori shuddered. “A-acting in front of a large audience… I-i never did this before! What’ll happen when I ruin the play, or- or forget my lines? Will everyone excommunicate me from the class? Will I get expelled? Burned at the stake? Forced to commit seppuku? O-or even worse, what if I tripped on stage, revealing my underwear for the entire school to see?!!”

“None of that is gonna happen!” Kita said. “And that last one is way too specific! What are you even thinking to imagine such a scenario?”

“I don’t know…” Hitori looked down.

Nijika scratches her cheek. “I think you’re overthinking this, Bocchi-chan, you don’t need to stress this out too much y’know? I’m sure most people aren’t expecting some avant-garde level of acting in a school play anyway.”

Ryo nods. “You should’ve actually seen Nijika in our middle school play. She was-”

“Okay, that’s enough! Point is, don’t worry about it too much, Bocchi-chan! The more you overthink it, the more scared you’ll be!” Nijika advised. “And we need you to be in top shape for this play, since you’ll be performing in front of the same crowd for our cultural festival too, so think of it as a prelude, or a warmup!”

Hitori nods under the intense pressure from her peers. “A-alright, I guess… I’ll try to not overthink it too much-” Hitori muttered, and the conversation continued past that.

The only problem is, I have no idea how in the hell I’m gonna do that! Hitori thought desperately to herself.

-

“Cut, cut!” Sasaki said, rubbing her temples. The other girls behind her all swap worried glances as they sensed Sasaki slowly losing her cool over Hitori’s performance.

It’s Tuesday, 4 more days until their performance. Actors should have mastered their roles by this point, and use the remaining time to merely perfect any remaining mistake in their act. But the same can’t be said for Hitori. Whilst some people find newfound confidence as they near the big event, Hitori finds herself experiencing the opposite, by completely losing her confidence as the day of the play closes in on her. This undoubtedly put a noticeable dent in her performance, something that not so subtly aggravated Sasaki, as much as she tries to not let it show (she wasn’t trying very hard).

“Gotoh-san, what happened? You were reciting all these lines just fine yesterday! What gives?” Sasaki pressed the introvert.

“Uhh, um- I-i just got n-nervous… Sasa-san… I-i’ll get it the next time! Promise!” Hitori sputtered.

“And why does Kita have to get sick now of all times… with only 4 days left..” Sasaki massaged her temple.

“Maybe Gotoh-san is just not used to me playing Romeo instead of Kita-chan? Ahahaha, it’s fine, Gotoh-san. No need to be nervous around me, y’know?” The temp standing in for Kita said to Hitori. She couldn’t for the life of her remember her name, which made her feel all the more bad.

Hitori just shuffled awkwardly. She did tell the crew and Sasaki that Kita was sick and couldn’t attend rehearsals today, but it was nothing more than a white lie. She recalled what had happened at lunch today.

“Gotoh-san. I feel like I might need some time for myself to finish these lyrics.”

“E-eh? So what are you saying, Kita-san..?”

“I might need to skip out on rehearsal today.”

“B-but!” Millions of thoughts and pleas ran through her head at the prospect of going into rehearsal without Kita. “Shouldn’t you practice harder now that the day of the play is inching closer?” Hitori tried to reason in a desperate attempt to keep Kita around.

“I know, I know! But I feel like until I can finally get in character for Romeo, no amount of practice is gonna help! I need to understand this character, that’s why I’m gonna finish this song before I continue with the rehearsal.”

“Kita-san…”

“So please, Gotoh-san! If Sattsu and the others ask where I went during rehearsals today, just tell them that I was sick and went home early, okay?”

“B-but..”

“I’m sorry, Gotoh-san. But I need to get this right! I promise I’ll be back as soon as I finish these lyrics.”

And that’s how Hitori ended up in this situation, all alone with no Kita beside her as comfort. ‘If only I can stand up for myself, maybe I wouldn’t be alone right now!’ she thought. She glanced around the room, everyone else were preparing props for the play, measuring actors for costumes, et cetera. Everyone looked like they were having fun and enjoying themselves, which just isolated Hitori even more. An introvert in the sea of extroverts. She began melting as she thought about all of this.

“AAAH! WHAT IS HAPPENING?” Hitori could hear the temp screaming at the sight of her melting into a puddle.

Sasaki turned away from her conversation in response. “Kita said this could’ve happened.”

“You were expecting this?!”

