Chapter 16: Revelations
Act 3: The Calm Before The Storm
Markus' POV
"And that's why I think that wholesome is a overused word, and why I think that people on the internet should be more original." I finish my mini rant about the word wholesome as me, Yuri and Natsuki were walking to the cafeteria table. The former seemed to be listening intently while the latter furrowed her eyebrows at me.
"Really Markus?" Natsuki said in a dry tone. "First you don't like pineapples on pizza, and now you don't like something as trivial as some random word?"
I shrug and lift my hands up as soon as we sat down. "I have no problem with wholesome as a emotion. It's just that it became a overused word." Trust me, if you spend enough time on the internet, like I have, you will notice this behavior. Yuri smiled in my direction.
"Well, I suppose you have your reasons." She goes to take a bite of her sandwich as I notice her purple hairclips are missing.
"Hey, Yuri. What happened to your hairclips?" She looked away from me, avoiding eye contact.
"I was in a rush this morning..." She said that sounding rather quiet. Before I could suggest anything, Natsuki spoke up.
"So, Markus. Are you mentally prepared for another day of reading manga together." Before I could speak up, Yuri spoke for me.
"Actually Natsuki, I believe me and Markus were planning on spending the day together." I see Natsuki put her hands on her hips.
"Don't you remember the schedule? I believe today is reserved for me to spend time with Markus." I squint as I try to recall who do I hang with today. Honestly...
"Natsuki..." Yuri closed her eyes, cutting off my train of thought. "I was really looking forward to spending time with Markus today. I've had such a stressful morning that I just..." She cuts herself off from rambling and looks away with a massive blush. "I want his kind and gentle touch." I see Natsuki smirk across from me.
"Oh... I see how it is. And I know ex-act-ly why you're doing this." Yuri's blush deepens as she hides herself behind her hair. "I don't think Monika would approve of letting Markus give out foot massages in the clubroom." Her saying that caused me to blush badly and Yuri's face somehow turn redder.
"I... I..." I'm trying to think of a way to respond as Natsuki is giggling.
"Heehee... You're so easy to tease Markus."
I try to compose myself. "Yeah, well. Please don't embarrass Yuri, if anything else. I don't think she likes it." I turn to face the lavender lass herself. "And Yuri, if you truly want a foot massage from me..." I start to trail off as my blush reappears. "Then I would be more than happy to do that for you.
Natsuki's smirks again at us. "Yeah Yuri. Hes more than happy too. This is just too rich." I blush uncontrollably as Monika and Sayori arrive at our table.
"Hello everyone!" Sayori waves and sits down next to Natsuki. "What are we talking out?" She looks at me and Yuri as we are sweating bullets due to Natsuki's teasing.
"Um..." I start to stutter a bit. "I-It's nothing too important. B-But never mind that, what took you two so long?" I see Yuri start to remove the hair in front of her face as I quickly shoot her a smile. She returns the gesture back to me.
Monika placed her hands on the table with a glare adorning her face. "We ran into Hector's group of bullies again." I hear Yuri gasp as I rub my temples. Great, another old headache is returning full force.
"What do those no-life's want?" I see Natsuki cross her arms and glares at the table. I can see that she would be down to kick some ass. And man, wouldn't that be wicked to see?
Wait, did I really just say wicked?
"Well they tried to hit on me and Sayori." I raise a eyebrow in question. "But I swiftly shut them down. They aren't even that handsome anyways." I see Sayori nod next to her.
"Markus... Hector's gang is nothing but a brewing storm, filled with rainclouds..." I soften my eyes, looking in her direction. I really hope that Hector isn't the main reason as to why she's been having her 'rain clouds.' If that is the case, then somebody is getting an ass beating...
Monika then pulled out a notebook from her bag. "Okay everyone... Promise me that you all will stay safe, okay? Me and Hector have a bit of... history." I see that she's hesitant on finishing that sentence. "Hector may appear to be all bark and no bite, but trust me. He is not someone to underestimate." I shudder a bit a Yuri slowly rubs my back.
Natsuki scoffs and picks at her food. "Just talking about them is making me lose my appetite."
"Mine too..." Monika looks at her backpack. "I brought food with me, but I think I'm going to save it for the club." I see Sayori trying to reach for Monika's backpack as she swats her hand away. "Hey! That food is for me Sayori."
