"Oh really? Your mom's a manga fan too?" I asked, not letting my dread show as I continued stirring the pots.
The smile Natsuki showed me was not a completely happy one, more so one of sad reminiscence. "She was more than that. She was a mangaka. Actually…" she paused a bit before continuing, "She wrote Parfait Girls."
My jaw dropped in astonishment, and I'm almost positive Meiji would have done the same. "No way…she is?!" I rushed to the living room, grabbed the first volume of Parfait Girls and opened it to the front page as I headed back to the kitchen. "Let's see…Muranyan's the author's name…Mura…Muramoto?!" I looked over at Natsuki. "That's amazing," I said excitedly. "Your mom's an amazing mangaka!" I placed the manga on the counter
Natsuki nodded with a small but still sad smile. She picked up the volume and opened it absent mindedly, flipping through its pages almost reverently. "She was…yeah…" She placed the volume down on the counter near the window and looked out at the wet garden.
I took the hint now and let my demeanor fall a bit. I'd had my suspicions that Natsuki's mom had passed away as had a lot of people in the fandom, but I wasn't entirely sure until now. It was just a theory that I'd read about in the DDLC community. "Was? I…oh…I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
She held up her hand. "Stop, don't say it. It's not your fault, you didn't know."
That explains her love for the manga, Meiji said somberly.
It really does. I'd never have imagined… "Natsuki, is it…is it okay if I ask a question?" She nodded slowly. "Your copies of Parfait Girls in the clubroom…is it special in some way?"
She nodded. "Yeah…they're all the copies my mom got from the publishers before they sent the manga out to the stores," she said. "Parfait Girls was her only solo manga. Before, she was an assistant."
Mangaka normally start out as assistant artists to more senior mangaka, helping them with their manga, Meiji explained.
Oh, okay, got it. "She was an amazing artist. And the story so far is pretty cool. I can't wait to continue now."
Natsuki turned and grinned. "She was amazing, and I'm gonna become just as good as her!" She put her hands on her hips and looked at me proudly.
"You wanna be a mangaka too? That's great!" I smiled, never in my life imagining that Natsuki would want to become a manga artist. I always had imagined her as wanting to be a baker or something like that.
"I've actually got some drawings I did in class earlier. Wanna see?" Natsuki's expression was now completely happy again.
"Sure, I'd love to see!" Meiji's excitement combined with my own and I found myself grinning like an idiot as Natsuki went to the front door to get her backpack. I went back to stirring the pots.
Soon I heard Natsuki's cute pitter patter footsteps return. "Have a look!" she said, handing me a notebook.
I took the notebook and looked at the drawing that covered the entire page. It was a drawing of a shrine priestess of all things. The girl was holding what looked like an incense lantern in one hand and a staff in the other. She was holding the staff forward and the tip was glowing, as if the girl was using some kind of magic. Her expression was a serious one and her clothes and long black hair were both flowing in the wind. It was actually pretty good. Not as good as the one from Parfait Girls, but the style was definitely very similar. "Wow…this is really impressive! How long have you been drawing?" I asked, handing her notebook back.
"Ever since I was a kid," she said as she took the notebook back and placed it in her backpack. "Mom taught me. And after…well, after she passed away, I taught myself. I watch tutorials online when I get computer access and practice whenever I can." She went back to rolling meatballs and placing them on a baking tray.
"Your mom certainly taught you well," I said. "I've no doubt you'll become a great mangaka someday."
She grinned again. "Well of course! I'll become the greatest mangaka in Japan!" She struck a triumphant pose.
"No doubt in my mind," I repeated, chuckling.
"Now then, let's get these meatballs in the oven," she said, walking over and opening the oven door. "Hmm…not quite hot enough, but it'll be fine," she said as she slid the tray in. Turning to me, she said, "If Monika calls us away before they're done, just keep an eye on them. You want them to be a nice medium brown." She began searching through the kitchen drawers. "Now…where is…aha!" She pulled out a small thermometer and handed it to me. "If you're not sure, just use this and make sure they're at around seventy-four degrees celcius."
"Alright, sounds good," I said as I took the thermometer and placed it on the counter near the simmering pots. As I stirred them both again, I asked, "What kind of manga would you like to write?"
