The 'day' began just as normally any did… as normally as any virtual game world could, anyways.
Two of the four girls woke within the cockpit of their Titans, with Natsuki yawning cutely as she stretched, briefly forgetting that she was within Scorch's cockpit as she did so, while Sayori simply woke up and… just sat there, unsure of what to even do for the day, prompting Ion to offer some comfort to her Pilot.
Meanwhile, Yuri woke with a start, yawning a little dramatically as she stretched. Her waking up caught her Titan's attention, as Ronin peeked in from her window to make sure she was alright, and all the while, Monika had woken up 'extra early' in order to ready herself for the first day of the modded game.
As per usual, thanks to the way the base AI worked, Monika was the first to arrive in their school, with her being brought there by Monarch, who had insisted on doing so for reasons unknown. Not long after came Natsuki, brought here by Scorch who ended up looking in on her day classes, much to the worry of every one of the faceless students and teacher.
Yuri came in not long after Natsuki, with the girl reading whilst Ronin trudged through the little town they lived in. It was quite a miracle that she didn't get motion sickness, though Monika did assume that she was just programmed that way. Likewise, it was very likely that Sayori was programmed to always be the last one to arrive due to her more… problematic personality quirks.
Of course, in the long run, that didn't exactly matter to Monika. Their personality quirks were unimportant to the redhead. All that mattered was her player, nothing more… and though her attempts at getting with him were somewhat thwarted by the modder's threat towards her even thinking of tampering with their files, she still remained steadfast, refusing to give up on her beloved.
The time for the game to actually start came rather quickly. Monika herself didn't know why they even needed to simulate an actual school day in the game, though she didn't question it as she smirked and entered the Literature Clubroom.
To no one's surprise, Natsuki and Yuri were both already there, both sitting on chairs in front of each other, with a single table separating them. Their respective Titans were peeking in from the clubroom window, watching as their Pilots 'argued' about trivial nonsense regarding manga and books with… great interest?
"I do believe that Natsuki holds a valid point. By its definition, Literature is a written product deemed to have any value of art or intellect. Because manga, by default, possesses all of these qualities, it can be qualified as literature, for many of the greatest stories have been made through the medium of manga," argued Scorch, rubbing his cockpit as though it were a chin as Natsuki smirked.
"You pose a good argument, and yet, can we consider a mere picture book to be a form of literature? Manga is more so art than proper literature, and unlike proper literature, manga is not able to show the intellectual qualities of its characters in great detail. At its core, Manga relies more on its art than any proper intellectual content to hold itself up," countered Ronin, his hands behind his back in a somewhat professional fashion as he spoke, with Yuri shuffling a little as she nodded in agreement.
'Oh great, it's this argument again…' thought Monika, sighing internally as she stepped in. Though most likely put in her mind thanks to the mod, she did have a few memories of Yuri and Natsuki, and by extension, their Titans, arguing about manga being literature, with the former arguing against and the latter arguing for. It was… very amusing to say the least.
"Please, Titan units SC-1525 and RN-2407. Such trivial matters are not to be argued about."
Of course, Monarch did always have a tendency to butt in, as she did now. At the sound of her voice, the Titans and their respective pilots turned towards her with upset expressions.
"But Monarch! I need to get Yuri to believe that Manga is literature!" argued Natsuki, leaning towards the window as she whined.
"Likewise. As impressive as the genre is, I too wish to prove my point to Natsuki…" muttered Yuri, twiddling her fingers against each other as she somewhat agreed with her rival. Their Titans didn't seem to have much of an opinion as they kept their optics on Monarch, and it was then when Monika reckoned that she should step in.
"Please, ladies," piped up Monika, smiling sheepishly as she put on her club president tone, stepping forward to make her presence known. Upon seeing her, both Natsuki and Yuri blinked and chuckled a little awkwardly, prompting Monika to sigh a little. "Look, I know you two are pretty passionate about all this, but… perhaps you two can find common ground with all this?"
"Monika is correct. Common ground is often the greatest way to resolve conflicts," agreed Monarch. Ronin appeared to agree with that a little as he bobbed his cockpit/head a little… though as for Scorch.
"I thought the greatest way to resolve conflicts was to eliminate the enemy team," thought Scorch out loud, and at that, everyone present glanced at him with widened eyes.