She frowns as she puts her index fingers together. "But I've seen what you brought to school. You actually make really good salads!"
"Exactly. Good salads that I want to eat." We all chuckle a little at Sayori's expense as she groans a bit. I shoot her a reassuring smile.
"During the club today, do you want to hit up the vending machine?" She looks at me like I'm crazy.
"Hit up the vending machine? But why would we hit the metal casing of the machine?" Everyone giggles a bit as I try to repress my laughter.
"It's just a figure of speech Sayori." Her eyes widen as she blushes a bit. "Oh... right."
No Ones POV
From outside the cafeteria doors stood Hector, who was eyeing Monika. He was listening intently on her conversation with her other clubmates. Eventually he gets frustrated and groans, continuing to walk down the halls.
"Gah!" This is hopeless! All I ever wanted was to be the one to date Monika. She would be the debate clubs queen, and I would be the king. Everything would of lined up perfectly!" Everardo and Jared cringe a bit at hearing this, with the former speaking up.
"Hector? Aren't you being a little obssesive over this?"
"He's right." Jared said while digging in the pocket of the hoodie to take out a bag of goldfish crackers. "It was made clear earlier today that Monika doesn't want to spend any time with you." Hector slammed his fist into the wall, causing Jared to jump a little, spilling his crackers.
"You know what? I was so close to getting to her last year, and during orientation this year." He closed his eyes to steady his breathing. "It was all Markus' fault. He swooped in and carried her away from me."
Everardo looked away in thought. "How would we even know that him and Monika are a thing?" Hector growled in Everardo's direction as he looked away, scared. "Please don't hit me."
Hector's eyes then lit up in realization. "Well, if I can't get Monika, then I say that we make Markus' life a living hell. And I know just how to do that. Come along boys! It's planning time!" Jared and Everardo both shared a look as they followed him down the hall, curious of his grand plan.
The group of bullies transverse the empty halls and they made their way to the janitors closet. Hector began rifling through some shelves while Jared sniffed the air a bit.
"Do you think the janitor stores any food in here?" Everardo shrugged as Hector pulled out a golden and rusty key.
"Enough eating tubby." Jared looked offended and rubbed his stomach.
"I'm not even that fat!" Everardo shook his head at that response.
"As you all know, the janitor is the last one to roam the halls of this school, all because of his cleaning duties. The teachers lock the doors, and the janitor comes by to unlock them to clean, then he locks them again when he is done." He waved around the key between his fingers. "So, I say that we steal this classroom key and lock Markus in the clubroom when he is by himself."
"But wait." Jared says as he throws away his empty bag of crackers and burps. "Wouldn't the janitor notice something is up when he doesn't have that specific key?" Hector shrugged and closed the drawer.
"I'm sure he will talk about how he 'lost' the key and the school can get him a replacement."
Everardo scoffed a bit. "Your plan has holes in it, dude." Hector glared at him in response. "Markus is only getting locked in there for one night. You really aren't being that much of a hassle to him."
"Getting back at Markus' wouldn't mean attacking him directly. There's a abandoned classroom in the basement of this school, and we can lock Monika in there." He smirked as he saw his vision come to life. "Soon, she will die of boredom, and then she will be forced to date me!"
Everardo and Jared shook their heads. The former rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Whatever man, can we leave now? The smell of cleaning products is starting to annoy me."
Hector nods as they walk out the room. "Hold onto your seats boys. The debate club will soon have a brand new member..."
Markus' POV
Me and Monika walk down the stairs into the basement. It's a section of the school that I'm barely familiar with, cause I only ever came down here one time during passing period. Yes, there are some classes down here but it's all third year stuff. Well, mostly that anyways.
Apparently, the consoler's office for running all of the school clubs is down here. Monika asked if I would help her out with paperwork regarding the current status of the literature club. I don't think the consoler would be happy to know that we still only have five members, but hopefully we can get by with our reports on the club activities.
Yes, I am carrying a stack of papers regarding what we even do in the club. Now to be fair, this type of job really is for one person, but Monika wanted me to tag along anyways. And to heck if I know what her motives are... I glance down at the papers I'm holding and one could hope that this will be enough to suffice but you can never tell too early with these sorts of situations. As we are walking, we spot a sign next to the door.
