Yet another day passed, and it was time for the club meeting once again. I finally got a bit comfortable with being here. As I entered the clubroom, the usual scene greeted me. 

"Welcome back, [F/N]." Camus smiled at me.
"Ah, hi Camus..."

I wasn't sure if it was me... but the weight of yesterday's conflict still seemed to be in the air a bit.

"..." Camus glanced over his shoulder. Ranmaru had his headphones on, not paying attention to anything around him. And surprisingly, Ai wasn't here yet.
Suddenly, Camus grabbed my arm and pulled me to the corner of the room.

"Listen... about yesterday." he muttered. "... I wanted to apologize. I can promise you that nothing like that has ever happened before... something just came over me, I suppose. I wasn't acting mentally sound. Please... we are not usually like this. Not just me... Ranmaru as well."
"Camus..." I smiled. "I'm really glad you were considerate and apologized. Don't worry. I know I've only been here for a couple of days, but I could tell that something was off yesterday... Maybe you just got a bit too sensitive since it was our first time sharing songs. But, whatever it was, it didn't make me think any less of you. I already know you aren't a bad person. And since you apologized, I now know you really didn't mean it."
"... Ah... [F/N]." he smiled a bit. "Don't just say those kinds of things like that... they please me... a bit too much. I'm glad you are such an understanding person. And I'm really glad you joined this club. Everything is better with you around, and..."
...
"... I'm sorry, I don't really know what I'm saying right now." he smiled apologetically. "I..."
"Oi, have you guys seen Ai?" Ranmaru came over to us.
"Ah... no I haven't." I shook my head. "I was also wondering where he was..."
"Man." he sighed. "I'm guessing you haven't either?" he looked at Camus.
"..."
Camus raised an eyebrow at him, probably confused by how calmly Ranmaru was addressing him.
"... No, I haven't..."
"Jeez..." the silverette groaned. "This isn't like him at all. I hope nothing is up with him....... Okay, why are you looking at me like that?"
"..." Camus sighed loudly. "Ranmaru... about yesterday. I wanted to apologize... I promise I didn't mean anything of what I said. And it won't happen again... so--"
"What the living hell are you talking about? Did you do something yesterday?"
"...... Say what again?" he furrowed his eyebrows.
"Jeez..." he rolled his eyes. "Whatever's   on   your   mind,   I'm   sure   it   was   nothing.   I   don't   recall   anything   bad   happening.   You   worry   way   too   much." Ranmaru said in an almost robotic tone.
"..... But....."
"But yeah, sure. Whatever. Apology accepted. I guess."  he rolled his eyes, his normal tone returning. "It's just something new to hear, since I thought you hated my guts or something."
"... No, not at all... I don't hate you..." he slowly muttered, looking like he lost track completely.
"Nice." he shrugged. "You are weird, but you are okay too."
"........."
Ranmaru looked at me with a smirk. "You're still on trial, though."
"O-Oi...!!" I huffed.

Suddenly, the door opened.

"Sorry I'm late..." Ai panted a bit.
"Oh, there you are..." I looked at him.
"I didn't mean to be late. I hope you weren't worried."
"No... well, Ranmaru was." I shrugged.
"Wh- I was NOT!!" Ranmaru snapped with flushed cheeks, making Ai chuckle a bit.
"... What... took you so long, anyway?"
"Ah... my last period today was study hall. I just lost track of time..."
"That makes no sense, though." Ranmaru furrowed his eyebrows. "You would have heard the bell ring."
"I was practicing the piano, so I must have missed it." he looked away.
"Piano...?" Camus asked. "I wasn't aware you played the piano, Ai."
"Oh, don't give me too much credit..." he shook his head. "I've been practicing for a while... but I'm still not any good at it yet."
"Still... that must require a lot of dedication." Camus smiled. "So I'm impressed."
"Well, thanks." he smiled back a bit.
"You gonna play something for us sometime?" Ranmaru questioned him.
"... That's..."
Ai's gaze traveled over to me.
"... I'm composing a song... but it's not quite done yet... Maybe once I get a bit better."
"That sounds cool." I smiled a bit. "I'm looking forward to it, too."
"... Is that so?" he smiled back. "In that case... I won't let you down, [F/N]."
"... Ah..." I felt myself blush at his sweet smile. "I didn't mean pressure or, stuff...!"
"Don't worry." he chuckled. "I was hoping I could share it with you. That's why I've been practicing so much, in the first place..."
"I see..." I slowly nodded.
I'm not sure if he was referring to the club, or just me...
"... Good luck then."
"Thank you." he smiled. "... So, I didn't miss anything, right?"
"... N... Not really."
I decided to not bring up anything the three of us were talking about. Besides, Ranmaru already disappeared into the closet.

RANMARU'S PART

"... [F/N]..." Camus suddenly came up to me. "... Since you left me feeling good with your praises... I was wondering if you wanted to spend some time with me. Here, in the club."
"... Ah, I guess..." I nodded. "You did give a book to me, so I don't think I can say no. I just need to make sure Ranmaru isn't waiting for me... After we listened to music yesterday he--"
"He's fine!!" he snapped sharply. "... he is over there. See?" he pointed at Ranmaru in the closet, once again with a headphone on his head.
"Don't   think   about   him   so   much." he hissed in a cold tone. "He   is   used   to   being   ignored.   Come   on,   you   are   coming   with   me."
With that, he dragged me away with a tight grip, looking in front of himself with an intense look.

