No, I haven't forgotten my Mugitsu—er, MugiRitsuMio fic. I just had to dedicate something for Ricchan. :3 Late or not late. *shot*

I've been busy as hell lately, getting sick here and there to make it worse. While I was though, I drew something. QUALITY pic, cause my scanner's busted and my phone camera's crap. I have really rotten luck, ugh…

img522dotimageshackdotus/img522/4932/crapdrawingdotjpg

Some notes: Set in College. So yes, this is gonna be in JWU. 8D …the course program available for the Uni sucks balls though, so I'm not gonna use that as reference (meaning, I'll be tweaking it a bit XD). Gonna use both manga and anime material for the events (maybe except the shitcunt brother Satoshi). And…uhhh…I forgot, would probably go on with the rest by the end. XD …oh, italics are for flashbacks, thoughts and emphasis, bold + italic are for sung lyrics.

Disclaimer: Title is inspired from OreImo, as you might have guessed. And I don't own anything except…errr, the lolplot. Because you know, if I did own it, Mugi will have more screen time, and HTT will always have a daily yuri orgy in the club. …oh wait, I mean…

Enjoy.

My best friend can't be this cute

One week.

There was only a week left for Mio to be fully prepared with her new life in College. Of course, the harder parts of the predicament were already taken care of, as she already found herself a decent dormitory that was near the campus. Even if she was relatively 'near' the university from the comforts of her home, the sense of independence was strong enough to convince her and her parents to give it a chance. After all, Yui and the others followed this endearing idea (Mugi being the most enthusiastic).

Things such as payment and other commodities, she handled once they were dead set on the decision. So the only thing left to worry about was how ready she was to go a step further in the adult ladder. First of all, whenever she was in a scramble, she would always, always look for help in Ritsu of all people. She has to stop being so reliant, as the girl was rarely reliable anyway. Second, she was having a whole lot of trouble getting over her ridiculous (yes, even she agrees it is) phobias, which were more than she could even count. Lastly, in the span of months, she has grown a whopping three inches from an innocent milk diet that was devised solely for her weight woes. That alone would definitely make her stand out (quite literally as well), and her ever-teasing best friend will make a big deal out of it as always.

Ugh…just imagining it makes me dizzy…

But she shouldn't be so weak! The reason she was always drove to a corner by forehead chief and sometimes—the whole band—was because she was easily swayed by simple this and that. She should change that—no, she has to! She has a whole damn week to be a new Mio to them! To the world!

Especially to that Ritsu!

With these thoughts in mind, Mio nodded to herself. She was the kind of person who was diligent enough to achieve anything she wanted, and she was going to prove that now. She'll be alpha as hell, even people like Ritsu will blush at her very presence! No more miss nice girl…

Yeah!

…er, wait. Blush…?

And thus, operation Atarashii Mio began…

.../../../...

As six days passed without much incident, Akiyama Mio shined in utter confidence. She hasn't met with her fellow band mates in days, but as she stepped into her nicely furnished dorm room, she knew they were going be up for a surprise. No more teasing, no more scaredy-cat. Her hazing-like days were over. She will be cool and undeterred; her new self will be an alluring enigma that will make one brunette drop her jaw completely down the floor.

…otherwise, those hard and grueling days of training and watching horror flicks would all be for naught…

"Hey, Mio-chan! You done packing?" The familiar voice of Hirasawa Yui greeted her.

"Yeah, have you found your room yet?"

"Yup. Right here."

Just to make sure she wasn't just hallucinating, she eyed the room.

There were two bunks of bed on top of each other.

"I want the top bunk." Yui announced excitedly.

"Huh…" Mio managed to blurt out.

"It's so nice to have you as a roommate, Mio-chan~."

Silenced, she ended up smiling wearily, not able to say another word.

"Ricchan and Mugi-chan called it a night and went on to sleep. We should be early for tomorrow, after all. "

Finding back her voice, an odd question came out. "…they're in a room together?"

"Hnn? Yeah." The guitarist answered absently as she tried opening a bag of potato chips whilst climbing the top bunk.

