Holding On

by Enigma2187

The Main Character befriended Sayori early in his childhood, but what if Monika took her role as his childhood friend? How would things be different between the two? Will they fall in love or will they be each other's "dearest friend"? Even if they wanted to be together, an outside force will find a way to interfere with their relationship, testing their bonds to the very limits.

10. Remember

Chapter 10 has been uploaded. It is right below this chapter.

AN: Alright, how it's going everyone? Not much to say besides the fact that the next few updates may be inconsistent. I was also thinking of just merging this fic with Letting Go, since it can maybe reach a larger audience. But, I don't know. As for the next update, I am unsure of when it will be released since I have multiple essays due next week. I greatly appreciate the reviews from all of you, and I openly encourage you guys to keep at em. I am pretty sure that I have said this before but, reviews motivate me to release the next chapter and make writing very enjoyable.

Also, suggestions on how to continue the fic are appreciated.

Anyway, time for the reviews.

Aimless, Your welcome. I'm kidding, I needed to make all this very "shady" or not really detail orientated. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose of having a plot like this. I am trying to move this along, however. Deadline is rapidly approaching. Thanks for the review.

Titan, yeah he did. I think MC even called Natsuki or at least thought of her as a first year. And no, not at all. The sexual content has nothing to do with punching him. It's more along the lines of Val feeling Natsuki sitting on him. I am sure you know what I mean by that.
Kowalski, anal.
Well, you did suggest that I put Bisenberg in, and this is my created image of him.
If he is going to change his name then he might as well be bald too, lol. Also, I don't exactly approve of that but hey, it's your life. If you can get it done, then go ahead. Next up is the conversation they are going to have soon, but it's going to interrupt. Heavily.

Thanks for the review, and I was listening to Ballads for a while too.

saggyboy, Thanks. I appreciate it. I also took your suggestion to put a section where Monika reflects on her actions and what happened. It really helped.

Bonomedia, uh. Put up posters about your cat and hope that someone finds him. I miss your cat too.

Ghost, ah yeah. I think. Thanks for the review and suggestions.

Jordan, well I needed to put some military references, especially since the guy is called Bisenberg, lol. I should probably stop with the cliffhangers.
P.S: where's your next chapter it's getting me heated

V0pT, Hmm. That can't work since it wouldn't fit Monika's character. Especially since she is angry at him. But good thinking though. Also, it isn't really cliche if done well with a perfect twist. And I understand the excitement of that, keep that in the review section... I guess? Idk, I appreciate the fact that you giving suggestions and enjoying my fic. I hope you stick around for more.

That's all for reviews. I will see you guys in the next chapter.

Sorry for the delays, I made sure this chapter was longer and much more symbolic than usual. As a result, the word count is 16.4k. Have fun reading!

---

What's going on?

Why are the files going back to the primary drive again?

I thought I placed them inside the shredder!

Damn it. I remembered that something's blocking my process...

God, my memories aren't even intact anymore.

I can't even think straight.

What's going on with me?

Is it from the lack of sleep?

It's true that I haven't been sleeping that well...

All I have been waking up to check on the progress on all this.

However, it's all for a good reason too; most of the time when I did wake up there would be some sort of halt at the shredding process.

Besides that, the progress on countering the attack is going somewhat smoothly.

Especially since right now, the AI's are not interacting with each other.

That's a good thing for me, but this is kind of strange...

Aren't they supposed to be working together to fight the threat?

Instead, they are just idle, letting my attack go unscathed.

Is there some link to Valkyrie and Monika to the AI's?

Are their character files tied to their AI's?

Did that event about them separating cause an actual rift in the AI?

Argh!

What am I saying?

Of course, there's a link between the two! That's why it's taking forever for them to be deleted and shredded!

So the jamming event I put up stopped them from talking to each other, huh?

Childhood friends that betray one and the other hurts the most.

After all, there's no worse and bitter enemy than a friend.

Or for her, someone you have loved for a very long time.

Anyway, what precisely happened during the jamming event is an enigma.

Is it some sort of miscommunication?

It has to be; my jammer stopped them from sending any signals.

Let's see here... machine-wise, that stops the two AIs from communicating here.

Simulation-wise?

That can be tricky... maybe the Val AI never got a message from the Monika AI, and that's what strained their relationship.

After all, I tracked her AI, and she was giving out a lot of distress calls because of my attack.

The jamming signal was a success and Monika is sent to the Shredder along with her friends.

Val was next to go the Shredder as well, but I needed Monika gone first.

But that still doesn't explain how Monika escaped the Shredder with her friend's character files...

Val's friends' character files are modified too, with only name changes.

If I open them up, the names of the files are...

GabrielCHR, which changed to HiroshiCHR.

JamesCHR, which changed to DanujaCHR.

Interesting, putting their names into Japan's repository for names brings up very similar names for their original counterparts.

Danuja can mean leader in Japanese, and James is a famous name for a leader...

Those two were the most changed out of the three.

Now for... wait.

ThomasCHR?

What the Hell?

Thomas? Why was he not modified at all?

There are no changes in his character file, and everything is working as usual.

Does he have anything to do with my attack being somewhat delayed?

No... He can't do anything since the real Thomas is not in control.

I remembered telling me that ThomasCHR is just a proxy...

A fake version of him, designed to imitate MC from the game.

If that's the case, then why is ValkyrieChr have MC status?

So is there more to this?

Maybe I should take a closer look at Val's file...

There is got to be more to his file.

Putting a decryptor up should give some insight on this unrelated data.

In either case, I succeeded in stopping them for continuing their love story.

My attack should be much faster and easier to execute, thanks to no one stopping it.

But still, the Prototype's hard drives are here to last and will always need some time to crack open.

Things that I can't force at all.

At least I can take solace knowing that my vengeance is coming to an end.

But there's always a chance that two can spring some plan into motion.

That's why I am going to stay up until I can finish my work.

I want to make sure that I get my revenge.

But whenever I think of revenge, I always think of turning back.

I know it's too late, but I have so much...

Remorse.

Guilt.

Self-hatred.

It's as if giving up is a much easier option, and is more rewarding than pursuing them.

But I don't have anything to lose anymore.

Doesn't that make me more dangerous?

People who have nothing lose tend to take higher risks and don't care if they live or not.

But people that do hesitate, especially if they have a family and friends to come back to.

I don't have friends or families anymore... I shut them out after the Project went into a complete bust.

I don't have a job either, and I don't think I can hold one after all that.

Even though I put so much work and dedication into ruining their fun...

My soul's completely broken, and everything I do seems to be on auto-pilot.

But there is still something that is holding me back from actually destroying the hard drive...

Getting a hammer and smash the drive seems to good, but I went the extra mile.

Hell, the extra mile was a one-way trip too.

Someone in the engineering branch has the bright idea of creating a failsafe.

That failsafe triggers if I try to remove the drive by force from whatever it's connected to.

All of my computer's processing power is towards breaking the decryptions and simulation. So I shut myself out of safely ejecting this drive from my PC.

What this failsafe do is back it's data up and send it to some server in the deep web.

That server is filled with hackers since no one maintains it anymore.

God knows what will happen when hackers find out of the data in this drive.

So I guess my thirst for revenge blinded my consequential thinking.

Now I have to pay for my mistakes again...

...

Ah, the program finished decrypting.

...

So there is a trump card if all fails.

Hidden deep in this character file is another character file...

FrankCHR.

---

We were in the literature club alone.

It was just Val and me sitting across from each other.

Great.

All of a sudden Natsuki remembers to get the cupcakes out of the oven.

I thought she had that covered!

Well, to be fair...

He and Tom did come a bit early and surprised us.

She did say something along the lines of getting the cupcakes before they even arrived.

Sayori is obviously in love with Tom.

Whenever he is around, an extra light bulb is lit up inside of her.

It's as if she wants him around almost all the time...

In any case, she going with Tom to the bathroom is a bit clingy...

Almost obsessive really.

Now for Yuri...

She went to make tea for all of us, but she never said anything about it before.

It was as if when Val entered the room, she suddenly was struck with a beam of enlightenment.

Not to mention, her strange behavior around the boy!

Why was she speaking to Val in that language?

And since when did Val know that language?

It just makes me feel...

Annoyed for some reason!

I am guessing that they are speaking Russian since Yuri is half-Russian.

And from the looks of it, Val was able to articulate the language clearly.

It was as if he knew the language since he was young!

How come I didn't know about that he could speak Russian?

Jeez, thinking about this makes my skin crawl for some reason...

The way she left the room also ticked me off...

Wait a minute, did Yuri wink at Val?!

Arrrgh!

When was she so confident at pulling such a feat?!

I thought she was the meek one out of all of us!

Did Val trigger something in her to make her more...

Flirty?!

Uuuu!

I looked up to Val to see him fumbling with his fingers.

The expression on his face showed that he looked very distracted for some reason.

He had a small tinge of pink across his cheeks as well.

It was as if he was thinking of the same thing I was.

And because of that, I was hit with a wave of a strange venom.

I bet he's thinking about that wink.

He thinks there's more to it.

Like an invitation...

Argh... don't tell me something is going to happen between them!

If there is, I am so going to-

...

I placed a hand at my heart and tried to relax.

What is this feeling...?

It feels green, venomous and full of malice.

Is this...

Is this Jealousy?

Why am feeling jealous?

Hah! I could hardly care less if Val falls for Yuri.

If he wants to date Yuri, then be my guest!

Why would I care that Val dates one of my closest friends?!

Yuri is a kind girl...

