I wanted to break the developing silence between Natsuki and I, so I started to probe her about her situation.
" Hey, so if you don't mind telling me, why do you stay at your house?" I quietly ask her as I placed a cupcake into a tray.
" Umm... I, have nowhere to go." She stopped for a moment and went silent.
" My mom... left us due to my dad, and I think her family is in abroad. My dad didn't take it well so he... vents his problems on me." She spoke in a silent and pained voice.
" Oh, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have asked." I spoke with a tremble in my words.
" Damn right you shouldn't have, Dummy! But... thank you, for listening and all that..." She murmured towards the end of her sentence.
" Heh, I'm sure glad I did, now I know how I could be of help to you. Anyway, the event is still 2 hours away. Want to grab a bite?" It seems I caught her attention, her head perked up and she looked at me with those pink eyes of hers. She smiled, then pouted, and finally a confused and baffled look is what she gave me.
" H-How about M-Monika or Sayori? Won't they be mad for us not helping them? They're working so hard yet we are just gonna eat while they work!" She said in a hushed yet loud tone. Before I could reply, Sayori and Monika giggled from across the room.
" Nah! We won't be mad, you deserve to eat after finishing your task. We'll just catch up with you guys when we are done!" Monika gestured for us to go on.
" Yeah! We'll catch up later, so you better buy me some food Yoku!" Sayori waved goodbye as I we headed out the door. I opened the door only to bump into Yuri. I stumble backwards, it seems something softd bouncy springed me back.
" Ah! I'm so sorry Yoku! A-Are you hurt?" Yuri looked at me intently and with concerned eyes.
" Klutz." Natsuki whispered under her breath towards me.
" Uhhhh, yeah I'm fine." I smiled and made my way outside the classroom. She let out a relieved 'phew' and smiled. I waved goodbye at her as she closed the door.
We made our way to the bustling and crowded cafeteria. I noticed that Natsuki is quieter and more fidgety than earlier. I smiled at this, Natsuki really is a tsundere. I told her to sit down on a nearby, open table. She hesitated at first, but I told her I'm only leaving her alone for a short while. She reluctantly agreed and proceeded to tell me to make it quick, with a 'dummy' in the end of course. As I was buying our food, I kept worrying about her. She hinted in one of her poems that she is getting bullied, and I'm worried that I left her vulnerable to those people. I bought two of those bento combo meals, they are pretty good and heavy in the stomach. I hurried back to the table so that I Natsuki won't be noticed by her bullies. I reach our table quickly and saw that Akami-sama is keeping her company. Surprisingly, it seems Natsuki and Akami-sama know each other and it looks like Natsuki has a friendly disposition towards him. He notices me and smiles.
" Well, Yoku is here, I should get going." Akami-sama looks at us and smiled once more. He pats me on my shoulder before leaving.
" I see that you already met Akami-sensei." I took a sit infront of her and handed her the meal I bought. She gave it a stare, then looked at me with a shocked looked in her eyes.
" W-What the hell?! You bought something this expensive for me?!She hesitates as she reached for the wrapper.
" It's fine. I had a feeling that you were hungry. I could see that you kept eyeing everyone's food when we got here, so I thought you must be pretty hungry. Do you... not like it?" I looked at her flustered and beet-red face as I wait for her response.
" No... it's not that. I was just, surprised. I am just surprised that someone would actually do something like this for me." She smiled for a moment, before pouting at me.
" What? Why are looking at me that way?! Are you picking a fight with me? Huh?" She huffed, no, she barked to me. Her lips were quivering as she tried to keep her pout. I put on an amused smile and spoke to her.
" You know, you're really cute with that tsundere charm of yours. Ahaha~ whoops, I let that one slip out." I grinned as she gave off the reaction I expected. Her face turned as pink as her eyes, she stuttered out incoherent words before being able to murmur out a few words.
" I-Idiot... you shouldn't say those things so carelessly..." She had that embarrassed pose and she hid her face from my amused gaze.
" Anyway! You have good intuition. I am hungry, so... thank you." She managed to blurt out those words to me. I smiled as she unwrapped the meal I bought for her and she finally began to eat.
She began to gulp down the food in front of her like it was the first meal she ate today. Oh, right... it is. I was about to take a bite of mine when a pair of chopsticks snatched the pork cutlet slice I wanted. I turned to look at thief, but I saw Sayori chewing then swallowing the piece of pork.
