Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Natsuki’s emotions had been conflicted for the past week. Walking down the hallway to lunch made her think about things her brain wanted to ignore. Ever since the day she confided in Yuri near the school stairs, she felt genuinely happy to have such friends to rely on. People who would accept her for who she was and always have her back. So that was a promising sign.

On the other hand, she lost friends who had meant a lot to her. Even if they were jerks, she still had some form of comradery towards them and good times to look back on. People she knew for a long time. And then, she ended it. Without even seeing their reactions.

After her fear subsided and she had time to herself, she felt simultaneously light and empty. Natsuki should feel good that she cut out the toxic people in her life and has more healthy relationships with her club members. Yet the feeling of loneliness hit harder than expected. The complicated emotions hurt her head as she groaned in frustration.

“Why am I still feeling this way?” She mumbled with her hands in her face. Suddenly, Natsuki heard some murmuring and looked around, not seeing anyone out of the ordinary or looking in her direction.

‘Jeez, I must be going crazy-‘

“Dealing with some rough shit?”

Shocked to hear an unfamiliar voice speaking to her, Natsuki turned to see a frankly odd sight. Two girls were in front of her, both looking pretty funny. The first girl was a short, chubby orange-haired gal with yellow eyes and short hair with two pigtails accompanied by yellow hair ties. The second girl was a taller, slimmer lady with long, dark-blue hair that reminded her of Yuri’s hairstyle. She had blue eyes and a red comically-sized bow that surprisingly fit her well. Natsuki stared for a moment before giving an eloquent, “Huh?”

“Oh sorry,” the blue hair girl started with a smile, “My girlfriend here has a loud mouth and can’t keep her thoughts to herself sometimes.”

‘Girlfriend? You can announce that kinda thing so casually?’ Natsuki thought as she tried to formulate a response. “Uh, it’s fine, I guess.”

Now that she thought about it, she hasn’t seen these two girls around the school before. Were they new? Besides her club members, she hasn’t seen anyone quite as colorful as these two. They looked so out of place compared to the other students. “You guys just transferred here or something?”

“Yeah, the first school we were at was shit, so now we’re here,” the orange-haired lass spoke with a hint of edge to her voice. The long-haired girl smiled apologetically and said, “Forgive her rough tone, people around here haven’t exactly been super nice to us since we’ve arrived.”

Natsuki nodded awkwardly, responding with, “It’s fine, I get it. People around here can kinda suck.” A moment of silence followed. “Ahem, Well, I’m sure if you find the right people, you guys will be good.” She turned to walk towards the cafeteria when she was interrupted by an excitable voice.

“Well so far you’re the only person who hasn’t glared or shown fear at us so, maybe we already have!” With a Cheshire Cat smile, the tall gal extended her hand to the pinkette and said, “My name's Pipimi and this is Popuko. It’s nice to meet you! What’s your name?”

Natsuki didn’t know how a random groan somehow led to this situation and honestly, her comfort zone was being pushed. She wanted nothing more than to leave this conversation. Then again, these girls seemed like they were having a hard time trying to fit in. What if this meeting ended up being a blessing in disguise like the Literature Club was? It was entirely possible; however, if she was to do this, she would do it cautiously.

“The name’s Natsuki. Same to you.” She shook both girl's hands, with Popuko’s grip being more firm than Pipimi’s. Natsuki’s stomach began to grumble and in slight embarrassment, she said “Heh, guess we should be gettin’ to lunch now.”

“Lead the way, boss!” The gal named Pipimi shouted enthusiastically.

After a few minutes of walking to the cafeteria and getting some lackluster food, the odd trio found a table to sit at. Knowing nothing about these girls, Natsuki admittedly felt a little awkward as Popuko and Pipimi seemed to be chatting without recognizing her presence. This feeling was familiar, one she was used to. Maybe after this, she could go to class, these girls would forget about her, and things would go back to—

“Hey, how do you feel about manga?” Natsuki looked up in surprise to see that Popuko had addressed her. Was this a trick question? Were these girls trying to make fun of her? The question sounded genuine but could’ve been a trap. Before she could think of a response, Popuko pulled out something from her bag Natsuki just now noticed she had on her. “Cause I made a manga myself.” Popuko grinned in self satisfaction. Natsuki could not believe what was happening.