And there's no doubt that she is smarter than me.

Val is sometimes such a hassle to compete intellectually.

He would always challenge me, and I would still win by blackmail or by outsmarting him almost by an inch...

It is pretty fun to challenge him but being a few steps ahead of him is exhausting.

Not to mention Yuri is a master at etiquette, almost always quiet and polite...

There's no doubt that he will like that...

Sure she tends to apologize a lot, but it makes her cuter.

But what about body-wise?

Yuri is taller than me, has longer legs, and has purple hair!

Why do I have the most normal hair out of the girls?!

I wouldn't mind having green hair to go along with my eyes...

And doesn't Yuri have...

Bigger boobs than me?

I looked down at my chest in complete insecurity.

My hands wandered beneath my boobs to measure them.

Yuri does have bigger boobs than me...

I bet Val likes them big.

Argh!

Why should I care that she has an E-cup?!

My D-cup is perfect for me, and I like them the way they are!

I don't care if Val likes them bigger anyway!

Having bigger boobs makes it hard for the back anyway.

Wait... does Yuri have back pains from her rack?

I don't have any back pains at all, but should I expect some?

---

It was now me and Monika in the club room.

Alone.

There was nobody to keep a conversation with, so everything was now awkward.

Damn!

I know I was going to talk to Monika about all that has happened, but this is not the time to do this!

We aren't alone since Natsuki, Sayori, Tom, and Yuri can come back any minute now.

If I do decide to talk to her, them walking in would ruin the moment...

I started to fumble with my fingers.

What's going to happen if I do talk to her?

Will she just try to shut me out as she did back at the courtyard?

Or maybe she will try to talk to me?

Get this weird ice between us out of the way and go back to the old days.

Speaking of talking...

Yuri looks to be a bit more talkative than usual.

I know she's the type of girl to be quiet and reserved.

And maybe apologize more than she needs to.

But, the fact that Sayori said that I made her speak a bit more than she usually does make me happy.

I even managed to make her wink at me!

So that definitely means that she is happy, right?

Alright!

I looked up to Monika, and she looked conflicted.

It was as if she was thinking of something, but was growing agitated the more she thought of it.

What's up with her?

Does my presence make her irritated?

I shouldn't jump into conclusions like that...

Besides she would tell me upfront.

Monika was always straightforward with me.

Even if we were away for four years.

I then saw Monika move her hands down her sides.

My eyes curiously stared at her hands as they moved downwards.

To my surprise, she grabs her breasts and analytically looks at them.

My eyes widened at what she was doing.

What the...

Monika continued to grope herself as if she measured her chest size.

Why is she touching herself like that...?!

I tried to pry my eyes away from the beautiful scenery, but it was growing harder and harder to look elsewhere.

In the end, my eyes betrayed me, and I stared right at her.

My nose started to burn from the scene Monika was putting up.

This is wrong!

Why is my mind forcing me to watch this!

It's like when I saw her... underwear from four years ago!

I-I can't stop me from looking!

My eyes continued to watch her as she touches herself, speechless from the entire thing.

She then stopped and let out a sigh, apparently disappointed from the ordeal.

But then, she smirked and looked down at her chest, puffing it out in front of me.

My eyes stared at her chest as a result.

That is until Monika shrieked.

"Aaaaah! W-W-What's wrong with you?!" She yelled, covering her chest up in front of me.

Her face was red as a tomato.

And I did not doubt that mine was too.

"Y-You were showing yourself out in front of me! How else was I supposed to look away when you were right there?!" I exclaimed, glaring at her.

Uh oh...

I didn't mean to say that!

Monika gritted her teeth and glared back.

"Hentai! You hentai! Uuuu, get ready for a world of pain!"

With that, she pushed the table aside and stomped towards me.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!

I pushed my seat back and put my hands up in front of her.

"Uh, um... I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

Monika reached out and grabbed my tie, pulling me towards her.

"Shut your mouth! Take your punishment like a man!" She roared, getting ready for a punch.

That is until the door swung open.

"I got the cupcakes!" Natsuki announced, proudly showcasing the tray in the air.

And in an instant, the overturned table returned to its former position.

Monika sat down on the other side and smiled at me.

It was as if nothing ever happened.

"I'll get you after this meeting, Jones..." She mouthed, her green eyes piercing the back of my skull.

The most horrifying part was that she managed to keep an evil smile throughout that phrase.

I couldn't help but slump in my seat.

There was a dense atmosphere in the club room.

It was so dense that someone could see and cut a part of it.

"Hey, did something happen between the two of you?" Natsuki asked, raising an eyebrow at my flustered behavior.

Monika kept her fake smile and beamed at her.

"Nope! Nothing happened, Natsuki. Everything is just fine!"

She turned to me with that devilish smile from before.

"Isn't that right, Val?"

I felt my toes curl in fear.

When was Monika this scary?!

I know I made her angry countless times, but this is an almost entirely new level!

Her green eyes lashed out on me, causing me to gulp.

"Y-Yeah! N-Nothing happened!" I replied almost frantically.

Natsuki, unfortunately, didn't let up and examined us further.

"I have an eye for details... I know there's something up!" She claimed, rubbing her chin at the both of us.

An eye for details...?

Does her dad being a sniper have anything to do with this?!

"You both have traces of red cheeks... and is your nose bleeding?" She asked me.

Ah, crap...

I moved my hand to wipe it off, but her small hands caught onto mine.

"Don't move, baka. Let me clean it for you. Rubbing it off will just make things worse."

Natsuki took out a small pink handkerchief, dabbed it on my nose.

I took the time to scan her eyes.

She had eagle-sharp eyes, continuously moving around and looking at every nook and cranny.

Her eyes were the same color as her hair, hot pink with a lot of flair to it.

Once she finished, she pulled her handkerchief away.

She then looked up to me, immediately realizing that I was incredibly close to her.

Her mouth quivered and she looked around frantically.

I should thank her.

I smiled at her and nodded.

"Wow, I feel better already! Thank you, Natsuki. I really appreciate it!" I courteously thanked.

For some reason, that caused her to become even more flustered, her face now starting to burn a deep red.

"Shut up! I only did it because... because I couldn't risk you bleeding over my cupcakes! I can hardly care less if I didn't bring any! Baka!" She yelled, causing me to flinch.

With that, she walked over to the opposite side of the table and sat down, crossing her arms and looking away from me.

"Hmph!"

I couldn't help but eye her intent on helping me.

Bleeding over her cupcakes?

What does that even mean?

I looked to Monika if the situation was handled properly, especially since Natsuki wasn't asking any more questions.

To my surprise, she looked greatly agitated.

I saw her teeth bared in front of me, and she was shaking in anger.

But once I caught eyes with her, she directed her attention to the now inviting window, apparently losing all traces of anger towards me.

What? Why is Monika angry at me?

I thought this was kind of a mission success!

The door opened again. However this time it was more meek and slow, compared to Natsuki's big entrance.

A purple haired girl poked her head out of the door and looked around.

She smiled once she caught my attention.

Yuri...

"I brought the tea set..." She quietly stated, holding up the set.

Monika reared her head from the window and turned her attention to the shy girl.

"Good work, Yuri!" She cheered, ignoring the events that have already occurred. "Come on; I'll help you with the cups!"

She stood up and walked over to Yuri.

To her surprise, she quietly walked over to the table and placed set there.

Yuri turned around, her long purple hair waving from the turn.

I was able to smell the Lavender aroma emanating from her hair.

Wow...

That scent is amazing...

It's as if I could fall asleep to it.

"It's okay, Monika. I can handle the distribution of tea, so don't worry."

She poured a light brown tea onto the clear cups, the liquid swirling from being poured.

I couldn't help but gasp from the quality of the tea.

"Yuri... you made this tea right?" I asked, enticed from the fragrance of the tea.

She nodded meekly and looked away.

"Y-Yes, I did. I made this tea, Valkyrie."

I quickly realized that this was the first time that Yuri spoke to me in non-Russian.

So, to ease her, I decided to speak in Russian.

"(Thank you, Yuri. I know that your tea will be of great quality.)" I thanked, smiling at her.

The use of another language indeed calmed her anxiety, allowing her to give out a small breath of relief.

"(You're welcome, Valkyrie. I hope you will like my tea. It is my favorite tea, Jasmine.)"

Natsuki couldn't handle the language barrier between the group and called us out.

"Hey! Can you two stop speaking in whatever language you are speaking in?! It's... it's making Monika and I feel uncomfortable."

Monika nodded in agreement, albeit meekly.

"Sorry."

"Sorry!"

We looked to each other and gave a small smile.

I motioned her to speak her mind.

"I'm sorry. If it discomforts you, then I will stop speaking Russian." She apologized, bowing at her.

"Me too. I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable around us, so I'll stop too." I chimed in.

Yuri kept her small smile, and I nodded at her to keep it.

"Well, you guys don't have to stop speaking it... just don't do it around us," Natsuki stated.

The door opened again, this time it was Tom and Sayori.

Tom looked somewhat exhausted and tensed, while Sayori looked refreshed and ready.

Upon further examination, Sayori clung onto Tom's arm and enjoyed hugging it.

"Sayori, we are in the club room. You can stop holding my arm now..." He grunted, sounding strangely embarrassed.

Sayori opened her baby blue eyes and looked around in shock.

"Eh? How did we get here so fast?! I thought we were taking the slow way to the club!"

She then pouted towards Tom.

"Awww! You lied to me! You lied to me!"

He shook his head.

"I never lied to you, Sayori. We took our sweet time getting to the club because you wouldn't keep up. Now can you let go of my arm?"

