Sighing, a teenage boy smiles with his eyes closed in contentment. In front of the boy was an open laptop that held a white screen with paragraphs upon paragraphs of text. "What a good read! This is a real gem right here; take my favorite."
This is MC. Nothing too noteworthy about him since he was pretty average in most aspects. He likes to read manga, watch anime, play video games and as of recently, read fanfiction. So in his mind, he was just getting more and more lame with every new hobby. But the passion he felt for these were real, if a little casual if that made any sense. However, MC felt something different about his newest hobby. A hidden longing in his gut that he can't pin down every time he read a good fanfiction.
Leaning in towards the laptop screen, MC flipped the machine closed and went to lay on his bed, specifically in a heap. Turning his head to his alarm clock, the red digitalized numbers pierced his eyes.
"2:11 a.m."
"Urgh, I'm gonna wake up late and feel like crap for all of tomorrow... Why does school take up so much days in the week?" Deciding that it wasn't worth it to complain any longer, MC shuffled under his blanket to a more comfortable position before trying to drift off to dreamland. There's a key word there that I'm sure you spotted.
"Why won't you just go to sleep, stupid brain... An all-nighter isn't worth it." Frowning only to then relax a few seconds later, MC's face went through a multitude of expressions while he mumbled out insults to his brain. After an indeterminate amount of time passed, MC finally fell asleep. The transition from consciousness to nothingness would be too smooth for him to remember in the morning. Right before MC fell asleep however, he mumbled one final thing: "...author..."
O%O%O
"Yes, yes, yes! Let's f-ing go!" Practically flying around his house, MC hopped up and down while punching the air triumphantly. "I've figured it out!"
"All this time, that feeling I got during every good read... It was my inner author calling out! This is my destiny!" Giddily packing his stuff for school, the fact that he hadn't fell asleep until early morning was completely nullified by the euphoria of his revelation. Zipping his bag shut, MC slung it on his back before exiting the building he called home.
As MC strolled down the street, he attempted to whistle but just ended up making weird and exaggerated faces along with a sad spitting sound. However, he seemed oblivious to it as his gait was ever carefree. Approaching a crosswalk, MC heard someone call out from behind him. "Heyyyy!"
Turning around, the boy saw his dear and longtime friend running towards him. She was a girl named Sayori who has been his neighbor and friend practically ever since they were born. In the past, the two of them walked to school together but for awhile now, they started seeing each other less and less. MC suspected that it was a combination of his hobbies taking up his time all the way until early morning and Sayori's recent habit of oversleeping.
Seeing Sayori wave her arms in the air in a ridiculous manner, MC briefly considered leaving her behind before deciding against it. Eh, I'm in a good mood anyways. Once the shorter girl caught up, she doubled over to gasp for air.
"I overslept again! But I caught you this time!" Sayori exclaimed, bringing her arms up for emphasis.
"Sure, but only because I let you." MC chuckled at the expression his friend made.
"Ehhh? But that makes it sound like you were thinking of ignoring me! That's mean!" "Well, I mean...you looked like a bird having a seizure with you waving your arms around like that."
Sayori huffed as she finally gave in. "Fine, fine. But you ended up waiting for me anyways so that's an alimony of our relationship!"
"Testimony, Sayori... And don't say relationship! That can be misinterpreted, dummy..." MC said that but he had to fight hard to keep Sayori from seeing his growing blush.
Sayori giggled at her friend's mannerisms as the pair went off on their way to school.
"Say, MC?" "Hm?" "Have you decided on what club you want to join yet?" "Wait, what? Why would I be looking for a club to join?" Sayori turns her body to face MC, hands on her hips for maximum pouting effect.
"MC, you said you'd find a club before the year was over! Don't tell me you forgot? I already said that you need to learn how to socialize and gain new skills before college. I know you might be fine like this but I'm not! Your happiness is important to me and I'd die at the thought of you failing at staying afloat in the real world."
