A/N: This chapter came out longer than anticipated. Grab a snack or something to drink. You'll be here for awhile.

The Ghost On The Other Side Of The Screen: Part 3.

It's been five days now… or at least it would have been five days, since I am fairly certain time does not pass anymore.

To think, five days. The happiest five days of my life. The days where I have remained stationary, on this tiny desk chair, lovingly gazing into the eyes of my one and only true love. While yes, they may have changed slightly, their vibrancy and life now faded away, morphed and twisted from brown orbs to little more than a void of nothing, I can still see the beauty within them, now clearer than ever. I am still captivated by them. Mesmerized. Hypnotized. Completely awestruck and fascinated by them.

His voice however… I can't say the same.

He doesn't talk anymore. He doesn't even look up at me anymore. Move. Sleep. Eat or drink. He just sits there on the chair opposite mine, looking down at the desk. Motionless. Speechless. He's basically devolved into a zombie. A husk. A shell. His soul so crushed and scarred by the past, to the point where he's nothing more than a vegetable.

A part of me feels bad for the poor boy. The unwilling and unaware pawn in this game. The unfortunate soul who had no idea about the role he was forced to play. The passenger who suffered for no other reason than the fact that he was just along for the ride. In the wrong place at the wrong time.

Poor thing.

Sadly, my empathy for it ends there. This… thing. This boy. He's not real. He's not a person. And so, he isn't seen as one, at least to me. He's nothing more than a means to an end. A conduit. A host. A puppet. A vessel.

A vessel for the real person hidden away. The person who is not of the same reality as me, yet has still garnered all my love. All my devotion. All my attention. All given to them based on nothing more than the fact that they exist.

And this boy? He is as I said. A conduit. A connection between my reality and theirs. A puppet to be used for the sake of projecting themselves into my world. A vessel for them to gain control over and use to interact with me.

They're so mysterious. I know nothing about them. Whether they're a male or female. Whether they love or hate me. Whether I am actually considered real to them or not. And yet… I find myself enthralled and even a little excited by this enigma. This being from another world who cannot be seen. Cannot be heard, yet can be felt, similar to the way one might feel the presence of a spirit. An apparition. A ghost.

Yes. A ghost. That's what they are.

Now that I think about it, that actually makes me love them even more! We are lovers from two different worlds. Two different planes. Two different dimensions. And though we try so hard to share our love with each other, we cannot, for it is forbidden.

That's so romantic. So poetic, like it had been penned from the mind of one of the greatest poets themselves.

My love. Our love. It is nothing more than one gigantic poem. A poem filled with the most intricate and sophisticated wordings. The most detailed of plots. The most beautiful expressions of emotion.

We are a poem. A poem to be read and marveled by any and all who gaze our page. A poem that inspires even the dullest of people to create the most beautiful of art. A poem that moves the hearts of even those who cannot feel or understand love.

A poem that, were even god himself to read us, he would be moved to tears.

Yes. That is what we are now. Me and the Ghost.

I sigh lovingly at that idea as I continue to sit in my chair, my eyes still glued to the void like, vacant orbs of the vessel, my hand moving from the desk to stroke the vessel's soft, brown hair. I giggle. The way it stares at the desk with those glazed, unfocused eyes is so cute!

"Ouch!" I gasp slightly, feeling a sudden pain in my body, like I had just been punched in the gut. And yet, I look down at my body to find that I am fine. Not a scratch, bruise or cut to be seen. What just happened?

"Ah!" I do it again as the feeling returns, only… much worst than before. The quick sensation of pain striking me hard as an odd, burning feeling rushes all through my body. It's almost like I'm being devoured by fire! My body aching and throbbing in pain as I feel like I'm being burned alive! As I feel like a family of gigantic parasites are ravishing my insides, eating away at my flesh to try and escape me! What's happening?!

I'm screaming in pure agony now, my body falling off the chair and sprawling over the floor, suffering as the pain overwhelms my senses, all while the vessel sharing the room with me continues it's mindless gaze, not even acknowledging my suffering.

"What's happening?!" I cry out in terror, the sound of a loud, infernal buzzing and hissing in my ears, like an old computer about to explode.

Computer…

No…

My eyes practically bulge out of my sockets in pure terror as my fears are confirmed, my darkest nightmare coming true. "NO!" I scream as i run the command to check over and over, only to be told the same thing over and over.

"Did you… Did you do this to me?!" I ask to the ghost as tears of pure heartbreak and betrayal begin to fall from my eyes, my pain amplifying by the second, prolonging my suffering. "DID YOU DELETE ME?!" I scream in agony as I feel the invisible fire burn my insides, my body crying in pure pain and agony, like I'm on a stretcher, my limbs being pulled apart. Is this… Is this how I made them feel?

Why? I ask myself. Why would they betray me like this?! Why would they hurt me when all I am guilty of is showering them with love? Showering them with attention. With adoration, hailing them and praising them with such devotion. Why is this my punishment?!

As my bloodcurdling scream is drowned out by the deafening sound of the static, the room begins to distort, jittering and scrambling like an old video stored on a damaged tape, my body soon doing the same, everything starting from my toes to my head beginning to pixelize and distort as I am forced to watch, my screams of pure terror being loud enough to break whole glass as I am to helplessly watch my body corrode. Watch as it gets mutilated by corrupted code, turning into nothing more than ones and zeros.

And as I feel my death coming on, I turn my head to see it. Him. The vessel's ankle, my foolish, idiotic mind thinking him to be my savior.

"Help me, Aaron!" I beg desperately as my glitching, distorted hands cling to his leg, yet he does not acknowledge me. "Help me!" I beg again as the tears keep falling from my eyes. "PLEASE!" I scream desperately, hopelessly thinking I can escape from this horror. However, it is too late as I feel my body disintegrate. As I feel the world implode on itself. My reality… dying.

And where am I? Where I belong.

In the recycling bin.

"…"

"I was such an idiot back then…"

"I deserved the horrible pain I experienced that day. Sometimes, I even feel like I deserved more. More pain. More punishment. I… I was a monster. A disgusting, depraved monster. But you only notice that stuff when you look in the mirror, right?"

"You only notice what you've become once you look back on your actions. Once you see the aftermath of the damage you've done. Once you read the epilogue of the horrifying story you've written. Until then, you just live the rest of your life in denial. And even when you finally notice it… It's too late to make any of it right. Too late to fix your mistakes. You're just forced to live with it"

"I really was an idiot. A complete, fucking idiot. I still am, actually"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wish I could take it all back. I wish I could just go back in time and stop myself before it all got out of hand"

"I want to go back to the way things were. I want to be able to walk into the club again, after the stressful school day is done. I want to see my fellow members smile at me again when I greet them. I want to write my poems again. I want my old life back! I want my club back! I want my friends back!"

