The pair of them settled down on a bench just outside of the school's main entrance. Sayori instantly whipped out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and started digging into it.

Monika, attempting to do so inconspicuously, stole glances at Sayori out of the corner of her eye. She watched how the girl ate. Watched how flecks of peanut butter ended up dotting her cheeks only a few bites into the sandwich. Even during an event as mundane as this, Monika was completely and totally enraptured by the detail of the world around her. Sunlight glistened off of Sayori's cheeks, her blue eyes sparkled cheerfully…

Monika wasn't sure for how long she'd been staring when she noticed Sayori looking up at her confusedly.

Monika averted her gaze, feeling her cheeks heat up. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to, um…"

Sayori looked at her, then down at the sandwich, and tilted her head. "Wait, do you not have lunch today?"

"Oh. I, uh, guess I don't," replied Monika, thanking her lucky stars that Sayori was such a good conversationalist. "B-But you don't have to give me any!"

"Monikaaa," Sayori groaned. "Let me feed yooou."

Monika smiled despite herself. "Really, it's okay. I'm not hungry."

Sayori hummed. "If you say so." With a few more well-placed bites, she finished off the last few bits of her sandwich and sighed contentedly, leaning back against the brick wall of the school. She burped softly. "Oop! Sorry."

Monika chuckled. "Don't worry about it." A lull passed over the two of them for a few moments. Then, Monika remembered why she'd even come to school in the first place. Taking a moment or two to get her thoughts in order, she cleared her throat.

"Um, Sayori?" she began. The girl next to her perked up quickly. Monika froze, clenching and unclenching her hands. Why couldn't she speak?

But Sayori was still looking at her expectantly…okay. Better go with something neutral.

"T-This is some nice weather, huh?" Monika said, smiling and pointing up the sky.

"Oh! Yeah, totally," Sayori replied, beaming. "Sunlight's the best! And no clouds, either!"

"Yeah. It's very pleasant," Monika said. She looked down between her legs and kicked at the grass. Darn it.

Sayori looked away slowly and smiled wistfully, gazing up at the sky. "I hope it sticks around until Monday. A day like today would be perfect for the festival."

"The festival?!" Monika said quickly, turning to Sayori. Had the festival not happened yet in this world?

Sayori smiled nervously. "Um. Yeah?"

Monika looked away, the gears turning in her head. "What day is it today?"

"T-Thursday," Sayori said. "Are you feeling okay? You seem a little off."

What on Earth? Monika had reasoned long ago that the original route of the game had to have started on a Tuesday because it was comprised of four days before the weekend which was then followed by the festival on Monday. If today was a Thursday, then this world was more different than she'd thought. Monika shook her head and snapped back to reality. "I-I'm fine. Still tired."

Sayori frowned and leaned a little bit closer. "Are you sure? It seems like you've got something on your mind."

Monika thought for a minute. "There's something I want to ask you. Is there anyone you're bringing to the club today?"

Sayori smiled brightly. "Just me!"

"That's…um…" Monika took a moment to figure out how best to phrase this. It was possible that Sayori had already brought the player character to the club two days ago. That would fit in the game's timeline. However, Sayori would expect her to already know that, so she couldn't ask her about it. Monika decided to press the question she'd already asked. "I was thinking that maybe you had an idea of someone you'd like to invite to join the Literature Club? Maybe a friend of yours or something?"

"Oh…sorry, I haven't asked anyone recently," replied Sayori, looking crestfallen for an instant. But just as quickly as Monika registered the change in demeanor, Sayori bounced back with a smile that was just a little bit too wide. "But I can try harder if you want me to!"

"No, no, you're fine," Monika said quickly. So Sayori hadn't brought them to the club yet. The surprises just kept on piling up, and Monika was quite suddenly struck with the realization of just how much she didn't know about this new world. If Sayori really hadn't asked the player character to join the club, who's to say that the two of them were still friends in this world? Who's to say that the player character still existed? And even if they did, would they try to join the club on their own if Sayori hadn't helped them along already?

Monika huffed and rolled her eyes inwardly. Not a chance. In the game, Sayori essentially had to socially blackmail them into just showing up, and even after that, it took some convincing to get them to commit to the club. They were too closed off and set in their ways to try anything new of their own volition. How annoying.

Monika frowned. Huh. Where did that come from?

But just as she was starting to wonder, a bell chimed overhead. As she and Sayori got up and walked to their classes, Monika hummed thoughtfully and decided to think about it later.