Yuri felt... good? Even though the club was a bit tiny and informal, everyone seemed kind and willing to explore all kinds of writing and reading. And although she hadn't meant to make any friends here, she and that girl Natsuki were currently walking together. For a moment or two, they merely strolled in moderately awkward silence. But if they were going to be in the club together, then Yuri wanted to at least try and get to know this girl a little bit better. So she nervously cleared her throat and looked over at her with a little smile. "So, ah, you live in this direction as well?"
The tiny girl's face scrunched up slightly, somewhere between anger and confusion. "Huh? Well duh, yeah. I'm not walking with you out of boredom or anything. It's just coincidence."
It was strange. Natsuki was clearly being standoffish, as though she didn't really want to talk. On any other day, Yuri might have assumed that this girl didn't want anything to do with her – maybe even hated her. But some small part of her felt like she could already see through the mask, could tell that this girl was putting up a front. And if that sense of intuition were true, then Natsuki actually did want to continue walking together. She couldn't stop the small smile on her face from growing a little. At least she managed to keep herself from laughing. "Well please, don't let me slow you down, I tend to be a very casual walker."
Natsuki crossed her arms and huffed dramatically. "Now that you've brought it up, it's not like I can just ditch you! It's fine. I don't even care."
Yes, this girl was a curious one. This time, she couldn't help giggling just a little. "Okay~" They returned to traveling quietly, but now that the social barrier had been cracked, Yuri wanted to keep up the momentum. "You... said you read a great deal of manga, right?"
"What of it?" Okay, well perhaps her abrasiveness threatened to reach its limits. But even still, it was glaringly obvious to Yuri that it didn't come from an actual spirit of meanness. And perhaps the mystery that lay beneath it was the truly intriguing thing for her.
She fiddled with her hands, idly brushing a few specks of dust and dirt off her uniform. "Well. It's just that I've never read any. And I honestly know nothing about the form. Every time I've ever tried to pick something, I just become so overwhelmed by the amount of options. All those series, some of them with triple-digit chapters... Maybe you could suggest something for me?"
Natsuki's look of confusion doubled, mixed with surprise and maybe just a tinge of delight. "Really? I-I mean yeah, sure, I guess you could say I know my stuff!" Suddenly all of that combative attitude was gone from the girl, her chest puffing out, filled with pride. "Of course, it's not gonna be that easy! You're right, there's all kinds'a manga out there, and if you don't find one that's right for you, it's gonna turn you off the entire thing. So... what's your... deal?"
"My 'deal'? Oh, of course. Sometimes it's hard to pick, but I suppose I have a soft spot for books with darker themes, ones that focus on the psychology of the characters. B-But I'm open to trying something new too." To her surprise, Yuri could already see her house coming up a little ways down the street. "Ah, well, this is me. At least this will give you the evening to see if you can decide on something. But... please don't strain yourself!" Yuri quickly bowed to her and then hurried inside her home. She glanced back out the window for just a moment, and noticed with no small amusement that Natsuki had turned around and was actually going back the direction they had just come.
Would Natsuki really go out of her way to walk her home? It was a curious thought.
That evening and the next day at school, all of it seemed to pass in a blur. Normally such a turn of phrase would be used idiomatically, but... It was strange. One moment she was at home, the next she was walking into the club room. She could remember perfectly everything that happened in between, but it felt as though her life had been briefly sent through fast-forward. But she was willing to accept that she had slept poorly or maybe that she was looking forward to seeing everyone again.
"Welcome back, Yuri!" It was a little surprising to see Sayori so bright and cheerful, greeting her as warmly as she did. Perhaps she had a rough day, and now she was back to her normal self. Or... maybe this would prove to be normal for her? Yuri knew it was rude to make too many assumptions about a person so soon after meeting them – even if she was once again experiencing the sensation that she knew this girl beyond the one meeting they'd had. But Yuri opted to keep all these fantastical ideas in the back of her mind where they couldn't do any harm. "I'm glad to see we haven't scared you off."
She chuckled softly, tilting her head a little. "Perish the thought. I have a very good feeling about this club. You and Monika have done a wonderful job making it feel like... home."
Monika joined the conversation, practically glowing. "That was the intention! I'm so glad you're feeling comfortable here."
Their cheerful greetings were suddenly interrupted by a cacophony on the other side of the door. It finally slid part of the way open, guided by a foot that struggled to open it any further. The trouble, it seemed, was that Natsuki was trying to enter while carrying a rather impressive box that must have been rather heavy. Yuri hurried over to open the door the rest of the way for her, and the girl scurried in to set the burden down on the nearest desk with a heavy sigh. "Hah... I should have paced myself better."
The rest of them were all looking at her in confusion while Yuri shut the door again. Sayori gave the box an experimental poke. "What is all of this anyway?"