Mentally flinching at the harsh truth, MC thought over Sayori's words with a more serious mindset since she seemed so adamant about it. Learning new skills, huh? Writing is a skill.
"Okay, Sayori. I see your point and actually, I think I already have an idea of what club I might join." "What!? Really? Tell me, tell me!" "Hey, calm down. Like I said, I have an idea but I don't actually know if there is any clubs that match up with what I have in mind."
Dejected, Sayori looked like she was finally giving up on the topic before she suddenly bounced back with renewed vigor. "Wait! Why don't you just tell me what you have in mind and I can show you some clubs? I am Vice President of my own club after all."
Bringing a hand to the side of his head, MC scratched at it: a nervous habit of his. "That's the thing, I'm, uh... Oh! I'm keeping it a surprise! After I check out the clubs, I'll tell you about it. Okay?" MC hastily said, trying to hide his embarrassing pastime and newfound passion.
"What? But MC-" Sayori started but was cut off by the school bell's shrill cry.
"Oop, sorry Sayori. Bye!" MC said before jetting to find his locker.
"'Kay, bye... Oh shoot, what am I gonna tell the others now? No, I still have time. I'll catch him after classes."
O%O%O
With the schooling he received being as bland as ever and with a new hobby he had to think about, MC barely even noticed regular classes had ended. Since he did notice however, he got up and tried to squirm his way past the loaded hallways to his locker. Quickly depositing everything he didn't need, MC grabbed an untouched notebook that he had left to gather dust in the locker. Taking it out and shaking it clean, the boy eyed the empty lines as he flipped over the blank pages. Smacking it shut with both hands, MC hesitantly grinned. This is so embarrassing but I can't stop getting excited at the idea of people reading a narrative that I wrote.
Shaking his head, MC headed off to see the public bulletin board where most clubs posted their ads. Unbeknownst to him, the classroom he had hastily left beforehand was now occupied by a pouting girl who wore a red bow.
Arriving at the bulletin board, MC saw a poster regarding the upcoming festival. Shoot, that's right. I forgot about the festival! If I join a club now, then that means I'd have to help for a big event that's in just a few days. Maybe I should wait until after the festival?
During his inner monologue, MC was scanning over the many clubs pining for new members. It wasn't until he saw a particular poster that caught his eye that made him focus on it more.
The poster was white with a hint of brown mixed in, reminding MC of coffee. All of the text's fonts and colors made for a welcoming atmosphere. The club's name was already pretty promising (Literature Club) but it wasn't until he read the description at the bottom of the paper that he was sold on the idea.
""This club consists of a small group of promising and passionate individuals who will be glad to help you settle in, including me! We deal in all things relating to literature such as reading and writing. Please come and join my literature club!" This club covers everything I wanted! Not only do they deal in reading and writing but they also don't have a lot of members yet so this can help me socialize! Perfect! It's decided. I'm joining the Literature Club!"
O%O%O
Sitting in a desk within the designated club room for the Literature Club, Sayori slumped across the smooth surface, her cinnamon bun of a face pouting for the third time today.
"I'm sorry guys, especially you Natsuki. I wasn't able to get our new member..."
"Yeah, you better be..." The specific girl mentioned previously grumbled as she tended to her cupcakes.
"I-It's fine, Natsuki. Sayori tried her best and if you are worried about your cupcakes going to waste, then we can just have them as a club." A tall, purple-haired girl quietly said.
"Well, it can't be helped. I suppose we just have to resume normal club activities." A girl with brown hair and an air of authority suggested with a sigh.
"Oh, this is terrible." Sayori whined. "You'd have loved the new member I had in mind but I wasn't fast enough. He would've been like: "Wow Sayori, everyone here is so nice! Thank-""
The sudden opening of the door brought all four girls to look at the room's entrance. Stepping foot into the room was MC, instinctively freezing up with so many stares pointed at him. Slowly glancing around the room, the sole male raised a brow at his friend's presence.
"Sayori?"
"MC!"