Monika's finger slid between our lips at the last second. We both had a dissapointed look on our face but we knew it would be the right thing to do. I pulled back and averted my eyes from hers.
" Hey, as much as I want to do it now, we can't. It feels wrong, too wrong. I don't want to be selfish and place my own desires first. I-I want to help everyone in the club before I let my dream come true. Okay?" She had dissapointment in her eyes and regret in her voice. Her embrace loosened and weakened.
" It's ok Monika. I understand. For now, let's just try our hardest to save everyone." I pulled her closer to my chest, content that I was still able to cuddle with her. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
I woke up to the sound of my alarm. It was Wednesday, tomorrow bad things is about to start if I can't help... Sayori. Oh my god, she is the answer to this problem! I turned around to see Monika rubbing her eyes. Her bed hair and tired face has a sort of appeal to it. I shake her gently to tell her of this idea.
" If Sayori doesn't die, the game won't reset and turn into such a mess!" I exclaimed this to her excitingly, like a boy who just got his first kiss.
" I don't think it would be that easy." She shook her head as she said these words.
" He gave us until the next week to help everyone. Here take a look at this." Monika sat up and summoned a school flyer for the festival. I grabbed it and looked at it carefully.
" They're planning to extend the festival for a week?! Who the hell thought about this?" Monika and I just sighed. To think that we have so much work to do. We're going to perform poems for 5 days. At least we might be able to do it.
I stood up and rubbed my temples. To think that Act 2 would still occur. Sayori would at least be here, she could help calm the two down. I stood up and I started to do the normal routine. We showered, got dressed, made breakfast for us and Sayori, we eat, Monika goes ahead and I lock the doors. The entire time me and Monika either talked about the festival or just stayed silent, feeling the warm stares we give each other. I headed for Sayori's house to give her her breakfast and pick her up. I was about to open the door when I heard Sayori singing and playing the guitar. Her voice is melodious but her tone and lyrics is kind of bittersweet. The tune of the guitar is cheerful, yet it has hints of sadness in some areas. I listened to the song, and no doubt about it, it's about regret yet happiness. She regrets bringing me to the literature club but she is happy I'm making new friends is basically the message she is saying. Suddenly, I heard a string snap and Sayori's disappointed groan. I finally decide to knock on the door. With a cheerful voice, I called out to her.
" Sayori! I made breakfast for you! It's vegetable curry." I heard Sayori put down her guitar and ran to the door. She ooened the door but did not get out.
" Oh, hello Yoku! Hold on, let me just put some things away." I nodded and she grabbed the guitar and ran upstairs to her room. A while later, she comes down and we proceed to follow our morning routine.
" You know Yoku, you're right! I need to start looking at the world more positively. After all, if you can do it, so can I! Right?" I nodded energetically to Sayori. It's nice to see her like this, slowly getting happier and happier everyday.
" But you know Yoku, there is still just a few more rainclouds in the sky. But those are the darkest ones Yoku. I can't really handle those kinds of rainclouds." I see her clench her chest. But her eyes, I could see a faint determination in them.
" Then let me help you, Sayori! Let us help you." Sayori paused for a moment, then shook her head.
" Thank you, Yoku, but I'm sorry. This rainclouds are ones I must face alone." She let out a pained smile. But she managed to shake it off and ran ahead of me.
" Last one to school buys the winner some snacks!" Sayori dashed ahead of me, but I caught up to her quickly.
Sayori managed to beat me by a hair's breadth. We stopped for a moment to catch our breaths. Holy crap, I'm getting less fit. Sayori grinned at me for a moment before panting.
" I...(pant)... win!" She squeezed a few pants in there as she wheezed out that phrase.
" Ehehe~ (wheeze)... A deal is a deal. Pay up." She grinned before panting for air.
" You beat me! As promised, I'll buy you some food during lunch. Ow! My side hurts!" We laughed as we both slowly walked into our separate classrooms. As I sit down, I heard from my fellow classmates that we are getting a new homeroom teacher today. Soon, the bells ring and we all settled down. The door opened and a young man walked in. Oh god...
" Good Morning everyone! As you know, I'm your new homeroom teacher. The old one got transfered to a new school. My name is Sir Akami Zenno! I look forward to working with you all!" He bowed his head in such a formal yet humble manner, it's like he is bowing his head to gods. But this man... we should be the ones bowing to him. He didn't even bother coming up with a proper name! I decide to just focus on my studies for now, I'll talk to him later.
The first half of the day passed and now it's lunch time. Sayori came to pick me up and we decided to eat in the cafeteria. As we sat down however, I felt a hand on my shoulder, I turned around to see it was Sir Akami. He brought two bentos with him
" Mind if I join you guys? I brought lunch for the two of you." Sayori and I looked at each other. I discreetly shook my head at Sayori but Sayori nodded to the god in front of her. Smiling, he took a sit and gave us the lunch he made.
" Sir Akami! Your name sounds so cool! It's like you're saying you're god!" Sayori points out to the god, who was sweating nervously. He shook his head in denial.
