Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Moon, a large spherical object that traversed the infinite reaches of space alongside the much larger planet known as Earth. A long time ago, humanity viewed the lunar object that appeared once the sun dove beneath the horizon, but now, humanity views their old home from such a spot.

No one really remembers what events could have transpired to have force what remained of Earth's inhabitants to abandon it for the moon, but at the same time no seemed to care. Everyone was content with the life they have built; everyone except for one young man. His name was Shujinkou, whose goal in life was to uncover the secrets of the past.

"Oh man…"

 Shujinkou heaved a sigh of disappointment as he strolled through Luna City. Despite his best attempts, he could not help but feel disappointed by his recent progress. He knew he should be proud he made any progress at all, especially after figuring out that the lunar government was adverse to anyone discovering the event that led to Earth's abandonment. But ever since then he had no luck in finding any more information.

Perhaps they were on to him and actively searched for any leaks or perhaps those that did know felt the same. Perhaps everyone but him wanted to truly forget humanity's time on Earth.

But just as he was about to give up, a slim file folder slid in front of his feet. His natural curiosity spurring him on, Shujinkou bent down on one knee, picked the file up and opened it.

His eyes widened with surprise as his eyes darted up and down the pages he was just given. Inside was everything he was looking for. All he had to do was…

"Ow!"

A sharp pain surged from the back of his head to the rest of his body, causing the world around him to distort and crumble. Trying to make sense of what was happening; Shujinkou blinked his eyes until he was no longer on a lunar colony, but in a classroom.

Standing in front of the desk he currently occupied was Sayori and Monika, both looking as surprised as he was.

"What's going on?" Shujinkou asked.

Suddenly, a hand slammed a rolled-up poster in front of him with such force he almost jumped up from his seat. Shujinkou nervously looked up to find Natsuki standing right next to him. She did not even bother to hide her disapproval of his recent action.

"You know, if all you're going to do is sleep every day then you might as well go home," she scowled.

Words failed Shujinkou as he watched Natsuki return to the classroom closet. But even if they hadn't, he didn't believe that he would have said anything back to her anyway. He knew deep down that she had a right to be mad that all he was doing was daydreaming during a club meeting. All he could manage to do was do what he had always done: awkwardly scratch his right cheek and move on.

"I bet you were up all night again," Sayori playfully chastised.

He didn't know how, but her bubbly and playful nature almost always had a tendency to cheer him up.

"Like you're one to talk when it comes to sleep," Shujinkou chuckled. "Besides I wasn't asleep. I was just thinking."  

"I never seen a person so detached from reality like you when they're thinking," Monkia giggled. "We couldn't get any kind of response out of you until Natsuki got involved."

Most people would laugh at someone getting hit in the head with a rolled-up poster, but Monika's made it clear that it wasn't malicious at all. It was expected from the person everyone in the school likes and admires.

"Did you need me for something?" Shujinkou asked.

"It's not an emergency or anything. I was just telling everyone that they should bring in their favorite books to share tomorrow," Monika informed him.

"O-Okay…" Shujinkou nervously nodded his head.

He waited until the two traversed to the teacher's desk before letting out a depressed sigh. Despite Monika's assurance to the contrary, it certainly felt like an emergency to him.

Brining in something to share wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that all he had at home to share was manga. He was sure everyone would look down on him for brining in something where a story was half told with pictures.

He sighed once again until a strange feeling suddenly came over him. For some unorthodox reason, it felt like he was being watched. Slowly turning his head to his left, Shujinkou soon met eyes with Yuri.

She immediately turned her attention back to the book nested between her hands, but it was clear as day that she was not really focused on reading.

"Did you need something, Yuri?" Shujinkou asked.

"Ah… it's just that I overheard your conversation… N-Not that I was purposely eavesdropping!" Yuri stammered.

She once again quickly averted her gaze and timidly began playing with her hair. A painfully awkward atmosphere wasted no time in shrouding the two of them.

"Well, it's not that I can blame you for overhearing. You are right next to me after all," Shujinkou pointed out as he scratched his right cheek.

He wasn't entirely sure whether he was saying that to assure her she did no wrong, slice through the awkward silence or both. But whatever the reason, it was enough to get her to look him in the eyes again.

"…You don't seem too eager about tomorrow," Yuri noted.

"Well, it's just that I don't have anything to bring in tomorrow…"

Shujinkou solemnly glanced down at the top of his desk with downcast eyes. He had just recently joined the club and was already going to be ousted as someone who'd never join in the first place. All he could feel was guilt and disappointment, something that didn't escape Yuri's sight.

She could tell just from the look on his face exactly how he felt.

"I-I can…" Despite struggling to speak at a barely audible level, she was still able to recapture Shujinkou's attention. "I could help you find a book for tomorrow… if you want."

"Really?" Shujinkou's eyes lit up with hope. "That'd be great!"

It was like a huge relief has just been lifted off his shoulders. With Yuri's help, he was sure that he could find a book that he could actually enjoy.

Since he still had some time until the club was over, and it seemed like nothing else would be done, Shujinkou decided to go back to his world of imagination. This time he imagined himself in a world where robots have taken over and he was part of the last remnants of humanity that they were trying to snuff out. It wasn't an easy life; constantly moving from place to place, trying his best to survive. Was he ever going to be free from this nightmare or was he just delaying the inevitable?

"Shujinkou…"

A single call of his name was all it took to bring him back to reality. Once back, Shujinkou found Yuri standing in front of her desk, waiting for him.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm ready," Shujinkou weakly chuckled, grabbing his bag. 

The two started to make their way to the exit until they were intercepted by Sayori.

"Where are you two going?" she asked, with a quizzical look in her eyes.

"Yuri's going to help find a book to read," Shujinkou replied.

"Ooh, I see you two are becoming good friends already," Sayori happily approved.

"Ah- no… I-It's not like that…" Yuri stammered, quickly looking away from the two.

One of the things Shujinkou liked about Sayori was her eagerness to everyone to get along, but sometimes that same eagerness had the potential to create some very awkward moments.

"It's nothing major," said Shujinkou. "Just two club mates doing something literature related."

"Eh? But it sounds like something two good friends would do," Sayori tilted her head in confusion as she pondered the scenario.

"Whatever the case, it's nice to see club members helping each other out," Monika intervened. "But still, we shouldn't keep them here, Sayori."

She then turned her gaze to Shujinkou and gave him a quick wink. "Be sure to find something you really enjoy, Shujinkou."

With a warm smile. she motioned him to leave. Not wanting to waste the opportunity presented to them, Shujinkou led Yuri out of the room.

As they travelled to the book store, he would soon discover that she was still avoiding eye contact with him. Unsure whether what Sayori had said earlier had affected her or whether she was wary of him, he knew that he had to try something to break the tense atmosphere that surrounded them again.

"Hey, Yuri, we don't have to make a big deal out of this," Shujinkou assured her. "I'm just grateful that you're taking the time to help me."

"Ah… it's nothing special," Yuri insisted, still avoiding eye contact.

"Okay…" Shujinkou said as he scratched his right cheek.

The short conversation did nothing to appease the awkward atmosphere between them and the accompanying silence that persisted until they arrived did not help.

"Finally here," Shujinkou mumbled under his breath, happy that something could break the silence. "Now all I have to do is find a book."

"What kind of book do you think you'd be interested in?" Yuri suddenly asked.

Shujinkou didn't know how to answer. He was so focused on just the thought of finding a book that he hadn't considered what to look for. He slowly crossed his arms as he contemplated that question.

Let's see, I read all sorts of manga, watch all kinds of anime and played every video game genre out there, so I'm pretty sure that I'm not too picky when it comes to all the specifics of a story.

Shujinkou looked into Yuri's eyes and immediately realized, "But I can't tell her that."

The question soon changed from "What book could I possibly find?" to "How can I explain to her that I'm not picky without giving away my interests?"

But before he could truly think about it, the answer quickly popped into his head.

 "What about that book you were reading at school? What was that about?" he asked.

To his surprise, Yuri's eyes lit up. It was perhaps the first time he had seen such a reaction from her.

She wasted no time in explaining the book to her. From what he could gather, it was about a girl and some human experimentation camp; overall it seemed like a really dark story, something that he couldn't believe that Yuri was reading. But even more surprising than that was how passionate she seemed as she spoke about the book, a feeling he couldn’t hide.

Once she finished her brief summary of the book, she immediately realized that Shujinkou was staring at her. She quickly diverted her gaze, afraid of what he was about to say.

"A-Anyway… I would highly recommend it," she stammered, timidly playing with her hair.

"I didn't realize how passionate you were about this kind of stuff. So, where is this book?"

Without saying a word, Yuri led Shujinkou to the back of the store where rows of horror books lied.

"There…" she pointed to a familiar book at the top of a nearby bookshelf.

The two reached for the book, but ended up briefly touching the other's hand. Surprised, the two quickly retracted their hands. The awkward atmosphere returned in full force as Yuri timidly played with her hair.

But Shujinkou refused to let the atmosphere stifle him again in such a short amount of time.  He reached for the book again, confirming it to be the same book Yuri possessed as he held it in front of him.

"The Portrait of Markov… I have to admit, I am a little curious to see how the story will turn out," he admitted. 

Without saying another word, Shujinkou paid for the book and walked out of the store with Yuri.

"Well, thanks for the help, Yuri. I owe you."

"I didn't really do anything deserving of that…"

"Right…" he weakly laughed.

 He promised that he wouldn't make a big deal of the whole trip, but it was hard to do that when she wouldn't even let him thank her.

His eyes darted around the nearby area, desperately looking for something to focus on until he noticed that the sun was already halfway under the horizon. It was after this discovery that he figured out a way to pay her back.

"You know, it's kinda getting late. Do you want me to walk you home?"

As he expected, Yuri immediately turned away from him and insisted that it wasn't necessary. But he had also insisted that it was not a problem.

Yuri had already found it strange that he would insist to do such a thing, but she was also surprised by the seriousness in his eyes. It was like he was intent on helping her or paying her back and nothing would stop him. After taking a minute to ponder over such an offer, she decided to give in and accept.

But even as she was escorted home, Yuri couldn't help but wonder why Shujinkou seemed like he had to follow up on his offer.

Chapter Text

Another day of school has come and gone. Not too long ago, Shujinkou would have simply went straight home as soon as he heard the last bell ring. But now he sticks around the school to participate in the club he had recently joined; the school's very own Literature Club.

The young man walked out of his classroom and casually stuffed a heavily marked test paper into his bag.

"I am so late…" he winced.

Shujinkou was used to occasionally staying after class to converse with his teacher, but now that he's in a club, he was suddenly having trouble getting through these meetings. Suddenly, all he could think about during the meeting was how late he was going to be to the club.

The young man looked around, confirming that the halls were empty. With no witnesses to capture what he needed to do, Shujinkou dashed through the school, hoping he was not late enough to be called out on it.

He eventually made it to the classroom the Literature Club calls home, breathing heavily as he walked through the open door.

"I'm here," he weakly announced; though with his panting and heaving, he'd understand if no one heard him.

Finally catching his breath, Shujinkou soon realized there was no one around to hear him.

Maybe I'm not late?

He curiously looked around the room. For the short time he has been part of the club, he has always been the last one to arrive and figured that he would always be last. Possibly being first was very surreal to him.

Guess I should just wait.

Suddenly, he heard a loud rustling sound coming from the classroom storage closet and cautiously made his way there to investigate.

Opening the door wider than it already was, Shujinkou was surprised to find Natsuki holding a large crate in her hands whilst balancing herself on top of a wobbly stool. "Natsuki?"

"Huh?" Startled by her club mate's sudden appearance, the fragile balance Natsuki desperately tried to maintain was finally lost. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she fell. With nothing to stop the inevitable, she closed her eyes and braced herself for the eventual collision with the cold, hard floor.

But that never came to pass. What she crashed into was much softer, and somewhat assuring. Natsuki opened her eyes, her cheeks glowing bright red the moment she discovered that she was in Shujinkou's arms.

"You okay?" he worriedly asked.

Natsuki quickly averted her gaze. "Y-Yeah… But this wouldn't have happened if you didn't surprise me like that.

She jumped on her feet in a huff and gently placed the crate she was holding on a nearby desk. Shujinkou anxiously scratched his right cheek. Was she mad that he tried to help him? That seemed to be the case to him.

"But… thanks anyway…" it was barely audible, by he definitely just heard Natsuki thank him.

A small smile crept onto Shujinkou's face as he stood up. He then looked over Natsuki's shoulder and was surprised to find out that the crate she got from the closet was filled with various manga.

"You read manga?" Shujinkou asked.

Upon hearing that question, Natsuki's entire body tensed up.

"M-Manga is literature!" she instinctively responded in a very defensive manner.

"So what kind do you read?" he queried.

Natsuki stared at Shujinkou with a dumbfounded look on her face. Shujinkou felt a chill go down his spine when her confused look quickly changed to a skeptical one.

Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it. Or maybe she doesn't want to talk about it to someone she thinks wouldn't understand. Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. Either way, I need to think of something to get out of this awkward moment

It was at that moment when Shujinkou got an idea. He reached into his bag and pulled out one of his favorite manga series.

"How about we read each other's manga while we wait for the others?" Shujinkou suggested.

Natsuki's face changed expressions once again, this time to one of interest and slight excitement. She then looked through her box of manga and handed Shujinkou the first volume of one of her favorite manga.

"Just don't mess it up or else I'll get pissed," Natsuki warned him.

"R-Right," Shujinkou nodded nervously.

He handed her his book and watched her take a seat with a quizzical look on her face.

I wonder what this manga's about?

He opened the book and read through the first chapter. It was about a girl who was extremely awkward around boys, meaning that while she is an extremely shy person who was easily embarrassed by almost anything, when she talks to boys she puts up an ice queen front to cope with her insecurities. Then one day she gets visited by a fairy who gives her various "love challenges" like "holding hands," getting an "indirect kiss" or giving a "lap pillow", promising true love as a reward if she accomplishes every task.

It has a lot of cute moments. I never would have expected that she would have been into these kinds of stories.

Shujinkou glanced over to Natsuki. To his surprise, she was quietly laughing to herself.

"Funny isn't it?" Shujinkou asked.

"Eh… it's okay," Natsuki replied in a nonchalant manner.

"Well… it makes sense that it's funny, considering what it's based on."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You see that manga is an adaptation of the video game franchise Crash Bandicoot or more specifically, the 2^nd game," Shujinkou started to explain. "It's about a bandicoot that was evolved into what he is now by the evil scientist, Neo Cortex. After escaping from his base, Crash, with the help of his mask friend Aku-Aku, travel back to the fortress to save his girlfriend Tawna and defeat Cortex to put a stop to his evil plans.

In the second game, Cortex tricks Crash into thinking that he turned over a new leaf and that the earth is in danger of being destroyed. He enlists Crash's help into gathering the Power Crystals to power a machine that can save the planet, but in realty it's to further his own evil agenda. It's also the game that introduces Crash's sister, Coco Bandicoot, who is skepticl about Cortex's intentions and warns her brother to be careful for any betrayals.

That said there are some differences between the game and the book is that in the games, Crash can't speak, apples are called Wumpa fruit, Power Stones are called Power Crystals and not ever animal in the games are anthropomorphic. Also the manga focuses on comedy more than action, getting Crash into hilarious situations involving the setting around him. Also Crash's appearance has been slightly altered from his first American design. Also…"

The sight of Natsuki looking at him surprised was all it took to get Shujinkou to stop his explanation.

I may have geeked out too much there…

 Slightly embarrassed over what just happened, he glanced over to the clock and was shocked by how late it was.

"Are the others not coming?" he wondered aloud.

"Everyone's busy today," Natsuki replied.

"WHAT?!" Shujinkou exclaimed.

"Didn't you read the notice on the door?" she asked.

Shujinkou walked to the classroom door to discover that there was a notice from Monkia declaring that club activities were cancelled. Reading over it a second time, he felt as if he was on the verge of tears and about to burst out into laughter at the same time.

"I should pay attention to my surroundings more…"

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek before he realized once crucial detail regarding the notice.

"Wait a minute…" he turned back towards Natsuki and asked, "How come you were still here today?"

"I have my reasons…" Natsuki pouted. "Anyway…"

Shujinkou watched Natsuki carry her box back to the closet and walk out with her bag.

"Don't you want to put the one I have back too?" he asked.

"Nope. You can hang on to it until tomorrow," said Natsuki.

"Really?" Shujinkou marveled.

"You want to finish the volume right?" Natsuki grinned. "But I'll lend it to you on one condition… you have to lend me your book, so I can finish it."

Wait a minute… Is this her way of asking me to lend her my book?  

Deciding not to think too hard about it, Shujinkou just grinned and accepted the terms.

"But don't forget, if you mess it up in any way, I'll be super pissed," Natsuki reminded him in a threatening manner.

"R-right," Shujinkou nervously chuckled as she walked out of the classroom.

He walked over to the desk he left his bag at until he was hit by a sudden revelation.

"Wait a minute, I mentioned the others coming earlier. Why didn't she tell me about the notice earlier?" Shujinkou wondered aloud.

Chapter Text

Ask Shujinkou what his least favorite part of travelling through the Afghanistan desert and 98% of the time he would tell you that it would be the sandstorms. It was already bad enough that he had to sneak through Soviet-Occupied territory with no gear; the fact that he can't see makes him wonder if he'll ironically find himself heading towards the very thing he was trying to escape from.

I thought this was supposed to be fun.

Shujinkou closed his eyes and imagined sighing in disappointment, since it wouldn't be a smart idea to open his mouth at the moment. Then again it probably isn't a smart idea to not pay attention to your surroundings during a sandstorm, as his eventual collision can attest to. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find Monika and himself on the hallway floor surrounded by several books.

"Monika?! I'm sorry!" the flustered young man apologized.

He expected to be chewed out for not paying attention to where he was going, but instead Monika simply smiled.

"No need to apologize. No harm done," Monika assured him.

Shujinkou watched Monika start to gather the scattered pieces of literature and proceeded to help her.

"Where were you headed to with all these books anyway?" he asked.

"A teacher asked me to deliver them to the library, probably because I'm the Literature Club president." Monika answered with a giggle.

Shujinkou wasn't sure if Monika was joking or if she was genuinely serious, but he was sure that she was given the task because she was beloved by all the teachers in the school. In fact, everyone in the school loved her. She was the school idol after all.

They soon finished gathering all the books and neatly placed them in the box Monkia was carrying earlier.

"Alright, here we go again," Monika said, grasping the bottom of the box.

Shujinkou watched her slowly lift the heavy box and stagger forward, prompting him to instinctively grab the other side.

"Thanks," Monika said with a warm smile.

"No problem. Gotta let the new member contribute something," Shujinkou responded.

Working in tandem, Shujinkou and Monika started to make their way to the library. As they journeyed to their destination, Shujinkou wondered whether or not he should use this opportunity to talk to Monika.

Even though we were in the same class last year, I never actually got a chance to really talk to her. Though to be fair, what could I have talk to the school idol about? She's smart, athletic, was the star member of the debate club and I'm just… me.

It was during that moment of clarity that Shujinkou realized something… there was absolutely no way he could have started a conversation with her back then. Fortunately, at the same time, he realized that there was a topic that he could use to strike a conversation and satisfy a curiosity of his.

"Hey Monika…" Shujinkou started.

"Yes?" Monkia answered.

"…why'd you start the Literature Club? I mean you were the star member of the Debate Club."

"I wouldn't go as far as to say I was the star member," Monika responded, slightly embarrassed by the claim.

"But you lead the club to victory all the time," Shujinkou pointed out.

"Those were team efforts."

"So why'd you quit?"

"Well… I guess all the politics and in-fighting got to me," Monika answered. "But you could also say that I was kinda losing interest too. So I thought I'd start a club about something I liked."

"And that's how the Literature Club got started," Shujinkou concluded.

"Yep," Monika smiled. "But it wasn't easy getting it recognized as an official club."

Shujinkou was surprised to hear that before immediately realizing that it would be more surprising if it was easy to get the club officially recognized. He then realized that Monika was giving him a knowing glance, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"I wasn't thinking…!"

"It's okay," Monika interrupted, giving him a calm smile. "I think we both know that a club about literature wouldn't be the most popular club in the school."

"So how did you get officially recognized?" Shujinkou asked.

"Well… Like every story, I would have to go back to the beginning."

A couple of weeks ago, Monika walked throughout the school with a satisfied look on her face. She was finally able to finish her club charter and now all that was left to do was to deliver it to her club sponsor. She happily made her way to the third-year floor and walked into the future Literature Clubroom where her club sponsor was waiting.

"Ah, Monika," the sponsor welcomed her. "I assume that making the charter wasn't an issue for you."

"Eh… It was a little challenging making one," Monika admitted, placing the charter on their desk.

"That's a good one," he chuckled, looking over the charter. "Alright, I'll submit this to administration and your club will be allowed to be considered for recognition."

"Considered?" Monika queried.

"For the club to be officially recognized as a club, you will need at least 4 members in total," the sponsor explained. "But I'm sure that it will be easy for you to do."

"Right…" Monika weakly laughed.

Later that night, Monika anxiously marched around her room. As exciting as it was for her to start her own club, the fact that she needed to convince others to join something that was naturally off putting to her own age group didn't register until it became a requirement for the club to exist.

Unsure of what to do, she plopped into her bed and started to brainstorm.

"How can I make literature appealing to others?" Monika wondered aloud.

"How'd you go about doing that?" Shujinkou asked, interrupting the story.

"Well, to be honest, I had no idea what to do," Monika admitted. "So, I just went with the tried and true method of getting the word out… I placed fliers around the school."

"And that's how the others joined right?" Shujinkou concluded.

"Not exactly…" Monika replied.

Continuing from where she left off, Monika told Shujinkou of how excited she was after placing fliers for the club around the school; so excited in fact, that she was unable to fully concentrate during her classes that day.

Soon after school was over, Monika quickly gathered her things and rushed to the clubroom, wondering how many people would be there. She opened the door and her heart sunk one she entered the empty classroom.

"Well, it's not like I should have expected this place to full of people right away on Day 1," Monika chuckled. "I guess I'll work on my story while I wait."

Monika reached into her bag and pulled a pencil and several pieces of paper. She then acquisitioned one of the desks and started to write.

Hours later, Monika packed up her things and walked out of the room. The next day, she walked into the same empty classroom, sat in the same desk and started writing once again. Hours of writing later, she packed her things and headed home, same as yesterday.  She continued the pattern for Days 3 and 4 and by Day 5, she just sat at the teacher's desk with a downcast look on her face.

"If only I was any good with people, maybe things would be easier," Monika sadly smiled. "I wished I had someone to help me."

Suddenly, as if on cue, the door swung opened and soon the future vice-president of the Literature Club, Sayori, walked in with a cookie in her mouth.

"Is it too late to join?" she asked, taking another bite out of her cookie.

Chapter Text

Shujinkou stretched his aching arms and let out a long sigh. The books were finally delivered to the library and he couldn't be any happier that he no longer had to carry such a heavy object.

After letting out another sigh, he glanced to his left and couldn't help but feel embarrassed when he finally noticed Monika giggling.

"Shall we head to the clubroom now?" she suggested.

Shujinkou awkwardly nodded his head and the two started to head to the literature clubroom.

"I really appreciate the help, Shujinkou." Monika said, smiling at him.

"It was nothing," Shujinkou awkwardly chuckled.

He couldn't help but feel slightly nervous around the club president. To him, it was like a peasant talking to a queen and he was having a hard time shaking that feeling. But he knew that he had to move past that feeling or else he was going to have a very uncomfortable experience in the Literature Club for the rest of the year.

"That reminds me," Shujinkou remembered. "You were talking about how the Literature Club was officially recognized."

"Oh right," Monika said, slightly embarrassed that she forgot she was telling a story.

 She took a moment to remember where she left off and, once she did, happily started the story again. "I believe I was at the part where I was wondering what to do until Sayori showed up."

"About that part, what did you mean that you aren't good with people?" Shujinkou asked.

"Oh that? I just meant that I sometimes have a hard time connecting with others," Monika replied in a solemn tone. "It's kinda hard when people always…"

Monika stopped mid-sentence and turned away from Shujinkou.

"Monika?" Shujinkou said, worried he may have somehow struck a sore spot.

He stared at the back of her head for what seemed like forever until she turned back towards him with a calm expression on her face.

"Sorry about that," Monika apologized. "Anyway back to the story. It was right when Sayori first appeared."

…

Monika watched Sayori slowly walk into the room with a confused look on her face. She stared at Monika, then at the empty desks. She then turned back to Monika, then back to the empty desks. After repeating this process two more times, Sayori stopped at Monika, wearing a sad expression on her face.

"Am I too late?" she asked.

"No, no. You're just on time," Monika assured her.

"Eh?? But where are the others?"

"It's just me," Monika weakly smiled.

Sayori stared into Monika's eyes, a big grin appearing on her face.

"It's no biggie! Clubs are about quality, not quantity," Sayori assured her. "The two of us can make a totally awesome club!"

"That's true but for this club to be officially recognized as a club, we need a total of four members," Monika informed her.

Sayori went quiet for a moment. She noticed that the posters advertising the Literature Club was around for awhile and the fact that she was the only member aside from Monika made it apparent that people are not interested in literature as an afterschool hobby or weren't actually paying attention to the fliers.

Either way, at the rate the club was growing there was only option…

"Then if the people won't come to the club, we'll bring the club to the people!" Sayori declared.

"Eh? But how do we do that?" Monika wondered.

"We'll just have to find people that are so into literature that the only reason they aren't here is because their noses are deep in their books!" Sayori explained, barely able to contain her excitement. "And there's only one place to find those kinds of people…"

Sayori gently grasped Monika's hand and tugged her out of her seat.

"We're going on our first club field trip!" Sayori cheered.

Despite being initially taken aback by her cheerful nature, Monika couldn't help but enjoy it. She followed her newest club member around the school and found herself in front of the library.

"I bet we'll find a lot of members here," Sayori grinned, opening the doors.

The two enthusiastically walked through the doors and felt the hope they had was left outside.

"It's empty…" Monika sighed.

"There has to be someone here," Sayori responded.

Refusing to give up, Sayori took off and started searching the entire library from top to bottom. After 10 minutes of fruitless searching, she reconvened with Monika in the middle of the library and sat down at one of the tables to rest.

"You know, Sayori, just because someone's in the library doesn't mean that they are passionate about literature," Monika pointed out.

"What do you mean?" asked Sayori.

"They could be here for a project or because they were here to deliver something."

"Hmm…" Sayori crossed her arms as she processed Monika's words. "So we shouldn't be thinking about location, but people who obviously enthuse enthusiasm for literature."

"But I doubt we'll find someone like that at this time of the day," Monika said. "It would take an extremly contrived coincidence for that to happen."

Suddenly, the quiet atmosphere of the library was shattered by the sound of giggling. The two looked around their immediate area. The giggling sounded like it was close, but they didn't see any one around. They weren't sure where it was coming from until they realized that there was one place they haven't checked.

The two cautiously crouched down under the table and found a petite pink haired girl reading next to a box of books.

"Hi!" Sayori waved.

The girl, startled by Sayori and Monika's sudden appearance, banged her head against the bottom of the table.

"What the heck?!" the girl shouted. "Don't sneak up on me!"

"S-Sorry," Sayori apologized. "I'm Sayori and this is Monika. What's your name?"

The girl stared at Sayori with a skeptical look before switching to Monika. After staring at them for what seemed like forever, the girl sighed.

"…I'm Natsuki," the girl answered.

Natsuki grabbed her box filled with literature and slid out from under the table, trying her best to hide her embarrassment and pain.

"So why were you reading under the table?" Monika asked.

"I just was!" Natsuki snapped. "Is there anything wrong with that?!"

"N-No…" Monika timidly replied.

She wasn't sure how to talk to Natsuki. Every time they said anything, the pink haired girl reacted in a negative way.

"Hey, if you like reading, then you should join the Literature Club!" Sayori suggested.

"Literature Club? What Literature Club?" a surprised Natsuki asked.

"The one that Monika started," Sayori said proudly.

"How many people are in it? Natsuki asked.

"Just the two of us," Sayori answered.

"Wha-? What kind of club only has two people?" Natsuki asked perplexed.

"Well, we're not really an official club until we have four people," Monika explained.

Natsuki's confused expression immediately reverted back to her skeptical one.

"I get it… You just want me as a number to keep your club alive!" she accused.

"That's… true," Monika anxiously admitted. "But if you enjoy literature, then I think you should join us."

"Plus you get to read somewhere better than from under a desk," beamed Sayori.

Natsuki quickly glanced at her books and then back at Monika and Sayori, her face now sporting a slightly worried expression on her face.

"Um… So what do you do in this club?" Natsuki asked.

"I haven't really thought up of any club activities yet, but I was thinking that it could be a place for those who enjoy literature to come together and get along. It's a place where people can just read, talk about written works and their interests and maybe share their own written works," Monika passionately explained.

Sayori and Natsuki were left awestruck by Monika'sheartfelt answer.

"That's… So… COOL!" Sayori approved.

"So I could read anything I want in this club?" Natsuki asked.

"Of course," Monika smiled.

Natsuki glanced at her books once again then back to Monika, this time with a slightly more relaxed expression.

"Fine, I'll join your club," Natsuki shrugged nonchalantly.

That was all it took for Sayori to wrap her arms around Natsuki and excitedly jump up and down.

"You're in! You're in! You're in!" Sayori cheered, unaware of how uncomfortable she was making Natsuki feel.

"Now we only need one more member," Monika happily announced.

Chapter Text

"Hey, Monika," Sayori called.

Monika lowered the book she was currently reading and looked up at Sayori's curious face.

"Yes?" Monika replied.

Sayori looked down at Monika's book, then back at the reader.

"Are you thinking about playing the piano?" Sayori asked.

"Maybe…" Monika answered, closing her book, "How to play piano for Dummies."

Monika was in fact considering learning how to play the piano, but she was not sure if she could fit it into her current schedule. She already had school work and a school club to manage, not to mention home. She didn't have time to dwell on the subject too long though, as Natsuki soon walked in her collection of literature.

"Hey, Natsuki!" Sayori greeted, happily waving at the Literature Club's newest member.

"Hey…" Natsuki replied. She gently placed her collection on one of the many desks and took a moment to inspect the room. "There any room in the closet?"

"There should be," Monika answered.

It was clear to Monika that Natsuki still harbored some apprehension towards joining the club.

"What?" puzzled Natsuki.

"Nothing. Just know that there is no need to be nervous here," Monika assured her.

"Who's nervous?" Natsuki laughed. "I got no reason to nervous."

"You read manga?" Sayori asked.

Natsuki immediately glanced to her left and felt her heart sink when she spotted Sayori quizzically flipping through one of her favorite manga volumes.

"Y-Yeah… So what?" she stammered.

After finishing reading, Sayori closed the book and grinned.

"You would probably get along with my friend," she said. "He likes reading manga too. He actually once spent 2 hours telling me how manga shouldn't be looked down on because it has a ton of great stories like other forms of literature. I'm still amazed that he was able to that."

Natsuki's eyes widened with curiosity and interest.

 "Maybe you should invite him to the club," Monika suggested.

"I would but he said he isn't interested in joining any clubs," Sayori awkwardly chuckled.

"Hmph," Natsuki pouted. "Anyway, how do we find a 4^th member?"

"Simple. We just have to find someone who obviously enthuses enthusiasm for literature," Sayori happily answered.

Natsuki, completely dumbfounded by Sayori's response, simply sighed, grabbed her manga collection and walked to the closet.

"It's time for another field trip!" Sayori announced.

"Actually, I don't think we should do that," Monika disagreed.

"Eh? Why not?"

Sayori couldn't understand why Monika wouldn't want to search the school again when it worked so well yesterday. Fortunately, Monika had a very good answer to her question.

"I think it would be better to meet each other during lunchtime tomorrow. That way the chances of finding someone who 'enthuses enthusiasm for literature' would be higher," Monika explained.

"I see…" Sayori nodded her head in agreement, until she realized what that potentially meant. "But that means we may not get to eat lunch!"

The thought of potentially skipping lunch was too much to bear for Sayori. She honestly wasn't sure that she would survive.

"I'm with her there," Natsuki agreed. "I don't want to miss lunch either."

"Neither do I, but that free time is our best chance to find a 4^th member," Monika pointed out.

Despite their apprehensions, Sayori and Natsuki knew that their club president was right and conceded.

The next day, the three members of the Literature Club met in front of the library just as they had planned.

"So how exactly are we going to find someone for the club in 35 minutes?" Natsuki asked.

"We just have to find someone who obviously enthuses enthusiasm for literature," Sayori grinned.

"What?" Natsuki responded, equally as dumbfounded as yesterday.

"Let's just look around," Monika suggested.

With a plan in mind, the three of them started to search the school for potential club members.

"This is ridiculous!" fumed Natsuki, irritated that 17 minutes of searching were for naught.

"Well, it's not like we can expect to find a club member so soon," Monika accepted. "It would probably take the same miracle it took to find you, Natsuki."

"There's someone!" Sayori beamed.

Monika and Natsuki quickly turned towards the direction Sayori was pointing to and noticed a young lady with long straight violet hair quietly sitting on a nearby bench. Her light purple eyes were glued to the novel neatly placed between her two hands, as if it was the only thing that existed in her world.

"Maybe I should say that we can't expect a full club so soon," Monika giggled to herself.

"She definitely looks like she enthuses enthusiasm for literature," Sayori chirped.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Natsuki asked, shaking her head. "So are we all going to talk to her or-?"

"Actually… I want to try talking to her on my own," Monika said.

"Really?" Sayori tilted her head as if to emphasize her surprise.

"If I'm unable to convince people to join our club by, then I won't make a very good club president," Monika smiled.

Sayori nodded her head in agreement and excitedly grabbed Natsuki's hand.

"Let's go eat our lunch!" Sayori happily declared.

Usually Natsuki's instincts demanded that she immediately take her hand back, but for the first time in awhile, that didn't happen. Monika watched Sayori lead Natsuki away and took a moment to mentally prepare herself.

Hope I don't mess this up.

 Monka approached the girl and sat next to her.

"Hi," Monika said, making herself known.

The girl glanced to her right and her serious expression was immediately replaced by a startled one. She then averted her gaze and looked down at the ground.

"H-Hi…" the girl finally replied.

"I'm Monika," Monika introduced herself. "What's your name?"

The girl stayed quiet for a moment before finally turning her gaze back to Monika.

"It's Yuri," the girl answered.

"Nice to meet you, Yuri," Monika smiled.

Yuri hesitated for a moment and closed her eyes. After two minutes of silence, Yuri opened her eyes and a small smile crept on her face before disappearing.

"So, what is that you are reading?" Monika asked.

"Ah, it's just something I picked up from the store," Yuri answered, diverting her gaze once more. "You wouldn't be interested in hearing about it."

"Actually, I think I would be," Monika assured her. "Tell me about it."

After taking a few moments to think, Yuri turned back to Monika and cleared her throat.

Yuri started to summarize the book to Monika in great detail while trying her best to not spoil any major plot points. Monika was amazed by how good Yuri was at making the book sound appealing to read and how passionate she seems while explaining it. After finishing summarizing the book, Yuri diverted her gaze again and apologized for ranting.

"No need to apologize," Monika said. "You know, if you're that into literature, you should join the literature club."

Yuri's gaze returned to Monika, her eyes widened by curiosity.

"Literature Club?" Yuri repeated.

"It's a club that I started for those who enjoy literature," Monika explained.

"Ah, but a club like that… you wouldn't want someone like me," Yuri responded, with downcast eyes.

"Why not?" Monika questioned.

"I-I'm too weird," Yuri stammered. "I wouldn't fit in."

"Yes you would," Monika insisted.

"What makes you think that?" Yuri asked.

"Because all you would need to fit in is your love for literature and you have that," Monika smiled. "So naturally you would fit in."

Yuri closed her eyes and went silent for a moment. She soon opened her eyes and another small smile crept onto her face.

"Alright, I'll join," Yuri agreed.

"So that's how you got the members you needed," Shujinkou interjected. "I'm honestly surprised."

"Surprised about what?" Monika asked.

"That Natsuki and Yuri had to be convince too join," Shujinkou answered. "I thought they would have jumped at the chance."

"Well, I'm sure they had their reason for their apprehensiveness," Monika said. "But you know, even though we're a small club, I can at least say that I'm happy with the members I share it with."

"Yeah, the others are great fellow club members," Shujinkou agreed.

"I was talking about you too, Shujinkou," Monika smiled.

Shujinkou eyes widened with surprise when he heard that. He wasn't too sure why she would be that happy with him around when he hasn't contributed much.

Still, he was happy that she would feel that way and was satisfied that he was able to learn a little more about his fellow club members.

Chapter Text

"Another year, another cultural festival," Shujinkou sighed. Shujinkou glanced around his surroundings and couldn't help but feel like the odd man out in a sea of happy faces. Everyone looks forward to the school's cultural festival, but he's always been indifferent about them. In fact, he wouldn't even be exploring the school right now if it wasn't for what happened yesterday.

The day before, Shujinkou watched Sayori voice her excitement for the upcoming festival.

"I can hardly wait for the festival tomorrow!" Sayori beamed.

"You seem to be excited for tomorrow," Yuri said.

"Of course. Tomorrow the school turns into a building with a ton of cafes. That means there will be a lot of food to eat," Sayori grinned. Shujinkou couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He knew food was the main reason for Sayori's excitement.

"Well, while you're destroying all the food, I'll be playing all the games," Natsuki said. "Luckily my class isn't doing anything, so I'm free all day."

"You're class isn't doing anything? Sayori said surprised. "Neither is mine. What about your class, Yuri?"

"Ah, my class is participating in the festival, but they have no need for me," Yuri answered.

Shujinkou noticed Yuri's face was a slightly downcast, but didn't have much time to think about Sayori's eyes made their way to him.

"My class isn't doing anything either," Shujinkou said, trying his best to hide his relief. If there was one thing about the festival that Shujinkou was very estactic about, it would be the fact that his class wouldn't be involved in it, since that would mean that would mean that there was a higher chance that he would have to spend most of his working. But since his class is not, that guarantees that he can spend the entire school day alone with his thoughts like usual.

"You guys are lucky," Monika sighed. "I'll be spending most of my day helping my class. I was really looking forward to enjoying the festival too."

"What's your class doing?" Sayori asked.

"Eh… I rather not talk about it," Monika weakly smiled with red cheeks. "Anyway, I think it's time we call it a day. See you all later."

Monika grabbed her bag and quickly left the club room before anyone else could speak up. Shujinkou couldn't help but find Monika's behavior very suspicious. She usually has no problem discussing anything, so it was very surprising to see her dodge a question like that. But like before, he didn't have much time to think as Sayori turned her gaze back at him. He looked around and realized that they were the only one left in the club room.

"So, what are you going to do this year, Shujinkou?" Sayori queried.

"Uh… the usual I guess?" Shujinkou answered.

"Eh? But the festival is about having fun and to have fun at the festival, you have to have fun at the festival! You shouldn't keep avoiding the one day where everyone is happy!" Sayori cried.

"But I'm not really interested in it," Shujinkou argued.

"You never really gave the festival a try," Sayori pointed out, showing visible concern. "Promise me you'll at least try to be happy at the festival this year."

Shujinkou was taken aback by his friend's concern over him skipping the cultural festival. He couldn't understand why she was making such a big deal over such a minor thing, but he also couldn't deal with Sayori wearing such a dark expression.

"Alright… I'll try," Shujinkou conceded.

"Yeah!" Sayori cheered. "You'll have fun. Trust me."

Shujinkou finished reminiscing and continued walking through the school looking for something to do.

"Maybe I should see what Monika's class is doing," Shujinkou thought. "No, no. She didn't seem to keen on sharing what they're doing. Maybe it's better not to go, even though all this speculating is making me even more curious."

Shujinkou continued to wonder what he should do until he noticed a familiar face sitting on a nearby bench.

"Yuri?" he called.

Curious to who would call her, Yuri looked up from her book and was surprised to find Shujinkou standing in front of her.

"Shujinkou… What are you doing here?" Yuri questioned.

"I was just looking around and happened to notice you over here," Shujinkou answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh…" Yuri responded.

Shujinkou sat down on the bench with Yuri, causing his fellow club member to shyly turn her attention away from him.

"That's right. Yuri seems to have a hard time talking to me sometimes," Shujinkou thought. "Maybe if I bring up a subject she likes…"

He then curiously glanced down at the cover of the book Yuri was holding and noticed that it was the same book she picked out for him.

"You're still on that book?" Shujinkou asked.

"Ah, I was just rereading it," Yuri answered, her gaze returning to Shujinkou. "What about you?"

"I'm actually not reading it right now," Shujinkou answered. "It kinda gave me nightmares last night."

"Sorry!" Yuri immediately apologized, averting her gaze once again. "I didn't mean to pick out something that would give you nightmares!"

No, no, it's not your fault," Shujinkou assured her. He watched Yuri quietly play with her hair for a minute, before she turned back towards him with curious look on her face.

"Does that mean that you won't pick it back up?" Yuri asked, visibly worried.

"No, I'll get back to it," Shujinkou answered.

"Ah… that's good," Yuri smiled with red cheeks.

Shujinkou nervously scratched his cheeks and decided that it would probably be best to change subjects.

"Hey, Yuri, can I ask you something?" Shujinkou queried.

"Ah, S-sure…" Yuri stammered.

"How come you aren't enjoying the festival with your friends?" Shujinkou asked. To his surprise, Yuri turned away from him and started to play with her hair once more.

"I… I don't really have people who would want to spend time with me like that," Yuri admitted, clearly saddened by that fact.

Shujinkou was surprised by the revelation, until he remembered the story Monika told him a few days ago. Yuri said she was too weird to fit in club about a subject she liked. Was that because she thought she was unable to make friends with anyone?

"I see… well, you have one today," Shujinkou smiled.

"Eh?" Yuri responded, turning back to Shujinkou. "W-What are you saying?"

"Let's explore the Cultural Festival together," Shujinkou suggested. "I'm sure we'll find something fun for us to do."

"B-But you wouldn't want to spend the entire day with someone like me. You would have more fun on your own," Yuri insisted.

"Yeah, maybe I could have fun on my own, but even someone like me knows that these kind of events are more fun to do with friends," Shujinkou grinned.

"Friend?" Yuri repeated.

The timid girl quickly glanced towards her book and then closed her eyes. She then took a deep breath, opened her eyes and smiled.

"O-Okay," Yuri agreed, smiling bashfully.

Chapter Text

"So, uh, what would you like to do?" Shujinkou asked. He didn't really have much of an interest in any of the events, so he really didn't have anything that he wanted to visit.

"Um…" Yuri closed her eyes and contemplated Shujinkou's question. She didn't pay attention to any of the events, meaning she didn't know what was being offered. "Do you happen to have any suggestions, Shujinkou?"

Shujinkou closed his eyes and tried to remember the many events he came across.

"Well, there are a few cafés around the school," Shujinkou suggested. "There are also some games to play, a dance contest in the gym, a Haunted House…"

Shujinkou noticed Yuri's eyes light up with curiosity once he suggested the Haunted House and instantly remembered that she once mentioned that she was into horror.

"So, you want to check out the Haunted House?" Shujinkou asked.

Yuri smiled and silently nodded her head. Shujinkou himself wasn't too sure about going into the Haunted House, but he couldn't find it in him to protest, considering it wasn't often that Yuri looked so excited. Walking to the other side of the school, Shujinkou and Yuri eventually stumbled upon a much worn out classroom door.

"I think this class may not have had enough money for props," Shujinkou weakly chuckled.

"I don't think the door is like that because of monetary reasons," said Yuri. "I think its appearance is supposed to give off a derelict feel. Perhaps this house has been abandoned for years and is in disrepair or it’s a situation where the exterior is a stark contrast to the interior, setting us up for a twist."

"I see…" Shujinkou nodded. "I guess I let the school budget blind me to that fact."

He reached for the door's handle and noticed that the door felt like it could fall off its hinges at anytime. He cautiously opened the door and the two walked into a dark hallway, one wall had a dirtied chalkboard on it and the other was made of dented cardboard.

"So that's how they made a Haunted House out of a single classroom," Shujinkou said, impressed by idea.

"The dark hallway invokes a sense of dread that makes a person start to regret their decision," said Yuri.

"Yeah, all that's missing is…"

The classroom door suddenly slammed itself shut, making the already dark hallway even darker.

"…that," Shujinkou finished, his voice cracking.

"The door closing to imply a supernatural force may be involved," Yuri noted.

"Cliché, but still effective when used right," Shujinkou added. He walked to the cardboard wall to inspect it more closely. "These family pictures on the wall must be the original owners. Something most likely happened to them."

Shujinkou then glanced to his right and noticed Yuri patiently waiting next to an open passageway.

"I believe we discovered the entire story this room has provided us. Shall we move on?" Yuri suggested. Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement and followed Yuri into the next room.  There they found the school desks neatly tucked away in a corner behind a dusty and ripped coach. Next to it was a rickety nightstand with a blinking lamp on top of it. The room was filled with the stench of rot, the walls were covered with tattered wallpaper and the closet was sealed off by bricks. Shujinkou then took one step forward and heard a loud creaking sound.

"They're appealing to all senses," Shujinkou thought. Yuri casually walked towards the nightstand and found a book on it. "Whatcha got there?"

Yuri opened the book and turned towards Shujinkou.

"It's a journal that belonged to the previous owner of the house," Yuri answered.

"What's it say?" Shujinkou asked. He watched Yuri quickly flip through the pages of the book, before stopping near the end with an interested look in her eyes.

"The journal is mostly about the owner's personal life and how much maintenance the mansion requires," Yuri said. "But this latest page is different. His writing is different. More erratic."

"Erratic?" Shujinkou repeated.

"This latest entry is states that someone approached him and tried to get him to sell his property. He refused and was left with a cryptic threat," Yuri summarized, flipping through the next pages. "The next few days, strange occurrences started to happen. The crops started to die, the water supply was tainted, etc. Then the worst thing possible happened."

"What happened?" Shujinkou asked.

"His family was killed in a tractor accident," Yuri answered.

"None of those were accidents were they?" Shujinkou shook his head.

Yuri nodded her head in agreement and continued to read.

"The owner thought that too and invited the potential buyer over to talk business," said Yuri. "This part is where his writing became really erratic."

"What do you mean?" Shujinkou asked, approaching Yuri. He quizzically looked down at the book tucked between her hands and couldn't believe what he saw. The pages were covered in different colored stains and the writing was almost impossible to read. "I think erratic is putting it nicely… What happened next?"

"The owner stopped writing as soon as soon as he heard the doorbell ring," Yuri read. "He capped off his final entry with three final words."

"WE'RE GOING TO HELL!"

The closet door burst open, sending the bricks flying and a man wearing bloodied overall and a shattered glasses walked out with a broken hockey stick. After the two of them spent an entire minute screaming, Shujinkou instinctively moved in front of Yuri as the Owner removed his glasses.

"Hoped you enjoyed Class 7's Haunted House," the "Owner" grinned.

Moments later, Shujinkou rested on a bench to catch his breath. Deep down he knew that the scare would have come from the closet, but the fear still took over.

"It appears that in the end the owner murdered the murderer and took his own life," Yuri concluded. "Perhaps to avoid justice or perhaps to be with his family again."

"So he instantly went for murder?" Shujinkou asked.

"Ah… I did skip over a part," Yuri remembered. "The murderer also employed tactic that psychologically tortured the owner, who himself had a bit of a dark past himself. He was a complex figure, but I thought I should have given a short summary since I wasn't sure how much time we had in there."

"I see…" Shujinkou said, staring at Yuri with a blank expression.

"W-What's wrong?" she timidly asked.

"You know other then the scare, you didn't seem freaked out at all in there at all. It looked like you were enjoying yourself in there," Shujinkou pointed out.

"Ah… well you could say that I was enjoying the overall atmosphere of the scenario along with the scenario itself," Yuri answered, averting her gaze. "But you probably I'm really weird for that."

"Why would I think that?" Shujinkou chuckled. "A lot of people enjoy horror filled atmospheres. Just because some people's enjoyment of them is more pronounced than others doesn't make them weird, at least I think that."

Yuri breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to Shujinkou with a small smile on her face.

"So, what do you want to do now?" he asked, curious as to what she may pick next.

"Well…" Yuri contemplated the question. "We already did something I wanted, so it would only be fair if you got to choose the next event."

"That's true, but…" Shujinkou wasn't sure what to say. Nothing at the festival interested him enough, but yet he did enjoy the Haunted House, something he didn't expect to happen. Could it be that he was able to enjoy because he was with someone else? Suddenly, the words he told Yuri earlier popped into his head.

"When I said that these things are more fun with friends, I didn't think of how that could apply to me," he thought. He then closed his eyes and thought very hard on what he wanted to do, but nothing in particular popped into his head.

"I… got nothing," Shujinkou admitted. "What about you?"

"Ah…I…" Like before, Yuri carefully considered how to answer the question. After spending an entire minute remaining silent, Yuri answered with, "There's nothing I can think of."

It was at that moment that Shujinkou realized that even though being with friends can make school events fun for people like Yuri and himself, they weren’t going to get anywhere if they aren't interested to try anything out. It seems that there was only one thing for them to do to slove their current predicament.

"Let's go find the others," Shujinkou suggested.

Chapter Text

"How should we go about finding the others?" Yuri asked.

"Well…" Shujinkou took a moment to remember what the girls' plans for today were. "Considering that Sayori has a lot of places to eat at and Monika was acting weird about her class's event, it would probably be best to look for Natsuki first. She should be at Carnival Games."

Yuri silently nodded her head in agreement and followed Shujinkou to the school's entrance.  He opened the doors and the two were greeted with an assortment of carnival games. Ball and Bucket Toss, Whac-A-Mole, Fishing; there was almost every game imaginable available for students to play. But even though there were many fun activities to play outside, the Carnival Games section of the school was almost completely empty.

"Where is everyone?"  Shujinkou wondered aloud.

"Perhaps there is an event somewhere else in the school that is stealing attention away from here," Yuri suggested.

"Maybe," Shujinkou replied, wondering what kind of event could make the Carnival Games section of the festival to resemble a ghost town. "I wonder if that means Natsuki is no longer around."

Suddenly, the two heard very familiar sounding cry of anger and cautiously followed it to its source. They turned around a corner and found an enraged Natsuki aim an assault rifle at a small target among a series of larger targets. She pulled the trigger and watched a small metallic pellet fly past her intended target, causing even more anger to build up inside her.

"Maybe its best not to approach her right now," Shujinkou nervously thought, staring at the rifle she was holding. He then noticed that Natsuki wasn't the only one that was annoyed; the student managing the game looked as if he was running out of patience.

"Can't you just aim for one of the easier targets?" he complained.

"Stop trying to rush me!" Natsuki snapped. "It's messing up my aim!"

"But you're going to make me miss the big event," the operator sighed.

Shujinkou wondered what the student was referring to when he mentioned the "big event", but just like yesterday, he didn't have much time to think as his train of thought was interrupted by another one of Natsuki's anger-induced cries. Curious to why she's had no luck shooting down the target she wanted, Shujinkou quietly walked closer to Natsuki and watched her fail to hit the target once more.

"That's it!" Shujinkou said aloud.

Natsuki immediately turned around and was surprised to find Shujinkou and Yuri standing behind her.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked, lowering her rifle.

"We were just looking for you," Shujinkou replied, keeping his eyes trained the rifle. He knew that if he made her mad now, it would not end well for him.

"What for? You got nothing better to do?" Natsuki replied.

"What makes you say that?" Shujinkou asked.

"Your face just screams 'I have no idea what I should do,'" Natsuki pointed out.

At that very moment, two questions made an entrance inside Shujinkou head. #1: Did his face really give away the fact that he had no idea what to do and #2: Why was she only making an observation regarding him?  In the end, he decided it was better not dwell on those two questions and move on.

"So how are you doing on this game?" Shujinkou asked.

"F-Fine!" Natsuki quickly stuttered. "I just need people to stop rushing me so I can win."

"Face it. You just suck," the operator said, very annoyed that he's being held up. Shujinkou expected Natsuki to snap at that blunt comment but, to his absolute surprise, she instead stared at her gun wearing an expression that mixed frustration and disappointment into one.

"I bet she can make the next shot," Shujinkou responded. Natsuki looked up at Shujinkou and was surprised by the confident smile on his face.

"Just take aim," Shujinkou instructed. Natsuki did as she was told, wondering what Shujinkou had in mind until she felt his left hand gently latch onto hers.

"W-What are you doing?!" she snapped, swatting his hand away.

"Sorry," Shujinkou nervously apologized. "I was just trying to help you hold the gun and aim better."

"What are you talking about?" Natsuki asked, skeptical about his true intentions.

"It's just that you kind of hold the rifle wrong and you don't aim the gun correctly and I was just trying to help," Shujinkou explained. Natsuki continued to stare at him and then looked down at her hands. She then looked back at Shujinkou before quickly averting her gaze.

"Fine," Natsuki conceded. "But only because it will help."

Natsuki quickly took up her initial aiming position and Shujinkou gently grasped her left hand like before, sending a shock throughout her entire body. The feeling of a boy holding her hand and the close contact between them was enough for her cheeks to match the color of her hair. She wasn't the only one who felt uneasy about the situation though. Natsuki's reluctance made Shujinkou realize how close he would have to be to help, something that he had completely missed a few moments earlier.

Taking a deep breath to regain his calm, Shujinkou slowly moved Natsuki's left hand from the magazine of the gun and placed it firmly on the barrel.

"This will help you steady your aim better," Shujinkou explained before leaning in even closer. Natsuki's cheeks grew even pinker once she felt his chest make contact with her back."Now you see those metal pieces jutting up?"

Natsuki silently nodded her head. She didn't have the strength to vocally answer him.

"That's your sights. It's an aiming device used to assist in visually aligning ranged weapons, surveying instruments or optical illumination equipments with the intended target," Shujinkou explained. "If you aim using those, you should be able to hit your intended target."

Natsuki quizzically looked down the gun's sights, wondering if they were actually as helpful as Shujinkou made them sound.

"The secret is aiming your sight at the target," Shujinkou advised. Following his advice, Natsuki aimed the sights at the tiny target she was trying to shoot down. Pulling the trigger, a metallic pellet flew out of the gun's barrel and knocked over the target she aimed at.

"Yes! I did it!" beamed Natsuki. Now Shujinkou was used to seeing Natsuki being brash, blunt, sometimes cranky, and even arrogant at times, but he has never seen her as excited as she was now. It was actually a pleasant surprise.

The moment didn't last however as Natsuki quickly remembered that Shujinkou was still physically close to her.

"You can let go now," Natsuki pouted.

"Huh? Oh right," Shujinkou nervously chuckled, quickly backing away from Natsuki. For successfully hitting the hardest target in the game, the game operator quickly handed Natsuki a stuffed cat and ran towards the school building, leaving the three Literature Club members confused.

"Maybe he's heading to the big event," Shujinkou thought.

"Shujinkou…" Natsuki called.

Shujinkou glanced over to Natsuki and felt a chill flow down his spine as she glared at him. He wondered what he could have done to make her so angry but nothing came to mind. She gritted her teeth and quickly averted her gaze.

"T-Th…" Natsuki muttered.

"Hm?" Shujinkou wondered what she was trying to say. Natsuki looked back at Shujinkou before just as quickly averting her gaze once again.

"I… I guess you're good at something after all," she said bluntly.

"Um, thanks?" Shujinkou replied. He didn't know if that was her way of saying thanks or if she really thought that he wasn't that good at anything. But like before he decided not to dwell on it and move on. Suddenly, a pair of hands appeared from behind and covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" a happy voice asked.

"Sayori," Shujinkou shrugged. The hands released their hold on Shujinkou and Sayori jumped of him with a smile on her face.

"How'd you know?" Sayori asked.

"You've been doing that for so long that at this point I just assume it's you," Shujinkou chuckled in response.

Sayori then took a quick glance around the surrounding area.

"So this place is empty too?" she noted.

"Too?" Natsuki repeated. "There are other places as dead as this place?"

"Mm-hmm. I was looking around for Shujinkou to see if he was having fun and everywhere I looked for him was empty. I didn't understand what was going on until I noticed a really long line in the second year hallway," Sayori explained.

"What was the line for?" Shujinkou wondered aloud.

"I don't know. When I tried to head to the front to check, I got chewed out by everyone in line," Sayori pouted.

"Perhaps this is the 'big event' the operator was referring to," Yuri suggested.

An event so impressive that the entire student body is making it a top priority to attend? The four Literature Club members couldn't help but wonder what it could possibly be.

"Let's check it out!" Sayori suggested. Her fellow club members nodded their heads in agreement and followed Sayori into the school to find out what the "big event" could be.

Chapter Text

"What the heck?!" Natsuki exclaimed.

After agreeing to find out what the "big event" was, the four literature club members entered the school where they immediately found themselves in line.

"When you said that there was long line, I didn't realize you meant that it was this long…" Shujinkou marveled at the length of the line. Considering that they weren’t even on the right floor, it became very apparent that saying that the whole school was waiting in this line would not be an understatement.

"The line's gotten longer…" Sayori nervously chuckled.

"What's so great about this 'big event' to make the whole school want to see?" Natsuki wondered aloud.

"It must be something very enticing," Yuri said.

Shujinkou didn't know what to say. He's only seen a line once in his life and all he was trying to do was pick up a copy of a game he pre-ordered months before then. The experience still haunts him to his day.

Noticing the length of the line was intimidating her fellow club members, Sayori quickly decided that the best thing to do was to find a way to take their minds off of the wait.

"Ah! I just remembered!" Sayori dug through her bag and pulled out a watch. "Random story time!"

"Random story time?" Yuri repeated. She was curious to what Sayori was planning.

"It's a game Shujinkou and I played a lot when we were kids," Sayori started to explain. "The rules are simple; a person starts a story and after a set amount of time, another player takes over the story telling responsibility. We had a lot of fun with that game, right Shujinkou?"

Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement. In contrast to his traumatic line waiting memory, he had many fond memories of taking the scenarios that occurred in his head and sharing it with a friend. In fact, sometimes Sayori didn't want to take over the story telling responsibility because she was very interested in where his own story would lead.

"Alright then, start us off, Shujinkou," Sayori cheered.

"Okay," Shujinkou cleared his throat and started his tale. "A long time ago, there was once a boy that had the power to make whatever he wrote in his journal to come to life. It was a special gift that was accidently given to him while he was still developing. How you may ask? Well, a fallen angel, named Kyojin, stole a mystical orb from heaven that granted this power to its wielder and attempted to use it to take over the world.

Realizing that the orb was stolen, God sent his top angel, Jack, down to Earth to find Kyojin and take back the orb. A fight of epic proportions ensued. The two were evenly matched, but Jack was able to use reverse psychology to fool Kyojin and land a major blow on him, causing the fallen angel to drop the orb. The falling orb soon phased itself into an unsuspecting woman's womb and fuse with the developing child's soul. It wasn't until he was four where he learned that he had such a cool ability and then…"

"Stop!" Sayori interrupted. "It's time for someone else to continue the story."

"Man… I was just getting into it," Shujinkou mumbled. He then glanced to his right and noticed that Natsuki was staring at him in awe before quickly turning away with an annoyed look on her face, making him wonder what he did to earn that response.

"That was a great start, Shujinkou," Sayori complimented.

"Mm-hmm," Yuri nodded her head in agreement. "It was quite impressive that you could create such a set-up without anytime to think."

"It was okay…" Natsuki muttered. "But watch how a pro takes your story and makes it even better."

"So, you want to go next Natsuki?" Sayori questioned.

"Eh?" Natsuki responded. The boastful girl closed her eyes and started to think about how she should continue the story. After spending several minutes in silence, her eyes opened and her face shot Shujinkou an expression that couldn't help but make him feel like he was being judged. "Alright, here goes…

The boy himself wasn't a well liked kid. Almost everyone his age made fun of his interests and his relationship with his parents wasn't exactly the best. He tried everything he could to get the others to accept him and his interest, but in the end it was all in vain. In the end he felt like there was only one thing he could do. He was going to make one last ditch effort at being accepted.

Now, no one knew of his special ability to mess with reality by just writing in a book. He always felt that if people ever found out, he would be even more of an outcast then he ever was. But after realizing that he was already alone and had nothing to lose, he revealed his powers his hometown. He summoned cute animals and made it rain sweets, but instead of making him endearing to the entire town, the citizens instead ran away in fear, leading to…"

"Time's up!" Sayori interrupted. "Time to switch!"

"How was that?!" Natsuki boasted, keeping her eyes trained on Shujinkou.

"Not where I would have gone with it, but it was very good emotional arc," Shujinkou responded.

"You got to have emotional story arcs for your character or else no one will connect to them. It's something your part lacked," Natsuki said. "Remember that or else you won't be a good story-teller."

"But my character was still in his mother's womb when my turn was over," Shujinkou pointed out. "He wasn't able to have an emotional story arc yet."

Upon realizing that he was right, Natsuki turned away embarrassed.

"I know that! I just meant that you should have one for your story if you have gotten to that point, dummy," Natsuki retorted.

Shujinkou didn't know how to respond. He then remembered that it would be better not to respond and let Natsuki have the final word.

"Your turn, Yuri," Sayori said.

"Eh? Me?" Yuri timidly replied. She always knew her turn was coming, but still couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She closed her eyes and thought about how she could continue the story from where Natsuki left off. Moments later, Yuri took a deep breath and opened her eyes, ready to tell her part. "The day after he revealed his powers, the boy was confronted by a group of people who were very interested in him.

They offered his parents money to take him away to their facility and they agreed. The boy thought it would have been a place of fun but, as soon as he arrived, the young boy was shocked to find out that it was the exact opposite of what he thought it would be. The entire facility was filled with technology that would impress anyone, but to the child it just enhanced the cold and sterile feel the atmosphere was giving.

For the next three months, the boy was subjected to all sorts of experiments. Some of them were fun and some of them were not. Eventually, the fun experiments disappeared and more unethical experiments were used. These experiments involved torturing the child physically and psychology, causing the beginning of his loss of sanity and planting the seeds of despair in his heart."

"Time's up!" Sayori interrupted.

"Ah…" Yuri let out a sigh of relief.

"I guess it's my turn," Sayori grinned. "So… months later, the boy eventually reached his breaking point, causing his powers to evolve. No longer needing to write things down for his powers to take place; all he needed was his fractured mind. He used his powers to summon a giant monster and allowed it to rampage. It ate everyone in the facility and decided to do the same to everyone who shunned the boy where he came from.

With the monster gone, it finally hit the boy that he had just taken lives and realized that he couldn't let the monster destroy his hometown. He used his newly evolved powers to confront the monster there and engage it in battle. It was a long and grueling battle that lasted hours until the boy realized that he couldn’t beat his own monster. It seemed that in the end there was only one option left to take…

Without a second thought, the boy flew down the monster's throat and detonated himself to save the town that always treated him terribly. He died thinking he was a freak, but his death caused the entire town to realize the error of their ways and decided to celebrate the boy's life every year on the day he died to pay their respects. The End! Wasn't that a great story?"

"It was all over the place," Natsuki said.

Shujinkou had to agree with that comment. It wasn't a bad story overall, but the tone of it was inconsistent. It started off as an action/adventure story, then shifted to emotional drama, then shifted to psychological torture and finally ended on a rather bittersweet note.

"Well, at least the game accomplished its original intention. We're almost at the front of the line," Sayori happily pointed out.

The four of them silently waited 10 minutes until they finally reached the door to the "big event" they heard about.

"Hey… isn't this Monika's classroom?" Sayori noticed. The other three looked up at the class number and realized that they were in fact in front of Monika's classroom. They finally were allowed to enter and their eyes couldn't believe what they saw.

"This is a…" Shujinkou weakly muttered, lowering his head.

"A maid café?! The 'big event' that had the whole school excited was a maid café?!" Natsuki exclaimed. Her fellow club members shared the sentiment. They couldn't understand why a café, even a maid café, could prove to be so popular that the entire school would come. Soon the answer shyly walked into the classroom in a specialized maid outfit.

"Monika?!" Sayori gasped. Monika quickly glanced to her right and her cheeks turned bright red upon laying her eyes upon her fellow club members.

"H-Hey guys…" Monika weakly smiled. Suddenly, everyone in line and inside the café broke into a cheer, excitedly chanting Monika's name.

"You got to be kidding me…" Natsuki mumbled. "You mean the "Big Event" was just you wearing a maid outfit?!"

"The power of the school idol…" Shujinkou thought.

Later that afternoon, Monika happily approached her club members, who were waiting for her next to the school's front doors.

"So did you guys enjoy the festival?" Monika asked.

"Well, kinda… until your class caused the entire thing to stop," Natsuki said, still slightly annoyed by the revelation of the "big event".

"Sorry…" Monika chuckled.

"I have no complaints, I still got to eat a lot of food," Sayori smiled.

"That's great," Monika smiled back. "What about you Yuri?"

"Mm. I also enjoyed myself," Yuri answered.

"And you, Shujinkou?" Monika asked. At that moment, Shujinkou snapped back to reality and nodded his head.

"I have to admit, this is the first time I actually enjoyed the festival," Shujinkou replied.

"I told you, you would have fun," Sayori grinned.

"You were right," Shujinkou chuckled.

"Well I'm glad everyone got to enjoy themselves," Monika smiled. "Hopefully next time I can join you guys. Anyway…"

Shujinkou noticed Monika glance towards his direction with a curious look on her face.

"There are no club activities today, so I guess we can all head home," Monika informed her club members.

The five of them walked out of the school and Shujinkou realized that he was once again among a sea of happy faces. Everyone looks forward to the school's cultural festival, but he's always been indifferent to them. He still was a bit indifferent to the event itself, but he also couldn't help but look forward to the next one.

Chapter Text

Nervousness. It's something that Shujinkou hasn't felt much in real life until he joined the Literature Club. But despite all of the awkward moments he's been through since then, he couldn't help but feel especially nervous over the situation he has gotten himself into today. It was a situation that anyone would be nervous about being in.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Shujinkou."

Shujinkou awkwardly raised his head and had to force himself from instinctively looking back towards the ground once he met eyes with Monika.

"Were you waiting long?" she asked.

"Not really," Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek. "I just got here."

"Really?" Monika smiled. "Well, shall we head inside?"

"S-sure," Shujinkou nodded. As the two entered the local parfait shop, Shujinkou played back the events that led to the two meeting there today in his head.

The day before, he walked down the third year hallway and noticed Monika patiently standing next to the club room door.

"What are you doing out here, Monika?" Shujinkou asked.

"There was something I wanted to talk to you about," Monika replied.

She pulled a small slip of paper out of her jacket pocket and handed it to Shujinkou.

"This is something I got for my work during the school festival," Monika explained.

Shujinkou's eyes lit up as he read through the contents of the slip.

"A free limited edition parfait for two?" Shujinkou read aloud. While on the outside he retained a calm, yet surprised attitude, on the inside Shujinkou was very excited. He loved eating sweets and the thought of getting a parfait that is usually out of his price range was almost enough to make him show his excitement on the outside too. But his initial excitement quickly turned into confusion, prompting him to thoroughly read through all the lines again."For two… You mean the two of us?"

"Mm-hmm," Monika nodded. "It's a special couples' coupon."

"B-But…" Shujinkou stammered.

He was so flustered that he couldn't finish his sentence. Was Monika possibly asking him out on a date?

"I know we're not a couple," Monika said. "But we wouldn't want it to go to waste, would we? It expires soon."

"But why me?" Shujinkou asked. He really wasn't sure why Monika would want to go with him of all people. Surely there a lot of other people she could have asked.

"Well…" Monika went quiet for a moment before finishing her sentence. "I just thought it would be fun to do something together as fellow club members."

"And that's how I ended up here with Monika," Shujinkou thought as the waitress gently placed the parfait on the table along with two spoons. The excitement from yesterday returned in full force as his eyes scanned the frozen treat. "It looks so good!"

"You seem excited," Monika giggled.

"Maybe a little…" Shujinkou said, scratching his right cheek once more.

The two eagerly picked up their spoons and each scooped up a tiny piece of the parfait. The moment the parfait made contact with his taste buds sent an intense feeling of sheer bliss throughout Shujinkou's entire body. It was as delicious as he hoped.

"So good!" Shujinkou thought, unable to hide his delight.

"So, Shujinkou, how have you been enjoying your time with the Literature Club?" Monika asked.

"It's been interesting to say the least," Shujinkou replied. "But there is something I wanted to ask you for a while now."

"What?" Monika asked.

"What is it you're always doing during club hours?" he asked. "You always seem to be working on something."

"Just a story I've been working on," Monika answered.

Shujinkou's interest was piqued.

"Really? What's it about?" Shujinkou asked.

"It's a surprise," Monika smiled.

To say Shujinkou was a bit disappointed to hear that would be an understatement. Just like with the Cultural Festival, Monika dodging the question made him even more curious. But despite his curiosity, he decided to respect her decision to keep her story a secret.

"So have you written any other stories?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm," Monika nodded.

"What kinds of stories do you like writing?" Shujinkou asked.

"What kind?" Monika smiled. "I really like writing stories with complex characters in a scenario that allows them to develop. I also like adding in plot twists that make you have to reanalyze the story to fully understand it."

Her answer made Shujinkou's curiosity grow even larger. Those kinds of stories are one of his favorites to play through in video games, even if he doesn't understand them right away. It always gets his brain thinking and the twists are interesting to experience in his day dream scenarios.

"Another thing I like to do with some of my stories is to deconstruct storytelling tropes. Keeps readers from predicting every story beat " Monika added.

"Those kinds of stories can lead to a lot of mind-screw plots," Shujinkou pointed out.

"The thing about those kinds of plots is that a lot of writers like to use them to end their stories on an ambiguous note," Monika said. "Sometimes the endings are so ambiguous that some may never find out what they mean. It's very surreal. But if maybe you'd be better talking about these kinds of things Yuri. She knows more about that stuff than me, the same way Natsuki is more familiar with slice of life related tropes and Sayori with tropes that apply to human emotions."

Hearing about the tropes the others are familiar with made Shujinkou wonder which he was the most familiar with.

"You know what a really popular trope I find interesting is? The Fix Fic," Monika said.

"That's another trope I know well," Shujinkou said. "I think everyone has a Fix Fic somewhere in their head."

"It's one of the cornerstones of fan fiction. A piece of writing created by the fans to fix the things they didn't like about the original source. Whether it's to fix a case of flanderization or allow the characters to get a happier ending than the one they were dealt," Monika said. "To be honest, I kinda find the concept of fan fiction itself interesting. Seeing a lot of people be creative with established universe and add to it is nice to see."

"But you know… I just realized something," Monika said, leaning in closer to Shujinkou. "We only ever talk about me when we're together. Why don't we talk about you?"

"Me?" Shujinkou responded. "What's there to talk about?"

"What are your interests?" she asked. Shujinkou did not know how to answer that question. He has always been nervous about sharing his interest with the others in the club.

"I… enjoy a lot of interactive forms of fiction," Shujinkou answered.

"So you enjoy playing video games," Monika concluded.

"Okay, that answer was kind of a giveaway," he lowered his head in shame.

"No need to be embarrassed," Monika assured him. "It's not like video games are a bad thing. I tend to think of them as another form of literature."

"Really?" Shujinkou asked.

That was the last thing he expected her to say.

"Sure," Monika smiled. "They are in essence literature that you play through."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Shujinkou said, scratching his right cheek. Once again, he didn't know what to say. He really expected that he would really be the odd man out of the club if they found out he was a gamer. It was actually a big relief to him that it seems like that wasn't the case, at least as far as Monika is concerned.

"What else interests you?" she asked.

"Well… I kinda like to draw," Shujinkou answered.

"Really?" Monika eyes lit up with interest. "You think you could share some of them with the club?"

 "Maybe," Shujinkou shrugged.

"Maybe you could draw a cover for my story," Monika suggested.

"You would have to tell me what it's about," Shujinkou grinned.

"Your right…" Monika realized.

"So…" Shujinkou said, his hopes rising in anticipation to hearing about what the plot of Monika's story could be.

"I'll ask again later," Monika said, giving Shujinkou a teasing smile.

"Oh… okay…" Shujinkou sighed.

"Don't look so sad," Monika chuckled. "It's not that I don't want to share it. I just want to finish and make sure every asset of it is the best I can make it."

"I understand," Shujinkou said.

The two picked up their spoons once more and went back to eating the parfait. Moments later, the two walked out of the Parfait Shop, satisfied by the treat they finished together.

"This was fun, Shujinkou," Monika smiled. "We should do it again sometime."

"Yeah. We should," Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement.

"So…" Monika silently stared at Shujinkou. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but Shujinkou couldn't figure out what it was. "I guess we'll be going our separate ways now."

"Right. See you later," Shujinkou waved goodbye.

Chapter Text

"How is she?" Shujinkou asked. He was barely able to keep himself composed, but he had to in front of everyone. If he lost to his emotions, then how could he expect the others to win against theirs?

The doctor sighed and turned back to Shujinkou with a sorrowful expression on his face, giving the boy the answer he didn't want.

"We tried everything we could, but… the damage was too much," the doctor reported. "She's… She's gone…"

"I see…" Shujinkou said.

He slowly bent down on one knee over the coffin that held the corpse as a single tear traced the right side of his face.

"Forgive me for not being there for you," Shujinkou wept. "I should have been there…"

He stood back up and turned back to his men. They were ready to follow any orders he would give.

"Do it," Shujinkou ordered.

His fellow soldiers surrounded the coffin and sealed the lid over the corpse. Words couldn't express the grief Shujinkou felt over the whole ordeal. He almost didn't want to watch what happened next, but he knew if he did that then he would be disrespecting the fallen.

He forcefully kept his eyes trained on the coffin as his men carried it to the edge of the base. They turned back to their boss and all he could muster was a silent nod. They slowly tipped the coffin over the edge and solemnly watched it descend towards the calm sea. After watching the mighty blue swallow its latest gift, Shujinkou sorrowfully closed his eyes to reflect.

"Goodbye," he whispered. "Goodbye…"

"Shujinkou?"

Shujinkou opened his eyes and realized that Sayori was staring at him with an expression that he doesn't usually see from her: true worry.

"What's wrong, Sayori?" he asked.

"I should be asking you that," Sayori responded. Shujinkou wasn't sure what she was referring to until she pointed to his right cheek. He cautiously traced the right side of his face and followed the trail of a tear from his eye all the way down to his chin.

"Oh this? I was just thinking about a very tearjerking moment from a video game I played," Shujinkou calmly replied. "Don't worry about it."

"Oh," Sayori replied.

The two continued to continue their daily journey home until Sayori noticed something interesting from the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Shujinkou…" Sayori said.

"Yeah?" Shujinkou replied.

"Let's make a detour!" she happily suggested.

"A detour?" Shujinkou repeated. The two of them never really went anywhere after school, so the suggestion really took him by surprise. What could she have in mind?

"Yeah! This way!" Sayori grinned. The excited girl took off and immediately tripped over her feet, causing her destination to change to the ground. Shujinkou quickly ran his fallen friend's side and helped her back to her feet.

"Was that your detour?" he chuckled.

"No," she also chuckled. "That is."

Shujinkou looked towards the direction Sayori pointed to and was surprised to spot an empty playground.

"We haven't been there in awhile," Sayori said.

"Yeah… But why would you want to go there now?" Shujinkou asked.

Instead of answering his question, Sayori simply giggled and skipped to the nearby swing set. He curiously followed her over to the swings and watched her plop into one of them.

"Haven't been on one of these for the longest time," she happily stated.

"Neither have I," Shujinkou added.

"Think you can still give me a push?" Sayori asked.

Shujinkou nodded his head and walked to the other side of the swing. As he reached for her back, his mind suddenly took him back to the childhood days they spent playing on this very playground.  

"Shujinkou, what should we play today?" Sayori beamed.

 "Um…" Shujinkou has been pondering that very question all day. "How about we race against the monkey bars?"

"Let's do it!" Sayori agreed.

The two eagerly jumped up a pair of steps and stopped at the edge that leads to the monkey bars.

"Whoever gets to end or hangs on the longest wins," Shujinkou instructed.

"Mm-hmm," Sayori muttered.

"On your marks… Get set… Go!" Shujinkou announced. The two kids jumped towards the monkey bars and Shujinkou latched onto the first one he could reach. Sayori, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. Her worried friend quickly dropped down next to her and noticed a small scratch on her left arm.

"Sayori… you're hurt," he solemnly stated.

"It's no big deal," Sayori chuckled in response. "No need to worry."

Shujinkou took her arm and watch a small trail of blood trickle down it.

"No need to worry, huh?" Shujinkou dug through his pockets and pulled out a small napkin. He used it to wipe away the blood and then pulled a band-aid out for her scratch.

"You carry band-aids in your pocket?" she queried.

"Well, it's just in case you hurt yourself," Shujinkou smiled. He gently applied the band-aid over her wound and was surprised to see her cheeks turn bright red. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Mm-hmm!" Sayori nodded her head with a smile. "So what should we do now?"

"Um… How about we go on the swings?" he suggested.

"Okay!" Sayori beamed.

The two raced to the swings and plopped themselves firmly in them.

"Let's go!" Shujinkou said. He started to swing back and forth, gaining more height with each swing. The rush of the wind hitting his face and ability to see things from a higher point of view was something Shujinkou loved about swings and it was something he knew would never go away. But that feeling of excitement would soon go away as he noticed Sayori wasn't gaining any height herself.

He stretched his feet and used them as anchors to stop the swing from doing its job.

"What's wrong, Sayori?" Shujinkou asked his struggling friend.

"Can't… get… any… higher!" Sayori said between each struggling breath. She continued to struggle to push herself forward until she felt a pair of hands place themselves firmly on her back.

"Let me help," Shujinkou smiled.

"Okay!" Sayori nodded her head in agreement.

Using all his strength, Shujinkou pushed Sayori forward and caught her when she swung back to him. He continued this process again and again until she was able to go as high as the swing can take her.

"Hey Shujinkou…" Sayori said.

"Yeah?" Shujinkou answered.

"Do you think you'll be like this forever?" Sayori asked.

"Like what?" Shujinkou asked.

"Happy-go-lucky," Sayori answered.

Shujinkou couldn't help but laugh at Sayori's description of him. He knew that if anyone was "happy-go-lucky," that would be her.

"I don't know," Shujinkou shrugged. "Nothing really last forever. Though people do try."

"Can you try?" Sayori asked.

"Try what?" Shujinkou asked back.

"To stay happy," she answered.

"I guess…" Shujinkou shrugged. "I mean with a friend like you, that doesn't sound too hard to do."

"I'll do my best!" she beamed.

The memories of that moment caused a small smile to creep up on Shujinkou's face.

"You're smiling," Sayori giggled.

"Well, I was just thinking about you," Shujinkou said, giving her a strong push.

"Eh?" the flustered girl replied.

"I was just thinking about the past," Shujinkou said. "Back when we used to play here."

"Oh," Sayori grinned.

"It feels… surprisingly nice," Shujinkou grinned.

Chapter Text

"Alright, class, it's time to break for lunch," the teacher announced.

Lunchtime. It was the time of the day that students love the most. For most students, it's a time to meet up with friends and enjoy the precious time they have to interact. But it wasn't the same for Yuri. For her, it was another time of the day to lose herself in another good book. As her classmates moved their desk and chairs around, Yuri slipped her work and into her bag and walked towards the door.

The young maiden was currently on her way to her usual reading spot until, from the corner of her eye, she noticed something that caused her body to become paralyzed with fear. Her heart beat started to speed up and she felt like she couldn't breathe, a feeling she hasn't felt since last year. Without a second thought, Yuri ran down the direction she came from, determined to get away as far as possible from what she saw until she collided head-on with another student.

"Yuri?" she heard a familiar voice say her name.

The frightened maiden opened her eyes and her cheeks changed shades once she realized that ran into Shujinkou.

"S-Sorry!" Yuri stammered. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed over the entire situation.

"It's no problem," Shujinkou said, dusting his jacket off.

The young man then stood on his feet and offered his hand to Yuri. She slowly reached towards it and gripped it. She felt a sense of comfort and protection pour into from it and allowed him to help her onto her feet.

"Where were you off to in such a hurry?" Shujinkou asked.

"Ah…" Yuri diverted her gaze. She couldn't think of a way to explain what she was doing. Soon, silence overtook their short conversation. Shujinkou didn't know what to say until he noticed Yuri eyeing his lunch.

"Were you heading somewhere for lunch?" he asked.

"Um…" Yuri quickly checked behind her and turned back to Shujinkou with a nervous expression on her face. "Do… Do you think I could spend lunch with you?"

"Huh? Oh… uh… sure," Shujinkou replied, scratching his right cheek. The surprised student nervously led her back to his classroom and toward his desk. He then grabbed an empty chair and slid it under the opposite side of the desk.

Yuri silently sat in the seat she was provided with and watched Shujinkou plop himself down in his own. She then glanced to her left and noticed all of the other students happily eating lunches with their friends.

"I hope it's not too loud for you in here," Shujinkou said.

"Ah… no," Yuri replied. "Do you always eat lunch like this?"

"Like what?" Shujinkou asked.

"Um…" Yuri went silent for a moment and turned back to Shujinkou. "Never mind. Sorry."

"Sorry? For what?" he asked.

"For intruding during lunch," she finished.

Yuri expected Shujinkou to express his annoyance soon and knew she couldn't hold it against him. But instead of doing what she thought he would, he just smiled.

"You're not intruding," Shujinkou assured her. "To be honest, I was more worried that you wouldn't feel comfortable enough to be in this situation."

She watched him scratch his right cheek once again and breathed a small sigh of relief. She wasn't sure why but being around Shujinkou seemed to calm her nerves whenever she felt nervous. Just like at the Cultural Festival, it was like she didn't have to always worry about the small things.

Yuri then glanced down at his desk and noticed a drawing of a man wearing an eyepatch.

"What is that?" Yuri asked.

"Oh that?" Shujinkou responded as he reached for the drawing. "It's a sketch of Big Boss."

"Big Boss?" Yuri repeated.

"He's one of my favorite characters in fiction," Shujinkou said. "He's a legendary mercenary that been through a lot of hardships. No matter how much good he tries to do, life always finds a way to try to kick him down until he eventually decides that he's had enough. His story is basically one about how a protagonist becomes a villain."

"He sounds like a very complex character," Yuri replied.

"Yeah, I think that's how he became as popular as his son in the fan's eyes. You would not want to start a debate over which Snake they like better," Shujinkou chuckled.

Shujinkou carefully slipped the drawing into his bag and placed it under his desk.

"Do you draw often?" Yuri asked.

"Mm-hmm. It's a hobby of mine. It's also kind of an outlet," Shujinkou grinned. "What about you? Do you have any hobbies other than reading?" 

"Well…" Yuri took a moment to find a way to express what she wanted to say. "It's not really separate from reading but… Do you know about aromatherapy?"

"Sorta," Shujinkou shrugged.

"I like to use it as a technique to help take me to a faraway place when reading. There are so many different aromas for many occasions… It really enhances the experience," Yuri explained.

"Like when you make tea for the club?" Shujinkou asked.

"Tea can calm the body," Yuri explained. "It's best to lose yourself to a good book when both your body and mind are calm."

"Huh… I never really thought about it like that," Shujinkou said. "It's really nice that you try to get all of us in the right mindset for the club."

"Ah… it's nothing special," Yuri started to play with her hair. She wasn't used to being complimented. It was a really nice feeling.

"Don't say that," Shujinkou said, shaking his head. "At least you contribute to the club."

"What do you mean?" Yuri asked.

"I mean, Natsuki makes us sweets, you make us tea and Sayori and Monika handle club stuff… I just… I'm just around. I don't really add much," Shujinkou sadly scratched his cheek.

"Don't say that!" Yuri said, unintentionally raising her voice.

Shujinkou stared at her with a surprised look on his face, causing her to divert her gaze.

"I mean… you always offer to help us and you're always so patient with me," Yuri said without thinking. Even she didn't know why she was able to say those things without contemplating, but she felt like she had to. "I'm… I'm really glad you joined the club, Shujinkou."

"T-Thanks, Yuri," Shujinkou replied, scratching his right cheek once more. The small smile appeared on the bashful girl's face. She glanced towards the class door and felt a familiar sense of dread sneak up on her. Her heart dropped as a young man walked in and approached Shujinkou's teacher. The teacher pointed towards the classroom's closet, which was right behind the two club members.

The frightened maiden looked down at Shujinkou's desk, desperately hoping that the man wouldn't notice her. Her heart skipped a beat along with his encroaching footsteps. Yuri cautiously glanced to her left and met eyes with the man, causing her to feel a massive chill crawl down her spine. No words were exchanged, but Shujinkou could sense some form of familiarity between them.

The man quietly walked into the closet and just as quietly left with a stack of papers. Once he was out of the classroom, Shujinkou glanced back towards Yuri and noticed that she still was wearing the same worried expression.

"Yuri… are you okay?" Shujinkou asked.

Yuri didn't answer. The young maiden simply lowered her head and stayed silent for the rest of lunch.

Chapter Text

"Man… I got nothing," Shujinkou sighed. The natural confidence the young writer had when he started his task continued to leave him as he stared down at his paper. He could imagine that this was how heroes felt when the situation they try to prevent seems like it does not seem to want to be stopped.  The words were there in his head, but every time he attempted to write them down, doubt appeared to say that it wasn't good enough. "This is hard."

"Told you," Natsuki said.

Shujinkou looked up from the blank sheet of paper and locked eyes with the petite club member sitting next to him. He felt like they were judging his every move, but he also noticed a hint of curiosity emanating from them.

"Writing isn't as easy as you thought, huh?" she added.

"It's not like I thought it was going to be easy, but…" Shujinkou's voice started to trail off. He always that knew it wouldn't be easy, but the irritation from just trying to write down the beginning scenario he envisioned was enough to drive a man crazy.

"One thing all writers got to hate is writing the beginning," Natsuki sympathized. "You got all these ideas that you think is great, but then you realize that if you screw up the beginning then you won't be able to get potential readers to continue. And if you think that it gets any easier after that, then you'd be wrong. Transferring your thought to the paper is harder than brainstorming the ideas in the first place. It can be very frustrating."

"I get it now," Shujinkou weakly chuckled. It had just dawned upon him that the credit he was already giving writers was not enough.

"You also got to keep in mind the differences between the medium you're writing for," Natsuki added.

"What do you mean?" Shujinkou wondered.

"Manga for example has two story-telling devices: the art and the dialogue. The dialogue tells you what's going on and see what a character says or thinks while the art allows you to see how the characters are feeling and what they and the setting looks like. For a novel, you have to explain every little detail without explaining every little detail. You have to find ways to explain appearances, describe the setting and set the tone all while moving the story along," Natsuki explained.

"Man…" Shujinkou mumbled. He could feel his respect for writers' sky rocket once more. "So do you feel this frustrated when writing?"

"Me? Hardly. For a pro like me, writing's as easy as it is to sort out my book collection," Natsuki boasted, turning her attention away from him.

"Well, it looks like I have some major catching up to do," Shujinkou said without any hint of envy. He then started to wonder how the other club members viewed the writing process and what advice they could also give him. "So, how'd it get easier for you?"

"Eh?" Natsuki turned back to him with a flustered look on her face. "Well… uh… Just keep practicing and you'll improve."

With her uncharacteristic delayed response, Shujinkou couldn't help but wonder if she was saying that him or herself.

"If you keep practicing you may be able to start catching up to me in about 5 years," Natsuki laughed.

"Maybe," Shujinkou joined in the laughter.

It was always a treat for him to see Natsuki express her positive emotions more.

"By the way… do you think I could borrow volume 3 of Crash Bandicoot?" Natsuki asked.

"Er…" Shujinkou was afraid to answer that question. He would have been glad to lend her the 3^rd volume, except the series was cancelled after the 2^nd, ending the entire story on a cliffhanger. He felt pretty devastated upon finding out that harsh truth; there was no telling how Natsuki would respond. Fortunately for him, Sayori's sudden and loud arrival took Natsuki's attention away from him.

"Shujinkouuuuuu!" she beamed. "Can I…?"

"No," Shujinkou bluntly answered.

Shujinkou didn't even need to hear her finish that question. He knew her well enough to know what she was about to ask.

"But I'm hungry and have no money!" she whined.

"I know, but you're always asking me for money for the vending machines and I'm always lending it to you," Shujinkou said.

"I know and that's one of the reasons why you're such a good friend," she grinned.

"Thanks, but as your friend, I think it would be best if I stopped enabling you," Shujinkou said, before completing the sentence in his head, "Plus I got to start being a good friend to my wallet too."