"What's the story about, anyway?"
"Well..." he looked up then closed the book, quickly reading through the description on the back. The book's title is 'Portrait of Markov'. There was an eye symbol on the cover, which kinda gave me the chills.
"Basically, it's about this religious camp that was turned into a human experiment prison.... And the people trapped there have this trait that turns them into killing machines that lust for blood. But the facility gets even worse, and they start selectively breeding people by cutting off their limbs and affixing them to... Oh, I might have said a spoiler. But anyway, I'm really into it... The book. Not the limb thing..."
"... Wow..." I blinked with a pale face. That's kind of dark. Camus was talking so nicely about it, so I thought...
Camus chuckled at my stunned face. "I suppose you are not a fan of such things, [F/N]."
"N-No, it's not that!" I quickly protested. "I-I mean I will definitely enjoy this story so y-yeah... don't worry."
"I hope so." he nodded.
... Yup... I totally forgot that he is into the dark stuff... I mean, who would see it coming from him?
"It's simply that... these kinds of stories... They kind of force you to look at life from a strange yet interesting new perspective. For example, when terrible happenings occur not because someone just wants to be evil... But because the world is full of horrible people, and we are all worthless anyway. Then suddenlyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
"I apologize, I'm rambling."
"D-Don't, it's okay. What you are saying is interesting." I quickly smiled at him.
"... Well, I suppose it's alright then. But, something tells me that I should let you know... that when I let things that interest me fill my thoughts, my whole body get̷̲͇̣̮̘̦͇̙̳͑̿̎͂̒͋͑̀́͜͠s̵̞̖̊ ̶̛̻̺͔͙͎̹͙͓̰̥́̑́̋̈́̒͊͘

i̵̺̱͘ǹ̴̩̟̥͔͉̿̃̽̈́͒c̵̙̜̦̞͇͕̠̥̏̾̔̃̀r̷̗̀̀̋̐̉ë̴̮̙̻̀d̷̲͂̚i̷̪̱̤̙̣͌̌̇͊͋̋̾́͘b̸̛̖͇̋̋́̚͝l̷̨̤̯̭̠̪̪̳̖̔̀̅͜y̴͚̣͕̺͉̙̼͐̽̚̚͝͠ͅ

I forget to pay attention to anything else around me. So please forgive me in advance if I say something out of place..." he looked at me and smiled timidly. "Also... please feel free to stop me if I start talking too much like I did just now."
"N-No- Uh- You shouldn't worry about something like that. You are simply passionate about reading. The least I can do is listen to you..." I smiled at him a bit embarrassed myself.
"... Well, that's...."
"In fact!" I jumped up from my seat. "I'm gonna start reading it right now!"

"Y̷̡̪̯̥̘̊̎̍͗̈́̇̔̀ ̷̢̫̮̯̤̙̠̬͖̾͛ ̵̡̢̢̩̺̰̩̫̦̥̒ ̷̧̫̻͎̘̙̗̤͇̻͑̍͋̈́̎͗ ̸̤͕̪̉̾͌̐È̷͔̰̜͔̼̹̿̈́ ̶̩̲̣̀͊͒̈́̎ ̵̜̗͎͔͉͑̍́̏͗́̈́̽̕͜͝ ̶̖̫̜̮͛̐̀̚ ̷̥͈̺̐̓̆̿̍S̵͉̱̳̠̜̯̤̥̞͐̓̋͒͊̚͠ ̸̜̮͎̮̰̹͓̩̤̿ ̴̛̖̃̀͋̃̑̐͌ ̵͍̮̮̝̱̖͆ ̴̧̛̯͉̜̬̳͉́̏͊̿͆͑͘ ̷̢̛̯̲͔̘̳͕̽̾̿͛̐̇̕̕ ̶̦̅̑̽̄͋̑͐̏͝ͅ ̸̟̟̦̘̊ͅ ̷̣̘͓͙̫̤̼̂̈͒̊̇̑̈́͘͝ ̷̧͕͉͉̣̠͓͉̣͐̌ ̴̬̜͍̰͉̽̈́̌͂̒̀͋̈͘ ̷͚̟̝̑͐̓͋͐́͆́͠ ̶̧̟͊̇̽ ̶̛̰͓͕̱̯̋̿̀̍̿͒͛̅͗ͅ ̸̦̯͊̓̊̄̊̃̂̚ͅ ̴̬̇̃͗ ̴̨͕̙̭͍̬̟̠͚̮̌!̴̥̙̬̻̳͉̬̅̊̉̀̅͝͝͠ͅ

"Yes... Please do."
"Let me just get the book~" I chuckled, quickly getting out my own copy from my bag. "... is it alright with you if I sit here?"

I sat down next to Camus. He let out the slightest yelp. "Yeah... of course." he answered slowly.
"Are you sure?" I tilted my head. "You seem a bit uncomfortable about it..."
"... That's..."
He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry... Of course it's not that I don't want you to, I'm just... not too... used to something like this, I suppose you could say. As in, reading with company with someone..."
"I... see." I nodded. "Well, just tell me if it bothers you or something, okay?"
"Okay..."

