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Natsuki herself staring again. She mentally smacked herself. She had to stop, what if she got caught doing it? She wasn't really sure she could come up with a good excuse off the top of her head. Though she was gullible…

Natsuki flopped her head down on her desk, and sighed. Yuri, who was sitting nearby, gave her a passing glance before looking back down at her book. Natsuki sat back up and started thinking. She tried to think about other stuff, tried to get herself to pick up the manga lying in front of her and continue reading it but, she couldn't. She couldn't stop her thoughts from turning to…her, as they usually did.

Sayori.

The Vice President of the Literature Club, who was currently talking with Ryo, the new guy she'd brought to the club a few days prior. She…was very annoyed by his presence, especially when he talked so adamantly with Sayori, as he was doing now. Natsuki couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. Natsuki's eyes drifted aimlessly, eventually settling somewhere of their own volition as she became lost in her thoughts.

She…wasn't really fully sure when she had first fallen for the bubbly girl. One day she just realized that the feelings she felt around her were the same as in her manga, and the more she thought about it, the more certain she became. But…they were both girls, and while Natsuki didn't really care about that kind of thing…she didn't know how Sayori felt. She was affectionate with the small girl, but she was also affectionate with everyone…especially Ryo.

With a start, Natsuki realized where her eyes had been resting: Sayori's ass. Natsuki felt her face turn a deep red as she quickly looked away. Damn it…she really had it bad didn't she? She wanted to say something…so, so badly, but how? What should she say? How should she say it? When should she say it? She wasn't sure of any of it. She was completely inexperienced, and her manga was of no help, it wasn't like she could just fall onto Sayori, accidentally grope her chest (not that she would be necessarily opposed), and then be able to belch out a confession; it just wasn't realistic.

Before she knew it, she started becoming lost in thought yet again, her mind drifting back to a week earlier…when something amazing had happened…


"Heyyyy, Natsukiiiiii~!"

Natsuki felt a chin rest on the top of her head as she sat down reading one of her manga. Immediately recognizing the voice as Sayori, she felt her cheeks flush slightly, but she shifted her body, and Sayori removed her chin from her head.

"What is it?" She asked, feeling her heart skip a beat as she looked back and her eyes met Sayori's once again astounding by just how beautiful and bright blue they were.

"I was wondering…" she paused for dramatic effect, "…if you could show me one of your manga?" Natsuki felt her body freeze. Then after a moment, her mouth widened into a huge grin.

"R-really?!" She asked excitedly. "A-any specific genre?" She got so excited that she was stumbling over her words already. Sayori put a hand to her chin, lost in thought. After a few seconds, she nodded.

"Casual!" She said.

"So…like slice of life?" Natsuki asked.

"Sure!" Natsuki smiled.

"Then that!" Sayori said with her usual smile that made Natsuki's face heat up as she couldn't help but smile back.

"Well I've got the perfect series!" Natsuki said as she got up, went over the closet, and retrieved the first volume of Parfait Girls, handing it to her. When she saw the cover, she beamed.

"Ooooo! I'll start reading it now!" She said, and sat down in the seat next to Natsuki. She sat down as well, and got back to her own book, but she could barely focus on it as she glanced over at Sayori. She knew both the manga and Sayori well enough that she could take a good guess where she was, and judge Sayori's reaction. Between her gasps, smiles, and blushes, she was reacting just the same as Natsuki, and that made her smile. As she read, Natsuki also couldn't help but study her face. Her rosy cheeks, her cute little nose, her gorgeous blue eyes, and…her lips. Those little lips…they looked so soft…she wanted to…

Natsuki shook her head, blushing furiously as she looked back at her own book. Time passed and eventually, Sayori set down the book and stretched. "Wh-what did you think?!" Natsuki asked hesitantly, but Sayori smiled just as wide as usual.

"It was so goooood! Are all manga like that?!" She asked.

"Well, there's manga for every genre you can think of, plus some specific to manga like isekai, though it's not *technically* a genre, but whatever, slice of life, etc." The small girl explained. "That's what's great about it: there's something for everyone!"

"Well I want to read more!" The bubbly girl said, and Natsuki had to stop herself from squealing in joy. She was happy she was able to share something like this with her crush. This was the best day ever! Sayori walked over and grabbed the next volume, but at that moment, Monika announced they should probably all head home. Natsuki looked out the window and was surprised to see it was getting dark. Had that much time really passed?

"Sorry, Sayori, I-"

"Can I take it home?" She asked before Natsuki could finish. Natsuki was taken aback. She liked it that much?!

"S-sure, just…take care of it, okay?" Natsuki urged.

"I'll do my best!" Sayori said with a salute, before packing up her things, and following Yuri and Monika out of the classroom, stopping to give Natsuki a wave goodbye before she left. The small girl sighed and giggled to herself. She packed up her own stuff and headed home herself, smiling to herself the entire way.


Natsuki shook herself out of her thoughts as Sayori and Ryo sat down at a desk, still talking, and still leaving the girl curious as to what they were talking about. She quietly growled, and Ryo glanced at her for a moment before quickly looking away after seeing her stink eye. Another memory surfaced in Natsuki's mind as she stared at the boy…


"Wow, you're going through this fast." Natsuki said as Sayori sat down yet another volume in front of her.

