A/N: Though early, I figured I'd post a special chapter to commemorate 2 years of writing this story.

Okay, here we go. So, this was something Monika suggested I do awhile ago, but I always figured that I could just relive things in my head, so I don't know if I'll do this again. Honestly, I thought it would kill some time since its storming outside.

I've been really thinking about myself lately. I don't mean this in a self-absorbed way, it's just that… lately, I've been called a "good friend." It's honestly weird. I never really think that I do anything special enough to feel like I am one, but Natsuki insists that I am despite that. I would ask Granny Hisa for her opinion, but she's been really busy and I don't want to bother her. I thought about asking Kiyoko too, since she's easy to talk too, but she's currently asleep.

I don't know what to think. I joined the club, to make up for being a really bad friend to Sayori, but even after I did, I wasn't much of a pleasant person to be around. Maybe it was because I being pessimistic about the whole thing; I don't even think that I really had any hope of surviving in such a club. Not only was it a club about literature but the club itself was composed of 4 really cute girls. Sometimes, it took all I had just to raise my head. I know a lot of a lot of people would assume that's why I joined and stayed, but I honestly think that even if that was the reason, I wouldn't be able to handle it.

But ignoring that awkward hardship, just being there was a little uncomfortable. I had to face the guilt of hurting Sayori. She tried to act like nothing happened between us, but that just made me feel even worse than I already did. Her taking me back as a friend was something that I didn't deserve and I had to prove that I was worthy of it. Then there was the fact that the club's president was the school's idol: Monika. The fact that I would spend time with someone like her was too weird for me to comprehend. I mean she's been nice to me during our short interactions beforehand, but still. And then there was Natsuki and Yuri. Natsuki wasted no time establishing that she didn't really like me; not that I could blame her. Yuri, on the other hand, was extremely quiet and seemed like she'd rather avoid conversation with me all together; again, not that I could blame her.

Looking back, I may have made things seem harder than they were back in the day. Actually, worrying showing off the kind of books I like the most seems really funny in hindsight. Still, that was the beginning of me actually feeling like I wasn't some stranger in the club. Yuri offered to help me find a book that day and, in hindsight, that must have been a really hard thing for her to do. But even though she had a fear of making a bad first impression, she still decided to help with something just because I was slightly unnerved over something. It was kind of a weird experience, but I got to learn a little about her and I really appreciated the sentiment.

There was also the time during the Cultural Festival when we went through the Haunted House that I learned even more about her. It really surprised me how calm and interested she was during that. Back then, she would only become like that when expressing her interests, but it wasn't something she did often. It was also surprising that she was worried that she thought that I thought she was weird, especially since that was one of my worries when I joined the club.

She still was extremely nervous around me for awhile though. I think she even pushed herself to try and become more comfortable when I was around, like when she visited me during our first trip here. I don't really know when it happened, but somewhere along the line, we became more comfortable around each other. Though, she would still surprise me from time to time, like the whole fake boyfriend incident.

Her asking me to be her boyfriend really threw me for a loop, especially since she just asked me that outright. I probably should have known she was referring to being a fake boyfriend considering that we're talking about me. Even so, her asking was still strange. She wanted her family not to worry about her and I somehow came up into the conversation. Deciding to go along with it was probably one of the hardest decisions of my life and I still can't believe that my personal angel and devil actually agreed.

I never imagined my first girlfriend/date/meeting the family scenario would be fake, but then again I never imagined I would be in that kind of scenario in the first place. Her family was pretty accepting of me though, even though they knew I was lying. I think it was also at the time that I consciously realized that Yuri has a way of making moments intimate. While even the simple act of holding hands with a girl who isn't Sayori would be a little too much for me, when Yuri did in an attempt not to blow our cover… I would say the spinning tea cup would have saved me, but it lead to something even more awkward. At least she didn't notice… I hope she didn't notice…

Speaking of intimate, I still don't really know what she was trying to do when we were making paper lanterns together. I keep coming to one conclusion, but I'm not really sure if that's only because of what Akuma said. Still, she didn't want to tell me then after leaving and I don't want to try and pressure it out of her.

