3: Belong

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If I can stay, is this my home?

Is it where I'm from, or where I am?

To be with you all

In a place where I belong

In what seemed like a moment, my first week of school had come to an end. I walked with haste to the clubroom, passing by students chattering about their Friday night plans. Monika appeared swiftly beside me.

"Good afternoon, Nozomu-kun!" She said in a sing-song voice, smiling.

"Oh, hi Monika! Wow, you usually are already in the clubroom by now," I said.

"Yeah, I was just practicing some piano."

"Oh yeah, you play piano! You do that in the game, too. I would like to hear you sometime! You're really good!"
"Ehe...how did you know, if you never even heard me play…"

"Well, you're great in the game… whatever," I shrugged awkwardly.

"Woah, woah, woah!" I heard a gruff voice say. In front of me was the large jock from PE, surrounded by two equally ugly cronies. "New kid's hangin' with the school babe! Hahaha!" He laughed. Seriously? This guy needs to get a life. Who finds enjoyment in being a stereotypical jerk?

"Hey, Katsuo, stop calling me that!" Monika said, frowning. "Nozomu's my friend!"

"Wooooo! Stop cheating on Takamura-san, Monika-sama!" Katsuo jeered, approaching me.

"Hey, kid," He said in a low, threatening voice, "You better know your place here. You're an outsider. You don't belong here. Keep your hands off our women, or you'll be hurt."

Wowww, so scared! LOL! That's what I wish I said, but to be honest, I'm not exactly what you call the brave type, so I just muttered "Ok."

"Ugh, leave us alone," Monika shot, and pulled me away by the arm.

"Nozomu-kun, don't listen to them. They're just trying to get to you."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks for standing up for me," I said.

"Mm, of course. Nozomu, you gotta stand up to these guys. You can't just let someone push you around and ruin your experience here. Trust me, not all of the people here are like that. You do belong!" Monika put her hand on my shoulder, a concerned expression reading into my face.

"Thank… you…" I muttered, feeling a warmth in my heart. We entered the club room, where we were greeted by the rest of the Literature Club.

"Hey! It's Friday, everyone!" Sayori cheered.

"Yeah!" Natsuki agreed.

"I made some tea for you guys," Yuri said, placing a tray of hot oolong tea on the desk.

"Wow, I love oolong tea!" I said, grasping the cup and taking a swig. "YAAAAA! IT'S HOT!" I screamed, placing the cup down. "NOO! I burned my tongue…."

"Are you okay?!" All of the girls said at once, attacking me like a pack of wolves.

"I'm good, I'm good," I said, pulling on my scalded tongue.

"I'm sorry about that," Yuri apologized.

"No, it's my fault… I always burn my tongue…."

"That's why you should blow it first. Here." Yuri took my teacup, blowing softly across the surface. Then she lifted it to my lips, and I took a timid sip.

"Mm. It's great!"

Yuri giggled. "See?"

"Okay, okay, you're cute," Natsuki interrupted. "Now are we gonna like do anything in this club other than mess around?"

"Yeah, of course, if you'll only read my book recommendations," Yuri shot back.

"I don't read anything!" Sayori piped, as if brought out of a daydream.

"Well, I'm not sure if my tastes will suit everyone," Monika pondered aloud.

"Really? What do you read?" Natsuki said.

"Well, romance," Monika replied.

"Hey, I love romance," I said. Of course! You know, all those dating sims…

"Really?" Monika said, interest peaked. "What have you read?"

"U-uh…" Doki Doki Literature Club LOL!. "Not much…"

"That's okay! Like what?"

"Um. Never mind."

"Okay… hey, what about you, do you have any recommendations, Nozomu?"

"Nope. Nothing. I'll do some poking around the llibrary, maybe. But, I have a poem for you guys today! Here!" I took a paper out of my bag, displaying it in front of everyone. Sayori snatched it from my hands, eyes browsing the paper.

"Aww, Nozomu, it's so sweet!" She remarked. "Don't worry, you belong here!"

"This is great," Yuri said, reading over her shoulder. "'To be with you all, in a place where I belong'... Are you, maybe, saying that… you like it here? With… us?" Her dark almond eyes glanced up at me, as if she could see through my mind.

I gulped. Yeah, that's exactly what I meant in the poem. For the first time, I found a place I could belong- so far from home. Well, my old home.

