"Im not doing it. Im not doing it. Im not doing it." Yuri kept repeating those words in her mind on her way to school.

Yuri looked around the school's entrance area, spotting Natsuki.

"But.. But she's with her.."

Yuri felt a sharp pain as if a knife stabbed her heart. Of course Natsuki would choose Sayori over her. Why wouldn't she? Yuri ditched the two last night instead of staying. She had no chance.

"Hey Yuri!" Yuri's attention turned towards Monika, who's hand was resting on Yuri's shoulder.

"Oh, hi.." She replied.

"Oh wow, look at Natsuki and Sayori over there. I know they usually get along fairly well but I've never seen the two hang out this much. Doesn't Natsuki walk with you?" Monika observed.

"Do you have to point it out?"

"Yeah, she um.. She usually does.. B-But I agree that the two have been talking more lately.." Yuri looked back to the two smaller girls across the way, which seemed to stand out in the crowd despite their size.

"Oh well! Hey, let's head to class. We can stalk these two later." Monika turned Yuri toward the door, taking her hand off her shoulder. Monika walked ahead, but Yuri took one last look at Natsuki and Sayori.

"Wait, Monika said stalking. That's not what I do. That's not what I'm trying to do. I'd never have a chance if that was the case."

Yuri sped into the school doors, rushing to her first class of the day.

The thought of potentially stalking started to get out of hand, no thanks to Monika for putting the idea into her head. What if she was being obsessive? What if her constant presence scared Natsuki away?

Before her thoughts could go on spiralling more, the lunch bell rang. Yuri grabbed her lunch and headed outside, but sat behind the large cherry blossom tree just outside the school. She was sitting at a spot where you could have to go all the way around the tree to see her.

In the middle of eating, Yuri heard footsteps approach the tree.

"Natsuki? Maybe she saw me walk this way, or she's looking around for me! She hasn't forgotten about me!"

But as one pair of feet stopped walking, there seemed to be another pair that followed someone here.

"I've never sat here for lunch before. I didn't know we could." The voice was all too familiar. It was Natsuki.

"Well.. I ate lunch with one of my guy friends a while back, so that's how I know." That was most definitely Sayori.

Yuri sat perfectly still, not willing to move at anything as long as she could calmly sit on the other side of this tree and listen in on their conversation.

"So.. So this uh.. This is kinda a weird question but.. What do you think of Yuri?" Sayori asked.

"I mean, she's cool."

Yuri felt a sweet relief at hearing Natsuki say that about her.

"Either way, she's still Yuri. She's been.. I'm not sure... She seems weird to me. She gives off a bad vibe, y'know?" Sayori piped up.

"I.. I guess you could say that... She was bleeding out one time while we were cooking..." Natsuki's tone started to shift slightly, and Yuri could tell she was slowly starting to take Sayori's side.

"What are you saying?! That was one time! Plus there's been no reason to do it lately... I'm not insane, am I?"

The bell rang right after, telling all the kids that lunch was over and it was time to head to their next class. Yuri waited until Natsuki and Sayori had gotten a head start back to the building before she dared to even move. Quietly she walked behind the two, sadly too far to hear if they had said anything.

While on her way to her next class, Yuri felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey! Saw Natsuki and Sayori at that love tree at lunch. Think they confessed?" It was none other than Monika.

"I doubt it." She sighed. "I don't think either of those two have the guts to say anything." Yuri held her hands in front of her, trying not to blurt out how she knew what they talked about.

"Isn't it strange how they're seeming to keep secrets from us other club members? Think we should do something? Like, maybe pressure them to talk?" Monika suggested.

"I..." She thought for a moment, and then gave a very subtle smile. "Maybe. We could try and split them up maybe? Get them as far away from each other as possible? Take them from each other? Oh I'm.. I'm blabbering.. S-Sorry.." If Yuri hadn't caught herself she may have gone deeper down the rabbit hole of how exactly to take one person away from another.

"We could for sure. If you're not busy this weekend or something we could totally set something up to hang out with each of them. I can take Natsuki somewhere and-"

"I'm taking Natsuki." Yuri's voice was suddenly very serious and stern.

"Alright point made, I'll take Sayori out for dinner or something. See you at club." Monika took a turn opposed to going forward like Yuri had to do to get to class.

"Dang, this could really work... All I have to do is separate Natsuki from Sayori so much so that she gets used to liking me! It works perfectly! Nobody gets hurt either, they just go with the flow. This couldn't be better.."

Once club rolled around, Monika had assigned the topic for the poem tonight to be about a longing for something, which shocked Yuri at how accurate it seemed with her feelings for Natsuki and all.

I'll say I love you, but you won't say it back

I'll hold my hand out, but you won't take it

I'll be there for you, but you won't even bother showing up

I'm not going anywhere, but you are

And where you're going is far from me

Somewhere I can't go because I am unwelcome

No matter what I do, there's always something else grabbing your attention

How do I get it?

How do I get your attention?

Do I make a scene?

Or do I beg on my knees?

Should I go away and see if you notice?

You obviously lost interest in me, and now I'm just an old memory that will eventually fade away

But I don't care about that, I care about you

And I want you

I NEED you

And I will do whatever it takes for you, and only you

Yuri scanned over her poem one last time before putting it in her spare folder, which was full of the poems she's done since joining the literature club. The memory of the day Natsuki joined the literature club. Also with that memory was how happy Sayori was that Natsuki joined that day. A sudden rush of frustration caused her to place her paper inside the folder and slam it shut, leaving it on the kitchen counter.

"Sayori will not be taking Natsuki away from me."