"Welcome back, Jasper..." Yuri says as Jasper enters the clubroom again.
"Ah, hi Yuri..."
Jasper's expression is uncertain, as if he can still sense yesterday's arguments.
"U-Um..." Yuri looks around. Natsuki is reading the second volume of Twinstar at a desk, and Monika hasn't arrived yet. I lock eyes with Yuri, and make a hand movement that I think means just do whatever you have to do.
Yuri nods and takes Jasper's arm, pulling him into the corner of the room. "About yesterday...I...I really need to apologize. Nothing like that has ever happened before...And...something just came over me, I guess...I wasn't acting mentally sound. Please don't think we're usually like this! Not just me, but all of us..." She blushes.
"Yuri...I'm happy that you were considerate and apologized. You don't have to worry too much. Even though I've only been here a couple days, I could tell something was off yesterday...Maybe we were just a little extra sensitive because it was our first time sharing poems." Jasper says. "But whatever it was...It didn't make me think any less of you. I had already decided that there's no way you can be a bad person. And now that you're apologizing, I know you really didn't mean it."
"A-Ah...Jasper...Don't say those kinds of things so frankly...They make me a little too happy. I'm really glad that you're such an understanding person...And I'm really glad that you joined this club. Everything is a little bit brighter with you around, and--" Yuri cuts herself off. "Ah-- Sorry, what am I saying right now...? I just--"
"Hey, have you guys seen Monika?" Natsuki says to us all.
"Ah--!" Yuri jumps.
"No, I haven't... I was also kind of wondering where she was." Jasper says.
"Man..." Natsuki folds her arms. "Yuri, I'm guessing you haven't either?"
Wow, she's really calm...It's like she's completely forgotten what happened yesterday...
"N-No, I haven't..." Yuri says.
"No, me neither." I add.
"Jeez, this isn't like her at all." Natsuki gripes. "I know it's stupid, but I can't help but worry a little bit..."
Yuri looks at Natsuki awkwardly.
"What? Why're you looking at me like that?" Natsuki demands.
"U-Um...Natsuki, about yesterday..." Yuri begins. "I-I just wanted to apologize! I promise I didn't mean any of the things I said! And I'll do my best to stay under control from now on...So--"
"Yuri, what the heck are you talking about? Did you do something yesterday?"
"...Eh?"
"Jeez..." Natsuki frowns. "Ｗｈａｔｅｖｅｒ＇ｓ ｏｎ ｙｏｕｒ ｍｉｎｄ， Ｉ＇ｍ ｓｕｒｅ ｉｔ ｗａｓ ｎｏｔｈｉｎｇ． Ｉ ｄｏｎ'ｔ ｅｖｅｎ ｒｅｍｅｍｂｅｒ ａｎｙｔｈｉｎｇ ｂａｄ ｈａｐｐｅｎｉｎｇ ｂｅｔｗｅｅｎ ｙｏｕ ａｎｄ ｍｅ． Ｙｏｕ'ｒｅ ｔｈｅ ｋｉｎｄ ｏｆ ｐｅｒｓｏｎ ｗｈｏ ｗｏｒｒｉｅｓ ｔｏｏ ｍｕｃｈ ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ ｌｉｔｔｌｅ ｔｈｉｎｇｓ， ａｒｅｎ'ｔ ｙｏｕ？"
"B-But..."
Natsuki sighs. "I'll accept your apology anyway, if it helps you feel better about it. Besides, it's kinda nice to hear, since I was always afraid you secretly hated me or something like that." She grins. "Ehehe."
Yuri looks relieved. "N-No, not at all...! I don't hate you..."
"Ahaha. Well, you're kind of weird, but I don't hate you either." She then turns to Jasper and smiles cheekily. "You're still on trial, though."
"Hey...!" Jasper protests.

