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Three love letters. One mysterious secret admirer. Maybe three.
Azusa finds it in her shoe locker that morning—a pink-scented envelope adorned with a heart-shaped stamp plastered right in the middle.
She opens up the flap to find three pink papers cozily nestled up together, pulls them out, and reads over the letters carefully—except they weren’t just regular letters; they were love letters.
Three love letters. From three people. From three girls.
Or, maybe just one girl entirely.
She scans them all carefully. Each letter has something different to them but the topic remains the same: A confession of love. Much like her senpai’s love songs. Except these were more nonsensical. And very over-the-top.
Azusa blinks.
She’s puzzled, to say the least.
A sudden shiver goes down her spine as she hears an unwelcoming phrase reach her eardrums. She stiffens.
Her trademark: Japanese Doll.
Azusa glances up and finds herself face-to-face with Jun and Ui. She blinks again, momentarily dazed. “Ah…”
“Good morning, Azusa-chan!” Ui warmly smiles, waving her hand.
“Yeah, morning!” Jun loudly slaps her hand against Azusa’s back. “Nice of you to finally notice us.”
Azusa flinches. “Y–Yeah. Hey.”
Jun narrows and squints her eyes at her. “You’re acting weird. Weirder than usual.”
Azusa squeaks. “N-No, I’m not!”
Jun ignores her and peers over her shoulder. A huge grin suddenly breaks out on her face. “Whoa, Azusa, is that a love letter?!”
Oh no.
Azusa protectively clutches the letters to her chest. “N-no!”
“Oh my god, it is!” Jun beams. “A girl likes you!”
“Eh?!” Azusa glances around the corridor before clamping Jun’s mouth shut. “Jun, quiet!”
No one needs to know that. No one at all.
Jun immediately shakes her off with a frown, stepping back as she adjusts her school bag on her shoulder. “Jeez, what’s with you? Last time I checked, this is an all girls’ school, Azusa. Remember?”
Right. Of course she knows that. She isn’t stupid. She just can’t wrap her head around the fact that someone—specifically a girl—could very well have feelings for her. She never actually thought about herself liking girls in that way; it never really occurred to her until now. Huh.
Well, she never really thought about romantic relationships in general. Always too focused on her guitar. On her friendships. With Ton-chan. With the band. With Yui. Everything.
Well, whatever. She could figure out her own feelings later. For now though, Azusa has to figure out who sent her those love letters, and Jun’s commentary isn’t helpful in the slightest.
“Wow, Azusa, someone must really have the hots for you.” Jun teases. Her finger sits on her chin as she reads over one of the letters.
Ui’s eyes sparkle. Her hands clasp together. “Azusa-chan, that’s so wonderful! And it looks like you received more than one!”
Azusa raises her fist to her mouth. Her other hand holds onto the three letters with the envelope behind them. “I don’t know. I mean… I’m flattered but… I honestly think this might just be a prank. Some of the lyrics are just too weird and off-putting, but strangely romantic too…”
“Oh, come on!” Jun shakes her head. Her pigtails sway side to side. “Sure, they may seem creepy but it’s definitely true! I mean, who would’ve thought our precious Azusa would get three love letters? I wish I could get that many.“
Exasperatedly, Azusa narrows her eyes. “If that’s the case, then why don’t you be me for a day?”
“Sorry,” Jun sheepishly smiles, rubbing the back of her head. “My hair isn’t long enough.”
Azusa already feels a headache coming on, and it’s not even the first period yet. She groans “Why me?!”
“Now, now, Azusa-chan,” Ui consoles, softly petting the top of her head. “Perhaps this is a good thing!”
Azusa sharply turns on her heel, her face flushed red. “Ui, what could possibly be so good about this?!” she nearly yells, throwing her hands down to her sides. “I don’t even know if I like girls!”
Ui just continues to smile and puts her hand on Azusa’s other shoulder. “Then take this chance to discover something about yourself. No matter what, we will always support you. Never forget that.”
Azusa blinks. Her face gets flushed. Shyly glances down towards her feet.
Whoa. She wasn’t expecting that.
Azusa bites her lips. Wrangles with her fingers. “Uh, well, I mean… Th—thank you, Ui…”
“Okay, but your signer’s name… Why are they named U?” Jun taps at the bottom of the paper. “I mean, that’s really a super anonymous touch, don’t you think?”
“Hmm, maybe the abbreviation stands for something?” Ui guesses.
“Like what, Utopia?” Jun stifles a laugh before placing a hand on her forehead dramatically. “Oh, it’s my dream to marry Azusa and live with her in a beautiful house up in our Heaven of Paradise!”
Azusa blinks, exasperated. “Jun.”
Jun cutely winks in her direction, clasping her hands together near her jaw. “Right?”
Azusa deadpans. “Sorry, but the answer’s clearly no.”
Jun pouts, feigning hurt as she crosses her arms. “You’re no fun! This is exciting!”
“To you, maybe.” Azusa dismisses. She places the letters back in the envelope and into her school bag. “Anyways, enough about that. Let’s go to class before we’re late.”
Jun and Ui head out first, laughing among themselves about Azusa’s current predicament. Azusa exasperatedly sighs again. This is definitely going to be a long day.
She adjusts her school bag on her shoulder. Takes a step forward. Stops. Turns her head.
A shadow. It quickly disappears.
Azusa squints. Tilts her head. Her feet move on their own. She’s about to round the corner when—
“Azusa!” Jun calls out. “Aren’t you coming?”
Azusa flinches, then quickly replies, “Y-Yes!”
She looks behind her shoulder one last time. Nobody’s there. Strange. She could’ve sworn someone was watching them. But who?
Perhaps she’s just on edge.
Yeah. That’s it. Definitely.
The warning ball rings.
Azusa heads off for her classroom. Leaves the shadow behind.
At least, for now.
It’s hard to stay focused.
Her teachers are droning on about whatever. She can’t bring herself to care. She’s usually good at paying attention. Always diligent. Always studious. Just like Mio-senpai. Just like her Mio-senpai.
