Who should be guiding whom really was a good question.
Normally, the senior members of a club would teach the juniors. But when a junior's skills surpassed those of the seniors, it obviously wouldn't make sense for the seniors to keep instructing them.
Yui glanced at Nakano Azusa with a guilty expression. She couldn't help letting out a dejected whimper in her heart.
Why is the new member so amazing?!
"It feels like she's even better than Yui."
"I think you can drop the 'feels like.'"
"So she really is better than Yui?"
"Definitely."
"..."
After chatting for a while, Mio suddenly turned to Nakano Azusa.
"Can I call you Azu-nyan... no, how about just Azusa?"
Nakano Azusa hurriedly nodded.
"Of course! Senpai can call me whatever you'd like!"
She secretly looked at Mio, her eyes sparkling.
This senpai is so pretty...
Mio looked at her curiously.
"How long have you been playing the guitar, Azusa?"
"I started learning in the fourth grade of elementary school, so it's been about five or six years now. Both my parents are musicians in a jazz band, so I became interested in the guitar from a young age."
Five or six years?!
So maybe I'm not that bad after all. If she's been practicing for five or six years, I should be able to reach that level too, right?
Yui suddenly let out a quiet sigh of relief, silently comforting herself. A little of her confidence returned, and a smile bloomed on her face once again.
"A jazz band? Are you from a musical family?"
Sato asked with interest.
"No! Not at all. We're just an ordinary family."
Nakano Azusa hurriedly waved her hands.
Calling them a musical family was far too grand.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, someone knocked on the clubroom door.
It's definitely not a teacher.
The same thought crossed everyone's mind. After all, neither of the two teachers who had ever come to the Light Music Club had bothered knocking before entering.
"I'll get it."
Sato said to everyone before walking over and sliding the door open.
Whoosh.
The clubroom door slid aside, revealing the girl standing outside. A look of surprise appeared on Sato's face.
"Ui?"
"Sato-senpai!"
Hirasawa Ui smiled brightly and gave Sato a slight bow.
Her gaze swept across the clubroom and quickly landed on the unfamiliar figure inside. Surprise immediately appeared on her face.
"Nakano-san?"
Not far away, Nakano Azusa looked just as surprised.
"Hirasawa-san?"
Wait.
She quickly shifted her gaze to Yui. After looking back and forth between the two of them several times, she suddenly exclaimed,
"Hirasawa-san and Hirasawa-senpai are sisters?"
"That's right. We look alike, don't we?"
Ritsu grinned as she patted Yui on the shoulder.
Kotobuki Tsumugi smiled as well.
"We were surprised for quite a while the first time we met them too."
Sato led Hirasawa Ui over to Nakano Azusa and looked at the two of them curiously.
"So you're classmates?"
"Yeah!"
The two nodded at the same time.
Nakano Azusa looked at Ui with both delight and curiosity.
"Ui, did you join the Light Music Club too?"
"No, I joined the Jazz Club."
Ui gently shook her head.
"Huh?!"
Azusa froze for a moment before instinctively asking,
"Why?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized it sounded rather rude. She hurriedly waved her hands.
"If you don't want to say, that's totally fine."
"Well..."
Ui thought for a moment before turning toward Yui with a bright smile.
"Ever since my sister joined the Light Music Club, I've gotten to see a different side of her. If I joined too, maybe she'd end up becoming the way she used to be again."
"Huh?"
Azusa listened with a puzzled expression.
Sato and the others understood what she meant, though.
Smiling, Sato said,
"That's because Ui acts more like the older sister than Yui does."
"Exactly. Ui's spoiled Yui rotten. Yui always looks completely limp and unmotivated."
Ritsu nodded in agreement with her arms crossed.
Ui lowered her head shyly.
Meanwhile, Yui puffed out her cheeks indignantly.
"But I'm obviously the older sister!"
"Oh?"
Sato raised an eyebrow with a smile.
"Then let me ask you a few questions."
"Go ahead!"
Yui waved her hand grandly, full of confidence.
"First question. Who usually does the housework and laundry at home?"
In an instant, the confidence on Yui's face froze.
After hesitating for a moment, she timidly looked at everyone. Faced with all the eyes fixed on her, she answered quietly,
"Ui."
"Second question. Who cooks at home?"
Yui's confidence shrank by another three points.
She mumbled,
"Ui."
"Third and final question. In your daily life, who takes care of whom?"
Yui completely gave up resisting.
With a defeated expression, she said,
"Ui."
Ritsu immediately burst into laughter and threw an arm around Yui's shoulders.
"See? So where does all that confidence of yours even come from, Yui?"
"Waaah..."
Seeing this, Mio rubbed her forehead helplessly, while Tsumugi stood there smiling.
"A... actually, my sister takes care of me in lots of ways too!"
Ui hurriedly spoke up anxiously.
Hmm?
Everyone immediately turned to look at her.
Yui, as though she'd just been granted a pardon, dashed over and clung to Ui's arm with teary eyes.
"Quick, Ui! Tell them!"
Ui nodded and began thinking as hard as she could.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds...
As time slowly passed, Ui's face gradually turned pale.
Even Sato could no longer hold back his smile.
He patted Ui on the shoulder and finally laughed.
"Ui, don't force yourself."
The others couldn't help laughing as well.
With an apologetic expression, Ui looked toward Yui, whose eyes had become lifeless.
I'm sorry, Sis. I really can't think of anything!
"Hahaha!"
The entire clubroom echoed with bright, bell-like laughter.
Watching the scene, Nakano Azusa's eyes filled with a trace of envy.
Everyone got along so well, and the atmosphere was so warm.