" It also means the red, lean meat found near a tuna's spine." I say to Sayori as I unwrap the bento.
" Ahahaha. You're both wrong! It means 'love to play music for the heart, mind and soul.' And it suits me too! I'm a go- I mean a person who likes to play soothing melodies with my flute!" Sayori was clearly impressed by him, I chuckle. I opened the bento to see tonkatsu, shredded cabbages, rice and baby carrots. Sayori also did the same.
" Wow! You made this all by yourself Sir Akami?" Sayori was clearly amazed by this man.
" Yup! Do you like it?" As Sayori took a bite, she immediately nodded and clasped her hands together. She swallowed a mouthful and bowed her head.
" Thank you Akami-sama! Truly you're a god! To think you share such delicious cooking for free!" Sir Akami just rubbed the back of his head.
" Ahahaha, I'm flattered. Anyway, it's nearly time for me to teach. See you guys later!" He got up and patted both of us on the head.
" Sir Akami must be a nice person! He's got the looks, smart and skills to be a good husband!" I just chuckle sarcastically to Sayori.
" I'm sure he is." I said sarcastically but Sayori agreed with me.
As lunch wrapped up, me and Sayori finish our bentos and head to our classrooms. I took the bento to the faculty and placed it on Akami's desk. I head back to the classroom to write another poem. Classes come and went and I managed to finish my poem right before classes ended.
Lake
I sit on the lake's edge,
Thinking silently.
Rocks skipping towards the sunset's warm glow.
A fish jumps and the water ripples.
Then all stood still once again.
I asked the waters,
and they answered.
Not the answer I wanted.
But the answer I needed.
It's crap but it's a poem. I grabbed my stuff and I headed towards the club. I opened the door to see everyone is already there. I sat down and we began to share our poems. I went Sayori first, to see how she has been doing. I was glad that she has managed to fight her depression, I'm still concerned about how she felt me. I read the 'Bottles' poem, not good. I shot her a look of worry, but I decided to hide it. As she finished reading mine, she gave it back.
" You did a great job with this poem Sayori! I hope I can read more of your poems." I let out a smile, but worry and fear gripped my heart.
" Y-yeah... I'll make sure to give you the next poem." As she turned around to sit back down, I shot Monika a worried look.
" Her depression is getting better but her anxiety about me leaving her is still getting worse." I whispered in a rushed tone. Monika pondered about it and sighed.
" Let's just focus on finishing the club meeting. We'll deal with this later." I nod and gave my poem to Yuri. Yuri scrutinized on the possible meaning of the poem.
" Hmm, you're showing potential. Although it's not perfect, it's not bad either." As expected, Yuri likes to analyze the poems I make.
" I'm happy that you're improving your writing skills. I hope you come to me if you need help in literature." Yuri smiled and placed her hand on top of mine. Surprised, I recoiled at the cold touch of her hand.
" Oh! I-I'm really s-sorry! I-I thought... Um..." She played with a long strand of her hair as she blushed and become more embarrassed.
" N-no, it's ok. I was just surprised by you. So I'm also sorry for my reaction." I chuckled to ease the tension between us.
" Lets just... forget about what have happened." Yuri is still playing with her hair, yet her hands are fidgety.
" Oh, sure..." I stood up, thanked Yuri and left to talk with Natsuki.
"..." I stood behind Natsuki, who was doing her best to ignore me. I stood there for a couple more minutes as she read her manga. She finally stand up and turned to face me.
" Ok, what the hell do you want you weirdo?! Stop standing behind me like a perv... it creeps me out." She huffed at me and with her pink eyes, looked at me with disgust.
" I wanted to share my poem with you, but I see that you're reading a manga. I didn't want to disturb you so... yeah... that..." I rubbed the back of my head and stared at the floor.
" Ugh, god, why are you like this Yoku. Here, just... take it." She pushed her poem into the palm of my hand. The 'Amy Likes Spiders' poem, I was always intrigued by this.
" Hey Natsuki, what kind of manga do you like to read?" Natsuki's eyes lit up for a moment, before scoffing at me.
" Ha! As if you are willing to buy me any manga." As she chuckled, I pulled out my phone and opened a manga reader app.
" You're right. I'm not willing to buy you manga, but here. It allows you to read any manga you like." At first she was skeptical, but as she took my phone, a smile appeared on her face.
" Geez, to think I could have saved money just by downloading an app." We both laugh at each other.
" Wait, before I forget. I need to give you my number." As I took back my phone, I noticed Natsuki's face turned as pink as her hair.
" W-what the h-hell? I-I don't... fine. Here, give me your phone." As she grabbed my phone and started typing in the digits of her number, I saw that she was trying to hide a smile.
" I... I'll call you if I need you. So you better not ignore it!" She said to me teasingly. We both laughed and I once again talked to Monika last.
" You know I get jealous easily, right?" Monika frowned at me.
" Sorry, sorry. I just feel that I might accidentally spend all my time in the club with just you. Not that I hate it, I actually want to spend more time with you!" I softly whispered to Monika, who just giggled. We took a sit and began to chat.
