I opened my eyes and was actually walking into the club room, no memories of the previous parts of the actual day. Monika was standing in front of me, looking expectantly at me.
"Hi again, Player!" Glad to see you didn't run away on us. Hahaha!"
"Nah, don't worry. This might be a little strange for me, but I at least keep my word." As the text says along the bottom I was the last one to come in so everyone is already hanging out.
"Thanks for keeping your promise, Player," Yuri says, smiling. "I hope this isn't too overwhelming of a commitment for you. Making you dive headfirst into literature when you're not accustomed to it."
"Oh, come on! Like he deserves any slack." Natsuki was even louder than yesterday. "Sayori told e you didn't even want to join any clubs this year, and last year, too! I don't know if you plan to just come here and hang out, or what... but if you don't take us seriously then you won't see the end of it." She's a feisty little shit, that's for sure.
"Natsuki, you certainly have a big mouth for someone who keeps her manga collection in the club room," Monika interjected, seemingly coming to my aid.
"M-M-M," Natsuki finds herself stuck between saying "Monika" and "Manga." "Manga is literature!" She finally shouts before falling back into her seat, defeated.
"Don't worry, guys, Player always gives his best as long as he's having fun," explained Sayori. At least me and the scripted main character have that in common. "He helps me with busywork without me even asking. Like cooking, cleaning my room..." Never mind.
"How dependable..." Yuri seemed to fawn over the idea.
"Yuri, it's because your room is a fucking mess all the time and you almost caught your house on fire once. I shot back.
"Is that so...Ehehe..." She sunk away shyly.
"You two are really good friends, aren't you?" Yuri asked. "I might be a little jealous..."
"How come? You and Player can become good friends too!"
Yuri mumbled and began fiddling with her hair again.
"Dude," I said to Sayori.
"Hmm?" Dumb broad was oblivious to the awkward situation she just created for me.
"Oh, oh! Yuri even brought you something today, you know~" She continued.
"W-Wait! Sayori..." Yuri looked flustered.
"For me?" I asked, just trying to move shit along.
"Um... Not really..."
"Don't be shy~" Sayori pushed.
"It's really nothing..."
"What is it?" I asked.
"N-Never mind! Sayori made it sound like a big deal when it's really not...Uuuuh, what do I do..." Poor Yuri, Sayori is a shit.
"Eh? I'm sorry, Yuri, I wasn't thinking..." Sayori says, leaving me to clean the trash fire.
"Hey don't worry about it. First of all, I wasn't expecting anything in the first place, so any nice gesture from you is a pleasant surprise. It'll make me happy no matter what."
"I-Is that so..." She seemed skeptical.
"Yeah, I don't give a fuck."
"Alright...Well, here." She reaches into her bag and pulls out a book. "I didn't want you to feel left out, so I picked out a book that I thought you might enjoy. It's a short read, so it should keep your attention, even if you don't usually read." I'd usually be insulted, but she's right, I'm an idiot. "And we could, you know..." Please say fuck, I'd love it if I was one of those games. "Discuss it... if you wanted..." Dammit. Not making it any better, her being so damn cute right now.
"Hey, I will read this if you show me your tits," I say, knowing she'll ignore that comment and taking the book.
"Phew... Well, you can read it at your own pace. I look forward to hearing what you think."
Now that everyone is settled in, I expected Monika to kick off some scheduled activities for the club, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Sayori and Monika are having a cheery conversation in the corner, Yuri's face is already buried in a book and Natsuki is rummaging around in the closet.
"Ugh..." Natsuki groans from inside the closet. I approach to see if she needs a hand.
"What's up?"
"Freaking Monika... She never puts my stuff back in the right spot! What's the point of keeping your collection organized if someone else is just gonna mess it up?" She adjusts some books on the shelves and I notice it's manga. Well, less I realize that and the text at the bottom tells me this. I'm not even much for comics, let alone Japanese comics.
"You read manga, right?" Natsuki asks.
"Uh... Sometimes...Why?"
"I heard you bring it up at some point. Besides, it's kinda written on your face." I actually attempt to wipe my face out of instinct. Shit like that would literally be written on my face back in Sunset Overdrive. She doesn't react, obviously.
"O...kay." I see a manga all on its own on the shelf and I reach out and pull it out.
