Enjoying our slow stroll to school, we really aren't in danger of being late as I thought it'd take a bit to wake Sayori up and have her prepare. By the time we reached the gate, there was only a handful of students arriving and in the school grounds.

It's here where I usually part ways with Sayori, but now perhaps I'd like her to stay around her for a while longer.

"Even after all that rest I still feel sluggish, I'mma go get some coffee, want to come with?"

Asking Sayori, she willingly accepts as we head towards the back of the school building. I didn't expect to see Natsuki as I was pretty excited to purchase my drink before waiting for her to show up. However...

"Natsuki..?"

Like before she's directly in front of the vending machine reaching for the top. But this time, instead of jumping about, she's tip toeing.

"Natsuki's here too?"

Ready to greet Sayori, we slowly approach her; however the both of us were caught off guard with her language.

"Come on, you stubborn little sh- Argh! Honestly, if I ever see the one who puts these drinks up he so better give me a reason not to kick his f-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she notices us standing behind her as she gasps and straightens up.

"Y-You-... How long have you two been standing there?"

Holding the hem of her skirt, she may be more surprised than us as I neither of us could put on a straight face. In silence, I could only force a dry laugh to clear the air.

"W-We just got here... Mornin, Natsuki."

"...You two didn't hear any of that, right?"

"You mean finding the person and kicking his-"
"Ah ahh!"

Perhaps Sayori didn't think it was anything to be secretive about as she tells Natsuki the least she wants to hear.

"F-Face! I was going to say face, okay!?"

From the top of her voice, she shouts as I couldn't quite understand why she's so worked up.

"Ahh man... this day's going to suck... I can already feel it."

She crouches down and holds her head with both hands as though she were caught in an embarrassing situation. If anything I don't really see what the problem is, but of course it's tasteless to say it aloud.

"Natsuki?"

Feeling quite worried, I call out to her as she immediately hops up and points her index finger at us.

"You two, didn't hear or see anything, okay?"

"S-Sure... I mean you usually jump so tip toeing is more discreet."

"Why do I get the feeling the two of you are closer than I thought?"

Blatantly asking that question, we both look at her and then to each other as Natsuki takes a few steps back.

"Close? Man I don't even want to deal with this guy, especially in the morning! I just want peace and quiet and my milk... Speaking of which, Sayori could you umm, press for strawberry milk."

With no questions asked, Sayori walks towards the vending machine and gets the strawberry milk for Natsuki. Which is strange because I believed Natsuki never wanted to admit she's too short to reach it herself.

"Here you go, Natsuki, your cold milk.~"

Handing it to her, she gives her word of gratitude before poking the straw in. But before she could take her first sip, the both of us could see that Sayori's quite interested in it. She's keenly eyeing it and as Natsuki moves it around, her eyes follow.

"Ehh... Do you want some?"

"Yes! B-but umm... you don't have to if you don't want to."

The past Sayori would happily accept it without a second thought; if she's given food she'll just eat it in seconds flat. But now, perhaps she's holding back, even if just a little.

"Mah, whatever. You can take first sip, but not too much, okay?"

"Oh, ehee, okay.~ Thank you, Nat-chan.~"

Left speechless, Sayori happily sips away as I can't really picture Natsuki being called, 'Nat-chan'. It's a cute nickname sure and if you look at Natsuki it'll be very fitting. However, once she opens her mouth she doesn't hold back which comes off a little boyish.

"N-N-Nat... Sayori, what did you say?"

"Hmm?"

After taking her sip, she passes the strawberry milk back to Natsuki as she simply holds on to it. She doesn't even seem interesting in it now.

"Nat-chan, ehee, It's a cute name, right?~ It's been on my mind since yesterday night when I was trying to sleep."

"O-On your mind at night... S-Sayori, what are you thinking!? N-No, actually I don't want to know, but N-Nat-chan is a no go!"

"Ehhhh? But it's such a cute name, you think so too right, Yuki?"

Sayori passes the baton to me as Natsuki's gaze pierces daggers in me. I feel like if I don't choose my words correctly, I'd be pounced on to.

"W-Well... some people just prefer to stick to their given names... Right, Natsuki?"

"Y-Yeah, just Natsuki like always is fine."

"Boo... If you say so, I just thought you'd like it."

