The seconds seemed to tick by at an agonizingly slow rate as the teacher dragged on with a completely uninteresting lecture that no one could feign the slightest bit of interest in. Instead, the students were more concerned with what would be coming next. Once the teacher finished with the sleep-inducing lecture, it was time to pass out the last exam scores before vacation. They knew that getting a good score would allow their vacation to start after classes today, while failing would cause them to be required to take additional supplemental courses that would be followed with a make-up exam. Needless to say, the students were tense.

After the exams were passed out and a wave of relief spread across the classroom, the dismissal bell finally rung, causing every students to all rise and pack their things before heading to their respective clubs or simply going home. Well, every student with the exception of one second year girl. "No way…" The pigtailed girl mumbled angrily to herself as she set her head down on the desk.

"What's wrong?" Jun's voice called out as she leaned over the desk to look at Azusa's face. The annoyed girl sat up and showed her math test paper to Jun.

"Thirty points? No way! Even I got an A on that test!" Hearing this from Jun of all people made her sigh in disappointment and put her head back on her desk. Jun, who never studied in advanced and crammed the night before just to scrape by with a C average managed to get an A on a test that she had failed. She knew it was an easy test, but she completely blanked out when trying to remember which formula she was supposed to use. "What happened? Weren't you studying with Ui yesterday?" Jun asked as the girl in question walked up to Azusa's desk and stood next to Jun.

When Jun looked at Ui, the younger Hirasawa sister looked away nervously. "Well we tried, but…"

Azusa rose to her feet and packed her bag, throwing her books in it with more force than necessary. "We tried studying, but Yui-sempai kept getting in the way. Every few minutes she would come into the room and tackle me into a hug while calling me that annoying nickname. I don't know what she was so excited about. It's like she had the memory of a goldfish and kept forgetting that she just did it and decided to do it again. Seriously, why does she only treat me like that?"

Azusa noticed Ui look away when she asked but before she could think about it, Jun spoke up. "Cause Yui thinks you're cute like a cat?" She offered with a shrug.

"Mou…" Azusa whined. "Maybe I should start wearing a mask. I just lost a whole week of vacation because of this."

"Speaking of her, aren't you going to be late for practice?" Ui brought up, trying to change the subject.

"Huh?" Azusa looked up at the clock. "No way! I'm going to be late! How could this happen?" Azusa quickly packed her things and waved to her two friends before running out of the classroom.

Azusa stopped in front of the club room and leaned against the wall for a moment to catch her breath, having run straight up the stairs from her classroom. She knew Ritsu would tease her relentlessly if she was both late and exhausted. Once she was able to breathe easily again, she opened the door. "Sorry I'm-" As she walked in, she stopped when she noticed the room was empty. "…late?" Azusa looked around the room curiously, wondering if they had already gone home. She noticed that Mio's guitar was missing, but Yui's was still there. "Did she forget it?" She wondered as she looked around again and noticed a piece of paper on her guitar case. She scooped the sheet up quickly and read it.

Sorry Azusa

Ritsu ate some expired meat at lunch and got sick, so I'm taking her home early. I already told Mugi and Yui to go home after class.

-Mio

Azusa sighed in disappointment as she read the note. She was hoping that practice would lift her spirits a little, but seeing that it was practiced only served to worsen her mood. She crumpled the paper up in frustration and tossed it onto the couch. "What else can go wrong today?" She mumbled to herself as she reached to grab her own guitar. Just before she grabbed it, she heard a voice full of cheer behind her.

"Azu-nyan~" An overexcited voice called out from the door. Before she could even fully turn around, she felt arms wrap around her in a tackle hug that nearly caused the two of them to fall over.

"Yui-sempai! Let go!" Azusa shouted in annoyance, fidgeting as she tried to escape the older girl's arms.

"But I need to refill my Azu-nyan energy!" Yui whined as she hugged her kouhai tighter.

