September 22nd, 2017

Jake let out a yawn as he slowly walked into the clubroom. He had not gotten get a wink of sleep last night, as Sayori's words kept echoing inside his head as he lay in his bed staring into nothing but the darkness of his bedroom.

Hearing her say those things had left him extremely worried. Her tone of voice, her weak smile, her negative opinion of herself. This was all far too familiar to him. It was similar to what he did whenever his anxiety built up inside him and left him in a consistent state of feeling worthless.

Jake looked over at Sayori's desk, but she wasn't there. Feeling a wave of panic pass over him, he frantically looked around the clubroom for any sign of her before finally finding her. She was sitting at a desk in the corner of the room, looking down at nothing.

"Hey, Sayori." He said to her, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Eh—? A-Ah... Ehehe, sorry..." She apologised, wearing the same sad smile as yesterday, "Don't mind me. You can go talk to everybody else."

But Jake didn't leave. Instead, he took a seat at the desk next to her.,"Sayori, are you alright?"

"O-Of course! Why wouldn't it be? I'm fine, see?" Sayori shows Jake a bigger smile, "Don't let me distract you from having fun with everyone."

"Well, if you say so..." Jake gave her a worried glance before turning back to everyone else. There was no doubt about it. Something was definitely wrong with her.

Maybe he should ask Monika if she noticed anything about Sayori recently? Since they had been preparing for the festival, they must be spending a lot of time together.

"Aw, man... I'm the last one here again!" Monika groaned upon seeing all the club members already in the clubroom, waiting for her to arrive.

"Speak of the Devil." Jake muttered to himself.

"Were you practicing piano again?" asked Yuri.

"Yeah... Ahaha..." replied Monika.

"You must have a lot of determination. Starting this club, and now picking up piano..." said Yuri.

"Well, maybe not determination... but I guess passion. Remember, the club wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Monika reminded her, "And I'm super happy that your all willing to help out for the festival, too!"

"Aaah, I can't wait for the festival! It's gonna be great!" said Natsuki.

"Eh? Weren't you complaining about it just yesterday, Natsuki?" Monika asked her.

"Well, yeah. I'm not talking about our part of the festival. But it's a whole school day where we get to play and eat all kinds of delicious food!" explained Natsuki.

Jake gave her a weird look, "You sound a bit like Sayori all of a sudden..."

"Monika! Do they usually have fried squid?" Natsuki asked, ignoring Jake.

"Squid...? That's a pretty specific thing to look forward to..." replied Monika.

"Oh, come on. Are you saying you don't like squid? You, of all people?" Natsuki said, sounding like Monika had just said something insulting.

"Eh? I didn't say I don't like it. Besides, what do you mean by 'you of all people'?" questioned Monika.

"Because! It's right in your name! Mon-ika!" laughed Natsuki.

"Eh?! That's not how you say my name at all!" Monika said, offended. "Also, that joke makes no sense in translation!"

"...?"

Monika sighed, "...never mind! Let's just focus on our own event for now, okay?"

"Ehehe. Fine, fine." Natsuki chuckled, "Your reactions aren't as fun as Yuri's or Sayori's, anyway."

"Excuse me..." said Yuri.

Jake timidly approached Monika, who was now shuffling through some papers at her desk. She looked up at him with a smile.

"Jake! What's up?" She asked.

"Hey, this might sound a little strange, but... have you noticed anything unusual about Sayori's behaviour recently?" Jake replied.

"Unusual...? In what way do you mean?" asked Monika, confused.

"I might just be overthinking this, I tend to do that a lot, but she seems to be really downcast today. Almost like she's depressed or something..." said Jake in a worried tone.

"Oh, you think so? I can't say I've noticed anything about her..." Monika peered across the room at Sayori, who was dragging a rubber eraser up and down her desk.

"That's usually the kind of thing that I would do whenever I'm feeling anxious or upset about something." Jake told her.

"Maybe there's something on her mind...? But I'm surprised I'm not the one asking you, Jake." Monika replied, "You certainly know her a lot better than I do." 

"Yeah, but she's never really like this..." Jake explained, "She's always talked to me about things that bothered her. But this time, when I asked her, she was really dismissive. I know it's not your problem... I just wanted to ask if you knew anything about it."

"No, no." Monika assured him, "It's important to me, too. I mean, I'm also friends with her... And I also care about the well-being of my club members, you know? Maybe I could try to talk with her myself..."

"Eh? Are you sure about that...?" asked Jake, "She seemed like she wanted to be left alone..."

"Are you sure? Maybe she just has a hard time bringing it up with the person of interest..." She suggested.

