"Huh? We have to buy it ourselves?"
Hirasawa Yui asked, looking a little dazed.
"Of course!"
Tainaka Ritsu gave her a look that practically screamed "Are you serious?" Then she threw an arm around Yui's shoulders and said, "Like how the Kendo Club buys their own wooden swords, the Tennis Club their rackets, the Soccer Club their balls…"
"All that stuff's self-funded!"
"Huh? Really?"
Yui blinked in realization, as if a great mystery of the universe had just been revealed to her.
"Wait, wait!"
Ritsu twitched at the corner of her mouth. "Don't tell me… Yui, have you never been in a club before?"
"Gah!"
Yui looked utterly stunned. She trembled. "H-how did you know?!"
"Nani?!"
This time it was Ritsu's turn to be genuinely shocked.
The entire club room fell silent. Even Sato and the rest of the Light Music Club stared at Yui in disbelief.
The only sound was the quiet rustling of Yukinoshita Yukino flipping a page in her book.
"Umm… is that a problem?" Yui asked nervously, glancing around at the stunned group.
Sato looked over at Ritsu, whose eyes were still wide in shock. He stepped in, "No, not really. Everyone's just… a little surprised."
On that little, his voice clearly emphasized more than he intended.
"I knew it… it's weird, isn't it…"
Yui scratched her head. She couldn't help but feel a bit out of place, maybe no one else made it all the way to high school without joining a single club.
"Ahem! How can you call that weird!"
Ritsu cleared her throat loudly, internally vowing to herself: she would support this new recruit no matter what! There was no way she'd let Yui drop out!
Suddenly, she slapped her hand firmly on Yui's shoulder and said with complete seriousness, "That just means you're a blank canvas, totally unshaped. Super moldable!"
"Moldable?"
Yui tilted her head in confusion.
"Yeah… like you've got growth potential! You know that term, right? It means you can improve really fast!"
Ritsu nodded gravely as she explained.
"R-really?!"
"Of course! I believe in you, Yui... You'll be a great guitarist!"
"Th-thank you!"
Yui's voice trembled with emotion as she thanked Ritsu.
Ritsu nodded back solemnly, then turned to the window and stared out with burning conviction. "Yui, the journey to conquer the stars and seas won't be easy. Can you stick with it?"
Yui seemed deeply inspired. She turned to the empty sky outside with Ritsu and gave a firm nod.
"I can!"
Her answer was simple, but her gaze was unwavering.
Sato sipped his tea silently, watching the little play unfold. At last, someone who could match Ritsu's energy.
Akiyama Mio sighed, watching the two immersed in their imaginary world…
And the Ojou-sama, seemingly moved, watched on as if witnessing a theatrical masterpiece, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief…
Yep… Ojou-samas were truly a different breed.
In the corner, a certain girl cast them a quietly envious glance.
"All right, time to get down to business."
The spell broke with Ritsu's clap as she plopped back into her seat and took a sip of tea.
"Huh? What?!"
Yui, clearly swept away by the theatrics, was now struggling to catch up. Maybe Ritsu had thrown her off for good.
"Sato, how much do guitars cost these days?"
Ritsu asked casually, crossing her legs and lounging back like she had no concept of ladylike behavior.
"I'm not entirely sure, but the price range shouldn't vary too much."
"The cheapest ones are around eight or nine thousand yen, maybe ten thousand. But even entry-level ones start at fifty thousand and up…"
"For beginners, yeah, I'd say at least fifty thousand."
Sato added after a thoughtful pause.
After all, when learning an instrument, it's not enough to just buy the cheapest one. Especially for beginners, the first instrument needs to be of decent quality.
Because learning music is all about training your ear. If the instrument has flawed or distorted sound, and you get used to hearing it wrong, it'll mess up your progress later on.
If the foundation isn't solid, the rest can't follow.
"F-fifty thousand?!"
Yui's eyes went wide. A small whimper escaped her.
"That's like ten months of my allowance!"
"Well, nothing we can do about that."
Mio added gently from the side, "When I bought my bass, I had to save up for ages too."
"How much savings do you have right now, Yui?"
"Um… about five thousand?"
Yui said hesitantly, clearly pained that her hard-earned savings were nowhere near enough.
"Five thousand, huh… That's not even close."
"Hmm! Maybe you could ask your parents to give you an advance on your allowance."
"Huh?! Then I won't have any allowance for the rest of the year! No way…"
"Maybe there are other options."
"Everyone!"
Suddenly, a calm and clear voice rang out from the corner.
Everyone turned to see Yukinoshita Yukino, who had quietly put down her book and was now facing them.
Her pale lips parted, and her cool voice filled the club room.
"According to school policy, if a club is officially established, and applies with a valid reason, it can receive a budget for club activities."
"Huh?"
Ritsu was clearly surprised.
Sato glanced at her. "Our dear president didn't know this?"
"Uh, haha…"
"Well then, I'm off to apply!"
Ritsu chuckled awkwardly, trying to hide her embarrassment, then made a swift decision and bolted out of the room.
"Wait for my good news, everyone!"
Everyone: "..."
Ten minutes later, Ritsu came back.
"Guys! I got the club funds!"
She held up a small envelope triumphantly, immediately grabbing everyone's attention.
"How much?"
Mio asked quickly.
"Three thousand!"
"..."