A/N: Just want to note that this will be the second longest chapter in the series. I know that because it is now a completed work! Yay! It will be 26 chapters long, with 5 epilogues at the end. I've decided that the release schedule will be every other Friday, so we can all hang out together on a regular basis…or, umm…that sounded a bit too personal, but…hey, whatever!

With that all said, let's get right back to it.

Italics are for emphasis and thoughts. Lines preceded by "-" are text messages.

Muse: "Middle Ground" by Vertical Horizon

Waiting

By: Leafsdude

Chapter 3: What's Wrong, Sayori?

Present Day

"I'd seen all the symptoms, but I didn't know them. How could I recognize what I'd never seen before, even if I'd seen them every day?" I look at the audience one-by-one. Some look intrigued, others seem bored, even more are confused. Just like I was.

"My brain knows this, of course I could not understand what I was observing, even if I could tell something was wrong," I look down. "But my heart was not so understanding. I should have known what was happening, it still tells me. I could have done something about it. Everything would have been better if I had."

I look back up, this time taking in the whole room at once. "But while I know that may be true, I also know that it could have been worse. Much, much worse."

I pause for a second, before continuing. "You'll see what I mean."

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Once again, I wake up to my alarm clock. Considering my morning routine, it's not surprising that days often blend into each other in my mind.

I decide to skip my shower today as I change into my uniform. My hair is usually very manageable, especially when it's as short as it is now, so I run a comb through it a couple times and then forget about it.

I head downstairs and raid my fridge again. I finally settle on pulling out four eggs and some vegetables and set about making an omelet. It takes me about ten minutes to prepare and cook. As a result, I decide to pool my time together by grabbing my poem to look over while I eat. I read it a few times, considering possible improvements throughout. I finally decide on a handful of changes as I finish my breakfast.

Remembering Sayori's poem from yesterday, I decide to pull out a new sheet of paper to write on so that my poem is neat and easy to read. Making a few more changes in the process, it takes me a bit longer than I expected, so I'm in a rush as I grab all my stuff together.

It's actually supposed to be a bit warmer out than the last few days, yesterday's short rain shower apparently signaling the shift in temperature, so I'm more worried about being too hot in my uniform today as I make my way to the front lobby. As always, I get my hopes up as I reach for the door. I open it and…

Sayori's here? I feel my jaw go slack and I know my expression is totally dumbfounded. I'm surprised enough I almost pinch myself, but I'm already aware that this is real. I finally get over my shock. Alright! I'm almost giddy as my eyes close and my smile takes over my whole face.

I open my eyes to greet her properly, and my heart falls immediately. She's trying hard to match my smile with her own, but it barely curls her lips upwards. Concern and worry take over my thoughts, but I try to maintain my cool. My eyes resist, however, and study her closely: her eyes are red and baggy, she's slouching and her uniform and hair are a disaster, even for her. Even her bow is out of place.

She looks like she just fell out of bed. And though it's been a while, I do literally know exactly what that looks like.

I know Sayori is not overly concerned with her appearance. It's one of the things I've always liked about her, actually. I remember that her uniform was a bit out of shape yesterday, but that was pretty normal, so I never said anything. Today, though, this is another level. Even Sayori usually takes better care of herself than this.

Suddenly I realize that I haven't said anything or even moved a muscle since I opened the door. I intend to invite her in, but my mouth decides to mutiny against me today.

"You okay, Sayori?" I almost cringe. Nothing good can come out of asking such a blunt, forward question, especially with Sayori!

She looks at me sharply for a moment before her eyes soften. "Huh? Oh, yeah! I'm fine!"

Even with her more successful smile, I'm not convinced, but I obviously drop it. It's not like I expected anything else to come out of her mouth.

I pause, remembering the time. It's obviously way too early to head to school. I consider options, but there's not really anything along the way to stop in at.

"You want to come in?" I finally ask like I originally planned, opening my door properly to invite her in. She nods and walks past me. "Can I get you something?" I flash Sayori a confident smile. "I could cook you a nice breakfast, if you want."

"Sure," Sayori doesn't even try to convince me she'd eaten already.

I grab a couple slices of bread and slide them into my toaster, knowing it's her favorite thing for breakfast. I pull out some raspberry jam while it heats up. Eventually it pops and I place the plate in front of Sayori a few seconds later.