"It's a bunch of my manga. I, in my infinite kindness, have agreed to introduce my compatriate Yuri to the beautiful world of graphic novels. And I kept finding more things I wanted to introduce her to. And then other stuff I was thinking I should re-read. And even a few that you two might enjoy. So I figured, hell, I'll just bring a bunch of them with me!" Like the day before, Natsuki puffed up her chest and grinned like she was the greatest person in the universe.
Unable to help her curiosity, Yuri went to the box and opened it, peering inside. "Well, as grateful as I am that you were so thoughtful, I should really only read one at a time. Which did you intend to show me first?"
Natsuki's fingers went for a walk along the spines of the books before plucking one dramatically from inside and passing it to her eagerly with that same huge grin. "Annnnnd here you go!"
"Hmmm... A magical girl story?" Yuri hadn't meant for the words to come out so unconvinced, that was far too rude. But Natsuki looked as though she was prepared for this.
"Yuri, Yuri, Yuri... I can't believe you'd actually forget rule number one-"
Before she could even finish that thought, Sayori and Monika cut her off, chiming in unison. "Don't judge a book by it's cover!"
"What they said," she replied with a snicker. "It's got dark themes even though it doesn't seem like it, a little action, a little romance, a little suffering, and a lot of psychological content."
She couldn't maintain her composure any longer, and Yuri broke out in soft giggling, bringing a hand to her mouth even though it did little to hide her amusement. "Alright, alright, I promise I shall give it a fair trial." As the first day of the club where they didn't have to discuss all the boring stuff, the girls decided to celebrate by all reading together. Each of them took a space and got comfortable, each one holding one of the manga that Natsuki had brought in.
Even with her fast reading speed, it took Yuri a few days to get through the majority of the series that Natsuki had recommended for her. But finally she felt as though she had made it through enough of the story that she was starting to get a proper handle on why this was the story chosen for her to read. But among all the things that she would no doubt want to discuss, there was one that sat at the forefront of her mind. It was another quiet day in the club room and everyone was reading again. Even though it might disrupt Monika and Sayori as well, Yuri gently closed the manga in her hands and looked at the other girl. "Ah... Natsuki?" She kept her voice quiet as possible, just to avoid disturbing the others if she could help it.
"Hm? Did you finish?" She sat up, eyes looking a bit... sparkly for a moment? Had she been waiting excitedly this whole time for her to be done with it?
Yuri shook her head slowly. "Very nearly. There's a great deal to unpack here, but I wanted to ask you something specific. You... Well, when you first mentioned that this story featured romance, I had taken that to be referring to Sayaka and her friend in the hospital. But... did you perhaps mean the relationship between Madoka and Homura? Or... Or maybe Sayaka and Kyoko? I think perhaps the argument could be made for there being a spark between Madoka and Sayaka, or perhaps even her and Mami? I-I must admit, I'm intrigued to hear your thoughts."
In truth, Yuri's opinion on the topic was a good deal more nuanced than that. But she still wasn't entirely certain how much she could say here yet. Especially since the others were there too.
"Oh, well... I think all of that stuff is kinda true at the same time. Sometimes it's subtext, sometimes it's very blatant context. Normally I like when stuff is more in-your-face, but I have to admit I enjoy the way they left it open. Then again, once you get a little further, I think some of that ambiguity gets resolved..." She glanced off to the side, and Yuri noticed that Natsuki's cheeks were starting to glow a bit.
Despite her best efforts to keep the conversation between the two of them, it looked like Sayori and Monika were both looking at them curiously now. Sayori cleared her throat gently, setting her own book aside. "I remember watching the show. I... had never thought about all that stuff before. Do you... D-Do you really think all of those things could be true at the same time?" The girl was blushing twice as hard as Natsuki was, and she seemed to be legitimately hanging on with rapt attention, as though something very important hung in the balance.
All three of them were looking at Natsuki now. She shifted her posture, looking rather uncomfortable with all the attention on her. "W-Well jeez, I don't know! Probably? People are complex and... and sometimes we spend so much time worrying about making a choice between two things that we don't consider the possibility that we don't even have to make a choice in the first place!" She crossed her arms, pouting and staring at the floor. "Jeez..."
Now everybody was blushing at least a little, but it was Monika that chose to speak up. She laughed gently and stood, grabbing her pillow and taking it back to their closet. "Well, I think we can probably call it for today. This gives me a good idea, perhaps we should try to find something we can read as a group sometime. We've got a lot of different personalities here and I think we could help one another discover interesting interpretations we never would have considered on our own. Give it some thought, and I'll see you all tomorrow."
They quickly cleaned up everything and put the classroom back in order. Once that was done, Natsuki and Sayori both rushed off to the bathroom. Yuri left with Monika, and she could tell the other girl was glancing at her occasionally, trying to stop herself from smiling too much (and not really succeeding). "Is there something on your mind, Monika?"
She quickly shook her head in response, still just smiling pleasantly. "Nothing specific. I'm just feeling incredibly proud of how well the club is going."
"Yes, it truly seems you've made something... special." Now even Yuri was smiling a little brighter. It felt as though there was something exciting waiting for all of them in the future. That was a nice feeling.