Rewrite Note: (21/03/2025) 5k to 8k
Alright, the end of the arc. As I mentioned before, there was a huge change on the direction to this story when it came to Arc 2, and that can be seen in this chapter, there will probably be more chapters for Arc 2, and as such, will be more content, I also plan on extending the fic itself, rather than the 8 arcs planned, it will be extended to 15 arcs. But that's still up for debate.
Aside from that, I've also decided on removing and changing the song and images, but also adding further content as to how I want Issei's school life to be. Some other content has been transferred to be added much later or throughout the second arc.
Once again, the end A/N may not make much sense.
Issei woke up in his bed again.
What he did mere moments before forced him to get up suddenly while shaking.
He was back yet again to before he had joined the Literature Club.
He looked at his quests as he had finished the last one.
Mission #8
Raccoon's Streetlight
Condition: Go to the Literature Club Room
Failure: You don't go to the Literature Club Room
Completed!
Reward: Item (Justitia)
He felt something heavy fall in his lap, looking at it he realized that it was a revolver.
What did he need a revolver for? He took it and looked inside the chamber, there were no bullets loaded.
He hid the gun quickly in case his parents came in and saw him holding a gun.
So he was back again. But would they be there too?
This time they all died, it was impossible to have a club if everyone was dead, he was the last member alive.
Or… at least he believed, perhaps Natsuki and Yuri would still be alive.
But… he couldn't get his mind away from the fact that he killed Monika with his hands, once again, he started trembling as he didn't know what to do.
There were going to be no consequences, it was as if it never happened in the first place.
He got up and realized that there was no new quest, so there was a big one coming up again later?
However, as he started walking to get his uniform, he was met with a confusing scene.
His uniform was freshly new.
Soft and clean with no signs of being worn or torn, no stains or any sort of damage at all.
As he softly caressed it, his hands started to tremble once again, as if an entire bucket of ice had been dropped on him, he went quickly to look at the calendar, hoping for it not to be the case.
And yet, he was met with the worst case scenario.
The date was extremely different to what he had expected.
He had gone back one year, specifically at the start of his first day at Kuoh Academy.
Overwhelmed by this information, he sat down on his bed as he tried to process the information.
Thankfully for him, he had woken up quite early due to Monika's ability.
As such, he spent aimlessly trying to digest this piece of information.
But once he finally decided to move, he prepared himself for the inevitable first day of the academy.
He went to the academy, like any normal day, but given the circumstances, the first day would be for the entrance ceremony for the new students and the orientation.
While Issei did admit that there was stuff that was talked about which he previously didn't really pay much mind to, it was an uneventful day as it finally came to an end.
Except for the fact that his two friends came up to him quickly after.
"Issei! Dude, have you seen the chicks of this academy?!" Matsuda yelled with excitement, a stream of blood running down his nose.
"Yeah! Some of these girls have some insane knockers!" Motohama added.
Looks around them were starting to become hostile, primarily from the girls.
"Uh…" He uttered. "Yeah, they're all beautiful women."
Right now, his mind had no time for perverted stuff, which would have been a shocker for the world had it not been for the fact that there were indeed far more important issues.
"Listen… if we're going to fulfil what we want, I do believe that fucking it up the first day is not the way to go." Issei pointed out.
"Shit, you're right… But man, can you blame us? A place where the ratio of men to women is so disproportionate!" Expressed Motohama.
"Still though, I know that we're here to find a girlfriend and stuff, but I think I've found some interesting ideas as to what I want to do when I'm not doing so." Excused Issei.
"..." Both of his friends remained silent.
"Guys?"
"Issei Hyoudou, the most perverted of us three, saying stuff like that?" Matsuda muttered.
"Wait Matsuda, perhaps it is his strategy! Sly dog, I knew you came prepared!" Motohama realized.
"Yeah… uh… let's go with that." He didn't deny it.
"So, what's your idea?" Matsuda asked.
"We should all find a club to join, that way, we can stay after school without anyone questioning us." Issei improvised.
"And uh… that way, if we are given a task to do, we can maybe scurry away to peek at girls?" He said, unsure as to what he just said.
"That… is the best idea I have ever heard." Motohama said in awe.
"Alright! Then I already have a club I wanna go to!" Matsuda said with determination. "Either the athletics club or the photography club will do!"
"Damn, that's fast." Motohama cursed. "I guess I'll see which I could join, I could think of either joining the Student Council or the Occult Research Club."
"You're really ambitious Motohama, but I could see you getting into the Student Council, you're incredibly diligent after all." Complimented Matsuda.
"Ah, I was the one who got the best scores back then, don't you remember?" He said while puffing his chest with pride. "And what about you, Issei?"
"I'll think about it a bit, perhaps the tennis club." He lied.
He already knew what he'd be doing, being the one to create the Literature Club would be the best thing he could do.
After all, despite staying there for so little, it was the place in which everything started to change for him.
It was now the next day, Issei was now outside the Student Council's room with papers in hand.
