Chapter Text
On a whim, I decide to check the clock hanging on the wall across from me. Oh it’s already…five minutes before the literature club meeting. I feel a little pressure behind my eyes, reminding me that I haven’t taken my eyes off of the book resting in my lap for at least an hour and a half. Today was a day wherein I had a free period, so I spent it on my pastime of choice. It’s only Tuesday, and yet I already want tomorrow to be Saturday.
I stand from my seat on the stairs while massaging my forehead, tucking Portrait of Markov under my arm with my index finger still resting between the pages I was reading. From here it would likely take less than a minute to walk to the clubroom, but I usually like to arrive a little early.
Because you seldom exchange words with anyone for the entirety of the school day, so you’re eager to scurry off to the few who allow it. You would think talking to yourself so often would make you less lonely.
I’m not the one who initiates our conversations, and the club is where I feel most comfortable. I feel no desire to speak with those who have none to speak with me. But of course, anyone would be in a hurry to spend time with friends.
Hm, and spending time with friends is still keeping your nose buried in a book, but this time in the same room as them?
It is a literature club.
My internal dialogue carries me to the doors of the clubroom, and after taking a small breath, I slide the door open and peek inside.
Monika is, of course, seated behind the teacher’s desk at the front of the room. She has her notebook and some papers laid out over the desk, but seems to be deep in thought with her eyes closed. Her pen is resting next to her notebook, and her arms are crossed over her chest. If I didn’t know her better, I would assume she’s sleeping.
“Good afternoon, Monika,” I call out to her, raising a hand in greeting. She flinches a little, her eyes still closed, before they flutter open and come to rest on me.
Monika seems to be at a loss for words, staring at me with wide eyes. Perhaps I startled her badly enough that she couldn’t form a proper response? I should help her…ahh, but I already messed up by barging in unannounced…
What are you doing? You have to say something, or at least put your hand down!
But, what do I even say? I greeted her already, that means it’s her turn to respond!
A weak “U-um…” is all I can manage, but before my thoughts can spiral even more I’m saved by Monika regaining her ability to speak.
“H-Hey! Hi, Yuri, ahaha! Uh, sorry! I-I must’ve gotten so focused on…uh…” Monika trails off, then suddenly returns to her normal self, smiling sweetly at me. “Actually, I’m sorry, can you go back out into the hall for a second?”
What just happened?
I have no clue, but it seems I’ve caught Monika at a bad time. I knew I should’ve just waited for the actual time for the club to begin…
“I’m sorry Monika, did I arrive too early? I didn’t mean to intrude on anything…” I ask her, hoping that I haven’t damaged her trust in me too greatly.
Monika waves her hands and shakes her head to reassure me, not unlike what Sayori often does. “Yuri it’s fine, you’re totally fine! I just…need you to go outside and close the door for like, thirty seconds, okay? I’m not kicking you out or anything!”
I dip my head and acquiesce in Monika’s request. “Alright…I will wait for your call to come back inside.”
Book in arm, I turn back around to the doors. As I leave the room, I hear Monika begin rifling through her bag. Her privacy outweighing my own curiosity, I close the classroom door behind myself and stand with my back to the wall next to it, once again opening my novel to continue where I left off.
I’m cut off after an indiscernible amount of time passes by footsteps echoing from my right. Peering through the curtain formed by my hair, I see pink.
Natsuki saunters over to me from down the hall, passing the set of doors to the back of the club room. She comes to a stop in front of me, offering only a single nod in greeting.
Well spoken as ever.
“Hello, Natsuki,” I greet in return, raising my head from my reading. The movement makes me conscious of my poor posture through a new ache in the back of my neck.
Natsuki points a lazy finger at me, her other hand resting around the strap of her bag. “Monika put you in timeout or something? Why’re you out here?”
Ignoring her first question, I reply, “I’m not quite sure. I entered the classroom a short while ago and Monika asked that I wait out here. It’s possible I may have interrupted her work. She didn’t even notice me until I spoke to her.”
“Well, not too hard for that to happen.” Natsuki says with a bit of laughter creeping into her voice.
I truly do not know how Sayori does it.
I’m still in the process of forming a retort when Natsuki moves to enter the club room. Just as I’m about to stop her from bothering Monika, we hear a muffled voice ring out from behind the club room door.
“Alright! Enter if you dare, foul vermin!”
Any conflict that had been brewing between us a second ago is temporarily snuffed out as my eyes immediately snap to Natsuki’s, and we both give each other incredulous looks. Natsuki lets out a nervous chuckle, her hand still on the door’s handle. “Uhh, Monika? What the hell are you doing in there?” She shouts back.