Azusa could feel her anger bubbling up until it overflowed to the point where she couldn't restrain herself. "Let me go!" She shouted in frustration as she pushed Yui away, forcing the older girl to lose her grip and stumble back. "You're so selfish, you know? I'm a person like anyone else, yet you always treat me like this despite my protests. Why is it only me, anyway? Why not Mio or Mugi or anyone else that you know? Why is always me that you feel you must cling onto every time you see me? I'm not some little kitten in a pet shop where it's okay for you to pet and play with because it's just so darn cute." Although she didn't show it, Azusa was surprised by her actions, having never thought that she would lash out at anyone. The more she yelled though, the harder she found it to stop.

"Do you know why I was at your house yesterday? It wasn't so you could hug me and call me that stupid nickname; it was because I was studying for my final. Unlike you, who can miraculously study for anything in one night and ace it only to forget it the moment the test is over, some of us have to study in order to get good grades. Do you know that I failed my test? I lost an entire week of vacation because now I have to relearn something I should have been able to study if someone hadn't made it impossible by consistently pulling me away." Azusa shouted, her voice full of venom that she was previously oblivious to being capable of creating.

Stop! Why can't I stop? I'm mad at her, but it isn't this big of a deal! She thought to herself, trying to stop her anger with rationality. "You never take anything seriously, do you? Not practice, not your classes, not even me. As long as you can laugh and eat sweets, nothing else matters, does it?" Don't say it! Please don't say it! "You're annoying!" Those two words seemed to echo repeatedly throughout the club room.

Azusa stared silently at the floor after shouting, in a slight state of shock at how she had lost control of her emotions so quickly. Even worse, she directed all her anger at Yui over something as insignificant as a hug. As she stared at the ground, she noticed a few drops of water splash silently on the ground in front of her and immediately felt something tugging at her heart. No way. Don't tell me she's… The second year nervously looked up at Yui and nearly gasped at surprise when she saw the sadness on her face. It wasn't her usually pout that she made when someone told her she couldn't have cake. No, instead it was a look of pain and suffering, accompanied with tears streaming down her cheeks. Azusa wanted to say something, anything, to try and comfort the older girl and put a smile back on that face. Unfortunately, she found herself suddenly unable to speak.

"I-I'm sorry." Yui replied after a moment in between sobs, causing a sharp pain in Azusa's chest. Before she could even think of a reply, Yui grabbed Gitah and ran out of the room. Azusa stared silently at the door, falling to her knees as she lost the feeling in her legs.

"How could this happen?"

The next week was dreadfully long to the other students who were forced to take extra classes. Azusa, on the other hand, barely even registered the passage of time as she constantly became lost in her thoughts. She found herself unable to get Yui's pained expression off of her mind. I've never seen her so hurt before. Why did I have to say all of that? It's not like she really annoys me or anything. Will she still be upset when vacation ends? Will she start ignoring me? Yui-sempai seems too bubbly to hold a grudge, but then again, she didn't seem like someone who could cry like that… Azusa sighed and looked around the empty classroom. The class had already been dismissed without her realizing it. As she walked out of the classroom and walked outside to head home, she heard a familiar voice call out behind her.

"Comrade!" Ritsu's cheerful voice echoed in the hall as she walked up to Azusa and pats her on the shoulder. "Yo!"

"Ritsu-sempai?" Azusa asked as she turned to face her. "You have to take make-up classes as well? Which subject did you fail?"

"Math!" Ritsu answered with no hint of shame at all. "I guess I slept through one too many classes."

"Is that really something for you to be proud of?" Azusa asked as the two walked out the front door of the school. She was somewhat surprised that Ritsu would even be able to sleep in class without Mio striking her.

"It's fine, it's fine." Ritsu waved her hand dismissively. "As long as I pass the test this time, it won't even matter and all that extra sleep will have been worth it. Sure, I lose a few days of vacation, but it's not that big of a deal."

Azusa simply nodded her head in response. She's right. A few extra days of classes really isn't that big of a deal. In fact, the days are shorter than a normal school day and the classes end on Thursday. I know it's not that big of a deal and it's only a slight inconvenience, so why was I so mad at Yui-sempai? Sure, she distracted me the night before the exam, but it's not her fault if it I wasn't already prepared by that point. The more I think about it, the less it makes sense. Why did I snap at her?