Sayori gave a reluctant moan and detached herself from his arm.

"Alright... But we are going to do the same thing when the club meeting is done, right?!" She excitedly asked.

Tom couldn't help but sigh and took a seat next to me.

Yuri poured the remaining tea in two cups and moved in to take a seat to my left.

With everyone seated, Monika scooted closer to the table, keeping an eye on my left.

"Okay, everyone! Now that everyone is here, we can start the club meeting!" She declared.

"Yay!" Sayori jumped, ecstatic from the start.

Once she calmed down, Natsuki scooted closer as well.

"Wait! Before we start, I want to show you the cupcakes I was working on yesterday!"

She stood up and tore the foil on the tray, revealing cupcakes with cute cat-ears and whiskers.

Everyone was pleasantly surprised by the amount of detail put into the cupcakes, as there wasn't any imperfection on the whiskers or the ears.

"Owaaa! They look so cute!"

"That's very impressive."

"This looks very well-made, Natsuki!"

She didn't miss a thing...

Natsuki is the daughter of a police sniper!

For the first time, I saw her smile.

It was a bright and vibrant toothy smile that interested me for some reason.

I looked back at the cupcakes, to see most of it taken by the club members.

With a shrug, I reached out for the cupcake, only for my hand to swatted away.

*PWAP*

"Ow! What was that for? Everyone has a cupcake!" I hissed, rubbing my hand at the girl.

She gave me a small scowl.

"And everyone complimented me on it! Now, pay up on that!" She retorted.

I rolled my eyes.

"Your cupcake looks great, Natsuki." I droned, swiping a cupcake away from her.

She puffed herself up from the compliments, put her hands on her hips and looked proud.

"I know it, I know. Now-"

"OHMYGOSHTHISTASTESAMAZING!" Sayori squealed, enjoying the cupcake immensely.

Tom and I winced from Sayori's bouncy behavior.

Yuri decided to take a bite and smiled at the baker.

"Oh my. This cupcake is very tasty, thank you Natsuki."

Natsuki grew stronger from the compliments of her baking and turned her attention to me.

I couldn't help but look down at the cupcake and decided to take a bite.

Immediately afterward, my taste buds exploded from sweet chocolate cake and vanilla icing.

The soft, rough chocolate with the contrasting smooth, creamy icing merged into a decadent flavor.

"Well?" She smugly asked, looking down at me.

I kept chewing.

"This is delicious. I can only wish to make these types of cupcakes. The chocolate is rough, the icing is very smooth, and because of the different textures, it makes this cupcake very enjoyable to eat." I critiqued.

Natsuki couldn't help but look away.

"I knew a guy like you would say that... And just so you know, I didn't make these for you."

I smirked.

"Yeah, I know. You made these for the club, Nat."

That hit the final straw, making her cheeks burn a bright pink.

"Shaddup!"

And with that, she sat down.

We all enjoyed the rest of the cupcakes, prompting Monika to stand up once more.

"Now that we all have eaten let's start the club-"

"I'm sorry, Monika. But could we please drink our tea first? I'm feeling a bit parched from Natsuki's cupcakes." Yuri interjected.

"Hey! My cupcakes didn't make me thirsty!"

I felt a wave of frustration coming from Monika.

Given our time together, I was the only one who can tell that she is getting annoyed.

But she hid her vexed state behind that fake smile.

"Oh, of course! Not a problem, Yuri." Monika agreed, sitting down.

The club then began drinking down its tea.

Yuri glanced over to me and looked at my cup of tea.

She's waiting for me to drink it.

I brought the cup close to my mouth, the jasmine fragrance invading my nostrils.

My nose couldn't help but breath in the scent, causing me to drink to the tea.

The tea was still mildly warm, the sweet, subtle taste of the tea made drinking it sublime.

It warmed me up inside and was an excellent finisher to the thirst-provoking cupcakes.

"Mmm... this tea is very well-made. It's sweet, the green tea base makes for a great taste, and the scent is amazing, Yuri." I critiqued.

Yuri played with her long hair and looked down at her empty cup.

"(T-Thank you...)"

I smiled and nodded.

"(You're welcome, Yuri. You have got to-)"

"Okay... everyone! Since we're finished with all of the refreshments, we can finally start the meeting!" Monika cheered, cutting my sentence off. "So, to start, what are your reasons for coming here you two?"

Tom and I glanced at each other, causing me to move him to start.

"I uh, I heard that you guys needed a few members to become an actual club. After all, the system in Dokisai is a bit different right? Not to mention that Sayori begged for me to come to your club." He explained.

Sayori piped up.

"No, I didn't! I only texted you once!" She claimed, pulling her phone up for all to see.

It read: "Can you come to the literature club?".

Tom rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone.

His read: "Come to the club" which repeated for an innumerable amount of times.

Sayori tapped her fingers, knowing she was caught deleting her side of the messages.

"Ehehe... bad service, I guess?"

Tom sighed and smiled at Sayori.

He gave head-pats to which she pouted.

"Knowing you, that isn't the case." He mentioned, continuing to pat Sayori.

Yuri took the chance to ask me my reason for coming.

"Um... Valkyrie. What is your reason for coming to our club?" She asked, keeping a hand close to her chest.

Natsuki smirked and crossed her arms, now having the courage to look at me again.

I gave a nervous smile.

"Well, it's part of an apology. I made Natsuki angry for almost running into when I came to school. So as a part of the apology, I needed to join the literature club. I don't mind since it was Monika's dream to make a literature club." I explained, periodically glancing over at Monika.

After my explanation, she looked down at the desk.

"Oh. Is that so? Let me be the first to welcome you with open arms." Yuri offered.

That didn't fly with Natsuki.

She looked somewhat irritated and gave a stink-eye towards Yuri.

I looked towards Monika to see her squinting at the both of them.

"Hey, hold it! I am supposed to be the one to welcome him first! After all, I am the one that invited him to come in the first place! In any case, I should be to welcome him with open arms!"

Yuri was taken aback from Natsuki's assault.

She balled the hand close to her chest into a fist and looked to Natsuki with determination.

"That may be true, but you were the most hostile to him. Being hostile to guests is frowned upon, so I should be the one to welcome him to the club!" She retorted.

Woah...! I didn't know that Yuri had it in her!

"Hostile? The guy almost trampled me! I know he apologized and all, and I appreciate it but-"

"But, what?" Yuri interrupted. "He apologized to you, and you are still treating him as a threat? Valkyrie even made the extra effort to come to the club as well! What else do you have to say for yourself?"

Natsuki gritted her teeth and glared at Yuri.

But all of a sudden, she smirked and crossed her arms.

"Wow, Yuri. I didn't know that you were so "friendly" to Val. Maybe we should leave you two alone and see what happens next!"

Natsuki's snappy comeback pushed Yuri to an edge.

But before either of them can turn the tide of the argument, Monika slammed her hand on the table.

She kept her fake smile on and tried her best not to be annoyed with the argument.

There was a slight twitch on her left eyebrow, waiting to be released.

"Alright, you two! I think that's enough!" She announced, getting the attention of the feuding girls. "I believe that Val chooses who will welcome him first since he still came out of his own accord. But at the end of the day, he is joining the club because of me! After all, I wanted him to join ever since middle school and to help me achieve my goals in this club!"

This effectively shut both Natsuki and Yuri, stopping their argument in their tracks.

Monika let out a sigh and kept her smile.

"But I see where you two are getting at. If you two were a bit more civil, I wouldn't have needed to jump in. So I want you two to apologize." She demanded.

The two girls looked at each other and sighed.

"Yuri, sorry for going overboard there. I knew you had good intentions in the first place. But I think I took it the wrong way..." Natsuki apologized uncharacteristically.

Now it was Yuri's turn to apologize.

"I'm-I'm-I'm sorry! I spoke without thinking and didn't realize what I was saying! This is all my fault, and I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!"

The apologies the two shared brought a smile to my face.

I looked to Monika, and she seemed relatively calm.

She looked up to me and turned her head away from me, frowning while at it.

While the two were talking, I took the chance to whisper to Monika.

"Good work on fixing all this, sis. I'm proud of you."

This caused Monika to look up to me.

Her eyes shook in vacillation but eventually warmed up.

For a good few seconds, I was able to see her real smile again.

It wasn't the fake one that she plastered on all this time.

But instead, the imperfect smile that made my heart soar in happiness.

The moment passed when there was knock at the door.

I stood up from my seat and went to open it.

Behind the door was my gym teacher, Mr. Bisenberg.

"Ah, afternoon, Mr. Jones. Didn't expect to see you around here in Ainu territory. I have been goin' around the clubs with the updated memo. It has all the guidelines for making a club, so you're gonna need to show it to your CO. Dismissed!"

With a salute, the teacher went on to the other clubs, only for him to come back.

"How are you doing with the gym, soldier?" He asked, hitting me on the chest.

I squinted, trying to hold the pain of the sore muscles.

"P-Pretty good, sir. Thanks for checking on me..." I whispered.

He let out a hearty laugh and patted me on the back, adding more pain to the suffering.

"Atta boy! Keep at it!" He encouraged, now moving to the other clubs with an extra bounce to his step.

With a sigh, I closed the door and rubbed the pain away.

Monika walked to me with a curious look on her face.

"Here's the new guidelines for the club, sis," I explained, giving the stabled papers to her.

As if she knew what papers were, she sifted through them.

She let out a sigh, a different expression to what she had a few moments ago.