In response to Natsuki comes laughter. It’s a strange, cartoonish laugh, something you would likely hear from a villain in a children’s show, and Monika draws it out for a good few seconds.
In a show of impatience,
And probably annoyance,
Yes, that too, Natsuki throws the door to the side, finally opening the club room and revealing the one talking to us through the door.
I am immediately taken by the chill wind that blows through the now open door, the window facing the school’s courtyard having been opened by Monika. However my eyes are drawn to the person herself as I step into the room. There, standing on top of the teachers desk at the front of the room, back turned to us, is our club president. Monika.
“Monika? Hmph…” she murmurs, turning her head to the side and looking at us through the corner of her eye. “Should I know her?”
Okay, I suppose it’s not Monika then.
Of course it’s her, but what in god's name is she doing?
Still standing atop the desk’s surface, Monika’s long ponytail and scarf—
I only now realize that she’s wearing a scarf,
—both billow in the wind moving throughout the room. Then, moving in Natsuki’s and my stunned silence, Monika crouches down on the desk before launching into a somersault. She flips multiple times through the air, landing in an exaggerated pose in front of us. Still crouched with one hand on the ground, she looks up and flashes a confident smirk. “I am a shadow darting across moonlit skies, and a flash of light reflected off of cold steel. I am…Karasu.”
Natsuki, while bewildered by Monika’s strange behavior, still manages to snark, “You’re acting like an idiot middle schooler right now, but I can’t lie, that was super impressive.”
I’m inclined to agree. I knew Monika was athletic, but I didn’t know she was a gymnast.
Standing up to her full height, Monika crosses her arms over her chest and gives Natsuki and I appraising looks up and down. I do the same to her, and notice the changes in her appearance since before she told me to wait outside the club room. The most obvious difference is the scarf wrapped around her neck. An alternating pattern of cream and warm brown stripes decorates its length, with a fringe of the same colors on each end. The scarf itself is thick, and its form hides the lower part of Monika’s face. Her bangs have seen a change in style, being parted in the middle, and it’s also difficult to ignore the medical eye patch now covering her left eye, though I don’t remember her having any sort of injury a few minutes ago.
“Hmph. You two are severely lacking in your attire. I know you’re just small fry, but you could at least try to look intimidating,” Monika remarks condescendingly, shaking her head in a disappointed fashion.
“You mean like you?” Natsuki shoots back, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Monika places a hand over her chest. “Precisely! Hmph, at least you have a good eye,” she preens, clearly not fazed by Natsuki’s insult.
Or perhaps she didn’t realize it was meant to be an insult?
It’s entirely possible she hit her head while she was alone. She’s acting like a completely different person right now.
Maybe I should check, then.
I break myself out of my stupor and approach Monika, holding my hand out. “Monika, are you—”
Monika jumps back while striking another exaggerated pose, this time in what looks to be a defensive martial arts stance. “It’s Karasu! And stay back, villainous cretin! Have you no sense of self preservation? Or do you wish to meet a swift end at my hands?”
“Honestly that sounds great right about now.”
Monika frowns in distaste as her visible eye slides over to peer at Natsuki. “Hmph. Such a defeatist attitude is not a good look on one of my arch-nemeses,” she spits, pointing a finger at said arch-nemesis.
I don’t mean to sound like Natsuki, but ugh! This is quickly wearing down my patience!
Truly. The one I relied on to be level headed in this club is currently…well, like this.
Massaging my forehead and letting out a frustrated sigh through my nose, I reign in my annoyance. “I just want to know if you’re okay, Monika. I’ve never seen you behave like this, and it’s—”
“KA-RA-SU! I see now that you worms have no intention of showing me the same respect I have extended to you! Hmph, no matter.” Monika then shifts to the side, concealing her left hand from view as she reaches into her pocket. She then retrieves and brandishes a ruler, held in front of her with a reverse grip. “I’ll make this quick.”
Hm, it’s a flexible ruler. It lessens the effect a little when it’s drooping downward like that.
I cover a small laugh with my hand. Natsuki lets out a snort.
This seems to set Monika off as the girl growls in anger. “Enough. You forfeit the privilege of last words! HAAA!!” Her shoes squeak on the wooden floor as she dashes forward, ruler poised to strike.
