mio_gure (Twitter)

In Season 2, both episodes 4 and 5 were about the school trip to Kyoto. I couldn't write anything about that because Y/N and the girls are from different schools, so it wouldn't make sense to invite Y/N along. But I didn't want to skip two full episodes, so I made an original chapter that will take place right after the trip to Kyoto.

I emerge into the Light Music clubroom once more. I've gotten used to coming here every day after school. Well, apart from yesterday. Yui told me that the entire third year went to Kyoto, so I didn't have a reason to visit the club. Azusa didn't go to the club either apart from feeding Ton.

"Hey everyone," I opened the door and announced my arrival. The five girls were sitting around the table, cakes in the middle. All of them had their head down. "Jet lag?" The girls move their heads slightly. "I've been there. I don't want to disturb you so I'll grab a cup of tea and take a seat." I set my belongings down and fill a cup with premade tea. These are some fancy cups.

"How are you doing, Ton?" I ask as I sip the hot beverage. He swam in circles as if responding to my question in his own little way. "That's good to hear. And how about you four? How was your trip? If you're feeling up to sharing right now, that is." 
"It was great," Yui's voice was muffled as she spoke into the table. "We went to a zoo and a shrine... and we got lost as well."
"How did you get lost on a school trip?"
"It was a big place, okay?" Ritsu defends herself and the other girls. "And it wasn't just us. Nodoka and her group got lost along with us."

"Oh!" Yui jumps up from the table. "We got you a souvenir." She reaches into her bag and retrieves a small box.
"Me?"
"Well, it's not really for you. It's for Bud!" I open the box and inside was a squeaky, blue ball.
"I'll be sure to give him this when I get home." I don't mind not getting a souvenir, it's just kind of insulting that Bud was thought of before me. I slip the box into my bag that was sitting on the floor next to the wall. I continue to drink my tea. This is really good tea!

"Yui, don't tease him," Mio says exhausted. "Give him the real souvenir."
"Hehe, sorry." Yui rubs the back of her neck as she rummages through her back once more. "Here you go." She hands me a small box and I watch her walk back to the desk and slump over it. I open the box and find a charm. "We thought it might help you practice your guitar."
"Thank you. I appreciate it." I take my wallet and set the charm in one of the compartments.

I take another sip of my tea before I begin to realize something. Why am I drinking tea? I should be practicing. Could it be...Have I already become accustomed to their speed? This isn't my school yet I'm having a tea party! I feel guilty. Maybe I should stop before one of their classmates sees me lounging around in a school I don't belong to.

"Hello, everyone." The door opens and a girl in school uniform walks in. I don't think this good luck talisman is working. 
"Ah, Nodoka!" Yui greets. Wait a minute. I've seen her face before. She looks in my direction and her expression changes to one of inquiry.
"Aren't you the person who was looking to find the Light Music Club a month ago?" She asks.
"That's where I've seen you before!"
"I can see these girls have already got you into their habits." She chuckles. "I don't believe I have told you my name yet. I'm Nodoka Manabe."
"Y/N L/N. A pleasure to meet you."

"Now, back to why I came here in the first place. Yui, have you started studying yet?" Just Yui?
"Oh, yeah," She mutters. "Exams are happening soon. I should be fine. It's still a month away!"
"A... Yui, they're next week." Nodoka sighs. Yui stays silent. "Yui... have you started studying yet?" Nodoka repeats.
"Uh, yeah! Of course, I have!" Yui laughs nervously, looking at everyone else for assistance, only for her plead to become unanswered. Nodoka sighs.
"Yui... you're going to end up failing again. Please try to focus on studying." Nodoka opens the door. "Speaking of, I'm going to head home early and do just that. Yui, I'd suggest you study as well." The door closes and silence washes over the room. Everyone's gaze was fixated on Yui.

"Ricchan... have you started studying?" Yui is afraid to hear the answer.
"Of course, I have! I may slack off a lot, but this is our final year! We can't afford to fail here." Yui lets out another nervous laugh and turns to Mio, Mugi, and Azusa. She shakes her head and then turns to me.
"What about you, Y/N?"
"My exams are over," I reply and finish my last bit of tea.
"Crap..." Her head falls to the table in defeat.