Azusa taps her pen against her notebook. Her hands rest on her cheeks. She stares down at the white papers—filled with notes on calculus and equations. She would rather be seeing pink. Rather be smelling the sweet vanilla touch of a hot summer day.
She drops her hands. They fall down onto her lap. She reaches for the zipper on her bag dangling at her desk’s side. It opens. Quietly. Love letters acquired.
Secretly, she pulls them up to her notebook and rests her arms on top of the pink papers—
She puts her head down on her arms.
She smells the scent of bananas. Her favorite flavor. But just how did they know? Who is U really?
She looks across the classroom to where Jun sits at her desk. Right in the middle.
Could… Could Jun be U? She does have a U in her name. But.. it’s very unlikely that Jun would go that far in a love letter prank. If she knows Jun well, then Jun would just confess outright and not beat around the bush.
Yeah, her secret admirer definitely isn’t Jun.
Then could… Could it be Ui?
No, that’s impossible. Ui would never do that to her! Besides, Ui has her hands full with taking care of Yui anyways–which is still weird to think about considering they were born in the wrong order. Still, Ui only mostly caring about her sister is an admirable feat in itself.
Yeah, Ui definitely isn’t her secret admirer either.
If it isn’t either of them, just who can it—?
“Ow!”
Azusa feels a sharp sting to her shin as she clutches her throbbing leg. She looks up to see the culprit: Jun.
“Yo!” Jun puts her hand up. “Finally awake?”
“Ow, Jun!” Azusa grits her teeth. “Why would you do that?!”
“To get your attention obviously!” Jun holds up the love letters. “Now, what are we gonna do about these? School just ended for the day so we have plenty of time to figure this out!”
Azusa blinks. What? She missed a whole school day? Did she even eat lunch?! No, she’s certain she did. Wait. Has she been thinking about these stupid love letters all day?! Everything is really meshing up to be one huge blur, except for those love letters engraved in her mind.
Those annoying, pesky, stupid love letters—
What a pain.
Azusa stands up from her chair and snatches the letters out of Jun’s hands—slamming it hard onto her desk and away from their prying eyes. “Look, I don’t know… and I don’t think I ever want to know… so can we please just drop it? After all, like I said, it’s probably just a prank—“
“Wait a minute, Azusa-chan!” Ui pipes up excitedly. “If it’s signed with U, then it should be someone who has that letter in their name! That’s plausible, right?”
Azusa blinks. There’s no way she’s getting out of this anytime soon. She decided to indulge them just a little longer. “Hmm, it could be, but…”
“But nothing!” Jun insists, holding onto Azusa’s shoulders and leaning forward against her. “I think our wise detective is on to something!”
Ui smiles at Jun’s encouragement before continuing, spreading the papers out carefully and briefly analyzing them. “We know it’s not from me or Jun-chan so… maybe it’s from someone in your club? Judging by what’s written, it could be one of them.”
A gasp escapes Azusa’s lips.
That’s… smart, actually.
She’s almost annoyed she didn’t think of it first.
She reads through them over and over again in slight disbelief. Someone in her club? That would mean Mugi, Ritsu, or Yui. No way, right? But… maybe so. The letters are just too romantically weird. But if she goes off on what Ui said then…
“Ah, well…” Azusa fidgets with her fingers. Lowers her gaze. Picks her head back up. Smiles awkwardly. Waves her hands. “Maybe… Maybe this is all too much! I think we should really quit while we’re—“
“Too late!” Jun grins, earning a glare from Azusa. She suddenly snaps her fingers. “Oh, I know! Tell Mio-senpai about it! After all, she doesn’t have a U in her name,” she suggests, matter-of-factly. “She’s smart and amazingly talented, so she definitely should be able to help!”
Ui nods, pumping up her fists with a smile. “Go for it, Azusa-chan!”
Azusa grimaces. She feels trapped. She wants to figure out the mystery—but she doesn’t want to end up disappointing herself in the end. It doesn’t help that Jun and Ui are all in for this too, making her even more pressured.
Well, it’s like the saying goes: Curiosity killed the cat.
Jun’s right though. Mio can help her. She’s probably the only one who can.
“I guess… I guess I should…” Azusa decides in a low voice before turning back to her friends. “Alright, I’ll do it!”
“Woohoo!” Jun cheers.
Azusa gathers up her belongings and puts her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll head up to the clubroom then. Thanks, you two!”
Ui waves with both hands. “Good luck, Azusa-chan!”
Jun gives her a thumbs up. “Let us know everything later!”
With one final nod, Azusa leaves the classroom, walks into the long-winded hallway, and heads for the stairs. Her confidence slowly wanes with each step she takes.
She hopes Mio is already there in the clubroom. Maybe she should text her to make sure? No, that would be too suspicious. Too risky. She won’t do it then.
The Light Music clubroom soon comes into view. She hears the faint sound of Mio’s bass playing Fude Pen ~Brush Pen~ from the doorway. It’s beautiful. Magical.
But of course, all beautiful things must come to an end.
Azusa gently opens the door and walks inside. There isn’t anyone else in the clubroom besides Mio—just like she wanted. “U-um, good afternoon… Mio-senpai!” Azusa calls out, closing the door behind her.
Mio looks up from her bass, smiling. “Ah, Azusa, good afternoon. I’ll make tea in a second, okay? Just let me finish up here.”
“Oh, Mio-senpai!” Azusa hides the letters behind her back. Squirms with her feet planted on the ground. “Before tea, I was wondering if we could talk about something…”
“Huh? Well, sure… but…” Mio stands up and sets her bass down. “Don't you want tea to calm your nerves though?”
“O–Oh!” Azusa smiles awkwardly. Mio had noticed her being fidgety. So much for being careful. “No worries, I'd rather talk before the others come but feel free to! Speaking of everyone else, where are they?”
Mio sighs, walking over to the tea station to prepare brewing the tea. “Ritsu and Yui dashed out of class the second the bell rang. Those two, I swear… As for Mugi, she said was going to help Nodoka with something. I assume it’s something for her presidential matters.”
Once Mio finishes making the tea, she places Azusa’s teacup on her desk before sitting in her own chair next to her. “Now, tell me what’s bothering you.”