It was a small frown as if she was expecting whatever the paper has written.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

She took the papers close to her chest and nodded.

"Yeah..." She muttered.

Despite our animosity from earlier, I felt the compulsive need to hug her.

But before I indulge in it, Monika walked away and moved towards the group.

"I have some bad news." She announced her words a modest volume compared to from before. "I don't think we could keep the club together."

Everyone had their varied reactions, ranging from a gasp to annoyed grunt.

"What?" I asked, my hands balling up to fists.

Monika's sullied behavior started to take hold.

Her frown started to worsen and sat down.

"There are not enough members to keep the club. We need to have more than ten people for the club to remain official. Otherwise, we are going have to disband this club. But... today is the last and only day where we can recruit more members..." She muttered, resting her chin on her arms.

The girls of the club moved to comfort her.

"I can try to get Hiro and Dan to come over. Maybe they didn't join any clubs yet, but we still would be short by two people..." Tom offered.

I couldn't stand the sight of Monika being put down from anything.

I always made sure she had something to cheer her up.

The memo was still on the page on the requirements for making a club. And so, I stepped in and took the paper.

I searched for any loopholes in the memo, moving around the pages to find any.

In the fine script of the memo, it read: "Clubs with less than ten members can still be allowed to operate, only if two of the club members are working within the Winter Festival Committee."

I smirked at the way out.

"Sis, you don't have to close the club down," I said.

Monika looked up to me with crestfallen eyes.

They were on the verge of crying, and it nearly pushed me off the edge.

Regardless, I continued with difficulty.

"If we all join the Winter Festival Committee, then the club won't be shut down! Also, if we work in it, then we can also advertise for our club..."

Monika brightened up at what I was saying.

"And if we do the work for the festival, then we can get more students into the club!" She finished.

With a bright smile, she arose from her seat and was fired up.

She looked at me and was able to look me in the eye.

"Looks like you have proven your worth to join the club." She stated.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, I have to prove my worth?" I asked. "Nevermind that, read the asterisk next to two."

Monika looked back at the paper and squinted.

"Okay so, 'The two members from the clubs must be a male and female.' Oh..."

She looked up and back towards us.

"That means I have to pick a guy." She mumbled.

I looked at Tom, and he looked conflicted over the whole situation.

"I'll gladly volunteer to keep the literature club alive Monika! But I need a guy to work with me." Natsuki offered, beaming a toothy smile.

She looked over to Tom, to which Sayori started to hiss.

Sayori moved her arms around his neck and glared at Natsuki.

"Tom said that he isn't interested in joining the Winter Festival Comtity."

"Committee, Say." Tom corrected, looking up the cinnamon bun.

"Right that! Isn't that right, Tom?"

She then hugged him tightly.

"Uhm..."

Natsuki glanced towards me.

---

"It looks like you're my next choice." She said.

What did she just say?

Val looked confused for a second and then shrugged.

"It looks like I am, I guess. If I need to save the literature club then-"

Wait, Natsuki working with Val?

But...

I need to keep an eye on him.

There's no telling what he will do.

So, I don't think so...

And I am not letting her touch, Val.

As just soon I went to interrupt her, Yuri cut me to it.

"Natsuki, I think Monika should choose who goes with who." She interjected.

The pink haired girl groaned.

"Aw C'mon! Can't I get a choice here? I mean, I was the first to volunteer, right? I... I don't want this club to die out."

I decided to step in.

"Well, Natsuki... I thought of volunteering. Since I am the club president, maybe I could represent the club in the committee."

Wait, what?!

I-I didn't mean to say that!

"Monika, I would like to disagree. Wouldn't it be best to send two members instead of the club president and one member? That could be a good show of modesty, and not only that, the work would not stress you out." Yuri stated.

She's only saying that because she could get closer to Val.

"I appreciate your concern, Yuri. But I'll be fine! I can handle a lot of work! Juggling both the club and the committee will test my limits!" I cheerily asserted.

With a sigh, Yuri backed down and smiled.

"Of course. You're the club president for a reason, Monika. I am sure that you can handle the tasks."

Good.

Wait, good? How is this good?

This just makes things worse for me!

Sayori isn't going to let Tom work with anyone...

My only choice is to work with him.

I don't want to work with Val!

Argh! What's going on inside my head?!

"Okay then, if you are going to volunteer... Then who's going to be the guy that's going to work with you?" Natsuki asked.

I don't have any choice.

Val is going to be my partner...

"Val..." I muttered absentmindedly.

Sayori gasped at my choice.

"Good choice, Monika! Choosing your childhood friend is the best way to get work done, right Tommy?" She chirped.

Tom lazily looked at the girl that caged him in her arms.

"Maybe, but getting things done with you is like a never-ending cycle of procrastination. So I wouldn't know." He droned.

"Ehehe..."

Val looked to me with his dorky smile.

"I wouldn't mind helping you out on keeping the club. It was your dream to create the literature club as a place where everyone can share their writing and ideas. So I will stay by your side." He declared.

To think that he would abandon me...

He's still as caring as before.

Val didn't change, did he?

Ugh, nevermind this.

I'll keep my distance from him.

Besides, we have to talk after the club meeting.

"So it's settled. Val and I are going to join the Winter Festival Committee to keep the literature club!"

The girls gave a small round of applause on my decision to step up.

"Speaking of the literature club, what are we going to next meeting?" Sayori piped up.

"I don't quite know..."

"Yeah, that's a good question. I haven't thought about that."

I tapped my chin in thought.

"Perhaps we can bring in books to read and share our ideas on it." Yuri suggested.

The girls looked at each other at Yuri's suggestion.

"Why don't we just read some manga? Manga is a form of literature!" Natsuki counter-suggested. "And nothing can convince me otherwise!"

Sayori, now having freed Tom, tapped her fingers together, wishing to contribute.

"How about we write poems? I have a good idea on what I write a poem on!" She declared.

Poems...

Haven't I heard of that before in this club?

Weird...

This is a powerful sense of Deja Vu...

Where else did I hear poems in the literature club?

No use in thinking about it.

Maybe writing poems sounds like a great idea.

"You know... why don't we switch it up a little? Writing poems sounds like an interesting idea!" I decided.

Natsuki and Yuri traded looks, apparently feeling a bit ajar from the idea.

"Writing poems? That sounds kind of hard to... Mostly because we are going to share them right?" Natsuki asked.

"True, but this is the literature club after all. Opening up to how your mind and heart works are one of the main traits into being a writer." Yuri answered.

With a sigh, Natsuki looked back at us.

"Fine. I guess I will write poems..." She muttered, crossing her arms.

"As will I." Yuri also agreed.

Sayori, unable to contain her excitement, jumped up from her seat.

"Yay!"

It was hard not to smile from the cinnamon bun's enthusiasm.

"With that out of the way, I guess we can end the meeting for today. The next meeting will be on the following day, so everyone should bring a poem!"

Everyone gave their approval on Sayori's idea and got ready to leave.

"Tommy, Tommy, Tommy! Can we go to the park for old time's sake?" Sayori excitedly asked.

He was in no position to disagree.

"You won't take a 'no' as an answer right? You're just gonna keep begging until I say yes, right?" Tom tiredly said, pulling the bubbly girl with him.

"Yup!"

I looked over to my side and watched as Yuri and Natsuki cleaned up their refreshments.

They look a bit too busy to talk to him.

And with that, the club meeting was over.

I gave my farewells to everyone and took Val's hand.

"Wah! Wait, Monika! I need to zip up my bag!" He complained.

For some reason, I couldn't help but smirk when I did and enjoyed holding it.

Great...

I am touching this guy again.

What is this, Lotus all over again?

I have to admit; I feel like I have the edge over something... or someone whenever I do that.

Weird...

I kept pulling Val until we were alone and away from anyone.

Val does want to help me out...

He went through the paper to make sure that the club would stay open.

Is there something up with him?

I mean, he joined the literature club because of what I said four years ago.

But why would he care so much about what I dreamt of?

He wasn't there when I needed him, but is going to support me on what I wanted?

Something's off.

Once we were in a deserted hallway, I pushed Val against a wall.

Time for a bit of revenge.

---

I hissed in pain as I was thrown against the wall, mostly because of how sore I was.

"Ugh... I would appreciate it if I can go one day without having extra pain added... And hey! What was that for?!"

I felt a tug on my tie and felt myself being pulled towards Monika.

She stopped me where I can I see her anger in her emerald green eyes.

I need to talk to her about that day...

It was time that we discussed what exactly happened that day.

I am going to pursue her no matter what.

"Sis-"

"Don't speak until spoken to. And do not address me by that title. You aren't off the hook just yet." She coldly cut me off.

I shivered from her frozen tone.

"Now, I don't know what your motive is, but you join the literature club is not something you would do. There has to be more to your thought process, right?" Monika questioned.

What?

Why would I be in for something else?

I genuinely want to be in the club and spread her message of writing.

"Monika, I don't even have the slightest clue of what you are talking about. I am only in your club because of your dream, remember? Don't you want to show everybody that writing is fun and a great way to express yourself?" I retorted, hiding some of my confusion.

That somehow angered Monika, as she gritted her teeth at me and gripped my tie tightly.

"Why would you care about my hopes and dreams? Why did you mention the Committee? What changed for you to care about me?!"

I don't get it...

Why does she think I am out to hurt her?!

"I never stopped caring about you, damn it! I mentioned the committee because I didn't want your club to shut down! I remembered how determined you were when you told me about your dream to make a literature club! Remember how I laughed a little at the end and you thought I was laughing because it was a weird idea? I laughed because of how noble of an intention it was, and how much I wanted to help spread your ideas to others! So please, let me help you!"