Those papers were to register a new club, specifically, the one he had planned, the Literature Club.
Taking a deep breath, he gently knocked on the door.
Hearing a girl speak in a muffled voice. "Enter." He turned the handle and opened the door.
"Hyoudou, I believe?" Sona Shitori, the stern president that he recognized from the times she had scolded him for his perverted acts.
She now stood without annoyance unlike those times.
"What may it be that you want to speak about?" She asked.
He gently placed the papers on her desk.
"What is this Hyoudou?" Sona asked as she was looking at a paper that Issei gave her.
"It's meant for registering the club that I want to create" Issei told her, he calmly explained.
"Mmm… you're a new student so I was surprised to see you already planning to create a new club…" Sona kept looking at the paper.
"A Literature Club? I suppose this academy does need something like that." Sona said, quite frankly, interested in this prospect.
"While I would like for this club to be created, as you may know from the orientation, all clubs have their own designated area, as such, it may take a while for you to find a plac-"
She was quickly cut by Issei "There is an empty room at the end of the third year's hall, it is the perfect place as it is away from most of the noise and big enough to house various students." He revealed.
Sona paused as she heard him immediately counter her response.
Sona adjusted her glasses, not expecting to immediately be answered.
"Then, I stand corrected, though all the management will fall up to you, as the club president, I expect you to take responsibility for any mishap or issue that you may encounter or your club members create."
"That doesn't mean that you cannot ask us for aid." She clarified. "We're looking forward to and even wish for this club to prosper, as I personally believe it to be beneficial for the academy."
"Should your club be lacking members and another club needs a room, your club house will have to be transferred and granted to the bigger sized club." She added.
Getting it accepted was more than enough for him, right now, all he needed to do was find members for it.
"I thank you for your cooperation, I'll be there for the time being then." He thanked as he left the Student Council room.
Sona, who was sighing at what had happened. "Tsubaki, could you read me the report again for any break ins again?"
"As you wish." Tsubaki immediately nodded. "From the search surrounding the entire place and the interior, there has been no reports of anyone trespassing the academy."
"..." Sona rubbed her chin.
"Then… how did he know there was a free room on the third year's floor? Students weren't allowed to wander down the halls."
Tsubaki realized what her president was questioning. "That… is indeed suspicious."
Sona hummed for a moment before finally making her move. "Originally I planned for everyone in our peerage to become part of the Student Council…"
"But from the looks of it, I might have to give one of them the mission of spying on Hyoudou."
"Wouldn't it be better for Gremory to deal with this issue?" She asked.
Sona shook her head. "She already has enough issues with being engaged to Riser Phenex, I do not need her to have to look over someone else when she needs to focus on becoming better."
"Had it been that she noticed him first, I would have allowed her to look after Hyoudou, but it is my duty as the president of the Student Council to make sure he isn't a threat."
"Then… who will you send, president?" Tsubaki asked.
"... I believe the best choice would be…"
Issei slowly opened the door to what would become the Literature Club.
He still couldn't accept the fact that he had been sent an entire year back in time.
Slowly walking towards the curtains, he opened them as the rays of sunlight invaded the room.
The place was clean, despite it being unused, he supposed that people still came to clean it.
The shelves were there, various desks were also present despite the place not even being used.
It was just as he remembered.
He decided to look around first, truthfully, he never had the chance to do a quick survey around the place.
Upon opening the shelf's cabinet, he realized that there was a small notebook inside the place.
Confused by the odd object, he slowly picked it up before opening it.
He then read outloud.
"If Natsuki comes, do not comment on manga not being literature."
"If Natsuki is in trouble, stand up for her."
"If Sayori writes a depressing poem, comfort her."
"If Yuri wants to apologize, help her with writing an apology letter."
"What the hell is this?" He scowled as he gripped the notebook a bit hard.
The notebook was completely filled with what if situations and how to handle them.
Normally, he'd expect it to be Monika's but given how many times she had time traveled, he expected her to have memorized them completely.
Unless… This was back when she was still starting out.
While flipping through them, he ended up at the end of the notebook.
And there, a small scribbled note was written.
Or rather, self deprecating comments of herself.
Issei remained still as he continued gazing at them before gritting his teeth.
"Damn it… I can't even be mad at you after this…"
How long has she been in a time loop? How many failures did she experience?
At this point, Issei could understand what she did.
Desperation, insanity, and many other emotions came to Issei's mind as to how he thought she felt through all these resets.
And… he wondered, would he become the same should the system give him a complicated task?
He didn't want his mind to wander around that depressing thought.
As such, he sighed before ripping the notebook entirely.
"What's the point of having this if you're not honest to others?" He muttered to himself.
Maybe his help or attempts to aid others didn't work well all the time, but he believed that it was the thought that counted.
Yet another day passed, this time he had posted a recruitment on the billboard for people looking to join the Literature Club.
Unfortunately, his reputation had already been ruined due to his friend's initial comments during the first day.
He could hear whispers calling him a pervert, but unlike his two friends, he didn't really peek at any girls while hidden or make any inappropriate comments.
