The day of the festival arrived. A tangible excitement permeated the air, infecting M.C. He locked his door behind him and stepped out onto the sidewalk, ready to begin the walk to school. But when he got there he frowned. His best friend, Sayori, was nowhere in sight.
M.C. waited a few minutes, feeling his impatience grow. Along with it came a twinge of nervousness as he recalled the events of the night before.
Telling Sayori she would always be his dearest friend.
Her screams as she crouched on the ground, clutching her head.
The expression on her face as she gave him a faked smile and hurried home.
If he was nervous before, the recollection of those events made him downright anxious. He tapped his foot, trying to control the panic growing in his chest. Just as he was about to give up and go to school on his own, a voice stopped him.
"Sorry! I overslept again!" The sight of Sayori's light pink hair made M.C. release a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Sayori practically flew onto the sidewalk and stopped beside him. "I hope I didn't make you wait too long!"
He shook his head, seeing the dark clouds already starting to close over her eyes. "Nah, I overslept too. Natsuki and I worked for so long, I had nightmares about giant cupcakes." He laughed and Sayori exhaled in relief. "Good, I don't wanna be a burden." "I told you, you're not." They began walking to school, making light conversation.
As the school came into view, Sayori bounced up and down with excitement. "The festival is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to hear everyone's poems!" M.C. nodded, although he'd only found a poem on the internet, and probably was in for embarrassment when the other members were better than what he had down. Sighing, he entered the school building and made his way to the clubroom, listening to Sayori talking about what she planned to do at the festival. He knew, based on what she'd told him, that this enthusiasm was probably faked. He listened anyway, set on proving that she wasn't the burden she thought she was.
Monika sat at the front desk, arranging pamphlets into neat piled to be handed out to visitors. She looked up and waved as they entered, giving M.C. a smile that made his stomach do backflips. He smiled back and turned to where Yuri was finishing a banner made to look like a sunset. She was finishing up the lettering, and had already set up the rest of her mood-making items.
Sayori raced over to where Monika was and the two began discussing matters for the festival performance. M.C. stood nervously at the door, trying to think of a way to aid the preparations. Luckily, the answer came in the form of pink pigtails.
"Here, take these before I drop them!" Natsuki shoved a tray of cupcakes into his hands. She walked into the room balancing two more trays, and set them down on an empty desk. She scanned them for any signs of damage, and then gestured for him to place his tray with the others.
"There we go! Now we'll have people flocking in here!" Natsuki grinned gloatingly, hands on her hips. Yuri looked up and smiled, although she seemed a bit less sure of that. "Yes, everything is wonderful." She stood up and hefted her banner. "Would you mind helping me with this, M.C.?"
M.C. grabbed a side of the banner and they carried it to the hall. Yuri pulled a stepladder closer to the door and gestured him over to it. "We need to hand it above the door. Use these." She dropped one corner of the banner to take a package of wall tacks from her pocket. He took them and climbed the ladder, placing a piece of cement on the wall.
When they were done, both stood back from the doorway, looking at the sign. "You did a great job on this Yuri." He grinned at her. Yuri startled and looked away, blushing. "I-I didn't do much…." Still blushing, she hurried into the classroom. M.C. followed her inside. Monika and Sayori had placed the pamphlets on a desk to one corner, and a table held Natuski's cupcakes. The front of the room was cleared to serve as a sort of stage, and a scattering of desks served as seats. Incense burners wafted sweet-smelling smoke throughout the room, giving it a heading atmosphere.
"It's amazing how much work can be done in such a short time, isn't it?" Monika appeared beside him, smiling. M.C. nodded, sharing the sentiment. He couldn't believe they'd managed to do all of this is just a weekend.
Before he'd had time to process this thought, an announcement blared through the intercom.
"The festival activities may now commence! Please adhere to the pre-stated rules and school policies! Please enjoy this event!"
That announcement marked the last day the club was the same as it always had been. It also marked the day that that person joined the Literature Club.
