I don't own K-ON!
Here it is the final chapter :)
Again refer to Season 2: Ep.18 (3:31), Ep.25 (19:33) and the movie (15:30) to know who Saeki Mika, Satou Akane and Taki Eri are.
As for Wajima Maki, refer to Season 2 Ep.25 (19:33).
For Wakaouji Ichigo refer to, Season 2: Ep.10 (11:53, 13:05), Ep.17 (5:31, 6:43), Ep.18 (3:28), Ep.22 (13:38), Ep.25 (19:12) and the movie (1:23:34, 1:28:55).
Anyway, I hope you enjoy :)
At the Sakura gym
The day of the match came and the crowd tripled in number since the last game. The Sakura supporters were even more dedicated despite the horrible loss of the team at the practice game. Mio and Mugi arrived with their friends, as planned, to watch the game and were standing by the entrance – except for Ritsu.
"Wow! There's so many people, it's like there's going to be a concert," Yui said feeling excited as well.
"I never expected this many people would come today, it's just crazy," Mio said.
"Students of Sakura high are very active when it comes to these kind of events. You should attend the championships it gets even crazier," Nodoka explained.
"Oh…I see."
"Oh and I also told the Mio fanclub members that you'll be watching today."
"What?! Why?!" Mio said in distress.
"Well I'll feel bad if didn't let them know, since I'm the president of the club too," Nodoka said.
"Ui-chan, Azusa-chan are you guys okay?" Mugi checked on her juniors. "Try not to get lost okay?"
"Jeez, senpai we're not kids anymore. That's not something to worry about," Azusa answered while subtly holding Ui's hand.
She's definitely worried about getting lost, Ui thought and chuckled.
"Wh-What?" Azusa asked.
"Oh nothing."
"I just don't want you getting lost."
"If you say so Azusa-chan."
"What now Mio-chan? It's kind of hard to watch like this," Yui asked.
"And I don't think we could stay at the court side," Azusa added
"You're right. Hold on let me think," Mio said.
"You guys seem troubled," someone said from behind them.
"Ichigo." Nodoka said as they turned around.
"Ichigo, could it be you're the play by play announcer again?" Mio asked.
"Yes. Where's Ritsu?"
"She…uh…got some stuff to take care of," Mio said.
"Hmm…well whatever. Come on," Ichigo said.
"Huh? Where to?" asked Mio.
"I thought you guys want to a better view."
"You don't mean…"
"As long as you keep score till the very end and don't disappear all of a sudden like last time."
"S-Sorry about that…I'll definitely do my job right this time. Thanks Ichigo!"
A few minutes left before the game starts and the whole gang's already settled down at the courtside. Ritsu is still nowhere to be found.
At the Sakura bench
Mika looked at the announcer's table and all of Ritsu's friends are there except for Ritsu.
"You okay cap?" Eri asked.
"Ricchan's probably running late," Akane said.
"I'm fine guys, thanks. The game's more important right now," Mika reassured.
"Looks like Uehara's back to watch the game again," Eri said and looked at the second floor of the gym.
"What? Again?" Akane said sounding a bit distressed.
"Don't mind her, we play to win not to impress her. Now, come on," Mika said.
"Oh nice words cap!"
All is set, and they're just waiting for Ichigo to announce the start of the game. Despite what Mika said, deep inside she still wished that Ritsu was there. No! Focus…I need to focus this time, she knew it's going to be harder than usual but she's going to give it all she's got. I'm the captain, I won't let my teammates down again.
{It's now time to start the game between Sakuragaoka High and South Midori Academy. I'm Wakaouji Ichigo and I'll be the play-by-play announcer for this match…again.}
At Ritsu's room
The game's probably started, Ritsu said to herself as glanced at the clock. Once again she spent all night thinking if whether she's going to watch the game or not. She thought of just going and not show herself to Mika but immediately decided against it, I don't want that…that's no fun. I want to watch the game from the courtside like last time.