"Yum!" Sayori sounds excited, but she eats slowly. Usually she would at least joke about the lack of cooking and niceness involved in toast and jam, so I feel my concern increase tenfold. I manage to withhold my frown, though my thoughts aren't as easy to hold back. What's going on?

Eventually she finishes. It's almost 8:30.

"I guess we should get to school," I tell her. I find it hard to keep the uncertainty I'm feeling out of my voice. She doesn't object as we grab our things up.

We're out the door in a couple minutes and headed to school. I think about my poem again and am suddenly reminded of yesterday.

"Hey, Sayori, you have your poem, right?" I ask, trying to keep my tone as even as I can.

Sayori nods, to my relief. At least she's not completely lost today.

We spend the next few minutes in silence. I'm lost in my thoughts, primarily about my concerns about Sayori. I almost find it funny that the one time Sayori actually arrives at my place first she somehow seems like a total wreck.

I feel the need to interrupt my thoughts and decide to see if I can start a conversation.

"Hey, so, whatcha got for lunch?" I once again cringe internally. I don't think I've ever expressed curiosity on what she has packed for her afternoon meal. At least I can excuse the question with the fact that we don't have lunch together this year.

"Oh, um," Sayori pauses for a second. "I brought some money with me, from what Mom left."

"Ah, cool," I try to play it off casually, but I just come off as strange. I try to lighten the mood, if only to cover up my awkwardness. "Don't just buy cookies and cupcakes, yeah?"

"You sound just like Mom," Sayori automatically rolls her eyes at me. Maybe that wasn't the best joke to make.

"Sorry," I sigh. The feelings of awkwardness are really strange to me. "I just care, you know? That's all."

Sayori stares at me for a while, just like she did yesterday when we were talking about Monika. I try to pretend I don't notice. Eventually, Sayori turns away. She studies her shoes closely, and I find I can't think of anything more to say. I feel really uncomfortable.

We've known each other for so long, yet I still can't remember feeling like this around her. It's almost like I'm walking on eggshells, but I don't even know why. Our conversations are always so fluid, so easy to flow through, sometimes it feels like I don't even have to try to think of things to say. Maybe that's why trying to do so now is so hard.

We reach the school with more than enough time to spare. Walking in the front entrance, the hallways are more crowded than it usually is when we walk in. I turn to Sayori to say goodbye and am surprised when I find myself in a soft hug. In spite of my surprise, I immediately return it. I don't remember the last time we actually hugged like this. It's definitely been a long time.

She releases me and turns to leave without a word. She doesn't look back. I'm confused as I stand there, but my eyes are glued to her as she makes her way through the crowd. I'm about to turn to go myself, but I catch something right before…

Did she just wipe her eyes? I don't try to deny what I see this time as I walk to class. What is going on?

Classes feel extra slow today, but finally I make it to lunch.

As usual, as I walk into the cafeteria, some of my friends – are they friends? – wave me over and I shake my head at them. It's not that they're bad friends, we just have different lunchtime priorities. They hang around for a while and then drag each other around the school, finding different ways to have fun in what is after all our allotted social time.

I prefer to spend all of my lunch period here, just using the downtime for sitting and relaxing. I grab my usual spot near the back where I can sit on my own, at least for the most part. I pull out the ham sandwich I packed for myself and start eating.

I'm finishing the last bite when I catch a familiar sight of pink walking in my direction. Natsuki sits across from me with a smile on her face. I'm not sure if I should be afraid.

"Hey, Natsuki," I greet with a touch of worry in my voice.

"Hey, John," Natsuki greets me back energetically. "Looked a bit lonely back here. I thought you might like some company."

I frown but I don't object.

"I think my poem today is really good," she tells me, confidence radiating off her as she talks. "I might even pick it to read on Monday!"

I furrow my brow at her. "On Monday?"

There's a flash of worry in Natsuki's expression. "Oh, yeah, I guess maybe I shouldn't have said anything but," she pauses for a second before continuing more quietly. "Monika and I were texting last night, and she told me she came up with the idea where each of us read one of our poems for the festival. Of course, all of us have to be okay doing it, but I think it'd be fun!"

