Roadshow by Jo-Ryan Salazar

Chapter 1:

Gimme All Your Lovin

Summer break can either be a time for laziness, or a time to get busy and leave everything out on the table. The four seniors of the light music club—Yui Hirasawa, Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, and Tsumugi Kotobuki— as well as sophomore Azusa Nakano were all famous for one reason: they knew how to play great music. Power pop. A rich, sweet, crisp, sinful helping of audial decadence enthralled and feted their fans, the students, the faculty and the staff alike at Sakuragaoka Girls High School. It was a habit. A sheer habit.

Never mind that each member of the group had their own charms. Yui was a girl with a dual persona: a klutz and an expert guitarist at the same time. When she had her trusty friend Giita with her, she was unstoppable. And her fetish for sweet things never wavered. Mio Akiyama was a shy girl that was scared of the dark, heights, monsters...anything that sounded hideous. But this consistent bassist had a dual persona in that she was mature, confident, and dedicated to her work as a musician.

Ritsu Tainaka, the president of the club, was the troublemaker of the group. It goes without saying that she got on Mio's nerves more times than she would have wanted to, and she paid the price by getting her own share of headbumps, exposing Mio's tsundere tendencies. But she really loved Mio just as much as she loved her, and as a drummer, nobody banged those skins or crashed those cymbals quite like she did.

Tsumugi Kotobuki was the financial arm of the club because not only did she contribute to the cause by the funding she brought; she also catered for the club during their meetings with tea, pastries and cake. These were the same tea and pastries to the most affluent of guests from Japan and elsewhere. As a keyboardist, she added a rich layer of melody to HTT. Plus, she was of the strongest member of the club physically, a tribute to her Finnish heritage.

Azusa Nakano was the youngest of the group, and would be the next president of the club. She was Yui's esteemed ladyfriend and confidante and was nicknamed "Azunyan" because of her cosplay versatility involving cat ears. Azusa sometimes questioned the work ethic of the band, but at the same time, she valued the way they cared for her, how they made her belong. She was closest to Yui in a lot of ways, and together, they were one of the finest young guitaring duos to ever grace the stage.

That was Hokago Tea Time. And they didn't know this at the time they were doing their own thing, but somebody in America wanted a piece of the pie. They wanted their own cup of tea. They wanted to let America know what Hokago Tea Time was all about.

But someone had to spread the message.

One late June afternoon inside the air-conditioned music room, the message came out.

"Damn," Ritsu said to the others as they snacked on some milk tea and madeleines, Azusa sipping from her kitty cup. "I really want us to do something while we have a chance."

"You're telling me," Yui said, slumping over on the table. "I feel like this summer is boring, aside from the Summer Fest."

"I don't think the Summer Fest is enough, to be honest with you," Mio said to them, tuning her bass. "It's been a week since, we got the air conditioner installed, but we got nothing to do."

"And Finland is too hot for me to consider making a trip over there," Mugi pouted before sipping her tea.

Azusa decided to put on her cat ears to cheer everyone up. "Hey, you can come over for a sleepover at my house and we can listen to music-nyan!"

"No thank you, Azusa," Ritsu said, waving it off.

"Ritsu-sempai, you're mean-nyan!" she hissed.

The door opened. It was Miss Sawako Yamanaka, Class 3-2's instructor and the club's longtime advisor.

"Sawa-chan!" Yui exclaimed. "Did you want something from us?"

"Guys, I have great news," she said.

"What is it?" Mio asked.

"Do we have tickets to another concert?" Ritsu wondered. "Oww!" A headbump. "Mio, that was mean!"

"Shut up!"

"I wonder what this news could be," Mugi said as Azusa continued to be in cat mode.

"You all are going on an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas!" Miss Sawako said.

"WHAAAAAAAT?" they all exclaimed.

"Are you kidding me?" Ritsu said. "Las Vegas? THE Las Vegas?"

"Wow!" Tsumugi said, vulcans on her face. "I've never seen Las Vegas in my life. This is my childhood dream!"

Yui was stunned. "Ehhhhhh? They want us to play in Sin City? Awesome!"

Mio was also stunned by the news. "This is hard to imagine. Las Vegas? Us? This is too good to be true."

Azusa cut through the lucrative offer as if she had a Swiss cheese knife. "But what about their studies? Won't this get in the way of them graduating?"

"Don't worry, Azunyan," Yui said to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll be bringing our books on this trip."

"I don't like the sound of that, coming from you..."

"It's not going to get in the way of the girls' studies because it's within the winter break," Sawako said. "Besides you guys, I can bring in three other people, too."