Pipimi clapped lightly while saying, “Yes, my darling Popuko is a talented artist whose work has gone unrecognized by the close minded public.” Popuko blushed from those words and Natsuki cracked a smile with how slightly adorable the scene was.

Natsuki looked at the cover. “Pop Team Epic?” As she started looking through the pages, she was honestly impressed with the artwork and how the cute artstyle worked with the crude humor. Comedy manga weren’t her all time favorite, however she could appreciate some from time to time. Some of the panels even got chuckles out of her.

“Wow, this is actually really good! Looks so dang professional. Did you actually do this yourself, Popuko?”

“Of course I drew this! All of my fuckin’ sweat and tears and spit went into making this,” the lemon-eyed girl said with a gleam in her eyes. Pipimi rolled her eyes affectionately.

The analogy was gross, yet Natsuki could see how real the passion was in the pages. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to admit it. “Well to answer your question, manga is literally my life. And yours is actually really cool!” Instead of the cocky smirk, Popuko had a real smile for the first time and mumbled a thanks toward her.

A warm feeling fully enveloped Natsuki for the first time in a week and she felt happier than she expected. Her earlier fears were still lingering but lessened the more she listened to what the girls were saying. Taking the first step is scary, but it’s also the most important step in building a relationship. She decided to be brave and start truly befriending these two strange girls. “Also, you didn’t actually spit in this, did you?”

Chapter Text

Two weeks had passed since Natsuki befriended Popuko and Pipimi. Her worries about being bullied or ignored were unfounded, as Natsuki and the girls hung out as often as they could. As a group, Natsuki had so much fun, but also some realizations. During this time, she began to learn things about the unusual pair.

Popuko and Pipimi were both aggressive girls. Both in the trash talking way and that they were very willing to fight anyone who talked smack to the friend group. The aggression was never directed towards Natsuki but sometimes it did make her feel nervous.

Last weekend, the trio went to a mall to hang out for the first time. Unprompted, a middle-aged man shouted sexual comments towards them. The result was Popuko buying a full can of soda and chucking it as hard as she could at the man, while Pipimi used every degrading swear in the book to rub salt in the wound. They left the mall in a hurry and spent the rest of the day at a park instead.

The second thing Natsuki noticed was that the two girls had odd ways of showing affection. Popuko went from being super suspicious towards her to involving her in everything, enough so that she added Natsuki to her ‘Pop Team Epic’ manga, which she thought was a sweet gesture. Pipimi, on the other hand, could read her like a book. Anytime Natsuki felt down, Pipimi always had words of comfort and it was nice. Oddly enough, sometimes it felt like the red-bowed girl could read her mind.

The final thing she learned still dumbfounds her when she thinks about it: Despite how very bizarre they are, Popuko and Pipimi were way better than her old friends. Natsuki never felt scared to speak up or obligated to kiss up to them with cupcakes alone. She still made the gals her famous cat-cakes, however it felt more like a gift than an obligation. Even the duo’s teasing was friendly in nature, for once not making Natsuki feel like absolute garbage afterwards.

These girls weren’t the Literature Club. No one could replace them. However, it would be a lie to say there wasn’t something special with Natsuki’s new friendships. Now she just needed to not lose them too.

Around lunchtime, the trio sat at their usual table, chatting up a storm about how Popuko found the worst manga she had ever read.

“Oh Popu-Chan, you’re so fuckin funny!” Pipimi exclaimed as she slammed the table with her fists.

While Pipimi was laughing up a storm at Popuko’s crude descriptions of the story, a random thought came to Natsuki that she’s surprised she didn’t ask earlier. “Hey, can I ask you guys something?”

When Pipimi got ahold of herself, she wiped a tear and said, “You’re already asking us something but sure Nats, go ahead.”

Ignoring the nickname she wasn’t too fond of, Natsuki asked, “How did you both get together? And don’t you guys ever feel scared about being so bold about your relationship? You know how some people can be.” This question seemed to surprise both of the girls as they went wide eyed for a moment before going back to normal.

Popuko started with a lazy smile, “Well firstly, why should we give a fuck about what some nobody thinks of our love? I don’t, and if anyone dares try to talk shit about my Pipimi-Chan, I’ll just beat their ass.” She cracked her knuckles to emphasize her point.