Startled, I stumble back and trip over my own shoes, falling to the ground. Natsuki glances at me and moves forward, planting herself between Monika and I. She puts her arms up to face Monika’s incoming attack, catching the taller girl’s wrists and stopping her charge in a surprising display of strength. Natsuki grunts while shoving Monika back.
Monika lets out another peal of odd laughter before leveling her ruler at Natsuki. “Not bad! That’s more like it, my foul tempered adversary!”
“Would you shut the fuck up already?” Natsuki snaps, her voice rising in volume.
“Ooh, and foul mouthed to match!”
Monika’s jab at Natsuki’s language makes the girl’s fists clench, and my eyes almost fool me into seeing steam coming from her ears.
“THAT’S IT! CUT THE SHIT YOU ANNOYING BITCH! DID YOU FORGET TO TAKE YOUR MEDS OR SOMETHING!?” Natsuki screams, clearly far past annoyance and well into anger. I can hear Natsuki’s voice echo into the hallway behind us, and I glance back in worry.
If a teacher were to hear what a disturbance these two are making, they would surely come running.
They’ll realize we aren’t doing our club activities. The literature club will be disbanded, and then I’ll be stuck in my old routine of solitude again. Without a club to force them to interact with me, the others will—
“NaaaaAAAAATS!”
I freeze upon hearing that voice come from the hallway. Soon after, the hurried footfalls of a certain girl reach my ears as well. Meanwhile the two girls in front of me are so caught up in their argument that they fail to notice the incoming fourth member.
Monika unsheathes a second ruler from her other pocket, this time a wooden one. “So you stopped my first strike. Hmph, no one before you has ever been able to say the same.” She crosses her two weapons before herself, settling into a crouch. “Let’s see how you handle this!”
Natsuki groans and drags her hands down her face in exasperation before putting her fists up in a guard. “Alright you know what? I tried. Let’s go, bitch. If you’re lucky I’ll knock your loose screws back into place!”
Oh no no no. Natsuki seems to be taking this fight seriously now. These two are going to kill each other! You have to stop them!
But knowing them they won’t listen to anything I say!
“Um, please you two, wait just a second…!” I try, but my voice is far weaker than theirs by this point.
Monika unleashes her second attack, this time faking Natsuki out with a nimble sidestep maneuver that amazes me just like her somersaults did. Coming around to strike from the side, Monika lashes out with a ruler. The blow glances off of Natsuki’s shoulder as the girl attempts to lean out of range, but doesn’t seem to affect her much. Natsuki retaliates by grabbing the ruler in Monika’s still extended hand and pulling her in, throwing the surprised club president off balance. As the two start to fall towards the ground, I partly cover my eyes with my hands, not wanting to see them hurt each other. Sayori, please come quickly!
Then, as if summoned by my thought, Sayori herself comes sprinting through the open classroom door. “I HEARD YOU NAT!!”
Sayori is already on a direct collision course with Natsuki, whom she locked onto, I assume, as soon as she saw the color pink.
No, it’s more likely she locked onto her before she even made it to the hallway outside.
Unable to move out of the way in time, I brace myself for the unpleasant outcome that is sure to come from this situation. As I watch chaos unfold, the world seems to slow. Her arms outstretched in what is undoubtedly a hug in waiting, Sayori’s face morphs from a gleeful and mischievous smile to a panicked look of horror as she trips over one of my legs, sending her careening towards the other bundle of limbs that is Monika and Natsuki. The two turn towards Sayori and display expressions similar to the one worn by the clumsy girl herself.
I wince once as Sayori trips over my foot, making it roll painfully, and again when the girls crash into a heap.
“Sorry, sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you two were gonna be all over each other!” Sayori babbles while pencil rolling away from the pile of bodies.
“Oh, but it would’ve been fine if it was just me? Damnit Sayo…” Natsuki grumbles. She rubs her head and stands from the floor, steadying herself with a hand on the desk beside her.
“Ehehe…yes?” Sayori tries, but is quickly silenced by an intense glare from Natsuki.
I haul myself to my feet, gingerly testing my weight on the leg that was unfortunate enough to be caught in Sayori’s path.
A sharp “Hmph!” draws our attention to Monika, who is now curled up in a ball with her legs towards the ceiling, her hands and head braced on the floor. With another wordless exclamation of exertion, Monika launches herself into the air by extending all of her limbs at once. She twists gracefully through her strange jump, her long hair and scarf drawing the arc cleanly behind her path, and I’m once again awed by her physical capability. Sayori claps and cheers as Monika lands back on her feet.
