The day was very yucky as rain continued pouring. The streets were wet and slippery as everyone tried passing through carefully. While the weather was terrible, school was still opened and the situation became difficult for a lot of the students. From the classroom windows, everyone watched as the rain continued pouring rapidly. Ritsu was not very happy by the sight. “This is turning out to be a bad day indeed.” She moaned. Mio looked at her with no expression at all. “It’s not “that” bad.” She said while continuing staring at Ritsu. As they were talking, Yui and Nodoka were also chatting. “Can you believe this weather?” Nodoka said as she turned to look at the window. “All of my reports are going to be soaked by the end of the day.” As with every problem, Yui always had a solution.

“Just take my umbrella,” She said as she handed it to Nodoka with a smile. “I’ll be fine and your reports are important.” Nodoka couldn’t seem to understand why Yui was always so sweet, but at the same time so dull. Instead of questioning, she simply took it and thanked her. On the desk not very far, Tsumugi was fast asleep. She was laying her head on the desk while her arms were crossed underneath her head. Everyone who noticed was weirded by the sight. Even Mio grew concerned. “Hey Tsumugi,” She whispered as she gently shook her. “Wake up. Class is about to start.” As she shook, Tsumugi finally awoke. She couldn’t remember what happened. The only thing she remembered was arriving in class and then falling asleep the next minute. Mio had a concerned look on her face as she thought Tsumugi might be coming down with something.

Later on, at the Light Music Club room, everyone was sitting at the table. Tsumugi was brewing some tea while Yui, Ritsu, Mio, and Azusa were talking as well as eating some sweets. When Tsumugi wasn’t listening, Mio managed to discuss about what happened this morning. “Do you really think she’s sick?” Azusa asked. “I’m not really sure,” Mio respond. “All I remembered was that she fell asleep and couldn’t remember anything that happened before.” Everyone grew overly concerned. The only thing that was preventing them from solving the case was to see if she was in fact sick. Yui’s idea was to play a few simple tricks on her that would determine if she’s telling the truth or lying. Only Ritsu went with the plan, but Mio and Azusa thought it was the worse idea ever and needed to think a more suitable plan.

There was the idea of bringing her to the nurse’s office and have the nurse check on her. “How are we going to convince her to go though?” Mio asked. “Isn’t it obvious? We’ll just ask her to go.” Ritsu exclaimed as she patted Mio on her left shoulder. While it was a good plan, there was possibly no way she would go to the nurse’s office sense she had already said earlier that everything was fine. Within seconds, everyone ran out of ideas. Just then, Mio noticed something unusual. “Where’s our tea?” As everyone looked at her they then looked down and realized that there were neither tea cups nor the tea pot which sat in the center of the table.

As they turned, they noticed Tsumugi was lying on the floor. In panic they quickly rushed to her and helped her up. Ritsu felt her forehead, which was pretty warm. She then kept whacking her face, hoping it would help her wake up faster. When she got a little too carried away however Mio grabbed her and pulled her away from Tsumugi. Just then, her eyes slowly opened as her vision was coming back to normal. She noticed Yui and Azusa’s faces staring at her. “I think she’s awake!” Yui said as she turned her head. Both Mio and Ritsu stopped and quickly returned to the scene. “Are you alright Mugi-chan?” Ritsu asked. Slowly, she rose up from the floor and touched her forehead with her hand. “I-I-I don’t actually know. I don’t even remember why I passed out to begin with.” Everyone looked at each other with concerned expressions as they didn’t know what more to say or do.

“Maybe we should cancel practice today.” Azusa said. Everyone thought the idea was good, even though it was hard to give up a day of practice. Tsumugi however denied as she didn’t want to be the cause of their practice session being canceled. She slowly got up and walked to her keyboard as she smiled at the others. “We are going to practice even if I don’t feel well,” She said in determination. “So let’s do it!” Everyone grew surprised by her words, but there was nothing left to say or to do. They got to practicing which went along wonderfully as always. However, between a few songs Tsumugi started sneezing. She kept sneezing until they finished their last song. “You’re having a sneeze attack Mugi-chan!” Ritsu exclaimed. Everyone turned to her and had blank stares on their faces. Confused, she didn’t have much to say.