"…hey. You shouldn't be eating that over there. You'd make a mess."

"It's fine, it's fine~. I'll clean up afterwards."

"You better make sure you do."

"So strict, Mio-chan…"

"It's like you've never seen me with Ritsu…"

"Good point…" She chewed slowly. "You won't hit my head though, right?"

"…no." She answered quickly.

"Thank goodness. Ah but then again, that's how your intimacy goes, so it's supposed to be exclusive…"

Come to think of it, she has never really hit anyone besides the drummer…

But intimacy? Wherever did Yui pick up that nonsense?

"I miss Azu-nyan already…" She randomly muttered.

"Yeah…feels a bit incomplete without her around."

"Thinking about how I can't hug her very often makes me feel very lonely…"

"…are you sure you just like hugging her?" Mio asked crossing her arms. "That is some extreme thought right there…"

"Well, I really like her. If that's what you're wondering."

"Huh? !"

Of course there was still a possibility that she didn't mean it like that. This was Yui she was talking to, in the first place. But what were the odds to oppose this very big possibility? Azusa wasn't of much help either, since she recently just let the girl do whatever she wanted with her. Did she miss all this? Her mind was very boggled now. And all this before the big day of her debut as 'Atarashii Mio'—now she was a bit worried at what kind of bomb Ritsu will throw at her come tomorrow. With Mugi teamed up with her, a gut feeling told her that she should steel her heart and reaction faces.

So wait, why was she fine with such revelation anyway? !

"Mio-chan?"

"Y-yeah?"

"I'm sleeping now. Good night~."

"O-oh…good night—hey wait. Clean your mess up first. "

"Aww…I thought the issue distracted you so much that you'd forget…"

So that was all it was?

Mio wasn't so sure now who's the bigger imp between her and Ritsu.

…

Her eyes opened automatically around daybreak, and along with the light snoring of Yui from above, her breathing slightly hitched, was she actually excited about this?

Leaving no room for a subconscious answer, she bolted right up and left the room to get ready.

Passing through the dimly lit hallway of the dormitory, she almost missed the door to Ritsu and Mugi's room. Not that she was looking for it or anything, but she at least wanted to know where to find them. Both are probably still sleeping soundly at this hour like Yui, but she knew one of them was an early riser just like her. They've been friends since forever for her not to take note of at least her sleeping habit. It was totally normal. And she was most definitely not trying to convince you readers about her odd fixation on minute details regarding her short haired childhood friend. Definitely not.

…a little peek wouldn't hurt, would it?

It's probably locked anyway…

The loose knob proved her wrong though; a small clink was all it took to move the wooden door.

Who would leave this open? !

As anyone in her situation would have been, curiosity totally took over her. She poked a head in to see what was inside, only to be greeted by…

"Wha…what…"

Of course they were there, both asleep unlike she expected. But somehow, there was something about their positions that didn't sit too well with her.

No one slept at the top bunk, and there were two girls meshed suggestively under it.

Ritsu was clumsily sprawled over a strangely ecstatic Tsumugi, who in turn had the smaller girl held like a hug-pillow—looking painfully comfortable at that. The blonde's plump assets met squarely with the other girl's face like a pair of matching puzzles.

Just what the hell was she seeing? A multitude of unexplainable emotions surged within her, and anger was the dominating one amongst them.

Before she could act on it however, the auburn haired girl stirred, looking as if she was going to wake up any time soon.

With panic now overcoming her anger, she rushed to the slightly ajar door of the room, looking to escape from her apparent trespass.

"…Mio?"

Said girl froze in her place. Crap, I'm caught.

Slowly turning her head to the source of the voice, a half-awake stranger greeted her vision.

...tte, it's just Ritsu without the hairband! I should really get out of here…

Using to her advantage the morning daze her friend was currently into, she made her way out of the room as stealthily as she can.

Once out, she deeply sighed in relief. That was too close for comfort!

"If I stayed there for another minute, I don't know what would have happened…" She quietly told herself.