"Erm…" muttered the girls as Ronin slapped his manipulator against his cockpit hatch.
"That would be on the battlefield, SC-1525. Though we could theoretically combat one another, to do so here would result in massive amounts of collateral damage. We were tasked with protecting the girls, not to destroy their entire education center," chastised Ronin.
"Noted. Storing in memory banks now," assured Scorch as Monika giggled a little.
"Man, I wonder where he got that idea from?" quipt the club president as Natsuki remained awkwardly silent, tapping her index fingers together as Yuri suppressed a giggle.
"Y-Yeah… I wonder…" muttered Natsuki.
And at that, the final Titan of the four stepped in, with Scorch stepping a little to the side to allow Ion to join the little group.
"I apologise for my tardiness. I had to oversee Sayori as she brought along her friend," apologised Ion, her optic 'blinking' a little as she spoke. Monika waved that off, however, as she smiled.
"No need for apologies, Ion," assured Monika as she waved the Titan off. The Titan nodded her optic in response to that. "Though… where is Sayori? And… Anon?"
"They are on their way," answered Ion. "Approximate time needed to arrive: five minutes."
"Tsh, I still can't believe Sayori got a boy to join us!" piped up Natsuki, frowning as she leaned back on her chair, doing her best to sound disinterested as she spoke. Even so, the mild shifting she did said otherwise, and Scorch noticed that before anyone else did.
"That being said, I believe that now would be a good time to remove the cupcakes from my cockpit," suggested Scorch, and at that, Natsuki's face reddened as Monika looked at her with a knowing smirk while Yuri blinked in surprise.
"W-Wait! Not now!" retorted Natsuki, pouting as she spoke. "Scorch, that was meant to be a secret!"
"I apologise for my comment, Natsuki. I expect a full reprimandation following the end of the day," apologised Scorch, prompting Monika to laugh briefly while Yuri offered a mild giggle. At that, however, Natsuki did notice something off with Yuri's bag. Glancing closer, she noticed how… it was a present?
Yeah, definitely a present… and at that, she smiled a little.
"Hey, Yuri, is that a present?" inquired Natsuki somewhat teasingly in an attempt to save face. At that, Yuri squeaked and glanced at her bag, shuddering a little in realization.
"O-Oh… uh… t-that…" began Yuri, with her stuttering being enough to make Monika raise her brows and for Natsuki to feel a little bad, though before the latter could apologise, Yuri's Titan spoke up.
"That is her welcome gift for Anon," clarified Ronin, his singular optic narrowing a little as he spoke. "There are no feelings of romance, nor does she wish for any to come from this, Pilot Natsuki. This is but a way to welcome a potential club member."
"Oh, I see…" muttered Natsuki, now feeling a little awkward as she spoke. "Well, sorry about that, I guess…"
"It's… quite alright," assured Yuri with a gentle wave of her hand, and at that, the two shared a smile that seemed rather genuine… and Monika couldn't help but be taken aback by how… off this all felt.
The future events for the game were mostly concealed from her, though she had enough knowledge of the base personalities of her 'friends' to know that Yuri and Natsuki were not exactly fond of one another, with the two often butting heads. A smile shared between the two of them would've been rare… very rare, and yet, here they were on day one, already smiling at one another!
This had to be related to the mod… it had to be…
"Everyone! The new member is here!"
The sudden yell, courtesy of Sayori, caught their attention as the three girls and the Titans turned to see Sayori enter the room with her usual cheery demeanor. Her presence alone was enough to lighten up the entire room… at least until the other guy came in.
"I told you, don't call me a 'new member'..."
That voice was just so monotonous and lacking in energy that it made Ronin's OSsound like the most energetic thing ever, though whatever its owner was trying to say was quickly cut short when they actually paid attention to the occupants of the clubroom, where his jaw quickly dropped.
"Oh! Welcome to the Literature Club. It's a pleasure to meet you," greeted Yuri, standing in order to bow as she greeted the newcomer, no doubt 'Anon'. "Sayori has told us many nice things about you yesterday."
"And I'll say it again," drawled Natsuki as she leaned back on her chair, sighing as Scorch appeared somewhat worried. "You brought a boy here. Way to kill the atmosphere…"
"Hehe, Anon, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" quipped Monika, smiling as she winked at the boy knowingly. Anon noticeably blushed at that, running a hand through the thick mop of black hair that sat above his head as he processed all this information. "Welcome to the club!"