Dropping the subject for now, we move towards the bench located a few meters away after I buy my coffee. Since we have more time than usual we can actually have a decent conversation before the bell sounds.

"Hmm, not going to sit down, Natsuki?"

Both Sayori and I take our seat as I take the time to open my can of coffee. There's just something invigorating with the sound of opening canned drinks such as this.

"Ehh, no I'll pass. We're gonna be sitting down anyways once class starts."

Making a fair point, she continues standing and drinking from her milk carton.

"Still, it's quite strange that we're all here early for once. I mean we're always in a rush and make it only minutes before the bell."

"Mm, that's true... It feels nice to be able to relax for a bit until class starts.~"

Getting a bit too comfortable, she rests her head against the wall behind her and closes her eyes. I bet if given the chance she'd fall asleep, no I can already see some floating z's coming out from her.

"Relax too much and you won't even be in the mood for classes. Though honestly who even thought starting school this early would be a good idea?"

Natsuki shares her thoughts as I believe her question is another rhetorical one, because I too believe it'd be better at least a few hours later. My mind takes time to soak in relevant information, especially in the morning; plus I'm not expecting to learn much given my state.

"Coffee sure doesn't help when you have someone snoozing beside you."

"Ehhhh? But I'm not snoozing... Ehehe... If I hold my bag like this, it's like I'm hugging my pillow."

I think arriving too early to school actually deprives you from learning.

"..."

"Ah, she's asleep."

With her mouth open just a little, Natsuki looks at me just a bit before walking towards Sayori with milk carton in hand.

"H-Hey... Pulling pranks on a sleeping person isn't-"
"I-I'm not going to do anything bad, just..."

She places the milk carton upon Sayori's head and amazingly enough it balances.

"I drank all of it already, but... Sayori sure has a good sleeping posture, she doesn't move, her head stays in one position."

"Hmm... You're actually right."

Seeing her sleep so peacefully, especially with a milk carton upon her head, I couldn't help but smile.

We both watch over her in silence for a few moments before the bell sounds. Not taking into account that it was located directly above Sayori, she jumps as the milk carton does perfect somersaults in the air before Natsuki catches it in sheer panic.

"Ehhhh, why is it so loud... I was having such a nice dream..."

Her body trembles as she covers her ears with her hands.

"Well that is about what you get for letting your guard down. Let's get going."

She recovers faster than I anticipated as she's the one to lead us in to the school building.

"In the end, Sayori sure moves at her own pace, doesn't she?"

"You can say that again, though it's that Sayori which makes her more worthy of being club president than that Monika."

Tossing the carton in the bin, we follow behind Sayori.

...

I don't know why I bother with coffee in the morning when it doesn't do me any good.

Before I knew it, Lunch time arrives as everyone immediately rushes out of the room. It took me a moment to realise I promised Sayori I'd get her the ever so elusive yakisoba bread from the cafeteria. It's probably the most popular food choice that it basically sells out in minutes flat.

"Ahhh, this is bad..."

If anything I'd have better luck jumping the fence and find it in town; though of course I can't do that. Perhaps I could just buy her an abundance of assorted bread to appease her.

With that in mind I make my way towards the cafeteria, however just before I could get there, Sayori waves over to me.

"Yuki, Yuki!~ Look, look what I got!"

"...Wow."

Yakisoba bread.

"Heehee, aren't I lucky?~ It was the last one left!"

Smiling ear to ear, I too would be happy if I ever managed such a feat. I feel slightly defeated as I was the one who said I'd get it for her. But in the end, she has it and that's what matters I suppose.

"Just make sure no one steals it, hmm... You may want to wait at the area we were this morning, Natsuki will be there. I'm sure eating it whilst sitting down would be the best way to enjoy it. I'll buy my share and then meet you two there. Then we'll decide what we'll actually do from then on."

"Oo, okay.~ Ehee, don't get trampled on, Yuki.~"

"Same goes for you..."

She walks through the hallway minding the people near her and starts taking small nibbles from her yasisoba bread...

After watching her until she disappears into the crowd, I head into the cafeteria. I usually purchase a set meal from the ticket machine; mostly soup based as I find a table to eat on. But since we'll be eating in a place that's not here, I'll make do with bread and sandwiches for now.

...

"I'm back with some bread."