It did feel a bit unfair to him, no one has truly given him a chance to really introduce himself to others, and yet he was already being treated like shit.
Inside the club, he waited to see if anyone would actually join, minutes, hours passed to see that no one truly gave him a chance.
He sighed, not really surprised by the outcome, but still disappointed.
However, just then, he heard someone open the classroom door.
"Hello! Anybody here?" An energetic female voice greeted as she waved her hand.
Issei immediately recognized her, after all, it was someone he saw many times when he had to be reprimanded by the Student Council president.
He remained calm as he said. "Are you perhaps here to join the Literature Club?"
"Yes! I'm interested to learn about how to make poems and such! People normally think that I'm not smart, so I want to prove them wrong by learning about literature!" She responded.
"I… see…" Uttered Issei. "Well… mind giving me your name?"
"Meguri Tomoe, pleasure meeting you." She said as she extended her hand."
"Hyoudou Issei, likewise." He said while accepting the handshake.
"So are there any requirements before I join? Do I have to write a small story? A poem? Oh! Oh! What if it's a novel? I don't know how to write novels." She said rapidly.
"N-no, there aren't any requirements to join, just so long as you have an interest in any sort of literary work, which can range from novels, poems to even manga." Explained Issei.
Issei was a bit surprised about her attitude, last he saw, she was quite outgoing and cheerful whenever he saw her with the other members.
But right now, she was acting over the top.
Was she always like this? Or did she become calmer after a year?
Well, right now it didn't matter, all it mattered was the fact that there was finally someone looking to join the club.
Although, he did worry a bit about what this would entail for the Student Council itself.
"Soooo… now that I'm a member, what should we do now, president?" She said with a teasing smile.
"Mmm, as you have no knowledge about literature, let's start somewhere easy." Issei ordered. "Bring for tomorrow a poem, particularly one that you've searched and caught your attention."
"Alright!" She said while doing a military salute.
"I certainly won't get used to seeing her act this way…" Issei thought with a comical sweatdrop.
A few weeks have already passed.
Issei looked outside the window, contemplating what he's been doing up to this point ever since he went back in time.
Meguri seemed to not really have any issue with him, in fact, she actually decided to stay at the Literature Club.
But that wasn't what puzzled him, rather what did was the fact that there were no signs of Yuri or Natsuki anywhere in the academy.
Could they perhaps have been transfer students that came in the middle of a term? Or perhaps they were from next year?
He didn't know, and he was sure he was running out of patience.
His anxiety to know made him lose sleep, and that also affected him emotionally and physically.
He let his hair grow a bit, even though his parents suggested he went to the barber shop to get a haircut, he excused himself by saying he wanted to try a new hairstyle.
Though, his productive time was spent either teaching Meguri a bit more about literature or trying to make poems of his own, either by using Epistemophobic's Nightmare or on his own.
The pain he got from using it had subsided, be it because of his higher stats or from the fact he was getting used to it, he didn't know.
Speaking of Meguri, right now she was writing a poem of her own, since she forgot to bring one for today.
His thoughts dissipated upon hearing a knock on the door.
Looking towards the entrance, he saw yet another familiar face, one that he actually did not want to see.
"Wow, a boy and a girl alone in a classroom? You sure you guys haven't done anything dirty here?" The voice teased.
"I know you, you're Kiryuu Aika." Issei deadpanned.
"Guess your two perverted friends decided to warn you before I came to finally visit you." She laughed.
"Still though, you sure both of you aren't having intercourse? Given your size, I expected the two of you to at least have tried to have a quickie or something."
Issei glanced at Meguri for a moment just to see that she was a bit flushed.
"Well, unfortunately, there really isn't much of that going on if that's what you were expecting." Issei decided to respond.
"Still, do you have any other matter to talk about, or did you just come to say that?" He asked.
"Wow." Aika said, a bit impressed. "I expected you to also get embarrassed like your two other friends, but seeing you stand your ground was not expected."
"I'm shameless, I'm more used to hearing foul stuff." He lied.
"Ah, you're interesting, say, does this place allow stuff like… doujinshis and shit like that?" She asked.
"Since I believe that manga is literature, I believe that smut would also count." He declared.
"Mmm, you're a pervert, I know that since I did see your gaze wander lower, but you're much calmer than those two, a closeted pervert perhaps?"
"I'll admit that I am a pervert, and that I like big tits, but I have other hobbies that keep me occupied from destroying my dick." He bluntly said.
Aika started laughing hysterically. "Oh! That was a good answer, I like you."
"Well, if you need another member, you've got one right here, I do look forward to seeing your two perverted friends react to seeing you inviting the devil." She said.
"Honestly? Yeah that sounds fun." He admitted. "Welcome to the Literature Club… I guess…"
Meguri, who was still writing a poem, could only shiver as she wondered just what sort of new member they just got.
Still, she did like the atmosphere here, despite the fact that she could tell that Issei would check her out from time to time, he didn't try anything aside from that.
