"N-No, it's okay."
Hirasawa Yui scratched her head with a sheepish smile.
"Yui-san, would you like a cookie?"
Just in time, Tsumugi approached with a plate of cookies and asked sweetly, blinking at her.
So fragrant!
Like a cat catching a whiff of dried sardines, Yui's gaze locked onto the cookies and never left. She didn't even realize what she was saying.
"Yes!"
Inside the Light Music Club room, the girls successfully calmed their guest using the most primal tactic, food.
"Yui-san, what instrument are you good at?"
Mid-snack, Ritsu suddenly asked curiously.
"Um… actually…"
Yui suddenly snapped back to reality. Looking around at all the curious faces, she scratched her head in embarrassment, stammering nervously.
"Actually? Actually you can play all of them?!"
Ritsu gasped, eyes widening in shock. Could this clumsy girl actually be some kind of music prodigy?!
"N-No! I just…"
Yui frantically waved her hands, on the verge of tears.
No way!
She knew perfectly well that she couldn't play a single instrument. Her joining the club was a spur-of-the-moment decision. After calming down, she realized the only thing she could play was castanets and barely that.
"So you're only good at a few, huh?"
Ritsu leaned in from across the table, face mere inches from Yui's.
"N-No no no!"
Ahh! Her imagination is running wild!
Yui was completely thrown off by Ritsu's enthusiasm and couldn't get a word in.
Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a hand grabbing Ritsu's collar and yanking her back into her seat.
"President, that's too much! Can't you see you're scaring the newbie?"
"Huh? Really?"
Ritsu pouted, unconvinced.
How could she scare someone? She was clearly cute and friendly!
Yui let out a small sigh of relief but then she caught a glimpse of Sato's calm gaze.
Yikes! What a terrifying look!
She started trembling and gave up trying to defend Ritsu.
Why did everyone in the Light Music Club seem so scary?
"Hirasawa Yui, was it?"
"Yes!"
Yui straightened up immediately, answering respectfully.
"Looks like… you don't actually play any instruments, do you?"
Yui was about to respond, but Ritsu beat her to it.
"That can't be! Yui totally looks like a musical genius, she's gotta be amazing!"
From the corner, Yukinoshita Yukino lowered her book and watched silently.
Sato gave Ritsu a look. "A bit too confident there, aren't you?"
"Huh? Really?"
Just then, Yui suddenly stood and gave a deep bow.
"I'm sorry, everyone! I really don't know how to play any instruments!"
"What?!"
Ritsu, Tsumugi, and Mio all froze. Sato had been telling the truth?!
No way!!
Sure, she looked kind of ditzy but with a name like Hirasawa Yui, she had to be good at music!
Still stunned, Ritsu tried to rationalize it in her head.
"I'm really sorry for bothering everyone… I'll go now."
Yui said, sounding dejected, and began to leave.
"Wait!"
Sato stopped her. With a hint of exasperation, he said, "If I'm not mistaken, there's no rule saying Light Music Club only accepts people who can already play instruments, right?"
Ritsu's eyes lit up and she quickly grabbed Yui's arm.
"Exactly! There's no such rule!"
Whew! That was close!
With members already scarce, Ritsu wasn't about to let a potential recruit walk out the door.
"Huh?"
Yui blinked in confusion.
Taking the chance, Ritsu sat her back down and happily served her more tea and sweets.
"Th-Thank you!"
"This club is all about learning together. If there's something you don't know, everyone will help you, so don't feel pressured."
"Yeah, exactly!"
Ritsu shot Sato a grateful look, then launched into full-on recruitment mode.
"It's okay if you don't know anything, we'll help you! Everyone here has their specialty, and you can choose whichever instrument you want to learn."
"Once you've got the hang of it, we'll perform live together!"
"And then, the crowd will be full of your fans, shouting your name and cheering for your performance…"
Ritsu coughed, then picked up a rolled-up book like a mic and started narrating dramatically.
"Everyone! The moment you've all been waiting for!"
"From the prestigious Private Mixed High, please welcome the Light Music Club!"
"First up, the club's lead guitarist… Hirasawa Yui!!!"
"Hirasawa Yui!"
"Hirasawa Yui!!"
Tsumugi played along, pretending to be the hype squad, calling out Yui's name excitedly.
"Ahh…"
Clearly, the airhead had a rich imagination.
As Ritsu continued painting the scene, Yui imagined herself on a grand stage, spotlight shining, the crowd cheering her name and waving glowsticks in sync.
"Hirasawa Yui!"
"Hirasawa Yui!!"
So cool!!
"What do you think, Yui-san? Our ultimate goal is to perform at the Tokyo Dome!"
Ritsu's voice dripped with temptation, like a devil whispering in her ear.
"T-Tokyo Dome?! You're going that far…?"
Still going?!
Sato's expression twitched. Ritsu might've gone a little overboard.
Given how the Light Music Club still hadn't even brought out their instruments, let alone qualified for a live performance, setting their sights on Tokyo Dome was beyond ambitious.
"Alright! I've decided!"
Yui suddenly stood up, fired up and determined.
"Everyone! I'll stay! Please take care of me!"
"Yay!"
Ritsu beamed and shook her hand. Finally, the ditzy new recruit had been reeled in.
"So Yui-san, what instrument do you want to learn?"
"Um…"
Yui thought for a moment, then recalled Ritsu's words earlier:
"Let's welcome our lead guitarist, Hirasawa Yui!!"
"Then… guitar!"
"Great choice! Sato will teach you, he's our best guitarist."
Sato's expression twitched again, he was the only guitarist here.
"Well, now that it's settled, let's get started!"
"First step, buy a guitar!"