Author's note: I own nothing but my plot. I hope that you like this story so far; I'm working on finishing this by the end of the year. Hopefully just finishing it in three months' time, something written fast but big and vastly different than anything I've written so far. Anyway, on to the story, enjoy!

All-day today, it seemed like all anyone wants to do was talk about clubs and getting members. I want to blame it on the first day of school being speeches, introductions, going over the aims of classes, and picking roles.

At lunch, I heard the hard push recruitment from all the active clubs, each of them pitching themselves. They had been whenever the chance presented itself. The anime club cornering me about whether I was interested. The gaming club had a similar idea, too, expanding that they heard through the game vine that I was a semi-pro gamer in middle school before doing sports last year. Rolling my eyes, I just dodge both looking for Sayori at lunch and feeling intimidated by her lunch crew.

If there weren't a group of people in this school who weren't intimidating to the point of making my stomach go into knots just at the sight of them, it would be the friends that they already had made in the last two years of high school. In a lot of ways, Sayori herself hadn't really changed much since middle school? She was still a little untidy little bit of a mess, but she had found something about herself that just attracted people to her like a moth to the flame. Everyone seemed to love her. The group of friends she had around her said as much in her lunch table was the jocks a lot of the school debate and scoot and government from last year Queen being herself Monika and two girls that I've seen around that I know used to be a part of the occult and cooking club respectively before they quit and joined the literature club with Monika and Sayori. At the table, some of the guys I recognize I had played alongside them when I was playing sports during the first half of the year. Some cooler-looking guys on the debate team nodded in my general direction. Acknowledging my existence, but they weren't people who really considered me a friend or someone of any note. So, it was like David walking up to a table of Goliaths, and I felt every inch of the intimidation freezing in place especially as Sayori wrapped an arm around my waist and dragged me to the empty seat next to her.

"Everybody, this is my best friend _, everybody! This is _, my best friend, and he's going to sit with us from now on."

"You got it, Sayori. " One of the guys says I recognized him from when I played baseball in spring. But I was having a hard time remembering the name.

"You're the boss, girl!" I notice she was one of the more popular girls in the debate team, Who I would work with, and gave me tips, but we just couldn't click with. I was way too single-minded last year to really care about anything but making the best impression I could.

Monika seemed kind of out of it. Like she wasn't there. She seemed to be murmuring and talking to other people, but I don't know what it was; maybe it was something about her eyes. Her eyes seemed distant like she wasn't all there. I don't know how to describe it without sounding like I'm accusing her of being on drugs or something. But it's just the fact that she didn't even acknowledge my presence. Everyone else at the table We're happy to talk to me and try to get into conversations with me. I happily tried to join in though my nerves made me stumble over my words a bit. It was a more enjoyable lunch than I thought I would have, especially when the anime and the video game club immediately backed off when they saw the bigger fish had taken me into their school. Even they know to back off when somebody more significant than them is basically crowding you and acting as a defensive wall to protect you.

I felt a little more at ease, especially since Sayori and I had a class together for the first time today.

"Come on _! Let's go!" in her overly chipper tone that always seemed to be infectious.

"I'm on my way, Sayori. Just let me walk at my own pace; no need to rush!"

"But I'm just so excited. I've been talking about you all year last year, and I've been talking about you to the girls over the summer, so I'm really excited for you to meet them! At lunch, it would be nice for you to be introduced to them, right formally!

She had the biggest smile on my face, and I couldn't even try to deny her that little bit of happiness about me meeting her friends!

"Fine, but don't expect me just to join up just because you asked me to come!"

"Fine, fine! I know! I know!" She said with a wave of her hands.

We walk into the classroom defined that the whole club was already there with a plate of well-decorated cupcakes and a teapot. We walk into the classroom defined that the whole club was already there with a plate of well-decorated cupcakes and a teapot of tea in a bunch of cups.

"Sayori! You're here! We can finally start the club and initiated our newest member!"

"Sayori! " I was mad, but I figured it would be something like this from her. Sayori can be devious when given the opportunity. I might as well have given her one on a silver platter.

"Sorry _ I promised them…" She was looking down and kicking her foot lightly. I knew if I looked up, I would Cave immediately.

"Wait, Sayori, did you say he wanted to join, but he didn't!" Natsuki sad, but Sayori cut her off.

"Well, he'll join after he tastes the cupcakes!" Sayori said in a rushed way like she always did.

"Sayori, that isn't cool!" Natsuki said with a slight stop on her foot.

"Sorry, Sorry! Let start over from the beginning. I'm Natsuki. I'm One of the literature club members." Her voice was rather rough and annoyed, but I also knew her from afar. Natsuki is the ex-president of the cooking club; I remember how upset everyone was when she resigned. There was a big old uproar, especially since she didn't name a successor, just making them argue amongst themselves about who should take the role.