Still, she's a lot different now than she was when I first met her. It's also nice to know that she and Natsuki made up in regards to that fight they had before I joined. I don't even think I realized there was some tension between them until Yuri pointed it out to me.

Speaking of Natsuki, I used to think that she hated me when I first joined. I wasn't much of a literature buff and I thought she knew that. She also seemed like she was very irritable and was quick to angry outburst. She herself even admitted that she made herself out to be a unpleasant person. But would an unpleasant person bake cupcakes for the club just because she heard that a potential member was coming? Even though her actions and words confused me, I could tell she was still a nice person.

I also used to think that she didn't want to be seen as "soft", so I always tried my best not to point out to her when she was letting her nice side out, at least until later. She was also the first person I knew that I was to talk about my interest in manga, since she was interested. It was a surprise to find out at first, but also a major relief. I also think that she's good with judging people, since I'm pretty sure she saw through my lie about my father, picked on my initial assumptions on the club and she has real a knack for pointing out when Sayori's being sneaky.

One thing that always stumped me though was how she called me a dummy. I mean, I knew why she did and I did deserve to be called that, but I kinda expected her to have nicknames for the other too. She kind of singled me out on that front. She still calls me that occasionally, but it's more in a jokey way. She also pretty strong considering she held her own in the Royal Rumble. I honestly lucked my way to the finals, but she really earned her way. The way she wielded the Oathkeeper and Oblivion in battle was also very awesome and she really looked cute in the Organization XIII coat. She'd probably hit with a rolled-up poster if she knew I thought that though.

Other than that reason, I think she would really be upset if I did though. I used to wonder why she would freak out over being called cute so much. It's usually a compliment, so I never got that. Though, after she confided in me, I think I understand why now. I think it was used in a different way regarding her; in a way that belittled her. I just hope one day she can know that other people really do mean it when they say that. Until then, it looks like Sayori is the only person who can get away with calling her cute. Not even Monika could get away with doing that.

Monika… Even though we were in the same class last year, we were never really friends. How could we; she was the school idol and I was the guy that would daydream a lot during school. Even when she was nice to me during our few brief interactions, that was to be expected from her. I felt the same way when I joined the club. Like I said before, spending time with the school's idol was too weird to comprehend and her actually showing interest in hanging out with me was even weirder to comprehend.

I think her title made the past me forget that she's still human though. She's as smart as you expect, as athletic as you expect and she just has an aura that attracts people. But despite that, she still has her own fears and doubts and can also suffer awkward moments like anyone else. You'd think a school idol would enjoy the simple fact of putting on a maid outfit would attract the whole school, but she just found the entire situation embarrassing.

I actually learned a lot about her feelings towards her status as we became friends. She actually doesn't really care much for it and would prefer to be around people that like her as Monika and not as the school idol. It's actually kind of weird that there's not more people like that in school. It's like they only pay attention to her and accomplishments and the feelings behind them. It's probably sad that I can give off adjectives that describe her better than most of the school. It's really ironic, her being her is what gained her the status and yet no one pays attention to the "her" part.

But I was like that once also, so why would she have been interested in being friends with me? What made me different from the others? Was it because I was subconsciously trying to be friends with Monika and not the school idol? Maybe it was because she could relate to me when it came to making friends. To my surprise, she sometimes had no idea how friends doing things together worked, even asking me for some help with her slumber party. But despite that, I never doubted she would really have no problems when it came friends just because she's caring and always tries to encourage others rather looking down on them when she's clearly in a position to do so. I just hope that one days others can see what we see.

Sayori… This is going to be a tough one. It's kinda hard to write about Sayori because Granny Hisa used to tease me about having a crush on her. Probably didn't help that we used to hold hands and hug a lot. Sayori is still a hugger though. Actually, she's still pretty much the same person she was when we were younger and that was honestly a relief. She's been pretty forgiving considering I essentially ditched her to be alone even though I don't deserve it. I'm both relived and feel bad about something that makes her her; I really am weird.