Azusa sits down at the head on the table, sliding the three papers over to Mio’s desk. “This morning… I received these letters in my shoe locker. They’re very… romantically weird.”
Mio tilts her head, curious. “How so?”
Azusa clenches her fists. Bites her lips. “Well… One of the letters… seems to know everything about me. My activities with the Light Music Club… specifically.”
Mio hums, resting her hands in her cheeks. “I see. That is weird.”
Azusa stares down at her knuckles—now white. She looks back up at Mio. “I can’t help thinking it’s a prank. Ui and Jun think otherwise. And so, they told me to consult you about it…”
Mio leans back against her chair, placing her fist underneath her chin. “This is serious… We shouldn’t take it lightly. It might be a stalker. Or worse. We should let Nodoka know.”
Azusa’s lips tremble. Tears well up in her eyes. “Mio-senpai…”
Mio smiles at her reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Azusa. We’ll find the culprit. But maybe we shouldn’t make these assumptions so soon… I haven’t actually looked at the letters myself yet.”
“Ah!” Azusa shouts out. “I’m so sorry! I should’ve let you—“
Mio raises a hand up. “It’s okay, really. I’ll do it now.”
True to her word, Mio goes through each of the letters. Azusa gauges her reactions to each one carefully. Mio stays quiet at the first one, furrows her eyebrows at the second one, and laughs quietly at the third one. Azusa tilts her head.
Mio stacks the letters back together. “Okay, so, the second one isn’t that weird actually, but I get why you’re so concerned by it.”
With a shy smile, Azusa scratches her ankle with her foot.
“As for the third letter, it’s very endearing… and beautiful too… The writer really put their all into it!” Mio says excitedly.
Azusa deadpans. “And the first letter?
Mio smiles brightly, clasping her hands. “It’s so romantic and full of love! The way the writer goes on about how they want to be your special someone in different ways that caters to your interests!”
“Ah, really?” Azusa asks. “I thought it was pretty—“
Mio sighs, placing her hand on her cheek. “It’s beautiful … So romantic…”
“Um, Mio-senpai?” Azusa calls, waving her hand in front of her face.
“Hmm, these lyrics from the first letter are like poetry…” Mio says, scanning the first letter closely. “Can I take this letter as inspiration for my own lyrics? I’ll give credit, of course—“
“Mio-senpai!” Azusa abruptly stands, slamming her hands on the table. “I’m sorry but until I know who this is—absolutely no song lyrics!” She promptly sits back down. “Also, forgive me for saying this, but you have a tendency of making your lyrics seem like a confession. Remember when Ritsu-senpai told us about the supposed love letter she got from you?”
“T–That was one time!” Mio splutters, turning away and crossing her arms. “It’s Ritsu’s own fault for misunderstanding it! That idiot doesn’t know the difference between lyrics and an actual confession!”
“It even got turned into a song, just like what you want to do now…” Azusa thinks out loud, ignoring Mio’s rant.
Mio slumps in her chair. A heavy sigh escapes her lips. “I’ve been having writer’s block lately… you can’t blame me for being out of ideas…”
Azusa frowns. She’ll help her out with ideas later. “Back to the topic at hand… Mio-senpai, how do you feel about people with the letter U in their name?” Her hands shake beside her pink teacup.
“Eh?” Mio sits back up straight, eyeing her curiously. “Well, those are pretty common. Every member besides me here has it. Ui-chan and Jun-chan have it too. I guess it’s… nice? I don’t really know what you want me to say, Azusa.” Mio gives her a confused smile before taking a sip of her tea.
Azusa sighs. That was a dumb question. She lets her head fall onto her desk. “I’m sorry, Mio-senpai… I just really want to know who wrote these letters…”
Mio rubs Azusa’s head. “I know you do, Azusa. We’ll think better with three heads—or rather, five heads. Speaking of, where are—“
The door to the clubroom suddenly opens.
“Hello, my amazing, wonderful friends!” Mugi greets cheerfully, crossing the room with grace. She rests her bag on the bench with the others. “I’m terribly sorry for being late. I was off helping Nodoka-chan with some paperwork.”
“Paperwork?” Mio repeats incredulously, her eyes narrowing at Mugi—who was already preoccupied by the tea station. “What kind of paperwork? If Ritsu forgot to sign something again, I’ll—“
“Oh no, Nodoka-chan's own paperwork!” Mugi assures with a gentle smile, brewing tea for herself and their absent friends. “I noticed how stressed she looked in class, so I asked her if she needed help with her presidential duties. Looks like I was right.”
“Ah… I figured, but wasn’t sure if I was right.” Mio smiles. “I’m sure she appreciated it. Now, do you know where Yui and Ritsu are?”
Mugi shakes her head, placing the steaming teacups on the silver platter. “I’m afraid not, Mio-chan.”
Mio sighs exasperatedly. Again. “Of course…”
Azusa watches Mugi flutter around the room, placing the silver platter onto the table before going over to her bag to bring out the cake packaging.
The cake slices are served effortlessly. Without fail.
As usual, it's strawberry-flavored.
A stark contrast to her banana-flavored love letters. She still doesn’t know how the signer found a banana scented perfume to place on the letters. Weird. Maybe she really is being stalked. A shiver goes up her spine just by the thought of it.
Mugi eventually takes her seat next to Mio’s. She glances towards Azusa with furrowed brows. “Azusa-chan, you seem troubled. Is something the matter?”
“Huh? Oh, well…” Azusa looks off to the side, her cheeks growing pink as Mio slides the papers over to Mugi. “I got these weird romantic love letters… signed by someone with only the letter U. Any ideas as to who?”
Mugi’s eyes sparkled over the letters as she scanned through each of them, marveling at its contents. “Oh my… These are… I mean, none whatsoever! But maybe Ricchan and Yui-chan know!”
Great. Just great. She stabs into her cake with her fork. She thinks she sees Mio flinch out of the corner of her eye. She’s not sorry for making a mess. She doesn’t care.
“Yeah, well…” Azusa stabs at the cake again. “Let’s hope so.”
Thirty minutes later, the clubroom door bursts open.
Yui and Ritsu are finally here.