"I can't help it! It's so good! I never knew manga was this amazing!" She said. "Thank you for showing me Natsuki!" She grabbed Natsuki's hands and held them tightly, beaming. The small girl felt her face turn an intense shade of red as she felt the bubbly girl's soft, smooth fingers against her skin, and she visibly shuddered, which made Sayori frown. "Are you okay? You look…red, and you're shaking."

"I-I'm fine! R-really!" Natsuki said, not wanting to let go of Sayori's hands, but sadly, Sayori pulled them away with a shrug.

"If you say so." She said, and then bounced on her feet as her eyes went wide." Oh! I wanted to ask, can you teach me how to do makeup?" Natsuki was taken aback.

"Wh-what? Why me? Why don't you ask the others?" Natsuki wasn't exactly opposed, but while she did know the basics of makeup, she didn't use it very often. Sayori pouted as she pushed her fingers together. God…she was so cute…

"The others apparently don't use makeup. I already asked. So you're kind of my last hope." She said. Natsuki thought it over, weighing the pros and cons. Pros, she'd get to hang out with Sayori and help her out with something, which would make her really happy. Cons, she had very little experience and could mess it up. Though something told her Sayori wouldn't really care that much.

"S-sure! We can do it here tomorrow-"

"No!" Sayori said rather suddenly, before she quickly backpedaled and cleared her throat. "Can I just…come over tonight? I'd like to have it done before tomorrow." Natsuki felt her breath catch in her throat. Sayori…come over…to her house?! That's…

"Sure!" Natsuki said, and Sayori smiled.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" She said, grabbing Natsuki's hands again and shaking them. The small girl tried to remain calm until the bubbly girl let go. "Alright, how about you give me your number?" Natsuki choked. Her…her number?!

"Y-yeah…" Natsuki said with a squeak as she took out her phone with trembling hands. Oh god was this really happening?! Sayori retrieved hers as well, oblivious to Natsuki's embarrassment and joy. The two exchanged numbers before Sayori took the book and headed over to a nearby desk to read it. Once she had her back to Natsuki, she felt herself melt into her chair, a stupid smile on her face as she clutched her phone to her chest.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, and before long, Sayori walked up to her. "Hey, better idea, why don't I just walk home with you?"

"YES! I-I mean…" Natsuki quickly curbed her enthusiasm with a throat clearing. "S-sure!" Sayori beamed as usual, and after they gathered up their stuff, the two set off towards Natsuki's house.

Along the way, the two of them engaged in idle conversation, though the way the bubbly girl got so excited over the smallest things was infectious, and Natsuki couldn't help but smile back at her. At one point, the small girl's eyes glanced down at Sayori's hand, which rested at her side. She felt herself gulp as the urge to grab it rose up. She glanced up at Sayori's face. She was still going off about something, not paying attention. And even if Natsuki held her hand, she probably wouldn't see it as anything weird, right? The small girl felt her body trembling as she slowly started to reach her hand towards Sayori's. It got closer and closer, their fingertips nearly touching as Natsuki's heart raced in her chest…

"Are we there yet?" Sayori suddenly asked, and Natsuki felt like she jumped three feet in the air. Sayori looked alarmed. "You okay?"

"Y-yep…just fine…" Natsuki said, her voice quiet. Sayori gave her a frown, and the small girl looked away, then up, and saw her house. She gulped. She hoped Dad wouldn't be home. Sure, he probably wouldn't care that much that she was bringing a girl home, but still…

She walked up to the door and knocked on it, waiting for an answer. When none came, she breathed a sigh of relief and unlocked the door, stepping inside. She flipped on the light and took off her shoes, with Sayori doing the same as they stepped inside. As Natsuki looked at the stairs, she gulped.

"Seriously, are you okay?" Sayori asked. Natsuki nodded, even though it was a lie. She was terrified and embarrassed to take Sayori into her room, for multiple reasons. For one…it was her bedroom, and for another, she didn't know how messy it was.

"G-give me a second to clean up, if that's okay." She asked. Sayori nodded and Natsuki went upstairs, quickly rushing into her room, and immediately picking up anything she could see on the floor. Clothes, books, an empty bag of chips; she shoved them all under her bed, and sighed. That would have to be good enough. She opened the door and started making her way back downstairs, though she stopped halfway down as she saw Sayori…removing her blazer.

"Wh-why are you stripping?!" She blurred out, and Sayori giggled.

"I'm just taking off the blazer so I can get more comfortable!" She said as she pulled it off. As she did, it left her momentarily sticking out her chest, the sight of which left Natsuki's legs wobbling. Sayori draped the blazer over her arm and looked back up at her. "Is it okay now?" It took the small girl a moment to find her voice again, before she squeaked out a confirmation. She turned, and Sayori followed Natsuki up the stairs. Below her, she heard Sayori giggling. "Natsukiiiii, I can see your panties from here~!"