"I'm going to follow Nodoka's footsteps and head home early to continue studying." Mio packs up her belongings and opened the door Nodoka had previously closed. The rest of the girls follow suit. Ritsu whispers something to me before she leaves.
"She's in your hands now. And believe me, she's a handful." The girls wave and close the door leaving me, Yui, and of course Ton.

"Y/N..." She slumps to the floor and clings to my leg. "Help me..." I look to Ton for help. My answer was him spinning in circles and laying on the bed of his aquarium. "Aha!" Yui's shout catches me off guard. "I've got it! What if you help me with studying and I help you hone your skills on the guitar. An eye for an eye, right?"
"That's not what that means. An eye for an eye is when someone gets the same punishment as the crime they've committed."
"Not the point! Will you help me?"
"I think I should be fine by myself from here on out. Everythings starting to come back to me. Besides, the last time you tried to teach me wasn't exactly very helpful." I look down and see tears begin to fall down Yui's cheeks. "But, uh... I can still help you study! Just tell me what you need help with and I'll be every step of the way to help you!"
"Really?" Yui sniffles and looks up at me.
"Y-yeah! Of course!"
"Thanks!" She sure calmed down quickly. "Meet me at my house in an hour!" Yui bursts out of the clubroom.

"Aren't we heading in the same direction? Why did she leave?"

~

"Welcome!" A girl who looked very similar to Yui opened the door. It was the girl I had seen at the Welcoming Concert and later in the halls of the school. "Yui said you'd be coming over. Come in!" I enter their house. Ui sets down a pair of slippers. "Wear these." She's super nice! How are those two sisters? "Our parents are away on a business trip so it's just me and Yui home at the moment. It's nice to meet you again. I'll introduce myself again: I'm Ui."
"Y/N L/N. Nice to meet you again."

"Ah, you're here!" I hear Yui's calls from up the stairs. I look up and find her...
"Why is she on the floor?" I ask Ui. She looks away. It seems even she doesn't know. I see Yui frown.
"Where's Bud?"
"Why would I bring Bud? You're supposed to be studying, remember?"

"Why don't you head upstairs? I'll bring up some snacks later." Ui offers.
"Oh, you don't need to..." I try to turn her down.
"Yui will get cranky if I don't." Ah. That's the real reason.
"Then, by all means, go ahead." I climb up the stairs and watch as Yui rolls along the floor and back into her room, hitting her head on the doorframe. I follow her in.

I observe my surroundings. Her room wasn't very big but it wasn't very small either. She had a bookshelf right next to her door and a desk next to that. On the opposite side of her room lay her bed that was currently infested with stuffed animals. In front of that was Giita and a corkboard filled with pictures lay above it on the pinky-red walls. A table lay in the center of the room and schoolwork was scattered over the top of it. This is most definitely Yui's room.

I look at the pictures on the corkboard. Some of them contained the Light Music Club members, others had Yui in middle school, but one, in particular, caught you off-guard. "Is this you?" You ask her. It was a picture of Yui holding a paper with a max score.
"Yep!" She answers,
"And the paper with full marks is yours as well?"
"Yep!"
"Then... why do you need my help if you can pass with full marks?"
"That's only happened once. I was the only one in my class to fail so I had to retake the test." Poor Yui.

"Do you want to start now?" I say in an attempt to change the subject.
"Sure!"
"What do you want to look over first?"  I ask.
"How about... Math? I don't understand these formulas too well." Yui said. "And I want to get the worst over with first."
"Math it is." I sit down at the table and help Yui find her work. "We'll start with the quadratic curve."

~

"I think I understand now..." Yui stands up for a but and stretches her legs. I do the same.
"That's math done with. What next."
"Let's do English next."
"English... Just a warning: English is my worst subject."
"Why do we even need English?" Yui complains. "We live in Japan. Down with English!" She pumps her fist in the air. "Come on! Say it with me." I laugh and decide to play along. "Down with English!"
"Down with English!" I copy Yui and raise my fist to the sky.