"Just be honest…and just take your time…"
Ritsu suddenly remembered Mio's words. Yeah I know, but I don't know what exactly I want to say. She glanced at the clock once again, 11:25…I wonder if the game's over. Maybe it is…*sigh* I even said that I'd cheer for her and yet here I am…sulking endlessly in my bed. I wonder how they di –
"…Mika seemed distracted about something from the start of the second set…"
Ritsu recalled her talk with Ichigo that day and what Mika said to her at the convenience store automatically followed it.
"…Ichigo was right...I got distracted…you weren't there…I started looking for you in the crowd…while playing…Because I like you!"
No! I could still make it. I'll just worry about what I'll say later. Right now, I have to go to the gym and cheer for her!
At the Sakura gym
Ritsu arrived 15 minutes after she left her house and stood at the gym entrance – out of breath. 11:45…Did I make it?!
{And that's the end of the 4th set…}
It's over?! Ritsu thought after hearing what Ichigo said.
{Sakura High and SMA are now tied with two sets each. The 5th set will start in a few moments.}
With a big smile on her face, Ritsu then went to the Sakura bench and called for Mika.
"Ri-Ricchan…?"
"Um…" Why did I come here all of a sudden?! "…uh…sorry I'm late. Good luck…I guess it's too late to say that now."
"It's fine, thank you." Mika said and felt a sense of relief that Ritsu's finally there.
"Mika have your lovey-dovey moment after the game! Come on!" coach Koga yelled from the bench.
"S-Sorry I have to go…"
"Y-Yeah, sorry for keeping you. I'll be cheering for you…till the end this time."
Mika smiled at her and said, "Yeah you better! Mio-chan and the others are with Ichigo."
"Thanks."
Feeling satisfied with what she did Ritsu now went to her friends at the announcer's table.
"Ricchan!" Yui immediately greeted.
"About time you got here," Mio said.
"Sorry I'm late you guys."
"So you waited until it's the last set of the game? You're so cliché," Ichigo commented.
Ritsu then saw Mugi sitting beside Mio looking a bit anxious. She smiled at her and said, "Enjoying the game so far Mugi?"
Sensing Ritsu's friendliness Mugi responded happily, "Yes!"
"Thank goodness you guys are fine already," Azusa said.
"Eh? You knew about our fight?"
"We all did," Nodoka clarified.
"Yeah she told onee-chan and my sister told everyone else," Ui explained.
"Well I can't help it. I got worried."
"Sorry about that guys."
"Jeez Ricchan, I can't believe you didn't notice with Mio and Mugi always together. I did, it's not that hard you know?" Yui lied.
"Wow! Then that means you know about Ui and Azusa's relationship too?"
"Eh?! What?!" Yui then turned to her sister and Azusa. "H-How could you hide this from me, Ui?!"
"Now now Yui, don't start another drama," Nodoka said.
"More importantly let me see the score sheet," Ritsu suddenly took the paper from Mio. 1st Set 25-23 (Sakura), 2nd Set 20-25 (SMA), 3rd Set 26-28 (SMA), 4th Set 25-23 (Sakura). "Two sets each huh?"
"Yes and the last set is race to 15," Ichigo explained.
"The game's been very suspenseful since the beginning. And now only one set left I feel very nervous," Mugi said.
"HA! What are you saying Mugi? Sakura's going to win the last one," Ritsu said confidently.
"How do you know?"
"Because Mika's there," Ritsu said then put a foot on the table. "GO FOR IT SAKURA!" she shouted and got everyone in the gym cheering louder than before.
And immediately Yui and Mugi stood up from their seats and joined their president in cheering for Sakura High.
"Please refrain from stepping on the table," Ichigo nonchalantly said.