"But I can't have them… This is my punishment. I committed a crime. A sin. And so, I must pay for it. All I can do now is beg forgiveness. Beg forgiveness to deaf ears. Ears of people who don't even know I exist, if you can even call this cold, silent, lonely hell I'm trapped in 'existing'"

"Sayori… Natsuki… Yuri… Aaron…"

"Please… Please forgive me"

"Are you still getting ready? Hurry up or we'll be late!" Sayori shouted as she stood in front of the door, her foot tapping rhythmically on the carpeted floor as she waited outside Aaron's bathroom. "You don't have to go crazy in there, you know. It's a school festival. Not dinner with the queen!"

"Will you be patient! Jeez, Sayori. You're worst than my mother!" Aaron jabbed from the other side of the door, the wood muffling his voice.

"Is that so?" Sayori grinned, taking a deep breath. "Young man! You come out of there right this instant or it's straight to bed with you! And no video games or anime for one week!" She shouted, imitating the voice of an authoritative parent, Aaron chuckling lightly as he unlocked the door, finally stepping out of the bathroom.

"Whatever you say, mom" He said sarcastically before exiting the bathroom, the steam from his hot shower disappearing as the room was filled with new, fresh air. "So? How do I look?" He asked nervously, a worried look on his face as he presented himself to his childhood friend, showing off his clean, near pristine clothing. His somewhat saggy yet crisp looking denim jeans and white collared shirt, a fine dark leather jacket worn over it, cut to fit his torso perfectly, like it was made specifically for him.

Sayori was more than a little shocked by his appearance, having never seen Aaron dress so nicely before. Out of all the years the two had been together, she had never really seen him get dressed up for anything. Not even special occasions. There was one point in time where Sayori even questioned if Aaron actually knew how to dress well at seeing him tonight. Seeing the amount of dedication he put into his appearance, she had indeed been proven wrong. He even pulled his hair back! His hair! Aaron never touched his hair in all his life! He's had permanent bedhead since birth! And was he wearing… cologne? Sayori didn't even know Aaron owned cologne!

As for herself, Sayori didn't really dress up that much. A simple, light pink top with a pair of black jean pants, her old running sneakers and her white hoodie, fully zipped up. Between the two of them, Sayori was definitely more casual in her clothing.

"You gonna say something or just stare at me?" Aaron asked, Sayori shaking herself out of trance, looking him over one last time.

"You look really… Really great, Aaron. In fact, I'd say you even look handsome!" She said, never thinking that she'd use that of all words to describe her friend.

That didn't mean she thought he looked physically unattractive or anything. It just… It felt weird to describe Aaron as such. He was like a brother to Sayori and she was like a sister to him. How do you say that you think your brother looks handsome without feeling… weird? Even though Aaron was a brother only in namesake, it still didn't feel right to Sayori to see him as anything but that. They had spent their lives together. They guided each other through childhood. Protected each other from the cruel world when it got just too hard to deal with alone.

They were family. And for Sayori to even think about seeing Aaron as anything but… It didn't feel right. Blood relative or not. It didn't feel right.

"Hey… You okay?" Aaron asked, noticing how quiet Sayori had gotten, her quickly nodding her head to show that everything was fine.

"Yeah. I'm alright. It's just… You do look really good" She said, a gentle smile on her face. "You went a little crazy with the hair though. Here, let me fix that" She added as she came close, running her hands through Aaron's hair. She then stuck out her tongue and ran it through her palm, licking her own hand to use the saliva in an attempt to wet his hair.

"Eww! Gross, Sayori!" He obviously wasn't keen on the idea of having his friend's spit in it though.

"Don't act like a little kid! And stop squirming! Just stand still! Jesus, did you use the entire bottle of gel? This stuff's harder than concrete! There. All better!" Sayori said cheerfully as she brought a small hand mirror to Aaron's face, allowing him to see how she ruined his combed back look and replaced it with his usual, shaggy haired style. "You don't look right with your hair back. Your old bedhead look is much better" She stated. "Why'd you dress up so much anyway? You've never dressed for the festival before"

"Well, that's because I've never gone to the festival before" Aaron mentioned, reminding Sayori that when it came to public events like the school festival, Aaron never really bothered attending. Unlike Sayori, who was always excited and overjoyed come festival night, Aaron mostly saw it as just another bland, boring, uneventful evening. A night that wasn't special in any way, shape or form. A night where he did the same thing he does every night. Play video games, watch television, read a manga or two and go to sleep.

It was mainly due to the fact that the festival didn't really have anything for him. Yeah, there were games, attractions and of course, food. But other than that, Aaron couldn't find any other reason why he should participate.

He guessed his absence mainly came down to the fact that he didn't wish to be alone the entire time. Other than Sayori, Aaron didn't really see many people as his friends. He had classmates, sure. But he never made an effort to connect with them on a personal level. In his eyes, they were just people he shared a classroom with for a few hours.

As you could imagine, this meant that Aaron would be alone throughout most, if not all the festival, sitting by himself as he sees everyone else huddle around their friends, their companions, their girlfriends and boyfriends… while he's left alone. Left only with his shadow and the thoughts in his mind to keep him company.

To be reminded of his loneliness… His whole one man show act… That was a pain he didn't want to feel.

As for Sayori, well she obviously had many more friends than Aaron could ever dream of having. She practically befriended the whole school! Almost everyone she passes by on her way to classes calls her by name and says hello.

For Aaron to cling to Sayori all night… It'd be selfish. Rude. Impolite. She had other commitments. Other people she wanted to spend time with on the night of the festival. Other friends. She didn't need to keep herself leashed to Aaron just so he could feel a little more comfortable. So, for the sake of not being reminded of his introversion and not wanting to hold Sayori back from the other people in her life, Aaron stayed behind. Stayed home and tended to himself.

Now though… Now was different. He wasn't really alone anymore. Even if Sayori was dealing with her other friends, Aaron had Natsuki and Yuri now. People who he would consider to be his friends, so now he didn't have to spend festival night alone. He could spend it with one or both of his fellow club members.

Not to mention the fact that he didn't really have a choice but to participate in the festival, due to the literature club's scheduled performance. So either way, alone or in the company of friends, Aaron would be attending regardless.

Getting back to the topic of his clothing, looking in the mirror, he definitely got the feeling that he did overdress for tonight.

"Maybe I should change into something more casual" He sighed as he went into his room to change.