“Captain Ricchan!” Yui salutes. “We have finally made it to our home base! Woohoo!” she cheers, resting her bag on the couch and her guitar case against Mio’s. “Woohoo!”
“Yes, Private Yui!” Ritsu acknowledges. “We have, we have!”
Another sigh escapes out of Azusa’s lips. She knows their energy isn’t going to be put through any productive use. Certainly not for practicing, and certainly not for her unexpected love letters.
Yui and Ritsu start to hug and jump up and down in their victory. Mio deadpans at their inside joke while Mugi just smiles at their adorable game, already sharing out tea and cake for them both at their respective desks.
“Ahem,” Azusa stands up. Walks to the middle of the room. Coughs into her fist to get their attention. “If you two are done playing your silly little game-“
“AZUNYAN!” Yui runs full speed ahead to glomp her tightly, one that often wasn’t reciprocated back. “Azunyan! Azunyan!”
“Y-Yui-senpai!” Azusa begins to squirm as usual. She’s much more annoyed this time, though. “I’m not feeling my best today so please stop!”
Yui immediately pulls away, frowning as she begrudgingly goes over to sit down at her desk. “I’m sorry for hugging you, Azunyan… but are you okay?”
Ouch. That stings. She never expected Yui to actually apologize for hugging her, like, ever. This is bad. She needs to remedy the situation. Make Yui feel better somehow.
Azusa sits back at her desk. Squirms in her seat. “Yui-senpai, it’s okay, please don't worry. You did nothing wrong. Your abrupt hugs are okay. Just please ask sometimes.”
Ouch. That was way meaner—especially considering the fact that asking wouldn’t make it abrupt anymore. Just consensual. Consent is perfectly okay, of course, but Azusa really doesn’t mind Yui’s abrupt hugs, especially from the back where she can always smell Yui’s warmth and ever-lasting contagious smiles.
Regardless, it seems like Yui understood with a slight nod. “Are you really okay though, Azunyan?”
Huh. Is she actually okay? Azusa doesn’t really know herself, but maybe if she knew who the person is behind these romantic letters (that made absolutely no sense to her) then…!
“Oh my!” Ritsu gasps dramatically, raising her arm to her forehead. “Our dear little junior got herself some love letters! No wonder she’s so angry and mean! Oh, Nakano— Ow!”
“Stop being a jerk, Ritsu!” Mio scolds, stepping hard on Ritsu’s foot. “This is serious!”
Azusa blinks. Did she accidentally say her thoughts out loud? She looks towards Mugi—who nods without hesitation. “Geez…”
Azusa feels her eyes begin to water. She doesn’t try to wipe them away. She’s just really, really drained by everything that’s happened today.
All of this over some stupid love letters that would have normally blown over her head, had she not spent the whole day thinking about it. If she’s being completely honest with herself, she really doesn’t care about what everyone else thinks of the letters. It would be best if she just goes home and throws them away—never to be seen again by the likes of anyone.
…Yeah, that seems like a good plan.
“Ugh,” a familiar voice groans. “You all are a bunch of idiots.”
Everyone turns to the other side of Azusa’s desk.
It’s Sawako.
“Sawa-chan?!” Ritsu exclaims, almost leaping out of her chair. “Jeez, stop doing that! You almost gave me a freaking heart attack!”
Sawako laughs, snatching the letters up for herself from Mugi’s desk. “How long have I been here? Since forever! Hahaha!”
Ritsu groans, leaning her head against the desk with a thud. “Oh brother…”
With a giggle, Sawako quickly shifts gears and focuses her utmost attention on Azusa’s love letters. “Hmm, if it's any consolation, I recognize the handwriting.”
Azusa’s ears perk up at Sawako’s hopeful words. Someone from her homeroom?! That must mean… An upperclassman! “So, it’s someone from your homeroom?” she asks Sawako, leaning closer against her desk.
But that begs the question… Why would someone from her seniors’ classroom like her? She doesn’t know them. They don’t know her either. Maybe… Maybe Nodoka? No, of course not. For someone as smart as her, she would write a cohesive poem instead. Plus, she doesn’t have a U in her name.
“…Yes, in fact, they’re in this very room!” Sawako announces, pointing her finger up towards the ceiling.
“Wait,” Azusa pauses. “Someone… in this very room?”
Sawako grins devilishly, adjusting her glasses as they glint against the sunlight. “…Isn’t that right, Ricchan, Mugi-chan, Yui-chan?”
Azusa’s fork clinks against the desk as it falls out of her hands.
Wait… what?
There’s no way… There’s no way that’s true!
She stands up from her seat. Abruptly. Wobbly. She stares straight into Sawako’s eyes, processing her words before slowly looking between her three seniors. “You… You three… Love letters…”
Silence immediately dawns onto the clubroom. Azusa eyes her upperclassman like they were suspects. They are suspects. Ritsu avoids eye contact, whistling badly, Yui takes another bite of her cake without a care in the world, and Mugi tightly grips her skirt—sweat running down her face.
Bingo.
“Mugi-senpai… Anything you want to share?” Azusa questions intently. “Anything at all? I’m curious as to what you all are thinking right now.”
Mugi trembles slightly before letting out a heavy sigh. “…Yes, Azusa-chan, it was us,” she confirms, pushing her seat back to stand up with an apologetic bow.
Azusa’s eyes widen even more. The room spins. The three of them are all talking amongst themselves. She can’t seem to hear them. She thinks Mio’s looking at her with concern. She doesn’t know. She just can’t tear her gaze away from them.
Many emotions swirl inside of her. She quickly decides.
She knew it was a prank. She knew it.
Even so, it still hurts.
Azusa slams her hands against her desk. “I can’t… I can’t believe you three!!”
“Azu—“
“No!” Azusa interrupts. Walks away from the table. Begins to pace. “I mean, of course I knew it was a prank… It was obviously very unlikely that anyone would actually fall in love with me!” She turns on her heel. Her face is flushed with tears.
“You know… To be honest… I really thought…” She sniffles. Wipes her tears with the back of her hand. It doesn’t last. “For a split second… I really thought that someone actually did have those romantic feelings for me.”
