"Also… Also…" Shujinkou tossed and turned in his bed as he contemplated that one word. "What was Yuri going to say? She also… what? Yuri looked really nervous when she said that, but also looked… happy? What could that mean? She also said that while getting really close to me. Was she going to…?"

Shujinkou cheeks grew red as he completed that thought.

"No, that can't be it," he shook his head. "I mean… it's me for one. There's no way that could happen to me… unless through rare and specific circumstances. Besides, the last time I came to a similar conclusion, she made it pretty clear that that wasn't the case. Plus, Yuri kind of has a talent for taking moments and making them really… intimate."

As if on cue, Shujinkou phone began to vibrate with Yuri's name on the screen. Anxiety built up second by second as he reached for his phone and answered it.

"Ah… Shujinkou…" she said.

"Hey, Yuri," he replied, scratching his red right cheek. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh… Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly."

"It's not an issue. It's not like I'm mad or anything."

"Still… It's just that… um…"

Silence interjected itself into the conversation for 5 minutes, until Shujinkou decided to speak up, "You know, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's probably none of my business."

"Ah… it's not that… It's just that… I don't think I can say it right now," Yuri lamented.

"Oh… Well, you don't have to force whatever it is you wanted to say. I can wait."

"Ah… Okay. And thank you for your concern. It always alleviates my concerns."

"No problem."

Silence once again decided to insert itself into the conversation.

"Well… I have to go now," Yuri finally said. "Dinner is ready."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later then," Shujinkou replied.

"Okay. Until then."

The moment the call ended, Shujinkou heard a knock on his bedroom door.

"Come in!" he said.

The door slowly opened and Hiro cautiously walked in with a tray of cookies.

"I come in peace," she said. "And brought some apology cookies."

A confused Shujinkou could do nothing but watch his mother sit next to him on his bed.

"Apology for what?" he asked.

"Well… I can't help but feel that I'm the reason Yuri left so suddenly," she awkwardly admitted.

"I'm sure that's not the case…" Shujinkou said, scratching his right cheek.

He reached for one of the cookies and took a large bite of it.

"So, what were you two doing while I was gone?" she asked.

"We made paper lanterns for the Granny Hisa," Shujinkou replied.

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Nothing else?"

"No."

"At all?"

"No… What do you think we would do?"

"I'm not sure. Anything that could happen whenever a boy and a girl are alone together."

"Mom?!"

"Sorry! Sorry! I couldn't help but channel my inner mother. It helps keep my own motherly instincts down regarding the whole situation."

Oh… Um…" Shujinkou solemnly scratched his right cheek. "I'm sorry for never getting around to telling you that my three other friends are girls. I just never found a way to spit it out."

"That's alright. I can understand how hard it would be to tell your mother that you randomly decided to join a club that consisted of four girls. But you know, that wouldn't have changed the fact that Sayori somehow convinced you to join. In fact, she actually voiced her intention to do something involving you."

Hiro took a large bite out of one of the cookies before continuing, "So, now that everything is out in the open, do you want to talk about your club experiences; like what it was like when you first went there?"

"Ugh… I was a nervous wreck when Sayori first brought me there," Shujinkou admitted. "I was kinda expecting a club that would immediately dislike me if they ever found out that I wasn't really the literature type and that I was nowhere near their level in the subject matter."

"But it wasn't that bad when you got there, right?"

"Well…" a small chuckle escaped through her son's lips before continuing. "Natsuki was the first to approach me when I first arrived and she called me out in no time flat."

"Oh..." Hiro replied, her voice layered with sympathy.

"Natsuki never really made it a secret to me that she didn't want me wasting the club's time and it always seemed like I somehow had a knack for annoying her. I think it was probably because I essentially dined and dashed that day."

"Ooo…"

"But even though Natsuki seemed like a very abrasive person at first, she was actually still pretty nice. I mean, she always baked sweets for the club and she did loan me some of her manga on occasion. I guess she just didn't want anyone thinking she was soft or something. Maybe that why she hates to be called ''cute.'' Eventually it got to the point where I didn't annoy her as much as I used to and we soon began to talk about our shared interest in manga a lot."

"I guess that explains why she didn't seem abrasive the few times I have seen her. So, what happened after Natsuki approached you?"

"So, after I was paralyzed by Natsuki, Monika approached me in an attempt to calm me down. I was really surprised to find her there. As far as I knew, she was still on the Debate Team, so it was a real shock to find out that she was the Founder/President of the club. It was even more shocking that she somehow remembered me from last year since I figured that she had more important people to remember. And the shocks kept on coming whenever she wanted to hang out with me. At first, I really found it weird that the school's idol would give me the time of day, but the more time we spent together and the more I got to actually know her, I came to realize that she's actually doesn't really care that much about her given title and would prefer to be around those who treat her more normally. I guess that's what others mean when they say it's lonely at the top."