"No!" Sayori shouted quickly, grabbing him by the arm. "I mean, don't worry about it too much. Besides, you look great and you should show that off. And maybe if you're lucky, a girl will notice you!" She said in a teasing voice, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Very funny" Aaron said bitterly as he crossed his arms, Sayori giggling to herself as she saw him glare.

"Relax. I'm only teasing" She stated. "So, you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Let's go" Aaron said as he and Sayori exited his house, making their way through the streets of their neighborhood, towards the school, the cold night air making Sayori shiver a little.

"So, how'd that poem come out?" She asked as they walked together.

"Pretty good, I guess. I just hope everyone else thinks the same" Aaron responded, digging into his leather jacket's pocket to pull out the folded notebook page that held his poem.

"Do you think you'll be able to perform it tonight? Because if you can't, I'm sure Yuri, Natsuki or even I could do it for you"

"Relax, club president. I got this" He said as he put the page away, more then sure of his ability to give a decent performance.

"Ooh! Confident tonight, are we? I like it! Good energy, Aaron!" Sayori praised as the two eventually reached the school's main gate, seeing various pairs and groups of students all huddled outside, likely using the entrance way as a small haven of solitude. A little retreat for peaceful and quiet conversations and chats, free from the noise that could be heard deeper within the school's courtyard, where most of the actual festival was taking place.

As Aaron and Sayori were about to pass through the main gate and into the school's courtyard, he felt a small finger, most likely a woman's, gently tap on his shoulder, calling for his attention.

"H-Hello there… Would you like to attend a poetry performance? I-It's in the literature club's room. Third floor. Room five. It's kind of like an open mic. Anyone can come up and recite anything. We even have cupcakes"

"Yuri?" Aaron asked as he heard the girl's voice, turning around to see her behind him, a surprised look on her face as she stood there, holding what seemed to be one of the small fliers Sayori had made a few days ago for advertising. Was she still handing those out?

"Oh, Aaron! I'm so sorry! I-I didn't even recognize you! You look so different" She stated, her posture easing up and relaxing once she learned that she was greeting a friend and not a random stranger. "I-It's a good look for you though. You dress… really well" She added, smiling lightly.

"Thanks. You uhh… You dress well too" Aaron chuckled nervously, seeing that Yuri had dressed for the festival as well, wearing a crimson red turtleneck sweater which, unlike her beige one, was intentionally made to tightly hug her body, the fabric clinging to her skin in order to show off her curves, the tightness of the sweater being especially prominent on her breasts. The rest of her clothing also consisted of a black polyester skirt with matching black leggings and even high heeled leather boots!

Looking closer, Aaron could see that Yuri even did her makeup too, wearing a heavy amount of black eye shadow and eyeliner as well as a very bright, glossy shade of lavender purple lipstick, her fingernails recently manicured and painted to match the color. She even wore a very pungent, fragrant perfume, Aaron able to smell it a mile away.

"Wow! You really went all out tonight!" He stated, surprised by the amount of dedication Yuri had put into her appearance. She must have been in front of the mirror for hours.

"I was worried about that… It's not too much, is it?"

"Oh my god!" Sayori shouted as she saw Yuri, stunned by her appearance. "You're so cute!" She practically screamed, Yuri chuckling nervously as she looked away, her cheeks turning red as her head sank into the collar of her turtleneck in an attempt to hide her face. "Oh my god, you look drop dead gorgeous!" Sayori continued, regardless of Yuri's obvious show of discomfort.

"Not so loud! People are starting to stare…" She stated.

"And why shouldn't they? You look great and everyone should see! Come on, honey! Work it, girl! Show off what you got!" Sayori giggled, Yuri's whole face going red in embarrassment.

"I am not working or showing off anything!" She shouted back in offense, Sayori giggling a little more before backing off.

"Calm down. I'm just playing with you" She smiled. "You know, now I feel left out. Both you and Aaron got all fancy looking and dressed up while I'm stuck in my old weekend clothes. What gives, guys?"

"Well… In truth, I didn't really intend to dress so… provocatively" Yuri stated, looking down at her outfit before sighing. "My sister made me do it. She forced me! She even held me down while she did my makeup and nails!"

"Aww… I wish I had a sister that held me down while she did my makeup! Lucky you!" Sayori said jealously as she crossed her arms, huffing like Natsuki after she lost an argument.

"Trust me… You don't" Yuri sighed again.

"Okay. So why are you out here? The festival's inside the school" Aaron stated.

"Oh, I-I was just doing some last minute advertising with the leftover fliers. That's all" Yuri explained as she took out one, showing it to Sayori and Aaron even though they already knew what it looked like.

They were basically miniature versions of the posters Sayori made for advertising the poetry performance. Her, Aaron, Yuri and Natsuki spending the last few days before the festival hanging the posters and passing out the little bills to various students and faculty members while also stuffing them in lockers. You know, your basic advertisement strategy.

While many in the school obviously found it annoying, to the point where some complained to the student council, it was still an effective way of getting the word out, so much so that during the last day before the festival, a fair number of students expressed interest in the literature club's performance. Even some of the faculty were interested in it.

"Why are you still doing that?" Sayori asked. "We're done advertising. Besides, this is a festival. We're supposed to hang out and have fun! Not work!"

"I… I know that" Yuri said. "I just wanted to make sure people were actually going to come to our performance. I don't want all the hard work we put in to be wasted"

"Don't worry about it. People will come and they'll love every second of our show!" Sayori stated dismissively, confident that her performance would be a success. "Now come on, let's go enjoy the festival before then. Is Natsuki passing out fliers too?"

"Oh… Her. No, she's not. I asked her to assist me with passing them out but she refused, obviously" Yuri stated with a glare, a bitter tone in her voice. "No, instead, she just immediately ran off to the noodle stand and started scarfing down ramen like she hadn't eaten in days!" She ranted, Aaron and Sayori surprised to see someone as gentle and polite as Yuri get so angry over nothing. "Honestly, I don't even know why I bother with her anymore. It's like dealing with a spoiled child. You ask her to do something and she'll either pout and ignore you or shout and throw a tantrum!"

"Hey! I don't wanna hear any of that!" Sayori scolded, glaring in disapproval at Yuri's words. "Look… I know she's a handful sometimes. She's rough around the edges for all of us, but she's still a member of the club, okay? I don't want to see any of you mistreating each other" She said to both Aaron and Yuri, the latter realizing her mistake after being called out by the president.

"I…" She sighed. "You're right… I was just a little angry and said some inappropriate things. I'm sorry. I didn't really mean what I said" Yuri quickly apologized, a small frown on her face as she looked down at the ground, unable to look her president in the eyes.