"There it is!" She snatches it out of my hand, turning back to the closet and slipping the volume into the middle of a box. "Aah, much better! Seeing a box set with one book missing is probably the most irritating sight in the world."
"You ever looked at your health bar during a boss fight and it's super super low, but the boss still has like three more, separate health bars left to go? That's irritating." As I mumble to myself I look to the box set she was adjusting. "Parfait girls?" The text at the bottom makes me laugh. 'Either it's out of my demographic, or it's simply terrible.' I feel you, my man, I feel you.
"If you're gonna judge, you can do it through the glass on that door." She says, defensively, pointing to the classroom door.
"I am not one to judge... usually... like five percent of the time I don't judge."
"It was the tone of your voice." It honestly doesn't matter what I say does it? "But I'll tell you one thing, Player. Consider this a lesson straight from the Literature Club: don't judge a book by its cover! In fact-" She pulls out the first volume of the Parfait Girls from the box. "I'm gonna show you exactly why!" She shoves the book into my hands. The cover of the book looks so damn girly. "Don't just stand there!" She drags me out of the closet, sits below the windows and pats the ground, indicating I should sit next to her.
"Wouldn't chairs be more comfortable?" I ask as I sit next to her.
"Chairs wouldn't work. We can't read at the same time like that."
"Why the fuck not? Unless you really wanna cuddle up to me like this." At this Natsuki's face goes into a mix of rage and embarrassment.
"Don't just say that! You'll make me feel weird about it!" She crosses her arms and scootches (that is the dumbest word) an inch away from me.
"Sure, be that way," I say, opening the book and I notice, not even a couple seconds later she is right back up against me. I can feel Natsuki reading the beginning of the manga over my shoulder, even though I'm not reading it and not even turning any pages.
"Wow, how long has it been since I read the beginning...?" She mumbles.
"What? You don't go back and flip through the older volumes every now and then?"
"Not really. Maybe sometimes after I've already finished the series," She answers, absentmindedly, still looking over my shoulder. "Hey, are you paying attention?" She gestures to the manga. I still haven't turned a single page, not that it seems to matter that much to the script here.
"This ever gonna get interesting or...?" I ask.
"Well, obviously! You think I would enjoy something that didn't have a plot? I mean... Well, I guess I know what you're saying... A lot of the beginning is about simple things. Like there's a really funny chapter where they're obsessed with a guy at the ice cream shop, but that just helps you get to know the characters! And besides, it's still entertaining. But later on, there's all kinds of drama, like when they get into all their backstories, and when some of the romance starts to happen. That's really what makes it so good. There are so many touching parts." She was becoming more and more excited as she talked and it was kind of adorable.
"Ah, is that so? It sounds like you really know what you're talking about. Maybe I underestimated you."
"Ehehe. Hey, Wait!" I couldn't help but laugh. "What's that supposed to mean?!" She gave me a playful shove.
"I just meant that I haven't seen you at your full power..."
"Hmph. Good save." I'm not usually one to have any feelings, ever, but she's adorable.
"Ah... This chapter seems to be about baking. They bake a lot in this shit?"
"Well-" She pauses for a moment, looking like she doesn't want to admit something. "...Yeah. What does that matter?"
"It doesn't, I was just wondering, especially since you enjoy baking too."
"That's- Just a coincidence! I just happened to get into baking around the same time I got this manga. Like I would ever get into anything because it's in a manga. I feel bad for anyone that impressionable. Ahaha!" If I met someone like this that wasn't simply programmed to just be a stereotypical tsundere, I'd punch them in the throat. We sit there, staring at the manga for a few more minutes (I'll admit I read a couple pages and was bored out of my skull).
"Are you bored yet?" I ask.
"It's not!" She shot back quickly.
"Even though you're just watching me read?"
"Well...! I'm... fine with that." She was getting shy about it.
"Whatever you say, short stack. I guess I get it. I enjoy showing other people how to shoot guns and beat stuff. Sharing what you love with others is always fun, right?" She looked at me confused and for a second I thought maybe what I said had caused her to react like this, but no. "You don't like sharing?"
"Um... That's not... Well, I wouldn't really know. " She was starting to blush.
"What, you don't share your manga with your friends?"
"Could you not rub it in? Jeez..." Grump face is adorable.
"Sorry."
"Hmph. Like I could ever get my friends to read this... They just think manga is for kids. I can't even bring it up without them being all like 'Eh? You still haven't grown out of that yet?' Makes me want to punch them in the face."