“It’s a worst case scenario type of deal. Gotoh-san, please get it together!” Sasaki sternly said, breaking Hitori out of her literal meltdown.

“H-hai, Sasa-san!” Hitori said, quickly reforming herself as she took in Sasaki’s tone.

“Let’s rehash that scene again. Temp, you’re up.”

The temp still looked disturbed by what just happened, but she began reading out Kita’s line nonetheless. Hitori braces herself.

I hope that song will actually help your acting, Kita-san. Cause I've gone through such extreme lengths to make sure you get it done! Hitori thought exasperatedly.

-

Kita meanwhile, was strolling around the usual path she took to school, walking underneath the canopy of trees lined up in a row beside the stone path with her eyes closed, she silently mulled over something, scribbling away at an open notebook in her hands.

“AGH! I STILL CAN’T DO IT! Even after immersing myself in this romantic scenery, I still can’t do it!” Kita said, clutching her head with both of her hands.

Kita had considered asking her friends that she knows has been in relationships before what it felt like, but wouldn’t it just be a weird question to ask? Moreover, Kita was afraid that they’ll somehow get the wrong idea and think that Kita was asking them because she has a crush on someone, and the conversation will get nowhere fast. That’s why she decided to immerse herself in an atmosphere she views as romantic to actually get somewhere in her thinking. She read up on every romance manga she has in her room, binged rom-com animes and movies all night last night, and now, she picked the most romantic spot one could think of after consuming so much romance media in the span of 12 hours. Kita could’ve mistaken the scene to be something stolen straight out of those manga and animes, or a cheesy dating visual novel her friends really love to play for some reason. Soft glow of the afternoon sunlight, cherry blossoms falling from trees and a gentle autumn breeze. Yet even with the setting, Kita still couldn't get herself in a romantic mood. It’s because she just doesn’t currently have anyone she’s interested romantically in at the moment! Right?

She stopped, actually mulling it over. Wait a minute, haven’t I fallen in love before? Her mind immediately went to Ryo, and how Kita used to scramble head over heels just to get any crumbs of attention from the senior.

Used to?

Kita blinked. Used to… does that mean I don't feel that way about her anymore? Kita decided to conduct a small experiment, closing her eyes and thinking up a bunch of scenarios of her and Ryo together. (nothing naughty, mind you!) She opened her eyes. She felt nothing.

“Huh. So I guess I got over her?... When?” Kita asked. It occurred to her that if she was still somehow in love with Ryo, she would’ve had no problems in writing a love song, would she? But wait, maybe she could still draw from the experience? Oh, this is it! She began to remember how she used to think of Ryo and wrote it down in her notebook.

She took a seat in one of the benches scattered around the path. She starts to write down everything she liked about Ryo. That’s easy isn't it? ‘I love her androgynous look, her unisex charm! Her sense of fashion-’

Kita nods. Yes, this is all good. She could make some lyrics out of this. I also love the way she, um-

Kita blanked. “I guess, the way she borrows money from me?” It’s not like she minded at the time, but looking back, is that all she has ever done with the senior, outside of band activities? She couldn’t think of anything else to write down in her notebook.

“Huh.” She put down her notebook. “I-i guess I just didn’t really know her that well..?” She read what she has written down so far, amounting to less than fifteen words. “I can’t work with this!”

Kita ripped the page out of her notebook, tossing the paper carelessly before feeling bad and throwing it in a recycling bin nearby.

“Great! Now what do I do?” Kita sat silently for a moment, before another idea struck her. Ryo wasn’t the only person she’d fallen for was she? There was also-

A blush started forming as the image of a raven haired bassist entered her mind. Kita jumped out of the bench. This is it! That’s the answer all along! Akiyama-san! She began writing down the start of a sentence in her notes. ‘I love her long silky hair, her beautiful eyes, her (Kita gulped and glanced warily around the place as she wrote this down) well endowed figure, her friendly and shy demeanor, her gentle way of speaking, her passionate disposition when it comes to music.’ Kita just finds so much to write about Mio in comparison to Ryo.

Yet she was reminded again by how close Mio was already with another girl. Kita frowned. Mio never really said it directly, nor did Ritsu. So perhaps their very close relationship could’ve just been a result of being friends for so long? After all, she knew Nijika and Ryo acted similarly to them and they weren’t involved romantically with each other. Right?

Kita looked down at the notes in her hands again. She’s written quite a bit, but she wasn’t quite satisfied just yet.