And what followed were a handful of seconds that held nothing but silence. Anon kept his gaze on the girls, the girls kept theirs on him… and the Titans stood outside, ready to go on the offensive should anything unsavoury happen.
Hell, both Scorch and Ronin already had their weapons out at this point, just in case.
'T-This club… is filled with incredibly cute girls!'
That was the only thing that ran through the head of Anon as his AI computed everything that was happening while its vessel stared at the three girls. Though simplistic, very simplistic, especially when compared to the AI for the girls, the Protagonist's AI was still good enough to process basic human emotions, and evidently the the most noticeable emotion that was now being shown were his teenage hormones going berserk, if the mad blush that the girls present could see was anything to go by.
"Oi, what're you looking at?" demanded Natsuki, eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms and leaned forward to glare at Anon. "If you got somethin' to say, then say it!"
"Uuuu… I… I'm sorry!" apologised Anon, feeling rather overwhelmed as he stepped back. At that, however…
"I do not know what I was expecting."
"Eh?"
That voice was foreign to Anon… and upon hearing it, he turned towards its source and nearly shat himself when he saw the four Titans standing outside. Monarch, Ronin and Scorch noticeably narrowed their optics as they watched Anon closely, though Ion seemed much more curious than actually defensive, even if she did keep a firm grip on her Splitter Rifle whilst staring at him.
"W-What are-" muttered Anon, only to pause when Natsuki leaned back and groaned dramatically.
"Seriously, we came to school so many times whilst piloting them and you only just noticed them?!" protested Natsuki, sounding more disappointed than pretty much anyone in the world as she spoke. Anon's silence was his admittance of guilt as Natsuki sighed, though thankfully, Yuri spoke up before she could continue to chastise the guy.
"Natsuki…" muttered Yuri, placing a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder as she attempted to calm her down. Similarly, Sayori, still smiling, piped up to assist.
"Don't mind Natsuki! She gets like that whenever she's moody!" assured Sayori with a smile, something that seemed to irritate Scorch a little as he narrowed his optic at Sayori, only to be bonked over the head by Ion. "But anyways, this is Natsuki! She's always full of energy! And over here is Yuri, who's the smartest in the whole club!"
Yuri's response to that was a mild blush as she began messing with her abnormally long bangs, though before she could retort, Ronin piped up.
"Agreed, Pilot Sayori. Yuri is truly the smartest in the Literature Club," agreed Ronin, to which Sayori smirked and gave a powerful thumbs up while Yuri's blush deepened. "Test records back this up, with her scoring just high enough to best Pilot Monika."
"D-Don't say things like that, you two!" protested Yuri, prompting Ronin to nod his monoeye.
"I apologise for speaking the truth, Yuri," apologised the Stryder unit, much to Yuri's embarrassment as she covered her face, and Natsuki had to suppress a smirk while Sayori giggled a little.
"And over here is-" continued Sayori, only to cut herself off. "Well… uh… I think you already know Monika from the looks of it…"
"That's right," confirmed Monika with a smile as she gently brushed past Sayori to greet Anon properly. Leaning forward, the club president smiled gently, with Anon silently cursing himself for being the second shortest in the room, being taller than Natsuki whilst tied with Sayori. "It certainly is great to see you again."
"I did not know that they were acquainted," mentioned Ion, her OS sounding somewhat surprised as Monarch nodded her head unit.
"I did not find it to be an important piece of information until very recently," apologised Monarch. "Monika and Anon were in the same class last year. They rarely speak."
"Acknowledged. Storing information now," was Monarch's response from all three Titans, who did as they said. The Vanguard based unit rolled her optic at that before glancing back at the clubroom.
Monarch's optic did narrow a little when she noticed how Anon seemed to be more than a little focused on her pilot, with her grip on the XO16A2 Chaingun tightening as she narrowed her optic at Anon. Game or not, Protocol 3 was still something to be followed.
Of course, the close proximity wasn't entirely Anon's fault, as Monika was leaning towards him something fierce, ignoring personal space all the while.
"Erm… i-it's nice to see you too, Monika…" muttered Anon as he tried to focus on Monika and not her Titan. Thankfully for the three of them, however, Sayori burst in to save the day as she squeezed in between her club president and childhood friend, putting some distance between the two of them as she broke the ice, so to speak, and making Monarch revert her optic back to its normal size.
