Person who made the art tagged here in comments

Y/N's POV:

"Hi again, Y/N!" Monika exclaimed as I entered. "Nice to see you didn't run away on us. Hahaha!"

"Nah, don't worry. This might be a little strange for me, but I at least keep my word."

Well, I'm back at the Literature Club. I was the last to arrive so everyone else is hanging out.

"Thanks for keeping your promise, Y/N," Yuri came up and told me. "I hope this isn't too overwhelming of a commitment for you. Making you dive headfirst into literature when you aren't accustomed to it..."

"Oh come on! Like he deserves any slack," Natsuki commented. "Sayori told me you didn't even want to join any clubs this year. And last year, too! I don't know if you plan to just come here and hang out, or what.. But if you don't take us seriously, you won't see the end of it."

Monika decided to insert herself into the conversation. "Natsuki, you certainly have a big mouth for someone who keeps her manga collection in the clubroom."

"M-M-M....!!" Natsuki seemed to be getting really flustered. She finds herself stuck between saying 'Monika' and 'Manga'. "MANGA IS LITERTURE!!" She shouts. Swiftly defeated, Natsuki plops back into her seat. I noticed that girl from yesterday, Keiko, reading in the seat behind Natsuki as she plops down. She's the only girl I haven't really talked to yet... I'm hoping to change that today.

Keiko's POV, about a minute ago:

As usual, the school day was uneventful. It was almost as if nothing happened and I just came to the school building and went to the Literature Club. I braced myself before I walked in, expecting Y/N to already be there. To my surprise, he wasn't. But everyone else was. I knew I'd have to talk to Y/N eventually, but not today. I needed something to preoccupy my time... I got it! There was this book Yuri told me about a while ago, 'Portrait of... something', because she thought I'd like it.

"Hey Yuri! Do you remember that book you told me about a while ago?" I asked as cheerily as I could.

"Um.. 'The Portrait of Markov'?"

That's what it was! "Y-Yes. I was wondering if I could start reading it."

"Umm... I-I think I f-forgot to bring it t-today.. S-S-Sorry..."

Shoot. "Oh, it's alright, Yuri. Just let me know when you have it, okay?"

Yuri nodded and walked away. I don't know why but I had a sneaking suspicion that she was lying...

She probably wasn't but I-I have this feeling... I mean, she was stuttering a little more than usual... but maybe it was nothing. Y-Yea. It was probably just nothing. Yuri didn't bring the book and that's that. Nothing more.

Either way, I'd need something else... I turn around to see the closet, filled with Natsuki's manga (and her gay-). Of course! Manga!

"H-Hey N-Natsuki, is it alright if I s-start a new m-m-manga series?" I stuttered.

"Uh, sure! I recommend 'Boku no Hero Academia'. It's so much better than the anime!"

"A-Awesome! Thanks, N-Natsuki."

I enter the cloest to grab the first volume. When I grabbed it, I heard Monika say something. "Hi again, Y/N! Nice to see you didn't run away on us. Hahaha!"

Dang it, he's here! I slowly exit the closet, sit down in my seat, and start reading...

But for some reason, I can't actually focus on the book. I take occasional glances at Y/N. I-It's almost out of my control! It's so... weird...

After a little bit, I'm able to focus at least a bit on the book..

Until Natsuki got riled up by one of Monika's comments. She yelled "MANGA IS LITERATURE!" and sat in the chair in front of me.

I look up to see Yuri still talking to Y/N. She starts to take a book out of her bag and-

-Wait. That book looks familiar... That eye on the cover... Wait, it's 'The Portrait of Markov'! She did lie to me! Just so she could give it to Y/N!?

What, does she like him too?? ...Does everybody in this club like Y/N??

What's the appeal? I guess I don't see what they're seeing.

Natsuki gets up, goes to the closet and groans. "Ugh...!"

Of course, Y/N goes over there to see what's wrong...

Y/N's POV:

Now that everyone's settled in, I expected Monika to kick off some scheduled activites for the club. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Sayori and Monika are having a cheery conversation in the corner. Yuri's face is already buried in a book. As is Keiko's. I can't help but notice Yuri's intense expression, like she was waiting for this chance. Meanwhile, Natsuki is rummaging around in the closet.