“Hmm.. there might be something here..” Kita thought. “Perhaps, maybe… I can spend some time with her alone and write down the experience for the song?” Kita blushed. “Maybe I could even end up with something more than a song..” She muttered.

She quickly shook her head. Well, it won’t hurt to spend time with a friend regardless, right? She never did end up having that pier date with Mio ages ago, with how she immediately gave up after seeing Ritsu so touchy with Mio. Maybe she had given up too early.

Kita nodded resolutely. “Alright then, I’ll invite her to go out after school tomorrow! For the play, a-and for love!”

With determination in her heart, she typed a quick message for the raven haired bassist.

-

“You look awful, Bocchi.”

“Shut it, Yamada.” Nijika snapped.

Hitori collapsed onto the floor of the studio. She was pretty much a corpse with the way she walked lifelessly to STARRY today, hair hanging in front of her face, looking like life had been sucked out of her body.

“I guess rehearsals didn’t go well today?” Nijika risked the question.

“No.” was the muffled response she got. Because of her less than stellar performance, Sasaki had gone the extra mile to straighten Bocchi out, which needless to say, took everything out of the guitarist. “Kita-san had to skip because she was finishing up the lyrics for her love song. A-ah, that means she won’t be here today!”

“I know, she texted me earlier.” Nijika said, holding up her phone. “Well, it doesn’t really matter cause I think we’re pretty much ready for the weekend anyway, so let’s just take a break for today.”

“E-eh? No practice? But I already came all the way here..” Bocchi said.

“Well, you didn’t come here for nothing, Bocchi-chan. I think Ryo said she had something to share with us today.” Nijika replied.

Ryo nods. “Yes. Last night me and Ikuyo went over the arrangement for her love song.” Ryo said, practically spitting the word “love” out. She took her phone out of her pocket and played an audio file.

The three sat quietly as they all listened to Ryo’s arrangement. After the song concluded, Ryo looked up expectantly for their thoughts.

“Well, I like it. It definitely sounded different than any of our previous songs. But I think that’s a good thing.” Nijika commented.

“A-ah, yeah. It’s pretty light compared to our other songs musically, I g-guess to match the feeling of being in l-love? N-not that I would know, haha..” Bocchi added.

“Really, it was just the one that Ikuyo liked the most. And I happen to quite like the bass line on this one, so I thought, eh, why not?” Ryo shrugged. “I thought if you guys were cool with this, we could probably go over it today with just instruments and no vocals. Well, no rhythm guitar part either, obviously.” Ryo suggested.

Hitori, not wanting to waste the trip to the studio, simply nods in agreement. “Y-yeah, I’ve got no problems with that.”

“Same here!” Nijika chimed in.

The band did a test run of the song. It was still a little rough around the edges, both the song and performance, but that was a given with the state of the song and their band currently. Hitori closed the song with her guitar, and all of them collectively caught their breath.

“Alright. That wasn’t bad for a first run, what do you all think?” Nijika asked the other two.

“Can’t decide til we get Kita on the vocals and backing guitar.” Ryo states matter of factly. “But yes, it wasn’t bad.”

“I-uhm, i thought it was good.” Hitori wasn’t sure what to say.

“Do you know Kita-chan’s progress on the lyrics, Bocchi-chan?” Nijika said, tapping the back of her shoulders with her drumsticks.

“A-ah, no… at lunch she just said she wanted to look for more inspiration so she told me she’s going to… walk somewhere more romantic to… set the mood..?”

Nijika and Ryo swap glances.

“Now why would she do all that.” Said Ryo.

“Huh?”

“You know what they say, Ryo. Love makes you do stupid things. Even when the answer is right in front of her, she still can’t see it.” Nijika smirked.

“N-nijika-san, what are you talking about…?” Hitori said, genuinely thinking that she must’ve missed something important.

“Oh, it’s nothing, Bocchi-chan. All of this is just kind of funny, that’s all.” Nijika said vaguely.

“Funny how..?”

“It’s kind of funny how oblivious Ikuyo can be.”

“Hey, that’s rich comin’ from you! You know she was also crushing on you big time before this, right?”

“She was? Oh. Well good thing she moved on, then.” Ryo simply shrugged it off. “Don’t want her heart broken by me. I’m such a ladykiller after all.”

Nijika snorted. “Yeah, sure.”