"Serena Williams meet and greet...?" I read out loud. I then hear Monika gasp and look at the sign taped to the wall.
"Serena Williams! She's one of the best tennis players out there." I smirk and shake my head.
"I knew you had some sort of athletic abilities, but I didn't know you were into tennis."
She giggled while coving her mouth with her hand. "Guess you learn something new about me every day, huh?" She composed herself and looked at the door. "Yes Markus, tennis is my preferred sport, though I also don't mind volleyball and basketball." She looked at me, those emerald green eyes always find a way to melt my heart. And come to think of it, I guess she always has that 'sparkling' look to her when she's going over one of her interests.
"Serena Williams is but one legendary player in the world of tennis. I would watch her play all the time, and I for one have always hoped that I would amount to her success. ...Well at least my parents wanted that from me." I hear her mutter that last part. "I started playing tennis a few years ago at this point. I do want to keep it as a fun hobby of mine. But..." She trails off as she stares at the tiled floor beneath us. Looks like it's up to me to comfort her.
"Hey, look. I feel like you should just do what makes you happy. I mean, I personally think that asking for perfection out of anyone is a little unreasonable." She looks up at me with half-lidded eyes. "And if there's people in your life that can't understand it, then-" She cuts me off and embraces me in one of her warm, cozy hugs.
"Thank you for being so understanding Markus~" I hear her mutter in my hear. I chuckle a little due to the ticklish sensation its giving me.
"Okay, okay..." I back away from her a little and we lock eyes again. "While it's great that this 'Serena Williams' player is more or less, an idol to you..." I look back at the sign near the door. "It does feel a little odd that someone that famous would waste their time even doing that here.
She then looked at the sign with a newfound skeptical look. "You know, you raise a valid point. I was so caught up in talking about my idol, that I completely missed the bigger picture here. Why would a famous tennis player be holding a meet and greet in the basement of the school?"
"Beats me." I turn around and head to the direction of the office we were planning to go to. "We shouldn't waste too much time here. We need to drop these papers off and meet up with the club." I went to the direction of the consoler's office, but then I feel something grab my wrist as I'm dragged into this supposed 'meet and greet.'
"Come on Markus, we should check out what this is really about. She opens the door and we walk in, and wouldn't you know, the room itself is empty. All that's in this room is a single desk and chair, with the windows being completely sealed tight with with a black covering over the glass.
I sigh as I get a good look around myself. "Welp, that's disappointing." It only took me a few moments to notice that Monika's normally confident look faltered a bit. Her frown became apparent and her hands turned into fists. It almost seems like she is... enraged by all of this. And to be honest, can I really blame her? She was talking about how much of a 'idol' this person was. And for all of that to be a ruse...? I only have feelings of sympathy for her.
It only takes Monika a second to lean against the wall near the lonesome desk, which prompts me to lean right next to her. "Sorry you got slightly tricked, but you have to admit. Some school prankers are terrible at their craft if they think that this is a good idea for a joke." I wave my hands to emphasize my point.
"I just... Don't understand. This seems like such a 'off the wall' prank to do." She rubs her chin in thought. "Something isn't adding up. And judging by the fact that both the hallway outside and this room are eerily empty..."
I continue her sentence for her. "I think it's safe to assume that this 'prank' is targeted towards tennis fans of some description."
Monika stands up and eyes the ceiling. "No one in this school is stupid enough to waste their time like this. Unless you are..."
"It's Hector!" We both jump as we hear a rather annoying and loud voice coming from the halls. The classroom door slams shut with a *click* sound happening afterwards. We both march towards the glass of the door and we see the bully of the school himself, standing there with a confident look.
"Hello there, my dear Monika!" She slams her hands against the glass in fury. If she was any more angry, she could probably break the window easily.
"God Dammit Hector!" She screamed in absolute fury. "Why can't you leave me and my club alone!?"
"It's because you're too stubborn to realize the beauty that is the debate club."
"I'm not joining your loser club..." She scowled as I stand next to her, putting myself in Hector's view.
"Please Hector, just leave us alone..." He looked at me in surprise.
"Look who it is... It's the guy that stole Monika's heart from me. I am supposed to be the thief here; the stealer of hearts." He chuckled darkly as I scowl at him. "I wanted to lock you in a separate room, but see Monika get taken from you is all the more satisfying.