Azusa turns back to look at them. Smiles ruefully. “But I guess… It was just too good to be true.”
They call out to her. Her name, probably. She’s crying even harder now. To let her upperclassman see her like this… So incredibly embarrassing.
But… they’re the ones who did this to her. They’re the ones who crafted this stupid love letter plan as a dumb prank!
Well, she’s not all that mad at Mugi. If anything, Mugi was probably roped into all of this. After all, the real culprits were Ritsu and Yui—mostly the former.
Azusa opens the door quietly, about to take a step out the clubroom, when—
“Azusa-chan, stop right there!”
Azusa flinches. She slowly turns her head to see Sawako whip off her glasses. She shudders. It does the trick.
“Now that I have your attention, hear me out!” Sawako taps the paper. “One of these letters is genuine, whoever’s truest feelings for you. I could figure it out just from first glance!”
“Really now?” Azusa deadpans. Her shoulders slump in defeat. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Well then, come on over and let’s solve it!” Sawako beckons, making a fluttering motion with her hand.
Azusa mumbles something incoherent. No way out of this now.
She closes the clubroom door, crosses the room, and joins her friends back at the table. “Fine, let’s get this over with. Which letter belongs to who?”
Sawako pouts, her hands resting on her cheeks. “That’s no fun. Why spoil it? I know you’re upset, but live a little. If I was you, I would—“
“Okay, okay, I’ll guess!” Azusa relents, not wanting to hear Sawako’s input or another sad tale from her heartbreak days. She receives the letters back from Sawako. She scans over the first one she read earlier—the one about her appearance. Except… not exactly.
Dear Azusa,
I like your hair in different styles but
Twin-tails don’t suit you at all
I like whenever you flip your hair
To play those sweet sounds crossing my heart
I like seeing your scary reactions to things,
because you’re really cute whenever you blush
I like how serious and mature you look
I want to be your favorite cook
I just hope that you would want to stay
I can’t think of anything else romantic to say
I hope this song reaches you
I want you to know how I feel about you
I want to be with you on that sunny day
with the two of us and no one else
I wish I could actually tell you how I feel,
but the fear of your response scares me more than your own fears
I like you, you’re my forever best friend
but I want something a little more than that
I really, really like you,
but maybe I’m not good enough
Just us two in a wintry wonderland
so please consider my feelings true
-U
Azusa blinks. Laughs. Presses the paper to her face.
How could she be so stupid?
“Yeah, this is definitely Ritsu-senpai’s.”
Ritsu immediately whips her head in Azusa’s direction. “Hey, that doesn’t automatically make it mine-“
Azusa taps the paper, immediately delving into criticism. “Your handwriting is a bit messy and sloppy at times, but surprisingly readable. Also, some parts don’t refer to me at all! Twintails do suit me, and I don’t slow walk underneath a wintery wonderland or whatever it says here.”
Ritsu shifts in her seat with a strained smile. She reaches over and tries to grab the letter out of her hand. “Ahaha, Azusa… What are you-“
“You’re not subtle at all, Ritsu-senpai!” Azusa beams playfully. “Are you sure you didn’t write this for someone else?”
Ritsu’s eyes grow wide. “Uh, of course not! I only wrote it for you! And if you can’t see through my obvious fake love to you because this is a prank—then you should start wearing, uh, love reading glasses!”
“Right… Well, here you go, Mio-senpai.” Azusa passes the letter over to Mio, not believing half of Ritsu’s speech. She’s right about one thing though. It’s fake love to at least one black-haired girl.
Mio quickly reads over it, her cheeks forming a bright blush at the words written there. The very same letter she was so captivated by before. “I… This is…”
“Uh,” Ritsu slightly covers her mouth with one hand. “I can explain… s–somewhat.”
Azusa simply smiles at them. She gets up from her seat and suddenly stops as she hears the bubbles from Ton-chan’s tank. Right. Ton-chan. She forgot to feed him!
Azusa quickly opens the pink container box and sprinkles some food into Ton-chan’s tank. “There you go, Ton-chan. I’m sorry for making you wait for so long.”
“Aww, Azunyan, you’re so cute when you talk all babyish to Ton-chan!” Yui coos.
“I do not talk all babyish to Ton-chan!” Azusa shouts before quickly faltering. “…Do I?”
She doesn’t really get an answer from any of them.
Azusa just decides to take their murmuring as a yes.
After feeding Ton-chan, Azusa gestures for Yui and Mugi to join her by the blue bench, allowing their other friends to have some privacy. “Alright, this next letter is about girls being romantic, meaning me and… Well, I wanna say this letter belongs to Mugi-senpai?”
Mugi beams, tightly clasping Azusa’s hand in hers. “Yes, you are absolutely correct, Azusa-chan! You know me so well! And that’s why you’re the one I want, Azusa-chan!”
Azusa feels her cheeks heat up once again. “Wait—what?!”
She wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction from Mugi, but then again, she wouldn’t put it past her. “Mugi-senpai… I already know that this whole thing is a prank, so you can drop the act now!”
Mugi frowns, pouting like a dejected puppy as her body sways in place. “But Azusa-chan, it’s true! I really do like you…”
“…Th–There’s no way you do… I mean, why me out of everyone else?” Azusa stands up from the bench, deciding to play along with Mugi’s strange love confession. “It’s just… you can do much better.”
“No!” Mugi rapidly shakes her head, standing up from the bench as well. “It has to be you and only you! Because… because…”
“Because what, Mugi-senpai?” Azusa urges, her eyebrows furrowing in worry.
Mugi takes a deep breath, focusing all her attention on Azusa as she stomps her foot down onto the ground. “You’re adorable, Azusa-chan. You’re the most adorable girl I’ve ever known. There’s just something so incredible about you! And every time our eyes meet, I just get so mushy inside that I don't know what to do!”
“M–mushy?!” Azusa repeats, perplexed.
“There truly is no one like you, Azusa-chan,” Mugi compliments, smiling softly at her. “And if my love letter wasn’t enough to fully convince you, then allow me to express it the only way I know how.”
“And… how are you going to do that?” Azusa nervously asks, knowing full well where this conversation was about to turn into it.
