Chapter Text
Heavy rain trickled down the windows of the classroom, providing the only sound the room could offer, besides Sayori’s pen that was writing quickly and sloppily across a single sheet of paper.
Natsuki sat lazily on the chair next to Sayori’s, her legs stretched out and her back pushed against the seat.
“Okay!”
The coral haired girl’s writing suddenly came to a stop, and she grabbed the paper and held it up to her chin in confidence.
“How’s this one, Nat? Read!” Sayori said with a nervous, yet excited tone to her voice. She held the poem to Natsuki, in which the other girl squinted and tried to read the sloppy, clearly rushed writing.
“What the hell did you even write? I can’t.. I can’t read this.” She said, leaning right back into her chair.
Sayori clutched the paper while groaning, setting the paper down and dropped her head down onto the desk, her cheek resting against it.
“Ughhh!! This is too hard! I should’ve wrote this yesterday, Monika’s gonna kill me!”
Natsuki chuckled, raising an eyebrow.
“Monika? She’s not like.. our teacher or anything. What’s she gonna do? Look at you disappointingly?”
“Yes!” Sayori whined. “She’s gonna demote me to.. not-vice president.. and Yuri will be the new one.. and I’ll fade into obscurity and nobody will care about me anymore!”
Natsuki scoffed, “You’re overreacting. Speaking of Yuri, shouldn’t Monika be coming in with her by now?” The pink haired girl shifted her body so she could see out the door’s windows.
Monika was still standing there, bless her heart for being so patient for Yuri.
“Seems like you still have time to write that poem. Yuri’s still not here.”
Sayori looked up, unmoving from her position, her blue eyes big and shiny.
“It’s no use! Just let me die here..”
Natsuki laughed softly.
“Whatever, dude.”
The door suddenly opened, Monika barging in, looking behind her with a very worried expression. Sayori hid her face in her desk.
“Yuri still hasn’t arrived. Has anyone seen her today? I hope she’s alright..”
“Nope.”
Yuri hasn’t shown up to her and Natsuki’s usual spot in a while. Nearly two weeks. She of all people should know where Yuri goes besides the literature club, but she doesn’t.
“Um.. Sayori? Have.. you seen Yuri?” Monika asked, a puzzled expression on her face when she saw her face buried in her desk.
Sayoris face moved slightly so her words would be legible.
“Noo.. please don’t hurt me Monika!!”
“Uhh..” Monika raised an eyebrow, amused yet confused.
“Sayori didn’t do her poem.” Natsuki snitched, laughing under her breath.
Sayori’s head whipped up, her brows furrowed. “Hey! Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, snitches get stitches?” Natsuki laughed and stuck her tongue out mockingly.
“Sayori..” Monika said with a disappointed look, exactly as Natsuki described. Sayori visibly shrank.
“Well that’s okay I guess. I don’t think Yuri’s coming so we probably won’t share poems until tomorrow.”
Sayori suddenly perked up and let out a sigh of relief. “It won’t happen again Monika. Promise!!”
“Chill out Sayo-“ Footsteps were heard from the hallway. Footsteps that Natsuki could recognize, although she didn’t want to, as Yuri’s.
“Ah, so she is here! Be right back! Sayori, be scared.” Monika jokingly said with a mischievousness in her tone, punching her fist into her palm.
“No!!” Her head dropped back on the table. Natsuki shifted back so she could see what was happening outside, she saw Monika speaking to the purple haired girl in front of her.
Yuri looked so solemn, shy, and her words seemed limited. Not to mention, she looked sad. Monika looked like she was trying her best to comfort her. Natsuki didn’t need to see much more. She rolled her eyes and sat back in her original position.
Natsuki didn’t care that Yuri looked so sad.
She didn’t care about Yuri.
Not anymore.
Monika walked into the room, Yuri timidly followed. Ever since Yuri started avoiding Natsuki, she’s came in way more nervously than usual.
Like she was afraid of Natsuki.
“Don’t worry Yuri, we’re probably not gonna do much today, so just relax. Sayori forgot her poem anyway, and I’ve gotta teach her a lesson.” Monika said intimidatingly, looking at Sayori in a way that scared her, although entirely joking.
She nodded, running her fingers in her hair, a habit she had whenever she felt nervous, even when nothing was really happening.
She sat down in the front, while both Natsuki and Sayori were in the back. But not for long.
Sayori perked up when she saw Yuri, wanting to go and read with her friend. “Hey Natsuki.. Natsuki..” The pink haired girl just stared off, supposedly at the back of Yuri’s long violet hair.
Sayori poked Natsuki’s shoulder, but it took a few pokes until she snapped out of her daze.
“Huh?”
“Wanna go say hi to Yuri? You two haven’t talked in like-“ Sayori seemed to be counting in her head, but eventually gave up. ”-forever!”
“No.”
Natsuki said quickly, which caught Sayori by surprise.
“Ooohh.. kay.. well, see you!” She skipped away, sitting down next to Yuri. Natsuki watched in enraged jealousy. How could it be possible Yuri was speaking to everyone but her?
-
20 minutes passed, and Natsuki was still just.. sitting there. Staring off, entirely in her own head. She had a sour expression on her face the whole time. Monika definitely noticed, but hadn’t said anything. Since it’s been 20 minutes, she had decided to make that change.