As they made their way outside, everyone unpacked their umbrellas. “I guess I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Tsumugi said as she waved to them. Everyone looked at her with concern and didn’t say anything in response. She had already disappeared through the dreary rain as everyone continued watching. “Poor Mugi-chan..” Azusa said as she looked at the ground with worry. Yui huggled closer to her. “Aw Azu-nyan! You’re too cute when you worry!” While the two were busy, Mio and Ritsu did nothing as they continued staring at the distance. “We better get going Mio.” Ritsu said as she turned and walked away. Standing still for a little while more, Mio then turned and followed Ritsu.

Within a few hours, Tsumugi finally made it home. She unlocked the door and entered, turning on the main room lights. This at first startled Kasey, who was sleeping on top of the couch but after realizing who it was he remained calm. “I’m so sorry that I’m late,” She said as she quickly closed the door and sighed. “It was hard getting on the next train.” The bird didn’t really care that she was late. In fact, he flew to her and gave her a sweet “welcome home” kiss on the cheek. She blushed as she giggled and patted his head. “You’re just too sweet Pepie! I’ll go start dinner.” Kasey flew off her shoulder and landed on top of the couch again. As Tsumugi made her way to the kitchen, he noticed the way she walked and knew something was wrong. He didn’t want to make a big deal about it though and just let it go. After dinner, Tsumugi washed the dishes and headed up stairs for at which Kasey tagged along. She took a nice, hot bath and got changed into her pajamas. Kasey meanwhile was sitting on his perch, preening his feathers.

Later on, Tsumugi was in the bathroom once more. She was brushing her teeth. Kasey meanwhile continued sitting on his perch, but he was fast asleep. It wasn’t very long however when he was awakened by a loud noise which came from the bathroom. As he flew his way there, he noticed a hand poking out the creak of the door. Worried at first he slowly made his way to the direction and slowly opened the door. He was shocked by what he encountered. Tsumugi was lying on the bathroom floor. She wasn’t dead, but was passed out cold. After touching her forehead with his bird-like feet, Kasey immediately knew what was wrong.

He didn’t panic, but felt overly concerned. Sense no one was in the house he knew he had to do something on his own. With Tsumugi passed out, she wasn’t able to witness his true power- which was shape shifting. He turned himself into a prehistoric monster called “Gorgonopsia”. With ease, he carefully put her on his back and slowly stepped out of the bathroom without causing her any harm. He slowly walked to the bed and managed to put her there safely. He felt her forehead once more using his monstrous hand and realized it was still warm.

After getting her into bed, Kasey decided to run down stairs and make a cool, wet wash cloth to put on her head. Turning into something that would make easy use of this, which was in his mind a chimpanzee, he managed to get a small cloth, ran the sink water into cool, and put the cloth in the running water. He released the extra water so that it wouldn’t get too wet and quickly walked up the stairs as he made it back to Tsumugi’s room. He gently put the wet cloth on her head and stood back as he watched her breathing heavily. He stayed up most of the night just to make sure she was alright.

As the rest of the night flew by, morning finally arose. The beam from the sun came through Tsumugi’s bedroom window which blinded her a little. She tossed on her right side at which the wet cloth that stayed on her head all night slowly slipped off and landed next to her. After it fell, she slowly opened her eyes and looked downward as she took notice of the cloth. “It’s a- wet cloth,” She said to herself quietly. “But. Who did this?” She started wondering who could have put a wet, wash cloth on her head. She looked around the room from sitting on her bed. She couldn’t really think however as a little pain suddenly filled her mind. “I guess I’m not any better,” She sighed as she turned to look at Kasey, who was sleeping on his perch. “And sense I can’t go to school, I guess I’ll have to depend the others in caring for you Pepie.” As she continued staring at him, she then had something in her mind. She started wondering if it was he who put the cloth on her head. It wasn’t possible however as she thought there was no way a bird could’ve done that. Still, the theory was logical.

When she was able to get up, Tsumugi started writing a little note. After she was done she walked up to Kasey and poked him gently. When he finally awoke Tsumugi showed him the note and gave him instructions. “Please deliver this to my friends at the Light Music Club Room okay? And I want you stay there.” Kasey looked at her with confusion as he wondered what she meant by “stay there”. Not wanting to stick around however, he had to pass in wondering and quickly flew away. Tsumugi watched him through her window as she smiled.