"Hmm…" She leaned against the wall and looked out the window at the rainy garden outside. "Shojo manga I think. Hell, maybe I'll write a Slice-of-Life one about an after-school literature club!" she said with a giggle.
"I've got the perfect name for that," I said to myself without thinking.
I thought I had kept quiet, but apparently Natsuki had heard. "Oh you do?" She looked at me with a curious expression. "Let's hear it. I promise I'd give you credit for the name when I make it big."
You think it's a good idea to tell her the name I know you're thinking of? Meiji asked.
Yeah, probably not a very good idea. Well, let's see if this'll dissuade her. I stroke my chin. "Now that I think about it, the name I'm thinking of would be better for some kind of dating sim."
"Gimme the name anyway," she said. "Come on."
That didn't work.
Yeah I can see that. "Well, I-"
"Okay, everyone!" Monika called out from the living room as she came out to the living room followed by an excited Sayori. "Sayori and I have finished our first draft. We'd like to hear your thoughts."
Saved by the Monika, I thought with a small sigh of relief.
No kidding.
"Go ahead and go," I told Natsuki. "I'll keep watch over the food here."
She frowned, apparently not trusting me to keep an eye on the food. "Hmm…fine. But if you burn anything, I'll burn you."
"Yeowch, alright I'll be careful."
As Natsuki headed back into the living room, Meiji breathed a sigh of relief. That was close.
It was, I replied as I stirred the pots again. I need to try and think more before I speak sometimes.
But then Monika wouldn't love you the same, Meiji said teasingly.
I felt my cheeks turn red at that. It's still something I should change.
"Um, Josiah? Am I interrupting?" A shy voice interrupted our little exchange. I turned and saw the raven-haired maiden of mystery standing a little ways away, hands behind her back.
"No, not at all," I said. "Do you need me for something?"
"Ah, I just came in here to make some tea for everyone, since our last pot is cold." She smiled at me a bit nervously.
"Oh of course. Do you need me to move anything around?" I asked as I headed to move some of the ingredients away.
"No no, it's okay," she said hastily. "I just need some water." She went to grab the hot water boiler on the counter and began to fill it with water. I went back to keeping an eye on dinner. Silence filled the kitchen.
At one point I turned away from Yuri to check on the meatballs and when I looked back at her, I received the shock of my life. Yuri had picked up the copy of Parfait Girls I'd brought into the kitchen and was looking at the cover with an odd expression on her face. Not wanting to interrupt her and also because I was curious as to what she was doing, I watched as she slowly opened it to the first page.
What's she doing? Meiji asked. Earlier she said she didn't read manga.
Your guess is as good as mine.
Yuri leaned against the counter and turned the page slowly, her gaze becoming similar to the one she had whenever she was reading her novels. I went back to keeping an eye on the food while looking back at Yuri. This was very out of character for her and I was a bit worried. Meiji apparently felt this because he said, If you're that worried, why not ask her?
"Um, Yuri?"
Startled, she jumped, dropping the manga on the floor. "Aah! I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, picking it up and trying to clean it. "Oh no…" she looked at one of the pages with a scared expression.
"What's wrong, Yuri?" I asked as I approached her.
She looked away. "I…one of the pages…uuu…"
I slowly took the manga from her and looked at it. Across one of the middle pages was a large crease where the manga had fallen. Looking back up at Yuri I saw her fiddling with her hair. "Hey, it's okay really."
"But I ruined the book…" she said with a tremble in her voice. "I…I should pay for it! Hold on!"
As she moved past me, I reached out and took her hand. "Yuri, wait up. Calm down, okay?" She looked away but did as I said. She held her hand to her chest and took a few breaths. She still didn't look me in the eye though. I waited for her to calm down. "Alright, feeling better?"
She nodded then looked at our hands. Looking down myself, I saw that I still had my hand over her wrist. I released her gently. "Sorry about that," I said.
"I-It's okay," she said.
At that moment the hot water boiler began to boil. Yuri, looking relieved for the distraction, walked past me to begin preparing the tea. I put the manga on the counter again and went back to keeping my eye on the food. I waited until it looked like she was almost done before I softly cleared my throat. "Yuri?"
"Y-Yes?" She seemed to have a hard time looking me in the eyes.
"Don't be nervous. I was just wondering why you were reading that manga," I said calmly, pointing to the copy of Parfait Girls on the counter.