“Natsuki.” Monika said quietly.
“What?” The pink haired girl looked up, her brows furrowed slightly.
“You’ve just been sitting here.. doing like- nothing. I get today’s meeting is pretty whatever, but if you wanna be here you have to contribute something-“
Natsuki stood up suddenly.
“I’ll go talk to Yuri.”
“I guess that works.” Monika watched as Natsuki marched her way over to the conjoined desks Yuri and Sayori were sitting at.
“-in simpler words, it means to let go, or give up something that belonged to you previously. It aligns with the context of this scene. Do you understand better now, Sayori?” Yuri’s voice was so gentle.. quiet. It was soothing to hear.
Sayori nodded, in awe of how Yuri had explained a word in the novel so well to her.
“I do. I understand so much better now! You have such a way with words. You should be a worder- I mean- a writer. Sorry. I think I’m just amazed by your fancy-schmancy way of speaking!”
Yuri turned away bashfully, fiddling with her hair a little as she let out a nervous laugh.
“Oh.. oh I- oh please haha.. I’m just talking.. do you want to continue?”
“Yeah!- oh, Natsuki! Hello!”
Sayori greeted, Yuri suddenly whipped her head around quickly, her eyes wide and surprised.
“Yo.” Natsuki said, little to no emotion in her tone. She was pretty close to Yuri again for the first time in a while. She could faintly feel her warmth and smell her scent, she always smelt like tea or lavender. But it’s not like Natsuki cared anymore. She didn’t. Not at all.
Yuri didn’t say anything, just turned away and continued reading.
“Wanna read with us?” Sayori said, unknowing of the growing intense tension between Natsuki and Yuri.
Natsuki’s face scrunched in anger.
“No. I just wanted to ask her something.”
Yuri didn’t look up from her book.
“I hope you didn’t plan on avoiding me forever. Did you? Did you really think you could do that and I wouldn’t notice?”
Yuri let out a small noise of discomfort. She still didn’t look up.
“Why can’t you just look at me? Is there something wrong with me? Or is there something wrong with you?”
Natsuki’s voice raised a little, causing Yuri to flinch slightly.
“Natsuki.. what’s this about?” Sayori asked gently, her expression worried and a bit scared.
“Oh you don’t know? She’s been avoiding me. For two whole weeks! I feel like you would’ve known since it’s been happening for this long!”
“Natsuki..” Monika walked up to her, attempting to calm the situation. Natsuki turned.
“What!? Wanna tell me how I’m overreacting? Want me to calm down? No! I’m not calming down! I’m sick of this!” Natsuki’s voice seemed strained in her last few words. Her eyes looked glassy.
She could feel her heart burning and racing in anger, each word she spoke would come out without any second thought or rethinking.
“I don’t deserve this, I know I don’t! I never deserve any of the shit that happens to me, especially not this!”
Monika didn’t know what to say. And neither did Sayori. None of them said anything for a minute, until Yuri stood up. Her hands were shaking ever so slightly, she’s never been confronted like this before.
“Just talk to me! What’s wrong with you that you’ve decided to completely abandon me?!” Her voice cracked, a lonesome tear falling from her eyes, but she wiped it away before anyone could notice. Natsuki was having an emotional outburst none of them had seen from her before. Yuri was having trouble speaking, she couldn’t. She wasn’t prepared for this, she just didn’t know what to do.
“I.. I..” Yuri tried to speak, but words refused to come out her throat. Yuri’s vocal cords felt like they were being squeezed together. It was painful to try not to cry.
“God Yuri!” Natsuki yelled out furiously as her face grimaced, her brows furrowed angrily. Her fists were balled up, so tensely they could practically break.
“What the hell is wrong with you!? You can’t even speak to me like a normal person! Why are you so weird? Why are you such a fucking freak!”
The room fell silent, only sounds being the rain pattering against the window.
The infuriation in Natsuki’s eyes didn’t falter, she didn’t seem to have any regret in her words.
Yuri’s mouth opened. Only a few words came out.
“I am not a freak.” She said quietly. Controlled. She stood there with her hands balled into fists along her sides. Her head was downcast and refused to look at Natsuki in the eyes.
Natsuki didn’t feel any remorse. No guilt whatsoever for her actions. Because she believed and saw no wrong in having emotions. She had to keep them inside at home. She couldn’t keep them inside of her here, in the club that she felt comfortable in. At home in.
She didn’t feel any guilt.. until she saw tears fall from Yuri’s cheeks onto the ground.
Damn it!
Her expression faltered, the anger in her face replaced by shame. She’s never seen her cry like this. She’s only seen herself cry like this. Because of her dad.
Natsuki suddenly felt a rush of guilt run through her, pure embarrassment and shame coursing through her mind. She got this from her dad, didn’t she?
She didn’t put her hands on Yuri. She didn’t hurt her physically. But she made her cry. She got so uncontrollably angry, she made Yuri cry.
Natsuki was stuck in her mind once again, she didn’t even notice Yuri had left the room. Sayori chased after her, leaving only herself and Monika alone.
Natsuki slumped down into the seat Yuri was in, feeling undeserving of even sitting in her leftover warmth.
She looked defeated, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground below her.
“Natsuki.. I don’t know what to say- I.. sorry.”
“Just don’t say anything.”
Monika left the room.