My words were able to cause to Monika mellow out.

Her apparent anger towards me vanished, causing her to stop holding my tie.

"Hmph... fine. Maybe that is the case. Maybe you do want to help me."

She looked up to me with a smirk.

"You're starting to interest me..."

Monika turned on her heel and started to walk off.

"Vaguely."

I let out a relieved sigh and started to relax.

She stopped walking and turned her head to me.

"Don't think you're off the hook just yet. There's one more thing that we need to talk about."

Is it the talk?

About what happened...?

Monika noticed what I was thinking about and sighed.

She pointed down to her chest.

Oh... that.

"But I guess we can talk about it later. If you want to make it up to me, stop calling Sis. I never liked that title you gave me."

I nodded nervously, mostly because I didn't understand the context she was presenting to me.

"Yeah, no problem Si- I mean, Monika."

She gave me a sly smirk and walked off.

"Later, pervert."

Pervert?

Oh...

Right...

I opened my mouth to argue that it was all a misunderstanding but decided against it.

It isn't my fault that she started to touch herself like that!

Maybe next time.

But I need to talk to her.

Not right now, maybe.

I guess it can wait...

---

Each time I took a step, there was an extra bounce to it.

I somehow felt more relaxed and calmer, compared to how I was back in Ainu.

This effect on me was pleasurable, but I don't know where it came from.

I didn't care either.

Colors now look real to me, not just blobs of rays that irritate me.

Everything to me is now vibrant...

It's as if I have woken up from a long dream.

My mind was swimming in the possibilities now presented to me.

Val actually wanted to help my club and keep my dream alive...

He had no ulterior motives, too.

That further backs up my theory that he never knew what exactly happened those years ago.

Does that mean he just forgot?

No...

How would he forget something so important?

Hell, he even remembered how much I wanted to start a literature club up in perfect detail.

There has to something up that day.

All evidence points towards that.

But it doesn't hurt to gather a little more information.

I don't hate him as much I did before, mostly because of what has happened...

But I slightly dislike him now.

In either case, I need to keep an eye on him.

Since he is joining the Committee, that gives a bit more time to spend together...

Even If I need to see his stupid smile.

Like the time he found the solution to the club problem...

I have to admit, I was pretty happy to hear about the solution, but I could hardly give him any praise.

If I had snapped out of that mood, I would re-read the line until I found the fine print.

Maybe...

Or the time when he smiled at me when he told me he was proud of how I stopped a fight from breaking out.

Something about his smile just gets to me.

That tingly feeling deep inside me wells up whenever he smiles at me.

Whatever.

Handling the two was child's play, Natsuki and Yuri are opposites nd they argue a lot.

Showing who's the president in the club shuts them up.

But I have never seen their arguing get so out of hand before...

Especially since Val was being thrown around in the argument.

Something about his name being spoken by those two just...

Annoys me?

It's not annoying really.

I just can't place my hand on it.

Oh well.

In either case, Val is starting to interest me again.

But I won't let him enter my heart again.

I won't make the same mistake again.

The pain in my heart can't take another hit.

Never again.

Never again.

Never again...

This time, I'll be keeping him at an arms reach this time.

---

I collapsed onto my bed, completely and utterly exhausted from the day.

So much has happened today.

First, the students of Ainu coming in...

Then Monika making a surprise appearance in my life.

Finally joining the literature club.

I would never have of joining some literature club, ever.

But if Monika made it, there's without a doubt I would have joined.

Speaking of Monika...

I haven't seen her in a long time...

Four years...

And after those long years, I get to see her again.

I thought that was it then, once she left I would never see her again.

But here she is, pinning against the wall, pulling my tie, and giving the stink eye.

What did she even mean when I was starting to interest her vaguely?

Interest her... vaguely?

Argh...

In any case, something is hurting her, and I can't muster the courage to talk to her about.

If I were stronger, I would have stopped her from walking away and...

Talked.

But I guess it's too late for that.

It doesn't matter.

I have time now, and I am going to make sure to make her happy again.

I picked my head from the pillow and pulled out my phone.

As soon I unlocked it, there were two messages from two unknown numbers.

I checked the two chat bubbles from the two numbers.

One of the numbers greeted me with a simple: "Is this Val?"

The other number greeted me a more polite: "Hello, sorry for disturbing you, but I would like to know if this number is correct. I am asking for Val."

I squinted at both of the numbers, as both of them sounded similar.

Are those Natsuki and Yuri?

How did they get my number?

I replied to both of them with a: "Yeah."

They immediately saw my text and started to text me.

My phone buzzed as I received the texts from the two girls.

One of the messages that I got was: "It's Natsuki btw ◔w◔ I got your number in case I am sick or sum. If we do have classes together and we miss them yo,u better tell me 😤😤😤😤 or else, 🔫🔫🔫🔫"

The other message that I got was: "Oh. Hello, Valkyrie. It's me, Yuri. Forgive me with the lack of slang; I am not very accustomed to text messaging. Tom gave me your number in case I am not feeling well and miss the club meetings. Or rather, any classes that you and I may have."

I replied to both them with a simple: "Cool."

It was mostly because I didn't quite know how to reply to those messages.

My phone buzzed again, but I dismissed it for the time being, mostly because I was exhausted.

Maybe a text from Monika would break the ice between us...

I think our interactions right now are almost like how it was four years ago.

In any case, I am happy to help her out.

It's the least I can do, I guess.

I went into my bathroom and took a quick shower to help ease my body from today.

Once that was over, I went over to check the time.

But what caught my eye was the two texts from both of the girls.

Natsuki wrote: "Watcha you doin' rn? (◡ ω ◡)"

I gave Natsuki's text a harder look.

Natsuki is an entirely different person when texting...

I mean, who uses "OwO's" and "UwU's" while texting?

She's without a doubt a fanatic of manga or anime...

Yuri wrote: "I see. May I ask, what are you currently doing right now?"

Her text was regal and elegant, suiting her quiet personality perfectly.

I sighed, not wanting to test them since I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

To alleviate my current crisis, I only sent them a message saying: "I'll talk to you later. I'm kind of tired from today, so I am sorry if I can't text."

And immediately after I sent them a text, they gave me understanding statements and agreed to text me later.

What should I do now...?

Maybe I'll head to bed early since it's pretty dark out.

---

I laid in bed, exhausted from today.

So much has happened...

I guess I should have expected that, especially since I'm back home...

My eyes wandered my room, scanning each little nook and cranny for details.

It got boring quick, so I decided to rest entirely.

I moved my hand up to my bow and pulled it out, placing it on a nearby bedside cabinet.

Fortunately, I had enough energy to take off my clothes and wear something comfortable, so I decided to give in to my fatigue.

In the corner of my eye, I saw light poking out of my balcony.

The light didn't quite bother me, but I wanted to shut it out so I can sleep in complete darkness.

So, I got up and walked over to close the curtains to my balcony.

But instead, I decided to look out the window.

It was night time; the stars shined their light down like diamonds in the skies.

Shootings stars...

My eyes looked up the skies glimmering above.

I continued to look towards the stars and thought of happier times.

---

It was a summer night, Val and I went out to the park with our parents for a picnic.

Papa couldn't make it because he had work, but he said he would back home tomorrow.

Val's dad brought a grill, and we ate American Burgers and Hot Dogs, and it was very yummy.

Right now, I was on the grass, tired from playing with Val all day.

He was right beside me and was talking about our next quest.

"So I then I said to the Snow Elf: 'Being all snowy doesn't make you glow-ly.' And then I fought him!" He said, still talking about the solo adventure he had without me.

I was half-listening, as I was actually more interested at looking at the stars.

"Monika! Are you even listening?!" He asked.

I turned to him to see him pouting, which made me giggle.

"Sorry, Val. I was looking at the stars. They look so cool tonight!"

He pursed his lips and looked up with me.

When he did, he let out a surprised gasp.

"Wow... they look a lot better today! It's like they are diamonds! Especially that red one over there! It kind of looks like a laser!" He described.

I reared my head to him to see his reaction.

It made me smile knowing that he was amazed by the lights.

There was something up with that red star, but I couldn't what it was.

He poked my shoulder and pointed upwards.

"Whoa... Look at that star! That's so big! I wonder what it's called!"

I snickered at what he was pointing at.

"That's the moon, dummy. I can't believe you don't know that!"

He frowned.

"Hey, well... in this country, it's a lot easier to see the moon than back at States!" Val excused.

I looked at him with a smug expression.

"Hah! I doubt it. You're making me think that the great States have people that are dumb!" I teased.

Val simply rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Some of them are pretty... dumb actually. But hey, I love the States and I always want to go back there when I am older." He stated.

That made my stomach uneasy.

Val wants to go back home...?

W-What about me?

Does he not to stay here with me?

"Y-You want to go back home?" I shyly asked.

He gave an enthusiastic nod that made me feel worse.

"Yup! I love my old home! It's the best place in the world!"

He does!

He wants to leave me!

I don't want him to go...

I don't want him to go!

"But..."

He looked back at me.

"I like my new home more."

All of my worries and fears were gone with a simple sentence.

I hated being surprised or scared like that.

And so, I got angry at him for making me worried.

Val had a goofy smile on, unaware of how I scared I was.

But I tried to hold it in, biting my lips and balling my hands up to let the tension pass.

Nevertheless, it failed.

"Um... Monika is there some wrong?"

That was the trigger for me to let it out.

