I own nothing. Monika does.
Sayori walked to school, quietly humming to herself. The new pen Akechi had bought her was safely stashed in her pocket. It was a small gift, but it had reminded Sayori of something she had been meaning to do for awhile now. After all, this might be a chance to make her roommate's life a bit easier.
Making her way through the school's main hallway, Sayori had only one goal in mind, the bulletin board. Looking through the posters and sign-up sheets, her brows furrowed in slight frustration. So many clubs to join, but would any of them be any help?
Sayori missed the Literature Club at her old school, and she wanted to recreate that experience. Sadly, none of the related clubs at Shujin seemed right. The Book Club was more about reading books in a certain amount of time, as opposed to writing creatively. The Poetry Club didn't seem to focus on anything but that one aspect of literature, one aspect of literature that Sayori didn't think herself any good at yet. All other related clubs had similar or identical problems, and she quickly found herself disheartened.
Sighing sadly, Sayori walked to home room. She wanted to try and jog her memory so she could help Akechi with the investigation, but her efforts were fruitless. All they did was make her homesick. Sayori might have considered starting a Literature Club herself, desperate to get even the slightest feelings of being home again, but it held too many risks. If she started a new club on her own, there was no guarantee that people would join. If people did join, what would happen if the case was finally solved? Sayori would feel awful to leave a newly formed club so suddenly.
"Good morning, Matsu-chan."
Sayori looked up from her desk and a smile formed on her face. "Good morning, Takamaki-chan!"
Abandoning her previous thoughts, Sayori waved happily. Ann smiled lightly in return and took her seat. Sayori noticed instantly that something was off.
"Takamaki-chan, you seem nervous. You look all fidgety," Sayori said, pointing out the blonde girl's shaking knees, twiddling thumbs, and slightly forced smile.
"Oh! Really? I suppose it's kind of obvious though, isn't it?" Ann tried to chuckle a bit, but it seemed forced. So instead she looked down at her desk.
"I'm just… nervous about a modeling job. That's all. I'd really prefer not to go into details. Besides, I'd probably bore you anyway!" Ann explained. Sayori nodded in understanding. She was about to explain her own dilemma when the bell rang. Getting out a book, Sayori settled into her seat. She needed to finish it soon. It was due today, afterall.
Free period was always the best part of Sayori's average school day. Choosing to spend it in the library almost everyday had become a custom. Lately, it had transformed into the only thing in Sayori's life that felt close to home. Out of all of the things missing, Sayori missed her club mates most of all.
"Excuse me. Can I help you?"
It was only when the person standing in front of her asked this that Sayori realized she was crying. She hastily wiped the tears away and looked up to see who had addressed her.
A girl a few years her senior was standing before her. She was wearing a black business outfit, with black glasses and a white bow in her hair. Sayori recognized her as the girl that sat behind the library's front desk to check out books.
Realizing that the girl was waiting for an answer, Sayori forced a small chuckle. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm probably just a bit tired."
The girl nodded and took a seat across from Sayori. "That's good to hear. I see you come in here almost everyday, and it was unusual to see you crying. New girl at school? Crying? Those are two things that really shouldn't be combined."
Sayori smiled at her joke. However, the situation felt so familiar she almost started crying again.
"I'm sorry for troubling you. Before I go back to my post, I was wondering if there anything you think I could do for you?" The girl kindly offered.
"It's probably not anything you could help with, honestly. But my most recent problem is that I've had trouble finding a club to join," Sayori felt embarrassed over the simplicity of the problem she was bringing up. But upon finding the girl listening intently, she decided to continue.
"The club I joined at my old school had a bit more, well freedom, than all of the related clubs here. The Book Clubs and Poetry Clubs here seem alright, but the club I was a part of was about literature in general. We'd have tea, occasionally eat snacks, and do all sorts of fun club activities. One of my club mates even kept a manga collection in the closet of the clubroom," Sayori explained.
The girl went into deep thought for a minute. Suddenly a bright smile appeared on her face. "I think I have the solution to your problem. Follow me, please."
The girl grabbed Sayori by the wrist and dragged her to the front desk. While she dug around in the back for a few moments, Sayori took the time to check the name tag at the front desk. Mai Mori, Sayori read quietly. Before she could give it further thought, Mai slammed a piece of paper onto the front desk. Sayori jumped back a little, slightly startled.
"How would you like to be a librarian's aid?" Mai asked eagerly. Sayori took the paper and looked it over. The permission slip did little to clear things up for her, causing her to turn her head towards Mai in confusion.
"I know it sounds boring and busy, but it's really not. Aside from having to check out books, and reshelving returns, it comes with a lot of privileges similar to what you're looking for. There's a back room where we can make tea and have snacks, with permission from the faculty. Not to mention, we can check out as many books as we want," Mai explained, making wild gestures with her hands as she did so.
Looking down at the paper once again, Sayori finally gave a light smile. "I'd love to join, Mori-san."
Mai smiled sweetly. "Perfect. Just have a parent or guardian sign the paper and get it back to me when you can. Until then, since this period is almost over, I'll go ahead and check out that book you were reading." She grabbed the book quickly, scanned it with practiced ease, and handed it to Sayori. Just then the bell rang. Sayori turned to leave.
"I look forward to hanging out with you, Sayori!" Mai called as Sayori started towards her next class. Sayori started to nod in agreement, but then a thought occurred to her.
"Wait. How did you know my name was—"
The hallway became crowded, and Mai's answer was lost to the myriad of voices filling the air.
I hope you guys liked the chapter. Sorry for the lack of Yusuke. Also, since a few of you have reviewed saying you didn't get the reference for Sayori's last name, I'll clear it up here. It was a Death Note reference. There is a character in the show with the last name, Matsuda, that kind of reminds me of Sayori. To avoid being killed, he changes his name to Matsui, and then it is shortened to Matsu by one of the characters. I see a lot of people comparing Akechi to Death Note's main character, Light Yagami. Personally, aside from physical appearance, I don't really see it. Anyway, please read and review, and I'll see you next time!