"Alright, enough talk! Come on, sit down, Anon! We made room for you here, so have a seat!" insisted Sayori with a smile as Anon raised his brow, wondering where he should sit, exactly. The way the tables and chairs were situated didn't seem to be good for five people to sit down at the moment… .
"Erm… wha-" began Anon, only to be shut up when Sayori swiftly ran off to rearrange the clubroom As swift as a lightning bolt and twice as noisy, Sayori situated five chairs in front of a table, with said chairs all facing the window where the Titans were staring in from. Anon himself was a little surprised by her speed, though the other club members, Titans and Ion especially remained unphased, having become used to this by now.
"Pick your seat, Anon!" urged Sayori as she leapt up into the air and landed on a chair. Natsuki rolled her eyes at that while Monika and Yuri simply took their seats, leaving Anon with the choice of sitting in between Monika and Sayori, smack dab in the center, or right in the corner with just Sayori.
As an intellectual in the loosest sense of the term, Anon picked the first option, earning himself the attention of Ion and Monarch, whose optics narrowed as they nonverbally warned him of the pain to come if he dared to anything.
"Alright, Scorch!" proclaimed Natsuki enthusiastically as she pointed at him dramatically, prompting everyone to turn towards the unit in question as the Orge based unit stood at attention. "Show em the goods!"
"Aye aye, Pilot," replied Scorch with a salute, much to everyone's amusement, before his cockpit hatch swung up, revealing a small box that sat on his cockpit seat. Rather gingerly, Scorch reached in to grab it and handed it off to Natsuki, who brought it into the classroom with a triumphant smile.
Sayori's mouth began watering right as the sweet aroma hit her nostrils, prompting Monika to reach over with a handkerchief to stop her from drooling onto the ground. Yuri, on the other hand…
"If I may, should I make some tea?" inquired Yuri with a smile, placing both hands on her lap as she spoke.
"Go on!" assured Monika with a smile, prompting the purple haired girl to glance at Ronin, who nodded his cockpit a little before it opened up.
Rather gingerly, Yuri, after opening the window to their clubroom, leaned forward to grab her tea set from within her Titan's cockpit. That act did give everyone present a good view of… erm… a part of her that wasn't meant to be seen, though thankfully, Anon was forced to look away after Ronin aimed his Leadwall Shotgun at him through the window, though that did get him a look of disdain from Monika and a pout from Sayori.
"T-There we go!" quipt Yuri, leaning back from the window and bringing with her a tea set, smiling as she set it down on the table, right next to Natsuki's box of cupcakes. "Thank you for keeping it warm inside your cockpit for me, Ronin."
"The laws of physics may or may not make such a feat impossible, though who am I to assume," commented Ronin offhandedly as Natsuki opened the box of cupcakes, revealing the adorably fluffy cupcakes within.
White, fluffy and with black detailing, the cupcakes were all stylised to look like little kitties complete with chocolate ears, and everyone present couldn't help but go awwww at them. Even the Titans felt some small amount of happiness at seeing the little cupcakes and their pilots' reactions to how adorable they were, with their optics narrowing as they shared a silent chuckle with one another.
"They're so cute! W-WHY DID YOU DO THIS?! I CAN'T EAT SOMETHING THIS CUTE!" complained Sayori as she picked a cupcake up and examined it with wide, teary eyes. Hearing this made Natsuki roll her eyes while Monika and Yuri covered up giggles.
"You're gonna eat it anyways, huh?" quipped Natsuki, and to that, Sayori cradled the cupcake to her cheek almost affectionately as she replied.
"Though I am reluctant… it is a sacrifice I must make…" muttered Sayori, her eyes suddenly widening as she removed the cupcake from her cheek, revealing a stain on her cheek in the process, and consuming the cupcake in a single bite. Everyone present, sans Ion, was rightfully shocked by that, and they could only watch in silence as Sayori licked her fingers clean. "Mmmm…"
And at that, a mechanical sound escaped Ion's chassis, surprising everyone present as they eyed her. The Atlas based mech was quick to recompose herself, however, and held both arm units behind her back.
"Heh, well… I never knew that you baked, Natsuki," muttered Monika as soon as she turned away from Ion, smiling a little as Natsuki proudly puffed her chest out.