"You idiot! I thought you were going to leave me! I thought you wanted to go home so you do whatever you want!" I yelled, hugging him tightly.

Hugging Val actually made things worse.

My eyes burned as tears started to leak out of my eyes.

"I don't want you to go! I want you here with me!" I cried, voicing my insecurities of being alone to him.

He was confused on how to pursue me, so he patted my head.

It didn't help, as I continued to cry.

"Please don't ever go! I don't want my best friend to leave me alone! I'll do anything!"

That's when I felt his arms around me.

"Monika, I won't ever leave you. I was actually joking a little... Sheesh, if you really want me here, then I won't go ever."

I looked up to him, rubbing my eyes from the tears.

"B-But that makes me sound selfish... I don't like sounding selfish. W-What if you wanted to go home?" I muttered, hiccuping with each word.

He smiled again and hugged me tightly.

"My mom told me it's okay to be selfish. And it's good to be selfish about things you care about. So don't cry, Monika. I will always be with you and I won't ever leave your side."

His declaration brought light to my heart and I hugged him tightly.

This time with a smile.

"Besides, back home was pretty boring. Why would I go back to a boring old place? I love it here, Monika. You make it fun living here."

I released him from my hug and looked up to him.

"If I make it fun, let's go play some more! And I got the spot to mark the perfect symbol for our adventures!"

---

I smiled bittersweetly from the symbol in my memory.

It wasn't a symbol for our adventures.

It was a symbol of our love.

---

"Hey um... why does our symbol look like a heart? And why did we have to put our initials in it?" Val asked, scratching his head from confusion.

I waved my hand dismissively at him.

"Don't worry about it, Val. This symbol is stronger than power. Trust me." I stated. "Now come on! Put your hand on your initials!"

He didn't quite get what I meant, but I didn't expect him to.

In fact, I was glad that he didn't know what it meant.

Once he put his hand on his part of the heart, I placed mine.

"We'll be together forever... right?" I asked.

He nodded with a toothy smile.

"Yep! We will always be together forever!"

---

I sighed from my memory.

I doubt the doofus remembers the symbol we made.

He couldn't keep the promise...

But how could he?

There was something up and I intend to know what happened.

I need to keep an eye on him...

My eyes focused on the window ahead of me.

Val's room.

It would be an everyday habit where we would walk to our balconies and talk about our plans.

After all, we were next-door neighbors.

His curtains weren't closed so I was able to see into the mirror.

I opened the balcony door and walked outside to take a closer look.

He was on his bed, lying down and staring at the ceiling.

It was as if he was thinking about something.

His room doesn't look any different from four years ago...

By an off chance, he reared his head to his left and towards my balcony.

Everything went in slow-motion, as I was currently panicking on what I should do.

Oh no, no, no!

He's gonna see me peeking through his window!

Just act like everything is normal and I am just out here to see the stars.

But I want to see his every move...

I forced my head to look away and to see the stars.

Unfortunately, my eyes kept moving, mostly because I wanted to see Val's reaction to me standing on my balcony.

I heard the sliding door open and soft footsteps walk outside.

"Monika...? What are you doing out here?" He asked.

Great...

Just great.

I turned around to look at him.

"I am here to star-gaze, what's wrong with that?" I brusquely pressed.

He shrugged, dodging the hostile tone.

"Eh, fair enough." He replied, now looking up to the skies with a smile.

Can't he just go?

Argh, everything is going wrong!

I tried looking up to the skies as well, but I was somehow mesmerized by his appearance.

He was wearing a simple tight black t-shirt and some blue boxers.

Both of which highlighted his physical appearance.

Val is a lot larger than how he was four years ago.

He looks...

Toned.

Since when did he go to the gym...?

The tight t-shirt reveals a lot of muscles...

Oooh...

Wait...

I blinked a couple of times to gain of semblance of what I was doing.

What the hell?!

Why am I checking him out?!

I hate him!

My eyes looked up to the skies, but they struggled to keep it there.

I felt an indescribable urge to look down.

"Hey, sis."

He looked down and towards me.

"I thought I told you not to call me that. I hate that title." I warned.

Val would usually flinch or back away, but this time he didn't care.

Mostly because of how tired he and I was.

"Remember the picnic we had when we were kids?" He asked.

What...?

Why is he thinking of that exact memory?

Is this some sort of coincidence?

I nodded.

"Yeah, I do. Why?"

I watched his every move to see if there were any giveaways on why he mentioned it.

"There was this one star that came up when we were star-gazing. It was a dark red star that glowed pretty vibrantly. In all my years star-gazing, I have only seen it once. And look..."

He pointed to the skies.

It was that same red star from many years ago.

For some reason, I felt very nostalgic.

"That star is back again, Monika." He muttered, gazing at the star.

The more I stared at it, the more I felt light-headed.

I gripped the rails of my balcony to balance myself.

Does he remember?

Does he remember what I said to him?

"D-Do you remember what you said when we were star-gazing?"

He smirked.

"Of course I do. How could I forget? Hehe..."

I felt my cheeks burn.

"What are you laughing about?" I questioned, as I glared at him.

He let out a relieved sigh and rested his arms on his railing.

"I was laughing about how cute you were when you thought I wanted to leave and go back to the United States."

I crossed my arms and rolled my arms.

"Whatever. I am all grown up now and so are you. You can leave if you want and I won't care."

He chuckled from my blunt declaration.

"Sure, sure. I'll be the judge of that when that actually happens. Maybe you'll be the cute bundle of joy when I do choose to go."

Wait...

Did Val just call me cute?

...

How cute I was when begged for him not to leave?

He...

Oh wow...

Val called me cute.

He never called me cute before, except that one time back when we first sleepover.

He called me cute.

"Mon? Is there something wrong?" He asked.

I-I think I am about to collapse...

Since when did he...

"Monika!"

I felt myself losing my balance, my footing now scrambling to stay stable.

But it was too late.

I realized that I was going to fall, so I braced for impact.

It didn't take long that I was about to hit the floor.

But it never came.

In fact, I felt as if I was levitating.

There was someone holding me up.

I groggily opened my eyes to see a worried Val holding me.

Wait...

What?!

How did he...

Why did he...?

"I never thought I could jump that... huh." He amused.

I felt my cheeks burn up from the distance we shared.

His arms are much more burly than before...

It feels comfortable be in them...

What?!

Stop thinking about this route!

He is a no-good backstabbing guy!

But he saved me...

Val pulled me up to my feet, making sure I was planted onto the ground once more.

"Well, to be fair, we are less than two meters away."

I rubbed my forehead, trying to rid some of the drowsiness I was feeling and keep myself awake.

And to hopefully rid the pink cheeks that swelled up.

"Hey, do you want me to go back or-"

I put my hand up to stop him.

"No. The least I can do is to let you stay here."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Not for the night, you moron."

Val snickered at my suggestion.

"Right, I know." He said, leaning on the railing of the balcony. "Anyway, I remember how you cried on how much you didn't want me to leave!"

I frowned from that, mostly because I was caught crying.

"Yeah, I was crying a lot. What did you want me to do about it? I had no other friends beside you! Of course, I didn't want you to go!"

He stopped leaning on the balcony and walked up to me.

"I know. You were my only friend too, remember? I still haven't made up with Gabriel and James back at the States. But I guess it's a bit too late now. Even if I did go back, I doubt things would have been the same. But what can I do? Sometimes you just got to move on."

He still hasn't spoken to them...

Val told me how close they were back home...

"Oh... I thought you spoke with them... you know after the-"

He cut me off.

"Yeah, I know."

His smile vanished in an instant.

"We still need to talk."

I balled my fists up from the barrier we still had.

Not right now...

I need more information...

"But I guess now is not the time. Especially since it's late into the night." He dismissed, his smile returning.

Val turned to jump over to his side.

"Wait."

He stopped in his tracks.

"Do you... do you remember the symbol we made right after you told me you wouldn't leave me?"

I saw him scratch his chin in thought, as he was trying to remember what it was.

"I don't exactly remember... but what I do remember is that we had to put our initials in it." He answered.

He does remember a little...

Now for the question that matters the most.

"Do you remember the promise we made along with the symbol?" I asked.

I knew I was pushing it, but I needed to try.

There was something in me that had hope.

Something my subconscious hoped for.

Val gave a melancholy sigh at the promise.

"Never to let you go. To be with you forever."

My heart started to pound as he said those fabled words.

He remembers...

But...

He failed to keep it.

It doesn't matter, I am giving him a second chance.

But I am not giving him a second chance at earning my heart.

I'll promise to that.

"I'm giving you another chance at that." I declared.

My heart started to race faster as I said that.

It's as if I was forgiving him..

Am I forgiving him?

No.

I am still angry over what happened.

He still didn't rescue me.

I still can't forgive him for that.

With a nod, Val jumped over to his side of the balcony.

I turned on my heel and headed back inside.

"Monika."

I reared my head to him.

"I haven't said this a while but... goodnight."

For some reason, I smiled him telling me that.

"Goodnight." I curtly said, while walking back inside.

I walked over to my bed and took off my slippers.

Once I got in a comfortable range, I fell on top of it, landing my head on the pillows.

It didn't take long until I fell asleep.

A sleep that felt foreign, yet so similar.

It was as if everything was the way it was before.

My mind and body started to relax until there was one persistent thought in my head.

Did I write in my journal today?

Nope...

I haven't written in it since I left Ainu.

With a grunt, I got up from my comfy bed and reached for my diary.

This diary or journal was a new and I found it in my luggage when I unpacked after I arrived at Ainu.