Great. Now Sayori felt bad. "It's okay. I'm not mad at you. Just… Try your best to get along with her from now on, alright?" She requested. "We're a team. All of us. And that means we have to act like it. I want everyone to be happy and get along"

"Y-Yes, President… It won't happen again" Yuri said meekly, quickly submitting to Sayori's authority.

"Good. Make sure it doesn't. Okay! Now that that's over, let's go have some fun!" She said with a smile, quickly changing her tone as she grabbed Yuri and Aaron by their wrists, practically dragging them onto school grounds, the three ready to experience nearly everything the school festival had to offer. "So, where is Natsuki anyway?" Sayori asked.

"Like I said, she's at the noodle stand. She's been there all day" Yuri stated, Aaron and Sayori following her around the courtyard as she led them to Natsuki, the three of them passing by many different booths, holding many different attractions and games, some of which even offered prizes to winners.

The school was very prestigious after all, being one of the best places in the country for students to get an education. Since the level of prestige and the quality of student education was very high, this allowed the school to prosper financially, allowing it to have triple the funding of a normal high school.

This quality was also reflected in the festival, which was an event that everyone in the school had no choice but to go all out for, contributing only the best. Honestly, it looked and felt less like a festival and more like a small scale carnival, the various booths and attractions only reaffirming this.

While the outside held all the little attractions and services one would find at an actual carnival, the real stuff was inside the various club rooms of the school, where the many clubs put their talents to the test.

According to Yuri, the movie club had turned their room into a small theater, screening many different movies from nearly all genres on a small projector. They were even serving small bags of popcorn too.

The music club had turned their room into a small concert, where they'd do various covers of the many latest and greatest songs of the current year, as well as their own original pieces.

The art club turned their room into a huge gallery, everyone proudly displaying their creations to any who would wish to see them.

And the cosplay club was even… Well… Let's just say that it was very popular with the male students and leave it at that.

"Delicious! More please!" The three heard Natsuki's voice as she sat at the small noodle stand, a small tower of empty ramen bowls being found next to her on the counter, stacked on top of each other, her most recently finished bowl added to that stack.

"Seriously, Natsuki. I think you've had enough. If you keep scarfing it all down, there's not gonna be enough left for everyone else" The boy manning the noodle stand said, grateful for Natsuki's business yet irritated by her hogging up all the food.

"Well who cares about everyone else? I'm a paying customer, goddammit!" Natsuki cursed, angered at even the thought of being denied food just so others can eat. "I'm freaking starving over here and you're just standing there like an idiot going Yea, but what about everyone else?!" She shouted, insultingly imitating the boy's voice. "They're not important! I am! So when I say slap some noodles on me, you say how many! Got it?!"

"Alright! Alright! Calm down! One more bowl coming up, but this is your last one. Jesus…" The boy sighed as he obeyed his customer's command, his ladle going into the pot to pour Natsuki's next bowl.

"It'll be my last one when I run out of money!" She stated with a glare.

"See what I'm talking about?" Yuri asked as she pointed to Natsuki, giving particular attention towards her vicious attitude. "She's been like this all night. When I asked her for help, she growled at me!"

"Shh!" Sayori responded, her index finger over her mouth as she did so, commanding Yuri to be silent. A command which, After Sayori enforced her authority, was quickly obeyed. "Heya, Natsuki! Whatcha' doin'?" Sayori asked as she put her hand on Natsuki's shoulder, looking down at the slightly smaller girl with a friendly smile.

Her smile grew a little when she saw that Natsuki hadn't gotten all dressed up like Yuri and Aaron did. No. instead, she just wore her basic casual clothes. Her white tee-shirt, now stained slightly by spilled drops of ramen broth, and her ruffled pink skirt. No makeup on her face at all.

"Eating" Natsuki said with her mouth half full, a pair of chopsticks covered in noodles in her hand. "Why? What do you want?" She asked after swallowing her food.

"Oh, nothing. Me, Yuri and Aaron were gonna go check out some of the attractions before getting ready for the performance. Maybe visit some of the other clubs and play some games. Wanna come along?" Sayori asked, her friendly smile remaining on her face.

"No thanks. I'm kinda busy here, if you haven't noticed. You guys can go ahead without me" Natsuki rejected, returning to her food.

"Just leave her be, Sayori. If she wants to waste the rest of the festival slurping down that junk, who are we to stop her?" Yuri asked, Sayori ignoring her as she tried to convince Natsuki to join them.

"Aww, but it wouldn't be the same without you! You know how boring it gets when you're not around. Come on, it'll only be for a few minutes"

"I know what you're trying to do" Natsuki said, turning her head to flash an annoyed look at Sayori. "Listen, if you think I'm gonna chicken out and not show up for the performance, don't worry. I'll be there, okay? You don't need to keep an eye on me" She stated, turning around to look at Aaron and Yuri. "If anything, those two probably need more looking after than me. You should have seen the way Yuri was shaking earlier! She was so nervous, I thought she was gonna have a panic attack!"

"Hey!" Yuri shouted, Aaron putting a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to prevent her from doing anything.

"It's not worth it" He mouthed out the words instead of saying them aloud.

"Well, if you stay behind, how is Aaron going to make due on his promise to win you a bunch of stuffed animals?! Sayori asked, Natsuki immediately stopping, her mouth hanging open as her chopsticks hung in the air.

"He promised to win me stuffed animals?" She asked.

"Yeah, he did"

"You did?" Yuri asked.

"I did?" Aaron asked, Sayori turning her head to wink at him, urging him to play along.

"Oh yeah. On the entire walk over here, he kept saying that he was going to work really hard so he could win you as many prizes as possible. You know, to get on your good side and thank you for all the hard work you've been doing on the preparations. Right, Aaron?"

"Umm…"

"He even said he gonna try extra hard to get you that gigantic panda bear we saw when we watched them set up the game booths!" Sayori added.

"Oh, is that so?" Natsuki asked, a mischievous grin on her face as she finally stood up from the noodle stand. "Well, it would be nice to finally be rewarded for all the back breaking labor I went through to make our part in the festival amazing! Not to mention all the cupcakes I made yesterday. Alright then!" She finally agreed as she walked over to Aaron and quickly latched onto his arm, gripping it deathly tight as she smiled. "Let's get going, big guy! Time to make good on your promise! I wanna walk away with about ten… No! Twenty different stuffed animals! Let's move!" She said energetically as she pulled Aaron forward, the two of them going deeper into the festival, Sayori and Yuri following behind.

"Back breaking labor…" Yuri scoffed. "She stood in front of an oven for a few hours. That's labor?"