"Where is home?" Monika inquired, after she read it. "It's asking that question. It's really good. Do we call home where we are born, or where we belong? What if we live somewhere where we don't belong? Can we call it our home?"

"Wow, that's very philosophical and all, but I just like the fact that you left an oil stain on the paper right here," Natsuki remarked bluntly, pointing to a gray circle on the poem.

"Oh… yeah… I was eating chips…" I said in defeat.

"I knew it! They're barbecue flavored, too!" Natsuki sniffed the paper. Rip, now they think I'm a messy person!

"I-it's not what you think! I don't usually eat chips while writing! I mean, I was just soooo hungry at that time! I couldn't help it…"

"Aw, that's okay," Sayori said. "I do that sometimes too!" She grinned. "Speaking of being hungry, I'm hungry right now!"

"You're hungry already?" Monika asked, in shock.

"I'm hungry too!" I said, eager to put stuff into my mouth.

"Me too!" Natsuki added, shooting her hand into the air.

"Yuri? Don't tell me…"

"Well, I didn't have much for lunch…." Yuri muttered, tapping her fingers together.

Monika sighed. "Well, what would you say if we got dinner together tonight? I mean, it's Friday."

Our eyes all lit up in response.
"Yes, ma'am!"

"Okay, okay, what do you guys want to eat?"

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing Hokuto, the nerd. He pushed up his glasses, smiling while gaping at Yuri, revealing his buck-teeth.

"Hey guys! Can I join the club?!" He blurted.

"No, no, no!" I said, quickly rising and pushing the door closed against him.

"Hey, Nozomu-kun! Why are you doing that?" Sayori said.

"Sorry! Applications are closed!" I shouted through the door.

"Come on!" Hokuto's muffled voice sounded.

"Look, I get you're a cool guy and all, but we have a limit of five members!"

"Ahh, fine," Hokuto replied, footsteps receding.

"Hey, why did you do that?" Sayori said, annoyed. "He's a nice guy!"

"Well… to be honest, I kinda like it here with just you guys," I said.

"Aww, that's okay! Nozomu just wants to get comfortable with us first," Monika said, putting a hand on Sayori's shoulder. Nooo, I don't want them to see me as a jerk, but the truth is, I really, really would not like Hokuto interrupting my time with these girls. I know, it's mean, but… you'd understand if you're a guy.

"Oh okay," Sayori said. She suddenly smiled. "Well, if you want to be comfortable with us, you're gonna have to stick with us wherever you go! We're a family now and this is your home!"

"What is this?" Natsuki said, cringing.

"I'm just saying, if that's the way Nozomu wants it, then that's the way it'll be! We all have to be really close with each other, like family. We're gonna look out for each other, and keep each other happy!"

"Isn't that what friends are supposed to do?" Monika asked.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Now are we going to decide where to eat?" I interrupted.

"Well, what do you like?" Natsuki questioned.

"Um, I don't know any of the restaurants around here."

"Oh, I know! There's this nice cheap restaurant near my place," Yuri suggested. "They have everything, from burgers to dumplings."

"That sounds great!" I said, rubbing my tummy.

"Sure! Let's go!" Monika called, and we packed up, leaving the room. "Ah, hold on. Nozomu, can you take this paper to the student council room? It's the member application form you filled out yesterday."

"Oh, okay," I replied, taking the paper. "Where is that?"

"Sorry! I'll take you there!"

"No, I can! He's used to walking with me, because we walk to school every morning," Sayori blurted, grabbing my arm. "Let's go!" We walked down the hallway, leaving a confused Monika in our wake. We went up a flight of stairs and down another hallway, coming to the student council room. Sayori beat me at opening the door, which lead into an office with multiple large desks piled with paperwork. Students were milling about the room. We approached the center desk, at which sat a guy, wearing a soft and picturesque expression.

"Hello," he said in a songlike voice. "What brings you here today?"

I looked beside me, and saw that Sayori was shaking nervously.

"Is that the president?" I whispered.

"Yesh. His name is Takamura. VERY cool. You know his light-brown hair is natural?"

"Oh-kay…"

"Ah, Takamura-sama, my friend here wants to turn in his club member application." Sayori motioned to me, who presented the paper to Takamura.

"Ah, yes, the Literature Club," he said calmly, brushing back his light hair. "I heard that Monika is in this club."

"Yeah, she is," I said. Wait, earlier, Katsuo the bully was teasing Monika about cheating on Takamura! Could they be….?