"You really think Yuri would be able to handle something like that?" I ask skeptically, my experience with our purple-haired friend over the past couple of days flashing through my mind.

"Eh," Natsuki shrugs. "Maybe not, but I'm sure we can convince her to at least try. We can be very persuasive, you know. Go peer pressure!"

I nearly laugh in spite of myself.

"At least we don't need to worry about Sayori, right?" Natsuki smiles at me. I struggle to reply with anything more than an affirming nod.

"And what about you?" Her tone nears threatening levels, but I'm not too intimidated.

"I don't know," I say honestly. "I only got two poems, and I don't think either is any good. Maybe if it was someone else's poem. You know, like a professional's?"

Natsuki looks down in thought for a second. "Yeah, I don't see why not. I know if I had to read my first poem, I'd probably run off screaming."

This time I do laugh. Natsuki reacts with a grin of her own. I stare at her for a moment, a little confused.

"Why'd you come talk to me, anyway?" I ask, maybe a little more bluntly than I meant. She looks a bit put off by the question, so I try to rephrase it. "I just mean, you know, we could have talked about this at the club. After all, we're not friends or anything, right?"

Now Natsuki just rolls her eyes at me. "No, we're not friends," she says with a scowl. "But if we're going to be friends, we need to spend time together."

"Yeah…yeah, I guess that makes sense," I nod after a moment. I'm a little surprised at how different Natsuki's attitude is today. She's still got a gruffness to her, but she seems…almost nice now? Just like Sayori said.

"Hey, umm," I hesitate for a second, but I find a touch of courage somewhere inside of me. "About yesterday…"

"Huh? What about it?" Natsuki cuts me off, surprised. Is she blushing?

"Oh, uh, I was just wondering what you and Sayori were talking about?" I decide to just be blunt. She seems even more embarrassed now, even though I didn't think that was possible, and suddenly I wonder if maybe I'm stepping into territory I shouldn't be. "I mean, if you can't tell me, that's…"

"No, no, it's not…" Natsuki tries to hide her cheeks behind her hair as she turns her head away from me. "I just…you know what, never mind, I'll just…"

Natsuki starts to stand up, but I motion for her to stop. I'm surprised when she does. "No, really, it's none of my business what you and Sayori…"

"It's not about Sayori, it's…" Natsuki trails off again, blushing more furiously as she avoids my eyes.

"What do you mean?" I try to keep my tone soft, but my curiosity is hard to hold in.

"I mean I…" she takes a deep breath, steadying herself before finally looking back at me. "I thought you meant…yesterday, with that…you know, thing, with Yuri."

"Oh," to be honest, I'd pretty much forgotten about it, but I don't want to make Natsuki any more self-conscious, so I don't say anything more. She finally sits back down before continuing.

"It's still," Natsuki pauses again to gather her thoughts. "I'm just not proud of that. I don't normally get that carried away."

"Really, don't worry about it," I tell her. "I've seen much worse…" in my anime, I finish in my mind.

Natsuki manages a smile, her cheeks slowly returning to her normal shade. "Me and Sayori…we were talking about, well, something we talk about with each other a lot: you."

"Really?" I ask, uncertainty apparent in my voice.

"Yeah," Natsuki nods nonchalantly. "She's told me many things about you, things you two have done together, stuff like that. I thought it was just stories and stuff, but you seem more like that person she talked about then I expected."

"What do you mean?" I ask uncertainly.

"Well, you like Manga," Natsuki says simply. I give her a look.

"How did you know that?" I ask defensively, and she smiles in response.

"You said it, when Yuri asked you what kind of books you like to read," Natsuki reminds me, and the memory of that moment flashed in my brain. "Sayori told me that you like them, when she caught me reading one once, but I thought she was just trying to get you to sound like someone I'd get along with."

"That's…surprising," I express. We did talk about Natsuki quite a lot on Tuesday, I recall, but I didn't think she'd go as far as to talk to Natsuki about me as well, let alone to have done it for so long.

"I'm surprised as well," Natsuki sounds…almost disappointed? "I thought you guys had been best friends forever. How can anything she does be surprising to you? Don't you know her better than that?"

"I know her better than anyone else I've ever met," I say confidently. "I think she'd say the same about me. But that also means we know better than anyone just how to trick each other. You know, just how to get around each other's sights."