"Just one more time, Shujinkou! Please!" Sayori begged.

"I'm sorry, Sayori, I can't," Shujinkou said, giving her a stern look.

The desperate girl quickly turned her gaze to Natsuki.

"Natsuki, help me out here! Tell him to lend me some money!" Sayori pleaded.

"No," she also answered bluntly.

"Why not?!" Sayori complained.

"Because you still owe me for all the times I lent you money for food," Natsuki chastised.

"You two are being so mean," Sayori pouted.

A tired sigh escaped from Shujinkou's body. Sayori's childish reactions made him feel like he was a father working together with his wife to accomplish telling their kid "no" for the first time. It was at that very moment of clarity when he realized that he should probably apologize to his mother later that day. He then noticed Natsuki digging around her bag and watched her pull out a small bag with a pink cat plastered on the sides.

"Look, if you want to eat so badly, then you can have a couple of these cookies," Natsuki offered.

With lightning fast speed, Sayori snatched the bag with a big smile on her face.

"Thanks Natsuki!" she beamed.

"H-Hold on a sec!" Natsuki huffed, slamming her hands on the desk. "I said only a couple."

"You're the best!" Sayori grinned as she skipped away.

"Sayori! Give them back!" exploded Natsuki. She jumped out of her seat and chased after the satisfied vice-president. As the two played their game of cat-and-mouse, Monika returned to the classroom with a small stack of paper in hand.

"I'm back everyone!" Monika said, announcing her presence. But her words fell on only one set of ears as the cat and mouse focused all of their senses on each other.

Shujinkou watched the surprisingly calm club president scan the room before finally deciding to approach him. 

"Yuri's still not here?" she asked.

Shujinkou shook his head.

"It's not like Yuri to just not show up," Monika said. "I even checked around to find out if she wasn't feeling well but there were no reports of her leaving early.

The club president neatly placed the papers on the teacher's desk and sighed.

"I wonder what's going on with her," she wondered aloud.

"I think she's scared," Shujinkou replied.

Monika turned back to Shujinkou. Despite knowing that Yuri is consistently nervous, she still knew that someone stating she was scared wasn't exactly a good thing.

"Scared? Scared of what?" Monika asked.

"I'm not too sure why, but she really tensed up when some guy showed up in my class earlier," Shujinkou replied.

"Guy?" Monika repeated. "What did he look like?"

Shujinkou closed his eyes and tried to recall the man's features.

"He had swept back black hair, a slight goatee and a small scar across his forehead," Shujinkou described. "I think he was a teacher."

He watched Monika's expression change as he finished his description. It seemed like she had something in mind.

"What are you thinking?" Shujinkou asked.

"Do you know where this man is right now?" Monika questioned.

"No," Shujinkou answered shaking her head.

"Hmm…" Monika turned her attention back to the paperwork she brought in, staring at them with a determined expression. "I think it's time for a club field trip."

Chapter Text

"I can't believe this is where you decided to take us," Natsuki said.

Shujinkou agreed with the sentiment. He didn't think that the field trip Monika suggested would lead the club to the front doors of the Student Council.

The Student Council is the most powerful force in the entire school. Whatever the president wanted, she got it. It was because of this that the entire student body has become weary of her. Many stories were told of her ice cold demeanor and lack of empathy. It was because of these many negative accounts that Shujinkou couldn't understand why Monika didn't show any signs of worry.

"This is the only place we can find what we need," Monika smiled. "I'm sure the council president will be willing to help us."

Shujinkou wasn't too sure he agreed with Monika, but he did feel like it wouldn't be too bad to try with her around. He followed the girls into council's office and his eyes were immediately drawn to the turned-away chair that lay behind the president's desk. He could feel an unnerving aura emanating from it.

"You need anything?" a sinister voice asked them.

The chair quickly spun around, revealing the president that occupied it. The fellow student's skin was as white as snow and her raven tint hair was tied back into two long twin tails. Her matching eyes were set behind a pair of blue glasses, but even they couldn't reduce the power of her icy glare. Shujinkou came to realize that rumors about the president were most likely true and that their mission, whatever it may be, has already failed.

But suddenly, to his and Natsuki's complete surprise, the president's eyes lightened and a massive grin formed on her face.

"Hey, Monika, what brings you back here?" she asked.

"I was wondering if I could ask a favor, Fuyu," Monika answered.

"Like?" Fuyu grinned.

Shujinkou and Natsuki could not believe what they were seeing.

"She's on first name basis with the student president…" Natsuki thought.

"The power of the school idol…" Shujinkou thought.

"Do you think we could look through the school records?" Monika requested.

"Hm? What for?" Fuyu asked. Her curious face was so pure and innocent that Shujinkou and Natsuki's images of what they imagined the president would be like were utterly destroyed in an instant.

"There's something we really need to look up. Please, Fuyu?" Monika pleaded.

"Well…" Fuyu adjusted her glasses and remained silent for a few minutes.

Shujinkou wondered what Monika needed access to the school records for until Fuyu finally gave her answer.

"I'm not really supposed to but then again I'm the one who gets to make the rules, so go for it!" she approved.

"Thanks, Fuyu," Monika smiled. "I really owe you."

Monika started to make her way towards the school records with her club members following suit until Shujinkou noticed Fuyu staring at him.

"Um…" The confused young man didn't know what to say. At the moment, he couldn't tell which side of her he would be speaking to.

"You're Shujinkou right?" she asked.

"Y-Yes," Shujinkou nervously replied.

Fuyu quietly stood up from her chair and approached the slightly apprehensive male.  Her curious eyes scanned him from head to toe before finally locking on to his own. It was if she was trying to analyze the core to his very being. Soon, a smile appeared on her face.

"Are you really into literature?" Fuyu asked.

"Well…" Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek. "I mean the club is getting me interested in it, so that's something."

"Hmm…" Fuyu eyes traced his body once more until locking back on his. Suddenly her soft hands reached out and squeezed his right. Her warm smile caused his cheeks to turn bright red. What was going on?

"Wh-What are you…?" Shujinkou started to ask.

"If your stint with the Literature Club doesn't work out, you're more than welcomed to join the council," she said. "Maybe even as VP."

Shujinkou couldn't believe what he just heard. Why was Fuyu suddenly offering Vice Presidency to him of all people? As he wondered if the day could get any stranger, Sayori jumped in between the two bearing a question.

"Hey, Fuyu, where's the coffee maker?" she asked.

"Over there," Fuyu pointed to her left.

"Thanks," Sayori grinned. She then turned around towards her childhood friend. "By the way, Monika wanted you."

"Ok," Shujinkou nodded his head.

Shujinkou walked over to the record cabinet, where he found Monika and Natsuki searching through a quite a few records.

"Shujinkou, is this the guy you saw?" Monika asked, handing him a single piece of paper.

Once received, his eyes were immediately drawn to the photograph attached to the paper.

"Yeah, that's him," Shujinkou confirmed, giving the paper back to Monika.

"I thought so," Monika said. "The features you mentioned sounded familiar. His name is Akumu. He taught here until his suspension last year."

"Suspension? What was he suspended for?" Shujinkou asked.

"I'm too sure, but the answer should be right here," Monika said. Her eyes lowered towards the paper and watched as a dark liquid covered the file from head to toe. Her eyes were then drawn to what lied beyond the drenched mess of ink and noticed Sayori on the ground with a slightly damaged cup.

"Sorry," Sayori nervously chuckled.

"Okay, it's time for plan B," Monika weakly smiled.

"What's plan B?" Shujinkou asked as he helped Sayori on to her feet.

"We talk to Yuri directly," Monika replied.

"Well we might as well give up now," Natsuki sighed. "You really think she's going to tell us anything? She shuts down like a computer over the tiniest of things."

"That's… true," Monika conceded. "But it's still a better option than possible Plan C."

"Which is?" Sayori asked.

"Questioning Akuma," Monika answered.

"Yeah that would be a stupid thing to do," Natsuki nodded her head in agreement.

"So, Shujinkou and I will head over to Yuri's house and we'll tell you guys what we find out tomorrow," Monika said.

"W-Wait a second!" Natsuki exclaimed. "Why just you two?!"

Shujinkou was surprised by her loud objection. He didn't expect her to respond so strongly to Monika's decision. But unlike him, Monika remained composed and calmly explained herself.

"Because Shujinkou knows where Yuri lives and it is my duty as club president to make sure that my club members are okay," Monika said in a professional manner. "Besides if we all go at once she may, like you said, shutdown."

Natsuki remained quiet for a moment; her facial expression constantly switching between the conflicting emotions called irritation and understanding.

"Fine…" she conceded. "I guess that's why you two already had your bags."

"So that's why Monika said to bring our stuff…" Shujinkou thought.

"Well, shall we go, Shujinkou?" Monika smiled.

Shujinkou silently nodded his head and followed Monika out of the council office.

"I wonder what they'll find out?" Sayori wondered aloud.

"It's not our problem anymore," Natsuki replied. "Let's just get our stuff."

Sayori happily followed her irritated club mate back to the clubroom. There they met with the one person they didn't expect to be there.

"Hello," Akuma warmly greeted them.

Chapter Text

"Vice-President? Monika repeated.

"Yeah, that was what Fuyu said," Shujinkou confirmed.

Shujinkou and Monika were currently in the middle of their journey to Yuri's place of residence, but one of the two minds was having trouble keeping their head on the task at hand. Shujinkou tried his best to keep his mind focused, but he couldn't help but think back to Fuyu's sudden proposal.

"That's interesting," Monika replied.

She kept her eyes trained on the road ahead as Shujinkou continued.

"To be honest, I'm not sure how she even knows me," Shujinkou said.

"It's probably because I usually talk about the club whenever I have to deliver things to her," Monika answered.

Now another thought invaded his unfocused mind: What did Monika talk about with Fuyu?

"But why me?" Shujinkou asked.

The curiosity he had building up in him was enough to drive a man mad.

"I don't know really know," Monika closed her eyes as if she was contemplating that very question herself. "To be honest, I don't really know what goes through her head. She's a real wild card."

Shujinkou could agree with that observation. Just in the short time he spent in the Student Council office, Fuyu managed to baffle him at least three times.

"But I wouldn't worry about the proposal too much right now. Right now we need to focus our attention on Yuri," Monika said.

"Right," Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement. He knew that he shouldn't be focusing on his own insignificant worries. He had to focus on his task on leading Monika to Yuri's house. He continued to lead the way in silence, only opening his mouth to say one thing… "We're here."

"Before we go in, we should probably make a game plan regarding how approach her," Monika suggested.

Shujinkou silently nodded his head in agreement, until he noticed something from the corner of his eye.

"Um, Monika…" Shujinkou said.

"I wonder how we should approach her," Monika wondered aloud.

"Monika…" Shujinkou said once more.

"I hope I can do this right…" Monika mumbled.

"Hey, Yuri," Shujinkou waved.

With only two words, Shujinkou was finally able to get through to Monika. The surprised club president immediately snapped herself out of her own thoughts and finally noticed Yuri standing next of them.

"Um… Hey there, Yuri," the flustered girl weakly smiled, slowly backing away in embarrassment.

"Ah, hello," Yuri nervously waved.

Shujinkou glanced towards Monika, then back to Yuri. Monika was clearly embarrassed over Yuri hearing her openly strategizing and Yuri seemed to be surprised that the two of them were at her house. It was actually kinda funny to him. For once, he was the calmest person in the immediate area.

Moments later, the three club members sat on the front porch as Yuri handed her guests their own cup of tea.

"Thanks, Yuri," Monika smiled.

"Mm-hmm," Shujinkou grinned.

"It's nothing special," Yuri said. "It's customary to offer your guests refreshments."

Monika took a quick sip of her tea and expressed her delight. The calming effect of the tea was exactly what she needed at that moment.

"So, Yuri, how come you weren’t at the club today," she asked.

"Um…" Yuri went silent for a moment and turned her worried gaze to Shujinkou. He wasn't sure how to respond. Should he apologize for indirectly instigating this visit or…?

Yuri then turned her attention to her tea cup and sighed.

"I needed some time alone to think," Yuri answered.

"Well, we can't fault her for that," Shujinkou thought.

"But you all probably hate me for ruining today's meeting," Yuri lamented.

"We don't hate you, Yuri," Monika assured her with a gentle smile. "We were just worried about you after learning you have some bad history with a teacher at school."

"Ah…" Yuri averted her gaze and started playing with her hair; her expression constantly switching between sorrow and disbelief. "Sorry for making everyone worry."

"Don't apologize. Even though we're not fully aware of the situation, we can't really blame you for taking a day for yourself," Shujinkou said, his gentle smile providing a sense of comfort for Yuri.

"If you don't mind me asking, Yuri, what happened between you and Akuma?" Monika asked.

Just hearing the name sent a heavy chill spiraling down Yuri's spine, something that didn't go unnoticed by her companions.

"Maybe we shouldn't ask," Shujinkou thought.

"I guess it must be a tough thing to talk about, but we're here to listen, just so you know," Monika assured her.

"He… He was a former teacher of mine and my literary tutor," Yuri started.

"Literary tutor?" Shujinkou was surprised to hear that Yuri was once tutored in literature. He was the last person he expected to need tutoring for that subject. He then realized that he's been surprised a lot the last few days. "Well, to be fair, I have been learning a lot of things that invalidate my perceptions. Perhaps I should talk with the others more so that I'm not constantly surprised by new information."

"He opened my eyes to a lot of literary tropes and I'm still grateful for all he taught me, but…" Yuri remained silent for a full minute before continuing. "He was suspended as a result of us having a fallout."

"I see…" Monika took another sip of her tea. "I guess that must make things pretty awkward for you at school. But why did you two have a fallout?"

"That's because…" Yuri couldn't find it herself to finish that sentence.

"Does this mean that you won't be coming to the club anymore?" Monika asked.

"Well…" Yuri didn't know what to say. She wants to come to the club, but she frightened by the idea of staying in the same building as Akuma when she didn't have to.

Noticing the internal struggle that was taking place in Yuri's head, Shujinkou began to wonder if there was something he could say to help. Suddenly, a thought penetrated his drifting mind.

"It's a long shot, but…" Shujinkou cheeks turned bright red as he contemplated whether or not he was really about to do what came to mind. After debating back in forth in his own head, a sigh escaped through his mouth before he decided to speak what was on his mind: "May your heart be your guiding key."

"Eh?" Monika and Yuri turned their attention to Shujinkou, causing his rosy cheeks to grow even redder.

"It's a quote I heard of once. It's a fancy way of saying to follow what you're heart says," Shujinkou explained. "It's kinda cheesy, but it's something I live by. Anyway, right now your mind is telling you to avoid this guy at all costs, but what does your heart tell you to do? Does it to tell you to avoid a place you feel happy at just to avoid some guy or…"

"Ah, but…" Yuri wasn't sure what to say.

"If it makes you feel better, there's another quote I live by," Shujinkou said.

"What's that?" Yuri asked.

"'When a friend needs me to be there, I'll be there… to help'" Shujinkou quoted.

Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek as Yuri smiled bashfully.

"That goes for me and the rest of the club too," Monika added. "After all, all of us worked together to try to figure out what was going on with you… even though that all amounted to reading files."

"Hmm… I guess it would be irresponsible of me to ruin the experience for everyone," Yuri said, wearing a small smile on her face.

"So we'll see you at the club tomorrow?" Monika asked.

"Yes!" Yuri replied in a surprisingly enthusiastic manner.

"Kingdom Hearts quotes have saved the day. I kinda find it hard to believe," Shujinkou chuckled to himself.

Chapter Text

"You?!" What the hell are you doing here?!" "I want answers and you have them!"

These were just some of the phrases that came to mind as Natsuki locked eyes with Akuma. Of course, there was no way she could actually say that. After all, he was still a teacher and for all her bluster she still had to respect her authority figures.

"Ah, it's nice to see another first-year interested in literature," he said, awkwardly waving at the two club members.

"F-First…!" Being mistaken for a first-year student again was like a punch in the gut for Natsuki. To constantly be mistaken to be as young as she appeared was one of the most infuriating situations she had to deal with.

Natsuki was clearly unable to speak without possibly losing her temper, so Sayori decided to take it upon herself to converse with him.

"Can we help you?" Sayori asked.

"Maybe," Akuma replied, scratching his left cheek. "This being a literature club, I figured an old student of mine would be here. Has she already gone home? She has long purple hair, with eyes that match, and has a habit of playing with her hair when she gets nervous."

Sayori blankly stared at the young teacher before answering his question.

"I can't tell you that," she said.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because she's terrified of you," Sayori answered in a rather matter-of-fact manner.

Hearing Sayori answer caused the wound on Akuma's forehead to ache, causing the memories of the past to resurface.

"I… I understand," Akuma weakly smiled. "I'll be on my way now. If you see her, could you tell that I'm sorry for how things turned out last year and that I'll try my best to stay away from her?"

"Okay," Sayori nodded her head. She quietly watched the saddened Akuma leave the classroom, before turning to Natsuki wearing a big grin on her face.

"I think we learned something here today," she beamed.

"We did?" the confused Natsuki replied. "What did we learn?"

"We learned what we learned," Sayori giggled.

"Can't you just tell me?" Natsuki asked.

"Huh? But I just did," Sayori answered, perplexed.

It was at that point Natsuki realized that she would not be able to get a straight answer from Sayori.

And despite the fact that the events of that day happened a couple of days ago, Natsuki was still a bit annoyed that she was unable to get a straight answer from her. Something else that still bothered her was if Akuma was really going to keep his promise of staying away from Yuri. She didn't know him well enough to trust him and he could easily change his mind. Add the fact that the other club members seemed skeptical and…

"Attention, class, we have a special guest here to give an announcement," her teacher announced.

The train of thought that was travelling in Natsuki's head came to an unexpected end as her teacher demanded the attention of her students. She looked up and couldn't believe who the guest was.

"Good afternoon, class," Fuyu greeted, adjusting her glasses in the process.

"What's she doing here?" Natsuki wondered.

That wasn't the only thing on her mind though. Fuyu only spoke a single sentence, but her tone was very professional and strict. That wasn't the only thing that was different; her overall posture and expression made it clear that she was an absolute authority figure. Overall, the Fuyu that was standing in front of her class today was very different from the one from the week before, something that surprised Natsuki.

"I'm here to inform you all of a contest that our school decided to take up," Fuyu started to explain. "I'm sure you're all aware of the Kitsune Spa Resort?"

Natsuki watched her class nervously nod their heads before Fuyu continued.

"The owner is offering the 2^nd years of all the local schools a chance at a free trip if a pair of students is able to construct a poster that impresses them," Fuyu explained.

She then walked out of the classroom and returned with a bag filled with tiny slips of paper.

"If each of you will reach into this bag, you can be assigned your partner and the two of you can begin planning how you two will plan. I would also like to add that only every other class is drawing from his bag so it is your responsibility to seek out your partner," Fuyu instructed. "To make it easy, we added all the information needed to track them down on the slip. Now please… draw."

Later that day…

"This contest sounds fun," smiled Monika.

 Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement. It was rare for something school related to actually pique his interest and he couldn't wait to start drawing up a design for the poster.

"Speaking of which, who are you guys partnered with?" he asked.

"I'm partnered with Yuri," Sayori grinned. "You should have seen how happy she was when I appeared told her that."

"It was very relieving to find out I was partnered with someone I knew," Yuri said.

"What about you Monika?" asked Shujinkou.

"I'm partnered with Fuyu," she answered. "She seems really eager to win this contest. But then again, so am I."

Even though this was a competition between schools, every pair of students still treated the contest as it was a competition between each other. Shujinkou could understand why though: the competitive edge will help fuel the students desire to win and design the best poster they can.

"So who are you partnered with, Shujinkou?" Sayori asked.

"Actually, I don't really know," he replied. "No one approached me today."

"No one?" Monika repeated.

"I'm starting to think that maybe I don't have a partner," Shujinkou added, scratching his right cheek. He honestly couldn't tell if he should feel relieved or disappointed.

"That's weird. Fuyu said that everyone should have a partner…" From the corner of her eye, Monika noticed the sun continuing its descent towards the horizon and decided it was time to end the club meeting.

The four gathered their things and walked towards the door. Only three of them made it through the exit, as Natsuki stopped Shujinkou from going any farther.

"Wait a minute, you're going home without even knowing who your partner is?" she asked.

"Well, it's not like I can do anything about it," Shujinkou replied. "No one approached me so I guess I'm going to have to work on my own."

"Jeez, you must be crazy if you think I'm going to let you handle everything," Natsuki said.

"Eh?" Shujinkou eyes widened with surprise. "You're my partner. But then why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because…!" Natsuki gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She then quickly turned away from him with a flustered expression on her face. "Because I just wanted to tell you at the end of the day! It's not like I was nervous or anything ridiculous like that, dummy!"

"Okay…" Shujinkou was surprised by her surprisingly specific denial, but decided not to press her further. "Well, it's not like it's a big deal. What matters is that I now know who my partner is."

"Exactly!" Natsuki agreed. Her tense body was finally able to relax again and she turned her gaze back to Shujinkou. "Anyway, you're free Sunday right?"

"Yeah," Shujinkou nodded his head.

"Good, then I'll come over your house then so we can work on the poster," Natsuki said.

"Huh? My house?!" Shujinkou exclaimed.

"That a problem?" Natsuki asked.

"Well… I guess not," Shujinkou replied as he scratched his right cheek.

In the end, he knew that it didn't really matter whose house they worked at. Still, that fact couldn't keep Shujinkou from feeling nervous about a girl coming over his house even if it was just for school work.

With nothing more to discuss, the two exchanged phone numbers and walked out of the club room together. As they walked through the hallway, one very important question made itself known within Shujinkou's head.

"I wonder how mom's gonna react to me having a girl that isn't Sayori come over…" the nervous student dreaded.

Chapter Text

Sunday has finally arrived and the last emotion Shujinkou was feeling was nervousness. Instead the current emotion that was present in him was annoyance.

"I just can't win with these medal pulls…" he sighed.

After failing to receive the advertised medal for the 3^rd time in Kingdom Hearts Union X, the disappointed gamer closed the app just as he was approached by his mother. Sweeping her chestnut bangs away from her matching eyes, a soft smile appeared on Hiro's face as she analyzed her son's choice of wardrobe.

"You should cheer up, Shujinkou. A good host has to have an air of positivity," she advised.

"I know," Shujinkou faintly grinned.

"It's a shame I won't get to meet your friend," she added.

Shujinkou couldn't really find it in him to agree with that sentiment. While he loves his mom and considers her the coolest mom in existence, he can't see a scenario where any mother wouldn't react in a weird way to a girl visiting their son's home. Fortunately for him, he didn't give his mother enough information to discover the gender of his partner and she'll be gone all day so the two won't have a chance to meet.

Shujinkou followed to Hiro to the entrance of their home and watched her open the doorway to a bright and sunny day.

"By the way, Shujinkou…" Hiro raised her left index finger.

"Yeah?" Shujinkou answered.

"You might want to take off your Big Boss eyepatch before your partner gets here," she grinned, closing the door behind her.

Finally remembering that he was only using half of his vision for an hour, Shujinkou sheepishly removed the eyepatch from over his right eye and quickly stuffed it into his pocket.

"That was a close one," he chuckled. "Anyway…"

Shujinkou glanced down at his phone and checked the time.

"Natsuki should be here soon," he thought. "I wonder if I can complete a job on Sly 3 before she gets here."

The sudden vibration of his phone gave him the answer to that very question and he sorrowfully opened the front door.

"Sup?" Natsuki waved.

"Hey, Natsuki," Shujinkou greeted his project partner. It was a strange feeling. Ever since the two planned for this visit, Shujinkou expected to be a nervous wreck when Natsuki finally arrived, but instead he felt surprisingly calm.

"You gonna keep staring or are you going to let me in?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh right," Shujinkou stepped away from the entrance, allowing his partner to enter his home.

"Yeesh, if you're already spacing out then we're going to be in serious trouble," Natsuki said bluntly.

"You don't need to worry about that. I'm totally in to this assignment," Shujinkou assured her.

"You better!" Natsuki grinned.

From the corner of his eyes, Shujinkou noticed Natsuki's hands tightly wrapped around the handle of a small pink box.

"What's that?" he asked.

"This…" Natsuki averted her gaze as her cheeks changed colors to match her pink hair. "It's a surprise."

"What is it?" Shujinkou asked.

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you," Natsuki answered in an annoyed tone.

Shujinkou couldn't understand why Natsuki quickly grew irritated two questions in, but decided to stop before any more negative emotions could rise. After all, they wouldn't be able to successfully work together if Natsuki was cranky all day.

"So where are we working?" she asked.

"Well, everything we need is in my room so…" Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek before leading Natsuki to his room. All he could think about with each step was the hope that she wouldn't judge it too harshly.

"Huh," those were the only words that came out of Natsuki's mouth as she inspected every inch of her partner's room.

It was quite the enlightening experience for her. She expected him to have a large collection of video games and manga, but she never expected a desk that held many different kinds of art supplies. She was also surprised that everything in the room was actually well organized.

 "I didn't think it would look so… tidy," marveled Natsuki.  

"You think?" Shujinkou asked.

"Well, I did expect it to be a total pigsty," she admitted.

"Well, I couldn't let my partner hang out in a pigsty all day," Shujinkou chuckled. "So… got any ideas for the poster?"

"First thing we need to know is what the place looks like," Natsuki pointed out.

"Got us covered there," Shujinkou grinned.

He enthusiastically walked to his desk and handed a stack of paper to his partner. To her complete surprise, each one was a drawing of various areas of the spa resort. Plus, the fact that he could draw so well in the first place was another surprise she didn't see coming.

"Why did you draw all of these?" she asked. "We could have just used the internet."

"True, but I was worried that if we ran into pre-existing posters, we may unconsciously plagiarize from them," Shujinkou explained.

"That's… That's actually pretty smart," Natsuki admitted at a barely audible level.

After analyzing all of the drawings, she carefully handed them back to Shujinkou with a confident grin on her face.

"I think I got an idea of what we should make," Natsuki said.

"What are you thinking?" Shujinkou asked.

"Well, everyone's most likely going to be making extravagant posters for the contest. So, to make ours stand out more it would be best to make our design simple, yet effective," Natsuki explained.

"So, no trying to squeeze everything the resort has into one poster?" Shujinkou asked.

"No, dummy. We can just write some of that stuff down. Since the main draw of a spa resort is the spa then that should be the main subject of the poster," Natsuki explained.

"I see…" Shujinkou closed his eyes and tried to imagine the result of Natsuki's idea. "What kind of art style should we use?"

"Something eye-popping and cute!" Natsuki enthusiastically suggested.

"Kawaii, then," Shujinkou concluded.

The young artist slowly moved his desk to the middle of his room and lowered it to down to where it could only reach their ankles. He then moved his supplies off the desk and neatly spread a 24 x 36 inch paper on top.

"How long do you think this will take?" Natsuki asked.

"Well, there are several phases," Shujinkou replied. "I'm not going to lie; this will probably take all day."

"Does it really take that long?" she asked, perplexed.

"It's a real time flies by hobby," Shujinkou chuckled. "If you want, you can read whatever's in my literature collection."

Taking Shujinkou up on his offer, the curious Natsuki approached one of his bookshelves and examined its contents.

"Naruto… Bleach… One Piece… Not surprised he likes The Big 3," Natsuki thought. "Dragon Ball… Crash Bandicoot… Hikaru no Go?"

Natsuki reached out and grabbed the 1^st volume of Hikaru no Go.

"What's this one about?" Natsuki inquired.

"It's about a boy who comes across an old Go board that gets him attached to an old sprit who is a master at the game," Shujinkou shortly summarized.

Natsuki took another glance at the book before making her way towards its owner. She then sat down next to Shujinkou as he got to work.

The task at hand was to sketch a background image that would catch the viewer's attention. With that idea in mind, Shujinkou started to jolt down small light lines across the paper to serve as a guide. Once done, he guided his pencil to the bottommost guide line and started to sketch out the image in his head.

"Heh, I already like this Hikaru guy!" Natsuki laughed.

Wondering what could elicit such a reaction from her, Shujinkou glanced towards the book and realized she was at the moment when Hikaru dropped a cup filled with stones on a bully's head. He could understand why that scene would endear Hikaru to her. She would probably do the same if she could in a similar situation.

30 minutes quickly passed by and Natsuki promptly stood up to get the next volume of Hikaru no Go. 30 more minutes pass until a satisfied Shujinkou was able to finish his sketch.

"Done," he said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Let's see!" Natsuki eagerly replied.

From the corner of her eyes, Natsuki noticed her partner was staring at her with a surprised expression on her face.

"Don't make this weird! I just need to make sure you didn't mess anything up," Natsuki averted her gaze. "It's not like I'm that eager to see to if it's as good as I was expec-"

Natsuki quickly caught her words and backtracked to the beginning.

"Point is, I need to make sure it's good enough to send in!" Natsuki defensively announced.

"Okay, I get it," Shujinkou weakly chuckled. "Sorry for making a big deal."

"Forget about it," she sighed.

Shujinkou watched her look over the finished sketch and noticed her face light up in surprise.

"Not bad," Natsuki said, trying her hardest to hide her impressed expression. "Now we can add the wording."

She reached for one of Shujinkou's pencils and started jolting down some of the activities that anyone could do at the resort.

"Whoa, I never expected Natsuki's handwriting to be so… cute. Plus it fits with the art style," Shujinkou thought.

After finishing with the activities list, Natsuki moved to the top of the page and designed her own version of the spa resort's logo.

"Done," the satisfied girl announced. "Not bad for a beginner right?"

"It looks great," Shujinkou complimented. "Very kawaii. Now we can move on to the next phase."

"Which is?" Natsuki inquired.

Shujinkou reached for two thin black permanent markers and handed one to Natsuki.

"The inking phase," he grinned. "In this phase of the drawing process, we outline all the pencil lines we want to keep before erasing everything. With the two of us working together, it should make the process go by faster."

Natsuki removed the cap from her marker and started to trace what she wrote, but Shujinkou had a problem with his marker.

"I think my cap is stuck…" Shujinkou said as he struggled to remove the cap.

"Don't tell me you can't open a simple marker," Natsuki teased.

Shujinkou smirked at Natsuki's light teasing and continued to try to open the marker. After 5 minutes of nonstop struggle, he was finally able to separate the marker from its cap… while accidently drawing a horizontal line on Natsuki's left cheek.

"You did not just…" Natsuki gently touched her left cheek before a devious smirk spread across her face.

"I-It was an accident," Shujinkou stammered, slowly inching himself from his partner. He had seen enough fiction to recognize the look that was in her eye.

Natsuki lunged towards the nervous Shujinkou, forcing him to grab both her arms to keep her from getting her vengeance.

 "Come on, Natsuki, it really was an accident," he laughed.

"Yeah and that mustache on your face was an accident too," she snickered.

Despite trying his best to keep her back, Natsuki was easily able to overpower him and draw a small mustache on his face. If having his face violated wasn't bad enough, Shujinkou suddenly lost the ability to sit up and fell on his back, with his attacker following suit.

All day, Shujinkou has been tried his best to remain calm in order to be a good host, but no amount of mental preparation could have prepared him for having a girl literally on top of him. Shivers jolted through his entire body as he felt hot breaths coming from her parted lips make contact with his skin. In such a situation, all he could do was stare at his attacker as the pink hue of her cheeks intensified.

"What's going on?" Shujinkou thought, trying his best to wrap his head around the entire situation.

Seconds later, Natsuki slowly sat up and moved away from Shujinkou. Without saying a word, Natsuki grabbed her marker and started tracing the line again.

"What just happened?" Shujinkou mumbled.

After spending a few moments staring blankly at the ceiling, he cautiously sat up and checked the poster. To his amazement, the tracing was all done.

"What do we do after this again?" Natsuki asked, unable to take her eyes off the paper.

"Now we got to erase all the pencil lines," Shujinkou nervously answered. "Since you did all the tracing, I'll handle this part."

He reached for a white eraser and started erasing all the lines he drew. In the middle of his erasing, he glanced to his right and noticed Natsuki was eerily silent. At that point, all he could think about was how he could disperse the awkward atmosphere that they were in the middle of.

As he continued to erase the pencil lines, a very risky idea made itself known in his head. Once he was done erasing, he grabbed his marker and quickly drew two horizontal lines below the one on her left cheek and three more on her right cheek.

"What was that for?!" she exclaimed.

"Payback," Shujinkou replied. "What happened in the beginning was an accident, but since you decided to give me a villainous mustache, I gave you cat whiskers."

Shujinkou didn't care if Natsuki got mad at him and started complaining about what he just did; all he cared about was trying to diffuse the awkward situation between them. As he braced himself for the inevitable, Natsuki simply raised her phone and used its front camera to examine her face.

"At least I look cool with the whiskers," she laughed. "That mustache just makes you look dumb."

"Wait, what?!" Shujinkou exclaimed. "You're not supposed to enjoy my payback."

"Well that just means you suck at getting payback," Natsuki teased.

"Ugh…" While on the outside Shujinkou seemed disappointed, on the inside he was just glad that he was able to complete his mission.

"So, now we can finally color this thing right?" Natsuki asked.

"Yep," Shujinkou answered, placing a set of colored pencils between them. "Now it's time to bring the poster to life.

The two grabbed a few pencil and started coloring the poster. As they did so, Shujinkou offered Natsuki advice on lighting, how much weight you press against the paper and other things he figured she should know. Surprisingly, she didn't make any snarky comments in response to his advice. They also discussed the literary tropes they noticed in the different genres of manga and engaged in a discussion about anime adaptations of their favorite series. It took a while but Natsuki was finally able to allow herself to feel relaxed in her current environment.

After hours of hard work, the two were finally able to finish their poster entry.

"Looks good," Shujinkou said, satisfied with the finished product.

"Looks good? It looks great!" Natsuki beamed.

Shujinkou stretched his aching arms and noticed the surprise Natsuki brought with her hanging off his door handle.

"By the way, what's in that thing you brought over?" he asked.

"That?" Natsuki's entire body tensed up as she remembered what she bought over. "It's nothing."

"What? But you said it was a surprise," Shujinkou reminded her.

"Just forget about!" she said, slightly raising her voice. "You'd probably think it's stupid anyway…"

"I wouldn't think that," Shujinkou replied. He could tell that his partner wasn't convinced and pointed to the marker lines on his face. "Whatever it is, it can't be more stupid than how my face looks right now."

"Well, that's true," Natsuki chuckled.

"I promise you I won't think it's stupid," Shujinkou assured her.

Without saying a word, Natsuki slowly walked to the door and carried the package with her on the walk back. She then opened it, revealing the contents inside to her partner.

"That's…" Shujinkou could kick his 6^th sense for not alerting him to what lied inside the package.

There were two cupcakes inside; each one decorated with a chibi version of their faces on them.

"My sweets radar must be off today," Shujinkou thought.

"Well?" Natsuki stared at Shujinkou as if she was waiting for his response.

"Huh? Oh, thanks Natsuki," he smiled, reaching for the cupcake with his face on it.

He eagerly took a bite and a delighted expression grew on his face. For some reason, Natsuki's cupcakes tasted even sweeter. He then noticed from the corner of his eyes that Natsuki was trying her best to hide a faint smile until a sad expression replaced it.

"Oh crap! It's getting late," she said.

Shujinkou looked towards his window and noticed that the sun was starting to set.

"Guess that means that you got to leave now, huh?" he asked.

"Well, duh, dummy," she replied.

Without saying another word, Natsuki closed the package and followed her partner to the front door.

"Well… I guess I'll be going now," Natsuki said.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Shujinkou offered.

"Yeah right. My dad would kill me if I came home with a boy," she pouted.

"Well, I wouldn't want that to happen," Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek. "I'll be sure to turn the poster in tomorrow."

"You better not forget," Natsuki replied.

"I won't," Shujinkou assured her. "So…"

The two awkawardly stared at each other.

"See you at school tomorrow," Shujinkou waved goodbye.

"Right," Natsuki waved back, before taking her leave.

Shujinkou slowly closed the front door and headed back up to his room to spend the rest of the night playing Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves… after he remembered to wash the ink mustache off of his face.

Chapter Text

Afterword

Hey there, Crash5020 here. 17 chapters in and I decided to do my first proper afterword segment. Where to begin? I guess I'll start with what led to me writing this story. I wanted to do a story that was different from the other ones I wrote. A story focused on character development without a huge ensemble cast or fantasy and sci-fi elements (no plugs are going to appear here). So this story is kind of an experiment/test to me, but the one thing I know I failed at was making a summary when I first started (I suck at making summaries. Half the time is because I don't want to reveal too much of the story and the other half of the time is because I really don't know how to explain it). But enough with that boring stuff; let's get to the behind the scene stuff.

Behind the scenes

When I was writing the first chapter of the story, I realized something horrifying… I was retreading the beginning. Even with a different MC, I knew no one would get past the first chapter if I just messed with the opening of the game. So I scrapped it and came up with the 1^st chapter: Beginning.

I would also like to state that my main goal throughout the first 17 chapters was for Shujinkou to develop a good standing with the rest of the club. Since Sayori was a childhood friend and Monika was the easily approachable club president, it seemed that the most difficult club members he would connect to would be Natsuki and Yuri.

Chapter 1: Beginning. So going into this story, one of the first things I had to decide was how to start it after the scrapped chapter. Since this is a Fanfic, I eventually realized that I didn't need to reintroduce the girls and decided to start things off with Shujinkou already in the club. Another thing I had to decide was which girl he would spend time with first. To handle that dilemma, I used a makeshift spinner and… well, you know the results.

Chapter 2: Alone in a Club Room. After finishing the first chapter, I wanted to do a chapter with Natsuki. Originally the idea was for them to be locked in the club room closet waiting for the others (who of course are running late), but I couldn't find a way to make that scenario long enough since at that point they weren’t close friends or anything.

Chapters 3-5: Club Prerequisites. This story came about because I wanted to tell a story from Monika's perspective about how she came across Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri. That's really all that's to those three chapters. There was going to be a scene at the beginning of Chapter 4 related to Monika's School Idol status, but I decided to scrap it.

Chapters 6-9: The Cultural Festival. To be honest, I wanted to save the Cultural Festival event for when the characters had a better relationship with each other, but a voice at the back of my head said, "If you save the good stuff while waiting for that point, then the story's going to be very boring!" So I tweaked the story to where it could be used this early on. Another thing I would like to admit was that I was originally planning for Chapters 7 and 8 to be one chapter, but I had to separate them because I didn't expect the haunted house segment to be so long. Also, Chapter 9 was originally going to focus more on the "Big Event" itself, with Shujinkou trying his best to keep his eyes on anything but the maids, especially Monika.

Chapter 10: Couples Desert. This chapter was my attempt at killing two birds with one stone. Its purpose: to put Shujinkou in a date-like scenario with Monika while they actually have a conversation so that the two could know each other better. One thing I'm surprised I didn't include was to somehow create a situation where Monika would have fed him.

Chapter 11: Detour. This chapter was made to give a short flashback to Shujinkou and Sayori's childhood. Basically a show, don't tell moment regarding their friendship.

Chapters 12-15: Troubled Yuri. I'll talk about the point of that arc sometime in the future. Other than that, this was the first time I introduced named characters to the story since I realized that if I was going to show their life at school, then I would need some other characters. Thus, Fuyu was created to fill the role of Student Council President. When thinking her up, I had a bit of trouble deciding what kind of character she would be. As president, would she be cold and distant or warm and accepting. In the end I decide to compromise and give her pieces of both ideas, where she would be a serious person when conducting her duties, while being friendly when she doesn't. There's also Akuma, but we'll get to him some other time.

Chapters 16-17: Partners and Alone in a Boy's Room. This is it. This is the big one. Shujinkou has to deal with having a girl in his own room. How will he handle that? He honestly handle that a bit better than I thought. Since this was taking place in his own house, I decided it was a good time for his mother to make a short cameo. I would also like to note that I was a bit anxious while I was writing Chapter 17 since, unlike every other time, Shujinkou was bonding with a character while doing something he liked doing instead of doing what the other girls wanted or were already doing.

Creating Shujinkou

During the process of creating Shujinkou, the one thing that consistently ran through my mind was, "Don't create a bland protagonist." So when I was writing the 1^st chapter I tried to think of what personality traits he could display, but nothing came to mind. I didn't know what to do with the character at first, so I gave him the quirk of him having interesting daydreams.

I knew that I needed more than that, but I wasn't too sure what else to give him after that chapter. Instead, I just added his interests and quirks as the story went on. It was surprisingly easier to do when they weren’t the focus of the story. It was really shocking after finishing Chapter 17 to look through the older chapters and witness how Shujinkou changed from the indifferent daydreamer he was in Chapter 1.

I would also like to point out that the scene where Shujinkou having trouble writing his story during Chapter 13 was based off my own difficulties when I started writing.

Shujinkou's relationship with the Club

Like I stated earlier, my main goal was for Shujinkou to develop a good standing with the rest of the club, thought that was easier said than done.  One of the things I had to remember was that just because Shujinkou shared a nice moment with the others, they were not magically best friends, which is why I had to give him a collective amount of moments with the others he wasn't already friends with. I even developed a chart to remind myself of where he stands with each of the girls as the story progressed.

Concluding Statements

Well, that's all I have to say about the story so far. So, I would like to cap things off to by expressing my gratitude to those reading the story. You guys are awesome. Here's hoping that the Literature Club are able to go to the Spa Resort.

Chapter Text

"So, how did your guys' poster turn out?" Shujinkou asked Sayori and Yuri.

"It went great!" Sayori beamed. "I sure was lucky to be partnered with Yuri. She led the whole thing."

"Really?" Shujinkou asked, his gaze excluding everything but Yuri.

"Ah-!" The embarrassed maiden instinctively turned away and began playing with her hair. "She's exaggerating. It was really a team effort."

"What about you and Natsuki?" Sayori asked.

"Well, we're both proud with the results. I think that's all that matters," Shujinkou replied.

He closed his eyes and thought back to the events that took place yesterday. Despite a few awkward moments, including one big awkward moment, it was a really fun day for him. Suddenly, all his mind could focus on was the big awkward moment that happened between them. It was…

"Shujinkou!"

A loud voice penetrated his thoughts. Following the sound of the sudden voice, Shujinkou turned around and had a small, thin package shoved into his hands by Natsuki.

"What's this?" Shujinkou asked.

"Don't ask dumb questions. Just open it, dummy," she replied.

Doing as he was told, Shujinkou opened the package and was surprised to find a home-made chocolate chip cookie inside.

"You made this me?" he asked.

"Well… yeah," Natsuki quietly admitted. "But only because I didn't want to waste leftover materials and because I was in a good mood! That's all!"

"What put you in such a good mood, Natsuki?" the curious vice-president asked. "Did something happen yesterday?"

"What?!" Natsuki exclaimed. She nervously glanced towards Shujinkou before her gaze returned to Sayori. "Yeah right, like anything related to Shujinkou could put me in such a great mood! If anything, I should be mad at him."

"Why?" Sayori asked.

"Because…!" Natsuki nervously glanced towards Shujinkou once more. "Never mind! It's not important!"

With that said, Natsuki stormed her way to the closet.

"Was it something I said?" Sayori wondered aloud.

As the club's vice-president tried to wrap her head around the conversation that just occurred, Yuri took a deep breath and turned her gaze towards Shujinkou.

"Ah, Shujinkou…" Yuri called.

"Hm?" Shujinkou replied.

"I hope that this isn't intrusive, but there's something that I've been wondering about for a while now," Yuri said.

"What is it?" Shujinkou asked.

"It's about your name," Yuri said.

"My name?" Shujinkou wondered what Yuri could have to say about his name. But before he could ask, a worried expression formed on Yuri's face.

"Sorry!" she suddenly apologized. "It was too intrusive wasn't it?"

"Not really. Just kind of surprising," Shujinkou responded. "What about my name?"

"Well… it means 'protagonist,' correct?" Yuri asked.

Shujinkou nodded his head.

"Would you happen to know why you were given that name?" Yuri asked.

"Well, my mom told me it was because I was the protagonist of my own story," Shujinkou answered.

"I see…" Yuri went silent for a moment to gather her thoughts. "That's interesting."

"You think?" Shujinkou asked, scratching his right cheek.

He never really gave much thought to his name or his mother's reasoning for it. The fact that someone else finds it interesting was a bit surprising to him.

"Well, it's just that I find it interesting that your name is an indicator regarding your position in life," Yuri continued.

"What do you mean?" Shujinkou asked.

"In books, we follow the protagonist own personal journey through their life. All of their hopes, their pain and their determination," Yuri started to explain. "We don't usually think about this because it seems silly to compare us to works of fiction, but despite the circumstances, isn't it the same for us? Most of us usually have others who watch over us and witness our tale unfold and even if someone doesn't have that luxury, they can still look back on their own experiences.

In fact, it's because of those personal experiences that we have some of the greatest literature that exists today. It's quite funny when you think about; a protagonist writing the story of a protagonist basing it on their own story. But that's one of the things I love about reading and writing. The ability to express your feelings and experiences and the opportunity to understand how someone else feels…"

Yuri immediately stopped herself from saying more and shyly averted her gaze.

"I was just rambling wasn't I? Sorry," Yuri apologized.

"Nothing to apologize for," Shujinkou chuckled. "It was just a bit surprising to see you lose yourself to the conversation."

"Well, I do have a tendency to do that when discussing my own interests. That doesn't bother you does it?" she worriedly asked.

"Not really. Everyone's like that. You don't have to be so embarrassed when it happens," Shujinkou assured her.

"I see…" Yuri averted her gaze once more and giggled shyly.

"What's so funny?" Shujinkou asked.

"Ah, nothing," Yuri answered. "I was just thinking about something you told me once."

"Oh," Shujinkou replied.

It was at that very moment where Shujinkou realized something.

"I wonder if this how Snake feels like when he realizes that most of his dialogue in his playable appearances consist of questioning others and repeating what they've said," Shujinkou wondered as his hand instinctively moved his baked treat from Sayori's teeth.

"How do you that when you're not even paying attention?" sputtered Sayori.

"It comes naturally when you're around," Shujinkou grinned.

He then split the cookie into two and handed half to Sayori, which she eagerly accepted.

"Thanks, Shujinkou!" Sayori bubbled.

The two took a bite out of their halves, with only Shujinkou being able to hide his utter delight. Soon he heard a giggle from behind and turned around to find Monika behind him.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing," Monika smiled. "It's just that I saw something interesting today. Anyway, I'm super sorry I'm late everyone! I was really busy during Study Hall."

"What were you doing?" Yuri asked.

"It's a secret," Monika replied. "But it did invoke a strange case of Déjà vu, though I guess it's probably better to experience that then Jamias Vu."

"Jamias Vu?" Sayori repeated perplexed.

"It's the experience of being unfamiliar with a person or situation that is actually very familiar," Yuri explained.

"Still trying to understand how that concept relates to the Ground Zeroes mission," Shujinkou thought, taking another bite of the cookie.

"But enough about the brain. Let's get today's meeting started!" Monika happily announced.

Chapter Text

"What are you thinking about, Shujinkou?" Shujinkou stopped staring out of the train's window and turned around to meet eyes with Monika. Normally, he would be startled when his train of thought was interrupted by the club president but, for some strange reason, that wasn't the case this time.

"Nothing major," he replied. "I'm just mentally preparing myself."

"For what?" Monika queried.

"Our arrival at the resort," Shujinkou answered.

Over a week ago, a challenge was issued to the local schools'. The 2nd year students from each school had to be paired with another and work together to design a poster for the Kitsune Spa Resort. The winners would be able to take their 2nd year students to an all expenses paid trip to the resort.

During the process of designing a poster with Natsuki, Shujinkou knew deep down that his school wouldn't win the contest. Imagine his surprise when he was later proven wrong. Now all the 2nd year students of his school were eagerly waiting to arrive at the resort to enjoy their well-deserved prize, all thanks to…

"You know, I don't think I've seen you this excited since we ate that limited parfait," Monika giggled.

"It was a really good parfait…" Shujinkou replied, trying to defend his past position.

"Well, it's not like I can blame you," Monika added. "After all, we are headed to the best spa resort around."

"It better be the best or else it wouldn't make up for the long trip it takes to get there," Natsuki interjected.

Natsuki sighed and slumped back into her seat. Shujinkou wasn't surprised that she and a few of the others students were restless. They have been on the train for a while now. The only two passengers that didn't really seem to mind the long trip were Yuri, whose eyes were glued to a slightly withered novel, and Sayori, whose eyes were glued to the back of her eyelids.

Shujinkou turned back to the passenger window and stared at the surrounding fields. It was only a matter of time until they arrived at their location. The anticipation caused a small smile to form on his face, catching the curious eyes of Yuri.

Over an hour later, the entire 2nd year class waited with bated breath as the train travelled through a dark tunnel towards an encroaching light. On the other side of that light lied an enormous spa resort branded with a fox insignia.

The fox insignia consisted of red neon lights that were well known for lighting up the night. The building was surrounded by large fields of grass and which served as a divider to separate it from the nearby sparkling sea.

"Wow!" the now awake Sayori grinned.

Her fellow students shared the sentiment. They couldn't stop jumping and cheering until the train stopped at the local station. The students flooded out of the train and rushed down the walkway leading to the resort, itself composed of thousands of tiny tiles, all intricately connected.

The Literature Club slowly walked up to the entrance of the resort, taking in the sights as they did.

"The Kitsune Spa Resort; home to the best nutrient-rich springs, 5-star his buffets and many other activities and events," Shujinkou announced. "What should we do first?"

"I guess the first thing we should do is find our rooms," Monika said.

Before leaving for the resort, each student was given a room to share with another. Monika was assigned a room that she must share with Sayori and Natsuki was assigned a room that she must share with Yuri. While the first pair were ecstatic to share a room together, the second pair weren't as excited. They didn't voice any complaints, but it was obvious that Yuri and Natsuki were slightly uncomfortable with the fact.

Reading, watching and playing enough fiction, Shujinkou could tell that pairing two high school students whose personalities differ as much as much Natsuki and Yuri's do was not the best of ideas.

"I still can't believe your luck," Natsuki said to Shujinkou. "You don't have to share your room with anyone."

"Well…" Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek as a hurt expression appeared on Yuri's face. He would like to tell her that Natsuki didn't mean any harm by that comment, but the moment he opened his mouth, a cheery voice cut him off.

"That's because he has connections," the club heard.

The Literature Club turned around in unison and laid eyes on an absurdly youthful woman approaching them. The woman had silver hair, tied back in a bun. She wore a purple silk kimono with a pink floral design spread across it. Her arms stretched as far as they could before wrapping them around Shujinkou in a tight embrace.

"How's my favorite grandson?" her warm smile causing one to form on Shujinkou's face.

"Fine, Granny Hisa," Shujinkou answered, tightening his grip.

Hisa released her grandson from her grip and stood back, looking him up and down.

"Man, you got taller," she said.

Natsuki blankly stared at the grown woman, rubbed her eyes then continued from where she left off.

"This lady is his grandmother?!" she thought. "She doesn't look a day over 30."

Suddenly, another pair of arms wrapped around Hisa's body for a 2nd embrace.

"Granny Hisa!" Sayori beamed, tightly squeezing her elder.

"Sayori!" she hugged back. "You got taller too."

Shujinkou looked back at his club mates. Their expressions alternated between amazement and confusion. Not that he could really blame them. After all, his grandmother never looked the part of one.

"This is my grandmother," Shujinkou formally introduced.

"Call me Hisa," Hisa grinned.. "Who are these young ladies, Shujinkou?

"These are my friends from the Literature Club: Natsuki, Yuri and Monika," Shujinkou replied, pointing to each girl as he announced their names.

"Nice to meet you, Hisa," Monika smiled.

"Hey…" Natsuki waved, still surprised by Hisa's startling youthful appearance.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Yuri replied.

Shujinkou expected his grandmother to make the comment he prepared himself for, but instead she simply stared at the three until she let out a soft chortle.

"What a coincidence it is that your grandmother would be here, Shujinkou," Monika said.

"Not really. Granny Hisa owns the resort," Sayori said.

The three girls' eyes widened with surprise. They could not believe what they just heard.

"Lady Hisa, owner and manager of the Kitsune Spa Resort at your service," she beamed with professional pride.

Chapter Text

Later that night, Shujinkou and his grandmother, Hisa, were in the middle of a game of Go. After spending the last 20 minutes contemplating what move he needed to make next, the answer finally came to him.

"I have nothing," Shujinkou conceded.

Shujinkou and Hisa cleared the Go Board and started to return their respective stones back in their cups. It wasn't a close game, but Shujinkou was used to being crushed by his grandmother. As far he was concerned, he was just happy that she didn't mind playing an inferior player.

After sealing the stone cup with its top, an uncomfortable feeling came over Shujinkou as he watched an "interesting" smile form on Hisa's face.

"So… a literature club," Hisa said.

"Yeah…" Shujinkou knew that this exact moment was coming. He was just surprised that she didn't speak up earlier.

"I didn't expect you to be joining any clubs, let alone a literature club," Hisa giggled. "You wouldn't have joined it because the club has 4 beautiful women, did you?"

"Granny Hisa…" Shujinkou cheeks turned rosy read from that one comment.

This exact situation was the reason he has yet to tell his own mother that the rest of the club was of the opposite gender.

"Just messing with you, Shujinkou," Hisa chuckled. "But you have to acknowledge the fact that that's what it looks like from an outsider's perspective."

Shujinkou couldn't argue with his grandmother there. If anyone in the school actually cared what he was doing then the other members of the club would appear to be the prime reason he joined.

He then watched his grandmother crawl to his side of the board and was pulled into another loving embrace.

"But you know, as long as you're having fun, that's what important," Hisa said.

"I am," Shujinkou grinned.

"Good," Hisa smiled. "So what fun things happened since you joined?"

"Well…" Shujinkou started to explain to his grandmother what has happened since he joined the club. Going through a haunted house with Yuri, spending an afternoon drawing with Natsuki, enjoying a parfait with Monika, spending an evening reminiscing with Sayori; each tale causing her interest in the subject to grow more and more.

Though of course there were a few moments he couldn't elaborate on, but other than those, he was able to catch his grandmother up on everything he's done since his joining.

 Once he was done, the elderly woman released him from her grip and jumped on her feet.

"Welp, I gotta go and take care of some business," Hisa said.

"What kind of business?" Shujinkou asked.

"Hisa-buisness," she smiled.

"Oh…" her grandson mumbled.

That was his grandmother's way of answering his questions without really answering them and just like every other time, it peaked his curious nature. Sometimes he wonders if she was purposely teasing him.

Meanwhile, in one of the outdoor spring baths, Sayori emerged from the water and stretched her relaxed arms in front of the other club members.

"I still can't believe it…" Natsuki mumbled.

"Can't believe what? That a relative of Shujinkou owns one of the most well-known spa resorts or that she's Shujinkou's grandmother?" Monika asked.

"Both!" Natsuki replied.

Monika couldn't blame Natsuki for still thinking about the revelations that occurred earlier that day. It was quite the surprise to figure out that such a youthful woman was Shujinkou' grandmother… and that she owned the spa resort.

"Don't let it get to you," Monika smiled. "After all, we're supposed to be relaxing."

With that said; Monika immediately turned her gaze towards Yuri and noticed an annoyed expression resting on her face.

"What's wrong, Yuri?" she asked.

"I'm having a little trouble keeping my bre-" Yuri immediately stopped herself from completing that sentence and covered her chest with her towel clad arms. "Never mind!"

Yuri turned away in embarrassment, causing Natsuki to feel slightly annoyed.

"Showoff…" Natsuki muttered.

"Did you say something?" Yuri asked.

"Not really," Natsuki said.

The petite club member lightly caressed her own chest and sighed.

"Hey, Sayori, what's the deal with Shujinkou's grandma?" Natsuki queried.

"What do you mean?" Sayori stared at Natsuki, perplexed by her strange question.

"You know… How does she- How can she look so young?!" Natsuki sputtered.

She couldn't help but stress the last word. Hisa's appearance was really driving her crazy.

"I don't know," Sayori answered.

"Ugh…" Natsuki groaned.

"Perhaps she uses very special skin cream," Yuri suggested. "They're well-known for slightly reversing the aging process."

"What are hers made from? The fountain of youth?" Natsuki blurted.

"No, but wouldn't that be a cool product."

Startled by the sudden interjection, Monika, Natsuki and Yuri turned around and laid their eyes on Hisa. The three girls felt a heavy mixture of surprise and embarrassment upon realizing that Hisa overheard their conversation and each reacted in a way that was expected.

"Granny Hisa!" Sayori happily waved. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, as the manager I have to make sure the baths are still good," Hisa replied. "I know it's a sucky job, but someone has to do it."

Hisa casually slipped into the bath and let out a relaxed sigh.

"Still good," she confirmed. "So how are you girls enjoying the place so far?"

"It's great!" Sayori beamed.

Her fellow club members silently nodded their heads, causing Hisa to giggle in response.

"You don't need to feel embarrassed," Hisa said. "Lots of people like to theorize about my appearance. I'm used to it."

 Though surprised by Hisa's nonchalant attitude, it allowed the girls to relax a bit more.

"But enough about me; There's something I have to know," she continued. "How did you ladies get my grandson to join a literature club?"

"We didn't really do anything special. We just welcomed him with open arms," Monika answered.

"Plus, some begging and manipulating from Sayori helped," Natsuki added.

"Should've known," Hisa chuckled, patting Sayori's head as she did.

"She knows me so well," Sayori laughed.

"So what do you guys do in this club?" Hisa asked.

"Well, we do a lot of things," Monika replied. "We read and share our input on various literary works, we write…"

"Huh…" Hisa blankly stared at Monika for a few moments before bursting out into laughter. "I'm sorry! I just can't picture Shujinkou doing any of that!"

"Ah, well he can quickly come up with stories quickly," Yuri said.

"Plus, he knows quite a few literary tropes," Monika added.

"And his taste in literature isn't so bad," Natsuki reluctantly admitted. "Though his writing needs work."

"I thought you said he wasn't able to write anything down," Sayori said, perplexed by Natsuki's claim.

"Exactly," Natsuki said.

"Well, everyone needs time to establish their own writing style," Yuri defended.

"Huh, and here I thought that my grandson couldn't surprise me anymore," Hisa giggled. "Well, it's nice to know that he's getting along with his fellow club mates."

Hisa slowly stood up and stepped out of the bath.

"I got some business to take of now, so I'll leave you girls to your bath," Hisa said, wrapping her towel back around her voluptuous form.

"What kind of business?" Sayori asked.

"Hisa-business," Hisa smiled.

With that, Hisa disappeared back into the resort, leaving behind a quiet and confused atmosphere.

"She's someone's grandmother?!" Natsuki sputtered, breaking the silence. "I still can't believe it…"

"Despite that, she seems like a nice lady," Monika said.

"She is," Sayori replied. "She'd invite Shujinkou over here all the time during the summer and he used to accept all the time."

"They do appear to be quite close," Yuri said. "But why did he stop accepting the offer?"

"Eh? Did I say used to?" Sayori weakly giggled. "Well, it was just that he found something else to do in the summer."

Sayori continued to giggle in a highly suspicious manner, completely unaware that she was actually raising the other girls' suspicions.

Chapter Text

Shujinkou looked down at his plate of food then looked back at the surrounding tables. Each one was almost filled to capacity, only allowing one or maybe two more to squeeze in.

The seats were occupied by other students, happily chatting with each other as they ate.

Shujinkou looked down at his plate again and silently left the dining area. There was no real reason for him to stay there after all. Walking along the exterior of the hotel, Shujinkou found a concrete bench in front of a small garden and plopped himself down on the cold stone.

"I wonder where Granny Hisa went?" he thought.

His mind still stuck on his grandmother's last words, the curious youth began to theorize the possible things she could be doing.

Minutes pass by and Shujinkou was still thinking up possible actions his grandmother was performing. It didn't really help sate his curiosity when it was possible that she could be doing almost anything.

"Hey, Shujinkou."

Shujinkou looked up and noticed Monika standing in front of him with her own plate of food. It was at this point when he started to wonder whether hypothesizing in his head has the power to summon Monika or she was somehow appearing during those moments on purpose.

"What are you doing out here?" Monika asked.

"Just eating," Shujinkou answered. "What about you?"

"Same," Monika smiled. Do you mind if I join you?"

Surprise momentarily impaired his ability to speak, forcing him to silently nod his head. Why would the school idol eat alone outside when she could be hanging out with all of her other friends?

"This is a nice place your grandmother has," Monika suddenly said.

"Yeah," Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement. "It took her awhile to make this place, but it's very apparent that all that work paid off. I'm really happy for her."

"You two must be really close," Monika replied.

"Yep," Shujinkou grinned. "She's the best grandmother anyone can ask for."

"Hmm…" Monika remained silent for a moment before she suddenly started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing. It's just that you seemed more relaxed than usual right now," Monika pointed out. "I guess there's someone other than Sayori that can do that."

"I wouldn't exactly say I'm relaxed around Sayori," Shujinkou chuckled. "More like on my guard."

"Hm. You know, speaking of your grandmother…" Monika started before going silent.

"What about her?" Shujinkou asked.

"Um, exactly how much older than she looks is she?" she asked.

"She's in the same age group as most other grandma's," Shujinkou answered.

Shujinkou couldn't help but chuckle as Monika's eyes widened with surprise. It was the same reaction everyone had when they asked him about his grandmother's youthful appearance and the effect it had on him has yet to stop.

"Wow…" Monika mumbled. "She is a lucky lady. She must have to constantly beat men back with a stick."

"Kinda like you, huh?" Shujinkou replied.

"Eh? What are you talking about?" the embarrassed club president asked.

Shujinkou didn't expect Monika to react in such away to a well-known fact.

"You may not remember but I was there when a flood of love letters fell out of your locker last year," Shujinkou reminded.

"That was really embarrassing," Monika replied with rosy cheeks.

"But no one was laughing at you…" Shujinkou said before finishing the sentence in his head, "though I'm pretty sure a few girls were jealous."

He could still remember shivering in fear from the auras the jealous girls emitted back then.

"What do you do with all those notes you get anyway?" Shujinkou asked.

"Well, it would be rude to just throw them away, so I actually read them all," Monika answered. "Still, it can be really weird to receive "love" confessions from people you don't really know or from complete strangers."

"I think most girls in that situation would be happy that they get that much," said Shujinkou.

"Well, not me," Monika replied. "I don't really care about the numbers game. If I were to go out with someone, I would want that person to be someone I actually know and like being around with the knowledge that feel the same.

I know everyone considers me the school idol, but that appointed status really can make it hard to tell who likes me for me or for my accomplishments."

Shujinkou silently watched Monika sigh and was immediately reminded of the time when Monika mentioned that she had a hard time connecting with others. Was it because she never connected with those she could consider a real friend? Could it also be the reason she didn't actively seek out club members before Sayori appeared before her? Could that be the reason that the club even exist in the first place?

But before he could get any of those questions out of his mouth, Monika just smiled at him; a smile he could that was really hollow.

"I said a bit too much. Sorry," Monika apologized.

"Don't apologize. I don't mind listening to others when they want to get something off their chest," Shujinkou assured her.

Monika was slightly taken aback by his response but soon her surprised expression was replaced with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Shujinkou," Monika said, her voice layered with sincerity.

What happened next would be one of the few things that Shujinkou would have never expected to happen to him. Monika placed her plate to her side and inched her way closer to him. Suddenly, Shujinkou found himself between Monika and her arms.

"You're a really good friend," she said, squeezing him tighter.

"Uhm…" Shujinkou didn't know what to say. The only person who's ever hugged him outside of family was Sayori. His cheeks turned bright red as he accidently caught a whiff of her hair's natural scent. He could feel his mind starting to go blank and started to actively keep that from happening. "N-No problem…"

Monika soon released her hold on Shujinkou and the two continued to converse as they ate their dinners. After finishing, the two students said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. On his way back to his room, Shujinkou couldn't help but wonder why Monika would consider him a good friend, when he hasn't really done much to earn such praise.

The vibration from his phone swiftly ripped him away from those thoughts and he pulled it out to see that it was a message from Natsuki.

"She is as old as anyone else's grandmother," he said as he typed his response.

Moments later, another message from Natsuki appeared on his phone.

"Really," he chuckled, typing that singular word as his response.

He eventually turned a corner towards the hallway that housed his room and what waited for him, caused his eyes to widen with surprise.

"Yuri?" he said.

"Ah, h-hello," Yuri shyly greeted, tightly clutching the book between her arms.

Chapter Text

Yuri curled her hand into a fist and slowly reached for the door in front of her. As her hand gravitated to the divider between rooms and hallways, she couldn't help but stop herself, resulting in her arm snapping back to her side.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea…" Yuri mumbled under her breath.

Yuri started to turn away to leave, until a familiar voice caused her to freeze in place.

"Yuri?" she heard the voice say.

The surprised maiden turned around and felt embarrassed that Shujinkou caught her in the middle of leaving.

"Ah, h-hello," Yuri shyly greeted, tightly clutching the book between her arms.

"What are you doing here, Yuri?" Shujinkou asked.

"Ah…" Yuri closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The answer was in her head, all she needed was to find a way to get it out. After spending two minutes in complete silence, Yuri opened her eyes and clutched the book she was holding even harder. "I was wondering if you could look at something for me."

Shujinkou's curious gaze caused her to turn away.

"Look at what?" Shujinkou asked.

"This…" Slowly and reluctantly, Yuri started to hand her book over to Shujinkou, but the moment he reached for it, Yuri instinctively pulled it back towards her chest.

Embarrassed by her response, Yuri turned away once more and clutched the book even tighter than before.

"Sorry…" Yuri apologized. "It's just that… I never did this before."

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Shujinkou quietly scratch his right cheek. After another moment of silence, he extended his left arm to her. Yuri simply stared at his outstretched arm and once again tried to force herself to hand the book to him. After many constant pauses, the book finally reached his hand, which he happily accepted.

She watched him open the book and felt slightly worried when his eyes lit up with surprise.

"I was wondering if I could get your opinion on what lies inside," Yuri requested.

"Are you sure you want my opinion?" Shujinkou asked. "I mean I'm not exactly a good writer myself. I haven't even gotten past writing the first word… I haven't even got to the first word."

"Even so, I would still appreciate your input anyway," Yuri replied. "Plus, maybe reading the writing of another high school writer could help you with your writing anxiety."

"Writing anxiety?" the perplexed Shujinkou repeated.

"It's one of the things that can affect new writers," Yuri answered.

"Oh," Shujinkou opened the door to his room and walked inside.

Without saying a word, Yuri followed him inside and the two casually sat along the side of the bed. Once settled, Shujinkou got to work reading as per Yuri's request.

"Ah…" Yuri accidently said aloud.

 Shujinkou looked up and gazed into her curious eyes.

"What is it, Yuri?" he asked.

"N-Nothing…" she stammered. "It's just that I never seen you look so focused before."

"Oh," Shujinkou turned his attention back to the book and continued reading from where he left off.

As he continued to read her work, Yuri closed her eyes and remembered the last time she seen that expression when it came to her writing.

1 year ago after school, the young writer was in the middle of finishing off her assignment. As she neared the end, she couldn't help but worry what he would think about or whether or not she was able to complete the task that was given to her.

Once finished, Yuri nervously approached the teacher's desk and handed her poem to its owner.

"So, how is it?" Yuri asked.

The timid maiden continued to watch her teacher read her poem as he scratched his left cheek. Once done, Akuma carefully placed her poem down on the desk and grinned.

"It's good, Yuri," he answered. "It's amazing how you keep improving with each assignment you give me."

A small smile appeared on Yuri's face. Receiving such praise from her favorite teacher was always able to brighten up her day.

"I think you finally established your own writing style too," Akuma added. "You're finally ready for the big assignments."

"You really think that I'm ready for those?" Yuri asked.

"Mm-hmm," Akuma nodded. "But if by some crazy chance you actually need any help; remember that my door is open anytime."

"I will," Yuri replied.

Those happy times were also bitter moments to look back on. So bitter in fact that anything that can keep her from thinking about them was welcomed. Her wish soon came true as she noticed Shujinkou close her book and sigh.

"Was it that bad?" Yuri worriedly asked.

"Huh? No, it wasn't bad. It was just a really crazy experience," Shujinkou replied.

"Crazy?" Yuri repeated, still wearing her trademark expression.

"I meant that I felt like I was in the protagonist shoes," Shujinkou explained.

"Oh, that's good," Yuri breathed a sigh of relief. "That's what I was going for. It's a tough task to balance giving the protagonist character while making them identifiable enough with the reader, but the results are well worth it."

"The writing itself also got me thinking and determined not to miss anything," Shujinkou added. "Plus, you did a good job at convincing me to keep reading. Overall, it was a very interesting first chapter."

"Hm… Well, thank you for your input," Yuri happily replied.

"No problem," Shujinkou stretched his arms and let out another sigh. "But man, I don't think I'll be able to write that well."

"Sorry! I didn't mean to discourage you!" Yuri apologized. "I was just trying to show you what a new writer can become as long as they practiced hard enough."

"But what can I do when I can't even get past the first word?" Shujinkou wondered aloud.

"Well…" Yuri closed her eyes and contemplated his question. "When you try to write, do you dive in head first?"

"Yeah…" Shujinkou answered.

"Well, not everyone can do that. Especially at their first attempt," said Yuri. "It can put too much pressure on oneself. Sometimes the first thing you should do is to write down every scene idea in your head. You should also make sure your character's motivation and goals mesh with whatever plot or themes you want to implement so it can complement their growth. From there you can start putting your story together."

"That… sounds so simple," Shujinkou answered, unable to hide his astonishment.

"It is, but it's also a crucial step that most new writers tend to skip," Yuri replied.

"Once again, I have not given writers as much credit as they deserve," Shujinkou chuckled. "Thanks for the advice, Yuri."

"No problem," Yuri brightly smiled. "If you need any more help, I'd be happy to help."

"I'll be sure to take you up on that offer," Shujinkou grinned.

Yuri breathed a sigh of relief and caught a glimpse of the clock mounted to his hotel wall.

"Ah, I guess it's time for me to turn in," she solemnly stated.

She didn't really want to leave but she was proud of herself for offering advice to someone in need. She also felt proud that she was able to find the strength to ask Shujinkou for his own critique. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it in the end.

Accepting her story back from Shujinkou, the happy maiden sat up and made her way to the hotel door. As she opened the door, she nervously looked back and locked eyes with Shujinkou.

"'Kept you waiting, huh?'" she quoted.

"What?!" Shujinkou exclaimed.

"I kinda did some research into Big Boss and learned a little bit about the series he originated from," Yuri said. "That way we could talk about something that interested you instead of my own all the time."

"That's…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek before a smile appeared on his face. "Thanks, Yuri."

"Mm-hmm," Yuri smiled back. "Well... good night."

"Night," Shujinkou replied.

Chapter Text

The very next morning, Hisa stood outside the resort, staring at the local beach with a pair of binoculars.

"Got it," she grinned.

Soon the satisfied woman felt a few light vibrations brush against her left thigh. Without breaking her concentration on the sea, Hisa casually dug through her left pocket, pulled out her phone and answered it.

"Yello?" Hisa answered.

"Hey, Mom, it's Hiro," the caller replied.

"Oh, hey, Hiro. How are you doing?" Hisa asked.

"Good," Hiro answered. "Job's good, another season of my favorite show starts in a few days and Shujinkou actually hangs out somewhere else other than the house these days.”

"Yeah, that last one was certainly a surprise when you told me,," Hisa interjected.

"To be completely honest, the only bad thing that I’m dealing with is the lack of confidence I have about continuing my sewing with my teacher gone," Hiro continued.

"How bad would it be if you tried without him?" Hisa chuckled.

"As bad as it would be to be currently wrapped up in strands of yarn…" Hiro chuckled weakly.

"Oh…" Hisa scratched her right cheek and then silently giggled at her daughter's current predicament.

"By the way, Mom, how is Shujinkou doing there?" asked Hiro.

"Seems fine to me, especially compared to your reports," Hisa answered. "It seems like hanging out with Sayori and his new friends after school has had a good effect on him. You must love those girls for that."

"Girls?" Hiro was surprised by what she just heard.

"You didn't know that the other three members of the Literature Club were girls?" Hisa remained silent for a moment, before nonchalantly shrugging. "Not surprised there."

"You're not?" Hiro was once again surprised by what she just heard. "Why not?"

"Imagine telling your mom that you decided to join a club when you previously had no interest in doing such a thing and then telling her that it was a club about literature and that the only other members were female," Hisa said. "Can you see a scenario where a young boy wouldn't think that his mother wouldn't react in a weird or embarrassing way if she found that out?"

"…All he had to say was that Sayori got him to join," Hiro replied. "That's the truth, isn't it?”

Hiro would be lying if she said she was not feeling a little hurt by Shujinkou not telling her, but she did agree with what her mother said.

“So what are they like?" Hiro asked.

"Sorry, I don't feel like it would be right to divulge the descriptions my grandson gave me,"Hisa teased. "It would be better for Shujinkou to tell you himself."

"I guess you're right," Hiro accepted. "And I know that you're smiling."

"I am not," Hisa’s smile grew even larger with that lie. "Anyway, I got to get back to some Hisa-business."

"Mom, I'm not a kid anymore. Why are you still telling me that you're up to 'Hisa-business'?" Hiro asked.

"In my defense, I never stopped saying that to your father either," Hisa giggled. "See ya later."

Hisa ended the call and sighed. She would soon be face-to-face with an ‘awkward’ situation and to say she wouldn’t be looking forward towards it would be an understatement.

"I wonder if they noticed my subtle hint?" Hisa wondered aloud.

Meanwhile at the Front Desk…

“Okay, Sayori, let’s try this again,” Natsuki glared at the Club VP as she peeked out from behind Shujinkou. “There were exactly five cookies on that plate for five people and yet four out those five people didn’t get to eat any. What do you have to say about that!?”

“I don’t know…” Sayori quietly replied, averting her gaze.

“You say you don't know anything and yet… YOU STILL HAVE COOKIE CRUMBS ALL OVER YOUR FACE!” Natsuki pointed out.

“Oh. Thanks for reminding me,” Sayori innocently licked the crumbs surrounding her mouth, enraging Natsuki even further.

“Don’t just do that like you’re not in trouble!” Natsuki yelled.

As Natsuki continued to blow her stack, Monika and Yuri patiently waited for the woman who summoned the club.

“Do you think Lady Hisa is up to something?” Monika asked.

“Well… The evidence does make it easy to conclude that,” Yuri replied. “N-Not that I’m trying to accuse her of anything bad!”

“No need to freak out,Yuri. I was just asking for your opinion,”Monika gently smiled.

“But…” Yuri stayed quiet after that barely audible word.

“Yuri…” Monika wasn’t sure what she could say. All she could come up with was shifting the conversation to another to relieve Yuri of any unintentional pressure.

“Do you think your grandmother is planning something, Shujinkou?” Monika asked, turning her attention towards the other club members.

 But instead of getting an answer, what she received was the sight of Sayori and Natsuki pulling Shujinkou back and forth between them.

“Stop hiding behind others!” Natsuki yelled.

“But you’re acting really scary right now,” Sayori argued.

“Oh boy…” Monika weakly laughed. Those were the only two words she could come up with at such a squabble.

“Poor Shujinkou…” Yuri thought.

His grandmother on the other hand had a different reaction as she walked into the situation.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that my grandson was in the middle of a harem argument,” Hisa chuckled at the thought. In fact, the part that she found the most hilarious about the entire situation was that she was sure that Shujinkou wasn't aware of the kind of situation he was in.

Noticing Hisa from the corner of her eye, Sayori quickly left her position from behind Shujinkou and jumped behind her host.

“Did you eat all of the cookies?” Hisa asked.

“Maybe…” Sayori weakly laughed.

Hisa smiled at Sayori and casually strolled over to her grandson. She gently rested the back of her hand on his forehead, effectively bringing him back from the realm of dreams.

“What’s going on?” Shujinkou asked before realizing that Natsuki’s hands were wrapped around his waist.

Before he could say another word, Natsuki quickly pulled her hands back towards and turned away. He expected Natsuki to try to explain why her hands were connected to his waist, but she instead remained uncharacteristically silent.

“So I bet you’re all wondering why I called you here today,” Hisa said. “I just wanted to know what you guys were going to do today.”

Despite her directing that question towards the entire club, Shujinkou couldn’t help but notice that his grandmother was sneaking a few glances his way.

“I think we’ll be exploring the city today?” Shujinkou awkwardly answered.

“That’s such a good idea,” Hisa beamed. “What made you guys decide to do that?”

“There was a map of the city next to the cookies,” Sayori replied.

“It was a very unsubtle way of telling you to get lost,” Natsuki added.

"Really? Well anyway, luckily for you have a certified tour guide with you," Hisa grinned.

"You're coming with us?" Sayori asked.

"No, I have Hisa-buisness to take care of," Hisa answered. "So, I'll leave that job up to Shujinkou."

The elderly woman turned to her grandson.

"You remember what Kuzuryu has to offer right?" Hisa asked.

Shujinkou silently nodded his head.

"Good," Hisa smiled. "Just don't take them to you-know-where.”

“I know…” Shujinkou replied with a small worried smile.

“Good. So you guys should be heading off right aw…” Hisa’s voice trailed off as she caught a glimpse of something very… disconcerting. “Oh boy…”

Wondering what could have elicited such a reaction from his grandmother, Shujinkou quickly turned towards the direction she was facing. What he saw caused his eyes to widen and his heart to drop. Though he thought the situation had a 0% chance of happening… Because he thought the situation would never come, Shujinkou could muster up the strength to say one thing when face to face with someone he hasn’t seen in years.

“Father…” he solemnly muttered.

Chapter Text

"This place is ginormous," Fuyu thought as she finished another walk throughout the resort.

Something she liked to do whenever she visits a new place was to explore every nook and cranny so she would always be aware if something was off, like when a single cardboard box she noticed during her second walk has somehow moved from the potted plants over to the bench that rested next to the back entrance. She finds the skill necessary for her job as Student Council President.

Giving into curiousity, the young girl calmly approached the box and opened it.

"Hey, Shujinkou," Fuyu waved.

"H-Hey, Ms. President," Shujinkou stammered. He already felt terrible and the last thing he needed was for the Student Council President to find him hiding out in a box.

"Call me Fuyu," she replied.

Shujinkou stared at the giggling girl in front of him and thought back to when e first met her in the Council Office. The ice queen personality she displayed at first, then the sudden change a completely opposite one always make him wonder which side of her was the real one.

"So… Who are you pretending to be? Fuyu asked. "Solid Snake, Naked Snake, Venom Snake or maybe Raiden?"

"I'm not pretending to be anyone right now," Shujinkou sighed. "Wait a minute… How do you know those four?"

"Well, I only played every game in the franchise. Including the spin-offs," Fuyu smiled. "I assume you did too since you're hiding out in a cardboard box."

"Actually it's kind of a coincidence that I'm a fan that's hiding out in a cardboard box," Shujinkou sighed once more.

"Oh…" Fuyu looked around the surrounding area then turned her attention back to Shujinkou. "So what are you doing in this cardboard box?"

"Thinking…" he solemly answered.

"About what?" Fuyu asked.

"You don't want to know," Shujinkou shook his head. "Besides you probably think it's weird to talk to another student who's currently sulking in a cardboard box."

"Now that you mention it, it is kind of weird," Fuyu nodded her head in agreement. "Luckily, I have the solution to that."

Expecting that solution to result in Fuyu closing the box, Shujinkou would have never have guessed that she aforementioned solution meant was to join him in it.

"Uh…" He was rendered speechless as he felt her shoulders touch his. The situation he suddenly found himself in was almost more than he can bear.

"You know, the two of us in this box is like the two date missions in Peace Walker," Fuyu pointed out.

"Please don't compare this situation to those two missions," the flustered male quickly replied. A single sentence has made the situation even more uncomfortable.

"Then it's like any mission where two players are using the Love Box to sneak past enemies," Fuyu changed her answer, yet it still didn't make the situation any less uncomfortable. "So what were you thinking about in this box?"

"It's not important," Shujinkou shrugged.

"I can tell something's bothering you, you know," Fuyu said. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."

Shujinkou immediately averted his gaze. He wasn't really sure if he wanted to talk about what was bothering him.

"I promise whatever you say won't leave this box," Fuyu pledged. "I swear on the honor of Student Council President."

Shujinkou turned his gaze back towards Fuyu and was surprised by the sincerity in her eyes. It's not something you see often from someone you don't know very well.

"Have… Have you ever felt yourself longing for something and yet have a slight resentment towards that very same something?" he asked.

"Well, I think everyone feels that way sometimes," Fuyu replied. "My mom says it's a natural feeling humans have."

"Really?" Shujinkou eyes lit up with curiosity.

"She's all about the human psyche," she casually shrugged. "So what are you longing for that you also have issues with?"

"It's, uh…" Shujinkou silently scratched his right cheek. "It's Jomei. My father."

"You call him by his first name?" Fuyu was surprised to learn that. Because she was always around her mother when she was younger, she knew a first name basis relationship with parents meant one of two things. "Huh…"

"It's kind of a whole thing," Shujinkou sighed. "Am I crazy for feeling this way about him?"

"Well, I can't exactly answer that question since you haven't exactly told me what your issue is with him," Fuyu pointed out.

"How can I explain it…" Shujinkou wondered aloud. "You can say that we're like Snake and Big Boss."

"You want to kill each other?" Fuyu's eyes widened with surprise. Shujinkou wasn't sure if she was serious or not.

"Okay, bad comparison," quickly retracting his last statement, Shujinkou wracked his brain around trying to find a way to explain his emotions. "It's kind of like… He, uhm…"

Shujinkou silently scratched his cheek once more.

"You know, I kinda really don't want to talk about it," Shujinkou sighed. "I just want to forget about it entirely."

"Hm… Okay," Fuyu smiled. "But if you ever do want to talk about, I'm always willing to lend an ear."

"Thanks, Fuyu," a small smile crept onto his face.

"No problem," Fuyu happily replied.

Meanwhile, Natsuki laid spread across her bed, constantly playing back the scene from earlier in her head. She and the others had just caught a glimpse of Shujinkou's father, Jomei.

He had slick jet black hair and matching eyes that were filled with the confidence his son himself lacked. But he wasn't alone. Seeing his father's arms wrapped around a woman he never met before caused a look of surprise and confusion to form on the son's face. Natsuki kept her eyes trained on Shujinkou as he slowly and awkwardly made his way to Jomei. Once close enough, Shujinkou started to open his mouth until his father passed him by without even a first glance. The last thing she saw before he quickly left was a hurt face.

"Dang…" Natsuki muttered.

Chapter Text

"So, you want to get out of the box now?" Fuyu asked.

"Yeah," Shujinkou nodded his head.

The two wasted no time climbing out of the box and take the opportunity to stretch their crying limbs.

"Well…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he tried to find the words he wanted to say. "I guess I'll go somewhere else now."

He didn't want to be rude, but the conflicted male desired some time alone to think.

"Okay. I have some presidential stuff to take care of anyway," Fuyu said.

"Really? Like what?" Shujinkou queried.

His curiosity quickly retreated back inside of him as he watched Fuyu adjust her glasses in a professional manner; her demeanor instantly changing from a young school girl to that of a powerful politician.

"I'm sorry, but that's confidential information," Fuyu replied; her tone matching the same one she had when they first met.

"O-Okay…" Shujinkou nervously answered. "Sorry for asking."

"No need to apologize," Fuyu innocently smiled, changing her demeanor once more. "Try to feel better, okay?"

"I'll try," Shujinkou nodded as watched the young president casually stroll away.

 The moment she was gone, Shujinkou instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fuyu's presidential side can be a real tiring experience," he thought as he entered the resort through the back entrance. "Still, I do appreciate her concern. The school would probably freak out if they saw her other side. Hm…"

The young man's mind started to flash back to earlier in the day; the event that made him hideout in a cardboard box in the first place.

"I wonder if ruined the others fun today…" Shujinkou wondered aloud, his voice layered with guilt.

But that curious thought soon vanished from his mind the moment he caught his father walk by with the lady he was with earlier. Seeing the their lips touch over and over again was enough for him to feel like an arrow pierced his heart and circled around for another run.

"Guess who?" he heard as a pair of hands blanketed his eyes.

"Sayori…" he sorrowfully answered.

"You don't sound so happy to see me," Sayori said, retracting her hands back to her side.

"It's not you and it's not that I'm not happy, it's just that I feel…" Shujinkou paused for a moment. "I conflicted about my father being here. I know it wouldn't be fair to deny him entry here, but it still makes things kinda awkward."

"Maybe you don't have to worry about any awkwardness between you two," Sayori said with a bright face. "Maybe all his focus will be on his new girlfriend."

"Another girlfriend…" Shujinkou sighed.

Suddenly, the young man was rendered speechless as he was pulled into the deepest recesses of his mind. Sheer horror contorted his face into many different expressions that represented the sheer horror of remembering gasping and crashing until a loud booming sound woke him from his trance. Back in the realm of reality, Shujinkou was startled to find Sayori’s hands pressed together in front of his face.

"I'm back. I'm back" he said. "Anyway, there's nothing much I can do about anything, which means that I'll just have to deal with the situation that I'm in."

A tired sigh escaped from Shujinkou's mouth.

"So, I guess it's too late to go out and explore the city, huh?" Shujinkou asked.

"Mm-hmm," Sayori nodded. "But don't worry. The others said they have other things to occupy their time."

"Hmm… Want to watch Spirited Away together?" Shujinkou suggested.

"Eh?!" Sayori exclaimed. Her cheeks turned bright red and her eyes widened with surprise, a reaction that confused Shujinkou.

"Did you have other plans?" he asked.

"No, No!" she frantically replied. "It's just that, well… we haven't watched a movie together in a really long time."

"Really?" Shujinkou was surprised to hear that, but after giving it some thought, he realized that it has been a long time. "Alright then… I guess we should make up for lost time."

"Okay!" Sayori beamed.

"I'll get the popcorn. You get the candy," Shujinkou instructed with a smile.

"On it!" the excited girl saluted.

Later that night, Hisa's eyes scanned the pages of a mystery novel she was currently reading, before closing it in disappointment.

"I knew the butler did it," Hisa sighed. "Wonder if the girls know any good mystery novels to read."

Hisa casually tossed the book in the top drawer of The Front Desk, just as Jomei walked in with hair that looked like it's been ruffled by a tornado.

"Had a big night in the city?" Hisa grinned.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Jomei chuckled. "I love this city and its lovely population of women."

"You're not very subtle are you?"  Hisa chuckled along with the customer.

"I can be very subtle," Jomei replied. "Well, when I want to. It mostly depends on the kind of lady I date. They can be really picky on the guy they like."

"…You know, it's a good thing Shujinkou's apple fell way far from your tree," Hisa cringed, shaking her head in a disapproving manner.

"Shujinkou… How is the kid?" Jomei asked.

"He's good," Hisa replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Or at least he was until something happened today that made him crawl into and hideout in a cardboard box for a while."

"Really? What happened?" the curious man asked.

"Well, his father kinda basically purposefully ignored his very existence," Hisa answered.

Jomei eyes instinctively glanced to the left before returning to what they glanced away from.

"What?" Jomei replied.

"Yeah. Plus, his eagle-eyed grandmother noticed the father quickly glance at him and then back to the lady of the week which led to the Shujinkou ending up hurt ending up hurt," Hisa continued. "And I assume that it was all so nothing spoiled your date."

"Right…" Jomei muttered. "Listen…"

"Stop right there," Hisa interrupted, quickly shoving her hand over his mouth. "Now listen; I know we're not exactly friends and we probably should be at odds more, considering what went down between you and my daughter. Heck, you're probably surprised that I let you stay here. But what happened in the past is in the past and between you two. Plus I'm a professional, which means that it is against my policy to let my personal feelings affect business. Understand?"

Jomei nodded his head, giving Hisa the confirmation to retract her arm.

"But let me tell you something, Jomei," Hisa continued. "Hurt my grandson again and business professional Lady Hisa will turn into a very ticked off Granny Hisa. Got it?"

Jomei nodded his head.

"Good," Hisa smiled. "Enjoy your stay."

Hisa carefully placed her headphones over her head and walked into her office with a carefree whistle, leaving Jomei to ponder what she just told him and think about his actions.

"Dang…" Jomei muttered.

Chapter Text

A small yawn broke through the entrapment that was Sayori's lips as she awoke from her deep slumber. Forcing her drowsy eyes open, the half-awake girl noticed that the TV in front of her was still on.

"Oh, right," Sayori yawned once more. "Movie time with Shujinkou…"

Her eyes scanned the room through half closed eyelids, eventually noticing that her friend was not anywhere to be seen.