"Wow, how nice. Tell her that I said hi," he said.

"Uh, okay. Bye!" I quickly turned and left.

"Wait, Nozomu!" Sayori called, running after me. We met up with the others at the school gate.

I looked up, taking a breath of the fresh evening air. The sky was a dark blue, with traces of orange on the horizon, blending into green. Darkening silhouettes of high-rise buildings marked the downtown area, and quaint houses spread out into the distance. We walked down the slope leading to our school. The weather was nice, even though it was still January. I haven't said this before, but my town is in Miyazaki Prefecture, on the southern island of Kyushu. I moved from Nagoya, which is much farther northeast, but before Tokyo.

Anyway, we took the bus to another neighborhood, about fifteen minutes away.

When we got off, it was already dark.

"The restaurant should be three blocks away," Yuri informed. We ambled through the youthful night, passing by the occasional pedestrian.

"So how was Takamura?" Monika asked suddenly. I had wanted to ask her what her connection to him was, but I was afraid to pry to deep.

"Well, he's pretty cool, I guess."

"Really? Thanks! Just so you know, earlier, when Katsuo, that big dude, made fun of me about cheating on Takamura with you? That was not true at all. He's not my boyfriend or anything."

"Oh, okay! That guy looks like a womanizer."

"Hey! He's really kind and sweet," Monika objected. "I still really like him. He always wants me to join the Student Council with him, but I'm too busy. I told him he could join our club if he wanted to, but he said that he was too busy as well."

"Oh... " I responded.

"What, you don't like him?" Natsuki interrupted.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, I can tell by the way you describe him. Not saying that I like him either." Natsuki shook the hair from her eyes.

"Hey, hey, no hating," Sayori said.

"Guys, we're here," Yuri said, changing the topic. The restaurant was nice and warm looking, with red-colored booths inside.

"Looks pretty popular," I remarked, noting the crowd.

"Yep! I'm telling you, it's great!" Yuri smiled. "Come on! Let's get a seat!"

We entered the restaurant, taking a booth next to the window.

"Here are your menus," the waitress said, passing them out.

"Thanks," I said, reaching out to receive my menu, when my fingers brushed against the waitress'. "Sorry."

She shrunk back for a second, looking at me in embarrassment. She brushed a strand of her black hair away, bowing slightly and adjusting her yellow uniform.

"No problem," She said in a small voice, leaving.

"Woah, woah, woah! Nozomu! What are you doing, hitting on the waitress!?" Natsuki said, laughing.

"Hey! Stop being so loud!" I scorned. I was surrounded by Natsuki on my right and Yuri on my left, facing Monika and Sayori.

"I'm just kidding," Natuski giggled. "So what do you guys want? I think I want these dumplings."

"I'll have a burger!" Sayroi said lively.

"Hmmmm… what do you want, Nozomu?" Yuri asked. "You should try the udon noodles. They're great!"

"Okay, I'll take that. How 'bout you?"

"I'm getting the same thing! Monika?"

"Oh, I'll just share some of you guys' food," Monika said.

"What? No! Monika, you can't be one of those girls who just eat like three bites and turns full!" I objected jokingly.

"Haha! Well, okay, since you're here, I'll get some rice and curry." Monika smiled. "Don't worry! I raid the soft-serve machine like gold."

"Really? That's awesome!"

We placed our orders, the waitress acting super shy when she talked to me. In a moment, our food arrived.

"Wow! It looks amazing!" Sayori said. "And it came so fast! What special powers do you have, Nozomu? You probably made that waitress so nervous she worked super speed!"

"Nah, it's nothing. Let's eat! Itadakimasu!" We dug in, busily indulging our taste buds.

"Wahhhh! How is this so good?!" Natsuki squealed. "Here, Nozomu-kun! Try one of the dumplings!" She snatched a dumpling and popped it into my mouth, enticing a glare from Yuri.

I bit down on the soft, flour skin, feeling the meat and juices burst into flavor.

"Wow. It really is great."

"Yeah, I know right? And they look so cute!"

"Just like you!" Sayori said happily, while munching through her large burger.

"Hey!" We all laughed, and I got up to refill my soda. When I sat back down, Yuri turned to me and smiled.

"Nozomu-kun, what was your old home like?" She asked. "Did you leave behind a lot of friends?" The other girls all leaned in to hear my reply.

