"Okay, everyone!" Monika spoke as she rose to her feet. The room immediately went silent as four pairs of eyes fell upon her. "It's getting late, so I believe that's a wrap for today's club meeting! I believe our discussions today have been rather productive, but we all need time to write our poems, I suppose. Everyone get a good night's sleep, work hard on your poems, and I look forward to sharing with all of you tomorrow!"

As she spoke, the rest of the club was already beginning to pack up. Natsuki carried her box of manga back to the closet, Yuri strained to shove her massive novel into her backpack, and Sayori was already digging into her bag to produce enough pocket change for a snack from the vending machine. Monika's attention, however, remained fixated on the sole male member of the literature club. Distracted by the mundane process of putting away pen and paper, MC was oblivious to the fact that he was being watched.

Monika preferred it that way, to be frank. Something about MC captivated her in a way that no other boy had done. Sure, he was certainly physically attractive, with a sharp jawline, tall frame, and bold amber eyes, but lots of his fellow male classmates could compete in that department. Besides, while Monika was often considered extraordinarily beautiful by many of her peers, she held firm to the philosophy that looks could only get you so far in life. She still had trouble determining what made him so attractive to her, even though she had racked her brain about it for at least a few minutes almost every day.

Over the course of her ruminations, Monika had theorized two possible reasons for her to be attracted to MC. The first and more obvious possibility was his personality, although she saw no reason for that to be the factor. MC was certainly not a full-time jerk, and he was a lot easier to get along with than someone as prickly as Natsuki. However, he sometimes teased Sayori a little harsher than what good old fashioned ribbing warranted. There were nicer guys out there for certain, so why would it be him?

Was it his talent for literature? Although he had come to the club with little knowledge or interest in the subject, he had been exceptionally quick in acquiring both. By the time the school festival had rolled around, a mere week after he joined the club, MC had already produced poems that, in Monika's opinion, showcased genuine skill. They had yet to top Yuri's greatest works, but if he kept at it, there might someday be real competition between the two. More than once, Monika had aided him in the creative process, partly out of a leaderly instinct and partly out of her attraction to him. To his credit, he appeared to listen exactly to what she said. He was, all things considered, a great student. Still, the fact that Monika remembered being attracted to MC before his talents matured prevented her from committing fully to that theory.

Whatever the cause may be, though, she liked him. She had a crush on him that was more passionate than any she had felt in the past. Having good looks, smarts, and skills gave Monika a confidence that few could match. It was she who had asked out the handful of boyfriends she had dated in the past, although these relationships ultimately failed before they even had a chance to get too serious. Regarding MC, however, said confidence always faltered. When she was his mentor, when she was his friend, she could talk to him for hours upon hours. The moment that she even considered to ask him out, however, she would immediately feel the heat in her cheeks, as well as the nearly-alien fear of rejection should things go wrong. She would freeze, or stutter, or do something else that only won her a confused stare.

Sayori suddenly cleared her throat. "Uh, Monika?"

Monika jolted, shook her head, and snapped out of her thoughts. Glancing around, she suddenly realized that she and Sayori were the only two left in the room. How long had she been standing there with a contemplative look on her face? Too long not to worry Sayori, that was for certain.

"Yes, Sayori?"

"Are you okay?" Sayori inquired. Her eyes, blue as sapphires, were alight with worry.

Monika laughed it off, though she could feel the heat of embarrassment in her face. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking, that's all."

"What about?"

Monika's smile faltered. "W-what do you mean? Club stuff, of course!" she declared, quietly praising herself for making up a quick lie. "I got a lot of activities to spice up attendance, after all."

Despite the fact that the club officially grew in size in the aftermath of the festival, very little had truly changed. Most of the new members had shown up for one or two meetings, then disappeared, never to be seen again. The five original members remained the de facto only members. In some ways, Monika enjoyed the close friendships that had formed between them because of this. At the same time, however, Monika couldn't help but wonder if she was doing something terribly wrong. She wouldn't be surprised if one of the debate club members was spreading slander about Monika's little literature club, although she had heard nothing to confirm it.

Sayori brightened up at that. "Ooh! I got an idea! What if we hold a short story contest? Winner gets a free hug from everyone else!" She then wrapped her arms around Monika in a surprise hug. Monika could only chuckle at her admirable enthusiasm.

"Yuri would win and then reject the reward outright," Monika stated with a smirk.

"Eh, you're probably right. MC might beat her, though."

"I was just thinking about that," Monika admitted. "He's come a long way, but I doubt he's beating her anytime soon."

"I knew it!" Sayori giggled. Her eyes gleamed with triumph. When Monika only gave her a bemused look, she went on. "You were looking at him with such a dopey grin on your face! I knew you had to be thinking about him!"

Monika gasped. The heat in her cheeks turned to fire. "I was not!" she lied. To her surprise, Sayori's grin only widened. Monika recognized her folly at once; her emotional outburst had betrayed her true feelings.