"Sorry! I'm super sorry!" Monika says, bursting through the door.
"Ah, there you are..." Jasper smiles.
"I didn't mean to be late...I hope you guys weren't worried or anything!" She bends over to catch her breath.
Jasper flashes his mischievous smile back at Natsuki. "Nah...Well, Natsuki was."
"I-I was not!!" she protests.
"Ahaha." Monika laughs.
Natsuki eyes her carefully. "...What took you so long, anyway?"
"Ah...Well, my last period today was study hall. To be honest, I kind of just lost track of time...Ahaha..."
"That makes no sense, though." Natsuki frowns. "You would have heard the bell ring, at least."
Monika avoids her gaze. "I must not have heard it, since I was practicing piano..."
"Piano...? I wasn't aware you played music as well, Monika." Yuri adds.
"Ah, don't give me more credit than I deserve. I guess I've been practicing for a while, but I'm still not really good yet."
"Still...That must require a lot of dedication." Yuri smiles. "So, I'm still impressed."
"Aw, well thanks, Yuri~"
Natsuki grins. "You should play something for us sometime!"
"Ahaha, that's..." Monika glances at Jasper. "Well, I am working on writing a song, but it's not quite done yet...Maybe once I get a little bit better, I will."
"That sounds cool." Jasper smiles. "I look forward to it."
"Is that so? In that case...I won't let you down, Jasper." Monika focuses her warm smile on Jasper.
"Ah...I didn't mean any pressure or anything like that!" Jasper panics.
"Ahaha, don't worry. I was hoping that I could share it with you, anyway." Monika winks. "I guess that's why I've been practicing so much recently."
"I see...In that case, best of luck."
"Thanks~! So I didn't miss anything, did I?"
"Nothing important." I say.

I watch Yuri approach Jasper again. "Jasper...Um...Since your compliments put me in a good mood...I was wondering if you would like to spend some time together today." She then panics. "I mean--in the club!"
"Ah, I suppose so." Jasper says uncertainly, glancing at me. "I don't think I could say no to you, after you gave that book to me. I guess I need to make sure Chio isn't waiting for me...I mean, she looks like she wants to--"
"She's fine!" Yuri shouts. "She's fine over there. See? Ｄｏｎ'ｔ ｔｈｉｎｋ ａｂｏｕｔ ｈｅｒ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ． Ｓｈｅ'ｓ ｇｏｔ Ｍｏｎｉｋａ ｔｏ ｔａｌｋ ｔｏ． Ｃｏｍｅ ｏｎ， ｗｅ'ｒｅ ｇｏｉｎｇ ｏｖｅｒ ｔｈｅｒｅ．"
Yuri drags Jasper into a secluded corner.
"Okay! Can we start now? Let's find a place to sit-- A-Ah-- I'm being a little forceful, aren't I...?" she says hurriedly. "I'm sorry! My heart...just won't stop pounding, for some reason..."
"Don't worry about it." Jasper smiles. "If anything, it's nice to see you have so much energy."
"Y-Yeah! But..." She exhales. "I won't be able to focus on reading like this..."
"Take your time."
Yuri calms herself down, and they start reading.

Eventually, Monika calls us all to share our poems, and I choose to swap with Yuri first.
"Yuri..." I say as she reads my poem. "I...noticed how you were talking with Jasper earlier...and how you dismissed me...I didn't like it. I mean...what harm does it do if Jasper speaks to me? I understand that you were in a hurry to get into your reading, but that's no reason to dismiss me like that...I do have my own feelings, you know."
"I...I was being weird again, wasn't I..." she whispers as she gives my poem back. "I-I'm sorry...I don't know what's wrong with me lately...I think I'm going insane." She gives me her poem.
I start reading Yuri's poem, and immediately I am confused. I stop at drowning: "Sorry, Yuri, I don't get it."
"Ah...it's too vague then..." she whispers. "It's a pretty uncommon type of poem...I'm not surprised you don't recognize it..."
"It's fine...I'm sure it's great, I'm just a big dummy." I grin.
"I-I didn't mean it like that...!" she protests.
"I'm kidding, Yuri, chill out."
"Ah..." She takes her poem back, and I continue.