"Where did he go?" she wondered aloud.

The curious girl soon found her answer to that question as she felt something brush up against her thighs. Wondering what it could have been, she looked down and caught glimpse of a sight that would wake her up completely: her childhood friend resting on her lap.

"Eh???" that was all Sayori could muster up the strength to say as she tried to wrap her head around the situation she found herself in. All she could do was look down at him with bright red cheeks. "Hey, Shujinkou…"

The sleeping teen continued to toss and turn about until finally finding a position he felt comfortable in. Though finding the entire situation strange and unbelievable at first, Sayori quickly felt the awkward atmosphere vanish as she continued to watch Shujinkou slumber peacefully. Seeing her friend sleep with such an innocent expression on his face had a strange effect on her, leading her to start stroking his head out of pure instinct.

"And he says I don't have any sense of personal space," she giggled as her fingers continued to slowly course through the strands of hair that rested on her friend's head over and over again.

This act continued on for several minutes, until Sayori noticed Shujinkou beginning to come to. Her hands quickly dropped to her side as she watched him slowly sit up and open his eyes.

"Morning…" Shujinkou yawned.

"Morning, Shujinkou," Sayori cheerfully waved.

But despite her cheery hello, a worried expression formed on Shujinkou's face.

"Are you okay, Sayori?" he suddenly asked.

"Yeah," Sayori nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Because your cheeks are really red," Shujinkou answered.

"Eh? No! I'm feeling really good! Seriously, nothing's wrong!" Sayori frantically assured him.

"If you say so…" Shujinkou shrugged, deciding not to press any further. After all, he was pretty sure that if anything serious was bothering her, she would let him know.

Later that day, the two walked into lobby.

"So, what should we do today?" Sayori asked.

"I don't know," Shujinkou replied. "But whatever it is, we should make sure that it's really good since we have to head back home tomorrow. Maybe we could…"

Shujinkou's train of thought immediately flew off its track as his eyes were immediately drawn towards his father. He silently watched Jomei read a page of the local newspaper as he took another sip from his coffee cup.

"What do you want to do, Shujinkou?" Sayori asked, sporting a curious expression.

"Uhm…" Shujinkou wondered that very thing himself. He did want to talk to his father, but he wasn't sure that his father wanted to talk to him or even want to be in the same room together. After deliberating what action he should take, he finally reached a course of action he decided was best.  "Let's head to the city."

"Okay," Sayori nodded.

The two casually start to make their way towards the front entrance. Once they get past that threshold, they could head into the city and find something to do. Perhaps they could visit the local ice cream shop and stuff themselves full of sweets or maybe…

"Hold it right there, Shujinkou," Jomei said, his eyes still glued to the paper.

A single sentence was all it took for Shujinkou and Sayori to freeze in place.

"How do fathers do that?" Shujinkou mumbled.

Despite his instincts telling him otherwise, Shujinkou nervously turned around and met eyes with his father. Like it was so long ago, he felt like he was looking into the eyes of a stranger.

"Hey there, son" Jomei waved, an action Shujinkou found hard to believe was happening.

"Hey, father…" Shujinkou awkwardly waved back.

He wasn't sure what else to say after that. Because of yesterday, the entire moment felt completely awkward.

"Hey, Shujinkou's father!" Sayori happily waved.

The two watched the enigmatic man place his cup on a nearby coaster, fold his newspaper and slowly make his way to the two. Each step he took filled Shujinkou with curiosity and fear.

"Hmm…" Jomei looked his son and then at Sayori. "You two have gotten taller."

"Well, you haven't seen us in a while so you're bound to say that," Shujinkou awkwardly chuckled, trying to alleviate the daunting atmosphere.

"Well, you got me there," Jomei agreed. "Anyway, are you busy today?"

"Why do you ask?" Shujinkou asked.

The confused boy wondered why his father wanted to know whether he was busy or not. He had an idea of what the reason could be, but immediately dismissed it as ludicrous.

"You leave tomorrow right? Let's hang out before you have to head back," Jomei suggested.

Shujinkou and Sayori simply stared at Jomei in disbelief. They could not believe what they just heard.

"What's wrong?" Jomei asked.

"It's just that…" Shujinkou didn't want to say that would be the last thing he expected his father to say to him, even though that exactly what he thought. Suddenly, he felt a wealth of repressed emotions break through the dam he created years ago. He couldn't believe such a simple proposal could elicit such a reaction from him. "I was kinda thinking that, um…"

The conflicted teen continued to stumble over his words as he tried to figure out what to say.

"You should hang out with him," Sayori suddenly said in a cheerful manner.

"You think?" Shujinkou was surprised that his friend would say that. "But what about doing something fun together while here?"

"We just did something fun together last night," Sayori pointed out. "Besides you know that you want to take your father up on his offer."

Shujinkou couldn't argue with that fact. He knew in fact that deep down; he did want to go with his father. 5 minutes of internal debating later, Shujinkou decided to accept his father's offer and followed him out of the spa resort.

"Are you sure it was good for him to go with his father?"

Sayori curiously turned around and was surprised to find Yuri sitting beside her.

"Why would you ask that?" Sayori asked.

"Well…" Yuri closed her eyes and thought back to the father and son's brief encounter from the day before. "I'm just worried that things may not turn out the way he wants it to. I know what it's like for that to happen and it's unpleasant to say the least."

"I think you're worrying too much," Sayori insisted. "But, still…"

Suddenly stopping mid-sentence, Sayori remained silent with a blank expression on her face until she heard the loud roar of her hungry stomach.

"Time for lunch!" she happily announced.

Chapter Text

"Dad? Dad?" Shujinkou curiously walked downstairs and noticed his father sitting on his favorite chair. Slightly increasing the grip on the paper he carried down with him, the innocent child approached the man. "Hey, Dad, want to see the drawing I made?"

"Not now, kid," Jomei instantly answered, keeping his eyes trained on his magazine.

"Oh..." Shujinkou replied, awkwardly scratching his right cheek. "What about later?"

"No promises," Jomei answered.

"Okay…" the disappointed child looked down at his drawing of his father carrying him on his back and then back to Jomei before returning to his room.

Once there, he noticed a magazine lying on his floor. Giving in to his curiosity, the boy picked the magazine up from his floor and opened the piece of literature.

"Father, what are we doing?" Shujinkou looked up from his magazine and turned his gaze towards his father, whose nose was buried deep in his own piece of literature.

"Quiet. We can't draw attention to ourselves," Jomei instantly replied.

Shujinkou couldn’t help but wonder why after his father asked to spend time together that they were trying to act inconspicuous. After spenindg the next five minutes pondering what was going through his father's head, Jomei suddenly looked to his left and then to his right.

"Let's move, kid," Jomei instructed.

Following his father's lead, Shujinkou walked down a nearby alley and his head was immediately filled with every possible negative consequence that action could have.

"Father, what are we doing here?" he asked, trying his best to prevent Jomei from realizing how nervous he was.

"You'll see," Jomei answered.

The mysterious man raised his left fist and tapped it against a specific brick on the wall in front of them. The brick slid to the right, revealing a pair of grey eyes peering out from the darkness.

"This is highly suspicious…" Shujinkou mumbled.

"What's the password?" Jomei was asked.

Suddenly, Shujinkou's line of sight was obscured by his father's right hand, causing his suspicions to soar even higher. After what seemed like forever, Jomei's hand returned to his side as several bricks were moved to the left, revealing a large, scary man standing in front of a door.

"Where has my father brought me…?" Shujinkou was almost paralyzed with fear as the man's gaze turned towards him.

The man then turned his gaze towards Jomei and grinned.

"Back already eh, Jomei!" the man laughed. "Who's the kid?"

"He's mine," Jomei casually shrugged.

"I didn't know you had a kid," the man said. "Anyway, come on in."

The man opened the door and Shujinkou followed his father through it.

"Wha…" that was all the shocked boy could say once he was inside. What he thought would be a highly illegal base of operations turned out to be a nightclub.

"Wait a minute… a dance club in the afternoon?" Shujinkou wondered aloud.

"The party never stops here, kid" Jomei grinned as he led the two to his favorite table. "Welcome to a place only available to those who know it exists."

"How do you know this place exists?" his curious son asked.

"I have my ways," Jomei answered as he took his seat.

Following his father's movements, Shujinkou awkwardly attempted to casually sit down and looked around once more. Seeing the type of people who were around and just the general feel of the place he was in, Shujinkou couldn't help but feel out of place and a little worried.

"So… why are here?" Shujinkou asked.

"I needed a place to unwind after what happened last night," Jomei answered.

"What happened?" Shujinkou asked.

"My, uh, lady friend kind of got me a little irve last night and had her w…" Jomei went quiet for a moment, something his son was grateful for. "Anyway, I kind of acted like a fool in front of your grandmother after the succubus left and decided to hang out here."

It was times like this when Shujinkou wished he was ignorant about the subjects his father talked about sometimes. But despite how uncomfortable they were, hearing that was a surprise for him. He never thought his father would ever be in that kind of situation.

"Anyway, how's junior high?" Jomei asked.

"I'm in my second year of high school," Shujinkou corrected.

"How's that going?" Jomei asked.

"Fine," Shujinkou shrugged.

"Anything interesting?" Jomei asked.

"I'm in a Literature Club," Shujinkou answered.

"That's cool," Jomei calmly stood up. "I'm going to get a drink."

Shujinkou could only sigh as he watched his father walk to the nearby bar.

Meanwhile, Sayori and Yuri were still conversing in the Spa Resort's main lobby.

"Did you ever find out who won us the trip here?" Sayori asked.

"Not really," Yuri shook her head. "But the final product must have been really good for our school to win."

"It was," Hisa interjected, her sudden appearance startling Yuri.

"L-L-Lady Hisa," the frantic girl said. "How long have you been there?"

"I just got here," Hisa chuckled as she scratched her right cheek. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"Ah… not much," Yuri replied.

"What are you doing here, Granny Hisa?" Sayori asked.

The youthful grandmother sat down between the two and smiled.

"Well, I was cleaning my office and stumbled upon..." Hisa dug into her kimono and pulled out a picture frame for all to see. "…This!"

Sayori and Yuri looked down at the photo. It depicted a much younger Shujinkou and Sayori sitting on the shoulders of a muscular elderly man.

"Hey, it's Grandpa!"Sayori couldn't help but smile at the sight of someone she has not seen in such a long time.

"That's your grandfather?" Yuri queried.

"No, that's Shujinkou's grandpa," Sayori corrected. "He's an adventurer."

"Isamu liked to be referred to as 'The Adventurer,'" Hisa added. "That man and adventurous journeys go together like something that goes well together with something else."

"And he used to tell us all about all the time," Sayori continued. "Along with showing us all the cool stuff he found."

"He found so much stuff that there are several rooms that are specifically used just to store them," Hisa added as she looked down at the photo. A solemn expression appeared on her face as she continued to stare at Isamu, something that has not gone unnoticed by the girls. "Miss you, Isamu…"

Taking a deep breath, Hisa returned to a happier disposition.

"By the way, have you two seen my grandson?" Hisa asked. "I wanted to show him this."

"He went somewhere with Jomei to hang out," Sayori answered.

Silence overtook Hisa as she tried to process what she has been told.

"…Say that again," Hisa finally said.

"He's hanging out with Jomei," Sayori repeated.

"Huh… Wonder how that's going?" Hisa wondered aloud.

Chapter Text

"Avast ye, scurvy dogs!" Shujinkou yelled until a sword shape object crashed into his right cheek. "Ow!"

"Sorry, Shujinkou," Sayori apologized; embarrassed over the fact that she actually hit her friend.

"No need to apologize. I can use this as a reason to get the eyepatch," Shujinkou chuckled.

"You have an eyepatch?" Sayori asked.

"Well, it's really my dad's, but I'm pretty sure he'll let me borrow it," Shujinkou clarified.

"Why does your dad have an eyepatch?" Sayori questioned.

"I don't really know," Shujinkou said. "But I'm going to see if he'll let me borrow it for our pirate fight."

The innocent young boy ran into his house and walked into the living room. Jomei wasn't there, prompting him to head upstairs. The second he made it past the top step, he heard a very strange scream. Surprisingly, it wasn't one produced by fear, which only caused his curiosity to grow.

Shujinkou cautiously approached his parent's door and clutched the door handle. Going against his second thoughts, he opened the door and saw something that caused him to wake up screaming in the club his father has brought him to.

His neck a little stiff from sleeping on the table, Shujinkou slowly sat up and looked at his phone. To his complete and utter shock, according to the clock on his phone, he has been asleep for 6 hours. He then looked around and found that his father was still at the bar.

"…and that's how we ended up in a field in the middle of nowhere," Jomei smirked as he finished what little was left of his drink. Sometimes he just felt compelled to drink when he told others of the misadventures he's had in the past. Once done, he gently placed it back on the bar table and watched the bartender take the glass away. "Wonder if I should tell her how I got out of that situation?"

He started to think back to the moment when he…

"Hey, father…"

His train of thought crashing before it could make its destination; Jomei turned around and was genuinely surprised by the glum expression on his son's face.

"What's wrong, kid?" he asked.

"Well, it's just that you've kind of been over here for hours," Shujinkou pointed out.

Seeing the blank expression on his father's face caused him to wonder if his father realized that he was asleep the entire time.

"…So, you're not enjoying yourself here?" Jomei queried.

"It's kinda not my thing," Shujinkou instinctively shrugged.

"Really? I thought all adolescent boys wanted to come in here at least one," Jomei replied.

While Shujinkou could not deny the fact that he was curious about what was inside places like this, video games and manga already satisfied that question.

"Alright then, let's get out of here," Jomei said with a casual shrug.

The feeling of relief washed over Shujinkou as he followed his father out of the establishment.

"So what should we do now?" Shujinkou asked.

The next location was not what he was expecting at all. Waiting for his father outside of a random store was not exactly his idea of "hanging out."

As the disgruntled male continued to wait, he couldn't help but notice a small boy carried down the sidewalk by his father. Seeing the smiles on their faces invoked a sense of envy in him; a feeling he couldn't keep down even if he wanted to. It was also at that point where he realized that he had a lot of patience when it came to his father when he was younger.

"Here," Jomei's sudden appearance startled Shujinkou as he was handed a can of soda.

"Thanks," he said as he accepted the drink. But this nice gesture wasn't enough for Shujinkou to feel a tad bit neglected.

"So, kid…" Jomei glanced towards his son and quietly stared at him for a few moments. "You said you were in a literature club?"

"Huh?" a mixture of surprise and amazement welled up inside Shujinkou. He genuily couldn't believe that his father remembered him saying that. "Oh, yeah, I am in one."

"Why?" Jomei queried.

Just like with his grandmother, Shujinkou wasn't too surprised that someone would ask why he was in a literature club.

"Because Sayori asked me too," Shujinkou answered as he scratched his right cheek. "She said she didn't want me to become a basement dweller or something. But despite the circumstances of my joining, I do like being in it."

"Actually enjoying something that you were stronghold into… I know what's that like," thinking back to the times he was in those situations was enough to elicit a small chuckle out of Jomei. "By the way, those other girls you were with, are they part of the club too?"

"Yeah," Shujinkou nodded.

"Right…" Jomei snickered. "Being surrounded by 4 girls… No wonder you like being in it."

His continued snickers caused his offspring's cheeks to change to a bright red hue as he eventually realized the reason he was laughing.

"That's not what I meant!" Shujinkou yelled.

"You say that, yet you're face is completely red," Jomei pointed out. "Are you saying that they're not the reason you stay?"

"Not for the reason you're thinking of…" Shujinkou replied, his cheeks still red with embarrassment.

But that wasn't the only emotion he felt. Close behind the embarrassment brought out by his father's teasing lied genuine anger and happiness.

"Anyway, do you need any advice on how to deal with the various kinds of women?" Jomei offered.

"Not really," Shujinkou instantly answered in an annoyed tone.

"Fine," Jomei shrugged. "But how are you going to more about the opposite sex if you don't take my advice."

Shujinkou responded with a facial expression that was a combination of indifference and irritation; a combination that Jomei didn't even know existed.

"Can we please talk about something else?" Shujinkou asked.

"Like what?" Jomei asked.

There was one topic that Shujinkou wanted to talk about with his father for the longest time. He was afraid to bring it up, but he also knew that there was probably no other chance to do so. With a nervous look in his eye, Shujinkou looked up at his father.

"…Why did you leave?" he solemnly asked.

Chapter Text

Shujinkou walked along the path up to the spa resort until he noticed a familiar pink-haired individual sitting next to the entrance.

"What are you doing out here, Natsuki?" Shujinkou asked.

"Nothing really," Natsuki answered, diverting her gaze and using her book to cover her pink cheeks. "I'm just reading some manga out in the moonlight. N-Not for any specific reason, in case you were wondering."

"Okay," Shujinkou scratched his right cheek.

Natsuki turned back to Shujinkou. He was holding a green balloon while wearing a t-shirt and hat from the local amusement park.

"You and your dad must have had a lot of fun today, huh…" Natsuki said.

"Mm," Shujinkou smiled. "Went to the amusement park, played some games and ate a lot of candy… lots and lots of candy."

"Oh… that's cool," Natsuki said with a casual shrug.

Natsuki silently stared at Shujinkou with a worried look on her face. It was like she knew something he didn't.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Shujinkou said, scratching his right cheek once more. "Why would you ask?"

"No real reason. Just asking a question, dummy," Natsuki casually replied. "Anyway, we gotta pack our bags so we won't have any issues leaving tomorrow. You coming?"

"In a minute. I got something to do out here," Shujinkou said.

"Oh… Alright then," Natsuki answered, diverting her gaze once more. "Good night."

"Good night," Shujinkou replied, waving his fellow club member goodbye.

As soon as Natsuki was out of sight, Shujinkou walked to a nearby to a nearby bench and plopped down on the slightly cold surface. He felt the cold night air caress his cheeks as he closed his eyes and thought back to what happened earlier, back to when his father was rendered speechless by his sudden question.

"Why'd you leave?" Shujinkou asked his father again. He refused to take silence as an answer and already planned to keep asking until he got an answer.

"Because…" Jomei solemnly stared into his son's eyes. They were filled with determination and desperation. "I can't say…"

"Why not?" Shujinkou couldn't begin to fathom why is father couldn't answer such a simple question.

"Because it's none of your concern," Jomei sighed.

"None of my…!" Holding back his budding anger, Shujinkou sighed and asked, "What do you mean it's none of my concern? I think not having a father in my life is my concern. Not to mention you left at a time I really could've of used one."

"Kid…" Jomei sighed.

"Is that the reason why you left or did you have some kind of falling out with mom?" Shujinkou asked.

"Your mother doesn't have anything to do with why I left," Jomei answered.

Shujinkou bit his lip as another possible reason popped into his head. It was one he wanted to keep out, but he just had to know whether it was true or not.

"Am… Am I the reason you left?" Shujinkou asked.

Completely terrified of what the response could be, Shujinkou anxiously waited for his father to say something, anything. But his father remained silent, causing his anxiety to skyrocket. After waiting for what seemed like forever, Jomei finally opened his mouth.

"…Kinda," Jomei answered.

Shujinkou opened his eyes and started chuckling as he remembered the expression he had when he heard that.

"Guess it really was me after all," he said, scratching his right cheek. "It makes sense. I kinda always thought that could be the reason but I guess I just didn't want to believe it."

Letting out a sigh, Shujinkou looked up at the night sky as he felt something hot escape through his eyes. Thinking back to his childhood and every interaction he had with Jomei back then; there was just one more question he had left.

"Why doesn't he want me?" Shujinkou cried.

He was so wrapped up in his own sorrow that he was completely unaware that Natsuki was watching him the entire time.

"Dummy… Putting on such a brave face," she silently sympathized.

The next day, Shujinkou walked into the lobby with the of the Literature Club and let out a mountain sized yawn.

"Didn't get much sleep last night?" his grandmother asked, scratching her right cheek.

"Not really," Shujinkou answered, also scratching his right cheek.

"Don't worry, you can rest all you want on the way home," Hisa grinned.

"Yeah… I guess," a small smile crept onto his face. It felt nice to have a family member care about him.

But that small smile a worried expression to appear on his grandmother's face.

"Are you okay, Shujinkou?" she quiered.

"Yeah. I'm good," Shujinkou nodded.

"If you say so," Hisa said, quickly wrapping her arms around Shujinkou. "See ya, Shujinkou."

"See ya, Granny Hisa," Shujinkou smiled, hugging her back.

"See ya, Granny Hisa!" Sayori joined in the hug, squeezing the two with all her might.

"See ya, Sayori!" Hisa chuckled.

"It was nice meeting you, Lady Hisa," Monika smiled.

"It was nice meeting you all too," Hisa replied. "I want you all to know you can come back whenever you want."

"Like we can afford to do that," Natsuki said.

"That's a good one, Natsuki. Like I'd make you guys pay," Hisa chuckled. "Anyway, have a nice trip home, kids."

Nothing left to say, the Literature Club followed their fellow students out of the spa resort to return to their lives as high school students. With the resort devoid of all students, Hisa gently placed her earbuds in her ears and sighed.

"I warned that man and he still ended up hurting my grandson," she said. "He was smart to leave while I wasn't looking and also a bit lucky that Isamu's gone.""

Hisa started up her playlist of songs and slowly walked towards her office.

"I just hope things don't end up the same as last time," she lamented.

She soon stepped into her office, closed the door behind her and started to remember a moment she really didn't want to.

A long time ago, she visited her grandson and found him crying in his room.

"I know it hurts a lot right now, Shujinkou. But you have to believe me when I say that you'll soldier through it," Hisa said.

"I…" the young boy coughed as he continued to cry. "I'm the reason dad left, aren't I?"

"What!? Why would you say that?" Hisa asked.

"Because it just makes sense!" Shujinkou sobbed. "I'm the reason he left! I just know it!"

Unable to see her grandson in such a stat, Hisa pulled him into an embrace while breaking down into tears herself.

"That's not the reason he left," comforted Hisa, squeezing her grandson as hard as she could. "You're not the reason. I promise you, Shujinkou, you're not the reason."

Kitsune Spa Trip: The End

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"Shujinkou… Shujinkou…"

Sometimes snapping back to reality can be a bit jarring for Shujinkou. There are times when he is so deep in his thoughts that returning was equal to slamming the breaks to a fast moving vehicle and still colliding with whatever you were trying to avoid. But that wasn't the case this time. It was almost as if the emotion of shock has left him entirely.

Firmly back in the real world, Shujinkou turned away from the open window and looked up at his teacher.

"Shujinkou, it's time to leave," the teacher said.

Confused by that short sentence, the surprised student looked around the classroom only to find empty seats.

"Sorry. I was caught up in my thoughts," Shujinkou apologized.

"That's nothing new, but…" now wearing a worried expression, the teacher silently stared at their student. "Is there something wrong?"

"Not really," Shujinkou answered. "Why do you ask?"

"It just seems like you've been… not with us recently," his teacher said.

"It's nothing. I've just been thinking a lot," Shujinkou said.

"Okay, but if you have any issues, just remember you can tell me," his teacher reminded him.

All Shujinkou could reply with was a silent nod before gathering his things and leaving the classroom. He didn't really see the point of discussing his issues with anyone else. His father has confirmed that he basically doesn't want anything to do with him, causing him to feel as terrible as he did long ago.

Pain was the obvious outcome of such a scenario, but it was also accompanied by confusion. If his father didn't want him, why did he bother a poorly attempted father/son day? The only answer he could come up with was that it had to be beneficial to Jomei.

"I'm being stupid," Shujinkou sighed. "Sure that whole thing was a shock but it's not like things are any different."

Despite those words, Shujinkou eventually stops in the middle of the hallway, wearing a very pained expression on his face.

"I just gotta get over it," Shujinkou declared. "…Easier said than done. Just like last time…"

"LOOK OUT!"

Shujinkou quickly turned to his left and was greeted with a force so strong that it knocked him off his face. He reflexively covered his forehead as he searched for whatever it was that hurt him. His eyes soon found themselves glued to a small spherical figure.

"A basketball?" he said.

Suddenly a hand obscured his view of the ball, prompting the injured male to look up at its owner.

"You okay?" they asked.

Shujinkou could do nothing but stare at the individual in front of him. Their fair skin, golden yellow eyes and matching hair tied back in a ponytail only made his confused mind even more confused. Was she the one who threw the ball?

"Hey, are you there?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, thanks," accepting her hand, Shujinkou was easily lifted up to his feet.

"Sorry about that," the girl chuckled as she reached down for the basketball. "I was showing the team a trick and the ball kinda flew out here."

Shujinkou silently stared at the girl, who in turn silently stared into his eyes. To him, it was like they were trying to read one another. Getting another good look at her, she didn't exactly look like the kind of person that had the strength to do what she accidently did to him. But he also knew that one should never judge a book by its cover.

"Man and I thought you only spaced out in class, Shujinkou," the girl grinned.

"Huh? How do you know my name?" Shujinkou asked.

"Well, we are in the same class," the girl answered with a casual shrug.

"We are?" Shujinkou asked.

"Yeah," the girl nodded. "I sit right behind you."

That was news to her fellow classmate. Of course, he couldn't really verify that claim since he never really had a reason to pay attention to any of his other classmates and they seldom ever interacted with him.

"Sorry. To be honest, I don't really pay that much attention to the others in my class," Shujinkou apologized as scratched his right cheek.

"Eh, no point in apologizing," the girl shrugged. "I'm Kiyoko by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Kiyoko," Shujinkou said.

Without averting her gaze, Kiyoko gently placed the basketball on her right index finger and spun it.

"So, where are you headed to?" she asked.

"I was just on my name to the Literature Club," Shujinkou answered.

"The school has a literature club?" that was the first time Kiyoko heard anything about the Literature Club, a fact that Shujinkou was not too surprised by.

"Well, yeah…" Shujinkou answered, scratching his right cheek once more.

"Hm…" Kiyoko silently stared at Shujinkou as she continued to balance the spinning ball on her finger. "Never pegged you as the literature type."

"Neither did I…" he awkwardly chuckled.

"Ah well. To each their own," Kiyoko shrugged.

"Kiyoko!"

The two students turned their gaze towards the open gym doors and noticed a group of girls waiting with anxious expressions.

"Gotta get back to work," Hiyoko's gaze returned to Shujinkou. "See ya later."

"Right," Shujinkou awkwardly grinned.

With a simple smile, Kiyoko raised her left fist and directed it towards him. Following her example, Shujinkou awkwardly raised his right fist and tapped it against hers.

The two fists soon part and Kiyoko ran into the gymnasium. Shujinkou thought she was just running up to her teammates, but she kept running and running until she finally launched herself off the ground. It was like watching a rocket taking off for its mission.

He watched the girl he just met glide through the air and slam the basketball in the basket on the opposite side of the gym.

"Whoa…" that was all the stunned boy could say at such a sight. That was the first time he saw someone his own age effortlessly perform a one-handed slam dunk. "That was awesome!"

He continued to watch as Kiyoko dropped down and turned back to him with a surprised expression. It soon turns into a grin and was followed by a wave goodbye, giving him a much needed reminder that there was somewhere he needed to be.

"Oh man, I'm late!" Shujinkou exclaimed as he rushed down the hall.

Chapter Text

The following day, Shujinkou approached his homeroom's door until he felt a sharp pain emanate from his head.

"Man, my head still hurts…" Shujinkou groaned, gently clutching his head.

He could still remember the power the rogue basketball had when it knocked him off his feet. If there wasn't a wall for him to crash into, he was absolutely sure that he would have flown further than he did.

"Kiyoko has a really strong arm," Shujinkou noted. "I need to be careful around her when she has a basketball in hand…"

The pain left as quickly as it has arrived, allowing Shujinkou to finish his daily morning passage. As he walked into the classroom, he couldn't help but catch a glimpse of Kiyoko peacefully sleeping in the desk just behind his own.

Despite finding it a tad bit surprising, he assumed it was because she exhausted herself from yesterday's practice. After all, if she did what he saw her do for hours, he would be more surprised if she wasn't asleep.

"Shujinkou," he suddenly heard.

Recognizing the voice that called him, Shujinkou quickly turned around and met eyes with Monika.

"Good morning," Monika waved.

"Morning, Monika," Shujinkou with a wave back. "What are you doing he-?"

Shujinkou was rendered speechless once as he noticed that everyone in class was staring at the two of them, their faces lit with shock. He could not blame his classmates though. If it was not for the fact that he was in the club she created, the chances that they would interact at all would be zero.

He then proceeded to watch Monika as she reached into her bag and pull out a sketchbook.

"You left this behind yesterday at the club," she said as she returned the lost item to its owner.

"Ah, thanks. I was looking all over for this last night," Shujinkou chuckled. "It was kind of maddening that I couldn't finish my latest drawing."

"I know the feeling of not being able to finish something you want right away," Monika sympathized.  "By the way, what were you drawing?"

"Secret," Shujinkou chuckled.

"Are you saying that just because I wouldn't let you read my story," Monika questioned.

"No…" without turning away, Shujinkou neatly tucked his sketchbook in his bag. "Yes."

"Fair enough," Monika giggled. "Well, se ya later."

With a quick wave goodbye, Monika left the classroom, leaving Shujinkou alone among a sea of stunned faces. It was an awkward situation but, throughout the day, Shujinkou would learn that his classmates' reactions would be the least of his worries.

At the end of the day, Shujinkou looked down at a heavily marked paper, a sight that he was sadly familiar with at this point.

"Man, I'm going to flunk if this keeps up," Shujinkou sighed. "What am I going to do?"

All he could feel was anguish. He led himself to this point and was unsure whether or not he could get out of the whole he dug for himself.

Suddenly, a firm hand resting on his shoulder brought him out of the realm of self-pity. He curiously turned around and watched Kiyoko let a giant yawn escape from her body.

"What's wrong, Shujinkou?" she asked.

"Well, it's just that I haven't been doing well in one of my classes…" Shujinkou sighed.

"Ah, chemistry still getting to ya?" Kiyoko queried.

Shujinkou found himself shocked to hear that. How did she know what subject he has been failing in? But the look of surprise on his face allowed her to tell exactly what he was thinking.

"I kinda saw your papers a few times," Kiyoko shrugged. "What seems to be the problem with that class?"

"I just can't seem to grasp any of the concepts," Shujinkou sheepishly admitted. “If this keeps up, I’m going to end up failing the class.”

"Hmm…" Kiyoko looked down at his paper with an indecipherable expression on her face. "That would really suck."

Just then, Kiyoko casually grabbed her bag and stood up.

“Well, it’s a good thing for you that the solution to your troubles is within your grasp,” she grinned. “See ya.”

Confusion firmly cemented itself on Shujinkou’s face as he watched Kiyoko leave for basketball practice.

“What solution?” he wondered aloud.

That question was all he could think about as he gathered his things until he reached for his sketchbook. It was only at that moment of clarity that Shujinkou realized what Kiyoko was possibly hinting at. He needed to talk to…

“MONIKA!”

The unfazed club president looked up from the teacher’s desk and watched Natsuki angrily storm up to her.

“Why’d you move my stuff again?” Natsuki asked.

“Sorry, Natsuki, but the teacher keeps asking me to move it around for their stuff,” Monika explained.

“Ugh… What’s the point of organizing my stuff if someone keeps messing with it,” the pink haired girl sighed. “This wouldn’t keep happening if we had our own club room like the others.”

“That would be nice, but the school can't afford to give us one right now," Monika replied.

"Why not?" Natsuki complained.

"Because we're at the bottom of the priority list," Sayori interjected.

Natsuki was clearly startled by her sudden appearance, but the bubbly vice-president failed to notice such a clear fact.

"Not only are we a relatively new club with few members, but we're also one that not too many people know about and the people that do know think that a literature club would be super boring," Sayori continued. "The only way we would get an official club room would be either for us to move up on the priority list or for us to find an empty space."

"I doubt we'll find a good spot…" the irritated Natsuki let out a giant groan before releasing a dejected sigh. "It's a lose/lose situation…"

The annoyed girl returned to the classroom's closet while Sayori happily skipped back to the desk she was sitting at. Just then, Shujinkou walked into the room looking very worried.

"What's wrong, Shujinkou?" Monika asked.

"Um, do you think we could talk outside?" her club mate sheepishly requested.

"Okay…" Monika nodded.

She curiously followed Shujinkou outside into the hallway and closed the door behind them.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Monika queried.

"Okay then…" Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek as he struggled to speak the words he wanted to say.

But after a tedious internal battle that felt like it lasted forever, the indecisiveness that led to such a fight finally annoyed him enough to talk.

"Please tutor me!"Shujinkou suddenly requested.

"Eh?" Monika said.

"I'm failing Chemistry and I need help. Please help me!" Shujinkou asked again.

"Okay," Monika answered with a smile.

"R-Really?" Shujinkou said in disbelief. "Just like that?"

"Well, a friend needs my help. How could I say no?" Monika replied.

Despite his surprise at such a quick answer, Shujinkou felt great relief that Monika would take up the task on tutoring him.

"Are you free this weekend?" Monika asked.

"Yeah," Shujinkou nodded.

"Great, then you can come over to my house and we can study as much as necessary," said Monika.

"Sounds like a plan," Shujinkou happily agreed. Though it would not be long until his mind completely processed what he just heard. "Wait, did you… did you say that we would be studying at your house?"

"Is that a problem?" Monika worriedly asked.

"No…" But in reality, he really wondered if he could actually focus on his studies if the two of them were alone. That said, a look back at all of the previous moments where he was alone with a girl provided enough evidence that he actually could keep his mind on the task. "Wait a minute…"

Thinking about the entire situation even more, Shujinkou eventually remembered that he already was alone with Monika on more than one occasion and that he was already pretty comfortable being around her for the most part. Which only brought up the question: why was he briefly nervous in the first place?

"Because I'm still going to a girl's house," Shujinkou thought. "But to be fair, it's still a first time thing for me. But I can't let that get to me. After all, Monika is my only hope plus I wouldn't want to waste any of the time she's giving to help me."

"Shujinkou!" Monika called.

"Huh?" returning from the depths of his thoughts, Shujinkou awoke to find Monika worriedly waving her hand in front of his face. "Sorry, I kinda drifted off into a deep thought."

"It happens to all of us," Monika said. "So, I guess this is where we exchange contact info so we can keep in touch."

"Uh, right," Shujinkou nodded his head.

After a quick exchange of phone numbers, Shujinkou followed Monika back into the classroom to begin the day's club activity.

Chapter Text

The weekend has finally arrived and Shujinkou could not be any more confused. Usually he wakes up to the smell of his mother's home cooking, but he instead woke up to find a note addressed to him tucked neatly in between his arms.

"'Dear son, I will be gone on a personal trip for the entire weekend. There are several cooked meals in refrigerator if you get hungry. Stay safe and good luck on your study session.'," Shujinkou read aloud. “Huh.”

He read through the note three more times, but it didn't change a single important fact; his mother was gone did not specify where she went. Along with the fact that he was never aware that she was going somewhere in the first place, Shujinkou couldn't help but feel a little suspicious over the entire situation.

"Not like I can do anything about it anyway…" he said, scratching his right cheek.

Putting the note behind him, Shujinkou jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. Monika texted him the directions needed to find her house and that he could show up whenever he wanted. Knowing that he needed as much help as he can get, Shujinkou grabbed the bag he packed the night before and rushed out of the house to begin his journey.

He followed the instructions that were given to him And eventually found himself standing in front of a house that a lot of boys his age wished they could enter. It was no different from the other average houses in the neighborhood and yet it also had a certain presence to it that distinguished it from the others.

"Shujinkou?"

A quick turn to his left and the slightly nervous student found himself face to face with his tutor.

"I didn't know you'd be here so early," Monika said.

"Well, I need as much help as I can get so…" as he scratched his right cheek, he noticed several bags dangling from her fingers. "Whatcha you got there?"

"Just some stuff I got while shopping," Monika answered with a small giggle. "Hope I didn't make you wait long."

"No. I just got here," Shujinkou replied as he reached for the bags.

“Thanks,” Monika said, her voice layered with genuine appreciation.

Once the bags were secured around his fingers, Shujinkou followed Monika inside a rather clean looking house.

"Hope you don't mind the mess," Monika apologized.

"Mess? What mess?" Shujinkou thought.

Glancing around the immediate area, the only thing he noticed that could be considered a "mess" was a few dirty dishes and an unfolded blanket. But the "mess" wasn't the only thing that caught his eye. One of the walls in the room was decorated with shiny trinkets that signified winning their designated competitions.

"That's a lot of trophies," Shujinkou said aloud.

"Hm? Oh, I guess so. I don't really pay that much attention to them that much," Monika said.

Shujinkou found it strange that Monika would respond in such a way towards recognition to the physical proof of her accomplishments. He didn’t expect her to brag, but he did expect a more positive response at the very least.

"You said you needed help with Chemistry, right?" Monika’s voice snapped Shujinkou out of his thoughts and reminded him of why he was there.

He then watched her grab a nearby piece of paper and followed her to a nearby kotatsu.

"What is that?" Shujinkou asked.

"It's just a short little test I made," Monika answered. "It's so I can see what you're struggling with."

"Everything," Shujinkou stated in matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm sure that's not true," Monika assured him.

Despite his appreciation that Monika actually believed such a thing, he knew very well that what he said was true. But he also knew that he couldn't let Monika's work go to waste. Wasting no more time, Shujinkou kneeled down and quickly got to work.

Using all of his mental faculties, he powered through the test in no time flat and slid it over to Monika. Normally a person would be nervous when someone grades their test, but that kind of feeling is pointless in regards to his situation.

"I did terrible, right?" Shujinkou chuckled.

"Well, you did get them all wrong, but…" Monika looked at the paper and then back to him. "It's kinda like you had no idea what you were reading."

"Mm-hmm," Shujinkou nodded.

"Shujinkou… You don't still space out in class do you?" Monika asked.

Shujinkou silently stared into Monika's eyes. They were filled with concern.

"Sometimes," Shujinkou solemnly admitted.

"Why do you do that?" Monika inquired.

"I…" Shujinkou closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't know. I just do."

"Okay then…" Monika looked down at the heavily marked sheet of paper once more. "I guess we'll have to start with the basics."

"Basics?" a curious expression replaced Shujinkou's solemn one as he wondered what Monika had in mind.

"Mm-hmm. Let's start with the atomic structure," Monika happily announced.

Just by hearing the word "atomic structure", Shujinkou knew that he was in for a very long study session.

Several hours later, Shujinkou felt as if his brain was close to bursting as he stared at the ceiling.

"So much cramming…" Shujinkou moaned. "I'm not even sure we learned some of the stuff you brought up."

"Really? I guess I went a little overboard then," the tutor chuckled as she turned her head towards her pupil. "Still, you seem to have grasped some of the concepts pretty quickly."

"It probably helped that you had me rope play as a brilliant scientist. That was a really fun idea," Shujinkou complimented.

"Thanks," Monika beamed. "I thought that it would help get rid of any hidden doubts and be a more entertaining learning experience."

"It did and it was," Shujinkou replied, scratching his right cheek.

Suddenly, a familiar awkward feeling made itself known to him as he finally realized something he was blind to. He quickly turned to his left and was stunned to find that his face was only 5 inches away from Monika's. Her hot breath caressing his red cheeks was enough for him sit up at the speed of lightning.

"Okay then! So…" a sudden growl emanating from his stomach quickly interrupted what Shujinkou was about to say.

"If you were hungry, you should have just said so, Shujinkou," Monika giggled. "I'll whip us up something."

"You don't have to do that," Shujinkou said.

"It's no big deal." Monika insisted. "Besides, I wouldn't be a good host if I didn't offer any food."

Remembering his owns family's policy on hosting others, Shujinkou decided not to argue and reached for the sketchbook in his bag as Monika got to work. After spending an hour drawing in silence, Shujinkou frantically closed the sketchbook and stuffed it back into his bag.

"Hey, Shujinkou," said Monika. "Can I ask you something?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," Shujinkou nodded.

"Have you ever been to one of those really popular conventions or events centering on a certain franchise?" Monika asked.

"Uh, yeah, I've been to a few of those," Shujinkou answered as he scratched his right cheek.

"What are they like?" Monika queried.

"Um, they're usually just a bunch of fans coming together to perform activities that celebrate their love for whatever the convention's for. People can wear costumes of their favorite characters, win prizes and gain limited edition collectables. Overall, it's a place where no one can judge you for liking what you like," Shujinkou answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Just asking," Monika said. "I always wanted to see what those kinds of events were like."

"Really?" Shujinkou was surprised to hear that. "Why?"

"The concept kind of interested me to be honest," Monika said. "But I've never got to check them out myself since I've always been really busy doing other things."

"Oh…" Shujinkou said, scratching his right cheek.

A theory instantly popped into his brain, but he decided not to try and find an answer to it. Suddenly, a plate of freshly made food was placed in front before Monika sat down beside him.

"Hope you like it," Monika said.

"Thanks," Shujinkou said as he took his first bite.

His eyes widened with surprise as a surge of culinary delight coursed throughout his entire body.

"It's so good!" he thought.

The sight of her club mate attempting to hold back the tears showcasing his utter delight was all it took to put a smile on Monika's face.

"You don't have to exaggerate," she said. "It can't be that good."

"But it really is that good," Shujinkou praised.  "Really, really good."

"Thanks," Monika beamed. "To be honest, I never served anyone out of this house, so I never knew if my cooking skills were really good or not."

"You don't have to worry about that anymore," Shujinkou chuckled. "When did you learn how to cook?"

"I think when I was about six," Monika recounted.

"What?!" Shujinkou exclaimed. "Why that early?"

"My parents said why not," Monika replied in a casual manner.

"That's still a pretty young age," said Shujinkou.

"I guess so," she acknowledged. "Still, it's was a nice skill to learn back then."

Shujinkou glanced at the trophy wall. His mind was starting to put the pieces together.

"You must have had a really busy childhood," said Shujinkou.

"Yeah. Really busy," Monika chuckled. "What about yours?"

"Mine…" Shujinkou somberly scratched his right cheek. "It was pretty eventful to say the least."

"Oh right… Sorry for bringing it up," Monika apologized.

"You have no reason to apologize," Shujinkou insisted. "None at all… Plus, what guy can stay down when he's eating such good cooking?"

"Trying to change the subject?" Monika smiled.

"Desperately," Shujinkou chuckled.

"Want to talk more chemistry?" Monika suggested.

"Something else, please?" Shujinkou begged. "My head can't take any more at the moment. I can't even make the usual chemistry between two people joke."

"Okay then… How about we play a game?" Monika suggested.

“What kind of game?” Shujinkou asked.

“Well, yesterday I found an app that gives out random dares and challenges,” Monika said. “How about we play a best out of 8 game?”

“Are there any stakes?” Shujinkou asked.

“Hmm…” Monika closed her eyes and contemplated that very question. “How about this? If you win, I’ll tell you about the story I’m working on. But if I win, you have to show me the drawing you were working on the other day. If we happen to get a tie, then no one has to reveal their secret projects."

Shujinkou silently turned away from Monika to consider the terms she laid out. On one hand, he really wanted to know about the story Monika was working on. But on the other hand, he wasn't too comfortable revealing the drawing she was referring too. He spent the next 5 minutes thinking until he finally reached a decision.

"Alright," he said with a confident grin. "Let's do this."

"Okay and remember, if you can't complete the challenge, then the opponent gets the point for that round," Monika explained.

"Right. What's the first challenge?" Shujinkou asked.

Monika glanced down on her phone and opened the app that was vital to their game.

"Your first challenge is to beat your opponent in a staring contest," Monika said.

"Okay," Shujinkou nodded.

From a simple count of 5, a game between two literature club members has begun. Despite just beginning, Shujinkou was filled with anxiety as he stared into Monika's eyes. They were the eyes of someone who wasn't going to give in to the challenge. It did not take long for Shujinkou to blink and lose the first challenge.

"Good game," Monika congragulated.

"I didn't even last a single minute…" Shujinkou sighed.

"Don't get down," Monika beamed. "We still have 7 more games."

Monika looked down at the phone again and announced her first challenge, "'Beat your opponent in a round of rock-paper-scissors.'"

"So, a game of luck," Shujinkou thought.

Despite the fact he had a 50/50 chance of winning, Shujinkou felt as if the game was already his. The two wasted no time in beginning the second round. Shujinkou choose paper as Monika picked scissors.

"Ugh…" Shujinkou moaned.

He was already starting to lose hope that he could win the game.

"Don't give up so soon, Shujinkou," Monika grinned. "We still have 6 more games."

"You know, I'm starting to think that you're going to win 4 to 0," Shujinkou sighed.

5 games later and Shujinkou was leading the game 4 to 3, a fact that, truthfully, he was having a hard time believing.

"Alright, time for the final challenge," Monika declared. "My final challenge is…"

Shujinkou watched the normally calm Monika become a flustered mess. What did the app say that could have such an effect on her?"

"What's the final challenge?" Shujinkou asked.

"I have to…" Monika silently stared at Shujinkou with bright red cheeks, causing his curiosity to skyrocket. I have to… kiss my opponent."

Shujinkou stared at Monika with a blank expression on his face as he tried to process what he just heard. 5…4…3…2…1…

"WHAT?!" his cheeks changed shades to match Monika's. That was the power the thought of Monika actually going through with the challenge had. "T-That's…"

He didn't know what to say. The prospect of sharing a kiss with Monika just didn't seem real. Just then, a thought of relieving properties entered his mind. He was sure Monika wouldn't go through with the challenge. Seeing the uncomfortable expression on her face reinforced that thought. He truly believed Monika would not kiss him, meaning that he would win the game and finally learn what kind of story she was writing.

But just as he was finally able to calm down, his anxiety rose to new heights as he felt Monika's soft lips firmly pressed against his own.

Soon, every thought in his head was washed away as all he could focus on what was happening right then and there. Forever seemed to pass by before their lips part, leaving Shujinkou in a mixed state of denial and acceptance. He looked away from her as he tried to think of something he could say that could break the awkward atmosphere.

“You… You really don’t want me to know about your story, do you?” he finally said.

“Not yet,” Monika smiled. It looked like her other smiles, but Shujinkou could sense that there was a hint of awkwardness behind it. “Looks like we have a draw.”

“Mm-hmm…” Shujinkou awkwardly nodded. “I guess I’ll still have to wait to find out what that story is.”

“At least no one lost,” Monika pointed out.

“Right…” Shujinkou mumbled.

He came over to receive help with Chemistry. He never expected to find himself in the position he was in now. The atmosphere was still very tense and he was unsure how to move forward.

“So, do you want to continue studying?” Monika asked.

“Sure,” Shujinkou instantly replied. “To be honest, I think that everything I learned today was knocked out of my head just now.”

“Sorry,” Monika apologized.

The two continued to study until night fell. Through sheer force of will, Shujinkou was able to give most of his focus to learning the material and raised his initial score of 0 to a 52.

“This is great, Shujinkou,” Monika congratulated.

“But I still failed the test,” Shujinkou sighed.

“That's true, but it’s still a massive improvement;” Monika pointed out. “If you continue to apply yourself, then you’ll be able to pass the class no problem.”

“You really think so?” Shujinkou queried.

“I’m sure of it,” his tutor assured him.

“Well, if you say so,” he chuckled as he scratched his right cheek. Even though he got a bad score on the test, Monika’s belief in him allowed a new kind of confidence to develop inside of him. “Well, I guess I better go before your parents come home.”

“Actually, my parents are out of town,” Monika corrected.

“Yours too?” Shujinkou marveled at such a coincidence.

“You mean your mother is also gone?” Monika replied.

“Yeah. She left while I was sleeping,” Shujinkou answered. “It’s kinda weird. She’s not really the going away type. Plus, she didn't tell me she was going anywhere in the first place.”

“So both of our parental figures are gone…” Monika noted. “You want to sleepover so that we won’t be all alone?”

“What?!” Shujinkou exclaimed once more.

“Just kidding,” Monika chuckled. “We couldn’t do something like that.”

“Right…” Shujinkou awkwardly nodded in agreement. He wasn’t sure if his heart could take anymore shocks.

Monika personally escorted Shujinkou to the front door and opened it, allowing the cold night air to welcome them.

“Good night, Shujinkou,” Monika waved goodbye as Shujinkou walked out her house.

“‘Night Monika and thanks for the help,” her appreciative student grinned.

Once Shujinkou was out of sight, Monika closed the front door and tidied up the 1^st floor before heading up to her room. The moment she stepped inside, the normally calm and collected girl dived into her bed and tightly hugged a cat shaped pillow.

“I can’t believe I did that,” she said as she gently caressed her lips. “I know it was to avoid losing, but still… I wonder if he thinks that was too forward of me.”

Monika eventually lessened her grip on the pillow and sighed.

“At least I was able to help him out like I promised,” she said. "That's good."

Meanwhile, Shujinkou recounted everything that happened as he continued his journey home.

"Kissing me so she wouldn't lose a game… I should probably give up and just wait for her to tell me about that story of hers," he sighed.

But just as he came across some form of closure on that topic, he then remembered that would be returning to an empty house.

"Really wonder where mom went," he thought. "I wonder if Granny Hisa knows. I should probably give her a call."

Chapter Text

"Check it out!" Natsuki proudly announced.

The pink-haired student placed a plate on one of the desks and eagerly pulled off the cover to reveal 24 handmade cookies for all to see.

"Whoa! They look awesome, Natsuki!" Sayori gushed as she marveled at the confections in front of her.

"Yep. Each one is has a word on it that, when put together, form a very short story," Natsuki proudly explained. "Just let me put them together and…"

Natsuki was quickly rendered speechless by the sight of Sayori scarfing down her 5^th cookie.

"SAYORI! NOW I CAN'T SHOW OFF MY LITERATURE COOKIES!" Natsuki roared.

"Eh? But I thought you made these for us to eat," the confused vice-president replied.

"NOT YET!" Natsuki fumed.

"Don't be mad, Natsuki, your cookies are still delicious," Monika complimented before taking another bite from one of the cookies.

"Ugh…" Natsuki groaned.

Then, from the corner of her eyes, Natsuki noticed Yuri was once again lost in one of her books.  Without saying a word, she gently grasped one of the cookies with a napkin, slowly made her way to the distant maiden and forced the treat in her line of sight.

"Eh?" brought back from her trip to the world of fiction; Yuri curiously looked up and found it strange that Natsuki was avoiding any form of eye contact. She then silently accepted the cookie and took a small bite out of it. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Natsuki casually shrugged. "Now I just have to make sure there's something left for anyone else that wants it."

The moment she finished that sentence, Natsuki realized something important.

"Hey… where's the only boy in our club?" she wondered aloud.

"Maybe he had to help a teacher with something," Monika hypothesized.

"Or maybe he's just spacing out somewhere again," Natsuki countered.

"It could both!" Sayori interjected before swallowing her 10^th cookie.

"SAYORI!" Natsuki exclaimed.

Contrary to his club mates' guesses, Shujinkou was actually in the middle of a very strange moment. He could do nothing but watch; confused to why Kiyoko was personally applying tape around the wound on his right palm as her team continued to practice their drills.

"Um… I could have put the band-aid on myself, Kiyoko," he finally said.

Kiyoko glanced up at Shujinkou.

"Oh, I don't mind," Kiyoko replied. "That said, you know you could have gone to nurse if you wanted something to patch up the wound. Why did you come here?"

"Well… I was doing something I'm trying to keep confidential and coming here seemed like a better way of keeping it that way," he answered as he scratched his right cheek. "Plus, I know that sport clubs have first-aid kits in case of injury so…"

"That sounds like the right move for whatever you're doing," Kiyoko tightened the tape around his hand and cut it from the rest of roll.

Shujinkou curiously looked down at his hand then back to Kiyoko.

"Anyway, thanks for your help, Kiyoko," thanked Shujinkou. "And… you didn't see me here."

"No problem and understood," Kiyoko smiled.

With his objective now complete, Shujinkou walked out of the school gym and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Glad she didn't push," he slightly chuckled.

Satisfied that he got part of he wanted to accomplish done, Shujinkou started to make his way to the club room, but his journey was soon cut short as attention was drawn towards a man struggling to carry two crates filled to capacity with an assortment of books.

Instinctively, he approached the struggling adult and reached for the top crate.

"Don't worry, teacher. I'll help you with this," Shujinkou said.

"Oh, thank you…" the teacher struggled to reply.

 Shujinkou grabbed the top crate for himself, allowing him to see the teacher he was helping and instantly regret his decision.

"Akuma!" he kept himself from saying out loud.

Once again, Shujinkou found himself in an encounter that left him speechless. He was face to face with someone that struck fear into one of his fellow club members without saying a word.

"Are you okay?" Akuma asked.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." Shujinkou quickly answered. "Where are we taking these?"

"To the library," Akuma answered. "Follow me, young scholar."

With no other choice, Shujinkou cautiously followed Akuma down the hallway.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he sulked.

Akuma then glanced back at Shujinkou, nearly causing him to break out in a nervous sweat.

"Have we met before?" Akuma asked.

"…I don't think so," Shujinkou answered.

He felt no shame in lying. If Akuma knew he had a connection to Yuri, it would not be a good thing for either of them.

"…Maybe I'm vilifying him too much," he thought. "But still, I shouldn't be too careful. After all, Yuri is terrified by him and was suspended once."

Fortunately, Shujinkou was able to spend the entire trip in silence as Akuma did not make an effort to continue the conversation. Once the job was done, Shujinkou was all too ready to make a quick escape.

"I think a reward is in order," Akuma suddenly said.

"What?" Shujinkou looked up at the man and couldn't help but feel uneasy as Akuma scratched his left cheek. "I don't need a reward."

"I insist," Akuma replied.

"O-Okay… What did you have in mind?" Shujinkou asked.

"Well… I honestly have no idea," Akuma awkwardly chuckled, scratching his left cheek once more.

Shujinkou moaned as Akuma tried to think of a reward.

"I got it," Akuma said.

Shujinkou nervously watched the man in front of him reach into his pocket. His mind was suddenly hit with a barrage of possible scenarios of what kind of dangerous things Akuma could pull out of it.

"How about some chocolate?" Akuma offered said item from his pocket.

"Um…" Suddenly all of the thoughts that previously filled him with fear filled him with nothing but embarrassment. "I don't know…"

"You sure? It's a high quality chocolate bar imported straight for Europe," Akuma added.

The teacher then went on to explain the origins of the chocolate bar, the quality of the ingredients that make it up and the rave reviews it has gotten. Shujinkou had to keep himself from drooling as he listened to Akuma's description.

"So, do you want it?" Akuma asked.

"Um… Alright," Shujinkou awkwardly reached for the bar of chocolate, accepted it and slowly inched it towards his mouth. He took a small bite and, the moment that small piece made contact with his tongue, instinctively showed the world how delighted he was. "Awesome…"

"It must be really good. Too be honest, I haven't really tasted it myself," Akuma chuckled.

"Yeah, it's really good," Shujinkou chuckled as he scratched his right cheek.

"Hm?" Akuma silently stared at Shujinkou, an act that caused him to once again feel nervous. "Wait a minute… You're that young man that was with Yuri that one time."

"Should've known this was gonna happen…" Shujinkou lamented in his head.

"Yes… I recognize your cheek scratching habit from before," Akuma added.

"Dang my cheek scratching tic…" Shujinkou muttered.

 "I'm hope I'm not overstepping the bounds that were set between student and teachers, but I have to admit that I'm a bit surprised to find out that she has a boyfriend," Akuma admitted in a casual tone of voice.

His last word quickly destroyed what were left of Shujinkou's mental defenses and caused his cheeks to glow bright red.

"B-?! I'm not-! We're not dating!" Shujinkou struggled to respond.

"My mistake then," Akuma replied as he scratched his left cheek. "…Are you sure?"

"I'm very certain that I'm pretty sure that I'm sure…" Shujinkou answered.

"Well, even if that's not the case, I'm very certain that I'm pretty sure that I'm sure that she's incredibly fond of you," Akuma said.

"W-What?" Shujinkou stammered. "What are you talking about? Why would you say that?"

"Well, based on my real life and fictional knowledge of the female gender, I can tell how much she likes you just by how comfortable she looked back then," Akuma explained.

"Are you saying that she-?"

"I never said that," Akuma interrupted. "Fondness can be used in many ways. It can be likened to how a son is very fond of his mother."

Shujinkou found the comparison strange when used in relation towards the relationship between Yuri and himself.

"So… you think that she thinks I'm a good friend?" asked Shujinkou.

"I can't be too sure young scholar. All I can say is that it is an impressive feat to make her feel comfortable around you," Akuma praised.

"It is?" Shujinkou knew that Yuri was always shy but he still found it weird that Akuma would talk about the subject like it was such a grand accomplishment. "Not that I'm trying to devalue befriending her."

"What was that?" Akuma asked.

"Huh? Oh nothing, teacher," Shujinkou replied.

"Anyway, thank you again for your help, young scholar," Akuma thanked.

"Uh, no problem…" Shujinkou awkwardly answered.

The two took their leave, allowing Shujinkou the chance to reflect on what just happened.

"This whole thing was just weird," he sighed. "That said… I have no idea why Yuri's afraid of him, but I still got a weird vibe from him. Heh, I've been treating this whole thing like it was an anime moment."

Worn out from his recent encounter, Shujinkou hoped for a quiet day at the Literature Club. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed the moment he stepped inside and caught a glimpse of Sayori and Natsuki fighting over a cookie.

"Come on, Natsuki! Just one more!" Sayori pleaded.

"This is the only one left!" Natsuki angrily countered.

"What's going on here?" Shujinkou asked.

Natsuki quickly turned towards Shujinkou and, with a determined look on her face, shoves the treat in his hands.

"What's-?"

"Just eat it!" Natsuki snapped.

Undeterred by her harsh tone, Shujinkou took a bite out of the cookie.

"Aw…" Sayori sulked.

"Finally," Natsuki sighed. "What took you so long, dummy? I've been saving that one for you for a really long time."

"Really? You went through all that for me?" Shujinkou asked.

"D-Don't say it like that!" Natsuki chided the confused male "I just wanted to make sure that everyone had one. That's all."

"Okay… Thanks anyway," Shujinkou thanked.

"It's no big deal…" Natsuki mumbled to herself.

Shujinkou's gaze then turned towards Yuri. Noticing this, Yuri smiled and waved at him, causing him to remember what Akuma had previously said to him. Remembering how flustered he got before, Shujinkou couldn't help but turn away to hide his uncomfortable expression.

"Is there something wrong with me today?" Yuri timidly wondered.

Chapter Text

"…I could let him do that and have her end up in that situation so she could develop as a character…" Shujinkou sat at his desk, recording all his ideas for his developing story. "Writing fanfiction is hard…"

Soon, every idea he had so far was transferred to the white sheet in front of him. A satisfied sigh slipped through his lips as he lazily leaned against the back of his chair. Now staring at the ceiling above him, a curious thought decided that now was the time to make itself known.

"I wonder where mom went," the curious child wondered aloud.

His grandmother did convince him not to question her about taking a sudden trip.

"Everyone's allowed at least one surprise trip," she said.

But ever since then, Hiro has been spending more and more time outside of the house. It was not like she was neglecting him and he knew she has a right to privacy but his curious side refused not to speculate to what was going on.

"Maybe she's…"

The sudden buzz of the front doorbell interrupted Shujinkou's train of thought. As he journeyed towards the front door, a new train of thought travelled down the railroad in his head. He was not expecting anyone to come to his house and his mother did not tell him to be on the lookout for anyone.

With no other way to satisfy his curiosity, Shujinkou opened the front door.

"Good morning, Shujinkou," Yuri greeted him.

"Hey, Yuri," he casually replied. It only took him ten seconds for him to realize something strange about this scenario. "Wait… How did you know where I lived?"

"Ah… Well, Sayori told me when we worked on our poster for the contest your grandmother held," Yuri calmly answered.

"Oh. Well, that explains that," Shujinkou replied.

Their conversation came to a halt as Yuri remained quiet, now sporting a worried expression on her face.

"Um…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he struggled to think of something to say. "…Do you want to come inside?"

It wasn't the first time he had a girl in his house, but Shujinkou still was struck with disbelief over the fact that those were the only words that came out of his mouth. He also found it a pretty awkward thing to say since the situation did not call for such a suggestion.

"Ah… Um…" Yuri struggled to maintain eye contact with Shujinkou as she considered his request. "That… would be helpful."

"Helpful?" Shujinkou wondered what that response meant as he guided his guest into his home.

"Do you want something to drink?" Shujinkou offered as they entered the kitchen.

"No thanks," Yuri answered.

They silently sat on opposite sides of the kitchen table and remained quiet for a full minute.

"So… What brings you here?" Shujinkou asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Ah… I needed to talk to you and I didn't have any way of contacting you," Yuri answered.

It was at that exact moment when Shujinkou he did not have any way of contacting Yuri either. Thinking about it though, he has never been in a situation where he needed her contact info.  

"That said… I felt like I should talk to you in person anyway," Yuri continued.

Yuri's vague answer sparked Shujinkou's curious nature. What could be so important that she would visit him on a Saturday?

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Well…" Yuri's face quickly turned bright red as she diverted her gaze; an act that only caused his curiosity to grow. Moments later, Yuri looked into Shujinkou's eyes. "I wanted to ask…"

She bit down on her lip as she struggled to finish her sentence.

"Will you be my boyfriend?!" Yuri asked.

Five full minutes passed before Shujinkou's brain fully processed the information his ears were fed.

"WHAT?!" Shujinkou exclaimed. Disbelief struck the greatly bewildered male. He could not believe what he what he was just asked. He then suddenly remembered the awkward conversation he had with Akuma, causing the already tense atmosphere to feel even more so. "W-Was… Was that just a confession?!"

 "NO!" shrieked Yuri.

"Wha-?!" Yuri's adamant response did nothing but confuse Shujinkou even more.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to yell," Yuri apologized, shyly placing her head in her hands. "It's just that… uhn…"

Shujinkou anxiously clutched his chest a he tried to calm down.

"Wh-What's going on?" Shujinkou forced himself to ask.

"Ah… Well, for a while now, my family has been concerned about the fact that I haven't been such a 'social butterfly'," Yuri explained.

"But you're part of a club," Shujinkou pointed out.

"True… But I think they think that I'm only there so they wouldn't worry about me," Yuri replied.

"And the asking the request for a boyfriend thing?" Shujinkou queried.

"Ah… That actually was my attempt to keep them from worrying over me," Yuri sheepishly admitted. "I thought if they thought I was in a relationship, they wouldn't be burdened with their concern for me."

"Oh, well…" As strange as the situation was, Shujinkou could somewhat see the intention behind Yuri's reason. "But why did you ask me to be your boyfriend?"

"Because my parents asked me to invite my boyfriend over for lunch tomorrow…" Yuri shyly answered.

"Oh…" the confusion that clouded Shujinkou's mind started to clear. "They kinda put you in a tough spot."

Yuri silently nodded her head.

"That said it would probably be better if you asked someone else to be your pretend boyfriend. Believe me, I wouldn't be such a good one," Shujinkou awkwardly chuckled as he scratched his right cheek.

"I can't do that," Yuri said.

"Why not?" Shujinkou asked despite part of him fearing what the answer could be.

"Because when they asked me to describe my 'boyfriend'… I really described you. I told them that he was a relatively new member of the club who enjoyed drawing and was very creative and understanding," Yuri admitted.

"I wouldn't say that I'm creative or understanding…" Shujinkou mumbled.

"I also gave them a very accurate visual description of you," Yuri continued.

"Ah… So, it's me or bust…" Shujinkou concluded.

"I'm sorry, Shujinkou! It's just that I didn't want them to worry and you were the only boy I'm familiar with!" Yuri apologized, once more placing her head in her hands.

"No need to apologize, Yuri. It's not like I'm mad or anything," consoled Shujinkou.

But even if he was not angry, Shujinkou did feel conflicted. Putting aside his disbelief that he somehow ended up in such a situation, he was unsure of what he should do. He didn't want to lie but he also could not help someone he spent a good amount of time with. He scratched his right cheek as he pondered. What should he do?

Suddenly, an angel appeared on his left shoulder to aid him in his dilemma.

"Calm yourself, Shujinkou. There is no need to fret," the angel said.

Shujinkou could not believe what he seeing. There was an angel on his shoulder that looked a lot like…

"Mickey?!" he exclaimed.

"Hey there, Shujinkou," Mickey waved.

"Wait, I thought shoulder angels are supposed to be miniature versions of the conflicted individual," Shujinkou said.

"Don't look at me; I'm just a figment of your imagination," Mickey shrugged.

"So, I'm daydreaming?" Shujinkou asked.

"Sorta. You're in that in-between point where you're slightly detached from reality but can be easily snapped back. It also has the benefit of not making the dreamer look like they're spacing out," Mickey explained.

"Oh," Shujinkou accepted.

"Anyway, you're not going to refuse to help a friend are you? Mickey asked.

"Of course he won't!"

Shujinkou's gaze shifted to his right shoulder where his angel's counterpart appeared.

"Mickey?" he gasped. "You're my shoulder devil too?"

"Hey, you think Disney is a pure good company?" Devil Mickey snickered.

"I really don't want to get into that discussion…" Shujinkou mumbled.

"Anyway, stop being a wimp and just help your friend," Devil Mickey said.

"Wait, I thought you were supposed to tempt me into doing the wrong thing," Shujinkou was surprised that the physical manifestation of his dark side wanted him to help.

"I am tempting you," Devil Mickey smirked. "You're lying. You go along with this fiasco and you'll be lying to people."

"Oh…" Shujinkou muttered. He then turned to the angel on his other shoulder. "So, I guess that means you'll say I shouldn't help."

"Actually, I still think you should help," Angel Mickey replied.

"You're agreeing with the other guy?" all of the surprise and confusion Shujinkou had to endure in under an hour was beginning to hurt his head.

"Shujinkou, can you live with yourself if you don't help a friend in need?" Angel Mickey inquired.

"You know I can't…" Shujinkou admitted in a somber tone.

"It's not like you should feel conflicted in the first place. After all, it's not like you'd be lying to people you actually know," Devil Mickey added. "You can lie to strangers. People do all the time. In fact, this should be really easy for you."

"What makes you say that?" Shujinkou asked.

"You've lied to people you are pretty familiar with," Devil Mickey said. "Like when you told Natsuki you had a good time with your father during your stay at your grandmother's resort."

"You had to bring that up…" Shujinkou moaned as he remembered what happened the last time he faced his father. "You're harsh."

"Devil," Devil Mickey pointed to the sharp horns that protrude from his round head.

"Okay, you guys can leave," Shujinkou sighed. "I think I want to think about this alone."

The two beings on his shoulder vanished from sight, giving him the peace he desired. Just then, Shujinkou encountered a past memory that allowed him to finally decide what he wanted to do.

Shujinkou shook himself awake, finally ready to answer Yuri's request.

"…Alright. I'll help you out, Yuri," Shujinkou decided.

"Really?" Yuri's face lit up. "Thank you, Shujinkou."

"Hey, what are fake boyfriends for?" Shujinkou chuckled as he scratched his right cheek.

"Really, I do appreciate your willingness to help me with such a task," Yuri said. "Even if it's just because you're taking pity on me."

"What makes you think that?" Shujinkou inquired.

"Well, I can't think of any other reason you would help…" Yuri somberly admitted.

"Well…" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his cheek once more. "I told you before. If a friend needs me to be there, then I'll be there to help. That's all there is to it."

"Ah… That's right…" Yuri slightly giggled as she diverted her gaze. "…Thanks…"

"Like I said, what are fake boyfriends for?" Shujinkou chuckled.

Chapter Text

"This is the place…" Shujinkou thought as he stared at a single doorbell. "All I have to is press the button right in front of me."

That action seemed to be easier said than done as Shujinkou hands felt as if they weighed two hundred tons each.

"Come on arms; don't give out on me now. I mean I already came all this way," Shujinkou mumbled. "Just. Got. To. Ring. The. Doorbell."

Just then, the door in front of him opened. It was at that very moment when all the tension in his body disappeared as he stared into the curious purple eyes of a little girl. Her matching hair was pulled back into a single ponytail and her fingers were tightly wrapped around a small bear. Upon closer inspection of the stuffed doll, Shujinkou was surprised to find that it had quite a few stitches running along its body.

"Who are you?" the girl asked.

"Huh? Oh, I'm Shujinkou," Shujinkou calmly introduced himself.

"You're Shujinkou?" the small girl's eyes scanned his body from top to bottom. Her prying eyes invoked a sense of fear in Shujinkou. He could not help but assume that he already made a mistake as the girl continued to visually inspect him. Her inspection soon came to a halt and they once again stared into each other's eyes. Suddenly, a big smile formed on her face. "You're as cute as Yuri described."

"Wha-?!" Shujinkou was taken aback by such a forward response.

"This whole time I thought she was embellishing the description, but nope, she was pretty accurate," the girl continued.

"Um, thanks, uh…"

"I'm Yuki, Yuri's kid sister," the surprisingly bright girl lifted her stuffed toy as far as she could, barely reaching Shujinkou's face. "And this is Grimm Bear. Grimm for short."

"I didn't know Yuri had a little sister," Shujinkou said, slightly mesmerized by the unique looking doll.

"That's not surprising. I mean, she didn't mention you until recent events led to her mentioning you," Yuki said.

Yuki lowered Grimm and gripped Shujinkou's hand.

"Well, let's not just stand out here. Let's head in," Yuki grinned as she led the visitor into her house.

Shujinkou was taken aback by Yuki's bright and forward attitude. He didn't expect it from anyone related to Yuri.

"So, uhm, where's Yuri?" Shujinkou asked.

He knew that it would be best not to interact with anyone too much without her.

"She's busy doing something right now and mom and dad are out. So it looks like I'll have to be your host until then," Yuki giggled.

Closing the door behind them, Yuki wasted no time in leading her guest upstairs and into her room. Toys, posters, stickers… It was all what one would expect from a little girl's room except for one little detail. Every doll and blanket in the room was held together by a plethora of stitches.

"Wow…" Shujinkou muttered. "Someone must have been really mad."

"Not really. I did all of this with a relatively calm head," Yuki casually replied.

"Why?" Shujinkou asked without thinking.

"Because I think it looks cooler that way," bubbled Yuki as she looked down at Grimm.

"Well, it does give the room a unique look," Shujinkou said, glancing around the room a second time.

"Exactly! Anyway, let's play while we wait for the others!" beamed Yuki.

"O-Okay…" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek as he agreed to the sudden request. It was the last thing he expected to participate in. Of course, he couldn't find it in him to deny her request.  "What do you want to play?"

"Let's roleplay Rotkäppchen!" she suggested.

"Huh?" Shujinkou shot his host a confused look. He had no idea what the last word she said was.

"It's the untranslated German name of Little Red Riding Hood," Yuki casually explained. "I'll be Rotkäppchen and you can be the Wolf."

Shujinkou silently watched Yuki dig through her closet and pull out a small red rood along with a pair of wolf ears.

"Wait a minute…" Yuki's eyes scanned Shujinkou once more. "Are you capable of being a good villain?"

"I think I can," Shujinkou answered.

"You sure?" doubt was plastered all over Yuki's as she asked again.

"Pretty sure I can pull it off," Shujinkou insisted.

"Can you do a roar?" Yuki asked.

"I have…" he paused as he wondered how to finish that sentence. "I have some experience."

"Do a roar," Yuki requested.

"You mean right now?" Shujinkou didn't feel too comfortable raising his voice outside of his house. For all he knew, he could start yelling just as Yuri's parents came home. He really didn't want to take that risk and ruin his chance at a good first impression.

"Yeah!" Yuki beamed. "Do it now!"

"Okay then," Unable to deny her request again, Shujinkou cleared his throat, closed his eyes and unleashed a roar that even a mouse would laugh at. The blank look he caught upon opening his eyes caused him to turn red with embarrassment.

"Can't you do a better roar than that?" Yuki questioned.

Refusing to back down from Yuki's challenge, Shujinkou closed his eyes once more and roared as loud as he could.

"Whoa… That was a good one," Yuki clapped.

Despite thinking doing such a thing would lead to negative consequences, the happiness that lied on Yuki's face allowed Shujinkou to feel satisfied over his achievement.

Now ready to take on his given role, He placed the fake ears on his head and officially became one of many literary Big Bad Wolves.

Once they begun, it did not take long for them both to be fully absorbed in the story they were acting out.

"Why grandma, what a deep voice you have!" Yuki noted.

"The better to greet you with," Shujinkou responded, his nice tone layered with malicious intent.

"Goodness, what big eyes you have!" Yuki gasped.

 "The better to see you with," Shujinkou snarled.

"And what big hands you have!" Yuki continued.

"The better to hug you with," Shujinkou raised his arms with a devious expression on his face.

"What a big mouth you have," Yuki said.

"The better to eat you with!" Shujinkou lunged for his intended victim.

"Shujinkou?"

He immediately stopped mid-attack and looked towards the bedroom door. Embarrassment was all he felt as he locked eyes with Yuri.

"H-Hey, Yuri," Shujinkou waved, trying his hardest to not show how embarrassed he felt.

"Ah, when did you get here?" Yuri asked.

"Not too long ago," Shujinkou answered.

"Since you were so busy when he got here, I took it upon myself to story play with your boyfriend," Yuki interjected. "He makes a good Big Bad Wolf."

"The one from Rotkäppchen," Shujinkou sheepishly added. By the way, what were you doing when I got here?"

"Ah, well…" Yuri diverted her gaze as she suddenly stopped herself from saying any more.

"She was taking one of her relaxation baths," Yuki said in a casual manner.

"Yuki!" Yuri exclaimed.

"You weren’t doing that?" Yuki asked with a perplexed expression on her face.

"I was… But I didn't want it said out loud," Yuri stammered.

"I don't really get why but sorry, Yuri," Yuki apologized. "Anyway, my job's done. Why don't you take over from here, sis?"

Not giving her a chance to respond, Yuki gripped Shujinkou's hand, led him out of her room and shut the door behind him.

"Yuki's really forward," Shujinkou chuckled.

"I'm sorry I wasn't available to meet you at the door," Yuri apologized.

"It's no big deal," Shujinkou assured her. " I enjoyed hanging out with your sister."

"That's good," Yuri replied with a small smile on her face.

Silence once again overtook one of their conversations.

"So, what should we do now?" Shujinkou asked.

"Take him to your room, sis!" Yuki cheered from the other side of the door.

"Ah… I don't think our parents would like that," Yuri nervously replied.

"But you two are dating!" Yuki pointed out.

"That kind of makes even more impossible to get their consent, Yuki," Shujinkou replied.

"…I guess you could do boyfriend/girlfriend things downstairs," Yuki suggested.

"I guess we can do that," Shujinkou agreed.

"Ah… right," Yuri nodded her head.

Following Yuki's suggestion, the two made their way into the living room.

"Thanks again for coming here today, Shujinkou," thanked Yuri.

"It's no big deal," Shujinkou replied, scratching his right cheek. "So, where are your parents?"

"Well, my father had to go away on a last minute business trip and my mother is out shopping for food," Yuri answered. "I don't know when she'll be back."

"Oh… So, what do you want to do until she gets back?" Shujinkou asked.

"Well… I guess we could talk," Yuri suggested.

Shujinkou's eyes widened with surprise.

"What is it?" Yuri asked, visibly worried.

"Nothing," Shujinkou replied. "It's just that it's kind of weird hearing you say that. Especially when you remember that you didn't really seem to be one for talking to me when we first met."

"I-It's not that I didn't ever want to talk to you. It's just…" Yuri anxiously diverted her gaze. "I thought that if I did… you wouldn't want to talk to me."

"Why would you think that?" Shujinkou asked.

"Because it wouldn't be the first time that would have happened," Yuri admitted in a sorrowful voice. "That's why I was afraid at first. Ugh, you must have thought that I didn't like you."

"I didn't think that," Shujinkou assured her. "Honestly, I just thought you would rather not be bothered while you were reading. You kinda look like you're a million miles away when you read."

"Ah… Is that a bad thing?" Yuri worriedly asked.

"It's not anything," Shujinkou shrugged. "Just an observation."

"Well… you look the same way when you're lost in your thoughts," Yuri calmly replied.

Shujinkou was shocked by what he just heard.

"W-Was that a lighthearted jab?" he asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Ah… I guess it was," Yuri giggled with red cheeks.

"I honestly didn't think you had any of them in you," Shujinkou chuckled.

"Well, I guess they aren't so hard for me to do… At least when it's you I do it with," Yuri smiled.

The simple sound of a door opening was enough to put a halt to their conversation. The two anxiously turned their attention towards the front of the house and watched an adult woman enter the residence. Like Yuri and Yuki, her hair and eyes were a matching purple and her arms were wrapped around a small brown bag. She closed the door behind her and glanced towards the two nearby high school students.

"Oh my… I didn't expect you to arrive so early," the woman smiled.

Her gentle smile was all it took for any form of anxiety to leave Shujinkou. He silently watched her approach him, wondering what the stranger was thinking.

"Ah… You're as handsome as Yuri described you to be," she said.

"Uhm…" Shujinkou turned his attention to Yuri, who could only respond by placing her face in her hands. With two compliments in hand, he couldn't help but wonder exactly how Yuri visually described him to her family.

"Though she seemed to have forgotten to mention that you were part wolf," the lady continued.

Shujinkou didn't know what she meant by that comment until he remembered that he never removed Yuki's wolf ears from his head. Embarrassed by that oversight, he quickly reached for the ears and placed them on a nearby stand.

"My name is Shujinkou," he properly introduced himself.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Shujinkou. I'm Yumi," another gentle smiled from Yumi absolved any embarrassment Shujinkou felt.

"Would you like me to take those out of your hands?" Shujinkou offered.

"Oh my, that's nice of you to ask, but I couldn't let a guest do such a thing," Yumi replied.

"I don't mind," Shujinkou insisted.

"Well, if you insist," Yumi gave the bag to Shujinkou. The moment it was in his hands, he realized that the bag was heavier than it appeared.

"Whoa…" Shujinkou mumbled as he staggered towards the kitchen.

"He seems to be a considerate fellow," Yumi said to her daughter.

"Yeah… He likes to help people…" Yuri's cheeks turned red as a small smile formed on her face, something that did not pass by Yumi unnoticed.

Just then, Yuki energetically climbed down the stairs and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"Mom, Yuri's boyfriend is here! He was the wolf to my Little Red Cap!" bubbled Yuki as she excitedly described the time she spent with Shujinkou.

"Oh my…" Yumi gently stroked Yuki's head. "Seems like you two started having fun without me."

"So what are having for lunch?" Yuki queried.

"Actually, on my way home, I had a thought," Yumi smiled. "Instead of having lunch here, what if we go to the amusement park instead?"

"Really?!" Yuki's eyes lit up with excitement. "That sounds great!"

"Ah…" the sentiment was not shared by Yuri. "That's such a sudden change of plans."

"Are you worried Shujinkou wouldn't like the idea?" Yumi asked.

"It's not exactly what he agreed too…" Yuri thought.

As if on cue, Shujinkou walked out of the kitchen, surprised that he had become the center of attention.

"Did I do something wrong?" he wondered aloud.

"No, we were just wondering if you would like to go to the amusement park instead of having lunch here," Yumi proposed.

"An amusement park sounds fun," Shujinkou answered.

"That was a quick response," Yuki noted.

Unlike the last time, Yuri agreed with that sentiment.

"Well then, now that we all agreed, let's make our way to the amusement park," Yumi smiled.

Chapter Text

Monika laid spread across the side of her bed with a book in hand, yet her mind was on other things. For reasons she couldn't understand, she kept thinking about her previous study session with Shujinkou. Every moment that was shared in the household played out like a movie in her mind with one moment in particular bringing about an idea that brought a smile to her face.

"I wonder if I could make that happen…" she thought aloud.

Meanwhile, Yuki tightened her grip on her mother's hand as excited thoughts rushed through her head.

"Hey, Mom, do you think they'll let Grimm on the rides with me?" Yuki asked.

"We'll have to ask, but I don't think there will be any problem," Yumi answered with a gentle smile.

Behind the two, Shujinkou couldn't stop wondering when the first opportunity to grab some cotton candy would present itself.

"Ah…" Shujinkou turned to his left and looked into Yuri's worried eyes. "Sorry for interrupting your thought process, but I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"What is it?" Shujinkou queried.

 "How come you agreed to this sudden change of plans?" Yuri asked. "It's not what you agreed to after all."

"Well, it's not like it’s a bad change…" Shujinkou replied.

"Even so… I'm sorry for the change," Yuri apologized.

"No need to apologize," Shujinkou replied. "It's not like you could have predicted any of this and I'm starting to get used to handling unforeseen events."

"I don't think anyone can ever do that," Yuri slightly smiled.

"Maybe get used to it happening," Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he pondered whether his own response made any sense. He quickly stopped after a couple of seconds and shrugged. "I don't know. Point is there is no need for you to worry."

"Worry about what?" the two felt a chill crawl down their spine as they looked into Yuki's curious eyes. She then raised her stuffed toy up to her ear and nodded her head in agreement. "Grimm also wants to know what there's to worry about."

"Eh, nothing," Shujinkou chuckled to hide his anxiety. "Right, Yuri?"

"Ah… Yeah," Yuri agreed. "Nothing at all…"

"That's good," Yumi interjected. "We wouldn't want anything to put a damper on such a nice day. Right, Shujinkou?"

"Uh, yeah," Shujinkou nodded his head.

Yumi smiled at the young man, easing any concern he had. At that point, all Shujinkou could think about was how he never met a woman that had an aura of "overwhelming calmness."

"That's good," she said. "Especially since we've finally arrived."

Shujinkou's eyes lit up as they stepped into the amusement park. Seeing the many games and attractions was enough to delight his inner child.  But the moment did not last as he felt something tug on his left sleeve. Shujinkou looked down and met eyes with Yuki.

"What do you think we should do first?" she beamed.

"I don't think it's my place to choose," Shujinkou replied.

"But you're our guest. You should choose," Yuki reached out and grabbed her elder sister's arm. "Right, Yuri?"

"Well…" Yuri paused mid-sentence and closed her eyes. "Only if he wants to…"

Surprise rendered Yuki silent and the young girl glanced at the two arms she had in her grasp. In one quick movement, she moved their hands closer and tied them together.

"Oh my…" a curious expression formed on Yumi's face as she watched her daughter instinctively place her head in her remaining hand.

In response to such a surprise, Shujinkou silently raised their hands over Yuki's head and separated them.

"Sorry, Yuki, Yuri's still not used to that," Shujinkou chuckled as he scratched his right cheek.

Still afflicted with silence, Yuki raised Grimm up to her left ear.

"Grimm thinks that must be awkward on your part," she finally said.

"I guess so, but I wouldn't want to push her into doing something she was uncomfortable with," Shujinkou replied.

Yuki looked at her older sister then back to Shujinkou. She then squeezed his free hand and eagerly led him further into the amusement park.

"Yuki's seems to have taken to Shujinkou," Yumi noted.

"Yeah…" Yuri was very relieved by that fact as it makes things easier for the two of them. But despite the charade that was going on… "I'm really glad that they're getting along."

 "Still, we can't let them have all the fun," Yumi gently placed her hand against her daughter's back. "We should get into it to."

"But what should we do first?" Yuri asked.

Moments later, the four were strapped into the seats of the local drop tower. A single drop of sweat crawled down Shujinkou's face as he stared at the ground.

"Now probably wouldn't be a good time to mention that I have an intense fear of heights, would it?" fretted Shujinkou, his hands magnetized to the handle bars.

"Really? Then why did you agree to this?" Yuki queried.

Shujinkou could ask himself the same thing, but he already knew the answer.

"Because I was suffering from one of the rare moments where I decided to try something new against my better judgment…" he whimpered.

"Ah, well…" Yuri stayed silent for a moment. "I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks."

"Plus, everyone is tightly secured so there's no reason to worry about anything bad happening," Yumi assured him with a gentle smile.

Shujinkou appreciated their attempts to alleviate his fears, but they were eventually rendered pointless the moment his feet were no longer connected to the ground. His already tight grip on the handle bars grew tighter and tighter as he was gradually forced upwards.  Suddenly, the ride came to a stop, allowing Shujinkou to see the immediate area at an angle he never wanted to see it at.

"'The things I do for love…'" Shujinkou gulped; that one quote being the only thing he could think of that could describe whatever possessed him to get on the ride.

His heart dropped as the ride dropped and stopped when the ride stopped. The ride then jolted up then back down in a pattern that, at least for Shujinkou, went on for several agonizing minutes. Just as he thought he couldn't take anymore, the ride came to another stop before gentle lowering the passengers back to the ground.

Now free for the experience, Shujinkou eagerly stood up and stumbled over to a nearby bench.

"Oh my… Maybe we should have chosen another ride," fretted Yumi as she watched her daughter's guest tremble. "Are you okay, Shujinkou?"

He slowly stood on his feet and turned around chuckling.

"I won't lie; I was really scared. But at the same time I have to admit that it was kinda fun," he said, scratching his right cheek.

"So you want to ride it again?" Yuki's eyes lit up at the possibility of enjoying the ride again.

"I didn't have that much fun," Shujinkou quickly replied. "Maybe we should try something a bit… a lot closer to the ground…"

"I think I have a suggestion that fits those parameters," Yumi said.

Anxiety took hold of Shujinkou as he wondered what ride he would have to ride on next. That slight fear stayed with him until they arrived at the next ride, where it was immediately replaced by surprise.

"Spinning tea cups?" he thought aloud..

"It's a childhood favorite of mine," Yumi smiled to herself. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, I don't mind," Shujinkou replied. Looking back at the ride, he realized something he never even thought of. "Now that I think about it… I don't think I ever rode on this ride before."

"Never?" Yuki's eyes lit up with surprise.

"The closest I ever got was in a video game," Shujinkou answered as he scratched his right cheek.

"Oh my… Then I must insist that we ride this ride," Yumi insisted.

Answering with nothing but a simple nod of the head, Shujinkou followed the others onto the ride. Each teacup had a maximum capacity of two riders, forcing the group to split into two pairs.

Shujinkou and Yuri sat in one of the cups and waited for the ride to begin.

"Your mom must really like this ride for her to insist I try it," he said.

"Ah… She thinks everyone should ride this ride at least once in their life," Yuri replied with a solemn expression.

"What's wrong?" Shujinkou asked.

"Earlier when Yuki placed our hands together…" Yuri cheeks grew red as she glanced at her palms. "I got so nervous that I almost ruined everything."

"I don't think they took that too seriously," Shujinkou assured her. "In fact, I think it was actually in character."

"Ah… Well, I am pretty terrible with other people," she admitted, a sorrowful expression replacing her solemn on as she said that.

"I didn't mean it like that," he replied, scratching his right cheek. "I just mean that some people don't like showing any signs of affection in public."

"Something like that would seem troublesome, at least when today's concerned…" Yuri concluded.

Without saying another word, Yuri slowly inched her way towards Shujinkou until their shoulders touched. He felt his soul tense up as he once again felt her soft, subtle hand squeeze his and raised them up to their faces.

"Uh…" he glanced at their entwined hands and then at Yuri. The look on her face combined with her heavy breathing transformed a out of nowhere action into an intimate moment. "Y-"

The teacup started to spin; the sudden start was all it took to push Yuri into Shujinkou's arms. His entire face turned red as he felt her breasts press up against him and would remain that way until the ride stopped. No words were said as they reunited with the group.

 But the silence did not last as they continued on through the day riding more, playing carnival games and enjoying the sweet taste of the park's cotton candy.

Later that evening, placed ordered food from one of the park's restaurants and found a table to sit at. Once they were all settled, Shujinkou stood up and came back with enough napkins for everyone.

"Oh my, what manners," Yumi complimented.

"Not really…" Shujinkou replied. "Just how I was raised."

"I see…" Yumi said.

"You two are in a literature club together, right?" Yuki asked.

"Yeah," Shujinkou nodded.

"You don't really look like the literature club type," Yuki said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You wouldn't be the first one to say that…" Shujinkou awkwardly chuckled. He honestly would have been surprised if that phrase hasn't been said. "But I like to think I'm slowly getting there."

"To be honest, your progress with literary concepts has been very impressive," Yuri complimented. "I was especially impressed during the discussion about antagonists."

"Really?" a surprised look appeared on Shujinkou's face. "I honestly think I blundered my way through it."

"Well… I don't think you blundered at all," Yuri insisted.

"Thanks. But still…" Shujinkou closed his eyes and sighed as he remembered that previous discussion. "Sometimes I can't remember that antagonist does not equal villain. There are times that when the protagonist of the story is morally a villain and the protagonist is the good guy. And then there are moments when you follow a protagonist that starts out as a hero but in the end becomes a villain in which you have to pay close attention from when he goes to hero protagonist to villain antagonist.