Yuri looked over at it for a few seconds, then finally looked at me. "W-Well, earlier when you and Natsuki were talking, I-I couldn't help but overhear a few things…" She walked over to it and picked it up. "I didn't know it was so personal to her."
I nodded. "Yeah, same here." Come to think of it, that explains how upset she gets in the original game when her copy gets a crease in it.
"I have to admit," Yuri continued, "from what I've read so far, the author really does a good job of setting the stage for future developments. It's very…what's the phrase used again…slice-of-life. But I can sense that the story is building up to some kind of reveal."
"Even though you've only read half the first volume?" I asked, impressed. If Natsuki was to be believed, and I knew she wouldn't lie about this, there was going to be some kind of big change in genre soon. I couldn't sense anything, but Yuri could.
She smiled a bit. "Indeed. The way some of the panels are drawn can be quite telling. The author really thought this through."
Even I didn't get that, and I love manga, Meiji said.
Well, I do tend not to read manga as thoroughly as you do, I admitted, so it's probably natural you'd miss something when your eyes are being controlled by someone else. "Woe, that's pretty impressive. According to Natsuki, there is some action ahead, but I'm not sure what."
She nodded. "Natsuki's mother really was a great author. I wonder what a novel by her would be like."
"She actually tried that once," Natsuki said, coming in suddenly, walking past me and opening the oven a bit to check on the meatballs. "These are ready," she said to me before turning to Yuri. "Well actually she tried writing a Light Novel, but she didn't enjoy it as much as manga."
As I took out the meatballs and placed them on the counter, Yuri looked down, a bit ashamed. "I didn't know, I'm sor-"
Natsuki held out a hand. "Yeah, I'm gonna stop you right there. It's fine, really. I don't want you feeling bad about it or sorry for me. Don't think you have to read this because you feel guilty or anything."
"Ah, but I am a bit intrigued by the story," Yuri said with a small smile. "I think…I would like to read this for our test."
Natsuki's eyes widened. "You would? Really?" She grinned widely. "You, ma'am, have made a most excellent choice. And…to make it equally fair, I think I will read that book you've been reading lately."
Yuri put down the manga, grabbed the teapot and cups as she headed back out to the living room. "I'll bring a spare copy for you as soon as I can," she said as the two girls headed back out.
I stood there for a while, eyebrow in a permanent raise before I shook myself out of it and began stirring the meatballs into the main sauce. That was certainly an unusual turn of events, I said to Meiji. Your world feels so much more real than before. You've all got last names, families, backstories befitting a full life, and then that interaction between Yuri and Natsuki. It's like they're growing more as people. I keep forgetting you're all still teenagers.
Yeah, teens with issues, Meiji reminded me.
I know. All teens have some kind of issues, but these girls all have some major ones. And let's not forget ours.
How can I? We keep merging.
"Josiah? Meiji?"
I turned and saw Monika looking in a bit nervously. "Hey Monika, what's up?" I asked.
She walked in and lowered her voice. "What happened in here? Yuri and Natsuki were walking out talking and laughing. I'm not complaining or anything, but I'm just wondering what changed?"
I picked up Parfait Girls and handed it to her. She took it confused. "Look at the author's name."
Monika opened it and looked at the author's name. "I'm not sure I understand."
"That's the pen name Natsuki's mom used when she was a mangaka."
Monika's eyes widened in shock. "Natsuki's mom…she was…wow…" She put the manga down slowly. "I didn't know that."
"No one did," I said as I brought out the sauce Monika had chosen earlier and placed it on the counter. "It does somewhat explain her love of manga. Although let's be honest, manga is very enjoyable."
Monika looked down. "I…wouldn't know. I've never read a manga if I'm honest. The closest I've come to attempting to read one is when I tried to get the others in the club to suggest group activities for a change but Natsuki didn't want to do what Yuri wanted and Yuri didn't want to do what Natsuki wanted." She looked at me. "Do you mind if I read this? I'd like the first manga I read to be special to my friends."
I nodded. "Sure, go ahead."
She smiled then sniffed the air. "That smells good."
"The main pasta is done, but now I'm gonna make our Fettuccine Alfredo next."
She blushed. "You really don't need to do that."