“Through song!” Mugi cheers, pointing straight at her piano near the window. Wasting no time, Mugi ran to her piano and pulled out a stool to sit on. “Get ready, Azusa-chan! I’m about to sweep you away with my angelic voice, and properly give my most precious, dear feelings to you!”
Azusa sits back down on the blue bench, slightly curious how Mugi was going to convey those written words with her singing voice. Mugi has indeed sung romantic songs before—to a lesser extent than Mio of course—so there’s no doubt that she’d be able to perfect it. Perhaps Mugi isn’t still playing a prank on her after all?
All eyes are focused on Mugi as she begins to hum and place her hands on the keys, closing her eyes to fully capture herself in the moment. She opens her mouth, and begins to sing.
Many butterflies in my chest,
fluttering as I think of you and your beauty
My heart pounds ever so slightly,
beating for you and your catlike smile
Beautiful tunes from your sweet guitar,
tapping my feet to those pleasant sounds
Milk tea in your personal pink teacup,
something cute I made just for you
In this all-girls school we’re both in,
it’s practical to hide our love from this world
But I rather just show you off to everyone,
because they deserve to know that you are my precious one
As Mugi continues with her love ballad, Azusa can’t help but glance over at Yui—who was, surprisingly, entirely focused on Mugi’s abrupt admiration for Azusa. Well, who could blame her really? It’s definitely true that Mugi has an angelic voice. She should really sing more, rather than just composing music for them.
In all honesty, Mugi is like a heavenly angel, descended from above with her gorgeous blonde hair, her beautiful blue eyes, her amazing personality, and…
Wait, why is she thinking about all this anyways? Last time she checked, she didn't fall head over heels for one of her closest friends, and that still applies to what’s currently happening before her eyes.
So then, why does Mugi’s love confessions make Azusa feel something warm deep inside of her heart? Azusa has never felt true romantic feelings for anyone before, so to think that Mugi would be her first… or perhaps her mind is simply playing tricks on her. Still, for someone to say all those wonderful things about her, and maybe even genuinely mean it… What an exhilarating experience indeed.
Mugi plays the last note, ending her romantic song with sweet, soothing hums before looking straight at Azusa. “So, Azusa-chan… your thoughts?”
Azusa immediately stands up, clapping loudly as the others join in with her. “Mugi-senpai… That was… really amazing!”
“Thank you so much, Azusa-chan!” Mugi beams. “Now, there’s just one more letter to decipher…”
“One more letter…?” Azusa glances over at Yui, who looks at her innocently. “Oh, that’s right… Yui-senpai’s love letter…”
“Oh, what’s the matter, Azusa?” Ritsu grins, having a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Were you too entranced by Mugi’s elegance of a performance, forgetting about the very reason why we’re still here?”
Azusa’s eyebrow twitches in annoyance. She sharply turns around to give her club president a piece of her mind. “You’re the reason why we’re in this mess in the first place! You and your… dumb pranks!”
“Who? Lil’ ol’ me?” Ritsu bats her eyelashes, giving off a cutesy look. “I’m so flattered you think so!”
“Ritsu, enough.” Mio narrows her eyes at her, lightly scolding.
“Oh, come on!” Ritsu complains, pouting.
Azusa rolls her eyes, snatches the third letter off her desk, and begins to skim through it. There’s some kind of animal theme to it. Specifically dogs and cats, with them being friends to lovers? She’s not exactly sure what Yui meant by it, and it would probably be best not to know. However, to the possibility that Yui could also have a crush on her… She just has to know what it’s about.
“Yui-senpai, please explain this letter to me!” Azusa softly demands, presenting the paper to her with a bow.
“Oh, you don’t get it?” Yui cocks her head to the side, taking the letter back from Azusa.
“Well… not exactly. It’s somewhat confusing…” Azusa tells her, albeit awkwardly. “I mean… the whole friends to lovers thing for dogs and cats? How would that even work? Cats run away from dogs, especially if they’re being chased. It just doesn’t make any sense…”
Azusa hopes that she wasn’t upsetting Yui with her personal feelings on the matter. She’s just confused, although she was mostly seeing it from a logical perspective. Maybe there was more within?
Yui smiles. “That’s plenty okay, Azunyan! I’ll just say my feelings differently! And what better way to do that than with a song!”
What, another song!? Well, it’s not like Azusa minded more songs at her expense, especially if it meant that her seniors would practice more, but…
Yui salutes in Mugi’s direction, sporting a somewhat serious and confident look. “Do I have your permission, Private Mugi?”
Mugi nods, determinedly. “Permission granted, Private Yui!”
If Azusa wasn’t confused before, she definitely is now. Did Yui just abruptly add Mugi into her game with Ritsu? Is there some sort of inside joke she’s missing out of? Not that she actually cares for silly little games like that but… Why would Yui ask permission in the first place? The five of them are in the Light Music Club after all! The perfect time to play music whenever!
Well, at least one person here took it seriously—
“Ah!” Mio suddenly shouts out, jumping out of her seat with sparkles in her eyes. “Yui, are you about to sing a song about animals being in love?!”
Azusa audibly facepalms. She really should’ve expected this response from Mio sooner. Why didn’t she expect it sooner?!
“Ehehe, I sure am, Mio-chan!” Yui smiles, taking out her guitar from its case. “Why do you ask?”
Mio can’t contain her excitement any longer. “I’ve been wanting to sing about animals for the longest time, but Ritsu always denies my lyrics!”
Ritsu puts her hands behind her head, leaning back against her chair. “They’re just not compatible with our sound, if you catch my drift.”
“They could be…” Mio mutters, looking off to the side before happily focusing her attention back on her other friends. “Anyways, now’s my chance to sing about animals being in love! Oh, please let me join you, Yui! I can provide the basslines for your song to Azusa!”
“Of course, Mio-chan!” Yui beams. “More the merrier!”
Oh no. This is bad. Now Mio is unfortunately involved in this love letter craziness. Excluding Ritsu's subtle confession moments earlier, Mio was initially a witness to this whole situation! If Azusa was in Mio’s shoes, she would have kept her favorite animal lyrics to herself.
