Updated
Chapter 8: Check out my baking skills
Wondering in the darkness once again. MC travels through the sea of shadows. Knowing now that the medication he's been taking are not helping. He walks through the darkness, once again seeing the same nightmare of the four girls. Nothing has changed the last time he had it, but with no other options left, he tried to ignore it and ran the other direction.
"Michael, Ronald, Anon, Jackob, MC, Main Character." Random names could be heard as he runs. Names that sounded familiar to him and others that didn't. He didn't know why her heard such random names being told to him. All he knew was that he wanted to get away from them. The voice in his head mocking him. As he continues to run he saw a new image appear before him. What looked like nothing but smoke took form. Changing into a more familiar face.
MC: "Natsuki?" He walks up to her and tries to interact with her. Only to faze through her instead. "What!?" He starts hearing whispers. He heard the sounds coming from Natsuki. He found it odd that he couldn't talk to her or feel her, but is able to listen to her. but instead he faced a new nightmare. He walked back to face her and listens in on what she's saying.
Natsuki: "Don't spend time with Yuri, please. I don't want to be alone. Don't take this from me." The more she's speaks the more distorted she sounds. MC tried again to talk to her, but the closer he got to her, the more she starts to decay. "This is all I have! NwdvnvcV845DACBFRFvcd5vd2v." Her necks snaps and she falls into the darkness. Horrified by what he just witnessed, he started to feel helpless and screamed for it all to end.
*Alarm Clock Rings*
MC: "Ahhhh!" Breathing heavily in sweat, looking down to his shaking hands. The fear taking place in his heart. Those nightmares began to get worst and worst. He rushed off to the bathroom to washup and when he finally calmed down. He looked at his reflection. "What are those nightmares? So real, so terrifying, so familiar? Why am I feeling this way? Why do I feel so many nostalgia, whenever I interact with the girls? This doesn't make sense?" He looks at himself.
"Am I really? No I'm not. Why should I question myself like that? I need to get ready for today. Natsuki is coming over, so I need to be prepared for when she gets here." He does his usual morning routine. When he finished getting everything set, he looked over at his phone and saw he got multiple texts messages from Natsuki.
"Hey Michael do you having utensils for baking like a bowl or something? Hey I'm coming over around 12. Hey you better be ready cause baking ain't easy as you think." Just to name a few.
He replied to most of them and looked at the time. Realizing he still got time he looked through his kitchen to find the utensils needed for baking. If he didn't find anything Natsuki was asking for, he would immediately let her know. After setting up everything he did have, he waited patiently for her to come over. During the wait he went back to his room and looked at his favorite card.
What Yuri said to him yesterday about this card, still bothers him. Yuri is the type of girl to be more mature and most likely be at the library, not a comic book store, but the fact that she knows something about this card makes him curious. He chose to stop thinking about it too much and put his card away. He then went back to the guest bedroom. He wasn't sure what compelled him to return to the room, but to something about the room bothers him.
(I don't know why I comeback here, but … something still bothers me. What could it be? It feels like this was never a guest bedroom, but what could it have been? I can't put my finger on it, but whenever I come here. I smell a very familiar scent. Unlike any of could've sensed. It's not the air freshener, it's not any of the girls, but it smells familiar?) *Sigh* "Maybe I've just gone crazy?" He closes his eyes and soon he heard the doorbell ring.
"Huh?" The bell rings again. Oh that must be her? Coming!" He rushes to the front door. "Hello?"
Natsuki: "Sup, you got the goods?"
MC: "Very funny, but yeah everything is all set up."
Natsuki: "Here are the ingredients we're going to need." She lifts two full bags.
MC: "Here let me take those for you."
Natsuki: "Tsk, if you insist?" She smirks and give him the two bags.
MC: "Woah! These are heavy."
Natsuki: "Do you even lift bro?"
MC: "More than you know, but apparently not enough." He leads Natsuki to the kitchen where they're be doing their baking at. "So what are we making? I was never told what we be baking exactly?"
Natsuki: "Monika asked me yesterday to make cupcakes."
MC: "And by Monika you mean Sayori?"
Natsuki: "Yeah pretty much."
MC: "So how do we begin?"
Natsuki: "Heh, heh. Let the master show you the way."
Natsuki took out some boxes out of the bag and told MC about what each of the separate ingredients are. At first MC was overwhelmed with all this information, but to Natsuki and himself surprise, he quickly adapted and worked fast. An hour had passed and the kitchen was a complete mess with dough, cream, and water all over the place. Not even ShamWow can clean this up. Despite the mess, the two of them made great progress. Through out the entire time Natsuki would watch over MC to make sure he's doing everything correctly. Even though in the beginning he was able to adapt to it quickly. She still finds it necessary to worry.
"You know Michael you've been doing a great job … so far? Even for someone who never baked before."
MC: "You think so? Thanks."
Natsuki: "Are you sure you never baked cupcakes before? The way you've been working, it's like you been doing this for years?"
MC: "No I never baked anything. Guess that proves how much of a great tutor you've been."
Natsuki: "I-idiot … but thanks." She blushes.
MC: "So what about the frosting? What are we going to do for the design?"
Natsuki: "I'm not sure about it. I'm still thinking about what we could do. I was originally thinking of going for the cat design again, but this is for the Festival."
MC: "Hmm … I got an idea. How about we design the cupcakes based off of literature related items?"
Natsuki: "What do you mean by that?"