"I don't want you feeling left out," I said as I began making portions of pasta for the other three.
"But you haven't," she said, gently taking my arm. "I haven't felt so included in my whole fabricated life. All my life I've been treated by my classmates as the school idol, something unattainable. You saw what the other game version of the MC thought of me. You have never treated me like that. Neither have the others." She smiled gratefully. "I've never felt so cared for before."
I put a hand on hers. "Everyone deserves to be loved," I said as I brought out the parmesan cheese from the bag of groceries. I smiled. "Could you grab that third plate for me? I don't trust myself to carry three plates. Especially in this wobbly body."
Who you calling wobbly?!
"Did I say that?" I said cheekily as I grabbed two of the three plates.
Just wait until we're separated! I'll show you wobbly.
"Scary," I chuckled as I brought the plates out. "Order up!" I called as I set the plates down at the table. I put on a fake French accent. "Our Spaghetti Especial! Would mahdamoiselle's perchahnce cahre fahr sahmetheeng cahld to dreenk?"
Yuri was the first to laugh, then replied, "Oui, Monsieur, s'il vous plait."
"Bien, mademoiselle." I did a dramatic bow and went back to the kitchen where I pulled out the juice I'd bought for everyone that night.
Sayori's mom keeps the glasses in the shelf above the stove, Meiji said.
Thanks bro. I opened the shelf and looked in. "Hmm…Oooooh, perfect." I grabbed five wine glasses, placed them on the counter then opened the still cold juice bottle. I looked back at the other girls who had begun to eat. "Do any of you want ice?"
"None for me, thanks!" Sayori said with her mouth full.
"I'm fine!" Natsuki said.
"I'm alright, thanks for asking," Yuri said.
"I'm good too," Monika, who was simply sitting at the table, said.
"Alright." I grabbed the glasses and put them on a tray I'd found. However, before that, I grabbed Monika's plate and brought it out to her, placing it in front of her along with a fork. I then went back, carried the platter out out and cleared my throat as I approached. "Would anybody…like some wine?" I placed the four glasses on the table.
I was trying to make a joke but to my surprise Yuri looked away, blushing furiously. Natsuki began giggling loudly and Sayori just looked at me with a frown. Monika was also trying not to laugh. That's…not the reaction I was expecting from anyone, Meiji said. I wonder what happened?
Yeah…I'm not sure what happened.
"M-Monika…did you tell him?" Yuri asked, sounding hurt.
"Tell me what?" I asked, concerned by Yuri's tone.
"Ah, i-it's nothing!" Yuri said suddenly, "Forget I said anything!"
"Um, sure, already forgotten," I said confused as I grabbed an extra chair and sat down. "Hey Sayori, where's your mom?"
She relaxed her face and pulled out her phone. "She said she had to work late tonight," she said. "Something about a deadline."
"Oh, makes sense. Speaking of, what do the pamphlets look like?" I asked.
Monika smiled, got up, headed to the counter where all the paper was, grabbed one and brought it back. "Here, have a look," she said proudly.
I cleaned my hands then took the pamphlets.
SAKURA ACADEMY'S LITERATURE CLUB INVITES YOU:
October 30, 2017, Room 3-D
You will get to see our members performing
their own poems for your listening pleasure.
Refreshments will be provided by the club.
As an added bonus, if you wish to perform a poem, you are free to do so!
Please come!
Sincerely: the Literature Club.
The font for the flier looked hauntingly familiar, but I couldn't place it. Scattered around the flier were little clipart versions of cupcakes, tea and books. I did notice a small grand piano in the lower right-hand corner of the flier. I turned the next page.
Our members are eager to share their own poems! Here is a list of what our members will perform for you!
Member Chizu Meiji: TBA
Senior Member Muramoto Natsuki: "Jump"
Senior Member Yoshika Yuri: "Afterimage of a Crimson Eye"
Vice-President Fujiwara Sayori: "My Meadow"
President Asano Monika: "The Way They Fly"
"Sorry for not including your choice," Monika said apologetically.
"No, it's okay," I said.
This works, Meiji agreed.
"Meiji agrees," I said as I began spiraling the pasta on my fork. "You know, I'm looking forward to hearing those poems from you all."