"KYAAA!" Natsuki said as she shoved her hands on her skirt, her face a deep red. "Wh-wh-why would you say that?!" Sayori stuck her tongue out in a smile.

"I'm just teasing you~!" She said. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed, I just can't help myself!" Natsuki growled. She couldn't believe she let Sayori see that!! …Though a part of her wondered if she liked them…

Either way, Natsuki hurried onward, and soon they were both in her room. Sayori immediately sat down on Natsuki's bed, bouncing on it, which made the small girl blush as her eyes jumped to Sayori's chest, which was…

"So, do you have the stuff?" Sayori said, laying back and throwing her arms out. Natsuki was still distracted though, her eyes now focused somewhere else. Sayori's skirt had ridden up, and when she flopped over, it had lifted slightly, so Natsuki was able to see her- "Earth to Natsuki! And Ryo says I'm the spacy one…"

"A-ah! Sorry!" Natsuki apologized and looked away, waddling towards her dresser, where she opened one of the drawers holding a small box of makeup supplies. "You're gonna have to get off the bed." Sayori nodded and hopped onto the floor, finally fixing her skirt, not that she seemed to really care. Natsuki opened the box and pulled out some lipstick. "First thing to start with is lipstick." Sayori nodded and leaned forwards.

"You have to like pucker your lips for that, right?" Sayori said, and did indeed do that, which made Natsuki gulp. Her lips looked so soft, she wanted to just…touch them…with her fingers. Natsuki felt her hand start to raise up, but she quickly caught herself, and shook her head.

"N-not necessarily." She said. "Just relax." Sayori relaxed her mouth and Natsuki got closer, closer, until they were inches away. Natsuki could feel her heart racing in her chest as she stared at Sayori's lips. She raised up a shaky hand, and just before it touched Sayori's lips, she stopped. "A-actually…I think I know a better way. What you should do…is copy me. Watch." Natsuki held the lipstick up to her own lips and gently applied it. She hadn't done something like this in a while. You'd have thought she would've to try to get Sayori's attention, but she was sure Sayori either wouldn't have noticed, or not have given it much thought. She tried to steady her hand as she glided the stick across her lips, covering every part of them, until she was finally done, and made a popping sound with her lips. She looked over at Sayori, who was watching earnestly.

"I see! Can I try?" Sayori asked, and Natsuki handed the lipstick over. Sayori closed her eyes and brought the lipstick to her lips. Natsuki watched in wonder as she gently applied it, her face looking calm and serene. The small girl could feel her heart racing once again as she wanted so badly to hold her face in her hands, to pull her close and- "How's that?" She asked, shaking Natsuki out of her stupor. Natsuki looked her over and was pleasantly surprised to see she'd done it well.

"You look…great!" She said, and Sayori giggled.

"Thanks! What next?" She asked. Natsuki led the bubbly girl through the process of applying makeup. The further along they went, the more Natsuki became in awe of just how beautiful Sayori actually was. And the makeup only helped to make her even prettier. The bubbly girl kept noticing Natsuki making glances at her, but didn't seem to think too much of it.

At one point while they were doing Sayori's lashes, Natsuki finally asked. "What did you want to do your makeup for?" She felt Sayori stiffen underneath her hands, and a faint blush overcame her cheeks.

"O-oh there's somebody I want to invite to the Literature Club, and I felt like doing my makeup and making myself pretty might…help our chances of getting them in." She said. Natsuki made a small "hmm" sound. A new girl in the club might be nice, but she also didn't want a whole ton of new people to disrupt the peace…especially if it was one of the people who made fun of her. But if Sayori knew them and liked them enough to want to invite them, surely they weren't that bad. Natsuki didn't say anything else and that seemed to make Sayori feel relieved.

After a long time had passed with Natsuki helping her out, it was really starting to get dark, and Natsuki became more and more worried that her Dad would be home any minute. As she looked over at Sayori, she knew it was time. Though with how Sayori was admiring herself in the mirror, with all the makeup making her even more gorgeous than before, Natsuki could feel the words getting caught in her throat. But even so…

"Sayori?" She asked.

"Yeah?" She responded.

"I…I…wanted to tell you…I…uh…we…" She stuttered, and Sayori looked over at Natsuki's alarm clock, and jumped up.

"Oh! Ah, sorry Natsuki, I have to go!" She said, and grabbed her stuff off of the bed.

"B-but, I-"

"Sorry, you can tell me tomorrow! I really have to go! Thank you so much for your help!" She said, and embraced Natsuki in a hug. Natsuki felt her body shudder as her face turned red hot, but she somehow managed to wrap her own arms around Sayori, pulling her close. She could feel two soft objects press against her chest, which only deepened her blush. Unfortunately the hug was short lived before Sayori let go and bounded out the bedroom door, down the stairs, and out the front door. Natsuki sat there frozen for a moment before she sighed. She could still feel the warmth from Sayori's hug. At least she'd left before her Dad got home.