That by itself was enough to convince her that he wasn't really a threat outside the supernatural stuff, but she still wondered just how he knew about the layout of the academy.
While Sona had told her that she could stop spying on Hyoudou, she did end up finding the club endearing.
Hyoudou's guidance, the interesting facts about each stanza they read and the research they did to find the meaning behind them, all while the club's atmosphere was calm and inviting…
She couldn't help but love being in the club.
Issei looked at his stats, curious to see how much more he had obtained during these past few weeks. He had slowed down a bit when it came to writing poems.
Despite this, he was slowly gaining more experience which increased his Temperance.
Moreover, it meant that there would be higher chances for an action to succeed if he were to use it.
He didn't however use it when creating poems, it didn't feel to him at all.
At the same time, he felt like his Justice stat was useless, furthermore, there hasn't really been any use for his other stats whatsoever aside from Prudence, his health had never really gone down into critical levels, all the damage done to him had been psychological.
Stats
Health 300/300
Sanity 129/300
Fortitude 3
Prudence 2 (1)
Temperance 8 (1)
Justice 0 (2)
Role: Secondary Character
Ironic, he was the only secondary character in the story, yet he was the only one alive.
No signs of Cordis, Yuri and Natsuki yet, he still wanted to believe that they would transfer in the future, but he couldn't wait that long.
He was home now, looking at the ceiling, unsure as to what to do now.
He recalled when he told his parents that he got a new hobby, literature, or more specifically, poetry.
His parents were happy that he found another interest that he could try out and told him that they were proud of him.
This time, he was sure of it, thanks to what his father told him the previous loop.
But at the same time, he couldn't help but also feel saddened by those sweet memories.
He couldn't sleep. He just couldn't.
Without feeling Natsuki hugging him, he felt like part of him was missing, he'd keep himself awake as long as possible, because he continued to have nightmares about losing Natsuki again and again. Leading him to wake up with tears in his eyes.
He just wanted to feel her warmth again, to have her tell him that everything was going to be okay, and that she was there for him.
But that would not be happening any time soon, slowly, he knew that his sanity was getting depleted whenever he thought about it.
How many days have passed?
He recalled it was now close to the beginning of summer break, a trimester had already passed, and he didn't realize.
"Hyoudou? Are you there?" Meguri asked with a notebook in hand.
"Ah? Sorry about that, I was spacing out a bit." Apologized Issei.
"Hopefully not thinking about something dirty." Teased Aika.
"None of that." He shook his head. "It's just… is it already almost summer break?"
"Oh, it was because of that? Well, I suppose time does fly by quite quickly." Admitted Meguri.
"Looking forward to it? All the homework we'll get and then the free time to either wank off the days away or something like that?" Laughed Aika.
Meguri rolled her eyes. "Oh, let's just continue with today's poem sharing."
Issei slowly took out a book. This was his latest poem, and one he achieved with his own skill.
His first actual Magnum Opus.
Item
Poem Girl in Pink
Grade: Magnum Opus
Description: Some people hate pink, others love pink, but to some, pink is the color of their comfort, it feels warm yet it doesn't feel as angry as the color red. The boy embraced her one last time, while the world around them started to crash down, the pink color faded to gray as the boy stared to see the kindness, warmth and love inside him slowly die.
Effects: User has a 25% chance to recover 50% Health if health is at 0, user has a 25% chance to recover 50% Sanity if Sanity is at 0
Issei felt like that description was targeted at him, as a matter of fact, most of the poems he had that were of excellent quality had an ominous or very important description to them.
He did feel like his emotions were drained completely. To him, this poem did hold some truth.
His hair had significantly grown out, right now his hair was a mess, to which the two other members could easily see.
His clothing was messier, it showed the little amount of care he gave himself.
He sighed as the two other members decided to read it.
Meguri praised it, but also felt proud of herself for easily understanding it.
Aika on the other hand, looked at Issei for a bit.
"You know, now that I look at you more, you look like an incredible mess." She admitted.
"I remember when I first joined the club, you still had a semblance of cleanliness when it came to your hair and clothes, but now, you look like some sort of creepy guy." She joked.
"Is that so?" He asked. "I don't really care much about how I look."
"Well, you should!" Meguri objected. "What will people think when the president of the club looks like some kind of hikikomori?!"
"Then… What am I supposed to put on or how should I cut my hair? Because right now I can't do anything." He asked.
Meguri and Aika looked at eachother.
"Guys?" Issei asked again.
If anyone were to pass by the room, they could hear Issei screaming in fear.
"...Issei?" Matsuda said as he looked at his fellow perverted friend with worry.
"Not a single word." Ordered Issei, who now had a brand new look.
His hair wasn't as long as before, perhaps an inch or so short from neck length, but it was tidied in such a way that it looked more like puffy hair.
A single braid could be seen hanging on a side of his face, decorated with a red clip, similar to the one Natsuki had.