"Ui says you two were studying?" Nodoka opens the door and has a disappointed look on her face.
"Nodoka!" Yui runs to hug her. " What are you doing here?"
"I came here to help you study. But it looks like I was beaten to the punch. Or, at least, I would have been. But from the looks of things..."
"We were studying!" Yui defends us both. "Look!" She picks up a page to show Nodoka.
"Oh. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions." 

"So you're working on math?" Nodoka sits down at the table and we follow her lead.
"We've just finished. We're about to start English now." I explain. "Thank God you're here. English is the only subject I don't understand, so it wouldn't be very sensible for me to teach her."
"Then it looks like I've come at the right time." Nodoka shuffles Yui's papers around to look for her English work.
"My exams may be done, but I'm going to pay attention just in case. It may help me in the long run." 

Nodoka takes over the study session and I occasionally jot down notes that I think I might need in the future. "Sorry to interrupt," I start. "But where is your restroom?"
"The second door to the right," Yui instructs.

"Thanks." I get up and exit Yui's room, making my way to the restroom.

I dry my hands and begin to make my way back to Yui's room before I hear a crash coming from downstairs. Worried, I go down to investigate. I enter the kitchen and see Ui picking up a tray that had fallen on the floor. "Do you need a hand?" I ask her.
"Sorry for disturbing you. I just dropped this. You can go back upstairs, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Don't you have exams you need to study for?" I inquire.
"Yes, but I'm going to bring some snacks up before I start," Ui said.
"Let me give you a hand. I've finished my exams so there's no problem. You can focus on yours."
"I couldn't do that. You're a guest." Ui declines my offer.
"I insist." Ui stays silent for a bit.
"Thank you." She gives in. "Everything is all ready to go. It just needs to be put on the tray and you can bring it up."
"Are you not looking anything?"
"No thanks. I just ate recently."

I begin to place all of the cakes and other treats onto the tray while Ui makes her way up to her room. I lift the tray and make my way upstairs after her. I tap the bottom of Yui's door with my foot and wait a few seconds before it opens before me and Nodoka stands behind it. "Thanks." I hear Yui gasp as I enter the room and place the tray on the desk. "Here's some snacks from Ui."

"Ui..!" Yui takes a cupcake from the tray and bites into it. "It's so good! Thanks, Ui!" Yui shouts. I lift a cupcake and leave the room.
"I'll be back," I inform them.

I search for the door with the sign that read 'Ui's Room' and give a few knocks before entering.
"Y/N, do you need something?" Ui asks.
"I know you said you didn't want one but," I place the cupcake on her desk. "Sugar helps with your memory."
"It does?"
"I think so," I begin to recall where I heard that from. "A friend of mine told me."
"Well, thank you." Ui gives me a warm smile.
"How can two sisters be so different?" I say under my breath.
"What was that?"
"Is there anything else you need my help with? Maybe it can clear your mind while you study."
"I think everything is taken care of," Ui said. "Thanks for the offer, though."
"No problem," I reply. "In that case. I'll leave you be so I don't distract you any more than I already have." I head to the hall and close the door behind me.
"Thanks for the cupcake!" I hear her call. Didn't you make them?

I head back to Yui's room and I see that Yui has over half of the snacks have already been devoured. "I'm back," I say as I grab a seat. "I'll take one of these before they're all gone." I lift a cupcake from the tray and examine it. These are well designed. I take a bite of the cupcake. "Delicious!"
"I know, right?" Yui agrees. "My little Ui has outdone herself!"
"You say little," I said. "But Ui's acting more like an older sister." Yui laughs nervously and rubs the back of her neck.

I notice the corkboard and decide to have another look at the pictures decorating it. The first one that catches my eye is Yui, Ritsu, Mio, and Mugi all in maid outfits on a stage.
"I remember that." Nodoka smiles. "That was when Yui lost her voice."
"How did that happen?" I ask.
"Yui had to take vocals for their first performance, but she couldn't sing and play guitar at the same time."
"I can see that happening."
"That was when Sawako decided to coach Yui for the next week. And it worked! Maybe a little too well. Yui ended up returning to school a week later, however, her voice didn't come with her."

"That's the part you remember?" Yui said. "Nobody can forget Mio's stunt!"
"I've heard you talk about that before. What exactly did Mio do?" I ask.
"At the end of the concert, Mio-"

"Yui!" Nodoka stops her.
"I'll take that as a sign that maybe I shouldn't know."

