Work Text:
Natsuki sat alone in an empty classroom. It was late. Papa was going to be furious. But it didn't matter, she was an adult now. She was moving out soon–that was something to look forward to at least.
Also, she had more important things to care about. The last meeting of the literature club was officially over, as of about twenty minutes ago, and Natsuki didn't know what she was going to do.
She'd walked out of the classroom with the other three girls, hugging them goodbye and pretending to be annoyed by Sayori crying on her shoulder.
She'd smiled at Monika's speech about how much she appreciated everyone, and how proud she was of them for graduating, and how she'd always remember them, and how they'd see each other again someday.
She'd tried to be vulnerable with Yuri for once, which had been hard. When Yuri said she'd miss her, she hadn't just said "yeah" or "same". She'd looked Yuri in the eye and told her "I'll miss you too".
And then, after all that, she'd pretended to be going home.
But she wasn't ready to leave yet. There hadn't been enough time to soak up all the happy memories, to etch the literature club into her memory. So she'd circled back after everyone else had left, sneaking back into the classroom.
It wasn't the first time she'd been in here alone. It wasn't even the first time she'd had an emotional breakdown in here alone. But now, the room felt emptier than ever. It was really over. Her friends were gone.
Yuri was going to some private college, and Monika and Sayori were going to the local university. Natsuki was happy for them. Well, she wanted to be happy for them. But actually, she was so jealous she could hardly stand it.
In particular, she was jealous of Monika and Sayori. Not even because they’d get to stay best friends in college, or because they were going to be roommates(!)–just because of how close they were to begin with. Natsuki wished she’d been that close with any of the girls in the club. She wished she’d been less guarded and defensive; more open about how desperately she wanted to be friends with everyone. Oh well. It didn't matter.
But in college, all three of them–Monika, Sayori, and Yuri–would have the opportunity to meet cool people, make new friends, and just exist without being judged for who they were. Meanwhile, Natsuki would be working the same dead-end job she’d always had, with the same mean coworkers twice her age.
Natsuki buried her head on the desk. The only friends she had were leaving, without her.