That fact aside though, Sayori has always had my back even if I didn't always appreciate it. She tried to snap me out of my funk, but I wouldn't listen until I accidently heard how lonely she's been for the last few years. I'm still mad at myself that that only happened because I pretended to be asleep because I couldn't face her back then. Even so, I knew I had to make up for being a bad friend and join the club. I think it was selfish off me to try and reconnect with someone I hurt. I wanted to do it for her and I wanted to do it for myself. Even though the whole situation was my fault, I always did regret closing myself off like that and I don't think any amount of "it's understandable" will make that guilt go away.

Changing gears before this becomes too negative; Sayori is also still as clumsy as she used to be. I think it says something that our first run-in in a while was literally her running into me. She's also as sneaky as she used to be or at least she tries to be sneaky. Though I kinda have experience, so I can sometimes see it coming.

But back to my first point, Sayori has my back and she also has the backs of anyone else she considers her friends. She really likes to make people happy and I'm probably living proof of her success there. I'm sure that's why she's the Vice-President of the Literature Club and just as you'd expect from her, it's a position she hardly flaunts around. It's really funny considering how sneaky she can be sometimes, you think she would. The only thing I can't understand is why she sometimes gets so weird when it comes to doing things that we did when we were kids. She was initially against me carrying her on my back when I first offered earlier this year; maybe it's inappropriate for teenagers to do that.

I really did miss hanging out with Sayori. She's my best friend and I'm really glad that she is. I just need to make sure that I don't mess things up again.

After joining the club, I also met a few other people throughout the school year. The first was Fuyu.

Fuyu's the school council president and has a reputation for being an ice queen. She certainly lived up to that reputation when we first met. She was very professional, but in such a way that it was really intimidating. Despite that though, she can also the opposite of an ice queen. Sayori told me about her gushing over Rei's Link costume and she certainly didn't mind trying to cheer me up even though it involved sharing a cardboard box with me.

I also didn't expect someone with her reputation to be such a video game buff. She threw a few Metal Gear references my way and Sayori told me how she effortlessly explained to Natsuki Kingdom Hearts: Dark Seeker Saga's release history.

Actually, what I really never expected was her being so trusting of me at first, offering me vice-presidency and leaving me to make sure Rei knows her way around school was confusing until I found out that we actually met before when we were younger. I only vaguely recall it, but I once helped her when she was blind and had no way to get home. I was really surprised that she remembered something like that.

Sometime later, I met Kiyoko. Or maybe, I should say that I met her basketball first. Either way, it was a sudden meeting. To make things even weirder, it turns out we share a few classes and I never noticed. I felt a little embarrassed over that fact, but her casual behavior quickly fixed that. I actually never met anyone my age that casual before. She's so casual that even birds have no issue with her. It's probably her casual nature that makes it easier to talk to her despite not knowing each other that well. At least, I don't know as much about her as much as she knows about me. I think she's like Natsuki when it comes to judging people.

Finally, there's Rei. I honestly don't know much about her because she never talks. Not only that, but she's hard to read because she doesn't really emote either. It was really awkward the first day we were together. It really was like when Roxas had his first mission with Xion. I don't really know why it is she's so silent but it's not really my place to try and find out. There is one thing that I do know about her though: she moves and fights like someone from fiction. The way she moved during the Royal Rumble was like Ultra Instinct Goku. I wonder if her Link costume was because of Fuyu or her own interest. I sometimes wonder what she thinks of us. If she doesn't consider us friends, is there any way for that to happen?

…

Looking over this, it's funny how I went from expressing my own doubts and ended up writing about my friends. They always told me what they thought of me, but I don't think I ever did the same. What do they mean to me?

…

This was never the life I thought I would ever have. I always considered myself lucky to have Sayori in my life and now I have even more friends.

…

They…

…

…..

….

Is this really alright, Hiroko? What would you say if you could see this with your own eyes?"

…

I'm sorry, in the end; I'm going to have to be selfish for a little while longer. I need to think of a way to express what they mean to me.

A/N: Thank you for reaching the end. If only I could find a way to better celebrate writing something that I had no idea I would be writing for this long. Maybe I should just sketch a design for Shujinkou so people could have a face to put with the character. Well, I guess I really should just focus on bringing the current arc to an end already.