"Me too. Fucking assholes. Judging someone like that really pisses me off. Like I can usually just shoot them in the head and move on, but it's gotta suck for someone programmed like you."
"Hm. Yeah, that's pretty accurate." Wait, what? "I mean, I feel like I can't even keep it in my own room. I don't even know what my dad would do if he found this. At least it's safe here in the clubroom. 'Cept Monika was kind of a jerk about it... Ugh! I just can't win, can I?"
"Well, it paid off in the end, didn't it? I mean, here I am, reading it."
"Well, it's not like that solves any of my problems."
"I guess. But at least you're enjoying yourself, right?"
"...So?" I couldn't help but laugh at how cute she is. "Jeez, that's enough! Are you gonna keep reading, or what?"
"Yeah, yeah." I flip the page and she starts laughing.
"I totally forgot that happens!" She points to one of the panels. "Minori is my favorite character. You always feel a little bad for her, since she's so unlucky. But it gets especially bad when-Uu... I shouldn't be talking about that yet! Just finish this chapter!" She sounds the most excited I've heard someone be since Sam asked 4Kim out and she said yes.
"Okay, everyone!" Monika shouted out, catching all of our attentions. "Are you all ready with today's poems?"
"Oh, come on!" Natsuki groaned. "Could your timing be any worse?"
"Sorry," Monika apologized, but I could see she wasn't actually sorry. "I just need to make sure we have enough time. Though you do look pretty cozy over there. Ahaha!"
"Eh...? A-Ah!" I watch as Natsuki realizes how close she's pressed up to me. She shuffles herself a good foot away from me in a panic. "Alright... Guess I'll stop here for now." I close the book and hand it to Natsuki, but she looks pissed. "You're just giving it back...? Don't you want to know what happens?"
"Sure, but... Monika just said-" I start.
"Don't be dumb. Just take it home with you."
"You sure?"
"Well, of course. It would take forever to finish it if you didn't take it home. Just finish that one before tomorrow, so we can start the next one. And if it gets bent, I'll kill you." God, I'd date her so fast if she was in Sunset Overdrive.
"By Tomorrow...?" I say, just following the script for now. "Alright, then!" I get up and put the book carefully into my backpack.
"By the way, did you remember to write a poem last night?" Monika asks.
"Sadly, yes." My character model feels tense.
"Well, now that everyone's ready, why don't you find someone to share with?"
"I can't wait~!" Sayori says, jumping up and down in excitement. Her and Monika enthusiastically pull out their poems. Sayori's is on a wrinkled sheet of loose leaf torn from a spiral notebook. In contrast Monika's is written in a composition notebook and I can see her pristine handwriting across the page. Natsuki and Yuri reluctantly comply as well, reaching into their bags and I grab mine, which to me looks like it's just a random jumble of words and bullshit. At this point four boxes with all of the girl's names appears in front of me and I have to choose who to show my poem to first. I close my eyes and just choose one and I hit Natsuki. I watch as Natsuki reads my "poem" over. She starts looking flustered.
"...Okay, well let's start with the things I don't like! First of all, um..." She re-reads the paper. "N-Never mind. I don't feel like giving you my opinion."
"Eh? Then what's the point of sharing in the first place? I wrote this when I could have been doing other things. In fact, remember how I said I wanted to read your poems? That's what I had in mind when writing this. I want to help you feel comfortable enough to share yours."
"Well I would be more comfortable sharing my poem if yours was really bad! You were supposed to show me some dumb poem and make me go 'Hah, well it's not that great but let me show you what real literature looks like!' And you ruined it! I hope you're happy!"
"I Literally just chose random shit on a page. It doesn't even have substance to me. But I guess that means you like it?"
"Uuuuuuuu... You're so...! You just... you... don't understand anything, do you? I already told you that, you don't have to go announcing it to the world like you're all self-important!"
"You're batshit insane," I mumble to myself. I really wish she was more diverse a character, because I really like her. "Anyway, hand yours over, shortcake."
"Gr...Fine, I guess. Only because Monika will make me if I don't." She hands me the paper and I begin to read it.
-"Eagles Can Fly
"Monkeys can climb
"Crickets can leap
"Horses can race
"Owls can seek
"Cheetahs can run
"Eagles can fly
"People can try
"But that's about it."-
"Yeah, I told you that you weren't gonna like it," She says, defensively.