"Ehehe… the more you know!" boasted Natsuki as Scorch gave a double thumbs up to agree. "But enough talk, take one, all of you!"
And at that, everyone present took a cupcake, minus the Titans for obvious reasons. Of course, the Titans were still rather fine with watching. By all means, this was a way to work on Protocol 3. That… and something about the sight of the four girls happily eating cupcakes made the Titans feel rather nice.
Oh and there was Anon too. He was just there… though none of the Titans really cared for him much.
"Mmmmpfh… ish sho schweet!" proclaimed Sayori with her mouth still half filled with cupcake as she spoke.
"Sayori, please do refrain from speaking when your mouth is full," scolded Ion, to which Sayori blushed as she continued to chew. Meanwhile, Anon did his best to find a good angle to bite from, with Natsuki watching intently as he did so. Likewise, Scorch watched with his Thermite Launcher held at the ready.
No one would call his 'little sister's' baking bad on his watch.
Thankfully, however, even Anon was taken back by the amazing-ness of Natsuki's baking, as his eyes immediately lit up when he took a bite from his issued cupcake. It was so good that his brain had to do a quick reset, leaving him wide eyed and mouth agape long enough for Sayori to poke his cheek.
"I-It tastes amazing…" admitted Anon with a shudder, much to Scorch's apparent relief as he lowered his Thermite Launcher, and for Natsuki's cheeks to puff up in pride, if only for a moment. "Thanks, Natsuki…"
"W-Well, why're you thanking me for?!" demanded Natsuki, looking away as she crossed her arms and pouted, amusing everyone as Anon raised a brow. "It's not like… I made them for you, or anything…"
"Wait… I thought-" began Anon, only for Scorch to release some steam from his vents, interrupting him with the loud roar of steam.
"I apologise. I was… overheating," apologised Scorch as Anon shuddered at the possibility of the unit exploding, though what he didn't know was how that was a deliberate overheat. Natsuki, however, could tell as she gave her Titan a quick smile as thanks.
And at that, Yuri held a tea cup up to Anon, offering it to him.
"O-Oh! Thanks…" thanked Anon as he accepted the cup. After a sip, Anon was quick to realize just how perfect it was. Not too sweet, not too sour, it was just right… and it was enough to make him widen his eyes the second time in the past few minutes. "W-Whoa…"
"Hm?" muttered Yuri curiously as she, alongside Ronin, awaited an answer, to which they got one.
"This… is close to perfect…" muttered Anon in shock as he smiled. "Do… you keep a tea set in your… robot?"
"Correction, we are Titans forged by Hammond Robotics. The term robot could theoretically be used to describe us, but the proper term would be Titans," corrected Ronin as Anon blushed in embarrassment.
"Ah… sorry bout that. But… do you?" inquired Anon, to which Yuri smiled gently.
"Why yes. My Titan grants me permission to do so," replied Yuri as Ronin nodded his torso/head. "I believe that a hot cup of tea helps calm the mind whilst reading… do you not agree?"
"Erm… well… I guess…?" muttered Anon awkwardly as Yuri smiled. At that, however…
"Don't get too intimidated, Anon. Yuri's just trying to impress you~" assured Monika with a wink towards Yuri as the guy in question blinked in realization. And as for Yuri…
"E-Eh?! N-No… that wasn't…" began Yuri, only to look away in insult as she became flustered, much to Ronin's worry. Her silence stretched on for quite a bit, being long enough to worry Ronin as he got ready to extend a hand into the clubroom to comfort her, though before he could, Anon took a risk and spoke up.
"W-Well, I can't really say that tea or reading are pastimes for me… but I can say that I enjoy a good cup of tea…" assured Anon with a small smile, prompting Yuri to perk up.
"I… I'm glad…" muttered Yuri with a smile as she held a hand to her chest, and at that, Monika took it as her chance to speak up.
"So, Anon, if I may, what made you consider our club?" inquired Monika, leaning towards Anon as she spoke, much to his embarrassment and Monarch's irritation. She knew why Monika was doing this, though it still made her feel a bit off.