"Shit dude, I thought you were a lucky bastard for getting two girls into your brand new club… or at least one and the other being the devil, but still, seeing what they did to you, I'm glad I didn't ask to join as well." Motohama said, lamenting Issei's current state.
"You have to get the hell out of there, next thing you know, they're going to ask you to crossdress for them." Matsuda said while shivering.
"I mean, if that demon joining wasn't enough of a warning, this right here is another one." Motohama commented.
"No, I think I'm going to stay." Deadpanned Issei. "I had this coming since I didn't even take care of my hair."
"Dude, it's not like you didn't shower." Objected Matsuda. "You just don't want to keep annoying hair up all day!"
"Guess that explains why you're bald." Motohama laughed.
"Oh shut it asshole!" Yelled Matsuda.
"But jokes aside, what will you guys be doing for this summer break? I've got a few good ideas." Motohama asked.
"Ah! I've been able to join the photography groups and got access to some spicy pictures!" Matsuda declared. "Plus, apparently the club had some connections outside, which allowed me to get some rare collector items and DVDs we could check out!"
"Oh that's some good shit right there!" Motohama yelled in excitement.
"I would suggest we focus on our homework first." Spoke Issei. "You guys don't want a repeat from when we were in Middle School, right?"
"... Wait since when were you the voice of reason?" Asked Matsuda.
"That's right! I'm supposed to be the calm one of the trio!" Motohama added.
"But am I right though?" He groaned.
"Crap… you're right, then let's just meet up once all of us are done." Motohama sighed. "And Matsuda, I swear if you don-"
"I got it! I got it!" Matsuda rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You don't have to tell me twice, I'll make sure to finish it all up quickly."
Break had finally arrived, and many students went to their own respective homes after finishing their club activities.
"Phew! I'm so glad it's summer break now!" Meguri said while stretching.
"Well, be wary of the homework though." Aika reminded. "And pray that Hyoudou doesn't add more as an activity for the club."
"Y-yeah… pray…" She nervously laughed, she knew full well she couldn't pray as a devil, but she also did not want their club president to include further homework she needed to complete.
"You don't have to worry about that." Reassured Issei. "Most I'll ask is just for you two to revise the notes I've given you, so long as you know what a rhyme, a stanza, verse and all that means, I think you guys should be alright."
Meguri sighed in relief. "In that case, if you don't mind, I will be on my way!" She waved as she quickly left the club.
"What an energetic girl you don't think she would also be as energetic when it came to s-" Aika tried saying.
"Please don't talk that way about your fellow clubmate." Warned Issei.
"Man, you're no fun, and here I thought you'd be the most fun to tease." She sighed.
"Yet you decided to stay, which I appreciate." He commented.
"... The fact that you're alright with me, and even accept my personality, I suppose I do find this place as a safe haven."
"..." Issei looked at her with worry. "Are… things at home alright?"
Aika looked at him weirdly. "Where the hell did that come from?"
"S-sorry, it's just that usually when someone says a place is a safe haven, it means that they don't have anywhere else to stay to find tranquility." He explained.
"..." Aika looked away for a moment. "No, truthfully, it's not about my parents, but rather my social life." She admitted.
"You know how I am, a perverted girl, but not some kind of nympho."
"My comments and my personality made me a bit of an outcast when it came to having other female friends." She sighed.
"Your two other friends, Motohama and Matsuda, don't tell them this, but I do have fun hanging around with them even though they see me as the devil."
"I get to act how I actually want, and the same goes to you and Meguri." She finished.
"All in all, I'm glad we're friends." She smiled.
"... I do too." Issei admitted. "Truth be told, had we met sooner, I would have been acting just like them."
"Then why aren't you acting that way?" Aika asked.
"A few certain events happened during the break before we started this year." He responded. "One day I might tell you, it's a bit personal, not even Matsuda or Motohama know."
She nodded. "I'll respect that, I can see that it is a serious subject."
"Well, I think that's all, we'll meet after summer break then." She said as she waved goodbye without looking back.
Once she was gone, Issei looked around to see that the place hadn't been tidied.
He sighed a bit annoyed as he went up to pick them up.
Yet, whenever he thought about the conversation he just had with the two of them, he couldn't help but feel saddened.
Suddenly, he saw a tear drop fall onto one of the papers.
"Dammit…" He cursed under his breath.
He still couldn't let go of what happened, he still couldn't get the deaths of the original club members out of his mind.
"I'll tell you next time… will I really do that?" He asked himself.
He grabbed all his notebooks and placed them all over the teacher's desk, which had never been used up to this point. On it, he laid his Magnum Opus, and surrounded the table on the floor with all the other poems he had written.
He tried to live on, because he knew there was nothing else he could do to commemorate the existence of those who shaped him the way he is in the present.
But, it felt hopeless, his pessimistic view about ever reuniting with them was clouding his current judgment.
He took out the gun that he got as a reward, he appreciated it, the revolver had a light tint of pink in it, and the handle was wrapped with bandages, he wanted to believe it was Natsuki's last gift before ceasing to exist.