And to add on to my confusion of the topic, there was this one story I followed where the protagonists are pretty good people and are unaware that the organization they work for are actually bad people. Thing is one of the antagonist is a protagonist/former antagonist from one of the previous stories that needs them to help his friend. Around the end the main protagonist leaves the organization, his equally good friend antagonizes him and he has to fight the other morally good antagonist, causing me to lose sight of what the terms protagonist and antagonist means.

Overall, that's why I feel like I blundered through that discussion."

Shujinkou opened his eyes and was surprised by the stunned expressions on the others' faces.

"…Are you sure you blundered through that conversation?"  You sounded like you knew what you were talking about," Yuki pointed out.

"I did?" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, wondering if what he was just told was true.

"Despite the self-depreciation, it sounds like you understand the subject," Yumi said. "Of course, I can understand that there are situations that make a person drop the protagonist and antagonist titles when it comes to morally ambiguous stories."

"Huh…" Shujinkou took a sip from his drink as he thought about what he was just told. "She is definitely Yuri's mother."

Just then, Yuki let out a loud yawn.

"Seems like you had enough fun for today," Yumi said.

"Not yet. There's still something I want to do," the young girl turned her attention to Yuri. "Let's go checkout the new haunted house."

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Yuri queried.

"Yeah," she eagerly nodded her head.

Yuri turned to Shujinkou, now sporting a worried expression.

"Ah…"

"I'll be good," Shujinkou assured her.

With a simple nod of the head, Yuri stood up and led Yuki away from the table.

"Um…" Shujinkou anxiously scratched his right cheek as met eyes with Yumi. "I have no idea what to say."

"There's no need to be so nervous," Yumi assured him. "But now that we're alone, I can properly thank you for going along with Yuri's charade."

"Eh?" Shujinkou's anxiety shot up as those words registered in his brain. "I'm confused."

"To be perfectly honest, I didn't expect her to go so far as to actually bring a boy home to pretend to be her boyfriend," Yumi continued.

"…How long did you know?" Shujinkou asked.

"Pretty much from the start," she answered.

Regret was all that Shujinkou could feel at that moment.

"I'm sorry for lying to you and Yuki," he apologized.

"No need to apologize," Yumi gently smiled. "I'm actually quite glad that you did."

"You are?" Shujinkou was surprised to hear that. Just then, he remembered the conversation he had with his conscience yesterday and thought, "Am in a situation where the angel and devil were both right?!"

"You see, we've always concerned about Yuri and with what happened last year, it's nice to see that she has a friend that would put himself in an awkward position just so she wouldn't be called out for lying," Yumi said. "If she has as good of a relationship with the rest of the club that she has with you, then I don't think that we'll have much to worry about anymore."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he thought about what he was told. Despite having failing the task that was given to him, the end result was even better than what it would have been if he succeeded.

"Are you going to talk to Yuri about this?" he asked.

"Well, I would like everything to be out in the open. But if you're referring to her getting in trouble, then there is no need for you to worry," Yumi assured him.

"That's good," Shujinkou breathed a sigh of relief, which caused the woman next to him to giggle in response.

"You really are a considerate fellow," she said.

"I'm not that considerate," he replied.

Just then, Yuri approached the two, carrying a sleeping Yuki.

"She fell asleep while in line," Yuri said.

"I guess that means that it's time to head on home," Yumi said.

An unexpected yawn that slipped through her guest's lips was all she needed to see to know that he agreed.

"It was very nice meeting you, Shujinkou," Yumi gently smiled.

"Likewise," Shujinkou replied.

He then turned to Yuri.

"See you at school tomorrow," Shujinkou raised his hand and waved goodbye.

"Mm-hmm," Yuri nodded her head in response.

Shujinkou turned and left the amusement park. A sense of accomplishment and relief welled up inside him as he began his journey home.

"Well, this whole scenario turned out better than I thought," he couldn't help but grin over how the situation he was brought into ended.

Just then, a familiar entity appeared on his left shoulder.

"Looks like everything worked out," Devil Mickey said.

"Yep," Angel Mickey appeared on his right shoulder, playing a few angelic notes on his harp. "I think we all learned something important today."

"Yeah, lying solves all problems," Devil Mickey replied.

"No. What we learned is that good character will always lead to the best results," Angel Mickey said.

"And he was only able to show his good character by lying," Devil Mickey smirked.

"But he was helping, which shows good character," Angel Mickey argued.

"Help someone lie to their family," Devil Mickey sneered. "Face it, I won this round."

"What?! But you didn't corrupt his good character! Which I mean won!" Angel Mickey yelled.

"Can't we just call it a draw?" Shujinkou suggested.

"NO!" the two Mickeys screamed.

Chapter Text

"WAIT!"

He's heard this single word a few times, but it was only at this moment when it seemed to reach Shujinkou. He curiously turned back towards direction the voice and watched Sayori vigorously run towards him. The moment she caught up to him, the young girl tripped over her own feet and was forced to let gravity brutally guide her to the ground

"Are you okay?!" Shujinkou immediately fell down on his knees and checked on his friend.

"Yeah. I'm…" a pained expression instinctively formed on Sayori's face as she clutched her left leg. Shujinkou glanced at the leg she held and noticed a large purple knob protruding from her ankle near. "I think I hurt myself again…"

"It looks like you sprained your ankle," Shujinkou said.

"You think I would be immune to sprains considering how much I fall over myself," Sayori chuckled.

"I don't think that's possible," Shujinkou said as he scratched his right cheek.

Without saying another word, Shujinkou turned around and crouched down as far as he could.

"What are you doing?" Sayori asked.

"Letting you get on my back," Shujinkou replied.

"Eh?!" Sayori's cheeks burned red as he motioned her to get on his back. "You don't need to do that."

"What are you talking about? This is the only way you'll get to school and have the nurse check your sprain," Shujinkou pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's…" he watched Sayori nervously laugh as she averted her gaze. "That's just…"

Confusion and concern was all Shujinkou could feel. Sayori's hesitation to do something that she done before time and time again in the past was too strange for him to comprehend. But before he could say anything, Sayori reached for his shoulders and slowly lifted herself up on his back.

He was glad that she finally accepted his offer, but he couldn't help but blush as he felt her breasts press up against his back. Soldiering through the initial shock, Shujinkou gently lifted Sayori's legs up and continued to travel down the daily path to school.

"Hey, Shujinkou…" Sayori said.

"Yeah?" Shujinkou replied.

"How come you didn't wait for me?" she asked.

"Oh… Sorry. I was kinda out of it up till now," he apologized as he scratched his right cheek.

"Oh. Well there something I really need to talk to you about," she chortled.

"Talk about what?" Shujinkou asked.

"I think I got an idea that can help the club get more notice," Sayori happily announced. "You can draw a poster so we can advertise ourselves."

"A poster that will draw people to the Literature Club?" Shujinkou wondered if he could actually do that.

"Yeah. It's like what Granny Hisa did. If people highschool posters can be used to attract new customers to her spa resort, then why can't we do the same?" Sayori explained.

"To be fair, Granny Hisa's place was already really popular, Sayori," Shujinkou pointed out. "I don't think it would be that easy for us."

"Well, we won't know unless we try, right?" Sayori articulated.

He could not argue with that, nor could he deny that he would happy to contribute something to the club. Once they arrived at the school, Shujinkou brought Sayori to the nurse's office and promised to check on her after school was over.

The moment he stepped out of the room, the daydreaming student was immediately approached by the Student President.

"Shujinkou, I was wondering where you were at," Fuyu waved.

"Really? Did you need me for something?" Shujinkou asked.

"Actually…" adjusting her glasses, Fuyu's expression changed from that of a fellow student to that of a no-nonsense official. "There is something I like for you to do."

"Uh…" a chill crawled down Shujinkou's spine as he tried his hardest to not to look away from her icy stare. Despite knowing she has a friendly side, he still had a hard time facing her presidential side.

No more words were exchanged as Fuyu led Shujinkou to her office. Upon entering the room, his eyes were immediately drawn to the couch. There was another student in the room with them and he couldn't help but notice how she didn't respond to them entering the area. He didn't want to stare, but he did look long enough to note her medium length raven hair; part of it covering one of her matching eyes. He also noticed that the sleeves of her uniform were long enough to hide her hands and the dark gray beanie on her head almost caused him to speak up and question the dress code violation.

"Shujinkou, I would like to introduce you to Reizo. Though I have been told that you may call her Rei," the moment Fuyu said her name, the girl silently looked up at them. The vacant look on her face was more than enough to unnerve Shujinkou. "Rei here will be joining the rest of us as a new student."

"I see…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, trying his very best to think of an action that wouldn't make a bad first impression on the new student. "It's nice to meet you, Rei."

Silence was the only response he was given.

"She doesn't really talk," Fuyu said.

"Oh…" he only said six words to Rei and yet Shujinkou couldn't help but feel that he already made a bad first impression. "Wait… Is Rei the reason you brought me to your office?"

"That's correct. I would like for you to be her liaison," Fuyu answered as she calmly adjusted her glasses.

"Liaison?" the confused dreamer pointed to himself and received a single nod as confirmation to his question. "But why me?"

"Well…" At that moment, Fuyu's professional demeanor disappeared as she motioned him to her desk. "To be honest, I need someone I can trust to entrust her to."

A melting pot of emotions assaulted Shujinkou. He didn't know whether to feel honored Fuyu would trust him or confused as to why she would trust him.

"But why me?" he asked again.

"Because I believe you're the only one for the job," Fuyu assured him with a smile.

"Oh… Okay then, I'll give this task my best then," Shujinkou replied.

Fuyu nodded her head and handed him a sheet of paper to look over.

"Here's a copy of her schedule. I've already informed the faculty that you'll be liaisoning her," Fuyu then grabbed a small metallic object attached to a chain and presented it to him.

"What's that?" he asked.

"A necklace that is your proof of being a student liaison," Fuyu answered. "It will probably be best if you wear it at all time."

"Okay," Shujinkou replied with a single nod.

"Now then…" pausing mid-sentence, the young president brushed her hair back and adjusted her glasses, transforming in front of her fellow student's eyes once more. "We're all done here. I believe it's time for you two to head to class."

"Yes ma'am!" he shuddered.

Not wanting to take the risk of annoying her presidential side, Shujinkou immediately approached the new student.

"Ready to go," he offered his hand as he asked this.

Once again all he received was silence.

"I'm really not making a good impression…" that thought was the only thing that circulated through his mind as he watched the silent student stand on her feet.

He led her to her homeroom class and watched from the door as the teacher introduced her. As with him, she gave no response to her own introduction.

"So, it isn't just me…" he thought as he walked to his first class.

After his first class ended, Shujinkou walked back to Rei's class and escorted her to her next class before heading to his next one. He would then continue this pattern until it was time for the most beloved part of the day: Lunch Break.

"A home-cooked meal… Thank you, Mom," Shujinkou grinned.

Shujinkou proceeded to open the box containing his lunch and feast on the contents inside. But the joy he felt would soon vanish as the awkward atmosphere created by Rei's continued silence begun to penetrate his soul.

"So… Did your parents make your lunch?" Shujinkou asked.

Without so much as a glance, Rei continued to silently eat her meal.

"Um…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he tried to think of something else he could say. "How were your morning classes?"

Once again his questions were met with silence. It was at that very moment Shujinkou truly began to wonder why Rei didn't respond to anything around her.  

"The strange thing about is, I don't think she's doing it to be rude or anything," he mused to himself.

His brain started to furiously come up with potential reasons to why she was so silent, each thought ranging from realistic to fantastical. He continued to indulge his imaginative mind, until a large growl interrupted the storm of ideas.

Following the sound, Shujinkou would soon find out that the source of the growl was Rei's stomach. This revelation caused his curious eyes to quickly trail up to her face. To his surprise, and slight disappointment, she still didn't visibly respond to the situation that affected her.

"This girl is a rock…" he thought.

Upon hearing her stomach roar a 2^nd time, Shujinkou looked down at what remained of his meal. He heard the cries of stomach again and offered his food to the silent student.

"You can have the rest of my food if you want," he said.

For the first time since they sat down, Rei directed her gaze at Shujinkou. She looked down at the meal that was presented to her then back to its owner as if asking if she could really take it.

He nodded his head and watched with eager anticipation as she reached out for the meal box. The silent student slowly gripped the box and looked up at Shujinkou as she accepted the meal.

A sense of accomplishment welled up inside him as he was finally able to get a positive response from Rei.

After lunch, Shujinkou continued his newly established pattern until the final class of the day. Once the students were dismissed, Shujinkou braved past the excited students and eventually found Rei sitting in her desk.  

"So, I thought that now would be a good time to learn the lay of the land," he said.

With no signs of her disagreeing, Shujinkou started to show Rei around the school. He introduced her to a few more classrooms, the outside track, the gymnasium…

"LOOK OUT!"

Shujinkou quickly turned his left and was greeted with a force strong enough to knock him off his feet. He saw nothing but darkness as he tried to collect his thoughts.

"Shujinkou… Shujinkou…"

Light penetrated the darkness as he slowly opened his eyes to find Kiyoko and Rei looking down at him.

"I promise you it wasn't my fault this time," Kiyoko chuckled, her voice slightly cracking.

"Maybe I should just stay away from the gym after school…" Shujinkou rubbed his throbbing cranium, blissfully unaware that the pain was the only reason he wasn't nervous over the fact that he was in a girl's arms.

Kiyoko helped the injured student onto his feet, allowing him to lean on her until he could fully collect himself.

"So, who's your friend?" she asked.

"Her name is Reizo, but I've been told she can be called Rei," Shujinkou answered.

"You heard?" a look of confusion firmly planted itself on Kiyoko's face.

"She doesn't really talk…" Shujinkou explained.

"Huh. So what are you two doing together?" Kiyoko asked.

"Well, Fuyu has given the job of Student Liaison; meaning it's my job to help her adjust here," he answered.

"Really?" Kiyoko silently stared at him. "Seems like she made a good choice."

"You think?" Shujinkou said, his voice giving away how much her words have surprised him.

"Well, I don't know you that well, but judging from the few interactions we've had so far, I would say you're good for the job." She grinned.

"But don't you think it's a job for someone a lot higher on the social food chain?" he asked.

"Nah, that's not the qualification needed for the job. It's all about this," Kiyoko gently pressed her finger against the center of his chest, before moving it left and right. "Or wherever your heart is. Besides, if the Student President gave you the job, then that just means that you're more than qualified."

"Huh… Thanks, Kiyoko," a small smile formed on Shujinkou's face as he scratched his right cheek.

"No problem. That's what classmates are for," she smiled back.

Suddenly, Shujinkou realized how close their bodies were and awkwardly backed away from her.

"Like I said… Thanks," he awkwardly chuckled.

"Mm-hmm. See ya, Shujinkou," the cheerful basketball player turned her attention to Rei and waved. "Welcome to our school, Rei."

She then grabbed the rogue basketball and charged back into the gymnasium to continue her scheduled practice.

"So, um…" Shujinkou glanced down at his phone. "There's somewhere I got to be so we're going to have to cut the tour short today. But maybe tomorrow I'll get to show you the clubs the school has."

Rei simply stared at Shujinkou as he scratched his right cheek.

"I guess I'll let you RTC no- I mean! I mean let you go home now. That's what I meant," Shujinkou corrected himself.

Unlike any other student, her silence made it impossible to tell if she understood the accidental reference; a thought that would linger in the back of his mind as she turned to leave.

"See you tomorrow," he waved goodbye until she was no longer in sight. With the coast now clear, Shujinkou let out a tired sigh.

"I wonder if this is how Roxas felt after his first mission with Xion," he thought aloud. "…I need some Sea-Salt Ice Cream."

Chapter Text

"How do you make Sea-Salt Ice Cream again?" Shujinkou wondered aloud as he wondered through the halls. He knew the answer was in his head, but no matter how hard he tried to remember it, the answer did its best to stay out of his reach. "Never mind. I should be focused on seeing how Sayori is doing."

It didn't take long for Shujinkou to reach the nurse's office and enter it for the 2^nd time in the past 24 hours. The moment he stepped inside, he found Sayori asleep on one of the beds with a flushed face and an even bigger sprain. The sight of his friend in a state worse than she was when he brought her to school effectively rendered him speechless.

"Are you a friend of hers?" the school nurse approached him with a clipboard in hand.

"Yeah," Shujinkou awkwardly nodded his head in response to her question. "I came to see how she's doing with her sprain."

"Well, as you can see, not only has her sprain grown in size, but she's also come down with a slight fever," the nurse explained.

"But it's only been a couple of hours. How could she have ended up like this?" he asked perplexed.

"Sometimes a fever can sneak up on people. Plus, she kinda fell on her sprained ankle during lunch," the look on the nurse's face was enough for Shujinkou to realize that she was embarrassed over SAyori's condition. "But I wouldn't worry about it though. All she needs is a good night of rest and she'll be as right as rain tomorrow."

"I see," Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he dug into his pocket. He still couldn't get over the fact that someone actually got worse while in the nurse's office… Not that he was blaming the nurse herself. He casually pulled his phone from out of his pocket and sent a quick text message to Monika. The moment it was sent, he turned back to Sayori with a puzzled expression. "How am I supposed to get her home while she's out like this?"

A few ideas roamed through his head, but in the end, he knew what he had to do. One arm flew under her legs, while the other gently slid under her back. In just three short counts, Shujinkou lifted Sayori up from the bed and proceeded to carry her out of the office.

To his surprise, he didn't have any problems carrying her out of the school nor did he have an issue continuing the journey to her house. To him, it was nice that the current situation lacked any obstacles, but that feeling didn't last as soon as he approached her front door.

"How am I supposed to open the door like this?" he fretted.

The solution to his problem would soon make itself apparent to the worried individual as he took a closer look at the door.

"She didn't close the door all the way again…" he slightly chuckled.

Though he was laughing on the outside, on the inside he was worried that this habit of hers would get her in trouble. He then tapped the door open with his foot and carried the sleeping student up to her slightly messy room. There, he gently laid her on her bed and wave of relief washed over him.

"Home, sweet, home…" he sighed in relief.

"Yeah. Thanks, Shujinkou," Sayori beamed.

"No prob-" Shujinkou stared at the giggling girl in disbelief. "You were awake the whole time?!"

"Eh, not the whole time," she diverted her gaze as continued to giggle.

"Okay then," he shrugged.

Without saying a word, Shujinkou walked out of the room and entered the bathroom. He then grabbed a nearby towel and smothered it in a stream of warm water. With the towel completely drenched, he squeezed out the excess liquid and returned to Sayori.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I honestly have no idea," Shujinkou casually admitted as he gently laid the towel across her forehead. "But I have seen a lot characters treat a sick character this way in various media."

To his surprise, Sayori's face began to turn red.

"Maybe it doesn't work in real life…" Shujinkou slightly chuckled as he scratched his right cheek.

"No, it's fine," Sayori assured him while giggling. "Wait a minute… I just realized that we're missing the club."

"Don't worry about that. I already told Monika we would miss today's meeting," he explained. "Besides it's not like you're in any condition to go yourself."

"Oh yeah…" the look of disappointment manifested on her face as she remembered her current condition. "Well, I guess there's still time for you to make it."

"I can't go and leave you here by yourself," Shujinkou shook his head.

"It's no big deal, Shujinkou, you don't need to worry about me," Sayori assured him.

"Your track record kind of makes it hard to believe that," Shujinkou playfully pointed out. "Point is; I'm here to attend to your every need until you feel better."

As if on cue, Sayori's stomach angrily roared at Shujinkou.

"Starting with your stomach," he continued. "I'll be right back."

Shujinkou jumped down the steps and entered the kitchen to prepare a meal for his sick friend. But even though he was ready to take on the task, the realization that he had no idea what or how to cook effortlessly eroded his enthusiasm.

"What am I going to do?" he wondered to himself.

Just then, he heard the doorbell ring and quickly travelled to the front door to open it. Surprise hit him hard as he laid his eyes on Monika, Natsuki and Yuri.

"Hey, Shujinkou," Monika waved.

"Hey, guys. What are you doing here?" Shujinkou asked.

"We came to see how Sayori's doing, dummy," Natsuki answered.

"How is she doing?" Yuri asked.

"Well, she's not too sick, but we're both kind of faced with a problem…" he sighed.

"What is it?" Monika queried.

"She's hungry and I don't know how to make anything…" he sheepishly admitted.

"Jeez, and you thought you could take care of her by yourself," Natsuki critised.

"Yeah, I didn't really think about that,"Shujinkou agreed.

"Well, I think we can help with that," Monika smiled.

Feeling a huge weight lifted from his shoulders, Shujinkou escorted the three into the kitchen watch them inspect the contents that were available.  

"I think I know what we can make from this, but…" Monika looked at Shujinkou. "It would be great if it could be a surprise. Do you think you can distract her long enough?"

"I'll give it a try," Shujinkou nodded.

"Alright then," a determined smile formed on the club president's face as she reached for a nearby bowel. "Okay everyone, let's get to work."

With a new task complete, Shujinkou returned to Sayori's room.

"Who was at the door?" she asked.

"Eh, just someone who wanted to sell some chocolate," Shujinkou casually shrugged.

"Did you get some?!" Sayori queried, the look in her eye causing him to instantly regret his misdirection.

"It was too rich for my blood…" he sighed in false disappointment.

"Oh…" the disappointment on her face made it clear that he should have said something else. "What about the food?"

"It's under control. I… got some outside help," Shujinkou sheepishly admitted. "Anyway, I'm here to distract you from your hunger until the food gets here."

"Hmm…" Shujinkou watched Sayori's curious eyes trail down from his. "What's that?"

"What's what?" he asked back.

"That thing around your neck," Sayori reached out and pointed to the necklace Fuyu gave him earlier.

"Oh. This is proof that I'm a Student Liaison," he explained.

Sayori's eyes widened as a giant smile formed on her face.

"You volunteered to be a liaison!? That's great!" she beamed.

"I didn't really volunteer. Fuyu asked me to do it," Shujinkou corrected.

"Oh. Well, who's the student you're helping and what are they like?" the curious girl asked.

"Well, her name is Reizo, but I've been told that she can be called Rei. She's…" Shujinkou paused mid-sentence and attempted to think of a way to explain what the student was like in a way that wouldn't make her come off as rude. "I don't really know why, but she seems to prefer not to speak."

"Really?" Sayori remained quiet for a moment. "Maybe you should bring her to the club so we can meet her."

"Well, I was planning to show her the clubs around the school, but only if she wanted to," Shujinkou replied, scratching his right cheek.

"You should definitely try and convince her," Sayori insisted.

"I can try, but she doesn't really respond to much," Shujinkou said. "I was kinda winging it all day."

"You mean she's that quiet?" Sayori wondered.

"No. It's more like she doesn't emote that much," Shujinkou explained. "She didn't even respond to a hungry stomach."

"Wow… she sounds like she's a rock," the impressed girl said, her eyes widening with surprise and amazement.

Her similar response to the one he made earlier triggered Shujinkou's brain's memory center to remind him of something he intended on doing earlier.

"That reminds me…" he dug deep into his backpack and pulled out a bag of pink cotton candy. "I got this for you."

Sayori's eyes widened with excitement once more as they beheld the confectionary treat in front of her.

"You're the best, Shujink-" she was quickly cut off as Shujinkou nonchalantly thrust his left palm at her forehead and gently pushed her back onto the bed. For the first time in the past twenty-fours, he was able to understand why her face was red and simpered. "Thanks."

He handed her the bag and watched as she wasted no time feasting on the sweet.

"You really know how to take care of a sick person," she smiled. "You make a good nurse."

"N-Nurse?!" he stammered. "I've been your personal physician for a long time and I'm a nurse... Sayori, if you always got to be the detective between us, then I can at least be acknowledged as a full fledge doctor."

"That doesn't sound like a fair thing to say," Sayori pouted. "After all, you always got to be a cool detective to. I think yours also had the title of world's greatest detective."

"That's because I didn't want to be an assistant, even though Watson is pretty cool; I wanted to be an official detective too. Besides, it was a good role me for since…" Shujinkou cleared his throat and began to speak in a more gravelly tone of voice. "I am vengeance. I am the night. I AM-"

He immediately stopped himself from saying anymore and shot a skeptical look at Sayori. Her giggling face was more than confirm his suspicions.

"You just wanted me to say the line didn't you?" he queried.

"Guilty," she grinned.

A slight grin snuck up on Shujinkou's face as she laughed.

"It's kinda hard to believe you have a fever with the way you're acting," he chuckled.

"It'll take more than that to bring me down," she proudly announced. "I'll be back on my feet by tomorrow."

"As long as you remember to stay off your feet today,"joked Shujinkou.

Just then, the bedroom door flung open and the rest of the Literature Club entered with a bowl of chicken soup and a cup of herbal tea.

"What are you guys doing here?!" she exclaimed as turned her attention back to Shujinkou. "Did you invite them here?"

"No, they came because they worried," he answered.

"Plus, it wouldn't look good if our VP was missing for more than a day," Natsuki added in a slightly joking tone of voice.

Yuri approached Sayori and placed a cup of tea in front of her.

"I heard herbal tea helps the body when it has a fever," she said.

"It also goes great with chicken soup," Monika smiled as she placed the bowl next to the tea.

The sight of the home cooked meal prepared by her fellow club members was more than enough to bring a tear to Sayori's eyes. After eating the meal, the club stayed and attended to their vice-president until she was dragged away by the temptations of sleep just as the night arrived.

With her now asleep, the visitors stood up and approached the bedroom door.

"Well, I guess this is where we say our goodbyes," Monika waved as she opened the door.

"Will you be staying behind?" Yuri asked Shujinkou.

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to stay around a bit longer," he replied.

"Just makes sure she doesn't hurt herself again," Natsuki joked.

"Oh, well, my track record regarding that isn't really good…" Shujinkou replied as he scratched his right cheek.

"Okay… Just make sure you keep her alive," Natsuki said.

"That I can do," Shujinkou assured them.

As the girls walked out of the room, Shujinkou approached the sleeping Sayori and pulled the bed's sheets over her.

"'night, Sayori," he said before closing the bedroom door behind him.

"'night, Shujinkou," Sayori whispered to herself.

Chapter Text

"What's going through your head, Shujinkou?" Shujinkou looked up from his soggy bowl of cereal and looked into his mother's eyes. They were full of curiosity and worry. It was a look he was very familiar with. "You don't usually look so serious when you drift off into your own world."

"Well… I was just thinking about this girl…" he sighed.

"A girl?!" the shocked look that formed on Hiro's face quickly allowed her son to realize the horrifying ramifications of what he just said. "Oh boy… I knew this day would come. I guess it's time for us to have the dreadful talk both kids and parents never want to talk about: Let's talk about the opposite gender."

Aside from the from the fear he felt welling up inside of him, confusion also had its grip on Shujinkou as he wondered which gender his mother was referring to.

"Eh, I meant the opposite gender in regards to you," Hiro said, her cheeks turning red from embarrassment. "Oh boy, where to start… Um, you may have realized that now that you're getting older, you are beginning to feel a strong attraction to the females around you and…"

"Mom, I don't have a crush on this girl!" Shujinkou quickly blurted out.

"Oh thank goodness," Hiro breathed a sigh of relief along with her son. "But if you don't have a crush on this girl, then why are you thinking about her?"

"Because I was assigned to be her Student Liaison; to be her guide and help her adjust to her new surroundings," Shujinkou answered. "The thing is, she's really quiet."

"So she's really shy?" Hiro concluded.

"More like she doesn't really emote," he corrected. "Yesterday, I promised that I would show her the kind of clubs the school has. But the thing is; I have no idea what she'll think about them, whether she wants to join any them or whether or not she wants to check out any of them at all."

"A girl that doesn't respond to much, huh…" Hiro remained silent as she processed what she was just told. She spent the next few minutes thinking until she just sighed once more. "Sounds like this new student requires a lot of patience. Unfortunately, all the advice I can think to give you is to continue be patient, try to get as much of a feel for this person as much as possible and try to use what you've learned to your advantage. Funnily enough, that was what my mother told me when it was my time to have the talk about burgeoning feelings of love."

"How'd that conversation go?" Shujinkou asked.

"It was a lot less weird than the conversation I had with dad," Hiro shuddered at the memory. "The terminology and analogies he used gave me a weird impression on men."

"I think I can visualize that conversation…" Shujinkou awkwardly chuckled, scratching his right cheek. He could imagine the booming, boisterous voice coming from the adventure loving man explaining every negative trait that men had as any father would do.

"Anyway, you should hurry up and finish up your breakfast or else you'll be late for school," a small smile appeared on Hiro's face as she pointed to the bowl of cereal that her son was neglecting.

He proceeded to finish his breakfast quickly and grabbed his bag to go to school. Once outside, Shujinkou was immediately approached by Sayori.

"You're looking better," he then placed the back of his hand against her forehead and grinned. "You feel like you're better too."

"That's because I had such great doctors," Sayori gleefully chuckled. "Oh, by the way, are you going to bring the new student to the club?"

"I'll try to bring her, but only if she's in the mood," Shujinkou answered.

"Try your best!" Sayori cheered. "Monika would be really happy if we could find a new potential member."

Once at school, Shujinkou found Rei standing in front of a vending machine that dispenses coffee.

"Good morning, Rei," he said as he approached her. "Getting some coffee?"

The raven-haired student turned her gaze towards Shujinkou and silently stared at him.

"So… are you going to get some?" Shujinkou asked, determined to not let the silence to create an awkward atmosphere like the day before.

Rei's gaze returned to the machine, leaving him to wonder what was she was thinking. Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he inserted money into the machine and ordered a plain cup of coffee. He was surprised as Rei bent down and watched as the machine pour the dark liquid into a medium sized brown cup.

He then curiously grabbed the cup and presented it to Rei.

"Careful, it's hot," Shujinkou said as Rei slowly reached for the drink. Just like the day before, he watched in eager anticipation as she raised the cup up to her lips. That anticipation was soon introduced to disappointment as her expression remained once she lowered the drink. "It's good, isn't it?"

Rei silently looked Shujinkou in the eyes and took another sip from the cup.

"I'll take that as a yes…" he awkwardly chuckled, scratching his right cheek as he did so.

 Soon the first bell rung and Shujinkou escorted Rei to her first class. From there, he followed the same pattern from yesterday until the school day came to an end. 

"So, um…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he tried to soldier through the awkward silence. "Did you want to see what kind of clubs the school has or would you rather go home?"

At this point, he knew that Rei wouldn't verbally answer his question. Instead, Shujinkou waited to see what his fellow student would do next. 5 minutes later, Rei still had her eyes glued to Shujinkou.

"Alright then, let's see the kind of clubs the school has," Shujinkou said.

Without wasting any more time, the student liaison proceeded to show the new student around the school. He showed her the debate club, the cooking club, the girls' basketball club and after narrowly avoiding the pain of having a ball bounced off of his head once more, he proceeded to introduce her to every other club that he was aware of.

Eventually, Shujinkou brought Rei to the final stop of the tour: the Literature Club.

"This is the Literature Club," he announced.

The moment the two stepped inside, they were immediately approached by Sayori. As he expected, her eyes were twinkling with excitement.

"You really brought her," she grinned.

"Well… she wanted to see what kind of clubs were around the school," Shujinkou replied.

Just then, Natsuki approached the three; her eyes gave away how surprised she was.

"Did you really bring us a new member?" she asked.

"I don't know if she wants to join, but she did want to check out the clubs the school had," Shujinkou said again. "This is Reizo, but I've been told that she can be called Rei."

"Hey," Natsuki casually waved.

Rei simply stared at the pink-haired student.

"Wow. She really doesn't talk that much," marveled Sayori.

The club Vice-President wasted no time in reaching out and gripping Rei's sleeve covered hand. With a big smile, Sayori led the visitor to give her a tour of the classroom.

"Jeez. You could've told me that she's not much of a talker!" Natsuki shot an annoyed look at Shujinkou.

"Sorry," he replied, scratching his right cheek as he did so.

The two then turned their attention to Rei and watched as Sayori introduced her to Yuri.

"This is Yuri," Sayori introduced. "Yuri, this is Rei."

"Hello," Yuri said.

Rei stared at the purple haired maiden, sending an awkward chill down her spine.

"Wow, she really doesn't talk…" Natsuki turned back to Shujinkou before immediately diverting her gaze. "So… How did you meet, Rei?"

"Fuyu introduced us. She wanted me to be her Student Liaison," Shujinkou answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

The look of shock crashed onto Natsuki's face.

"You're a student liaison?" she exclaimed.

"Mm-hmm," he nodded. He then pulled the necklace Fuyu gave him from under his shirt and showed it to her. "This is my proof that I'm on an active mission for the Student President."

"Oh…" Natsuki glanced at the floor before crossing her arms in a huff. "You could've at least said that so no one could get the wrong idea."

The fifth member of the Literature Club immediately found himself in curiosity's grasp once more as he began to wonder whether or not he should have stated his role as he introduced Rei, though those thoughts were quickly cut short as an exhausted Monika entered the classroom.

"Sorry, I'm late everyone," Monika apologized, before her eyes were then instinctively drawn to the necklace around Shujinkou's neck. Surprise crept up on her face as she looked up at wearer of the object. "Is that one of the necklaces of a Student Official?"

"Necklace of a Student Official?" Shujinkou shot a confused look at the club president.

"Yeah. Did you take Fuyu up on her office?" Monika asked.

"Offer? What offer?" Natsuki queried.

"Fuyu once offered Shujinkou the position of Vice-President," Monika answered.

"Vic-?!" Natsuki was temporarily rendered speechless by what she just heard. "Why would she offer you something like that?!"

"You know, that's exactly what I was thinking when she made that offer…" Shujinkou said as he scratched his right cheek. He then turned to Monika to answer her question. "But no, I didn't accept Fuyu's offer. I'm just the Student Liaison. I didn't even know that Student Officials wear these things."

"That's understandable, considering that Fuyu handles all of the student body positions," Monika commented.

"And this is our club president/creator: Monika," Sayori said to Rei as they approached the three.

Surprise wasn't as subtle on Monika this time as she adjusted her gaze to Rei.

"Hm, who is this?" Monika inquired.

"This is Reizo, though Shujinkou was told that we can call her Rei. She also doesn't talk much," Sayori explained. "She's a new student that he liaisoning."

"It's nice to meet you, Rei," Monika extended her hand to Rei and smiled.

The quiet girl's expression remained the as she simply stared at Monika.

"She doesn't really respond to that either…" Shujinkou added.

"Oh. Sorry, Rei," Monika apologized. She then turned to Shujinkou. Despite appearing to be her usual calm self, he could tell just by looking into her eyes that she was excited. "Is she here to join the club?"

"Actually, she's here to check it out," Shujinkou replied.

"By the way, Monika, why were you late?" Sayori asked.

"I had to stop a chemistry experiment from exploding," Monika explained. "Someone's afterschool experiment was on the verge of causing the entire room to be covered in a nauseating mist."

"Leave it to you to save the school from a major crisis," Natsuki chuckled.

"Well, if I knew that we would've had a visitor, I would've tried to solve the crisis even faster," Monika said.

Silence soon cut the conversation short. Everyone's focus was on Rei, but no one knew what to say to the quiet girl in front of them.

"So, Rei…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he desperately tried to think of some way to break the awkward silence. "We’ve seen all the clubs that the school had. Was there any that interested you at all or have you seen everything the school had to offer and want to call it a day?"

Rei silently turned towards Shujinkou and stared at him.

"I mean, no one's going to be upset with whatever you choose," he added.

What happened next was something Shujinkou didn't expect to see. Rei's visible eye widened ever so slightly as she continued to gaze into his. But before any words could be said, she turned around and walked out of the club room.

"Well, that was awkward," Natsuki said bluntly.

She returned to the classroom closet with a confused look on her face. Sayori followed suit and happily skipped to the leftover cotton candy in her bag.

"By the way, Shujinkou, do you think we could talk outside?" Monika requested.

Without question, Shujinkou followed Monika outside of the classroom and shut the door behind him. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Monika looked around their surroundings as she continued to lead him down the hallway. "Well, actually, there's something important I wanted to ask you since yesterday…"

Chapter Text

A small yawn broke through Shujinkou's lips. Normally, a student would be very anxious over the prospect of being called to the office of the Student Council, but his awareness of the two sides of the young president along with the fatigue he felt from a lack of sleep stifled that emotion's plans to take over.

The tired student opened the doors and found Fuyu looking through the pages of a pale yellow folder.

"Good morning, Shujinkou," she said, flashing a soft smile before looking back down at the folder.

He instinctively sighed in relief. He knew for sure that he wouldn't be able to handle Fuyu in her "Presidential Mode."

"Morning, Fuyu," Shujinkou said as he approached her desk. "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"I just wanted to know how things were going with Rei," she replied as she adjusted her glasses.

"It's going okay. She seems to be getting used to going to school here."

"That's good."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as Fuyu continued to search through the folder. "Hey, uh, Fuyu…"

"Yeah?" the young student president turned her curious gaze back to Shujinkou.

"I was kind of wondering why you picked me to be the Student Liaison."

"I told you. I needed someone I trust to handle this task," she answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah, but why? I mean it's not like we really know each other. Why would you trust me so much to be a liaison or offer me the position of VP?"

Fuyu simply stared at Shujinkou and placed the folder on her desk. The dead silence that blanketed the room began to unnerve him until she started to smile at him.

"Let me tell you a story, Shujinkou," Fuyu said. "It takes place a long time ago…"

A long time ago, a much younger Fuyu adjusted her glasses as she continued to read "Psychology for Dummies."

"I really don't get the title for these books," she thought until an elastic rubber band bounced off her head.

She gently rubbed the throbbing wound on her forehead as she was approached by three boys. The annoyed expressions on their faces made it clear to Fuyu that a confrontation was unavoidable.

"What was that for?" she inquired.

"That was for your mother getting us grounded!" one of the boys shouted.

"It's not my fault that she diagnosed you three with displaced violent tendencies that needs to be monitored," Fuyu nervously pointed out.

She was then shoved to the ground, the force of the push causing her glasses to fall to the ground. With her vision greatly diminished, Fuyu could do nothing but squint her eyes as she heard the sound of breaking glass and teasing laughs. Soon all laughter stopped as the sound of police siren loomed from the distance. She then heard the sound of heavy footsteps as the siren sound grew louder and louder until it suddenly came to a stop.

"Are you okay?" she was asked. The sound of the voice and the short stature of the blurry figure in front of her was enough for her to discern that she was approached by another young boy. A hand was soon offered to her and, after a few seconds of deliberation, accepted it. She was easily lifted up to her feet and anxiously looked around her immediate area. "I think your glasses are beyond saving."

Fuyu reached forward and placed her hands on the boy in front of her.

"That's not good. I'm hopelessly blind without them," she fretted.

"Maybe I can help you," the boy said. "Where do you live?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Oh, right. I'm a stranger. Um… I know, I'll take you to the local police place. Does that sound good to you?"

Fuyu tightened her grip on the boy's hand and slowly nodded her head. Even though she had no idea who the person in front of her was, she had to no choice but to believe that he had her best interests in mind. Without another word being said, the boy slowly began to lead her from ground zero.

It was a strange feeling. Having to trust someone she didn’t know was frightening and heartwarming at the same time.

"So you were reading a book about phycology?" the boy suddenly asked.

"It's about psychology," Fuyu corrected.

"Oh. Are you reading about because your parents forced you too or do you enjoy learning about it?"

"Kinda both. I kinda want to understand what my mother says half the time."

"What's your mother do?"

"She's a school counselor/psychiatrist at my school. She's really good at diagnosing everyone there and, contrary to popular belief; it's really nice to have a parent at your school. That said, it can come with some problems."

"Like what?"

"Like some students taking their anger out on the counselor's daughter when the counselor's suggestions to the parents result in them getting in trouble or further trouble."

"That sucks."

"It's like the book says, 'Kids can be cruel.'"

"I think that can go for anyone…"

The boy suddenly went silent and would remain so until he finally stopped moving.

"We're here," he announced.

He then led her inside, allowing Fuyu to give the police her father's cell phone number. Once they made the call, the boy led the blind Fuyu to a nearby bench.

"Thanks for bringing me here and for helping me out against those bullies," she said.

"No problem," the boy assured her. "It's not like I could just watch what I saw and do nothing about. I'm like Sora in that regard."

"From Kingdom Hearts?"

"Yeah. You played that game?"

"Mm-hmm. I even beat Final Mix on the hardest difficulty on Level 1 without dying once."

"Whoa! That's impressive! I didn't think anyone could actually- Wait a minute… Does that include the bonus bosses?"

Fuyu proudly nodded her head.

"Whoa, I didn't think that anyone could actually do that without cheating. You gotta be one of the best rpg gamers around," the boy complimented.

"It's little easier to do when you pick the staff at the beginning," she chuckled.

From there, Fuyu began to explain exactly how she achieved such a difficult task. Every item she had equipped, when to use which magic and what weapon every party member needed to be equipped with depending on the situation.

Despite the fact she couldn't see too well, Fuyu couldn't help but feel that the stranger was holding on to her every word.

"Sweetie!"

Her explanation was soon cut off by a very familiar voice. She turned towards the direction of the voice and noticed a large blurry figure approaching her.

"Daddy?" she queried.

She watched the figure's head nod up and down.

"Well, looks like you're in good hands now," the boy said.

"Looks like it. Thanks for helping me, uh-" Fuyu paused, realizing that she did not know the name of the person who helped her.

"Shujinkou. My name's Shujinkou," the boy introduced himself as he jumped on his feet. "I gotta get going. I promised my friend that we'd get ice cream once I got home. See ya, later."

Fuyu's father neatly placed a pair of glasses on just in time to watch Shujinkou open the front entrance door. He then turned around, smiled and waved goodbye as he left.

"Wait a minute… That was you all that time ago?" Shujinkou couldn't hide his surprise as Fuyu finished her story. "Wow… And this whole time I thought I met you when Monika introduced us to you."

"I don't blame you for not remembering me," Fuyu smiled. "After all, I never even got to tell you my name. But I think you can understand now understand why I know I can trust you, right?"

"I don't know, Fuyu. I mean I was just helping somebody who was in trouble."

"Well, from my perspective, I was a near-blind helpless girl who couldn't tell what kind of person approached. My choices were to either be stuck in a tough spot or gamble on this person who offered to help me. Even if it was a short meeting, you helped me looked after me when you didn't have. That says a lot about a person. Plus, you coming here that one time to help your friend shows me that you haven't changed that much in that regard."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he processed what he was told.

"I still can't believe that you remember me after all that time," he finally said.

"Acts like that leave an impression on a person," Fuyu reasoned. "Anyway, I don't want to hold you up any longer. You better get back to class before the teacher teaches something important like they always do when you miss class."

"Right," Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement and walked towards the door.

"Hey, Shujinkou," he turned back to Fuyu, curious to what she had to say. "Did you ever beat Final Mix: Proud on Level 1?"

A proud smile appeared on his face as he raised his hand to wave goodbye. "Yes, I did."

Chapter Text

2 days later, a giant yawn plowed through Shujinkou's lips as he dragged his legs through the halls of his school.

"I finally got it done," he yawned once more and stretched his drowsy arms. To say the past 3 nights were not easy would be an understatement, but what he achieved in such notice provided him with some comfort. As he continued to his passage to class, Shujinkou noticed Rei watching a bag of chips fall to the opening a vending machine and approached her. "Good morning, Rei."

Rei turned towards Shujinkou and silently stared at him. Despite still finding her eerie silence a little weird, he was beginning to get used to it. The awkward silence was swiftly broken as Rei presented the snack to him.

"No, thanks," Shujinkou responded.

She quickly lowered the snack as she continued to stare at him.

"Well, I got somewhere to be. So…" a small smile snuck up on the unaware Shujinkou's face as he scratched his right cheek. "I'll see you later."

The young man watched Rei leave before leaving himself.

"Huh." That was all he could say to express the surprise of Rei's sudden action. But he had no time to let surprise hold him as the Liaison still had a delivery to make. He continued his journey until he finally found Monika looking out a nearby window.

"Monika," Shujinkou called out as he approached the local school idol.

She turned around and eagerly waved at him. The optimistic smile on her face could light up an entire room. "Morning Shujinkou."

"I finally finished them," He said as he reached into his bag. The young student gently pulled out three pieces of paper neatly tucked in sheet protectors and handed it to Monika.

"Thanks, Shujinkou," a look of genuine appreciation appeared on her face. "I really appreciate you doing this."

"It's no big deal," Shujinkou yawned. "Though if fall asleep during the club today, could you please make sure that Natsuki doesn't hit me on the head with a rolled-up poster?"

"It's a deal," Monika giggled.

Later that day, Shujinkou vigorously helped Natsuki look through her collection of manga.

"So let me get this straight… You're telling me that in non-canon Dragon Ball Z Movie Number Eight, the main villain of the movie hates Goku because he cried a lot as a baby?" Natsuki looked up and gave Shujinkou a skeptical look.

"Yep," he casually nodded.

"Broly hates Goku because he cried a lot as a baby… Even though he shouldn't remember such a thing…" she sighed before rolling her eyes at the fact.

"It's kind of a subconscious hatred."

"It sounds like a lousy reason to hate someone. Especially since it sounds like baby Broly never even seen baby Goku before and I doubt Goku would cry as an adult, so I don't see how Goku being around him can trigger him."

"That's what a lot of people said about the original Broly. Whether you love him or hate him, he has a very laughable motivation."

The two continued to search through the plethora of literary works until Natsuki's face suddenly lit up with joy.

"Found it!" she gently pulled out the second volume of the story she once lent Shujinkou and proudly presented it to him. "Hadi Girl Vol. 2! Though I have to admit, I'm kinda surprised that it took you this long to ask for it."

"Well…" a nervous sweat crawled down the back of his neck as the rookie club member scratched his right cheek. He did want to ask for it right away, but he was always afraid of Natsuki reminding him that he once got her into a series that was never completed.

"Then again, I'm not sure I should lend it to you considering that you got me into Crash Bandicoot without telling me that the manga was never finished," she pointed out.

"I'm really sorry," he apologized. "What do I have to make it up to you?"

Natsuki silently stared at Shujinkou. The solemn look in her eyes as she approached him caused his mind to begin to theorize what the pink-haired girl might say. But no words were said as she handed the book to him.

"I'm just messing with you," she said. "Unlike you, I don't get people's interests up for nothing."

"Thanks, Natsuki," an awkward smile crept up on him as he scratched his right cheek. Mixed feelings swirled inside him as he processed what just happened. But his thought process came to an immediate halt as Monika stepped into the room.

"Sorry, I'm late everybody," the club president said. "There was something I really needed to do before I got here."

"Did you have to save the school from another science experiment gone wrong?" Sayori inquired.

"Not really," Monika reached into her bag, pulled out three large envelopes and handed them to the other girls in the room.

"What's this?" Natsuki queried.

"Open it up and see," Monika answered.

The three opened their envelopes and were shocked to find hand drawn invitations inside. Each one featured a super deformed version of them surrounded by pillows and stylized hearts in front of pink clouds.

"'You are cordially invited to a slumber party tomorrow hosted by Literature Club President: Monika…'" Yuri read aloud.

Monika was immediately met with three confused stares.

"Um… I think that may have been a bit too formal, Shujinkou," Monika said as her cheeks grew red.

"Maybe…" he replied. "But in my defense, I presently have no idea how to invite anyone to slumber parties anymore."

"You're seriously inviting us to spend the night at your house?" a quizzical and disbelieving look crashed on Natsuki's face as she asked that.

"Mm-hmm," Monika smiled earnestly as she nodded. "I thought it would be fun if we could try it at least once. So what do you all say?"

As Shujinkou expected, Sayori's face immediately lit up.

"I'm in!" she beamed.

Monika turned her attention to Natsuki and Yuri, their faces making it clear that they weren’t as enthused as Sayori was.

"I don't now… Slumber parties…" Natsuki hesitated. "Slumber parties aren't really my thing."

"I don't think I would be comfortable with all of the people there…" Yuri lamented.

"But there's not going to be a lot of people," Monika corrected. "It's just going to be the four of us."

"Eh?!" Surprise grabbed hold of the two girls as they heard that, a feeling Shujinkou understood too well.

"I assumed the same thing when she brought it up to me. Though I freaked out because I thought that meant I was going to have to hand draw a lot of invitations," he chuckled in relief once he finished reminiscing.

"So what do you two say?" Monika asked again.

"Say yes," Sayori encouraged. "Think of how fun it will be to hang out after school."

Noticing the hesitation that still struck the two, Sayori used a technique that Shujinkou was all too familiar with: she used her puppy-dog eyes.

"Well…" Yuri closed her eyes, remaining silent for an entire minute. "Alright. I'll come."

Soon all eyes were on Natsuki.

"Ur…" Natsuki diverted her gaze as an unsure expression formed on her face. "Alright. I'll go too."

"Alright!" the excited vice-president wrapped her arms around Natsuki and Yuri. "A Literature Club Slumber Party! This is going to be so fun!"

A/N: I just realized that it's almost been a year since I started writing this story. Wow, time flies by. Maybe I can celebrate it by releasing another Afterword; though I can't promise I'll be able do anything since I shall be really busy this week.

Chapter Text

"Alright, you are all set, Sayori," Hiro said as she finished packing Sayori's bag.

Despite the fact that she hasn’t done it in a while, it felt like it was only yesterday Hiro picked out all the necessities Sayori needed whenever she came over to stay for the night. Once she made sure everything was secured, the slightly weary woman closed the bag and casually tossed the bag to its owner.

"Thanks, Auntie H," Sayori beamed, slipping her arms through the straps of her luggage.

Just then, Shujinkou walked down the nearby steps with a tobacco pipe in hand. He gently blew into the pipe and watched in amazement as bubbles flew up towards the ceiling.

"You know, it's too bad that you can't come to the slumber party with me, Shujinkou," Sayori lamented.

"Wha-?! I can't go to an all girls' slumber party, Sayori," Shujinkou replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"If mom was here, she would probably say that you may be the only high school male that would say that without a hint of regret," Hiro chuckled.

Sayori joined in on the laughter as Shujinkou simply blew more bubbles from his pipe.

"That said, it's kind of weird staying over someone else's house and you're not there," Sayori continued.

"I guess…" he diverted his gaze as scratched his cheek. The bubble blower didn't know why, but he found it weird that his friend's statement caused him to start to feel weird. Of course, he didn't want her to know that out of fear of ruining her fun. "Eh, I'm 100% sure you'll still have fun without me."

Suddenly, the conversation was cut short by four knocks on the front door.

"Wonder who that could be?" Hiro wondered aloud as she approached the door. She opened the door and was hit with surprise the moment she laid her eyes on Yuri and Natsuki.

"Whoa…" Natsuki said.

"Ah… Is Sayori here? Yuri asked.

Hiro continued to stare at the two girls, unable to hide how completely dumbfounded she was. After staring at them for what seemed like forever, Hiro snapped back to reality and let out an awkward laugh. "Sorry, I think got lost in my own thoughts for a moment. Come on in."

As she motioned them to enter her home, Hiro couldn't help but think, "Oh my…! They're more moe than I thought they would be! …Whoa, I think Shujinkou's anime tongue is starting to get to me again."

Watching the two girls walk into his house; Shujinkou once again started to blow bubbles from his pipe, this act being the only thing hiding the surprise he felt from their sudden appearance.

"What's with the bubble pipe?" Natsuki inquired.

"I…" Shujinkou hesitated for a moment he before immediately deciding to tell the truth. "I sometimes use it when I read things and used to use it when I pretended to be a detective when I was younger. I probably look pretty dumb with it, huh?"

"Hm… I think it makes you look very distinguished," Yuri complimented.

"You think?" The quizzical look he gave her caused the young maiden to immediately divert her gaze.

"Yeah… I do…" a tiny smile formed on Yuri's face as her cheeks grew red.

"It is kinda cool…" Natsuki shrugged.

"See? I told you I wasn't the only one who thought that," Sayori chirped.

"Huh." Shujinkou placed the tip of the pipe in his mouth as he started to ponder. "Wait… But you said that when I was a kid. I don't think it counts at a time when people said I looked cute with it."

His mother could do nothing but watch the conversation take place.

"Wow…" Hiro thought. She couldn't help but be amazed at what she was seeing. "Uh, Shujinkou, why don't you introduce me to our guests?"

"Huh? Oh yeah," Shujinkou cleared his throat and said, "Mom, these are my friends from the Literature Club: Natsuki and Yuri."

"Nice to finally meet you two," Hiro awkwardly chuckled.

The two guests silently nodded their heads in agreement.

"So what are you two doing here?" Shujinkou asked Natsuki and Yuri.

"Sayori thought it would be a good idea for us to meet here so we could all go to Monika's house together," Natsuki answered. The pink-haired girl then glanced at his mother and, at a barely audible level, added, "I didn't expect us to run into your mother though…"

Shujinkou shot a surprised look at Sayori. "Why here?"

"Because I was here," Sayori answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "It wouldn't make much sense for them to meet at my house if I wasn't there."

"Touché," he replied.

"I'm sorry if it's such a bother," Yuri apologized.

"No, it's not a bother," Shujinkou assured them. He then pressed his lips against the end of his pipe and thought, "Though it's not how I pictured introducing them to my mother…"

"Well, I'm ready, so let's go!" Sayori declared.

"Wait a minute, everyone. Why don't I drive you all?" Hiro suggested.

Hesitation immediately gripped the two visitors, a feeling Hiro shared.

"Please? I insist," Hiro said.

Her genuine insistence invoked a strange feeling in Shujinkou and Yuri.

"This situation seems familiar…" they thought.

But with no clear vocal objections to the idea, Hiro led the four to her car, jumped in the driver's seat, and started the car. Once everyone was secured, she entered the address of Monika's house in the GPS and started the drive to their objective.

"So, uhm… How is life in the Literature Club, everyone?" Hiro inquired.

"It's fun," Sayori answered. "We all have fun there every day."

"Really? What do you guys do in it?" she asked.

"Usually anything we want in regards to literature, unless Monika had an activity planned," Shujinkou answered.

"Hm, what's this Monika like?" Hiro asked.

"She's really nice," Sayori answered.

"She's also the smartest and most popular student in school," Natsuki added.

"Really?" Hiro wondered.

"She is quite loved by the student body," Yuri replied. "She's also one of the most athletic students in the school."

Hiro glanced at her son.

"I can't add anything else. They pretty much explained how much of a school idol she is," Shujinkou replied, scratching his right cheek.

"A school idol…" Hiro thought.

Hiro remained silent for the rest of the ride, only speaking up once the car stopped.

"We are here!" she announced.

Everyone stepped out of the car.

"Hey guys!"

The group quickly turned around, surprised to find Monika approaching them from the sidewalk.

"I didn't expect you guys to get here so early," she said.

"Auntie H gave us a ride," Sayori replied.

"Auntie H?" Monika stared at Sayori confused.

"I think she's talking about Shujinkou's mom," Natsuki pointed to Shujinkou and his mother.

"Oh," Monika approached the two and smiled at Hiro. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Hiro nodded.

Suddenly, he could feel a different "weird" feeling wash over him. Like the one from before, he couldn't understand why until Monika turned her radiant smile to him.

"Nice bubble pipe, Shujinkou," Monika complimented.

"So I've heard," he chuckled in the usual awkward fashion.

"I didn't expect to see you today. You wouldn't be hoping to try to make that joke into a reality were you?" she asked.

One single moment from the time she tutored him could not stay hidden away in his head.

"N-No…" he muttered.

"What's wrong?" Monika asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I'm fine," Shujinkou assured her with red cheeks. "Anyway, I guess we'll go so you can have your party…" 

"Hm… Okay then," Monika said. "Thank you both for bringing them here."

Shujinkou and Hiro returned to the car and, with a wave goodbye, drove off.

"Anyone else notice that Shujinkou's mom and grandma could be mistaken for sisters?" Natsuki said.

Monika and Yuri nodded their heads in agreement as Natsuki continued to stare into the distance.

"I can also see where he got some of his personality," she thought.

"Okay, everyone, I think it's time for us to get this party started," Monika announced.

"Ah… How do we do that?" Yuri asked.

"Um…" the club president's cheeks turned red. "To be honest, I don't really know. I never really experienced a slumber party before."

"Really?" the three visitors' eyes lit up with surprise.

"Well, I do have a few ideas, but I guess the first thing I should do is welcome you to my home," said Monika.

She wasted no time in leading her guests into her house. The curious eyes of the visitors scanned everything it could as they walked into the living room.

"Are your parents here?" Yuri asked.

"No. They left me in charge while they're away," Monika answered.

"Lucky," Natsuki said as she plopped down on a nearby couch. "I would love to have the house to myself for a while."

"Does this mean that we're going to have one of those wild teen parties that happen as soon as the authority figures are gone?" Sayori wondered aloud, plopping down next to Natsuki.

"I don't know if I would be comfortable participating in one of those kinds of party…" said Yuri.

"No, we won't be doing anything like that," Monika assured them. "I wouldn't want to betray my parents' trust like that after all."

Suddenly, Sayori's entire body convulsed as she looked down at Natsuki's carrier. The familiar look of desire was all bag's owner needed to realize what she was thinking.

"No," Natsuki said in a stern tone of voice.

"Can I at least see it?" Sayori pleaded.

"No."

"Please?!"

"No!"

Natsuki immediately moved her belongings away from the danger of Sayori as Monika quickly glanced down at her phone.

"Anyone up for Truth or Dare?" Monika suggested.

"Truth or Dare?" her guests eyes lit up with curiosity as Monika retrieved a bottle of water from her refrigerator.

She placed the bottle on the floor in front of them and asked, "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll do it!" the energetic girl quickly dropped to her knees and spun the bottle. Natsuki's heart sunk as the bottle pointed to her."Natsuki, truth or dare?"

"I'll take dare," Natsuki said, her voice layered with false confidence.

"Okay, I dare you to…" Sayori's head rocked back and forth as she tried to think of a suitable dare. "I dare you to… Prank call, Granny Hisa."

"What?!" Natsuki exclaimed. "I can't do that! She knows me!"

"You just have to pretend that you're somebody else."

"Ugh… Fine."

Natsuki reluctantly grabbed her phone and slowly dialed the professional number for Kitsune Spa Resort.

"Hello?" Hisa said.

Natsuki cleared her throat and spoke in the most masculine voice she could bring herself to do, "Excuse me, is Mr. Wall there?"

"I'm sorry, there's no one by that name, Natsuki," Hisa answered in a casual tone.

"W-Who is this Natsuki?" Natsuki stammered.

"I don't want to be mean, Natsuki, but your male voice isn't that good," Hisa chuckled.

Natsuki could hear the spa owner scratch her right cheek from the other side of the call.

"So, what do I owe the honor of this prank call?" Hisa inquired.

"It was… It was a dare," Natsuki reluctantly admitted.

"Huh. Are you girls having a slumber party?"

"How'd you-?"

"I analyzed all the facts. But anyway, I got some Hisa-things to do, but it was nice hearing from you."

"Y-Yeah. You too."

"You and the other girls have a great time, okay?"

"Alright."

The call ended, leaving Natsuki slightly surprised.

"Okay, I'm done with this game," she announced. "If I'm going to have to keep doing things like that, then I definitely don't want to play anymore."

"So, what should we do now?" Sayori wondered aloud.

"Perhaps I could make us some tea while we wait for a viable suggestion?" Yuri suggested.

"Eh? But isn't that a suggestion?" Sayori's confused expression was all it took to make Yuri look away.

"Ah… I guess it is…" Yuri then turned her gaze to Monika. "Do you mind? I brought my own things to make some."

"Of course," Monika nodded.

Yuri proceeded to enter the kitchen as Monika sat down on the couch.

"You know, we probably shouldn't force anything," Monika said. "After all, an expert once said that we should let things come naturally."

"An expert…" Sayori closed her eyes and began to theorize the identity of this "expert" Monika referred to. "…I got nothing. Hey, did any of you ever find out who won the contest to Granny Hisa's spa resort?"

The two girls beside her shook their heads, followed by Natsuki asking, "How did we all miss that info?"

"I guess we weren’t paying that much attention," Monika concluded.

"How could we not pay attention to the something that involved us winning a free trip?" Natsuki said in disbelief.

"Well, Monika was probably very busy and Shujinkou gets lost in thought a lot," Sayori said. "As for the rest of us… We probably weren’t paying attention."

"That's just what Monika said," Natsuki sighed.

"Oh yeah," Sayori chuckled. "But it wouldn't be the first time we weren’t paying attention to things. Like how Monika worked in a maid café during the Cultural Festival even though everyone else in school knew about it."

"Eh… I wasn't exactly thrilled with that entire situation," Monika said.

"But it was so successful," Sayori pointed out. "Your class attracted the entire school."

"Even so, I still found the whole thing kind of embarrassing," Monika replied.

Just then, Yuri approached the three and handed them each a cup of tea.

"It must have been nice though to have everyone look forward to something you're involved in," Yuri said.

"See? There's something positive to take out of the experience," Sayori said.

"Actually… I think there's another positive thing I got out of the experience," Monika took a sip from her cup with slightly red cheeks.  "Oh yeah, that reminds me."

Monika reached under the couch and pulled out a tower of board games.

"My parents said that we could play these to pass the time," Monika said.

"Why were they under the couch?" Natsuki queried.

"I don't know," Monika shrugged. "Anyone want to play trouble?"

With no arguments towards the idea, the host set the game up and each player set their colored pieces in their proper starting points. They then hit the POP-O-MATIC to roll the dice inside; each one hoping they would earn the coveted number 6 in order to escape from "Home."

15 minutes later, their pieces were still trapped in the four starting areas as they continued to hit the POP-O-MATIC.

"Anyone want to play something else?" Monika asked.

Her guests silently nodded their heads and Monika grabbed another board game.

"The Game of Life," Monika announced.

The game was soon under way.  Monika finished the game as a successful doctor with a healthy family, Sayori was a rich accountant, Yuri was a famous journalist and Natsuki was plagued with a lot of debt.

"Ugh…" Natsuki groaned as the game ended.

"Let's try playing Monopoly next," Monika suggested.

The next game began. 1 hour later, the game ended with Natsuki losing all of her money through pure bad luck.

"These dice are biased," she tightened her grip on the pair of dice before dropping them back on the board.

"Uhm… How about we play Sorry," Monika nervously suggested.

The third game ended with everyone but Natsuki guiding their pieces to the "Home" zone.

Monika couldn't help but fearfully chuckle as she watched her manga-loving guest willingly fall back against the couch.

"Oh yeah, I just remembered something else my parents left for us," Monika sat up and led her guests into the kitchen. She then searched through one of the cabinets and pulled out a tiny fountain. "A chocolate fountain!"

"Your parents are awesome," Sayori beamed and turned her gaze to Natsuki. "Does this mean we can finally eat what you brought over?"

"I don't see a better time," an excited smile crept up on the exasperated girl as she left to grab her bag. She soon came back with a bag of cookies as Monika turned on the fountain.

The girls watched in delight as chocolate began to pour out from the top.

"Let's dig in!" Monika announced.

The four each grabbed a single cookie, smothered them in chocolate and took a bite. Only the satisfied look on their faces could describe the glee they felt.

"Ah… Should we be eating these before dinner?" Yuri brought up.

The euphoria left as quickly as it came as Yuri's realization set in.

Moments later, the girls sat in Monika's room, watching TV and eating their dinner.

"I think it's late enough now," Monika said.

"Late enough for what?" Natsuki asked.

" Something that a good sleepover party should always have… a good old scary story," the calm smile Monika sported was enough to cause Natsuki to break into a nervous sweat. "Does anyone have a really scary tale to share?"

"I think I have a scary story that might suffice," Yuri offered.

"Go for it," Monika encouraged.

"Well, this tale takes place in the Victorian Era," Yuri began the story with a slight smile on her face. "There was once a girl named Annie who lived with her best friend Ida in a private school for the gifted. The two weren’t the most popular, or the smartest, but they were very comfortable with each other and found solace in that.

One morning, Ida opened their wardrobe, only for the corpse of another female student to fall on top of her. Naturally, the girls were horrified and news of this death quickly traveled throughout the school. Once the body was examined, it was discovered that there rope marks around the neck of the corpse and the death was ruled as a suicide.

But things didn't end there. From then on, day after day, more and more corpses were found around the school. It wasn't long before other students began to suspect that Annie and Ida were the ones responsible for all the recent deaths. The other students began to bully and belittle them, so they decided that they would find out who the murderer was and clear their name.

That very night, Annie and Ida searched the school for any clues, until they heard a scream resonate within the corridors. Annie suddenly took off to follow the screams and Ida tried to follow, but couldn't keep up. While searching the school for her friend, Ida heard another scream. Fear began to cloud her senses. She was so afraid, that she didn't notice a mysterious figure approach her until she heard her friend call her name.

Ida looked up immediately ducked out of the way of a knife slash and Annie clumsily pushed the man to the ground. She then proceeded to grab the knife and thrust it into the figure's heart. Ida was shocked over the entire situation to say the least. She took a closer look at the figure and was surprised to find that it was just a normal man.

'Y-You fool. Why are you helping…' he died before he could finish his sentence. Ida couldn't fathom what the man was trying to say until she felt cold steel pierce her back. It all happened so quickly, that couldn't even scream. She hit the ground and looked up. She saw a knife covered in her blood in the hands of Annie. She was shocked by the dead look in her eyes. The last thing she saw was her friend leaving before darkness took her away.

Now you would think that this was the story of a deceptive friend, but there's actually a lot more to it. Annie disappeared from the face of the earth that night. One century later, the same kind of murders started taking place in private schools all around the world. Soon, they evolved into murders that would take place anywhere. Some believed that Annie is a ghost one that that's eternally bound to this realm, killing as much as she wants.  Taking a different appearance, befriending a new friend, earning their trust just so she can make a new kill!"

A bright smile appeared on Yuri's face as she drew a knife from her pocket, frightening the others to the point of them huddling together for comfort.

"Was that sufficiently scary?" Yuri queried.

"That was way too scary!" Natsuki screeched.

"Really scary," Sayori fearfully nodded her head in agreement.

"I, uh… I think it's safe to say that this party had a good scary story…" Monika nervously chuckled. "By the way, Yuri, why do you have a pocket knife?"

"Ah…" Yuri placed the knife back in her pocket. "No real reason…"

"I bet you only have it on you so you could scare us with that story of yours," Natsuki said.

"It did make for a scary twist," Sayori said. "Plus, you looked so cute when you were scared."

"I'm not cute!" Natsuki yelled. "Especially when I'm scared!"

"Actually I think you look cute no matter how you're feeling," Sayori grinned.

The smiling girl's face was soon introduced to a cat shaped pillow. Muffled sounds could be heard as Natsuki tightly held the pillow against her face.

"You still think I'm cute?" Natsuki asked with a smug look.

Sayori's arms continued to flail about until one of them grabbed another pillow and swung it at Natsuki. Now able to breathe again, Sayori gripped the pillow tighter and raised it over her head.

"Pillow fight!" she effused.

 Sayori turned her gaze towards Monika and Yuri. The excited look in her eyes was enough to frighten Yuri. The club VP swung her pillow at Yuri, only to be immediately intercepted by Monika. The lightning fast speed Monika demonstrated left Sayori open long enough for Natsuki to take her revenge for earlier.

"You've both met your match!" a confident smile spread across her face as she swung her pillow at Monika.

The host of the party effortlessly blocked the swings of her guest with a gentle smile on her face.

"You're enjoying how easy this is, aren't you?" Natsuki said.

"It's not easy at all," Monika replied, as she casually blocked a blow from Sayori.

"Not easy? Yeah right…" Natsuki muttered as she raised her pillow.

Teaming up with Sayori, the two continued their relentless assault against Monika to no avail. Just as the two were about to give up hope, an azure pillow struck the back of Monika's head. Everything came to a stop as the three turned their surprised gazes at a just as surprised Yuri.

No words were exchanged as the four started the fight once again.

15 minutes later, the girls collapsed on the floor laughing.

"Anyone else so tired that they can't move?" Monika asked.

"Right here," Sayori raised her hand.

"I'm also very exhausted," Yuri said.

"You better be," Natsuki said. "Your swings were so hard that it'd be crazy if you had any energy left."

"Ah… Sorry," Yuri apologized.

"Yeesh, you don't need to apologize when that's the point of the game," Natsuki pointed out.

"Oh. Sorry," Yuri apologized once more.

"Ugh… Your apologizing is making me feel like a jerk…" Natsuki moaned.

"I don't think that you have to worry about feeling like you’re a jerk to Yuri," Sayori said. "After all, a jerk wouldn't have felt so mad when they first laid their eyes on Akuma."

"Guh… That's not how it happened…" Natsuki muttered at a barely audible level.

"Is that true?" Monika asked.

"It happened after you and Shujinkou went to Yuri's house. We ran into him and Natsuki looked so mad that I thought she was going to jump him right then and there," Sayori answered.

The surprised that appeared in the eyes of Yuri and Monika was enough for Natsuki to divert her gaze.

"It's not such a big deal," she said. "I was just making sure that nothing awkward would happen. In fact, I was madder about him mistaking me for a first-year student."

"That sounds like you," Monika giggled.

"Ah…" Yuri slightly fidgeted as she looked into Natsuki's eyes. "Thanks, Natsuki."

"It's… It's not a big deal," she said in a huff. "Let's just drop it, okay?"

"Well, if that's the way you want it, Natsuki. Do you want to talk about the day we first met?" Monika suggested.

"St-Stop teasing me!" Natsuki snapped. "Maybe I'd rather talk more about the maid café thing?"

"Eh… No thanks," Monika nervously chuckled.

"How about we talk about what we did during the poster contest?" Sayori suggested.

"NO!" Yuri and Natsuki screamed. The two girls silently looked at each other, surprised by the other's response "No."

"Did something happen when you were working with Shujinkou, Natsuki?" Sayori asked.

"Of course not," Natsuki replied. "There's just nothing to talk about. We made a poster and that's it. Point is, we don't need to talk about that because there's nothing to talk about."

"You sure?" Sayori asked. "You seem to be…

Another pillow was quickly held against the vice-president's face.

"I gotta start bringing a pillow with me to the club," Natsuki smiled as she imagined putting the idea in practice.

She was then struck herself by Sayori, igniting another war.

The next morning, Monika slowly opened her eyes as a massive yawn escaped her body. She then looked around, noticing that she and her guests were still huddled together. She simply smiled and joined them back in the comfort of sleep.

Chapter Text

Afterword #2

It's Crash5020 again and welcome to another afterword segment. To be honest, I didn't want to do another one so soon, but I figured why not do another one in order to celebrate 1 whole year of writing this story. I honestly can't believe that it's been a year since I started writing this story and I have to admit that it has been an enjoyable experience. Anyway, where to start with this Afterword? I guess I'll start with some more behind the scenes.

Behind the scenes

Chapters 20-30: Kitsune Spa Resort Arc. Quite a few things happened in this arc. I think I'll start with the creation of Lady Hisa. She was actually conceptualized after I finished Chapter 16. My thought back then was, "Hey, what if Shujinkou had a connection to this resort? This way I can set up a story for the upcoming arc." It's actually another reason why he insisted that he or Natsuki not look up any images of the resort online, as he was already familiar with the location.

After I finished Chapter 17, I got to work on her character. I wanted her to be a "cool grandma" that Shujinkou was very close to. She would be a laidback individual who was also very professional when she needed to be and would have the same scratching of the right cheek tic that Shujinkou has. After developing a personality, I decided that she would have a very youthful appearance. So youthful in fact that people would have a hard time believing she was a grandmother. I also want to point out that her silver hair is natural and not a result of old age.

For Chapter 22, I decided to have Monika address her school idol status and her feelings towards it to Shujinkou. A nice bonding moment, but I also realized when looking over it that I have once again avoided any kind of situation that would have resulted in her feeding him food. Regarding the next chapter; it was originally going to be from Shujinkou's viewpoint, but I decided to change to Yuri and use the chapter to add in a bit of backstory.

Now after finishing 23 chapters… I had hit my first writers block regarding the story. As Chapter 31 shows, I had a few ideas of where to go next, but I didn't know which one to go with. After a long time of wondering what I could do, I remembered that I had a story to tell regarding Shujinkou's dad and decided to use it right away. All I had to do was work on his character.

Shujinkou has a complex relationship with Jomei. He wants his father's love but at the same time, he slightly resents him for his past actions. He's also under the belief that his father doesn't really like him and that he himself was the reason he left. Suffice to say, Jomei has left a few emotional scars on Shujinkou. It's because of this that he does not have a good standing with Sayori and Hisa. Since Hisa is a professional, she makes it clear that she won't let any negative feelings pop up unless he hurts her grandson again while Sayori does not refer to him in an affectionate way like she does with Shujinkou's grandparents. In fact, the only reason she insisted that Shujinkou spend time with his father was so he could find some form of closure, even after realizing the possibility of him getting hurt again was possible.

After purposely being ignored by his father in an attempt to talk to him, Shujinkou retreats into a cardboard box in an attempt to hide from everyone leading to the events of Chapter 25. In that chapter, I decided that it was a good opportunity to show that while Fuyu has an icy side, she does care for her fellow students and doesn't mind getting in awkward situations in an attempt to help them.

Events suddenly take a turn as it was finally time to explore the relationship Shujinkou had with his father directly. In chapters 28-30, I wanted to showcase a father and son with a very strained and distant relationship, while also showing that just because Shujinkou wants to have a better relationship with his father, he isn't desperate for it.

I originally planned for the day they had to be longer, but I felt anything more would have been unnecessary filler. I decided to have Shujinkou confront his father about his leaving when he was younger and end the arc showing how much his father has emotionally scarred him. I also consider his sudden appearance to be an example of how something fun can be ruined by an unforeseeable variable.

Chapter 32: A Sudden Meeting. In this chapter, Shujinkou meets to Kiyoko in a rather painful way.  Not much to say about this chapter since the sole focus was to introduce a new character. Kiyoko is a very athletic person who enjoys moments where she can just relax, which can sometimes lead her to sleeping in class whenever she can as seen in the next chapter.

Chapters 33-34: Make a Date and Study Date. These two chapters exist because I wanted to put Shujinkou in a study date scenario that I've prepared with his poorly marked paper from Chapter 2. His grades were slipping and Shujinkou realized that he needed some help. Fortunately for him, he was acquainted with Honor Student Monika. Not much to say in regards to what happened, just a boy and girl studying and hanging out. I did originally plan to add the scientist scene Monika spoke of, but I decided against it at the last moment.

Regarding the kiss they shared, I had to devise a scenario where it wouldn't be seen as a romantic advance from Shujinkou's viewpoint. With that in mind, I made them play a game where they both had something at stake and that a tie was possible.

Chapter 35: An Uncomfortable Encounter. This chapter I could have done better. As the chapter 's title indicates, I wanted there to be an uncomfortable encounter between Shujinkou and Akuma, but I could have done more with it.

Chapters 36-38: Cognitive Representation, Grimm Fun and A Considerate Fellow. So by Chapter 36, I decided to try my hand at the fake relationship plot. For a plot like this, I only had two characters I could use, but since Monika was just involved in a study date story, I had to pick Yuri. Nothing much to say for Chapter 36, other than the fact that originally, the angel/devil scene wasn't part of the chapter.

After I finished it, I was just rereading over the finished product and wanted to make it a bit longer.  To do that, I decided to expand on Shujinkou's moral debate over the situation and show it in a more comedic light. In fact, it was because I wanted it shown in a more comedic light and because it would fit his imaginative daydreams, that the angel and devil would take the form of Mickey Mouse. But I didn't stop there. Given the context of the situation, I realized that this would actually be a time that the angel and devil would agree. The angel would of course insist on helping others and the devil would insist on the lying part. If Shujinkou didn't agree to lie, then the devil would be happy that he didn't argree to helping someone without any compensation. In the end, it was a win-win scenario for the devil.

For the next chapter, it was time to introduce Yuki. I designed her to be a bright young girl that was interested in all kinds of fairy tales whether they were lighthearted or very dark. Her stuffed bear, Grimm, is a reference to the Brothers Grimm and it's stitched up look is to reflect another interest of hers. As for Yumi's character, she's the calm, gentle motherly type.

Now originally, I planned for Chapter 37 to be what the previous chapter was leading up to, but I couldn't get it to work for story purposes. So I had to add the trip to the amusement park and an extra chapter to fix; the exact reason being that both Yuki and Yumi were surprised by Shujinkou's appearance. But instead of calling him out, they decided to try and get a feel for his character, which is what drives their actions. Yumi, in particular, pays close attention to the interactions Yuri and Shujinkou have together. So while Yuki could get a feel of what kind of person Shujinkou is from just their short interaction from Chapter 37 alone, Yumi would need a bit more to go one. You could actually say that the sudden trip to the amusement park was a secret test of character for Shujinkou.

I will not lie; I did not feel comfortable about the idea of creating relatives for any of the girls. It felt like I had standards to meet and it made me wonder if I was making a mistake. But I had an idea and I decided to stick to my guns.

Chapters 39-40: Given Tasks and Self-Given Task. When I originally got to Chapter 39, I had no idea what to write. I planned and I planned and all I can say is that the only similarity between the original plot and the final one is that Sayori sprains her ankle. Anyway, Chapter 39 is the debut of silent student Rei. Her conception was brought about my sudden desire to write a silent protagonist and how the main cast would interact with her.

Another fact I would like to share is that the chapter was originally shorter, but since the section in the student council office was shorter than I intended, I expanded it into it is now.

Chapter 40 I decided to dedicate to Shujinkou and Sayori's friendship because I felt like I haven't focused on it for awhile. Nothing major, just a chapter long conversation between childhood friends.

Chapter 41: Morning Coffee. This chapter was a little tough due to Rei's silence. Can't get much of a conversation out of her so instead of just focusing on introducing her to the Literature Club, I took the mindset of progressing the story further along than I intended. Also, the opening conversation between Shujinkou and his mother and the event that the chapter was named after was added at the last second.

Chapter 42: Blind Trust. Not really much to say regarding this chapter since I wrote it one shot. All I can say was that I was waiting for the right moment to display this origin tale.

Chapters 43-44: A bit too formal and Doki Doki Slumber Party. Not much to say about Chapter 43 either. Its overall purpose was to serve as a prelude to Chapter 43 and I had to force myself to keep Rei from doing anything more than she did. Chapter 44's plot came about when I decided that I wanted to do a chapter that mostly focused on the girls in a scenario outside of school. Also when I was writing this story, I realized that it's been a year since I started writing the story, so I kind of wrote it with the words "anniversary special" in mind.

Now regarding the opening section, I originally intended for it to end at the moment when Shujinkou started to experience a "weird" feeling, but because I was writing it around the anniversary date, I expanded it into what it is now. Hiro meeting the girls and trying her hardest not to be an embarrassing mother figure, Hisa's cameo and the girls reflecting on previous events was all because of my anniversary mindset.

Besides that, I had real issues writing this chapter since I had no idea what the girls could do and even after doing some research, I still had no idea what I could do to make things interesting. I eventually decided that I was putting too much pressure on myself and decided to let things come naturally. It's because of that that I wrote this story out of order. In order:

1. Opening
2. Scary Story
3. Expanded Opening
4. Board Games-Scary Story
5. Pillow Fight

In the end, I found it easier to write this chapter by focusing on the interactions more than the events themselves.

Concluding Statements

If I was to be asked if I would still be writing this story 1 year later… I probably would have believed it. I knew deep down that the story wouldn't have been that short, especially with the ideas in my head. To end things, I would like to express my gratitude towards those reading the story. I know I make mistakes (like grammar issues I have to go and correct) and I may sometimes waste good plots (or do I? Yeah, I probably do), but thanks for sticking with this tale.

Chapter Text

"I remember that day clearly. That was when all of the pain, the sadness and the loneliness began. I wanted it to go away. I really, really wanted it to go away. But… am I talking about my pain or theirs?"

"Selfish"

"Time to get to work!" Sayori cheerfully thought as she gathered her things. Now that school was finally over, the young Vice-President could finally meet up with the other members of the Literature Club.

As she anxiously made her way to the meeting place, the young girl's curious gaze was caught by a familiar sight walking out of the school. She approached the window and silently watched a figure vanish from the school grounds.

"Oh…" Sayori gently pressed her hand against the cold glass. "Oh, wait, I got to get to the club. I can think about things when I get there."

In no time at all, she reached the classroom that held the club.

"I'm here!" she happily announced before tripping over her own two feet. Just as quickly as she fell, Sayori sprung back up on her feet. "Huh."

"Are you okay, Sayori?" Monika asked.

"Yeah, but I think I'm really used to being helped up," she replied.

"That doesn't sound like something a club VP would say," Following the direction of the sudden voice, Sayori curiously turned around to find Natsuki holding another container filled with various manga. The pink haired female then turned her stern gaze to Monika and asked: "By the way, when are we going to get our own club room?"

"I don't think we'll be getting our own club room anytime soon. Until then, this classroom will be our meeting place," Monika answered.

"What?! I thought this place was only temporary until we were official."

"Sorry, Natsuki, but I don't think that there's anything we can do about it right now."

"There's really nothing we can do?"

"Uhm… I think situations like this are under the authority of the Student Council President," Sayori replied. "So we would have to ask her."

"Ugh…" a nervous drop of sweat crawled down Natsuki's face as she considered that option. "I guess we'll just have to wait…"

Natsuki quickly retreated to the classroom closet, an action that surprised Sayori.

"I don't get why everyone gets that way whenever the president is mentioned," she said.

"Ah…"

Sayori and Monika turned towards the direction of the second sudden voice and watched Yuri quickly avert her gaze.

"What did you say, Yuri?" Sayori asked.

"Ah… Nothing. I really shouldn't say anything," the young maiden nervously replied.

"You don't have to be so nervous, Yuri," Monika assured her. "You can tell us whatever you were going to say."

"Well… To answer Sayori's question… The Council President has an air about her that scares the other students," Yuri said. "She really seems like a person that you need a lot of courage to approach and sustain a conversation with. In fact, I have heard other say how exhausted they were after talking to her."

"Oh…" Sayori closed her eyes before exhaling an exhausted sigh. "I'm tired just thinking about it. I bet he would be too."

"He… Are you referring to the same friend you mentioned before?" Monika queried.

"Mm-hmm," Sayori happily nodded.

"He must be very special to you if you feel compelled to mention him as much as you do," Yuri said.

"Huh? Do I really mention him that much?" Sayori wondered aloud.

"Constantly," Natsuki interjected as she walked out of the classroom.

"Huh. I guess I do," Sayori casually accepted. "But yeah, we grew up together, so of course I like him a lot."

"Mm…" a sad smile fell on Yuri's face. "It must be really nice to have someone that special to you…"

"Eh?"

"Ah… Nothing, I was just thinking aloud. It's nothing…"

Before Sayori could respond, Yuri looked down at her desk and reopened her book.

"Special…?" the young VP remained silent as her attention shifted back to Monika.

"Something on your mind?" she asked.

"Mmm…" Sayori's head slightly tilted from left to right until a bright smile formed on her face. "I just forgot. But besides that… "

Her curious eyes dropped down to the open journal tucked between Monika's hands.

"What're you writing in that journal?" she asked.

"This?" Monika gently closed the journal and said, "Just a story I'm working on."

"What's it about?"

"It's a secret."

"Secret?" that response did nothing but cause Sayori's curiosity to grow.

"But, I haven't been able to get much done today since my mind's been on other things," Monika continued.

"Like what?"

"What my class may be doing for the upcoming Cultural Festival. Our suggestion's been submitted and I'm a little worried that it may be approved."

"But events that classes do during the festival are usually really fun. Why are you worried?"

"Well… Let's just say that I may have to look forward to the Athletic Festival more than the Cultural Festival."

The next afternoon…

"Every day, I imagine a future where…" Monika stopped herself and gently tapped the heart-shaped cap of her pen against her right cheek. "…I'm still so lost after that part."

"Whatcha whispering, Monika?" the club president glanced up to find Sayori standing next to her with a puzzled expression planted firmly on her face.

"Nothing, I was just in deep thought about something."

"You know… You looked so out of it, that you kind of reminded me of my friend. He kinda dazes off a lot."

"He dazes off a lot?" Monika's eyes lit up with curiosity.

"Mm-hmm," Sayori nodded her head in response. "You never really know what goes on in that head but it usually sounds exciting."

"Hm. You know, now that I think about, I don't think you ever mentioned your friend by name."

"I haven't? Uhm… I'm pretty sure that I have. Haven't I?"

Monika shook her head.

"Oh, well his name is Shujinkou," Sayori replied.

"Shujinkou," Monika repeated, the tone of her voice layered with interest.

Out of nowhere, a sweet scent entered the room and penetrated the nostrils of the Vice-President. Her eyes widened as she instantly turned towards the classroom door and watched Natsuki walk through with a tin container.

"Natsuki?" Sayori said as she continued to eye the container. "What's that?"

"This? It's just something I decided to bring in today," Natsuki proudly removed the top of the container to unveil to the rest of the club 20 individual double chocolate brownies.

"Whoa! Where did you get those from?" Sayori excitedly asked.

"I made them myself. I bet you're surprised that I know how to bake."

"Really surprised," Sayori nodded with a stuffed face.

"Eh?" the young baker did nothing but stare as Sayori reached for more brownies. "You… You really like sweets don't you?"

"Mm-hmm. Well, I like a lot of things, but sweets are one of the things I like the most." The club VP took one large gulp and miraculously swallowed the brownies with no issue. She gently patted her stomach as Natsuki continued to stare at her in disbelief.

"I'm going to need to keep an eye on this girl…" she thought.

Sayori then slid a few into her lunchbox and stuffed it back in her bag.

"Some for the road," she said with a smile.

The club's meeting continued on as usual. The evening came and, the moment the club was dismissed, Sayori said her goodbyes and dashed down the usual road home, except today she had a stop to make. She eagerly approached one of the many houses near her own and knocked on the door. Not too long after, the door opened to reveal very a familiar face.

"Hey, Auntie H!" she waved cheerfully.

"Long time no see, Sayori," Hiro eyes scanned the 2nd year student from top to bottom. "You look so cute in your school uniform."

"Really?" Sayori curiously glanced at her uniform. "Is Shujinkou in?"

"Oh, uhm…" Hiro's expression changed. "I… I actually don't know where he is."

"Really? He usually leaves school before me. I wonder where he could be." Sayori wondered aloud.

"Wait… You leave after him? What do you do after school?"

"I'm the Vice-President of the Literature Club."

"Really? Sounds like you're 2nd in charge of a fun club."

"It is fun. In fact…" Sayori dug into her bag and pulled out her lunchbox. "…One of the club members made some brownies. I wanted to see if Shujinkou wanted any, but it look like I missed him… I guess that means I don't have to share."

"Right… It's his loss," Hiro weakly chuckled.

"So, what are you up to these days, Auntie H?"

"Me? Not much. Just keeping house, practicing my knitting skills and uh…"

"What is it?"

"What I'm about to tell you is strictly confidential."

Hiro motioned Sayori towards her and whispered in left ear.

"WHAT?! Is that true!?" Sayori inquired.

"Well… Yeah," Hiro chuckled.

"Does Shujinkou or Granny Hisa know?"

Hiro shook her head.

"Wow… Well, I promise I won't tell him when I eventually catch up to him," Sayori assured her.

Hiro's eyes widened with a surprise.

"You're going to try and catch up with him?" she asked, unable to hide her shock.

"Mm-hmm," Sayori nodded before glancing down at her lunchbox. "Actually, I think there's something I have to do first, but I'll definitely try and catch him after that."

"Oh… Well, that's good."

"Yeah. Wish me luck, Auntie H!"

With a new sense of determination flowing through her, Sayori reached into her lunchbox and handed Hiro one of the leftover brownies. She then stuffed another in her mouth and rushed home.

"Good luck." Hiro whispered. "And thanks."

Chapter Text

Darkness was all that appeared before him until Shujinkou opened his eyes to greet the bright orange sky. He gently grasped his forehead only to feel something warm and sticky trickle down his fingers. Confused and slightly in pain, Shujinkou lowered his hand and stared at the red substance that slightly stained his palm. The confusion grew until he glanced at a nearby tree and solemnly stared at the blood stained bark.

"Oh right. That was a really desperate move…" he sighed.

Sad music played in his head as he stood on his feet.

"Stop it!" Shujinkou shouted at the top of his lungs.

He sighed in relief as the sounds of nature quickly stifled the inner song. But even then, Shujinkou was far from composed. Nothing could be done about that as he knew that it was still time to return home. That singular goal was all the young man focused on as he jumped on his feet. He had to, or else he may risk accidently breaking curfew again.