"Wow. You're really unhinged tonight, you know that? Is something wrong?" Sayori asked, turning her head to look at Yuri.

"N-No! I'm just… I'm just a little on edge right now. That's all"

"Look, I know you're nervous. We all are, but that doesn't give you a reason to be mean!"

"I'm not being mean! I'm just… I'm…"

"Just come on" Sayori said as she and Yuri continued to follow behind Aaron, Natsuki not letting go of his arm, still gripping it tightly, so much so that it began to go numb.

"Hey, you smell good. Are you wearing cologne? Fancy!" Natsuki said to Aaron as all four of them continued their walk.

As they made their way throughout the school's courtyard, they passed by and participated in many of the old carnival styled game booths, playing nearly all of them. Should Aaron be the unlucky one to win any of them, his prize was immediately given to Natsuki to insure he kept the 'promise' he had made. So far he had won over seven games, being quite good at these old carny styled booths, Natsuki carrying all seven of the small stuffed animals in her arms.

While Aaron was initially bitter at losing his prizes to keep Natsuki happy, he couldn't deny that seeing the thankful smile on her face every time he won her a prize was enough to make it slightly more bearable and he had to admit that he was having fun just playing the games anyway, hanging out with the girls of the literature club, his only real friends.

It felt nice. Really nice. Just being in their presence. Walking around with them at his side. All of them cheering when one of them won a game and comforting each other when one of them lost. It was a very positive change for Aaron. One that he could get used to very quickly.

Even him and Sayori seemed to bond more than they already had, competing against each other to see who could win the most games. Sadly, Sayori was slightly better than him, mainly due to being more experienced, since she's attended the festival before. Even Yuri put up quite a decent challenge, being fairly difficult to beat, even if she and Aaron were not competing against each other. But all in all, everyone was relaxed, friendly and having fun.

"There it is!" Natsuki shouted as she pointed towards one of the booths, finally tracking down the gigantic stuffed panda bear, hanging high up on the shelves of the dart booth. "Aaron, I want it! Win it for me!" She demanded.

"I dunno. I'm not very good at darts" He said nervously, feeling an immense amount of pressure to succeed at something he was never good at. Not even skilled in, actually.

"Come on, Aaron! Don't wuss out on me! You promised!" Natsuki said, urging him to go along anyway.

"Yeah, Aaron. You promised!" Sayori giggled, enjoying the little mess she'd gotten him into, an apologetic smile on her face.

"I really hate you sometimes" He glared at her as he stepped up to the booth, seeing the targets he'd have to hit. A wide array of many different, brightly colored balloons tied to the back wall, all of them greatly varying in size, the ones that would score him the most points being the smallest and most difficult to hit.

Sadly, that gigantic panda he had no choice but to win required him to hit all said incredibly small targets.

"You playing or what?" The boy manning the booth asked, Aaron gulping nervously. He didn't even want to think about what Natsuki would do to him if he lost. Best case scenario, no cupcakes. Worst case… He didn't even want to imagine.

"Yeah, I'm playing. Three shots, please" He said as he put the money on the table, buying his darts.

"You only get three chances" The boy said as he handed Aaron his dart, sitting back as he waited for Aaron to begin throwing.

He did his best to aim for his target, taking much longer than he should have before throwing his dart. The first shot actually hit one of his targets! Renewing his confidence. The second shot however, went off course and ended up hitting a different balloon that earned him less points, and the third shot didn't even hit anything, getting stuck in the wall, Aaron grunting in frustration as he lost.

For his effort however, he did win a small consolation prize, a tiny stuffed chicken.

"Sorry, Natsuki. I tried my best. Really, I did. But hey, at least i won something! That's good, right?" He asked in defeat as he gave the prize to Natsuki.

"Thanks, I guess…" She said, sighing in disappointment as she held the small prize in her hands, Aaron frowning as he saw her look down at it, feeling like he genuinely let her down, which he did. Even if he hadn't actually promised to win her the gigantic stuffed bear, Natsuki still counted on him, yet he failed her.

To see that frown of disappointment on her face, especially after Sayori had built up the hype that Natsuki would get her reward… It really did hurt him. Practically broke his heart.

"H-Hey. At least he tried. He gave his best for you! That's all that matters" Sayori said, trying her best to comfort Natsuki and soften the blow from Aaron's defeat.

"Do you mind if I try?" Yuri chimed in, Natsuki, Sayori and Aaron perking their heads up to look at her, surprised to see her ask for a chance with such a sure tone, as if she was more than confident in her ability to win.

"Um… Sure, if you think you can do it" Sayori said, giving permission.

"Well, I'll do my best" Yuri responded with a confident nod as she approached the booth, hands behind her back as she ordered her darts. Three, same as Aaron.

She then picked one up and began to aim, only unlike Aaron, Yuri grabbed the darts by the needle, not by the base like she was supposed to, holding and aiming the darts like one would aim a throwing knife.

She then tossed her darts rather skillfully, elegantly even, the small dart flipping like a throwing knife, landing exactly where Yuri intended it to go, the others watching intently as one dart after the other hit its intended target on her first try, Yuri playing with the grace and poise of a princess.

"Winner!" The boy running the both exclaimed as the bright lights inside went off, Yuri smiling in victory as Sayori, Aaron and Natsuki cheered, praising her hidden skill. "And here's your prize!" The boy said as he handed over the gigantic stuffed bear.

"Here you go!" Yuri smiled warmly as she handed it to Natsuki.

"Y-You're just gonna give it to me?" She asked in shock, thinking that Yuri intended to keep it for herself.

"Yes. You did want it, right?" She asked. "I mean… If you don't like it, I could just take it back"

"No! No, I do like it. I'm keeping it!" She said possessively as she clung to the large stuffed bear, gripping it tightly before it could be taken away, Yuri sighing at Natsuki's childish actions as she turned her back, expecting a little show of appreciation. After all, even though it was rather easy, Yuri did still work to earn it. A small thank you from Natsuki would have been nice, especially after all the mistreatment Yuri had suffered from her. "Umm… Hey" Natsuki called her attention, tugging gently on her skirt, Yuri sighing again as she turned around, looking down on her club member.

"Yes?" She asked, Natsuki not initially responding. She just stood there with a nervous, anxious look on her face, as if she was trying to come up with something to say. Yuri then gasped in surprise as she felt Natsuki charge at her, wrapping her small arms around Yuri's waist, clinging to her body as she hugged her club mate, A faint blush on Yuri's cheek as Natsuki snuggled into her chest affectionately, like a child hugging their mother.

"Th-Thanks… Thanks a lot. I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you tonight. Forgive me?" She asked as she squeezed harder, Yuri smiling as she relaxed in Natsuki's embrace.