"Shut up, It's not bad."
"What? Just be honest!"
"Fuck you, I don't lie... usually. Why wouldn't I like it?"
"Well-Because! Everyone in high school thinks that writing has to be all sophisticated and stuff, so people don't even take my writing seriously."
"Dude, the most sophisticated word I've ever said was 'Alas.' Poetry is meant to express yourself. Fuck everyone else, write how you want."
"Yes! Exactly! I like when it's easy to read, but it hits you hard. Like in this poem. Seeing everyone around you do great things can be really disheartening, so I decided to write about it."
"Yeah, it's simple and full of meaning."
"But the other nice thing about simple writing is that it puts more weight on the wordplay. Like I set up for a rhyme at the end, but then made it fall flat on purpose. It helps bring out the feeling in the last line." I read over the poem again, actually finding that I really did like it a lot.
"So you did... Fuck that's deep."
"That's what it means to be a pro! I'm glad you learned something. Didn't expect that from the youngest one here, did you?"
"I did not." I like Natsuki. She's a good girl.
Now I have to choose another person to show my poem to. Let fate decide yet again! I chose Monika this time.
"Hi, Player! Having a good time so far?"
"Yeah, I am."
"Good! Glad to hear it! By the way, since you're new and everything if you ever have any suggestions for the club, like new activities or things we can do better I'm always listening! Don't be afraid to bring things up, okay?" Something about how she said 'I'm always listening' just feels wrong, but I shrug it off.
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind."
"Anyway, want to share your poem with me?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Ahahaha! Don't worry, Player! We're all a little embarrassed today, you know? But it's that sort of barrier that we'll all learn to get past soon."
"Would normally be true, sure." I hand Monika my poem. "Not that it's really embarrassing, it's just random trash on a paper." I say that last part to myself as she starts to read my paper and I see her eyes dart up to me for a second before going back down to the page.
"...Mhm! I like it, Player!"
"Fucking why?"
"It's a lot cuter than I expected. Ahahaha!" I'm pretty sure I used the word "Massacre" in it at some point. How is that cute?
"Oh jeez..." I groan.
"No, no! It kind of makes me think of something Natsuki would write, and she's a good writer too. So take that as a compliment!"
I chuckle uncomfortably. "Whatever you say."
"Yep! By any chance have you read anything by Shel Silverstein?"
"Who?"
"He's famous for telling all kinds of stories in just a few simple words. His poems can be funny, endearing, or even sad and sometimes they're only a few lines long. They might even feel like they're written for kids, but if you think about them they can express views of the world that would apply to anybody.
"I see. So you're saying that Natsuki is kind of like that?"
"Sort of. Maybe she's not an expert but you probably won't find much filler in her poems. They might be easy to write, but their super challenging to get the meaning through. So I can see why it would be your kind of poem to explore!"
"I'm sure I'll end up trying different things a lot before I feel comfortable doing this."
"And that's okay! I'd love to see you trying new things. That's the best way to find the kind of style that suits you. Everyone else might be a little biased toward their own kinds of styles, but I'll always help you find what suits you the most! So don't force yourself to write the way everyone else wants you to write. I's not like you have to worry about impressing them or anything. Ahaha! Anyway, do you want to read my poem now? Don't worry, I'm not very good."
"You sound pretty confident for someone who claims to not be good."
"Well, that's 'cause I have to sound confident. That doesn't mean I always feel that way, you know?"
"Fair enough, I guess. Well, lemme see it then!"
-"Hole In Wall
"It couldn't have been me.
"See, the direction the spackle protrudes.
"A noisy neighbor? An angry boyfriend? I'll never know, I wasn't home.
"I peer inside for a clue.
"No! I can't see. I reel, blind, like a film left out in the sun.
"But it's too late. My retinas.
"Already scorched with a permanent coy of the meaningless image.
"It's just a little hole. It wasn't too bright.
"It was too deep.
"Stretching forever into everything.
"A hole of infinite choices.
"I realize no, that I wasn't looking in.
"I was looking out.
"An he, on the other side, was looking in."-
As I read the poem I feel a strange familiarity with it, like I've personally experienced what she's writing about, but even with that feeling I can't place exactly what it is that the poem is about.
"So... What do you think?" Monika finally asks. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm feeling here so I just let the script take its course.