Me and Monika cringe a bit upon hearing this. "Can it with the corny talk." Monika says with a dry tone.
Hector scoffed as he leans on the wall. "Well Markus, you can either break up with Monika, here and now. Or you two will be trapped in there." He holds up a key and waves it in front of the door. We both begin to grow a horrified look on our faces. "Yep, I have locked the door using this skeleton key I stole from somewhere."
...Okay, So Hector has trapped us in this basically empty classroom. I have to be honest here, I never thought I would end up in a situation like this. Like, yeah, I'm trapped with one of my beautiful girlfriends but it's under very bad circumstances. I sigh as I try to rack my brain for ideas on how to break out, while Monika is attempting to bust the door down with all her might.
Great...
Sayori's POV
Yet another day of literature for me! I skipped merrily down the hall as I approach what I refer to as my secondary home: The Literature Club. Of all the happy places I could retreat too, this spot, alongside my home, is my preferred hangout. And can I just say, the excitement never ends here!
I've been thinking about the weekend when we all came together to play Mario Kart. Even though I wasn't great at it, I still had a fun time doing it. But a part of me wonders if it's because of Markus. Such a caring friend that is willing to listen to someone as worthless as me...
I breathe in and out for a good minute before I arrive at the club room. Life before I met Markus was a little... rough for me. Some days I don't even have the energy to rise out of bed. But ever since Markus came into my life, it's like a new chapter of my life has begun. I'm still experiencing some rainclouds but with his help, maybe he can help me turn a new page...
I giggle as I adjust my red bow slightly. I love it when I sound slightly sophisticated. And I hope the other club members are ready for me today. I open the door and walk to where I usually sit in the room.
"Hello everyone!" I say with my usual enthusiasm. Yuri is the first to greet me today.
"Hello Sayori, how was the rest of your school day?"
I shrug a bit as I drop my backpack. "Eh, same old routine-"
"Ugh!" I hear Natsuki groaning from the closet, snapping me out of my train of thought. So I go to see what has her so flustered today.
"What's wrong Natsuki?" Her pink eyes have traces of anger in them as she squints at me.
"I've been going to this club for a year now, and Monika still feels the need to move my manga around! At what point will she realize that-" Yuri cuts off her rant.
"Natsuki, this isn't about Monika respecting your opinion." Yuri manages to speak coherently and clearly despite not removing her eyes from her novel. "Everytime this happens, it's because other teachers need some of the space in there, so Monika has to move your possesions around."
"Well, she could at least organize it better. All of my box sets are not in order anymore and I have to take time out of MY day to fix it." Uh oh... I can hear another argument pop up between these two. I see Yuri set her book aside as she turns to face Natsuki.
"Sometimes, you need to learn how to take responsibility."
"I know a thing or two about that! And my fists coming into contact with your face is the answer you will receive."
"Maybe you shouldn't resort to violence and instead listen to me and take my opinion on your situation into account, you hypocrite." I see Yuri's eyes start to flare up a bit as she said her rebuttal.
"I'm the hypocrite? You told Monika how unsanitary it was for her to put her feet on the desk. And now I'm seeing that you removed your shoes in this clubroom!" Yuri looks away with a blush. "That's a part of the school uniform, and you choose to take those off! And I know exactly why..." Yuri hides behind her hair seemingly frustrated. Time for me to do what I'm cited for doing here...
"Guys..." I stand in-between their bickering. "There's no need for this kind of bickering... again." I narrow my eyes at both of them. "And your fighting isn't doing any benefits to my rainclouds." Both of the girls expressions softened as they look at me. I lock eyes with Natsuki's.
"Are you doing okay Sayori? We haven't actually heard anything about your... 'rainclouds,' as you called them, in a while. So, just checking in... Is everything alright." I turn away from them with a sad smile. I still don't really know how to feel about their support. They've known me for at least a year now, and I still don't really want to dump my problems onto others. I take a few deep breaths to steady myself.
"Thanks for your concern, but as for right now we need to focus on all of... this." I wave my hands to emphasize my point. "You two had another fight that started for no reason. Seriously, I thought there was no longer any bad blood between you two." Yuri is still looking away, she seems to be listening but is twiddling some hair in the process. Natsuki however, crosses her arms.