It didn't take long for him to make it to his destination. Once inside, he curiously inspected his surroundings just as his mother walked out of his kitchen.

"Welcome back, Shuji-" a warm welcome was quickly rendered impossible as her eyes were immediately drawn to the wound on her son's forehead. She quickly rushed to Shujinkou and took a closer look at the injury. "What happened?!"

"I tripped and fell over," he answered as he scratched his right cheek.

A small smile formed on his face, but it was only met with disapproving frown. Hiro then led her son to the kitchen and began to clean the wound. As she did so, Shujinkou glanced down at the table and was surprised to find a single brownie sitting on top of a nearby plate.

"You made brownies?" he asked.

"No. Someone else made it and Sayori brought it here for you to try," Hiro answered.

"Sayori?"

"Mm-hmm. Seems like she still takes your sweet tooth into consideration."

Hiro quickly finished patching up her son's injury and gently slid the plate towards him.

"Why don't you give it a try?" she suggested.

Shujinkou silently stared at the plate before suddenly reaching out for it.

"Can I eat it in my room?" he asked.

"Um, sure…" Hiro answered.

No more words were exchanged as Shujinkou left the table and walked to his room. Not even bothering to turn on the lights, Shujinkou tossed his backpack on the floor, plopped himself in bed and brought the brownie close to his face. The moment his teeth sunk in, tears began flowing out of his eyes.

The next afternoon, Shujinkou stared out of the classroom window as he tried to keep his mind active with various thoughts. Eventually, he began to focus on one subject that has been on his mind for a long time.

"Wonder why they changed how classes work?" he wondered. "Last year, the teachers were the ones that switched classrooms and now the students have to switch classrooms. I guess the school decided to experiment. Kinda sucks that it takes away from between class breaks. Though I wonder if I could use this new way of doing things in order to find some new places I could hide out during the Cultural Festival this year."

"Shujinkou."

"Sayori came to visit yesterday. Did she really just want to leave me that brownie or was it something more?"

"Shujinkou."

"I haven't really talked to her in a really long time. I kinda thought she moved on. I wouldn't have blamed her for doing that; in fact it would make more sense if she did especially since I haven't exactly been a fun person to be around since… Wonder what would lead her to wanting to see me now?"

"Shujinkou!"

A loud voice pieced through Shujinkou's thoughts, forcing him back to reality just in time to confront his teacher. He knew just by looking into her stern eyes that he was about to be scolded. But instead of scolding him, she instead said something that he didn't expect: "Are you okay, Shujinkou?"

"Huh? Oh… Yeah, I'm good," he replied.

"Are you sure? Because you seem to have a tendency to doze off in class."

"Sorry. I kind of think and daydream a lot."

"I heard you do that in all of your classes. Not only that but I've recently found out that you barely passed all your classes last year."

"I guess I'm not that good of a student."

"That's what people would believe if they didn't notice the pattern of your work."

"Pattern?"

"When I was looking over your past grades and the grades you received in this class so far, I've noticed that you seem to alternate between doing well and failing. Have you ever noticed that?"

"Not really."

"Are you sure that there isn't anything you want to talk about?"

"No… I don't."

"Alright. But if something is bugging you, my door is always open."

"Thanks, teacher."

Shujinkou grabbed his backpack and walked out of the classroom with a sigh.

The next morning, a tired yawn escaped through Shujinkou's lips as he walked to school. It was strange but for some reason he felt like someone was calling out to him.

"SHUJINKOU! WAIT!"

"Wait, someone is calling me," he thought as the familiar voice finally reached him. "Is that…?"

Shujinkou turned around and was swiftly knocked off his by Sayori. Unfazed by the sudden collision, she quickly sat up and smiled down at her old friend.

"Finally caught up to you, Shujinkou," Sayori said. "Long time no see."

"Sayori?" Shujinkou said in disbelief.

"Mm-hmm. You sound like you forgot what I looked like. It hasn't really been that long, has it?"

Shujinkou remained silent as he scratched his right cheek.

"So… What have you been up to, lately?" Sayori inquired.

"Nothing much… Just going through the motions. Going to school, going home, playing games…" he answered.  His face sported a look of sorrow for a split second before it was replaced with one of curiosity. "What about you? What have you been up to?"

"I'm the Vice-President of the Literature Club," Sayori proudly replied.

"What?!" Shujinkou exclaimed. "Vice-President of the-?! Wait, when did the school get a Literature Club?"

"Is it really that surprising that I can be Vice-President?" Sayori pouted. "And the school got the Literature Club this year."

"It's not really surprising you can, it's just… It's kind of hard imagining you performing Vice-Presidential duties. I'm not saying you can't, it's just hard to imagine."

"Oh. Well, I can understand that. It's hard for me to imagine too. Anyway, there's something I really wanted to ask you."

The surprise Shujinkou felt grew as he wondered what could be important enough for Sayori to literally chase him down.

"What did you want to ask me?" he said.

"Are you going to join any clubs this year?" Sayori asked.

"Uhm… Not really."

"So, it's just like I was to- like I figured! Just like I figured! But anyway you should really choose a club to join, Shujinkou."

"I don't know Sayori. They're not really my thing. Besides, it's not like it'll be the end of the world if I don't join a club."

"Yes it will!"

"Wha?!"

"Think about, Shujinkou. A club is a place for social interaction in an environment built entirely around  an individual's interests. It is through these clubs that people come together and grow together as they continue to prepare for the real world. Without school clubs, students would lack the social grace that would allow them to succeed in the grown up world and become NEETS. I don't want you to become a NEET, Shujinkou!"

Shujinkou stared at Sayori in disbelief.

"Don't you think that's kind of a massive exaggeration, Sayori?" he asked.

"Not really," she shook her head. "Besides…"

Sayori diverted her gaze for a second, an action that surprised Shujinkou.

"Come on, Shujinkou! At least try to find a club you would like!" Sayori pleaded.

"Well…" Shujinkou alternated between glancing at Sayori and his right hand. "I… I guess I can look through a couple of them. Just to see what they're like."

"That's great! And there are so many clubs that you can check out. There's the Pottery Club, the Literature Club, the Basketball Club, Literature Club, Drama Club, Literature Club, Debate Club, Journalist Club, Archery Club, Supernatural Club, Literature Club…"

"You know, I'm starting to get the feeling that you want me to check out the club you're in."

"I'm just doing my job as Vice-President. But you really should check out the Literature Club. It's a really fun place."

"I don't know Sayori. I don't really think I'm the literature type."

"That's not true. After all, you did do a 2-hour explanation on why manga was literature."

"Sayori, I was 8 and that was in response to our teacher saying that Dragon Ball wasn't an acceptable piece of literature to do my book report on. Also, I'm pretty sure I padded out some of that rant with repetition."

"Even so, the criticism you just provided explanation was a pretty literary thing to say. Please, Shujinkou, just come and check it out."

"I don't know."

"Please? If you don't come, there won't be enough people to eat all the cupcakes that Natsuki's bringing."

Shujinkou's eyes widened as the plural form of cupcake was processed into his brain.

"Cupcakes?" he said.

"Yeah," Sayori nodded. "Remember the brownie I left for you? Natsuki made it herself and said that she would bring in cupcakes today."

Shujinkou once again glanced away from Sayori, thinking, "I can't help but feel like Sayori is trying to lure me to her club with the promise of sweets. Now that I think about further, it's been two days since the brownies were made. That would be enough time for Sayori to convince Natsuki to make some cupcakes just so she could have a backup plan if I tried to say no to checking out her club… Maybe I'm just looking too deeply into this situation. It may just be a coincidence. I mean it's such a devious plan that... that I should probably keep it in the back of my head just in case."

"Shujinkou!" Sayori yelled, snapping him out his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, I was thinking about something," he sheepishly replied. "But I… I guess I can check out your club to see what it's like."

"Yay! You won't regret it, Shujinkou!"

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as Sayori started to happily bounce up and down.

"Hey, uh, Sayori?" he said.

"Yeah?" Sayori looked at him with curious eyes.

"I don't mean to be rude, but could you please get off me?"

"Huh?" Sayori shot Shujinkou a confused look until she finally realized that she was on top of him. Her face turned bright red as she immediately jumped up off him. "Sorry. Anyway, we got to get to school before it's too late."

"Right," Shujinkou said as he slowly stood up.

Sayori grinned as she continued down the path to school, unaware of the doubt on Shujinkou's face.

"Is this really okay...?" he glanced down at his right hand and sighed.  "Hir-"

Chapter Text

"I know it hurts a lot right now, Shujinkou. But you have to believe me when I say that you'll soldier through it.

"I… I'm the reason dad left, aren't I?"

"What!? Why would you say that?"

"Because it just makes sense! I'm the reason he left! I just know it!"

"That's not the reason he left. You're not the reason. I promise you, Shujinkou, you're not the reason."

"But I couldn't…"

"That isn't your fault. You aren't to blame for anything, Shujinkou… Shujinkou… Shujinkou… Shujinkou!"

A bubbly voice pierced through the old memory, forcing Shujinkou back into the present. He blinked twice and looked up to find Sayori standing in front of his desk. The curious look on her face was something he found completely understandable.

"What happened in your head this time?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing much," Shujinkou replied with a shrug.

Telling Sayori what was really going on in his head was the last thing he wanted to do; especially when he didn't want to relieve that memory in the first place.

"Oh. Well are you ready to go?" Sayori asked.

"Yeah," Shujinkou nodded.

With his backpack in hand, Shujinkou followed Sayori out of the classroom and down the hallway.

"You know, you didn't have to come and personally escort me, Sayori. I wouldn't have ran off," Shujinkou said.

"I know. But I figured you didn't know where the club room is," she happily pointed out.

"Touché," he shrugged.

But despite his casual response, he was anything but calm. He was nervous. Even though he only promised to visit the club, he couldn't help but fear what may happen if he-

"We're here!" Sayori's cheerful announcement stopped Shujinkou's train of thought as he laid his eyes on the door she presented.

"Your club is in a classroom?" the young thinker shot a confused look towards his old friend.

"Yeah. We borrow this classroom for our meetings every day since the school didn't give us a club room. Anyway, are you ready to meet everyone?"

"I guess?"

"You don't sound too enthusiastic. You're not just going to coast through this visit, are you?"

"No. It's just that, among a lot of other things, I'm worried that I'll embarrass myself. I bet they'll be able to tell I'm not really the literature type."

"That's crazy, Shujinkou. I guarantee that you'll be able to fit in just fine."

Before he could even have a chance to respond, Sayori grabbed Shujinkou's wrist and led him into the classroom.

"I brought in a potential club member!" Sayori announced.

A tsunami of emotions surged through the visitor as he examined the room. He counted three other students in the room and… they were all girls?!

"Is Sayori trying to get me to join an all girls club?" he wondered. "I can't imagine this scenario ending well…"

Suddenly, Natsuki approached him and looked up into his eyes; the annoyed expression she wore causing his anxiety to shoot up exponentially.

"Are you serious, Sayori? This guy doesn't seem like the literature type," she scoffed.

"I knew it…" Shujinkou mumbled under his breath.

"Of course he is," Sayori defended. "Remember when I told you about his 2 hour explanation on manga?"

"8 and repetition…" Shujinkou further mumbled.

"And he also easily critiqued his own explanation and professionally admitted its flaws," Sayori continued. "That's pretty literature typey."

"Really…" Natsuki's gaze returned to Shujinkou. "Are you sure you even want to be here?"

"Uh…" that was all he could say to the petite club member. The skeptical look in her eyes and oppressive atmosphere was the exact thing he feared would happen.

"I think you're scaring him, Natsuki," Monika approached the group, her eyes trained specifically on Shujinkou. Her gentle smile removed any form of anxiety that he had felt. "Long time no see, Shujinkou."

"Monika?" While his nervousness was gone, it was immediately replaced with several burning questions that Shujinkou had to fight himself from asking right away.

"You two know each other?" Sayori inquired, exchanging glances with Shujinkou and Monika.

"Sort of. We were in the same class last year, but we didn't really talk much," Monika explained.

"How come you never mentioned that?"

"Well, you never mentioned Shujinkou by name until just a few days ago and I wasn't completely sure you were referring to the same guy. It would have been really embarrassing if I made the wrong assumption."

"Wow…" Sayori turned to Shujinkou, her face glowing with amazement. "It's kind of funny that you already know our Founder/President, Shujinkou."

"Founder/President?" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he tried to wrap his head around the revelation. "But I thought you were part of the Debate Club."

"I was, but some stuff happened," Monika replied. "I wouldn't want to bore you with all the details. The end of the story is that I decided to make this club after leaving the Debate Team."

Shujinkou remained silent as he pondered Monika's response. If the school's local idol started a new club, then why are there only a total of four members in the club? Even if a club based around literature doesn't sound like the most exciting after school activity, he figured Monika's presence would still attract a lot of potential members.

"Shujinkou!" Sayori called.

"Huh?" snapping out of his thoughts, Shujinkou's cheeks turned red as he realized that the three girls were staring at him. "Sorry."

"I guess you still daze off a lot," Monika chuckled.

Shujinkou glanced down at the floor, keeping his almost sorrowful face hidden from the others. Being reminded of something he does almost every day was surprisingly hurtful. But that pain was quickly pushed away by a strange feeling. Even though he was in the middle of a conversation, where eye contact was guaranteed, he still felt as if he was being watched.

He looked up and immediately met eyes with Yuri. It didn't last long though as she quickly diverted her gaze and raised the book she was reading up to her face.

"What just happened?" Shujinkou wondered. He wanted ask her that very question, but he wasn't sure if she wanted to be bothered. Shujinkou then looked back at Sayori and asked, "So, when did you join Sayori?"

"I quickly joined right after Monika made the club," Sayori answered.

"Actually, you joined a 5 days after I made the club," Monika corrected.

"Eh? You mean you've been by yourself for an entire school week?"

"Yep. It was just me that entire week. Just me."

"I still find that very hard to believe," Shujinkou thought.

"Huh," Sayori casually replied before continuing her story. "So after I joined 5 days later, me and Monika went out and looked for new members. We found Natsuki in the library und-"

"Sayori!" Natsuki loudly interjected.

"What?"

"He doesn't need to know where you guys found me!"

"Why not?"

"He just doesn't!"

"What was she doing in the library?" Shujinkou started to wonder.

"So we found Natsuki and convinced her to join the club," Sayori continued. "After that we soon found Yuri and…"

Sayori paused mid-sentence, quickly turned around and waved at Yuri.

"Yuri! Come say hi to Shujinkou!" she called.

Shujinkou watched as the purple-haired maiden slowly stood up and approached him, her eyes alternating between looking at him and her own hands.

"Ah… Hello…" she said.

"Hey," Shujinkou replied.

"Now that you've met everyone in the club, we can get to business," Sayori said, her voice bursting with excitement.

Suddenly, Natsuki walked to the closet and quickly returned with the cupcakes Sayori had mentioned. Shujinkou marveled at the delicious sight in front of him. Each individual cupcake was well-made and the frosting was shaped in the form of a happy cat.

"Wow," Shujinkou said.

"Yeah, Natsuki. I'm surprised that you were able to make cupcakes that are as cute as yourself," Sayori exulted.

"I-I'm not cute!" Natsuki snapped.

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as wondered why Natsuki reacted so violently to such a compliment. He knew it wasn't his place to ask though and reached for one of the cupcakes. The moment he grabbed one, Shujinkou noticed Natsuki peering at him from the corner of her eyes. The confused guest soldiered through the awkward atmosphere and took a bite out of the cupcake.

"So good!" Shujinkou thought, barely able to keep his delight hidden. "This has got to be the best way to treat a prospective new member ever."

Just then, a familiar feeling interrupted that bliss. He turned to his left and was surprised to find Yuri staring at him once again. The moment their eyes met again, the young maiden quickly diverted her gaze once more.

"S-Sorry… I didn't mean to stare…" she apologized.

"Um… It's okay. No harm done," Shujinkou said.

Yuri started to play with her hair as she continued to avoid eye contact.

"So, Shujinkou, what made you interested in coming here today?" Monika asked.

"Um… Sayori was doing her job as Vice-President and made a very compelling case about why I should come here to visit," Shujinkou answered.

"You sure you didn't just come here for the cupcakes?" Natsuki asked. "Sayori seemed adamant about making sure there were some here for your visit."

"Really?" Shujinkou's eyes narrowed as they travelled to Sayori. "I was told that you were bringing them in anyway."

"I guess I may have forgotten that I asked for cupcakes…" Sayori nervously chuckled.

"You can be really devious when you want to, huh?" Natsuki said. "Maybe you really are meant to be a VP."

"You really think so?" Sayori beamed.

"I think that was a negative political joke, Sayori," Shujinkou said.

Sayori shot a confused look at him, prompting him to explain the joke to Sayori.

"Oh, I get it…" Sayori said. "Wait, but I'm not devious politician that would do anything to get their way."

"Well, you kind of lured me here with the promise of sweets while making me believe that Natsuki was bringing them in anyway even though she only brought them because you asked her too," Shujinkou pointed out in a matter-of-fact manner.

"But everyone benefitted from it," Sayori nervously chuckled.

"Sayori has a point there," Monika said before taking another bite out of her cupcake.

Shujinkou shrugged and continued to eat his cupcake. But instead of experiencing another round of bliss, all he felt was dread.

"Is this really fair?" he wondered. "I never thought I'd be in this kind of scenario. It doesn't feel right."

"Are you okay, Shujinkou?" Monika asked.

"Hm? Yeah," Shujinkou replied. "Why do you ask?"

 "Because you look so serious," she answered.

"Oh. I was just thinking about…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he pondered his own thoughts. "Actually, I just remembered that there's somewhere I have to be. So, I have to go."

"Eh? But you just got here," Sayori said.

"I know but, I really got to go," Shujinkou quickly finished his cupcake and smiled at the club. "It was nice meeting all of you."

Shujinkou left the classroom and continued down the hallway until he felt something tightly wrap itself around his wrist, cutting his departure short. He immediately turned around and saw something he never wanted to see.

"Don't go," Sayori pleaded.

"Sayori…" Shujinkou looked away from her and remained silent as he felt his hand slowly fall back to his side. "Sorry, Sayori."

Those were the only words he had the courage to say before leaving.

Chapter Text

"I feel terrible," those three words were the only thing that circulated through Shujinkou's head from the moment he left the Literature Club meeting to when the lunch bell rung the net afternoon. Not only did he feel bad about wasting the club's time, he couldn't help but feel disappointed in himself for how he left Sayori. "Maybe, that's why I didn't see her this morning."

"Shujinkou?"

Shujinkou glanced up and was completely taken aback once he laid eyes on Monika.

"M-Monika? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to eat lunch together," Monika suggested with a smile.

Shujinkou's eyes widened with shock as he tried to process what he was just asked. Why would the school's idol want to eat lunch with him? That was the only thought in his head as he opened his lunchbox.

"Hey, Monika…" Shujinkou said.

"Yeah?" Monika looked up from her meal with curious eyes.

"How come you asked me to eat lunch with you?"

"To be honest, I wanted to see if you were okay. You kinda left in a hurry yesterday."

"Oh."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he sheepishly looked down at his food.

"About that… I'm sorry about yesterday," Shujinkou apologized.

"Sorry? Sorry about what?" Monika inquired.

"Not joining the club and suddenly leaving?"

"There's no need to apologize about that. The club's not for everyone. But there is something I wanted to know."

Shujinkou looked back up, curious to know what Monika wanted to ask.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Sayori once said that you weren’t interested in joining any clubs," said Monika. "Why's that?"

"Oh. Well, to be honest, they're just not really my thing."

"Why not?"

"I'm just not interested. I prefer to just go home after school and do my own things."

"Is that really all there is to it?"

Shujinkou diverted his gaze and sighed. All he could answer her question with was a simple, "Yeah."

Monika silently stared at him as she continued to eat her meal.

 "Okay then," she said. "But if you ever change your mind about joining the club or just want to visit us, just know that you can."

"R-really?" Shujinkou replied, perplexed. "That's kind of a…"

"Sudden and strange offer to someone that 3/4^ths of the club doesn't know that well," Monika casually interrupted.

Shujinkou didn't know how to respond to her on-point deduction, nor did he know if he should feel amazed or scared.

"Uh, yeah… What you just said," he nodded.

"It does sound strange but I'm sure Sayori would really like it if you at least visited now and then, especially since she talks about you so much," Monika explained.

"S-She does?" Shujinkou couldn't hide how surprised he was to hear that.

"All the time. It's probably why she convinced Natsuki to bring in cupcakes."

Shujinkou was rendered speechless by what he just heard. He never thought Sayori would talk about him so much after so long. But all that information did was make the disappointment he felt in himself grow and flourish.

 Suddenly, Monika stood up and said, "Well, I got somewhere to be, so I gotta cut this conversation short."

"That wouldn't be your way of trying to inflict irony on me, is it?" Shujinkou asked.

"No, I wouldn't do that. It's just that I promised to help a teacher with something after I finish my lunch. But I really do hope to see you later," Monika smiled and waved goodbye as she disappeared into the distance.

"I still kind of feel the irony…" Shujinkou sighed.

He promptly finished his lunch and returned to class. But he was unable to listen to the teacher's words. All he could think about was what Monika had said to him. That thought would linger in his mind throughout the day and as he returned home.

"Welcome home, Shujinkou," Hiro approached her son and was slightly surprised by the solemn look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Hey, mom... Do you ever feel like that I'm like my father?" Shujinkou asked.

"No. Why would you ever ask that?"

"Because I kinda feel like that I've been caught in myself so much that I haven't really thought about those around me. Doesn't that sound like my father?"

"Shujinkou… Jomei's a lot more complicated than that. You shouldn't really use him as an example to compare yourself to."

"But…" Shujinkou's mind replayed his most recent conversation with Sayori. "I left someone when they wanted me to stay. I ran away instead of dealing with the situation when it happened. That kinda sounds like something my father would."

"Shujinkou…" Hiro gently placed her hand on her son's head. "Well, do you feel bad about leaving this person?"

"Yeah."

"Then I think we both know what you need to do. You need to talk to Sayori."

"Huh? How did you know?"

"I am a mother. I'm supposed to know this kind of stuff. That and I think Sayori's the only who can elicit such a reaction from you."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek.

"But… What can I say to her?" Shujinkou queried.

"That's something you'll to find out for yourself," Hiro smiled as she ruffled her son's head.

It wasn't the answer he was looking for, but Shujinkou knew it was the right one.

"Thanks, mom," he thanked before he heading to his room.

Later that evening, Hiro found herself in a familiar situation just as she heard the sound of the doorbell reverberate through the house. She shuffled her way to the front door and opened it to find Sayori on the other side.

"Hey, Auntie H," Sayori waved.

"Hey, Sayori," Hiro sheepishly chuckled.

Sayori's eyes scanned Hiro's body and the layers of yarns that constricted it.

"What happened?" Sayori queried.

"Just something that happens sometimes when my sewing teacher is unavailable," Hiro replied. "In fact, if I was mom or Shujinkou, I would probably be scratching my right cheek right now."

"Speaking of Shujinkou… Is he here?"

"Uhm, yeah. He's been upstairs ever since he got home. You're free to head up there if you want."

Accepting the invitation, Sayori eagerly skipped into the house and jumped up the steps. Once upstairs, she opened Shujinkou's door and found him lying in bed.

"Shujinkou, are you asleep?" she whispered.

Nothing but silence answered her question.

"I see…" Sayori walked into the room and plopped herself on the floor. "Sorry for not walking to school with you this morning. I kinda oversleep this morning. Though, maybe you'd rather be alone now that I think about.

Um… You know, I'm kinda glad you're sleeping right now, because I don't think I could say this to your face. We haven't really hung out for awhile now and I know it's because of what happened all that time ago, but… I don't know if you thought about me until a few days ago and even if you haven't, I always thought about you. Always wondering what I could do to help you smile again. But I could never think of anything and could do nothing but watch you be sad. But after Yuri said that you were special to me, I realized that I couldn't consider myself a good friend if I didn't still try to find a way to make you happy again. The club is a fun place and I thought if I could get you to join, then you would smile again.

At least, that's what I thought at first. When I really thought about it after you left, maybe I was really thinking about myself. I begged you to try and find a club you liked and tried my hardest to make sure you would visit our club; hoping that you liked it enough to join it. Because it would have been really fun if we were in a club together. It would have been like the old days when we used to play together. But we soon grew apart and… I felt really lonely. Really, really lonely. Talking about you kind of helped but it wasn't really enough. I really wanted to you to join the club because I… I really wanted my best friend back. But in the end, it was just a selfish wish. Everything I did in the past few days was me being selfish. I never even considered what you wanted. How you just wanted to be left alone.

I get it now though. Now I know that if I can really consider myself your friend, I have to leave you be. It may be hard for someone as selfish as me to do, but I'm sure I can manage it."

Sayori jumped onto her feet and immediately realized that she forgot something else.

"Though now that I think about it, I may have to find a way to say that to you when you're awake," she said as she walked to the door. As her hand tightly gripped the doorknob, she quickly looked back at her friend.

"See ya, Shujinkou," a small smile formed on her face as she tried her best to blink back her tears.

The very next afternoon, Sayori skipped into the clubroom and noticed Monika writing at the teacher's desk.

"You working on your mystery story again, Monika?" Sayori asked.

"Who told you?" Monika gasped.

Sayori's curiosity spiked before Monika started giggling.

"Just kidding," Monika said. "You're not getting any hints that easily. But anyway, what I'm really doing is updating our club info so that it shows that we have 5 members now."

"5 members?" Sayori's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Did we get a new member?"

"Mm-hmm. The new member should be here soon."

"Really? I wonder what they're like."

Monika simply smiled at the young Vice-President as they heard a familiar voice ask, "Am I too late?"

Sayori quickly turned around and was shocked to find Shujinkou standing behind her.

"Shujinkou?!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, it wouldn't look good if the newest member missed his first club meeting," Shujinkou replied, scratching his right cheek.

"Eh!? You're our newest member?!"

"Yeah, I asked Monika if I could join this morning."

Sayori blankly stared at Shujinkou. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around him and started jumping up and down.

"You're in the club! You're in the club!" Sayori cheered. "But wait, what made you change your mind?"

"I kinda realized that I really didn't give the club a chance and… To make a long story short, I decided to join the club," Shujinkou answered.

"Oh, that makes sense," Sayori nodded.

"It does?" Natsuki interjected. "He only told you the beginning and end result of the story."

"It doesn't really matter. As long as it ended with him joining the club," Sayori beamed.

"Then why did you ask for an explanation…?" she sighed in disbelief.

"Moving on; Now that everyone is here, we can finally get today's meeting started," Monika announced.

"Yeah!" Sayori cheered.

"Hey, uh, Sayori…" the young VP looked at Shujinkou and shot him curious look. He scratched his right cheek and continued with, "Never mind. I'll tell you later."

"Um… Okay," she grinned.

"Selfish": The End

Chapter Text

"This sucks…" Natsuki groaned.

Normally at the end of the school day, Natsuki and the other Literature Club girls would meet in their clubroom and participate in whatever activity was thought of. Today though, every afterschool activity has been cancelled on account of a chemical experiment gone wrong.

"It can't be helped, Natsuki. These things happen," Monika said in an attempt to console the petite club member.

But those words fell upon deaf ears as Natsuki sighed.

Soon, Shujinkou arrived; Surprise being the only thing he felt the moment he noticed Natsuki slumped against the entrance of the school.

"Shujinkou!" Sayori waved."Where you've been?"

"I kind went looking for Rei to make sure she got out of the school okay," the late club member replied.

"Well, I guess it's kind of obvious that we can't have our club meeting today, so I guess that means that everyone but Sayori can go home," Monika announced.

"Everyone but Sayori?" Shujinkou could imagine a giant blue question mark forming over his head as he pondered what he just heard.

"Monika and I have some club stuff to do and we decided to do it at her house since we can't do it here," Sayori explained.

"Oh," Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he watched the two wave goodbye and leave.

"Well…" Yuri slightly fidgets as she glanced at Shujinkou. "I guess I'll take my leave too. See you two tomorrow."

"Right. See ya," Shujinkou nodded his head and watched Yuri leave. "Guess I'll leave too. I wonder what I should do with the extra time I have today."

Shujinkou began his trek home, pondering what he could do with his free time.

"I really don't want to go home yet."

Those few words were enough to cause Shujinkou's entire body to freeze in place. It was quiet, but just audible enough for him to hear it. He curiously turned around and was baffled to discover that Natsuki's disappointed face had changed into one of sorrow. His mind was then barraged with memories of the afternoon they spent together in the clubroom despite the fact the meeting was closed that day. He always wondered why she still went and still does to this day. Perhaps it was…

"H-Hey, Natsuki," Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek as he approached the his fellow club member. "Do you want to hang out at my house for a while?"

The petite student immediately looked up and shot him a look that only made the situation even more awkward for Shujinkou.

"What are you asking all of a sudden?" she asked, her voice layered with skepticism.

"It just that you seem disappointed that the club's been cancelled today and since you let me read your manga all the time, I thought it would only be fair if I let you read mine since you can't get to yours," Shujinkou sheepishly explained.

Natsuki looked away and silently stared into the distance, the serious expression she wore on her face prompting him to wonder if he shouldn't have made the suggestion.

"Fine," she finally said. "But only because the club is only cancelled."

"Well, I don't want you to feel like you have to come if you don't want to," Shujinkou replied.

"I-I'm not saying that I don't want to.  I'm just making it clear that-"

Shujinkou's innocent and curious gaze disrupted Natsuki's train of thought.

"Uh… I'll go. Just don't make a big deal out of it," she said.

"Okay?" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, confused by what he just witnessed. He couldn't understand why Natsuki reacted so strongly to his proposal when she had already visited his home twice before, a thought that would remain with him as they walked into the residence.

"Mom, are you home?" Shujinkou yelled only for silence to respond back to him. "I guess she's out."

"You sure it's okay for me to be here?" Natsuki asked. "Your mom seemed kinda weird the last time I was here."

"What? No, she's fine with you guys," Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as his face slightly grew red. "I… I kinda never got around to telling her that I was the only boy in the club so that's why she acted a little different."

"What?! How come you never told her before then?"

"Well, what's the first thought that would come to mind if a boy joined a club that was currently composed of nothing but girls?"

"…Yeah, I see your point. But you should have told her before then. You could've created an awkward situation for all of us. Besides, we all know that you joined because of Sayori." Natsuki crossed her arms as she diverted her gaze.

"That's true, but she's only part of the reason I stay," Shujinkou replied, his eyes scanning the area.

"Wha?!" Natsuki's cheeks changed shades to match the color of her hair. "D-Don't just say stuff like that out of nowhere, dummy!"

"Huh?" Shujinkou's eyes stopped scanning the area and landed on Natsuki. "Sorry, I guess I was saying things while slightly dazed."

"Yeesh. You really need to think before you say things. Can I just see your collection before things get more awkward?"

"Good call."

Shujinkou led his fellow club member to his room and motioned her to where his own personal collection of manga resided.

"Really nice to have your collection at home…" she muttered.

"That reminds me… Why do you always keep your manga in the club room?" Shujinkou asked.

"Uh… Just so I don't have to constantly move it back and forth between home and school. Besides, dad hates it when things are cluttered around the place."

"Really? Jomei didn't care about that much."

"You call your dad by his first name?"

"Did I? I didn't notice."

"Man, you can be really weird sometimes."

"I think that's one of my better points though. Or at least that's what Granny Hisa said I should think."

Natsuki searched through Shujinkou's collection of literature, her eyes glowing as she thoroughly sifts through each volume.

"I never realized you had such an impressive collection," Natsuki said. "You even have some really old classics."

As she continued to search through the sea of manga, one title immediately caught her eye.

"Queen's Blade: Exiled Warrior...?" she read aloud as her fingers gripped the title.

Shujinkou's entire body tensed up as Natsuki inspected the cover. She then flipped through a couple of the pages, each turn causing her face to become more and more disturbed.

"Shujinkou… I never knew you read gross stuff like this…" she bellowed.

"It's not like that!" he sheepishly replied. "I don't read it for the fanservice."

"Really?" Natsuki shot him a look of skepticism and annoyance. "Then what's the story about?"

"Well…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he felt the oppressive atmosphere lean on him. "It's about a young woman that's a princess of a small area that's dissatisfied with her royal life. She longs for adventure but, depending on the version, circumstances prevent that until one night a bandit that goes by Risty tries to rob her home. Risty's kind of a Robin Hood figure and a strong warrior who opens Leina's eyes to how the world works outside of her castle home and inspire her to get stronger and see the world.

How things progress from there differs by the adaptation but the story revolves around Leina's involvement in a tournament known as the Queen's Blade, a tournament that is held every four years where the strongest female warrior becomes queen. Throughout the journey Leina has to deal with self-confidence, her own strength, her relationship with her family and the many people she encounters.

In fact, even though the adaptation you have in your hands is lighter in tone and despite all the fanservice, the entire story of Queen's Blade is a very dark story that explores a lot of themes with its characters."

Natsuki simply stared at him, dumbfounded by what she just heard.

"Yeesh, you really didn't want to be called a pervert did you?" she said.

"No guy likes that," Shujinkou chuckled awkwardly.

"But you know, despite all the in your face fanservice, the designs are actually really cute. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you would find something good in something that's unashamedly gross."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Of course it's a compliment, dummy. Are you that surprised that I can be nice and give out compliments like the others?"

"When you put it that way, no."

"Eh?"

"I wasn't surprised that you gave out a compliment, I just wasn't sure if it was or not. But that doesn't mean that I don't think you're not nice. I actually think you're a really nice person."

Complete shock circulated through Natsuki as she processed what she just heard.

"Y-You really think I'm nice?" she asked with longing eyes.

"Why wouldn't I? I mean, you always lend me your manga, always let the entire club taste whatever you bake and look out for us in your own Natsuki way."

Natsuki looked down at the book in her hands as her cheeks grew red.

"You must really like teasing me, you jerk!" she snapped.

"I'm not teasing. I just didn't want you to think that I didn't think you were nice," Shujinkou replied.

"Shujinkou…" Natsuki looked into his eyes. "…Forget it. You're just trying to get my mind off of this Queen's Blade stuff. There's other ways than trying to get me all riled up."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, and then shrugged as he accepted Natsuki's response to his words. He then watched as she opened the book and started reading the contents inside. Not too long after, Natsuki started to laugh as he began drawing in his sketchbook.

"Okay, I have to admit, this thing is a lot more than just fanservice," she chuckled. "The character interactions are pretty genuine and funny. But does Elina really-?"

"Yep," Shujinkou nodded.

"And Claudette li-?"

"Mm-hmm. There's actually another manga series that give some focus to that."

"If I had a sister that invaded my personal space like that all the time, I would probably want to leave too. I can really sympathize with Leina there."

Natsuki gently closed the book.

"But before I continue, I want to know… Did this series get cancelled too?" she asked.

"You're never gonna let that go, are you?" Shujinkou chuckled.

"Of course not. I kinda like dangling that thread over you," she grinned.

"Right…" an amused smile appeared on Shujinkou's face. "Anyway, you don't have to worry about not getting an ending for that adaptation."

"Great! So I can borrow this and the others right?"

"Yeah. You can borrow all three."

As Natsuki gleefully collected the other two volumes, she noticed something on the floor that completely grabbed her attention away from the books.

"Isn't that…" she reached down and picked up a small case that depicted a familiar orange marsupial on the front. "Crash Bandicoot?"

Shujinkou glanced up from his drawing and noticed Natsuki holding Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy in her hands.

"That's a remaster of the first three Crash Bandicoot games," Shujinkou informed his guest.

"So this where the character came from, huh?" Natsuki looked down at the box with curious eyes. "Alright, pop it in."

"What?"

"I want to play it."

"You do?"

"Why not? You think just because I'm in a club about literature that I don't know how to play video games?"

"No…" Shujinkou did not think that, but he soon remembered how nervous he was about the other members reacting to his interest in video games. His immediate response to that thought was to scold himself: "I stereotyped them while I was afraid that they'd stereotyped me…"

Suddenly, Natsuki pushed the game into his hands, snapping him out of his thoughts. No words were said, but the look on her face made it clear she was determined to play the compilation. Shujinkou removed the disc from his case and slid it into his game console.

"What kind of game is this anyway?" Natsuki asked as she reached for the controller.

"It's a platformer," Shujinkou answered. "Though some of the levels are really hard. Some of them can actually induce rage-quitting."

"They can't be that hard," Natsuki replied as she searched through the levels. "What about 'Stormy Ascent'?"

"That's… probably the hardest level," Shujinkou answered. "You probably don't want that to be your first level."

Without saying a word, Natsuki hit the start button and would soon find herself regretting the decision. Her various responses to the trials of the level were: "No! No! Crap! MakeIt! Make It! Dang it! Yes… Yes… NO! Where those come from?! CRAP!"

She angrily threw her hands up and fell back on Shujinkou's bed.

"So many spikes in places that don't make sense… So many pit falls… Too many one-hit kills!" she groaned.

"Yeah, it's a hard level," Shujinkou slightly chuckled as he scratched his right cheek. "It was cut from the original game and only those who have mastered the mechanics and have gotten used to the physics of the game can beat."

"You could have said that in the first place!"

"What? But I told you that it was the hardest level."

"Well, if you've been as specific as you are now. That probably would have convinced me not to play it."

"I guess, but you played the level out of curiosity right? Even if I was said what I just said earlier, wouldn't you have still played it to see why it was known as the hardest level?"

 "Uh…" Natsuki immediately looked away from Shujinkou. Disappointment and sadness was all her face conveyed.

"You don't have to get down, Natsuki. It's just a matter of practice and getting used to the level" Shujinkou said in an attempt to comfort her.

Natsuki's gaze returned to Shujinkou; her face now conveying surprise.

"That's a weird thing to say to someone who lost 15 of your lives," she said.

"That's not a problem. I can grind those back easily," Shujinkou assured her.

"You really can be weird at times."

No other words were said as the two continued to stare at each other; this act soon bringing back the memories of the last time they gazed into each other's eyes in this manner. Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his red right cheek as he tried his best to not let that memory make the situation any stranger.

"So… "

"You're not going to draw whiskers on my face again are you?" Natsuki quickly interjected.

"What? No. Why would you ask that?" Shujinkou asked.

"Cause you have the same look on your face when you did that."

"No, I'm not thinking that at all. But I only did that because you drew a mustache on my face."

"And I only did that because you made a mark on my face."

"Which was an accident."

"Because you couldn't even open a simple pen cap."

"…Okay, you got me there."

A satisfied smile planted itself firmly on Natsuki's face as victory was conceded to her. She then drove her left fist into Shujinkou's right arm.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"For a lot of things," she smirked.

Once again, Shujinkou imagined a blue question mark over his head as he rubbed his right arm.

"Probably best I don't ask…" he thought.

Just then, an idea popped into his head.

"What's on your mind?" Natsuki inquired.

"Huh?" Shujinkou flashed his guest a surprised look.

"Your face kind of gives away that you got an idea."

"Well, I do have an idea. Follow me."

Natsuki followed Shujinkou out of his room and into the kitchen. She watched as Shujinkou reached into the freezer and pulled out two light blue treats for them.

"I just remembered that we made sea-salt ice cream the other day," Shujinkou chuckled as he handed one to him.

Natsuki curiously inspected the frozen desert and asked, "What kind of ice cream is this?"

"Sea-salt ice cream," he answered.

"You already said that. Is there really such a thing as salty ice cream?"

"Sorta. Try it."

Natsuki brought the treat closer to her mouth and took a small bite.

"It's salty, but kind of sweet," she said, her eyes lighting up with happiness. "You really made this?"

"Kind of," Shujinkou replied. "My mom helped me with this batch because she wanted to see how a person would make salty and sweet ice cream. Plus, it's actually from a video game franchise I play and I decided to try my hand at making some. I failed a lot of times before I was finally able to get it right… And then I found out that it was actually real and could be bought from a Disney establishment."

"Wow… I can't believe you went through all that trouble to make something you thought was fictional. That's pretty impressive."

"Really?"

"What? Is it really so strange that I'm impressed because you actually showed some dedication? Anyone would be impressed with that."

"Oh. Like how me and the rest of the club are impressed with your dedication to your baking."

"Exactly. Dedication and passion are two out of the four that are needed for bakin- Wait, What?!"

A look of shock of landed on Natsuki's face.

"What's with you today? Handing out all these compliments… Inviting me over... Are you trying to get on my good side for some reason?" she asked.

"Not really," he shrugged. "Just stating a fact and… it's not like it's that weird that I invited you over."

"It kinda is. It was really out of nowhere and it's not like you needed to do it."

"Well, that's true… I guess I wanted to."

"Why?"

"I guess because I didn't like seeing you so sad."

Natsuki simply stared at Shujinkou.

"How can you be so nice, Shujinkou?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

"You're always willing to help others like when you helped me win that game during the Cultural Festival, or carrying Sayori home and looking after when she was sick or whatever you said to Yuri when she was worried about Akuma or continuing to look out for Rei even though she should be used to our school by now or making those invitations for Monika."

Shujinkou shot Natsuki a perplexed look.

"She's Monika, Shujinkou. There isn't many examples where she gets help and the invitations were pretty good," she replied. "The point is, you do nice things and act like they're not a big deal, you jerk."

"Uhm…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he wondered what to say. "I guess I don't really think about me doing nice things. I just do things. Besides…"

The sound of the front door opening quickly cut Shujinkou off. The two students walked into the next room and watched as Hiro walked in with several grocery bags.

"Shujinkou, Natsuki, what are you two doing here so early?" Hiro asked, immediately realizing her mistake after the fact. "I mean, Shujinkou what are you doing home so early and you brought a friend home."

"All afterschool activities were cancelled and I invited Natsuki over," Shujinkou explained in the most casual manner he could muster.

"Pardon the intrusion," Natsuki said.

"It's no trouble," Hiro assured her. "It's not like I have a strict rule about my son inviting people over. Don't mind me; I'm just going to be in the kitchen before I slip into the standard embarrassing mom routine."

Hiro walked into the kitchen, leaving a puzzled feeling in Natsuki.

"Does she actually do anything you consider embarrassing?" she asked Shujinkou.

"Not really," Shujinkou shrugged. "But I think she's just worried that she'll do something that she thinks will embarrass me."

"Huh."

That single word was the only thing she said before leading the walk back to Shujinkou's room.

Later that evening…

"You know, watching you play the game and then reading the manga, it's kinda clear that they gave Crash a major overhaul in personality," Natsuki noted. "I can't imagine game Crash acting the way his manga counterpart does."

"Well, it got the cartoony aspects down," Shujinkou replied.

"I'm not saying manga Crash isn't a good protagonist, but I think they could have done this adaptation with the original personality."

"Maybe they'll do that one day."

"I guess. But I really wish that this series didn't end on a cliffhanger."

Her eyes trailed down and expanded as they focused on the time displayed on her phone.

"Oh crap!" she exclaimed.

"What is it?" Shujinkou asked.

"This is the time when the club usually ends! I got to get home!"

"Oh. Okay."

Shujinkou escorted his guest downstairs and opened the door for.

"Well… I guess I'll be going now," Natsuki said with a disappointed face. "Today was… uh…"

"Better than nothing?" Shujinkou concluded.

"I guess so. It was a pretty rare occasion so of course it was better than nothing. Still… Thanks for inviting me over."

"You don't have to thank me. It was pretty fun having you over. In fact…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. "You can come over anytime, if you want."

"Um…" Natsuki stared at Shujinkou with an intense expression. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yeah. Anytime you want."

"Uu..." Natsuki bit her lip, desperate to keep her slight smile hidden. Her rosy cheeks grew even brighter than before as she struggled to maintain eye contact. "I really had fun today too, Shujinkou, so… I would really like to come over again."

"Anytime," Shujinkou restated.

"Okay… See you tomorrow."

"See ya."

Chapter Text

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," Shujinkou sung as he steered his ship through the calm blue sea. The winds were fair and the big blue sky inspired him to find a remote spot to spend his vacation at.

But that peaceful respite wouldn't last long he suddenly found himself in the middle of a violent storm. The waves crashed against his ship as the sea captain struggled to break through the weather. The water eventually rose over the pirate boat, knocked him away from the wheel and pushed him on the concrete floor.

"Exam results day can really be harsh," Shujinkou thought as he scratched his right cheek.

A pair of hands soon wrapped themselves around his arms and helped the daydreaming student onto his feet.

"This isn't the time to be daydreaming, Shujinkou. The hallways are dangerous on this type of day," Sayori reminded him.

"Right…" a tired sigh escaped through his mouth after he said this.

Shujinkou never really cared how high he was ranked every time test results were posted but only if he had scored high enough to avoid taking the make-up exams during Summer Break. After spending what seemed like an eternity looking for his test score and rank, Shujinkou finally found his name and nervously checked the results that would decide his fate.

"Yes! No Summer exams!" he cheered. But he only cheered in his head as not to attract any attention.

"We both got the summer off!" Sayori cheered. "The long nights doing nothing but studying really paid off. I can't wait to everyone at the club after school!"

"But clubs are cancelled until the next term."

Sayori remained silent as the information entered and processed into her brain.

"Oh yeah…" she chuckled with red cheeks. "I guess this means that we use the extra time to plan our vacation. What are you going to do for vacation?"

Her question was met with silence as memories of the Cultural Festival surfaced in Shujinkou's head. He remembered how he was met with a similar question the day before the event which led to her pleading with him to break his planned role.

"Not that it was a bad thing…" he said.

"Huh?" surprise gripped his soul the moment he realized Sayori heard the last part of his thought. "What wasn't a bad thing?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking that I don't really have anything planned for the upcoming break," Shujinkou answered. "I'll probably just wing it."

"Mm… Okay," Sayori beamed. "I'll probably just wing it too."

"Maybe we can wing it together?" Shujinkou suggested.

"Eh?!" Sayori's eyes widened with shock. "Really?"

"Well, we haven't really spent a vacation together since we were kids," Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he slightly diverted his gaze. "We could make up for lost time."

Sayori's cheeks once again grew bright red as she silently stared at her friend.

"Rei!" she suddenly exclaimed.

Shujinkou immediately turned around; the shock he felt was enough to almost cause his heart to skip over a few of its beats.

"H-Hey, Rei," he weakly waved at the silent student. "Did you already check your score?"

Rei raised her left arm and pointed at the first ranking sheet.

"#11?!" Shujinkou exclaimed.

"Whoa! That's impressive, Rei!" Sayori congratulated.

Rei's gaze was soon directed towards Sayori. It was subtle but Shujinkou noticed the change from her usual blank stare to the same surprised stare she once gave him the day they first met.

"She's right, Rei. You got a really great score," he nodded his head in agreement.

The silent girl's curious stare was then pointed towards Shujinkou just before the school bell rang.

"Time to go. See you two later," Sayori grinned at the two students before happily skipping off.

Shujinkou soon followed suit and waved goodbye to Rei as he left for his next class, disappearing into the sea of students just as the silent girl raised her hand to wave back.

Later at the end of the school day, Natsuki stood in the vacant clubroom staring at her various boxes of manga. With all clubs cancelled until next term, she was faced with a very serious question: "Where could she store her collection until then?"

Her brain quickly presented an answer, but instead of that solution providing relief towards her situation, all it was cause her cheeks to glow red. It wasn't like she considered the idea to be terrible, yet Natsuki found it hard to actively pursue it. The conflicted student gripped her phone and contemplated the idea more and more to until a very recent memory decided to help resolve her internal conflict.

It was brief, but it was enough for to give Natsuki the strength to use her phone and send a message. Not too long after that sent message, Shujinkou walked into room.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked, scratching his right cheek as he did so.

"Yeah, I… I need to ask for a favor," Natsuki struggled to maintain eye contact as she continued, "Since we can't use this room until after the break, I was kinda wondering if I could keep my manga at your place."

"At my place?" he repeated in disbelief.

"It shouldn't be that much of an issue right? After all, you said that I can come over whenever I want and you already liked some of stuff so…"

"No, it's not really an issue… But wouldn't you want your stuff at your place?"

Shujinkou watched as Natsuki's entire body tensed up, an action that did nothing but confuse him.

"Of course I would, but… That is…" Natsuki glanced away as she tried to find the words she wanted to say.

"Never mind, it's none of my business," Shujinkou said. "But, this may be a more than one day job if it's just the two of u…"

Quickly cutting himself off, a look of curiosity was plastered on his face as he turned around to find Sayori looking in from the classroom door.

"Sayori?!" Natsuki exclaimed.

"Ehe…" Sayori nervously walked into the classroom and approached the two.

"What are you doing here, Sayori? Shujinkou asked.

"I noticed you were heading to the club room and was wondering what was going on," she answered.

"Did you come with Yuri and Monika?"

"No. Why?"

Using his eyes, Shujinkou directed Sayori to turn around. She wasted no time in doing just that and was shocked to find Monika and Yuri behind her.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sayori asked.

"We noticed you were sneaking around while following Shujinkou to the clubroom and were wondering if something was going on," Monika answered.

"Sorry if we're interrupting something important," Yuri quickly apologized.

"Speaking of which…" Sayori turned her gaze back to Shujinkou and asked, "What are you two doing here?"

"Erk… We were just…" Natsuki glanced away from the group. "I was just asking him for a favor. It's nothing special!"

"Actually, do you think you guys could help us bring Natsuki's stuff to my house?" Shujinkou asked.

"Huh?" Sayori's questioning gaze landed on Natsuki. "Why are you taking your stuff to Shujinkou's place?"

"Uh…

"Actually, the thought of going through the entire break without a chance to read some of her books was almost too much to bear. So, I asked her if she could loan them out to me," Shujinkou answered. "She agreed under the promise that I would have to buy her a whole new set if I mess any of them up."

"That does sound like Natsuki," Monika chuckled.

"You wouldn't be laughing if your collection was at risk," Natsuki stated bluntly.

"So, will you guys help us?" Shujinkou asked.

The three nodded their heads and the club wasted no time in carrying Natsuki's collection to Shujinkou's room.

"Huh. So this is what your room looks like, Shujinkou," Monika said as her eyes examined the room. Noting the scattered art supplies and collection of video games, she added, "It suits you."

"You think?" Shujinkou felt the urge to scratch his right cheek, but couldn't at the moment.

Yuri also thoroughly examined the room as its occupant approached his closet.

"It feels safe in here…" she thought. From the corner of her eyes, the young maiden glanced at Shujinkou. A bashful smile formed on her face as she started to play with her hair. "Just like when around him…"

Shujinkou finished neatly placing Natsuki's manga in his closet, just as an unwelcome though made itself known to him.

"I have four girls in my room…" he slightly whimpered as the realization set in. "Gotta do something before my nerves get to me."

"Shujinkou, would it be okay if we took a picture in here?" Monika asked.

"Huh?" Unable to hide his surprise, Shujinkou couldn't keep himself from asking, "Why?"

"I thought it would be fun if we took a picture of the club outside of school," Monika happily replied.

"Oo. We haven't done a club photo since before Shujinkou joined," Sayori said with a nostalgic smile.

"Really? Then we should really do one," Monika's eyes trailed back to Shujinkou. "What do you say?"

"Well… I don't really have any issues with the idea…" he replied as he scratched his right cheek.

Great! Okay, everyone, time to gather around," Monika instructed.

Shujinkou followed the movements of the other members and found himself in the middle of the group, which naturally meant that he was given the role of taking the photo. Monika handed her phone to him and he quickly held it up in front of the group.

"We're not all in it," Shujinkou said. "We need to gather closer."

Those words he would instantly regret as the other club members bodies squeezed against his. The young man could feel his heart pounding against his test as he tried to endure the close contact he was subjected too.

"Everyone ready?" he asked.

The four girls nodded their heads. With everyone ready, he forced his face to form a casual smile just before taking the photo.

"It looks great," Monika complimented.

"Really? It looks like we're all clustered together," Natsuki said.

"No, it really does look good," Monika smiled as she looked down at her phone. She thought, "Everyone looks a lot more comfortable this time around."

Suddenly, a loud musical tune started up in Shujinkou's pocket. Wasting no time in eliminating the tone, Shujinkou reached for his phone and answered. Soon, Lady Hisa's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey, Shujinkou," she waved.

"Granny Hisa?" he answered alongside Sayori.

"You're there too, Sayori?" she said.

"Everyone's here," Sayori happily replied.

"Really? Shujinkou, let me do a room scan," Hisa said.

Shujinkou turned his phone around, allowing his grandmother to see the rest of the club.

"Hey, girls," Hisa waved.

The three guests waved back at the ecstatic lady on the phone. Then Hisa asked that Shujinkou walk out of the room so she could say something in private. Following his grandmother's wishes, he walked out of his room and closed the door behind him.

"It's not like that!" his guests heard from the other side of the door.

Moments later, Shujinkou walked in with a red face.

"So, why'd you call Granny Hisa?" he asked.

"Well, call me prepared, but I was wondering if you were in the mood to join your poor, lonely grandmother for the annual fireworks festival at the end of summer," Hisa suggested.

"The fireworks? Uh, sure. I'll go," Shujinkou replied.

"Great! What about you, Sayori? You want to come along too?" Hisa asked.

"Yes!" Sayori answered instantly.

"What about the rest of you? You want to come along?" Hisa offered.

"You want us to come too?" Natsuki asked in disbelief.

"The more the merrier," Hisa nodded. "Of course you would need permission before you go off somewhere with defenseless old lady like me."

"She says that and yet she doesn't look old or seem defenseless…" Natsuki thought.

"Anyway, just think about and get permission if you want to go. I have some business to attend to," Hisa continued.

"What kind of business?" Sayori queried.

"Hisa-buisness," she happily answered before ending the call.

"You're grandmother seems good at controlling a discussion…" Yuri noted.

"Well… She had to be when grandpa was still around…" Shujinkou weakly chuckled as he scratched his right cheek. "But she only uses that power for good."

"That's a good quality for any debater," Monika pointed out.

"The using the power for good part?" Natsuki said perplexed.

"No. The leading the conversation part," Monika said with a smile.

Natsuki blankly stared at the club president.

"You… You don't abuse that power now do you?" she asked.

"No. Most of the time, I don't," Monika giggled.

"Urk… You know what, forget it. I'm not going to stress over if you're being serious or not," Natsuki pouted.

"But even if she's no longer in the debate team, it's also a useful quality for a president to lead a discussion in such a way," said Yuri.

"Really? Do I have the ability to lead a conversation?" Sayori wondered aloud.

Sayori's question was met with silence.

"Don't I?" Sayori asked.

Like the first one, Sayori's question was once again met with silence.

"Shujinkou?" Sayori gazed at Shujinkou with pleading eyes.

"Uhm…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he pondered what he could say. "Well, you're not as good as a debate team member, but a presidential quality you do have is your occasional tricky personality."

"Really?" Sayori chuckled.

"Why are you happy about that? He just said that you're good at manipulati-" Natsuki quickly cut herself off and thought about her own statement. "Oh. Someone with president in their title would take that as a compliment."

"Exactly," Sayori confirmed.

"So, we have two very qualified presidents," Yuri concluded.

"Actually, now that I think about it, it also kind of means that we can't trust our presidents half of the time…" Shujinkou said.

"That's… A really interesting position," Monika complimented.

"I guess… But that's not true at all, we're both totally trustworthy," Sayori argued.

"Funny coming from someone who embraces their tricky personality," Natsuki snickered.

"But that doesn't mean we're not trustworthy," Sayori insisted. "Right, Yuri?"

"Well… You can't really have it both ways," Yuri slightly giggled.

"Aa… Then I don't want to be the known as the tricky one!" Sayori squealed.

"We're just joking, Sayori. We know we can trust you and Monika," Shujinkou assured her. "…Well, most of the time in your case."

"When haven't I been completely trustworthy?" Sayori asked.

"You lured me to the club with Natsuki's cupcakes after you convinced her that I was coming which led to her making them in the first place," he replied using a matter-of-fact tone.

"…It worked out in the end though..." Sayori nervously chuckled. "Ah! Speaking of sweets… We should go somewhere and get some to celebrate a free summer."

"From where?" Shujinkou wondered aloud.

Later that very same afternoon, Shujinkou was given a tray that held five vanilla milkshakes and carried it to the table that the rest of the club occupied.

"So what's the firework festival your grandmother mentioned like?" Monika suddenly asked.

"Uh, it's just like any other festivals. It's kinda like a big party," Shujinkou answered. "I used to have fun there every summer."

"Would it really be okay if we came along?" Yuri wondered.

"Granny Hisa said it was okay, so there shouldn't be any problems. After all…" Shuinkou reached for a napkin and waved it like a fan. "She just a simple lady who likes to make people happy."

"Seems to run in the family…" Natsuki thought.

"But no pressure or anything. You don't have to feel like you're forced to come," Shujinkou continued.

"Like anyone would feel like they're forced to return to a popular spa resort for a festival, dummy" Natsuki pointed out in a blunt manner.

"Touché," Shujinkou replied.

"If we all do go together, it would be like having another slumber party," Sayori pointed out. "With Shujinkou this time too."

An awkward silence cut the conversation short.

"Ah… It would be nice to attend another festival together…" said Yuri.

And to experience one that isn't dead because Monika lured everyone away," Natsuki added.

"I didn't lure everyone away," Monika argued with red cheeks.

"She's technically right about that one," Shujinkou said. "She only attracted 98% of everyone."

The Literature Club shared a hearty laugh together before going back to their milkshakes.

"Kitsune Firework Festival…" Shujinkou thought as he continued to drink his treat. "I kinda hope…"

Chapter Text

"Ah… The first day of Summer Vacation," Shujinkou took a moment to inhale the fresh air coming through his open window before grabbing three distinct game cases. "What better way to start it off right than to marathon the Sly Cooper Trilogy?"

The instant he finished his sentence, Shujinkou's eyes darted towards the direction of a lone case laid spread across the floor.

"It's not like I don't like the fourth game in series, it's just that I just want to play the classic three…" he thought. "…Still can't believe that I got into the series by playing the games backwards. Thankfully, I never got far due to fear of confronting the guards and desperately trying to avoid street level, but it was still jarring going from the gameplay of 3 to 2 to 1… Especially from 2 to 1. It's a real good thing that I got over my fear of confronting people in stealth and stealth-like games of else I wouldn't be able to play a lot of the stuff I like. Huh, stealth was kinda like my horror back then."

The young man immediately slapped his cheeks, the sound of skin hitting skin echoing through the room.

"If I try to recap my entire gaming life, that'll be my entire vacation," he chuckled as he placed the first game of the trilogy into his Playstation 2. "Time to play."

The second he grabbed his controller and sat against his bed, his phone started to vibrate across his pillow. Shujinkou wasted no time in reaching for the hushed device and answering the call.

"Hey, Monika," he greeted.

"Hey, Shujinkou," Monika replied, her voice making it clear that she was in a good mood. "What are you doing?"

"Uhm, nothing much," he answered as he watched a familiar anthropomorphic raccoon run across his TV screen. "Just enjoying the first day of our break. Why do you ask?"

"No special reason. I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out."

Shujinkou's eyes slightly widened as he watched the title screen of the game appear.

"…Hang out? You mean today?" he queried.

"Yeah," Monika answered. "That is, if you didn't already have plans."

"Um… No, I didn't have anything planned for today so… I'm available."

"That's good. What do you say we meet at that the parfait shop we used that coupon?"

"Um, Okay. I'll see you there."

The moment the call ended, Shujinkou placed his phone back down on his bed and waited. 5 minutes quickly passed by and he found himself still waiting.

"Huh. I expected me to have a bigger surprised reaction than what I did have," he said aloud in his empty room. "I mean, I guess I'm a bit nervous but I still expected a shocked reaction… It's strange, but I'm not complaining."

Shujinkou wasted no time in getting dressed and heading downstairs.

"I'm heading out, mom!" he announced.

"Oh?" Hiro walked down the steps behind him, giving Shujinkou the surprised reaction he expected earlier. "Where are you going?"

"I'm… going to go hang out with Monika today," he answered.

"Is this like a date?" she asked.

"Huh? What. No. No," he violently shook his head as he continued to say 'no,' stopping only when dizziness started to take effect. "It's not a date."

"I said something embarrassing, didn't I?" Hiro weakly chuckled.

"Uhm…."

"Right. I'm just going to go back upstairs now before I ruin the meet up any further. Practice my sewing, against my better judgment. That'll keep me distracted so I don't say anymore."

Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek as he watched his mother just as awkwardly walk up the stairs.

"A date?" Shujinkou thought. "Why would mom think that I was going to be heading out on a date? I mean, it's like there's anyone I know of who would want to go on a date with me? Probably just mom thinking I could achieve such a thing."

Later that afternoon, Shujinkou stood outside the parfait shop until he was approached by Monika.

"Hey, Shujinkou, been waiting long?" she asked.

"Not really," Shujinkou shrugged. "So… Um, did you have anything particular in mind regarding what to do today?"

"Not really. But how about we get something to eat before we do anything?" Monika suggested.

Shujinkou nodded his head and eventually found himself, for what he was sure the third time outside of school, sharing a meal with his club president

"So, any plans for the summer other than the festival," she asked.

"Nothing in particular," he answered. "What about you?"

"I think I'm about the same. Well, there is some work I'm thinking of, but other than that I'm about the same."

"Oh." Shujinkou fiddled with his food as he pondered on what to say next. "So… How's that story of yours coming along? Is it going well?"

"Mm-hmm," Monika answered.

"Any major breakthroughs?"

"Yeah. A few."

"Had any writer block moments?"

"Yes."

"Can I read it?"

"Nice try."

"Ugh…" Shujinkou took a sip from his drink as Monika giggled at his failed attempt. "I should probably give up. You already shown how determined you are to keep it a secret."

"Yeah…" Monika diverted her gaze and chuckled as her cheeks slightly changed to a red hue. "Very determined."

Shujinkou continued to drink his drink, trying his best to figure out why he would bring up something so awkward.

"So, did you think of anything you wanted to do today yet?" Monika asked.

"Um… I don't really know. I'll probably just go along with what you want," Shujinkou replied.

"No."

"No?"

"It wouldn't be fun to spend time together doing just what one person wants to do. Besides, I don't ever want you to think you don't have an opinion on anything.

Slightly taken aback by her words, Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he pondered on something they could do together.

"Maybe you would like to…" the young man looked up and met Monika's curious expression. "Hm, would you be up for…?"

Moments later, Shujinkou strapped on a vest layered with infrared technology and then pretended to cock his complimentary pistol. He then placed it back into his holster just as he felt a hand land on his shoulder. He turned towards the owner of the hand and…

"Whoa…" he said, his voice layered with amazement.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing. It's just that you look like a real action heroine in your laser tag gear," Shujinkou complimented as he meekly scratched his right cheek.

"Oh. Thanks," Monika smiled just as the gate to the main game area opened. "Looks like the game's starting."

"Yep," a confident and determined grin plastered itself across Shujinkou's face as he reached his laser pistol. "Let's rock."

Shujinkou led Monika into the battlefield and quickly directed her into a darkened corner of the room.

"This field is a major free for all," he said. "Most engage in a war like scenario, while the remaining few try to act as snipers, hitting those too focused on those in front of them."

"So are we going to be snipers too?" Monika asked.

"Not exactly. We're going to be the sneaking unit."

"Sneaking Unit?"

"We're going to use the chaos to sneak across the field, keep our eyes on those who get picked off in the fight to mark the snipers, sneak our way up to their positions and strike."

"But after the first strike, we would give ourselves away to everyone else."

"Not exactly. You see if we stay behind cover as we fire, then we can sneak away while the surprised sniper will give away their position to the public. Then we can rinse and repeat until we eventually use cover fire on those on the warlines."

"You're very prepared for this, Shujinkou."

"Who a lot of stealth and war games could be applied to a real life game. But I should tell you that since this round of laser tag is a war simulator. The plan could very easily be sidelined."

Just then, Monika wrapped her left arm round Shujinkou and pulled him back just as she fired a perfect shot to another player's shoulder plate. The two then quickly found a new place for cover as the player's team began to fire on them.

"And the plan got sidelined right away…" Shujinkou shook his head in disappointment.

"A lot of battle plans in war end up that way," Monika said. "Shouldn't let it get to you."

"Well, only one thing left to do," Shujinkou gazed into Monika's eyes and she nodded her head in disagreement. "Move!"

The two quickly jumped out of cover and started firing at anyone and anything they could. 12 minutes of war time engagement later, Shujinkou and Monika walked out of the game very satisfied.

"That had to be one of the best laser tag matches I was ever in," Shujinkou chuckled gleefully. "I don't even really care that I gave a lot of people a lot of points."

"You also gained a lot of points yourself, Shujinkou," Monika complimented.

"I guess I did have a few good hits, but it doesn't compare to your performance in there."

"It wasn't that much better."

"Monika, you use movie level reflexes to dodge a lot of laser beam and landed a lot of what would be instant kill shots if the game was real."

"I guess we were both really into it. By the way… You looked really cool in there."

"Huh. Um, thanks. You were pretty cool in there too."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as Monika happily giggled.

"Well, we did what we I wanted to do," he said. "What do you want to do?"

The answer to that question lied in the local music shop. Shujinkou did nothing but watch as Monika wandered through the different sections until she finally reached out and grabbed the last CD case on a nearby display.

"That was a close one. I almost missed out on Yoki's new release," Monika said before breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yoki?" Confusion and curiosity circulated through his mind upon hearing a name that. "Who's that?"

"You've never heard of Yoki?"

"I… don't really follow popular artists all too much. If I know any, it's usually because I just stumble across them. The only ones I really pay attention too are the Vocaloids. Probably would be the only concert I would ever be interested in attending… One performed by fictional characters…"

Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. Announcing his interest to go to a concert performed by fictional characters sounded really childish to him after the fact.

"Hm. Well, Yoki's a pretty popular singer. I don't know if she's as popular as Miku, Rin or the others, but she's still pretty popular," Monika continued.

"Really? What kind of singer is Yoki?" questioned Shujinkou.

"She's a mystery idol."

"Mystery idol?"

"Mm-hmm. No one really knows who Yoki is. In fact, we only know that she is a she because of her singing voice. But even though no one knows who she is, she's still a really good singer. You should give her a listen sometime."

With their goal at the store complete, Shujinkou followed Monika out of the store until a young boy and girl ran in past him. They were a pair of twins, running to who he could only assume to be their father. Their faces beaming with joy and the apparent closeness between them was all that was needed for the dam he placed over unwanted feelings to begin to crack.

"Shujinkou?" the young man was brought back from the line that separated reality from dreams and turned towards Monika's worried face. "What's wrong?"

"…Nothing. I just almost got caught up in my thoughts again," he answered, scratching his right cheek. "Um… You have any other ideas about what we can do today?"

For the rest of the day, Shujinkou didn't bother to add in any more of his own suggestions of what they could do; only relenting to that self-imposed restriction when it came to the final one.

After retrieving some ice cream, the two sat on a nearby bench as the sun slowly descended down the bright orange sky.

"Watching the sun set…" Shujinkou suddenly said.

"I know it's a bit of a cliché, but I always wanted to try it," Monika interjected.

"What? I didn't mean it like that. I was just stating the obvious," he took a bite out of his dessert and then scratched his right cheek. "Hey, Monika… Can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" she wondered.

"Well... I'm kinda wondering… Do you hate being the school idol?"

"Huh? That question kinda came out of nowhere."

"I know. It's just that I've just been thinking about it ever since we talked at Granny Hisa's place."

"Oh…" Monika closed her eyes and remained silent until suddenly taking a bite out of her ice cream. "That's actually a complicated question that has a complicated answer."

"Well, you don't have to answer if you feel that way," Shujinkou insisted.

"No, I'll answer it. After all, I'm technically the one that brought up the subject in the first place. How can I explain it though? Hm… Well… Anyone would be happy when others would acknowledge the hard work they put into whatever they're working on, right?"

"Yeah. Anyone would like that."

"I didn't think much of the whole school idol thing beyond that and it's nice to know that at least no one really hates me. But it became pretty clear along the way that people didn't really like me for me. I realized that because when I thought about it, they don't know anything about me; they only know what I worked towards. And for the longest time, it seemed like no one cared to even try to know me better."

"Oh… Uhm…" Shujinkou once again scratched his right cheek as he tried to think of anything he could say to lighten the situation. "Good thing you ran into Sayori then. She doesn't really follow that kind of mindset."

"I know. It was surprising when we first met, but also really nice," Monika happily agreed.

"But you know… Even though I never thought someone so popular would feel ever the way you do, I think I get what you're saying. And when I think about it now, it's a real shame that not a lot of people see you for you and not what you can do. I mean, it is a fact that you're really smart; after all, you always get the highest test scores and you are athletic if what you pulled off in laser tag showed me anything.

But not only that, you're extremely humble. You could easily brag about what you can and have done, but you don't and focus more on encouraging others. You're also very bold considering you started your own club that you were well aware wouldn't become popular over night. And last but not least, you're a very caring individual that wouldn't hesitate to try and help someone who has a problem, even if you don't know them all that well."

Shujinkou could not help but feel surprised as Monika silently stared at him with bright red cheeks. He never seen her rendered speechless before.

"That's really sweet of you to say, Shujinkou," she finally said.

"I was just stating the things I learned since I joined the club," he replied as he scratched his right cheek. "Pretty sure the others feel the same way too."

He then went on to continue eating his ice cream as he watched the sun slowly cross the horizon. Monika simply smiled in response and placed her hand over her chest.

"Someone I like being around with the knowledge that they feel the same…" Monika quietly recounted.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Shujinkou asked.

"Not really," she giggled.

A/N: Finally finished another chapter after so many roadblocks. Sorry if it took too long, but now that it's finished I can finally enjoy the rest of my birthday. Hope you enjoyed today's chapter.

Chapter Text

When I told Shujinkou that I would be coming over to his house, his shocked reaction reminded me of something… I've never actually set foot in a boy's house. It was going to be weird to say the least, but it was way better than having Shujinkou coming over to my house. Dad wouldn't be happy if I brought a boy over, even if he was a partner for something school-related. We even exchanged phone numbers. Of course I needed his number to find his house, but I still found it strange to have a boy's number on my phone.

The night before the day I was supposed to go over his house, I baked two cupcakes and decorated them with our faces. Sort of a good work reward once we get it done. Shujinkou may not know that much about writing and who knows what his analysis skills are like, but I have seen him draw sometimes during the club meetings, so he has to be somewhat good at the least. If he puts in some effort into our poster, then he at least deserves something for the work.

The next day, I texted him that I was outside and he wasted no time in opening the door. He was kind of staring at me, but I figured that he was just dazing off again. I mean, it's not like he would ever be staring at me, right? Then again, he may not be the kind of guy to do that anyway. He really tried his best to avoid eye contact with Monika and other girls at the maid café during the Cultural Festival. With that kind of reaction, I guess I can say that he's not a lusty pervert. He also wasted no time in asking about the cupcakes, but I told him it was a surprise. After all, if he doesn't put in any effort, I may have to give the other to Sayori… Just got to make sure that it's not the one with his face on it.

I asked where we would work and shockingly he said it was his room. I don't think Shujinkou realizes that boys don't usually invite girls to their room so casually, but he also mentioned that all his stuff was there.

His room was kind of an eye-opener. I never really thought about what it would look like, but it was pretty neat. There was a desk that looked like it belonged to a professional artist. He then handed me some drawings of the place we needed to make the posters for and couldn't believe my eyes. The drawings were amazing! I never would have expected that Shujinkou would be this good at drawing. It actually makes me wonder why he never once tried to brag about it. Then he said that he went through the trouble of drawing them because he didn't want us to accidently plagiarize someone else's work. I had to admit, even if I had trouble doing so, it was a pretty smart idea.

After I got an idea of what the place was like, I suggested that we make a poster that was simple, yet very effective. I kinda expected him to chime in with his own suggestion, but he just agreed and asked what kind of art style we should use. His asking opened up a realm of possibility and made me hope that he could draw something in a really cute art style. He agreed to the Kawaii approach and got to work.

I asked him how long it would take and he said it may take all day. I had a hard time believing that, but then again, it's not like the really famous artists finished their stuff quickly or anything. Since I was pretty much useless for the first part, he offered to let me read his manga. He had a lot of the popular stuff, but there was one name I've never heard of: Hikaru no Go. It depicted a kid with a extremely effeminate man that looked like he was from the past. When I asked Shujinkou what it was about, he effortlessly gave a quick summary about how this kid ended up attached to a ghost who was a master of Go. I don't know what surprised me more; that Shujinkou was able to do such a thing or that there was an entire series about a board game.

I got to reading it and was impressed with what I saw. I could already tell that Hikaru had a lot to learn about the game, even if it was just so the ghost Sai could play through him. I even laughed once I reached the part when Hikaru dumped a cup of stones on a bullying player's head and indirectly removed his wig, embarrassing him. I wish I could do something like that to people like that old bully.

I got to the second volume until Shujinkou finally finished drawing. It was a really cute drawing, but I didn't like how he almost made the thing weird. I then wrote down some of the stuff that the resort offers and Shujinkou seemed impressed by what I put down. After that was done, he handed me a thin permanent marker and said it was time to trace what we made. I got to work right away, but Shujinkou's marker was stuck and he struggled to open it. It was kinda funny to watch until all that struggling led to him accidently drawing a line on my left cheek.

He was completely nervous after that and he was right to be. I couldn't just let him get away with that. He tried his best to keep me away, but I was able to successfully draw a mustache on his face. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep up the struggle and his loss resulted in us kissing. A felt a lot of emotions hit me at once during that moment. Part of me was happy that we weren’t at my house, because if we were, dad would kill us. Another part of me couldn't believe what was happening and another part wondered who would pull away first. There was also a part of me that enjoyed the moment and, looking back at it, I think that part of me wants something similar to happen again.

In the end, I pulled away and got back to work. I had to focus on the task at hand, because if I didn’t then things would have gotten weirder than they already were. Shujinkou seemed to go along with the plan until, out of nowhere; he suddenly drew more lines on my cheeks to make it look like I had whiskers. He said it was payback for the mustache, but I'm pretty sure he was just trying to defuse the awkwardness of the situation.

After that, we finally started to color the poster. Shujinkou told me all about lighting, pencil weight and a lot of other stuff regarding coloring things. I have to admit, I never expected Shujinkou to be lecturing me in anything. While we continued to work, we actually started talking about our interests. He doesn't really know much of the technical terms, but Shujinkou really pays attention the different types of literary devices between manga genres. He also brought about how some anime adaptations end up being filler and that while he doesn't hate them; he doesn't understand why some adaptations go that route. Though he also made a point to say that he's grateful to them though as it led to them discovering those properties in the first place.

It was at that point when I began to wonder if Shujinkou has any strong negative feelings towards anything. For example, I was never really that welcoming when he joined the club and constantly call him a dummy, but he just shrugs those facts off and has always been nice to me. It didn't really seem normal to me but… it's not like it was a bad thing… It would actually be nice if there were more people like that at school.

After hours of hard work, we finally finished the poster and it was clear that we were both happy with how it turned out. Shujinkou then noticed the bag I brought the cupcakes over in and spoke up about them. I totally forgot about them and for some reason I felt like he would think it would be dumb. Maybe it was because I was comparing it to his art or something, but I really didn't want him to see them. He assured me that he wouldn't judge, even joking about the mustache I gave him.

Against my better judgment, I showed off the cupcakes I made. He was silent when he first saw them.  I thought he was about to break his promise, but I guess he was just dazing off again, because he wasted no time in eating his share. I think he even looked happier than usual whenever he ate something sweet. But I never got a chance to eat mine with him as it was starting to get dark outside. I had to go home.

Shujinkou walked me to the door and even offered to walk me home. I had to shut that idea down, though. It wouldn't have ended well for either of us. Then again, now that I think about it, I guess we could have split up around a corner or something. Anyway, I left his house and headed home. I wasn't really sure if we would win the contest for the school or not but… at least something good came out of thewhole thing. I actually had a lot more fun than I thought I would.

Chapter Text

The sun beamed down on the shores of Waikiki beach, but even that was not enough to light the dark clouds in Jomei's mind. He absent-mindedly finished the rest of his soda and thoughtlessly slammed it on the bar's counter.

"What's eating you pal?" the bartender asked.

"What makes you think something's eating me?" he asked back.

"Well, you're drowning your sorrows in soda at a bar," she pointed out. "And that's not even getting into you just slamming the empty can down without even realizing it."

Normally, such a remark would get a chuckle out of Jomei, but his current state of mind would not allow that. After quickly downing another can of soda, he slid out of his seat and returned to the beach outside.

"Time to get to work," Jomei said as he glanced at his surroundings. Suddenly, his eyes widened with shock as they beheld something he never thought he would see again. "Huh. That's interesting."

What he saw still wasn't enough to improve his mood, but while Jomei was afflicted with negative emotions, his son was experiencing their polar opposites as e walked home.

"It's a really nice feeling when you buy new art supplies," Shujinkou happily thought. "Then again they didn't have everything I needed so I got to get the rest of it online."

He continued his stroll home until something commanded his body to stop. Without turning around, Shujinkou retraced his steps back a few feet and turned to his right. There was a young lady laying on top of the nearby grass, staring up at the sky.

"Kiyoko?" Shujinkou called.

The girl immediately looked up at him. Upon confirming who spoke to her, she waved and flashed him a friendly smile.

"Hey, Shujinkou. What brings you around these parts?" Kiyoko asked.

"I was just heading home," he answered, scratching his right cheek. "What are you doing here?"

Kiyoko's head turned back to its found position, her eyes once again glued to the sky.

"I'm just enjoying some downtime," she answered.

"Downtime?" he repeated.

"Yep. It's always nice to have some downtime and just relax. Summer's one of the best downtime periods around."

"She does look relaxed," Shujinkou acknowledged in his head. "If that's how she feels, maybe that's why she's half-asleep a lot in class. But I wonder just how relaxed she is right now?"

As if called upon by his thoughts, a single bird flew down and perched itself on Kiyoko's head.

"Oh… That relaxed…" he stared in disbelief at the sight in front of him. It was strange, but it was almost as if he was getting lazy vibe from the basketball player. He continued to watch her as the girl sat up and motioned the bird to perch on her right pointer finger. She then whistled a short tune that prompted the bird to happily sing with her. Seeing all of this caused one word to escape from his thoughts, "Wow."

"Hm? 'Wow' what?" Kiyoko queried.

"It's just…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he pondered the right way to answer the question. "It's just that I've never seen a bird so comfortable around a high school student or the student not freaking out about it at all in real life."

"Well, I don't really care that he/she decided to spend its downtime with me," she casually replied.

"And how do you know how to bird whistle?"

"I learned it from one of Yoki's songs."

"Yoki? You know about Yoki too?"

"Yeah. She's that popular mystery idol. You a fan?"

"Well…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he formulated the sentence structure of his response. "It's not that I'm not a fan. It's just that I just found out about her. To be honest, I don't really pay attention to mainstream singers. The closet I am too that are the Vocaloids."

"Plus, you're kinda in your own world when at school so you naturally block out any conversation that relates to her," she chuckled. "But hey, it's not like I'm going to judge you over your answer."

"What about you? Do you think she's really good?"

Kiyoko casually shrugged her shoulders, a response that confused Shujinkou. But before he could make a response of his own, Kiyoko raised her free hand and motioned him to come forward. Shujinkou willingly followed the silent instruction and did the same with the second that instructed him to sit down.

"Didn't want you to stand there the whole time," Kiyoko grinned. "Anyway, I guess I don't really have an opinion on her like everyone else. I just listen to music I like."

"Oh…" Though he had trouble understanding how one could not form an opinion, Shujinkou accepted the answer. He then watched Kiyoko gently pet the bird's head, an act the tiny animal clearly enjoyed. "You seem to be good with animals."

"I wouldn't say that."

"You wouldn't?"

"It's not that hard for birds to come to you," Shujinkou curiously watched the finger the bird was perched on slowly and gently move towards him. "Try sticking your finger out at 'em."

Shujinkou did as he was told and raised his finger towards the winged animal. The bird responded to the action by flying up and perching itself back on Kiyoko's head.

"I don't think it likes me…" he said before sighing in disappointment.

"It's not that he/she doesn't like you, it's just that they can tell that you aren't super calm and composed enough to approach," Kiyoko replied with a grin. "Try again while letting them know you're safe to be around."

Shujinkou nodded his head and slowly raised his finger towards the avian creature, his head filled with nothing but thoughts of how calm he had to be. His gradually tensed up as his index finger drew even closer to the bird until it dropped down to Kiyoko's right shoulder.

"You know, Shujinkou, constantly thinking and stressing yourself trying to be calm doesn’t make a person calm," she casually pointed out.

"Maybe I should try again when I'm not thinking about it…" Shujinkou replied, scratching his right cheek.

Instead of continuing the conversation, Kiyoko gently pet the bird's head once more and let it go to fly into the distance. A yawn then broke through her lips and the golden-haired girl allowed gravity to guide her back to the soft grass.

It was at that point that Shujinkou felt the awkwardness of being unable to continue the conversation set in. He tried to think of something, but it was extremely tough for him given that he didn't know much about her in the first place.

"Maybe I should use this opportunity to try and know her better…" he said.

"You know you were thinking out loud, right?" Kiyoko pointed out.

"Uh…" Shujinkou's cheeks grew red with embarrassment.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"Um, well… Do you come out here often?"

"Not specifically here. I can do this anywhere that doesn't have a roof, though you probably mean whether or not if I do this often. Like I said before, it's nice to have some downtime every now and again."

"Is that why you sometimes sleep at school?"

"Yep.  Gotta get sleep whenever you can too," a large yawn inserted itself into the conversation as Kiyoko stretched her legs. "Speaking of school, how are things going for you?"

"What do you mean?" Shujinkou wondered.

"You seem to be a lot less unapproachable than you were at the start of the year."

"Unapproachable?"

"You know? Like you rather be left alone."

"Oh. Well, I guess that's true. I was actively seeking ways to be alone with my thoughts."

"Guess joining the club you joined was good for you."

Shujinkou scratched his cheek as he thought about Kiyoko's words.

"Yeah… I think so too," he agreed. "Hey, Kiyoko…"

A familiar song swiftly interrupted his sentence.

"Love Deterrence?" he marveled.

"I like Peace Walker," Kiyoko casually shrugged before humming along with the song. She then reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone and read a new message on the screen. "Gotta go."

The golden-haired girl jumped onto her feet and stretched her arms.

"Huh? Where to?" Shujinkou queried.

"A place to take care of some Kiyoko business," she answered with a sly wink.

"Wha-?"

"I heard your grandmother say something similar to you during our stay at her resort."

"Ho-?"

"It's not exactly hard to figure out since you guys seem really close."

"…Point taken."

Kiyoko chuckled as glanced into the distance, "Anyway, see ya later, Shujinkou."

As she disappeared into the distance, Shujinkou could hear her whistle the last few notes of another song he was familiar with.

"She likes Sly Cooper too…" he whispered under his breath. "Huh. You learn something new every day."

Chapter Text

'Twas a peaceful, quiet summer morning. Yuri was sitting against the side of her bed, her eyes scanning the pages of the novel tucked between her hands. The calming scent of the burning candles nearby filled the room, offering a relaxing atmosphere. As she turned to the next page of her book, a small blue paw landed on her shoulder.

"Boo!" a high feminine voice screeched as a stitched up bear was thrust into Yuri's view. The young maiden nearly dropped her novel from sudden shock as her younger sister slid up next to her. "Scared you, didn't we?"

"Yes…" Yuri answered. Her eyes then trailed down to Yuki's stuffed toy and glanced at its sharp teeth. "Grimm has fangs now."

"Yeah… Grimm has been feeling pretty vampiric lately and, while I was helping with the transformation, we were wondering something."

"Wondering what?"

Yuki silently looked down at Grimm and nodded her head in agreement.

"When are you going to ask Shujinkou out for real?" she asked.

Yuri's cheeks immediately grew rosy red as she desperately looked for something else to focus her attention on.

"W-Wh-What are you talking about?" she stuttered. "Why would you ask such a random question?"

"We were just curious," Yuki casually answered.

"But why would you think that I would want to do that?"

"Well… when Grimm and I were discussing this topic, we went over and analyzed the analysis we obtained from the time he pretended to be your boyfriend and we formulated a hypothesis. For you to even pull off such a thing, you would need to either ask a complete stranger to help you so you wouldn't have any personal awkwardness to deal with or someone you trust and are comfortable around. We know that you wouldn't ask a complete stranger such thing, so it would have to be option 2.

But even then, for you to even endure the somewhat romantic atmosphere of the plan, then that person would have to be someone you're really comfortable around and wouldn't mind doing somewhat romantic things with… like when you held his hand at the amusement park."

"Y-You saw that?!?!?!"

"When we compiled all the information we gathered from our analysis, it's easy to conclude that you really, really like Shujinkou."

"Ah… That's a really good observation."

 "So, when are you going to ask him?"

"That's… Ah…"Yuri started to play with her hair as she contemplated Yuki's question. "I don't think that would be a good idea…"

"Why not?" Yuki asked.

"He probably wouldn't be interested in doing such a thing. Plus, he reacted in a very negative way when I initially asked him for the favor in the first place."

"But wasn't that because you started with 'Will you be my boyfriend?'  out of nowhere. Anyone would be shocked by that. You just need a moment alone to just sit down with him, look him straight in the eyes and take a chance… Or that's what Grimm says. I said you should take things more slowly, but either way you need to find a way to spend time with Shujinkou."

Yuri pondered the words of her younger sister and stuffed bear until the ringing of her phone interrupted her thought process. She picked it up and answered it without even looking at the caller.

"Hello?" Yuri said.

"Hey, Yuri," a familiar voice responded.

"Oh. Hi, Shujinkou," Yuri replied.

Hearing Shujinkou's name out loud caused Yuki to look down at Grimm and shoot the stuffed creature a surprised look.

"I thought you said wanted to be vampiric, not a magical creature," Yuki mumbled.

"Um, I'm gonna just get straight to the point," Shujinkou continued. "I kinda need your opinion on something. Do you think you can come over?"

"Eh?!" Yuri exclaimed. "Right now?"

"Well, not if you have anything else planned. Wouldn't want to bother you."

"Ah, no! I'm not too busy or anything so… I could come over right now."

"That would be great. See you then."

Yuri slowly lowered her phone as the call ended.

"That was really convenient…" Yuki muttered in disbelief. She then raised Grimm up to her left ear and listened to what the toy had to say. "Hmm…"

"What did Grimm have to say?" Yuri asked.

"Carpe diem," Yuki advised.

Later that morning, Yuri knocked on the front door of Shujinkou's house and anxiously awaited an answer. Not too long after, Shujinkou opened the door and greeted her with a wave. To her surprise, he was still wearing his pajamas and his eyelids subtly dropped down before being forced back opened.

"Thanks for coming under such short notice, Yuri," he yawned as he guided his guest inside the house.

"It was no problem…" she replied. "You said you needed my opinion on something?"

"Yeah," Shujinkou said as he scratched his right cheek. "You see, back when I used to go the festival as a kid, I used to make things for Granny Hisa like drawings or cards. It's been awhile since I did that, so I kind of want to make something for her this year too."

"I see. But why did you ask for my assistance though?"

"'cause this year I want to make something she could actually use for the event and I need your help with that."

"How can I help?"

"Well, I remember how you talked about the things you do to enhance the atmosphere when you read and sometimes when you do other stuff and figured you would know what would enhance the atmosphere of the resort during the festival."

"Oh… Ah…" Yuri glanced down at her hands as she started playing with her hair.

"What's wrong?" he asked perplexed.

"Nothing!" Yuri refused to raise her head back up after unintentionally raising her voice. It was too embarrassing for her to do so. "It's just that… It's just that I'm not used to someone coming to me for help for such a thing. It… It feels really nice."

"Oh. Well, I can relate to that."

A small smile crept on Yuri's face as she raised her head.

"Did you already have anything in mind that you wanted to make for Lady Hisa?" she asked.

"Yeah," Shujinkou reached down to a nearby couch, grabbed his sketchbook and presented a drawing of a paper lantern. "I was thinking of making her a few of these."

"Paper Lanterns?"

"Yeah. What do you think?"

Yuri stared intensely at the drawing. Not a word or sound was made as she continued to analyze the drawing.

"Yuri?" Shujinkou suddenly said.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I forgot to start talking," she replied, slightly embarrassed. "I believe that with the design you made, they will really add a festive feeling to your grandmother's establishment."

"Really? Okay then, I just got to start making these right away. Thanks, Yuri."

"Ah…" a confused expression landed on Yuri's face. "Was that all you needed?"

"Mm-hmm," Shujinkou nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that… you could have sent a picture of your design over the phone," his guest pointed out.