"I want Ui and Nodoka-chan to come with me!" Yui said, raising her hand with authority.

"I suppose Jun can come as well," Azusa added shyly.

"Great, that makes eight," Sawako said. "And I will be managing you all on the trip as your chaperone. The flight's going to be tomorrow night, so Yui-chan, Azusa-chan, be sure to have your friends ready for the trip. There will be a bus waiting for you outside the school tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes, ma'am!" they said in unison.

"All right, I'll take off for the day and I will see you tomorrow."

"See you, Sawa-chan!" Ritsu said to her, bubbly as ever as she left. The drummer turned to her compatriots. "This is going to be fantastic!"

"Calm down, Ritsu, calm down," Mio said.

"Mou!"

"Oh, that reminds me," Azusa said. "Yui-sempai, shouldn't you ask Nodoka-sempai about this?" She saw Yui head for the door. "Are you following Miss Sawako?"

"No, I'm going to talk to Nodoka-chan!"

A sweat drop came down Azusa's head. "I should have known."

"You're inviting me to a trip to Vegas?" asked Nodoka Manabe, Yui's childhood friend, the Class 3-2 President, the Mio Fan Club President and Student Council President.

"Yep. It's going to be so fun, Nodoka-chan!"

"I don't know; I do have some stuff to do with council..."

"Awww, but Nodoka-chan, it's going to be so much fun, with all the flashing lights and things to do!"

"But that is a place for grown-ups. There's nothing but casinos and strip clubs."

"Don't be so silly, Nodoka-chan! There are also things for us girls to do as well down there!"

"Like what?"

"Um...I don't know."

"Rejected, then."

"Nodoka-chan, please!" Yui begged. "Sawako said that you can come and I promise to be on my best behavior. Please, Nodoka-chan! Please!"

"Miss Manabe, we will do all the work for you in your place," said one student council member.

"The next meeting is not until next month, so you can go with your friends," said another.

"The Light Music Club needs your company more than us," added a third.

"You guys..." Nodoka turned to a Yui on the verge of tears and a sniffle. "All right, Yui, I'll go with you."

"I love you, Nodoka-chan!" said Yui, embracing her. "Thank you!"

"But I don't want to be babysitting you on the trip, all right."

"I will have Ui do it for me!" she replied with pride.

"Is there a place we have to meet?"

"Tomorrow, by the entrance. There will be a bus."

"Taking us to the airport, huh? All right. Thank you for letting me know, Yui."

"See you tomorrow, Nodoka-chan!" And Yui left.

The others also said their farewells before Azusa met up with Ui Hirasawa, Yui's younger sister, and bassist Jun Suzuki at Max Burger. Ui and Jun would be members next April.

"What? We're going to Las Vegas tomorrow for one of your concerts?" Jun exclaimed. "Unbelievable! Amazing! A UFO Discovery!"

"Calm down, Jun-chan," Ui said to her as Azusa laughed hesitantly.

She couldn't contain her emotions. "Banzai! Banzai! Viva Las Vegas! Long live tits and glitz!" she shouted, everyone drawing attention to her.

Azusa blushed. "I don't think we needed...to hear that..." The others returned to eating and going on with their business.

"But anyway, this is so awesome! The Jazz Club is taking a break from their activities at around this time, too, so this is good timing for me to join you guys."

"I've wanted to see that city," Ui said. "I hear it's beautiful."

"I heard the city is overwhelming," Azusa said, snacking on a fry. "But at least it's not New York City."

"Ohhh boy," Jun said, munching on her burger. "THAT would be a riot. But the fact that I am coming with you guys is totally awesome. Me, Ui and Nodoka-sempai are roadies! Whoo-hoo!"

"You might want to bring your bass too, if you want, Jun."

"Yeah, bring it with you, Jun-chan!" Ui said.

"F...Fine. I like my bass, too, and I want to be just like Mio-sempai, so...sure."

"Does onee-chan know about this?" Ui asked Azusa.

"Yui-sempai is also excited to be playing. I hope she's able to get some sleep."

"Don't worry, she will." She watched the cars pass by. "I wonder if we will be all right down there." But she had to laugh it off. After all, Yui, Azusa and the others—and her—were there to have fun. It was Las Vegas, after all.