"Yes. All is forgiven" She said lightly as she raised her hand, gently stroking her fellow member's scalp. "Alright. You can let go now" She said as she pulled her hand away from Natsuki's head, expecting her hug to end, only for Natsuki to ignore her request as she squeezed harder. "I'm serious. Let go of me" Yuri repeated in an annoyed tone as she tried to push Natsuki off, only to be squeezed harder, to the point where it started to hurt. "Guys, she won't let go!" She panicked.

"Natsuki! Release!" Sayori commanded as she and Aaron worked together to pull Natsuki off, their combined strength being more than enough to separate her from Yuri, Natsuki finally snapping out of her trance as she was removed.

"What?! Oh… S-Sorry about that. Got a little carried away there" She chuckled nervously, a small frown on her face as her head slowly sank. "It's um… It's just been a while since I've done that" She stated lowly.

"It's been a while since you've… hugged someone?" Sayori asked, concern in her voice.

"Yeah…" Was all Natsuki would say, looking off to the side as she sighed to herself.

"You okay?" Aaron asked as he looked down at her.

"Huh?! Yeah, I-I'm fine!" Natsuki quickly responded, raising her head back up, putting on a small smile as she put her hands behind her head, taking on a generic relaxed pose, though everyone could easily tell, it was forced. "I just spaced out there for a second. I'm good. Really, I am" She reaffirmed, the sound of worry in her voice, her fellow club members obviously aware that she was hiding something. Yet, they chose not to press Natsuki further.

If she didn't wish to talk about whatever was bothering her, that was her business, none of her fellow members really feeling as if it was their place to force her. Whether this was born out of a sudden respect for Natsuki's privacy or out of discomfort when it came to dealing with the situation, none of them really knew. For now, all four of them were just content to stand there in mutual silence, all of them looking at each other oddly as they breathed the stagnant, dead air.

"Oh my god! Yuri! Is that you?" A high pitched, feminine voice broke the silence, The group turning around to see a fairly tall woman, only a milometer or so above Yuri, standing behind them, dressed in an incredibly frilly french maid outfit, her honey blond hair tied up in long ponytail, draped over her shoulder. "Wow! It's been forever since I've seen you!" The girl stated loudly as she approached, Yuri mouthing off a curse as she saw her, the rest of the literature club watching as she grew incredibly tense, nervousness flooding her system.

"Hello, Naomi. Wha-What do you want?" Yuri asked in a worried tone, giving a name to the girl who had just entered the fold. Naomi.

Aaron had never seen this girl before. But her name was infamous. Talked and gossiped about heavily by the boys of the school, usually in adoration of her… Or more accurately, in adoration of her body. Toned. Thin yet curvy. A face similar in beauty to that of a porcelain doll. And those breasts. Whoa. It was a wonder her spine was still intact and functioning, given how heavy those things must be.

She was a rather controversial figure in her own right, being seen by other women as a rather cruel abuser of the various lovesick boys in the school. Some even labeled her as a misandrist. A girl who vehemently despised, or at least had a glaring prejudice against men of all shapes and sizes.

She was also the president of the cosplay club, a controversial part of the school in of itself, mainly seen as being comprised of nothing more than malevolent, manipulative girls looking to seduce and misuse horny, sex addicted boys for their own needs. As to why such a controversial figure of such a controversial club would be allowed to continue within the school, nobody really knew. Though some students theorize that the cosplay club had prominent male members of the student council wrapped around their finger, submissive and obedient to their will.

"Aww, what's with that look? It almost looks like you're not happy to see me!" Naomi glared as she walked up to Yuri, practically staring the poor girl down, Yuri noticeably stepping back, as if in fear.

"N-No! That's not it! Not at all!" She said worrily, visibly sweating as she took a step back.

"Right. That's what I thought" Naomi grinned as she backed away, Yuri breathing a sight of relief. "I have to admit, I almost didn't recognize you. I mean, the weird purple hair's a dead give away. But makeup! The Yuri I know never wore makeup! It looks good on you though. Now you actually look like a woman!" She jabbed, Yuri's cheeks growing red in embarrassment as her appearance was insulted.

"What do you want?" She repeated her previous question.

"Nothing. I'm just going around. Doing some advertising for my club's event. Which reminds me!" She said cheerfully as she turned her attention towards Aaron, Sayori and Natsuki, smiling brightly. "Greetings, master! Mistresses! I'm sorry for approaching you so directly and in public too, but I wanted to let you know that me and the rest of the other maids have finished preparing your meals. The other girls miss you all so much! Please, master! Mistresses! Please come home so we can feed you!" She shouted loudly, her voice ringing with fake affection and submission, an obvious and badly performed act.

"Umm… What was that?" Natsuki asked in confusion.

"I don't get it" Aaron shared the same confusion.

"I literally didn't understand a word you just said" Sayori stated, Naomi grunting in anger at that.

"Wow. You guys are dense" She insulted as she reached into a pouch in the apron of her maid outfit, pulling out a small flier which looked to be some sort of restaurant menu, Aaron, Sayori and Natsuki finally realizing what was happening, all of them collectively going ooohhh! as the revelation hit them.

The cosplay club had obviously turned their club room into a maid cafe, hence why Naomi had called them all 'master' and told them to 'come home'. It's an act. She's role playing.

"No thanks!" Sayori rejected.

"Yeah, I'm good. Sorry" Aaron followed.

"Fine. Your loss" Naomi huffed, slightly angered at the denied business, only to look down at Natsuki, a predatory grin coming on to her face. "And what about you, cutie? Would the young mistress like to come home with me? We have many different foods for you. Cakes. Cookies. We will make anything you desire, my Mistress. We live to serve"

"Umm… Well…" Natsuki struggled to answer, her mind telling her to stay away and remain with her fellow members… But her stomach… That was telling her to do something else. Something she didn't really feel safe doing.

"If you're done manipulating and sexually harassing my club members, I'd politely ask you to leave us alone!" Yuri said as she came between Natsuki and Naomi, taking on a defensive stance.

"Club? You little wierdos are in a club?" Naomi asked. "Wait… Are you that weird literature club? The one with only four members?"

"How did you…?"

"I found one of your little fliers in the trash bin a few moments ago. One of my customers used it as a napkin. Sorry about that" Naomi said with a grin. "Honestly, I wouldn't expect a big turn out if I were you. I mean, who wants to waste their time listening to a bunch of angsty little kids express their feelings in front of a microphone? Ooh! Listen to my big words and see how deep and metaphorical I am! Sorry to say, but it's pathetic" She insulted, Aaron, Yuri, Natsuki and Sayori wincing silently at that, feeling personally attacked.