Natsuki flopped onto her bed, not bothering to clean up the makeup stuff, and still in her uniform. She laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about Sayori, as usual. Eventually, she went to sleep, and thought about how she should make cupcakes for the new girl Sayori wanted to bring in. She knew she'd like that! She'd also make sure to text that to Sayori in the morning, though she'd have to get up early to make sure they were done before school.

Natsuki went to bed with a smile on her face.


That smile did not remain the next day when Sayori entered the clubroom…with a boy trailing behind him.

Natsuki felt several emotions run through her: shock, horror, fear, anger. She distrusted him almost immediately. As Sayori was introducing him, Natsuki thought back to the previous night's events, and it made sense. Of course Sayori would want to use makeup to try to lure a guy to their club. And she'd even made cupcakes for him! Now that she thought about it, she'd never actually specified it was a guy!

Her thoughts were interrupted when he approached his desk. "Hello." He said, his voice nice and smooth. It filled her with disgust.

"What do you want?" She snapped, even though she hadn't meant to. He laughed nervously.

"Sayori told me you made cupcakes?" He said.

"Yeah, b-but not for you!" She said, though she immediately realized how stupid that sounded, and the next moment, he pointed it out.

"But…Sayori said you did…"

"I didn't mean for you in particular!" She exclaimed, blushing. "Just…leave me alone!" She pouted, but he didn't leave.

"Can you at least tell me your name?" Natsuki mulled it over, and eventually sighed.

"Natsuki." She eventually said, and turned away, ending the conversation. He seemed to get the message and walked away.

The time passed and Monika gave the guy—Ryo—a more formal introduction. Though Natsuki was opposed to anything, when she felt Monika's glare on her, she introduced herself once more. He sat down, and when Monika asked the small girl to grab the cupcakes she made, Natsuki did so begrudgingly. The sight of the cupcakes cheered her up a bit, but after she set them down, and watched as he laid his grubby fingers on it, that went away. She couldn't help but watch with curiosity though as he took a bite, and then quickly devoured the cupcake. He turned to Natsuki and praised it, which made her blush despite herself. Natsuki mostly ignored the rest of the conversation, until someone asked him what he liked to read.

"O-oh…uh…" He stuttered, then said quietly, "…m-manga?" That caught Natsuki's attention, and she perked up, looking over at him, and catching his eyes for a brief moment, before she quickly looked away again. Alright…she'd give him a chance.

The day dragged on, and after Monika announced they were going to try to write poems, somehow finding a way to get everyone, even Natsuki, to agree, they all separated to do their own things. Natsuki couldn't help but notice how Ryo hovered around Sayori. Though, the rational part of her couldn't be too mad, she was the only one he really knew here, well other than apparently Monika, but he seemed intimidated by her, possibly by the way she seemed to stare at him, which Natsuki also definitely noticed. It made Natsuki sad that she couldn't spend any time with Sayori, but that was fine.

Eventually it was time for all of them to go home, and as they were leaving, Natsuki called out to Ryo to talk to him. The two waited until everybody else was gone before Natsuki glared at him.

"You better not be planning anything." She started.

"H-huh?"

"You heard me. You better not be planning to do anything with Sayori." She said. Ryo threw up his hands.

"Hey, we're just childhood friends, that's all." He said. Natsuki narrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Is that so? Really?" She asked. "You sure you don't have any feelings for her?" Ryo seemed to gulp and almost quiver under her intense gaze.

"I-I swear. Why do you care if I do?" He asked. Now it was Natsuki's turn to feel the pressure.

"Th-that's none of your business!" She exclaimed. "The point is, stay away from her, okay?!" He laughed nervously once again.

"I'm not gonna hurt her or anything, but I can't promise you I'm gonna 'stay away from her'. She's my friend."

"Then she better stay just your friend." She said. Not feeling the need to say anything else, she stormed off, leaving him behind, a little confused. She grumbled as she made her way out of the school and back home. She nearly forgot she'd need to make a poem, but nevertheless, she tried to channel her frustrations into the poem, and when it was done, she looked it over. Satisfied, she put it in her backpack so as to not forget it, and went to go do some cooking to calm down.

But she still went to bed angry.


That anger returned the next day when…right before everyone's eyes, Ryo groped Sayori's chest!

Well, he was really helping to button up her vest, but that still meant his hands were basically touching her chest, and she even heard Sayori say "It's because my boobs got bigger!", which, when she saw how flustered Ryo got, her anger only intensified. How dare he?! He seemed to feel her eyes on him, as he glanced over at her a few times. Once he was done, he stepped back, putting his hands up as if to say "I wasn't really doing anything." Natsuki scoffed, and then had to suppress a laugh when Sayori just undid it again, breathing a sigh of relief. But she was still furious with him, and glared at him nearly the entire time, and he definitely seemed to notice, as he kept rubbing his neck.

When time came to share poems, he shared his with Sayori first, and Natsuki shared with Monika. She wasn't really paying attention to what Monika was saying though, as she watched Sayori and Ryo instead. The two were smiling as they talked about their poems, and the small girl wanted to thrash him.

"Um, Natsuki?"

Monika's voice shook her out of her thoughts, and she turned to her.