He looked around, seeing a playset of tea cups and a teapot, as well as various mangas tucked into the book shelves.
He tried so hard to make it identical to that vivid image of the Literature Club, and he wanted to believe he succeeded.
But… it didn't feel like it was enough.
Right now, he finally understood how Sayori felt.
The empty feeling that consumes you no matter what you try, no matter the smiles you give to others, or the memories you made with them.
They would be engulfed by this feeling, that all it would be for naught.
A nihilistic view of life, one of the few traits that differentiated him from Sayori, who still wanted to be optimistic about her friends.
But to him, no matter what he did, it was meaningless as the system dictated his fate.
It was slowly getting dark, so he called his parents and told them that he'd be staying at a friend's house.
He had the revolver in hand, while unsure whether it would fire without bullets, he was sure that it would be stupid for it not to, given that it was a reward from the system.
Even though he knew what he was about to do, he still felt hesitant.
He had built up this entire place over a false hope, an untrue image of himself.
He wasn't a calm and collected individual, nor was he cultured and intellectual, he was supposed to be a pervert who only thought about tits.
As such, he wondered if he should pull the trigger and try to go back in time to become his personality from before any of this ever happened.
That version of him that didn't have to worry about all of this mess.
He put the gun barrel under his chin, still trembling, his finger was not on the trigger, he was trying to collect his thoughts before deciding on either pulling it or not.
He thought about this exact scenario various times, but never acted on it by impulse, after many nights thinking about it, he came to the conclusion that this could give him two possible outcomes.
Either one, he was sent back and needed to spend his first year of the academy once again.
Or two, it was what the system wanted him to do, after all, he was given a gun with no further instructions.
He started to feel as he reminded himself of every single event, from how he rejected that girl on the bridge, to killing Monika, he was simply unsure of what Second Take's penalty would be, but he didn't expect it to simply outright kill him.
This was a gamble he was willing to take, he had what he thought to be unlimited lives, perhaps using one of them to progress the story when there was literally no news of another quest appearing would be worth it.
He closed his eyes as he started to feel his tears start dropping into the floor.
Still scared, with his hands trembling, he gritted his teeth as he pulled the trigger.
And the sound of the gun was loud as it echoed through the halls.
Thankfully, no one would be there to hear it, as there was no one anywhere near the school at these hours.
But… Why did he care? It wasn't as if he would be there to see the aftermath, right?
And then, it dawned on him.
He didn't feel any pain, no fluffy bed or anything as such, he noticed that he was still standing.
And he also felt hands move the gun to the side. He didn't realize it until he felt something small fall on him.
It meant that the shot was redirected to the ceiling.
He slowly opened his eyes to see who had stopped him from doing something so foolish
And he couldn't believe it.
Familiar pink hair, the person he first fell in love with was standing in front of him, alive.
Sayori looked at him with worry, frightened and also angry at him.
"What the hell were you thinking!" She screamed at him.
Her yells made him snap out of it as he slowly tried moving his hand towards her shoulders.
"S-Sayori? I'm not… dreaming am I?" He whispered.
"No, you idiot." She softly spoke. "Just tell me… why? Why would you try to kill yourself?!"
Tears started streaming down his face as he hugged her. "I'm sorry! I… I just didn't know what to do at this point!"
"With everyone from the Literature Club gone… I… I just had nothing else left!"
"You idiot... you scared me so much..." Said as she hugged him back.
"I'm so thankful I could stop you in time..." She then took a deep breath. "I think I should explain what's been happening..." She looked at him with a look of guilt.
"What do you mean?" Issei was confused.
Sayori sat down on one of the chairs.
"I'm… not the Sayori that you know." She revealed.
"W-what?"
"I've never truly met Monika, everything I know about her is according to the others, which was information provided by you." She explained.
"And to explain how I know about everything despite time going back…" She then manifested a notebook and pen.
"Delayed Eschaton…" Issei said as he widened his eyes.
"And I wasn't the only one with it…" She added.
"Yuri… Natsuki… even Cordis had it." She revealed. "Though not at the same time that is."
"All the information that I know right now is from the other's accounts, from how they time looped back again and again trying to get rid of… that fate." She shivered.
"No matter what any of them did, they couldn't deal with those who were after our Sacred Gear."
"Sacred Gear…" Issei recognized that name, those were the words he first saw shown by the system after rejecting that girl.
Did… did that mean that he would have been in the same situation had he not lost it?
"T-this is… a lot to digest…" He said as he put a hand over his head.
"A-and where are the others now?" He asked.
"..." Sayori looked away for a moment. "Delayed Eschaton would be transferred to one of us should one of us die, as such, we technically were bound by it no matter what we did."
"Yet never you." She revealed. "As such… the others came to the extreme decision of… preventing the Sacred Gear from transferring to others by changing the past drastically."
"Natsuki, Yuri and Cordis never existed in this reality, and I took measures to do the same for my version in this world." She declared.
