Komi Komi Literature Club!
Chapter 4: The Interruption
"Last day of the school week: poem day." Monika thought to herself as she began setting up the classroom for the Literature Club meeting. It wouldn't be long now before the other girls would start coming into the room.
"Hey, Monika!" Sayori greeted her as she entered the classroom. Monika flinched in surprise, standing up straight and turning her head to look at her.
"Hey! You got here fast, haha, you startled me." She said, putting a hand on her chest.
"Heheh, sorry. I'm excited!" Sayori exclaimed with a giggle and a big smile, "Today's our first official club meeting with Komi: our newest member!" She pointed out.
"Yes, I know. I gotta admit, I'm a little nervous about it."
"Nervous? Why?" Sayori inquired, tilting her head to the side a little as she set her backpack down on the nearest desk.
"I don't know. I guess I'm just hoping she brings something positive to the group dynamic. Everybody seems to like her, but she gives off this...odd vibe, I guess." Monika shared her personal feelings on the matter.
"Well, of course! She's nervous too, you know," Sayori pointed out. "That's probably why she's been acting the way she has." She reasoned.
"Talking by writing in a notebook?" Monika brought up, raising her eyebrow slightly.
"Hey, you're saying all this stuff and we haven't even had the club meeting yet." Sayori pointed out, wanting to come to Komi's defense.
"Well...yeah, you're right. I'm getting ahead of myself. She deserves a fair chance before I start making any harsh judgments," Monika agreed. "Just like the others." She added.
"There ya go! Here, let me help you get everything set up." Sayori offered...
Sayori was right about one thing: Komi was very nervous too. She was watching the clock, noting whenever a significant amount of time had passed – that meant that it was getting closer and closer to time for the club meeting.
As she saw that the hour was drawing nearer, her heart began to beat faster and faster, to the point where by the time the last class of the day was underway, she was shaking anxiously in her seat.
"Looks like Komi is really worried about her club meeting. I hope she'll be alright." Tadano thought to himself, watching Komi's anxiousness grow as more and more time passed.
Finally, the bell rang, and everyone started to get up. Komi sprang to her feet, grabbed her things...then sat right back down...
Maybe if she left too early, she would be the first to arrive. She didn't want to put any undue pressure on Monika, who was likely the one primarily responsible for making sure that things were ready on time...
But then again, she should be as prompt and on time as possible in order to show that she's taking this new commitment seriously, right? If she showed up any later, it would make a bad first impression...
"Komi!" Naijimi came trotting over to Komi's desk, "We're going over to Nakanaka's house to study! You wanna come with?" Naijimi offered.
"Eh?" Nakanaka, one of their mutual friends who sits more towards the front of the classroom by the windows, grunted in confusion and lifted her head in surprise. Upon realizing what Naijimi was saying, she turned in her chair to look back at them.
Komi said no to Naijimi's offer by silently shaking her head.
"What?! Why?!" Both Naijimi and Nakanaka exclaimed at the same time.
"I'm sorry, but I have a club meeting to attend. I must get going now. If you'll excuse me." Komi explained herself politely before standing up once again, grabbing her things, and finally leaving the classroom. The students still in the room watched her make her exit.
"Komi's in an after school club now? I wonder which one." Some of the students started to whisper to one another.
"Maybe I should have gone with her after all." Tadano thought to himself...
"Komi! You made it! Come on in!" Monika, upon seeing Komi standing at the door to the classroom, invited her in.
Komi straightened her posture and nodded before entering the classroom. When she entered, Sayori, who was sitting at one of the desks now, greeted Komi with a big smile and a wave. Komi nodded again to her and waved back, cracking a tiny smile of her own. Then she sat down.
"Welcome, Komi. We're happy to see you again." Yuri, who was also sitting at a desk with her book set down in front of her, greeted Komi with a polite smile. Komi quickly pulled out her notebook and flipped to a page that she had already writted on.
"Thank you for having me. I'm looking forward to the meeting today." Komi's pre-prepared message read.
"Aww, us too!" Sayori replied.
"It should be a nice one today. Since it's the end of the week, we'll be sharing poems with each other! We're just waiting on Natsuki to show up." Monika said, glancing towards the door.
Komi wanted to inquire more about the poems, but the conversation was quickly cut off by a pair of random guys entering the classroom. Komi and Yuri both sat up straight, surprised to see more new people in the classroom. Monika, who was leaning on the nearest desk, stood up straight also.
"Hello there. Can I help you guys with something?" Monika asked slowly.
"Huh? Uh, yeah." One of the guys answered absently. Monika and Sayori exchanged an odd glance.
"Are you here for the Literature Club?" Sayori asked, being cheerful and polite as always.
"Oh, so you're in the little Literature Club I told you about, Komi? How cute! You're always so studious after all," Yamai, one of Komi's more eccentric friends, said as she leaned into the room. "That's why you always get the best grades after all, ahaha! Isn't reading the best?"
"Komi, do you know these people?" Yuri asked, looking at her.
"Y-Y-Y..." Komi wanted to answer her, but she began to stutter nervously, and hardly any noise came out at all.