"Okay, so maybe I was," she amended. "But, er, I'm just really proud of him, that's all. He's come a long way, and I like to think that I've helped in that department."

"C'mon, Monika, you don't need to feel ashamed," Sayori offered. She abandoned her grin for a more empathetic smile. "You're not the first girl I know to think he's cute."

Monika crossed her arms and unconsciously assumed a more defensive posture. She did her best to think of a proper deflection, but as the seconds dragged on, nothing even close came to mind. Of all the people to leave her stupefied, she had never expected goofy, silly Sayori.

At last, she sighed. "Fine. I think he's cute. What of it?"

"There we go! That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Monika didn't budge. "It was excruciating."

"Oh. . ."

"Sayori?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't mean to come between you and him, so I promise that I won't do anything to-"

Sayori wrinkled her face in confusion. "What are you talking about? You're not 'coming between us'."

Monika arched an eyebrow at that. "Really? You don't have a thing for him?"

Sayori shrugged. "I did once, in middle school. Now it would just feel weird to date him. I've been friends with him since we were in diapers, Monika. Diapers! It's hard to think romantically of someone when you have, er, such stinky memories of him."

That got a laugh out of Monika. She supposed that Sayori had a point. In any case, she wasn't about to complain. "So you wouldn't mind at all if we started dating?"

Sayori smiled and shook her head. "Not one bit! Just don't forbid him from being my best friend or anything and you can snuggle up with him all you want."

This time it was Monika that pulled Sayori into a hug. "Oh, thank you, Sayori! You're the best vice president a girl could ask for!"

"I try!" Sayori remarked once they pulled away from one another. "You know, MC probably hasn't gotten too far if you wanna chase him down. He's a slow walker if you ask me."

All but the most hyper were slow walkers in the energetic world of Sayori. Nevertheless, she probably wasn't exaggerating too badly. Monika, however, emphatically shook her head.

"Oh, Sayori. . . I'd be lying if I said I haven't already tried to confess before, but I just can't do it. . . I keep fearing that he'll say no."

For a brief moment, Sayori's eyes widened in mild shock as she drank the news in. "Is this the same Monika that played devil's advocate constantly in the debate club? Is this the Monika that kept her chin up even after the newer club members abandoned us? Is this the-"

"It is," Monika interrupted. There was mild annoyance in her tone. "Dramatic speeches aside, this is just different. I don't know how to articulate it; Yuri might," she sighed and glanced down at the floor. Her heart sank as she realized just how pathetic that must've sounded, especially from her of all people. "I'm not as brave as people think I am," she confessed. "Honestly, if Natsuki was in love with him, she'd probably hound him about it until he said yes."

"You're not a coward," Sayori said soothingly. She placed a hand on Monika's shoulder and gave her a big smile. Somehow, only Sayori could make someone cheer up with nothing more than a simple statement and a little physical contact. "All you need is a little help, that's it."

"A little help?"

"You just need a wingman, er, wingwoman," she declared. Pointing to herself, Sayori flashed a grin so reassuring that Monika wondered if all of her usual confidence had somehow transferred to her. "And I'm the woman for the job!"

Monika swallowed nervously. A plan? Formulated by Sayori? She was a dear friend to Monika, but this sounded like it could go horribly wrong. Monika waved dismissively. "Nonononononono! That's okay. I'll find a way to handle this somehow, I'm sure."

Sayori only dismissed the dismissal. "Nonsense! I know for a fact that MC has the hots for you, and now I know the same is true on the other end. You're too nervous, and I bet you anything that he's too blind to tell that you'd actually give him a chance. In pass!"

"Impasse," Monika corrected.

"Right!" Sayori acknowledged, undeterred. "Whatever. The point is that I can get you two together!"

"Do you have a strategy for this?"

"Nope!" Sayori answered with an adventurous smile. "But I'll think of something. I can be pretty resourceful."

With that, Sayori extended her arm to Monika. "What do you say? Is it a deal?"

Monika glanced down at Sayori's hand, then back at Sayori's warm expression. Trapped between a rock and a hard place. Put the fate of her relationship with MC in the relatively unpredictable hands of Sayori, or reject her help and make her feel bad. Ultimately, she simply hesitated.

"I don't know," she finally uttered, her voice dripping with unease. "Can you promise me that you won't just straight up tell him?"

"Oh, of course!" Sayori promised. She pantomimed crossing her chest before poking her eyebrow. "Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!"

It was such a cute act of heartfelt devotion that Monika finally relented. "Alright. I trust you to know him better than anyone else."

They embraced one last time. Monika was a busy woman, juggling club presidency with advanced classes, the homework that came with said classes, regular exercise, and a part-time job. She wasn't a woman with a lot of friends, contrary to her relative position of popularity. That being said, Sayori was the best friend that anyone could ask for.

When she told her that, Sayori awkwardly glanced towards her blazer pockets. "Am I best friend enough for you to spot me a quarter or two? That's kinda why I stayed behind in the first place."

Monika could only laugh. "Of course."