Because surely enough, the earlier events would have given her the very tempting idea to plant a hostile bump on Ritsu's sorry head. She was so glad the fruits of her training were paying off. If it was her from last week, things would have gone messy. No innuendo.

Probably.

And anyway, just what the heck were they doing, being so close like that? ! Did they purposely choose to be roommates just for that kind of thing to happen in their sleep? Why didn't they become roommates? Not that Yui was a bad roommate, but wasn't she the best friend? It boiled her blood seeing Ritsu being so comfortable being cradled in Mugi's arms like that. Was she into boobs? She has them too! Also, why does she sound like an overly jealous girlfriend? !

…

"…maybe because you are?" A groggy Yui mumbled after hearing her friend's tale.

"That's preposterous, Yui! Why would I be jealous over that, anyway! ? They're both girls!"

"So why are you waking me up so early again…?" It was like High School all over again. Mio-chan did something similar in the past. And again, it involved Ricchan.

"Th-that's…um…"

"You know, in love, I don't think gender matters, Mio-chan…"

"Love? ! What has love have to do with this? !"

The chocolate haired girl just shrugged and went back to sleep.

I shouldn't have talked to Yui at all…

.../../../...

"They're late…"

"Ricchan I can understand, but Mugi-chan being late is…"

"Like you're one to talk, Yui."

"Ehh, I'm here though…"

"That's because Ui-chan gave you a "Wake up" mail."

"Ehehehe, I'm so blessed…"

Yui and Mio stood just outside the Ryoo Dormitory, waiting for their other two companions to arrive. The events from earlier never brought up again.

"So Yui, have you decided on a major?" The long haired lady asked, making use of the time.

"I've been thinking about it. There's no choice for Musician, so I just chose Humanities."

Of course there isn't. "So you're planning to be a Kindergarten teacher after all?"

"And a rock star after school!" She said while giving a peace sign. "How about you, Mio-chan?"

"Oh, I've always wanted to write, so I think Japanese Literature would be nice."

"It sounds perfect for you!" Another voice chimed in.

"Oh, Mugi-chan! You're here!" Yui waved widly.

"I apologize for being so late, it's just that Ricchan…" She paused and looked at her back.

"Yeah, where is she?" Mio asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend who seemed to be staring at an empty corner.

"Um…well, she insisted that we go ahead." Tsumugi explained.

"What, why?"

"…she says she has to pass by somewhere first…"

"What? Where is she? Let me talk to her."

"She's…just around there, actually."

True enough; a petite figure was hiding at the turning corner into the foyer, the hoodie from her black jacket latched on as if it was raining.

"Ritsu? What are you doing? Let's go already!"

"Uh yeah…about that, just go ahead. I'll catch up, promise." She answered rather hastily, turning her back on Mio.

"What are you talking about? We all agreed that we'll go together today. C'mon already!"

"I'll just catch up!"

"What's up anyway? And look at me while talking!"

"…no."

"Quit being a brat, Ritsu. Face me already. What happened?"

"It's nothing! I just have to buy something…"

"We can do that on the way."

"That's the problem."

Confused and slightly frustrated at how she was acting, Mio grabbed her small shoulders.

"I won't be able to help if you don't…" She had to put a decent amount of effort to make the girl face her as she was was surprisingly strong for someone her stature. "…tell…"

There wasn't any big reason why the ceil eyed bassist trailed off like she did, but something about her friend's appearance nearly caught at her unsuspecting heart beat. It was as if she was looking at someone completely different.

Ritsu had her usually pushed back fringes down, properly combed to boot.

"D-don't laugh!" She warned immediately, her face extremely crimson.

What, how could she laugh? She looked so unrecognizable and—heaven forbid—cute. Not that she'll ever say that to the girl's face ever. And it wasn't as if this was the first time Mio saw her look like this, because she's seen it tons of times in the past.

So why was she reacting now? Her was just down!

…though maybe the hood and her endearing pout helped, but EHHH. That's not the point!

"Oi, what's with that look? You're laughing deep down, aren't you? !" She accused.