"I guess that makes sense," Natsuki concedes after a moment's thought. "She definitely knows you very well, but...I mean, it's not like I have any idea how to hide my feelings from you…"

Natsuki trails off as she realizes just how that sounds. Her cheeks threaten to redden again. "I mean, not like that!"

I suppress a chuckle. "Don't worry, I got it," I tell her, and she relaxes quickly.

"But, if we had known each other, you know, for a long time," she shrugs at me. "Maybe I could." She pauses for a second. "Why'd you ask about yesterday, anyway?"

"I don't know," I sigh. "I'm…not sure, but…I think something might be going on…with Sayori. She's been acting strange…I think?" My thoughts come out in jagged sentences, so I pause to consider my thoughts before expressing them out loud. "She's been asking me weird questions and behaving odd all week."

"Weird questions?" Natsuki's voice is full of curiosity.

"Yeah, she," I pause again. Should I tell her? I think I need someone else's opinion here, but maybe I shouldn't tell her everything. "She asked what I'd think if…if Monika wanted to walk home. With me."

"But you two always walk home with each other," Natsuki says. "It's cute…" she catches herself a little late.

"I know, basically said so when she asked," I said, skillfully skipping over Natsuki's slip. "She was very insistent. She almost seemed…" I don't want to say it, but I force myself anyway. "She seemed like she didn't think she belonged with me."

Natsuki looks like she's amused for a second, but she holds herself back from saying anything. I think she can tell how serious I am about this.

"Maybe she was just having a bad day?" Natsuki asks finally.

"I-I don't know," I shrug with a frown. "But she looked terrible this morning. I don't think she slept at all last night, and she looked like she just threw on her uniform before she came over."

Natsuki looks worried now as well. "Maybe…maybe I should talk to her?"

I appreciate the offer, but I shake my head. "I already asked her if she was feeling okay. I don't want her to know how concerned I really am."

"Oof, yeah, that's not good," Natsuki winces at me.

"Gee, thanks," I say lightly.

Natsuki rolls her eyes again before giving me a thoughtful look. "She's right about one thing…well, she's been right about a lot of things, but I just found something new," she pauses for effect as I look at her curiously. "You are a good friend to have."

I smile as I try to ignore my face getting warm. I look away and catch a glance at the clock.

"Oh, no, we're going to be late!" I say, pointing. Natsuki jumps up just as quickly as I do, grabbing her stuff. We say goodbye and dash away in opposite directions.

The rest of the day goes slower than the morning, if that was even possible. Finally, the last bell of the day rings and I make my way to my locker. I exchange what I need to before I turn and head for the stairs once again.

Today the voice behind me doesn't surprise me. I test my luck as I flash a small grin at Natsuki as she joins me in pushing open the doors. She doesn't go as far as to return it, but I at least don't have any broken bones, so I assume I haven't crossed any lines.

As we walk up, I'm surprised as she speaks. "So, is she feeling any better?"

I know immediately she's talking about Sayori. I glance around me. Most students have gone home, with a relatively small amount staying behind for clubs. Still, there are a handful of students using the stairway as after-school hangouts, looking through textbooks or otherwise relaxing. Natsuki's discreetness feels a bit off-putting to me, but I recall that I asked for caution about this. I'm suddenly wondering why, but I don't dwell on it for long as I turn to Natsuki.

"Actually, I haven't gotten to see her since this morning," I answer, shaking my head.

"Wow, really? Not a single class together?" I nod in response to Natsuki's surprised reaction.

"Probably for the best," I tell her, proceeding to explain to her that, despite our friendship, we're not great as classmates. While I've rarely ever failed a class, every time I have, Sayori was in it. It's not that we're troublemakers or anything, we just distract each other way too easily with our silliness.

"Yeah, I get it," Natsuki states as I finish. "Sometimes she just doesn't know when to shut up!"

It comes out as harsh from Natsuki's mouth, but I've come to know her enough the past few days to know that's not how she means it. Her smile alone makes it clear she finds it endearing, just like I do.

"And usually I don't know when to tell her to," I respond with a laugh. A few moments pass, the sounds of our footsteps echoing through the stairwell.

"I hope she's feeling better," Natsuki says quietly, a frown and a bit of a blush on her cheeks.