Shujinkou's sketchbook fell out of his hand as he silently stared at Yuri. It was subtle, but she could tell his expression was one of shock.

"Uhm…" he remained silent as he scratched his right cheek, his eyes seemingly fighting the urge to find something else to look at. "Sorry. I guess the lack of sleep impaired my judgment."

"Ah…" a subtle giggle escaped through Yuri's lips. "That's okay. I didn't mind the trip over here. And ah…"

Yuri started playing with her hair again.

"I would like to help you with making your lanterns, if you don't mind…" she continued.

"Really?" Shujinkou shot a confused look that made it hard for Yuri to maintain eye contact.  "Well, if it's okay with you. I don't really have a problem with that."

 He then stretched his arms and walked towards the kitchen. Yuri curiously followed suit and watched as Shujinkou grabbed a box of cereal and pour some into a small green bowl. He then sat down at the dinner table and offered Yuri the seat across from his.

"Do you want some?" Shujinkou offered.

"No thank you. I already ate," Yuri declined.

"Okay. So, how's Yuki doing?"

"She's fine. She often expresses interest in playing with you again. I think she's become a bit fond of you."

"Really? I didn't think that would last."

"It's not really surprising. You seem to have a knack for leaving a positive impression on people."

"A positive impression… Even though I lied to her when I first met her… and Grimm."

"Ah…" Yuri immediately diverted her gaze. "I never got to apologizing for making you do that. I'm sorry."

"I think you already said something similar when you asked me…" Shujinkou chuckled as he scratched his right cheek. "Besides, I'm the one who said yes, so… you shouldn't really feel bad or anything. Besides, I have nothing but good memories of that day."

"I see… Hearing that makes me kind of happy."

Finishing off his meal in a surprisingly quick manner, Shujinkou led Yuri up to his room and unveiled the materials needed for this project. The young maiden sported a worried expression as she looked up and noticed the artist's blank one.

"Shujinkou… Most of the material we need isn't here," Yuri informed him.

"Ugh… I just remembered that I ordered it online and have to wait for the mail to come," his head dropped down in disbelief over the revelation. "I guess we have to kill some time before we can get started."

"Well, if we have the time, then may I see your right hand?"

"My hand?" Shujinkou briefly glanced at his right hand then presented it in front of Yuri. She gently grasped the outward hand with her left and extended her right index finger towards the fleshy region of skin between his index and thumb. The moment it made contact, she gently pressed against the section of his hand before gradually applying more pressure. Before long, Shujinkou felt a relaxing sensation surge through his entire body. "What just happened?"

"I just stimulated one of your body's pressure points," Yuri answered.

"My pressure points? Isn't that an acupressure term?"

"Yes. The point I just stimulated is referred to Pressure Point LI-4 otherwise known Hegu."

"Wow. You must really know your pressure points."

"Ah… Not really… It's just something that I tried after looking it up online."

Shujinkou glanced down at his hand again then back at Yuri.

"Do you do that to enhance your reading experience too?" he asked.

"Sometimes…" Yuri answered. Sometimes I use it as a natural healing method for different kinds of pain."

"Huh," Shujinkou raised his right hand to scratch his right cheek, only to realize that it was still in his guest's grasp.

"Sorry," Yuri apologized, her hands instantly returning to her side.

"By the way, Yuri, have you ever heard of Yoki?"

"Ah… Yes. She's a very popular singer shrouded in mystery."

"Uh…" Shujinkou's head dropped again in disbelief.

"Did I say something wrong?" Yuri worriedly asked.

"No… It's just official. I really don't pay attention to anything at school. Maybe I should finally give her a listen."

"You should! Her music's really great."

Shujinkou reached for his laptop and sat against the side of his bed as searched for any of Yoki's music. The moment a large list of results showed up on the screen, Yuri sat down next to him and inched herself closer until their shoulders touched.

"You should listen to that one," Yuri suggested.

"Which one?" he asked.

"The one titled Avian Heart.'"

Shujinkou clicked on the suggested video and listened to the song. It was a catchy song that included Yoki singing with birds.

"This must be the song Kiyoko was referring to," he thought. The moment the video finished, he asked aloud, "I wonder how they got the birds to perform on their command."

"They probably had professionals train them," Yuri answered. "Remaining in the shadows probably allows them to save a lot of money."

"That's true," Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he thought about the song in more depth. "…Must have been a lot of work though."

Shujinkou scrolled through the video's suggestions, wondering which song he should listen to next until he heard the front doorbell ring. Yuri followed him downstairs and curiously watched him open the front door.

"It's here!" Shujinkou announced as he turned around holding a box, his voice layered with anticipation.

"You seem to be really excited for this," Yuri noted.

"Well, I do get excited when I can finally do the thing I envisioned."

"Ah… I can understand that."

She followed Shujinkou back to his room and silently watched him open the box that contained the materials they needed.

"Have you ever made paper lanterns before, Yuri?" he asked.

"Years ago, but I'm still familiar with the process of making them," she assured him.

"Okay. Now I know that I don't have to bore you with the instructions I found on the internet," he slightly chuckled as he scratched his right cheek.

They each grabbed a cardstock and started to fold it on the score lines between each pane.

"Ah… I think that you're doing a nice thing for your grandmother," Yuri said.

"Hm? Oh, it's not really a big deal," Shujinkou replied. "It's just something I wanted to do for her."

"Mm… Your fondness towards your grandmother is really heartwarming."

"Well… she is family and kinda like my other parental figure. She taught me a lot of things that a mother shouldn't have to. She was also the one who got me into drawing."

Shujinkou reached for the glue and used it to trace a thin layer around the cardstock.

"Could I use that when you are done?" Yuri requested.

"Mm-hmm," Shujinkou finished applying the glue to his cardstock and presented it to his guest. She reached out and gripped the glue bottle enough to cause it to spray some all over his face.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Yuri apologized. "I shouldn't have grabbed it so tightly."

"It's no big deal," Shujinkou assured her.

Yuri quickly glanced around the room and noticed a cleaning rag in the box of materials. She reached for the rag and started cleaning the glue off of his face. Even though she was using a cleaning rag to wipe away the mess, Shujinkou could feel Yuri's soft, gentle fingers skate and circle across his skin. His heart started to beat faster and faster as he tried to endure what was currently happening to him.

"Ah… Are you okay?" Yuri asked.

"Y-Yeah…" he stammered.

"I'm really sorry…"

"It's really not a big issue."

"Ah…" Yuri looked up at Shujinkou with confused eyes. "Shujinkou… How come you never get mad at me whenever I inconvenience you?"

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

"It's just that I would do things that would normally make others mad like constantly intruding or asking you pose as my boyfriend, but you never get annoyed by anything that I do or ask."

"Oh..." Shujinkou scratched his just cleaned right cheek. "Well, I think you're thinking about it all wrong."

"I am?" Yuri asked.

"I don't really think you're constantly intruding. In fact, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about when you say that. Plus, I don't find it annoying when you ask me for help or anything. It kind of makes me happy to know that I'm reliable enough for you to ask in the first place."

"You do?"

"Yeah. It makes me feel like a good friend."

"Ah…" a crestfallen look planted itself on Yuri's face. "Well… I wouldn't really know what that's like. I haven't really been that much of a help to you."

"That's not true," Shujinkou replied.

"Eh?"

"You helped me during my first days in the club."

"I did? When did I do that?"

"Remember when Monika had us bring in our favorite books after I first joined? I was a nervous wreck since I was kinda afraid that you guys wouldn't like what I could bring in. I really appreciated how you offered to help me find a book even though you were really uncomfortable with that."

"Ah… It wasn't really much. I just didn't want to see you more upset than you already seemed before."

"Still, it really helped me. After that, I started to feel a little more comfortable being in the club. So, you shouldn't think that you're not a good friend or anything."

"Ah… That's…" Yuri placed her face in her hands. It was only for a moment, but Shujinkou was sure he could see a slight smile through her fingers. "We should probably get back to work or else we'll never get the lanterns finished."

"Okay," Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement and went back to work.

By the time they were finished, they had made 16 paper lanterns adorned with cherry blossom ornaments.

"All done," Shujinkou proudly declared. "Thanks for your help, Yuri. You really saved me some time."

"It's not really a big deal," Yuri started to play with her hair. "After all, 'If a friend needs me to be there, I'll be there to help.'"

Yuri silently giggled with red cheeks as Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. He grinned as he nodded his head in agreement.

"Right," he replied.

Yuri slowly diverted her gaze.

"Ah… You know… When you first called me a friend during the Cultural Festival, I was really happy, but I also felt like you said that just because you felt sorry for me," she admitted.

"Huh? I wouldn't do that," he insisted.

"I knew that deep down, but that doubt still remained though. I guess it's because I tend to over think things a lot and see them in the wrong way like you said earlier. So when I thought that I've done nothing but inconvenience you with a lot of things, I was always surprised how instead of rightfully hating me for that, you always instead worry about me and always try to help however you can. Eventually, that doubt went away and all I felt whenever I was around you was happiness."

Shujinkou felt a something brush against his chest and was surprised that it was his index finger.

"Ah… I guess what I'm trying to say is…" Yuri looked back up at Shujinkou with a bright smile. "I really like being friends with you, Shujinkou."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek and smiled back.

"I like being friends with you too, Yuri," he replied.

Without saying another word, Yuri moved closer to Shujinkou and stared deeper into his eyes. The intense gaze she directed towards him was strong enough that he felt paralyzed by it.

"Uhm…" confusion soon took hold as he realized that his frozen state even denied him the ability to scratch his right cheek.

"Shujinkou…" Yuri's face slowly moved closer to his until it was only inches away. "I… Ah… I also…"

Suddenly, the two heard a loud sound outside of the house and rushed to the front door to figure out what it was. Opening the front door, Shujinkou was shocked to find his mother sitting on the ground.

"Mom?!" he said perplexed.

"H-Hey, Shujinkou…" Hiro dusted herself off as she stood up and noticed Yuri standing behind her son. "Oh, hello, Yuri."

"Ah… Hello…" Yuri replied. She then turned her attention to Shujinkou. "You don't require my assistance anymore, correct?"

"Huh? Oh… Well… I guess not…" Shujinkou answered.

"I see… Well, then I guess I'll excuse myself then."

Before another word could be said, Yuri rushed out of the house. Shujinkou could do nothing but continue to stare out the doorway, bewildered by the events that just raced by. As his mother turned and walked into the house, he couldn't help but noticed that her face was flushed.

"What's going on?" This thought would remain with him for the rest of the day.

Chapter Text

"Also… Also…" Shujinkou tossed and turned in his bed as he contemplated that one word. "What was Yuri going to say? She also… what? Yuri looked really nervous when she said that, but also looked… happy? What could that mean? She also said that while getting really close to me. Was she going to…?"

Shujinkou cheeks grew red as he completed that thought.

"No, that can't be it," he shook his head. "I mean… it's me for one. There's no way that could happen to me… unless through rare and specific circumstances. Besides, the last time I came to a similar conclusion, she made it pretty clear that that wasn't the case. Plus, Yuri kind of has a talent for taking moments and making them really… intimate."

As if on cue, Shujinkou phone began to vibrate with Yuri's name on the screen. Anxiety built up second by second as he reached for his phone and answered it.

"Ah… Shujinkou…" she said.

"Hey, Yuri," he replied, scratching his red right cheek. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh… Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly."

"It's not an issue. It's not like I'm mad or anything."

"Still… It's just that… um…"

Silence interjected itself into the conversation for 5 minutes, until Shujinkou decided to speak up, "You know, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to.  It's probably none of my business."

"Ah… it's not that… It's just that… I don't think I can say it right now," Yuri lamented.

"Oh… Well, you don't have to force whatever it is you wanted to say. I can wait."

"Ah… Okay. And thank you for your concern. It always alleviates my concerns."

"No problem."

Silence once again decided to insert itself into the conversation.

"Well… I have to go now," Yuri finally said. "Dinner is ready."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later then," Shujinkou replied.

"Okay. Until then."

The moment the call ended, Shujinkou heard a knock on his bedroom door.

"Come in!" he said.

The door slowly opened and Hiro cautiously walked in with a tray of cookies.

"I come in peace," she said. "And brought some apology cookies."

A confused Shujinkou could do nothing but watch his mother sit next to him on his bed.

"Apology for what?" he asked.

"Well… I can't help but feel that I'm the reason Yuri left so suddenly," she awkwardly admitted.

"I'm sure that's not the case…" Shujinkou said, scratching his right cheek.

He reached for one of the cookies and took a large bite of it.

"So, what were you two doing while I was gone?" she asked.

"We made paper lanterns for the Granny Hisa," Shujinkou replied.

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Nothing else?"

"No."

"At all?"

"No… What do you think we would do?"

"I'm not sure. Anything that could happen whenever a boy and a girl are alone together."

"Mom?!"

"Sorry! Sorry! I couldn't help but channel my inner mother. It helps keep my own motherly instincts down regarding the whole situation."

Oh… Um…" Shujinkou solemnly scratched his right cheek. "I'm sorry for never getting around to telling you that my three other friends are girls. I just never found a way to spit it out."

"That's alright. I can understand how hard it would be to tell your mother that you randomly decided to join a club that consisted of four girls. But you know, that wouldn't have changed the fact that Sayori somehow convinced you to join. In fact, she actually voiced her intention to do something involving you."

Hiro took a large bite out of one of the cookies before continuing, "So, now that everything is out in the open, do you want to talk about your club experiences; like what it was like when you first went there?"

"Ugh… I was a nervous wreck when Sayori first brought me there," Shujinkou admitted. "I was kinda expecting a club that would immediately dislike me if they ever found out that I wasn't really the literature type and that I was nowhere near their level in the subject matter."

"But it wasn't that bad when you got there, right?"

"Well…" a small chuckle escaped through her son's lips before continuing. "Natsuki was the first to approach me when I first arrived and she called me out in no time flat."

"Oh..." Hiro replied, her voice layered with sympathy.

"Natsuki never really made it a secret to me that she didn't want me wasting the club's time and it always seemed like I somehow had a knack for annoying her. I think it was probably because I essentially dined and dashed that day."

"Ooo…"

"But even though Natsuki seemed like a very abrasive person at first, she was actually still pretty nice. I mean, she always baked sweets for the club and she did loan me some of her manga on occasion. I guess she just didn't want anyone thinking she was soft or something. Maybe that why she hates to be called ''cute.'' Eventually it got to the point where I didn't annoy her as much as I used to and we soon began to talk about our shared interest in manga a lot."

"I guess that explains why she didn't seem abrasive the few times I have seen her. So, what happened after Natsuki approached you?"

"So, after I was paralyzed by Natsuki, Monika approached me in an attempt to calm me down. I was really surprised to find her there. As far as I knew, she was still on the Debate Team, so it was a real shock to find out that she was the Founder/President of the club. It was even more shocking that she somehow remembered me from last year since I figured that she had more important people to remember. And the shocks kept on coming whenever she wanted to hang out with me. At first, I really found it weird that the school's idol would give me the time of day, but the more time we spent together and the more I got to actually know her, I came to realize that she's actually doesn't really care that much about her given title and would prefer to be around those who treat her more normally. I guess that's what others mean when they say it's lonely at the top."

"I wouldn't really know what that's like..." Hiro chuckled. "But it sounds like Monika is a very humble person considering what you and the others said about her. So, what happened after you found out she was the club's President?"

"Oh, after finding out that Monika founded the club, I suddenly felt like someone was watching me," Shujinkou continued. "When I looked around, I found out it was actually Yuri. But the moment I made eye contact with her, she immediately looked back down at the book she was reading. Yuri never really talked to me that much at first. At first, I thought it was because she rather not be bothered, but sometime after she helped me with a club assignment, I came to realize that it was more because she was a little shy and she didn't really know me. But even though she could be shy, if you got her talking about something she's really into, then she would suddenly have no problem conversing with anyone. It's because of that I learned that she's into atmospheric enhancements. I also learned that she makes a good cup of tea."

"Oh, maybe you should invite her over so I can try some."

Shujinkou silently scratched his right cheek.

"Oh right… She was here earlier…" Hiro awkwardly chuckled, her head dropping in shame. "I was the reason she left."

"I'm pretty sure you're not the reason, Mom," Shujinkou insisted.

"Mm… So, what about, Sayori? What's it like having her as the Vice-President of the club?"

"Um… How do I explain it? Well, I don't really know about the presidential stuff she helps Monika with, but I do know that she takes it upon herself to keep everyone happy and motivated. I think that's why she keeps calling Natsuki cute even though being called that annoys her or several things regarding me. She's also memorized the club rules and the school rules regarding the club and can recite them whenever Natsuki questions them. I have to admit, I was pretty surprised and impressed by how well-suited she was for the role of Vice-President. The only thing I wasn't surprised about is the fact that she doesn't really flaunt the authority her position gives. I mean, if someone visited the club, no one would guess she was the Vice-President since she's… y'know… Sayori. She usually acts like she's just another member of the club."

"I kinda gathered that from the short interaction I seen between the two of you and Natsuki and Yuri. I also guess I don't have to ask how the experience has been either since it seems like you reconnected with Sayori and grown close to the other girls."

"Mm-hmm…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as a slight smile snuck onto his face. "There's also some other students that I've gotten to know a little after joining the club."

"Really?" his mother's eyes lit up with surprise and curiosity.

"Yeah. Due to… events… I got to meet the school's Student Council President, Fuyu. She had a well-known reputation of having a scary presence and the reputation was 100% true. But I quickly found out that she's only like that when she's in her "President Mode." When she's not in that mode, Fuyu's not that scary at all. Though sometimes I feel like she may switch between the two sides to unnerve the other students. She also seemed very trusting of me at first. At first, I didn't understand why, then I found out that I actually first met her when we were kids, and that meeting was the reason why I seemed to be on her good side when we met again this year."

"Wow… What an amazing coincidence to meet a future high school president as a kid."

"Yeah, I never expected to be to have a positive relationship with anyone in the position of president. Then again, there has been a lot of things I never expected to happen so far this year.

I also met this girl named Kiyoko. She's part of the basketball club and we met after she accidently bounced a basketball off my head. Turned out she's in some of my classes, but I never noticed before since I don't really pay attention to my classmates. Not that I mean that in an insulting way."

"No, I understand what you mean. So, what's Kiyoko like?"

"She's a really laidback person. She's so laidback in fact that birds have no issue coming near her. She also seems to have a knack for interacting with them and can even whistle a nice tune to them. Also, she likes to take any chance to kick back and relax, which is probably why she takes any chance she can get to sleep at school. The only time I don't see her relaxing is when she's playing basketball and from what I seen, she's pretty good."

And finally, there’s Rei. She’s the really quiet girl I told you about. I’m not really sure if she’s just shy or anything because she never talks or emotes that much. It’s also because of that that I also really don’t know that much about her. The only thing I really know is that she’s really smart since she got a high score on her exams. Though I’m sure she’s a nice person and just needs to get used to everyone else."

"Oh wow…" Hiro grabbed another cookie and ate the entire sweet whole.

"What's wrong?" Shujinkou asked.

"It's nothing. It's just that… Um… I'm just glad that you have nothing but positive experiences in school, that's all," his mother answered. "Anywhoo, I'm a little tired, so I think I'll turn in early."

Hiro stood up, leaving the rest of the cookies on the bed, and walked towards her son's bedroom door. The second she touched the door, she looked back and watched a young Shujinkou reach down and pick up his game controller.

"Good night, Shujinkou," she tenderly smiled at her son.

"Good night, mom," he smiled back.

After watching his mother leave his room, Shujinkou gripped his controller tighter and started up his game.

"Reconnect with Sayori… Reconnect… Connect… Why does the word 'connect' feel so important?" he wondered. "Wait a minute…"

Shujinkou instantly dropped his controller and looked under his bed. He curiously scanned the slightly darkened section of his room until an interesting sight caught his eye.

"Hello," he said, his arms reaching under the bed.

Chapter Text

The next day, Sayori patiently stood in front of the Shujinkou's front door, curious as to why her old friend had called her over. Moments later, the door opened, revealing Shujinkou on the other side. He let out a large yawn before welcoming his friend inside.

"Did you stay up all night?" Sayori asked.

"Yep…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, before another small yawn escaped past his lips.

"So, what did you want to show me?"

Shujinkou reached for a nearby item and presented it to Sayori. It was two small pieces of paper tapped together. Upon closer inspection, Sayori was surprised to find that each piece of paper had no words written on them.

"What is that?" she queried.

"I think it's some kind of clue," Shujinkou answered.

"A clue? A clue to what?"

"Well…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. "You remember that one time Granny Hisa gave us that idea that 'should bind us always'?"

"Um…" hearing those words caused Sayori's mind to dig up a past memory.

She could remember the two of them using their imagination in a cardboard box until they heard a knock from outside. Opening the top of the box, the two stuck their heads out and encountered Hisa.

"Granny Hisa!" they exulted.

"Hey, you two," she waved at the two children.

"What are you doing here, Granny Hisa?" Shujinkou asked.

"I was just in the neighborhood," Hisa nonchalantly shrugged. "Anyway, while I was here, I wanted to see if you two were interested in making a time capsule."

"A time capsule? What's that?" Sayori wondered aloud.

"It's a thing people put whatever they want in it and then the same people dig it up later years later," Hisa explained.

"Why would we want to put something we like in a box for years?" Shujinkou asked, scratching his right cheek. "Wouldn't that just mean we couldn't touch it for years?"

"I thought you might say that, so I'm going to appeal to both of yours' curiosity," his grandmother replied.

As she expected, Shujinkou and Sayori's eyes lit up with curiosity.

"What would you two say to making a time capsule with one thing that means a lot to you… but you two won't know what the other has put in there?" Hisa proposed.

Sayori looked up at Shujinkou; his eyes were filled with interest.

"What do you think, Sayori?" he asked.

"I think it sounds fun. We should do it!" Sayori beamed.

"Oh yeah!" Sayori shouted, back from her trip to the past. "We did do a time capsule! But I don't really remember much about that adventure."

"Well… You up for finding it?" Shujinkou proposed.

"Yes!" Sayori bubbled. "So where do we go first?"

"Well, I think the first piece of paper is one of those that use a special marker to reveal its secrets."

"Aah… Where can we get one of those?"

"Uhm…" Shujinkou crossed his arms. "Doesn't the arcade have one of those activity packs that come with one of those markers? We should probably go there first."

"Sounds like a plan!" Sayori declared.

Moments later, Sayori followed Shujinkou into the local arcade; her eyes lit with excitement.

"What should we do first?" she asked.

"I don't know," Shujinkou shrugged. He then looked around the establishment until he spotted something that caught his interest. "How about an old favorite?"

A bright smile stretched across Sayori's face as she slid her goggles over her eyes. She then revved up her snowmobile and waved at her opponent.

"You ready?" she asked.

"Yep," Shujinkou replied, revving his engine as well.

The two hit the gas and sped down the mountain. To Sayori's surprise, she finished the course with zero crashes… something her opponent could say himself.

"I must have gotten really lucky," Sayori mumbled in disbelief.

"No, that wasn't luck," Shujinkou assured her. "Though that says nothing about the fact that this was my worst run…"

"Ah!"

"What is it?"

"I just remembered that this game doesn't give any tickets…"

"Uh…"

Shujinkou and Sayori silently stared at each other for an entire minute before getting up from the game.

"How about we try that one game you used to get a lot of tickets from?" she suggested.

"Um… You mean the one where you drop the coins and hope they go down the path that's lit up?" Shujinkou replied.

"Yeah. I don't remember it well, but you must have been really lucky to get so many tickets from it."

"Not exactly."

Confused, Sayori used her eyes to silently plead for an answer.

"You see, I knew I would just be wasting my tokens if tried to play the game it was meant to be played so instead I focused on the many tokens at the bottom," Shujinkou explained.

"Um… There were two cliffs on top of each other right? With rake thingies pushing the tokens on the top a little? How did you get tickets from that?" Sayori asked.

"I usually time my tokens so they hopefully fall in from of one the rakes before they push it forward. If it works then the new token would be pushed into the first group, causing said group to move forward and hopefully drop some on the second group. When enough fall on the bottom group, then some tokens from that group would fall down and I would get tickets from that."

"Wow… That's a really smart way of still getting something from a luck-based game. So, we should try that one, right?"

"No. That game's not working right now."

"Oh…" Sayori scratched her right cheek as she pondered her friend's explanation and response. "Wait, I got an idea!"

Not too long after those words were spoken, Sayori and Shujinkou happily rode a spinning tea cup as they searched for an arcade game to play.

"You see anything?" Sayori asked.

"I think I see myself getting a head ache," Shujinkou replied. "Maybe we're thinking about this too hard. Let's just pick one that gives out tickets at random."

"Okay," Sayori nodded her head in agreement.

The moment the tea cup stopped, the two jumped and landed in a rusted gate.

"Ready?" Shujinkou asked, brandishing a M4A1 assault rifle.

"Ready," Sayori sported a confident grin as she did the same.

As if on cue, several zombies rose from the ground and lurched towards the two. They wasted no time in slaying the humanoid abominations and opening the gates to the nearby derelict mansion. They continued to fire at several humanoid, canine and plant based zombies and broke into the mansion, only to be confronted by a large hulking vermillion figure.

Its blood shot red eyes looked down at them as if pleading as its long tongue licked its scaly lips.

“Shujinkou?” Sayori nervously glanced at her companion.

“Hold on…” Shujinkou dropped his rifle and pulled a CGM missile launcher from behind his back. With a confident grin, he explained the sudden gear change with, “Score Bonus.”

Pulling the trigger, several missiles flew forward and instantly killed the beast.

With the final enemy defeated, the two zombie slayers placed their weapons back into their holsters and watched as their tickets poured out of the machine.

“This should be enough,” Shujinkou said as he glanced at his phone. He then ripped the tickets out of the machine and held them up. “Want to turn them in now?”

“Okay,” Sayori beamed. “Oh, wait.”

“Yeah?”

Sayori turned around and pointed to a photo booth, “Let’s take some funny photos.”

“Alright,” Shujinkou agreed.

The two wasted no time in squeezing into the booth and Shujinkou paid the machine’s asking price.

“What settings should we use?” he asked.

Sayori shrugged her shoulders.

“Random it is,” Shujinkou said as he picked the aforementioned option. He then submitted their phone numbers, pressed the start button and leaned back near Sayori.

They both enthusiastically put on their best funny faces as the camera took their picture seven times.

"I wonder how they turned out," Sayori wondered aloud.

The two curiously glanced down at Shujinkou's phone; the results of the photos causing their faces to turn red.

While their faces in the photos were silly, the theme the settings chose from random framed it in a romantic view.

"Out of all the settings…" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his cheek.

"Eh… Maybe we should turn in the tickets now…" Sayori nervously chuckled.

The two exchanged the tickets they earned for a magic pen activity set and walked out of the arcade.

"So, where to next?" Sayori wondered aloud.

"We'll know just as soon I use the marker on the clue," Shujinkou answered.

As Shujinkou got to work uncovering the first clue, Sayori impatiently looked around until she spotted something interesting.

"Ah!" she gasped. Sayori couldn't believe her eyes, but she could not deny the fact that she spotted two familiar people sitting on a bench not too far away from them. "It's Fuyu and Rei!"

Shujinkou looked up from the first clue and followed Sayori's line of sight.

"What do you think their doing together?" she asked.

"I don't know," Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he glanced at her. The look on his face made it clear that he was aware of her intentions. "Want to go see why?"

Sayori eagerly nodded her head and shouted, "Fuyu! Rei!"

The two looked up and turned towards Sayori and her friend.

"Shujinkou… Sayori…" Fuyu solemnly replied.

Rei slowly raised her left hand and just as slowly waved at them.

"What are you two doing together?" Sayori asked.

"I'd figure that Rei would like to get out of the house today," Fuyu answered.

"I didn't know that you two were friends," Shujinkou said.

"Actually…" Fuyu remained silent for a moment, as if contemplating her response. "We're sisters."

"WHA?!" Sayori and Shujinkou exclaimed. "Sisters!?"

Fuyu nodded her head.

"When did that happen?" Sayori asked.

"Since my family adopted her years ago," Fuyu answered.

"Wait a minute…" Shujinkou silently scratched his right cheek. "You didn't make it sound like you two were sisters when you first introduced me to her. Actually, it seemed like you didn't even know her at all back then."

"That was my intention," Fuyu replied as she adjusted her glasses.

"But why?" Shujinkou asked.

"Well, I did tell you that I wanted to leave her in the hands of someone I trusted, but I also wanted her to be treated as a normal student, not the school president's sister."

Fuyu adjusted her glasses once more, her face now expressing disappointment.

"What's wrong, Fuyu?" Sayori worriedly asked.

"It's just that… Though I'm getting her out of the house to do stuff, it's kind of a sad alternative to what she really wants to do," Fuyu answered.

Sayori and Shujinkou simultaneously shot their president a curious look.

"I'm sure you two know how unresponsive she can be at times…" she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "But the entire time I've known her, I noticed that whenever she sees this picture, she seems very interested."

Fuyu raised her phone for the two to see; the tiny device showing a picture of a White Lotus flower.

"I get it… You want find some of these for Rei," Sayori concluded.

"Exactly," Fuyu confirmed. "But… I haven't exactly been able to find any anywhere… At least, in a way that I could afford."

"We know where you two could find some," Sayori grinned.

"You do?" Fuyu's eyes lit up with hope.

"We did find some around a pond somewhere near Granny Hisa's place a long time ago," Shujinkou explained.

"Oh…" Fuyu's expression returned to its previous disappointed incarnation. "That would fall under the 'I can't afford' option."

"Um…" Sayori pondered Fuyu's dilemma until an idea popped into her head. "Hey, maybe we could…"

"Maybe we could ask Granny Hisa to put you two up?" Shujinkou suggested.

Fuyu's eyes lit up with surprise, a sentiment Sayori shared.

"Really?" Fuyu asked.

"Yeah, in fact, me, Sayori and the others are heading up there for the upcoming festival. I'm sure Granny Hisa won't mind getting a room for you two if you come with us," Shujinkou assured her.

 "Well… I don't want us to be a burden on anything."

"I'm sure she won't mind. She's really 'the more, the merrier' kind of person."

"Mm…" Fuyu adjusted her glasses and entered her "President Mode." Unlike the other times though, she was smiling. "We'll consider your offer."

Shujinkou nodded his head and exchanged phone numbers with Fuyu. Once everything was settled, Sayori and Shujinkou watched Fuyu lead Rei away. The moment they were out of sight, Sayori stared at Shujinkou bemused.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's just that… You know, I don't think you would have extended an invitation like that earlier this year," Sayori happily chuckled.

Shujinkou simply smiled and looked back down at the list, "Okay, next stop is… across the street?"

The two hunters looked across the street and beheld their favorite desserts-only restaurant: Diamond Delights. Sayori followed Shujinkou to the front of the restaurant, sharing his confusion of their latest location.

"Why here?" Shujinkou glanced down at the next sheet of paper and used the marker gained from the arcade, sighing in disappointment when nothing happened.

Sayori's eyes excitedly searched through the various sweets that were displayed in the front window until they were drawn to a sign read: "Today only. Free Sweets. 2-4 p.m."

"Shujinkou! There's an all you cat dessert thing going on right now!" Sayori said with pleading eyes.

"Really?" Shujinkou followed Sayori's stare and confirmed her info. "Um…"

The two nodded their heads in agreement, found a table and placed their order. Not too long after, a waitress came by and placed two large vanilla sundaes topped with chocolate sprinkles, chips, and shavings.

"Good thing we got here when we did," Sayori beamed with delight.

"Yeah," Shujinkou agreed before taking the first bite.

"By the way, what do you think about adaptations?"

"What about them?"

"Monika and I came up with the idea that we should talk about adaptations of any literary works anyone wanted to talk about."

"Adaptations?"

"Mm-hmm. There are lots of things to talk about like differences, similarities and if it kept the overall tone of the original source," Sayori beamed. "Though I did warn Monika to not mention a certain live-action adaption of one your favorite series."

"Ugh…" Shujinkou's head dropped as he groaned. "You know… If it didn't carry the name, it would have been an okay movie."

"I think we could start with saying something to about that one Romeo and Juliet movie we saw when we were younger."

"You mean the one that took place in more modern times where the two families were bickering rival mafia families that would have shootouts just for looking at each other?"

Sayori nodded her head.

"If that movie was realistic, it would have ended at the first scene," Shujinkou pointed out with a chuckle. "How they got away with a public shootout is crazy."

"See there's a lot to talk about with that one," Sayori happily noted.

"Mm. You know, I don't know if I ever told you this, but you're a really dedicated VP."

"Hm? You think?"

"Yeah. You're thinking about the club while we're on break."

"Just doing my job. Hehe. It's kinda funny you would say that, considering you said that it was hard for you to imagine me being one."

"In my defense, while I did say that, I did say that it wasn't that I believed you couldn't do it. By the way, remember that poster you asked me to work on?"

"Did you finish it?"

"Yeah. I just want to see if everyone's okay with it first."

"That's great! I'm sure the moment we post it up next semester; we'll be getting a flood of new members."

Shujinkou smiled in response and scoop up another spoonful of ice cream. Following suit, Sayori downed spoonful after spoonful of ice cream before suddenly dropping her spoon.

"Brain Freeze!" she cried.

"You gotta take your time, Sayori," Shujinkou reminded her.

"But it so good."

Shujinkou glanced back down at the latest blank slip of paper and analyzed as much as he could. A defeated sigh escaped his body and he raised the blank clue up in the air.

"Whoa!" he gasped.

"What is it?" Sayori questioned.

"Take a look," Shujinkou answered, passing the clue to her. "Raise it up to the light."

Following his instructions, Sayori raised the blank paper up towards the ceiling lights, revealing a faint image of a crudely drawn bed.

"I must have done this one," she concluded.

"What makes you say that?" Shujinkou asked.

"Cause you never drew something this bad," Sayori giggled.

"Right…" Shujinkou weakly chuckled as scratched his right cheek. "It's not that bad…"

"Um…" Sayori intensely examined the faint drawing. "I think we gotta check your bed."

"Why would you think that?"

"Just a feeling I got."

Following Sayori's hunch, the two journeyed back to Shujinkou's room and looked under his bed.

"A lot of stuff under here," Shujinkou said. "I'm surprised I found the clues in the first place."

After moving various crates filled with books and art supplies, the two found a small teal box and pulled it out.

"Ready?" Shujinkou asked.

"Ready!" Sayori grinned.

The two opened the box and pulled out two blankets. Sayori quickly uncovered hers and waved a white shirt sporting the insignia of the Cooper Clan.

"My old t-shirt!" She said in delight.

"You… You put in that into the time capsule?" Shujinkou said in disbelief.

"Yeah," Sayori's cheeks grew red as she diverted her gaze. "It was one of the first things you got for me, so it means a lot to me."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek and looked down at the blanket he was holding. He slowly uncovered what he had hidden in the time capsule and raised it up for her to see. Complete shock was all Sayori felt the minute she laid eyes on a slightly crumbled drawing of their younger selves playing.

"You still had that?" Sayori sputtered.

"Well, yeah…" Shujinkou admitted. "It was birthday present that means a lot to me."

Having no idea how to respond, Sayori glanced down at the time capsule, triggering a strange reaction in her brain.

"Wait a minute…" Sayori stared at the box more intensely. "Now that I think about…"

Sayori's mind was soon thrust into the past, just after the two finished their time capsule.

"So… what do we do now?" she asked.

"I guess we go hide it now…" Shujinkou replied.

"Like where? Doesn't it have to be a special place that we would have to go out our way to find?"

"Uhm… I think so…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he shot the box an uneasy look. "Do you have any idea where we should hide it?"

"Um… I got nothing," Sayori admitted.

"Neither do I. Um… How about we think of a hiding place later? I'm pretty sure one of will get an idea if we stop thinking about it."

"Okay!"

Sayori watched as Shujinkou slid the capsule under his bed.

"I just hope we don't forget about it," he said.

Returning from her trip to the past, Sayori immediately looked up at Shujinkou, "Wait! We never actually got around to hiding our time capsule! We forgot about it under your bed!"

"Whuh?!" Shujinkou exclaimed.

And if we forgot about it under your bed, then that means we never made treasure hunt-esque clues to find it either!" Sayori continued. "Which means…"

Shujinkou suspiciously scratched his right cheek.

"You planned this whole thing, Shujinkou!" Sayori deduced.

"Guilty…" he admitted with a small smile.

"But why did you got through all the trouble to find the time capsule instead of just telling me you found it?"

"Well…" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. "Because we both wanted to go out of our way to find it."

"But you already knew where it was, so the finding part was ruined for you," Sayori sorrowfully pointed out.

"I know, but it wouldn't be for you and that was enough for me to make something up. Besides, considering how you've went out of your way to make me smile this year… I couldn't really consider myself best friend material if I didn't do the same."

"'Out of your way to make you smile…' Ah!" Sayori reeled back with shock as she realized the meaning behind her friend's words. "You… You heard what I said back then?! You were actually awake the whole time?!"

"Well… yeah…" Shujinkou nervously admitted. "It's just that… I just couldn't bring myself to say anything back then."

"But… But if you heard what I said back then, then why would you join the club the next day? I admitted that I've been selfish in trying to get you join when you didn't want to."

"No. I was the one being selfish. Personal problems aside, I shouldn't have just cut myself off from you and mom like I did. All I thought about was myself, not even realizing that I was hurting people who cared about me more than they probably should. I'm… I'm really sorry I haven't been the best friend I should have been for a while. I really wanted to make it up to you, so I joined the club in order to do that."

"You mean you joined the club just so I could be happy?"

"Yeah and… Honestly, I wanted to be with my best friend again too."

Sayori's cheeks grew bright red as she processed what she was just told. It was really something she did not expect to hear. Tears welled up in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Shujinkou, squeezing him tightly.

"I… You…" Words escaped Sayori as she hugged her best friend tighter.

Unable to find the word either, Shujinkou warmly smiled and hugged his best friend back.

Chapter Text

The day before the Cultural Festival, if you would have asked anyone in school about their thoughts on the event, you would usually hear them voice their excitement. I thought it would be the same for the others in the club but, to my surprise, it was actually met with a mixed reaction. Sayori and Natsuki were as excited as everyone else, but Monika voiced disappointed and even seemed embarrassed that she had to help her class during the festival. She must have had a lot of negative feelings on the matter stored in her as she refused to tell us what her class was doing and even left the room before anyone could say anything else.

Shujinkou also seemed to lack the excitement most other students had. He usually escapes into his head when he has the chance to during club meetings and I guess he wanted to do the same during the festival if he could. That was something I could understand and relate too. He eventually decided to try and find something to do there after some convincing from Sayori though. It was clear that he didn’t really want to do it, but he was willing to push himself out of his comfort zone because his friend asked him to. I have to admit… I was a little envious.

The next day, the festival was in full swing. I intentionally found a spot where I could be alone and picked up where I left off on one my old books. I didn’t get too far though, as not too long after I started to get lost in the tale, I heard a familiar voice call my name. Curious, I looked up and, to my surprise, found Shujinkou standing in front of me. His search for something to do was what allowed our paths to cross. He then took a seat next to me and I couldn’t help but turn away from him. It was really embarrassing having him sitting that close to me.

He then asked about the novel I was reading and even admitted that it actually gave him a nightmare. I was immediately wracked with guilt and quickly apologized for doing such a horrible thing to him. But instead of rightfully agreeing with me and voicing his anger, he instead assured me that it wasn’t my fault at all. I was really surprised. I didn’t really know what to say to such an unexpected response. He then asked me why I was alone. It was hard for me to admit that I didn’t really have friends I could be with. I didn’t want him to think I was unpleasant person but, for the second time during our conversation, Shujinkou surprised me by suggesting that we both explore the festival as friends. I tried to convince him that he would have more fun without me, but Shujinkou insisted otherwise. I thought he was only being nice to me because he felt sorry for me but… It still felt nice to be called a friend.

After a few suggestions, we eventually decided to check out a class that was hosting a haunted house. I didn’t really say anything back then, but when I followed Shujinkou to where he found it, I noticed that the hallways were emptier then they should be. When we arrived, I found myself really impressed by the presentation. The class that prepared the Haunted House was able to create an atmosphere that made any visitor feel like they were truly in a derelict home. It also made me a little happy that Shujinkou could appreciate their efforts as well. We eventually discovered the back story of the house and, for one final scare, were assaulted by a costumed student. Naturally we were both scared, but something that really stuck out to me was how Shujinkou put himself between me and the apparent danger. I don’t think he even realized that he did that, so I decided to keep it to myself.

When we were done, he soon pointed out my enjoyment of the house. I felt nervous as I agreed with his observation. I just knew that he would think I was weird for such a thing, but he once again alleviated my worries by assuring me that I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed such things. I think that was when I really began to feel a little comfortable around him.

We then both realized that we had no other ideas of what to do next, leading to Shujinkou suggesting that we search for the others, starting with Natsuki. We searched the startling empty Carnival Games section of the school and eventually found Natsuki at a makeshift gun range, expressing her anger at how she was unable to hit any of the targets. Shujinkou suddenly shouted what sounded like a solution to something, catching Natsuki’s attention. I always considered Natsuki’s next few words towards Shujinkou to be somewhat rude, but she always seemed to that way when talking to him back then. Even though her temper could be short at times, she always appeared to be extra annoyed whenever they were around each other or even when he first appeared before us. I think it was actually after the school trip to his grandmother’s resort when she started to become nicer to him.

But even though she was a little rude to him back then, Shujinkou still decided to stick up for her when she was insulted and helped her hit one of the targets. It was then when I contemplated that maybe Shujinkou didn’t take pity on me earlier but was genuinely just being a very nice person, one of the qualities that I would come to like about him very much. That said… I know I’ll sound terrible for saying this but… I felt a little jealous over how he helped her.

Not too long after, Sayori appeared and suggested we check out a big event that was happening in the Second-Year Hallway. As expected for such a large event, the line was long and we passed the time by telling one story with each of picking up after the other. Even though I was nervous on my turn and we all agreed that the story’s tone was inconsistent, it was still fun to participate with the others. We soon made it to the front and I can confidently say that we were all surprised to discover what the “big event” was.

It was a maid café and it was clear that Monika was the reason why most of the school was there. I can understand why she didn’t want to talk about it before. If it was me, I probably would have fainted from embarrassment, especially if the others showed up. I think the entire atmosphere was heavy for everyone. Natsuki seemed a little annoyed and Shujinkou kept his gaze down the entire time. Sayori tried to alleviate the tension, but it didn’t really work.

Thankfully that heavy atmosphere stayed in the café and everyone was mostly able move past it. As we all headed home, I started to think how the day did not go the way I expected. I honestly expected to spend the day to myself, but instead I had a fun day with the club. It was really nice and I hoped that I could experience another day like that.

Chapter Text

"…I think this trip will be the chance for that wish to come true. I never thought that I would ever get to chance to go on a trip with friends so it really makes me happy to have that chance," Yuri confessed, smiling at the stitched-up doll between her hands.

Not too long after her story, Yuki crawled from under her sister's bed, brandishing a tiny, dark blue witch hat.

"So that's when you started getting friendlier with the others and starting crushing on Shujinkou," she said.

"W-Why are you only focusing on that aspect?" Yuri stuttered, trying her best not to look away.

"Honestly? It's because you kind of went into more detail about what you did with Shujinkou than anything else," Yuki pointed out.

"Ah…" Yuri's cheeks faintly grew red. "Still… That was the only part I was mostly involved in."

Her eyes then trailed down to Grimm and she asked, "Does Grimm have a comment too?"

"Um…" Yuki raised her ear to listen to her stuffed companion's voice. "…Grimm wants to know whether you're going to continue from where you left off with Shujinkou the other day or not."

Yuri's red cheeks grew even redder as she recalled her last visit to Shujinkou's home.

"What did happen?" Yuki asked as she retrieved Grimm from her sister.

"Nothing!" Yuri said, unintentionally raising her voice. "Sorry. It's just that… What happened was really embarrassing."

"Did he hold your hand?" Yuki guessed.

"No. That didn't happen. Nothing happened," Yuri sighed.

"'Nothing happened…'" Yuki pondered the meaning behind her sister's disappointment when she uttered those words. "Wait a minute… Did you actually try and follow Grimm's advice?!"

"Ah!" Yuri's entire face was as red as an apple.

"I never knew you could be so bold, Yuri…" Yuki said, amazed. "You must really like him. Though I can see why. He's fun to be around. Still, what happened that made you come home so freaked out."

"It was because I left in such a hurry…"

"But why did you leave so early?"

Before anything else could be said, Yuki glanced down at Grimm and repeated, "Parental block?"

The young child quickly looked back up at her sister and was shocked by her timid response.

"Oh…" Yuki sympathized. "Well, at least it didn't happen in the middle of something serious like hugging or kissing. I know you wouldn't even dance around this conversation if something like that happened."

Hearing those words, Yuri immediately turned away from her younger sister and covered her face with both her hands.

"You kissed him?!" Yuki exclaimed.

"No!" Yuri shrieked.

"He kissed you?!"

"No! None of that happened!"

"Wait… You tried and were interrupted."

Yuri silently nodded her head. Unable to think of anything to say, Yuki looked down and listened to what Grimm had to say. Confusion seeped into her as she said, "Turn around?"

It did not take long for the two to do just that and find their mother standing in front of the doorway drinking tea.

"Mom?!" they exclaimed.

"Oh my… I didn't mean to interrupt you two," she smiled.

"H-How long have you been standing there?" Yuri asked.

"About when you mentioned that Monika had negative feelings about the Cultural Festival."

"Uh…" the growing embarrassment the conversation has built up in Yuri had reached her tolerable limit.

All she could do was play with her hair as her mother sat next to her.

"There's no need to feel embarrassed, Yuri. It's natural for a girl your age to want to kiss someone they like. And you shouldn't let any interruptions deter you either," Yumi advised.

 A small smile formed as Yuri embarrassment was replaced with comfort and relief.

"Still… I don't know how I could ever have a chance like that again…" she lamented.

"Well… You could always take Grimm's advice again," Yumi suggested.

Yuki looked down at her stuffed companion. After listening to what Grimm had to say, her cheeks grew bright red.

"Don't…" Yuki advised her sister.

"What did Grimm say?" Yuri asked.

"You don't want to know…" Yuki insisted.

"Hm…" Yuri stared at the stuffed doll in her sister's hands, her expression now one of curiosity. "…Well, I better head to the meeting place before I keep everyone waiting."

After exchanging farewells, Yuri grabbed her bag and left her room.

"…What did Grimm suggest Yuri do?" Yumi asked.

Yuki crawled up onto her sister's bed and whispered the answer into her mother's ear.

"Oh my…" she gasped. "That's… I don't think Shujinkou would be comfortable with that suggestion either."

"Speaking of Shujinkou… I wonder what he's doing right now," Yuki wondered aloud.

The aforementioned individual was currently hard at work, typing away on his computer. His expression was one of determination, but every so often it would change to one of doubt. This cycle would continue until he heard someone ask, "Have you been reading my stuff lately, Shujinkou?"

Looking up from the small screen, Shujinkou met eyes with Natsuki. It wasn't an accusation, but a genuine question."

"Not without your permission," he answered. "Why?"

"I can't find the first volume Parfait Girls," she said in a huff. "I know I recently saw it and it irks me when I know I saw something and it suddenly disappears in thin air."

"I can relate," Shujinkou sympathized. "Sad thing is for me is that it's usually in front of me the whole time and my brain decides to just block it from my vision."

"Ugh, I hate when that happens…" exhausted from her failure to locate her book, Natsuki allowed gravity to push her onto Shujinkou's bed. "By the way, what've you been typing this entire time?"

"It's a secret."

"Seriously? You too?"

"Monika wants to keep hers a secret until she finishes, I don't want anyone to see until it doesn't make anyone laugh."

"Really?" Natsuki quickly sat up and tried to catch a glimpse at Shujinkou's work. "Let me see it."

"What? But it's not ready to be seen," Shujinkou replied, moving the device away from her.

With surprising speed, Natsuki snatched his laptop out of his hands before he could fully protect it. The only response he could think of after losing so easily was, "Wow…"

"Y'know, you're not going to get anywhere if you can't take any professional criticism," she pointed out.

"It would be nice if I could get some. First time I posted something, I got lambasted…" Shujinkou sighed.

"Really…" Natsuki glanced down at the computer screen. "Well… If you let me read it, I promise I won't give you too much grief over it."

"Well… Only if you want to," Shujinkou replied, scratching his right cheek.

A sharp chill crawled down his spine as Natsuki looked over what he wrote so far. But to his surprise, what frightened him the most wasn't a look of disappointment, but the reality that Natsuki's expression was unchanging.

"It's not terrible, ya know," Natsuki finally said. "I mean you write in script and you include way too many coincidences, but I can tell you actually enjoyed writing it, so… Don't let the harsh criticism get to you. Just keep writing, so you can improve."

"Okay," Shujinkou nodded.

"By the way… Don't you think a multi-crossover fanfiction is tough story to start with?"

Shujinkou shrugged his shoulders.

"You got more guts than I thought you ever had," Natsuki praised.

"Speaking of writing… What is it that you're writing sometimes in the club room?" he asked.

"W-What?! What are you talking about? I haven't been writing anything during the club except for some of the stuff Monika came up with. Why would you think I've been writing?"

"Because I sometime see a pencil rising above the pages of the compilation magazines you read. Also, I caught a glimpse of a journal in your hand sometimes when you go into the closet."

"Erk…" Natsuki looked away from Shujinkou. "I thought you were supposed to be daydreaming half of the time… Actually, now that I think about it… You haven't really done that all too much since you joined."

"So…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, awaiting an answer.

"…Fine. I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you," Natsuki gazed into Shujinkou's eyes, her glowing cheeks now matching the color of her hair. "I kinda want to be a manga writer one day so, you know, I'm working on a story I came up with that I hope to pitch one day."

"Oh. What's it about?"

"I… can't tell you. And before you call me a hypocrite, it's not that! It's just that… everything that I came up with so far could be a potential spoiler. I mean… I already told you how hard beginnings can be."

"I get that. Still, I think it's cool you're working to be mangaka."

"Heh. Trying to butter me up so I'll tell you a little about what I got so far?"

"Not really. I've learned to stick with the first no from now on. If a person doesn't want to spill, then they don't want to spill and I have to respect that."

Natsuki glanced down at Shujinkou's laptop and thought, "Yeesh, now I feel like a hypocrite and a jerk. Maybe…"

Natsuki looked back up from the screen and handed the device back to its owner. As she contemplated her options, her eyes were soon drawn to a book that lay atop Shujinkou's desk.

"There it is!" she beamed, wasting no time in retrieving the item. "Parfait Girls Volume 1! Must have already grabbed it and put it down."

As Natsuki looked fondly at the cover of the book, a curious question entered her head.

"Hey, where's Sayori?" she asked. "I kinda figured that she would be here too."

"She's on her way to pick up Fuyu and Rei," Shujinkou answered. "She insisted on being the one to do so."

"And how did you get Rei to agree to come on this trip?"

"Fuyu answered for her."

"Of course…  I still can't believe those two are related."

Meanwhile, Sayori once again found herself patiently waiting for someone to answer the door for her. Her call was soon answered as a woman that heavily resembled Fuyu answered the door.

"Hey there. I'm here to pick up Fuyu and Rei," Sayori explained with a cheery smile.

The woman's eyes scanned Sayori from head to toe until Fuyu and Rei approached them.

"Mother, you're not on duty," Fuyu joked.

The woman simply chuckled at her daughter's response and walked back in the house.

"What just happened?" Sayori asked.

"She was analyzing you. Think Sherlock Holmes," Fuyu casually answered.

"Oh," Sayori said before realizing the terrors of facing that ability in real life. "Ay… Wait, does that mean that she can… you know."

Fuyu followed Sayori's gaze and watched as Rei curiously looked around their immediate area.

"She has theories, but nothing conclusive," Fuyu answered as she adjusted her glasses.

"Like Holmes. He's usually on the right track, but he still has to prove it," Sayori gleefully stated.

"You seem to know a little about Holmes? Have you guys talked about him during club hours?"

Surprisingly, no. I used to pretend to be Holmes a lot during mysteries while Shujinkou used to be Batman."

"Batman and Holmes?" Fuyu remained silent for a moment. "I wonder if a crossover like that ever happened."

"What about you, Fuyu? Does your knowledge hint at an interest in literature?" Sayori asked.

"That's not exactly why I know a little about Sherlock. It was more so I knew what to expect from such an ability."

"Oh…" In that moment of clarity, Sayori heard her phone ring and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sayori. How's it going over there?" Monika asked.

"I just met up with Fuyu and Rei. We're about to head to the meeting spot," Sayori happily reported. "What about you?"

"I'm just running down the 'leaving home' list. I'll be there soon."

"Okay. See you then."

The moment the call ended, Monika switched back to her previous one, "Hello?...Yeah, I think everyone's ready… Yes, I made sure that everything is in acceptable condition… Thanks. I know I'll have fun… Love you, too."

The moment the call ended, Monika pulled up a picture from her collection and smiled before taking off. Not too long later, she arrived at the train station where her friends were waiting.

"Been waiting long?" she asked.

"Not really," Sayori shook her head. "We all pretty much got here at the same time."

"Talk about your coincidences," Natsuki interjected. "But at least we're all here so we can go."

"Not yet. There's still one more person we need to wait for," Shujinkou said, scratching his right cheek.

Before anyone could question his response, the group heard someone shout, "Shujinkou!"

Following the direction of the sudden voice, the group turned around to find Kiyoko walking towards them.

"Almost thought I missed you for a second," she said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Who is she?" Natsuki questioned Shujinkou.

"Everyone, this is Kiyoko," Shujinkou introduced. "She's in a few of my classes."

"You may better know me as the one that caused him a few headaches," Kiyoko weakly chuckled.

"How did you do that?" Sayori queried.

"I haven't exactly mentioned those headaches…" Shujinkou mumbled, scratching his right cheek.

"Oh…" Kiyoko casually accepted.

"Ah… Yuri shifted her gaze to Shujinkou. "When did you invite Kiyoko on this trip?"

"It actually wasn't that long ago," he answered.

An evening, not that long ago, Shujinkou was walking home after a day of shopping until he was intercepted by a force strong enough to knock him off his feet. Once again in darkness' cold embrace, Shujinkou forced himself back to consciousness and found him face with to face with a familiar sight.

"We have got to stop meeting like this," Kiyoko said with a slight chuckle.

"More like I shouldn't be around you when you have a basketball in hand," Shujinkou retorted.

Helping her injured classmate up to his feet, Kiyoko couldn't help but catch a glimpse at his earlier purchases.

"Finished shopping?" she asked.

"Yeah. Just bought something Mom asked for," Shujinkou clarified. "She asked me to help her make something for Granny Hisa too before I see her."

"Ah, heading up to Grandma's place, huh. Anything special happening or is just a friendly visit?"

"Actually, it's kinda both. I'm heading up there with some friends for the Summer Festival."

"Really? I don't remember getting invited."

"Huh?!" At that moment, Shujinkou felt like kicking himself for such an oversight. "Oh… I…"

"Just messing with ya, Shujinkou," she giggled. "I know it's not like we're friends or anything."

His vocabulary once again abandoning him, Shujinkou could do nothing but watch Kiyoko pick up her basketball.

"Would you like to come with us?" he suddenly proposed.

"Really? Kiyoko asked as she spun the ball on her left index finger; her perplexed expression allowing some doubt to enter his heart."

"Yeah. That 's if you don't have anything else to do."

"Okay, I'll go."

"That was quick response."

"And your proposal was out of nowhere."

"Touché."

Back in the present, Shujinkou was met with surprised stares from the other girls in the group.

"You seriously just asked her then and there?" Natsuki questioned.

"Yeah," Shujinkou confirmed.

"…Seriously, how can you be so nice all the time?" she shook her head in disbelief.

"Best not to question it and acknowledge it as one of his best points," Monika interjected with a smile while smiling at Shujinkou. "So is there anyone else that we need to wait for?"

"Nope," he answered.

"Then our first summer trip together can finally begin!" Sayori declared. "This is so exciting!"

Chapter Text

A lone bus sped through the darkness in the middle of its journey. While what little light provided was always enough for the passengers, it never stopped their excitement from increasing whenever they see a greater approaching light. The light grew bigger and brighter until the bus finally drove out of the tunnel, finally allowing the passengers to see the evening sky.

"We've finally broke through," Fuyu said.

"And check out the sunset," Kiyoko added, admiring the orange sun sitting on the horizon.

"Guess this makes up for me getting the wrong tickets, huh?" Sayori nervously asked, her eyes darting between Shujinkou and the others.

"It's not like we were going to hold a massive grudge at you for making a mistake, Sayori," Monika assured her. "These things happen. What's important is that we're finally almost there."

The bus eventually stopped, giving the group the chance to find themselves in front of the establishment they have visited once before in the past.

"I still can't believe that we got the chance to come back here again so soon," Fuyu said, her voice layered in disbelief.

"When did you think you would get the chance to come back here?" Sayori asked.

"At least 20 years from now," Fuyu answered, adjusting her glasses.

"That reminds me…" Shujinkou turned his attention to Rei and asked, "You weren’t at school yet when we came here, right Rei?"

The raven-haired girl responded to his question with her usual silent gaze.

"You don't have to worry, Shujinkou. I can show her how to get around here," Fuyu assured him.

"Ah. Okay," he nodded.

The group walked up the entrance of the establishment. As they each walked inside, Shujinkou's subconsciously remained behind and turned around to find Yuri standing a few feet away from him.

"What wrong, Yuri?" he asked as he approached her.

"Nothing, it's just… Well…" the young maiden pointed above the entrance of the resort.

The young man followed the direction of her pointer finger and was filled with surprise to find several paper lanterns fluttering in the wind.

"I didn't expect her to hang some of them there…" Shujinkou mumbled, scratching his right cheek.

"Ufu, I'm not that surprised. It was a gift from her grandson and you did put in a lot of work in making them," Yuri pointed out.

"I guess… But you put in just as much work, you know," Shujinkou replied.

"Ah… That's right… A really fun day… Even though I ruined it at the end…

"Huh? Are you talking about when you suddenly left?"

"Ah!?" Yuri's face grew bright red, realizing she said too much. "Yes! That's what I was talking about! I'm sorry for leaving so early! I know you said it wasn't a big deal, but I guess it's just a personal regret of mine. There's no need to worry about it."

Shujinkou silently scratched his right cheek. His quiet and ever inquisitive gaze was almost too much for her to bear.

"P-Perhaps we should catch up with the others before they begin to wonder where we disappeared too," Yuri timidly suggested.

"Hm? Ah, right," Shujinkou agreed.

The two wasted no time walking into the resort and joining the others at the back of a large crowd of visitors.

"There you two are," Monika said, sighing in relief. "We thought you got swept away in the sea of tourists.

"Seriously, this place is more packed than the last time we were here," Natsuki added. "Though I guess it's to be expected."

Shujinkou looked around in amazement. Normally, encountering a large crowd anywhere would be considered an annoyance, but seeing some many people in his grandmother's resort, though expected, still made him happy.

"Shujinkou!"

The group watched as a single hand shoots up and wave at them from the middle of the crowd, each wave increasing in speed as it approached them. Soon, none other than Lady Hisa broke through the sea of customers and breathed a sigh of relief.

"A lot of people trying to get a room at the last second…" she nervously chuckled, scratching her right cheek. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny index card."Anyway, for those who don't know who I am, I'm Lady Hisa: owner and proprietor of the Kitsune Spa Resort. You are just in luck, as you have secured a room in time for the annual Summer/Firework festival. Until the fireworks, this area will essentially be a non-stop tourism party with activities until the eponymous fireworks display."

"Granny Hisa, why are you reading off a card?" her grandson asked.

"Because I felt like my voice would crack as I got closer to the next part…" she sighed as she casually tossed her lines away.  "Now, um… Here's the thing. Because this is one of the busiest times of the year, I wasn't able to get you all separate rooms."

"So we have to share rooms?" Monika concluded.

"Yup," Hisa answered, nervously scratching her right cheek. "The best I could do was pairing you all in twos."

"But, wait…" Natsuki glanced at Shujinkou, the intense expression on her face sent shivers down his spine. "That would mean one of us would have to share a room with Shujinkou."

"We can share a room!" Sayori burst.

"Sayori!" Natsuki and Yuri exclaimed.

The rest as the group stared at the two as they exchanged surprised looks with each other.

"What is it, guys?" Sayori asked.

"You can't just blurt out a decision like that. We'll be going in circles all day if we try to decide pairs that way," Natsuki reprimanded.

"That's right," Yuri agreed. "We need to find a more definitive method to solve this situation."

"How do we do that?" Sayori wondered aloud.

"Well…" With a knowing smile on her face, Monika used her eyes to turn everyone's attention to Fuyu.

"Me?" Fuyu replied with surprise.

"We could use the assistance of a professional peace keeper for this one," Monika explained.

"Ah, right," Adjusting her glasses, Fuyu now sported the infamous expression of their Student President. "I believe I have the solution to this dilemma. But before I get to that…"

Her expression softening back to her normal one, Fuyu quickly typed two sentences on her phone and presented it to Rei.

"Rei, would you like to participate in this decision or would you rather share a room with me?" she asked.

Rei blankly stared at the phone, slowly raised her right hand and pointed at the bottom sentence.

"Okay…" Fuyu turned back to the rest of the group. "We'll be sharing a room, so we won't be involved in what's about to happen."

The young president then returned to her "President Mode" and dug into her bag. Unlike other times where the sudden change would unnerve at least one individual, the Literature Club was distracted by one singular thought, "So, that's how she does it…"

"Then again, they're sisters. I don't think that would have worked for any of us when we first met Rei," Shujinkou added.

Their thoughts were soon filled with more curious ones as they watched her pull 6 Popsicle sticks out of her bag.

"Each of these has a number on them," Fuyu explained. "I believe you know where I'm going with this."

The remaining 6 of the group each grabbed a stick and gazed upon the number they received.

"I got a 2," Natsuki announced.

"I got a 2 too," Sayori happily announced. "We get to be roommates this time, Natsuki."

"I have a 1," Yuri announced.

"Same here," Monika replied.

Kiyoko glanced at Shujinkou, "3?"

"Yeah…" he sheepishly replied.

"Huh. Guess we're roommates for the trip," Kiyoko shrugged.

Shujinkou silently scratched his right cheek.

"Well, now that that's settled, why don't you all head to your rooms and unpack before… something happens," Hisa suggested.

"Huh? What's 'something'?" Sayori asked.

"Anything really," the elderly woman shrugged. "Misplacing bags, sudden fatigue, getting swallowed by a sea of tourists… again."

She quickly shooed the kids out of the lobby and scratched her right cheek the moment the coast was clear.

"Or any feelings of envy that may arise over a new girl sharing a room with your crush…" Hisa thought, nervously chuckling over the scenario that played in her head.

Not too long later, Shujinkou and Kiyoko entered their shared room.

“Hey,” Kiyoko excitedly jogged to the window. “We got a pretty good view.”

Shujinkou walked up besides his roommate and glanced out the window, “Of the city? I thought you would have preferred a view of the sea.”

“No preference. Besides, come night, the city will probably look like a neon lit paradise.”

Shujinkou closed his eyes and remembered his last visit during the Firework Festival. Those simple past memories were all it took to bring out a smile.

“I see your point,” he said, nodding his head in agreement.

Kiyoko grinned at her roommate and eagerly jumped on one of the beds.

“Hey, Kiyoko…” Shujinkou meekly called.

“Yeah?” she answered.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked.

“With what?” she asked, perplexed.

“Sharing a room with me?”

“You mean am I okay with sharing a room with a guy?”

“Well… Yeah…”

“I don’t really care about that. I mean it’s not like its inappropriate or anything.”

“I just think it’s inappropriate is all,” Natsuki stated as she unpacked her clothes.

“Eh? But how come you didn’t say that earlier?” Sayori questioned.

“Um…” Briefly taken aback by her roommate’s response, Natsuki was rendered speechless before Sayori’s awaiting curiosity. “I… I just didn’t think about it then. Besides, it’s one thing if Shujinkou shared a room with one of us; it’s another when he has to share it with someone who acknowledges that they don't have a close relationship.”

“Oh… I get it," Sayori grinned at her roommate.

“G-Get what?” Natsuki asked, her cheeks slightly glowing red.

“You’re worried about Shujinkou sharing a room with a semi-stranger.”

“Well… Kinda.”

A small giggled escaped through Sayori's lips.

“What?!” Natsuki blurted.

“Nothing, it’s just that it makes me happy to know that you and Shujinkou are good enough friends to worry about each other,” Sayori happily answered.

“Erk… Don’t make it weird… It’s not a big deal or anything.”

“Ehe. Still, you shouldn’t worry. Shujinkou wouldn’t have invited Kiyo over if he didn’t think she was a good person.”

“‘Kiyo?’”

“I’m hoping she’ll let me call her that. Anyway, you don’t have to worry about that. We should instead put our focus on what we’ll be doing while here.”

“Do you have any ideas of what we can do, Yuri?” Monika asked as she sat on her bed.

“Not really… I’m not too familiar with what’s available in our immediate area,” Yuri answered.

“Me neither. I think last time Shujinkou was going to show us around but…”

As she said this, the unpleasant image of Shujinkou’s hurt expression from their last visit flashed in their minds.

"He was always a bit reserved when we first met him, so I never imagined that he could look as sad as he did then…" Yuri lamented.

"Yeah… But we can't focus on that. We're here to have fun after all," Monika replied with a bright smile.

Yuri silently nodded her head in agreement.

"I guess we have to consult with Sayori, Shujinkou or Lady Hisa about what we can do," the purple haired maiden said.

"We should probably consult Shujinkou, first" Monika suggested.

"Him first?"

"Mm-hmm. Have you ever noticed that he originally had a tendency to not suggest any ideas regarding his own interests?"

"Ah… Now that you mention it… That is sort of a rarity."

"I want to make sure that everyone knows that their opinion is valued, so I'm kinda making sure that he gets to express his too. Consulting him would be a really good way to make sure that happens."

"Ah."

"That said… I do kinda hope that he mentions a place that sells good souvenirs."

"A place that sells good souvenirs?" Shujinkou glanced around the lobby. Each tourist he saw had items that would qualify as souvenirs.  "Actually, since the area becomes a tourist hot spot at this time of year, souvenirs are everywhere."

"And anything could be a souvenir," Hisa added as she unfolded a shirt with a fox on it.

"Your grandmother isn't really that subtle, huh?" Natsuki whispered to Shujinkou.

"She can actually be really subtle when she wants to be…" He replied, scratching his right cheek.

"Oh yeah…" Hisa reached into her sleeve and pulled out a pamphlet. "Shujinkou, guess what's in town this year?"

She handed the pamphlet to her grandson.  

"Otamic-Con!" he beamed.

"Otamic-Con?" Yuri curiously repeated.

"It's a convention for otakus and comic book fandoms," Shujinkou excitedly explained. "It was one of the best things I have ever experience in my entire life."

"It must have been if it got you this excited," Monika pointed out with a smile.

Shujinkou silently scratched his right cheek.

"Ah… So is that your suggestion of what we should do?" Yuri asked.

"Eh… Not really, I was pretty much reminiscing," Shujinkou replied.

"But don't you want to go again, Shujinkou?" Sayori asked.

The young bundle of sunshine began to hum "Hail to the Chief".

"That wasn't the theme I went with, Sayori," Shujinkou replied with a slight chuckle.

"Hm. I think it would cool if we could check out Otamic-Con," Monika said.

"Really?" Shujinkou replied, surprised. But the surprise went was quickly removed by the memory of Monika expressing her interest in such an event.

"Mm-hmm," Monika nodded.

"I never expected you would be interested in stuff like that, Monika," Natsuki interjected.

"I always did want to see what it's like at least once. They looked fun," Monika explained. "Have you ever been to one, Natsuki?"

"Uhm… Not… Not really?" she answered as she diverted her gaze.

"Even more of a reason to go!" Sayori pointed out.

"It does sound like it could be fun. It would be like the Cultural Festival… Ah…" Yuri giggled as she glanced at Monika. "Well, the first hour of it."

"You guys really aren't going to stop bringing that up aren't you…" Monika replied with bright red cheeks.

"Wait, what happened during the festival?" Kiyoko asked.

"Huh? You don't know that Monika attracted the whole school to her class's maid café?" Sayori gasped.

"Not really," Kiyoko shrugged. "I was asleep for the whole thing."

"Funny enough, that's pretty close to my original plan," Shujinkou thought, chuckling at the coincidence.

"You know, something like that would usually cause an upset if it was anyone else," Fuyu pointed out. "It makes sense that only Monika could get away with that without any problems."

"It's not like I tried to make that happen on purpose. I was actually hoping my class could blend in with the others…" Monika lamented.

"The power of an idol is amazing and scary," Kiyoko mused. "Huh."

"Honestly, you probably don't have to worry about people thinking about that much longer," Shujinkou said. "It'll soon be replaced by you blowing away everyone at the Athletic Festival."

"Correction: Blowing everyone away at the Athletic Festival again," Natsuki interjected.

"Ah!" Sayori blurted.

"What is it, Sayori?" Shujinkou asked.

"I just realized something… What if we have to go up against Monika during the festival?" Sayori proposed.

She and the other members of the club glanced at Monika before their heads dropped in unison.

"Well, that day's already ruined…" Natsuki muttered.

"It does seem pointless to even get our hopes up with that possibility…" Yuri added.

"Don't you guys think that you're exaggerating a little…" Monika meekly questioned.

"I don't know about the others, but I already got a pretty good idea about the gap in our athletic abilities during Laser Tag, Monika," Shujinkou answered, scratching his right cheek.

"Wait… When did you two play Laser Tag?" Natsuki questioned, shooting a surprise look at Shujinkou.

"Uhm… On the first day of vacation," he answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, it's just a dumb question," Natsuki answered, diverting her gaze.

"Did you try the stealth plan?" Sayori asked.

"No…" Shujinkou moaned. "I made the mistake of explaining it in the heat of battle."

"Aw, Shujinkou, you know that you're not supposed to explain the plan in the middle of battle," Sayori reminded him. "Don't you remember what happened the last time?"

The two shivered as they both reminisce that particular incident.

"What exactly happened?" Yuri queried.

"So. Many. Lasers…" they answered in unison.

"Oh…" Kiyoko said. "I actually went through a similar experience not too long ago."

"Really? You got cornered and barraged too?" Sayori asked.

"No. It was a bet. Dodge the laser from one of those spinney laser spheres. I somehow did it," Kiyoko casually shrugged.

"Don't those things shoot out a million lasers at once?!" Natsuki exclaimed.

From the corner of her eyes, the pink-haired girl noticed Rei staring at her.

"I think it depends on the speed and LEDs," Fuyu guessed. "Don't quote me on that."

"That actually sounds like a fun alternative game," Sayori chuckled at the idea of trying the aforementioned challenge with the others.

"I probably wouldn't last long in a game like that…" Yuri lamented.

"I don't think any of us would last long in a game like that…" Monika nervously chuckled.

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as thought back to his game of laser tag with Monika; the way she dodged incoming lasers while perfectly shooting enemy sensors made it hard to take her comment seriously.

"Like Fuyu said, it probably depends on the device…" he thought.

Just then, Sayori's stomach bellowed in agony.

"Ugh… Hungry…" she groaned.

"I guess now would be a good time to grab something to eat," Monika said.

"Eee! I finally get to try the festival food here again," Sayori gushed.

Chapter Text

"Ugh…" Sayori groaned. The constant pain from her stomach caused the usually plucky girl to tighten her grip on Shujinkou as he carried his friend to her room. "Sugoi…"

"Don't worry, Sayori, we're almost there," Shujinkou gently assured his friend.

He could feel her grip tighten even more as he continued to down the hallway. Not too later, Shujinkou knocked on her bedroom door and patiently waited until Natsuki finally opened it. No words were needed; the petite's girl's expression gave away her feelings regarding the sight in front of her.

"She's finally done stuffing herself?" she asked.

Shujinkou nodded his head. If he could, he would have scratched his right cheek, but he did not want to take the risk of dropping Sayori. He then proceeded to carry her towards one of the beds and gently laid her down.

"Yeesh, Sayori, what were you thinking?" Natsuki reprimanded.

"Sugoi…" Sayori mumbled. Her voice was so low that it was clear that she was just barely conscious.

"You shouldn't get on her, Natsuki. It is my fault that she ate as much as she did," Shujinkou apologized.

Natsuki stared at Shujinkou, her expression one of disbelief and amusement.

"You really think she wouldn't have done this even if she didn't have a gap between the eating the meals made for this time of year?" she questioned.

"Um…" Shujinkou silently scratched his right cheek as he pondered such a question. "Don't be too hard on her, it's mostly my fault she ate as much as she did."

"Meh… Slightly better," Natsuki shrugged. Her gaze slightly trailed off before firmly returning to Shujinkou. "So, I guess you'll be returning to your room then, huh?"

"Yeah. I don't really have any other plans for tonight."

"How's that going? Sharing a room with Kiyo?"

"Kiyo?" Shujinkou shot Natsuki a confused look.

"D-Don't look at me like that! That's just what Sayori wants to call Kiyoko," Natsuki explained, her voice layered with irritation. "I didn't come up with it."

"Oh," Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek." Well, we only shared a room for a couple of minutes so far, but she doesn't seem to mind the arrangements so… I don't think there's going to any awkwardness for any of us to worry about."

"Right…" Natsuki diverted her gaze once more. It was subtle, but he could Shujinkou could tell that something was bothering her.

"Are you okay, Natsuki?" he worriedly asked.

"Yeah. It's nothing. Just a really dumb feeling. Um…" Natsuki glanced up at Shujinkou; his innocent and curious expression filling her with nothing but relief. She then chuckled an said, "Never mind. You better go back to your room and get in bed so I don't have shout you out of bed like I'll have to with her."

"Alright then. 'Night."

"'Night."

Shujinkou turned to Sayori and smiled.

"Good night, Sayori," he waved goodbye as he walked towards the door.

"Good night, Shujinkou," she happily replied.

"Wha-?! I thought you were pretty much unconscious!" Natsuki raged.

"I never said that I was…" Sayori nervously chuckled.

"Yeah, you're totally trustworthy, Sayori," the pink-haired girl sighed as she walked to her bed.

Meanwhile, Shujinkou walked into his room; to his surprise he had the room to himself.

"Kiyoko?" the young man repeatedly called as he glanced around the room. "I guess she's still out somewhere."

He then grabbed the remote to the room's TV, turned it on and jumped in bed.

"I wonder if they're still offering Spirited Away?" he wondered aloud.

Suddenly, Shujinkou heard the door opened and sat up.

"Kiyo-AH!" his cheeks grew bright red as he witnessed a sight he knew he shouldn't have seen. "Kiyoko!"

"Hm? Oh, hey, Shujinkou. Didn't expect you to be back so soon," strolling across the room in nothing but a wet towel, Kiyoko took a moment to look out the window and smile.

"K-K-Kiyoko, why are you-? What happened to-?" As he continued to stumble over his words, Shujinkou could feel the beats of his heart intensify with each passing second. Words soon failed him completely and he could only watch as his roommate bent down and slung over her bag over her shoulder.

"I think someone may have taken my clothes by accident, so I had get back here with just the towel on my back," Kiyoko explained.

She carried the bag with her to their shared bathroom and closed the door behind her.

"How are fictional characters not bothered by seeing that all of the time…?" he mumbled.

Moments later, Kiyoko, now in her pajamas, walked out of the bathroom and back towards the window.

"Hey, Kiyoko…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he struggled to maintain eye contact.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Are you sure the current living arrangements aren't awkward for you?" he sheepishly asked.

"Not really," she shrugged. "Do you trade roommates?

"What?! No! I wasn't implying that or anything."

"No need to freak out, Shujinkou. I would have understood if you wanted to share a room with someone you know better."

"Well… I would like to get to know you better too."

Kiyoko head slightly tilted to her left.

"Okay," she approached Shujinkou and stared into his eyes. "But you know it is a two-way thing."

"R-Right," he nodded his head in agreement. "What do you want to know?"

"That day I bandaged your hand… How'd that happen?"

"Oh, uhm…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek and answered his question.

"Really?" his roommates's eyes lit up with interest.

"Yeah, I like to do it every now and then but I still consider drawing to be my preferred hobby."

"Huh. A person interested in art is in the Literature Club…"

"Uh…" a sigh of acceptance slipped through his lips. He knew what was going to be said next. "I know…"

"I'm not saying you joined it because you would be the only boy, Shujinkou," Kiyoko chuckled. "Unless that is why?"

"No. No. That's not it. It was more of a request from Sayori. But even though I only joined because of her, I really do enjoy being."

"I can tell. Like I said once before, you're pretty much more sociable now than you were at the start of the year."

"Yeah. Um…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek.

"My turn, huh?" Kiyoko said.

"Uhm… So, how's the basketball club?"

"It's okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah."

Shujinkou silently stared at Kiyoko. He knew that she was a pretty casual person, but he still could not help but be confused over such a… "so-so" response.

"Are you looking forward to the upcoming games?" he asked.

Kiyoko simply shrugged.

"Uhm…" Once again stricken with silence, Shujinkou could do nothing but watch the golden-haired girl jump into her bed.

"Is there anything good on?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, I was going to see if I could watch Spirited Away," he replied.

"That's a good one. Let's see."

Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement and started searching for the movie. That was the last thing he recalled until the next morning.

"…jinkou… Shujinkou…"

Shujinkou slowly opened his eyes to find Kiyoko looking down at him.

"Kiyoko…" he whispered before yawning.

"Shujinkou!" Sayori's excited face suddenly entering his field of view nearly caused Shujinkou to nearly jump out of his bed. His face then grew bright red as he realized that she wasn't alone; The rest of the group were gathered in his room too.

"You're out of practice, Shujinkou. It's time to go," Sayori said.

"Go? Go where?" Shujinkou asked, rubbing his eyes.

"To Otamic-Con," she beamed.

"Huh?" his eyes widened with surprise. "We're really going to that?"

"Yeah, we unanimously agreed, didn't we?" Sayori replied.

"Actually, Shujinkou got excited, Monika expressed interest, I expressed surprise to that interest and then we got off of subject until this morning when Sayori woke me up while the sun was still rising," Natsuki recapped, her tone layered with slight annoyance.

"These kinds of things you have to wake up early for," Sayori explained.

"To make a long story short, Sayori organized us on a very short notice," Monika explained to Shujinkou.

"Ah…" he replied.

"So, hurry up and get dressed so we can go, Shujinkou," Sayori continued.

"Okay…" Shujinkou glanced at each of the girls. "Um…"

He silently grabbed his bag and walked into the bathroom.

"I think he may be a little embarrassed," Monika thought.

Rei curiously gazed upon the bathroom door before turning it to everyone else in the room. Not too long later, a now properly dressed Shujinkou walked out of the bathroom and then followed the rest of the group out of the resort.

"Hey, Shujinkou…" Natsuki looked up at Shujinkou with worried eyes.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"These kinds of things… They are just about fans coming together and doing fun things right?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"No big reason. I was just thinking that it would be pretty dumb if people would… you know, tease each other at these kinds of things."

"Well, there's always going to be fans like that, but they're just a very vocal minority."

"Right…" Natsuki turned her gaze towards Yuri. "You know, I don't think that she's going to enjoy this much."

"Yuri?" he asked.

"Yeah. She's not really into the things this convention has."

"Uhm…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he processed Natsuki's words. He began to wonder if- "Huh?"

From the corner of his eyes, Shujinkou saw a sight that rendered all motor functions temporarily unavailable. He quickly rubbed his eyes and silently stared into the distance until he turned his attention back to Natsuki. "Hey, do you think you could tell the guys to go on without me?"

"Huh? Where are you going?" Natsuki questioned.

"There's something I got to do. I'll catch up soon," he assured her before running off.

Annoyance and worry welled up in Natsuki as she curiously watched Shujinkou run back into the resort.

"Eh? Where's Shujinkou going?" Sayori asked.

"He has something to do apparently," Natsuki answered.

"Oh… Well, he'll catch up soon." Sayori happily assured her. "Anyway, I can lead us to the convention."

"You?"

"What do you mean 'you?'? I've been there before too. It was just as much as my thing as it was Shujinkou's. Of course, I could lead us there."

"Really?"

Moments later, the girls stood in the middle of a large crowd of fan in the main Convention Hall.

"Okay, so you can," Natsuki said.

"Ehe! I got praised," Sayori beamed with happiness.

"Wow," Monika glanced around the room they were in. The plethora of positive interactions she witnessed was enough to cause her own excitement to grow. "This place looks more exciting than I thought it would."

"Speaking of which… When exactly did you become interested in coming to these kinds of things?" Natsuki asked.

"Funny enough, it was actually because of a random encounter…" Monika said as she began to reminisce.

Years ago, Monika was patiently waiting on a park bench until she heard a loud collection of voices chant, "Chanting! Chanting! Chanting!"

The small child curiously stood on her bench and tried to catch a glimpse of who were chanting so loudly. Unable to see past the tall bushes, Monika dove into her visual obstacle and crossed through until she was finally able to spot the source of the chants. In front of a large building, a large group of people gathered around a slightly smaller group of cosplayers acting out a fight.

"Ah… Huh?" she heard a few rustles in the bushes until a small child in a dark blue suit rolled straight through. His face was completely obscured by a matching mask that bore an eye patch over his left eye. "Um…"

The child uncovered his mouth and took a deep breath.

"It's hard to breath in this thing…" they said, the tone of their voice emulating one of a person whose lungs have been destroyed by years of smoking.

From what she could infer from the voice, it was clear to Monika that the sudden stranger was a boy.

"Hello," Monika waved.

"Huh?" the boy glanced up blankly stared at her. "Um… You wouldn't happen to be part of a PMC, would you?"

"No?"

"That's good; they'd shoot me on sight."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I'm Solid Snake… or rather Old Snake."

Monika silently stared at the boy. Despite the fact his face was still fairly obscured, she could tell that the boy was becoming flustered.

"I see… You're playing a character," she smiled.

"Yeah. I'm a legendary soldier currently sneaking through South America," he explained. His head bobbed down before returning to its proper decision. "Um… You're not a part of the convention, are you?"

"The one over there?"

"Yeah."

"No. I was just wondering what was going on over there."

"Ah. I think the crowd is making fun of chants by chanting the word 'chant'."

"I see…" Monika's attention was drawn back to the crowd far away. "Everyone really looks like they're having fun."

"Yeah. That's because it's a really fun place to be this time of year," the boy replied.

"Huh. I hear about it all the time, but I never actually caught a glimpse of these kinds of things before."

"Oh… You want to go and see?"

"Eh?"

"I can show what it's like. I mean… Unless you rather go see yourself."

"No, it's not you or anything; it's just that I don't have time to do so. I'm actually supposed to be waiting for my parents right now."

"Ah, I get it. Well, I hope you do get a chance to go to something like the one over there. They really are fun."

"You really like them, huh?"

"Yeah, it's one of the few times of the year when I don't feel like such a weirdo. Anyway…"

The boy laid on the ground and starched his limbs.

"What are you doing?" Monika queried.

"My Octo-Camo suit has the ability to mimic any surface it's touching. I'm waiting the prerequisite amount of time it takes to transform and continue my sneaking mission," the boy answered.

A series of 'whooshes' flew out of his mouth and the boy began to slowly inch his way back to the convention, a sight Monika couldn't help but giggle over.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's just that… You're funny," she replied.

"Um…" the young boy awkwardly scratched his cheek and-

"Huh?" Brought back from the realm of memories, Monika was struck with a sudden revelation. "Hmm… I wonder…"

"What's wrong, Monika?" Yuri worriedly asked.

"Hm? Oh, nothing, I was just thinking about something." It was then when Monika realized that only Natsuki, Yuri and Kiyoko stood before her. "Where did the others go?"

"I think something caught Sayori's attention and she ran off. Then Fuyu mysteriously disappeared and Fuyu left to presumably go find her," Natsuki answered. "And now I'm off to have an experience that lasts longer than the Cultural Festival."

"Uh…" Monika moaned as Natsuki took her leave.

"I'm not even sure if that was a dig at you, Monika," Kiyoko said.

"I'm still directly responsible for her motivation…" she weakly chuckled.

"Ah…" Yuri glanced around her surroundings and began to take her leave too.

"Where are you headed too, Yuri?" Monika asked.

"I'm just… I'm just going to look around…" Yuri solemnly answered.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just… I just have to find something to get invested into here," Yuri assured her, before disappearing in the crowd.

"I hope you do," Monika thought aloud.

Chapter Text

What happens when the clock is turned back and events are viewed from another perspective? You would get the third perspective chapter. But that's beside the point of this chapter.

 "Ugh…" Jomei slowly opened his eyes as he let out a moan. He hasn't felt this physically and mentally disturbed since- "Hisa…"

His eyes shot open, finally allowing him to catch a glimpse of his former mother-in-law.

"Finally awake, eh?" Hisa replied before calmly taking a sip from her tea cup.

Jomei rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to remember what happened before he blacked out.

"I arrived travelled here and saw Shujinkou with even more female friends until…" Jomei silently stared at Hisa. It was a gaze that any other person may be intimidated by. "You knocked me out with a pressure point again, huh?"

"Yep," Hisa casually answered. "Sorry for the sudden kidnapping but Shujinkou was really close to confirming your presence."

"You knocked me out in front of your resort…"

"Fainting/Knocking someone out… Oh, who am I kidding? I made an exception for you."

"I can tell…" Jomei muttered, still rubbing his neck."

"So…" Hisa placed her tea cup in center the table between them and crossed her arms. "What brings you around these parts, Jomei?"

"Let me get straight to the point… I need to your photo album."

Hisa's eyes lit up with curiosity and surprise.

"Why?" she asked.

"Let's just say that I found an interesting task to take up and I need some photograp-,"

"So my photos would be lucrative to you?" Hisa interjected.

"Yes," Jomei replied.

"Huh. Then no. A very vindictive no."

"…Fine," Jomei sighed. "Had to ask."

"That's kind of a bold thing to do, Jomei, especially considering that the last time I saw you I warned you not to hurt my grandson and you did just that," Hisa pointed out, slight annoyance leaking through her calm demeanor.

"Which must have made it cathartic to knock me out."

"Very. But like I said before, I really did it so Shujinkou couldn't confirm your presence."

"Okay…" Jomei slowly leaned back in his chair. "Just get it over with. I know you want to verbally tear me to shreds."

Hisa silently stared at Jomei and sighed, "I do, but what's the point? It would be like ranting to a brick wall and I've already done that before. I mean what do you want me to say? You're a terrible person? You lack empathy? I don't care about that. Everyone's their own person and sometimes you have to accept that. But what I do care about is how much of an influence you have on others.

I honestly don't know whether you think about that or not. You probably think about it in plain terms but you still probably don't think about how much. Take Shujinkou for example; you're well aware that you've hurt him. But did you know that your sudden departure helped push him into a state where he just flat out gave up on living his life which had a heavy effect on his relationships, my daughter had to deal with a failed marriage and forced herself to put her own feelings aside to make sure her son didn't do anything extreme and Sayori lost someone she cared for deeply and had to go through a rough part of life alone.

You see, there was no 'they'll get over it and move on' like I assume you thought. Your actions have essentially taken years of their lives and you couldn't even have the decency to explain why you left. So…"

"So…?"

"I know it sounds like I'm ranting at you, but I'm not, I'm just making a point so I can get to the real reason I'm even talking to you right now. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have to do anything for you, but I do know that you owe me a favor."

"Favor, huh? What is it?"

"When you leave, I want you to make sure that Shujinkou or the other kids don't see you, because I refuse to let you ruin another one of their trips."

Jomei silently stared at Hisa before suddenly standing up, "…Fine."

He then left the room without uttering another word. With his nothing left to keep him around, Jomei walked out of the resort and continued his leave until one single word stopped him dead in his tracks, "Father?"

Jomei followed the voice to its source, but all he found was a single cardboard. He was consumed by confusion, until Shujinkou suddenly crawled from under it.

"I couldn't even do the one request right…" the adult sighed.

"What are you doing here?" Shujinkou asked.

"Just… I just needed to visit your grandmother. I'm not staying this time or anything."

"Oh." Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. "Well, I guess that means that I don't have to say anything."

"What exactly were you planning to say?"

"Never mind. It doesn't matter now."

He watched his father casually turn away from him with a, "Hm."

"Right…" Shujinkou's turned his gaze to the ground.

"I see that you've made some more friends," Jomei suddenly said.

Shujinkou's head shot back up; his face now plastered with surprise, "Yeah, I did."