"I'm one of the other members, Yuri. Nice to meet you." I remember her; she was the occult club's former vice president and the poetry club last year. She was shy as I expected her to be at lunch. She only seemed to talk to Monika and ignored everyone else at the table even though they were guys making eyes at her from across the table.

"I'm the club president Monika." I lost my voice up; I had never been this close to her.

I could feel something I didn't feel before from anyone else. It was a feeling that told me to stay away as much as possible, even though she had the brightest and happiest face. But something about it rang hollow like she wasn't happy that the smile didn't really reach her eyes, who is fake. Unlike Yuri and Sayori and Natsuki, her happiness and emotions just didn't really feel real from her.

"Your _ right? We had math together last year or something, right?"

"We were in debate club together too, and I was one of the background players of student government. I was the one who agreed that we should have a bake sale for the class trip last year. Nice to formally meet you." Though I was fumbling over my words with every word I said.

"I know that Sayori brought you here under false pretenses! But we should at least try to sell you on the literature club, right?"

"Sure, sure, just tell me your pitch."

Well, where club about reading anything and everything, no book manga or comic book is looked down upon. As something that we can't discuss together. it's kind of like a book club mixed with an oh book lovers kind idea." She seemed to be turning the thought over in her mind. Trying to explain the way the club works. Even though I would assume they would know how it worked when they made it last year. Making me wonder what they did most last year.

"We all bring our own individual books that we're reading, talking about the book's big themes. We try to all read the same book at the same time, but we all have really different tastes, and it just didn't work that way; by us having different books that we're all reading at the same time, we can mix and match genres about tropes and stuff. We also like to write poetry as part of our club activities since most of us read different genres. We also like to write in different genres like the books we're reading. That way, the club activities kind of mesh, you know what I mean?

"I get it."No, I didn't, but I wasn't about to ask her to explain Anymore or give her any reason to talk to me any more than she is right now. Considering how uncomfortably how close Monika was getting. I think she thinks it's friendly, but it's not. Especially with her giving an expectant look like I was supposed to say something more.

"Well, I can't disappoint Sayori. I'll join the club. it could be fun!"

"Yay!" Sayori said with a clap of a hand, patting the seat next to her, and I joined her as she passed me a cup and handled the teapot.

"You like earl grey still, right?" As she shook the nearly empty tea picking a fresh one back, remembering some of the forced tea parties I attended at her house and the photos at her house that prove it.

"Yeah, thanks!"

"He's really thrown off the club dynamic. There's only one guy here now. it's been an all-girls club for so long!" Natsuki said, taking her place right next to Sayori.

"Stop being so cranky, Natsuki. He could be just what we need to liven up this club a little bit." Sayori said, playing with her hair smiling at me. And I could feel myself smiling back in return.

"We have gotten a little lazy as of late. He may be exactly what we need right now." Monika said with some finality moving closer to me. Taking the seat next to mine and moving closer. To my discomfort. That dead look in her was back, and I wasn't going to tell her that.

"True, for all you know, he shares your love of manga," Yuri said with a roll of her eyes. Taking the last seat right next to Natsuki.

"Or maybe he loves horror and dark psychotic stories like you do," Natsuki said with a jeering tone of voice. They were standing off. Starting dagger look at each other like they were an inch away from fight yelling or fighting considering the height difference and Yuri spitting verbal acid, it won't end pretty for either option.

"Can you do not argue in front of our newest member, please, for once?" Monika said, breaking up the fight once and for all? When it just seems, the argument will continue somewhere when the club was over for the day.

"Alright, guys, let's just have these yummy cupcakes drink our tea, and we can go over what the assignments for tonight are for the next club session."

"Yeah, sure, I was baking these during lunchtime, so I'm dying to have them myself anyway. I rarely get to eat my own cupcakes most of the time anyway!" Natsuki said with a wry smile on her face. Considering she used to be a part of the cooking club, it wouldn't shock me if she were on the money about it.

We all ate kind of quietly, happy to have something to eat in my stomach; it felt like lunch was just a piranha-infested watching show where everybody was watching me eat, and no one was really eating. So, I barely eat at all.

"Alright, guys, I want you to write a poem in a similar style to the book you're reading right now but try to make it in a way that you know you would say it yourself a blend. Does it sound fine with you guys?" Everyone seems to not an agreement, and I just decided to follow along, not really wanting to rock the boat since this is what the club does.

...

…

..

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"What's this light?"

Final note: Yeah, I'm trying my best right now. Remember to leave a kudos and subscribe if you like the story. Remember to leave comments.