Chapter Text
I - Little Miss
Kaori stole away into the toilets in the middle of the day, the same way she did yesterday, and took her stupid meds. Yesterday she'd dropped them and a stupid polite girl had knocked on the stupid door and checked on her and made sure she was okay and Kaori's stupid self had no idea what to say stupid stupid stu
Kaori is weird. And she knew that for a very long time. However, that information must remain with her. She stepped out of the bathroom swiftly and greeted her friends, who all waved back with some variation of "Hi, Kaori!"
She said hi back to each one of them, and skipped down the hallway wirh her blonde hair trailing behind her. The keychains on her bag swung, and jingled with each step she took. Past her walked two girls who smiled at her. She smiled back. She got to her classroom just as the bell was ringing and was among the first to walk in. She sat at the back, and saw a few rows ahead of her Monika and the two from the Literature Club who she's only met once, because neither were at the festival. The group was all chatting together.
Sitting apart from them, Kaori did her work quickly, though Monika was still finished before her. In her lap after she'd finished everything, she was reading Sir Leka and the Ruby King. Resting her head on the wall, Kaori smiled softly at these whimsical adventures into which she comfortably retreated. She knew about her tendency to take over the room and garner attention, and it seemed only the capers of Leka could still this attention-seeking habit of hers. She didn't know how else to connect with people than to be larger than life.
Somebody knocked over a water bottle behind her and the sound made her jolt upright. She looked back and saw a timid boy reaching down to grab it, and the boy next to him laughing softly. The teachwr ceased talking for a moment and audibly sighed.
Monika giggled. Kaori giggled louder. The timid boy glanced at her, offended, but didn't confront her.
She turned back to her book but thought she recognised what Takezo was reading: yes, a PDF of one of her favourite books. She smiled softly. She'd have to read Berserk now and return the favour. Sayori was speaking to the other two and Kaori wished she could hear her.
She was popular and had a lot of friends, but none as close as those three looked in that moment. None.
To be sitting over there with them... maybe they'd even like a genuine Kaori and not the perfect girl she put up the mask of.
No.
No they wouldn't.
The bell rang and she went to the club.
II - Dreams of Love and Literature
"Take-chan." Sayori stopped in the doorway.
Takezo tilted his head a little bit, still holding the door open for Sayori. "Yeah? What's up?"
She giggled and put her finger over her red lips. "You should shave. You have a Gomez Addams moustache."
He blushed and turned away from her. "What the hell? No I don't."
"Well, it's not that dark. You can sort of see it, though. I mean, it's better than those patchy beards some guys get, but... I don't know, I sort of liked the androgynous look you had before. You were pretty or something."
"Well, you're definitely more comfortable making fun of me now that we're closer." He grimaced and put a hand on her back, pushing her through the door. She yelped and giggled.
Monika was sitting at her desk on her laptop with one leg crossed over the other. She looked up and smiled gently. "I don't think it's too bad."
"I'm gonna veto this conversation right now."
Yuri and Natsuki looked over. The latter asked, "What're we talking about?"
"Nothing," said Takezo.
"Takezo's Gomez Addams moustache," said Sayori.
Natsuki blinked and looked back down. "You two are weird."
A little while after Takezo and Sayori sat by the window, Junko opened the door and let Shiori in. They waved happy at one another and then Junko turned to Monika. "Yo. We need to talk after your meeting. Student council stuff."
"Got it," said Monika with the end of a pen between her teeth. She looked on thw verge of yawning.
Junko left.
Shiori sat with her legs crossed and her head slightly lowered, looking at Monika with a wariness unshared by the others. For a moment Monika met her gaze and then turned away nervously. Her friend had clocked exactly how damn tired she was. Sighing, Monika closed her laptop and the clapped once. "Okay, everyone! It's a sunny autumn Wednesday, so I was out playing tennis and I'm a little out of it. Sorry if I seem off. But still, considering this is our new members' second ever meeting. We'll share poems in the latter half of the meeting, so for now..."
Kaori put her hand up. "Um, excuse me. I've never been on this floor outside club so I don't know where the toilers are and I need to go."
Sayori stood. "I'll show you." They walked out together.
Takezo watched them leave. She waved with the briefest of smiles gracing her features, and he waved back. Behind him, Yuri and Natsuki were conversing. It sounded ljke they were discussing some manga Natsuki had made Yuri read. Yuri prompted her to share thoughts on a book that Natsuki hadn't finished. At the front of the room, Monika was gazing listlessly at the setting sun through the window. He stood and walked over to her, and sort of rubbed the side of his nose while he looked out at the same pretty scarlet sky.
"You alright?"
She yawned. "Fine. You?"
"Not really," he said, drawing up a chair. He crossed his arms and kicked his feet up on the chair across from them, and she looked over. "You already knew that."
"Yeah."
"So be honest."
"I'm not so hot either." She yawned again, and leaned back, spinning her pen in her hand. "I haven't been getting much rest lately, I'm a little overworked. I'm sorry, ypu guys rely on me."
"It's alright... you need to rest, though."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. You're a great club president." Takezo stretched and looked expectantly to the door. They both sat close to each other in comfortable silence for a while, until Monika asked, "How is she?"
"I don't know. Just whrn I think it's normal I'm suddenly reminded."
"Yeah. Well. She loves you, so... I'm sure you... I don't know what I'm trying to say."
"I still appreciate it," muttered Takezo
Kaori followed Sayori into the bathrooms and shrank into the furthest stall. She heard Sayori sit down in the stall next to her, and was careful to be quiet opening the pill bottle in her small hands. It wasn't long before Sayori flushed the toilet and was washing her hands, and Kaori followed after, putting on her best display of confidence and smiling at Sayori. "That's wayyy better, I really had to go."
Why the hell did I say that?
"Yeah, I had a big bubble tea earlier today." Sayori went and held the door for Kaori.
When the pair returned, Sayori sat at her original spot by the widnow. Takezo was there and Natsuki had pulled up a chair across from him, and they were discussing her manga.
Sayori smiled and leaned over, almost up against Takezo's shoulder. "Hey, I used to love Parfait Girls!"
Natsuki sat up straight. "Really? I guess you would, actually. What happened?"
"I finished it, is all."
"She went to a convention as one of the girls," said Takezo. "I forget who."
"Sakura."
"Yeah. It was pretty cute."
Natsuki blushed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Parfait Girls is all cutesy." Shexwas still as annoyed as she'd once been at being called cute, but didn't snap at him like she once might’ve. To Sayori it seemed like it was because Takezo was looking at Natsuki with genuine regard, and didn't seem to dismiss Parfait Girls as a cute children's series with little depth. He was acknowledging its cuteness but Natsuki could probably tell he'd begun to respect her maturity.
Sayori was very good at reading these things when it came to people.
Monika was still working at her desk at the front. Her eyes looked heavy and Shiori was leaning over her shoulder to help her, big shimmering eyes scanning deftly over the screen.
A scrap of paper was sitting in front of Takezo with a half-finished drawing on it, which he was idly working on as he spoke.
"That's good," she said.
He looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks."
She smiled back softly, and only for a moment. Natsuki said something that caught her attention. "Huh? Sorry, I spaced out."
"I asked who your favourite character is."