"Fortunately, my current self isn't affected by the changes I make to the past of this loop, as I keep my current self even if I killed my other self." She explained.
"O-oh... This is a lot to handle." Issei felt like he needed to process what he had just heard.
"So then… you're the last one alive… right?" He asked.
Sayori nodded. "And… Here comes my last request."
"Listen Issei, I just want you to know that nothing of what happened in this club was your fault, your other self had explained to one of the others about your guilt for trying to help me."
"But… my current self tells me that you would have truly helped me move forward had I not taken those measures."
"Because from the others, I heard that I was able to live happily after you helped me." She smiled.
"To my other self… I suppose I couldn't see what I had in front of me before I lost it." She laughed, a tint of sadness carrying over.
"I'm glad that you were there for the others in their time of need as well." She added.
Issei nervously looked away a bit, knowing full well that he didn't do much to help Yuri.
(Now Playing: Death Palette - Plage)
"So… back to the point…"
She took a deep breath.
"I want you to kill me." She said to him straight in the eyes.
"..." He looked down.
"It's to make sure Delayed Eschaton may never haunt any of you ever again, right?"
Sayori nodded. "I've done a few loops, trying to find you as unfortunately, changing the past forced me to move away from Japan, as such, it took me a while to finally reach you here."
"And… I'm glad I did, because this time… I finally was able to prevent you from doing that." She cried a bit.
"We… can't continue on like nothing happened… right?" He tried to bargain.
"No, unfortunately not." She stated. "Every loop is destined with the death of Delayed Eschaton's user."
"I… can't even call you selfish for it." He chuckled as he let tears run down his face. "Because I was the one who told you that you could be selfish."
"And… it would be far more cruel for me to allow you to continue suffering."
"You could have waited for your time to come, but… there is more to it than you're telling, right?" He asked.
"Even if I were in another country, even if I were to somehow ally myself with someone strong, death would be there, either alone, or accompanied by far stronger individuals." She explained.
This was enough to convince Issei that he needed to do it.
Suddenly, a notification appeared in front of him.
Quest #9
Memento Mori
Condition: Kill Sayori
Failure: You don't kill Sayori
So he was forced to do it then, he slowly grabbed Justitia as he pointed it at her.
Tears running down his cheek, he trembled as he saw the girl softly smile at him.
Unable to pull the trigger, he looked at her one last time.
"Tell me." He uttered.
"Natsuki… What did she think about me?" He asked.
She smiled. "She thought that you were a sweet boy."
"She doesn't want you to feel guilty, hence why she asked me to be the one to get killed by you."
"She would have wanted you to move on from her, to perhaps find someone else who would love you just like how you loved her."
"She truly would have loved to be by your side until both of you died of old age."
"But… unfortunately, it appeared as fate had different plans."
He felt much more mentally prepared, he was still hesitant, but it was either now or never.
"Then… this is a goodbye forever." He muttered.
"I would have loved to spend a few more days together, but that would have been worse for you in the long run." She stated as she closed her eyes.
With resolve, he closed his eyes as well, he could have sworn that he felt soft arms wrapping around his own, holding the gun together.
He wished for them to be Natsuki's spirit, telling him to do it right now.
And so, he did, he pulled the trigger.
The loud boom of the barrel echoed once again, this time towards Sayori.
Pages scattered in the air as they flew around due to the bullet, he saw as Sayori's body was blown apart by it, yet despite that, there was no flesh, there was no blood, it was simply her body becoming unrecognizable particles.
She smiled at him as she softly said. "Thank you."
Before disappearing in the air.
It was finally done, he had done it, she was now free from this story, he felt like he was crying yet again, he fell to his knees.
Inconsolable, he hugged himself as he cried, dropping the gun on the floor, those very same pages flew around like white feathers in the dark room.
He was the Black Swan.
And he was watching the white swans fly away, departing this world.
He needed to finally accept that they were gone.
He saw as a notification came into his view. It read.
Quest #9
Memento Mori
Condition: Kill Sayori
Failure: You don't kill Sayori
Completed
Rewards: Natsuki's poems, Sayori's poems, Yuri's poems, Monika's poems
Congratulations on finishing a story!
Information: The original Literature Club has finally dissolved as the remaining members bid farewell, the moments they shared, the laughs they had and the intimate problems they expressed to each other would be kept as a treasure, just like a box hidden in the dark corner under the bed.
This was it, this meant that he could never see them again... yet it didn't feel bad, he got to give closure to them, to those who never deserved this sort of horrible fate.
He could finally move on while also being able to think of these moments as fond memories that shaped him the way he was now. It was a bittersweet ending to this story.
He then noticed that he had many other messages as well. He decided on looking through them all before going home and apologizing to his parents about the fact that he lied. He didn't know what he would tell them.
Poem of the Black Swan has been destroyed
Poem of the Black Swan has become Trait (The Black Swan)
Noticing this new development, he decided to give it a quick look before going out.
(Mystery Storage): Access to inventory with infinite capacity. If anyone notices, reduce health to 0.