“I see my third and final arch-nemesis has finally decided to make her appearance! Hmph, it was a good idea to wait until I was fully engaged in combat with another. If not for that, I would’ve easily countered your attempt on my life,” Monika says while fixing her scarf, which had been disturbed in the scuffle.
Sayori looks completely lost, and when looking to Natsuki and I yields no answers, she places a thumb and index finger beneath her chin in a contemplative pose. “Hmmmmmm……”
Then she nods once, and her mischievous smile returns in full force. Raising her arms up and outward and lifting one knee, Sayori holds herself in a sloppy “crane” stance. “It doesn’t matter what you would’ve done. What happened is that I took advantage of your weakness! Um, you fiend!”
Monika’s eyes widen at Sayori’s words, the president momentarily breaking her animated act to smile, before schooling her features again. “Hmph. I see you have trained well. My master always told me that ‘honor is the enemy of victory.’ Were you perhaps taught the same?”
Sayori, now wobbling a bit on one leg, somehow manages to stay upright. “Wahahaha! I have no master. Everything I’ve learned has been through my own, um—”
“Okay, time out! Sayo stop going along with Monika! Can’t you see she’s acting like a total weirdo? Like she’s got…” Natsuki trails off before leaning over to whisper in Sayori’s ear, “chuunibyou.” Her whisper was definitely intended to be loud enough for Monika and I to hear it as well, and she spits the word as if it was poisoned. Sayori’s face lights up as soon as she hears it.
“‘Chuunibyou?’ Ahh right, it’s the word the unenlightened use to describe those like myself. Natsuki, I expected more from you,” Monika chides while shaking her head.
“Exhibit A,” Natsuki deadpans, jabbing a thumb in the afflicted club president’s direction.
Sayori, however, is busy searching in her bag for something. It takes her a few moments, and she has to wrest her arm from inside, but eventually she is able to retrieve a red bow hair clip. It would look identical to the one currently in her hair if not for the faded color and wrinkles marring its fabric, likely a result of its time buried deep in Sayori’s bag.
“Tadaaaa!” Sayori sings brightly, holding the clip out towards Natsuki, who cringes in disgust upon seeing the accessory.
“Oh hell no. Are you serious, Sayo? Why do you have that with you!?”
Sayori steps back aghast, holding the clip close to her chest. “Why wouldn’t I? I always make sure to have it with me!” She cries while shooting Natsuki a scandalized look, as if she couldn’t imagine being apart from the sad thing.
“You sure it’s not just because you never clean out your bag?” Natsuki bites back, still keeping her distance from Sayori and the clip.
The two younger girls’ odd behavior piques my curiosity. I know of their shared history as friends since childhood, however I haven’t heard many stories. Definitely nothing that would make Natsuki express such discomfort.
“Sayori, what is the significance of that clip, if I may ask?”
Sayori and Natsuki both turn to face me upon hearing my question. Sayori sports a giddy smile, and her eyes almost look like they have stars in them. Natsuki is the complete opposite.
“Hmph, I am also most interested to learn more about that hair clip. An artifact which holds such power over Natsuki is not to be taken lightly,” Monika chimes in, nodding to herself sagely.
It appears Monika is willing to collaborate with one of her arch-nemeses if it’s to tease Natsuki.
Natsuki casts an irritated glare at Monika. “It doesn’t ‘hold power’ over anything, idiot.”
“It holds a lot of power…” Sayori murmurs with a small frown, her fingers working to smooth out some of the wrinkles on the bow.
Natsuki replies by waving a hand in a shooing motion. “It’s just a stupid game Sayori and I used to play when we were little, kinda like what President Freakshow is doing now,” she grumbles dismissively.
An attempt to shift our focus with an insult directed at Monika.
And it’s clear she wants to make us drop the subject by making it sound uninteresting.
“Little? We played it up until we left middle school!” Sayori argues, puffing out her cheeks in an adorable pout.
Natsuki twitches.
“A-ahem! I mean…you always had so much fun with it, and it’s always been hard to say no to you, Sayori,” Natsuki stammers out, turning her head away from the rest of us.
Sayori scrunches up her face in confusion. “Wait, what? But I was usually just playing along, and you were the one who would start acting like a—”
“AAAHHHHBABABABABASHUTUP!”
Natsuki slaps a hand over Sayori’s mouth, her face lighting up with an intense blush.
To think, even Natsuki has shame over her own past actions. Seeing her so flustered makes her seem almost cute.
“Natsuki…could it be? You too used to be one of the enlightened!?”
Natsuki slowly turns her head towards Monika with an expression of annoyance and dread.