Sayori's long finished the yakisoba bread, and just as I thought she only had that. I bet all she could think about was eating it so I hand a few to her.

"Oo, you bought some for me too? Thank you, Yuki.~"

"Yeah, don't mention it. I'd feel bad if I ate all these myself."

The good thing about bread is that mostly everyone will enjoy it if given to them. Of course that goes double for food lovers like Sayori.

"I know you'd like the breakfast sandwich, which is basically what you'd usually eat."

"I'm salivating..."

"P-Please don't drool over it."

We enjoy our sandwiches and talk among ourselves for a while until we realise that Natsuki has yet to arrive.

"Hmm... Natsuki sure is taking her time."

"Did you invite her?"

"Yeah, well we did plan to get together at lunch with you."

A part of me think she may have forgotten, but my mind immediately rejects that thought as I'm certain she puts Sayori above many things.

"I'll try looking for her, can you wait here, Sayori?"

"Hm? Ookay, just don't take too long, okay?~ Curry bread is meant to be enjoyed hot, Yuki!"

"Let's just say it's up for grabs if it does get cold."

...

I don't want to leave Sayori alone, not when I promised I'd spend time with her, but I'm positive Natsuki's the same. If she's not here then somethings holding her up and I want to know what.

Checking the hallways of the first floor, I'm unsure of what Natsuki's class is as I've never asked. It feels like only yesterday that I've been here. About to ask for assistance from a passing 1st year, I overhear some voices louder than others as I curiously make my way towards it.

"Ahahah! Say, what d'ya think about that, Natsuki?"

Peering into the room, it's probably not a good image though I couldn't care less about it right now.

"Natsuki..?"

Muttering under my breath, I try my best to not draw attention to myself. Sitting in class, it appears as though she's been there since lunch started as other students circled around her.

"Well, I don't really think anything. Like I couldn't care less about that, you know what I mean?"

My first thought is that she's simply spending some time with her other friends, though upon analysing the situation I could see that's not the case.

"Hah? Natsuki, are you seriously sayin' that right now?"

The group consisted of an even amount of boys and girls, not the good mix too. It's obvious to me that they're trouble makers.

"Well I can't think of anything else right now. I want to go spend my lunch with my friends."

"Friends? What, Natsuki has friends? Seriously? That's like way too funny! I get it, they're guys who talk about that anime stuff, right? Ahahaha, uwahhh that's so gross.~"

It's obvious to me that Natsuki's holding her words back as she continues to sit without moving an inch. However, from their last comment, her body begins to tremble. I can't believe I'm witnessing this sort of thing; a group of kids picking on one which can most likely take them all on at once.

"Hmm? Heh, that's funny, I can't believe you have the nerve to say that to my face. Gross people calling others gross? Don't make me laugh!"

Unable to keep her cool for any longer, Natsuki rises from her chair and slams her hand against the table.

"All you go on about is and that. Frankly, I'm not interested at all; go file your nails on the side walk. I don't care what you say about me, but leave my friends out of this. They're better people than you or I could ever be."

With her sudden outburst, it leaves her classmates speechless for a moment before they all begin standing up.

"Oi, Natsuki... I don't like your tone."

This is bad, if things keep going the way it is, they're all going to meet Natsuki's fury as she herself would suffer some heat. With a deep breath, I calm my nerves and my rapidly beating heart. Firmly gripping the handle of the door, I slide it with enough force to make a loud bang that reverberates throughout the hall.

"Yo, Natsuki, didn't you hear? The bell sounded a while ago, so why are you still here?"

As they were willing to throw punches already, they all look at me with piercing glares as Natsuki seems surprised to see me.

"E-Eh? Y-Yu... What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for you, duh? Honestly, I've been waiting forever and you know how much I hate waiting."

To be really honestly, I don't actually hate waiting but I have to pull something out of my rear to intimidate these fools.

"Huh? Hey, th' hell are you?"

One of the more jumpy ones seems to have wanted to throw punches since this conversation began.

"Hmm, I really don't have to answer that, do I?"

Shrugging him off, I walk into the crowd as they surprisingly let me in and take Natsuki by the hand. Perhaps they're still shocked with my sudden appearance, I mean I am their senior and we don't really have business walking around here unless we're looking for someone.

"E-Ehh, w-wait, I'm-"

"Just listen to me, Sayori's waiting for us too."