(Unknown Sefirot): User deals triple damage against Biblical enemies. User is immune against Biblical enemies. Increases Stat gain.
(The Black Swan): User takes 25% more psychological damage from enemies. If User's Sanity is below 50% Deals double damage to all enemies.
"Eh?" He said. "Isn't this dangerous?"
He scratched the back of his head. Knowing just how horribly he dealt with psychological damage, this was the last thing he needed at this moment.
A new image has been added to the Gallery
Literature Club
A new song has been added to the Gallery
Sayonara Birthday by Issey
Issei finally left the room, he saw the sky was getting dark, he left many of the poems back there but took the ones that were important to him. In the end, he wanted to know when the next story would happen.
With new resolve, he'd continue with his current life, the one he decided to adapt.
He was able to know more about Aika, and Meguri was a nice addition to the group, bubbly and happy like Sayori if he had to describe her.
Nonetheless, he'd treat the two differently, he was now the president of the club after all.
He made it through this story, and he knew that with enough dedication he could make it through the others should there be more stories.
His fate was not set in stone, the journey was of his choosing and the end could be figurative.
Though, right now, he needed to find a way to get out without getting noticed.
He saw various individuals walking around with flashlights, they probably came after hearing two gunshots.
As such, he ended up trying to get out by traveling deeper into the school ground hidden, maybe he could hide until they left.
But without knowing it, he was being watched by someone else.
Hidden behind a wall, a blond boy looked at Hyoudou, an individual who had been under Sona's radar for the entirety of the trimester, yet hadn't taken any sort of action.
As the person went inside the Academy, he went to the room that Issei spent his time in, he looked around as he noticed the bullet holes in the blackboard and the ceiling.
He took a look at some of the poems in there and flipped the pages, in the end he couldn't feel anything abnormal.
But he still needed to report this to Rias.
End of Arc 1
(A/N)
WOW I was not expecting to finish this in about 7 chapters, I was expecting this to be longer. But really I have to say that I had a lot of fun writing this arc, and I hope that I am able to do so with the next one, so, next arc, what is it about? Well first of all, I should say this before you start the next arc (whenever taht is or if the chapters are already up). No new ships next arc, despite what will be the genre of the next arc, there will be no new ship, I repeat NO NEW SHIP.
If you got uncomfortable, thought that the beginning was too edgy or just skipped the majority of the first section of the episode... then that means I did a good job, since that was actually what I was going for, showing a really fucked up mentality of Issei, which really can you blame him?
This also gives me time to explain what I do with my fanfics. I either amplify a certain aspect of them, or completely reverse it, Issei's doubts about being loved after his meeting with Raynare was the thing that got completely amplified, in Jaune Arc's case in my The Grimm Emperor fic, his want to become a hero has become amplified to the point it is twisted.
Well that out of the way, I wanted to know what you thought of this arc, was it too fast? too slow? ... too unrealistic lmao, I keep asking myself that, but at the end of the day, I am doing this for fun and love seeing what others think about it, this is like a passion project for a story that I've planned like... 3 years now? it was 4 years with RWBY, I have more stories as well, but those will be revealed later... I think.
Now lets talk about the poems and the references...
Schadenfreude, Lobotomy Corporation, different from what the actual thing is, haven't read Leviathan so idk much about it.
Slash Your Wrists, again Lobotomy Corporation, but the concept is half ann half based on the description and also could be treated as its own thing
Girl in Pink, description is mostly based on the abnormality in Lob Corp, but aside from that I just thought it fit with the fact that Issei got a gun as well that reminds him of Natsuki.
Justitia, Judgement Bird motherfuckers, this shit is gonna be hella op when he does decide on using it, the concept of how it will damage oponents has been foreshadowed btw, you just need to not judge it much.
The Black Swan trait, well it is just Poem of the Black Swan, but as a trait.
The images don't really reference anything, while I am glad that the Sayori art has the name of the artist on it, I didn't see if the Natsuki art had any.
How many of you played Library of Ruina and made the Floor of Literature the DDLC Cast? Because I'm pretty sure that the artist for the Sayori art could have possibly based it on that.
Now onto scrapped Ideas for last chapter
There wasn't much actually, I did think about maybe adding some softcore, but thought against it since I wanted the moment to be fluff instead of ecchi.
And finally the song, if you've been able to watch it, since its age restricted and the time stamp works, you'll realize that the scene i wrote is really similar to that. That is because that song is the reason why this arc exists. There really isn't much importance to the lyrics (can be a little fucked up out of context). The song is called Handled with Care/Toriatsukaichoi/取扱注意 by Syudou
And that is all, I will probably be taking a break before I start the next arc, when will that be? I dont know.
Oh and if you're wondering how Issei looks like even after the description here's an image of what I based his look for his current self. (Original is Raison D'Etre by Eve) I like to use material that I know the origin of, because I remember that time someone I knew used a pfp where Shinichi Kudo and Vermouth from Detective Conan were in an intimate position and I was laughing the fuck up about that since he didn't know who they were