"Oh… erm… well…" muttered Anon awkwardly, seeming unsure of what to say as he poked his index fingers together. Rather unfortunately for Anon, however, everyone present was focused squarely on him right now, and the attention was something his AI was unused to, prompting him to chuckle weakly. "I… just didn't have a club to be in for a long time, and Sayori seemed very happy here, y'know? S-So…"
"No need to continue if you'll become more embarrassed~" cut off Monika jokingly, smiling as she giggled. "We'll make sure you feel right at home. As the president of this club, I'll make sure of it, for it's my sworn duty to make sure everyone in this club has an enjoyable time!"
"Your speech skills have improved by 23.1421562% since the last time, Monika," praised Monarch as Monika turned to glare at her Titan for ruining the mood. The Titan in question raised both hands to show how 'apologetic' she was while Anon chuckled a little.
"I've gotta say, I'm pretty surprised, Monika… why'd you start your own club? By all means, you could've been a board member for any one of the larger ones, or, Hell, even be a member of the student council! I hear that they have 72 active members at the moment," commented Anon, sipping his tea after speaking. To that, Monika simply giggled and answered.
"Aha… well, y'know… I'm not one for political talk," answered Monika as Sayori slithered onto the table and stole another cupcake from the batch, prompting the little girl to whine as she pointed at the bow wearing girl accusingly. Meanwhile, Yuri watched everything unfold whilst sipping tea, with the Titans observing all this and filing it under Protocol 3. "I was in the debate club last year, but it went too south when we moved onto that McGillis Fareed Incident that supposedly happened over a century ago. Just a whole bunch of arguing and people justifying the acts of both sides."
'Wait… I… don't think I was meant to say that… and what's this McGillis Fareed Incident?! Is that even real?!' thought Monika after she finished speaking, blinking in surprise as she shook her head. 'Aurg… this mod is going to be the death of me!'
"I see… so you broke off from your old club and made a new one?" inquired Anon, smiling as Monika, opting to just go with the flow, nodded in response.
"Y-Yes, I did," replied Monika. "I wished to make a club that revolved around what I personally liked and found enjoyable and make something special out of it. And if it gets others to get into literature, then it would be more than worth it!"
Upon hearing the tail end of her speech, Sayori and Natsuki stopped their little bickering as the former giggled and inched up to the club president's side, smiling all the while.
"Hehe, Monika really is the best leader!" commented Sayori, smiling as she shuffled up to the girl in question. Yuri nodded in agreement to that while Natsuki remained quiet, not wanting to lose her cool girl demeanor just by agreeing with the other two, though a low hum from Scorch said otherwise.
"W-What're you laughing at, Scorch?!" demanded Natsuki as she turned and pointed at her 'big brother' accusingly, to which Scorch held both hands up defensively.
"I apologise, Natsuki. I simply found it amusing that you didn't wish to speak your mind," apologised Scorch as around him, the other Titans allowed several low hums to be heard from their chassis, and it was at that point when the girls realized that they were sharing a laugh.
"I… never knew that the Titans could laugh!" quipt Monika as she covered up a smile.
"Yeah, but why laugh at me?!" demanded Natsuki as she pointed her fingers at the four Titans. "You're all mean!"
"And you're just so cute!" countered Sayori as she walked up to Natsuki's back and pinched her cheeks from behind. At that, however, and after Natsuki processed the word cute, her face reddened to the point of it being comical as she blew her top.
"I-I… I AM NOT CUTE!" proclaimed Natsuki, and at that, she began chasing Sayori all around the clubroom, promising either death or a good whack over the head all the while, leaving the Titans, Monika, Yuri and Anon behind to laugh with varying degrees of amusement.
"Heh… with how lively the club is, I'm surprised no one else has joined," commented Anon with a smile as Monika's expression dropped.
"No, it's not always like this, trust me," assured Monika as she crossed her arms. "Not many people are putting too much effort out to start something new, you see, especially when it's something that doesn't grab your attention, like literature. We'll need to work harder to convince people that this is something worthwhile, and we all have a part to play.
"Which is why events such as the up and coming festival are so important, you see? It lets us, all of us, show what we're made of to a wider audience. I for one am confident that we can grow this club before we graduate!
"Right, everyone?"
Monika had expected an answer from everyone, though unfortunately, Sayori and Natsuki were wrestling on the ground at the moment, with the latter tickling the former into submission whilst their Titans watched with their weapons brandished. The poor mechs didn't know what to make of this. If they fired, they'd surely injure or kill their own Pilots after all! That, and the Titans all had an unspoken rule that was made to not injure one another's Pilots under any circumstance.