Natsuki simply rolled her eyes but I thought I saw a blush from her, Yuri looked away and fiddled with her hair, face more flushed, Sayori smiled and Monika flashed me her pearly whites. "We're looking forward to hearing whatever you perform too," Monika said.
"Thank you!"
Is it just me, or has something been eating at Sayori since we started eating? Meiji asked.
I looked at Sayori. She had a smile on her face still, but as I looked more, it seemed to me like it was a fake one. Not that I was any expert on Sayori's facial expressions. I was only used to seeing her sprite after all. Maybe you're right. Why don't we talk to her about it after dinner?
I was gonna say that, yeah, Meiji said.
"So," I said, taking a sip of the juice from the wine glass, "How many of these have you made so far?" I held up the flier.
"Right now, we've gotten about fifty made," Monika said. "I think we should make at least a couple hundred."
"Someone's optimistic," Natsuki said.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being optimistic," I said. "Right, Sayori?"
"Yeah! It's gonna be great! We're gonna get so many new members!" Sayori said cheerily, seemingly back to her normal happy-go-lucky self, albeit with her mouth full of food.
"Sayori, swallow before you speak," I chided her with a chuckle.
She swallowed and chased the food down with some of the juice. "We're gonna do great on Monday!"
"Yes, we are," I chuckled. I then turned to Monika. "Hey Monika, I've got an idea."
She raised an eyebrow. "What idea?"
"It just occurred to me," I said. "What if we treat any new members we get to some kind of welcome meal or something? Think that might be an interesting idea?"
She leaned back in her chair and stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I dunno…seems a bit extravagant for new members. And what if we get a ton of members?"
"Yeah, you've got a point," I said.
"Still, we should welcome any new members with some kind of refreshments," Monika said. "Some kind of welcome party maybe?"
"With more cupcakes!" Sayori said, eyes widened and drool coming from her mouth.
"You just want an excuse to stuff your face more, dontcha?" Natsuki giggled.
"Ehehe, maybe," Sayori said, pressing her fingers together in that sweetly cute way she normally did.
"M-Maybe I could prepare something too?" Yuri said suddenly, looking a bit nervous.
"Really? Like what?" Monika asked curiously.
"W-Well, I do a bit of c-cooking here and there. I can make something small that's not sweet," she said.
Whoa whoa whoa, Yuri's a cook?! Where'd that come from?
I don't know, I said. I looked at Monika who gave me a quick knowing glance. It was like she knew something I didn't. I decided to ask her about it later. "What did you have in mind?" I asked.
"U-Um, maybe some, hmm…" her mind was racing now. I could almost see the steam from her ears as she thought.
"Hey, it's okay," Monika said, holding up her hand. "Why don't you take the time to think about it. This is still just an idea, but any contribution from you would be welcome."
"Who knew you could cook, brewmaster Yuri," Natsuki said teasingly.
"Truly, a master of her craft," I said, holding my hands up as majestically as I could. Here was hoping someone got the reference I was about to unleash. "We have stumbled across the most powerful person in the world. The Mithril level Brewmaster of Tea!"
Thankfully, Natsuki got my reference and laughed hard, smacking the table with the palm of her hand. She stood and continued. "For you see, long ago, this brewmaster was born on the fiery Seas of Chamomile, On the grand island of…oh what's another good…hmmm…" she lost her fire as she tried to think on her feet.
"Grand island of Matcha Tea itself!" I said, giving her a double fingergun.
"There you go!" Natsuki grinned, returning my fingergun.
"What are you both talking about," Yuri asked, blushing but also looking confused.
"It sounds like you're quoting something," Monika said curiously.
"Oh, it's from a famous anime abridged series," I said as I took another sip of the juice. "But let's go back on topic for a bit. Yuri?"
"Y-Yes?"
"How good are you at making small horderves?"
"I can manage them pretty well," she said. "I've done deviled eggs before. A-And a few other things."
"Well, take the time to think about it," Monika said kindly as she spiraled her fork around her pasta. "We don't have to do anything for a while."
"Okay." Yuri smiled a bit.
"Speaking of food, this pasta is pretty good!" Sayori said. Looking over at her, I saw she'd already finished her plate.
"Pasta is pretty hard to screw up if you're careful," Natsuki said, taking one of the bigger meatballs on her fork and eating it heartily.
"Agreed," I said as I finished off my plate.