" That was delicious! Mind if I have more? Ehehe~" A look of hunger can be seen in her eyes as she stared at my food.
" No~ It's mine! Here, buy your own. Geez, you keep forgetting your lunch money." I hand Sayori some cash, she lept up and down before hugging me tightly.
" You're the best, Yoku!" She let go from her embrace and ran off. As Sayori ran off, Monika took a sit beside me and Yuri sat beside Natsuki. Monika carried a lunchbox filled with salads while Yuri brought out a bento complete with side dishes, rice and an assortment of different meats and vegetables.
" Mind if we join you too? Teehee~ Nice call Yoku, we're gonna need the energy to perform for our event." Monika said to us before eating her salad.
" I agree. Performing in front of people is a tedious and nerve-wracking task." Yuri began to take bites out of her food.
Sayori joined us after a while and the entire club began to eat together. It is a fun and cheerful moment, well, I think every moment in the Literature Club is fun if everyone is happy. As lunch time drew near, so did the time to start our event. We all headed towards the comfort room to freshen up, and we have around 30 minutes to prepare ourselves. I took a heavy breath and let it all out. I stepped inside the room and prepared myself to recite my poem.
We drew lots earlier and due to my luck, is the first one to perform. After my performance, Sayori is up next, follwed by Natsuki, Yuri and Monika. We were practicing the poems we submitted to Monika and Sayori inside the room. People soon trickled inside the room and looked around, Sayori offering them the cupcakes we made. Our performance began as soon as Monika stepped on the wooden platform infront of the room. She had a welcoming and warm smile as she greeted everyone. The crowd swooned at Monika, her voice is hypnotizing and alluring, and I can't help but feel jealous and protective due to this. I simply ignored those feelings, knowing that Monika won't cheat on me. Monika glanced at me and gave me my cue to prepare.
" Okay everyone! For our first performer, let's give it up for, Yoku Shisegi!" Monika gave me the mic as she got off the stage. She gave me a thumbs up and went to the side to watch me.
" Ok, Hi everyone! T-This is my poem, I hope you enjoy." I held the folder in my hands and I began to read.
Spring
The dew drops fall,
as the flowers bloom.
The birds sang their madrigals,
as the bees danced to their delightful tune.
The trees sway their green hair,
as the gentle winds run past them.
The rivers ran free and wild,
while the mountains block their path.
Forest animals come out to play,
on the forest floor, now fresh with life.
Peeking its head above the clouds,
the sun smiles brightly upon the woods.
I sat and watched as it unfolded,
the delightful scene for I long awaited.
When the cold, dark Winter has faded,
and the springtime's flowers blossoms.
Everybody cheered and clapped for me as I finished. I bowed my head and thanked them for listening. I handed Monika the mic and I smiled at her. After that, I took a sit at the side of the stage and watched the others perform. Sayori's poem is bittersweet, yet she presented it in a cheerful way. Natsuki's poem is quirky, cute and charming. Yuri's poem was deep yet soothing. It invokes a sense of calm as she reads it with her soft and calm voice. Monika was the last, but definitely not the least. Her poem was romantic and the way she presented it was brilliant. Her voice has this allure that goes well with her hypnotizing, green eyes. She spoke in a way that it is impossible to lose your attention. I guess this is the skill of someone who was in a debate club. As she finished, I stood up and gave her a standing ovation. She glanced and smiled at me, before concluding the performance.
We finished cleaning up the clubroom in the afternoon. The list of people that have attended and could possibly join the club is pretty large. I smiled as we closed the door of the class room, this event is a successful one. Tomorrow, we are gonna rest and roam around the campus looking at the different stalls and booths. We head our separate ways, except for me and Sayori, as we went home. I waved oneone last good bye as everyone parted ways. The walk home with Sayori is filled with smiles and laughter due to the events of today and how fun it is.
" So... Sayori, how are you doing?" I asked Sayori as we neared our houses.
" I'm doing great! For the first time in a while, I'm actually feeling really happy Yoku!" She proudly exclaimed before holding my hand.
" Thank you Yoku! I'm glad you managed to help me!" I ruffled her hair as she walked beside me. We reached our houses when we came to an abrupt halt. In front of my house stood a girl who was out of breath and bent over. She clearly ran as fast as she can to get here. There was no mistaking it, her pink colored hair and small and thin frame, thats-
" Natsuki!" Sayori called out to her before she collapsed.