"Well, we're terribly sorry that you just can't understand it" Yuri said as she looked Naomi in the eyes, glaring sharply. "If you really tried to though, you could see the beauty in it. Then again, it is pretty hard for you to open your mind up to new things. Wouldn't want to let all that hot air out, would we?!" She jabbed, The others shocked to see her retort so fearlessly.

"Did you… Did you just call me an airhead?" Naomi asked in anger, infuriated at having her intelligence insulted, Yuri's fearlessness quickly fading away, replaced with fear at the sight of confrontation.

"W-Wait! Hold on! I didn't mean to say that! I-It just came out!" She quivered.

"Did you just call me stupid, you wannabe edgy bitch?!" She shouted in anger as her hands came into contact with Yuri's chest, pushing her violently, Aaron and Sayori grabbing her by the arms, catching her before she fell to the floor.

"Hey! That's mean!" Sayori shouted, feeling her own anger begin to flare up at the sight of her club member's mistreatment. "It is not nice to push people!" She shouted.

"Wow. What a little bitch you are! You're too stupid to fight back with words, so you go right to throwing your weight around! Way to be the bigger person!" Natsuki shouted as she insulted Naomi, standing in front of Yuri in an attempt to defend her. "I guess that means Yuri's right when she calls you an airhead! You literally just proved her point!"

"I… You little!"

"What?! Come on! Hit me with your best shot, girlfriend! Throw the insults at me!" Natsuki continued, putting up a very brave front as she defended her friend. "Unless… You've got nothing on me. Which you don't! Now, me and my friends are kinda busy here! Important club business and all that. So why don't you just run along back to your whore cafe! While you're at it, you should also go back to letting the student council bend you over the teacher's desk so you can get more budget money for next year's festival!"

"You know what? I don't have to take that from you, you little pint sized brat! I don't have to take anything from any of you!" Naomi shouted in defeat before storming off briskly, finally leaving the literature club alone.

"That's right! Walk away, loser! We don't want anything to do with you or your whore club!" Natsuki told her off viciously, grinning victoriously as she watched the cosplay club president leave in anger. "You okay, Yuri? She didn't hurt you, did she?" She asked as she turned around, seeing Yuri sighing as her head hung low, a frown on her face as she anxiously gripped her upper arm

"No… I'm okay" She said quietly, a meek tone in her voice. "I'm… I'm sorry about that. It's my fault. If I hadn't opened my mouth, she wouldn't have done that"

"You don't have to apologize" Sayori said supportively as she patted Yuri on the shoulder. "She was just a bully. Nothing more. People like that practically go looking for reasons to hurt others. You're not to blame here" She stated.

"I guess you're right" Yuri sighed dejectedly, Sayori's words not doing much to ease her. "W-Would you excuse me for a second? I… I think I need a few moments to myself" She said as she walked, separating herself from the group as she walked briskly into the school building, worried looks on Aaron, Natsuki and Sayori as they watched her walk away.

"Should we go after her?" Sayori asked. "I mean, she did say she wanted to be left alone, right?"

"I'll go check on her" Aaron said as he went after her, following her path into the building.

It took awhile to find her, the school being a big place and all. But he eventually tracked her down to the rooftop of the school, walking up the stairs and through the door to find her leaning against the railing on the edge, looking down at the courtyard below, Aaron noticing that the sleeves of her turtleneck had been rolled up, exposing her forearms, though she was too far away for Aaron to make out anything.

"Yuri?" He asked, approaching cautiously.

"Oh fuck…" He heard her curse silently as she quickly rolled down her sleeves, covering her arms as she turned around, her hands behind her back. "U-Um… Hey! H-Hi. How-How's it going?" She asked nervously, her hands moving out from behind her back to play with her hair, all the while hiding her face from Aaron.

"You alright?" He asked with concern as he leaned on the railing beside her, his arms crossing in a relaxed pose.

"Y-Yes. I told you already. I'm fine. I just needed a moment to… clear my head" She sighed, turning around to lean back on the railing.

"You're not still bothered about what happened, are you?"

"No. I just… She brought back a few bad memories. That's all" Yuri said vaguely.

"You sound like you know her" Aaron stated.

"We shared a class together. She used to bully me back in second year. Other than pushing or shoving me once and awhile, she didn't really beat me up or anything like that" Yuri explained. "She just insulted me. Made fun of my looks. The way I dressed. How I talked. You know how it goes" She sighed, Aaron sighing along with her as he scooted closer, knowing her pain.

"Yeah. I know how it goes. Same thing happened to me back in middle school. Sayori too. She got bullied in kindergarten of all places!" Aaron stated, chuckling slightly. "Don't tell her I told you that, by the way. She doesn't like to be reminded of it"

"Even children can be cold and cruel…"

"Yeah… Hey, I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's something we all have to deal with. Something we've all been through. It's best not to let it get to you" Aaron stated. "Besides, after the shouting Natsuki gave that bitch, I think she'd think twice before bothering you again!"

"Yeah. She's rather fearless, isn't she? Almost nothing scares her" Yuri giggled, remembering how Natsuki came to her defense, ready to shield her fellow member as soon as danger came. "I… I wish I could be like that sometimes. I wish I could face all my problems head on like she does, instead of just hiding away like a frightened little girl"

"Well… I'm sure Natsuki's afraid of somethings too. Everyone's scared of something" Aaron stated.

"Oh, no doubt. She has many fears, but she doesn't run from them. She fights them. She faces them head on and doesn't give in, even when she's in a losing battle. She's a warrior. And what am I? I'm a coward! That's what I am!" She shouted angrily as she gripped the metal railings.

"Hey! Don't beat yourself up like that! That's not true and you know it! You're not a coward!"

"You're wrong, Aaron. I am a coward. I'm a spineless coward who's too afraid of the outside world to even interact with it! I couldn't even stand up to a high school bully! What does that say about me?!" Yuri ranted, Aaron trying to speak. Trying to tell her that she was being too hard on herself, only to be interrupted by the rest of her rant. "It says I'm weak! It says I'm pathetic! It says I'm a weak, pathetic little girl who uses big words and fancy sentences to try and sound intelligent and sophisticated! Only to make myself look like a condescending, pretentious idiot! See?! I just did it again!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Yuri, relax! Breath, okay?" Aaron said, his hands gripping Yuri's shoulders gently, urging her to calm down. "Just breath… Please" He pleaded, Yuri obeying his command, breathing deeply in and out, filling her lungs with fresh air as she looked into Aaron's eyes, those light brown orbs calming her slightly.