It was a long trip from the side of town to the school. While it was a long journey, it was something Kasey could handle. In fact, he’s made longer trips than this. He quickly flew as fast as he could until he finally arrived at the school. He managed to find the window where the Light Music Club was and managed to get inside. The club room was empty and quite, but Kasey decided to take this chance to rest up. He laid the note on the table and flew to his perch as he took a little nap.

Hours later, Yui and Azusa were the first to arrive at the club room. They received a surprise when they noticed Kasey sitting on his perch. “What’s Pepie doing here?” Azusa asked with surprise. “Maybe he decided to take a break from Mugi-chan.” Yui respond. Azusa looked at her with no amusement. “Why would he do that? That’s just mean Yui Senpia.” Yui became worried. She tried to apologize, but was stuttered. As they both walked to the table, they noticed the note. Azusa opened it and read what was said. “I’m still not feeling very well. I will return to school when I feel like the time is right. Don’t worry about me. Love, Tsumugi.” She then looked down and noticed something else written. “P.S.: I told Pepie to come to the club room. I felt like he needed company while I’m recovering.” Azusa and Yui looked at each other and then turned to Kasey, who continued sleeping.

A few minutes later, both Mio and Ritsu soon arrived. As they entered, they noticed both Yui and Azusa sitting at the table. “Is it just my imagination or are things different?” Ritsu whispered to Mio. Indeed things were different as they usually talked. This time however, things were a tad opposite as they both sat in silence. When arriving at the table, Mio and Ritsu noticed the looks on their faces. “Hello? Earth to Yui. Earth to Azusa.” Ritsu said as she waved her hands in front of their faces. It got to the point where Mio thought it was enough and quickly grabbed her arm as she slowly put it down. Ritsu looked at her with confusion. “Why did you do that? I thought I was doing some good.” Mio looked at her in an irritated manor. “Well it wasn’t. So you should learn to stop.” Putting on her pout face, Ritsu’s head turned to the right.

Just then, Mio noticed the note sitting close to Yui. “What’s this?” She asked as she picked it up. She then read the whole letter for at which her expression changed. “Poor Tsumugi. She was sick after all. But then, I wonder what we’re supposed to do about him.” She turned to the cockatoo, who continued sleeping on the perch. Eventually, both Yui and Azusa snapped to their normality and managed to explain the outcome of how they reacted. “I see,” Mio said as she looked back down at the note. “So, I’m guessing one of us has to take care of Pepie until Tsumugi gets better.” “But the question is: Which of us will take care of him?” Ritsu asked. Everyone started pondering.

“I guess I’ll care for him first.” Azusa said. Everyone turned and stared at her with surprise. “Are you sure?” Mio asked. Azusa nodded in response. “I’m sure I can. I think he and my kitten will get along. So, all I have to bring is a bag of bird feed right?” With that settled, everyone helped her with packing a few things Kasey needed. She was able to get a little bag of seed, carried an extra bird perch, and packed some toys for him to play with. By the time the school hours were over, both Azusa and Kasey made their way home. “I also have a kitten,” She said as she was walking. “I’m hoping you guys will get along.” Kasey gave a little squawk as this meant he was excited. Azusa giggled as she closed both eyes.

After they arrived, Azusa’s kitten was standing by the door, ready to greet her. As she put all of the things down she got on her knees and picked the kitten up as she gently hugged it. Kasey was admiring the moment from sitting on top of one of her chairs. As soon as she was done, she told him to come down so that he and the kitten would meet each other. After landing on the floor however the unexpecting happened. The kitten hissed as it tried scratching the bird with its left paw. Kasey gave a little panic squawk as he jumped backwards, flapping his wings in defense. Azusa noticed this and told the kitten to be nice. “This is our guest,” She exclaimed to the little kitten. “Be nice to him okay?” Kasey was having second thoughts about living here. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the place, it was all because of her kitten.

The hours went along and things appeared normally again. However, no matter how many times he turned the kitten was always lurking close by. There were several times when Azusa took note of this and did everything she could to get the kitten to understand. Even though she tried, the kitten refused to reason and always tried attacking Kasey when the moment was right. All of this went on until it was time for bed. Azusa was in her bedroom along with the kitten. Kasey meanwhile fell asleep on his perch in the main room all alone. He didn’t mind sleeping alone as he didn’t want to cause any trouble. He also didn’t want to be alone with the kitten.