"N-no! Why would I laugh?" Mio instantly denied.

"Because this is weird!" She exclaimed putting down the hood, and pointing at her unusual hair getup. "My headband got lost this morning, and Mugi told me I should try a leaving it this way…"

"You don't look weird…"

"You're just saying that."

"You really don't! You actually look good in it…" Oh boy, now she was complimenting…not that she didn't deserve it, but damn.

"Really now…" Close to being convinced, she figured. They really had to go.

"At least your gigantic forehead isn't showing…"

"Oh shut up!"

...

Meanwhile, at the other pair…

...

"That wasn't a very nice thing to say, Mio-chan…" A disproving look.

"She'll get better in time, Yui-chan." The other reassured.

"Ricchan sure looks like me though!"

"Yes, you two will make a terrific pair of twins."

Of course there was an obvious choice in Ui, but since she has limited resources for now, this will do.

"I dunno about that, but she's definitely my soulmate!"

Ah, Yui-chan. You have no idea how delighted that makes me…

…

After few more minutes of reluctance, Ritsu finally gave in and embraced her so-called 'hair change'. It wasn't so bad.

So on they went on their fairly short trip to the University, happily chatting all the while. So far, the mischievous little drummer hasn't tried taunting her yet like she expected to. But she'll be ready for it.

As an aside, Mio was thankful that she wasn't the only one who grew a few inches. Mugi was almost as tall as her—probably because of her half ancestry (that was still a bit of a mystery for her)—she'll probably grow some more when the time comes. Yui grew as well, probably around 163 centimeters now. As for Ritsu…who proudly announced that she grew three inches from when they last saw her, was still the shortest among the four.

"I'll be taking up business." Tsumugi told an attentive Mio.

"Heh…I was thinking along the lines of professional pianist, but that suits you too. Really, anything does, with your kind of skill."

"That's an overstatement, Mio-chan, but thank you all the same."

"No, no, I really meant it."

"That's right, may I know what you decided on, Ricchan?" She clasped her fingers in eagerness.

"Professional…slacker!" She said with a mix pride and ridicule.

"Sounds like a nice major, Ricchan!" Yui joined in excitedly.

"I know, right! I'll be on the top my class!"

"Stop fooling around! Think about this more seriously!" Mio demanded, giving her the ritual hit on the head.

"…I am! And that really hurt!"

"Really? Professional slacker? !"

"I was making a cute joke…"

"It's not cute!"

"…so what is it, really?" Tsumugi queried again.

"Well, I read the pamphlet, and the programs for the Music Department didn't seem to offer stuff for drummers…" Ritsu complained, scratching her head.

"There's the Timpani…" Mio suggested.

"What's that?" Yui asked, hearing the new word befuddled her.

"Basically, it is a kind of drum. It's rarely used for bands though. But I do know some bands that use it."

"Oh…I learn something new every day!"

"So are you planning to go for that, Ricchan?"

"I might! Anyway, I chose Accounting as a Plan B."

"Accounting? ! Ritsu, do you know what you're getting yourself into? ! Think about this again!"

"Sure. It's all numbers and stuff, right? I can handle that~."

"It's not just that!"

"Eh, I didn't like anything else they offered!"

"That's not the point…!"

"…um, in her defense Mio-chan, choosing what you like is a crucial part of what determines your future…"

"But it'll be hard…"

"What, you don't trust that I'll manage?"

"I believe in you, Ricchan! Reach for the stars!"

"You're the best, Yui!"

"I too, believe in you, Ricchan! Don't give up the fight!"

"You bet!"

Yui and Tsumugi then looked at the hesitant Mio, expecting her to at least accept the choice her childhood friend made.

"F-fine! It can't be helped…just don't come crying to me when this doesn't work for you…"

"…I can't promise you anything." She smiled sheepishly.

"Geez, I don't want you failing! You have to take this seriously!"

"I'll try my utmost best, milady!" The girl saluted.

