Chapter 7

Monday morning Sayori woke in a panic, realising she would be late yet again.

Man! This year's barely even started and yet it feels like I've been late almost every day!

Rushing downstairs she clumsily slid on her shoes, raking a hand through her hair to make it more presentable.

As she threw open the door, Sayori paused, her eyes widening in astonishment.

"Good morning." Monika said timidly with a smile.

"H-Hey." Sayori waved, walking closer to the car.

"I, uh, offered you a ride to school... Remember?" Monika asked.

Sayori blushed, her heart fluttering as she nodded.

She cautiously slipped into the passenger's side, buckling as Monika pulled away.

"So, um, Sayori?" Monika called her attention.

"Hm?" Sayori hummed, turning to face her.

"I, uh... Was just going to ask what your favourite class was..." Monika lied, feeling her heart hammer against her chest.

"Um... I-I don't really h-have a favourite... I kinda stink at school.." Sayori chuckled, pressing her fingers together.

"Well... I could tutor you." Monika offered on a whim, secretly hoping to spend even more time with Sayori.

"Really?" Sayori questioned, a wide smile stretching across her face.

"O-Of course." Monika nodded, her heart racing after glancing at Sayori's adorable smile.

This girl will be the end of me..!

The car pulled into the school parking lot as they stepped out.

"Have a nice day." Monika said softly.

"Y-You too." Sayori nodded.

They parted ways for class.

~~~

Monika Monika Monika Monika Monika Monika Monika Monika Monika  Monika, just... M-o-n-i-k-a...

Sayori sighed happily, doodling on what was supposed to be her homework.

"Sayori." Natsuki called the strawberry blonde to attention.

"Yeah~?" Sayori purred dreamily, her eyes glazed over as they set on her friend.

"Geez what happened to you?" Natsuki asked.

"Monika offered to tutor me~." Sayori giggled, her words slurring as though she were drunk.

"So you're on cloud nine from a study session?" Natsuki asked without interest.

Sayori only nodded, continuing to draw on her paper.

Natsuki glanced over to notice various stars and hearts of all sizes littering the parts of the paper without text.

"Good gravy." she rolled her eyes.

Sayori giggled joyfully, tattooing her small shapes on what small bit of paper was left.

~~~

Yuri shook Monika gently by the shoulder as the girl stared off into space, her head on her desk.

"Monika. Monika." Yuri called.

Monika blinked back into reality, her face flushing as she realised she had been dozing off.

"What's gotten into you today? Are you feeling well?" Yuri asked, concern laced into her voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Monika said.

Yuri gave her a questioning glance, raising an eyebrow.

"Is this about that girl I saw you with the other day?" Yuri thought back to how Monika had seemed to be in a somewhat intimate situation with the freshman from her French class.

"W-W-What?!" Monika blushed deeply as she recalled the incident as well.

Yuri smiled softly, nodding her head in understanding.

"So it is." Yuri deducted.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Monika lied, turning her head as she blushed deeper.

Yuri glared at her with a raised eyebrow again, waiting patiently for Monika to crack under the pressure.

Monika rubbed her arm, glancing at the floor as she felt herself sweat.

"W-We should go. I-It's time for lunch." Monika laughed nervously, abruptly standing from her seat.