"Sorry Yuri." Natsuki said with narrowed eyes. "I didn't mean to blow up on you, I'm just protective of my manga." A idea then comes to me.
"Wait, now that you aren't living with your father, can't you bring your manga to Monika's house?" She frowns and looks down at the floor.
"I still think I want to keep it here. It's convenient for when me and Markus read some more parfait girls." I then see Yuri shift uncomfortably.
"Sorry for being sassy, Natsuki. I... I didn't mean to bicker with you over something so meaningless. " Natsuki shrugged at that.
"You're alright Yuri." She then looks up at her and shows a small smirk. "If it makes you feel any better, Markus' does a excellent job at giving a foot rub. You would enjoy it." I see Yuri's eyes light up a bit, even if it was only for a second.
...Wait...!
"Markus is okay with doing that!?" Both of the girls raise a eyebrow at me, with Natsuki growling a bit.
"Dammit, I promised I wouldn't say anything." I hear her mutter under her breath as Yuri sighs.
"Honestly, Natsuki. We should cut our losses with this one. Sayori would have to find out sooner or later." I stare off into space when I hear this.
"What!? What am I finding out about later?" I feel Natsuki put a hand on my shoulder.
"Look... I'm going to be blunt about this." I see Natsuki look at me, straight into my eyes. "Markus likes feet, okay? Not only is he a dummy but he's a weirdo." My eyes widen as I hear this very revealing news.
"Ah... Okay then..." Honestly, I don't know how to respond to this news. I never took Markus as someone who would be attracted to something so... strange. I glance down at my footwear. Just the basic attire that all the females wear at this school. I wiggle my toes in my shoes and I can almost feel how tired they are. A foot rub from Markus would be...
"I promised not to tell anyone, but thanks to Libitina, Yuri now knows." Natsuki snaps me out of my thoughts as Yuri looks away again, not knowing how to respond. "And I feel like you should know because we all are dating him anyways. If I have learned anything about being in a relationship, it's that being open with each other helps, a lot. And thanks to him, my life..." I hear Natsuki trail off as Yuri begins to speak.
"You know, speaking of Markus, where is he? Didn't he go with Monika to deliver the monthly paperwork?"
Natsuki looked at the club door. "Maybe they are too busy making out in the hallway." I blush a little thinking of being in Monika's position there. As far as I know, Markus has only ever kissed Monika so far. Yuri is more of the shy, reserved type and Natsuki is more, well, closed off when it comes to romance. But as for me...
"Gotta go guys!" I bolt out of the room, almost tripping over a stray desk as I see Natsuki tagging along.
"If you are going to look for them, I'm bringing my camera, I have to highlight the moment of them making out and we embarrass them." I giggle a little as I see Natsuki take out her pink phone.
"Soooo-" Natsuki puts a finger to my lips. "Do not call me cute..." She striked me with a death glare as she storms down the hall. I attempt to walk up to her as I hear Yuri also leave the clubroom.
"If you don't mind Sayori, I would also like to tag along. Normally, Monika isn't gone for this long and it has me a little worried. I couldn't imagine what would happen if something bad happened to our president." I nod and stare ahead, seeing Natsuki turn down the hall.
"It'll be fine Yuri! Monika can handle herself, and even if she can't, she has Markus with her." I take her hand and drag her along. "Come on Yuri, we have to catch up to Natsuki and find Markus and Monika! I have a whole new idea I threw into my poem and I would like to show it off to the club!"
"*Huff.* Please, slow down Sayori. I might have long legs but I don't exercise much!" I could hear her taking in some air, and I can't help but smirk.
"Be lucky that Natsuki isn't here. She would probably tease you for not being the athletic type." Yuri breaks off from me and she hastily catch up, eventually matching my pace as we turn down the stairs to the basement. Ah yes, the antics of The Literature Club. The excitement never seems to end!
Markus' POV
"You won't get away with this Hector!" Alas, we've been stuck in here for a good twenty minutes now and no luck so far. The bully in question has been standing outside mocking us basically, and if I had to guess, it's because this guy is the living definition of having no life.
"All you have to do Markus, is break up with her. Then I might let you out with Monika." I sigh as I take out my phone and try to call the school. I hate to take the 'wimp' method out of this I don't really have any options unfortunately, and this might as well count as a 'life or death' situation.