"Komi's in here? Oh! Something must be going on!" More people started to pile into the room, and now a small but sizable crowd was forming in the classroom. Komi got even more nervous as they started to surround the table where Komi was sitting.
"U-Um...guys, we're about to have a meeting now! Could you please...? Oh gosh..." Monika tried to get the attention of the crowd unsuccessfully.
"Urgh! Move your butts! Guys, what's going on in here?!" Natsuki called to the others as she forced her way into the classroom.
"We don't know! All these people just showed up out of nowhere!" Sayori called back to her.
"Hey, Komi! Whatcha doing in here? What book are you reading?" People in the crowd started to ask her questions. Komi was quickly being overwhelmed by all of this sudden attention.
"Oh give me a break. Hey! Everybody!" Natsuki yelled out, causing the crowd to quiet down, "Listen up! This is not a room to hang out in! This is an official after-school club, and our meeting is starting right now! If you're not here for the club then you need to get out or I'll call the teacher!" She announced.
"Aw, ugh...we're interrupting Komi's important club meeting...I wanna stay but I don't wanna make her mad...come on guys, let's go..." The crowd muttered in a melancholic manner as they slowly filed out of the classroom.
"See you in class tomorrow, Komi! Love you!" Yamai waved to her before being the last to exit. Natsuki walked up to the door and shut it behind her. She then proceeded to lock it. Then when she saw that Yamai was lingering on the other side of the door, she drew the blinds to block Yamai's view.
"Ugh. So obnoxious." Natsuki sighed irritably before walking over and sitting at the cluster of desks with the other girls. Monika sat down and sighed as well.
"Thanks for your help, Natsuki. I don't think I could've gotten them out here on my own." Monika said appreciatively.
"No problem...what?" Natsuki said, noticing that Komi was staring at her with a strange amount of reverence.
Komi was impressed by what Natsuki had done – how boldly she had taken control of the situation despite the large crowd. She had never seen anything like it before.
"Whew...okay, everyone. I guess it's time to start the club meeting now. I'm already exhausted from dealing with all those people though." Monika admitted, resting a hand on her stomach.
"Me too. I got all worked up. Can we save the poems for next week?" Natsuki requested.
"Yeah, let's do that. I'm not one to encourage the club getting lazy, but I think we can make an exception today." Monika agreed.
"That's too bad. I was looking forward to everyone's poems." Komi wrote in her notebook.
"There will be another opportunity. I think we all need to gather our bearings after that mess," Yuri said. "I'll make some calming tea for everyone." She decided, getting up from her chair and making her way to the back of the classroom.
"Thanks, Yuri! In the meantime, Komi, are you reading any books right now?" Sayori asked curiously. Komi swallowed and hesitated before writing her answer.
"Most of the books I read are instructional: cookbooks and things like that." She explained.
"Ohh I see! You should try reading something fictional! That would be a fun change!" Sayori suggested.
"Mm!" Komi nodded once quickly before writing another reply, "I do sometimes read from my younger brother's manga collection." She added.
"No way you read manga!" Natsuki exclaimed in disbelief, pressing her hands on the desk and standing up a little.
"Haha, nice! That's something you two can share!" Sayori suggested.
Komi nodded in agreement.
"I wouldn't have taken you for the type to read manga, Komi. Although, there's nothing wrong with that. Natsuki has introduced me to one or two titles that have been interesting to say the least. Perhaps between that and finding a nice book, you'll have a well-balanced amount of material to start with." Yuri suggested.
"What's that, Yuri? Is manga not balanced enough on its own for you? Are you suggesting that manga is some kind of 'lesser' form of literature?" Natsuki asked; her tone was antagonistic in nature, but the smirk on her face suggested something more lighthearted and mischievous.
"Natsuki, we've had this fight already. Let's not start it up again, please." Yuri rolled her eyes.
"I'm only joking! Jeez, lighten up, Yuri. You're always too serious." Natsuki said as she sat back down.
"Ah, sorry..." Yuri swallowed nervously and cleared her throat. "Um, anyways, Komi; I was thinking perhaps we could find a nice book for you to read as well. Would you be interested in looking for something together?" She offered.
"I'd like that!" Komi quickly wrote down her reply.
"Great. Well then why don't we exchange numbers?" Yuri offered.
"Great idea, Yuri! Let's all exchange numbers with Komi!" Sayori exclaimed.
Komi was surprised by this. However, she reached down into her bag and pulled out her flip phone. She opened it up and held it out to Yuri. Upon seeing it, Natsuki started to laugh.
"Pfft, haha! You have a flip phone?! I thought those things went extinct!" She laughed.
"Heheh, don't be mean, Natsuki." Monika said with a chuckle, finding it a little amusing herself.
"I'm teasing, I'm teasing...mostly." Natsuki smiled.
Komi fidgeted awkwardly, waiting as the girls all put their names and numbers in one by one. This friendship dynamic was far different than what she was used to, but she was learning to enjoy it. She just needed to adjust; these girls acted very differently from her other friends.
They were all very welcoming and accepting of her though. That helped a lot...