Komi Komi Literature Club!
Chapter 30: The Delusion Dates
"Gentlemen, I have called an emergency meeting of the three of us to discuss something very important. We have 4 new girls that have recently caught the school's attention now that Komi has been choosing to spend more and more time with them."
Three of the boys from Tadano and Komi's class gathered together for their semi-regular private meeting in order to discuss the various girls in their class. However, in the case of these 4 new girls, members of the mysterious Literature Club along with Komi, there was a problem...
"I've...seen the girls, but I don't know the first thing about them!" One of the other boys said.
"Then what sort of material are we supposed to come up with?!"
"Um...hey. What're you three doing?" Tadano asked as he was passing by the classroom with Alex walking next to him. They both peeked inside, making the three boys flinch.
"Oh! Uh, hey, Tadano, um...we're just, you know, talking like usual." One of them answered, doing his best to answer the question naturally (he wasn't doing a very good job).
"Oh, I see! Are you doing one of those...erm, what-if dating scenario things?" Tadano asked slowly, finding the best words with which to phrase the question.
"How does he know about that?!" Two of the boys at the desk exclaimed at the same time.
"Um, you know I sit like right in front of you, right?" Tadano grumbled under his breath.
"What-if what now?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's the exchange student!" The leader of the troupe of three exclaimed, "Okay look, come on in and we'll tell you. We're talking about this too loudly right now." He gestured for them to come in, so Tadano and Alex entered the room and sat with them.
"Ok so listen, our plan was to sit and discuss the new girls from the Literature Club, you know? But...we don't really know anything about them. All we know is that Komi spends a lot of time in that club." The leader explained.
"Oh, the girls from the Literature Club? They're very nice, haha, I can see why you would want to do what-if scenarios for them." Tadano said with a chuckle.
"What are these what-if scenarios supposed to be about exactly...?" Alex asked slowly, looking around at everyone at the table.
"You know, like what if you went on a date with them? How would it go?" One of the other boys explained.
"Oh. Okay. That's...weird, but more harmless than what I was expecting," Alex commented. "Well I mean I'm in the Literature Club, you know, and I'm dating Monika." He pointed out.
"You what?! Since when?!"
"Since, uh, like...ever." Alex answered awkwardly.
"So...can you help us?" The leader asked.
"With the what-ifs...? Sure, why not? Where do we start?" Alex agreed with a shrug.
"Great!" The three boys exclaimed at the same time.
"I wanna start with the tall girl with the purple hair." One of them started.
"That's Komi, you idiot!" The other one said.
"No, not Komi, the other one – her name is Yuri." Tadano clarified.
"Oh, I see. Please continue."
"Yuri? Well let's see, she's fairly reserved but not exactly shy, she's well spoken and has good manners, respectful, she enjoys tea and thoughtful discussions." Alex described succinctly.
"I see. Well in that case..."
The Yuri Scenario
You and Yuri meet for coffee at your local bookstore. Inside, you find her already there, punctual as usual, wearing a beige sweater with black leggings, sneakers, and a pair of square-shaped glasses with thin frames. As you enter, she greets you with a warm smile, her voice soft, low, and smooth.
"I'm glad that you were able to make it. Forgive me for jumping ahead, but I already got myself a drink. I've already grabbed a table for us, so feel free to get yourself something. I'll wait patiently."
As you wait in line for your drink of choice, you look and see Yuri sitting there by the window, one leg cross over the other, her gaze fixed on the pages of her favorite book while she sips from a berry-flavored punch, since she's not really much of a coffee drinker.
Sitting there, her posture is proper and her movements are silent and graceful, like a picture in a magazine. She reaches from her drink and takes a sip from it without even needing to look away from the pages of her book.
However when you sit down across from her, she quickly marks the page she's leaving off on before closing the book and gently setting it down on the table. She gives you a little smile to show that she is now giving you her full attention.
"How are you doing today? Have you been keeping up with things alright?"
She starts off with simple pleasantries to get the conversation going. It isn't the most unique conversation in the world, but at least it breaks the ice. Still, you want to know more about her, so you decide to ask her about the one thing you noticed she brought with her.