...I wait a few seconds after dialing the school and it went to voice mail. "What? How does that even work?"
"What's happening?" Monika asked as she looked at my phone.
"I tried to call the school but it went to voice mail...?" My voice slightly cracked at the end of that sentence. "I didn't even know that the school had a voice mail." We both could hear Hector cackle outside. Yeah, apparently these doors are not really sound proof.
"I sent Everardo to disconnect the phone in the main office. So any and all calls that get sent to the school will now fall on deaf ears." We both scowl at Hector's bull crap shenanigans, with Monika looking especially pissed.
"You really caused damage to the schools property, just because I wouldn't date you?" Hector nodded with a smirk. "Don't you realize how petty you are sounding?"
"Nonsense, love." I hear Monika gag upon Hector saying that. "We were made to be together and nothing can stop me!" A few seconds pass and we hear some screaming happening down the hall.
"Ah! Let me go!" Me and Monika look through the glass on the door and we see a gruff old man drag somebody by their hoodie. A fat person like that... Yep, it must be Jared. He tossed Jared down next to Hector.
"Are you the two that stole my work tool?" His voice sounded a little raspy and dry. He then turned to the door and he sees us pressed up against the glass. "Is this your motive? Locking kids away with my key?" Hector looked at the janitor and scoffed.
"I don't have to tell you anything." We then hear somebody else that is struggling down the hall and sure enough, it's the other member of Hector's 'loser gang.' The person dragging him came into view, revealing himself as the principal.
"I caught this troublemaker leaving the school office after the final bell rang. He gave me all the details." The three bullies faces turn pale in embarrassment. "Locking students away in a classroom is worthy of suspension."
"You aren't taking me alive!" Hector runs off down the hall and drops the key in his haste. "Take your damn key! And remember Monika! We will be together!" We can now barely hear him as we see Hector's 'goons' sprint to catch up with him. The janitor picked up his key and he unlocked the door for us.
"It's a good think I found that hoodie-wearing individual. I caught him snooping around my office, looking for quarters for the vending machine." He shakes his head in disbelief. "What a waste of time."
Monika grabbed the taped sign on the wall and tore it off. "Thank you for aiding us. Your work will never taken for granted." We see the janitor crack a small smile.
"It's nice to have someone appreciate what I do." We see him stroll down the hall, his spirits being at least a little bit higher than a couple minutes prior. The principal turns to face us, with a stern look.
"I'm sorry that happened to you guys. Next time you see Hector in this school, let me know and I'll catch him and his gang off-guard. They need to be brought to justice."
"Will do!" Monika said with enthusiasm as the principal walks away. We pick up the paperwork we discarded on the desk and we head out to what our destination was supposed to be.
"Again, I'm sorry that all of this happened." I said with a frown. "Nobody deserves to deal with Hector's crap."
She smiled sweetly at me in response. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I guess no one could of reasonably predicted that all of this would happen in the moment. I'm just glad that the situation got itself sorted out." We continue to walk in silence and the basement office appears in sight. But before she goes into the office, she stares at the door in thought.
"Um... Markus?" She said rather quietly.
"What's up Monika?" She takes a minute to gather her thoughts.
"This question might sound like it's coming out of left field but... am I... perfect?" I rub the back of my head and think for a bit. I seriously wonder what she could mean by that.
"I mean... Do you want the honest truth." She nods with slight hesitation. "You have your flaws but that is just human nature. I feel like it's completely unreasonable to ask for consistent perfection from anyone." I hear her sigh as her shoulders droop a bit.
"...Thank you, Markus. I know you didn't ask but, being the popular girl of the school has it's downsides. Not only do I have to maintain good grades, but I have to deal with other boys fighting for my attention, like Hector." She says that last part with a bit of disdain. "And then my parents also wanted me to try out a sport. I never was opposed to the idea, and as I said, I do love the hobby. I just wish that they didn't hold me high expectations is all." I feel my instincts kick in as I wrap my arms around her.
"It's okay Monika." I cringe a bit as I think about how... lame that sounded. "Well, right now it doesn't seem okay but-" I get cut off by her giggling.
"Sometimes Markus... You accidently know what to say." I chuckle a little as she nuzzles into my neck.