On the following morning, Kasey was still sleeping on his perch. As he woke up and stretched his wings he had the surprise of a lifetime. Azusa’s kitten sat right in front of him. This caused him to let out a panic attack and flapped his wings hard. Hearing the commotion, Azusa quickly raced to him and asked what was wrong. She noticed the kitten, which was lying on its back and tried acting innocent. This didn’t prove useful for her at all and knew it was faking. “That’s it. I don’t have any other choice. Pepie, it’s time you live with someone else. I’m sorry. But I cannot deal with this anymore.” The cockatoo stopped squawking and moving. He wasn’t at all upset. In fact, moving out was what came to his mind sense yesterday. After breakfast, Azusa packed all of the bird belongings and called Yui on her cell phone.

“Hey Yui,” She spoke. “I need you to meet me somewhere within town. Things aren’t going great here and I would like you to care for Pepie this time okay? Thanks. I’ll see you then. Bye.” After hanging up, she took a deep sigh and turned to stare at the bird, who was staring at her as well. “I’m sorry Pepie. I hope there’s no offense to this. I just don’t think it’s working out too well.” She started stroking the bottom of his neck for at which he was soothed. Even though things didn’t turn well, he did understand. There probably was a good chance that the kitten was jealous after all. Both Azusa and the bird left for town. After traveling a good way through the area, they finally managed to locate Yui, who was looking through the window to a bakery.

They all looked through the cakes and sweets together for a while. Afterwards, they all headed to lunch and had a good meal. “So, what happened between you and Pepie?” Yui asked. Azusa didn’t want to explain what happened, so she made something up. “He kind of got cranky,” She lied. “He pulled of such a fuss and just didn’t like hanging at my place.” Kasey was shocked by what he had heard. He couldn’t believe that she would make something up like that and then lie to her friend. He wanted to teach her a lesson but couldn’t as he didn’t want to cause a scene. Plus, he didn’t want to reveal his true identity yet. Understanding her lie however, Yui went with it and took the belongings from Azusa. Kasey then flew to her right shoulder. “Bye Azu-nyan! See you later!” Yui said as she tried waving. Azusa waved back as she left. With a deep sigh of happiness, Yui turned to the bird and smiled.

After arriving home, Yui announced herself as to which her youngest sister came down. “Welcome back sis,” Ui said as she smiled. “What are you doing with all of that?” “I’m just loaning these for a friend.” Yui respond. Her sister was surprised by the fact that everything she was carrying was in fact pet bird things. She started wondering if Yui was considering getting a bird. She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn’t notice her sister passing by. As soon as she arrived in her room, Yui gently put everything down and stretched. “So, this is my room,” She said as she showed it to Kasey. “Make yourself at home. But keep in mind you will have to go back with Mugi-chan.” Kasey gave a little squawk in response for at which she laughed.

An hour later, Ui was in the kitchen. She was preparing a good meal for supper. During her cooking however, she still couldn’t get pass the thought of her sister owning a bird. “I wonder what type of bird she’s considering on adopting,” She said out loud while looking up. “Maybe it’s a little finch. Those are adorable. Probably a parrot? No, no. Those are too expensive.” No matter how hard she tried, she just wasn’t able to figure it out. She couldn’t ponder over it long though as her dish would be ruined. It was something she would have to think overtime. After cooking, she fixed two plates- one for her and the other for her sister. “Big sis! Dinner is ready!” She said as she looked up the stairs. She could hear Yui’s response for at which she smiled and turned as she walked to the table.

Yui came down the stairs quickly and was amazed by what her sister had cooked. “This looks so yummy!” She exclaimed with excitement. Ui giggled as she approached the table and handed a napkin to her sister and one for herself. They sat, thanked and praised for the food, and started eating. During their moment of eating quietly, Ui started thinking about asking Yui over the things she brought earlier. To avoid an awkward situation however, she shook her head quickly and continued eating. “So sis, what was the deal with all of those things you carried earlier?” She asked. Yui looked at her with wonder and then finally remembered. “Those are just some pet things for a bird.” She respond. Ui couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “Oh my goodness! Is it really possible she’s considering on adopting a bird? This is wonderful but at the same time, a little crazy.” Her whole mind was filled with both excitement and fear. Through all of this, Yui just sat and watched with confusion. “Ui, is everything alright?” She asked. After she said something, Ui managed to calm down. “I’m sorry sis,” She said as she looked down with humiliation. “The truth is I actually thought you were considering on adopting a bird. So I got a little excited and worried at the same time.” At first, Yui didn’t actually know what to say. She did however managed to set her sister straight by explaining to her that there was a bird, but it was Tsumugi’s and that she was in charge of caring for it. After explaining everything, Ui’s expression changed. “I understand now,” She said as she smiled. “That’s really nice you offered to care for it on Tsumugi’s behalf. But if you need any help, please let me know okay?” Yui agreed and smiled big as she hugged her sister.