Of course, Mio and her love for animals isn’t much of a surprise to anyone. What Mio probably doesn’t know was that one of her least favorite animals was included in that set of ‘romantic’ lyrics.
“Wait, Mio-senpai, dogs are involved though!” Azusa halfheartedly warns, trying to stop her from singing along with Yui. “Maybe you shouldn’t…”
“I’m well aware, Azusa, and I’m only scared of dogs when they bark really loudly, have a menacing look, growl at you, and… well, um—“
Mio shuts her eyes tight and Azusa almost regrets trying to scare her. She thinks she should apologize. She should apologize.
“Mio!” Ritsu calls.
Everyone turns to her. Ritsu squishes her cheeks, pretending to be a pineapple. Everyone laughs. Azusa looks over at Mio, who seems to have recovered from her initial scare.
“Alright… Yui, I’m ready!” Mio tells her confidently, slinging Elizabass over her shoulder.
“Wait, just a sec!” Yui quickly runs off, then comes back to place a cat-eared headband on Azusa’s head. “Ta-da! Our cat!”
Azusa immediately flinches. “Y–Yui-senpai! How is this supposed to be related to your song?!”
“To help you understand it more!” Yui grins, throwing up a peace sign before slinging Gitah over her shoulder. “Besides, you always look so adorable wearing those!”
Azusa looks off to the side, blushing profusely. “Just go ahead and sing…”
“Alright!” Yui cheers, strumming her guitar. “Get ready, Azunyan! Prepared to be graced by our awesomeness!”
Mio and Yui might have been indeed ready, but Azusa sure isn’t. For some reason, she can’t help but feel uneasy about all of this. Mugi’s song had made her soar through the clouds for some apparent reason, but what would Yui’s song, about a dog and cat, bring?
Yui clears her throat, strums her guitar a few times for extra measure, and begins to sing.
I’m a dog!
You’re a cat!
Wow oh wow!
You’re a cat!
I’m a dog!
My oh my!
I’m a dog, who wants to be more than friends
You’re a cat, who runs whenever I am near
But why, oh why, do we have to be far apart?
Why can’t we get all affectionate like others do?
I never wanted to embarrass you
I just want to be your friend, firstly of all
But if we can be more, that’s okay too
I just want to be with you
We can go on walks together, catch fish together, cuddle up together!
Whatever you want to be, together!
Come on, let’s get closer!
Yarn entwine!
You and me,
cat and dog
My oh my!
You and me,
cat and dog
Wow oh wow!
There’s something about how you stare
I wanna be in your every care
Your cat ears go great on your twintail hair
I wanna breathe in the same air
Though I know this is all pretty weird to say
Just hear me out, just for today
But I know you want nothing to do with me
Please put that aside for our talk at three
Let’s be friends, maybe something more
If you don’t mind at all, I’d like us to get closer
More than friends, but less than lovers
Don’t you want that too?
Good friends! Close friends! Lovely together!
Hug, cuddle, kiss, and so much more!
Good friends! Close friends! Lovely together!
All I need from you!
Wow oh wow!
My oh my!
You and me!
Cat and dog!
As Yui and Mio play their instruments to complete the final chords of the song, Azusa now knows that there’s definitely some sort of hidden message within the lyrics. Clearly, it’s about her and Yui being cat and dog respectively, along with the lines of Yui being upset that they weren’t as close?
That doesn’t make any sense. They’re definitely close! Yui hugs her all the time! She squirms in response! It’s their dynamic! Does Yui… think she doesn’t like it? It’s not like she ever told Yui to stop—because she doesn’t want her to!
Azusa loves her hugs! They’re warm, fluffy, and comforting! Yui is too! So why… Why is Yui having doubts about their relationship? Azusa doesn’t try to run away. Not really. Is it because of today? No, Yui wrote that letter way before today.
Okay, she should actually try to analyze the song lyrics. Yui wants to be more than friends—but it’s okay if they stay the same they’ve always been. She wants to be more than friends… but less than lovers. She wants to be the one dog in her cat’s life that can be near her and not run away.
Ah.
Ah.
She understands now.
Yui’s love letter song comes to a close.
Azusa immediately stands up and gives her a standing ovation. “That was really amazing, Yui-senpai!”
“Awh, thank you, Azunyan…” Yui giggles over the praise.
Suddenly there’s a round of applause coming from Sawako, who wipes a tear from her eye. “Bravo! Bravo! You both were truly amazing!”
Azusa rolls her eyes. “So dramatic…”
Sawako lets out a relieved sigh, enjoying the last piece of her cake. “So, Azusa-chan. Now that you’ve heard both songs, which one was the most genuine for you?”
Azusa turns to look at Sawako before realizing what she meant. Ah, that’s right. That was the whole point, wasn’t it? Well, between Mugi and Yui, who was the most genuine, who really put their truest feelings out there… She's already figured it out.
“Yui-senpai,” Azusa says. “She’s the one.”
Yui tilts her head. “…Wait, me? Are you serious?”
“Yes, you, Yui-senpai, and I have my reasons as to why!” Azusa confidently stands in front of her. “Yui-senpai, your love slash friendship… Well, yours consisted of us being cat and dog and how they typically don’t get along in public society. You defied those rules. You want to be with me publicly! So… there!” Azusa concludes, clasping her hands.
The whole room is silent as they take in Azusa’s words.
Yui blinks. Then smiles. “You’re right! I love you, Azunyan!”
Azusa smiles back. It quickly falls. She turns to Mugi, who still stands by the piano. “Mugi-senpai, do you have feelings for me too, or were you just helping out Yui-senpai?”
Mugi stays quiet for a second, rubbing her forearms. She then smiles. “It was all for Yui-chan, of course!”
Azusa doesn’t think she believes her.
Even so, she has no reason to pry further.
Azusa turns back to Yui. “And you, Yui-senpai, why do you think we aren’t as close?”
Yui averts her gaze. Laughs softly. “I just confessed my love to you, Azunyan… This changes everything. How could I not?”
She’s right. This does change everything. They can’t really go back to how they were before. But maybe… they don’t have to.