You ask her about her book. Immediately, her eyes light up, and she begins to tell you the basics about the book she's been reading, the fifth book in a fantasy series by an author she recently picked up. You ask a couple questions about what the book is about, but soon you hardly need to speak at all.
Getting into the intricacies of the book is clearly a treat for Yuri as she talks for a little while about the different characters, the themes that she's picked up on, and more. She clearly has thought deeply about this series, and you can tell that she has a good grasp on the writing and what she likes about it.
"Ah, forgive me, I'm rambling. I do that a lot. Sorry." She apologizes when she realizes she took over the conversation. Suddenly, the confidence she once displayed melts away and is replaced fidgety body language; she plays with the ends of her hair as she blushes and looks away.
However, you reassure her that you don't mind. In fact, you like listening to her talk. You can tell that she's very passionate about it! You invite her to share more if she feels comfortable doing so.
"Really?" She asks, looking at you with surprise, her expression betraying just a little bit of hope, "I...well...thank you. I don't mean to be so...ah...maybe, if you would like, we c-could...read it together?" She offers.
You tilt your head and chuckle a little. You're not against the idea, but you do have to point out to her that she is on a later book in the series, so you would have to get caught up.
"That's okay. I like going back and reading the earlier installments sometimes to refresh my memory. And besides...it would be nice to share something with you. I think you would really enjoy it," She says with a sheepish smile.
"So maybe after this we can see if the first book is here? I wouldn't mind getting started soon."
"Wow! Alex, that was actually good!" Tadano said in awe.
"Thanks, I hated it." Alex replied with a chuckle.
"This guy is a natural. We must get more," The leader thought to himself before speaking aloud. "Tadano is right. You're quite good at this. Please, tell us more about the next girl."
"Oh! What about that cute girl with the pink hair?" One of other boys brought up.
"Ah...ha...hahaha." Alex chuckled to himself as he realized who they were talking about.
"That's Natsuki, right?" Tadano asked.
"Haha yeah, ah, Natsuki. She's something." Alex chuckled.
"Please, you have the floor."
"Well, Natsuki is...more defensive...and keeps her guard up more, but she's got a great sense of humor; she likes to tease, but she folds if you hold your own. She's a lot softer than she likes to present herself." Alex explained.
"Oh wow. A tsundere type. How interesting."
"That's...let's just continue." Alex shook his head.
The Natsuki Scenario
You go to the mall to meet up with Natsuki. You meet her on the lower level of the mall. She has on a white shirt and a pink skirt with matching sneakers. Once she sees you walking towards her, she folds her arms and tilts her hip to one side.
"Well at least I can count on you to show up on time. We're doing glow-in-the-dark mini golf, alright?"
And just like that, she's already determined what you'll be doing for your date. So you follow her into the indoor mini golf course lit by black lights. Her shirt and her shoes glow faintly underneath the light, illuminating her shirt and her shoes with a faint, radiant glow. You notice this and tell her that it looks cool.
"Heh, look at that. I guess it does, doesn't it?" She smiles proudly and does a quick twirl. She isn't intending to be cute in this moment, but her face lights up with her beaming smile.
When it comes to the actual game, it isn't long before it becomes a little friendly competition between the two of you, seeing who can beat each hole in less strokes. For the most part, she just makes jokes about beating you with her club, but when she feels more comfortable she starts nudging you more.
After playing together, you share a snack in the food court and end the date with a friendly hug. Now that sounds like it isn't much, but hold on.
The next day is a school day, and at lunch time, you pass by her in the hallway. She approaches you with a shy expression and looks around before speaking to you.
"Hey, uh, listen...I made some cupcakes for my Literature Club meeting today and...I made quite a few extras so...here," She says quietly before holding a cupcake out to you, decorated like a black cat with whiskers and ears. It has been neatly and carefully wrapped for you.
"I thought you would...like this. You don't have to make a big deal about it or anything." She says as she holds it out to you with both hands, waiting for you to take it.