"Well, it was pretty average. I just did my thing. I mean, I was a very pessimistic and shut-in guy. I didn't really get around much, so I didn't have much friends, except for a few gaming buddies."

"Oh." Yeah…, but it's the truth….

"Well, there was this one time… this girl… I thought we had a good thing going on and everything. She came up to me one day, and we talked a lot. She always dreamed of going overseas, and living in a huge mansion. I said that we should raise money together, and maybe we could share that mansion."

"Woooo, spicy!" Natuski remarked.

"The thing is, this girl, Momoko, she was always very kind and cheerful. I mean, I actually stopped playing video games during our times together. But one day, she introduced me to her new boyfriend, and I was devastated. I mean, I know I didn't claim her, but I just felt that all my efforts were for naught. All the times we shared, and she just cast me aside like a piece of dust! That's why I only like 2D girls."

"Aw, that's too bad…" Monika said, swallowing a spoon of rice.

Then I realized what I had just said.

"I mean, that was before," I continued. "I'm here now, with you guys, so things are bound to change. Forget what I said about that 2D girl thing! Heheh!"

"Okay, okay. I hope you find happiness here!" Monika said.

"Aww, you remind me of me," Yuri said softly, sipping her soup. "I'm actually really like you, too. I have a story similar to that, you know!"

"Woah, really?"

"Yep! But I don't know if I want to tell it yet. Sorry…." Yuri looked down, continuing to eat.

"Oh, that's okay! Hey, wanna get some ice cream, guys?"

"Sure!"

We went over to the soft-serve machine, where I got a huge cup of melon-flavor, topped with white chocolate syrup.

"Woah, that's a lot," I remarked, seeing Monika's double cups.

"Teehee! Told you I love ice cream!" She said teasingly.

"Er, excuse me, sir," I heard, and turned to see the waitress from earlier. "Would you like some mints?"

I smiled. "Sure!"

"Here," she said, taking out a mint from her basket.

"Thanks!"

"Actually, take another one." She gave me another one.

"Err, thanks!" We went back to our seats, where we continued to eat our ice cream.

"Well, I think you're really cool," Natsuki said, out of the blue. "I was apprehensive at first, about a boy joining our club, but I guess you're okay."

"Aww, thank you, Natsuki-chan! Thank you all for accepting me. You know, I've never felt like this before; like I belonged somewhere. Thanks, guys, for helping me find my new home." I felt goosebumps rise on my skin, as I felt my heart lurch for these heavenly girls.

"No problem, Nozomu-kun," Yuri whispered, slowly reaching out and tapping me on the shoulder lightly.

We were ready to pay the check, when Monika announced, "Guys, don't worry about the check! I've got it!" She pulled out a credit card from her emerald green wallet.

"What? No!" The rest of us shouted in unison. Wow, Monika must be wealthy!
"It's my treat," She said, signing the check. "I mean, it's my turn to contribute to the amazing time we had today. Like, Yuri suggested the place, Natsuki pointed out the oil stain, causing us to come up with the idea to eat out, Sayori escorted Nozomu to the Council room so we could make it here quickly, and Nozomu… well, you wrote the poem. And also, you're here."

"W-what does that mean?"

"The truth is," Sayori explained, "Before you came, our club was kinda down. We were getting kinda sidetracked, and didn't really know if we were going to continue our club. I mean, everyone is so busy with college applications and everything, we just lost hope. But since you came, we're definitely going to keep going. Right, guys?"

"Yup!" The other girls replied.

"So that's why we should all owe our thanks to Nozomu, the hope of the the Literature Club!" Monika said.

We went back out into the night, which had turned quite cold. The stars shone in the sky, bright and numerous as the hope I was feeling at that moment. I wasn't cold, but warm, from the happiness that I felt.

"So, you live near here, Yuri?" I asked, as we were saying goodbye to her at the stop.

"Mm-hm! Just around the block. Hey, maybe you could come over sometime! I mean, you guys!" Yuri suggested sweetly, her half-smile conveying an expression of nervousness and expectation.

"Oh, that'll be great! I'd love too!" I replied. "Well, see ya later!" We got onto the bus, and finally, Sayori and I were the last stop. We walked down our street, joking and laughing.

"Ahh, if only these times could last forever," Sayori remarked, walking to her door.

"Yep," I replied, waving goodbye.

If only they could.

If I can stay, is this my home?

Is it where I'm from, or where I am?

To be with you all

In a place where I belong