MC: "We could design them like a book or paper with scribbles on them representing words like our poems or something?"
Natsuki: "You know that's a pretty good idea. I guess you aren't useless after all."
MC: "Hey?" He chuckled a bit before him and Natsuki started designing them. After another hour had passed, they're finally done. "Phew we're done."
Natsuki: "This looks plenty enough? Guess I'll help you clean up?"
MC: "You guess?"
Natsuki: "Hey, so do you like, got a speaker or something?"
MC: "No why?"
Natsuki: "Idiot so we could hear music while we clean."
MC: "No I don't have one unfortunately."
Natsuki: "Well you should be lucky I brought mine." She pulls out a small speaker and places on the table where it's the cleanest. "Here you can plug your phone to it."
MC: "You sure you don't want to use your phone instead?"
Natsuki: "You worked hard, so you have the privilege to use it." She bows to him.
MC: "Oh! Well if it's ok with you, I'll take up your offer."
Natsuki: "Plus I wanted to know what kind of music you like." She whispers to herself.
MC: "What was that?"
Natsuki: "Nothing!"
MC: "Hmm ok?" He pulls out his phone from his pocket and plugs the input in his phone. He then went over to his playlist thinking of what song to play. (Hm? Wonder what I should play? Not that. Not that. Not that. Defiantly not that. Damn I don't know what to play?) He continues scrolling down the list to find that one music to jam to. He wanted it to be blood pumping, so it would help inspire him to clean. Something to dance to. When he scrolled further down, he found just the song he wanted to listen to.
[Be Free by Papa Roach]
When he heard that beat. His head started to bang. "Damn right. That's what I'm talking about." He started tapping his foot and making small movements. He started tilting his chest with the rhythm as Natsuki watches his movements. Soon enough his hips started to move and as soon as the song picked up. He went all out. He grabbed the broom and started sweeping while he keeps his groove on. Following his flow, Natsuki started to wash the dishes while doing her own little moves.
As she cleans, she finds it difficult to concentrate with MC busting down the moves. His movements were so distracting that she didn't even bother cleaning anymore. All she wanted to do was watch him. While he continues to clean as he dances. Natsuki would watch in amazement with his movements. The way he moves his feet. The way he sways his shoulders side to side as he raises one side up and the other side down, but the part that distracted her the most, the part that made her blush like crazy. Almost to Yuri levels, was the way he moves his hips.
The moves he displayed. The way he moves. It was astonishing to see that Natsuki started to copy his moves. Normally she wouldn't dance, but seeing that smile on his face. The face of joy. She wanted to give it go as well. At first she was intimidated since she doesn't have much experience in dancing compared to MC, but it wasn't enough for her to stop. She did her best moving her small body the way MC does his. When she took time to think about it. She's glad it was just the two of them or else she would have died in embarrassment if the others saw her.
Next thing she knows they were already finished cleaning. Everything all cleaned up without her knowledge.
[Song Ends]
"Woah I can't believe we finished cleaning this fast?" He looks over to Natsuki hiding herself in embarrassment. "Hey what's wrong?"
Natsuki: "You!" He jumps when she raised her voice at him. "You better not tell anyone about this." MC crosses his heart. "Good. By the way I didn't know you can dance?"
MC: "Neither did I?"
Natsuki: "What?" He shrugs. "Well whatever, it's time for me to head home." She looks away from MC only for him to see her make a sad expression.
MC: "You don't want to stay a little longer?"
Natsuki: "As much as I would like that, I really should be heading home. My dad is cooking tonight and I need to eat as much as I can."
MC: (As much as you can?)
Natsuki: "Well we made a lot of cupcakes, so can you watch over them until tomorrow?"
MC: "Yeah sure. I'll do my best to make sure Sayori doesn't eat them." Natsuki smiled a bit knowing Sayori would do that.
Natsuki: "Ok then, guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then?" She starts heading out.
MC: "Hey Natsuki." She looks back to him. "Your always welcome to come over if you like. Just let me know." Natsuki smiled hearing that and waved goodbye. *Sigh* Left alone at home wit no one around. He returned to his room to relax. When he got there, he looked around his room filled with pamphlets, curtains, and banners. He then started to worry about tomorrow. "The School Festival is tomorrow. My heart is beating like crazy. I'm so nervous." He quietly stares down on the floor lost in thought.
After staring at the floor for an unreasonable amount of time. He once again heads off to the guest bed room. When he entered he took a seat on the clean white sheets. (Natsuki asked me about how I know to dance, but I couldn't give her a proper response. Why? How do I know how to dance? I don't remember dancing as a kid or taking classes, so how could I perform like that?) He looks down to his hand.
(What did she mean by as much as she can? Will I ever know or do I already know and just doesn't want to think about it? Not only that, but those names, that voice. Am I really who I am?) He clenches his hand. (No that can't be. I'm no one, but myself and yet I doubt myself?) "Tsk! Whatever, I need to get to bed now. The Festival is tomorrow and so is our poetry performance.)
As he leaves for his own room, he looks over the guest room one more time. "Will I ever know the truth or am I just setting myself up for disappointment?" He soon leaves after asking that question. On his way to bed the thought of what Natsuki said still bugs him. (What is going on in your family, Natsuki? Something doesn't seem right about all this, but what? All I know is, I can't trust him, but at the same time I wonder how he really feels about you?) As he shuts his eyes, one last thought popped in his head.
"Just what is my purpose and who am I really?"
End of Chapter 8