"Ahh! How thoughtful! What a wholesome twist!" The boys clapped in approval at this simple yet effective scenario.
"I didn't realize Natsuki was so sweet underneath her tough exterior." Tadano said.
"Does she really make cupcakes for you guys in the Literature Club? I might have to join in that case." One of the boys said with a chuckle.
"She'll weed you out right away if she figures out you're joining just for the sweets. Don't even try it, dude." Alex shook his head and chuckled at him.
"Well, in any case, that just leaves Sayori now, doesn't it?" Tadano asked. He was secretly starting to become excited by these scenarios, mainly because Alex was doing a good job at making them unique and different.
"Sayori? That's the one with the red bow, right? She's really cute." The leader of the troupe said.
"She is, isn't she?" Alex agreed.
"Tell us about her."
"Ah, Sayori's easy: she's sweet, she's nice, she's energetic, little bit clumsy, loves to laugh and make people happy." Alex described with a smile.
"Oh, I'm really looking forward to this one. Please, present us with the scenario."
The Sayori Scenario
You meet up with Sayori in the middle of your neighborhood park for a picnic. Since she lives next door, you meet up with her just outside of her house. She has on a white summer dress, and she has a small basket already prepared for the two of you.
"Hey, surprise! I put a little something together for our picnic date! I made sandwiches and I packed drinks!" She says with an excited grin on her face.
You look at her in shock. Did she really prepare this whole thing herself? Immediately you start to say something, telling her that she should have said something so that you could've helped prepare. However, she just smiles and shakes her head.
"Don't be silly. You're always looking after me, so it's my turn to spoil you. I probably won't get the chance to do it very often either, so let me have this, eheheh." Sayori giggles bashfully. It's hard to argue with her when she gets like this.
So you and Sayori walk over to the park together. You want to hold your hand, but you can't tell if she wants to hold yours. She seems really shy now, her bubbly nature from just a moment disappearing as quickly as it had come.
How much of this did she really plan in advance?
At the park, you two spread out a sheet to sit on. You take a seat next to her and enjoy the sandwiches she made, as well as a few fruits. The food is all very good. Sayori must've spent a lot of time doing all of this. You find yourself thanking her many times.
"Eheheh, please, you don't have to say it so much. I'm just happy that we can have this time together." Sayori says with a smile, her cheeks reddening. She's never been the best at taking compliments, which somehow just makes her cuter to you.
"You know...I never thought that you would want to go out with me." She admits quietly, shifting the subject slightly.
You look at her in surprise. You've been friends with Sayori a while now. It's true, you can't say that you've always thought about something like this happening, but the thought has crossed your mind once or twice. Why wouldn't it?
"I dunno, I guess I just...I'm just...really happy." Sayori says with a meaningful smile, making eye contact with you. Her blue eyes glisten in the midday sun as she leans in closer...
"Please, cease there! This is too much now!" The boys quickly stopped Alex there before the scenario could progress into anything further.
"Uh, alrighty then." Alex said awkwardly.
"Alex, you are certainly...descriptive." Tadano blushed and looked away.
"Uh...thanks. Well, that covers everything, right?" Alex asked as he stood up from the desks, "Am I free to go?"
"Yes...wait! What about Monika?"
"Monika's my girlfriend. She's off limits." Alex quickly shook his head.
"I see. Yes, of course." The boys nodded.
"You guys are weird," Alex chuckled at them. "If a little kiss bothers you so much, I can only imagine what the reaction would be to anything more."
"Anything...m-more? Like what?" The leader of the boys asked worriedly.
"Heheh, well..." Alex smiled.
The Komi Scenario
Komi turned to look at you, her expression showing her beauty as well as her innocence. There's no way you could know that she was a bundle of nerves, her fears of vulnerability only outweighed by her yearning for a deeper intimacy with you.
"Please...i-it's my...first time..."
"Alex, please, that is not appropriate!" Tadano quickly exclaimed, shutting the scenario down. All four of the other guys had beat red faces. Alex grinned and laughed loudly at them.
"Relax guys, I'm not that kind of writer anyways." Alex said with a smug smile before leaving the room...