Rogue and Monika reached the clubroom and Monika burst through the door.
"I'm back! And I brought a guest with me!" she shouted. The two girls already in the room turned their heads. Monika almost did a double take before remembering that of course one would be missing. Sayori didn't exist anymore, after all.
"Eh? A...A guest?" stuttered Yuri.
"Seriously? You brought a boy? Way to kill the atmosphere," protested Natsuki.
"Don't be mean, Natsuki," chastised Monika. "But anyway, welcome to the club, Rogue!" Rogue merely stood there with a dazed expression on his face, probably once again thinking of all of the cute girls in the club.
"So, let me guess, you're Monika's boyfriend, right?" asked Natsuki.
"Wha-No, I'm not!" he protested.
"Natsuki..." scolded Yuri.
"A-Anyway," stuttered Monika, trying to calm the atmosphere, "This is Natsuki, energetic as usual. And this is Yuri, the vice president."
"N-Nice to meet you..." Yuri muttered.
"Yeah...It's nice to meet both of you."
"So, I ran into Rogue in a classroom, and he decided to come check out the club," Monika explained. "Isn't that great?"
"Wait! Monika!" Natsuki suddenly shouted. "Didn't I tell you to let me know in advance before you brought anyone new? I was going to...well, you know..."
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't forget that, but I just happened to run into him."
"In that case, I should at least make some tea, right?" said Yuri.
"Yeah, that would be great! Why don't you come sit down, Rogue?" Rogue still looked pretty uncomfortable, but he went at sat down next to Monika while Natsuki sat across from her and Yuri moved to the corner of the room to read her book. "So, I know you didn't really plan on coming here, but we'll make sure you feel right at home, okay? As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!"
"I'm surprised there aren't more people in the club yet. It must be hard to start a new club."
"Not many people are very interested in putting out all the effort to start something brand new. Especially when it's something that doesn't grab your attention, like literature." she explained. "You have to work hard and convince people that you're both fun and worthwhile. But it makes school events, like the festival, that much more important. I'm confident that we can all really grow this club before we graduate! Right, Natsuki?"
"Well...I guess..." Natsuki muttered. Yuri suddenly appeared with some tea and passed it around to everyone. Rogue looked at her, confused.
"You keep a whole tea set in this classroom?" he asked.
"Don't worry. The teachers gave us permission," Yuri assured him. "After all, doesn't a hot cup of tea help you enjoy a good book?"
"Ah...I-I guess..."
"Ahaha, don't let yourself get intimidated. Yuri's just trying to impress you!" laughed Monika.
"Eh? T-That's not..." Yuri looked away in embarrassment. "I meant that, you know..."
"I believe you," replied Rogue. "Well, tea and reading might not be a pastime for me, but I at least enjoy tea."
"I'm glad..." The two of them began talking about different books, and Monika took the short time to think. It surprised her how similar everything was to the last time. The only difference was that Sayori was gone, resulting in her having to bring Rogue to the club instead. But for the most part, the conversations were largely the same. She snapped out of her thoughts to hear Yuri mention her interest in horror, and Monika saw that as her cue to step in.
"Ahaha, I'd expect that from you, Yuri. It suits your personality.'
"Oh, is that so? Really, if a story makes me think or takes me to another world, then I really can't put it down. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment."
"Ugh, I hate horror..." sighed Natsuki.
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Well, I just..." She looked like she wanted to say something but was stopped by noticing Rogue for some reason. "Never mind."
"That's right. You usually like to write about cute things, don't you, Natsuki?" Monika asked. Just like last time, Natsuki jumped back in shock.
"W-What? What gives you that idea?" she stuttered.
"You left a piece of scrap paper behind last club meeting. It looked like you were working on a poem called-"
"Don't say it out loud! And give that back!" Again, another conversation that went exactly the same as last time.
"Natsuki, you write your own poems?" asked Rogue.
"Eh? Well, I guess sometimes. Why do you care?"