"Ugh...!"

I hear Natsuki utter an exasperated sigh from within the closet. She seems to be annoyed by something. I approach her, in case she needs a hand. "You looking for something in there?"

"Freaking Monika... She never puts my stuff back in the right spot. What's the point of keeping your collection organized if someone else is just gonna mess it up?"

Natsuki slides a bunch of stacked books and boxes across the shelf.

"Manga..."

"You read manga, right?"

"Ah- .....sometimes....."

Manga is one of those things where you can't admit you're really into it until you know where the other person stands. "....How did you know, anyway?"

"I heard you bring it up at some point. Besides, it's kinda written on your face." What's that supposed to mean...?

"I-I see..." There's a lone volume of manga amidst a stack of various books on the side of one of the shelves. Curious, I pull it out of the stack.

"There it is!" Natsuki snatches it out of my hand. She then turns to a box of manga and slips the volume right into the middle of the rest. "Ah, that's better! Seeing a box set with one book missing is probably the most irritating sight in the world."

"I know that feel..." I get a closer look at the box she's admiring.

"Parfait Girls...?" It's a series I've never heard of in my life. That probably means it's either way out of my demographic, or it's simply terrible.

"If you're gonna judge, you can do it through the glass on that door." She points to the classroom door.

"H-Hey, I wasn't judging or anything...! I didn't even say anything!"

"It was the tone of your voice. But I'll tell you one thing, Y/N. Consider this a lesson straight from the Literature Club: Don't judge a book by its cover! In fact-" Natsuki pulls out the first volume of 'Parfait Girls' from the box.

"I'm gonna show you exactly why!" She shoves the book right into my hands.

"Ah...." I stare at the cover. It features five girls in colorful attire striking animated femimine poses. It's.... exceedingly 'moe'

"Don't just stand there!"

"Uwa-" Natsuki grabs my arm and pulls me out of the closet. She then takes a seat against the wall, beneath the windowsills. She pats on the ground next to her, signaling me to sit there.

Keiko's POV:

I try harder and harder to focus on the manga, but I can't. I kept turning around whilst Natsuki and Y/N were talking about manga. She dragged him out of the closet and had him sit under the window next to her to read.

I wished it was me......

I tried to keep Nao and Sayori's words from yesterday in mind and they did help a bit, but... matters of the heart aren't fixed with just a talk...

I couldn't help but feel... jealous. I could feel it burning inside me. Why couldn't that be me? Wouldn't I be better for her?

....Nao's words keep echoing in my mind.. 'There is someone for you. It may be Natsuki or it may be someone else. But there is someone out there who loves you and wants to be with you.'

This is going to be hard... but I think I know what I need to do...

I need to let Natsuki go...

I need to... to understand that she might not be the one...

I need to... move on.

After 3 years, this is what it's all come to...

It's going to take a lot of time, but it's for the best.

So if Y/N and Natsuki do end up together, I'll be hurt a bit less...

Even after that hard realization, the jealous fire inside wouldn't cease. It only grew a little bit stronger.

I had to stop focusing on them. I used all my willpower to focus on the 'Boku no Hero Academia' manga.

It was hard at first but I was finally able to start truly reading. I'm able to immerse myself into the story. I'm able to keep myself distracted from whatever THEY were doing.

*TIME SKIP BROUGHT TO YOU BY MANGA*

"Okay everyone!" Monika announced, snapping me out of my trance. Wow, how long was I reading for? This always happens whenever I immerse myself into a story. I had gotten about halfway through the manga. Nice!

"Are you all ready with today's poems?" Poems? ..Oh right! Our assignment. I grab my poem and take it out of my bag. I re-read it and.... I forgot I wrote it all about my feelings for Natsuki... Sometimes when I write, I space out and write whatever comes to mind so I must've done it unintentionally... o-oh boy, getting over her is going to be harder than I thought. Well... it's too late to write a new poem now.

"Oh come on! Could your timing be any worse?" Natsuki complained. I guess they got to a good part of the story.

"Sorry-! I just need to make sure we have enough time. Though you do look pretty cozy over there. Ahaha!"

"Eh...? A-Ah!" ..did Natsuki not realize how close she got to Y/N? She hastily slides herself a good twelve inches away from him. After a little converation, Natsuki lets Y/N take the book home...