Somehow, Bocchi felt like she wasn’t privy to something well-known about Kita. She can only watch in confusion as her senior laughed at whatever it was that was so weird about Kita’s behavior that was just not apparent to her.

-

“I-i cut too much didn’t i..?” Yui said, as realization struck.

“N-no, not at all, Yui-chan! I-it looks good on you!” Mugi hastily said.

“Mm-hmm! Super cute!” Ritsu nods.

“You look younger!” Azusa chimed.

“You mean i look childish…?”

“Y-you didn’t cut off too much, Yui!” Mio tries to assure her.

Despite constant admonishment from the others, Yui had insisted on cutting off her bangs herself. “It’s for the yearbook!” she said, continuing her pursuit for the perfect yearbook picture from yesterday’s talk. Unfortunately for Yui, a very unfortunate sneeze caused her to cut off more of her hair than she intended, and everyone was trying to play it down to placate the guitarist.

“You’re not just saying that, are you..? This is for the yearbook, it stays with me for the rest of my life.”

“H-here! Hide your cut with this!” Ritsu said, taking off her headband.

“Ah! Spare me from showing my forehead, please!”

“Ggghk!”

“If you simply brush it, you won’t be able to tell, Yui-chan.” Mugi suggested.

“Really?”

“Yeah, let me help you with that, Yui-chan.”

Mio nervously watched as Mugi brushed Yui’s bangs to hide the accidental cut the girl made. Unconsciously, she kept half glancing at her phone to check the time.

“Are you waiting for a text, Mio-senpai?” Mio can hear Azusa asking her.

“H-huh, oh no. I was just checking the time, Azusa .” Mio answered.

“There!” Mugi said, holding up a mirror for Yui to see her handiwork.

“What do you guys think?” Yui asked the others.

“It looks good on you!” Ritsu was quick to compliment.

“Yeah, you look cute, Yui-chan.” Mio said.

“Hai!” Azusa chirped.

“Really? Ehehehe…” Yui laughed sheepishly. Seemingly, it didn’t take much to convince her.

“Well, let’s have tea now.” Ritsu said, in an attempt to distract Yui.

“Ah, actually, I might need to skip that for today.”

“Eh?” Everyone turned towards Mio in disbelief.

“Why? Sawa-chan askin’ you to go to the faculty again?” Ritsu asked.

“Mou, so are you really gonna accept the school’s college recommendation, senpai?”

“No, it’s not about that.” Mio scratched her cheek. “Kita-chan just invited me out to hang today,”

“Eh? You wanna hang with Kita-chan?” Yui said.

“Let me tag along!” Ritsu cheerily said.

“No, you baka! She specifically asked for me to come on my own.” Mio vehemently rejected.

“Huh, why?”

“I don’t know! But that’s what she wanted.” Mio shrugged.

“She wouldn’t mind if we tag along!” Ritsu said stubbornly.

“You don’t know that! This happened before, Kita-chan invited me out to a festival and then you just decided to tag along on your own! I can tell she was uncomfortable during that whole festival.”

Azusa was suddenly reminded about that festival. She blushed as she remembered the reason Kita actually invited Mio back then. Wait, does that mean Kita’s gonna make her move a second time?

“Well, I’ll see you guys tomorrow. And Ritsu. Don’t follow me. I mean it.” Mio gazed sharply at her childhood friend, causing said friend to pout.

“Oh my, what will happen between the both of them, I have to wonder…” Mugi said, gazing dreamily at the doors Mio just walked out of.

“NAKANO!”

“H-huh? What?” Azusa jumped up in shock, as everyone immediately turned towards her.

“You know something, don’t you? You’ve been fidgeting the whole time!” Ritsu pointed a finger accusingly.

“H-huh? I-i don’t know what you’re talking about!” Azusa said as she did her best Hitori impression.

“Spit it out, kid! What business does Kita have with Mio that would cause her to meet up with Kita by herself! I smell something fishy going on!”

“Oh, Ricchan, you don't think-”

“Eeeh, Mugi-chan? What’s going on?” Yui said, not catching up to the conversation just yet.

“Well, kid?” Ritsu said, waiting for Azusa’s response.

“I don’t know anything!” Azusa stubbornly refused the question. “And even if I do, that’s a matter between Mio-senpai and Kita-chan.”

“Oh yeah? We’ll see about that!” Ritsu said, walking towards Azusa. The kouhai took a step back as Ritsu approached her menacingly.