"Why are you staring so intensely at Ryo?" She asked. Natsuki couldn't help but sense a strange coldness to those words, one that made her shiver, but she ignored it, figuring it was her imagination.

"I don't like him." She said bluntly, which visibly surprised Monika, her calm face turning into one of shock.

"Y-you don't?" She asked, and Natsuki shook her head.

"I don't like how he…u-um…" Natsuki stopped herself, realizing how much she'd almost revealed, "…how he…talks, or writes!"

"But you haven't seen his poem yet…" Monika pointed out, and Natsuki felt her face flush.

"W-well I'm sure it sucks and I'm excited to tell him that when I see his poem!" She exclaimed. Monika laughed and shook her head.

"Alright then. I doubt that you'll answer me honestly if I ask anymore questions, so I'll refrain. It's time for us to show it to someone else anyway." She said as she stood up, and walked over to Yuri. Natsuki looked up, and was happy to see Sayori running over to her.

"Heyyyy!" She said, and her smile was enough to instantly raise Natsuki's spirits.

"H-hey." She said back. Her hands holding her poem shook, and Sayori noticed.

"Aww, no need to be nervous, I'm sure it's great!" She said, and gently placed her hands on Natsuki's which only made the small girl even more nervous. "Can I see it?"

"Y-yeah!" Natsuki said way too enthusiastically, and handed the paper to her. Sayori looked it over as Natsuki watched. As she read, her smile grew, until it was very wide when she put it down.

"I love it!" She said.

"R-really?" Natsuki asked, feeling her heart race and her cheeks flush at the compliment.

"Yeah! It's great, just like I was expecting! So perfectly cute, just like you!" Usually Natsuki was opposed to being called cute, but when Sayori said it, it made her heart flutter.

"Th-thanks…c-can I read yours too?" She asked, and Sayori happily handed it over. Natsuki grabbed it and read it. She could immediately tell it was written by the bubbly girl, though she was surprised by how good it actually was. As mean as it sounded, she wouldn't have expected such prose out of her, and when she set it down, and looked up into Sayori's expecting eyes, she smiled. "It's fantastic! I really liked it!" Sayori squealed.

"Thank you! I tried really really hard to make it as good as possible!" Sayori said, and her smile made Natsuki's heart skip a beat. The two chatted a bit, but eventually Natsuki couldn't help but let out a question.

"What do you think of Ryo?" She asked, and then immediately regretted asking, scared of the answer.

"What do you mean?" Sayori asked, a nervous smile on her face.

"Y-you know…what do you think of him?" She asked again. Sayori put a hand to her chin, and a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Well…I think he's a great friend!" That's a good start. "He cares for me a lot." Well…friends should, right? "Whenever I would get hurt, or get sick, or be sad, he was always there." Um… "Plus, he always finds ways to make me laugh, and cheer me up, and I just…really like being around him." Oh no…

"Do you…like him?" Natsuki asked, silently panicking.

"You mean…?"

"Like…like…like him?" She asked, and Sayori's blush grew.

"I…don't know. L-look, please don't tell him any of this! He'll definitely make fun of me for it, or it'll just be weird." She asked, and Natsuki easily accepted. No way she'd tell him any of this. "I just…really enjoy him being there…a-as a friend." Natsuki could feel her worry growing ever larger, but before she could ask anything else, it was time for them to switch again, and Natsuki found herself in front of Yuri. The two exchanged their poems, not liking each other's writing, which was unsurprising. They finished up and then…Ryo was sitting in front of her. She glared at him, and he coughed.

"Do you want to look at mine first or…?" He started.

"I'd rather not do it at all, but I know we have to do it, so just give it to me." She said, holding out her hand. He placed the poem in her hand and she started reading. Immediately she could tell it very much resembled Sayori's style, which only made her already great annoyance and anger towards him flare up. "You write like Sayori." She blurted out, though she didn't mean to.

"W-well, I guess I just was thinking about her when I was writing it. She's pretty inspiring, you know?" He said. She wanted to rip his poem in half with her shaking hands, but she knew she shouldn't, so she did her best to restrain herself, just bending the paper. "H-hey, I-"

"I told you to stay away." She said, before she got up, throwing the paper onto the table, and starting to walk away. She was stopped when he spoke up again.

"Hey I need to see yours…" He said. She growled.

"…Fine." She threw her poem onto the table, and waited, looking out of the corner of her eye as he picked it up, and read it over. He read it quickly and when he was done, he looked up at her and gave her a small smile.

"It's really good." He said.

"Thanks." She answered coldly, grabbing the paper and taking it over to a different desk, where she sat down.

With everything done, Monika talked to the club about the upcoming festival, talking about what they would do, but honestly, Natsuki couldn't pay attention. She was too busy either looking at Ryo, or Sayori. The day ended, and as they were about to step out the door, she stopped Yuri and Monika and pulled them inside.

"Help." She said. The two of them gave her raised eyebrows. She sighed, already feeling her face flushing. "Wh-what I'm about to tell you is for your ears only, okay?" The two nodded, and the small girl took a deep breath.