I opened the book and started the prolouge. I immediately understood what he meant by reading in company. As I read through the lines, I almost felt his presence over my shoulder. It's not a bad thing, though... It's actually quite calming. He was in the corner of my eye. I couldn't help but realize that he wasn't looking at his book.
I looked up at him.
He is reading from mine instead--
"Sorry." he quickly moved his gaze back to his own book, his shoulders jerking upwards as if he would have done something wrong. "I was just bathing in the feeling of your body heatttt tt tt t tt
"... You know, you kinda apologize a lot." I chuckled.
"... Do I?" he smiled awkwardly. "I don't mean to, sorry..."
I choked back a laugh.
"... Wait."
"Pffft." I giggled. "Well, let me just... "
I slid my desk up against Camus', then put my book between the two of us.
"Oh... Al...right then..." he slowly closed his own copy. After we both leaned closer to the book, our shoulders were almost touching. I used my right arm to hold the book open so I don't bother him with my left. Although, that made it kind of difficult to turn a page...
"Here." Camus, as if reading my own thoughts, held the left side of the book with his left hand.
"Oh..." I did the same with the right side. That way, every time I turned a page, Camus slid it under his thumb once it flipped to his side. But now we're even closer than before... It's actually... kinda distracting...!
"... Are you ready?" Camus asked softly, his gaze meeting mine.
"H-Huh?"
Ready for what...!?
"You know, to turn the page..."
"Oh- er- s-sorry...!" I stuttered, looking down. "I think I, got distracted there for a second..."
I looked up at Camus again. Our eyes met again. How the heck will I keep up with him...!?
"Don't make that face... It's okay." his gaze softened on me as he smiled at me gently. "You aren't used to this, are you? I will wait for you if it takes you a bit longer. It's the least I can do. After all, you are so patient and genuine to me..."
"..... I-I suppose..." I mumbled. "... Thanks..."
We continued reading. Camus didn't ask me again if I'm ready to turn the page. Instead, I just turned it by my own pace, since I know that he always finished it before me. We continued to the first chapter in comfortable silence. Though, every single turn of a page seems like some sort of intimate exchange...
"... Hey, Camus. This... might sound strange, but... The main character reminds me of you a bit."
His eyes widened a bit, as he suddenly tensed up.
"What...?? No, I don't relate to this character at all...! Definitely not!"
"Really...? I was just thinking how he also second-guesses everything that he says and does..."
"... Ah... so... that's what you were talking about... I apologize, I thought you meant something else."
"Something else...?"
"Let's just... move on... We didn't even get to that part yet... So I don't know why I thought that..." he chuckled a bit, fat drops of sweat rolling down on his forehead.
"Are you feeling okay...?"
"Hm...?" he looked at me.
"You know, you can rest if you're feeling sick or something... Your breaths are a bit..."
"My breaths...? Oh." he muttered. "... I'm fine, really. I just need some water..."
"A-Alright..." I mumbled as he stormed out of the classroom. "... What the heck was that...?"
"[F/N]?" Ai looked at me. "Did something happen?"
"Eh? I-I don't really know...." I looked away. "Camus was acting a bit strange..."
"So you don't know anything..." he hummed.
"N-Not really... sorry." I sighed. "Are you worried about him?"
"Ah... no. Not really." he shook his head. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't do anything."
"N-No, I didn't do anything...!!"
Ai chuckled. "Don't worry... I believe you." he smiled at me. "Camus just... does this sometimes. Nothing alarming."
"... If you say so..." I sighed.
"Anyway, why don't we start sharing our songs?"
"Eh...? Shouldn't we wait for Camus?" I furrowed my eyebrows.
"He might take a while, so I figured we should just get started without him." he shrugged. "Is that a problem?"
"N-No... I was just asking." I muttered and stood up. I made a mental note of where I left off in the book, then carefully put it back into my bag.

Song in hand, I made my way over to Ranmaru.

CAMUS' PART

"... [F/N]..." Camus suddenly came up to me. "... Since you left me feeling good with your praises... I was wondering if you wanted to spend some time with me. Here, in the club."
"Yeah, definitely." I nodded with a smile. "I planned on it anyway."
"Alright. Then can we start right now?" he suddenly grabbed my wrist, dragging me. "Come on, we're gonna find a place to sit."
...
"... Ah... am I being too forceful?" he muttered. "... I'm sorry, but... my heart won't stop pounding... for some reason."
"Don't worry." I chuckled. "If anything, it's nice to see you so energetic."
"Yeah, but... I should calm down. I won't be able to focus on reading..." he muttered, smiling to himself.
"Take your time."
"..."
After taking a deep breath, Camus pulled out the book from his bag.

"Actually, I have a request... Do you mind if I make some tea first?"
"Not at all." I shook my head.
"Thank you very much." he bowed his head to me a bit. "If there is one thing that can make reading here any better, it's a nice cup of tea.... Not to mention for yourself, as well."
Camus stood up, making his way over to the closet. I followed and watched as he took a small water pitcher.
"Can you hold this for a second?" he asked.
"Sure." I nodded, taking the water pitcher. He also fetched an electric kettle.
"I'm going to plug this in at the teacher's desk, and then we'll go and get some water."
He walked past me and set the kettle down on the teacher's desk. I simply watched his movements. The way he moved really contrasted his speaking mannerism. Especially because of his long legs, he appears elegant and methodical.
"Okay, may I have the water pitcher? Thank you. I will be right back."
"Ah, I might as well go with you..."
".... That's okay!" he quickly shook his head. "You stay here. It won't take long."
With that, he hurried out of the classroom.
"Ah... did Camus leave you again?" Ai sighed.
"Ah, no no... He's just filling up the water pitcher to make tea."
"Oh, alright. Sorry for misunderstanding."

...

Ten minutes passed. He said it wouldn't take long... Is something holding him up?
I was bored just waiting for him, so I decided to go look for him.