“What are you doing? Ah, HAHAHAHAHAHA! Senpai, stop!”

“Meet my friend, Sergeant Tickles!” Ritsu said as she tickled Azusa’s waist in an attempt to get her to talk. “Spit it out if you want Sergeant Tickles to stop!”

“O-okay, HAHAHAHA, fine! Stop tickling me!”

Ritsu retracted her hands and watched as Azusa caught her breath.

“I wasn’t lying when I told you I don’t know anything- B-but!” Azusa immediately said as she sees Ritsu moving towards her again. “I do know the reason Kita-chan invited her last time, t-to that festival.”

“What is it?” Ritsu asked. Behind her, both Mugi and Yui were also listening to their conversation with mild interest.

“She wanted to confess to Mio-senpai.”

“Ah!~” Ritsu could sense Mugi collapsing from sheer euphoria.

“Mugi-chan! Oh no! Are you dead?” Yui said.

“So Kita’s got the hots for Mio? I thought she liked Nijika-chan?”

“What makes you think that?” Azusa said, brows furrowing.

“Just saw they were very touchy feely with each other after that festival. Wait, how do you know this, kid?” Ritsu asked again.

“I-” Azusa fell silent. Oh no, could I really tell her the reason?

“Sergeant Tickles, I’m reporting a traitorous cat. Shall I deploy our tickle bomb?”

“NO! I’ll WHISPER IT TO YOU! J-just, don’t laugh!”

Azusa moved and whispered to Ritsu’s ear. Ritsu’s eyes began to widen as she took in what Azusa was telling her.

“WHAAAAAT?”

“Senpai!” Azusa said, glancing worriedly at Yui, who was poking an unconscious mumbling Mugi on her cheek.

“I didn’t know you and Yui were-”

“SHUT UP!” Azusa said, clamping her mouth with both her hands.

“Eh, what was that? Someone called?”

“Nothing! It’s nothing!”

“Okay fine, i won’t ask about that.” Ritsu said after Azusa let go of her mouth. “But wait, does this mean Kita wanted to confess to Mio again?” Ritsu said, as realization began to sink in.

“I don’t know. It could just be a private meeting.” Azusa said, hoping Ritsu would just drop it.

“That’s it! I’m coming with her.”

“What- Ritsu senpai! She told you not to!”

“Azusa, i know Mio. And I know that she's fragile and self conscious. If the outcome of that confession is bad, I know for a fact she would only blame herself. I can’t let that happen.” Ritsu said darkly.

Azusa gulped, not expecting this sudden tone shift.

“I’ll come, Ricchan!” Mugi said, already recovered from her daydreaming. Yui nods behind her.

“I’ll come too, Ricchan! Ah, but maybe I need to find something to cover myself with first. Yui said, suddenly conscious about her bangs again.

“Ggh. You three…” Azusa mumbled. “Fine! I’ll come too! Someone has to keep you all out of trouble.”

-

“O, happy dagger! This is my sheath. There rust… and let me… die…”

Hitori dropped to the ground right next to the temp. The audience was silent.

After a brief moment, they started applauding, one of them shedding a tear from the corner of her eyes,

“G-gotoh-san that was.. Good! Way too good!” Sasaki commented in disbelief.

“Thank you Sasa-san.” Hitori said, getting up.

“The only question is. Why did you manage to sell this scene so well… yet bomb every other scene in our rehearsal today?” Sasaki said, in a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

“I just relate to this character very much in this specific moment.” Hitori simply answered.

“This specific moment? The moment she killed herself?”

“Yeah.”

There was an awkward silence after that declaration. Someone coughed in the background.

“G-gotoh-san, a-are you going through something? We can maybe talk about it, if you’d like.” one of her classmates said.

Hitori, suddenly realizing the implications of her answer, Just shook her head frantically.

“A-ah, that’s not what i meant! I’m not- I’m not suicidal. I just, this is just how I am. This is just a glimpse of my dark reality, a full stare into my twisted perceptions would simply make most go insane, haha.”

If Hitori thought this was going to clear up the situation, she was sorely mistaken. Silence blanketed the student body again.

“Dude, she’s so seriously messed up, like a dark evil version of the hamburger helper mascot.” Someone whispered among the audience.

“Right. I guess we don’t really need to worry about that specific scene moving forward. I do recommend a therapist or something though, Gotoh-san.” Sasaki said.

“E-eh, why?”