Reeling her in, I whisper to her as I want her to notice my intentions of leaving before trouble starts. But before we could leave peacefully, one of them lunges at us.

"W-Watch out!"

With no time to react, I take the force of the blow to the shoulder. It felt like a sharp sting and hurts like all hell but it eventually became a numbing sensation thanks to my head. I'm sure it'd leave a bruise though, a pretty bad one at that.

"Hmm..."

I let go of Natsuki and look over to him.

"Hey, do you really want to have a go, like right now? This is a school zone, and frankly violence anywhere else would lead to severe punishment."

"T-Th' hell are you talking about? I don't want to hear that from some doofus who looks like they're just out of the hospital!"

"...Oh, you mean this? I guess kids still don't watch the news, do you? Don't you know what happened at a certain alleyway this week?"

"What, like I care-"

It took him awhile for him to figure it out and honestly I feel quite glad that I managed to sit through the news on my day off. I guess being too lazy to walk and grab some anime to watch pays off.

"Oi... n-no way..."

As fear strikes their heart, there's apparently been some street fighting going on around here and a few students from our school were involved. One of our seniors who'd much rather throw punches than anything else.

"Y-You better apologise! I can't believe you punched the devil!"

His classmates begin panicking as he quickly apologises for what he's done. Frankly I feel both embarrassed and guilty at the same time.

...

"Hahh... Y'know Yuki, you're something else. Something crazy... and stupid."

After a few moments of reconciliation, they made amends. Though I still don't know if they really are her friends or not. Since they now think I'm the fist brawling senior, their image of both Natsuki and manga changed.

"Yeah well... I felt like I had to do something before the situation got out of hand."

Walking down the empty hallways, Natsuki laughs just a bit.

"Hahaha! Yeah right! You're the one who made the situation get out of hand! I can't believe you talked some sense into that bunch."

"W-Well, It wasn't easy and frankly I was a little afraid."

"Hmm, really? I don't know... ahaha! But you're actually a lot manlier than I thought, Yuki."

Suddenly complimented, my mind becomes a blank slate for a second.

"R-Really? Hmm... Well the hit doesn't hurt too much now, but I feel like the real devil would've just knocked them all out."

"Yuki, fighting? Now that's something I can't see, I'm glad you're okay, and it was for the best… And…"

Quickening her pace, she steps in front of me as I come to a stop.

"...T-Thanks, Yuki... Those idiots always try to start something and honestly, I felt like losing it for a moment there. The day already started off terribly enough... all it took was for one small thing to set the charge off."

Voicing her thoughts openly, I was taken aback. That the usual strong Natsuki I've come to know looked so vulnerable. And honestly, I feel uncomfortable seeing her like this. Like with Sayori, I never came to understand her heart. The reason she chose to open up to me, to read manga with me. Is it because she never had anyone she could talk about it with?

I really didn't think Natsuki of all people was the subject of bullying over a harmless hobby.

She must have built up a lot of courage to share her interest with me, even if I shared the same interest, it didn't mean I wouldn't ridicule her. But maybe she did think that, but she wanted to take that risk.

"...Don't mention it. We all have bad days. It takes a lot to hold back and I think you did well back there."

I too look away from her as I didn't think she'd express her gratitude so upfront.

"Not really... like I know it isn't an excuse to get all worked up over, but... I've about had enough with them. Manga, anime... they're not just for kids, everyone can enjoy them."

"Hah, right? I mean have you seen the adult works? There's gore and everything, makes my knees weak."

"Right!? Not only that but there's really deep, emotional stories that really get you thinking and then there are those that really creep you out. I wish more people could understand."

Getting her old spirit back, she jabs me against the arm and grins.

"You know, you really aren't so bad after all, Yuki. My image of you changed even if just a little."

I feel like this is the nicest thing she's ever said to me. ...As a matter of fact, it feels like we don't really know each other at all, and yet I feel like I could be upfront with her about anything.

"…There was doubt that I was a bad person?"

Exiting the school building, she hops down the steps.

"A new member at this time of the year? Think of how disastrous it could've been; the Literary club, the only place where I can be myself, the place where I feel like I actually matter… my own paradise, it could've been ruined."

"Your paradise, huh..."

Watching Natsuki skip along ahead, I wonder how she became affiliated with the literature club.