"Let's see..." I hummed to myself, walking down the hallway. The most logical place for Camus to be would be the nearest water fountain... With that thought, I headed down the hallway.
"... Haah.... haah...."
.... What's that noise...?
I heard panting coming from around the corner. Then suddenly, a sharp inhale - like someone was sucking the air through their teeth.
Are they in pain...?
I reached the corner and peered around it.
".... Camus...?"

Camus widens his eyes, dropping the bloody blade from his hand. His slave is pulled up - even the clothes are covered in blood.

From his wrist until his elbow, his whole arm is covered in deep cuts, blood coming from everywhere.

ᵣₑwᵢₙDᵢₙg...

"?...sumaC....".tidnuoradereepdnarenrocehtdehcaerI?...niapniyehterA.hteetriehthguorhtriaehtgnikcussawenoemosekil-elahniprahsa,ylneddusnehT.renrocehtdnuoramorfgnimocgnitnapdraehI?...esiontahts'tahW...."....haah....haaH...".yawllahehtnwoddedaehI,thguohttahthtiW...niatnuofretawtseraenehtebdluowebotsumaCrofecalplacigoltsomehT.yawllahehtnwodgniklaw,flesymotdemmuhI"...eess'teL".mihrofkoologotdedicedIos,mihrofgnitiawtsujderobsawI?pumihgnidlohgnihtemossI...gnolekatt'ndluowtidiaseH.dessapsetunimneT

.........

"I'm back." Camus entered the classroom, water pitcher in hand. "Thank you for waiting patiently. Do you like oolong tea?"
"Oh, yeah." I nodded. "Anything is fine."
"Very well, then." he nodded, setting the temperature on the kettle to 200 degrees. "Now it's time to get the teapot."
"You really know how to do this properly." I hummed.
"Of course..." he looked away a bit. "I shouldn't do any less while making tea for others."
"Even if I'm not an expert on tea and all...?" I raised an eyebrow with a smile.
"Well in that case, you will be even more impressed." he chuckled.
"Ah... maybe."

Camus got the teapot and began measuring the tea leaves. He started humming a tune to himself.
"You must be in a good mood." I giggled.
"Is that so? So you noticed. I thought about it a bit... and I decided I should try expressing myself a bit more." he let out a chuckle. "It turns out it's not too hard for me to do... While around you, anyway."
"... O-Oh... Well that's great!" I smiled. "Just don't push yourself too much..."
"You always worry about me." he chuckled. "It's really endearing."
I felt myself blush as Camus poured a cup of tea for each of us.
"I have another request." he looked at me. "Do you mind if we sit on the floor today?"
"Huh? Why?" I tilted my head.
"It's easier for my back. I can read with my back against the wall rather than bending over at my desk."
"Oh... sorry I didn't realize."
"No worries. So we should sit on the floor."
"Fair enough..." I nodded. "I'll go ahead and get the book."
I took out the book from my bag.
"Ah, I have some chocolate, too..."
I also grabbed the bag of small chocolate candies. Camus and I sat against the wall, with our teacups by our sides. We got in the same reading position as the last time, each of us holding one half of the book. Expect this time... our bodies were even closer to each other.
"I can't see too well..." Camus muttered under his breath, sliding even closer to me - now our shoulders were touching. How am I supposed to focus like this...!? I like Camus but when he's being like this it's so much more than what I can handle...!
"Here..." he handed me my teacup. As I held it with my free hand, I ended up in an even more uncomfortable position. Because now I had to make sure he doesn't accidentally touches my...!
I tried to not squeak. Meanwhile, Camus haven't noticed a thing. His expression was focused, and it seemed like the world around him has completely faded away. I tried hard to focus on reading.
...
After a few minutes, I finally managed to relax a bit. I put the teacup down and messed with the chocolate paper.
"Oh, sorry..." I muttered, quickly letting go of the book to finish opening the wrapper. "You can have as much as you want."
"... Ah... That's.... okay, I won't take any." he muttered, it was seemingly really hard for him to press out those words.
"Eh? Are you sure?"
"Well... if I touch it, it might get smudges on the pages."
"Oh... you're right... I didn't even think about that... My bad..."
"No need to apologize." he shook his head. "I will hold the book, alright?"
"Are you sure....?"
"Of course." he smiled, now holding the book open with both hands. He held it so it isn't any harder for me to read from it. But as a result, his left arm was basically resting in my lap.
"W-Well in that case..." I muttered, but Camus was totally focused on reading again. I took a chocolate and put it into my mouth. Then, I took another chocolate, and held it up to Camus. He didn't even look up, he just parted his lips as if this situation was completely natural. But that only means I can't stop here...! I gently placed the chocolate into his mouth. He closed his lips over it.
"... Huh?"
His expression suddenly broke.
"... Did I just..." he looked at me.
"...[F/N]..."
"... S-Sorry!!! I-I guess I shouldn't have done that..." I jabbered.
"... Ah..."

Camus suddenly started breathing heavily.
"... I.... can't..."
...
He suddenly grabbed my arm harshly, forcefully jerking me to my feet. My teacup got knocked over.
"[F/N]..." he breathed my name shakily. He then dragged me into the closet, shutting the door with a harsh move. Darkness enveloped the two of us, and I now could make out his sharp breaths even more clearly.
"... my heart... my heart won't stop pounding..." he whispered. As my eyes got used to the darkness, I could make out the intense look he was staring at me with. "I can't... I can't calm down.... I can't focus on anything anymore...!!" his voice sounded desperate. He grabbed my hand, forcing it against his chest. "Can you feel it...?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of me.
"Why... why is this happening to me...?" he whispered, his eyes turning more wide and desperate. "I feel like I'm losing my mind... I can't make it stop. It even makes me not want to read... I just..."
He pushed me against the closet wall.
"....want.... to look..... at you...."
...
A grin slowly found itself on his face. Something about that look... was not right. It was crazed. Twisted. It was like his eyes were scanning every part of my face, as he panted sharply, his grin growing more by the second. It didn't seem to stop. He stared, and stared, until...
The closet door suddenly opened, and a shadow grew over our form. Ai tilted his head, raising an eyebrow, as Camus jumped away from me.
"....... It's time to share songs..."