A-Anyway, Sayori and Monika enthusiastically take out their poems. Sayori's is on a wrinkled sheet of loose leaf torn from a spiral notebook. On the other hand, Monika wrote hers in a composition notebook. Natsuki, Yuri, and Y/N reluctantly comply as well, reaching into their bags.

Who should I show my poem to first? I was going to show Sayori, but Y/N walks over there to share his. Hmm... what now? Yuri, Monika, or Natsuki? I'm not exactly ready for Natsuki to read this yet, even if she won't know it's about her. So it's between Yuri and Monika. I go back and forth in my head before finally settling on Yuri.

I walk up to her and show her my poem.

'The Rush of a Crush:

I wish that I could hold your heart,

and cradle it gently in my hands,

but my arms are just not strong enough,

to hold what I don't understand,

my eyes have seen a lot of things,

and I thought I'd seen them all,

but the way your smile ignites my own,

makes me think there's so much more,

these walls around this heart of mine,

have stood collecting dust,

but it's as though you've found the gate,

that leads right to my trust,

I've never really liked my name,

but on your lips it sounds so sweet,

and your voice is my new favorite song,

that's forever on repeat,

but even though I feel all this,

I can never let you see,

because your heart deserves a whole lot more,

than a broken girl like me.'

"W-Wow... Keiko, this poem is... very powerful," Yuri remarks. "It encompasses all the emotions of having a crush on a person really well and it's easy to understand. I can clearly see you have a well-established writing style, much like myself."

"Thank you! S-Speaking of your writing style..." Yuri hands me her poem, titled 'Ghost Under the Light'.

'The tendrils of my hair illuminate beneath the amber glow.

bathing.

It must be this one.

The last remaining streetlight to have withstood the test of time.

the last yet to be replaced by the sickening blue-green hue of the future.

I bathe. Calm; breathing air of the present but living in the past.

The light flickers.

I flicker back.'

It's really.... interesting. There's a lot of fancy words in here, because it's Yuri. I don't get the symbolism behind it, but I know it's there. Because it's Yuri. Nevertheless, it's a great poem.

"I.... I'm sorry I have such terrible handwriting!" ...is she serious right now? Her handwriting looks like perfect calligraphy!

"What? Yuri, your handwriting is amazing! I'm jealous! Besides, I wasn't even focusing on the handwriting. I love your poem! It was very expressive and it wasn't too long."

"T-that's a relief... B-but you don't think it was too short? I usually write longer poems..."

"Absolutely not! It was perfect!"

"Thank you. I'll be honest. Since it's our first time writing poems, I thought I'd write something a little more mild. Something easy to digest, I suppose."

"So I'm assuming tomorrow's will be even better, right?"

"I-I guess so...."

"Well, I'm glad you liked my poem. I'm going to go share it with Sayori."

"O-Okay.."

I walk away from Yuri and head to Sayori. Y/N strolls over to Natsuki and Monika goes over to Yuri.

Sayori reads over my poem and hugs me as soon as it's finished. Obviously, she knows it's about Natsuki.

"Oh Keiko..." She tightened her grip in a comforting way.

"I knew you had it bad for her but... wow..."

"I know.. But... today I've decided I'm going to try and.... move on... it'll take a lot of work, but it's what I need to do..."

"If you ever need help with anything..."

"I know, Sayori. Anyway, enough about that. Lemme see your poem!"

Sayori hands me her poem, titled 'Dear Sunshine', enthusiastically.

'The way you glow through my blinds in the morning

It makes me feel like you missed me.

Kissing my forehead to help me out of bed.

Making me rub the sleepy from my eyes.

Are you asking me to come out and play?

Are you trusting me to wish away a rainy day?

I look above. The sky is blue.

It's a secret, but I trust you too.

If it wasn't for you, I could sleep forever.

But I'm not mad.

I want breakfast.'

...Hmm... this poem is really... nice! It sounds just like Sayori. Especially the 'I want breakfast.'

"Sayori, this is a great poem! But.. uh.. did you wait until this morning to write it?"

"How did you know? Y/N asked me the same thing."

"Oh. Did he?" Sayori nodded.

"Ahh... Anywho, I love it!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! So... what did you make for breakfast? I left before you did so I didn't get to have any," I chuckled.

