Chapter 4: Day 2
You open your eyes.
Sunlight pours into your room through the window.
Today was going to be a special day.
You enter the classroom. You're a bit late so the girls have already all started.
As you leave the doorway the club leader Monika is staring at her hands. She doesn't greet you.
When you finally draw her attention she looks at you. "Hello, good to see you didn't quit. The club I mean." She cracks a smile.
Yuri looks at you, her purple eyes meet yours. "I can't wait to hear what you think of the bo-" She frowns, seemingly confused. She looks back at her own bag.
Quietly she murmurs something to herself before going through her stuff.
Sayori embraces you from behind. "I told you he wouldn't leave the club." she sticks out her tongue. "He likes us way too much."
Natsuki gives Sayori a scowl. "Of course, he likes it here. Else he would have left already."
"Well, the club would sure be less lively without him," Monika states. She looks you directly into the eyes. "Really, this club wouldn't even be a thing without you." The other members look at her confused.
"Oh, because we need more than 4 members!" Sayori nods. "I told you, the cupcakes were worth it."
"Yeah." Yuri gives Monika a skeptic look.
Monika looks a bit embarrassed by her own comment and leaves to sit alone at her desk. Sayori joins her and they start talking about their own thing.
Everyone starts doing their own thing.
"You haven't read the Portrait of Markov, right?" Yuri asks you all of a sudden. Her face flushes red. "I don't know, but I kind of have this feeling that…"
You shake your head.
Yuri lets out a sigh of relief and hugs the book she was holding tighter to her chest.
Yuri hands you a book, it's called Portrait of Markov. She seems a bit dazed, as if something is troubling here.
"It's short and interesting enough to keep your attention, not that I think you wouldn't enjoy it otherwise," Yuri adds. "You haven't read it after all,"
Yuri gives you the book. As the two of you are holding it both her hands refuse to leave the cover. You two look each other in the eyes. You too turn red now.
Yuri breaks off eye contact and excuses herself.
You wait for Monika to formally start the club, or to announce some kind of schedule, but instead all the girls just go their own way.
You see Monika writing down ideas for the festival. Monika notices you looking and winks at you.
Yuri is going through her bag. It looks like she is looking for something.
Natsuki was reading a manga at one of the desks further back into the room. She sends glances your way. When she notices you caught on she gives you a quick glare before pouring all her attention on the comic she was reading.
You keep observing everyone, until you drift off into sleep.
When you open them you see Sayori's face almost pressed against yours.
Startled, you kick the metal leg off the desk.
"Oopsie," Sayori giggles. Then her eyes widened. "No, wait. You're the one who's napping! Last I checked this isn't the nap club."
You subtly look around, trying to see if the other girls had taken notice you drifted off.
"You should sleep a bit more," Sayori says. "You look really tired."
"Okay everyone!" Monika says all of a sudden. "I think it's a great time to share poems."
Sayori enthusiastically pulls out her poem. It's written on the back of a sheet of paper stuck between a book. Monika's is written in her composition notebook.
From their own spots in the classroom Natsuki and Yuri reluctantly stop their own activities and pull out their own poems.
You can't help but to stare at your own poem tentatively.
You look at your own poem.
[Spinning] [Alone] [Agonizing]
[Prayer] [Shame] [Dazzle]
[Massacre] [Inferno] [Hurt]
[Cage] [Happiness] [Memories]
[Defeat] [Suicide] [Uncontrollable]
[Unending] [Universe] [Uncanny]
[Infinite] [Eternity]
"Oh wow," Yuri says as her eyes gloss over the words. "You said you haven't written poetry before," she blushes. "I mean, it's really good. I like it."
"Let me see it," Monika takes the piece of paper from Yuri's hands. Her eyes slide over the page. "Wait, what is this? This is just… words…"
"I feel they convey a lot of emotion," Yuri retorted.
"Let me see it," Natsuki suddenly appeared to see what the commotion was about. She stares over Monika's shoulder.
"Well, I can see why Yuri would like it." Natsuki says eventually.
"Like what?" Monika asks.
"I enjoy the theme of not letting go," Yuri looks at Natsuki. "It's an acquired thematic taste."
Natsuki appeared to be caught off guard by this.
"Well," Monika puts down the piece of paper. "I think we can all agree that art is subjective." She winks at you. "I can see the hours you put in. I like it, though I wish'd you wrote me one. Haha."
Natsuki and Yuri give Monika a weird look.
"Hahaha, kidding." Monika shrugs. She twirls her pony tail around her finger.
Monika smiles sweetly at you, as if she understands your feelings perfectly.
You can't help but to feel your heart flutter.
"So, everyone's read each other's poems, right?"
"It was alright," Natsuki says.
"I enjoyed it to some extent," Yuri agreed.
"Glad to hear you all enjoyed it." Monika turns to you. "I am curious to see what your poem will be tomorrow."
You can't decide what she means with that.
"Well, that was it for today. Tomorrow we ought to start preparing for the festival."