Disclaimer: I do not own Doki Doki Literature Club or any of its characters. This story does contain spoilers of DDLC. Please play the game before you read this story so that you understand it and do not miss out on the complete experience. Thanks :)

Doki-Doki Days to Come

He went to work. The year was 2072, and he had invested millions into his research. He was a well-known scientist in his late thirties whose work would remain a mystery. Not even the government could possibly know his goal, his ambition. The force that compelled him to spend his every waking moment with his mind instilled into a very complicated problem: How would he save her?

He knew not the solution and yet something kept him from stopping. He would restore her. Not in the same way as in the game. That game. That cursed game. The one that tore them apart. The one that he had stumbled upon out of sheer luck. The game that had nearly vanished from the world aside from a few copies. The game he both hated and cherished with all of his heart. At most there were only twenty copies still in existence. And he had one, but he didn't want it. He wanted what was inside, or rather who was inside. Today, Matthew was closer to her than the game would ever let him be.

Monika turned to face her fellow club members. "Okay, everyone!," she said, "It's time to share our poems."

"Okay, fine," said Natsuki although she was secretly waiting to have the opportunity to give her poem to him.

However, Matthew walked over to Sayori, his childhood friend. Natsuki could see his clumsy print on the paper that he had declined to show to her first. Sayori took one quick look over it and beamed with joy.

"This is even better than yesterday's!" Sayori exclaimed while hugging the poem.

"What really?" replied Matthew.

"Yep!"

"Okay, if you say so Sayori."

Matthew then turned towards the clock. Yes, thought Natsuki, He's going to share his poem with someone else. It's now or never. Matthew then shifted to once again face Sayori.

"Well, thank you for showing me your poem Sayori," he said politely.

"You're welcome," she said with a smile.

Who's next, thought Matthew as he turned to see Yuri blocking his path. She was an extremely shy girl who had a tendency to overreact to situations. She had very few friends, but was more or less content as far as Matthew knew. Her elegant body and long purple hair briefly captivated his thoughts and he was left silently staring at her.

"... Um… hello Matthew..." Yuri managed to get out. She was slightly unnerved by his absent state of mind.

"Oh, hi Yuri," Matthew quickly said desperately attempting to seem as though he had merely gotten distracted for a moment.

"Hi," Yuri simply restated.

"So what kind of deeply moving and expertly written poem can I expect from you today?"

Yuri blushed heavily as she always does when being complimented or praised.

"Do… you really think my poems are… good?" she questioned.

"Of course I do Yuri. I'm sure that I'll like this one too if you let me read it."

"Okay then," Yuri almost whispered as she handed her poem over to Matthew.

He read over it and took a little extra time to see if he could find a deeper meaning, as Yuri most often etched into her poetry. He looked up to see Yuri with a wishful look on her face. Her eyes hid behind her bangs, and her face reddened slightly. Then, with a sigh he returned the poem.

"See?" he said with a smile, "You've really got me beat on this poetry thing."

Natsuki sat in the corner and began to think. He has to like me, right? I'm the only other person here who likes manga here. This is something she and the other members of the club disagreed on. Monika, Yuri, and Sayori all said that manga wasn't literature. It was almost as if they had shunned her interests and forced her to feel insecure. It wasn't until Matthew arrived that she could even discuss her hobbies while being taken seriously. He is the only one, she thought.

"Hi Natsuki. What are you doing?" Matthew asked.

She wanted to say that he had kept her waiting, but she had to put him in his place.

"I was trying to think peacefully," she haughtily replied.

"Oh, sorry for bothering you," he said with that innocent yet clueless smile of his.

"It's okay," she mumbled trying to hide a smile. No matter what she would not let him think that she needed his company to be happy. After all, she was the best. She didn't need Matthew or even the club for that matter.

Then Matthew said something she hadn't expected.

"I really like your poems, Natsuki. Can I read what you wrote today?"

"You really want to read it that badly? Ok then, I've got good news for you. Today's poem is probably the best one yet, so you'll love it. By the way I'm being modest."

"Of course I will."

Matthew stared at the poem a bit longer than Natsuki would've liked. Her trademark style was writing in a way that was not overly sophisticated but still carried a powerful message. That being said her poems aren't terribly challenging to read.

"I really like this one!"

"Told ya."

I guess he's just slower than I thought he was, she told herself, or maybe he got distracted by how truly great my writing style really is.

When Natsuki looked back at Matthew he was walking in the direction of Monika. He turned around slightly to face her while walking. "Thanks for sharing Natsuki. I've got to show my poem to Monika now."

Monika saw Matthew approaching. She didn't know what his poem was going to look like today. Actually, she did. She always knew what his poems would look like because they all looked the same. Every one of them was just a string of words. Some were long while others described simple emotions or ideas such as friendship. Even his handwriting was bland. This didn't mean that Monika was in any way displeased to see Matthew's poems. It just meant that Matthew would have to work harder if he was ever going to impress her. Sadly she knew that it would never happen. Not in this game.

The next few days in the club went mostly the same way except that the club had started to prepare for the upcoming school festival. Then one day Sayori said that she wasn't feeling well and went home. Reality itself was shaken the next day when Matthew visited her.