"Try not to doze off at the wrong time before the make-up exam." Azusa said offhandedly, earning a grin from Ritsu.

"I know." She replied in a joking tone. "I'd have to suffer Mio's wrath if I did." Even though Ritsu said it as a joke, Azusa knew it was true. "But for now, let's get something to eat!" She raised her fist in the air with unnecessary enthusiasm, causing Azusa to sigh.

The next few days followed the same pattern until the exam had come and gone. Azusa was able to pass her test with relative ease after properly studying for it. Even though her vacation had finally started, she found herself unable to find any enthusiasm. Other than exchanging texts with Jun, Mio, Ritsu, and Mugi, her vacation was uneventful. She tried passing time by practicing guitar and watching television, but it did little to relieve her boredom.

She didn't want to admit it to herself, and she would certainly deny it to anyone who asked, but she was lonely. Every day, she woke up in the same empty house as her parents were always away from home, busy with work. Her attempts to hang out with her friends were always met with excuses about how they were busy or they already had plans, and each time she would just laugh it off and say it wasn't a big deal.

What bothered her most was that both Yui and Ui never answered their phones when she called. Was Yui still upset after all this time? Did she tell Ui about what happened? She knew how close the two sisters were. If Ui found out, she would surely hold a grudge against her. Even so, she felt like she deserved it for what she did. Each day, her guilt would continue to build up and she would feel a strange pain in her chest every time she heard their voice mail pick up.

What if Yui told the other members of their club what had happened? What if Ui told Jun about it? Would they start to ignore her as well? Was that why they were always 'busy' whenever she wanted to hang out? Azusa found herself suddenly feeling isolated. Will I be all alone again? The thought caused her to cringe. Making friends was something she was never good at and she felt truly happy when she was able to quickly make friends with Ui and Jun on her first day of class, as well as making friends with the members of the light music club. She finally felt that she had found a place where she had belonged, but now it seemed like she was going to lose it all. "How could this happen?"

Vacation had finally come to an end and Azusa thought she would never be happier to go back to school. She had gone to class early, eager to see her friends as soon as possible. Jun was the first to greet her upon entering the class. Ui greeted her next, and things seemed to be normal between them. She was expecting some sort of angry glare, but to her relief, Ui had the same smile as always.

"Sorry I haven't been able to keep in touch. I lost my phone at the start of vacation. I didn't get a new one until yesterday. I would have called you on sis's phone, but she didn't have your number in it." What? Azusa felt the pain in her chest resurface.

"Oh, right. I never gave her my number. My bad." Azusa lied nervously. Yui was the first one to ask for my phone number. She…she deleted it? Azusa absentmindedly pulled out her phone to give Ui her number and put in Ui's new number. I really hurt her. Does she want nothing to do with me anymore? Azusa was now dreading heading to the light music club later rather than looking forward to it. Would things be the way they always were? Azusa was afraid to find out the answer.

The thoughts persisted in her mind as she tried to appear to be listening to Jun talk about her trip to visit some relatives over vacation. Her words didn't register as Azusa stared blankly at her and Ui, trying to ignore that rising feeling of guilt and the pain in her chest. Even as class began, she couldn't bring herself to focus on the lecture. She went through her classes as if her body was on auto-pilot and before she knew it, the day was over.

As Azusa walked up the stairs to the light music club room, she felt a wave of nervousness surge through her. She stopped in her tracks and stared worriedly at the door. She slowly stepped closer, gripped the handle tightly, and then slid the door open. As she walked in, she saw Ritsu sitting at the desks with her head down and Mugi standing next to her, apparently trying to comfort her for some reason. Mio was standing a few feet away with her arms crossed. "Did I miss something?" Azusa asked as she walked in.

"Hey, Azusa." Mio greeted, looking over at her, then back at Ritsu. "Ritsu got lectured earlier for not doing her homework over break." She answered, sounding disappointed.