"I made eggs and toast!"

"Oh that sounds delicious! Anyway, thanks for showing me."

"Ehehe- This is so much fun!"

After I finished with Sayori, I head over to Monika and I notice Y/N walks over to Yuri. I-I'm still not ready to show Natsuki my poem yet... but I will after Monika.

"Hi Keiko! Are you ready to share your poem?"

I hand her my poem and...

"...Keiko, this is a wonderful poem. You must be feeling some strong emotions for someone. Is it anyone I know?"

"Uuuhhhhhh..." I can't tell her it's Natsuki. I may be friends with her but Monika and I aren't that close. If I ever do tell her, it'll be on my own accord. Not because she asked me.

"I-I don't think you know them..."

"Hmm... What's their name?" Geez, she is persistant today. Now I have to think of a fake name..

"Her name is.... Nori."

"Nori? Huh. You're right. I don't know her." Phew! She bought it.

"Yup. S-So, where's your poem?"

Monika hands me a poem titled 'Hole in Wall'.

'It couldn't have been me.

See, the direction the spackle protrudes.

A noisy neighbor? An angry boyfriend? I'll never know. I wasn't home.

I peer inside for a clue.

No! I can't see. I reel, blind, like a film left out in the sun.

But it's too late. My retinas.

Already scorched with a permanent copy of the meaningless image.

It's just a little hole. It wasn't too bright.

It was too deep.

Stretching forever into everything

A hole of infinite choices.

I realize now, that I wasn't looking in.

I was looking out.

And he, on the other side, was looking in.'

"So... what do you think?"

....wow. I have no words.

"It's very... interesting to say the least. I can really see you've put emphasis on your spacing between words and lines."

"That's what I was going for. Ahaha!"

"Yea, and it shows. It's creative and I like how it tells a story that we don't have all the details of but can still grasp it, if that makes any sense."

"It does! Thank you, Keiko. I had sort of... an epiphany recently and it's affected my writing a bit."

"An epiphany?"

"Yea. I'm not exactly ready to talk about it yet, but maybe after things have calmed down with our new member." Hmm... that's.. interesting.

We finish up and.... and I finally head over to Natsuki. Y/N goes to Monika and Sayori walks over to Yuri. I take a deep breath and hand her to poem. I start shaking and sweating as she reads through it. I'm both looking forward to and dreading her response.

"Hmm. I like it!"

"R-Really?" I ask in relief.

"Yea! You really hit the nail on the head when it comes to crushes."

"T-Thanks..."

Natsuki hands me her poem. 'Eagles Can Fly'.

'Monkeys can climb

Crickets can leap

Horses can race

Owls can seek

Cheetahs can run

Eagles can fly

People can try

But that's about it.'

Huh. It's very cute! I liked the ending! 'People can try, but that's about it.' To some people, this might be just a silly poem, but there's actual meaning behind it!

"N-Natsuki, I l-love your poem! I love how the simplicity makes it stand out! A-And how you set up a rhyme at the end and made it fall flat on p-p-purpose! It really gives the poem a n-nice touch."

"Exactly! Writing doesn't have to be all fancy and sophisticated! It can be short and easy to understand, but it hits you hard!"

"Right! A-And the message b-behind this poem is really p-powerful. Seeing other people do amazing things that you can't is really d-daunting and d-disheartening. All we can r-really do is try. Try our best and h-hope for the best!"

"You get it!" Yea, I did... Natsuki keeps talking as I get lost in her beautiful, shimmering pink eyes and- KEIKO STOP IT! I mentally slap myself. I-I said I was going to get over her. THIS isn't how I'm going to get over her. If I'm truly going to move on, I-I can't be doing that anymore. I need to stay on top of this.. I need.... I need to try my best and hope for the best... Natsuki seems to be done talking because she just walks away.

I guess I had to do this eventually... I walk up to Y/N... I decide to let him show me his poem first. It doesn't seem to have a title.