{It's now time to start the 5th and final set.}
{It's Sakura's ball to serve. There's the whistle…and~ sharp serve from Wajima…}
{Received by Andou of SMA…set by Aki and spiked by Kageyama Satsuki from the left wing…}
{Saved by Eri…Mika immediately moved to set it up and~ Akane spiked it through her two blockers killing the ball and almost hitting Kageyama on the face in the process. One point for Sakura}
"YEAH! IN YOUR UGLY FACE!" Ritsu shouted.
"Ritsu! That's rude!" Mio said and hit her on the head.
"She's right. Please avoid distracting the opposing team with painful truths," Ichigo emotionlessly said.
"What?! That's not what I meant Ichigo!"
"Oh sorry…," Ritsu said to Ichigo.
"You're being sorry for the wrong thing!" Mio said and hit Ritsu again.
"Senpai can't you say something encouraging to them like 'Do your best' or something instead of sounding indifferent all the time?" Azusa said.
"What are you saying? I find it stupid to say things like 'Do your best' to the people who are already doing their best," Ichigo answered and left Azusa speechless.
"Oh~ good point!" Mugi said and took note of it.
"Mugi-senpai too?"
So the game went on and Sakura continued to score one after another at the start of the 5th set. And coach Utagawa already used up all her time outs by the time Sakura High reached the 8th point.
"Huh? What's going on? I thought it's a technical time-out when a team reached 8 points. Why are leaving the court?" Ritsu asked.
"There is no technical time-outs in the 5th set. Teams just change court at the 8th point," Ui explained.
"Oh~ I didn't know Ui-chan's knowledgeable in volleyball too," Ritsu praised.
"Yes. I'm very thankful for her presence all this time. She's been helping me explain everything to Yui and the rest," Ichigo said.
It's now 8 – 4 with Sakura High on the lead. After changing courts the rallies suddenly became longer and every one in the gym can feel the game intensifying. The players are all exhausted from playing too long but no one is giving up and South Midori Academy finally caught up with Sakura at 10 – 10. Both teams are not letting their opponent have the two-point lead. More than 5 minutes have passed and the score is already at 25 – 24 in favor of Sakura High. The fans are all drained from shouting and the players are almost at their limit. It's SMA's ball to serve, we can't let them score anymore…my team is already moving too slow due to exhaustion. SMA looks pretty much the same, Eri and Akane can still keep going for 2 minutes more but I'm not so sure with the others. We need to finish this now…we need an attack that's fast with less effort…come on think! Mika felt the pressure as the captain of her team as she waited for the whistle.
"Mika! You can do it!" Ritsu suddenly shouted.
That's it! Right! I'll do it! Mika got the idea she needed from Ritsu. "This is last one team! Last stretch you guys give it all you got!" Mika confidently told her teammates.
"ROGER!" the five responded mightily believing in the words of their captain. Mika then gave the necessary signals to Eri and Akane for her plan.
"Where are they getting their energy from?" Mio asked feeling amazed as she watched the players still standing despite already gasping for air.
{There's the whistle and the serve from Kageyama…}
{Eri dug hard and saved the ball…passed it to Mika and Akane jumped from the left wing but Mika tipped the ball to the other side and surprised SMA with such effortless kill. Sakura High wins the game with 26 – 24}
Sakura High rejoiced and everyone jumped for joy, while the South Midori Academy players were still a bit flabbergasted with Sakura's last attack. They didn't expect that such simple trick would work. Mika took advantage of the opponent's exhaustion and got them more stressed with her sudden pep talk with her teammates, making them expect something very big. They felt a little stupid for falling for an old trick but they accepted their loss.
"WOOHOO! We won! Ichigo did you see that?! Did you see that?! Mika did it! Did you see?!" Ritsu shoved the pigtailed announcer.
"Yes I saw that now stop shoving me and shouting in my ear."