"So…there's two people, person A, and person B. I…like…person A…" Natsuki paused to steady herself. Even though she hadn't specified who she liked, it was still extremely embarrassing to admit she liked anyone, "…but they constantly hang out with person B. I'm worried that person B has bad intentions for person A, but…I don't know what to do about it…" Natsuki looked away, too embarrassed to look them in the eyes, and waited. The two remained silent for a while.

"I…do not have much experience with…this sort of thing," Yuri started, "but I believe the best course of action…may be to simply walk up to them…and tell them to…back off."

"I've tried that, but…it didn't work." Natsuki said.

"Then you need to be more forceful." Monika suggested, smiling strangely at the small girl. "Tell them you don't think they should be around them, and that if they continue to do so, you'll thrash them!"

"M-Monika!" Yuri exclaimed. "That seems quite…violent."

"What, I'd do the same if someone was going after the person I liked. Unless I was already friends with them?" She asked, and Natsuki shook her head.

"I'm definitely not friends with them, at all." She said, and Monika nodded.

"Then I'd suggest confronting them again and making sure they know S—um, person A is yours, and that if they approach them, they will regret it!" The two other girls stared at Monika in surprise, shocked that she was saying something so…malicious.

"Y-you think that'll work?" Natsuki asked.

"Absolutely." Monika said with that smile. Natsuki thought it over. It…would be embarrassing for sure, but…she probably wouldn't have much trouble yelling at him. She nodded to herself. Yeah, she could do it! For Sayori!

"Okay…thank you." Natsuki said. Monika smiled but Yuri looked a little hesitant, though she didn't speak up about it. Not that it would've really done anything, Natsuki was set on what she would do.


The next day flew by in a blur, until it came time for the Literature Club once again. She'd have to wait until it was over to speak with Ryo, but that was fine. Monika had them all produce their poems for the day, which Natsuki nearly forgot to write, and showed them to each other. Once again, she and Yuri didn't really like each other's writing, Monika gave her cryptic wishes of good luck for approaching person B, she got frustrated with Ryo, and how his writing style seemed to match Sayori's even more. She even got mad when he said he liked her poem. The whole event was annoying, and only fueled her desire to yell at him.

Sayori cheered her up with her own poem once again, though it seemed a little different than usual. More…sad, but in a way that was still beautiful, just like Sayori.

"I'm surprised, n-not that I mean that in a bad way!" Natsuki said, rushing to correct herself, but Sayori just giggled.

"Don't worry, thank you." She said, and smiled. Though something seemed…strange about the smile. She decided not to dwell on it though, and smiled back. Before she could stop herself, Natsuki reached and gripped her hands.

"I'm gonna do it." She said, and Sayori gave her a confused look.

"Do what?"

"I'm gonna…Sayori?" She asked. "Do you…like Ryo?" Immediately, Sayori's face became flushed, which was all Natsuki needed. The small girl felt her lips quiver as she shakily spoke again. "D-do you…like…me?"

"Wh-what?" Sayori asked, then smiled. "Of course I like you!" Natsuki looked up at her, hopeful. But it didn't take her long to realize she probably didn't mean it in the way she wanted. Even so, Natsuki felt her resolve harden. She wouldn't let Ryo get his hands on her, who knows how he'd take advantage of her! Natsuki let go of her hands and the two said their goodbyes.

The club members talked amongst themselves for a while until Sayori and Ryo suddenly left the room together, instantly making Natsuki panic. Part of her screamed about how he could totally take advantage of her when they were alone, even if the rational part of her was yelling about how if they lived right next to each other, he could literally go over to her house, or vice versa, whenever they wanted. The irrational part won out, and she felt tempted to dash after them, but…she couldn't. Some part of her restrained her from running out the door. Some power she couldn't explain. If she had looked over, she would've seen Monika smirking at her and her attempts to free herself. After trying for several minutes to get herself out of the seat, she gave up, knowing it was probably for the best that she didn't anyway.

A while later, the two returned, and right away, Natsuki noticed a small red lump on Sayori's forehead. She rushed over and pulled Sayori aside so suddenly that she almost fell over. "What the hell happened?" She asked in a whisper.

"Huh?" Sayori asked. Natsuki pointed to the bump and Sayori laughed nervously. "O-oh, I just…fell and something hit my head. But, I'm fine, really? Ryo got me a cold drink to hold up to my forehead to make the pain go away." Natsuki felt her anger boiling. Sure, he'd helped her when it happened, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place! That was it…she definitely couldn't be around him any longer. "H-hey, Natsuki?" Sayori's voice brought the small girl back to reality. "I-I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine, really. See?" She said, giving the small girl a wide smile that, as it always did, made Natsuki's heart flutter.

"You're sure?" She asked.

"Seriously, I'm fine!" The bubbly girl assured her. Natsuki stared at her for a little while before she took a deep breath and sighed. She gave Sayori a smile back, and let her go back to her seat. But even after her assurances, she still stared daggers at Ryo, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

The rest of the time passed by slowly, but eventually, the club activities were over, and everybody started to leave. As soon as people started to stand up, Natsuki rushed over to Ryo and grabbed his wrist. He looked at her with a mixture of confusion and shock. "We need to talk." She said in a low voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Monika nearly shove Yuri and Sayori out of the room. Natsuki waited until all of their footsteps echoed away into the distance before she took another deep breath, and stared him dead in the eyes.