As all of this was going on, Kasey was taking a good look around Yui’s room. What really set him on was the fact she had so much homework she didn’t get done and started wondering what she could’ve been doing that was so important. He didn’t have time to think however as the door suddenly opened and Yui stepped in. “Oh, you were looking around? That’s alright. This is your first time staying at my place anyway.” She said as she got on her knees and giggled. Kasey took a good long look at her and through that sweet, adorable smile he just couldn’t resist pondering over her life. All he could do now was mind his own business and not even worry what she does in her life.

A little while later, Yui took a bath and changed into her night clothes. Kasey meanwhile was sitting on his perch, admiring the peace and quite. “Well, we better get some sleep,” Yui said as she turned off the lights and patted Kasey on the head. “Goodnight to you Pepie and sweet dreams.” As she pulled the covers, Kasey watched as she finally went to sleep. This was his chance to take a look at all of her homework and see if there was anything he could do to help. Looking from book after book and flipping page by page, he couldn’t imagine or believe how lazy and clumsy she was. He was even on the verge of turning into a monkey and wanted to do all the assignments for her. He knew deep down however that doing someone else’s job wasn’t his responsibility and it was best to just leave it alone. After all, what he doesn’t realize is that Yui actually does her homework- once she has motivation from her friends.

Morning arrived and the beams from the sunlight went through Yui’s window. She wasn’t at all awakened by the beams as her head was covered up. Kasey meanwhile continued sleeping on his perch, but was awakened by the brightness. He stretched and yawned as he turned to see Yui all covered up. It looked like she wasn’t even there. Kasey wanted to be nice and let her oversleep but the growling in his stomach told him that he really needed to wake her. He didn’t have any supper last night so he was way overdue. He flew to her bed and used his beak to pull the covers a bit. Yui was on her left side and as such, only the back of her head was shown. This didn’t stop Kasey however as he gently tussled her hair. He did this at lease three more times until Yui finally awoke. She yawned, stretched, and rubbed her right eye as she stared at Kasey, who was sitting close to her.

“I wanna go back to sleep..” She moaned. Kasey however wasn’t going to allow it as he was starving. He kept squawking a little until he got her to wake up. She slowly slumped off the bed and got up. Kasey managed to tell her that he was hungry and that he wanted some breakfast. Understanding what he was trying to tell her, Yui started looking for the little bag of bird feed. She couldn’t find it anywhere and assumed it was back at Azusa’s place. “Oh no!” She said as a frantic look filled her face. Kasey knew what this meant and soon had a depressed look on his face. With no breakfast, it meant he was very close to starving.

An hour later, Mio and Ritsu paid a visit sense Yui sent a text message to both of them. Ui let them in and managed to explain to them very little of what happened. Both Mio and Ritsu walked up the stairs. When they got to Yui’s bedroom, Mio knocked the door at which a faint, little voice was heard that told them to come in. Upon entering, they were surprised to see a depressed Yui crying on her desk while a nearly dead cockatoo was sulking on his perch. “What happened??” Ritsu asked as she quickly approached Yui. Because she continued crying, she wasn’t able to explain much. Mio on the other hand understood. “I think she forgot the little bag of feed,” She said as she looked at Kasey. “We better go to Azusa’s and retrieve it.” Ritsu thought it was a waste of time as Azusa’s place was far into town. Instead, she had a better plan. “Let’s go to the school and get ourselves another small bag full of feed.” Mio was against the plan sense breaking into the school was something she refused to do. She thought her idea was best.