....

Getting out of the closet, I grabbed my song and walked to Ranmaru, quickly forgetting about the previous events.

REACTION ON RANMARU'S RUN

"... Ahem." he nodded. "Well, it's not terrible... but it's pretty disappointing after your last one."
He then narrowed his eyes. "Then again, if this one was as good as your last one, I would've been pissed."
"Well, I guess I wanted to try something different..." I muttered with a shrug.
"Fair enough." he sighed. "You're new to this, so I wouldn't expect you to find your style right away. I mean, everyone in the club writes really differently... Maybe you'll find a little influence from all of us. For example..."
He narrowed his eyes.
"... I noticed that you spent time with Camus today... Not that I care... After all, I shouldn't expect anything from anybody." he grumbled. "So I wasn't... waiting for you... or anything.... Still! You should at least read my song... You'll probably learn something from it.

"T3BlbiBZb3VyIFRoaXJkIEV5ZQ==

SSBjYW4gZmVlbCB0aGUgdGVuZGVybmVz
cyBvZiBoZXIgc2tpbiB0aHJvdWdoIHRo
ZSBrbmlmZSwgYXMgaWYgaXQgd2VyZSBh
biBleHRlbnNpb24gb2YgbXkgc2Vuc2Ug
b2YgdG91Y2guIE15IGJvZHkgbmVhcmx5
IGNvbnZ1bHNlcy4gVGhlcmUncyBzb21l
dGhpbmcgaW5jcmVkaWJseSBmYWludCwg
ZGVlcCBkb3duLCB0aGF0IHNjcmVhbXMg
dG8gcmVzaXN0IHRoaXMgdW5jb250cm9s
bGFibGUgcGxlYXN1cmUuIEJ1dCBJIGNh
biBhbHJlYWR5IHRlbGwgdGhhdCBJJ20g
YmVpbmcgcHVzaGVkIG92ZXIgdGhlIGVk
Z2UuIEkgY2FuJ3QuLi5JIGNhbid0IHN0
b3AgbXlzZWxmLg=="

" [F/N]. . . . " Ranmaru looked at me intensely once I looked up from reading. His eyes were different, as he spoke in a colder tone.
" Why   didn't   you   come   hang   out   with   me   today   ?   I   was   waiting   for   you. . .   I   was   waiting   for   a   long   time .   It   was   the   only   thing   for   me   to   look   forward   to .   So   why   did   you   ruin   it ? "
He slowly stepped closer to me, slightly tilting his head.
" Do   you   like   Camus   more ?   I   think   it    would   be   better   if   you   didn't   talk   to    him .   You   hear   me ? "

Ranmaru smirks. Something is wrong with the way he is looking at me.

" Camus   is   a   sick   freak .   That   should   be   obvious   by   now .   So   just   be   with   me   instead .   Alright ? "
He tilts his head once again, his eyes having a strange look.
" You   don't   hate   me . . .   Do   you ?   Do   you   hate   me ? "

His eyes and mouth glitch and blacken out once again - expect blood starts spilling from the place where his eyes are supposed to be...

" Do   you   want   to   make   me   lose   my   mind ?   The   club   is   the   only   place   where   I   feel   safe .   Don't   ruin   that   for   me .   Don't .   Ruin   it .   Just   stop   talking   to   Camus .   Be   with   me   instead .   It's   all   I   have .   Stay   with   me  . . . "

His mouth returns to normal - expect a huge, crazed grin is on his face.

𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗬 

 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 

 𝗠𝗘 !!!!!!!!

...

His neck breaks hardly to the right, causing a loud, horrible cracking sound. The grin is still on his face......

ᗡͶƎ

...

Done with Ranmaru, I made my way over to Ai.

REACTION ON CAMUS' RUN

"..." he rolled his eyes. "Yeah... just as I thought."
"E-Eh...?"
"Don't play dumb on me. I know how much time you've been spending with Camus..." he murmured. "It's really obvious you care more about impressing him than trying to improve your writing. It's kinda pathetic... Why are you even in this club??? I honestly thought... getting a new member would help everyone get more involved together. Not exclude each other even more. This is a stupid activity anyway..."
He sighed loudly.
"...... Look, I'm not in a good mood today, so let's just skip this. Go away."

I sweatdropped at him, but I just sighed and made my way over to Ai.