"Yeah," I don't have much more of a response to give as I open the doors to the third floor hallway.

We make our way across in the silence that I'm more used to with Natsuki. I'm careful to make sure I don't piss her off today while walking towards the clubroom.

Sayori is sitting in her normal location, while Yuri is reading one of her books, but as we enter, we're greeted with silence. Sayori is clearly lost in her own mind again, and I feel my worry well up again, despite its normalcy.

I look around. Something else is also wrong here…

"Hey," I hold the single word for a bit longer than normal, gaining the attention of everyone. "Where's Monika?"

Yuri and Sayori both look around, seemingly surprised she isn't here. "I-I didn't realize she never came in," Yuri says softly.

"That's strange," Natsuki says. "Should we maybe go find her?"

"Do you think she's in trouble?" Sayori asks, concern in her voice.

"Naa, I'm sure she's okay," Natsuki responds confidently. "But she's our president, right? We can't be a club without a president!"

"Anyone know what her last class is?" I ask. I get three head shakes in response. I frown.

"Then Natsuki's right," Sayori says, standing up. "We should go find her. We can check every room and hallway, maybe ask some people. Oh, someone in the school office may be able to tell us something!"

I nod, but then stop in thought for a second. "One of us should stay, though, in case she comes in."

"Oh, I…I can, uh, do that," Yuri volunteers quietly, still seated at her desk.

"Okay, so we'll each look around for a while and then come back when…" I'm interrupted by the sound of the doors opening behind me.

"Hello everyone!" Monika is almost out of breath as she stands there for a moment. "Sorry, I'm late!"

"See, I told you she was okay!" Natsuki says brashly.

"If I remember right, you were the one who suggested we go look for her," I say slyly, getting the embarrassed reaction I was looking for from Natsuki. She's unable to get her tongue to cooperate enough to give a good response.

"You guys were worried about me?" Monika says with a smile. "I didn't realize we'd become that close as a group already!"

I resist the urge to tell her Natsuki's real reasons, telling myself it was probably just her being coy. The fact that she'd probably kill me if I did helps stop me, too.

"Why are you late?" Sayori asks, the smile on her face going perfectly with the tinge of teasing in her tone.

"Oh, well, I had study hall, so I was in the music room practicing piano," Monika answers simply.

"And you missed the bell because you were playing," Yuri states from behind her book.

"That's right," Monika answers without missing a beat.

"You shouldn't be playing so late," Natsuki says strongly, crossing her arms.

"I lost track of time," Monika's tone stays even in response. "It won't happen again, I promise."

"I didn't even know you played," I interject before Natsuki can say anything else. "Maybe you could play while we read our poems? I've heard reading poetry sounds better with music."

"Oh, I'm not that good yet," Monika's…almost blushing? "But maybe, when I've gotten better."

"I look forward to it," I tell her earnestly.

"What are you guys talking about?" Sayori asks, looking at us in confusion. Oops. I didn't even realize what I was saying.

"Huh?" Monika apparently hasn't noticed yet, though.

"There isn't even a piano in here," Sayori looks around for a second. "How would you even play?"

"Oh!" Monika gets a look of recognition. She looks at me, then Natsuki. She's not quite angry…more like disappointed? "Actually, I think John's talking about Monday. I thought it would be a good idea if each of us read some poems for our classmates."

"That sounds like fun," Sayori says after a moment. I expected more excitement or fear from her, but she's rather reserved about it instead.

On the other hand, I hear Yuri's response before I see it. I catch her looking at us before she can duck her head back into her book.

"Yuri?" I draw everyone's attention to her immediately. I usually would leave her be, but it only makes sense to check with everyone now instead of having someone else talk to her about it later, right? "What do you think?"

Yuri looks back up at us, eyes moving around wildly. She closes them for a second and sighs, calming herself down. Maybe she'll be okay with this after all?

"I-I don't think I can," she says instead, looking downward. "All those eyes, l-looking at me."

I see her discomfort with just the attention of the four of us, and I get her point. I sigh.

"Oh, c'mon, Yuri," Natsuki speaks up before I'm able to, tone strong but encouraging. "We'll all be there with you. You won't be alone! You don't want us to have to think of something else to do instead, do you?"

I shake my head at Natsuki's bluntness. She looks at me and smiles.