"You better." At the very most, I'm quite confident with her math skills…

…

Once they got into the University grounds, their excitement elevated. It didn't look too lively when they went there in the past for the entrance exam, but it was now bustling with lively girls. It felt a bit like Sakurakou, and the quartet couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.

"We won't have tea times too often now, huh…"

"Why are you still thinking of tea all the way here?"

"Ehehe…force of habit?"

"Well then, why don't we get ourselves enrolled and get our schedules? That way, we can discuss when to meet for our band practices."

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Don't forget tea time!"

"Azusa will be very displeased to find out about this careless attitude, Yui-san…"

"You're one to talk, Ritsu…"

After a bit of more chattering, the girls went on their separate ways to enroll into their respective courses.

.../../../...

"So we're all free on Tuesdays…" Mio murmured in contemplation.

"Such a fortunate coincidence…" Tsumugi commented, her eyes sparkling.

"I'll mail Azu-nyan about it…" Yui declared, texting furiously at her phone.

"I wonder how the recruitment's going over at Azusa's…" Ritsu wondered aloud.

Since leaving the presidency to her twin-tailed underclassman, she couldn't help but constantly think about how the she and the club will fare.

"I'm sure they worked something out. Azusa's being helped by Ui-chan and Jun-chan too."

"Strange…she didn't reply right away…"

"Yui, you just sent the message."

"But she replies really quick!"

"Is that so…"

"More importantly, Ricchan, I heard a professor's already taken an interest in you…"

"What…? Where the heck did you pick that up?"

"It's the talk of the whole…Music Department!"

"…so you ended up choosing Music after all…ah, why do I even bother…" Mio grumbled listlessly, remembering the events from earlier.

"And just what were you doing in the Music Department? !"

"I got lost in there for a while…hehe…"

Tsumugi lit up a bit and questioned. "I-is it a woman? !"

"Mugi, what does a woman…anyway, this is the first time I've heard of this! What did you do this time?"

"The creep kept making passes at my seatmate and made her uneasy...so long story short, I gave him a piece of my mind!"

"What? I thought it was a love issue…at least from what I kept hearing."

"Don't be quick to believe those gossips! If anything, that prof probably has it against me now…"

Mio sighed in relief; it was nothing more than Ritsu being herself. Albeit she was fairly worried what entails that misconduct. But more importantly, why did she feel weird after hearing that someone was interested in her best friend? It was the same feeling of insecurity that plagued her when she thought she had a boyfriend in the past.

"Ah, Azu-nyan is calling!" Yui excitedly proclaimed.

"Well, answer it. And put it on loud speaker."

After a few clicking, she gleefully greeted. "Hi, Azu-nyan! I missed you~!"

["What? We just saw each other three days ago…"]

"Three days is such a long time for me…"

"Oi, do the flirting at a later date…"

["Oh, you're together with everyone? I think that was Ritsu-sempai."]

"Yeah, we're heading back to the dorm."

["I see. Well, the reason I called was to tell you about the recruitment..."]

"How was it? How was it?" Everyone huddled around Yui as a result.

["It really surprised me, but we have four new members now!"]

"Four? ! That's…that's great, Azu-nyan!"

"Whoa, that's awesome! What'd you do, Azusa?" Ritsu asked, sounding as if the girl did something fishy.

["What's that supposed to mean? !"]

"But getting four members is such an achievement. Splendid job, Azusa-chan."

["Thank you, Mugi-sempai. Also, that still doesn't include Ui and Jun."]

"Ui-chan joined? What instrument is she playing?" Mio asked in mild curiosity.

["She opted for the keyboard. She says she'll save some money to buy one. Until then, she'll be using the Music room's organ."]

"Ooh! I'll call her later and give my encouragements!"

"Hey, hey, what's your drummer like? Was there a drummer with the new faces?"

["Yes. Her name is Kawaguchi Senri-chan, a first year. She actually joined because she's a big fan of yours, Ritsu-sempai."]

"For real? !"

"Ricchan, Senri-chan…it rhymes!"

["She's a meek girl, very determined however. Her drumming is excellent."]