"That's what friends are for Monika. We help each other forget our problems by saying stupid crap, cause we think we know what to say but instead..." I look at the ceiling. "It turns into a word salad." I again, hear her giggle.
"Thanks for cheering me up a little." I break apart from her and stick my hands in my pockets.
"Anything to help you take your mind off of what Hector did today." she smiles sweetly, with her emerald green eyes filling with confidence yet again.
"Okay Markus..." She takes what papers I'm holding. "I'll deliver this. Just wait outside for me, okay?" I nod as she strides inside the room. I smile, thinking back to her beautiful emerald green eyes, and those legs... A wonderful personality with some stellar beauty. I can definitely see why she is the popular girl around here.
A couple of seconds pass and I feel some arms wrap around me from behind. "Found you~"
"Ah! Sayori!" I say in surprise. "What are you doing down here?"
"We were trying to find you, silly. It's been a half hour now, that's half of the club time." She narrowed her eyes a bit. "We were getting worried."
"Wait, we...?" I feel someone slug my arm.
"Were you and Monika making out?" She said with a smirk. "It's not nice to keep yourself from your other girlfriends." I hear Sayori giggle as Natsuki blushes a bit. "N-Not that I would want your affection anyways."
I chuckle a little, seeing how flustered Natsuki is being. "Don't worry about it. I get what you mean. I then see Yuri walk up to us.
"Hello Markus. Did you get lost traversing the halls."
I shook my head and frown as I think back to what happened earlier. "We had a encounter with Hector." The three girls gasp, with Natsuki seething with anger.
"What did that asshole want?"
"He stole a skeleton key and locked me and Monika in some random classroom." Sayori's hug tightened a little. "But it's okay, cause the janitor of this place managed to catch onto their plan. Also Sayori, it's getting a little hard to breathe."
"Oh! S-Sorry..." She releases me from her grip as I straighten my uniform. Now I do like Sayori's hugs, but I also want to live to see another day, not get met with suffocation.
Yuri walks over to me and brushes against my hand. "At least nothing bad came from it." She took out her phone to check the time. "If there was more time in the day then..." She trails off as she twiddles with her hair. "I-I was looking forward to spending time together in the clubroom." I see Natsuki smirk out of the corner of my eye.
"Oh yeah. Yuri apparently needs a foot rub from you." She elbows me as I blush madly. I wanted to say something but Sayori cuts me off.
"I didn't know you had some desire to do that~" She says as my face somehow turns even redder.
"I uh... Don't?" I say weakly as Natsuki smiles mischievously at me. "Why did you tell her, Natsuki?"
"Oh calm down Markus. At least Sayori is a open-minded individual." I nod with slight relief. "But I told her for the sake of no one keeping secrets between us. In this relationship, it should be more about being honest and a little bit more open with others." I then see Yuri recover from her previous embarrassment.
"If it makes you feel any better Markus, at least we are supportive of this." I smile at her kind words.
"Thank you girls, for not thinking of me as a less human being..."
Our conversation ends abruptly as Monika leaves the office and she sees all of her club members await her arrival. "Hello fellow club members!" She says with a small nervous look to her. "Sorry that took me a while..."
Natsuki sighed and shook her head. "No kidding, it took you two a half hour to do this very simple task."
"Yeah, it's just that me and Markus ran into some trouble."
"We heard all about it." Natsuki clenches her fists. "Next time Hector is in my line of sight, he's getting punched into another galaxy." I shudder at the thought. Getting hit with that much strength would be enough to make anyone at least a little wary.
Monika starts to walk down the hall, with us following after her. "Okay everyone! We still have a little bit of time left today. Do you all want to share poems still?" I see Sayori nod with much excitement.
"I wrote a poem that is a little bit different than what I usually write. I hope it turned out okay." I rub Sayori's shoulder to calm her nerves a bit.
"I'm sure it's great Sayori. I'm always down to see your writing."
"I second that..." I hear Yuri mutter behind me.
Monika picks up the pace and marches up the stairs. "Then lets go! We don't have much time before the hour ends." Another day comes and goes, and man, it was yet another unpredictable day. But for what it's worth, I'm glad me and Monika had a heart-to-heart, even if it was very minor and brief. Before Hector came to intervene with us anyways.
And just like Monika, my goal is still left intact; help out my friends and get through this school year in one piece. ...There's a lot on my plate left, isn't there...?