"Stop hanging around Sayori." She said bluntly.

"What?"

"I think you're a bad influence, and today proved my point. She got hurt while you were around, badly enough that it left a bump." Natsuki said.

"W-wait, I made sure to give her a cold drink so-"

"I don't care what you did after the fact, the fact is she shouldn't have gotten hurt at all! I love her, but you know how clumsy she is, you should've kept an eye on her!" Natsuki was so mad she didn't even realize she'd said the embarrassing L word until she saw Ryo's face contort into shock again.

"H-huh?"

"H-hey! Just listen! I don't want you around Sayori anymore, for her sake! I don't care if you're childhood friends, or whatever, I don't trust you around her, or trust you in general!" Natsuki could feel all her pent up rage building up. "I-I wanted to give you a chance, especially as someone who seemed to be into manga, but I couldn't! Not after you basically groped Sayori, and then got her hurt!" Ryo kept trying to speak up, but Natsuki wouldn't let him. "A-and…I know how boys are! All they think about is sex and all that shit! I'm sure when you see her, all you can think about is how you want to see her n-naked! Right?! Someone like her doesn't deserve someone like you! I…I…I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HER FROM ME!" She shouted, and the room went deathly quiet. Natsuki panted, never having shouted like that in her life.

"Natsuki?" Ryo finally said after a while.

"What?" She asked flatly.

"Do you like Sayori?" The question made Natsuki freeze as her face instantly heated up.

"I…I…y-you know…um…th-that's…" She stammered. Ryo sighed.

"Look…if you like her, then just tell her. Instead of yelling at me, why don't you talk to her instead?" Ryo said.

"B-but…wh-what…" Natsuki continued to stammer. She knew at this point, any denial would be met with disbelief, so she had no choice but to admit to it, "…what if she doesn't like me back?"

"You won't know until you ask, right?" He asked, and Natsuki couldn't help but admit he had a point, much to her annoyance.

"B-but I don't know how…" She said, and suddenly the door opened, the noise causing Natsuki to jump in surprise.

"We can help~" Monika said as she and Yuri came in the door, Yuri unable to meet Natsuki's eyes.

"WERE YOU GUYS LISTENING IN?!" Natsuki shouted, covering her red face in shame. "Motherfu-"

"Hey hey, don't be like that. You should be thankful we had Sayori go along without us." Monika chided her. Natsuki groaned. "Like I said, we can help you, if you'd like."

"H-how…?" Natsuki asked, peeking at them from between her fingers.

"I-I've read quite a few romance novels…I already have an idea of what you could do to have the perfect confession…i-if you'll listen, of course…and want my help…" Natsuki stayed silent for a few moments as she thought it over. As much as she hated to admit it…she needed help.

"Yes, please…" Natsuki asked.

"I hadn't expected this route to be an option, but I'm not complaining…" Monika said under her breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing! So, Yuri, what's your idea?" Monika asked, and Yuri giggled nervously.


"I'm hereeee, what are we doing…today?" Sayori cheerfully, then confusedly said as she walked into the clubroom, which had its lights off and curtains drawn, plunging it into near darkness. All of the other tables had been shoved out of the way, and in the center of the room laid a single table, covered in a tablecloth, with a beautiful candle sitting on it, which seemed to be exuding Sayori's favorite scent.

"What…the…?" She said, and she jumped when Natsuki seemingly appeared out of nowhere, dressed in a gorgeous suit that looked surprisingly good on her. She gave Sayori a gentle smile as she held out her hand.

"Sayori~?" She said, and something about the way she said it made the bubbly girl shiver…in a good way. Sayori hesitantly took her hand, and Natsuki led her over to the table. Sayori was always surprised by how soft and gentle Natsuki's hands felt. She also looked…surprisingly…really attractive in that suit…

"What…is all of this?" Sayori asked.

"It's…a nice dinner. For us…" She answered, "W-well…I guess more of a dessert." Natsuki let go of Sayori's hand, and pulled back her chair. Sayori sat down, and Natsuki walked over to the closet, where she came back with a covered tray. "I…know how much you like my baking, so…I wanted to make something special for you." With that, Natsuki removed the tinfoil covering the tray, revealing cupcakes. Some were covered in red swirls, shaped into hearts, others an outline of Sayori's face with two bright blue dots and a white frosting smile, others her somewhat signature cats with ears and whiskers.

"Wowww…" Sayori said, but gave Natsuki a confused smile. "But…just for me?" Natsuki nodded. "Why…?" Even in the dim light, Sayori was able to see Natsuki's blush.

"I…I'll get to that later. For now…" Natsuki sat down and gestured to the cupcakes, "…please have some. They're just for you after all." Sayori felt confused, and a little worried, but nevertheless, she took a cupcake and bit into it. As usual, a flurry of amazing tastes permeated her tongue. She nearly moaned at how good it was. She could feel Natsuki watching her the entire time.