REACTION ON RANMARU'S RUN

"Hello again, [F/N]." Ai greeted me.
"How's the writing going?"
"Alright, I guess..." I muttered.
"I'll take that." he nodded. "As long as it's not going bad, it's fine. I'm glad you're applying yourself. Who knows... you could write a masterpiece soon."
"Haha..." I chuckled awkwardly. "I wouldn't count on that."
"You can never know." he shrugged. "Do you want to share what you wrote for today?"
"Sure... here you go." I handed him my song."Great job, [F/N]." he said, looking up." I was quite impressed while reading it. It's really metaphorical. I honestly didn't expect you to go for something so deep. Guess I underestimated you..."
"... It's the easiest for me if I keep everyone's expectations low. It always counts when I try that way."
"Well that's not too fair." he smiled a bit teasingly. "... Guess it worked anyway. You know that Camus is into this kind of writing, right? Songs that are full of symbolism. Sometimes I feel like his mind is totally detached from reality. That's not a bad thing, though. But sometimes, you feel like that he completely gave up on people... He spends too much time in his head, and it's probably a much more interesting place for him... But that's why he is so pleased when you treat him with kindness and patience. What I'm saying is, don't blame him for coming on a little strongly. Like earlier.... I believe if he gets too stimulated, he ends up withdrawing and looking for alone time...."
The door suddenly opened.
"... Ah, Camus."
"I'm back... Did I miss anything?"
"Not really..." Ai shook his head. "We all started sharing our songs with each other."
"Ah... I apologize for being late." Camus sighed.
"That's okay. We still have time, so I'm glad you took all the time you needed."
"Alright... thank you, Ai." he nodded. "I will go get my song now."

REACTION ON CAMUS' RUN

"[F/N]..." Ai muttered with a serious expression. "I think you saw something earlier that you weren't supposed to see. I didn't want to tell you this... but I don't think I have a choice... It's getting dangerous for you to spend so much time with Camus. I don't know why, but he seems pretty easily excitable when he is around you... Which shouldn't be a problem in itself. But..."
He sighed.
"When Camus gets too excited, he finds a place to hide and starts cutting himself with a pocket knife. Isn't that a bit... weird?" he furrowed his eyebrows. "He even brings a different one to school every day, like he has a collection or something... I don't think it's because he is depressed or anything like that. I think he just gets some kind of high from it... Maybe it's like a sexual thing..." he mumbled quietly. ".... The point is, you've kind of been enabling him. I'm not saying it's your fault... But I guessed I had to explain this all to you.... So I think it's best for him if you keep your distance."
He smiled a bit.
"While you are at it, you could also spend a bit of time with me.... To put it lightly... I at least have it together in the head... and I know how to treat my club members."

BACK TO MAIN LINE

"Anyway... do you want to read my song now?" he cleared his throat.  "I like the way this one turned out, so I hope you do too."

"Save Me

The colors, they won't
Bright, bea t ful c l rs
Flash ng, exp nd ng, piercing
Red, green, blue
An ndless
CACOPHONY
Of meaningless
noise

The noise, it won't STOP.
Viol nt, grating w vef rms
Sq e king, screech ng, piercing
SINE, COSINE, TANGENT
Like play ng a ch lkboard on a t rntable
Like playing a KNIFE on a BREATHING RIBCAGE
n ndl ss
s g
Of m n ngl ss

Delete Him"

SlVTVCBBaQ==

"Sorry... I know it's kind of abstract." he muttered. "I was just trying to........ Well, never mind. There is really no point in explaining. Anyway..."
He cleared his throat.
"Here is my writing tip for the day. Sometimes... you'll find yourself stuck while writing something. So when that happens, don't forget to save your work... you never know when......"

...

Ai suddenly looks right at you.

"... Who am I talking to...?" he muttered with furrowed eyebrows. "Can you... can you hear me? Please... tell me you can hear me.  Anything."

┌─────────────┐

Please help me.

𝗢𝗞 
└─────────────┘

"... That's my advice for the day. Thank you for listening."

Once done with Ai, I went over to Camus.

REACTION ON RANMARU'S RUN

"I've been waiting for this..." he muttered with a smile. "Let's see what you've written for today."
He inhaled and exhaled. "I like just holding it..."
"....."
"..... What I meant to say is, the song turned out good. It's... there are some things you could work on... but that doesn't matter." he smiled timidly. "It feels like anything written by you is a treasure..... Well, here is the song I wrote."

REACTION ON CAMUS' RUN

"I've been waiting for this..." he muttered with a smile. "Let's see what you've written for today."
...
"...." he stared at the song with a surprised expression.
"... Do... do you like it?" I asked shyly.
"[F/N]... This one... might be even better than yesterday's.... How did you even...? It was just yesterday that I was telling you about the techniques worth practicing..."
"Maybe that's why." I shrugged. "You did a really good job explaining. So I wanted to try giving it more imagery."
I heard Camus swallow, as he messed with the paper in his hand. 
"Ah... that... makes me feel really great." he muttered to himself with a smile. "It feels... amazing.... to be valued... Haha... I might write a song about this feeling."
He looked at me.
"... Is that bad? It's not strange, right? I'm having a hard time concealing my emotions, but... I just want you to read my song now. Alright...?"

BACK TO MAIN LINE

"Wheel

A rotating wheel. Turning an axle. Grinding. Bolthead. Linear gearbox. Falling sky.
Seven holy stakes. A docked ship. A portal to another world. A thin rope tied to a
thick rope. A torn harness. Parabolic gearbox. Expanding universe. Time controlled
by slipping cogwheels. Existence of God. Swimming with open water in all directions.
Drowning. A prayer written in blood. A prayer written in time-devouring snakes with
human eyes. A thread connecting all living human eyes. A kaleidoscope of holy stakes.
Exponential gearbox. A sky of exploding stars. God disproving the existence of God. A
wheel rotating in six dimensions. Forty gears and a ticking clock. A clock that ticks
one second for every rotation of the planet. A clock that ticks forty times every time
it ticks every second time. A bolthead of holy stakes tied to the existence of a docked
ship to another world. A kaleidoscope of blood written in clocks. A time-devouring
prayer connecting a sky of forty gears and open human eyes in all directions.
Breathing gearbox. Breathing bolthead. Breathing ship. Breathing portal. Breathing
snakes. Breathing God. Breathing blood. Breathing holy stakes. Breathing human eyes.
Breathing time. Breathing prayer. Breathing sky. Breathing wheel."