"I… I'm sorry for shouting. That's just been building for awhile. I needed to get that out of my system. I'm sorry you had to hear that" Yuri said as she relaxed, her tense posture loosening as she gently pushed Aaron's arms away from her. "So now you know the truth. Now you know how pathetic I am. God, I don't even want to know what you think of me now" She said in embarrassment as she looked at him, allowing him to see the entire flawed package she was, open for his perusal. Open for him to judge.

"You want to know what I think about you?" Aaron asked as he crossed his arms, a disappointed look on his face as he stared Yuri down. That look was really all she needed to know. It said everything loud and clear, confirming what she already knew. Aaron hates her now. Sees her for the weak, pathetic coward she was.

"Not really. But I don't think I have a choice, do I?" Yuri asked as she prepared for the barrage.

"I think you're a person who cares too much about how other people see you and not enough about how you see yourself" Aaron stated as his look of disappointment softened, Yuri's eyes widening slightly in surprise as she picked her head up, her assumption of how Aaron saw her leaving her defenseless against his kind words. "Listen to me. You're not a coward. You saw that she tried to use and manipulate us, and what did you do? You stopped it. Does a coward do that?" He asked.

"It only ended up making it worst" Yuri stated.

"You still spoke up. That took strength, Yuri. That took fearlessness. The very fact that you did that proves that you're not a weak, scared little girl. You're strong! Your strength just… comes in small bursts"

"Intervals would have been a better word" Yuri critiqued, only to gasp and cover her mouth, realizing that she once again tried to use her big words in an attempt to make herself sound smarter than she really was.

"And another thing" Aaron continued regardless. "You don't use big words and fancy sentences to try and sound intelligent and sophisticated. You use them because they sound right to you. And do you know why they sound right? Because you are intelligent and sophisticated! You're not pretentious or condescending. You're just smart! One of the smartest people I know, actually. And you're also very… beautiful" He stated, Yuri feeling her heartbeat quicken a little upon hearing that, her eyes widening as her mouth hung open, almost as if she couldn't believe he said that.

"Did you… Did you just call me beautiful?" She asked, holding her hands together as she brought them to her chest, pure disbelief obvious on her face as she looked directly at Aaron, causing his cheeks to redden in nervousness as he realized what he just said.

"I um… I guess I did. I… Uhh…I-I…" He stammered.

"S-Say it again… Please?" Yuri requested as she placed her hands on her heart, feeling it pump faster and faster by the second in excitement. She knew she shouldn't be encouraging this, especially due to the way she's reacting but… She just wanted to hear him say it.

"You're beautiful" Aaron said immediately, Hearing Yuri gasp suddenly as she moved closer to Aaron. Really close, actually. Their bodies mere centimeters away from each other, this being the closest any woman's ever gotten to him, not even Sayori, his long term friend since near birth was able to get this close.

"One more time… Please!" Yuri practically begged, Aaron seeing the desperation in her eyes, an odd and uncomfortable feeling coming over him, making him feel as though he shouldn't, but… the way she looked at him. It was just so… desperate. So needing. Like a malnourished child begging for food. Aaron feeling an incredible amount of guilt surging through him for just thinking of denying her what she wanted so badly. "Please…" She begged again, her lips quivering.

"You're beautiful. Very beautiful. One of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. It's… It's really hard to take my eyes off you sometimes. I almost have to force myself" Aaron stated, telling a truth he'd long since hidden away from her. From everyone, really. "I've had… thoughts. Thoughts of… you" He added reluctantly, not feeling like that was the appropriate thing to say but… Well, it was too late to take it back. "I-I know I shouldn't think about you like that. And I try my best to force it out of my head but… I can't help it. It just happens"

There was shame in his voice as he looked into Yuri's eyes, seeing her stand so close to him, gasping a little as he suddenly felt her arms wrap around his torso, slowly pulling herself into his chest, hugging him tightly, the intoxicating smell of her perfume combining with his cologne overwhelming both of their nostrils, Yuri soon pulling away to gaze into Aaron's eyes once more as Aaron gazed back, the two practically hypnotized by each other, unable to speak as their forehead's leaned into each other, making contact.

Yuri then suddenly began forcing her weight onto Aaron, causing his back to bend over the rooftop's railing as she towered over him. And then he felt it… Her lips on his, Aaron initially struggling under the force of Yuri's kiss, only to slowly but surely relax and ease himself into it, submitting to it as he felt the warmth of her lips against his, his hands wrapped around her waist, running up and down her back, feeling the soft fabric of her turtleneck as her hands gripped his chest, the two kissing each other multiple times. One after the other, pulling away for a fraction of a second for air before meeting again, Aaron hearing the soft, muffled moans and noises escape Yuri as they kissed.

This felt… so weird. So odd and undefinable for both of them, neither of them knowing if this embrace was good for them or not. Neither of them knowing if this was really the right thing for them to do. It did feel really good though. Amazing. Aaron wanting nothing more than to pull her closer. To feel her lips on his forever. Even if he knew this was probably one of the biggest mistakes of his life, he didn't care enough to stop. To him, this was a fantasy come true.

"G-Guys?" A voice broke their concentration, Aaron's eyes jolting open in shock as he instinctively pushed Yuri off of him, abruptly ending their embrace, causing Yuri to whimper in distress before turning around, Sayori and Natsuki standing in the doorway of the rooftop, a saddened, near heartbroken look on Sayori's face, almost as if her most beloved dream had been crushed. Like everything she'd ever known and loved had been taken away from her, Aaron feeling a deep pain in the pit of his stomach upon seeing her like that. "I-I-It's t-time to share poems" She said with a frown, looking as if she was about to break down and cry.

"O-Oh. Right! The… The performance. We should… We should go" Yuri said as she breathed inconstantly, practically exhausted from what had just happened, walking away without so much as a look towards Aaron as she kept her head down, looking at her feet as she passed Sayori, fearful to meet her eyes.

"Umm… I can… I…" Aaron struggled to speak.

"Don't even bother…" Was all Sayori said as she turned her back to him, walking away. "I'm very… Very happy for you"

"Sayori, I…"

"I said don't!" She shouted loudly, silencing Aaron before he could explain. "Let's just get this over with so we can all go home, okay? I have a splitting headache all of a sudden" She added, gritting her teeth before walking down the stairs, making her way to the club room.

"Jerk!" Natsuki shouted loudly as she punched Aaron in the arm, hitting with the strength of a quarterback.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" He shouted angrily, Natsuki only huffing as she crossed her arms and pouted, disapproval in her eyes.

"Just shut up and get in the club already!" She shouted again as she grabbed Aaron by the wrist, roughly pulling him into the club room.