"Hmm... it's very... freeform, if that's what you call it. Sorry, I'm not really the right person to ask for feedback."
"Ahahah. It's okay. Yeah, that kind of style has gotten pretty popular nowadays. That is, a lot of poems have been putting emphasis on the timing between words and lines. When performed out loud, it can be really powerful.
"What was the inspiration behind this one?"
"Ah... Well, I'm not sure if I know how to put it... I guess you could say that I had some kind of epiphany recently. It's been influencing my poems a bit."
"An epiphany?"
"Yeah... something like that. I'm kind of nervous to talk about deep stuff like that, because it's kind of coming on strongly... Maybe after everyone is better friends with each other. Anyway... Here's Monika's Writing Tip of the Day! Sometimes when you're writing a poem- or a story- your brain gets too fixated on a specific point. If you try so hard to make it perfect, then you'll never make any progress. Just force yourself to get something down on the paper, and tidy it up later! Anther way to think about it is this: If you keep your pen in the same spot for too long, you'll just get a big dark puddle of ink, so just move your hand and go with the flow! That's my advice for today!" I heard the advice while I was focusing on that strange feeling and just shoot it out of my head. I'll worry about that later. "Thanks for listening~" I was back to the screen to choose who to show my poem to next, I was down to Sayori and Yuri. Flip a coin, I guess and it was Yuri.
Yuri reads my poem, making small, thoughtful noises every line or two. A minute or so passes, plenty of time to read the squiggles and shit. I clear my throat and Yuri jumps, panicking a bit.
"S-Sorry...! I forgot to start speaking..." What? "U-Um!"
"It's fine, don't pull something."
"I'm not... I just need to put my thoughts into words. Hold on... Okay. This is your first time writing a poem, right?"
"If you could call it that, yeah."
"I'm just making sure. I guessed that it might be after reading through it."
"I knew it was bad."
"No! …Did I just raise my voice...? I'm so sorry..." Yuri buries her face in her hands. Seems she has some issues getting use to new people.
"It's fine, I didn't even notice," I say, my ears ringing from her shriek. "What were you saying?"
"Right... um... It's jut that there are specific writing habits that are usually typical of new writers and having been through that myself, I kind of learned to pick up on them. I think the most noticeable thing I recognize in new writers is that they try to make their style very deliberate. In other words, they tend to pick a writing style separate from the topic matter and they form-fit the two together. The end result is that both the style and the expressiveness are weakened." Suddenly she's standing straighter and giving me the ribbing of a lifetime. The fuck? "Of course, that's not something you can be blamed for. There are so many different skills and techniques that go into writing even a simple poem. Not just finding them and building them, but getting them to work together is probably the most challenging part. It might take you some time, but it all comes with practice and learning by example and trying new things. I also hope that everyone else in the club gives you valuable feedback. Natsuki can be a little bit biased, though..."
I feel the heat under my collar rising as she lectures me. Even if I hadn't actually written a fucking poem, I hate being talked down to like this. The moment she, clearly in mean spirit, spoke of Natsuki I couldn't hold back and I tried to punch Yuri in the head, but my fist was stopped just short of her nose. She didn't move or flinch, as her program wouldn't allow it, but it was also stopping me from hurting her. I growled and moved on.
"How is she biased?" I spat.
"U-Um... Well... Never mind... I shouldn't be talking about people like that... Sorry."
"You're fucking damn skippy you shouldn't talk about people like that..." I hiss. "Give me your poem," I say, snatching it out of her hands.
"Please do! I'd love to share my thought process behind it..." Her smile makes me want to stab her so fucking badly.
-"Ghost Under the Light.
"The tendrils of my hair lluminatebeneath the amber glow.
"Bathing.
"It must be this one.
"The last remaining streetlight to have withstood the test of time.
"The last yet to be replaced by the sickening blue-green of the future.
"I bathe. Calm; breathing in the air of the present but living in the past.
"The light flickers.
"I flicker back."-
"I-I'm sorry I have such terrible handwriting!" She suddenly apologized.
"You're handwriting is probably the best part of you, honestly."
"But it took you a long time to read..."
"Your handwriting is fine, I just fell asleep halfway through."
"Eh? That's... a relief..."
"I hated the poem about as much as I hate you."
"It wasn't too short? I usually write longer poems..."
"Please don't."
"I'm really glad you like it. I'll be honest... Since it's our first time sharing, I wanted to write something a little more mild. Something easy to digest, I suppose."
