(Hello friends! I'm back with another chapter! So the date is probably two chapters away now, just to let you know. And I'm always glad to see more new followers on this story! It's nice since it doesn't happen very often anymore, but that's just how it is. Also, DDLC turned 1 year old a week ago! It makes me wonder if Dan Salvato will actually make a follow-up or not eventually, considering we haven't heard anything about it. Whatever, you still have me! Enjoy this more lighthearted chapter than normal!)

I do not own Doki Doki Literature Club or any of the characters portrayed in this story.

_

"Anon, wake up!" I hear Sayori say as she shakes my shoulders.

"W-What?!" I ask as I sit up in bed. "Sayori, what is it?"

"It's time to get up!" she says excitedly with a smile.

I look at her clock and see that... she's apparently waking me up 4 minutes early. That's unlike her.

"Sayori, why are you awake early?" I ask as I rub my head.

"C'mon! It's a big day!" she exclaims. "I can't help being excited!"

"Oh yeah, we're going on our date tonight," I remember.

"Ehh? You don't sound excited at all!" she pouts at me.

"I'm just drowsy, I'll be excited later," I wave my hand at her. "Did you take a shower yet?"

"No, I haven't," she shakes her head. "I'm gonna take mine first today, okay? You just stay right here and enjoy the cozy blanket!"

"... Why did you wake me up if you were going to tell me to stay in bed anyway?" I ask.

"Because! The best part of sleeping is lazing around in bed after you wake up!" she giggles. "I just wanted to let you experience that!"

"Thanks," I say, smiling at her thoughtfulness. "It is cozy in here, after all."

"Man, I'm jealous," she sighs. "Oh well, I'm off to take my shower! Love ya babe!"

"Love you," I call before she picks up her clothes and leaves.

I won't deny that it's enjoyable to just lie still under the soft, warm blankets. Sayori really is a caring girlfriend, at least in her own way. I sigh as I let my body relax, and I let my thoughts refocus on what happened last night. During dinner she told Mrs. Saitō and I that she was feeling alright about Natsuki, but her nightmare last night makes me think that she feels plenty guilty about it. Even though there was no way she could've known, and we saved her in the end. At least she's feeling alright now that she's focused on the date. Unless that's a lie too.

_

"Anon, it's your turn in the shower," Sayori whispers in my ear as she rests herself on top of me.

Her hair is damp, and she smells nice. I sit up and she gets up with me, then I stretch with a yawn. I look at her and see that she's already wearing her uniform, and she's not put together as sloppily as normal. Her collar is straight, her hair is combed, and her red bow is straighter.

"Did I doze off?" I ask.

"Yeah," she answers before giggling, "Blankets must've been comfy."

"They were," I say. "You look nice."

"Thanks, I wasn't in as much of a rush today," she says. "You had better get to the shower, or else you'll be in a rush! Ehehe~!"

"Right, I'll go now," I say and stand up.

"I'll make breakfast while you're in there, 'kay?"

"Yeah, thanks babe," I say. "I'll kiss you after I brush my teeth."

"Ehehe~, sounds good!" she giggles.

I head to the guest bedroom to grab my uniform then go into the shower. It's still humid because of Sayori taking one previously, so I hurry through it pretty quickly. I get my uniform on and brush my teeth before putting my sleep clothes back with the rest of my dirty clothes and heading down to the kitchen.

"Hey Anon!" Sayori greets me from the stove, where I see eggs in a pan (and I smell bacon as well).

"Hey babe," I say, walking up behind her and putting my arms around her shoulders. "Eggs?"

"With toast and bacon!" she chirps, and the toast pops up on cue.

"Smells great," I say before kissing the top of her head. "Thanks babe."

"Sure thing! Can you grab some plates and put the toast on them?"

"Yeah," I nod my head as I let go of her.

I grab two plates and put a piece of toast on each, and then the microwave signals that the bacon is ready. I also grab that, which is a horribly catastrophic mistake which results in a minor pain on my thumbs and index fingers because it's still hot. Anyways, I plate the bacon just in time for Sayori to finish with the eggs, then help her plate those and set the table. Then we sit next to each other to eat.