"Again?" Azusa asked as she set her bag down and glanced back to Ritsu and Mugi. The blond waved at Azusa before going back to trying to cheer Ritsu up. "So where's Yui-"

As if saying her name was enough to summon her, the door suddenly opened and the brunette walked. "Hello everyone!" She greeted with that same radiant smile as always.

Before anyone could greet her in return, Ritsu suddenly stood up and pointed accusingly at Yui. "Traitor! How could you do your homework and not suffer a lecture with me?" Although Mio and Mugi didn't react to them, Ritsu's words certainly caught Azusa by surprise. That's a surprise. Yui actually remembered to do her homework? Ui probably bribed her with sweets or something. She thought it was strange, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

"Huh?" Yui replied in confusion. "But I sent you a text last week to remind you to do it." She whined. Upon hearing this, Mio turned to give Ritsu a skeptical look.

"Uh…who wants to practice?" She quickly attempted to change the subject before the inevitable strike to the head from her best friend.

"Yeah! Let's practice!" Yui shouted with enthusiasm, once again only catching Azusa by surprise. "It's been a while since we've all been together."

Mugi frowned. "You don't want to eat cake first?" She asked curiously.

Yui looked like she was contemplating it for a moment; or rather, she looked like she was resisting the urge to jump at the change to eat cake. After a few seconds, she surprisingly shook her head. "We should save it for when we take a break. I bet it'll taste better after we play, right Mio? Azusa-chan?"

Mio nodded her head in reply, but Azusa suddenly went stiff. Azusa-chan? She's not using that nickname anymore? Now that I think about it, she didn't tackle me the moment she saw me. Why is Yui acting so differently and why is everyone else acting like this is normal? This isn't normal at all! Well, it is normal, but it's not normal for Yui! The feeling of guilt may be gone now, but she felt something else replace it that she couldn't explain. It felt almost as if she was sad, but she didn't know why.

"Azusa-chan?" Yui asked, looking at her with concern. "Are you alright?" Azusa looked up at Yui. I'm the one that should be asking that. Azusa just nodded her head in reply.

As the band members set up their instruments, Azusa couldn't help but notice that Yui had an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm as she was tuning Gitah. Even as they played, she noticed that Yui was more into playing than usual. She's taking this more seriously than before. That's a good thing, right?

Azusa wiped the sweat from her brow as they sat down to take a break. They had been jamming for a full hour when someone would normally want to take a break after thirty minutes at most. "That was fun, but it's really hot." Yui said as she put her head on the table. Azusa pulled a folder out of her bag and started fanning Yui. "Ah, thank you Azu-ny-" Yui quickly cut herself off. "Err, Azusa-chan." Azusa nearly dropped the folder when Yui corrected herself. Why does it hurt so much? Isn't this what I wanted? No one else seemed to notice Yui's slip up, or if they did, they didn't show it. Why does everyone act like this is normal? How can they not wonder why Yui has changed? Azusa tuned the others out as they started talking about the new semester. Is this really what I wanted? Did I really want Yui to change like this? How could this happen?

Each day that followed felt like torture to Azusa. While her other friends treated her like they always did, she couldn't help but feel that Yui seemed so distant towards her. Every time that thought crossed her mind, she felt the pain in her chest grow. Even though they were practicing more than before, she no longer felt the enthusiasm for going to club like she used to.

As she entered the club room, she saw that Yui was the only one there. It didn't really surprise her anymore. Ever since vacation ended, Yui tended to be the one that was usually here first, rather than last. "Hello Azusa-chan." Yui greeted as she played a few chords on her guitar.

"Hello, Yui-sempai." Azusa's greeting was so cold and emotionless that it nearly startled her. Yui noticed this right away, and appeared to be struggling with deciding on whether or not she should say anything. In the end, Yui didn't say anything, though her worry was obvious.