Yuri sighed in defeat, reluctantly following her down the hall.

~~~

"Hey, guys!" Sayori called as Yuri and Monika opened the club room door.

Natsuki was already seated in a far corner near the back, a manga held close to her face between her hands with a look of disinterest.

Sayori was seated towards the front of the room, sitting on the desk rather than the seat behind it.

Monika blushed as Sayori smiled at her, finding herself at a loss for words.

Yuri nudged her forward, closing the door as they finally stepped into the room.

Yuri strode gracefully towards a desk in the back, pulling out her copy of The Book of Markarov and beginning to read.

Monika slowly made her way towards Sayori, taking a seat in the desk beside her.

Sayori hopped off the desk, moving around to sit properly in the chair.

She glanced over at Monika, who was pulling out a notebook from her bag.

Monika paused, glancing up to meet Sayori's admiring gaze.

"Okay, everyone. Let's share those poems we agreed to write." Monika said, standing with a folded paper in her hands.

"How does this work?" Sayori asked.

"W-We'll pick a p-partner and t-trade?" Yuri suggested, blushing softly.

"That's a great idea, Ri!" Monika chirped as she clasped her hands together.

Yuri nodded, gently grabbing Natsuki by the wrist as the short girl blushed and followed.

Sayori and Monika exchanged a glance, a soft blush coating their faces.

"I guess that leaves us." Monika smiled awkwardly.

"Yeah.." Sayori giggled softly, blushing harder.

Monika reached out her hand, offering the small folded paper.

Sayori quickly fumbled with her zipper, reaching into her bag to pull out the rumpled piece of torn paper.

"L-Let me know what you think." Monika said softly as they exchanged poems.

Sayori scanned the poem over, her eyes following the words repeatedly as her heart fluttered.

Monika smiled softly at Sayori's sloppy writing, glancing over each word with much interest.

"I liked it. I-It was beautiful." Sayori smiled, tucking some stray hair behind her ear.

"S-So was yours. It was... idiosyncratic." Monika said.

"Idiot-what-now?" Sayori asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"I-It means it was... strange and unique." Monika clarified, scratching the back of her neck sheepishly.

"You think so?" Sayori pressed her fingertips together, smiling softly.

Monika nodded, biting her lip through a small smile.

She doesn't seem to realise it was about her... Good...

I wonder if she knows I wrote it about... her...

"Hey, uh... W-While we're here, I-I could uh... H-Help tutor you? Like I promised." Monika offered.

"O-Oh! Yeah, that'd be great! Thank you!" Sayori beamed.

"No problem." Monika said.

Sayori returned to her desk, sitting down as she placed her papers before her.

Monika loomed over her shoulder, humming in thought as she glanced at the problems she needed help with.

Sayori's breath caught in her throat as Monika's hand landed softly on her back for balance, her face igniting in a fiery blush.

"So for this part you take X and...." Monika began, though Sayori was too busy studying every inch of her face from that small distance to comprehend anything being said.

"Got it?" Monika turned to face Sayori, their noses close enough to touch.

"S-Sorry... Could you repeat that..?" Sayori asked, backing her face away a bit as she blushed deeper.

"Sure! Which part?" Monika asked.

"All of it..?" Sayori said, though it sounded more like a question.

Monika laughed, shaking her head lightly with a sigh.

"Okay. Here's X. First you..." Monika explained again, this time with Sayori actually bothering to listen.

~~~

Club time finally ended as Monika dismissed everyone.

"Hey, uh... Were you going to play piano today?" Sayori asked.

"Y-Yeah." Monika nodded.

"Um... Do you think... I could watch..?" Sayori smiled nervously, her heart hammering as a blush settled on her cheeks.

"Sure." Monika said softly, her face flushing softly as her heart fluttered in her chest.

They walked to the music room in silence, Sayori waiting by the door as Monika sat to play.

She took a deep breath, her fingers hovering above the keys before she finally pressed them to the keys.

Sayori watched in astonishment, her chest swelling as the soft sounds of the piano floated around the room.

Sayori was unable to look away, finding herself focused more on the pianist than the piece itself.

Monika's eyes were lightly closed, her breathing slow as her fingers hit the keys at a pace that gradually got quicker.

She stopped, having finished the piece, and turned to face the girl watching from the end of the room.

Sayori's mouth was agape, her eyes wide as a deep maroon blush coated her entire face.

Sayori opened and closed her mouth many times, yet was unable to form anything intelligent to say.

Monika smiled at her, making her heart work double time.

"Did you want a ride home, too?" Monika asked, closing the piano lid.

Sayori nodded with a smile, eagerly following Monika out to the parking lot.

"I-If you like... I-I could drive you e-everyday..." Monika suggested after starting the car.

Sayori gaped at her, a wild blush growing on her face yet again.

"R-Really?" Sayori asked quietly.

"Yeah!" Monika beamed, blushing softly as she smiled at her.

Sayori's heart fluttered, her head spinning as she smiled absently ahead of her.

Why was Monika so kind to her? Sayori couldn't understand, though she didn't really care since it meant Monika was paying her some attention.

That was all she needed.