"I think that's impressive. Why don't you share them sometime?"
"N-No!" Natsuki looks away from Rogue. "You wouldn't...like them..."
"Ah...not a very confident writer yet?"
"I understand how Natsuki feels," said Yuri. "Sharing that level of writing takes more than just confidence. The truest form of writing is writing to oneself. You must be willing to open up to your readers, exposing your vulnerabilities and showing even the deepest reaches of your heart."
"Do you have writing expertise too, Yuri?" Monika asked. "Maybe if you share some of your work, you can set an example and help Natsuki feel comfortable enough to share hers." Yuri seemed to shrink in fear at those words.
"I guess it's the same for Yuri..." sighed Rogue. There was a moment of silence before Monika realized this was when she should introduce the poem idea.
"Hey, I just go an idea! How about this?" The other girls look at her quizzically. "Let's all go home and write a poem of our own! Then, next time we meet, we'll all share them with each other. That way, everyone is even!" The girls look away, not saying much of anything. "Ah...I mean, I thought it was a good idea." She hadn't thought about the fact that Sayori wouldn't be there, and because of that the plan might not get much traction. Finally, Yuri let out a sigh.
"Well...I think you're right, Monika. We should start finding activities for all of us to participate in together. I did decide to take on the responsibility of Vice President, after all. I need to do my best to nurture the club as well as its members. Besides, now that we have a new member, it seems like a good step for us to take. Do you agree as well, Rogue?"
"Hold on...there's still one problem," he replied.
"Eh? What's that?" asked Monika, even though she was pretty sure she already knew.
"I never said I would join this club! Monika may have convinced me to stop by, but I never made any decision! I still have other clubs to look at, and, um..." He trailed off as he noticed the girls dejected eyes.
"B-But..." Monika stuttered, even though she knew what the outcome would end up being.
"I'm sorry, I thought..." Yuri sighed.
"Hmph," grunted Natsuki.
"Eh...?" Rogue was clearly confused. The girls looked at each other, though Monika didn't really know why until the idea appeared in her head.
"I...guess I need to tell you the truth, Rogue. The thing is, we don't have enough members you to form an official club. We need four, and I've been trying really, really hard to find new members. And if we don't find one more before the festival..." she trailed off, making the implication clear. Rogue looked back and forth between them before finally letting out a dramatic sigh.
"...Right. Okay, I've decided, then. I'll join the Literature Club!" The girls beamed, even Monika, who already knew he would say yes.
"Oh my goodness, really? Do you really mean that, Rogue?"
"Yeah...It could be fun, right?"
"You really did scare me for a moment..." chuckled Yuri.
"I mean, if you really just left after all of this, I would be super ticked," muttered Natsuki.
"Rogue, I'm so happy. We can become an official club now! Thank you so much for this. You're really amazing. I'll do everything I can to give you a great time, okay?"
"Ah...thanks, I guess."
"Okay, everyone! I think with that, we can officially end today's meeting on a good note. Everyone remember tonight's assignment! Write a poem and bring it to the next meeting so we can all share." Monika turned towards Rogue. "Rogue, I look forward to seeing how you express yourself. Ehehe."
"Y-Yeah..." he stuttered, embarrassed. The girls started chatting, and Rogue was clearly feeling left out. "I guess I'll be on my way, then..."
"Okay!" Monika replied. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. I can't wait!" He left the clubroom, and eventually all of the girls followed suit. Monika was especially giddy, since she was getting a second chance at romancing the player.
Author's note: So, it's been a while, huh? Yeah, I know, I left you guys hanging for a few weeks. To be honest, I was kind of burnt out on this fic, so I decided to take a little break. It ended up being longer than I planned, but I am back and plan to resume relatively frequent posts. I also want to acknowledge that there was an error in the previous chapter. However, I'm too lazy to fix it, but I will make sure to rectify that in most likely the next chapter. On that note, bye!