He then did nothing but watch as his father approached him and place his hand on his head.

"You've made the right decision," he said.

"Huh?" Shujinkou stared at his father, confused by what his words and actions.

Jomei silently removed his hand from his head and just as silently took his leave.

"…Hey," Shujinkou called out.

Jomei turned around.

"…Safe travels," Shujinkou said.

"Right," Jomei replied before disappearing out of sight.

"What just happened?" Shujinkou wondered aloud as he sat down next to his cardboard box. "It really is the ultimate stealth tool."

Meanwhile, Fuyu searched through the convention for her adopted sister until she suddenly heard an excited, "Heck yeah!"

Following the trail of the sudden voice, Fuyu immediately laid eyes on Natsuki accepting a white and orange hanmste-like plushie."

"So cute!" she squeed.

"Natsuki," Fuyu called.

Excitement quickly escaped the pink-haired girl and was swiftly replaced with embarrassment.

"F-Fuyu! How long have you been there?" she nervously asked.

"Not long…" she sighed.

"What's wrong with you?"

"It's just that… I can't seem to find Rei."

"Oh. Her silence would make her harder to find than it would already be. That said… You should probably leave her be."

"You think?"

"I know you're probably worried about her but you shouldn't think that she unable to handle herself on her own. You'll end up becoming overbearing."

Fuyu crossed her arms as she pondered Natsuki's advice.

"Isn't there anything here you want to do?" Natsuki asked.

"Umm…" the young vacationing school president pulled a pamphlet out of her pocket. "I'm sure there's something…"

Natsuki gently squeezed her plush prize as Fuyu read aloud, "Game tournaments… Trivia… Meeting with mangakas."

"Meeting with mangakas?" Her pink eyes sparkled with interest. "Which ones?"

Fuyu quickly glanced at Natsuki, then back at the pamphlet. "Uhm… Why don't you look for yourself?"

She presented the pamphlet to Natsuki and watched her eyes widen with shock.

"S-She's actually here…" she mumbled.

"Who's here?" Fuyu questioned.

"The writer who has written a bunch of my favorite stuff: Harumi! I… I got to see her!"

"It doesn't start until later."

"Ugh…" Natsuki's cheeks turn red as the realization of her wasted excitement sunk in. "You mean I just acted like a semi-crazy fan girl for nothing."

"A Semi-crazy fan state brought on by is normal here so…" Fuyu adjusted her glasses and examined her surroundings. "Anyway, you just need to find something you can do until then."

"Like interacting with the Kingdom Hearts community!" From out of nowhere, a figure in a hooded double-breasted and twin-tailed black leather trench coat appeared before the two.  Their face completely obscured by coat's hood, the two could only guess the stranger's gender based on their voice.

"Oh, who are you supposed to be," Fuyu queried.

"Take a look at my zipper," the mysterious figure pointed to the uniquely shaped silver zipper hanging from their coat. "I'm the MoM!"

"You're a mom?" Natsuki asked, her face unable to hide how confused she was.

"Actually, MoM is short for Master of Masters," Fuyu explained.

"Bingo!" MoM gave Fuyu a big thumbs up.

"Who's the Master of Masters?" Natsuki asked.

"A legendary Keyblade Master in Kingdom Hearts," Fuyu answered.

"Ooh, I like you're description," MoM replied. "Though I don't think it does enough justice…"

"Keyblade…? Wait a minute…" The bewildered Natsuki took a moment to ponder that word. "I think Shujinkou mentioned that a few times before…"

"Oh, I see you need a crash course on the lore," MoM said in an excited tone of voice.

"Whoa, before you do that, it would probably be better if Natsuki was introduced to the story of the game releases," Fuyu advised.

"Story of the game releases? What kind of story could there be there?" Natsuki asked

Instead of receiving an answer to her question, it was instead met with barely audible giggles."What's so funny?"

"Nothing it's just that…" Fuyu adjusted her glasses as she tried to bring out her stoic demeanor. As she did so, a single thought crossed her mind," All these repeats and questions makes her sound like Solid Snake."

Soon after that thought, Fuyu entered her infamous "President Mode" as MoM eagerly rubbed their hands together.

"This is going to be good," they said.

"It all begins with humble beginnings," Fuyu started. "In the beginning, the original Kingdom Hearts was released in its own country on the Playstation 2. A crossover game between Disney and Final Fantasy led by an original protagonist was a risky venture to say the least. But fortunately the game was positively received; the original and the International release."

"Why are you separating the releases?" Natsuki queried.

"It's minor, but I figured it was worth mentioning that the International release received a few additions. Now on to the next release…"

"Kingdom Hearts 2?"

"Nope. Kingdom Heart: Final Mix."

"What?" Natsuki shot a confuse look at Fuyu.

"After the release of Kingdom Hearts, the game was then re-released with a bunch of extra game and story content. Effectively, it is the definitive version of the original Kingdom Hearts," she explained. "Now we can move on to the next game…"

"Kingdom Hearts 2?"

"Nope, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memoiries. Unlike the original, this game was released on the Gameboy Advance."

"So, it's a spin-off?"

"Nope, it's actually a sequel."

"They… They released the sequel of a console game on a handheld?"

"Mm-hmm. They did remake it for the Playstation 2 later under the name of Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories."

"Now onto the next game: Kingdom Hearts II for the Playstation 2," MoM interjected.

"They named the third game in the franchise 'Kingdom Hearts II'?" Natsuki muttered in disbelief.

"Bingo! She's still standing!"

"After the release of Kingdom Hearts II, it was then re-released as Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix," Fuyu continued. "Like the first one, it adds more game and story content, thus making it the definitive version to play."

"Couldn't the game developers get it right the first time?" Natsuki sighed.

"To be fair, this was before extra content could just be downloaded into the original in those situations."

"That's a fair point."

"So after Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix, the next game, Kingdom Hearts: Coded was released on non-smart mobile phones. Like Chain of Memories, it's important to the overall franchise."

"They released another sequel on a mobile phone?" Natsuki's disbelief, slightly lowered  from the discussion of Kingdom Hearts II, rose even higher than before.

"It was later remade for the Nintendo DS as Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded," Fuyu added.

"Well that's slightly better…"

"But before that remake came Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for the Nintendo DS, a game that acted as an interquel between the end of Kingdom Hearts 1 and before the beginning of Kingdom Hearts 2. Then came Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep for the PSP which was later re-released as Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: Final Mix. Then came the remake of coded, then came Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for the Nintendo 3DS. After that a browser game detailing the far past of the series named Kingdom Hearts X was released. Then-"

"WAIT!" Natsuki screamed at the top of her lungs. "Why are the games jumping between so many platforms?! And all those remakes and re-releases… This has got to be one of the most expensive franchises ever!"

"We haven't even scratched the surface yet," MoM giggled.

"A little before Kingdom Hearts X went live, Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 ReMIX was released for the Playstation 3," Fuyu continued. "It contained HD remasters of Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories and a collection of cutscenes to tell the story of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Then came Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX which contained HD remasters of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep: Final Mix and a collection of cutscenes of Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded.

After that came Kingdom Hearts: Unchained X for smart phones. Though it was meant to replace Kingdom Hearts X, it was actually a continuation that required knowledge from the original game. Then came Kingdom Hearts HD II.8 Final Chapter Prologue for the Playstation 4 which contained a full HD remake of Dream Drop Distance, now dubbed Kingdom Hearts HD: Dream Drop Distance, had a short prologue to Kingdom Hearts III and served as a sequel to Birth by Sleep titled Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- and a brand new movie titled Kingdom Hearts X: Back Cover.

Soon after Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX was rereleased as Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 + II.5 ReMIX for the Playstation 4 and Kingdom Hearts: Unchained X finished its run and was rebranded Kingdom Hearts: Union X to signify the beginning of a new story. Almost 2 years later, Kingdom Hearts III was finally released finally bringing about the end of the first story arc."

Natsuki blankly stared at Fuyu, "…All of that… Was just the first arc?! All those generations of gaming consoles and rereleases and that was all just for the first story arc?!"

"And just remember that that we haven't even got into the story yet," MoM pointed out.

"Ugh… Fuyu… How can you and Shujinkou stand being fans of such a series?" a very puzzled Natsuki asked.

"I guess because we like it. Plus to be fair, those last rereleases were made just so it could be easier for new fans to get into the series," Fuyu explained.

"Ugh… My head…" Natsuki groaned. "You know, when Shujinkou first joined the club, I thought he seriously lacked dedication, among other things. But I was wrong. If he went through the first story arc in the order you just said, then he always did know how to be dedicated to something… and may possibly be borderline insane."

Elsewhere, a small brush circled around Monika's right cheek before finally rising up then dropping back down, gently poking it.

"And… done," the hand the brush belonged to retracted their instrument.

Kiyoko curiously stared at the results of the brushwork on Monika's cheek. On it laid a small, chubby, and incredibly cute mouse-like creature. It possessed yellow fur, long ears with black tips a large tail that resembled the shape of a lightning bolt. On its cheeks were two circle-shaped red pouches with sparks of electricity flowing out of them.

"That's a pretty good Pikachu," she approved.

"What about you, Kiyoko? Do you want to get something too?" Monika asked.

"Nah, I'm good with my Miku shirt."

The two sat up and continued to explore the convention.

"Hey, Kiyoko…" Monika said.

"Yeah?" Kiyoko glanced at Monika with curious eyes.

"Do you think it was a really good idea to let Yuri go off on her own the way she did?"

"Um… I couldn't say. You see, in these kinds of situations, it all depends on the individual. I don’t really know Yuri well, so I don’t really know what the correct option would be; whether to pursue or to give them space. But if you’re really worried, we could get a party that hasn’t witnessed what we saw involved so it doesn’t look like we won’t leave her alone if that's what she wants."

“Like who?”

In response to Monika's question, Kiyoko lightly scratched her right cheek.

“That’s right! Shujinkou ran off somewhere so he could check up on her when he does get here,” Monika realized as she pulled out her phone “Though I feel kinda bad about doing this.”

“How come?” Kiyoko asked.

“For as long as Shujinkou has been in the club, he always considered himself an outcast that felt like he had to earn his keep. Like he didn’t have anything to contribute that could justify his inclusion other than because he wanted to make Sayori happy. Maybe that’s why he mostly kept to himself and just went along with what I and the others suggested.

But despite him believing that, he’s actually had a very positive influence on us all. It’s actually something I’m a little envious of.”

“Envious?”

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not something that makes me hate him in any way. It's actually one of the things that I like about him. It’s just that… When the club was made official, it was kinda like we were only together just so we could have a place to belong to. But then he joined and things actually became a lot more like I hoped for. He was easily able to make friends with everyone, which in turned led to the club becoming a little closer. You could say that that’s what I’m a little envious of.

I wasn’t really able to do much for the club. Sayori’s the one who coerced me to go out and find members and whenever any of us have a problem, it seems like he’s the one we have to rely on to ultimately solve them. And it’s not like I hate having to rely on him, it just that I wish I could help the others as much as he does for all of us and not just as their club president, but as a friend. And now requesting him to basically do something I can’t makes me feel like a bad friend and like I'm taking advantage of his kind nature.”

“Huh," Kiyoko silently stared at Monika as she pondered her words. "Well, I can’t really comment on this track record you’re keeping but I’m pretty sure the fact that you're this bothered in the first place proves that you’re not a bad friend. Besides, everyone’s got their own strengths that others wished they. You of all people should know that.”

“That’s true. Still…" Monika's grip on her phone slightly tightened. "I want to be a person that my friends can rely on.”

“You shouldn’t stress about that, Monika. You should let that strength bloom naturally. In the meantime, it’s not like it would hurt anybody if you still need support in that one area, right?”

“No. Not at all," Monika giggled as she began to compose her text message. "Thanks Kiyoko."

"No big deal. Just trying to earn my keep," Kiyoko chuckled.

Chapter Text

A small, solemn sigh slipped through Yuri's lips as she sat on a bench outside of the convention.

"Yuri?" the young maiden's face slightly lit up as a familiar voice called her name.

She quickly looked around, but no matter where she looked, she couldn't find the person the voice belonged to among the sea of fans, "Shujinkou?"

"Over here," Yuri's eyes trailed down to the ground and landed on a cardboard box. Suddenly, the aforementioned individual rose through the top and stepped out of his ultimate stealth device. "Hey."

"…Why were you in a cardboard box?" Yuri asked.

"I was planning on making an entrance," he said, scratching his right cheek. His sheepish expression now replaced by one of curiosity, Shujinkou sat down on the bench and asked, "So… What are you doing out here, Yuri?"

"Ah… I…" The maiden fidgeted as she looked down at her hands. "Honestly, I felt really out of place at the convention…"

"How come?"

"Because I… I just felt like a fish out of water. I couldn't find anything to get into because I don't really understand anything there since…"

Yuri bit her lip as she started playing with her hair.

"Since… I never really had an interest in these sorts of things," she solemnly admitted.

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek and asked, "Why?"

"Huh?" Yuri replied with confused eyes.

"Why don't you have in interest in stuff like comics, manga, manwha, etc.?" Shujinkou questioned.

"Ah… Well… I…" Yuri's expression changed to one of worry. "I honestly feel like they're somewhat childish and never have complex stories or characters. It's just the overall format the stories are presented in…"

The young maiden immediately placed her head in her hands. "Ugh… You must hate me now."

"Yuri… I wouldn't hate you for expressing an opinion," Shujinkou gently assured her. "…Though I would advise against posting those exact words on the internet… "

"I already experienced a result similar to the one that would come from that course of action…" she then turned her gaze back to Shujinkou and asked, "You're not even mad that I called something you like childish?"

"Well, if you're asking me if I'm going to give you a 2-hour rant about how manga is, in fact, a form of literature that should be taken seriously and allowed to be used for book reports… I'm not going to do that."

"Ah… Your 2-hour lecture Sayori mentioned before…"

"It was a rant filled with padding," Shujinkou chuckled as he scratched his right cheek. "Anyway, with that in mind, you can tell that your view point isn't anything new to me. That said, there's more to that kind of stuff than meets the eye."

Suddenly, he imagined a light bulb light up over his head.

"Hey, why don't I show you what I mean?" Shujinkou proposed.

"Eh?" Yuri replied, surprised by his sudden proposal.

"We can go in and I'll try my best not to feel like a fish out of water."

"Ah…" Yuri's cheeks grew red as she played with her hair once more. "Just like at the Cultural Festival… But wouldn't it be a waste of time to try and do so?"

"I know it's not," Shujinkou shook his head. "Remember when we first had lunch together at school? You caught a glimpse of my drawing of Big Boss and gained an interest in his character after I explained some of his arc to you. You even did some research of a video game franchise you never heard of. So… you know, despite how you feel, you're not as close-minded as you believe."

"But…"

"Besides, you and the others helped get me into the intricacies of literature, even helped cement the difference between a metaphor and a simile. So, even if it's not much, I want to help you with this."

"Ah…" a conflicted expression formed on Yuri's face. "I… I don't think I can accept your offer!"

"Why not?" Shujinkou asked, her frantic response causing his worry to rise.

"It's just that… If I were to acknowledging manga like that, it would make me feel even more guilty than I already do now."

"More?"

Yuri silently nodded her head.

"What do you have to feel guilty over?" Shujinkou asked.

"Ah-!" Yuri began to play with her hair. "Well… Because of what I've done when the club was officially formed."

"Huh?"

"When you first joined the club, you may have noticed that Natsuki and I haven't really interacted much. Even now, we don't interact with each other as much as we do with you and the others…

There's a reason for that. You see, when the club first formed… I may have, kinda… insulted her interests and writing style."

"Really?" Shujinkou's surprise was so great it was impossible to hide it.

"On the first day, I noticed her bringing in her collection of manga and asked her if that was all she had. She seemed a little apprehensive when she said yes and… well… I pretty much asked her if she had any real literature too," Yuri admitted.

"Ouch."

"And then there was this other time, when Monika proposed that we write poems and bring them in to share. When Natsuki and I exchange our poems, we ended up getting into an argument over our different writing styles."

"Wow… The things that I was worried about when I first joined already happened to Natsuki… and by Yuri. That's really surprising," he thought.

"You know… I haven't really thought much about those incidents," she continued. "I mean, I feel regret that we fought in the first place, but I didn't really feel like I was wrong in my position. But my feelings on that matter started to… shift when you appeared before us.

We didn't know each other at first and yet you… Even if it wasn't always a conscious choice, I felt like I express my own interests around you and would always feel relief after the fact because you never made fun of them. In fact, you've even indulged them on occasion, just because I asked or because you thought it would cheer me up. I've told you moments like that made me happy, but I eventually realized something…  Your actions and words, it made me see how much of a hypocrite I am!

I chastised Natsuki on her passions while fearing the same thing happening to me and never found anything wrong with it until much later! And now, being in a place like this… it's pretty much a symbol of what I look down upon. I didn't want to say no to coming here, because I didn't want to disappoint anyone, but I also know that others would be too focused on me if I showed any discomfort. But I can''t help but feel uncomfortable here, because if I was to have any semblance of fun, then I would be an even bigger hypocrite than I already am! And now I'm burdening you with my issues, instead of letting you have fun like the others surely are, but I started talking and couldn't hold those feeling inside me anymore! And now I feel worse, because even though you said you never find it annoying, the last thing I want is to burden you like this when you could be enjoying the convention you haven't visited in so long. It's just that…"

"Yuri," The troubled maiden looked into the eyes of the young man that called her. Like always, the innocence they exude had a slightly calming effect on her. "Like you just said, I don't find it annoying when you need my help or anything."

Yuri remained silent as she continued to play with her hair. "…You once told me that you were afraid that we wouldn't have like what you could have brought in. I assume that you were referring to your collection of manga?"

"Well… yeah," Shujinkou sheepishly admitted, scratching his right cheek.

"Now that you know that I did such a thing to someone who shares your interest, could you really say that you don't hate me or think that I'm a terrible person? Perhaps even a know-it-all snob? After all, haven't I already done the thing that you were also afraid of happening? I'm sure if I did that to you, you would have hated me too back then."

"No, Yuri. I don't hate or think you're those things you said, nor would I have hated you even if you did say it to me back then. Also, I'm pretty sure Natsuki doesn't hate you either."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Because if she hated you, she wouldn't have ever expressed concern over you before. If anything, if she hated anyone, it probably would have been me when I first joined. She had good reasons too since I zoned out a lot more back then that I would have understood if you or the others thought I was wasting your time too."

Yuri was once again stricken with silence as she pondered Shujinkou's words.

"Shujinkou… As both of our friend, what do you think I should do now?" she finally asked.

"Well…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as thought about how he should answer such a question. "Um… I think the best thing to do is ask what you yourself want to do."

"What I want to do…" Yuri closed her eyes as she pondered over her next course of action. "I… I want to apologize, because even if I don't particularly care about what she's interested in and even though our writing styles and thought processes are different, I still had no right to look down on her for it… But… I wonder if she'll actually forgive me."

"Well, she tolerated me annoying her on a daily basis so…"

Yuri slightly giggled at his remark.

"What?" Shujinkou questioned.

"Nothing. It's just that… you always try your best to cheer others up when they get down on themselves and yet you always self-depreciate yourself," she answered.

"Wait… Are you trying to say that I'm a hypocrite too?"

"No. You seem to be much better about it than me. But maybe that just serves to highlight how human we are and… how one of the true signs of friendship is that it's not just one person helping another but both sides being there for each other, constantly helping the each other up when they're down because no one person is infallible."

Shujinkou blankly stared at Yuri, causing her to instinctively bury her face in her hands.

"I may be going off point a little but… I'm just voicing what I think I've learned is all," she continued. "It may sound like I'm just babbling though."

"No, it's not that I think that. It's just…" the young man scratched his right cheek as he pondered his words. "You seem to have become a lot more talkative."

"So I am babbling…"

"No! That's not what I meant! I just meant that you're a lot more forward with your feelings than you were when we first met is all. It's pretty amazing."

"Oh… I guess I wouldn't have talked about myself or true feelings that much back then. But to be honest, I believe I owe it all to you."

"Really?"

"Like I said before, I was worried about people looking down on my own interests, so I would usually keep them to myself. But you being so patient and essentially not making a big deal of those or even my own faults as a person… It just felt safe to talk to you about what's on my mind and I also believe that it allowed me to open up a little more around others too. Though it's obvious that I'm still a little a hesitant when it comes to others, but it's still an improvement. Honestly, I didn't know having a friend could cause so much development in such a short time. Like you just said, it's pretty amazing."

Yuri simply smiled after those words. "I really have become a lot more expressive. I hope I can still be like this from now on and…"

The young maiden silently stared into Shujinkou's eyes and smiled once more. "I… probably took up enough of your time already. We should probably head in now. I wouldn't want you to miss out on something that excites you so much."

"Okay," Shujinkou lifted the box he arrived in slightly off the ground and crawled underneath it.

Yuri couldn't help but giggle as she watched the cardboard box slowly move towards the entrance.

Meanwhile, Natsuki, Fuyu and MoM waited for their turn to meet the visiting mangakas.

"So let me get this straight," Natsuki crossed her arms as she tried her best to understand what she was just told. "In the world of Kingdom Hearts, when a person's heart is consumed by darkness, then their hearts are ejected from their bodies and become literal beings of darkness called Heartless. But if that person has a strong will, then the body left behind will be able to go on without a heart and is called a Nobody."

No matter how many times she went over that fact in her head, there was one thing the pink-haired individual could not let go. "Why the heck are the heartless bodies called Nobodies and the bodiless hearts called Heartless?! Wouldn't it make more sense if it was the other way around?"

"Most likely, but you just got to learn to roll with these kinds of things," the MoM replied. "After all, do you think a bunch of fans complaining about every minor detail will affect anything?"

"Fans of this series really do make dedicated community…" Natsuki shook her head. She was filled with disbelief, but she also felt respect for those who liked the games.

"We are," Fuyu proudly said. "Otherwise who else would stick with the series as it keeps getting weirder and weirder concepts?"

"As long as it doesn't drive anyone crazy and produce more toxic fans for the world to deal with," Natsuki accepted.

"Now you're just asking for too much. Do you really think that the rise of toxic fans is inevitable?" the MoM pointed out. "You never know when the next one is around the corner."

"Don't say that…" Natsuki groaned. "You're going to speak that into existence."

"Like things like that really happen."

"You're the one who mentioned it! Are you trying to irk me on purpose?"

"The Master of Masters can be a troll," Fuyu explained.

Suddenly, another figure in a similar looking black coat walked along the line before stopping in front of Natsuki.

"Yes… You'll do," they said in a cold, venomous voice.

"Do with what?" she asked.

"In this year's battle royale for royalty."

"Huh?"

"It's the every other year battle that decides who will rule the convention," MoM explained. "Benefits include being treated like royalty, gain the respect of your fellow convention enthusiasts, etc. etc."

"Royalty, huh?" Natsuki's eyes lit up as she pondered the possibility of actually winning the tournament and earning the respect of everyone watching. "Nah, I don't feel like it. I already waited in this line long enough."

"That would truly be a shame… Unfortuantely, you cannot refuse the invitation of the king," the stranger informed her.

"Why not?"

"It is a rule that I established during my continuing reign as the superior."

Natsuki, unable to hide her annoyance, turned her attention to Fuyu and asked, "Is he in character too?"

"Xemnas exactly," she answered. "He's a cold ham."

"Do I have to listen to this guy?" Natsuki queried.

"Those who disregard the king's wishes shall be pelted with tomatoes," Xemnas replied.

"Ugh… fine…" Natsuki reluctantly agreed.

"You are also required to be in character for the royale."

"What the-? I can't just magically conjure up an outfit to match any character of any series all of a sudden!"

"You can use my coat," the MoM lowered their hood, revealing their beaming face for the world to see.

"Sayori?!" Natsuki rubbed her eyes and took another look at familiar figure.

"Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised? Didn't you know it was me?" Sayori asked.

"No, I didn't know it was you! You're face was covered up and you sounded nothing like you!"

"You're inflections were spot on," Fuyu complimented.

"Thanks." Sayori turned back to Natsuki and passed along her coat. "Good luck, Natsuki."

"Hopefully, I can get out of this done before she leaves…" she sighed.

Chapter Text

Finding one's self lost in a sea of faces; it was a feeling that Yuri was all too familiar with. The sight of happy faces paired together was always something that she was envious of. Yet she did not feel envy this time. Her curious eyes continued to meticulously scan the area until a fluffy blue treat entered her field of view.

"Cotton Candy…?" The young maiden looked down at the hand that thrust the sweet into her sight and followed it to its owner.

"Hope you don't mind," the smile on Shujinkou's face inadvertently caused one to appear on Yuri's.

"No. Thank you," She graciously accepted the gift and took a small bite out of it.

"So what were you thinking about?" Shujinkou asked.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"You had that deep, thoughtful look on your face."

"Ah. Well… I was just thinking about how happy everyone looks."

"'How happy'?"

"People able to comfortably express their own interest… It must be nice to have a place where a person can be free like that. Even you seem more open with your interests considering how you arrived here in a cardboard box."

"I couldn't resist a entrance reference," Shujinkou chuckled as he scratched his right cheek.

"Mm…" a sullen look crossed Yuri's face. "Just thinking about that concept kinda makes me feel a little sadder."

"Hm?"

"Monika created the club to serve as a place like that. So…"

"Yuri…"

"I shouldn't really sugarcoat my actions, even if it brings about negative feelings. Even so… I'm not going to let that truly get me down; I'll let it fuel my desire to make up for my past mistakes."

"Make up for past mistakes…" those simple words resonated with Shujinkou as he remembered his own past mistakes. "I can relate to you there. But if we go off of my own experiences, things should turn out fine."

"Still… How soon I do it kind of hinges on something that's out of my control," Yuri replied.

"What's that?"

"Whether or not Natsuki's in a good mood or not."

"Uh… Shujinkou nervously scratched his cheek. "You may have a point there."

"Uo… I really hope she's in a good mood," Yuri hoped.

Meanwhile…

"I can't believe I got forced into this stupid event!" the petite girl complained as she finished zipping her black coat. "I just wanted to do one thing and instead I got roped into thing!"

"It's not a stupid event. It's the Royal Rumble; The Ultimate Battle Royale that takes place every two years. The last one standing has the honor of challenging the current king or queen for the chance to snatch the title away," Sayori explained. "Does that make you excited now, Natsuki?"

"No. It's still getting in the way of what I really wanted to do. Not to mention… I WAS FORCED INTO DOING THIS!"

"It's not such a bad thing, Natsuki. Imagine what you could do if you win. You can get all the cotton candy and sweets you want for you and your friends."

"You're only thinking about yourself! I bet that's the only reason you're pushing for me to do this!"

"That's not true," Sayori pouted. "I'm just trying to cheer you up over being forced into this."

"Uh," Natsuki diverted her gaze and scratched the back of her head. "…Sorry."

"Eh?!" A giant smile spread across Sayori's face. "Natsuki apologized to me."

"D-Don't make it weird!" Natsuki snapped once again.

"On a more positive note concerning this situation, you're in Block D out of the first four letters of the alphabet," Fuyu interjected. "You get to see what you're potential opponents are like."

"I wonder what kind of people will be competing this year. I wonder if there are any Sherlocks," Sayori wondered aloud.

"Sherlock…" Fuyu crossed her arms as she pondered that thought. "With there already being a high chance of members of the Bat-family involved, that would mean that the chance of a Batman vs. Sherlock in real life is possible…"

An interested smile crossed her face before it was quickly replaced by a disappointed frown. "Ugh... I feel so left out."

A confused look planted itself on Natsuki's face before it was removed by a sudden announcement on the speakers. "All participants for the Royal Rumble make their way outside. The Block A fight will begin soon."

"All right, Natsuki! Your time to shine is coming up!" Sayori bubbled as she gripped Fuyu's and Natsuki's hands. "Let's go!"

She excitedly led the two outside, where a large crowd of attendants were waiting.

"There's always an excited crowd for this event," Sayori noted.

Fuyu adjusted her glasses and glanced around her surroundings. Contrary to Sayori's words, the current crowd appeared more apathetic than excited. "The crowd doesn't look that excited, Sayori."

Beyond the crowd lied a several strips of tape on the ground in the shape of a large circle.

"What's that?" Natsuki wondered aloud.

"That's the ring that the Royal Rumble takes place in," Sayori answered. "Each block fight it outs in there and the last person standing gets to advance to the semi-finals."

"I guess that's the only way a tournament like this can be done in one day," Natsuki continued to gaze at the ring as participants began to enter it. "Wonder how many unlucky contenders get knocked out before they even get a chance to do anything? Honestly getting to the semi-finals seems to be entirely luck-based."

"Sayori, you seem to know a lot about this tournament. Were you involved in this in some way before?" Fuyu asked.

"Mm-hmm," Sayori nodded her head. "I convinced Shujinkou to enter the battle royale with me."

"Really?" Natsuki redirected her surprised gaze to Sayori. "Why'd you want to be queen?"

"I wanted to get all the free cotton candy I wanted!" Sayori happily admitted.

"Of course…" Natsuki quickly turned away before just as quickly turning back. "Wait… You said you convinced Shujinkou to enter too?"

"Yeah," Sayori nodded.

"This doesn't seem to be the kind of thing he would want to get involved in. How'd you do that?"

"I was very persuasive."

"You begged didn't you and you know he can't say no to you begging him for something."

"That's not fair. You say that like I emotionally manipulate him to get what I want."

"You can be a really sneaky person when you want to, Sayori. It's kind of the reason why he shuts you down sometimes before you can even start."

"That's still such a harsh assumption. Besides, I didn't manipulate him or anything, I just asked."

"How many times did you say please?"

"About twenty…" Sayori chuckled with red cheeks.

"Aha!" Natsuki shouted. "You did beg! And you know that he can't say no to you begging!"

"I didn't know that he would say yes! He could have said no!" Sayori argued.

"Don't give me that! Are you seriously telling me that you didn't think you would eventually wear him down because you know that he hates seeing people disappointed and sad?"

"Um… Wait, no! I was just a kid! All kids beg a lot when they really want something regardless who it is!"

"Urk-!" Natsuki crossed her arms in a huff, leaving her to ponder Sayori's response. "Dang it! I was winning before she said that!"

"Still…" a bright smile crossed Sayori's face. "It makes me happy that you're trying to defend Shujinkou's side."

"Wha-?! I'm not trying to defend him or anything; I'm just trying point out how sneaky you can be!" Natsuki snapped.

"I don't know, Natsuki. It kind of seemed like you were sticking up for him."

"I wasn't! Stop teasing me!"

"I'm not teasing. I really think it's great."

"Stop it!"

"So, how did the tournament go for you?" Fuyu interjected.

"I got knocked out right away…" Sayori chuckled with red cheeks once more.

Suddenly the sounds of bodies tossed around and hitting the ground spiced its way into their conversation.

"Exactly like that," Sayori continued.

"Oh boy... This is not going to be fun…" Natsuki groaned.

Chapter Text

I knew everyone was already aware of this, after all I didn’t make it a secret, but I was really annoyed by  all this Royal Rumble stuff. Who cares if it's a fight for royalty? That doesn't change the fact that I was forced into it. At least, Sayori and Fuyu were trying to give me the positives of the situation, though Sayori clearly had some ulterior motives for wanting me to win.

Anyway, The Royal Rumble is a bi-annual completion in which contenders can fight for the right to challenge the current king/queen. The first round of the competition is divided into four separate blocks. In each block, multiple contestants fight each other and the last one standing will earn the right to go on to the next round. Only soft regulated equipment can be used like Hulk gloves or foam-like swords, like the "Keyblade" Sayori got for me.

Apparently, in Kingdom Hearts, the protagonists use these things called Keyblades to fight off darkness. They're literally giant keys that can unlock anything and also act as swords. Sayori said the one she got me was called Oathkeeper or Oath's Charm; I'll go with Oathkeeper since its one word. I had to admit, it was pretty angelic looking which I guess makes sense since it represents light and a promise to someone. Crazy release history aside, at least the games provided a pretty cool design.

The Block A fight was currently in progress and it was not what I expected it to be at all. I thought the point of these fights was to knock your opponents out of the ring, but the people who were currently in the ring looked like they were more interested in keeping their opponents in. Actually, looking past that, it actually seems like most everyone involved were feigning ring-outs. The fake-outs stopped when there weren’t enough people left and that's when a girl wearing a wolf hoodie eliminated everyone else.

I was really shocked, but apparently me and the others were the only one, since everyone else looked disinterested. It was so confusing, but before I could question anything, the king that forced me into this thing entered the ring and made an announcement. It pretty much was actually compete or get banned. All I could think about was how much this guy ticks me off. I also began to wonder whether or not the previous ruler was like that, though Sayori assured me otherwise. Anyway, I’ll call him Xemnas or whatever, so I don’t have to keep calling him king.

The second preliminary round was when things got interesting. Even though they had no choice to fight, the beginning of this round was the same as the last; contestants thrown out of the ring like dropping flies. It looked like luck was needed for the first part and luck and skill for what came after. Speaking of skill, there was one person who caught our eye throughout the round. It was someone wearing a green tunic and long flowing green hat while wielding a prop sword. They were pretty incredible. The way they were dodging multiple strikes and ringing out a lot of contestants was just… wow. Their skill won them the fight no problem and I started to think, “Even if I make it through my match, I’ll have to deal with this superhuman competitor.”

That’s when things took a surprising turn, Fuyu noticed that victor was strangely silent and that’s when it hit us. Our suspicions were soon confirmed when they looked around, finally allowing us to catch a glimpse of their face. I guess we finally found out what happened to Rei after she disappeared.

Chapter Text

To say that we were shocked that Rei was in this competition and that she could move like that was an understatement. Despite that, Sayori wasted no time cheerfully calling Rei over to us. I wasted no time in asking how she could move the way she did, but in all the excitement I kinda forgot that Rei doesn't really speak or emote. I really don’t know how Shujinkou handled being her liaison, but I guess if anyone could do it. I also expected Fuyu to tear into her sister for suddenly disappearing, but instead she was gushing over her Legend of Zelda costume. I was really at a loss at that point. I just knew that if I ended up meeting Rei in the next round, I’m toast.

The next fight started, but I didn’t really pay attention. I was too busy thinking about what happened during the first fight. It really felt like I was missing something and couldn’t help but feeling that Xemnas knew something about it and that really bothered me. Maybe they just wanted to get out of this thing as soon as possible and if that’s the case then that would mean that more than two people aren’t enjoying themselves. I’d ask Rei how she got into this thing, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t get an answer.

Suddenly, I was wondering what the others were doing. I had no idea what Monika and Kiyoko would do here and who knows if Shujinkou is even here yet, which is ironic since he was the most excited to come here.

All of a sudden, Sayori started to shake my shoulder, telling me that it was time for me to get in the ring. I had mixed feelings about getting in the ring. I didn't want to do it but, at the same time, I didn't feel like losing on purpose either. The start of the match was exactly what I expected it to be: me getting knocked back and forth. I almost fell out of the ring more than once and I'm pretty sure that I didn't even get a chance to swing my weapon until half my opponents were gone.

Should I mention how weird it is that I'm swinging a giant key around as my weapon? It doesn't even look like a key; it just looks like the second part of its name. The only part that's key-like is the fact that a keychain is attached to it. But despite the initial weirdness, it was actually pretty fun using it. If I get into Kingdom Hearts, this may be my preferred Keyblade. It was also pretty satisfying to knock a bunch of people myself. Some of them were pretty easy and some of them were pretty hard, but in the end, I still ended up as the winner of my block.

Even if I was forced into this rumble, it felt great to win the thing. Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last the moment I realize the others found us while I was fighting. I sorta expected them to make fun of what I was wearing, but that didn't happen. Shujinkou even said that it looks really nice on me and that I look like a genuine Kingdom Hearts character. I… didn't really know how to respond that. It didn't annoy me; it actually kind of made me happy. Despite that, I quickly changed the subject to what happened to the Block A fight.

That's when Kiyoko revealed something that blew my mind then. Apparently, the reason the first fight went the way it did was because everyone involved in this thing was forced into and wanted to get it over with like I guessed. Not only that, but the reason why everyone was hand selected in the first place was because that Xemnas guy wanted to make sure no one he considered a threat was in it. There was two things I felt at that moment: 1.) Confusion over how Kiyoko knew any of this. What was she doing before she came here? 2.) ABSOLUTE FURY OVER THE FACT THAT NOT ONLY I WAS FORCED INTO THIS THING BUT ALSO BECAUSE SOMEONE THOUGHT I WAS EASY TO BEAT!

I came into this thing absolutely dreading it, but I quickly made it my mission to dethrone the current king and make him pay for looking down on me.

Chapter Text

There was a break before the Semi-Finals started, which kind of sucked since I was all fired up; though the fire fizzled out a little when I caught Shujinkou eyeing my Oathkeeper Keyblade. Since we had the time, he suggested that we go look for another Keyblade for me to use for the upcoming match. I thought he was talking about finding another one for me to use which I was against since I liked the one I had, but he was actually referring to finding one that I could use alongside it. He then went on to explain an ability from the series called "Synch Blade" and how the signature pair for that ability was the Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades. It sounded interesting, but I had to eventually stop him when he began to explain story reasons and using terminology that I didn't really understand.

After that, we went to searching for the Oblivion Keyblade he was talking about. While doing so, I got curious and asked him where he disappeared to earlier, but he kinda gave me one of those answers that aren't really answer. It was strange; Shujinkou isn't really the type to give vague answers to simple questions like that, but I decided to let it go. I mean, considering all the times he let me get away doing similar things, I kind of owe him that.

It wasn't long before we found that Keyblade. The Oblivion was really the polar opposite of the one I already had. It's jet black texture and just how demonic looking its appearance was; let's just say it really earned its name "Oblivion". That said… it did look more like a key than the Oathkeeper did. We then went back and I stepped into the ring for the Semi-Final match.

Honestly, I was a little worried. I was in the ring at the same time as Rei and I had no idea what she was going to do. The moment the match began, she quickly lunged at the girl in a wolf hoodie, which I just now realized I have no idea who or what she's supposed to be. Once again, I was shocked by how she moves; she must have had a very athletic childhood or something.

Suddenly, someone in a rabbit costume attacked me. At the time, I was confused at what I was looking at. A golden rabbit was too generic for me to even try to guess. Fuyu later explained to me that whoever was wearing the costume was cosplaying as a character called Spring-Bonnie. Though what little she told me about that character kinda makes me weary of anyone who may wear that costume. Anyway, they were attacking me in a frenzy; their arms moving at almost super-human speeds. All I could do was block and back away, until I finally decided it roll out of their path. Funny thing is, doing that kind of caused Spring-Bonnie to run into the wolf girl and they both ended up outside of the ring.

The entire crowd was silent, me included. After that sudden anti-climatic end, I turned to Rei and wondered what would happen then. I was preparing myself for the eventual tough fight, but instead Rei casually walked out of the ring herself. I was so shocked. Why would she just do that? And it's not like I could ask her because all I would get is her staring at me… and that was what I got. I was right about what I said at first, this thing is entirely luck based. It was kind of a letdown but at least I made it to the finals and the others were pretty happy for me. Oh well, it was finally time to end this farce.

Chapter Text

So, the finals were something. There was some pre-fight banter, Sayori convinced me to do a pose a character called Roxas did and Xemnas was wielding to red foam bats. He called them Ethereal Blades, but I couldn't see them as anything but red bats. It was kind of hard to take seriously since I had no idea what he was talking about.

Anyway, we soon got into the fight and I could see why he was currently king. His combos were fierce, he was pretty fast and if I didn't have two Keyblades, I would have had a tougher time guarding against his attacks. The first part of the match was mostly me guarding blows and I was eventually caught in a blade lock. Unfortunately for him, that gave me an opportunity to push him back. He was clearly surprised by the fact that I was slowly overpowering him, giving me the chance to break the lock and begin an impressive combo of my own.

I could go on and on about how the fight went from there, but that would make for a boring read. To give an idea though, just imagine two people emulating an animated fight scene as much as humanly possible. A lot of guarding, weapons bouncing off each other and the flow of battle constantly shifting. Plus, the guy was making a lot of comments that may be quotes from the character he's cosplaying as, but they still somehow annoyed me.

We eventually ended up in another blade lock, except this time, I was right at the edge of the ring. Maybe it was fatigue, but I was having a harder winning this one than the last one. I was getting pushed back, little by little, and I didn't do anything soon, I would lose. So, I did the only thing I thought I could do… I dropped by Keyblades and quickly grabbed his "Ethereal Blades". Once again taking advantage of his surprise, I spun us around, forcing him to the edge of the ring. I then let go of his bats, dropping him straight out of the ring.

What happened next was very surreal to me. I was shocked that my strategy actually worked and then suddenly everyone was cheering at my victory. It was weird, but nice at the same time. Though the moment was kind of ruined by Xemnas having a villainous breakdown. I don't know why, but I bothered to listen to what he was saying.

Apparently, he was fought hard through this tournament as kid only to have victory slip away at the final moment by a kid who constantly scratched his right cheek like he was confused or something. The moment I heard that I looked up at Shujinkou and looked back at the fallen king. I figured it was best not to draw attention to him or else he would get involved in past drama he may not even remember that well. Also, apparently the way he lost was a major sore spot for him since, Shujinkou apparently pulled something similar in the past.

This guy thought I would be an easy opponent to defeat, forced me in this tournament and he's a complete stranger. Plus, I find his motivation for how he was acting pretty weak; it wasn't even close to being considered a childhood trauma. Naturally, I tore into him for his behavior, but I also tried to help him get over himself. Don't really know why I even bothered; guess I just felt like being the bigger person.

Anyway, I was crowned royalty and I could finally do what I really wanted to do since I got here. I returned to where I was originally and was shocked that there was no longer a line. It didn't take me long to realize that the entire Royal Rumble thing caused me to miss my chance meet Harumi. Naturally, I was ticked off and no winning the right to be queen of something could make me feel better then.

Chapter Text

Natsuki tapped the end of her sentence with her pen, leaving the final period of her Royal Rumble log.

"Ugh…" she groaned. "If it wasn't for the fact that stuff like this had to be done right away, I would have wrote all this down at a time when what happened didn't annoy me so much."

The newly crowned queen dropped her logbook to her side and picked up where she left off from Parfait Girl. "I really suck at not twisting the knife…"

Not too far away, Yuri and Shujinkou slightly poked their heads from around a corner in order to catch a glimpse of their sullen queen.

"She doesn't look too happy, Shujinkou…" Yuri nervously noted. "Maybe I should try later."

"Well, she does look disappointed, but she doesn't look particularly angry," Shujinkou replied. "I think you could do it now. It might even cheer her up."

"I don't know, Shujinkou, I'm not exactly good enough with people to cheer them up."

In response to her doubtful words, Shujinkou simply raised his right hand.

"Ah…" Yuri quickly diverted her gaze. "But still…"

"I get it," the young maiden immediately looked back at Shujinkou, surprised by his sudden interruption. "It's scary. You want to admit you're mistake and apologize to someone you feel like you treated wrong, but you don't know how to do it."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, "I joined the club so I could do the same with Sayori and I still didn't apologize until recently. So, I know how hard it can be and I know you're worried what will happen if you bring up old wounds. But… If you two honestly talk things out, I'm sure that you guys can move past whatever happened in the past."

"Is that how you fixed things with Sayori?" Yuri queried.

"Well, actually I came with a scavenger hunt which was something we wanted to do as kids before leading her to realize why I did so, but you could probably skip to the talking part, which did work."

"…Okay. I'll give it a try now."

"Alright, if you need me, I'm going to head outside so I don't accidently eavesdrop on anything."

With an awkward salute goodbye, Shujinkou left leaving Yuri to take a deep breath. She then proceeded to walk from around the corner and approach Natsuki.

"Hey, Natsuki," Yuri greeted.

"Hm?" Natsuki looked up from her manga, her annoyed expression swiftly replaced it's surprised variation. "Oh… Hey."

"Um…" Yuri struggled to maintain eye contact as she desperately tried to find something to say."Are you still upset over what happened at the convention?"

"Yep." Natsuki bluntly answered.

"Well, at least you won the right to be the convention's queen. That's a good thing."

"Yeah, it's a cool accomplishment, but it's still not the thing I really wanted to do. The whole thing was just unfair."

Yuri diverted her gaze as her entire body began to shake violently. She couldn't help but feel that starting the conversation by bringing up what happened at the convention was a fatal mistake and there was no way to salvage it. "I'M SORRY!"

"Huh?" Natsuki shot a perplexed look at her fellow club member.

"I'm sorry for everything!" Yuri continued to apologize.

"What are you apologizing for? It's not like you could have done anything about the whole Royal Rumble thing."

"No, I don't mean that. I'm referring to something else…"

"What's 'something else'?"

"The… I'm talking about the… comments I made towards you when the club was first formed."

"Comments? Oh…"  Natsuki crossed her arms in a huff as the memories of the event Yuri was referring to surfaced in her mind. "Those 'comments'."

"Yeah… Those…" Yuri solemnly confirmed.

"The ones about how my writing was 'cute' and pretty much saying that I didn't bring any real literature to the club?"

"Yeah?"

"Kinda funny… You wasted no time going to town on me, yet I noticed that you didn't do the same when another person who enjoys manga joined the club."

"Yeah, I know… But it's not like I my feelings on the subject were reliant on the person."

Such a response caused a surprised look to cross Natsuki's face. "What do you mean?"

"I still fully believed in my side of our argument, I just didn't want someone else to hate me like I assumed you did. So instead I decided to keep my feelings to myself," Yuri continued.

"Wait… You seriously think I hate you?" Natsuki questioned.

"It was the only logical conclusion to that kind of scenario… You were really mad and we never really interacted outside of group conversations that much."

"Yeah, but that didn't mean… I mean… I hated the things you said to me, but it's not like I hated you."

"You didn't?" Yuri's eyes lit up with surprise. "Then how come you never-"

"I don't know!" Natsuki suddenly snapped. "I just… I was just mad that's all. I mean, I just wanted one place where I can feel like no one is judging or looking down on me and I couldn't even get that at a club I was invited to.

A sullen look fell on her face as her arms slumped to her side. "You looked down on my writing and literature, I used to think that Monika only invited me so she could make her club official and I really had a hard time getting Sayori at first. It's pretty ironic that the one who gave me the least grief was the one who didn't even want to be there at first."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what you were going through," Yuri apologized. "But even if I did know, it still wasn't right to have those kinds of feelings in the first place."

"Yeah… But even though that's true, I wasn't really that much better back then."

"Eh?"

"You kinda made it obvious that you don't really like to share your interests either. I have no idea why but I probably didn't help any there by calling your writing pointlessly long and complex after wht you said."

"You had to every right to be mad. There was no excuse for what I did, especially since our argument made it clear that I didn't respond well to such critiques either."

"Yeah, but I still made things worse by losing my cool. So stop trying to take full blame for everything."

Silence inserted itself in their conversation, providing nothing but an awkward atmosphere for the two.

"Why are you suddenly in an apologetic mood anyway?" Natsuki suddenly asked.

"Well… I t took me awhile, but I finally realized that I shouldn't have said what I said," Yuri answered.

"You just suddenly realized that out of nowhere?"

"Actually, I would really have to give credit to Shujinkou."

"Really? What did he do; point out how we both said mean things to strangers?"

No. I only told him about the argument recently, but he didn't really voice his own comments on it that much. I'm really referring to the interactions we shared since he joined.

Like you said, it was clear that he didn't really have much of an interest in being in the club at first other than to appease Sayori. One of the reasons I was nervous interacting with him was because I felt that he would respond to my thoughts and opinions in the same manner we did with each other. But that never happened. I didn't know how interested he was in the subject matters, but he would always genuinely listen to me when I spoke and always took care to make sure he'd never upset me. That allowed me to realize what I did wrong.

"You got that just because he a good friend?"

"Mm-hmm. In fact, it's because he was a good friend that I even had the courage to admit my mistake in the first place."

"Really? That's… something."

"Mm. Don't you feel like you had a similar experience?"

"Have I? Why would you ask such a thing?"

"It's just that you used to very harsh and guarded towards him in the past, but you seem to be really comfortable around to the point where anyone could see that you two are good friends now."

"D-Don't make it sound so weird! Of course I was tough on someone who made it obvious he didn't want to be in the club at first. I guess I could have been a little more lenient considering why he was there in the first place, but still. Besides, it's hard to not be friends with someone who likes what I like and makes it clear that he hates it when people he knows are upset."

"I see… Well, I'm glad you had someone to be there for you back then after what I did."

"Seriously, stop trying to take the full blame. It makes it seem like you're trying to be the only bigger person here."

Silence once again inserted itself in their conversation, except this time the atmosphere was free from any awkwardness.

"Ah… Now that we got all of this out into the open… Do you think that we could be friends now?" Yuri asked.

"Eh?" the sudden question was all it took to once again drag Natsuki from her comfort zone. "I mean… There's really no reason why we can't. It would definitely be better than whatever we have been up to now."

"Alright… So…" a tiny smile formed on Yuri's face as she stood up. "I guess I'll go and turn in for the night. Good night."

"'night." Natsuki replied, before watching Yuri disappear into the crowd. The moment she was sure she alone, she mumbled, "Just because he was a good friend, huh?"

She then stood up herself and proceeded to make her way outside; the mmoment she did, she found Shujinkou sitting on a nearby bench.

"Shujinkou?" she called as he approached the bench.

Looking up from his phone, Shujinkou followed the sudden voice that called his name and found Natsuki standing next to him.

"Hey, Natsuki," he happily greeted.

"What are you doing out here?" she queried.

"I was just hanging out."

"Hm," Natsuki sat down on the bench, making sure to keep her gaze away from Shujinkou. "I heard that you heard about the argument that I had with Yuri."

"Well… yeah. I was told about it recently," he admitted.

"Well, just so you know, we talked about it not too long ago."

"How'd that go?"

"It was painfully awkward but… I'm glad we did it. We're friends now instead of whatever we were before then."

"That's great. I'm glad you two no longer have that to deal with that argument you had."

"Yeah…" Natsuki said at a barely audible tone. "You know, it's pretty obvious that none of this would have happened if you hadn't been such a good friend to Yuri."

"I'm sure it still could have happened without me in the equation," Shujinkou insisted as scratched his right cheek.

"No, it wouldn't have; I'm pretty sure of that. Wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because it also depended on you being such a good friend to me also."

"Huh?"

"Look, I'm going to continue talking now, so do me a favor and don't interrupt until I'm done, okay?" Natsuki bluntly stated with red cheeks.

"Okay…" Shujinkou awkwardly nodded.

The pink-haired girl took a deep breath before finally continuing, "So, we both know that out of all of us, I've been the hardest on when you first joined the club. Don't even bother denying it because everyone knows it's true. And I know that you were probably wondering why when you've never done anything to deserve that. I mean you joined the club because Sayori asked you to and were clearly uncomfortable with it and then you had to contend with someone who would snap at you over any little thing.

Even though you never said anything, I know you had to keeping asking yourself why. Even I had to ask myself why I was so hard on someone I never even met before and when I think about it, I realize it was because I was scared. I was scared that you would be like everyone else and belittle me and my own interests. So instead of waiting for you to do that to me, I guess I decided to beat you to it. I was a pretty annoying person to deal with and it was inevitable that you would treat me like anyone would treat an annoying person. And yet… you never did.

No matter how much I freaked out around you, you always responded by shrugging it off and being nice. I couldn't understand it; why was he being so nice to me when I didn't really do anything to deserve that. I couldn't help but think that you had to have some kind of ulterior motive; like you were trying to draw me into a false sense of security or something. But over time, it became clear that your kindness and respect couldn't be anything but genuine. Even when finding that out, I was still confused by how you could be so nice and I was even surprised that you even considered me nice.

Even though your natural kindness was hard to expect, it was a really nice thing to experience. And then I got to know you better and we had a lot of fun reading each others manga. The fact that there was someone I could even be a little open with was so nice that I actually began to look forward to the club meetings as much as I hoped to in the first place. Because of you, my life finally had a glimmer of light shine on it. And I know you believe you don't do anything special but, to me, having someone like you in my life was something I really wanted."

Natsuki looked up at Shujinkou with innocent eyes, "I guess I said all that to get to this…"

Despite feeling a strong urge to stop herself and look away, Natsuki continued to gaze into Shujinkou's eyes. "Thanks for being my friend."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as Natsuki suddenly stood up, "I'll save you awkwardness of replying to that by ending things here. Besides, I'm exhausted after all these heart-to-hearts. So… 'night."

She began her trek back to her room only to be stopped by a sudden response, "It's my privilege."

Natsuki immediately turned back around, her cheeks changing to match the color of her hair the moment she met Shujinkou's smiling face. She then just as quickly turned away from him, "You just had to have the last word, didn't you?"

Natsuki once again began to take her leave, this time trying her hardest to hid the giant grin she had on her face.

Chapter Text

A/N: Though early, I figured I'd post a special chapter to commemorate 2 years of writing this story.

Okay, here we go. So, this was something Monika suggested I do awhile ago, but I always figured that I could just relive things in my head, so I don't know if I'll do this again. Honestly, I thought it would kill some time since its storming outside.

I've been really thinking about myself lately. I don't mean this in a self-absorbed way, it's just that… lately, I've been called a "good friend." It's honestly weird. I never really think that I do anything special enough to feel like I am one, but Natsuki insists that I am despite that. I would ask Granny Hisa for her opinion, but she's been really busy and I don't want to bother her. I thought about asking Kiyoko too, since she's easy to talk too, but she's currently asleep.

I don't know what to think. I joined the club, to make up for being a really bad friend to Sayori, but even after I did, I wasn't much of a pleasant person to be around. Maybe it was because I being pessimistic about the whole thing; I don't even think that I really had any hope of surviving in such a club. Not only was it a club about literature but the club itself was composed of 4 really cute girls. Sometimes, it took all I had just to raise my head. I know a lot of a lot of people would assume that's why I joined and stayed, but I honestly think that even if that was the reason, I wouldn't be able to handle it.

But ignoring that awkward hardship, just being there was a little uncomfortable. I had to face the guilt of hurting Sayori. She tried to act like nothing happened between us, but that just made me feel even worse than I already did. Her taking me back as a friend was something that I didn't deserve and I had to prove that I was worthy of it. Then there was the fact that the club's president was the school's idol: Monika. The fact that I would spend time with someone like her was too weird for me to comprehend. I mean she's been nice to me during our short interactions beforehand, but still. And then there was Natsuki and Yuri. Natsuki wasted no time establishing that she didn't really like me; not that I could blame her. Yuri, on the other hand, was extremely quiet and seemed like she'd rather avoid conversation with me all together; again, not that I could blame her.

Looking back, I may have made things seem harder than they were back in the day. Actually, worrying showing off the kind of books I like the most seems really funny in hindsight. Still, that was the beginning of me actually feeling like I wasn't some stranger in the club. Yuri offered to help me find a book that day and, in hindsight, that must have been a really hard thing for her to do. But even though she had a fear of making a bad first impression, she still decided to help with something just because I was slightly unnerved over something. It was kind of a weird experience, but I got to learn a little about her and I really appreciated the sentiment.

There was also the time during the Cultural Festival when we went through the Haunted House that I learned even more about her. It really surprised me how calm and interested she was during that. Back then, she would only become like that when expressing her interests, but it wasn't something she did often. It was also surprising that she was worried that she thought that I thought she was weird, especially since that was one of my worries when I joined the club.

She still was extremely nervous around me for awhile though. I think she even pushed herself to try and become more comfortable when I was around, like when she visited me during our first trip here. I don't really know when it happened, but somewhere along the line, we became more comfortable around each other. Though, she would still surprise me from time to time, like the whole fake boyfriend incident.

Her asking me to be her boyfriend really threw me for a loop, especially since she just asked me that outright. I probably should have known she was referring to being a fake boyfriend considering that we're talking about me. Even so, her asking was still strange. She wanted her family not to worry about her and I somehow came up into the conversation. Deciding to go along with it was probably one of the hardest decisions of my life and I still can't believe that my personal angel and devil actually agreed.

I never imagined my first girlfriend/date/meeting the family scenario would be fake, but then again I never imagined I would be in that kind of scenario in the first place. Her family was pretty accepting of me though, even though they knew I was lying. I think it was also at the time that I consciously realized that Yuri has a way of making moments intimate. While even the simple act of holding hands with a girl who isn't Sayori would be a little too much for me, when Yuri did in an attempt not to blow our cover… I would say the spinning tea cup would have saved me, but it lead to something even more awkward. At least she didn't notice… I hope she didn't notice…

Speaking of intimate, I still don't really know what she was trying to do when we were making paper lanterns together. I keep coming to one conclusion, but I'm not really sure if that's only because of what Akuma said. Still, she didn't want to tell me then after leaving and I don't want to try and pressure it out of her.

Still, she's a lot different now than she was when I first met her. It's also nice to know that she and Natsuki made up in regards to that fight they had before I joined. I don't even think I realized there was some tension between them until Yuri pointed it out to me.

Speaking of Natsuki, I used to think that she hated me when I first joined. I wasn't much of a literature buff and I thought she knew that. She also seemed like she was very irritable and was quick to angry outburst. She herself even admitted that she made herself out to be a unpleasant person. But would an unpleasant person bake cupcakes for the club just because she heard that a potential member was coming? Even though her actions and words confused me, I could tell she was still a nice person.

I also used to think that she didn't want to be seen as "soft", so I always tried my best not to point out to her when she was letting her nice side out, at least until later. She was also the first person I knew that I was to talk about my interest in manga, since she was interested. It was a surprise to find out at first, but also a major relief. I also think that she's good with judging people, since I'm pretty sure she saw through my lie about my father, picked on my initial assumptions on the club and she has real a knack for pointing out when Sayori's being sneaky.

One thing that always stumped me though was how she called me a dummy. I mean, I knew why she did and I did deserve to be called that, but I kinda expected her to have nicknames for the other too. She kind of singled me out on that front. She still calls me that occasionally, but it's more in a jokey way. She also pretty strong considering she held her own in the Royal Rumble. I honestly lucked my way to the finals, but she really earned her way. The way she wielded the Oathkeeper and Oblivion in battle was also very awesome and she really looked cute in the Organization XIII coat. She'd probably hit with a rolled-up poster if she knew I thought that though.

Other than that reason, I think she would really be upset if I did though. I used to wonder why she would freak out over being called cute so much. It's usually a compliment, so I never got that. Though, after she confided in me, I think I understand why now. I think it was used in a different way regarding her; in a way that belittled her. I just hope one day she can know that other people really do mean it when they say that. Until then, it looks like Sayori is the only person who can get away with calling her cute. Not even Monika could get away with doing that.

Monika… Even though we were in the same class last year, we were never really friends. How could we; she was the school idol and I was the guy that would daydream a lot during school. Even when she was nice to me during our few brief interactions, that was to be expected from her. I felt the same way when I joined the club. Like I said before, spending time with the school's idol was too weird to comprehend and her actually showing interest in hanging out with me was even weirder to comprehend.

I think her title made the past me forget that she's still human though. She's as smart as you expect, as athletic as you expect and she just has an aura that attracts people. But despite that, she still has her own fears and doubts and can also suffer awkward moments like anyone else. You'd think a school idol would enjoy the simple fact of putting on a maid outfit would attract the whole school, but she just found the entire situation embarrassing.

I actually learned a lot about her feelings towards her status as we became friends. She actually doesn't really care much for it and would prefer to be around people that like her as Monika and not as the school idol. It's actually kind of weird that there's not more people like that in school. It's like they only pay attention to her and accomplishments and the feelings behind them. It's probably sad that I can give off adjectives that describe her better than most of the school. It's really ironic, her being her is what gained her the status and yet no one pays attention to the "her" part.

But I was like that once also, so why would she have been interested in being friends with me? What made me different from the others? Was it because I was subconsciously trying to be friends with Monika and not the school idol? Maybe it was because she could relate to me when it came to making friends. To my surprise, she sometimes had no idea how friends doing things together worked, even asking me for some help with her slumber party. But despite that, I never doubted she would really have no problems when it came friends just because she's caring and always tries to encourage others rather looking down on them when she's clearly in a position to do so. I just hope that one days others can see what we see.

Sayori… This is going to be a tough one. It's kinda hard to write about Sayori because Granny Hisa used to tease me about having a crush on her. Probably didn't help that we used to hold hands and hug a lot. Sayori is still a hugger though. Actually, she's still pretty much the same person she was when we were younger and that was honestly a relief. She's been pretty forgiving considering I essentially ditched her to be alone even though I don't deserve it. I'm both relived and feel bad about something that makes her her; I really am weird.

That fact aside though, Sayori has always had my back even if I didn't always appreciate it. She tried to snap me out of my funk, but I wouldn't listen until I accidently heard how lonely she's been for the last few years. I'm still mad at myself that that only happened because I pretended to be asleep because I couldn't face her back then. Even so, I knew I had to make up for being a bad friend and join the club. I think it was selfish off me to try and reconnect with someone I hurt. I wanted to do it for her and I wanted to do it for myself. Even though the whole situation was my fault, I always did regret closing myself off like that and I don't think any amount of "it's understandable" will make that guilt go away.

Changing gears before this becomes too negative; Sayori is also still as clumsy as she used to be. I think it says something that our first run-in in a while was literally her running into me. She's also as sneaky as she used to be or at least she tries to be sneaky. Though I kinda have experience, so I can sometimes see it coming.

But back to my first point, Sayori has my back and she also has the backs of anyone else she considers her friends. She really likes to make people happy and I'm probably living proof of her success there. I'm sure that's why she's the Vice-President of the Literature Club and just as you'd expect from her, it's a position she hardly flaunts around. It's really funny considering how sneaky she can be sometimes, you think she would. The only thing I can't understand is why she sometimes gets so weird when it comes to doing things that we did when we were kids. She was initially against me carrying her on my back when I first offered earlier this year; maybe it's inappropriate for teenagers to do that.

I really did miss hanging out with Sayori. She's my best friend and I'm really glad that she is. I just need to make sure that I don't mess things up again.

After joining the club, I also met a few other people throughout the school year. The first was Fuyu.

Fuyu's the school council president and has a reputation for being an ice queen. She certainly lived up to that reputation when we first met. She was very professional, but in such a way that it was really intimidating. Despite that though, she can also the opposite of an ice queen. Sayori told me about her gushing over Rei's Link costume and she certainly didn't mind trying to cheer me up even though it involved sharing a cardboard box with me.

I also didn't expect someone with her reputation to be such a video game buff. She threw a few Metal Gear references my way and Sayori told me how she effortlessly explained to Natsuki Kingdom Hearts: Dark Seeker Saga's release history.

Actually, what I really never expected was her being so trusting of me at first, offering me vice-presidency and leaving me to make sure Rei knows her way around school was confusing until I found out that we actually met before when we were younger. I only vaguely recall it, but I once helped her when she was blind and had no way to get home. I was really surprised that she remembered something like that.

Sometime later, I met Kiyoko. Or maybe, I should say that I met her basketball first. Either way, it was a sudden meeting. To make things even weirder, it turns out we share a few classes and I never noticed. I felt a little embarrassed over that fact, but her casual behavior quickly fixed that. I actually never met anyone my age that casual before. She's so casual that even birds have no issue with her. It's probably her casual nature that makes it easier to talk to her despite not knowing each other that well. At least, I don't know as much about her as much as she knows about me. I think she's like Natsuki when it comes to judging people.

Finally, there's Rei. I honestly don't know much about her because she never talks. Not only that, but she's hard to read because she doesn't really emote either. It was really awkward the first day we were together. It really was like when Roxas had his first mission with Xion. I don't really know why it is she's so silent but it's not really my place to try and find out. There is one thing that I do know about her though: she moves and fights like someone from fiction. The way she moved during the Royal Rumble was like Ultra Instinct Goku. I wonder if her Link costume was because of Fuyu or her own interest. I sometimes wonder what she thinks of us. If she doesn't consider us friends, is there any way for that to happen?

…

Looking over this, it's funny how I went from expressing my own doubts and ended up writing about my friends. They always told me what they thought of me, but I don't think I ever did the same. What do they mean to me?

…

This was never the life I thought I would ever have. I always considered lucky myself to have Sayori in my life and now I have even more friends.

…

They…

…

…..

….

Is this really alright, Hiroko? What would you say if you could see this with your own eyes?"

…

I'm sorry, in the end; I'm going to have to be selfish for a little while longer. I need to think of a way to express what they mean to me.

A/N: Thank you for reaching the end. If only I could find a way to better celebrate writing something that I had no idea I would be writing for this long. Maybe I should just sketch a design for Shujinkou so people could have a face to put with the character. Well, I guess I really should just focus on bringing the current arc to an end already.

Chapter Text

A solemn sigh burst through Shujinkou's lips as he looked over what he had previously written. "Selfish… Maybe that's all I've been this whole time. I felt like I was being selfish ignoring the effect shutting myself away had on those I cared about. But even if I apologize… Does that even make it anywhere close to right? A good friend…  All the things nice things that have been said to me… Can I really believe them?"

"Believe what?" Shujinkou glanced up from his sketchbook , his eyes widening with surprise when he realized Monika was standing next to him. "Monika?!"

He instinctively closed his sketchbook as she sat down next to him.

"Were you drawing something?" she asked, her curious eyes drawing to his book.

"No, I was just writing..." Shujinkou's cheeks slightly grew red as he stopped himself from saying anymore. "…about stuff… in my sketchbook… because I didn't have a regular book to write in… Please stop me…"

"I don't know, Shujinkou, I'm kinda enjoying watching you like this," Monika giggled. "But I'll change the subject for you."

"Thank you…"

"So, are you excited for the big festival tomorrow?"

"Mm-hmm," Shujinkou glanced out of the front entrance and briefly watched the storm he previously wrote about. It was so bad he could hardly see past it; like it was curtain blocking the outside world. "It's a good thing these kinds of things take place in the evening or else the whole thing would be ruined and that's the last thing we need."

"What do you mean by that?" Monika queried.

"It's just that we kind of had a little bad luck this so far on this trip," Shujinkou answered. "First we miss the entire first day due to trying to find a way here, then Natsuki was forced into the Royal Rumble which kept her from doing what she wanted to do and now we're trapped in here due to severe weather."

"I guess. But there are positives to go along with it. You still got to go back to an anime convention, we got to see a little of Fuyu's non-serious side, I got some insight thanks to Kiyoko, We learned that Rei is extremely good in a mob fight, Natsuki became queen of the convention and reconciled with Yuri…"

A surprise look crossed Shujinkou's face.

"We talked," Monika explained. "So, you shouldn't begin to think that things were bad for the most part."

Silence inserted itself in their conversation as Shujinkou glanced at his sketchbook. "Hey, Monika… Do you think I've been a good friend?"

"No, I don't think that at all," a smile crossed her face after saying that. "I know that. Been knew that."

"Been knew?" Shujinkou questioned.

"I just always had a feeling about that since last year."

"You thought that since last year?" the young man was unable to hide his surprise hearing such a thing. "From last year's me? Constantly daydreaming in class me?"

"Mm-hmm and it looks like I was right," Monika continued with a smile.

"Wow. That's really surprising you could think that from how I was last year." Shujinkou sighed and took another brief glance at his sketchbook. "Everyone keeps saying how I'm a little different from earlier this year and that I'm a good friend, but no matter how many times that's aid to me, I don't really feel that way. I mean, I know I'm not a sad sack anymore but… maybe everyone is just exaggerating."

"Hmm…" Monika remained silent as she turned her gaze away from Shujinkou. "Hey, Shujinkou… What are your happiest moments?"

"Huh? My happiest moments?"

"You know; moments where you're so happy you can't help but beam with joy. Moments like those are often given to a person by someone else," Monika's gaze, now filled with curiosity, returned to Shujinkou. "How do you feel when someone is feeling troubled?"

"I feel…" Shujinkou closed his eyes as he pondered Monika's question. "I feel uncomfortable."

"Which makes you want to…?"

"Cheer them up?"

"Mm-hmm. Doing such things is creating happy moments for those you do that for which, to that person, is very special to them."

"But, wouldn't that just mean that I'm doing it just so I feel better?"

"Hmm…" Monika completely turned away from the questioner for 2 minutes before turning back to say, "Let me ask you another question. How did you feel when Sayori asked you to join the club?"

"I felt disbelief that she even asked me in the first place, I felt uncomfortable being there and I had to leav- No, I wanted to leave, but…" Memories of what occurred the moment he tried to leave flashed through Shujinkou's mind, reminding him of one of his many regrets. "Sayori wanted me to join."

"And did you think that you needed to join just to clear your own guilty conscious?" Monika questioned.

"No, I… I just didn't want to imagine Sayori having such a face ever again."

"What about whenever Yuri and Natsuki were ever upset? Did you just try and make them feel better for selfish reasons or because you hate seeing them like that?"

"I guess the second one…"

"What about me?"

"Monika, I don't think I've really seen you upset."

"I guess I'm just good at hiding it. But I asked that to get to this; when you first joined the club, you made it clear that you held no value for yourself. You made remarks about how you had to do something to justify you being there even though I think being there for your friend is more than enough to justify that. And even though you initially came off as a little distant, you've always been respectful to us and considered our feeling. Whenever something came up, you never really hesitated to act even if it felt awkward on your part.

Going off what you said earlier, you were probably told something similar to that already. But let me add something to it." Monika's expression subtly changed as her cheeks slightly grew red. "You know, even though I'm supposed to be the president of the club, I'm not the one who brought us together."

"What do you mean?" Shujinkou asked.

"Sure, I may have created the club and may have had a hand in gathering us together, but truthfully, club relationships weren’t that good. Maybe it was asking too much for us to be the best of friends at first, but things still weren’t as good as they could have been back then. Natsuki and Yuri were at odds and somewhat isolated, Sayori's mind was only on one thing and I had no idea what I was doing. Then you came along and things started to change. Sayori's happiness knew no bounds now that she could hang out with her best friend and you slowly but surely befriended the rest of us too. It was through you, but the club seemed to be a little more connected than before all because you were being the very person you yourself doubted.

It was also nice for me personally because, I always did want to befriend you last year, but I really couldn't get anywhere beyond a couple of greetings. I really didn't know how to genuinely make friends with people. So you being around in the club gave me a chance to achieve that goal and it always astounded me that you looked down on yourself so much. Hanging out together, it was clear that not only you were kind and respectful, but you also knew how to have fun and are really creative. You're a great artist, a good listener and you just seem to have a knack for connecting to others. That last part is something I really respect about you.

It eventually got to the point that I started to think of you as the heart of the group, because without you, the rest of us wouldn't have begun to become friends with each other. Big things like slumber parties and small things like helping carrying manga from point A to point B wouldn't have been possible without your influence."

"She's right, Shujinkou!" Sayori's sudden appearance was enough to cause Shujinkou to jump back. "How can you still doubt yourself when you only joined the club to be a good friend?"

"That reason does make me feel like I was just trying to ease my own guilty conscious…" Shujinkou sorrowfully sighed.

"What about you promising me that you would try to be happier? Would you really go that far to keep such a promise just so you wouldn't feel guilty?"

"Um…"

"And then there was the fact that you spent an entire night planning a scavenger hunt like we always wanted to do as a surprise for me despite already cheering me up by that point. Was that only because you felt guilty?"

"I don't know, I think what I said after the adventure kind of lends to the guilty option."

"Geez, how stubborn can you be?" Shujinkou turned around and was surprised to Natsuki and Yuri standing behind him. The annoyed expression on the former's face was something he hasn't seen from her for awhile. "Monika's text said that you needed cheering up, but I didn't know it was for something like this.

She then crossed her arms in a huff as her cheeks grew rosy red. "Even after everything I said to you last night, you still don't get it?"

"I knew you had your own moments, but I never realize your self-depreciation reached such bounds," Yuri lamented.

"That may be a bit of an exaggeration…" Shujinkou replied.

"Not really, it's just not the only thing. It seems like your stubbornness also knows no bounds," Natsuki interjected. "Seriously, there's being humble and just being annoyingly stubborn. Why is it so hard for you to accept your good points despite you constantly pointing out others?"

"It's just that… I think you guys are making some of the stuff I did seem bigger than they are," Shujinkou solemnly answered. "Especially since I was never the one to do special things. I just… do things…"

An awkward silence inserted itself into the conversation until Sayori finally spoke up, "Shujinkou, you think you may just have joined the club to ease your own guilty conscience. Is that really all there is to it? Is that what our friendship really means to you? You said that you wanted to be best friends again but was that only just so you didn't want to feel guilty?"

"When you first left, I realized that I was being selfish by pressuring you into doing something you didn't want to do. I admitted that much to you."

"But you were just trying to be a good friend," Shujinkou argued.

"So, if what I did was me being a good friend, then how is what you've done any different?"

Shocked by such a point, Shujinkou could only silently scratch his right cheek.

"And what about everything else you've done since then?" Sayori continued. "Was that you being selfish too? Because if you say it's not, then there's only one other thing that could possibly mean."

"But…"

"For the love of-!" Suddenly, Natsuki firmly gripped Shujinkou's shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. "Just admit it already, Shujinkou. We've all said it, so why can't you? Stop acting like your something you're not and just admit that you're a good friend already!"

Once again stricken with silence, Shujinkou could do nothing but have every moment he's been through for his first semester flash in his head. Remembering such things in the face of his friends trying to get him to admit something he struggled to admit…

At that moment, he was finally able to respond, but not in the way anyone expected him to. Natsuki slowly released her grip on Shujinkou as she watched tears flow out of his eyes.

"Thank you…" he sniffled.

"Come on… You're a boy. Boys don't cry," Natsuki reminded him.

Shujinkou nodded his head; the moment he finished he noticed a handkerchief enter his field of view.

"You can use this, if you want," Yuri offered with a gentle smile.

"Thanks…" Accepting the gift, the young man began to wipe his tears.

"You know what this moment calls for…" an excited grin crossed Sayori's face ash she wrapped her arms around her best friend. "Group hug!"

"Eh?! Natsuki exclaimed.

"Seconded," Monika smiled as she joined in the hug.

"Ah…" Yuri nervously glanced away from the group for a moment and then turned back with a small smile on her face. She then slowly moved closer to the others and joined their group embrace.

"Come on, Natsuki," Sayori insisted.

"Uh…" Natsuki's crossed her arms in a huff with an unsure expression resting on her face. In no time at all she sighed and relented. "…Fine."

With rosy cheeks, she awkwardly moved towards the others and just as awkwardly joined in. "Just don't make this a regular thing…"

"We can make this a regular thing?" Sayori's already excited grin grew even bigger as she pondered that idea.

"Dang it!" she regretfully thought.

As the hug continued, Shujinkou realized something. He felt no awkwardness, no embarrassment nor conflict. There was only one thing he felt at that moment.

"I always considered myself lucky to have Sayori in my life and now I have even more friends," he thought. His lips trembled as he thought about that. But that only lasted for a moment. Before long, he found himself smiling. "I'm... I'm happy."

Chapter Text

"Uh…"Shujinkou's cheeks burned bright red as he desperately tried to keep his eyes glued to the ground. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't help but look up to catch another glimpse. It was like he was drawn in by a magnetic source to behold something that would have been impossible to behold before the school year begun. "This is too much…"

Any other male his age would have considered himself lucky to be in the position he currently found himself in, but Shujinkou could not help but feel extremely uncomfortable over being at the beach with his friends in their swim suits.

"All right, our spot is finally set up," Monika happily announced.

"I mean they're my friends… I can't look at them like that…" Shujinkou thought.

"I seriously still can't believe you guys convinced us to go to the beach," Natsuki complained.

"I mean, how would I feel if they were looking at me like that…?" Shujinkou asked himself.

"How could we go on a summer trip without going to the beach?" Sayori argued. "The experience wouldn't be right without it."

"Then again, that probably wouldn't even happen to me. It's not like I'm my father…" Shujinkou solemnly admitted.

"It's just that…" Natsuki exchanged glances with the group, before she lowered her head, giving her a chance to look at her upper torso. "What's there to even do at the beach?"

"He was always a 'ladies' man'. We're complete opposites when it comes to girls," Shujinkou continued.

"There's lots to do on the beach and it's a good way to kill some time until this evening," Sayori happily answered.

"The closest I am to being like that is that all my friends are female," Shujinkou thought.

"But don't you think the attire that we have to wear at the beach is a little… revealing?" Yuri worried.

"Then again, it's not like I want to be a ladies' man anyway. That's just not me," Shujinkou concluded.

"Honestly, it's not as revealing as anything as some of the cosplay outfits that some wore at the convention," Fuyu pointed out.

"Wonder why he was here anyway? Should I tell Mom and Granny Hisa?" Shujinkou wondered.

"Speaking of which," Sayori turned her gaze to her pink-haired roomate. "Natsuki, you should have brought your crown with you."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm going to wear that while here…" Natsuki crossed her arms as she thought of the reason why. "I really don't need to give that Xemnas guy an indicator of where I am."

She then shifted her gaze towards Rei and remembered how the silent girl performed during the event. "Not to mention, I only won because Rei just gave up during the semi-finals."

"So, what are we going to do while here?" Kiyoko asked.

Natsuki glanced down and, with a look of disbelief, watched Kiyoko stretch out on her towel. "You ask that and yet you look like you're not going to want to move from that spot."

"Well, I do want to make sure I get some downtime at the beach," Kiyoko chuckled.

"Hmm… Shujinkou?" Sayori glanced at her childhood friend, finally realizing that he was lost in his own thoughts. "Shujinkou!"

"Huh?" his train of thoughts brought to an abrupt stop, Shujinkou glanced up at his friends. Such a sight brought back the awkward feelings he left behind earlier. "Oh… um… Did anyone need something?"

"Are you okay, Shujinkou?" Yuri worriedly asked. "You seem a bit distracted."

"Or at least as distracted as you were earlier this year," Natsuki added.

"No, I'm fine… It's just…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he wondered how he could possibly explain how awkward he felt.

"Hm," a small smile stretched across Monika's face as she clapped her hands. "Okay, everyone, why don't we think about this in the water. That way we won't be burning up in the sun."

The group, sans Kiyoko, agreed to her suggestion and began to head to the water until Monika stopped them. "Shujinkou… You sure you want to go swimming in your shirt?"

"Huh? Uh…" Shujinkou glanced down at his upper body, realizing that he was indeed still wearing his shirt. "Oh right…"

He didn't really want to remove his shirt, but considering it was not the type of shirt that should be worn in the water, he had no choice. Slowly and awkwardly, he began to remove his shirt. He would have preferred to just get it over it, but the amount of awkwardness he had to deal with so far today slowed his movements. It felt like an eternity passed for him until he finally completed his task; the moment he finished he found that the girl were silently staring at him.

"What? Is there something on my chest?" Shujinkou examined every inch of his upper body but couldn't find anything wrong. With no clue of what was happening, the young man could only scratch of his right cheek. "Guys?"

"Huh?" the girls responded in unison. It was as if they had just awoken from a trance.

"Um, actually… I think I want to go make a sand castle…" Shujinkou said, slowly backing away. "So, I'll just make one by our stuff."

The flustered young man wasted no time in turning around and walking back to where they left their possessions. Once there, he grabbed a small shovel and pail and began constructing his sand castle.

"Were they eyeing me?" he wondered with bright red cheeks. "I want to say that it can't happen because it's me, but there's no other explanation I can think of.  And even if I could think of one, how do I know that it isn't just a result of my self-depreciation? I never figured I could have that kind of effect on girls, but then again there were a lot of things I never expected to happen happen. Maybe I did get something from my father in that department after all… Or maybe I'm just going to the other extreme on the appreciation/depreciation scale.

Either way, my heart can't take all of this; I won't be able to make it to the fireworks tonight if this keeps up. Maybe I can find a cardboard box and hide there for a few hours… Nah, that wouldn't be nice. I should really just suck it up and get back out there."

A deep sigh burrowed through his sealed lips. "That's easier said than done…"

The troubled young man continued to work on his sand castle, smoothing out the walls and building a lookout tower on the four corners of his of his property. But just as he began to work on an expansion on the rear, a hand, possessing a seashell, entered his field of view. Following the hand to its source, he would soon discover it belonged to a very familiar silent girl kneeling right beside him.

"Did you find this on the beach?" Shujinkou asked.

As usual, Rei did not answer his question. Instead she just simply moved the seashell closer to him. It looked as if she was offering it to him. Going by that assumption, Shujinkou slowly reached for the shell and lifted it off her hand.

"Thanks, but don't you want it?" he asked.

Rei simply stared at him. In the face of such an awkward silence, Shujinkou raised the shell to his right ear and closed his eyes. It was just like when he visited the beach when he was younger; any shell he came across, he would lift to his ears to see if he could hear the ocean. He used to think that of course you would hear the ocean near the sea and as he later found out in life, he was partially right. Still, hearing the quiet roars of the ocean's waves crashing onto the beach filled him with a since of nostalgia; a feeling that would usually have filled him with sorrow and yet he didn't feel that way this time. He felt a sense of serenity, a feeling he hasn't felt in a long time.

He then opened his eyes and found Rei still staring at him. But there was something different about her stare this time. It looked like she was confused.

"Hey, did you know that if you hold a seashell to your ear, you can hear the ocean?" Shujinkou presented the shell to the silent girl in front of him, urging her to accept it back from him.

Without saying a word, Rei accepted the shell and raised it to her left ear. The young man sitting next to her watched her only visible eye close and her expression change to one he had yet to see from her. She looked tranquil.

"Wow…" Shujinkou quickly shifted his gaze upwards and found Fuyu standing next to them. "I've never seen her look so… calm."

"Never?" Surprise was all Shujinkou felt at that moment. Deep down, he assumed that Fuyu had seen Rei emote at least a little more than what he had seen

"Not even when she's asleep," Fuyu answered. "It makes me wonder what she'll look like when she sees the flowers that had caught her eye."

She then awkwardly adjusted her glasses and sighed. "Hey, Shujinkou…"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for inviting us out here. I know it had to be weird since it's not like we're more aquantences than friends."

"You know… Kiyoko said something similar to that. I invited her out here on this trip even though we haven't really interacted that much." Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he chuckled. "You know, 24 hours ago, I probably would have some sort of negative reason for why I did so. But, I think I already admitted the real reason. I know we're not really close friends or anything, but I would like it if we could at least become friends."

"R-Really? Fuyu's cheeks faintly grew red as she adjusted her glasses. "That's weird to hear. Not many people want to be friends with the 'ice queen' student president. For justifiable reasons."

"Hey, Fuyu, why do you have a scary presidential side?" Shujinkou questioned.

"Believe it or not, I was kinda worried that I wouldn't really be taken seriously as president if I was myself. So, I tried to put up a very professional act that ended up coming off as a scary ice queen. Honestly, at this point, I think that it's pretty much a part of cause I can turn it on and off like a switch. From an outside perspective though, I'm probably come off as living by the age-old phrase, 'It's better to be feared, than love.'"

"Huh, sounds similar to the philosophy that I went by for a while, "It's better to live in fantasy, than live in reality'. Though because of that, I sometimes kinda just blank out of reality. Mine's not always a flip of the switch."

"Mom would say that's pretty unhealthy. But… it sounds nice to do sometimes."

"Yeah, well… I didn't do it short bursts. But I think that I'm getting better."

"Hm..."

"Hey, Shujinkou," the young man followed the sudden voice to its source to find Monika smiling down at him. "You think I can take a moment of your time?"

"Huh?" that was all he was able to say before she reached down and softly squeezed his right hand. The sudden contact momentarily stopped all of his thought processes, making it easier for her to guide him on his feet and toward the water. By the time he snapped out of his trance, Shujinkou found himself swimming with Monika. "What's happening?"

"Just making sure you enjoy some time in the water," Monika giggled.

"Uh…" Shujinkou glanced down at the water as he realized what kind of situation he was in. But we wasn't alone with his thoughts for long as he felt his hands connected to Monika's and was once again guided through the water. "Um, Monika…"

"Yeah?"

"Um… I'm feeling kinda…"

"Awkward?"

"Y-Yeah…"

Shujinkou then felt his arms gently tugged forward and found himself only a few inches away from Monika.

"I was wrong earlier; I shouldn't try to suck it up! I'm really not going to make it to tonight at this rate!" he thought.

"Is it as awkward as when I was dressed as a maid?" she asked.

"I guess that would be more awkward…"

"Yeah… Imagine a lot of people you don't know arriving just to stare at you. The only thing worse than that is having your friends catch you in that situation. That was super awkward. Don't think there has been a more awkward moment in my life."

"Really? I kinda expected you having to kiss me just to keep your story a secret would be your most awkward moment." The moment those words left his mouth, Shujinkou had to fight the urge to kick himself for admitting that out loud.

"Far from it," Monika flashed a knowing smile as she said that. "It's actually connected to a personal victory."

"Personal victory? She must be connecting it to her not having to reveal her story," Shujinkou concluded. "I never expected her to do such a thing to win. I hope I never have to seriously compete with her."

The moment he finished riding his train of thoughts, he realized that Monika had been silently smiling at him the entire time.

"And I'm sinking," putting on a casual façade, Shujinkou proceeded to sink under the water to give him breather from the tense atmosphere. Not too long after diving, he felt something brush against his left cheek. Due to his current location, he couldn't specify what it was. He wasn't even sure if "brush" was the proper way to explain what her felt. Perhaps pressed was against his cheek was a better description, but since it only lasted a few seconds, he couldn't be too sure. But despite that, he cheeks couldn't help but turn bright red; this act only serving to add to the confusion. He immediately resurfaced only to find Monika was no longer in front of him. "Monika?"

He then felt something tap his right shoulder, prompting Shujinkou to turn around to find his frined giggling behind him with equally red cheeks.

"Race you to the shore!" she suddenly said before taking off towards the finish line.

"Not even going to try…" he weakly chuckled. Knowing he was outmatched, Shujinkou proceeded to take his time swimming to the shore. The moment he finally reached land again, his vision immediately went black.

"Guess who?" he heard.

"Sayori," he answered.

He heard the sound of giggling as light returned to his eyes.

"You always get that right," Sayori's grinning face soon jumped into his view.

"Well, you are the only one who does that to me," Shujinkou chuckled as he scratched his right cheek.

"Oh, by the way, check out what I did with Yuri," she directed his gaze towards their aforementioned friend. She was reading a book like she was often seen doing, but there was something different about her this particular time.

"Yuri?" Shujinkou called.

"Yes?" the young maiden glanced up from her book with a curious look on her face.

"You're a mermaid," Shujinkou glanced at her lower body, currently covered in sand that was shaped after a mermaid's tail.

"Well… I didn't see any harm in participating in such a thing," Yuri replied. "I think it will be nice to one day look back and remember that I was a mermaid once."

"Just like I do when Shujinkou made me a turtle," Sayori interjected.

"You made Sayori a turtle?" Natsuki asked as she approached the three.

"Actually, I was going for a Koppa Troppa from the Super Mario games," he answered.

"So… a turtle."

"Well… Pretty much." Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he thought about the designs of one of the most iconic enemies from the Mario franchise. But like every other time he did so, he eventually found himself wondering why none of them looked like their king, Bowser. He then slapped his cheeks, effectively bringing a halt to his train of thoughts before he could lose himself again. The moment he was firmly brought back to reality, he couldn't help but notice Natsuki wearing a very intense expression on face as she silently stared at him. "Natsuki?"

"Huh?" appearing as she had just awoken from a trance, the pink-haired girl violently shook her head before slapping her own cheeks.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. I was just thinking about Sayori being a turtle. It just sounds weird."

"It wasn't that weird. I made a great turtle," Sayori protested.

"And how long did it take you to burst out of the sand shell?" Natsuki questioned.

"Eh…" a nervous chuckle was all Sayori could respond with. "Um, hey, don't you think Yuri looks great as a mermaid?"

"I don't think it's fair to use me as a way to change the subject," Yuri said in response to Sayori's question.

"Uo…" with no other choice, Sayori ducked down and started digging in the sand. When she had the amount of sand she desired, she crawled into the hole she dug and started to fill it up.

"What are you doing?" Natsuki asked.

"I'm showing you that I can be a great turtle!" Sayori answered in a huff.

"Koppa Troppa," Shujinkou corrected.

"Koppa Troppa!" Sayori declared.

"Where?" Fuyu curiously asked.

"Sayori," Shujinkou answered.

"Sayori's a Koopa Troopa?"

"She's trying to make a Koppa shell."

Fuyu glanced at the results of Sayori's "Koopa Shell."

"It looks like you made yourself a Goomba," Fuyu nervously critiqued.

"Goomba? What's a Goomba?" Yuri questioned.

"You haven't heard of the Goombas?" Fuyu asked back.

"I think I heard it from Yuki…" Yuri mumbled aloud.

"Yuki? Who's Yuki?" Monika asked.