"Aww, I wanna meet them!"

"Don't get too excited now…"

["There are two second years, both are guitarists. Their names are Nishina Mutsuki and Kobayakawa Yuuki. The last one is a first year bassist named Akimoto Runa."]

"Heh...nice start, buchou. As expected of my successor."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"What, I was an awesome prez! Right, Yui?"

"…there are some things that even I can't agree with, Ricchan…"

"T-traitor!"

A hearty laugh was then heard from Yui's phone, one that was contagious enough to make the group giggle along.

["W-well then, I'll have to run some errands for my parents. I hope everyone enjoyed their first day. I'll call again, see you on Tuesday!"]

"See ya!" The four chorused.

A quick beep, and the call was over.

…

With the lighthearted guitar strumming Yui did from just above her, and the atmosphere of the dorm room that felt almost like her room at home, Mio smiled contently. After a tiring day of walking around and taking notes from the enormous campus of her University, she couldn't help but just lie on her bed lazily. She knew College was tiring, but this was just the first day! The norm would be at least a month or two, right? Her exhaustion wasn't solely because of her Uni student status though, was it? She had a lot of other things on her mind too. Like…

A certain brunette with a massive forehead…

"Th-that's not a reasonable excuse!"

"E-eh? ! What isn't?" Yui inquired, alarmed enough to make her stop with her strumming.

Crap! I said it out loud!

Really, she had to remember that she's not in her room anymore. "U-uh, nothing…sorry for startling you."

"Okay. But you could always talk to me, alright?" And the soothing guitar sounds were playing again.

She might have to take up her offer sometime soon. Yui after all, was the one she made to stay up all night just listening to her frustrated rambles from the past. She was a good listener and conversationalist, surprisingly.

"Yui, do you think something's wrong with me?"

"Not really. Why, do you think there's something wrong with you?"

"I don't really know…it's just that, well…I always end up thinking of...Ritsu."

They couldn't see each other, but Mio could tell that the brown haired girl wasn't taken aback or shocked at her confession. She continued playing tunes with Gitah as if the whole conversation didn't even happen.

"You probably have a crush on her, Mio-chan."

"E-eh?"

"It makes sense. Why would you tense up at the mention of someone interested in her if you didn't like her in the least?"

"Wh-when did I tense up? !"

"Just earlier."

She noticed that? !

"O-of course I would! What if she got in trouble for her misbehavior?"

"That's a bit conflicting…you sighed in relief when you heard that it was just about that."

Not knowing what else to say after her failure of excuses, she buried her face onto a pillow and silently cursed at herself. Seriously, why can't she just calmly deny that it wasn't like that? The blood that rushed to her face wasn't helping in the slightest bit either. Was Yui right? Did she really have this stupid crush on Ritsu? Why her, of all the possible people out here? Why a girl?

"Mio-chan?" Her roommate called out.

"Mmyeah?" A muffled reply came from below.

"My dad used to tell me this, 'Once you become more clear about who you really are and accept it, you'll do better at deciding what's best for you.'"

"…and you're telling this to me because…?"

"I felt like I had to?"

Mio stood up and placed her hand at the base of her friend's bunk bed, looking like an unsure child asking for her favorite candy.

"…was I always this obvious…?"

The girl can only look back at her with a goofy smile. "I don't really know."

She chuckled quietly. After years of being friends, she still hasn't grasped a good idea to figure out what went through Yui's mind. She was outwardly naïve, and yet she notices the most miniscule of things with people. She'd sporadically be hilariously predictable one second, then erratic the next. But when the moment asked for it, the things she says make the most sense. More sense than her own disagreeing thoughts, anyway.

"Thanks, I think I can sleep easily now."

"So you really have a crush on Ricchan? Spring sure is in full bloom…"

"N-no!"

But one thing's for sure, this 'crush' needs to go.

And why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?

TL Note: Kawaguchi Senri was based off that cute 13-year old drummer in youtube that I constantly follow because she makes K-On drum covers. Tl;dr, I heart her. XD And atarashii means new.