"Thank you for the food," Sayori said as she leaned back and stretched. "I am stuffed!"
Yuri was the second one to finish and dabbed at her mouth with her handkerchief. "It was quite good, yes. Thank you, Josiah and Natsuki."
Monika finished hers at that moment as well. "Yes, thanks you two," she said with a smile that contained a hint of jealousy in it. To be fair to her though, the jealousy I saw seemed diminished when compared to the other times I'd seen it.
"You're all welcome," I said, chuckling a bit.
Natsuki looked away blushing. "Thanks…I guess."
I looked at her plate. I was shocked and concerned to see that nearly half of the meal was still there. "Natsuki, did I give you too much?"
"Huh?" She looked at her plate and her face went red. "Ah, I…well…"
"She has a hard time eating large amounts of food," Monika whispered to me.
"Oh, sorry." I looked back at Natsuki. "Would you like to take the rest home for later?"
Before she could reply, Sayori stood. "I've got some plastic containers you can use. Hold on!" She ran to the kitchen.
Hey, go with her, Meiji said suddenly.
How come?
She's liable to make a mess in there looking, Meiji said.
"Please don't bother, it's fine," Natsuki said.
I smiled at her. "It's no bother at all. I'll be right back." I stood. Monika looked at me with a concerned face. I gave her my best reassuring smile then headed into the kitchen. When I entered, I was floored. Sayori was half in one of the lower cupboards, a few pots and containers sitting on the floor. My jaw dropped. "How'd you make such a mess in only a few seconds?!"
She jumped and came back out, smiling a bit nervously. "Ehehe, sorry Josiah."
"It's fine." I knelt beside her and began helping her clean up. I realized that we were a decent distance away from the others. I decided to try and pry a bit into what might be eating her. I knelt and looked her in the eyes. "Sayori?"
"Y-Yes?" She looked a bit startled by my actions. "Is something wrong?"
"That's my question," I said softly as I began gathering the pots and containers. "You can act happy all you want, but I can tell something's bothering you."
She smiled brightly and shook her head. "What are you talking about? I'm alright, really."
I don't think that's true.
Agreed. Let's wait until people are gone before we ask again.
Good idea.
I held up my hand. "Haha, alright alright. Now…let's get some of this food packed for Natsuki!"
"Yep!"
I grabbed a plastic container, put some extra pasta in it for Natsuki then quickly helped Sayori reorganize all that she'd gotten messy. When that was all done, I went back and put the container next to Natsuki. "Here you are."
Natsuki looked at it surprised. "You…didn't have to give me extra you know," she said, crossing her arms.
"I made plenty extra," I said as I began cleaning up the table. "Trust me, if I let her, Sayori'd probably devour it before the night was over."
"Hey! Meanie…"
This got a laugh from everyone else, though, and soon even Sayori was chuckling. By this time, I'd gathered up all the finished dishes and carried them back into the kitchen. I put them in the dishwasher after rinsing them off then went back to the table. Monika was standing at the front of the table. "So, are we all in agreement about this? These poems are the ones we're gonna be performing?"
"Yeah, I guess that sounds good," Natsuki said.
"I'm alright with that!" Sayori said with a wide grin. Yuri simply nodded in agreement.
"Well alright then," Monika said, looking happy at the agreement. She then turned to me. "And you'll have a poem for me by then, right?"
"You bet your ass I will!" I said, giving her a thumbs up.
"Well good!" She flashed me another grin, then turned to the other girls. "Now, we're two thirds of the way done with the fliers, and if we keep going, we can finish before it gets too dark."
Yuri looked a bit uncomfortable at that, then cleared her throat. "A-Actually, I need to get home soon," she said softly. She had a look in her eyes that I couldn't exactly place. It looked like…guilt.
"Really? But don't you live alone?" Sayori asked curiously. "Why would you need to be home?" Yuri looked away, more guilt appearing on her face as she stammered a bit.
So, wait, she doesn't live alone? Meiji asked.
I'm not sure, I replied. It doesn't make sense that she'd live with someone if she would so freely offer her place for Monika to stay, but maybe she was just betting that Monika would say no?
Maybe…but can you see Yuri doing that?
Before I came here no, but I really should put all my preconceived notions about all the people in this world away. You're not just carboard cutouts.
So…what are you going to do?