Azusa sat down in one of the chairs and stared silently at the desk. She couldn't shake that all too familiar suffocating feeling. It was that same feeling she always felt when she was along at home. Even when surrounded by friends, she felt so alone. This isn't right. It feels like we're complete strangers now. Why doesn't she smile that radiant smile for me anymore? Why doesn't she hug me and call me that embarrassing nickname? Even though I yelled at her, this… this isn't want I wanted!

"Azusa-chan? Are you alright?" Yui asked, looking over at Azusa with a concerned frown. Don't call me that name! Azusa screamed in her head, looking up at Yui. She opened her mouth to feign ignorance by asking what Yui was talking about, but the only thing that came out was a weak sob. Huh? Azusa moved her hands up to her face and felt tears running down her cheeks. When did I start crying? She started wiping her tears away, but it seemed to be a futile effort. It won't stop. I can't stop. Azusa gave up trying to stop and buried her face in her hands. It's so messed up. How could this happen? How could things turn out like this? I want the old Yui back!

Azusa was pulled out of her thoughts by warm, familiar arms wrapping around her. "What's wrong, Azusa-chan?"

"Don't call me that." Azusa mumbled weakly.

"A-Azusa-chan?" Yui asked in confusion.

"Don't call me that! Why won't you call me that embarrassing nickname anymore? Why won't you hold me like you used to? Why have you changed so much?" Azusa shouted, looking up at Yui with tear-stained eyes.

"I changed for you." Yui's answer was barely above a whisper, but she was close enough for Azusa to hear it clearly. She wasn't sure if she was more surprised by what Yui said, or by the fact that Yui was smiling that radiant smile as she said it. "Your words that day meant a lot to me. The last thing I want is for you to hate me, so I asked everyone for help over vacation to try and change into someone you would be proud of."

Azusa's face went pale. "Y-you changed for me?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Then I take it all back!" She shouted, hugging Yui tightly. "I don't want you to treat me like that. I want you to call me that embarrassingly cute nickname. I want you to hug me whenever you see me! It made me feel special, like I mattered to someone. It made me feel loved!" Azusa shouted. Realization dawned on her as she finally figured out the growing pain that was building up in her chest. "I don't want to lose that because I said something I didn't mean. I don't want you to change like this. I want my Yui back! The Yui I fell in love with!"

As Azusa turned her head away to hide her sudden blush, Yui couldn't help but smile and hold her closer. "I never went anywhere, Azu-nyan."

"It feels like we walked in on something good." Ritsu's voice called out from the doorway. Yui and Azusa quickly pulled away and looked at their three band mates, both of them sharing a deep blush.

"Ritsu! Why did you have to speak up? Something good was about to happen!" Mugi shouted in anger, the slightest hint of something red trickling down from her nose.

"What a bold confession." Mio said with a hand over her mouth, blushing a deeper shade of crimson than either Yui or Azusa.

"Aww you guys!" Yui frowned at them. "I was going to enjoy my private time with my Azu-nyan." Azusa's blush matched Mio's as she looked up at Yui. She tried to say something to her about not saying such embarrassing things, but Yui cut her off before she could by pressing their lips together.

Two loud thuds came from the doorway as Mugi and Mio both fainted. Ritsu grabbed some paper to fan them both off.

As the two pulled away from each other, they exchanged embarrassed, goofy smiles. Yui's smile quickly vanished as she appeared to suddenly have an idea and pulled her phone out. "Oh, that reminds me. Ui said you didn't have my phone number. Did you delete it?" Azusa asked with a hurt look in her eyes.

"What? I would never do that! See?" Yui showed Azusa the phone's screen after pulling up Azusa's number. It was registered under the name 'Nyan'.

"You...registered my number as Nyan?" She didn't know whether to be embarrassed or to just roll her eyes.

"Yup! But now I need to change it." Yui answered before pressing a few buttons and showing it to Azusa again. She changed the name to 'Lover-nyan'.

"Why do you keep calling me such embarrassing things?"

"Because you're so cute~!" Yui teased and hugged Azusa again.

Azusa pretended to whine but smiled and hugged Yui back. "Mou~ How could this happen?"