"... What it's about doesn't really matter." he looked away. "My mind has been a bit... hyperactive lately, and I had to take it out on your pen..."
...
"... Oh... a pen fell out from your backpack yesterday..." he sweatdropped. "... So I took it home for safekeeping, and... I..."
His eyes turned intense once again.
".... I really... like.... the way... it writes.... so I wrote this... song... with it... and now you are... touching it..."
He let out a weird chuckle.
".... I'm okay!... Just... pretend I never said that. You can keep the song...."

You have unlocked a special song.

Scroll down for a special message...

I love you

"Alright, everyone. We're all done reading each other's songs right? I have something extra planned today, so if everyone could come and sit at the front of the room..."
"Is this about the festival?" Ranmaru raised an eyebrow.
"Sort of."
"Ugh. Do we really have to care about that?" he rolled his eyes. "It's not like we can put together anything good in just a few days. We'll just end up embarrassing ourselves."
"That's a concern of mine as well." Camus nodded in agreement. "I don't really do well with last-minute preparations..."
"All of you stop worrying." Ai said calmly. "We're going to keep it simple. Look..."
He sighed. "I know everyone has been a little more... lively... ever since [F/N] joined and we've started with some club activities. But this isn't the time for us to become complacent. We still only have four members, and the festival is our only chance to find more."
"What's so great about getting new members?" Ranmaru groaned. "We already have enough to be considered an official club. More members just mean more noise and problems."
"... Ranmaru... you aren't looking at it the right way at all. Don't you want to share your passion with people?" Ai tilted his head. "To show them the feelings that brought you here? The Music Club should be a place where people can express themselves. It should be an intimate place... a place you never want to leave. I know you feel that way. We all do. And that's why we should work hard and put something together for the festival... even if it's something small. Right?" he looked at me.
"A-Ah...--"
"Oh come on!!" Ranmaru snapped. "You can't just go and get [F/N] to agree with you just because she can't say no to anything!"
He groaned, then looked at the tealette.
"Look, Ai. Do you really think any of us here joined the club with other people in mind?" he raised an eyebrow. "Camus never even talked until [F/N] joined. As for me... I just like it better here than I do at home. And then there is [F/N], who isn't even passionate about music. And that's everyone. Sorry to break your fantasy, but you are the only one who is in interested in new members. The rest of us are fine like this. I know you are president, but you really should consider our opinions for once in your life."
"......"
Ai seemed somewhat taken aback by Ranmaru's harsh words.
"... That's... not true. I'm sure Camus and [F/N] want new members too... Right?" he looked at us desperately.
"..." we both looked away in silence.
I was quite indifferent. Still, if it's up to me to rescue this situation...
"U-Uhm---!"
"No." Ai cut me off. "... Ranmaru's right. Isn't he? This club..."he looked down. "It's nothing more than a place for a few people to hang out. How could I think that everyone thought of it the same way as I did...?"
"B-But that doesn't mean we're against getting new members or something...!!" I jabbered.
"[F/N]. Why did you even join this club? What were you hoping to get out of it?" he asked me.
"... W-Well..."
... That's not something I can be honest about.
"... No... if I recall, you weren't even given a choice not to join." he looked down in front of himself again. He plopped down by a desk, staring at it.
"So what's the point? What if starting this club was a mistake...?"
"..." I bit my lips.
"Now you've done it, Ranmaru." Camus sighed.
"Heh-me!?" Ranmaru snapped. "I just spoke my mind...!! Is it bad to be honest??"
"It's not about being honest... it's about word choice. Besides..." he shook his head in disbelief. "You have no right to speak for everyone like that."
"You don't understand!" he snapped. "I just want a place where I can hang out with people... Is there a problem with the club being that for me?? There aren't... many other places like that for me... And now Ai wants to take it away."
"He isn't taking anything awa--"
"No, [F/N]." he cut me off. "It's not the same. It won't be the same with the direction he wants to take it. If I wanted that, I could have joined any other dumb club. But this one..."
He clenched his fists. "... Things were going nicely for a little bit, at least."
...
He started packing his things up. "I'm going home."
"Ranmaru..." Camus murmured, but the silverette ignored him and left the classroom.
"... Sigh... what should we do...?"
"... Well um..." I mumbled. "Do you have an opinion on the festival...?"
"Not really... I'm quite indifferent."

Camus' face glitches.

" Who   cares   about   that   obnoxious   brat ? " he hisses in a cold, deep tone.

"I do like how quiet the club is right now.... and I'm... happy with you here..." he smiled at me. "... but still. I'm the Vice President... It's not right for me to ignore my responsibilities."

Camus' face glitches.

" Nobody   would   miss   him   if   he   killed   himself . " he laughs out yet again.

His eyeball bleeds.