So this was rather awkward indeed…
Thankfully enough, Monika, channeling the inner club president within her, was able to get them to stop with two simple words that were spoken after she clapped her hands together.
"Right, everyone?" repeated Monika, her tone harder and her volume higher as she spoke through grit teeth. Upon hearing her, both Sayori and Natsuki stood at attention, with the former saluting as she responded.
"R-Right!" proclaimed Sayori.
"Yeah…" added Natsuki, only to raise a brow when Sayori leaned down to her ear.
"What were we asked again?" inquired Sayori, to which Natsuki shrugged. Monika, despite catching what they said, simply rolled her eyes and suppressed a giggle before turning to Yuri, who smiled as she placed her teacup down.
"I will do my best to support both this club and you, Monika," assured Yuri with a nod, placing both hands on her chest as she spoke. Monika smiled and nodded at that before turning to the final piece of her club, the Titans.
"As your Titans, we shall follow you to the ends of this world," assured Monarch, clenching one of her manipulators into a fist as her serene OS spoke.
"Agreed. One for all, and all for one," quipt Scorch, holding his manipulator out to allow a small spark to appear on his palm before clenching it, causing the spark to explode a little, adding on to the dramatic effect.
"We are all here for the betterment of the Literature Club, and as such, we shall do our utmost best to ensure that its future is that of the greatest club of this school," added Ronin, unsheathing his Broadsword and lifting it up into the air to emphasis his point.
"We'll do it together, as friends and fellow literature enthusiasts!" concluded Ion, raising her Splitter Rifle up in a sort of salute to end that somewhat dramatic speech as their pilots watched.
And at that, Monika couldn't help but feel… odd as she watched Natsuki, Yuri and Sayori all smile and laugh as their Titans went back to their standby modes. Something about them felt off… the work of the mod, no doubt, and yet… Monika couldn't bring herself to hate it.
The addition of this mod just made them feel so much more… alive, not just a sprite on the screen whom she was forced to interact with. It made them feel like friends…
"H-Hey… uh… I hate to ruin the moment, but…"
Oh right… Anon… no wait, the player! Monika had been so caught up in all that talk that she forgot about him!
"Oh, yes, Anon?" inquired Monika, with everyone else present turning to face him as he continued speaking, appearing rather sheepish as he continued.
"I-I hate to break it to you, especially after that pretty cool speech from all of you girls… but…" began Anon, doing his best to find his words as he tapped his fingers together and avoided eye/optic contact with the Titans. The girls all appeared confused as well, and after a long pause, Anon blurted the next few words out. "But I never said I'd join this club!"
And at that, the joy room was quick to fade as one by one, the girls deflated.
"I-I haven't made my decision…"
"O-Oh… I see… I was too quick to assume…" muttered Monika, frowning as, in the background, Monarch narrowed her optic and readied her XO16A2 Chaingun and both Acolyte Pods, with the missiles in one of them ready to be launched towards Anon.
"Sayori… s-she kinda just dragged me here…"
"Anon… I… I'm so sorry…" muttered Sayori as Ion's optic widened before narrowing when she realized that her pilot's mood may very well drop to a dangerous level, prompting her to ready her Laser Shot and Splitter Rifle at full split. It wasn't smart to threaten her pilot's childhood friend, but if she could scare him into joining…
"And… erm… there's s-s-some other clubs…"
"Tsh… w-wasted my time…" commented Natsuki, crossing her arms as she looked away. Scorch was not happy with this, to say the least, as he loaded a Thermite Grenade into his launcher and aimed it squarely at Anon. No one would make his little sister sad on his watch!
"S-So… I… erm… m-m-maybe…"
"I'm sorry, Anon… I thought…" trailed off Yuri, though Anon was more focused on the Ronin behind her aiming his fucking shotgun at him, promising death upon him if he rejected this offer.
Hell, the combined might of four girls looking dejected in front of him and the guns, missile pods and fucking laser beam aimed at him was enough to make the poor protagonist sweat bullets as he thought of his next few words very carefully.
And that he did, as he blurted out.
"A-Alright, I m-made up my mind!" proclaimed Anon, to which the girls looked at him expectantly while the Titans narrowed their optics at him, ready to obliterate him and half the clubroom in the process should he decline.
And with a deep inhale, he replied…