Azusa takes a few steps forward. Rises up to her tippy toes. Wraps her arms around Yui’s neck. “Yui-senpai…”
“A–Azunyan?!” Yui exclaims.
“Yui-senpai, you mean a lot to me too,” Azusa says. ”I’m… not sure if I actually want to be with you… but I do know that I want you in my life forever.”
“A–Azunyan… What are you saying?” Yui asks.
Azusa hugs her tighter. Buries her head into the crook of her neck. Inhales in the scent of Yui’s vanilla cream.
She eventually pulls away, placing her hands behind her back. “I’m not rejecting you!” she reassures with a smile, waving her hands. “I just… need a little more time to sort out my feelings.”
“Oh.” Yui blinks. Scratches the back of her head. Laughs. “Ehehe… I guess I did spring this onto you so suddenly…”
“You did,” Azusa huffs. “But it’s not your fault. It’s Ritsu-senpai’s.”
“Yeah, you’re right!” Yui beams. “It is Ricchan’s fault!”
“It’s definitely Ricchan’s fault!” Mugi adds, smiling.
“Hey!” Ritsu shouts. “Give me some leniency here!”
Mio lets out a small laugh. They all do.
Azusa whirls on her heel back towards Yui. “Besides, you have college exams coming up! You shouldn’t be worrying about stuff like this! But… I also understand that if you didn’t get it out, then you would have said it in a much more inconvenient way.”
Yui giggles. “Yeah, I was going to tell you yesterday, actually! No letters involved!”
“That… probably would’ve been less chaotic than today.” Azusa smiles. She turns around to face the door. Hands behind her back. A blush tinges at her cheeks. “Anyways, I’m glad you told me your feelings now—and I’m grateful that it’s me you fell in love with.”
Azusa looks back at Yui, smiling brightly. “I’ll wait for you! So please wait for me too!”
The clubroom door closes behind her.
Azusa takes a deep breath.
She did it.
She actually did it.
She… confessed to Yui, in a very unconventional way.
Still, it was fun—even if she still doesn’t know if she likes girls or not. Maybe she does. She probably does. She’ll figure it out eventually.
Azusa heads downstairs to the corridor to change into her outdoor shoes. She heads out of the school building and looks up at the sunset sky. She smiles as the wind blows through her hair.
She looks ahead of her and finds Jun and Ui staring at her.
Wait, what?
Azusa blinks. “What are you guys still doing here?”
“Hi!” Ui waves, crouched down on her knees.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Jun grins. “We couldn’t wait!”
Azusa sighs. “Of course you couldn’t…”
“So, so, how was it?!” Jun asks excitedly, bouncing over to her. “Your love letter situation!”
Azusa averts her gaze to the side, a blush forming on her cheeks. “Oh, well… It went okay. Fine. Better than expected.”
Jun deflates, groaning. “Come on, Azusa…!”
Azusa laughs. “Okay, okay, fine. The first letter was from Ritsu-senpai. The second letter was from Mugi-senpai. And the third letter was from Yui-senpai.”
Jun blinks. She cocks her head to the side. “Huh?”
Azusa deadpans. “You were right?”
“…I was right!” Jun cheers, clasping her hands with Ui.
Azusa giggles a little. “It turns out that Ritsu-senpai’s letter was totally fake! Mugi-senpai’s letter was… mostly playing around… I think. Yui-senpai’s letter was the true one after all!”
Ui claps her hands. “Yay!”
“So, I’m guessing you accepted Yui-senpai’s confession?” Jun smirks.
Azusa blushes even more. “Uh, well…”
Before Azusa can answer, Mio’s voice rings in her ear. She turns towards the school gates to find Mio running up to her. She blinks. “Mio-senpai?”
“M–Mio-senpai?!” Jun exclaims, fixing her hair.
Mio pants as she catches her breath, her palms on her knees. “Azusa… I need to tell you something…”
Azusa flinches, standing up straight. “Y–Yes?!”
Mio clears her throat, taking out a piece of paper from her pocket. She determinedly looks into Azusa’s eyes. “I’ve been working on this ever since I sang that animal song with Yui! You rejected her because her animal lyrics weren’t solid enough, right?”
Azusa squints her eyes at her. “No, Mio-senpai, that’s not really it—“
Mio raises her arm up to the sky. “Prepare yourself, Azusa!”
Crap. Is Mio really going to do this here in the courtyard?! Well, it’s not like she can stop her… might as well let Mio have her fun.
“Dear Azusa,
Your heart is as pink as your cheeks
Your twintails are like bamboo leaves
You’re like a koala to me, cute and fluffy
We could live together in a jungle with all our animal friends
Won’t that be fun? Just the two of us!
Fluffy, shining, sweet
A perfect wonderland of love!”
-Mio
Azusa has no idea what she just heard.
She looks up at Mio smiling brightly at her. “Yeah, um… Mio-senpai, I don’t think this is going to work.”
Mio deflates, frowning. “It’s not?”
Jun puts her elbow on Azusa’s shoulder, smirking. “Well, I, on the other hand, am free on Saturdays, Sundays, and any day of the week—!”
Mio raises up her hand. “Um, actually, I’m sorry, but I have to go. See you!” she runs off, leaving her juniors in the dust.
Jun crumbles to her feet, burying her face in her hands. “Did I just get rejected?!”
“Yes,” Azusa confirms, deadpanning. “It was… quite pathetic, really.”
“Well, it’s not like I meant it as a date!” Jun defends.
Azusa smiles, helping her up. “Sure, you didn’t.”
Ui giggles. “Do you guys wanna walk home together?”
“Sure!” Azusa beams. “It’s been a while since we’ve done it, actually!”
“Yeah, because you’re always walking home with your club…” Jun mutters.
“You do the same thing, Jun.” Azusa points out.
“No way!” Jun pouts, crossing her arms. “It’s not the same!”
“What?!” Azusa exclaims. “It totally is!”
Azusa falls into step with Ui and Jun as they leave behind the school building and all the love letters.
Azusa will one day come face to face with her decision again, but until then, she’ll enjoy her friendships with Ui, Jun, and the Light Music Club.