(OKAY. SO I TRIED USING A DOKI DOKI POEM GENERATOR FOR THIS USING WORDS FOR NATSUKI BECAUSE ORIGINALLY I WAS USING PICTURES OF ALL THE POEMS FROM THE GAME BUT I REALIZED IT WOULDN'T WORK AS THE POEMS BECAME LONGER BUT THIS IS STILL A COOL STORY KINDA, BUT I COULDN'T DOWNLOAD IT FOR SOME REASON. I TRIED SO HARD TO FIND SOMETHING FOR THIS BUT I COULDN'T. HOWEVER, WHEN I TRIED GENERATING THE 'POEM' ONE TIME, I GOT A GLITCH AND YOU KNOW THAT DRAWING OF SAYORI THAT LOOKS LIKE IT BURNING AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER? YEA, THAT STARTED MOVING ON THE SCREEN UNTIL I CLOSED THE TAB. SO AT LEAST I GOT A COOL DOKI DOKI STYLE GLITCH. ANYWAY, I TRIED TO GET A PICTURE FOR THIS AND FAILED.)

'Awesome. Bed. Clumsy. Doki-Doki. E-mail.

Fantasy. Giggle. Hair. Jump. Kawaii.

Love. Music. Nightgown. Ocean. Puppy.

Rainbow. Sing. Twirl. Vanilla. Warm.'

Wow.. This poem really seems to be pandering toward Natsuki.. intentional or not, most likely intentional, it's cute.

"Huh. This poem sorta reminds me of Natsuki's writing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's very... cutesy. But don't tell her I said that. She hates being called cute."

"...Why?"

"What?"

"Why does she hate being called cute?"

"Well.... uhhh......." Hmm... I never thought about it before.... That's a really good question.. I guess I just... never bothered to ask...

"I.... don't actually know... but still. She doesn't like it."

"Noted. So... do you have a poem to show me?"

I hand Y/N my poem.

Y/N's POV:

Keiko hands me her poem, 'The Rush of a Crush', and I give it a read through.

...wow... she must have it bad for someone... could this possibly be a factor in her not talking to me? She's just... hung up over a person she can't have and she's upset....? Maybe... I gave her my honest opinion of the poem.

"Wow... this is really impressive. A-And whoever you're feeling this for? I-I'm sure they like you back. And if not, they'll still like you as a friend, just as you are.. broken and all..."

I saw a small smile grow on Keiko's face. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"T-Thank you so much.... I'm sorry for kind of... not talking to you yesterday..."

"It's okay. Yesterday was a little bit overwhelming with everyone talking to me all at once. But.. I'm hoping we can talk and... ya know.. get to know each other?"

".....Sure." She hesitated. "M-maybe later...."

"Sounds good to me." I give her a quick smile before walking away. I think that went well.

Keiko's POV:

Hmm.... that actually went better than I expected. So, I guess that's everyone. I glance around the room. That was a little less stressful than I expected. It's like they were slightly judging my writing ability, even though they were all nice! There's no way my poems can stand up to theirs. Well, most of theirs. This is a literature club after all. It's weird actually doing something directly related to literature. The closest we've done is talk a bit about books we've read and how we felt about them. Almost like a book club.  Across the room, Sayori and Monika are happily chatting. I notice Y/N's eyes land on Yuri and Natsuki...

They gingerly exchange sheets of paper, sharing their respective poems. As they read through them, I notice both of their expressions change... Natsuki's eyebrows furrow in frustration. Meanwhile, Yuri smiles sadly. Natsuki mumbles something and Yuri must've heard her.

"Eh? Um... did you say something?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Natsuki remarks as she returns the poem. Oh, it's definitely something. Yuri and Natsuki have never really gotten along...

"I guess you could say it's fancy."

"Ah- Thanks... yours is.... cute..." Oh no.

"Cute?" Oh, she has opened up the floodgates now!

"Did you completely miss the symbolism or something? It's clearly about the feeling of giving up. How can that be cute?"

"I-I know that! I just meant... the language, I guess... I was trying to say something nice."

"Eh? You mean you have to try that hard to come up with something nice to say? Thanks, but it really didn't come out nice at all!"

"Um.... well, I do have a couple of suggestions..."

"Hmph. If I was looking for suggestions, I would have asked someone who actually liked it. And people did, by the way. Sayori and Keiko liked it, and Y/N did too! So based on that, I'll gladly give you some suggestions of my own. First of all-"

"-Excuse me... I appreciate the offer, but I've spent a long time establishing my writing style. I don't expect it to change anytime soon, unless of course I come across something particularly inspiring. Which I haven't yet."