Within minutes, both Mio and Ritsu left the house. They carried all the belongings and took Kasey with them. Ui apologized for all the trouble and bid them a farewell. Yui did as well, even though she was still sulking. “Yui really gave in too easily didn’t she?” Ritsu said as she did her best not to drop anything. “She did,” Mio respond as she had a look of sadness. “But I do feel for her. I can imagine what it must feel like to loose something important and simple as feed.” Ritsu thought that it wasn’t that much of a big deal. Mio however argued with her, saying that loosing feed can be a high risk. “If you forget the feed, than the pet will die! It’s as simple as that!” “Calm down Mio,” Ritsu said. “There’s no need to get angry just because I have my own form of opinion. Animals can very well adapt to new things every now and then.” Mio’s expression was filled with irritation. “Sense when have you become an expert on animal survival?” Ritsu’s expression became confusing.

An hour later, they made it to the apartment complex where Azusa lives. “You go on up Mio.” Ritsu said. Mio looked at her with embarrassment. “I’m not going up there!” She said as her face turned red. Just then, the cockatoo took flight which the girls didn’t notice until he managed to make it to the second floor. “What is he doing??” Ritsu asked with surprise. “Maybe he knows what to do.” Mio respond as she watched. Within a few seconds, Kasey returned carrying the little sack of feed with his beak. Both Ritsu and Mio were surprised and thrilled. “You did great Pepie!” Ritsu said with amazement. Mio stared at the bird. “Maybe you are smarter than I believe.” She said in her mind. As she continued staring, Ritsu managed to get her to snap for at which she didn’t even remember what she was thinking before.

Later that afternoon, Mio, Ritsu, and Kasey were enjoying a good day cruising around the town area. “So, who’s going to take care of Pepie next?” Ritsu asked. Mio never thought about it. “If I’m right, it should be you.” Ritsu said as she pointed her finger at Mio. Poor Mio didn’t know what to say. Her face was red and at the same time, her body was shaking. “W-W-Why me?! I don’t know how to take care of him!” Ritsu laughed as she rested her arm on Mio’s left shoulder. “Mio, Mio, Mio. You’re worrying too much. Listen, caring for a bird is easy. It’s like caring for a dog or a cat: As long as you feed them and play with them, they will always be happy. You get my drift?” Mio didn’t listen at all as her mind was broken. Ritsu sighed as she looked at Kasey. “It’s hard trying to talk her into things,” She said as she continued staring at him. “But I know her well enough to get her into doing anything. It’s just what we’ve been through sense we were little.” Kasey understood little of what she said, but he did get her drift.

Through the rest of the day, Ritsu did everything in her will to clam Mio. She taught her about how birds are easy to care for and that they don’t require much work. “Besides, if Tsumugi can do it just think of how easy it’ll be for us both. It may not have been easy for Azusa and Yui but I’m sure we both can handle it. Just give it one try alright?” While her words were helpful and supporting, Mio was too nervous. All she could do was not say much and refused to look at Kasey. Eventually, they all made it to their neighborhood and Ritsu bid Mio a good evening and luck. Poor Mio tried saying something but couldn’t.

The whole evening went on and it was time for bed. Kasey was healthy and well rested on his perch. Mio on the other hand was far from rested. All she could do was lie awake. Her problem had to deal with Kasey being in her room. She knew it was selfish and silly and did everything in her will to put it all out of her mind but nothing was working. She ended up having a nightmare where Kasey suddenly turned himself into a monster bird with sharp, shredded teeth and large, curved claws on his feet. Mio shivered violently as the vicious creature flapped its wings and darted to her. At that moment, she gasped loudly as she rose up and breathed heavily as she quickly turned to see the bird sleeping. Sighing heavily and putting her hand on her forehead, she knew she couldn’t take it anymore and decided that the only thing she could do was call Ritsu and ask if she could bring the bird to her house.

Ritsu, who had an itchy voice, told her she could bring him but to knock the door very quietly. After hanging up, Mio quietly gathered all the belongings, carefully carried the perch at which Kasey was still sleeping on, and tip toed out of the house and through the night. She made it to Ritsu’s house and quietly knocked the door. Ritsu answered and gently grabbed everything Mio was carrying. “I do apologize,” Mio quietly said. “I just couldn’t do it.” Ritsu accepted her apology and told her it would be alright. After saying goodnight, she closed the door and Mio went on home. Ritsu carefully brought everything up to her room, placed the perch somewhere in the room, and sighed as she was glade it was all over. She then went back to bed.