I smile a bit and clear my throat. "Did your parents give you certain stipulations for living alone before they moved?" I asked.
Yuri looked back at me, a small sense of relief on her face. "Ah, yes…as long as they're paying the bills and giving me an allowance, they told me that I can't be out past a certain time."
"Speaking of," Natsuki said, "I'm sure I should get going too at some point. I can stay and help for…" she looked at the clock on the wall, "another hour actually."
"Yuri, I'll walk you out," I said.
She blushed and smiled gratefully at me. "Thank you, Josiah."
"I'll be right back, everyone." I said as I followed Yuri to the genkan and outside to the front porch. I handed her umbrella to her and she took it with the same grace I'd gotten used to seeing from her. "Yuri, thank you for all your help tonight. I'm grateful, and I know Monika is."
She looked away nervously, then faced me again. "D-Don't mention it. It was my pleasure."
"See you tomorrow?"
She smiled and nodded. "Thank you…for earlier."
"Earlier? Oh, coming up with coming up with an excuse?"
She chuckled softly. "Uhuhu, yes that."
I smiled at her. "Well, have a safe trip home."
"Goodbye."
"Bye."
And with that, Yuri turned, slung her bag over her shoulder and headed down the rainy street. A flash of light illuminated her once as she walked down back towards the school. I stood there for a few more seconds before heading back in. I walked into the living room and saw that the three remaining girls were now busily organizing and stapling the remaining fliers together. "Did you see her off alright?" Monika asked, looking up from her work as I walked up.
"Yeah, she's safely on her way home. I'm gonna clean up the kitchen then come back and help."
"Alright," Monika said with a small smile as I headed into the kitchen. I began cleaning up the kitchen, washing the dishes then rinsing them off and putting them away.
Hey, what do you think might be bothering Sayori? Meiji asked after a while of silence.
I'm not exactly sure, I said, careful to keep from talking. The more time passes, the less I know of what will happen. If I had to guess, it's probably jealousy. I'm in your body and Monika isn't exactly doing the best job of hiding her feelings for me in public
Don't forget the other girls.
What do you mean?
I'm not sure if it's just me, but they're growing attached to you.
I've noticed that too. It's like the game wants me to appeal to all of them… I sighed and put away another one of the pots after I finished drying it. What I've heard Yuri and Natsuki say recently seems eerily similar to the dialogue from their routes.
As I grabbed the last plate, I almost heard Meiji sigh. If the two of us ever split…you'll be in a four way love square.
That's not funny, I said back, gritting my teeth.
I know it isn't, Meiji said. I've watched enough harem anime to know that fantasy is better than reality. Calm down, or it'll happen again.
I took a few deep breaths to calm my rapidly beating heart at my sudden rising anger. I felt Meiji doing the same. Sorry…
No, I am. I said something stupid.
No you didn't, it's fine.
Meiji went silent as I put the last of the dishes away. I washed my hands then headed back out only to see Monika, Natsuki and Sayori organizing the fliers. Monika looked up as I came out. She flashed me a grin and gave me a thumbs up. It was pretty interesting to see her becoming more outgoing and relaxed around everyone else. "We're all done!"
"Really? Awesome!" I said, smiling at all three girls. Sayori was beaming and Natsuki grinning proudly.
"You expected something less from three awesome pros?" Natsuki asked.
"Ahaha, that's not what I was implying," I said. I turned then to Monika. "So…is there anything else we need to do for the night?"
She shook her head. "Nope. I think we're all good for now."
Natsuki stretched. "Hnnng, I don't know why, but I am tired. And I didn't do much today…"
"Are you gonna be okay to walk home in this rain?" I asked as another flash came from outside.
"Huh? Oh, yeah I'll be fine." She grinned again and began packing up.
"So, are we all meeting here or at Meiji's house?" Sayori asked.
"Meiji's," I said. "It's a bit bigger, plus his parents will be gone for the day."
Actually, it'll probably be the weekend, Meiji said. I completely forgot Sunday's my sister's birthday.
This way we can do Sunday at your house too, I said.
Right!
"What time should we meet there?" Natsuki asked.
"Is ten AM too early for anyone?" Monika asked.
"I should be okay," Natsuki said.
"Me too!" Sayori said.