"See, peer-pressure!" she whispers to me.

Yuri doesn't say anything. The discomfort she's feeling is impossible to miss.

"You don't have to, Yuri," I'm surprised as Sayori speaks up from next to Yuri, putting a hand on her shoulder softly. None of us had noticed her move to stand there. "If it makes you uncomfortable, then there's nothing you can do about it. Don't worry about the rest of us, okay?"

I smile slightly. That's Sayori for you, always thinking about what's best for others. I guess that means we'll have to think some more about what to do for the festival…

"I think I'll try," Yuri breaks me out of my thoughts. Everyone seems as surprised as I am. "I joined the club to expand my horizons, push myself out of my comfort zone. It would be rather counter-productive of that if I didn't take part in this kind of event, even if it may not have been exactly what I had in mind."

Sayori gives Yuri a slight smile before returning to her own desk. I look at Natsuki, intending to whisper something back to her about the whole peer-pressure thing. The look she gives me shuts me up before I do.

"I guess that settles that, then," Monika breaks into our thoughts. "I need to do a couple things quickly, but we can start sharing poems, if everyone's ready," Monika suggests as she walks to the back of the classroom. No one objects.

I decide to take my poem to Yuri first today. She's the one who will probably appreciate it the most, as I was thinking particularly about her comments from yesterday while writing it.

"I can already tell you put a lot more work into this," she tells me as she reads. She sounds much more relaxed today as she talks, in spite of the preceding events. Her words don't come out as jagged and reserved but instead have a subtle confidence.

I'm partially distracted, however, as I try to read Yuri's poem as well as discreetly watch Natsuki and Sayori do the same at Natsuki's desk. Because of that, I take longer to read than yesterday. I pick up on the meanings within it very quickly, recognizing a lot of the concepts, themes and phrasings within my mind.

"I really like this," I tell her softly. "It's about being patient and understanding, right?"

Yuri's earlier comfort seems to waver a moment. "Y-yeah, I-I couldn't stop thinking last night about, um, what you said. You know, yesterday." I'm surprised and taken aback a bit, but Yuri continues regardless. "I don't usually write about such things, but when an idea gets stuck in my mind it's all I can think about until I find a way to release it."

"It's very," I pause, trying to think of exactly the right word. "Elegant."

"Thanks," Yuri's cheeks blush at the compliment. "I can tell you were thinking about Sayori when you wrote this. It's about, umm…friendship, yours and hers in particular, right?"

"Is it that obvious?" I ask disappointedly. She's right, though I didn't realize it at the time. I just wrote about what I was thinking, just like Yuri.

"Yeah, but th-that's not a bad thing," Yuri responds timidly. "Right? W-wasn't that what Natsuki said yesterday?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I respond with a nod. "But there's still something about making the reader work for it a bit."

Yuri goes quiet after that, but I don't really notice as I catch Natsuki and Sayori out of the corner of my eyes. They seem to be having a rather animated conversation, though I'm not quite able to make out what they're saying. Natsuki seems to be doing most of the talking, with Sayori shaking her head. Sayori suddenly gets up, and I notice Natsuki's face fall. She walks over to Monika, talking with her for a moment before she walks back to her own desk.

I frown as I look back at Yuri. "Thanks for the encouragement, Yuri and, um, good work on your poem, as always."

I return the poem in my hand to Yuri and pick up my poem from the desk, giving her a soft smile before I walk off. I don't hear Yuri's response, if she gave me one, as I hurry my way over to Monika. Natsuki gives me a look of concern as she walks past me on her way over to Yuri, but doesn't say anything.

Monika and I exchange poems, and I read a little absently. I definitely recognize a lot of similarities in Monika's poem from yesterday. I don't really get it, not like with Yuri's poem, at least, but I guess that was the point?

I'm not quite done reading the poem before my curiosity gets the best of me. "What were you talking about…um, with Sayori?"

My question is awkwardly phrased, but Monika smiles at me anyway. "Oh, she said she wasn't feeling well, so she just wanted to let me know she was going home early."

I'm surprised, but sure enough, when I look over my shoulder I see Sayori pick up her backpack and head out the door. My resolve hits quickly as I turn back to Monika. I push her poem back to her and put my hand out. "Sorry, but can I have my poem back?"