"I wouldn't really know what that's like..." Hiro chuckled. "But it sounds like Monika is a very humble person considering what you and the others said about her. So, what happened after you found out she was the club's President?"

"Oh, after finding out that Monika founded the club, I suddenly felt like someone was watching me," Shujinkou continued. "When I looked around, I found out it was actually Yuri. But the moment I made eye contact with her, she immediately looked back down at the book she was reading. Yuri never really talked to me that much at first. At first, I thought it was because she rather not be bothered, but sometime after she helped me with a club assignment, I came to realize that it was more because she was a little shy and she didn't really know me. But even though she could be shy, if you got her talking about something she's really into, then she would suddenly have no problem conversing with anyone. It's because of that I learned that she's into atmospheric enhancements. I also learned that she makes a good cup of tea."

"Oh, maybe you should invite her over so I can try some."

Shujinkou silently scratched his right cheek.

"Oh right… She was here earlier…" Hiro awkwardly chuckled, her head dropping in shame. "I was the reason she left."

"I'm pretty sure you're not the reason, Mom," Shujinkou insisted.

"Mm… So, what about, Sayori? What's it like having her as the Vice-President of the club?"

"Um… How do I explain it? Well, I don't really know about the presidential stuff she helps Monika with, but I do know that she takes it upon herself to keep everyone happy and motivated. I think that's why she keeps calling Natsuki cute even though being called that annoys her or several things regarding me. She's also memorized the club rules and the school rules regarding the club and can recite them whenever Natsuki questions them. I have to admit, I was pretty surprised and impressed by how well-suited she was for the role of Vice-President. The only thing I wasn't surprised about is the fact that she doesn't really flaunt the authority her position gives. I mean, if someone visited the club, no one would guess she was the Vice-President since she's… y'know… Sayori. She usually acts like she's just another member of the club."

"I kinda gathered that from the short interaction I seen between the two of you and Natsuki and Yuri. I also guess I don't have to ask how the experience has been either since it seems like you reconnected with Sayori and grown close to the other girls."

"Mm-hmm…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as a slight smile snuck onto his face. "There's also some other students that I've gotten to know a little after joining the club."

"Really?" his mother's eyes lit up with surprise and curiosity.

"Yeah. Due to… events… I got to meet the school's Student Council President, Fuyu. She had a well-known reputation of having a scary presence and the reputation was 100% true. But I quickly found out that she's only like that when she's in her "President Mode." When she's not in that mode, Fuyu's not that scary at all. Though sometimes I feel like she may switch between the two sides to unnerve the other students. She also seemed very trusting of me at first. At first, I didn't understand why, then I found out that I actually first met her when we were kids, and that meeting was the reason why I seemed to be on her good side when we met again this year."

"Wow… What an amazing coincidence to meet a future high school president as a kid."

"Yeah, I never expected to be to have a positive relationship with anyone in the position of president. Then again, there has been a lot of things I never expected to happen so far this year.

I also met this girl named Kiyoko. She's part of the basketball club and we met after she accidently bounced a basketball off my head. Turned out she's in some of my classes, but I never noticed before since I don't really pay attention to my classmates. Not that I mean that in an insulting way."

"No, I understand what you mean. So, what's Kiyoko like?"

"She's a really laidback person. She's so laidback in fact that birds have no issue coming near her. She also seems to have a knack for interacting with them and can even whistle a nice tune to them. Also, she likes to take any chance to kick back and relax, which is probably why she takes any chance she can get to sleep at school. The only time I don't see her relaxing is when she's playing basketball and from what I seen, she's pretty good."

And finally, there's Rei. She's the really quiet girl I told you about. I'm not really sure if she's just shy or anything because she never talks or emotes that much. It's also because of that that I also really don't know that much about her. The only thing I really know is that she's really smart since she got a high score on her exams. Though I'm sure she's a nice person and just needs to get used to everyone else."

"Oh wow…" Hiro grabbed another cookie and ate the entire sweet whole.

"What's wrong?" Shujinkou asked.

"It's nothing. It's just that… Um… I'm just glad that you have nothing but positive experiences in school, that's all," his mother answered. "Anywhoo, I'm a little tired, so I think I'll turn in early."

Hiro stood up, leaving the rest of the cookies on the bed, and walked towards her son's bedroom door. The second she touched the door, she looked back and watched a young Shujinkou reach down and pick up his game controller.

"Good night, Shujinkou," she tenderly smiled at her son.

"Good night, mom," he smiled back.

After watching his mother leave his room, Shujinkou gripped his controller tighter and started up his game.

"Reconnect with Sayori… Reconnect… Connect… Why does the word 'connect' feel so important?" he wondered. "Wait a minute…"

Shujinkou instantly dropped his controller and looked under his bed. He curiously scanned the slightly darkened section of his room until an interesting sight caught his eye.

"Hello," he said, his arms reaching under the bed.