Right! Now that's over there's still one thing left to do. Ritsu didn't forget the second thing she needs to do after watching the game. So an hour later, Ritsu stood outside the gym and waited for Mika to come out. She still needs to talk to her after all; despite not having a clear plan on the words she will say yet she continued to wait. And after a few minutes Mika came out.
"Hey…Mika?" Ritsu called.
"Oh Ricchan…"
"Um…congrats on that win. That was pretty amazing…what you did."
"I-It's not that amazing really. I noticed you, Mio-chan and Mugi-chan were really enjoying together; you guys made up?"
"Oh yeah yeah just yesterday…"
"That's great…"
"Uh…Mika…about the other day…"
"Y-Yes?" Mika felt nervous and planned on running away again but she's too tired. Well I guess I'll just face everything now and get this over with.
"The truth is I'm really happy that you feel that way towards me...truly I am but…"
Ah she said 'but' of course she'll say 'but'. I should've expected this…Mika tried her best to hold back her tears.
Ritsu then continued, "…but…I…I don't think I could reciprocate your feelings right now…"
"Don't worry about that Ricchan it's not like I'm really expec – wait…did you say right now?"
"Yeah," Ritsu answered casually.
"I don't get it…"
"To put it simply…is it alright…you know…if we could take it slow?"
Mika didn't respond and just stared at Ritsu but she was clearly surprised.
"You see after thinking about it for days I realized you're really amazing and you showed me that in just two days which is amazing too. And every time I'm with you I forget about everything else because it's always so much fun and I…I want to be with you more…" Ritsu stopped and looked at Mika just staring at her. "Sorry…I probably don't make any sense."
"I sort of understand…sorry," Mika blushed and looked down too shy to look at Ritsu.
"Oh okay…then…" Crap! What am I doing? This is so awkward I should've really planned this beforehand.
"But what about what you said before?" Mika asked.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You know when we were at the pancake café with how childhood friends are very good partners because they know you better than anyone…they understand you better than anyone…you know…just like Mio-chan…"
"Hmmm well that's true since they've known you for years and all…the only advantage they have is they started learning about each other early."
"Huh?"
"What I mean is…if it's learning about each other then it's never too late for us to start, right?" Ritsu said and smiled at her.
"Then…that's what you mean about 'not right now and take it slow' "
"Yes yes! Sorry for messing everything up."
"It's fine I understand," Mika still feels a bit awkward but in a good way – she was happy.
"Then…is it…you know…okay with you in taking things slow." Ritsu asked once again.
Mika smiled at the drummer and then put up her hand, "Then let's do this right. Saeki Mika, setter and captain of the Sakura High Volleyball Club. Undefeated champions for 5-years."
Ritsu then understood what Mika was trying to do so she took her hand and shook it, "Tainaka Ritsu, president and founder of the light music club. Drummer of the ever popular Houkago Tea Time."
"Oh good one!" Mika complimented.
"Of course."
"Right! Now that you guys are now "friends" let's go get something to eat." Mio suddenly said as she came out from behind the tree with the rest of their friends.
"Yeah I'm hungry!" Eri agreed while coming out from behind another tree with Akane.
"We're you guys hiding there all this time?" Mika asked surprised at the sudden appearance of her friends
"Yes. Now come on! I want some ramen!" Eri demanded.
"Oh I want some ramen too!" Yui said.
Ritsu and Mika looked at each other and finally joined their friends in discussing where to eat. And as they talked, Mio noticed that both Ritsu and Mika didn't let go of each other hands – so she held Mugi's hand too. I'm really happy for my best friend, Mio then got a text from Ritsu. "Thanks for the advice. I finally understood what you meant, you're the best." That Ritsu, she's really slow.
The End.
And that concludes Ritsu's story. I hope you enjoyed it :)
Feel free to comment, review or whatever :P
Thank you for sticking till end I really appreciate it :)
And as promised, chapter one of the sequel of Yui and Nodoka's love story is finished and is already published. So I hope you check it out after this, "Growing old with you: Against All Odds" ;)