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“Okay, everyone! I think that’s about all the time we have. I want to thank you all for coming today! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Monika announced just before she exited the clubroom. Yuri and Natsuki followed not too long after.
You closed the book that you and Sayori were reading together in the corner, a beginner level chapter book. Sayori just loved to relive her childhood with you during club time, and you always loved seeing how happy such an activity made her. You placed the book back into your backpack and stood up, helping Sayori to her feet as well.
You both had begun dating only two weeks ago. You just couldn’t help yourself; everything about this girl was just so irresistible to you, and you had somehow only realized this after she confessed her feelings for you first. You mostly adored her unbuttoned blazer, disheveled hair, bright blue eyes and big red bow, even though you understood that the former two qualities of her appearance were most likely a product of the severe depression that she once had.
“Ready to go, Y/N?” Sayori asked with a smile on her face.
“Yeah.” You replied. “Do you think I could come over to your house for a bit?”
“Of course you can! Let’s go!”
The two of you walked out of the clubroom. Luckily the walk from the school to Sayori’s house wasn’t that long. As you made your way out the front doors of the school, however, you noticed that Sayori seemed to be behaving strangely. She was looking down at the ground, playing with her fingers idly. It was hard for you to tell, but she seemed to be frowning as well. You knew that there was something on her mind.
Shortly after the day you had first learned about Sayori’s depression, you managed to convince her to begin seeing a therapist. You would hate to find out that the therapy wasn’t going well, or even worse, that it was having the opposite effect of what it was supposed to be doing for her. You couldn’t stand to worry about her like this for any longer. You finally broke the silence between you two.
“Sayori, what’s wrong?”
“Huh? Nothing’s wrong! I’m fine, see?” she says as she smiles at you. Something about her smile seemed forced, but maybe it only seemed that way because you were already under the impression that something was wrong. You couldn’t tell.
“If you say so.” Although you still had your doubts about what was really going on inside her head, you decided not to press the matter any further.
You finally arrive at Sayori’s house. She opens the front door and you both enter, taking a seat on the couch in the living room. You suddenly realize that Sayori has refused to make eye contact with you ever since you left the clubroom. Hesitantly, you bring up the issue on your mind once again.
“I know there’s something on your mind, Sayori. You can’t hide these things from me.”
“It’s really nothing. Please don’t worry about it, Y/N.”
“Please tell me what you’ve been thinking about. I only want to help you.”
Sayori looks at you for the first time in what feels like forever, and takes a deep breath before she begins to speak. “Y/N, do you ever think about leaving me?”
“Sayori, what kind of question is that? Of course I don’t!” You reply almost immediately.
“Well, you should.” Sayori says this in a tone that is barely audible.
“What?” You wonder for a brief moment if you even heard that correctly before she answers your question for you.
“I said that you should think about leaving me. Y/N, why do you love me of all people? I mean, take the other girls in the literature club for example. Yuri is much more intelligent than I am, and Natsuki is such a good baker.”
“Sayori, what are you even saying?” You didn’t have the slightest idea as to where any of this was coming from. Had a student in one of her classes been telling her that she wasn’t good enough?
“And Monika? Do I even need to say anything about her? She’s so determined, confident, and beautiful. Look at what she’s been able to do starting a whole entire club from nothing! And what do I do? Whine about my problems continuously? In this relationship, what do I provide you with? A way to spend all your money just to fuel my selfish needs? For everything that you do for me, there is absolutely nothing that I give to you in return! So why do you love me?” As she finishes, she buries her face into your chest and begins to softly cry.
You wrap your arms around Sayori, trying to think of the right thing to say. You didn’t know where these feelings came from, but you did know that you wanted them to go away as soon as possible. A few more minutes pass before you finally start to speak.
“Sayori, the things you said about Yuri and Natsuki? Those can easily be your talents as well. Nothing can stop you from accomplishing any of the same things that they have. You can’t live your life comparing yourself to others, otherwise you’ll never be happy with any of the things that you’ve done.”
Although this is enough to get her to stop crying, she still keeps her face hidden as you continue.
“As for Monika? I think it’s plain for anyone to see that she comes from a rich family with very supportive parents. For that reason, it’s of course going to be easier for her to be confident in all aspects of her life. I don’t mean to undermine any of her achievements, but it’s going to take less work on her part than it would for you in order to get the same thing done, especially something like starting a club from nothing. But Sayori, I don’t want you to beat yourself up about these things because even if you had everything that the other girls do, none of it would matter the most to me. There’s a reason why I chose you to be mine as opposed to any of them.”
Sayori lifts her head, looking at you expectantly.
“Sayori, I love you because you’re everything that I’m not; optimistic about life, compassionate towards others, and always appreciative of all the little things that people do for you. Even if it started out as a facade, you chose to make it a part of who you are today because it really is who you always wanted to be. I don’t care if I never receive a material item from you in 30 years, because you provide me with something that no amount of money can buy; fulfillment. Whenever I don’t want to continue, the thought of you is always enough to keep me going because I love making you proud.”
Sayori suddenly started to cry again, but this time you could tell that they were tears of joy.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it as many times as I need to. Don’t ever underestimate how much I care about you. I love you so much, and I’ll tell you that every day if that’s what it takes to get these feelings of inadequacy to stop. I’ll never tire of it.”
“I love you so much too, Y/N.” Sayori says as she snuggles her head into your chest, happy to be in your arms. The two of you drift off to sleep right there not long after.
…
A few hours later, you wake up and check the time on your phone. 8 PM. Had you really been asleep for almost three hours? As much as you wanted to stay, you knew you had to get something together for dinner.
Sayori was still fast asleep. Rather than wake her up and let her know that you’re leaving, you decide to carry her up to her bedroom and let her sleep the rest of the night away.
Once you’ve set her down on her bed, you decide to leave a note for her.
I needed to leave to make dinner. Don’t ever forget how much I love you. - Y/N
You set the note down on her desk, and then you remove Sayori’s bow from her head and place it on top of the note to make sure that she sees it the next morning. Just as you’re about to leave Sayori’s bedroom, you hear her mutter something.
“Y/N...love...you.”
You smile as you walk back over to her sleeping body. “I love you too, Sayori.” you say softly before planting a kiss on her forehead. With that you set off for your house, gently closing the door behind you as you exit her bedroom.