Monika gazes at Natsuki with a sort of reverence that makes me a bit jealous.
Then I remember that the reason for it is because Natsuki used to behave as strangely as Monika is now. Though it isn’t as if I’ve never done anything similar…
Shaking away that particularly embarrassing thought, my focus returns to the scene before me.
Monika has raised her weapons once again and is staring into Natsuki’s eyes. “I have no more reason to hold back. Show me your true strength!” she shouts, and nods in Sayori’s direction.
Sayori, mouth still covered but understanding Monika’s intention, offers the clip to Natsuki again.
Natsuki scoffs and backs away from Sayori, ending up next to me.
“You can just throw that thing away already,” Natsuki drawls, leaning back on one of the desks in the front row disinterestedly. Yet the slight edge to her voice betrays her feelings.
Monika shakes her head. “Hmph. A shame, I thought—“
“Throw it away…?” Sayori’s voice comes out low.
She wears the most serious expression I’ve ever seen on her face. Her hand is still outstretched, palm facing up, the hair clip still resting there.
Natsuki swallows. “Yeah. I don’t need it anymore. Haven’t for years.”
Seeing the hurt on Sayori’s face, I glance at Natsuki. “Natsuki. Just take it from her, and we can hopefully return to our normal club activities.”
“You understand little, Yuri! These two are on the verge of something great. I ask that you do not interfere further,” Monika announces, a little insensitively in my opinion. She then brings her flexible ruler to bear again, uttering a simple threat. “If you do, I will be forced to end you.”
Despite her words being no more threatening in content than before, something in her eyes tells me she is being completely serious this time. I take a step back, unconsciously raising my novel as if it were a shield.
“You don’t need it huh.” Sayori pauses, drawing the clip back in. She then places it down on the floor between her and Natsuki, and holds a hand out to the side. “Monika—”
“Karasu.”
“—I need one of your rulers.”
Monika tosses her wooden ruler towards Sayori, and the girl catches it successfully, if a bit inelegantly.
Sayori takes off her own hair clip and attaches it to one end of the ruler. She holds it to her chest vertically, closing her eyes as if in a silent prayer.
Then, her eyes flash open.
“COSMIC CUTIIIEEEEE, WAND!!”
“GAAAAAAHHHH!”
Natsuki rolls around on the floor, covering her ears and kicking her legs out in every direction.
“Still don’t need it!?” Sayori shouts at the downed Natsuki, waving her “wand” and pretending to send out what I presume are magical attacks. “Pick it up!”
“You…with a single strike!” Monika says, gazing at Sayori in awe.
The absurdity of this situation is laughable.
I sigh inwardly before stepping in between Natsuki, who is still rolling around on the ground, and her assailant. “Sayori, please stop attacking Natsuki. I’m sure she has learned her lesson by now…”
Sayori, blinded by rage, switches targets as soon as I enter her sight, and points her ruler at me. “Stay out of this! STARDUST VORTEX!”
I sigh audibly this time.
Sayori backs away from me in disbelief, the hand holding her weapon shaking. “I-it can’t be…stardust vortex had no effect!?”
I massage my forehead. “…I suppose not.”
“Yuri! I told you not to interfere with their battle! Why do you want to get in the way of this clash of fates between rivals!?” Monika demands, dramatically throwing her arm out to the side.
“That’s not really what I was trying to do…”
Sayori stands with her back turned to the rest of us, her head down and fists clenched. Her voice comes out shaky. “Am I…really so weak?” She slams a fist to the blackboard beside her. “Darn it all!”
“Um, my apologies…?”
“Nice assist, Yuri! She almost had me there,” Natsuki quips, standing from the floor and wiping her mouth as if she had been coughing up blood.
“Aren’t you starting to play along now?”
The girl plucks the worn hair clip from the floor, making Sayori’s expression lighten. However, she furrows her brow when Natsuki pockets the clip.
“Looks like I’m gonna have to show you how weak still using these makes you. I’ll snap you two outta your little chuuni trances right now,” Natsuki growls, cracking her knuckles menacingly.
Well, as menacing as she can look, really.
She steps forth to stand beside me, staring down the two afflicted with “chuunibyou.” It bolsters my confidence, at least a small amount. This is something I’ve noticed on the rare occasions it’s happened. Having Natsuki stand with me, even for something so childish, brings an odd sort of comfort. Security. As though she would never back down.
You have that correct, though it would more than likely only be to prove herself right. Stubborn is an apt description.
Hm.