"Person of interest...? What do you mean by that?"

"I'm saying that maybe the thing on her mind is you, Jake."

"M-Me...?!" stuttered Jake, "How on Earth would you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, I probably shouldn't say too much, but... Sayori talks about you more than anything else, you know?" said Monika.

"Eh...?"

"She's been quite happier since you've joined the club. It's like a little light was turned on inside of her." Monika explained.

"What? No way..." Jake mumbled, "Sayori... is always like that. She's always been like a ball of sunshine. It's not any different now than it always has been."

"Ehehe." Monika giggled, "You're so funny, Jake. Have you thought that maybe you've always seen her as being so cheerful... because that's just how she is around you?"

Jake starred blankly at Monika, trying to process all of this new information. Did Sayori only act happy and cheerful when around him? It was plausible, since he never really bothered to speak with her unless she started talking to him first. He never spent time with her during lunchtimes, as he preferred to be on his own during those few moments of peace.

In fact, he didn't even know what she did during those times. He always assumed that she was hanging out with her friends, chatting and laughing about whatever was on her mind. It never occurred to him that she might not act like that around other people. What if she did the exact same thing as he did, sitting around on her own away from everyone else?

"Ah... I said too much. I'm sorry...what do I know, anyway." said Monika nervously, "I didn't mean to jump to conclusions, so you should just forget about what I said. I'll try to talk to her, so try not to think about it for now."

"A-Alright..." replied Jake quietly.

Monika smiled meaningfully. Jake knew she said to forget it, but he also knew that he wouldn't be able to get her words out of his head.

Monika stood up from her desk and walked across the room to where Sayori was sitting. Jake watched her kneel down next to her and gently talked to her. But she was keeping her voice so quiet that he couldn't hear her from where he was.

Jake sighed and sat down. He remembered Sayori told him not to worry about her, and to have fun with everyone else. But that was impossible to do when she was behaving like this. She was his closest friend and he cared very much about her. And once again, it felt like he was the one behaving out of the ordinary... But there was nothing he could do besides wait for Monika.

(Why does it feel like I'm being watched...?) Jake thought, and he glanced around the room.

Suddenly, Jake noticed Yuri was peering at him from over her book. But she quickly looked away with a flustered look on her face. Jake realized that Yuri wasn't getting anywhere like this. He had  never seen her approach or start a conversation with anyone.

So, Jake had no choice but approach her himself. But now, this was easier for him to do since he was used to being around her. Jake stood up from his desk and sat in the one next to Yuri's.

"I... didn't mean to distract you or anything..." Yuri said quickly.

"Relax, you didn't even do anything." Jake assured her.

"But... I could tell you wanted to be alone with your thoughts..." She replied.

"I guess... But, I think I kinda feel like talking to someone right now."

"I understand. Your troubles are only the concern of those who willingly share in that concern. Of course, there are certainly those who find the most comfort in keeping to themselves. But if you would prefer you share what's on your mind, then I would gladly listen."

"Uh, it's really not that big of a deal... I was just, uh, feeling uneasy about Sayori."

"Sayori...?"

"Yeah... She seems a little off today, but when I asked her about it, she didn't want to admit it to me. I think there's something really bothering her, but I can't figure it out."

"Oh." Yuri smiled to herself, "That's quite romantic..."

Jake raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"S-Sorry!" stuttered Yuri. "I didn't mean to say something stupid...!"

"No, no, no! It's not stupid!" said Jake, raising his hands to try and calm her. "I just... I don't want you to misunderstand. Sayori's been friends with me for a long time, that's all. She's more like a little sister to me than anything."

"Ah... I see..." Yuri replied, closing her eyes. "Then perhaps it is unusual for her to be dismissive to you about her feelings..."

"Although, I could just be reading into this a little too much. Sometimes it can be difficult for me to understand how other people are feeling..." Jake admitted.

"Jake... " Yuri smiled sadly at him, "The world is full of meaning, often hidden deep within plain sight. And there are many untold mysteries behind every person, no matter how well you may know them. I think that Sayori is a very complex person. Her mannerisms on the outside don't always match what may be going on in her head..."

"Right..." said Jake quietly.

Yuri lifted her arms up to her chest and held her hands together. "And she may not always know what she wants. I've noticed her strange behaviour today, too... And I also feel some concern for her. But in your case, it looked like she was fully occupying your thoughts, wasn't she."

"Yeah, I guess..." agreed Jake.

"Sayori... she really...means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Yuri asked him.