"I shall do my best to consider everyone's perspective and make the decision that's right for the club." he nodded to himself. "... But what about you, [F/N]? What do you want to get out of this club?"
...
"... I think... the most important thing is for everyone to get along..." I mumbled. "... and for the club to provide something that you can't get anywhere else. I don't think it's about the number of the members, but the quality of each member. That's what makes the club a special place."
"I see..." he smiled. "I agree with you. Each member contributes their own qualities in a special way. With each change in members, the identity of the club will change, too. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing." he muttered in thought. "Stepping out of your comfort zone once in a while... So if you would like to help Ai with the festival, you can count on me as well."
"Alright." I nodded. "Maybe we can talk to Ranmaru tomorrow..."
"... Hey, Camus." Ai muttered, which made the blonde look at him. "... I know things were awkward yesterday... But you deserve to know that you are a great Vice President. And a great friend."
"Ai..."
Ai stood up with a smile. "I want to do everything I can to make this the best club possible. Alright?"
"... Yes, me too." Camus nodded.
"Yeah... let's all go home for today. We will talk about the festival tomorrow."
"Alright." the blonde smiled. "I look forward to it. Shall we go, [F/N]?"
"... Don't take this the wrong way, but..." Ai mumbled. "I'm going to chat with [F/N] for a bit before we leave. Just to see what she thinks of her time here and all that... It's important to me, as President."
"..." Camus didn't look too pleased, but he didn't argue. "Alright. I trust your judgment. In that case... I will see the two of you tomorrow." he muttered, stepping to the door.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Ai waved bluntly as Camus left.
Then, he let out a relieved sigh.
"Things have been a bit hectic lately... haven't they?" he muttered. "I just wanted to make sure you are enjoying your time here... I would hate to see you unhappy. I feel like I'm responsible for that, as President... and I... really care about you, you know." he smiled softly.

Everything around me goes dark and glitched out, expect Ai.

"I don't like seeing the others give you a hard time... With how rude Ranmaru is, and all that..." he murmured. "And Camus being a bit... you know."
He chuckled. "Sometimes... it feels like you and I are the only real people here. You know what I mean? And yet... all the time you've been here, we've barely got any time to spend together."
He yelped in realization, looking away. "I mean... I know it's only been a couple of days.... Sorry, I didn't mean to say something weird.... There are just some things I've been hoping to talk about with you.... Things that I know only you can understand. So that's why...."
He widened his eyes, reaching out to me.
"No! Wait! Not yet! Stop---!!"

♪╔═══════════════╗♪
𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜!
♪╚═══════════════╝♪

~01~

『lazy』 『magic』
『melt』『headphones』

~02~

『road』 『warm』
『determination』『death』

~03~

『infinite』 『destiny』
『eye liner』『bake』

~04~

『cold』『fruit』
『mountain』 『creepy』

~05~

『royalty』 『tasty』
『kitty』 『effulgent』

~06~

『graveyard』『eternity』 
『delicious』『explode』

~07~

『stain』 『raindrops』
『soft』 『dance』

~08~

『banana』 『cat』
『creepy』 『horror』

~09~

『existence』 『blood』
『journey』 『crash』

~10~

『stone』 『ice』
『frightening』『intense』

RESULTS

~01~

RANMARU: lazy, headphones
CAMUS: magic, melt

~02~

RANMARU: road, warm
CAMUS: determination, death

~03~

RANMARU: eye liner, bake
CAMUS: infinite, destiny

~04~

RANMARU: fruit, mountain
CAMUS: cold, creepy

~05~

RANMARU: tasty, kitty
CAMUS: royalty, effulgent

~06~

RANMARU: delicious, explode
CAMUS: graveyard, eternity

~07~

RANMARU: soft, dance
CAMUS: stain, raindrops

~08~

RANMARU: banana, cat
CAMUS: creepy, horror

~09~

RANMARU: journey, crash
CAMUS: existence, blood

~10~

RANMARU: stone, intense
CAMUS: ice, frightening

_̵̪̥̗̻̪̍̈́̓̇̍͛̾̍̚_̷̧̲̺̠̱͖̮͕̏͛̓͑͑͘̕͜_̴̬̯̘̮͖̠͍͖͎̏́͋̀͝_̵̡̖͈̝̤͙̮̜̳̆̀͝_̴͎̬̩̙̖̱̘͚͕͌̒̀̽̌́̔̈͘♫̸̢̹̥̞́̈̿̇̀̏͘̚͜♫̵̛̺͉͖̯̠̗̜̤̯̀̈́̽̓̊͊͛͗͆♫̵͈̺̜̽͐̄̔̑͆̍͘̕_̷͚̻͓̎͑͑̈́͐͆̒̕_̴̛̗͖̗̓͛̎̾̍̓͠_̴̡͙̤̦̝̊_̴̧̰̲̬͖̪̟̗̬̑͆_̵̟͎̗͇̘̋̌͐͒͌́

You may notice two things.

One is, yes, the words are in the same order as in the last chapter, because the minigame is honestly a frigging pain to write, with wattpad messing up the order, with disappearing and appearing words, and Reiji haunting the whole game, oof-

So I was like fuck it-

And two, yeah I started actually pasting in the poems (songs), mainly because as the game goes on and breaks more, the protagonist loses the ability to react to and question stuff more and more (I assume you noticed she doesn't say anything when weird stuff happens, and after the weird stuff ended, she acts like nothing happened) - so she obviously can't describe the song due to her own opinions, like she did before. So I just started pasting the poems in. Once again: I. do. not. own. the poems. They are written by the creators of DDLC, Team Salvato. None of those words are mine. 

And what else that I wanted to say, that when I opened the game to continue writing this chapter, I got one of those lines that are placed instead of the disturbing content warning. (In the book, you got one of these, which said I granted kids to hell, that line is also a line you can get, altho I didn't yet)

And what I got was "Don't forget to backup Monika's (Ai's) character file."

I was wheezing XD

Well, that's all. 

And I will seeeeeeeeeeeeeeee you guys in the next one XD

Which if I recall, our last one.

Bye!