"Nn....!" Man.. Natsuki is getting really riled up!

"And Y/N liked my poem too, you know. He even told me he was impressed by it." Natsuki suddenly stands up. Oh no, this can't be good....

"Oh? I didn't realize you were so invested in trying to impress our new member, Yuri." Oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot. This is going to end badly. I slowly step away, at least 3 steps, just for my safety.

"E-Eh?! That's not what I...! Uu....! You... you just...!" Yuri stands up as well...

"Maybe you're just jealous that Y/N appreciates my advice more than he appreciated yours!"

"Huh! And how do you know he didn't appreciate MY advice more? Are you that full of yourself?" While all this was going on, I noticed Y/N shifting uncomfortably. I almost feel bad for him, being the center of attention in a fight about poems and writing different styles..

"I....! No.... if I was full of myself.... I would deliberately go out of my way to make everything I do overly cutesy!" Oh my God, Yuri.

"Uuuuuuu...!"

"U-Um!!! Is everyone okay...?" Sayori tried to butt in.

"Well, you know what?! I wasn't the one whose boobs magically grew a size bigger as soon as Y/N started showing up!!!" Oh my God, Natsuki!

"N-Natsuki!!!" Monika decided to try her hand at breaking this up.

"Um, Natsuki, that's a little-"

"THIS DOESN'T INVOLVE YOU!" The tall violet and short pinkette yelled at her in perfect sync.

"I-I don't like fighting, guys...!" Sayori remarked, to which I agreed.

"Me neither..!"

Suddenly, both girls turn towards Y/N, as if they just noticed he was standing there.

"Y/N! She- She's just trying to make me look bad...!"

"That's not true! She started it!" Umm, technically Natsuki mumbled while reading Yuri's poem which caused her to reply and then express her opinion and-I know, it's not the time for that. Just so the record shows, well the record in my mind that is, Natsuki started it...

"If she could get over herself and learn to appreciate that simple writing is more effective... then this wouldn't have happened in the first place! What's the point in making your poems all convoluted for no reason? The meaning should jump out at the reader, not force them to figure it out. Help me explain that to her, Y/N!" Well.. Natsuki does have a point...

"W-Wait! There's a reason why we have so many deep and expressive words in our language! It's the only way to convey complex feelings and meaning the most effectively. Avoiding them is not only unnecessarily limiting yourself... it's also a waste! You understand that, right Y/N?" But Yuri has a point too! W-Why can't they just agree that both writing styles can be effective and can suit the needs of different people? Or, ya know, agree to disagree on which style is the best?

"Um....!" Y/N seems uncomfortable in this predicament. I mean, I would be too...

"Well??"

"...." He stayed silent for a moment... He looked like he was thinking... Finally, Y/N spoke up.

"N-Natsuki..." Natsuki glares at him, drying any words he had in his mouth. So instead, Y/N turns to Yuri

"Yuri..." But Yuri's expression is so defenseless that he can't bring himself to say anything to her.

".... Sayori! Keiko!"

"Ehh?!" Sayori and I say in sync. Why is he trying to pull us into this??

"....Yeah! Everyone's fighting is making Keiko and Sayori uncomfortable. How can you two keep fighting when you know you're making your friends feel like this?" Huh... that was actually a decent strategy. Not choosing between the two girls who clearly have a crush on him and instead using Sayori and me to defuse the situation... it was actually kinda.... smart.

"Well... that's their problem! It isn't about them!" Natsuki complained.

"I-I agree... it's unfair for others to interject their own feelings into our conflict." Yuri remarked. I-I mean, they do have a point... but at the same time, shouldn't they be making sure their fellow club members, AKA their friends, feel safe at the club instead of making them feel bad because of their quarrel?

"Yeah, unless Sayori and Keiko want to tell Yuri what a stuck-up jerk she's being."

"They would never...! It's your immaturity that made them upset in the first place!"

"EXCUSE ME? Are you listening to yourself? This is exactly why... exactly why nobody likes-"

"STOP!!!" Both Sayori and I yell. I decide to let Sayori talk to them first.