"I'll shoot Yuri a text," Natsuki said as she pulled out her phone and began typing in it fast. Somehow the fact that Natsuki was a fast texter didn't really surprise me. Her flip phone design was also as cute as could be, pink with a few balloon stickers on the outside. "There, hope she responds."
"I'm sure she will," I said just as a reply sound came in on Natsuki's phone.
Natsuki looked at her phone and snickered. "Yuri never seems to get the hang of texting, and she has a smartphone!" Looking over her shoulder, I saw that Yuri had replied with a simple ok thanks. I chuckled.
"Well, let's call it a night then, everyone," Monika said.
"I'm out, y'all!" Natsuki said, heading to the door. "Sayori, thank your mom for allowing us to use her kitchen. Josiah and Meiji, thank you for helping out with dinner. See you all tomorrow!" She grabbed her bag and umbrella, put her shoes on and headed out.
The moment Natsuki was gone, my smile slowly disappeared. I turned to face Sayori. She flinched at my sudden serious look. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Monika's face looking at me worriedly. Without breaking eye contact, I said, "Monika, I'm sorry but could you head home before me? I'd like to talk to Sayori alone."
Monika looked like she was about to protest, but she stopped. She nodded slowly, walking up and putting a hand on my shoulder. Lowering her voice, she said, "Do what you can…please…" All I could do was nod slightly as Monika grabbed her bag and got ready to go.
Once she was gone, I made an effort to soften my expression. Sayori wasn't looking at me anymore. In fact, she was doing everything in her power to avoid eye contact with me. I sighed a bit. "Come on, let's sit down." Leading her to one of the living room's couches, I sat down next to her. Silence filled the room only broken by a ticking clock nearby. I sat there for a little while, gathering the thoughts. Finally, I took a deep breath. "Sayori, something's bothering you. Don't deny it."
She froze for a bit, then looked down. Her hands were clasped in her lap and she was slightly trembling. "How…could you tell?"
"It wasn't me. It was Meiji," I said.
I might have been distant lately, but I still know you well enough to know when something's bothering you, Meiji said. And something's on your mind right now.
After I repeated this to Sayori, her face fell more. "I see…"
I turned to her. Taking her chin in my hand, I made her face me slowly. "Come on, Sayori, we're here to help you," I said.
She did her best to avoid eye contact with me, but I didn't stop looking at her with a concerned expression. Finally, she deflated as if giving in and made eye contact with me. "Josiah, you're a bad influence on Meiji. He was never this stubborn." She smiled sadly.
I smiled a bit back. "You are correct, but this is something I need to be stubborn about. Something we need to be stubborn about. Your happiness is important to me and, more importantly, to Meiji."
She shook her head. "Please…don't…"
Sayori then gave me a look that not only shattered my heart, but shattered Meiji's as well. I immediately wrapped my arms around the chocolate bun and held her close. She just sat there, not making a move as I held her in my arms as comfortingly as I could. However, a half minute later she broke, weakly reaching to wrap her own arms around me, crying as quietly as she could. "M-Meiji…Josiah…I'm-I'm not…" she tried to get out before dissolving into soft sobs. She buried her face in my uniform, weeping loudly. I could feel Meiji's desire to hold the woman he loved close, and I replied to his feelings by doing just that. I waited until she had finished. When she released me, her eyes were bloodshot and damp with all the tears she'd shed. She was hiccupping every few seconds.
"Sayori, please tell me…please tell us…what's wrong. Please…"
Sayori looked down. "Josiah…I…I can't tell you…you'll only worry-"
"I'm already worrying," I interrupted her. "Please tell us."
Sayori didn't move, just continued looking down. I gave her time to gather her thoughts, then she slowly looked back up at me. "Josiah…can you…give me an honest answer to the question I'm about to ask?"
Oh dear…does she suspect something about us? Meiji asked worriedly.
If so, it was only a matter of time. I'm surprised our flimsy lie lasted this long.
So…what are you gonna do?
I sighed and closed my eyes. I could almost see the choice boxes in my mind's eye. TELL THE TRUTH or LIE. I immediately dismissed the LIE. I couldn't do it anymore. Opening my eyes, I said with determination, "Yes, I will."
Sayori took a deep breath herself, then asked what must have been one of the hardest things to ask. "Josiah…are you in love with Monika?"