At first, I used the journal to help keep important notes and memos.

But when I started to get more and more exasperated from the stresses the Academy gave me, I wrote other things along with it.

In the journal, I voiced all my frustrations and anger about how bad each day went.

It also contained lots of heinous thoughts from my friends.

If they somehow got a hand of this, there is no doubt they will stop talking to me.

But what are the chances of that happening?

The other diary was still in relatively good condition, especially since I had it for as long as I can remember.

It was something I treasured, and I kept it in a locked drawer.

I haven't written anything in my diary for four years...

Or before the day I left.

In my hand is a pen that will write my hate and pain for me and this world.

Here goes...

---

Yeah, it's me again.

Gosh, it feels like a long time, even though has been like what? Only two days?

Anyway, a lot has happened today. First I get showered by compliments from the boys of Dokisai, then Val spots from the other side of the theater, and guess what?
He came to the club!

Yep. I found the boy that I hate, my mortal enemy in the club that I love.

He didn't come to the club voluntarily, actually. Val was in a hurry to get to class early that he supposedly almost bumped into Natsuki. The girl didn't take that so well and threatened him with a beatdown. He did apologize, but it wasn't a real apology, just a simple sorry and that's all.

So I am guessing Natsuki got really pissed when he didn't recognize her at gym class. Something in her got triggered and caused her to sucker punch him. To think, a buff guy getting taken down by a small girl! I have to admit, that is pretty funny to think about.

When I saw Natsuki about to throw another punch at the guy, I had to step in. She is pretty impulsive and the fact that she got into a fight with Val would get her suspended.

At first, I had no idea who it was that she was beating up, but as soon I got closer, I knew I messed up. The guy coincidentally had to be him, right?

Well, what was I supposed to do? Walk past them? That's just cruel and it might land me in suspension as well! I don't like the guy, but that doesn't mean I want him to get hurt...

Right?

Uh...

I stepped in and stopped from her delivering another punch. She gave an excuse that Val called her a first year and didn't apologize to him. Trying to be a mediator for the girl can be a pain in the ass. I know the girl is self-conscious since she isn't that developed, but that shouldn't be the catalyst to punch the guy!

Natsuki did say she took a lot from her mom... like her height, breast size, and ass. Don't guys like big asses and smaller boobs, rather than small asses and bigger boobs?

The girl is the cutest out of all us though. Still, I still pity her for not having big boobs like me and Yuri...

Anyway, Natsuki for some reason sobered up and told me that we can get Val to join the club. It was right there the situation was getting out of control. I didn't want him to join the club, because of our history. But for some reason, he joined.

He still cares about my dreams of making the literature club. To make people share their thoughts and beliefs by writing it all away...

We had a fight right after Val properly apologized to Natsuki. He tried to be friendly to me, but I just couldn't tolerate it.

I got pissed off. He thought he can actually forget what happened four years ago.

He knew what he did, but he didn't bother to bring it up. And so I yelled at him, telling he failed me and he has no reason to talk to me.

I expected him to stop and to leave me alone, but obviously, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

The strange thing is... He was confused. It looked like he had no idea what I was talking about. Not to mention, he didn't look like he forgot anything at all...

If I was calmer, than I would have asked him what he meant by that, but my rage for him took control of me. I... I said some really harsh things to him, and he looked hurt when I said that the four years without him were the best years of my life.

And for the first time in forever, I saw him get angry too. Val wasn't the type of person to get angry over anything, but what I said to him really got to him. I mean, why wouldn't it? He has every right to be angry when I said that.

He yelled back at me, saying why I was even angry at him.

And I felt hurt... I never thought he would yell at me. I wanted to yell back at him, but something inside my rage broke. It hurt to actually say anything to him.

He made his choice and it wasn't me... but did he?

The way he was confused told me he had no idea what happened four years ago... Then what did happen four years?

I can go on for this entry but I have other things to write about.

When he joined, the Yuri and Natsuki got a little jumpy for some reason. I got jumpy because I didn't know how to talk to him. But those two had some sort of motive that I couldn't see through. Did they have any motives?

Val got along with girls just fine exactly. Natsuki and he spoke to each other like actual human beings, instead one punching the other. It looked okay from there.

But when Yuri spoke to Val, she spoke to him in another language...
Russian.

I know that Yuri is half-Russian, but I never knew that Val was also part Russian. He was able to speak fluent Russian that surprised everyone.
Well, it surprised me the most. I mean, I never knew he can speak such a difficult language! How come he never told about it?!

Anyway, Yuri and Val shared a bond with each other. After all, speaking in the second language of a person is speaking to their mind. But speaking in their primary language means that they speak to their hearts.

Yuri moved here when she was 5, so she has lots of memories from Russia. No wonder she sounded so happy when speaking Russian. It was as if they understand each other...

She even winked at Val! Since when was she so confident?

I don't like that for some reason. There's this feeling inside of me that gets... weird whenever I think about it.

Enough talking about them, let's talk about what happened later...

Natsuki cleaned a nosebleed that I caused and it made her flustered.
Yeah, I made get another nosebleed.

It wasn't like how I flashed my panties to him or anything. That was intentional, but this time wasn't.

It's pretty funny on how I caught him measuring my cup size...

When Yuri winked at Val before getting tea, I knew it was a signal. I started thinking about much more attractive Yuri was since Val was so interested in talking to her.

I guess I felt jealous. She has a body that is in another league.

I know I am attractive. Hell, each time I walk into a room I hear whispers from guys about my beauty. Annoying, sure. But it sure felt good to hear that, since I don't spend a lot of time doing my hair, face, or eyes.

I just felt insecure about my boob size. Yuri has a massive rack and I swear it jiggles whenever she does anything intensive.
Eugh, that's so slutty. She should really get a tighter bra.

I'm sure that Yuri is either an E-cup or a triple D. In any case, I hated feeling self-conscious about my appearance.

That's where I checked my size. I completely forgot that Val was right in front of me and was the only other person in the room with me. So it wasn't much of a surprise that he saw me touching myself.

For a second there, when I realized he was watching me... I felt hot. Not the "sexy hot" but my body felt like it was on fire. It was just like that day from four years ago, my body temperature spiked when I saw him stare at me.

Since I had no idea that he was watching, so I shrieked and covered myself. I yelled at him for being a pervert and was about to deliver his punishment him.

But then... Natsuki came back.

For some reason, I felt really possessive of him. I didn't like when Natsuki cleaned his nose-bleed off of him.

Why am I getting possessive of a guy I don't like? Whatever.

Moving on.

After the club meeting, I confronted Val for joining the literature club.

I asked him why he wanted to join since I thought he stopped caring about me.

Turns out I was wrong, and he still cares about me.
I... I remember him telling that to me.

He still cares about my hopes and dreams.

But why? Why would he care about my hopes and dreams? I thought he stopped caring ever since that day...

Is it because he wanted to make it up to me? Is it because he missed me?

No.

The way he said it was sincere. He missed me and didn't understand why I even left.

Something happened that day.

Something definitely happened.

And I intend to find out.

---

It was Tuesday and it was an easy day.

Today I woke up with a new outlook on life.

This time I didn't wake up berating myself for how I have failed on getting to Monika in time.

This time I woke up to the new possibilities that are available to me now.

For some reason, I felt very energetic and ready to take on anything.

I came to school early a bit early than usual, and currently waiting for the teacher to arrive.

"Yo, boss! You have a bit of a weird smile on ya, what's up? Did you get a girlfrieeend?" Hiro teased, slinging his arm on my back.

"Val's got a girlfriend? When was this? Yesterday? I knew those girls had a thing for you!" Dan cheered.

Despite their statements, I kept my smile.

"Nope. I don't have a girlfriend, and doubt anyone's interested in me. But I got something a bit better than your delusions."

Hiro scoffed at me.

"Oh, oh yeah? That's cool that you got something better, but uh... ｃａｎ ｙｏｕ ｓｐｅａｋ ｌｉｋｅ ｔｈｉｓ？"

"Wait, what the fuck?"

The door opened to reveal Monika walking in.

I couldn't help but smile when she arrived.

She was showered with compliments as walked to her seat.

"Goodmorning Monika!"

"You're looking great today!"

"I like your bow!"

"Please suffocate me with your thighs."

There was a slight and subtle twitch on her right eye from that last comment.

It was a twitch that I can notice whenever is annoyed or disturbed.

Regardless, she sat down with a regal posture and smiled from the praises everyone gave her.

Since when was she so popular?

It has only been a day and she's apparently the idol of Dokisai.

That simply doesn't make sense...

How come they didn't do that back at Lotus?

Especially since when we were all hormonal wrecks?

Come to think of it, Monika has changed a lot after since she came back.

Like her breast size...

Before she went to Ainu, she was at B-cup, but when she came back they became larger than ever!

Luscious D-cups...

And everyone is talking about her thighs...

What's all the rage with thighs anyway?

...

Wait, wait, wait!

Why am I thinking this?!

Eugh!

I thought I was the master of my own thoughts, but right now I am not!

There's somehow messing with my thoughts...

It's as if all this is being written down on some site...

Hey you!

Yeah, you. You're reading my thoughts, right?

Can you tell the author of whoever's writing this to kindly fuck off?

I don't see Monika as anything more than the sister I never had!

"Ooooh! I see you, Val, checking the sweetheart of Dokisai out! I knew you two had the hots for each other!" Hiro teased.

I snapped to him with a scowl.

"I don't have the hots for her! I only see her as my sister!" I hissed.