I look back up at the corkboard and scan through the photos again. I see someone that looks very familiar. I look back to the two girls and hen back at the picture. "Is this you two?" I ask.
"Ah," Nodoka sighs as even more nostalgia hit her. "That was when we graduated middle school."
"Have you two been friends for long?" I ask.
"Oh, yeah!" Yui said. "We've been together since elementary school."
"All of this time and you're still the same klutz you were back then." Nodoka laughs. "Still, I can't say that's always a bad thing."
"Oh, Nodoka!" Yui jumps up to high Nodoka. I pray for your safety. "You're the greatest friend I've ever had!" I see Nodoka smile.

Nodoka's right. She may be a klutz sometimes... most of the time... all of the time, but she's got a good heart. I can see why Nodoka likes her.

"Aha!" Yui said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Y/N's lonely."
"Excuse me?"
"You want to join in, don't you?"
"No thanks,"
"Don't lie! I can read you like a book."
"The book must be upside down."
"I'm not backing down, you know?" Yui threatened.
"Neither am I..." 

We stare each other down for a good bit, waiting for the other to make a move first. It was like an Old Western duel. However, the odds weren't in my favor. I was backed up against a wall, meaning a had little room to maneuver. I had to move slowly away from the corkboard — without setting Yui off — so I had more space. I slowly step towards the edge of the bed. Yui notices this, however.
"Nodoka, Now!" Yui orders as she dashes towards me.
"This isn't my battle," Nodoka said, causing Yui to halt.
"I've been betrayed..." She slumps her shoulders to the floor.

I thought that Nodoka backstabbing Yui meant that the war was over, so I lowered my guard. Rookie mistake. Yui, as she said, read my mind like a book and jumped at me with her arms wide. I didn't have time to react and ended up getting caught between Yui's embrace and the bed.
"You still have much to learn if you want to defeat me, young apprentice." Yui laughed maniacally, while I was still in her arms.
"Teach me your ways, master," I plead as she lets go of me.

"That was an intense battle," Nodoka began. "But might a suggest we get back to studying?" Yui sighs.
"C'mon," I say. "We've goofed off for long enough. Let's get back to work."
"Alright..."

~

"Bye, Yui! Ui!" I wave as I walk down the street back towards my house. We got a good bit of studying done in the end. By the time we finished, it was 11 pm. Nodoka went home by car ten minutes before I left. My sister is probably asleep right now. She's a great sister, but she sleeps a lot. Especially in winter. It's like she hibernates or something.

As I walk I begin to hear quick footsteps coming from behind me so I turn to see who it is. "Yui?" She was chasing after me and her panting was loud."What are you doing?" I ask.

"It's been... a while, so... I thought... Oh, god." She attempts to catch her breath before speaking again. "I wanted to meet Bud."
"Bud? This late at night?"
"I felt a disturbance in the force and could tell he was sitting in his dog bed alone, so I wanted to comfort him."
"How- You can talk to him telepathically now?"
"No, that was a joke." I sigh. "Although that would be nice. I just want to see him."
"What about Ui?"
"She said it's fine as long as I wake up for school on time."
"But-"
"Enough talking! The more we talk, the less sleep I will have." Yui takes the lead and walks in the direction of my house. I give in and follow.

This will probably be the last chapter of the year, so I'll say this now: I hope you all have a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year! These last two years have been hectic, what with Covid-19 and all. I hope that I've at least entertained you somewhat during this year. I'll keep this short and say that I hope you all have a wonderful 2022. See you next year!

Random side note. I'm currently doing my first playthrough of Hollow Knight and, as of writing this, have just completed Path of Pain. I was about halfway through and was thinking to myself "This isn't too bad." Then I got to the final two areas. The first of the two was bad — It took me about 20 minutes to half an hour. But the last area? Oh ho ho... It took me hours! I was so close to beating the level countless times, but I always panicked near the end. 3 HOURS! The sad thing is after I beat it I didn't feel happy — I felt nothing. Nothing, apart from relief. I know this is a weird thing to talk about, but I just wanted to vent for a bit. I feel better already. What a great Christmas present.