The following day arrived and Kasey was awoken to a huge surprise. He had ended up at Ritsu’s house, which was completely unexpecting on his own behalf. What also brought him to a shock was how messy her room was. Books were lying on some areas of the floor, clothes were sprawled everywhere, and there was even an old, potato chip bag with some crumbs sitting on the small table. He couldn’t believe that her room was a pigsty and knew that this type of environment was not suitable for a bird. Ritsu however wanted to take the chance to care for him and he decided to just go with it for a little while. The day started with Ritsu reading some band magazines at which Kasey also took a chance to read. It was then followed by watching TV and eating snacks, something that Kasey also liked. And during the evening, they also entertained themselves with various acts including magical tricks, pretending to be in a pair band, and even acting. It was the kind of life that Kasey never, truly imagined and was glade to have shared it with Ritsu.

Two days of the same routine and things started getting a little too crazy. Kasey ended up eating too many potato chips and started gaining a little weight. His singing mimics were also pretty good for a while but were a little too extreme. And as far as tricks go, he was out of luck. Ritsu decided that keeping him was not really the best idea and knew he had to get rid of him somehow. She tried calling Mio and asked if he could live with her for a little while more. She however refused. Ritsu then tried calling Yui and Azusa, but they both said the same thing. At this time around, it seemed like everyone was down on their luck and they started wondering if Tsumugi was ever going to get better.

On the next day, the week of school returned. The afternoon hours were already over and in the Light Music Club Room, all of the girls were sitting at the table, feeling miserable and awful. “This has been going on long enough.” Azusa sighed. “Has there been any word from Mugi-chan?” Yui asked. Ritsu and Mio shook their heads as they weren’t able to receive contact from her. All four of the girls were loosing hope. Just then, the club room door opened for at which they all turned. “Oh! Ms. Yamanka.” Everyone said at once. She was surprised by hearing their voices. “Oh my. Whatever is the matter?” She asked as she approached the table. Each of the girls explained their experiences in caring for Kasey, who was in the clubroom as well and was sitting on his perch by the window. Sawako listened to all of their stories and was concerned for them. “I’m really sorry,” She said as she pulled a chair and sat at the table. “Caring for a living thing is very difficult- especially if you don’t know where to begin.” “Mugi-chan has been away for a few days now,” Yui said with sadness. “And sense then, we’ve been doing everything to take care of him. But it appears we all can’t.”

Sawako was shocked by what she said. “Now Yui. Don’t go blaming yourself. Neither should the rest of you. You did everything you could to care for him and look at him: He isn’t injured nor dead is he?” Everyone turned and looked at him as he was resting. They all nodded in response. Sawako smiled and gave each of them a big hug. “And I will help you all too,” She said after hugging Azusa. “I’ll care for him until Tsumugi gets better okay?” Everyone stared at her with surprise. “What’s wrong?” She asked. “You know how to take care of a bird??” Ritsu asked with surprise. At that moment, Sawako’s moment was crushed with an imaginary stone.

As the next few days flew on, a miracle happened on one, sunny Thursday. Tsumugi returned to school and was welcomed by a lot of the students. Even Yui, Mio, and Ritsu gave her a big, warm welcome. “It’s so good you’re back Tsumugi.” Nodoka said as she smiled. “Thank you very much Nodoka!” She said as she bowed and let a big smile. “And someone else is excited to meet you too.” Yui said as she giggled. Playing along, Tsumugi pretended not to know who it was and left it alone for the rest of the school hour.

By then, everyone, including Azusa, walked up to the clubroom together. Azusa did the honors in opening the door while Yui and the others told Tsumugi to stay back. When the door finally opened, they all entered in and Tsumugi was surprised to see Kasey, who flew to her in slow mo. They both shared a momentous hug which was sweet and wonderful. Even Yui felt like crying. “I can’t thank you all enough for caring him,” Tsumugi said as she turned to face them. “So, how did he do?” The joyful moment suddenly broke after she asked that. Each and every one of the girls explained their moments to her for at which she was shocked, surprised, and happy. On some of them, she couldn’t help but laugh. And with that, the days of pet care have finally ended and Tsumugi returns as a healthy, new individual.