You'd spent the last couple of days trying to encourage yourself to try to confess to Natsuki. It took... longer than you wanted to admit to get into the right headspace for it, much less even come up with a plan. You knew that she wouldn't let you go anywhere near her house, wherever that was, and you weren't sure you wanted to confess at YOUR place. If you were anywhere public with other people around, she'd probably freak out if you so much as breathed something about being interested in her, regardless of how she felt about you.

So you decided to do something that you knew she liked: baking.

It looked so easy!! If you wanted to make cupcakes, you just needed to gather the ingredients, make the batter, bake it properly, make sure they were all similar in appearance, make the frosting, pipe it in a way that wasn't too simple but was still within your skill range, make sure the cupcakes were all similar again, smooth the frosting, make a cheesily cute design, and repeat it multiple times!!

...

You know what? You weren't going to give up. You didn't want to drag your hidden infatuation for longer than you needed to. If Natsuki didn't feel the same, better to get rejected sooner rather than later.

At the very least, you had an idea of things that she found cute, and that gave you a basic idea of what you needed to do. But as it turns out, executing your vision perfectly was a lot harder than it seemed.

To put it simply, you were nowhere near Natsuki's level of cupcake-making. But it was almost midnight by the time you decorated a few cupcakes that you kind of, sort of liked, and you were exhausted from the long day before that. Oh, God, and you still needed to write her a letter...

You were practically a zombie the next day. It was an active fight for your LIFE to stay awake during class, especially ones that you were normally bored with. The only thing keeping you awake was the looming anxiety of confessing to Natsuki.

You'd seen Sayori that morning, and she'd told you that you looked like you were about to die. So you spent the few minutes before lunch trying to look at least somewhat presentable.

It was easy to spot Natsuki thanks to her vibrant hair, despite the fact that she was shorter than most of the students around her. Knowing that she didn't really like to have lunch with you, you tried to fight your way through the crowd to reach her before she got to... wherever she ate, you guessed? You didn't want to make her uncomfortable– that was definitely not the right way to start a confession.

Getting to her ended up being ridiculously difficult  Unfortunately, she'd already broken into the courtyard by the time you caught up to her.

"Hey, Natsuki!! Wait up!!" you huffed, quickly scrambling out of the crowd and to her side as fast as you could. "Just... just a second..."

"Oh, wow." Natsuki refrained from any insults when she realized it was you, and instead crossed her arms firmly and scanned you up and down. "Did you even sleep last night, Y/N? You look terrible."

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I was just up kinda late," you explained, still a little out of breath. "But, uh, I'll leave you alone after this, but I brought you something."

You held out the box of cupcakes, well aware of how stiff you probably looked.

Natsuki just glared at the box, trying to seem disinterested (it wasn't working). "C'mon, Y/N, I've told you to not bring me things!! I have enough food already, okay?"

"No!! Please!!" you exclaimed, the words coming out much louder than you intended. "I– uh– I actually made these!! For you!! And– uh– b- because you're the best baker I know, I wanted to know what you thought of them!!!"

She looked taken aback for a split second. "I'm the best baker you know? ....Well, yes, of course I am!! You know, that was actually kinda smart of you to come to me, I'm glad you recognize my skill."

"Yeah, of course," you laughed, wiping the sweat off your forehead. "A-and you don't even have to try them!! Just– just look at them, at least!! Please?"

Natsuki raised an eyebrow in suspicion before carefully taking the box from you. Her finger accidentally brushed against your hand in the process, which was enough to remind you that you were way too awkward to stick around while she read your confession.

"Um..." For once, she didn't try to give you the food back, and didn't immediately launch into a critique of your mechanical skills. She even looked a little flustered by the action. "I... Y/N, listen, do you, uh, want t–"

"Er, I've gotta go, but, uh, come talk to me at the club!! Have a good lunch!! Bye!!" The second the box was out of your hands, you wheeled around and sprinted back towards the building.

"Hey– hey!! Y/N!!" Natsuki shouted after you, but you were already inside the building.

Oh my FUCKING god I cannot believe I just did that???

You felt really bad for leaving her hanging in the middle of her sentence. But when it came to what you had planned out, that was where it ended, and you had no idea what you would have done after that. Just waited around for her to read the whole letter? Then what? What if she rejected you? What if she hated it? Did she even like you enough to consider dating you? How comfortable even was she with you? Too many insecurities had plagued your mind to stick around.

The rest of the day was spent thinking about the Literature Club and what you were going to do when you got there. You had no clue whether Natsuki would talk to you right away or avoid you like the plague, and most of your remaining classes were filled with thoughts of every possible outcome and situation. You didn't have much else to do, anyway.