"Am I supposed to eat this paper?" At this point I'm completely ignoring the script. I hate this woman.
"Actually the story isn't about a ghost at all, Player," She says smugly.
"Wha-?" I ask as I stuff the paper into my mouth and begin chewing it.
"Well, I suppose you did only glance over it, after all, but remember that poets often express their own thoughts, feelings and experiences in their work. They usually do more than tell a simple story, or paint a picture. In this case, perha-" I cough as I try to swallow the poem and look around for some water or something. "-ps the subject of the poem is only being symbolically compared to a ghost, lingering in her last remaining place of comfort, unable to let go of the past and soon to be left with nothing..." I grab a jug of water out of the closet that I saw Yuri use to make tea yesterday and use it to wash her poem down my throat. She's still talking to where I'm supposed to be standing.
"Fucking hell, water is delicious!"
"It's nothing, really..." She continues, ignoring what I actually said and have done. "Well... It makes me happy that you think that. Just remember that it won't be long before you pick up on these things, too."
"Whatever." I chug the rest of the water and throw the jug back into the closet.
"I'm counting on you."
"I'm CoUnTiNg On YoU!" I make fun of her as I slap the button with Sayori's name on it once it pops up. Sayori reads my poem quickly.
"This is a good poem, Player! Are you sure it's your first time?"
"Duh. I've never written a poem before in my life."
"Ehehe. I guess you're right~ But that's why it impressed me! Well, to be honest, I was afraid you wouldn't do it seriously or that you wouldn't write one at all. I'm really happy just that you wrote one. It just reminds me of how you're really a part of the club now~"
"Well, my choices were either 'write' a poem or sit there at the notebook until the game finally crashed or something."
"See? It's like I said before, Player, deep down, you're not selfish at all, you know? Trying new things like this for other people That's something that only really good people do!"
"Thanks, Sayori." I can feel that the main character here just wants to fuck one of these girls and cares so little about what else is going on here.
"Yeah. And I'm gonna make sure you have lots of fun here, okay? That will be my way of thanking you~"
"Alright, I'm going to hold you to that, then."
"Say~! Now you'll read my poem too, right? Don't worry, I'm really bad at this. Ehehe..."
"We'll see about that."
- "Dear Sunshine
"The way you glow through my blinds in the morning
"It makes me feel like you missed me.
"Kissing my forehead to help me out of bed.
"Making me rub the sleepy from my eyes.
"Are you asking me to come out and play?
"Are you trusting me to wish away a rainy day?
"I look above. The sky is blue.
"It's a secret, but I trust you too.
"If it wasn't for you, I could sleep forever.
"But I'm not mad.
"I want breakfast."-
"Sayori..." I say. "This is just a guess, but did you wait until this morning to write this?"
"No! J-Just a little bit!" She says, her face turning bright pink.
"You can't just answer 'just a little bit' to a yes or no question, idiot."
"I forgot to do it last night..."
"Well, at least that makes me feel a little better about myself."
"Don't be mean!" She punches my arm lightly. "I still tried my best."
"Mhm, sure. It's not terrible. It still came out okay."
"Really?"
"Yeah, especially that last line."
"I made eggs and toast!"
"Even though you were late to school?" I teased.
"It's bad to skip breakfast!" she argued. "I get all cranky..."
"We don't want that. Thanks for showing me, and not making me eat it."
"Ehehe! This was s much fun. Monika's the best! Next time I won't forget, though and I'm gonna write the best poem ever!"
"Good luck! I'm sure somehow mine will still be better."
Finally done showing off poems. Thank fuck. Sayori and Monika are happily showing each other their poems. My eyes land on Natsuki and Yuri. Natsuki hands her poem to Yuri and Yuri hands empty air to Natsuki in exchange and I chuckle.
"What is with this language?" Natsuki says while reading, her face looking frustrated.
"Eh? Um... did you say something?" Yuri asks.
"Oh, it's nothing." Natsuki says, putting the invisible paper back down on the desk. "I guess you could say it's fancy."
"Ah- Thanks..." Yuri says back. "Yours is... cute..."
"Cute? Did you completely miss the symbolism or something? It's clearly about the feeling of giving up. How can that be cute?" Natsuki berates Yuri.
"I-I know that! I just meant... The language, I guess... I was trying to say something nice..." Man, she's a bitch.