"Oh. Um… She's my younger sister," Yuri answered.

"You have a little sister?!" Natsuki exclaimed. "How come you never mentioned her before?"

"An opportunity never presented itself to ever talk about my home life," Yuri pointed out.

"She's right. The only reason that I knew about her was because Yuri let it slip when we worked on our poster for Granny Hisa," Sayori added.

"Really? So, you knew about Yuki too?" Shujinkou asked.

"Wait… You know about her too, Shujinkou?" Sayori gasped.

"Did everyone here know that Yuri had a little sister?" Natsuki wondered aloud.

"I found out about her yesterday," Monika nervously admitted.

"Urk-" taken aback by from what she had heard in the past few moments, Natsuki couldn't help but express how she felt. "Why does it feel like I'm always the last to know these things?"

At that moment, Kiyoko slowly sat up and stretched her arms. "What are you guys talking about? You talking about, Yuki?"

"You knew too?!" Natsuki exclaimed once more.

"Just kidding," Kiyoko chuckled. "Sorry; couldn't resist."

Later that night, Shujinkou found himself staring at himself through his bedroom mirror. He felt a sense of nostalgia as he inspected every part of his yukata. "I never thought I would be wearing one of these again."

"Been a while since you worn one, huh?" Kiyoko asked as she tied her hair back. "Been a while since I worn one too."

"Really? When was the last time you wore one?"

"To my parents' funeral."

"Oh… Um…" the young man was taken aback by the how his roommate could so casually drop such information. "I-I'm sorry…"

"No need to apologize; I'm the one who brought it up. Anyway, no one told me what to wear, so I picked the closest thing that I thought looked appropriate. I really stood out in the crowd that day."

"…I'm sorry."

"Seriously, you don't need to apologize."

She stood up and brushed her ponytail off her shoulder. "You ready to go?"

"Y-Yeah…" That was the response Shujinkou could muster up. He was still stuck on how Kiyoko could be so casual about her parents' funeral.

He proceeded to follow her out of her room and down the hallway.

"So… what happened yesterday?" she suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?" Shujinkou questioned back.

"You seemed to be super happy all day yesterday."

"Oh. I just had a really nice conversation."

"Well, it's good you're happy; wouldn't want you to be super upset on the last night."

"The last night…" those three words reminded Shujinkou of how close school was to starting once again. He would no longer have all the time in the world to do what he wanted or spend time with his friends. "Well, there's no helping that."

The two would soon enter the lobby where the others were waiting. Not too long after they arrived, Lady Hisa approached the group, sighing deeply before crashing into one of the couches. "Finally; some time to rest. I think this was the busiest year yet."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he watched his grandmother bury her head in one of her pillows.

"Good thing everyone leaves for the festival…" she continued.

"Speaking of which, I wonder if there's going to be any special fireworks this year," Sayori wondered aloud.

Hisa's eyes widened as she processed the verbal representation of Sayori's curiosity.

"Oh yeah…" Hisa awkwardly scratched her right cheek as she looked up at her special guests. "There's not going to be any fireworks this year."

"Eh?!" Sayori and Natsuki exclaimed.

"That's kinda what happens when the point that was hit the hardest by yesterday's storm included the stash of fireworks."

"Well, that sucks," Kiyoko casually shrugged.

"But wait…" Fuyu adjusted her glasses as she took a moment to ponder the situation. "It's entirely possible to still have a festival but, in moments likes this, higher ups would try to salvage this by offering an alternative to alleviate disappointment."

"That's exactly what they're doing," Hisa smiled as she sat up. "Instead of fireworks, we're working with floating lanterns, also known as Sky Lanterns."

"Sky lanterns…" Hearing those words reminded Yuri of the afternoon she spent making their hanging variants with Shujinkou. Memories such as those were enough to put a small smile on her face. "I think those would be a good alternative."

"Mm-hmm. All those little lights coming together to light up the sky may be even better than the fireworks could have been," Monika agreed.

While the feeling of relief washed over the girls, Shujinkou was experiencing a different feeling.

"We should hurry up and get to the festival in the city before all the food is gone!" Sayori suddenly said.

"Is food seriously all you ever think about?" Natsuki chastised.

"No. I also sometimes think about the stuff you bake."

"That's still food!"

"Um, guys…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he attracted his friends' gazes. "You think I could catch up with you guys later?"

"Eh?! But why?" Sayori questioned.

"There's just… There's something I have to do for later tonight."

"But what about the festival?"

"I'll make sure I don't miss the whole thing. I just really have to do something before the night is over. Do you think that you could lead them to the place later if I'm not there by then?"

A disappointed look rested on Sayori's face. With no other choice, Shujinkou leaned over to her right ear and whispered what he had to do. In no time at all, Sayori's expression changed from displaying her disappointment to displaying her surprise.

"Really?" she asked.

Shujinkou silently nodded his head.

"Okay, Shujinkou," a big smile stretched across Sayori's face. "Do your best!"

"I'll try," he replied, scratching his right cheek.

With Sayori's urgings, the girls travelled to the city to participate in the local festival as planned. They played games, won prizes and Natsuki had to pry Sayori away from areas that offered food more than once. They also made sure to grab some sky lanterns before they missed a chance.

A few hours later, Sayori led the group a little way from the city in order to introduce them to the location Shujinkou had promised to take Rei. The moment they arrived, the girls were in complete awe of the beauty the field of Night Lotuses offered them.

 "They're so pretty," Yuri admired.

Rei walked closer to the field of flowers and kneeled down next them.

"Hey, they're letting the lights fly!" Sayori suddenly announced, prompting the others to look up.

As she said, a plethora of lanterns were slowly floating up into the air.

"Guess it's time for us to also do the same," Fuyu said.

"Ah! But Shujinkou isn't here yet! We can't do it without him!" Sayori insisted.

Just then, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. "Guess who?"

"Shujinkou?! You made it!" Sayori beamed.

"Mm-hmm," he nodded.

"Yeesh, what were you doing that made you almost miss everything?" Natsuki queried.

"Something very important," Shujinkou said with a smile.

Taken aback by such a happy answer, Natsuki found herself unable to respond back.

"Alright then…" Monika reached for her lantern and held it close to her. "We don't want to get left behind by everyone else."

Following Monika's example, the rest of the group lit up their lanterns and held it in the air. "Okay everyone… Let them fly!"

All at once, they let go of their lanterns watching in awe as they float up to join the others.

"Last but not least," Shujinkou reached down and picked up another lantern. Unlike the other ones, this one appeared custom made. Its brilliant blue coloring and bright yellow star centered on all four sides contrasted greatly to the others. "This one's for you, Hiroko."

He then lit the lantern up and watched it float away from him. As it continued to float up to the sky, its shape suddenly began to distort and grow blurry. He then felt something hot run down his cheeks, prompting Shujinkou to wipe his eyes before anyway could see his tears.

"See ya…" a small smile formed on his face as he tried his best to blink back his tears.

DDLC My Reality Act 1: The End

Chapter Text

So… Last afterword I mentioned how fast time flew by when the 1st year anniversary arrived. This time I'll express my disbelief on how I've spent 2 years writing this story. I can believe 1 year, but 2 is a little out there. It's really incredible to me because this fanfiction came about at a time where I was feeling really low as a writer. I made a bunch of crossover Nickelodeon fanfictions, but at some point I was just getting lazy. My writing wasn't the best but those were better than my first fanfictions where I was a total beginner and wrote in script and got so many harsh reviews it's a wonder how my rookie spirit wasn't crushed. I'm so grateful to the people who did like the story despite the script writing and out there plot and to the people who actually critiqued and gave advice. It really did help in the long run. As for the people who gave me such harsh reviews… I can't really blame them; the story really did suck. It had potential, but it couldn't be saved. Even now that I feel more confident than I ever had and looked back on it, it couldn't be saved. I had to do a hard reset. But that's another documentary length story I'll possibly save for a possible afterword for that story (Seriously the history behind it has a high chance of being much, much longer than the history for this one).

So after 50 plus chapters of my original run of Adventures of the NGS Trio, I decided that I wanted to try and tell a 1st-person Metal Gear fanfic starring Venom Snake. It was okay. I was a little lazy on that one too, but in my defense, I had no experience with telling a story with really deep depth. Maybe that's why I could get away with my Nickelodeon crossovers, but even then I got pretty lazy regarding those at some point. Thinking back, I believe I was giving more style than substance. I would just have something I thought was cool or funny without the appropriate build-up which meant the impact was poor. And eventually, I just couldn't think of anything to write. I mean I had ideas, but none that I could fully realize. Some I even started but never finished and eventually I was losing the confidence I was building up.

And then I got the idea to write this story. This one probably would have been a make-it or break-it for me. I wouldn't have quit as a writer, but I probably would have been in for a long hiatus. But, I was determined for this one and did something I didn't do for my others stories even after I got out of script writing. I read my old chapter books to learn about sentence and paragraph structure. I studied how dialogue worked, other words to use instead of just said and how to establish characteristics and appearances with character actions.

Going a bit off subject but it was actually during that time that I realized that I could still include a lot of dialogue in writing. One of my favorite parts of writing is the dialogue. I can't explain why at the moment, but I love writing character dialogue. It was actually one of the reasons I choose script over novel writing. I used to think I wouldn't be able to include that much dialogue unless I wrote in script. Well, considering all the dialogue I put in this story, in hindsight this is just hilarious trivia. Another piece of un-important trivia is that when I do the dialogue in this story, I sometimes just write without stopping because the character's replies to each other would just come to me.

Back on track, I was ready to put the results of education to work. I got to work that night, went to sleep, woke in the morning, got back to work and by 1:10 p.m. I realized something. I was retreading the beginning of the game. I thought I could just insert Shujinkou and alter some dialogue then get to the real meat of the story, but fortunately I remembered first impressions were vital. Hardly anyone was going to read because they did not come for a retread and Shujinkou was not interesting enough to hook readers in. Plus, this was a fanfic; anyone reading this was already a fan and knew the universe. Those revelations made me realized that I just needed to work on Shujinkou, establish his place in the story and his relationship with the girls.

So, I had to start all over again. The problem for me though was that I was determined to post it on that same day. That's not the reason for the short chapter length; I just wasn't good with making long chapters back then. So, I got to work and by the time I was finished it was around 5 p.m. It was finally time to post the story and I was nervous. Like I said earlier, my confidence sort of tanked and I had legitimate fears that I may get harshly ridiculed like with my second fanfiction. To my absolute shock, I actually got a review that was good. Not only that, but I was under the belief that my stories were the only thing that got readers through my bad writing, and yet my writing was the thing that was complimented. The very subject that probably made the worst impression on readers and I got complimented for it. I had to let that sink in for a bit.

I was also afraid I would be criticized for getting characterization wrong, despite studying the game to make sure I would get the characters to act and respond how they should. In fact, I'm always worried about that one. The rest is history from there. I wanted to focus on the development of the characters and the strengthening of their bonds. I always reminded myself that one nice moment between two people does not instantly make them the best of friends, because I wanted to avoid the same pitfalls that got me before. This time I wanted substance, not just style and took my time with the characters. It was also because of this story that I realized that while good establishing character moments are important, I don't have to dump every single character trait on the first go. Which brings me to the biggest risk this story faced when writing it: Shujinkou.

I mentioned this before but I wanted to make sure that I didn't create a bland protagonist, but I also couldn't think of anything that would have made him stand out. It was my first time telling a slice of life story so it's not like I could have a spectacular opening scene that involves sneaking into an enemy camp or see a man lifting a car over his shoulders. There was also a little pressure regarding the fact that if I couldn't get people to like him enough, the story was doomed. Giving him his daydreaming quirk was to remedy his blandness but before that became a genuine personality trait; I kind of viewed it as more of a gimmick/crutch to rely on until I could give Shujinkou something. The same goes for his cheek scratching tic. When I did get a semblance of an idea, it was that Shujinkou would be kind, but also sort of indifferent to the world around him as well. That obviously didn't last long and I'm not even sure how well that idea translated to the story. But it worked out for the best because that character evolution also served as great character development in my personal opinion. I also had the idea of having him compare his situation to fictional media, but I never found a moment for that trait to show and I eventually forgot about it.

The thing was, I didn't want him to be just a pair of eyes to view the world of the story but an actual character. Believe or not, throughout the entire first act, I always asked myself whether Shujinkou was a generic avatar for the reader or was there enough to him that made him stand out as his own character. It was because of that question I always asked myself that I would always add little things that weren't always important but felt human and unique to his character.

What could he possibly do when upset? He may hide in a cardboard box to think out his problems. How could he possibly confront a major moral decision? His shoulder angel and devil can appear in the form of Mickey Mouse. What will he do sometimes when reading at home? He may play with a bubble pipe to feel distinguished. I made sure to put in little stuff like those that don't affect the story, but I thought added more character to him.

I also always made sure to show off how his thought process works and how he can sometimes get lost in his own thoughts, like in the Chapter 52 where it begins with him thinking of his history playing the first three Sly Cooper games. Far from the indifferent daydreamer he was at the start, Shujinkou became a kind individual who cares for those around him no matter how strong their bond is and is willing to do things that he would consider awkward just to keep them from being upset, while at the same time seeing himself as nothing special.

You would think him thinking he was nothing special was just him being instinctively humble, but it was later shown to be a part of his own self-depreciation, an aspect of his character I wasn't fully aware of. He would also blame himself in a situation, but would never allow others to blame themselves or try to find a way to cheer them up. Maybe the self-depreciation thing was an attempt to keep him from being the perfect nice guy, I don't really know. Sometimes characters can just grow on their own, but I am happy Shujinkou's character as he is now. Slowly allowing himself to open up to others again and just developing via the friendships he made like he helped the girls develop through the friendship he's given them.

That was the ultimate goal of the story, for the characters to grow and learn to support each other. Shujinkou was always the thread that connected the club, but it would allow them to begin to grow closer to each other later. I had some qualms about labeling Shujinkou as "The Heart" of the club, but considering how I wrote the story, I couldn't deny that fact.

Family Dynamic

I guess before I move away from just discussing Shujinkou, I should probably get into his family dynamic. I promised I would answer any questions that I could, so here goes. To start things off, let's talk about him and his father, Jomei. Jomei was always a distant man to his son, which served to plant the seeds of his self-depreciation. If his own father appeared to not care for him much, why would he believe others would? He also had the misfortune of walking in on his father during a very intimate moment. After Jomei left, Shujinkou blamed himself. His father's sudden departure also contributed to him closing himself off from everyone and he began his habit of daydreaming to escape reality.

As for his mother, Hiro, the two share a close bond. She's always been caring to her son and Sayori and during his period of shutting himself off, she would engage in activities with him in an attempt to make him happy. While Shujinkou recognized this after joining the Literature Club, but that period deeply saddened her and she would sometime cry herself to sleep over what happened to trigger Shujinkou's unhealthy habit.

In regards to her relationship to Jomei, they never really had any fights though she would always ask if he would be a bit more fatherly. He never said anything to anyone when he left, and while his sudden departure hurt Hiro, she had more pressing matter to deal with. She doesn't hate him; she actually doesn't really know how to feel about him. Though if they were to run into each other, she would most likely be emotionally unprepared for such an encounter.

I also made sure to make it obvious how Sayori feels about Jomei. While she has affectionate nicknames for Shujinkou's family such as "Auntie H" and "Granny Hisa", she simply refers to Jomei by his name or "Shujinkou's Father". Though she'll be cheerful around him like she is with everyone else, Sayori never really liked how much he upset Shujinkou as a child which evolved to just plain not liking him after he left. The only reason she suggested Shujinkou should spend time with him during their reuninon was because she hoped it would help him gain closure. Shujinkou was aware of this fact, which is why he never told how their day really went. Despite keeping to himself about what really happened, Sayori suspects that it wasn't good.

Hisa shares Sayori's sentiments towards Jomei and won't really hesitate to express how much she does not like him to his face.

Original Characters

This is a subject I dreaded when I got past Chapter 1. I knew there was only so long I could go on without introducing new characters regardless of their importance. I didn't have complete belief that I was handling Shujinkou that well at first, so I had even less belief that I could make more characters that were actually compelling. Even now, I still wonder. But if Shujinkou is anything to go by, maybe it's a good thing. It makes me strive to constantly work on their character and avoid being lazy with their characterization. Like I said earlier, I probably wouldn't have added all those little things that aided in building Shujinkou's character if I wasn't a little unsure. Anyway let's get on to the original characters I made so far.

- Fuyu: Making her debut in Chapter 14, I was wondering what kind of person she would be. All I had at first was Student Council President, but that's not a character trait. I couldn't decide between cold and distant or warm and compassionate. So I decided to compromise and created her "President Mode", a state where she appeared to be a no-nonsense individual. It's because of this state that caused her to develop a reputation as an "ice queen." Until her debut, Monika was the only one was not disturbed by her presidential mode, though this may be due to the fact that she helped her get elected in the first place.

When she's not on duty, she plays video games. She's such a big video game enthusiast that she researches general trivia and could understand almost any video game reference. Her love of video games also provided Shujinkou some comfort as it gave him something to talk to her about.

She's also the daughter of a therapist and tries to keep her mother from psycho-analyzing everyone.

- Akuma: Don't really want to talk about him.

- Hiro: So here's the thing about Hiro… She was basically Hisa. I thought of her first, gave her the personality that Hisa had and one chapter after her debut I changed my mind about that. Instead I decided to try and make her a little closer to Shujinkou; not a clone, but to be a little similar. She can be a bit socially awkward and somewhat introverted which contrasts her mother.

She also likes sewing, but is currently bad at it and constantly tells herself not to do it without her teacher around. She doesn't listen.

But despite all that, she deeply cares for Shujinkou and Sayori to the point where the latter considers her an aunt. She also has no issue with the fact that all of Shujinkou's friends are girls, but constantly worries over saying or doing that could embarrass him. She really does not want her son to think she assumed he joined a literature club just to be around girls.

- Hisa: Shujinkou's young-looking grandmother, something the Monika, Yuri and Natsuki could not get over at first. The fact that she looks so young despite her age actually makes them wonder if Shujinkou and Hiro will look that young in the future. Hisa herself is business professional with a playful side. She can't help to tease Shujinkou over his current situation, but she's well aware that he had no alternative motives to joining a club that was then comprised of girls.

Unlike Hiro, she shares Shujinkou's cheek scratching habit, but does not do it as often as he does. She can be kind and fun to be around, but if you get on her bad side, she can knock a person unconscious like she with Jomei.

I was initially wary about giving Shujinkou a maternal grandmother that owned a very popular spa resort because of the implication being that he came from money. That said, she was never asked for money and doesn't spoil Shujinkou any more than a grandmother would. She also shares a close relationship with Sayori to where one would assume that they were related.

- Jomei: I pretty much said all I had to about Jomei earlier so I guess all I can say is that he travels a lot after leaving his son and wife behind.

- Kiyoko: After the events of the spa resort arc, I wanted to introduce a character with a calm and casual personality. She's so calm in fact that birds have no problem approaching her and she doesn't mind their company. She also sleeps whenever she can at school and yet makes good grades. Her casual attitude towards moments that would elicit more negative reactions from others was something that confused Shujinkou at first, but he eventually found it easy to talk to her because of it.

She's an observant individual and her calm mindset allows her to keep a rational mind in stressful situations. This mindset also makes it almost impossible to really get upset; not even the death of her parents got much of a reaction from her.

She also has no problems stating what kind of relationship she has with others, such as when she casually pointed out to Shujinkou that despite their few good interactions, they were not friends. Though she had no problem becoming friends with him, she knew that at that moment they were acquaintances at best.

- Yuki and Yumi: Ah, the fear of creating family members that will look foolish if canon family members were ever introduced. But I had an idea and I needed to family members to exist for the plot. Despite that mentality, I fully intended to give the characters the same effort when it came to personalities as I did with Shujinkou.

Let's start with Yuki. She's a little girl that adores her older sibling and her stuffed companion, Grimm. Grimm used to be a normal stuffed bear, but Yuki took it apart and sewed it back together because she thought it looked cooler that way. She'll sometimes do it again depending Grimm's mood. Despite her bright and cheerful disposition, she's into things that kids would consider creepy and would rather read the original versions of fairy tales than the versions that were altered for kids her age. Some kids may think she's a little weird because of this, but she doesn't really care.

She also developed an instant liking to Shujinkou due to his willingness to play with her and liked him even more after learning that she went along with Yuri's charade with the hopes that they get together for real.

As for Yumi, I can't avoid thinking about Code Lyoko whenever I bring her up. Anyway, I guess I was going for a calm woman that takes things in stride. For example, instead of being mad that she was lied to during her debut appearance, she'd rather see it as someone putting themselves through an awkward experience to help her daughter. It's because of this that Shujinkou is likely to be a little less nervous around her if they ever run into each other again.

- Rei: Rei's conception was due to my out of nowhere desire to work with a silent character; a character that you would have to pay attention to their actions to gain an understanding of who they are. She's also the adopted sibling of Fuyu a fact that shocked Shujinkou and Sayori when they found out. But despite being siblings, Rei does not act any different around her than with the others. As such Fuyu has no idea what their relationship is, but still looks out for her like any sibling would. Also, due to her silence and lack of visible emotions, others try their best to avoid treating her like she's incapable of functioning on her own.

Despite that, she does seem to have trouble understanding a few things that others are well aware of, which makes it harder for the others to avoid slipping into babying her. She also prefers to wear shirts and jackets that cover up her hands for some reason or another.

Hiroko: ?

Behind the Scenes

Chapters 46-49: Selfish. So following Doki Doki Slumber Party, I suddenly felt an intense need to tell the tale of how Shujinkou ended up joining the Literature Club. I did originally plan on having the story unfold exclusively from Sayori's perspective, but that was later changed as I felt that it would be better to see both of their perspectives. I also used this story as a chance to show what Shujinkou was like before he joined the club.

My personal favorite part of this 4-parter was writing Sayori's dialogue for Selfish Part 4. I guess it was I felt like I truly earned any emotional impact that scene may have had. I don't if it impacted anyone, but my empathy with fictional characters had me tearing up (Though it may also just be that thinking about tears, causes me to tear up a little no matter my mood).

Chapter 50: Alone in a Boy's Room II. As the title indicates, Natsuki finds herself in Shujinkou's home once again. I kinda considered this to be the chapter where she finally drops all her shields around her and cements her belief that Shujinkou is a genuinely nice person.

Chapter 51: End of the First. This chapter was made with the intention to bring the first semester to a close while also setting up the summer section of the story. Had some fun with the dialogue between the club in this one.

Chapter 52: Summer intermission. As the name implies, this chapter begins the intermission between Act 1 and Act 2 (Which is funny considering that I consider the Summer Break section to be part of Act 1…) I always wanted to tell stories during the character's vacation but I also felt like I needed to develop the bonds between the characters even more before I could start Act 2, specifically Monika and Yuri. So I got to work on that right away and began to further Shujinkou and Monika's friendship.

It's in this chapter where Shujinkou starts to feel a bit more comfortable voicing his own ideas.

Chapter 53: Perspective. This chapter came about as a completely random desire to do a chapter from Natsuki's perspective; to show her thoughts and feelings during the events of Alone in a Boy's Room.

Chapter 54: Downtime. This chapter was just to showcase more of Kiyoko's character.

Chapter 55: Paper Lanterns. Chapter 52 served to further the bond between Shujinkou and Monika, so it was time for me to get to my other objective before the festival portion. Not much to say on this one, because I would just be repeating myself at this point. Though I will say I felt like I completed my objective.

As for the attempted kiss, I couldn't always have these moments played straight, so I had Hiro unintentionally ruin the moment. But why was Hiro on the ground when she was found?

Chapter 56: Positive Experience. A nice moment between a mother and son. That's all I got for this one.

Chapter 57: Selfless. Serves as a sequel to the Selfish 4-Parter. I don't really have much to say about this one. It was pretty straight forward planning and writing.

Chapter 58: Perspective II. I just felt like making another perspective chapter.

Chapter 59: Our First Trip Together. Not much here. What I can say is that I did have doubts including Rei, Kiyoko and Fuyu on this trip. Was not really sure if they would offer much without coming off as forced.

Chapter 60: 2nd Visit. Before I ever wrote this chapter, I initially planned on the group having a hard time getting to the resort. It was basically going to be like they had to go on a small adventure before their actual trip. The only issue I had was that I couldn't think of anything interesting at the time and for that plot to work, I would need to find a way to prevent Hisa from dropping everything to get them. So that had to be scrapped. What was left of that idea was the character mentioning how they arrived later than they thought due to a mistake on Sayori's part.

The point of the actual chapter was for the cast to settle in before they enjoy the last week of their vacation. Also, it should be noted how during their conversation near the end, Fuyu and Kiyoko didn't get many lines, something the former is aware of.

Chapter 61: Sugoi. A transitional chapter. Nothing more to say here.

Chapter 62: Beside the point. Jomei is back and needed something that was in Hisa's possession. She said no and he exited the story once more. I never really had any intention on him having any major impact on the current story arc which is why he only appeared for a short time. The only real effect he had so far was confusing Shujinkou.

The other half of the chapter had Monika admitting how she doesn't feel like she's lived up to the role of being a club president since she hasn't solved as many problems as Shujinkou. Kiyoko cheers her up by reminding her that it's okay to have others' strengths to rely on while she works on that aspect, once again showing the girl who enjoys downtime has a bit of wisdom to her.

Chapter 63: Maiden's Guilt. I mentioned earlier about the girls becoming closer after befriending Shujinkou. Well, I figured that I wouldn't be able to go any further without addressing Natsuki's and Yuri's differences. It was around this time that I felt it was time to delve into that, but to do that I had to show how much the two had developed since the beginning of the story. This chapter was to showcase Yuri's development while the next few chapters were to showcase Natsuki's

Chapter 64: Road to the Royal Rumble. I guess I the long run, this chapter was pretty superfluous. It's like before or during a story arc of a popular TV show with new episodes that come weekly and they decided to insert a recap episode before the really exciting part. But it did give me a chance to continue working on the dialogue between Sayori, Fuyu and Natsuki.

Chapters 65-68: Natsuki's Royal Rumble Logs. I'll be honest; these logs were result of disastrous planning, rewrites and an inability to find a way to show the event how I intended with each version. As revealed in the final log, there was a conspiracy related to the crown. I initially planned for the characters separated from Natsuki, Fuyu and Sayori to learn about and tell them, fueling Natsuki's desire to win. There was also going to be a scene that involved cheating that forced Shujinkou to step in and finish the battle with "Xemnas". I also came up with a similar scene, but Natsuki insisted to keep on fighting herself. I didn't really care for those and scrapped them.

I also felt like I didn't properly build up the conspiracy and it would have came out of nowhere when it was revealed. That was certainly a problem when I was already in too deep with the Royal Rumeble. I did not know what to do; anyone who read the story as I originally intended to write it would have been confused and lost. That's when I got an idea. I would tell the events of the Royal Rumble strictly from Natsuki's perspective; that way both Natsuki and the reader would be lost and confused by the sudden revelations.

I also found it as another good way to showcase Natsuki's character development, especially if compared to her thoughts contained in the first perspective chapter.

Chapter 69: Heart-to-Heart. So, I was a little worried writing this chapter. I had to make sure that I didn't make it seem like I had a bias in Natsuki's and Yuri's conflict. They both made mistakes and it was only through the development they had throughout the story that they realized those mistakes. In the end, I felt like I made an unbiased conversation between the two.

The second heart-to-heart between Natsuki and Shujinkou was planned to happen later, but since the one between her and Yuri didn't last as long as I thought, I decided to include it in this one.

Chapter 70: What They Mean to Me. This chapter was the result of my desire to have somewhat commemorate 2 years of writing. I had no idea what to do at the time so I decided to make a chapter that contained Shujinkou's full, unfiltered thoughts regarding the school semester so far and the relationships he had.

Chapter 71: Happiness. For this chapter, I wanted to do something a little different. Throughout the story, Shujinkou would find ways to help the girls and make them feel better about themselves. Yet, he never had a major moment like that and no matter how many compliments he's received, he would always be surprised to hear such things. It was finally time him for experience what he had been providing himself.

The section with Monika admitting to Shujinkou what she told Kiyoko was something I was going to happen later, but when I decided to make the chapter the way is, I figured it would work best here. Also I wrote it to serve as a callback to what Shujinkou said to her during the events of Chapter 52.

At the end of the chapter Shujinkou started to cry tears of joy and-

Chapter 72: Floating Lights. Did anyone really think that I wouldn't include a beach scene during an arc that took place during the summer? I had it planned all along; I was just bidding my time. Honest… I wasn't potentially thinking not to include one because I don't know how to have fun on a beach…

In all seriousness, there's not really much to say (or I can say) about this chapter. I guess I could say that I felt like I needed to give Rei and Monika a little focus. I also slipped in the line about Kiyoko's parents because… Well I guess because. Also the whole changing from fireworks to floating lights was a blatant last minute change, but it gave me something to work with; more so than the fireworks. It also allowed me to make a callback to Sayori's goodbye from Chapter 49 through Shujinkou's last line.

More Trivia

Why did no one tell me that Couples' Dessert was misspelled "Couples' Desert" for 2 years?! Why?!

In all seriousness, I can't believe I did not realize my mistake for 2 years. Now for some more miscellaneous trivia that couldn't have its own section.

I remember one of my earlier reviews saying that judging from the first chapter that this would be a Yuri x MC fanfic. That's pretty funny considering she used to be my favorite Doki. So when writing this story, I had to keep myself from being bias. Honestly it wasn't that hard. That said, writing this story allowed me to gain a greater appreciation for all four of them, so they're all pretty equal in my eyes now.

More trivia… More trivia… Um… I got it! Another piece of trivia is that working on this story gave me the drive to work on my anime-style fanart. I was afraid of doing that, because I would have something to compare mine too. But when I was trying to make a visual design for Kiyoko, I ran into an unexpected issue; the initial design was too close to Monika. I tried to make it different, but I couldn't. It was at that point I realized that if it was that close to Monika, then why not just draw Monika? I finished the drawing and I was struck by disbelief. It wasn't that bad and that made realize that I better at than drawing anime-style artwork than I gave myself credit for.

I also view my writing and drawings as something that goes hand in hand, so they both can have an effect on each other, such as Natsuki's attire for the Royal Rumble.

Um… that's all I got for now, though I'm sure I'll think of more after this is posted.

Concluding Statements

Well, it took 2 years but I finally finished the first act of the story. I would like to thank all the readers who enjoyed the story. Without you guys I wouldn't have pushed myself to better myself in my writing, which lead to me pushing myself to become better at drawing. I know I'm not the best writer ever, or the best writer in this fandom, or even the best writer on the page this story pops up on and I doubt I ever will be any of those. But you all dealt with me and allowed me to grow and for that you have my gratitude. You guys are the best.

Chapter Text

So, I was just going through my old documents and thought it would be appropriate to showcase some cut content before going forward. Hope you enjoy the most substantial content that was cut for one reason or another in its pure rough draft form.

Lost Dialogue 1: Originally there was going to be a conversation between Shujinkou and Hisa at the beginning of Chapter 37: Grimm Fun, but it was cut because I honestly felt like if I did, I would have begun a pattern of shoehorning the character into spots that she isn't needed in. So I cut the upcoming dialogue out before I even finished it.

"Hello. My name is Shujinkou. No, No. That's too formal. Hey there, my name's Shujinkou. Oh man…" Shujinkou sighed as fell back on his bed. No matter what he tried, none of the introductions he tried seemed to be the right one for the situation. "Maybe I'm overthinking this…?"

"I'll say."

Shujinkou's body jolted up from his bed as the surprised individual looked around his room.

"What was that?" he wondered aloud.

"A voice coming from your pocket," the sudden voice answered.

Shujinkou dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Granny Hisa?" he said.

"Hey, Shujinkou," Hisa waved from the screen of his phone.

"What are you doing on my phone," Shujinkou asked.

"Well, you must have not locked your phone, because you pocket-dialed me," Hisa chuckled. "Anyway, why were you saying, 'Hi, my name is Shujinkou' for the last 15 minutes?"

"Wait, you heard me the entire time?!" Shujinkou exclaimed.

"Mm-hmm," Hisa nodded. "So… Who are you meeting?"

"Oh… Um…" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek, uncertain of how to answer. "I'm meeting some people Yuri wants to introduce me to."

"Introducing you to the family, huh?" Hisa replied.

Shujinkou could kick himself for giving such an obvious vague response.

"What's the occasion?" Hisa asked.

"Oh… nothing special…" Shujinkou answered.

"Are you two dating?" Hisa asked.

"Not really," Shujinkou answered.

"I see… she asked you to be her fake boyfriend," Hisa said.

Shujinkou's entire body immediately tensed up.

"How did you guess?" Shujinkou queried.

"Well, you two aren't dating, you're meeting the family and you're incredibly uncomfortable talking about it. Either you were tasked with being a girl's fake boyfriend or you're lying to me and honestly the fake boyfriend option is more plausible."

Lost Dialogue 2: Chapter 51: End of the First depicts the aftermath of the school's first exam, but I did originally plan to show what happened during that period. That said, I couldn't think of anything so I ended up skipping over it. Another reason why it was cut is because I forgot a certain story element in regards to a certain character.

"…and that young scholars is how detective stories moved from the Golden Age to the Hard-Boiled formula," Akuma said as the school bell rung. The students wasted no time in gathering their things and exiting the room for the class of the day. "Remember that there may be a pop quiz on this lesson."

Just as the final departing student left the classroom, Akuma noticed that there was one student who has yet to leave. She did nothing but stare at her desk, continuing to do so even as the teacher approached her.

"Miss Rei, it is time to head to your next class," he said.

The silent girl looked up and stared at Akuma.

"Is there something one your mind?" he asked.

Silence was the only answer he received to his question.

"You know, language is a vital part of human communication," Akuma said. "And it's not just through speech but through text, expressions and actions. It's because of this that humans were able to form connections with others and establish a level of trust. Companions can be made and conflict can be avoided."

Rei did nothing but continue to silently stare at Akuma. The teacher could do nothing but scratch his left cheek over the silent atmosphere.

"Think of it this way, young scholar; is there anyone you ever want to communicate with?" Akuma asked.

Later that afternoon…

Shujinkou looked out of the library window, enticed by the grey sky outside. He was particularly fond of cloudy days, but that fondness could not stifle the one question in his head: "I wonder if anyone else finds it funny that it's pretty cloudy on the first day we wear summer uniforms."

"There's nothing funny about anything summer uniform related," Natsuki shot an annoyed look at Shujinkou. "Don't you know what these things mean?"

"Yeah. Warm weather," Sayori cheerfully answered.

"No! They mean that the term 1 exams are coming!" Natsuki groaned at the idea of suffering through another series of tests.

"The exams aren't that bad, Natsuki," Monika assured her.

"That's easy for you to say. You always get the top score," Natsuki said. "Meanwhile, everyone else has to crowd the hallway wondering how laughable their spot is. Seriously, who came up with the idea of displaying everyone's score in front of the entire school?"

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he remembered his test score from last year. He just barely avoided taking make-up exams during summer vacation.

"Perhaps whoever thought up the idea was convinced that it could serve as motivation," Yuri said.

"True, but it can and has inspired competition," Monika argued. "It's because of that that the stress of test taking can be multiplied and harm performance. But it really all depends on the individual."

"Ex-Debate team member Monika, everyone," a small smile formed on Natsuki's face as she slowly clapped.

"But wait… Which side are you for, Monika?" Shujinkou asked.

"Another good thing about no longer being on the Debate Team is that I'm no longer bound to just one faction of an argument," she replied. "I can now express the pros and cons of both sides."

"Could you explain the pros of not being able to use our clubroom because the teachers are preparing for the exams?" Natsuki asked.

"The library is a good spot for a literature club when they can't use their clubroom?" Monika answered.

"Ugh…" Natsuki groaned as she slumped back against her chair. "No wonder you used to be the leader of the Debate Team."

"You must really want us to get our own clubroom, huh, Natsuki?" Sayori said.

"Well, yeah…" Natsuki replied. "It would be cool if we had a place that was ours alone and so my collection could stop being moved around so much."

Lost Dialogue 3: This one is just an altered version of Chapter 51's opening scene.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," Shujinkou sung as he steered his ship through the calm blue sea. The winds were fair and the big blue sky inspired him to find a remote spot to spend his vacation at.

But that peaceful respite wouldn't last long he suddenly found himself in the middle of a violent storm. The waves crashed against his ship as the sea captain struggled to break through the weather. The water eventually rose over the pirate boat, knocked him away from the wheel and pushed him on the concrete floor.

"Exam results day can be harsh," Shujinkou thought as he scratched his right cheek.

A deep sigh escaped his body as he staggered on his feet; his eyes scouring the exam results for his name. He didn't really care how high he was ranked but only if he scored high enough to avoid taking the make-up exams during Summer Break. After spending what seemed like an eternity looking for his test score and rank, Shujinkou finally found his name and nervously checked the results that would decide his fate.

"Yes! No Summer exams!" he cheered. But he only cheered in his head as not to attract any attention. "Another free summer to…"

His train of thought immediately crashed the moment he realized that he had no idea what to do for the upcoming break. Before he could get another train of thought running, Shujinkou noticed that all the other students' eyes were staring down the hallway. He followed their stares and spotted Monika walking down the hall.

Her curious eyes canned the scores until they landed on him.

"Hi, Shujinkou," she said, waving at him.

"H-Hey," he replied, awkwardly waving back. The attention she unintentionally brought on him was more than a little daunting.

"Did you already check your score?"

"Yeah. I didn't get anything spectacular, but I did well enough to avoid doing a makeup."

"That's good," Monika glanced back up at the scores and continued to search through the flood of names.

It didn't take the two of them long to find the score they were looking for. With their objective complete, Monika wasted no time in leading Shujinkou away from the crowd of students.

"What's it like to get the top score again?" he asked.

"It's a pleasant surprise," she replied.

"Really? It's a surprise?"

"Just because I got the highest score before shouldn't mean that I should expect it to keep happening. If I had that mentality, I wouldn't continue to try and improve myself nor perform at my best. You know the old saying: 'Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.'"

"Who said that?"

"Winston Churchill."

"Oh… I did not know that. My first introduction to that concept was from a gag manga turned shonen."

Monika giggled as they continued to stroll through the hallways.

"So, what are you going to during our break, Shujinkou?" she asked.

"I don't really know," he answered with a shrug. "I never really planned my breaks out for awhile. What about you?"

"I don't really know either. But I'm sure we'll both think of something."

Lost Dialogue 4: I knew I would forget some more trivia after I posted Afterword 3. I mentioned in that chapter that I was initially worried about including Rei, Kiyoko and Fuyu and I also mentioned that there was going to be some road trip problems but I did forgot to mention that at one point I also wondered if I should have Hiro join the trip as a chaperone. Ultimately, that plan didn't pan out, but I did partially write the beginning of that route.

"…and that's when Monika and I came up with the idea that we should talk about adaptations of any literary works anyone wanted to talk about," Sayori concluded.

"What's there to talk about adaptations?" Shujinkou asked.

"There are lots of things like differences, similarities and if it kept the overall tone of the original source," Sayori beamed. "I even warned Monika to not mention a certain live-action adaption of one your favorite series."

"Ugh…" Shujinkou's head dropped as he groaned. "You know… If it didn't carry the name, it probably would have been an okay movie."

"I bet everyone would have something to say about that one Romeo and Juliet movie we saw when we were younger."

"You mean the one that took place in more modern times where the two families were bickering rival construction families that would have shootouts just by looking at each other?"

Sayori nodded her head.

"If that movie was realistic, it would have ended at the first scene," Shujinkou pointed out. "How they got away with a public shootout is crazy."

"See there's a lot to talk about with that one," Sayori happily noted.

Just then, Hiro walked into the room and sat next to the two.

"What are you two talking about?" she asked.

"Romeo and Juliet," the two answered almost in sync.

Hiro simply smiled at the two until a familiar voice jokingly asked, "Is there something you two should be telling us?"

Shujinkou and Sayori's eyes lit up as Hiro raised her phone, revealing a waving Lady Hisa.

"Granny Hisa!" their voices burst with joy as they spoke in sync.

"Hey guys! Wait, hold on a second…" Hisa turned her head to the left and instructed someone off screen to raise some object "a little bit higher." She then turned back to the screen. "Sorry to get straight to business, but I wanted to know if either of you two have gotten any confirmation from the other girls yet."

"I haven't heard anything yet…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek.

"Neither have I," Sayori added.

"Oh. Well, I'd hate to rush you, but I need a confirmation soon. Reservations are pouring in," Hisa stressed, before the sound of glass breaking interrupted the conversation. "I have to deal with that. See you later."

The call ended.

"I wonder why the others haven't called yet," Sayori wondered aloud.

"Maybe they're still trying to convince their parents?" Shujinkou hypothesized. "Not all parents would let their kids go off some random stranger's place for a specified amount of time."

"Maybe we should take the initiative to guarantee a yes."

"How?"

"Maybe if they got to know Granny Hisa, they would say yes."

"But Granny Hisa seems pretty business right now. I doubt we get her to meet anyone."

Sayori remained silent until a she flashed an excited smile.

"What if we found a chaperone that could meet the parents," she proudly suggested. "That way the chaperone could meet the parents and get on their good sides."

"A chaperone?" he didn't think the plan was a bad idea, but he also seen enough chaperone plots on TV to know that it they found the wrong person, the entire trip would be ruined. "Who could we get?"

The two pondered that question for 5 seconds until they turned towards Hiro.

"Me?" she said in disbelief.

"You can do that right, Auntie H?" Sayori asked.

"You… You want me to chaperone you're trip…?"

Sayori eagerly nodded her head.

"You want a parent to chaperone a trip?" Hiro asked again, her facial expressions not even bothering to hide her surprise and disbelief.

"Please?" Sayori pleaded.

"Um, sure, I guess I could be your chaperone," Hiro accepted. "Plus, it could be a good opportunity to meet the parents anyway."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he sympathized with his mother. She was clearly nervous about meeting the other parents, a feeling he remembered having when Sayori convinced him to check out the Literature Club. With that thought in his mind, he did not hesitate to volunteer to accompany her on her given task.

Under his suggestion, they first stopped as Yuri's house. Having already met Yuri's mother once before, he knew it his mother would have no reason to be nervous. Shujinkou pressed the doorbell and patiently waited until the call was answered by Yuri.

"Shujinkou? Miss Hiro? What brings you two here?" she asked.

"Well…" before Shujinkou could answer that question, he felt two arms wrap around his waist and tightly squeeze him. Looking down, he found himself face to face with an excited Yuki.

"Shujinkou, are you here to play with us again?" she asked.

"Actually…"

"Oh my," Shujinkou looked up and silently watched Yumi approach the group. "What a nice surprise to see you again, Shujinkou."

The lone male smiled in response, but the moment of levity did not last.

"Shujinkou, when exactly did you become so familiar with Yuri's family?" Hiro asked.

Shujinkou and Yuri felt sharp chills shoot up down their spines, obstructing their ability to speak.

"We encountered Shujinkou when he helped my daughter with a situation," Yumi spoke up.

The two breathed a sigh of relief as Yumi invited her visitors into her house.

"So, what brings you two to these parts?" she asked.

"Well, it's actually a strange tale…" Hiro sheepishly admitted.

"I see," Yumi's attention shifted to the children. "Why don't you kids go upstairs and interact?"

Yuki wasted no time in squeezing Shujinkou and Yuri's hands and leading up the steps.

"Would you like some tea? Yuri just made some," Yumi offered.

"Um… Okay," Hiro answered.

She followed the lady of the house into the kitchen and watched her pour some tea into a cup. Hiro could not help but notice she had a sort of grace to her movements and was certain her son had once said the same thing about Yuri.

She was then handed a cup of tea and joined Yumi in sitting at the dining table.

"This is good tea," she complimented.

"I'm sure Yuri appreciates that sentiment," Yumi replied with a soft smile. "Now then… What would you like to talk about?"

"Well… My mother, you may know her as Lady Hisa."

"Owner of the Kitsune Spa Resort."

"Yeah. She invited Shujinkou and his friends to enjoy the firework festival that goes on in that area every summer and somehow the idea of having a chaperone come along was thought up to help convince the parents to say yes."

"Suggesting a chaperone just so they could go on a trip together…" Yumi took a sip from her cup of tea. "Well, to be honest, I wouldn't have a problem with the invite either way."

"Really?" Hiro said, trying her best to hide how surprised she was.

"I'm not exactly the type who would say no to my daughter wanting to go on a trip with friends."

"Oh… I was kind of expecting a back and forth. Even practiced my argument in my head."

"No arguments here," Yumi assured her.

"Okay," Hiro looked down at her teacup and sighed. The awkward atmosphere caused by the abrupt end to a surprisingly short conversation was almost too much for her to bear. "So…

Lost Dialogue 5: Referring back to Afterword 3 again, I mentioned that the Royal Rumble Arc was mishandled and not well-planned out. There was not enough build-up to the reveal and by the time I realized that, it was too late. There would have been too much cutting back and forward between characters, I planned for the Shujinkou and "Xemnas" to fight; it was just all over the place. Surprisingly though, I didn't write much of it down, so here's the only cut content of that section that I did write down.

The Royal Rumble, a bi-annual completion in which contenders can fight for the right to challenge the current king/queen. The first round of the competition is divided into four separate blocks. In each block, multiple contestants fight each other and the last one standing will earn the right to go on to the next round.

Right now, the Block A fight is currently underway.

"A battle for the right to rule the convention…" Monika fiddled with the straw in her milkshake.

"What's with the pondering, Monika?" Kiyoko queried. "You aren't thinking of entering yourself are you?"

"No. That's no it. I was imagining what it must be like."

"I can tell you," the two quickly turned around to the young teen in a Jack Sparrow outfit who served them their milkshakes. "It's annoying."

"Annoying?" Monika shot a curious look at the teen. "Wouldn't something called the Royal Rumble be more exciting than annoying?"

"Yeah, with a lot of people in costumes, it sounds like the ultimate crossover battle," Kiyoko added.

"Well, it used to be the funnest ultimate crossover battle ever but, ever since the disappearance of the previous king and the rise of the current one, it hasn't really been so." Sparrow explained.

"The previous king just disappeared?" Monika questioned.

"Yep. After that, the current king rose to power and turned the rumble into something visitors are forced into," Sparrow continued.

"Even though it's a fight for royalty, being forced into it pretty much renders any excitement null," Kiyoko crossed her arms as she turned to Monika. "You don't think any of the others were forced into it do you?"

"I hope not," Monika replied. "I mean, I don't think Sayori, Fuyu, Yuri would be interested, I know Natsuki would hate being forced into doing something, I'm not sure about Rei and Shujinkou…"

Monika suddenly went silent as she continued her thought process. In response to the sudden silence, Kiyoko took a sip from milkshake, played with the straw then turned her attention back to Jack Sparrow. "So, what's the reason for the gladiator-style method of getting warriors for the tournament?"

"It's quite the pirate's gambit, mate," Sparrow answered.

Meanwhile…

"Um, Sayori, is this how the fight's supposed to go?" Natsuki questioned.

"Not really," Sayori shook her head. "Unless they changed the rules, but that would be…"

"Counter-productive?" Fuyu interjected.

"Yeah," Sayori nodded.

The girls continued to watch in confusion as the first block fight continued. Normally, the goal is for a contender to knock their opponents outside of the designated ring; instead it appeared as if contenders were keeping their opponents in the ring. In no time at all, there was only one

Lost Dialogue 6: This was how I was going to originally open up Chapter 72, but I wasn't really feeling all that good about it so I started over and that became the final product.

"I've been through a lot since I've joined the Literature Club. I reconnected with Sayori and made new friends. A lot of good things happened but there have also been a few awkward moments I had to go through; accidentally touching Yuri's hand when we still didn't know each other well, literally running into Monika, my supposed first meeting with Fuyu, accidentally kissing Natsuki, dealing with my dad, Kiyoko accidentally hitting me with a basketball, Monika kissing me, spending time with Akuma, pretending to be Yuri's boyfriend, getting used to Rei's silence, and I'm pretty sure the maid café and seeing Kiyoko in a bath towel takes the cake. But even those moments could not prepare me for what's happening right now…"

Shujinkou pressed his sunglasses against his red face as he desperately tried to stay calm. But such a thing is hard to do when at the beach with friends; especially when he was the only male in that group. Seeing his friend in appropriate swim wear was almost too much to bear.

"Beach scenes did not prepare me for this…" he whimpered. "How did it come to this?"

It was at that moment when his mind took him back to the moment that provided that answer. It all started in the lobby…

"We should go to the beach!" Sayori suggested, with excitement in her eyes.

"The beach?!" Natsuki and Yuri exclaimed.

"Huh? Why'd you two go 'The beach?!'?" Sayori questioned.

"Maybe they were thinking about Death Stranding?" Fuyu interjected as she continued to type away on her laptop.

"What's that?" Natsuki asked.

"Game where you play as a mail man in a world where the realms of life and death cease to have any boundaries due to an event called the Death Stranding," Fuyu answered as she adjusted her glasses.

"A world where life and death have no boundaries? That sounds like it has a lot of story potential," Yuri thought aloud.

"So, why did you two go 'The beach?!'?" Sayori asked again.

"Uhm…" Natsuki and Yuri quickly glance at Shujinkou as he continued to absent-mindedly draw in his sketch pad.

"Why would do you want to go to the beach so much?" Natsuki asked back.

"Why not? A summer trip isn't a summer trip without a trip to the beach," Sayori answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"She has a point," Kiyoko chimed in.

"See. Kiyo agrees," Sayori beamed.

"'Kiyo'? …I like it," Kiyoko approved.

"I also got to agree," Monika said. "Going to the beach together sounds like a lot of fun."

"But that would have to mean that we would have to wear…" Yuri's face grew bright red before dropping it in her hands. "That would be so embarrassing!"

"Seriously?" Natsuki scanned Yuri from head to toe. "You would find that embarrassing? If I didn't really know you well enough, that would sound weird for me to hear."

"It wouldn't really be that bad, Yuri," Monika insisted. "In fact, if you want, we can all go shopping so you can find something you're comfortable with."

"Oo! A group bikini shopping trip!" Sayori cheered.

"D-Don't just say something like that out loud!" Natsuki snapped. "Ugh… Look, if I agree to go, will it stop anything more embarrassing from happening?"

"Alright!" Sayori cheered.

"I can't go…" Fuyu suddenly said.

"How come, Fuyu?" Monika asked.

"I just got a lot of council work sent to me. It's very urgent," she answered.

"Aw, really?" Sayori whined. "Can't you do it later?"

"Not really…" Fuyu sighed. "Rei, do want to go?"

Rei silently turned her attention to her adopted sibling, then down at her laptop.

"Are you sure you rather do that?" Fuyu questioned, barely able to hid her surprise.

Rei continued to stare at her adopted sister.

"Okay," Fuyu nodded her head. "Thanks."

"Okay…" Sayori accepted. She then turned her attention to Shujinkou. "What about you, Shujinkou?"

"I'm in," he replied.

"Yay!" Sayori cheered. "Now let's go bikini shopping!"

"Stop saying that out loud!" Natsuki shouted with red cheeks.

The girls then headed to their planned destinations, leaving Shujinkou alone in the lobby. Not too long after, Hisa plopped herself down on the couch next to her grandson.

"So I heard you guys are going to the beach," she said.

"Yeah," Shujinkou answered, nodding his head.

"And you accepted that pretty easily, huh?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, it's just that… You know, you're going to the beach with friends…"

"Yeah?"

"Your friends are girls…"

"Yeah."

"They're going to have to wear beach appropriate outfits…"

"Yeah…"

"Sayori said they're going bikini shopping…"

Shujinkou remained silent as the realization of what his grandmother was hinting at fully sunk in. Moments later his face burned bright red as he struggled to fight the images his mind was producing.

"I don't think I can do this, Granny Hisa!" Shuinkou suddenly said. "I could barely handle my school's maid café! I can't handle my friends in b- swimsuits! What do I do?!"

Instead of giving advice that would alleviate his concerns, Hisa simply chuckled in response to his question.

"Granny Hisa?" Shujinkou stared at his grandmother in confusion. It wasn't like her to laugh at his predicament.

"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. It's just kind of funny how you're response is the complete polar opposite of the responses of guys that would to be in your position. Anyway, um…" Hisa sctached her right cheek as she tried to think of a solution for her grandson. "Well, you can't avoid this, but how about you wear some sunglasses?"

"Sunglasses?"

"Yeah. Something you can hide behind when you get too flustered."

Finished reminiscing, Shujinkou touched the edges of his sunglasses and sighed. "I would have definitely been a lot worse without these. Thank you, Granny Hisa."

"Shujinkou," snapping out of his thoughts, the young man found himself face to face with Monika.

"Monika?" the confused male asked.

"No retreating inside your head today," Monika said with a smile.

"I wasn't going to do that…" Shujinkou insisted. "It's just that… Excluding family, I haven't been to the beach with anyone other than Sayori."

"Oh. Well, excluding family, I haven't been to the beach with anyone before. So you have that over me."

"You know if you told me that earlier this year, I wouldn't have believed you."

A slight giggle escaped Monika's lips. "Well, it's kind of hard for me to believe you're the same person I met last year. You're a lot less withdrawn now."

"Uh…" Unable to think of a proper response, all Shujinkou could do was scratch his right cheek.

"But looking back, I think you were still the same deep down," Monika continued.

Chapter Text

"Hehe!" Sayori's face brightened with intense joy as she happily giggled.

"What's so funny?" Shujinkou asked.

"Nothing, I'm just so excited! After school today, the Literature Club will finally be back in business!"

It was a fact that made waiting out the last few hours of Summer Break hard, but that patience would soon pay off, for once the first day of the Second Term ends then-.

"But clubs don't start back up today, Sayori," Shujinkou reminded her.

He would then watch his best friend's expression change from excitement, to surprise, to confusion, back to surprise, before finally ending with disappointment. "Aw… That kind of takes the fun out of the new term…"

In no time at all, her dark expression brightened up. "Oh well, more time to plan for the new semester! In fact, I got a feeling that this will be the best semester yet."

"What makes you think that?" Shujinkou questioned.

"A lot of things!" Sayori beamed. "School events, holidays with a lot of sweets and most importantly the club's closer than ever this semester."

Hearing the last reason club VP gave made Shujinkou think back to when he first joined the club. There definitely was an awkward atmosphere and the club didn't seem as unified as he thought it would have. Initially chalking it up to reality differing from fiction, he would eventually find out that other members were even less close than strangers joining a club they shared interest in would have been, especially by the time he joined. 

It took some time for some to truly open up to others, himself included.

"Hey, Shujinkou…" returning from his thoughts, the young man turned his attention to Sayori. Her cheeks were slightly red and her excited smile greatly softened.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Thanks for keeping your promise." she continued.

"Huh?" Shujinkou simply stared at Sayori, unaware of what she was referring to. "What promise?"

"To try and stay happy." Sayori reminded him.

"But…" the young man solemnly scratched his right cheek as he recalled the moment his friend referred too. Though he previously looked back at it fondly, it did fill him with a little shame. "But, I didn't really keep that promise."

"Yes, you did," Sayori quickly assured him.

"Huh?" unable to hide his surprise or resist his curiosity; he couldn't help but just as quickly ask, "What are you talking about?"

"You promised to try and you did," Sayori giggled as her demeanor returned to what was expected from her. "Even if it did take you awhile, you still kept your promise."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I really did keep my promise," Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he looked back through all the experiences he has been through. Even if it wasn't a conscious choice, he couldn't deny that he at least tried. "But you know, in hindsight, I guess it wasn't that hard of a thing to do."

"Really?"

"Yeah, because I had a friend like you helping me."

"Eh?!"

"Remember? You promised that you would do your best to help and you did."

"Eh, you're giving me too much credit. I didn't do that much compared to the others."

Suddenly, Shujinkou gently clapped his hands against Sayori's cheeks. "Don't say that. Admit you're a good friend or else… Um… Please, admit you're a good friend."

"Uhm…" The young woman's cheeks grew brighter and brighter as she stared in Shujinkou's eyes. "Okay, I'm a good friend."

Satisfied, he released his grip on Sayori before she suddenly wrapped her arms around him.

"Natsuki's right, this should be a regular thing," she bubbled.

"I'm pretty sure she was trying to say the opposite," Shujinkou weakly chuckled.

The two then continued their journey to school and the moment they walked inside, a look of panic firmly planted itself Sayori's usually chipper face.

"What's wrong, Sayori?" Shujinkou worriedly asked.

"It's nothing major! I just have to go to the…" Sayori nervously chuckled after stopping herself from saying more. "I gotta go! See ya after school!"

Before he could respond, Shujinkou watched his friend take off further into the school. "That was strange."

As he scratched his right cheek, wondering what just happened, his attention would soon be drawn to a strange undertaking. From the corner of his eye, he could spot several excited looks forming on all of his fellow male students in the vicinity. Following their gaze, Shujinkou would soon discover that they were beholding a very familiar face. Walking into the school at that very moment was Monika, and as expected from the school's idol, she was making a scene with just her presence alone.

"I wonder how many times this has happened and I just ignored it… and I seen this happen a few times too," Shujinkou chuckled as he scratched his right cheek once. There was no depreciation in his words, instead just genuine curiosity and a fun jab at his old habits.

Suddenly, throughout the entire crowd, their eyes met.

"Shujinkou," a delighted smile crossed her face as she approached him. "Morning."

"Morning, Monika," he greeted in return.

"Where's Sayori? She's at school today, right?"

"Yeah, but she ran off somewhere."

"Really? What was she like when she ran off?"

"Um… She laughed with a look that screamed, 'I gotta get out of here.'"

"Hm… I don't think it's anything you have to worry about," an assuring smile rested on Monika's face as she led Shujinkou further into the school. "So, have any plans for the new term?"

"Plans? Um... Not really," Shujinkou answered. "Do you make your school year plans by the semester?"

"Of course. Each semester can be like a brand new start if you take advantage of it."

"Where have I heard that before?"

"I did say that during this year's Entrance Ceremony."

"Huh? Oh yeah, you did say some things this year. I guess it would make sense to get the best student to speak to the school even if they're not a third year."

"You know, even though I was happy to have been asked, it was a really nerve-wrecking experience."

"I guess it's a good thing that our school doesn't have multiple opening ceremonies like other ones or else you would have had to go through it again and again and again."

"Such a possibility would have been scary…"

"I can imagine…" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek as he expressed his sympathies. "So, what are your plans for the term?"

"I have a couple. Keeping up my grades, thinking of some fun ideas for the club…" Silence suddenly stopped Monika from saying any more. "Plus, there is one more goal that I have in my mind, but it's probably the hardest one to achieve."

"Really? What is it?" Shujinkou asked.

"Can't tell. It's a secret," Monika replied with a knowing wink.  

"Uh… Okay…" he accepted before stopping in his tracks. "Well, this is my stop so…"

"Yeah. See ya, later, Shujinkou," With a smile and wave goodbye, Monika continued her own trek to her classroom.

"Huh… Last semester, I probably would have assumed Monika would have had no issues speaking in front of others…" the young man scratched his right cheek as he thought about what Monika had just told him. "'Each semester can be like a brand new start…' Well, I do kind of feel like I'm starting over again. Even so, I didn't really expect much out of this school year. I wonder what kind of plans I could come up with."

"Just remember it doesn't just have to be about events, but also about self-improvement," surprised by the sudden advice, Shujinkou turned around to find Kiyoko stretching her arms.

"Kiyoko? How long were you standing there?" the flustered boy asked.

"Not long. I just wanted to make sure you didn't stress over the idea of making plans. These things don't always come to us on the first day. In fact, you don't even have to have a plan and you'll wind up doing something you wanted to do deep down anyway."

"Is that how you're doing things?"

"Mm-hmm. Of course, you don't have to follow my example. I'd prefer you do what naturally comes to you."

"What comes naturally to me…?"

"Alright students!" the two turned around to find their teacher, Chika, standing in the doorway. Like always, she had a grin not many would have in the morning. "Hope you all enjoyed your Summer Vacation. I know I did."

Despite there being no instruction to do so, her students quickly took their seats and watched as she walked to her desk. "Alright, before we get to business, I have some news. So, you all know that last semester was a little different in terms of classroom change and that affected the schedule and everything. Well, good news, we're going back to the old schedule!"

As she expected from such an announcement, the students jumped out of their seats to start cheering.

"The old schedule…" Shujinkou happily repeated.

"And all the breaks that came with it," Kiyoko dreamily added.

"So now that we're returning to the old ways, I guess that means I'm officially the owner of Class 2-C," Chika proudly declared. "Anyway, let's get homeroom started."

Despite the return of the old schedule, the day continued on as usual. Since it was highly coveted, the students had no problem adjusting to the old schedule. In no time at all, the end of the first day back has arrived.

"I really did miss the in-between breaks," Shujinkou happily sighed.

"Ditto," Kiyoko yawned.

"Still, I wonder the schedule changed like that. Maybe Fuyu knows why," Shujinkou thought.

He didn't have long to consider the possibility as his attention was immediately drawn to Kiyoko walking past him.

"See ya, Shujinkou," Kiyoko grinned and saluted her classmate goodbye before walking out of the classroom.

"See ya," though a little too late, he couldn't help but instinctively reply back. The young man then proceeded to throw his belongings in his bag and made his way to the classroom door. The second he stepped outside, Shujinkou found himself colliding with another student, the force of the impact throwing both to the ground. "Sorry!"

Despite his genuine apology, his received no reply in response. Situations like this one would usually result in an acceptance of his apology or, the more likely option, him getting yelled at. Once he recovered his senses, Shujinkou glanced up to lay eyes on the person he ran into. "Rei?"

The silent girl simply stared at Shujinkou as he stood up and offered his hand to her. Her visible eye slowly trailed down to the hand in front of her. 5 minutes passed by before she extended her sleeve-covered hand to accept the one in front of her and followed its guidance up.

"So…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he wondered what he could possibly say.

But before he could find something, Rei raised her right hand and slowly waved it in front of him. She then lowered it back to her side and walked past him. Though surprised by her sudden departure, he knew there was nothing he could do about it. He figured most would be happy to get out of such a situation, but instead he was felt guilt start to creep in as he walked out of the school.

"I really wish I could find something to say to Rei," he thought. "When we first met, I was mostly introducing her to things that the school had, but after that the best I could get were yes and no questions. Even if she doesn't want to talk using words, I shouldn't make it so she feels like she just hs to leave like that. But what could I d-?"

His field of vision was suddenly obscured by darkness. "G-Guess who?"

Shujinkou imagined a giant blue question mark dart out of his head as he tried to comprehend what was happening. "Yuri?"

As if by command, the darkness that blocked his vision soon disappeared. The young man then turned around to find Yuri nervously play with her hair.

"Sorry," she apologized. "Sayori asked me to do that. She said she wanted to throw you for a loop."

"That sounds like her…" Shujinkou nervously chuckled. "Well, she got what she wanted."

"Mm," the young maiden remained silent for a moment. "Um, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah. What made you think that there was something wrong?"

"I was just asking. You had a very serious expression on your face."

"I did? Well, it's just that I feel kind of bad that I can't find a way to talk with Rei."

"Rei?"

"Yeah. I just can't seem to find something to say that doesn't come off as patronizing and my sixth sense is telling me that if I try to do what Fuyu did, that would also come off as patronizing."

"I see… Well, I could understand your concerns there. When I think about, I don't think we even exchanged glances that much. Still… I believe you'll find a solution to that conundrum eventually."

"I guess… Hey, Yuri, do you have any plans for this semester?"

"Me? Well, I do hope that I'll be able to express myself a little more. At this point, I've only expressed most around you. I hope to be able to that with the others to. I was also thinking that maybe I could be a little more open-minded towards certain subjects."

"Yuri's plans sounds like what Kiyoko was telling me about earlier," Shujinkou thought.

"To be able to express myself more… Maybe then I could finally…" the young maiden giggled with red cheeks as she stopped herself from saying anymore. "I may be getting ahead of myself."

"Who's getting ahead of who?" Out of nowhere, Sayori appeared in front of Yuri, starling the maiden.

"Sayori?!" she shrieked.

"Me!" the aforementioned beamed. "Did you do the thing?"

"Well… Yes."

"Did it throw him for a loop?"

"That it did," Shujinkou answered.

"You just live for throwing people for loops, don't you, Master of Masters?" Natsuki denounced as she approached the three.

"I wasn't trying to throw you for a loop, I was just staying in character like everyone else," Sayori argued.

"You could have at least told me that it was you. I thought I was talking to a stranger the entire time," Natsuki crossed her arms in a huff as she finished reprimanding her. "So, what's this important meeting you were talking about?"

"Important meeting?" Shujinkou once again imagined a question mark form over his head as shot a confused look at Sayori.

"Didn't you read the text I sent you?" she asked.

"I didn't really look at my phone on the way out of school…"

"Well, we got to wait for Monika anyway before I can explain."

"Someone call me?" on cue, the school's idol happily walked up to the four. "So, what's this important meeting about?"

"It's about where we're going to have the club today," Sayori happily answered.

"What?! That's what the important meeting is about?!" disbelief and annoyance mixed together in Natsuki as she processed what she just heard.

"Yeah. What else?"

"Something that matches the urgency you implied in your message!"

"But it urgent."

"There is no way talking about club meetings is worthy of all caps on 'important meeting!' I almost had a heart attack when I got that message. I thought something serious happened."

"The sense of urgency was lost for me when she also asked me to do something for her," Yuri interjected.

"I guess that would ruin the urgency…" Sayori admitted. "Anyway…"

"Don't try to anyway yourself out of this!" Natsuki snapped. "Knowing you, you worded your message that way just to make sure we would be here!"

"That's not true…" Sayori suspiciously chuckled.

"You can't even deny it without acting guilty!" Natsuki angrily pointed out.

"To be perfectly honest, Sayori, the message you sent at best would be comparable to the disappointment that would come after hype settles," Yuri pointed out.

"But it really is important!" Sayori insisted. "We haven't had any club meetings since school cancelled them for the exams!"

"The point is you didn't have to scare us over this…" Natsuki sighed.

"That said, where do you propose we have our meeting today?" Monika queried.

"We could have it at my place," Shujinkou suggested.

"Really? Just like that?" surprise planted itself firmly on Natsuki's face.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know; it's just that if you were going to suggest that I kinda expected you to scratch your right cheek and sound a little more hesitant like the other times."

"I guess… I just figured it would be the best place since you're stuff is still there."

"Uh-" Natsuki's cheeks grew rosy red as she diverted her gaze. "Should have known you'd give a response like that."

"Alright, Shujinkou's house it is!" Sayori happily declared, leading the group to their new destination.

"By the way, what do you guys think of the old schedule coming back?" Monika asked.

"All I can say is I don't even know why they changed it in the first place," Natsuki replied. "Losing all the in-between breaks was one of the worst things to happen during the first semester."

"I honestly didn't mind the change myself, but it is nice to have small mental breaks during the day," Yuri added.

"That said… The schedule change probably won't help the whole people messing with how I organize my stuff," Natsuki groaned. "We really need our own clubroom."

"We're still probably on the bottom of the list when it comes to that subject," Monika lamented. "Plus with all the other stuff that happens this semester, our chances are kinda worse than before."

"At least the stuff that's hurting our chances are fun stuff," Sayori interjected.

"One of the first things is Sport's Day, right?" Yuri wondered aloud.

"Maybe why that's they changed the schedule back; so they can organize classes like they did last year," Shujinkou theorized.

"Organize us however they like, we all know that whoever has Monika on their team is going to outperform everyone," Natsuki pointed out.

"You never know what may happen," Monika giggled.

"Actually, from what I've seen them do, Rei and Kiyoko could also probably outperform everyone else too," Shujinkou added.

"Oh yeah, Rei is pretty athletic," Natsuki remembered. "Remind me to stay on her good side."

It wasn’t too long after that that comment that the Literature Club made their way into Shujinkou's empty home.

"Wonder where mom is? She's really been hanging out outside of the house a lot more lately," he thought as he led the others to his room. "Then again, so have I."

As they entered the bedroom, Monika's eyes were immediately drawn to a book on the floor. "I didn't know that you were fan of the Shadow Children Sequence, Shujinkou."

"Huh?" the young man turned around and watched Monika pick the book off his floor. It was at that moment he found himself afflicted with embarrassment as she glanced over the cover.

"What's the Shadow Children Sequence?" Natsuki asked.

"It's a series of books set in a dystopian country that suffers from food shortages due to a drought," Monika explained. "Naturally, overpopulation is a key concern, so the government decreed a law where having more than two children was illegal. To enforce this law, the government set up the Population Police whose job is to find and kill or imprison any third child, or shadow child if you prefer."

"That sounds like an interesting set up," Yuri said as she turned her gaze to Shujinkou. "How come you never brought that book to any of our meetings?"

"Honestly, because of the age range," Shujinkou sheepishly admitted. "It's an 8-12 novel."

"Even so, it's actually a really mature story that covers themes of espionage, courage, betrayal, poverty, class systems, how much power a government has and more," Monika argued. "In fact, the age rating is probably just because nothing graphic is depicted in the series."

Shujinkou remained silent as he pondered Monika's words. The way she explained one of his favorite series of books was staggering to him. "I never really thought of it that way."

"Never judge a book by its age range," Monika chuckled gleefully. "Especially when it's also one of my favorite series too."

Natsuki glanced at the cover of the book and read aloud, "'Among the Barons'?" Is that the book you use the pipe for?"

"Sometimes," Shujinkou admitted. "It really seems appropriate for some parts of the book."

"Ah, I see…" a subtle laugh slipped through Yuri's lips. "Is it that ASMR for you?"

"Eh? What's that?" Sayori wondered aloud.

"Well, it's a short way of saying Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response," Yuri explained. "It's a calming, pleasurable feeling often accompanied by a tingling sensation. It's said that the tingle originates in a person's head and spread to the spine, sometimes to even the limbs, in response to stimulation. It's a very euphoric feeling. I'm sure that everyone has experienced it at least once."

It was at that point where confusion had captured Shujinkou, Natsuki and Sayori in its grip.

"Well, maybe a better way to explain would be… Shujinkou, do you remember a time when you felt relaxed out of nowhere?" Yuri questioned.

"Well…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he pondered that question. "There was this one time when I was little. Mom took me shopping with her and eventually stopped to get her shoes shine. I remember all through that, I felt extremely relaxed."

"I see. It would appear that shoe shining would be your trigger," Yuri concluded.

"So shining shoes makes people feel good?" Natsuki queried.

"Not exactly the shoe shining itself, but the sounds such a process makes," Yuri corrected. "It doesn't even have to be those sounds at all. The trigger varies from person to person and it can be anything as common as tapping a pencil against a desk, the chirping of birds or the turning of book pages."

"Wow… You really know a lot about ASMR, Yuri," Sayori complimented.

"It's nothing special," Yuri insisted. "The knowledge is really just a side effect of my own hobbies."

"It's still cool," Sayori gushed. "I wonder what my trigger is."

"Probably the sound the sound of opening wrappers." Natsuki snarked.

"Yeah… That does make me happy," Sayori dreamily admitted. "So much Halloween Candy…"

"You know, I think bird chirping may be one of my triggers," Monika said. "Or at least Yoki's bird chirping."

"Isn't she supposed to have a new single coming out soon?" Natsuki asked.

"Mm-hmm."

"Can't wait! It might be her best yet!"

"You're a fan of Yoki, Natsuki?" Shujinkou questioned.

"Of course," she proudly admitted. "The whole mystery thing's a gimmick, but I can't deny how good her songs are."

"It does beg the question why she lets her identity be a secret in the first place," Yuri wondered aloud. "I just get the feeling that she wouldn’t be the type of person who would want to use such a gimmick."

"Maybe she had no choice," Monika proposed. "But I guess we'll never know."

"Not unless someone leaks her identity," Natsuki added. "Honestly surprised the real one hasn't been revealed yet. Not having a face to pin to the songs is kinda annoying too."

"You know, it never really bothered me that I didn't have faces for the names I knew off," Shujinkou said.

"Not everyone can be like that, dummy. Besides, when are you ever really upset? Seriously, the most upset I've seen you is when you get all awkward and scratch your cheek," Natsuki joked.

Shujinkou silently scratched his right cheek then chuckled.

The rest of the club's meeting continued on like that for hours until the sun was beginning its journey towards the horizon, signaling the end of the gathering. As the girls began to shuffle out of the bedroom, Shujinkou called out to Natsuki.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I was just wondering if you had any plans for the semester," he explained.

"Plans? Not really. Why?"

"Just curious. That's all."

Natsuki shot the awkward young man a confused look before leading him downstairs. After saying their goodbyes, the girls left, leaving Shujinkou alone in his house.

"Never really get upset, huh…" the young man solemnly sighed as he returned to his room. Once there he shut the door behind him and locked. He then proceeded to pull a box from under his bed, wiped the excessive dust off of it and pulled the top off.

Shujinkou slowly reached inside and pulled out of a photograph of his family. "What I wouldn't give to have both lives come together…"

Chapter Text

"-ko. Shi…" That was the last thing Sayori said before a hand placed itself on her shoulder, rousing her from her slumber. "Huh?"

The drowsy student glanced up from her desk to find Shujinkou standing next to her with a smile on his face. It was filled with innocence and slight amusement. "Well, this is a first. You're the one usually bringing me back from the Realm of Sleep. Though technically daydreaming isn't sleeping…"

"I was just tired…" she let out a large yawn as she stretched her tired arms. "I did a lot of planning last night."

"What were you planning for?" he asked.

"Eh?!" a sharp chill shot down her spine the moment he asked that. "P-Planning… I was just planning... For a lot of things really! There's a lot of things to plan for! I need to plan a lot for them!"

Sayori nervously laughed as she gathered her things. "By the way, what are you doing here Shujinkou?"

"You weren’t at the club, so I went looking for you," the young man answered.

"Oh. That makes sense," Sayori happily accepted. "Let's go!"

Shujinkou followed his childhood friend out of the classroom and down the hallway. On their way to the clubroom, he couldn't help but catch a few glimpses of her bright face. Such a sight reminded him of a promise he failed to keep. "If a friend needs me to be there, I'll be there."

"Hm?" You'll be what?" that question was all it took to afflict Shujinkou with shock. He couldn't believe that he said that out loud.

"I was just thinking about a promise I made…" he answered as he scratched his right cheek. He couldn't find it in him to completely answer that question then. It was just too awkward for him to do so after shutting her out for so long.

"Shujinkou?" Sayori curiously called.

Perhaps it was even more awkward because deep down, he feels like she may have not completely forgiven him. Especially since she hasn't once-

"Maybe I'm being too hard on myself. I mean it could just be that she outgrew that," he thought. "Maybe I could just ask her outright."

Shujinkou nervously scratched his right cheek as he gazed into Sayori's eyes. "Hey, Sayori…"

A sharp yawn swiftly brought the conversation to an end as it caught their attention in its grasp. Following the sudden interruption to its source, the two would soon find Kiyoko lying on the bench beside them.

"Kiyo!" Sayori excitedly waved at the girl next to them.

"Hey, you two," Kiyoko waved back.

"What are you doing here, Kiyoko?" Shujinkou asked. "Is there no practice today?"

"No, there is. I'm just not part of the team anymore," she nonchalantly answered.

"Huh?" Shujinkou was very surprised to hear that, at least until he remembered her equally nonchalant response to her feelings on the subject during Summer Break. But even with that knowledge in mind, he couldn't help but ask, "How come?"

"There were commitment issues and I didn't want to lead the other on."

"Oh. That's-" a balloon exploding in Shujinkou's face kept him from saying any more. Everything was black until he felt a finger slide across his eyes. With his field of vision restored, the first thing he witnessed was Sayori licking a taupe-colored substance from her index finger.

"It's oatmeal," she said with a satisfied grin.

"Looks likes you were the latest victim," Kiyoko said as she reached into her bag. She pulled out a towel and offered it to Shujinkou.

"Thanks," the young man gratefully accepted the towel and began to clean his face. "What was I the latest victim of?"

"Don't you know? Someone pulling pranks throughout the school!" Sayori frantically answered.

"How long has this been happening?" Shujinkou asked.

"Here and there last semester. Though it seems like they're trying kicking it up a notch this one though," Kiyoko explained. "Spicing various lunches, vandalizing chairs… Just yesterday, they messed with the Science Club's chemicals."

"That couldn't have been good," Shujinkou sympathized.

"Nope," Kiyoko shook her head. "Better keep an eye out."

"Okay," Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek before returning the towel to its owner. "Thanks."

"No problem. Anyway, I gotta go," She examined the oatmeal remains on her towel and shrugged. She then curled it into a ball and waved goodbye. "See ya, guys."

"See ya, Kiyo!" Sayori continued to wave goodbye until Kiyoko was out of sight. "Hey, maybe we can invite Kiyo to join the club."

"But she just said that she couldn't commit to her last club," Shujinkou pointed out.

"Yeah, our club doesn't require that much commitment. She can be as uncommitted as she wants," Sayori beamed.

"She'll say anything to get someone to join our club, won't she?" Shujinkou thought as he chuckled.

Meanwhile, Shujinkou's mother, Hiro was once again in the middle of trying to perfect his sewing skills, or at the very least, not to be laughably bad.

"Da da da dum, da da da dum dum, The Other Promise is stuck inside of my head again," she sang as continued to weave and thread.

Hiro continued to hum the song until she suddenly heard a knock on the door. The rookie sewer wasted no time in answering the door and found a man waiting on the other side.

"Mr. Akira?!" she exclaimed. Her eyes darted up and down while examining the man in front of her.

"Hello, Hiro," she  watched as the man take his glasses off, clean them with a wipe and brushed his dark a few strands of hair out of the way before put them back on. "That's an interesting new look you're trying out."

"Huh?" the confused woman glanced down to find that she was covered in yarn. "Oh… I was sewing…"

"Let me help you with that," Akira proceeded to help free Hiro from the predicament, an act that caused her cheeks to grow bright red.

"Um…" the moment she was finally free she found herself struggling to find something to say. "Thanks, Boss…"

"Is your son home?"

"No…"

A smile stretched across his face as his hands cupped Hiro's face."Then what's with the formality?"

"Just used to it I guess…" she weakly chuckled.

They shared a quick kiss before Hiro invited himself inside her house.

"I thought you said you weren’t going to try to sew when your teacher wasn't around," Akira said.

"I know. It's just that he's been so busy with him being in a club and having friends to spend time with, that he hasn't really had time to supervise me," Hiro explained. "I know I'm not getting any better, but I still have to try."

"No, you are getting better," he assured her with a chuckle. "You weren’t completely mummified this time."

"That is an accomplishment for me. So…" Hiro awkwardly twiddled her thumbs. "What brings you here at this time of day?"

"I've decided that it was time that Shujinkou knew about us," Akira said as he plopped himself on her couch. "So, I am going to stay right here and blow the whistle."

"Eh?!" Hiro's entire body tensed as she processed what she was just told.

"I'm just joking. I wouldn't do that," he quickly assured her. "I wouldn't want to force that on you."

"I know. I know you wouldn't do that… It's just… I'm not sure how'll Shujinkou would respond to me dating. He's just getting better too and the last thing I want to do is cause him to revert."

"I completely understand and I know it was selfish and risky to come over so late, but I just had to…" Akira dug into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. "…get your opinion on these documents."

"…Does that jacket come with an extra-large pocket inside?" Hiro asked.

"I had it custom made," Akira proudly announced. "It's really handy for those days where I have to carry suitcases and suitcases, then go back to the car and bring in more suitcases and potentially go home just to bring over more suitcases…"

He sighed as he recalled such an experienced. "…like I had to today. My back is aching."

"Really, well…" Hiro sat next to Akira with a nervous expression on her face. "I could help you with that."

"Hm?" the surprised visitor glanced up at his host. "Oh. No. I mean, we don't have time for that. I don't want you to risk-"

"It's fine. After all, you went out of your way to come here just to deliver something so…" Hiro silently motioned Akira towards her.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

Hiro silently nodded her head.

"Okay…" Akira slowly inched his way closer to her and stretched across Hiro's lap.

"Alright…" After going through the usual mental preparations, Hiro took a deep breath and began to massage Akira's back. "So… How was work?"

"The usual. Tons of files, a lot of meeting that creates more files and everyone expressing how much they miss you."

"That's quite the hyperbole."

"Not really. Though if I had to be honest, I'm sure some wish they were in your position."

"No. No they wouldn't…"

"I know."

"Yeah. I really appreciate you letting me work from home. There's a lot of jobs that wouldn't do that even…"

"Even if the work could be done from home?"

"Yeah…"

"One of my employees was having a hard time, the least I could do was make things easier for them.  Incidentally, I had to start screening those who wanted that same opportunity."

"How come?"

"I went to visit Akio."

"The guy next to my office?"

"Mm-hmm. He said his mother was dying of a terminal disease, so naturally I gave him time off. I wanted to express my condolences, so I set up a donation box and tried to deliver the earnings in person. Guess what happened when I got there?"

"His mother wasn't sick?"

"She was break-dancing on their front lawn."

"Did you fire him?"

"I could've, but instead I decided to put him on a pay probation."

"You really have a merciful heart."

"I try to. So how was your day?"

"Good. I got The Other Promise stuck in my head."

"What promise?"

"Huh? Oh, no it's not a promise; it's the name of a song from one of Shujinkou's games. It goes like: Da Da Da Dum, Hm Hm Hm Hmmm Hmmmmm."

"Really? Well, I'm not much of a video game professional, so I recognize that one. One of the ones I do know is: Do do do do do do do do doooooo, do do do do dooo doooooo."

"Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"Yep."

"What about this one: Do do do do do, do do do do do."

"Crash Bandicoot."

"Okay, how about this one: Who lives in a pineapple-

"That's not from a game."

"The countless games based on the cartoon says otherwise…"

Just then Akira sat up and shot Hiro a skeptical look. "You're bringing licensed games into this?"

"They're still games?" she replied with an awkward smile.

"Still not they're point of origin though," Akira pointed out as he leaned in closer to Hiro.

"Still good enough to be used in the product?" Hiro said with increasingly red cheeks.

"That's true…" the two closed their eyes as their lips inched closer and closer to each other.

Suddenly, a familiar sound sent a sharp chill down their spines. It was clicking sound of a door lock turning.

"Shujinkou!" she shrieked.

"On it!" Akira immediately dropped to the floor as Shujinkou walked in.

"Hey, mom," the young man waved as he slipped out of his shoes.

"H-Hey, Shujinkou," Hiro nervously waved back as she stood up.

"Is something wrong?"

"No… I'm just feeling a bit uneasy…"

"How come?"

"You know…" From the corner of her eyes, Hiro noticed Akira holding up a needle. "I'm really getting nowhere with my sewing."

"Oh. Sorry, I haven't really been helping you like I promised…" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. "

"Don’t apologize. I'm not upset just because you're hanging out with friends or doing your own thing."

"Yeah, but… Do want to work on it now?"

"Um, sure. You go get your stuff and I'll try not to mummify myself while you're gone."

"Okay," With an excited nod, Shujinkou ran up the steps, presenting an opportunity for his mother to escort Akira to the door.

"Sorry," she apologized as she opened the front door.

"No apologies," he casually replied. "See you when I see you."

He quickly planted a kiss on her cheek before making his leave.

"Right…" she dreamily sighed as she closed the front door. "…I'm a terrible mother…"

Chapter Text

One of the benefits that came with advent of the old schedule was that there was more time to fit in personal hobbies. For Shujinkou, this meant more time to advance his artistic skills.

"I wonder which way Kid Goku's hair would fit in this situation…" he mumbled under his breath. Such a question had plagued his mind for the past five minutes, until the answer finally presented itself to him. "That's it!"

But before he could return to work, his focus was immediately drawn towards the direction of bloodcurdling screams. He watched as a plethora of male students tumbled out of the gym, drenched and wearing nothing but their underwear. To him, if was as if they were violently carried to shore by a violent tidal wave after escaping a sinking vessel and being marooned on an island for eight months.

Such an image remained in his head until classes were over and he could share it with his friends.

"The school prankster has pranked again?!" Sayori gasped.

"Yeah. Apparently they're the ones who set off the sprinkler system in the boy's locker room and gym," Shujinkou confirmed.

"It really is unsettling that there is someone going to such lengths to play, what they likely consider, 'jokes'," Yuri lamented.

"Yeah. Like there wasn't already enough grief to deal with," Natsuki groaned.

"Hopefully, they'll quit while they're ahead. Things won't be so good for them if they get caught now," Monika said.

"I doubt it. They probably think they're untouchable and will keep trying to outdo themselves," Natsuki theorized.

"How can they outdo setting off the sprinklers in the boy's locker room?" Shujinkou wondered aloud.

The young man would soon get his answer the next day as he walked into the school with Sayori. The moment they were inside, a battalion of water balloons dropped down from above and showered everyone in the general vicinity.

"I never thought a question would come back to haunt me almost 24-hours later like that in real life…" Shujinkou moaned as he scratched his right cheek.

"Yeah…" Sayori agreed.

But the students were not the only ones to suffer from the pranks. In the newly re-established teacher's work area, the staff was assaulted with shaving cream and buckets of waters. Later, after classes were finished, the archery club would find there bows missing string and their arrows missing their edges.

The next day, several students found their lockers filled with confetti and one class even had their desks wrapped in plastic.

"This is ridiculous!" Natsuki raged. "I know I said that they'll try to outdo themselves, but can't they take a break!? Seriously, my desk was covered in four layers of plastic wrap!"

"You know, I heard some students thinking of making themselves look they've already been pranked just to avoid the actual thing," Shujinkou shared.

"I think it's clear that the perpetrator is doing this indiscriminately…" Yuri replied as she brushed the confetti out of her hair. From her voice and mannerisms, Shujinkou could tell that she was annoyed.

"Did you have confetti in your hair all day?" Sayori curiously asked.

"Actually, I ran into more from a bucket hanging over the classroom door," Yuri sighed.

"At least it's something that you can fix immediately," Monika weakly chuckled as she drew attention to the black circles around her eyes."

The group let out a collective sigh. The pranks were really starting to get out of control.

"To comical levels, really…" Shujinkou thought. Suddenly, the young man felt another presence in the vicinity. Turning around, he found that presence was actually Rei standing behind. "Rei?"

Before another word could be said, she presented a tiny sheet of paper to Shujinkou.

"To Shujinkou, SOS in my office, Fuyu," he read aloud."

"Fuyu's in trouble?" Sayori gasped.

In response, Rei raised another slip of paper for Shujinkou to read. "P.S. It is not a dire emergency and I insist that you make sure the others don't come with you."

"Feel like most of that was directed at Sayori," said Natsuki.

"Hey…!" Sayori pouted as she diverted her gaze. "It was at you guys too…"

"I guess Fuyu really just wants me to to go," Shujinkou said.

With no other choice, he followed Rei to the office of her adopted sister. Curiosity and fear began to build up in the young man as he tried to figure out what could garner an SOS from the Student Council President. Once there, Shujinkou entered the office alone to discover that he wasn't the only student in there. Sitting on the couch opposite of Fuyu's was a girl. From her appearance, it was easy to assume that she was a first-year student. But despite being a student, her uniform wasn't standard code.

Something like that normally wouldn't have bothered him, but the shirt with skull and crossbones, the headband with demon horns sitting on contrasting the small smile on her face caused alarms to go off his head

"Y-You called for me, Fuyu…" he stammered.

"Mm-hmm." Not even looking up at him, Fuyu continued to stare at the girl in front of her. With one person in their infamous "President's Mode" and the other giving off an unnerving presence, Shujinkou could not help but feel like he was in the middle of two titans about to face off. "Shujinkou, allow me to introduce you to, Malizia."

"'I prefer 'Mali'," she casually responded in an innocent tone. She then shook her head, allowing her green hair to sway from side to side. "Probably thinking I got the name cause of my hair, huh?"

"Uh…" Shujinkou did not know how to respond. The innocence on her face heavily contrasting the strange aura she gave off earlier was still too much to take in. "N-Not really…"

"Mali here just so happens to be the one who was pulling all the pranks lately," Fuyu continued.

"Huh? Really?" The young man had to do a double take after hearing that. The girl in front of him was the not the image he had imagined concerning the identity of the prankster. It would have been a little hard to believe if it wasn't for the heavy atmosphere the room possessed.

"I was just playing some jokes to liven up the new semester," Mali innocently argued. "Is that really so wrong? School's so boring and predictable."

If anything, Shujinkou could agree that her antics have indeed livened up the 2^nd term. Though whether it was a good or bad thing…

"That's not really a question…" he admitted to himself.

"So, I bet you're wondering why I called you here," Fuyu said.