"Mm, this tastes great," I sigh as I chew my first bite of egg. "Thanks a ton!"

"Mhm!" she nods her head as she stuffs both pieces of bacon into her mouth. "Anything for you!"

"Aww, don't spoil me," I chuckle before taking a bite of the toast.

"Well, what if I do?" she asks as she wraps her arms around my arm.

"Then I shall have been defeated," I sigh and shake my head. "Felled by your good will."

"... I would defeat you by making you fall?" She tilts her head.

"I... Uh, metaphorically, you wouldn't necessarily be wrong, I guess," I ponder. "It depends on the situation."

"I don't get it," she frowns.

"Sorry, I shouldn't be so extravagant with my words," I chuckle and put an arm around her before I continue to eat. "I meant that I can't stop you. Thanks again babe."

"You're welcome again," she giggles.

Mrs. Saitō comes in as we finish eating and takes our plates to wash them for us. Meanwhile, Sayori and I make our lunches and finish packing our bags.

"Alright you two, have a good day today!" Mrs. Saitō says as she gets into her car. "I'll be here later to make sure everything's set for your date!"

She drives off, and Sayori and I walk towards school. All the while, Sayori is brimming with energy. She holds my arm tightly as she points out different things that one normally wouldn't pay any mind. The warmth of the sun, the chirping of the birds, and even the sweet smells of a flowerbed we pass are recipients of her wonder.

'She must be really excited about the date,' I muse as I smile down at her.

"What is it?" she asks when she sees me looking at her.

"Nothing. You're just cute."

I lean down and kiss the side of her head, and as I do she tightens her grip on my arm.

"Aww, thanks~," she sighs contentedly. "But you know, I'm not as cute as... y'know..." she looks away at the ground and her expression visibly darkens.

"Sayori, why did you say that you were fine last night?" I ask. "You obviously aren't. You even had that nightmare."

"I... dunno," she sighs. "I'm getting used to opening up to you, but my mom is a different case. I really don't want her to worry about me too much."

"She's your mother, dummy," I sigh as I embrace her. "She loves you a whole lot, right?"

"Right," she nods her head against me.

"She'll support you just like I do," I say into her hair. "You should work on opening up to her more."

"I know," she sighs with another nod. Then she lets me go and takes out her phone.

"What're you doing?" I ask as we resume our walk.

"I'm texting Natsuki to tell her I'm thinking about her," she says as she smiles down at her phone.

"That's thoughtful of you," I say. "I'm sure she'll be glad to hear from you. Also, tell her I said hi."

"Ehehe~! Will do!" she smiles up at me.

We arrive and stick together until the bell rings, just like usual. Then we each head to class with the agreement to meet again at our now regular lunch table. During class, Haroki brings up my and Sayori's relationship for the first time since first finding out about it. He teases me about how far we've gotten, or whether we have any "romantic escapades" planned, but I ignore most of it.

Soon enough it's time for lunch, and I make a stop by the restroom on the way. When I do arrive, I'm surprised to see Sayori and Yashiro chatting. That is, cordially chatting and not arguing like children like they normally do.

"Hey Anon!" Sayori chirps and waves at me.

"Hey, what's going on here?" I ask. "You two aren't at each other's throats! What it's it, Christmas?"

"Yeah, might as well be, right?" Yashiro chuckles.

"If it was, we'd be out of school," I say as I sit down next to Sayori and give her a kiss. "Have either of you heard from Natsuki?"

"Yep!" Sayori exclaims. "She says she's feeling okay!"

"And she's allowed visitors already, so I'm definitely going later," Yashiro says as he eats his food. As I get my own food out, he asks, "Are you sure you don't want to skip the club meeting to see her?"

"We have to go man," I sigh. "We have enough time before our date, so we can show up for a bit afterwards."