"Natsuki. Yuri. You guys are my friends! I-I just want everybody to get along and be happy! My friends are wonderful people... and I love them because of their differences! Natsuki's poems... they're amazing because they give you so many feelings with just a few words!  And Yuri's poems are amazing because they paint beautiful pictures in your head! Everyone's so talented... so why are we fighting...?"

"Be-Because.." "Well..." They both stammer. I decide to jump in with my own thoughts.

"Yea! A-And there will always be people who have a different opinion or preferences than you. Not everyone will like short and sweet, and not everyone will like long and expressive. There are different types of poems because there are different types of people. You can't convince someone that your style is better by belittling theirs. The best you can do is respect those differences and move on...!"

"Also, Natsuki's cute and there's nothing wrong with that! And Yuri's boobs are the same as they always were! Big and beautiful!"

"Sayori... Keiko..." Y/N manages to say. Sayori stands triumphantly. Monika stands behind her with a bewildered expression.

"I'll... make some tea..." Yuri rushes off. Natsuki sits down with a blank expression on her face, staring at nothing. I sit down as well and pick up where I left of in my manga.

Y/N's POV:

"So, this is why Sayori is Vice President..." I whisper to Monika. She nods in return.

"Yea. To be honest... I might come off as a good leader, and I can organize things... but I'm not very good with people.. I couldn't even bring myself to interject. As President, it's kind of embarrassing of me. Ahaha..."

"Nah... it's not like I can blame you. I wasn't able to say anything either."

"Well... I guess that means Sayori's amazing in her own ways, isn't she?"

"You could say that. She might be an airhead, but sometimes it's weirdly suspicious that she knows exactly what she's doing."

"I see~ Take good care of her, okay? I would hate to see her get herself hurt."

"That makes two of us... You can count on me. A-Also, didn't Keiko do a pretty good job at trying to stop the fight?"

"Yeah, she did! I just hope Yuri and Natsuki focus more on her words than Sayori's little... comment. Ahaha..." Monika smiles sweetly at me, causing my stomach to knot. Such a genuine person really does make a good President, regardless of what she says. If only I could get the chance to talk to her little more...

"Okay, everyone!" Monika announced. "It's just about time for us to leave. How did you all feel about sharing poems?"

"It was a lot of fun!" Sayori jumped up and said.

"Well, I'd say it was worth it," Yuri calmly states.

"It was alright. Well, mostly," Natsuki remarked.

"A little nerve-wracking, but it turned out great," Keiko answers. Monika finally came around to me.

"Y/N, what about you?"

"...Yeah, I'd say the same. It was a neat thing to talk to everyone."

"Awesome! In that case, we'll do the same thing tomorrow. And maybe, you learned something from your friends, too. So your poems will turn out even better!"

...I think to myself. I did learn a little bit about the kinds of poems everybody likes. With any luck, that means I can at least do a better job at impressing those I want to impress. I nod to myself with newfound determination.

"Y/N! Ready to walk home?" asked Sayori. Keiko was gathering her stuff as I answered.

"Sure, let's go."

"Ehehe~" Sayori beams at me. It truly has been a while since Sayori and I have spent this much time together. I can't really say I'm not enjoying it, either.

Keiko's POV:

"Sayori... about what happened earlier..." Y/N starts.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, between Yuri and Natsuki. Does that kind of thing happen often?"

"No, no, no! That's really the first time I've seen them fight like that..."

"Me too.. usually when they do fight, it doesn't get that... intense," I finally join in the conversation.

"I promise they're both wonderful people. You don't.. you don't hate them, do you??"

"No, I don't hate them! I just wanted your opinion, that's all. I can see why they'd make good friends with you."

"Phew... You know, Y/N... it's nice that I get to spend more time with you in the club. But I think seeing you get along with everyone is what makes me the happiest! And I think everyone likes you, too! Right, Keiko?"

"Y-Yeah. I know there was a bit of a rocky start but you seem... cool. I'm excited to get to know you better, or at least as well as Sayori does." I chuckled as I answered.

"That's-!" Y/N tried to say something but was interrupted.

"Ehehe~ Everyday is going to be so much fun!~"

"Well, we'll just have to see what the future holds, Sayori." He says, patting Sayori on the shoulder.

"Okay~!"

We arrive home and part ways.

(5650 words)