"Eh? You mean you have to try that hard to come up with something nice to say? Thanks, but It really didn't come out nice at all!" Agreed Pinkie Pie!
"Um... Well, I do have a couple suggestions..." I'm already seething inside as she starts.
"Hmph. If I was looking for suggestions, I would have asked someone who actually like it, which people did, by the way. Sayori liked it and Player did, too! So based on that, I'll gladly give you some suggestions of my own. First of all-"
"Excuse me..." Yuri interjected. "I appreciate the offer, but I've spent a long time establishing my writing style. I don't expect it to change anytime soon, unless of course I come across something particularly inspiring, which I haven't yet." I don't like to use this word often, so I apologize in advance to all who will read it. WHAT. A. CUNT!
"Nn...!" Natsuki growled.
"And Player liked my poem too you know. He even told me he was impressed by it." Man I wish I could break the fucking script in this! Natsuki suddenly stands up.
"Oh? I didn't realize you were so invested in trying to impress our new member, Yuri."
"E-Eh?!" I smiled huge when I saw that break Yuri's defenses. "That's not what I...! Uu... You... You're just..." Yuri stands up as well. "Maybe you're just jealous that Player appreciates my advice more than he appreciated yours!" She shot back, gaining a bit of her composure back.
"Huh! And how do you know he didn't appreciate my advice more? Are you that full of yourself?"
"I...! No... If I was full of myself... I would deliberately go out of my way to make everything I do overly cutesy!" Yuri was getting pissed, I could tell.
"Uuuuu...!" Natsuki growled.
"U-Um!" Sayori started, interjecting herself into the conversation. "Is everyone okay...?"
"Well, you know what?! I wasn't the one whose boobs magically grew a size bigger as soon as Player started showing up!" Natsuki shouted, ignoring Sayori completely. I choked on a chuckle.
"N-Natsuki!" Yuri yelped in shock.
"Um, Natsuki, that's a little-" Monika tried to speak.
"This doesn't involve you!" In tandem Natsuki and Yuri yelled back at Monika.
"I-I don't like fighting, guys...!" Sayori pleaded. Suddenly Natsuki and Yuri both looked at me as if they just noticed I was there.
"Player...! She-She's just trying to make me look bad...!" Yuri defended.
"That's not true! She started it! If she could get over herself and learn to appreciate that simple writing is more effective, then this wouldn't have happened in the first place!" Natsuki retorted. "What's the point in making your poems all convoluted for no reason? The meaning should jump out at the reader, not force them to have to figure it out. Help me explain that to her, Player!" Natsuki begged me.
"W-Wait! There's a reason we have so many deep and expressive words in our language! It's the only way to convey complex feelings and meaning the most effectively. Avoiding them is not only unnecessarily limiting yourself... it's also a waste! You understand that, right, Player?" Her eyes plead for my help.
"Um...!" I started.
"Well?" Both the girls asked, looking at me for my answer. I fucking wished I could just walk out the door, but I know the script wouldn't let me. A few boxes popped up on who I should side with, Natsuki, Yuri or I could ask Sayori for help. See, I'm actually a dumbass and liked Natsuki's poem far more than Yuri's plus I just like Natsuki better. Fuck it, I'm choosing her.
"Um...Yuri! You're really talented." I disagree.
"Eh? W-Well..." She began to play with her hair and look a bit smug.
"But Natsuki has a point! I think that..." I pause for a second, thinking of what to say next. "I think that conveying feelings with few words can be just as impressive as well! It lets the reader's imagination take over and Natsuki's poem did a really great job at that!"
"...Yeah! It did, didn't it?! Ahah! Shows how much you know!" Natsuki berated Yuri.
"T-That's not..." Yuri looked so sad and even if I hated her, I felt bad. Something from the normal protagonist must be seeping into my code or something.
"Natsuki, I think that's enough." I said.
"Huh? Me? But she was so mean to me...!" She whines.
"Look, what we talked about yesterday was right. Writing is a really personal thing and sharing it can definitely be hard. It looks like we learned that today. Even small criticism can lead to something pretty heated." I turn my head to look at Sayori and she's nodding violently. "So, you don't need to feel threatened, you're a great writer, Natsuki."
"Ah-" she gasped in surprise. "Thanks for noticing," She mutters.