When the school day finally ended, you tentatively packed up your supplies before heading for the clubroom. Anxiety had started knawing away at your gut. It hadn't really sunk it that you'd basically admitted to being in love with one of your fellow club members, and now you were going to that club with her, and– yeah. You were stressed.

Surprisingly, Natsuki wasn't there when you entered at first. It was just Monika, Yuri and MC. You distracted yourself by jumping into a conversation with them right away, but kept your eye on the door.

"You waiting for something, Y/N?" MC eventually asked, noticing your constant glances towards the entrance.

You spluttered a bit, embarrassed that you were being that obvious. "Oh!! N- no, I just– uh– I don't know, I–"

"Heyyyy, everyone!!" Sayori yelled happily as she threw the door open and marched into the clubroom. "Guess who actually finished her poem on time!!!"

MC immediately stood up and cheered enthusiastically. Monika laughed and jokingly applauded with him, while Yuri just smiled to herself. You joined MC with his cheerleader routine, but couldn't help but glance behind Sayori. Natsuki still wasn't there.

Oh hell. Did I kill her or something??

Natsuki was late. Very late. By the time she finally walked through the door, the club had already shared poems and were off to their own devices. Of course, you immediately noticed and tried to look really invested in what you were currently writing.

She didn't come over to you right away. It looked like she went to Monika to apologize for being late before setting her things down and going to the closet to grab a book. Considering you were sitting near the back by the closet, it was a little terrifying. Woo hoo!!!

You hastily busied yourself in your writing. You didn't know why you were suddenly so terrified of talking to Natsuki, but you were, and it was now that you realized that maybe you shouldn't have given the cupcakes to her so early in the day, because now you had to sit through the whole club and she might not even talk to you because of the other people around and

"Earth to Y/N?" MC exclaimed, snapping his fingers in front of your face. You jumped up, startled back into reality. "Natsuki brought cupcakes."

You hovered behind the taller boy as everyone gathered around the tray of treats. You were the last person to take a cupcake, but before you could even touch one, Natsuki grabbed the cuff of your uniform. "H- hey. Don't. Not yet."

The fact that she was speaking a lot quieter than normal tipped you off that she probably had a reason, so you hastily retracted your hand. She tugged on your jacket and pulled you back towards your desk before you could do anything else.

After releasing you by your seat, Natsuki scanned the room before pulling out the seat next to you. She nervously glanced around before turning to speak with you.

"S- so... your cupcakes from earlier weren't the worst things I've ever eaten, I guess. Also, um, I read your letter."

You instantly tensed up, running back through all the possible scenarios you'd come up with and trying to think of how to respond. The smartest thing you managed to get out was, "Wait, you actually read it??"

"Of course I did, idiot!!! It was right there," Natsuki hissed, her face turning red. "What did you expect me to do?? Throw it out??"

You avidly shook your head. "No, sorry, that came out wrong, I just–"

"Shut up," she interrupted, somehow managing to look more embarrassed than you. "Look, I– uh– I wanted to thank you for, um, writing it out like that. Did you– like– uh, actually mean what you wrote?"

"Yeah, of course I did!!" you whisper-shouted. "I was just too chicken to say it to your face, but yes, everything I said in the letter was true, Natsuki."

The shorter girl fell silent, a mix of emotions clearly running through her head. You awkwardly fiddled with your pen, trying to think of something to say. Nothing was really coming to mind.

"Well," she finally said, quieter but gentler than before. "Look, I– ugh, I really wish this didn't have to happen in this stupid club, but– if it matters, um, I– I like you too. There, I said it!!" 

Natsuki threw her hands up and leaned back in the chair, looking more flustered than you'd ever seen her. If she was trying to act cool, it absolutely wasn't working. 

You were well aware that you were smiling like a total fool, but really couldn't care less in the moment. You couldn't think of anything to say that would properly articulate how you felt. 

"Well, ah– listen, I need to discuss my writing with Monika," Natsuki stammered, abruptly standing up from the desk. "But– uh, h- here, I made you this."

She pulled a small box out of her bag and threw it at you before scampering away. You barely managed to catch it in time. 

It was a cupcake. Of course it was a cupcake. What you didn't expect was the intricately decorated surface, clearly a similar design to what you'd tried to make for her. You had absolutely no idea how she managed to do that in the time between lunch and the Literature Club, but to say it made your heart flutter was an understatement. 

Besides, that cupcake was one of the best things you'd ever tasted.