"Oh, I don't wanna wait that long!" Sayori sighs exasperatedly as she pushes a grape into her mouth. "I'm glad Natsuki is doing alright though."

"Eh? What happened to Natsuki?" a voice asks next to our table, and I turn to identify the source as Yuri, who has Yashiro tagging along.

"Oh, are you gonna sit with us again?" Sayori asks excitedly.

"Yes, if that's alright," Yuri says with a nod.

"Definitely!" Sayori smiles widely.

"But what happened to Natsuki?" Yuri asks again as she and Kaito sit down.

"A-Ah, well, you see," Sayori stutters as she scratches her cheek.

"When we went to her house to give her the book we're reading, we found out her dad was abusing her," Yashiro says. "We called the police, he got arrested, and Natsuki is in the hospital but is alright."

"What?!" Yuri exclaimed.

"R-Really?!" Kaito is also visibly fairly concerned.

"H-How can you be so blunt?!" Sayori exclaims at Yashiro.

"It is what it is," he shrugs. "I mean, I guess I could use some cheering up about it. Sayori, if you would..."

"... What?" she asks.

"Yashiro, don't say another word," I say, scooting closer to Sayori and putting a protective hand on her shoulder.

"Fine, whatever," he sighs. "Natsuki can do it when I visit later."

"She can do..." Sayori's eyes widen suddenly in understanding. "G-GROSS!! YASHIROOO!"

"What can I say? I'm a romantic!" Yashiro laughs.

"I-I'm still just shocked about everything that must've happened to her," Yuri sighs. "Perhaps I'll visit her later as well. Oh, speaking of, who knows about this?"

"Just us," I say.

"Oh, so Monika doesn't know?"

"No. Now that you mention it, she'd probably want to be in the loop, being our club president and all."

"We can tell her later," Sayori says. "Let's focus on eating right now, okay?"

"Yeah, right," I nod. "So, anyone doing anything fun this weekend?"

"K-Kaitaro and I are visiting a museum," Yuri says. "It looks really interesting."

"Ooh, that sounds cool!" Sayori says brightly. "What kind of museum?"

"It's full of exhibits on different affluent families throughout history," she explains. "Things they did, businesses they owned, that kind of thing."

"Ohh," Sayori nods.

"What about you Yashiro?" I ask.

"Nothin planned in particular," he shrugs. "Hitting the gym, visiting Natsuki probably, y'know."

"Sounds fun and exciting," I say sarcastically.

"Man, you want to come work out with me finally?" he asks. "You said you would think about it like a month ago. Plus, I think it'd be great for your health!"

"I'm not really able to right now, but I do want to."

"Bleh, whatever," Yashiro shrugs. "You and Sayori said your date is today, right?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Sayori nods quickly. "It's gonna so great!

"Oh, you two are going on a date?" Yuri tilts her head and gives a soft smile. "Sounds nice! What are you going to do?"

"We're gonna grab dinner then head to see that new superhero movie," I say.

"Oh, I already saw it," Kaito says. "It was good. A-At least I think so."

"Yeah, we heard it is," Sayori says. Then, turning to Yashiro, "Anyways, you might wanna start with a date too before even suggesting that kind of stuff to Natsuki."

"What's that, advice?" he chuckles. "Anon, maybe it really is Christmas!"

"I'm surprised too," I say, looking down at Sayori.

"But if you really thought I was serious about that earlier, then you still have no respect for me huh?" Yashiro sighs.

"I-I was joking too!" Sayori says. "I mean, I wasn't joking that that's what you should do first, b-but I was joking about taking you seriously! Yeah!"

"That want sincere at all!" Yashiro cries.

We all laugh and keep an idle chatter until the bell rings to dismiss us, then we go our separate ways to class.

_

(Notes: So I combined the morning and lunchtime scenes this time because there wasn't much happening. Maybe I'm just getting used to writing long periods of time because of my MHA stories. But speaking of, I'm gonna go see the new movie in like an hour, so I'm just gonna put this up now. As always, feedback and input are greatly appreciated and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!)