"Yuri," I start her looking at me sidelong. "I'm sure that Natsuki didn't mean everything she said so you don't need to feel threatened, either."
"Well... If you say so." She seemed slightly relieved.
"Hey...! It's not like you need to apologize for me, Player. Sheesh." she takes a deep breath. "I... the thing about... uu..." She looks around the room at the rest of us. "Would everyone stop staring at me?!" I smile and watch as Sayori and Monika look away. "Hmph. Anyway...! The thing about your boobs, I didn't mean it, okay? That's all." Once finished she turns away, not making eye contact with anyone.
"Yeah! You're naturally beautiful, Yuri!" Sayori springs in.
"Dude..." I sigh.
"...I-I'll go make some tea..." Yuri says before quickly scurrying off to the closet. I wonder if she'll make tea with no water like how she handed off the poem with no actual poem.
"Ehh? I was just trying to help!"
"I'm sure she appreciated it, Sayori." I pat her on the shoulder.
"Well, now that we're past that, everyone's read each other's poems, right?" Monika asks. "I hope that it was worthwhile for everyone! Especially for you, Player! And to be honest It's a nice change of pace from the lazing around we got a little too used to. Ahahaha!"
"So it's my fault that the atmosphere is ruined?" I ask.
"No, not at all, not at all!" Monika frowns a little. There's still time before we go home, so we'll all relax for a bit. Of course, besides chatting, we do literature-related things in the clubroom, so maybe you can take the chance to pick up a book, or do some writing. After all, that's what the club is for!"
"I disagree, Monika!" Sayori says.
"Eh? About what?" Monika asks, concern on her face.
"That's not the most important thing about the literature club! The most important thing is having fun!"
"Ahaha, of course. Well, I guess that's why you're the Vice President, Sayori."
"Ehehe~" Sayori giggles and the two walk off having a nice conversation. I guess there is a time skip, screen wipe thing and it's the end of the club time.
"Okay, everyone!" Monika starts, like yesterday. "It's just about time for us to leave. How did you all feel about sharing poems?"
"It was a lot of fun!" Sayori cheers.
"Well, I'd say it was worth it," Yuri mumbles.
"It was alright. Well, mostly," Natsuki states.
"Player, how about you?" Monika asks me.
"It was an adventure, to be sure," I answer.
"Awesome! In that case, we'll do the same thing tomorrow and maybe you learned something from your friends, too. So your poems will turn out even better!" Oh fucking great. The only thing I learned was shit about each one of these girls. I get that this is a dating sim and everything, but still, it feels different when you're actually in it. I do wonder why they didn't implement a thing to try to impress Monika though with how much they emphasized she was beautiful and blah blah blah. Like I'd be pissed if I was in her shoes.
"Player!" Sayori interrupts my train of thought. "Ready to walk home?"
"Yeah, let's get out of here."
"Ehehe~" Sayori's smile is huge and contagious. Screen-wipe and we're home.
"Sayori, about what happened earlier."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"You know, between Yuri and Natsuki, does that kind of shit happen often?"
"No, no, no! That's really the first time I've seen them fight like that, I promise, they're both wonderful people. You don't... you don't hate them, do you?"
"No, of course not! I just wanted your opinion, that's all. I can see why they'd make good friends with you."
"Phew..." she jokingly wiped her brow. "You know, Player, it's nice that I get to spend time with you in the club. But I think seeing you get along with everyone is what makes me the happiest and I think everyone really likes you, too! Ehehe~ Every day is going to be so much fun~" Poor girl is such a dunce she doesn't even realize the main character just wants pussy.
"We'll just have to see what the future holds, Sayori." I pat her on the shoulder.
"Okay~!" She springs and shouts. Screen-wipe again and I'm in front of the notebook to make a "poem" again. Now I have a vague grasp of this concept, let's try to impress the one girl I've personally enjoyed spending time with, Natsuki.
"Candy," "Boop," "Parfait," "Ribbon," "Warm," dammit that one was Sayori. Oh well. "Cheeks," What? "Kawaii," "Bunny," "Romance," Sayori again, but mostly Natsuki, so I'm winning so far. "Cute," "Twirl," "Chocolate," "Fun," "Strawberry," "Anime," "Dream," That one was Yuri. "Nibble," "Pout," "Marshmallow," "Lollipop."
I kinda wish it would let me see the poem that it created from these words because it looks like it'd be a fucking nightmare.