Dan grunted in disbelief.

"Hah! Sure. The way you were looking at her kind proves Hiro's point otherwise." He retorted.

Before I could get another comeback in, the teacher walked in.

The classroom was now dead silent.

"Morning class." She greeted.

There was a cacophony of greetings given throughout the class.

"I would like to start the class by announcing that the Winter Festival starts next Monday, or at Christmas Eve. That also means winter vacation starts right after as well. As a routine, I am going to ask for volunteers for the Winter Festival Committee. Anyone up for the task?"

The classroom was silent since no one was interested.

Until Monika pushed her seat back and stood up.

"Ms. Suzuki, I would like to volunteer for the Winter Committee." She declared.

The teacher was mildly surprised.

"Oh. Are you sure, Monika? You are still fairly new to Dokisai, I am thought you would like more time to settle in."

That's my cue.

I rose up from my seat and stood confidently.

"Don't worry, Ms. Suzuki. I am going to volunteer with Monika, that way she will knows the in's and out's of the school."

There were murmurs and whispers throughout the classroom.

Ms. Suzuki was pleasantly surprised that I stood up to volunteer and nodded at my effort.

"Fair enough. Is there any particular reason why you would like to join the club?"

Monika looked at me, expecting me to say something.

"Yes, I do. The literature club is short of members and I would like to keep it open. By applying to the Committee, the club will stay open and maybe attract more members." I explained.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Monika smirking at me.

Did I say it right...?

"I see. That is a noble goal, Val. You may sit."

With a sigh, I sat down feeling ready to do what it takes to keep the club.

"Oooh! Val's making some moves huh?! Go get em Casanova!"

"No matter how much you deny it, I know you have a thing for her."

I groaned from their persistence.

---

The rest of the school day went by in the blink of an eye.

Right now, Val and I were walking to the Committee room to start our work as members.

"I wonder how many people have joined the Committee with us..." He muttered, walking up to the door.

Val opened the door to see only a teacher with papers waiting for us.

He stood up to greet us.

"Hello, you two. Thanks for joining the Committee!"

We both looked around to see if there were anyone else coming to join us.

"Are we the only two members? I thought there would be more." I muttered, concerned from the lack of students in the room.

The teacher sighed and took a seat.

"You see, the Committee was once a serious organization to be a part of. Many students would flock to us and would help out with the festival. But because of a scandal we had a few months ago, many students lost heart to the Committee."

We took a seat to better listen to the teacher.

"Turns out that one of the students planned to rig the Christmas tree to blow up. He was the leader of the Committee and many followed his orders without question. We never understood his intention, but it was too late. We were able to stop his plans from coming into fruition but the reputation of the Committee was forever smeared by that student."

Just because of one whackjob, everyone is scared to join the Committee?

"But in any case, you two took the chance to join. I was afraid that we needed to cancel the Winter Festival."

If we don't nail the Winter Festival, then the club is going to be forced to close...

"Of course, we can handle the festival. I know that I am relatively new here, but I am willing to try!" I stated.

Val smiled at my determination and chimed in.

"Yeah, we going to try our best to make the best of our time." He declared.

I couldn't help but smile too.

The teacher was ecstatic that we were focused on getting the job done.

"Good, good! I know that it's just the two of you, so we are arranging a trip for the lower classmen to ease the workload. We are still going to invite more people to help out, so best of luck to you."

He gave us both papers and forms that other clubs needed to fill out.

"I am going to let the club members and students in so that they fill out the forms for the festival. Take care you two."

With that, he left me alone with Val.

We readjusted our seats and looked over the forms.

The forms were simple enough since it detailed all the necessary spaces for items, stands, and activities.

"Ready, Sis?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Don't call me that. Of course, I am."

He chuckled from my retort.

---

The first one to arrive at the door was Hiroshi.

"Haha! Sup boss! I see that you're getting comfy there!" He greeted.

I gave him a small, warning glare.

"Hey, Hiro. You here for the form?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Yup! The guitar club asked for a few items for the concert that they are going to have during the festival. So yeah, I would like a form please."

Monika gave an inviting smile and handed him a form.

"Here you are! Most of the spaces are self-explanatory, but if you need any help let us know!"

I eyed Monika's public behavior.

"Wow...! Getting a form from Dokisai's newest sweetheart?! That's so metal! Woohoo!" He cheered, leaving the room.

Monika giggled and waved goodbye.

"Ahaha~! Take care with that form!"

Hiro gave me two-finger salute and winked at me, leaving me in the dust.

After Hiro arrived other students came in and formed a single file line.

There were some boys that weren't supposed to be here and were goofing around.

It made me feel irritated for some reason, mostly because of the comments they gave and how Monika reacted to them.

She would give an occasional giggle or smile at the boys giving the comments, making them more enticed to stay.

The commotion grew to the point where I started to give death glares behind Monika's back to make them leave.

Fortunately for me, all of them got the message and soon left.

I never knew Monika was that popular...

How can someone deal with so much fame?

The line started continuously mellow out, as fewer students arrived.

There was one last person on the line and it was a girl with galaxy purple hair, with a purple hair clip in one the strands of hair.

Yuri.

She looked nervous and was playing with her hair, slowly moving up to us.

To comfort her, I decided to speak in her native tongue.

"(Hello, Yuri!)"

The girl looked up in a small panic and soon realized it was me.

She let out a deep breath and smiled.

"(Hello, Valkyrie. It's so good to see you again.)"

"(Likewise, Yuri. Is there something you need?)"

Yuri nodded and pointed to the forms.

I reached to give her a form, only to be cut off by Monika.

"Here you go, Yuri! Is there anything else?" She said, keeping her fake smile on.

She looked to me with nervous eyes.

I gave her a nod to encourage her to speak her mind.

"Y-Yes... there is. Monika, I would like to ask you for a favor. I need to pick up my younger sister from a nearby school called Lotus Junior High. There is no one left to help supervise the Girls Swim club. Since you are one of the best swimmers in Ainu, I was hoping that you could cover for me."

Monika scribbled something onto a black journal.

"Of course I will help, but I need to write notes down about the requests some students made."

Once she was done, she turned to me.

"Val, if there any more students left on the line, can you handle them?"

I cracked my knuckles in anticipation of a challenge.

"Yeah, no sweat." I replied.

She then stood up and turned to Yuri.

"Thank you, Monika. I will make sure to repay the favor." Yuri promised.

Monika gave Yuri a pat on the shoulder.

"Yuri, you don't owe me anything. We're friends remember? Go ahead and get your little sister. I will take care of it."

The purple haired girl smiled and gave Monika a hug.

"Thank you."

She released her and jogged off to the exit.

"Goodbye, you two! Thank you for the help!" She said, running.

With her gone, Monika let out a sigh and placed her journal into her bag.

"Don't mess this up, Jones. This is our only shot on keeping the literature club alive." She warned, walking off into the direction of the Swimming Club with her bag.

I gave her a salute.

"Copy that."

Now it was up to me to handle any more students wanting Winter Festival forms.

Despite the challenge of working alone, there weren't many students that wanted forms to fill out.

I handled them with ease and got ready to leave.

With my bag on my shoulder, I left the Committee room, locking it behind me.

As I locked the door, there was a small black notebook in the corner of my eye.

What's this?

I knelt down and picked it up.

There's no names or initials on who it might belong too...

Might need to open it up.

I opened to the middle of the book and looked for any clues on ownership.

Wow...

Whoever this is, they got a really nice handwriting...

---

I clamped my hands together to get the swimmers attention.

"Nice work everyone! It's time to wrap it up!" I called.

The girls got up from the pool and moved into the locker rooms.

I followed them to get changed as well.

Finally, that's over.

I walked over to a bench with my towel and searched for my clothes.

In my bag, I took my uniform and shoes.

It was a routine for me to check where my journal was, and so I searched for that too.

Hmm...

Where is it?

The Journal was nowhere to be found.

Oh no...

Where did it go?!

Last time I wrote on it was back at the Committee room.

No...

With my bag at hand, I ran back to the club room.

Shit, shit, shit, shit!

If anyone gets a hold of that Journal, it'll get me expelled!

I made it to the Committee room and saw a male figure looking over it.

He looked up to me.

Val...

That's the last person I would want to see my journal.

"Oh... hey, Monika! Why are you still in a swimsuit? Anyway, I found this journal on the floor here." He greeted.

Damn it.

"Go inside the room." I ordered.

He raised an eyebrow.

"What? Why?"

I balled my fists up.

"I said: Go inside the room."

He gritted his teeth in anxiety and opened the door.

We walked in, to which he stood next to the tables.

I locked the doors to make sure no one gets in or out.

Or...

To hear anything.

"Monika, what's going on?"

I put on my coldest scowl to make sure he is kept in check.

"That... that Journal. Did you pick it up somewhere?"

He nodded slowly.

"Y-Yeah... why? Is this yours, Monika?"

I looked away and walked up to him.

"Yes. It is." I answered.

Val smiled at me.

"Oh, if that's the case. Then here you go. Not sure why you had to lock the door and everything."

I took the Journal to see if there were traces of him looking.

"If you didn't mind, I had to take a look at what you wrote for a name or something. So I needed to see a little..."

He... looked.

"I see."

The towel on my neck and my grip on my journal loosened, causing them to fall to the floor.

I took a sudden step forward and pulled his tie towards me.

My shoulder stopped at his chest, causing his jolt forward to come to an abrupt stop.

"M-Monika?"

I sighed.

"So... you read my Journal."

---

AN: No review response yet as usual. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.