Kazuki's POV.


Uh...As if having to take care of two very real monster girls wasn't enough, now we have the school festival to worry about...Speaking of that, I still haven't figured out what they are supposed to be. I've read some stuff on the internet, but it didn't help much. Yuri is the worst with it as she has absolutely nothing in common with any real animal. Even taking a look at the...er...Monster Girl Encyclopedia gave nothing. All things considered, it would be much worse if they matched any of the species there or if they were straight up monsters with nothing human about them, but "it could have been worse" doesn't make it any better.

Oh, looks like Monika came back from the kitchen.

"Hey, Kazuki, Natsuki asked you to buy the ingredients for cupcakes. You know what she needs, right?" - she asks.

"Yeah, I've recently bought everything needed, but I didn't have the festival in mind. I'll go get them." - I reply, but before I can go anywhere, she grabs my arm.

"Ah, could you tell me something first? I'm just...curious." - she asks and I have no idea what she has in mind.

"Sure...?" - I reply and she gets...uncomfortably close.

"What keeps you going? Like...what makes you get up from bed and go through the day?" - she asks...huh. I try to think of a reason, but nothing comes to mind. I'm not a nihilist or anything, but...I really don't know...Why do I even bother?...

"I mean...why not?" - I reply with absolutely no confidence. She smiles, but for some reasons, it doesn't look pleasant.

"...Say, what if I told you that a kind girl helped you with your life since your childhood just to make you happy?" - she asks, her unblinking green eyes staring into my very soul. It sounds a bit too dramatic, but it feels like that.

"I wouldn't believe you, but if that was the case, I would be grateful for everything she did. She sounds like a good friend." - I reply. This prompts her to get even closer.

"...What if I told you that I made that girl commit suicide?" - she asks, her smile still present...What the hell?

"Um...well...I..." - I try to reply, but...what am I even supposed to say in response? Why would she even do that?

"What if I told you that nobody remembers her because the world thought it would get in the way and erased all traces of her existence?" - she asks, her eyes a few inches away from my face. The room feels deathly cold now.

"Um..."

"What if I told you that nothing is real and we are nothing but puppets dancing to the whims of their cruel puppeteer, all for a lonely stranger's entertainment?" - she...okay, this is getting really weird and her smile does nothing to help it.

"...M...Monika?"

"...Just kidding! Ahahaha! You should have seen your face." - she says before poking my nose, but the feeling of dread doesn't leave me. What on Earth made her come up with such questions? I'd expect Yuri to get into deep stuff like this, not Monika.

...Anyway, I have things to do. Natsuki is going to make a lot of cupcakes in different flavors, so, I'm going to have more than enough things to carry. Hopefully I'll get this...conversation out of my mind by the time I'm back.


Damn, it's much heavier than I expected! My arms almost fall off by the time I reach my house. Fortunately, Monika is here to open the door for me so I don't have to pause. I drop the bags in the kitchen and go to the living room to have some rest. I'd flop down onto my bed, but Yuri is already there. She's probably forcing herself to read instead of sleeping, but I'm not going to tell her to...hm...it smells really nice...Is Natsuki already done with the first batch? I haven't really paid much attention when I entered the kitchen, but I don't think there's anything else that could give off such smell.

"Attention, everyone! The first batch of Natsuki's Cupcakes™ is done! Get to da kitchen!" - Natsuki shouts with a thick accent and Monika is already on her way to the kitchen, clearly eager to have some. I guess I should tell Yuri about it. I don't want her to miss them considering what happened last tim-

My train of thought crashes when the door to my bedroom hits my face with full force of a hungry dragon. Yuri doesn't even stop to apologize, which is unusual for her, but I can't really blame her, but it still hurts. Is this what Natsuki felt when she tried to move her? I hope not.

"Kazuki! Get your sorry butt over here!" - Natsuki shouts again and I obey without a question.

When I enter the kitchen, I see everyone sitting at the table. I'm surprised they still haven't eaten the cupcakes, but I appreciate the thought. Speaking of cupcakes, they are already on the table and they look...okay? It looks like she tried to make them look like cats again, but most of them are misshapen and one of them looks like a spider instead. When I tear my eyes away from those tasty little things and look at Natsuki, she looks elsewhere.

"D-Don't judge harshly! These hands really aren't fit for such precise work and this is literally the first time my guys baked anything." - she says, wiggling her fingers for emphasis. She's been complaining about her hands since day 1, but I still don't see how they would be an issue. They look sharp, but Yuri doesn't complain about her claws, so, maybe it's something that can't be seen?

"Nobody's judging you, Natsuki. Well, not until we actually take a bite, but I'm sure they're going to be just as good as they usually are." - Monika says without taking her eyes off her cupcakes.

And so, I take my first bite. It's just as good as it was on my first day in the literature club. I didn't expect anything less from Natsuki. Even if her head is looking away, I can still see that spider looking at us. Even if it is pink and it's trying to hide in her hair, it's still easy to make out. I wave at it and it quickly retreats into her hair. Looks like she's been teaching them some new tricks.

I look around the room and see that others are enjoying it too. Monika is still eating her first cupcake, but Yuri is already done with hers. I bet she shoved it into her mouth again. Her appetite is certainly monstrous. I wonder if blood sates her hunger better? It certainly helps her, but I'm not sure why. I really doubt it's something that could be explained with science, but I'm not that good at biology to say anything anyway.

Oh. Looks like I'm already done with my first cupcake. I didn't even notice it until I bit nothing. Well, I still have one more. I take a bite...and it's much crunchier. There's also something...Wait...that taste...

I take a look at the cupcake in my hands and see exactly what I expected, but didn't want to see. Blood. Red blood and twitching pink legs. The same liquid that's dripping down my chin. Everyone else is staring at me now. I can't see Natsuki's expression, but I can see that Monika looks shocked and Yuri is just...confused? I expected her to lunge at me again, but it doesn't look like she's going to do it. I'm grateful for that, but that doesn't help me with my current problem. Natsuki was using her spiders to help her with the cupcakes, so, I know how it got here, but why the fuck does it have red blood and why does it have so much of it? Shouldn't it be baked anyway? Well, unless it's fire-resistant or something, but that's not something I want to think about.

"Um...Natsu-AH!" - I yelp when I lift my head to look at Natsuki and see her right in front of me. I didn't even hear her approach me. I couldn't have been that deep in thought not to notice her.

"Ah, that's where it went. Sorry about that. Let me fix this..." - she says before taking my cupcake...and fucking eating it. The sickening crunch coming from her mouth doesn't help improve the mood.

Monika suddenly stands up and quickly leaves the kitchen. It doesn't take a genius to guess where she went. I've heard that she's a vegetarian, so, maybe that's why. Then again, it was pretty disgusting on its own. Yuri doesn't seem to mind though. After reading the book she gave me, I can see why she wouldn't think much of it. What I'm actually surprised at is Natsuki's nonchalant expression and what sounds like...happy chirps coming from her.

"Hm? Oh...um...that looked pretty messed up, didn't it? Um, well, they told me that's what I'm supposed to do. It was surprisingly tasty...Wait, that sounds wrong..." - Natsuki tries to explain. Yuri simply takes a look at her cupcake and eats it anyway. Fortunately, no crunchings sounds are heard when she starts chewing it.

"...I'm out." - I mutter before walking out of the kitchen.

I...I don't...Uh, I just need some rest, that's all.