Chapter Text
Monika was in the midst of practicing piano when she noticed the other students getting up. She must have been too distracted to notice the bell again. She too packed up and walked across the hall and into the literature club room.
Sayori was begging Natsuki for a bite of her cookie, and to her surprise Natsuki reluctantly gave in. Yuri was already engulfed in the novel she had been reading. Monika slipped in as Sayori continuously thanked a blushing Natsuki. She took a seat next to Yuri.
“Did I miss anything?” she asked, hoping not to bother Yuri.
“Not much, just their usual activities. What held you up?” Yuri said, looking up from her book.
“Well, I’ve been practicing piano lately, and I didn’t hear the bell.” Monika chuckled nervously, not wanting to seem irresponsible.
“Piano, huh? Sounds interesting. You should play for us sometime.” Yuri smiled at her softly
“I- I don’t know about that” Monika muttered, flustered.
“That’s okay, I understand how it can feel” Yuri did that same smile that she always does that makes Monika's heart flutter. She went up and announced the details about the festival, trying to stay focused, but one thing kept crawling its way into her mind. She couldn't help but feel unoriginal. All the girls had their thing. Sayori was the silly extrovert. Natsuki was mean at first but had a sweet side deep down. Yuri was shy yet passionate. Monika was… just there. She didn’t do anything special. She played sports, learned piano, and got good grades. There was nothing unique about her. She wrapped up her presentation and called off the meeting, spacing out in a chair as the others left. Yuri paused on her way out.
“Are you alright, Monika?” She asked, a worried expression on her face. She didn’t wait for an answer, just turned around and stood next to Monika.
“Whats wrong?”
“It’s just…” Monika paused. She wanted to seem responsible. Mature. Like she had her life together. But at the same time, she knew Yuri would listen and understand. She decided, taking a deep breath and hoping she wouldn’t regret this.
“I just feel so out of place here. And everywhere. I am the most basic person ever. I don’t have a ‘thing’ to myself. I’m just the club president.”
Yuri sat there and examined her for a moment. Monika thought that it must have been a mistake, but then Yuri began talking again.
“I don’t think you understand,” Yuri responded, not yet realizing how that had come out. When she saw Monika beginning to comprehend her words, she continued. “N-Not like that! What I meant was that, you are the one who started this club. You brought us all together and you created our little community. It would be stupid and ignorant to call you basic. You are talented and showed us how to express our passions!” Yuri realized how loud her volume had gotten and turned red.
Monika was speechless, she hadn’t expected this at all. She knew that Yuri would occasionally get loud and rant, but she was more surprised about the words directed towards her. She took a moment to process it and take in before hugging Yuri. If Yuri was blushing before, she must have been ridiculously flushed after Monika did that. She quickly got herself together and hugged Monika back. They held each other for a bit before they pulled apart and sat looking at each other. It felt awkward, both of them looking at each other, extremely close. Monika could feel Yuri’s breath. She didn’t know what to do, she had never felt this strange near Yuri before. She suddenly stood up and picked up her bag.
“Haha, I guess we lost track of time. It’s about time we head home!” Monika nervously laughed, wondering why her chest felt tight. Her heart was beating fast for some reason, maybe a doctor's visit would help with this. Yuri was snapped out of her thoughts, picking up her bag as well.
“O-Oh, you’re right, I wouldn’t want to worry my mother.” Yuri managed. They both awkwardly rushed out. On her way home, the only thing Monika could think about was Yuri's words repeated in her head, easing her mind. You are the one who started this club. You brought us all together and you created our little community. It would be stupid and ignorant to call you basic. You are talented and showed us how to express our passions! Yet she felt weird in a different way too. She wished that she could replay that moment in the classroom, when their faces had almost touched. She wasn’t satisfied with the way she handled it. She wished that she had spent more time there with Yuri. What was this feeling? Monika couldn’t figure it out so she instead began writing a poem when she got home. She wasn’t sure what to write about, she just let her hand move and figured it out as she went.
A different path
If I were more brave
It would have gone a different way
Our faces getting closer
Our lips brush together
And I don’t pull apart
Monika stopped herself abruptly. She had let her mind wander for too long and didn’t notice what direction her daydreaming had gone. That’s gross! Yuri was nothing but a peer of hers, she was just being kind! So why couldn’t stop herself from thinking these bizarre thoughts. She allowed herself to continue her poem, for she didn’t have to show it to the other members, right?
We pull each other closer
Grabbing each others faces
And our tender moment never ends
Monika quickly shoved the poem in her folder and into her bag, as if hiding it from herself. She went on to eat dinner with her family and get in bed, but no matter what all she could think about was Yuri and hers’ tight hug after the reassuring words from the taller girl. She knew it was ridiculous to overthink that moment, it was just Yuri comforting her! But that only made her think deeper. The way Yuri’s face flushed red after rambling was unbearably cute, and the way she hugged her back made Monika’s mind numb. She eventually managed to fall asleep, thinking of a certain peer of hers as she did so.