She frowns but complies quickly. I give her a smile in apology. "I'm going home with Sayori," I tell her. I intend it to be a simple statement, but it comes out with every ounce of worry in my head.

I walk past Yuri and Natsuki as I go to pick up my backpack. "I'll see you tomorrow," I say to both. Yuri seems unsurprised. She must have seen Sayori leave, if Natsuki didn't tell her first.

"Yeah, go get her," Natsuki's voice is full of encouragement. I hope my smile isn't too forced.

With everything I need gathered, I head out the door.

Even moving in a hurry, I take a while before I finally catch up to Sayori. I'm surprised she's taken the path from our school to our neighbourhood instead of following the streets like we normally do. It's a longer journey this way. Luckily, she hasn't gotten far away enough to be out of sight from the streets yet, allowing me to just barely see her before the terrain blocks my view.

"Sayori," I call when I get close enough. Her look is one of annoyance, something I don't usually get to see directed at me, but she still waits for me to catch up.

"What are you doing here?" She asks. I swear she sounds more like Natsuki, but I shrug it off.

"I'm walking you home," I try to smile as widely as I can at her. "Monika said you weren't feeling well. Friends don't let friends barf on the way home alone," I joke.

She doesn't respond. Despite my statement, I already know she's not sick, but I study her face anyway. She definitely looks fine. Or at least no worse than this morning. I consider questioning her on it, but quickly reject that idea. She still looks annoyed.

"You shouldn't…" Sayori stops herself before she finishes. She looks flustered, as though she didn't mean to speak out loud.

"'Shouldn't' what?" I ask her as calmly as I can. She looks at me for a moment, but she doesn't respond immediately. She sighs.

"You shouldn't worry about me," she says finally.

"Huh?" I'm not always as smart as I look. "Sayori, there's not much I worry about more than you," I pause for a moment. "Maybe my anime and manga come close."

"Wow, anime and manga," Sayori's tone is sarcastic. "I'm flattered!"

I can't even force a laugh. I know she means that lightly, but it comes out harsh. Isn't this why I berated myself for my questions this morning? Why I didn't want Natsuki talking to her for me? So why did I just tell her that so bluntly?

"I'm fine, though, really," Sayori says quietly a moment later. It's not very convincing. "I just needed some air, that's all."

"I didn't know that," I reply, more defensively than I meant. "And I wasn't about to assume. I wanted to be sure you were alright."

Sayori sighs but doesn't say anything more.

It's a few minutes later when we finally make it to her house, it being closer to the path's exit than mine.

"I want to be alone tonight," Sayori says to me, her expression pleading. "That's okay, right?"

I don't hide my frown. "Are you sure?"

Sayori hesitates, taking a moment to respond. "Y-yeah, I'm sure."

"You don't seem sure," I try not to be too forceful.

"I'm sure!" Sayori's tone turns angry. It's been a long time since I heard that directed at me. "I'm going home. So just leave me alone!"

I'm out of my element, so I can't find the words to respond as Sayori looks at me pointedly. Satisfied, she turns and marches off. I'm too surprised to react before she closes the door to her house behind her.

My inner conflict roots me in place as I'm unable to decide on what to do. I could go follow her, but she might tear my head off, I think worriedly. But she might need me. She's clearly going through something. I've got to be able to help her somehow, right? My frown grows deeper. Or maybe it's nothing and I'm overreacting.

As my thoughts battle each other, I finally decide to just go home, determining that giving Sayori some space is better than crowding her, at least for tonight.

I feel a buzz in my pocket and pull out my cellphone. It's a text, but I don't recognize the number.

- Hey John its Natsuki Sayori gave me ur nbr hope u dont mind

I'm somewhat surprised, but I text her back immediately.

- No, it's fine. I'm glad she did, actually.

A couple seconds pass before she replies.

- Sry u left early want to share poems?

I smile before I send my response.

- Sure

Pulling out my poem, I quickly find a place to set it down so I can take a picture of it. I'm thankful it's a calm wind out today. I text it to her after I put my poem away again. It's a moment later before she replies with hers. I read it as I walk, careful to not get too distracted along the way.

I'm surprised at the depth of Natsuki's writing today. It's still, well, cute, but it's much more complex than yesterday's. I recognize some of its contents with a bit of surprise. I text her as soon as I'm finished.