I trade with Natsuki next, exchange very few words, and move on to Monika. We gingerly swap poems.
Jesus Christ, Monika, what is going on with your head? I think as I read her poem. It looks like the one she gave me last week, but some letters are missing and...Playing a knife on a breathing ribcage...Wow...But it's the last words that wrench my stomach.

Delete Her

Delete her...Who is her? Sayori? That would make sense...but did Monika literally delete her, or is that metaphorical?
...Based on her hanging comments, I'm willing to bet literal...
So does Sayori have files? Is she a program?
...Is she the only program? Or is this entire world some kind of a...game...?
A collection of ones and zeroes? I hope not...

I feel the blood drain from my face as I give Monika's poem back. She takes mine, silently reads it, and then gives one or two comments that I miss and moves on.

I sit down and don't bother to trade with Jasper.
Delete Her...

"Okay, everyone!" Monika says. "We're all done reading each other's poems, right? We have something we need to go over today, so if everyone could come sit at the front of the room..."
Natsuki gets up. "Is this about the festival?"
"Well, sort of~" Monika sings.
"Ugh. Do we really have to do something for the festival?" she groans. "We'll just end up embarrassing ourselves instead of getting any new members."
"That's a concern of mine as well. I don't really do well with last-minute preparations..." Yuri comments.
"Don't worry so much! We're going to keep it simple, okay? Look...I know everyone's been a little more...lively...ever since Jasper joined and we've started with some club activities." Monika smiles. "But this isn't the time for us to become complacent. We still only have four members...and the festival is our only real chance to find more, you know?"
I hope you haven't got anything planned already...I would be really hurt.
"What's so great about getting new members, anyway?" Natsuki says. "We already have enough to be considered an official club. More members will just mean everything gets noisier and more difficult to manage."
"Natsuki...I don't think you're looking at it the right way at all." Monika looks hurt. "Don't you want to share your passion with as many people as you can? To inspire them to find the same feelings that brought you here in the first place? The Literature Club should be a place where people can express themselves like they can't do anywhere else." Her green eyes burn with her passion. "It should be a place so intimate that you never want to leave. I know you feel that way, too. I know we all do! So that's why we should work hard and put something together for the festival...even if it's something small! Right, Jasper?"
"Ah..." Jasper looks bewildered.
"Oh, come on! You can't take advantage of Jasper to agree with you just because he doesn't know how to say no to anything." Natsuki sighs. "Look, Monika. Do you really think any of us here joined the club with other people in mind? Yuri never even talked until Jasper joined. As for me, I just like it better here than I do at home. And Jasper isn't even passionate about literature in the first place. And that's everyone." She glances at me apologetically. "Sorry, but you're really the only one who's so interested in finding new members. The rest of us are fine like this. I know you're President and all, but you should really consider our opinions for once."
Monika looks shocked by what Natsuki said.
"That's...not true at all." she says eventually. "I'm sure Chieko, Yuri and Jasper want to get more members too...Right?"
Yuri remains silent. Jasper looks unsure whether to back Monika up or not. As for me...I'm sure I can explain how I feel...
"...Moni--" I begin.
"No. Natsuki's right, isn't she?" Monika cuts me off. "This club...It's nothing more than a place for a few people to hang out. Why did I think that everyone here saw it the same way as I did?"
Jasper speaks. "But that doesn't mean that we're against getting new members or anything..."
"Jasper, why did you even join this club?" Monika says sadly. "What were you hoping to get out of it?"
"Well--" he begins, then trails off.
"In fact...If I remember, you weren't even given a choice not to join." Monika sits down. "What's the point of all this, anyway? What if starting this club was a mistake?"
"Monika." I say. "You might be unsure about this club, but I'm not. It sure as hell was not a mistake to start this club. Look at us! We might not have numbers, but we have each. As far as I know, this club is filled with the only friends I've ever had. Why do we have to be the biggest and the best? We're keeping it simple, and I like that. I don't know about you, but this club has to be the biggest success of my life." I turn to face Natsuki. "You know, we should still do something for the festival. Just so we can feel like we're part of something, and we can have fun. Maybe we'll pick up some new members, maybe we won't."
"But...You don't understand at all! I just...I just want a place that feels nice to hang out with a few friends. Is there a problem with the club being like that for me? There aren't...there aren't many other places like that for me..." Natsuki winces. "And now Monika wants to take it away from me!"
"She's not taking anything away--"
Jasper is cut off. "No, Jasper. It's not the same. It won't be the same with the direction she wants to take it." Natsuki sighs. "If I wanted that, then I could have just joined any other stupid club. But this one...I mean...At least for a little bit of time...Things were nice." She gets up and starts collecting her stuff. "I'm going home. I feel like...I don't belong here right now."
"Natsuki..." Yuri says.
Natsuki ignores her and leaves.
"This is bad...I don't know what to do..." Yuri whispers.
"Well...do you have an opinion on the festival?" Jasper asks.
"I-I don't know...I'm kind of indifferent, I guess..."
Suddenly the room goes dark and Yuri's face becomes distorted almost beyond recognition. "Ｗｈｏ ｃａｒｅｓ ａｂｏｕｔ ｔｈａｔ ｏｂｎｏｘｉｏｕｓ ｂｒａｔ？" she growls, and just as suddenly everything returns to normal. I look around - nobody seems to have reacted to what just happened.
"I mean, I like how nice and quiet the club is right now...And I'm just...happy with you here...But still!" Yuri sighs. "I am a member of this club...It's not right for me to ignore my responsibility like that..."
Her face distorts again. "Ｎｏｂｏｄｙ ｗｏｕｌｄ ｃｒｙ ｉｆ ｓｈｅ ｋｉｌｌｅｄ ｈｅｒｓｅｌｆ．" Yuri's one visible eye starts leaking blood, before everything returns to its original state.
"I should do my best to consider everyone's perspective and act on what is right for the club. But what about you, Jasper? What do you want to get out of this club?"
"...I think the most important thing is for everyone to get along...and for the club to provide something you can't get anywhere else." Jasper says. "I don't think it's about how many members, but rather the quality of each member. That's what will end up making the Literature Club a special place."
"I see...I really agree with you." Yuri's eye starts to bleed again, but nobody seems to notice. "Each member contributes their own qualities in a special way. With each change in members, the identity of the club as a whole will change, too. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing...Stepping out of your comfort zone once in a while...So if you would like to help Monika with the festival, then I'm on your side as well." The blood on Yuri's face dissolves into nothing.
What was that? If this really is a game...was that a glitch?
"Alright." Jasper says. "Well, maybe we can all talk to Natsuki tomorrow..."
Yuri nods.