"Well, she was only friend I ever had for a very long time. I've never been really good at talking to new people. And when I do, I usually can't tell if what I'm saying is making them uncomfortable, until it's already too late." Jake said sadly, remembering many awkward moments from his past.

Yuri suddenly looked deeply into Jake's eyes. Her expression is gentle and curious, as if she was searching for something. Feeling a little embarrassed, Jake averted his gaze and looked over at the bulletin board.

On it were several papers that he couldn't read from where he was, but what he could read was a calendar with a red circle around September 22nd. Today's date. Jake wondered why that one in particular was circled.

"Sometimes, a person's mysteries are untold even to themselves." Yuri continued. "And you, as someone who is honest and caring, may uncover feelings you weren't aware were in you."

Yuri suddenly looked away and twiddled with her hair, "T-That is... I think that... She would be  a very fortunate person... to have you... feel that way about her."

"Yuri... I, uh, don't think that's very true at all." Jake said, looking back at her. "You only know me from how I act here at school. If you ever saw me when I'm at home, I think you would see a very different person entirely. Plus, I'm not nearly as smart or beautiful as you are..."

Yuri's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Jake felt his cheeks burning and looked away from her again. He didn't meant to say it like that. He was just trying to make a comparison. Why was he always such a screw-up all the time?

"Th-That's not... a compliment, is it?"  asked Yuri.

"Uh, yeah. J-Just... Just a compliment, that's all." Jake said quickly, silently relieved. "Anyways, while we're here, how about we do a little bit of reading?"

"Well... As long as you are okay with it."

"Yeah. I should probably try to get my mind off this anyway."

**********

"Okay, everyone!" Monika called out, "Why don't we start sharing our poems now?"

Everyone went to retrieve their poems, and Jake did the same. This time, he really tried to write something better than his last poem, but the end result was just plain awful. Poetry just wasn't his style of writing.

He briefly made eye contact with Monika, who smiled at him. Jake wondered what she had been talking about with Sayori.

Sayori...

As much as he wanted to share his poem with Yuri first, Jake decided to check up on his friend instead. It seemed as though whatever Monika told her hadn't really helped that much.

"...Hm. It's nice I guess~" Sayori muttered, looking over his poem.

Jake groaned, "Come on, just say it. I can already tell you don't like it."

"Well... You don't need to worry about what I think... After all, you wrote this for someone else, didn't you? Probably Yuri..."

That was all Jake needed to hear. The tone, the negativity and the look on her face completely spelled it out to him.

"Sayori, what's going wrong? Please, talk to me. I'm getting really worried about you." He asked, desperate to try and get through to her.

"E-Eh?? What are you saying? Everything is fine~" she replied, putting on another false smile, but she sounded more nervous than ever, "I'm just a little tired today. Don't worry about me, Jake. I just want to see smiles on your face. You can go share your poem with everyone else. I'm sure Yuri will love it..."

"Sayori..." Jake started calmly. "I know it can be hard for me to understand the way other people are feeling. And I know you sometimes have to put up with me and my problems. But I think, no I know, something is wrong. If you just tell me, then maybe I can help you... Sayori?"

"N-No... Jake... I don't... I don't deserve... Why are you doing this...? You have to put up with me, as well... You're being too nice to me..." Sayori was having trouble keeping her voice steady. "I-If you just go have fun with everyone else instead... This would be... so much easier!"

"Sayori...!" Jake felt his voice crack and his eyes watering; how could he not have noticed all this pain and sadness Sayori had been bottling up this whole time?

"I know you might not think so at the moment," he continued, "but I do understand what you're feeling right now. I've been through this as well. And I know it's not easy. But I need to know why you're like this so I can try to help you through it."

Sayori shook her head and sniffled. Then she put on the biggest fake smile that she could, "Jake, it's nothing. It's just a little rain cloud. I'm sorry you had to see that, I promise that won't happen again. Ahahaha!"

"S-Sayori-" stuttered Jake, but Sayori cut him off.

"Go play with everyone else. I'm gonna go home a little bit early today. Just tell Monika I wasn't feeling well, okay? I'll see you tomorrow~" she said cheerfully.

And before Jake could do anything to stop her, Sayori quickly grabbed her stuff and walked out of the classroom.

__________

Hey, it's been a while. I know this is a short chapter, but I felt like I should at least publish something besides another A/N. My anxiety has been acting up, so I decided to just polish what I had of this chapter and get it over with. Updates will continue to be slow, so please forgive me if I don't release something over a long period of time. If you see any spelling mistakes, let me know and I'll try to fix them up.

~Cheesy