"Natsuki…these are good, but…" Sayori said with the food still in her mouth, but then when she remembered that was rude and how Ryo scolded her for it, she waited until she swallowed before speaking again, "…seriously, what's going on? Where is everyone else?" Natsuki looked away, and fidgeted with her hands on the table. Sayori knew her well enough to tell when she was nervous and struggling to say something, so she did something that always seemed to help: she reached out and placed her hands on Natsuki's. Immediately the small girl looked back at her, her cheeks flushed. "You can tell me. I promise I won't laugh if that's what you're worried about." Natsuki sighed.

"What do you…think of me?" She eventually asked.

"I think you're an amazing person, and one of my best friends!" She answered.

"That's it?" Natsuki asked, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Well…I'm happy you've been able to introduce me to some fun manga! And I'm happy I get to see you every day here in the club, and I think you're adorable and funny and sweet and kind and just…generally amazing!" Sayori said. Natsuki fidgeted more, and rubbed her thumbs over Sayori's fingers.

"But what about the others?" She asked.

"Well…Monika can be a bit intimidating, and Yuri is…well…hard to talk to. You're the first person I've felt like I could call a best friend since Ryo!" Even then, Natsuki still seemed apprehensive and sad. Sayori sighed. "Please, just say what's on your mind." Natsuki hesitated, but eventually she sighed, and looked Sayori in the eyes.

"Do you think of me…as only someone who could be…a friend?" She finally asked. Sayori stared at her for a moment, confused. Natsuki took a deep breath. "Would you ever…consider me as someone who could be…closer to you…than just a friend?" It took a few more moments before it finally sank in.

"A-are you…?" Natsuki nodded. "Y-you're asking me…?" Natsuki nodded again. "I-if I…like…like that?!" Natsuki blushed intensely, her fingers grasping around Sayori's.

"I…I like…no…I love you…" Natsuki said, and her shoulders immediately relaxed as soon as she said the words, something she'd been holding on to for god knows how long.

"R-really? B-but…I mean…I'm…I'm nothing…s-special!" Sayori said, now the nervous one instead of Natsuki.

"You're so adorable…" Natsuki said softly. Sayori looked at her, at the smile on her face. A smile that started to fall. "So…I…I did all this for you…so I could ask you this question so…what's your answer?" Natsuki looked at Sayori expectantly, and was surprised when she laughed.

"Natsuki! You don't need to do all of this fancy stuff! I like you just the way you are!" Natsuki stared shocked at her, then blushed deeply, her lips quivering.

"Y-Yuri said it would…"

"Although, you do look really sexy in that suit!" Sayori said unashamed, and Natsuki actually whimpered and shuddered, her entire face red from ear to ear. "Look…" Sayori squeezed her hands, "you don't need to do anything to impress me. I like you for how you are, and that's all I need. As for…that…"

"I-I know, it's weird…two girls…" Natsuki said, but Sayori giggled.

"No, no, that's not a problem! I couldn't really care less if you were a boy or a girl as long as I like you! It's just…"

"Ryo? You like him, don't you?" Natsuki finished her sentence, but she was surprised when Sayori shook her head.

"No…I mean, yes I do like him, but…I don't think it would really work between us. I've known him as a friend for so long that…it's hard to explain, but I just don't know if I'd be able to see him that way. You though…I…really like you. I like being with you, talking to you, hanging out with you, and just…you." Natsuki was sure she'd never blushed harder in her life than she was right now.

"S-so? Will you…g-go out…with me?" She asked again, and Sayori gave her her usual beaming smile.

"Yes, Natsuki! I'd love to!" She answered. Natsuki felt such an immense amount of joy fill her body that she stopped thinking. She leaned forwards and placed her lips against Sayori's. Sayori squealed, but didn't pull away as Natsuki felt her soft, wake, gentle lips against her own. Sayori even closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss as well, her face now matching Natsuki's. It only lasted for a few moments, however, before Natsuki realized what she'd done, and pulled away.

"A-Ah! I-I'm sorry! I…I just…" Natsuki stammered, getting up in surprise. Sayori said nothing, and simply stood up as well, and embraced Natsuki. Natsuki felt her body shudder as Sayori's warmth enveloped her, and she felt two soft mounds against her own chest. Sayori held her tightly, and eventually, Natsuki wrapped her arms around her as well, and they sat there. Natsuki felt a smile come over her face.

Then, something weird happened.

Sayori's hands suddenly latched onto Natsuki's ass as she leaned forward and placed her lips on Natsuki's neck, sucking on it. Arousal coursed through Natsuki's body, which she demonstrated with a squeak, before she leapt back, her entire body shaking. "WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Huh? I thought that's what people in relationships do?" Sayori asked innocently.

"W-Well, yeah, but not that quickly!!" She said, clutching herself.

"Sorry!" Sayori said with a nervous laugh. "Guess you have a lot to teach me. So…what do we do now?" Natsuki looked over at her, at Sayori's beaming smile as she stared at Natsuki, and Natsuki couldn't help but smile back, just like always.