"Now Giita, we are going to go on a trip to Las Vegas tomorrow," Yui said to her guitar in a little eve-of-flight pep talk in her bedroom. "There will be thousands of people watching us, and I don't want you to disappoint me when we play over there. Okay? Good girl." She rubbed the next lovingly. "My precious little Giita's gonna raise hell down in Vegas, isn't she? Yes, I know you are. Yes, I know you are! Come here, you!" Now Yui gave it a good hug. "My Giita is the best in the world!"

Ui came in the room. "Giving your guitar a pep talk, onee-chan?"

"Mmm-hmmm! I wanted to let this baby of mine know we're gonna take America by storm! We the best!"

She smiled "I love you spirit, onee-chan. But when we go there, I want you to be on your best behavior and not cause too much of a scene."

"I know, Ui. Teheheheheheh..."

"And that means do not comp the waitresses, do not drink any alcohol..."

Yui tilted her head to the side. "What is comping?"

"Basically, I want you to not spend so much, even though Mugi-sempai has a lot of money to share with you guys."

"Ehhhh? But there's so much to buy down there."

"You're there to play a show. It's not supposed to be a vacation. And don't you have to study, too?"

Ui pointed to the books.

"We'll be fine," Yui said. "We'll be okay."

Ui walked over to her older sister and gave her a hug. "Onee-chan?"

"Yes, Ui?"

"Thank you for inviting me to the trip."

"I wouldn't want to leave someone like you, would I?" Yui said as Ui giggled.

"So we have to bring our swimsuits, some loose-fitting clothes, and some sunscreen to go with our regular toiletries," Mio said to Ritsu over the phone.

"Hey Mio, are you going to wear those stripes again?"

"Gahhhh! Will you shut up about that, dammit!"

"Baby, you don't have to scream at me, now. You look in whatever you wear, even your skin, but that's beside the point. I just wanted to know what my sweet Mio-chan is going to wear on the trip to Vegas."

"You don't need to know that stuff, Ritsu, okay? Geez, you just like to call me for this type of crap every time. Is Satoshi gonna be all right?"

"I already told Satoshi that Mom and Dad are going to be watching over him while I'm gone. He said, 'Actually, I prefer it when you're not around, but I will miss you.' Could you believe that?"

They both got a laugh out of it.

"Anyway," Ritsu went on as saying, "you need to prepare accordingly for this trip. It's going to be very, very hot, so I hope the rooms are air-conditioned."

"They will be, Ritsu. Quit being fickle. They will be. I gotta go back to packing my stuff, so I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye, Mio. Lycopene!" They both hung up.

The phone rang at Tsumugi's house. "Yes, who is this?" she asked in her bedroom.

A deep, gravelly voice was on the other line, "Is this Miss Tsumugi Kotobuki?" the man asked.

"Yes, and who might you be?"

"I'm Hugh Hefner."

"Whoa! THE Hugh Hefner? From Playboy?"

"Yes, that's me, missy," he said with a laugh while smoking a cigar back at his mansion while being catered by his bunnies.

"Wow! It's a pleasure talking to you! I'm so...honored," she said, grabbing a tissue to plug her nostrils from the rush.

"The pleasure's all mine. Now I know you and your friends are coming to Las Vegas for a show, right?"

"Yes, that's correct, Mr. Hefner."

"Just call me Hugh. Anyway, I talked with your father over the phone earlier today while you were at school, and I decided that you girls should stay in my villa in the Palms Casino. Do you know that place?"

"I think I heard of it before..."

"A lot of music stars have been in my Sky Villa: T-Pain, Common, Soulja Boy Tell'Em...and I decided that all of you can spend a week at my villa leading up to the concert."

"Wow. It must be wonderful."

"You will like it. And the best part is, because you are high school students except for your chaperone, and because your promoter is helping pay for the room as well as Mr. Kotobuki, you get the place for one week for just $10,000."

"Isn't that still expensive, though?"

"Usually, it costs $40,000 per person, per night. But I do like making exceptions. You girls are too cute to be priced out of a place like mine's, anyway."

"Whoa, thank you so very much, Hugh. They're arranging everything over there, right?"

"Everything is being prepared, and I believe there are some ads of your band being plastered on the Strip. So there shouldn't be any problems."

"Are you coming to our show, Hugh? We would love to have you here?"

"No, sweetie, I have to do some work here at the Mansion, so I can't go, but thank you for offering. Tell your friends I said hello and good luck with the concert."

"Thanks a lot, Hugh!"

"Anytime, child. You take care."

As Tsumugi hung up, she was dancing all around, knowing that her girls got the most expensive room on the Strip...for a discount. In just hours, Hokago Tea Time was going to be on their way to the Entertainment Capital of The World.

END CHAPTER 1