- It's very good. It reminds me of Yuri's poem from today.

I almost expect an angry reply in capital letters, but instead Natsuki seems rather calm.

- Yah Yuri thought so 2 was thnking all nite abt yesterday

I can't think of how to reply as I reach my front door. She texts me again before I come up with something.

- Can you believe Yuri abt the festival? she's in!

Yeah, thanks to Sayori, I think to myself. I refrain from texting that to Natsuki, though. She sends another message.

- U still in, rite?

I smile as I quickly reply.

- Yeah, if it's not mine.

It's a bit longer before my phone reacts again.

- Asked Monika she thnks thats ok doesn't know I meant u thats alrite yeah?

I decide to reassure Natsuki, though I shake my head at her impulsiveness. I know she's only trying to be helpful.

Over the next few minutes she sends me a bunch of texts telling me about the rest of Monika's ideas that the three of them talked about: Monika's going to make some pamphlets, Natsuki's making cupcakes and Yuri's going to do "atmosphere" stuff. Monika also asked for us to choose a poem before Sunday so she can put them in the pamphlets.

- Oh Yuri's gonna need ur help Sunday that's ok rite?

I freeze for a moment. Me? And Yuri? I force myself to relax. We'd never even seen each other outside of the club, but it's not like I've ever felt uncomfortable with her, right?

I suddenly think about Sayori again. Am I even going to have time on Sunday?

- Maybe? I might have plans, but I'll try to make time.

Natsuki's response is long and rambling. I laugh a little as I read it, finding myself relaxing slightly as a result.

- Yuri prbly rly needs it she sounded nervous but Yuri's always nervous rite? but if u cant find time then what can u do I dont need help I can handle it all

If I wasn't sure it was Natsuki before, I'm convinced now. There's no way that text could come from anyone but her. She sends me another one a moment later offering to send me Yuri's cell number. I make sure Yuri was okay with it first before adding both of them to my contacts list. I send Yuri some messages to let her know what Natsuki told me and that I'm not sure about Sunday but I'd try to make time for her. I'm almost surprised at how calm her responses sound as she tells me she's free all Sunday, so whatever time works for me is fine for her as well.

I haven't gotten anything from Natsuki for a while so I set my phone down and start getting things ready for myself. I feed Poki, put a quick meal into the oven to heat and clean up what was left over from that morning. My thoughts go back to Sayori again, but I don't get a chance to seriously dwell on them as my phone buzzes. It's Natsuki again.

- Is Sayori ok?

I stare at the three words for a while. I'm conflicted. Do I even know the answer?

- She says she is, but I don't think I buy it.

My finger hovers over the send button for a moment. Finally I press it.

- She was rly weird tday kept telling me she was in my way abt sumthing I dunno what

I frown again as I consider my response. I decide I'm in too deep already…

- She told me she thought I worry about her too much.

Natsuki takes longer to respond than I did.

- Thats weird, rite?

I can't believe I forgot how little time Natsuki has known her for.

- Yeah, that's weird. She's never taken complements well but this is ridiculous.

The timer for my oven goes off before Natsuki replies, so I go to handle that. My mind is in overdrive as I build myself a plan to talk to Sayori. I sit down with my plate at the table, phone in front of me. Natsuki hasn't sent me a reply, so I decide to text her again before she does.

- Don't worry, I think I have an idea. Leave it to me!

I smile hopefully as I eat. I can do this, I tell myself, hoping the positive thoughts work. My phone buzzes again.

- Need my help?

My response is quick.

- Nope

As I finish my food, I realize just how amped I feel. I decide I need to relax myself, so I send a goodbye message to Natsuki and turn off my phone before she can reply.

I decide to read a couple of my old manga. I pick them specifically for their lightheartedness. They're an easy read and I find myself feeling more at ease as I finish. I decide the best use of the rest of the night would be put towards my poem for tomorrow. My concerns and hopes flow throughout the page, removing any concept of quality I might have been able to recognize otherwise. Outside of quickly checking for spelling and grammar, I don't even bother to read it.

It's nearly my regular sleep time, so I begin my night time routine. I make sure my head hits the pillow right on time so I don't lack energy tomorrow, and I fall asleep quickly as thoughts of the next day drift away.