"Hey, Yuri..." Monika begins.
"Eh?"
"Um, I know things were a little awkward yesterday...But I feel like you deserve to know that I still think you're a wonderful friend."
"M-Monika..." Yuri says shakily.
"I want to do everything I can to make this the best club ever. Okay?"
"...Me too."
"Yeah..." Monika turns to face us. "Let's all go home for today. We'll talk about the festival tomorrow."
"Okay." Yuri smiles. "I look forward to it. Shall we go, Jasper?"
"Um-- Please don't take this the wrong way, but..." Monika reaches for Jasper's arm. "I'm going to chat a little bit with Jasper before we leave. Just to see what he thinks of his time here and all that...It's important to me, as President."
Yuri frowns a little, as if debating whether to protest or not. "...Okay." she says. "I trust your judgement, Monika. In that case, I'll see the two of you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow~" Monika says, waving as Yuri leaves.

"Monika...If it's a President issue, I guess I'll stick around." I say.
"Um...To be completely honest, I'd rather you went home today. You've been working hard the last couple of days, and it's my responsibility to take care of the club as well as yours." Monika smiles. "Besides, if you really want to get something done, you could get started on planning what we're going to do for the festival."
"Well...Okay. See you tomorrow, then?"
"Yeah! See you tomorrow."

I leave the classroom. I'm tempted to stick around and hear what Monika has to say to Jasper, but I decide that she's not going to hurt him.
Fine, I'll go. But I still don't trust you, Monika.