High School, Chapter 13

High School, Chapter 13 is the final chapter of the sixth volume of the K-ON! Manga by Kakifly.

Summary
Wakaba Girls have a tough day ahead of them, since it's the day of the school festival. In fact, Sumire couldn't sleep, and can't eat, out of sheer nervousness. On the other hand, Nao is just as nervous, but is coping with the nerves by eating as much as she can. Sawako Yamanaka is also tired, but from staying up all night to finish the costumes. Costumes which Azusa refuses to wear.

It's almost time for the show, so Azusa, Jun, and Nao help take down some of the equipment. Azusa feels a little bit guilty that Nao's only role is to help with odd jobs. That is until she sees the gear that Sawako set up. All of the amplifiers have been hooked up to microphones so that Nao can do a live mix of the show.

A sizable crowd has shown up for the performance. Even though Wakaba Girls has come such a long way, with three members, including Ui having no musical experience, the band seems to have one last concern: Azusa's vocals. She's gotten better over the year, but even her singing coach, Sawako, admits that there's still something lacking. Nao's solution is to just put vocals lower in the mix during the show. But Sumire steps up to tell Azusa that if she just gives it her all, everything will be alright. As inspiring as the message was, what really got Azusa motivated was her embarrassment at being comforted by a junior.

And so Wakaba Girls took to the stage as Sawako reflected on their journey. Although Azusa got to where she is through sheer knowledge and practice, she just needed that extra bit of encouragement to be able to sing naturally. Not only Azusa, but even the new musicians have grown a lot. Ui seemed to have a natural talent for learning, just like her older sister Yui. Nao was able to find her own little niche and completely excel in it. And finally, Sumire found a way to express herself, and never stopped practicing. All in all, Wakaba Girls ended up being just a good a band as Ho-kago Tea Time ever was. By the end of it, the roaring crowd begs for an encore, and Azusa blurts into the mic that their last song will be Fuwa Fuwa Time, but no one else in Wakaba Girls knows how to play it.

After the show, Azusa slumps over her desk, completely embarassed by her final gaffe. She vows that next time, she definitely won't mess up. She realises her next mistake, that a next time would mean staying back another year. The whole time, Azusa was desperately trying to block out the thought that this would be her last school festival. Sawako barges in and tries to cheer everyone up by congratulating them on all of their progress over the year. But the real heartwarming moment came when Sumire and Nao presented a cake to their seniors as thanks for all of their hard work. Sumire and Nao promise to keep the light music club alive.

But when all's said and done, the seniors still have to leave the club. Regardless, Azusa still insists that she can give the juniors crash courses and individual lessons. Jun jokes that the lessons should be about how to capture new club members. And Ui, true to the heart of the Light Music Club, decides to make afternoon tea. At the end of it all, Sawako nestles herself over to the side of the room and wonders what kind of adventures are in store for the Light Music Club next year...