" Soo... what do you like about me?" Her eyes have hints of curiosity. Her fingers locked together and her chin rested on them.
" Where do I start... I know! Your green eyes are the first. I love it's color, and the way it has such a hypnotizing effect on me. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about your stare~" I quietly said these words, in fear the others may hear them. A streak of red crossed on Monika's angelic face. She had such a warm yet mischievous smile on her face.
" Oh really? I guess I should start staring at you more. You know, a study was once conducted to see if people who stared into the eyes of a complete stranger would fall in love with them. After 30 minutes of staring and talking about their personal life, they found out that around 30-60% of the couples said that they felt more 'connected'or 'in love' with their partner. Could it be, that I've managed to win your heart just by staring? Ahaha~" She tilts her head a little. I felt my heart race due to her cuteness. I managed to move my lips even when I'm under her trance.
" Your beautiful smile! It's reassuring to see that you are smiling! It somehow makes me feel calm when I see your smile. Your intelligence and wit also impress me. I always wish I could be as smart you. But the thing I like about you most is... you. The way all of this just blends together as you, that is what I like most about you." Monika just stared at me, speechless. The blush that used to cover only her cheek spread throughout the entirety of her face. She covered her face with her hands to hide it.
" E-everyone! I-I think it's t-time to... g-g-go home." I could hear her breathing heavily and in short intervals.
" Monika, are you ok?" Sayori asked Monika. Everyone else looked at us with a concerned look on their faces.
" I'm f-fine Sayori! Don't worry! But could I please talk to Yoku in private?" Monika gave Sayori a reassuring smile. Sayori nods.
" Ok, guess I'm walking home alone today! Ehehe. Bye Yoku!" Sayori waved as she left the classroom. Yuri and Natsuki followed after and closed the door behind them. I looked at Monika, who now had a scary grin on her face.
" M-Monika? A-are you mad at me?" I slowly backed away. Monika's green eyes now had a sort of crazed and predatory look. It has only one focus, me.
" Mad? Ahaha~ Don't be silly! I just want to show you how much I'm flattered by your words." She pushed me into a chair. She licked her lips and slowly leaned closer into me.
" You know... I really am dissapointed in myself. I wanted to save everyone before taking you for myself. But... hearing those words, I can't hold myself any longer." I was scared as she places herself on top of me, yet I cn sense excitement in my heart.
" Close your eyes my love~" She whispered teasingly into my ear. I did as she said and prepared for the inevitable.
I felt her soft breathing on my lips, it was warm and humid. I started to move my hands, refusing to just sit by. I placed my left hand on her cheek and cupped it. Using my right hand, I pulled her waist closer to mine, and as I closed the gap between our bodies, so did the gaps between our lips. For a moment, the world seemed to stop. Soon, we started to move once again. We became more adventurous with our tounges, exploring more of each other's mouth. A passionate exchange of saliva happened between us. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer. Soon, our lips parted so that we could catch our breaths. We pressed our foreheads together as we panted.
" That... was... amazing." I barely managed to wheeze out those words.
" Yes, it was." Monika giggled at me. We kissed each other once again, but not as passionately as our first, just a brief and short one.
" Let's continue this later, dear~ Teehee~" She teasingly booped my nose and got off me.
" Heh, sure. I'll be waiting at the house, love." I smiled as I got up from the chair and grabbed my bag. We looked at each other sweetly and held hands. We opened the door, still holding hands, and prepared to walk home together.
" Yuko! I was waiting for you!" Surprised, I immediately let go of Monika's hand and turned to the direction of the voice.
" S-Sayori! Y-you're still not home?" Sayori stood in the middle of the hallway, smiling. She shook her head at me.
" I forgot something in the classroom I and decided to also wait for you after I grabbed it." Monika and I were wide eyed and sweating. We were nervous. Did Sayori found out about what we did?
" Anyway, what are you two still doing here?" Sayori asked us. We hesitated to answer her at first, but Monika managed to answer.
" We... Uhh... cleaned the clubroom! Yup! We wanted it to be squeaky clean tomorrow." Monika gulped and shivered. We waited anxiously as we waited for Sayori's reaction.
" Oh! You should have said so! I could have helped you guys!" I felt a gush of relief flood trough my body.
" Sorry Sayori! We didn't want to disturb you. I felt like this should be a job for the club president. Yoku here just forced me to accept help." Monika's acting skills are just amazing. I would be believe her if I didn't knew what happened. Sayori then pouted at her. She said she didn't really mind cleaning.
" Anyway, how long were you waiting for me? It's almost 5 in thd afternoon!" Sayori thought about it.
" I got here just before you guys went outside the room." We let out a sigh of relief.
" I think it's best if we go home now." I smiled to Sayori. She nodded and ran ahead of us. Monika and I smiled and walked forward.
--
( Sayori's POV)
I was right... I am losing Yoku. I'm losing Yoku to the very person I look up to. But it's ok, just think happy thoughts... happy thoughts...
happy thoughts...