Pipimi continued on, “I feel the same way. Also, why wouldn’t I want to show off how cute Popu-Chan is?” She tickled Popuko’s chin with her finger, causing her to smile like a goofy idiot. She carried on with, “And it’s quite simple how we got together.” Natsuki paid full attention as she shuffled on her seat in anticipation. “One day around middle school, I was walking down the halls and saw Popuko. She was yelling to try and get attention to her manga, which was just starting at the time. Everyone else was either startled or confused, but me? I know this sounds clichè, but just by seeing her, I knew she was my everything. We warmed up to each other very quickly and became the best of friends. I confessed to her, she felt the same and we’ve been terrorizing haters as a couple ever since.”

A few seconds passed. Then Natsuki blurted out, “Uh, is that it?”

Pipimi raised an eyebrow at this reaction. “Yeah? Is there an issue?”

“Yeah, you should be swooning at how adorable that love story was!” Popuko said in an exaggerated voice.

Natsuki waved her hand nonchalantly. “Nah. Well, kinda. With how lovey-dovey the two of you are, I was expecting, I don’t know, like a grand love story that developed overtime. But you guys fell in love at first sight? I don’t mean to be a jerk, but it seems impossible.”

Pipimi shrugged her shoulders. “It’s different for everyone. Some people slowly fall in love over the years, while me and Popuko are planning our honeymoon in Brazil. Speaking of which,” she began with a mischievous expression, “why are you so curious? Is there something we should know?”

Natsuki blushed at the insinuation and began stammering, “N-no, of course not! Can’t a girl ask about romance without having a crush on someone else?”

Popuko’s cat-like grin widened as she realized it was Natsuki teasing time. “Oh? Pipimi didn’t say shit about liking someone, that was all you.” She got closer to the pink girl’s face, a cocky smirk staying the whole time. “Sooo, who’s the lucky boy?”

Natsuki recoiled at the idea. “There’s no boy!”

Pipimi returned Popuko’s grin and said, “Ok, so is it a girl?” Natsuki’s body froze up and her silence told the blue-haired girl her answer. “Natsuki.” Pipimi grabbed her shoulders and looked deep into her dark, pink eyes. “You need to tell us EVERYTHING.”

At this point, Natsuki had to weigh her options. Option one: She could lie, they’d see through her lie and won’t ever shut up about it. Option two: She tells them the truth and they won’t ever shut up about it. Option three: She pretends they don’t exist anymore so hopefully they stop asking and get bored.

She knew option three would never work and option one would just delay the inevitable. So, albeit reluctantly, she went with option two. “She’s a girl from the Club I go to.” This was technically the truth, just not the whole truth—

“Oh, so someone from the Literature Club?” At this, Natsuki’s proverbial jaw dropped.

“Wha- how would you have ever guessed that?!” Natsuki asked incredulously.

“Simple. Rarely in this school is a club with female members only and since you hang out with us, you don’t seem to be the type who would go for the bigger clubs.” Somehow, her intuition was scarier than the fact that Pipimi could absolutely take down a grown man if she wanted to. “So, let’s rule Monika out.”

“Ok, now you’re just mocking me,” Natsuki replied as she increasingly got irritated.

“Perish the thought Nats, she just doesn’t seem to be your type, that’s all. All we have left is the other members. So, who is it?” Pipimi once again inquired.

“Yeah, I know it’s been a joke but I’m actually curious at this point,” Popuko added.

Natsuki, knowing she was not getting out of this, sighed in defeat. “Fine. Her name is Sayori.” At this, Popuko could not stop smiling and Pipimi looked on in intrigue. “She was the first person to make me feel welcome to the Literature Club and… I don’t know, everyday is just so fun with her and I feel like I could just hang out with her forever and I’ve been having these weird feelings that haven’t gone away no matter how many times I’ve tried to ignore-”

The pink-haired girl felt a hand on her shoulder. Surprisingly, it was Popuko. “Breathe dude. You’re ok. It’s just us.”

Natsuki looked at Popuko in surprise. After a moment, she took a deep breath and, more slowly, said, “I mean, yeah I have a crush on her, but like... Does she feel the same way? And even if she does, would it be too much for me? She came on a little strong when we first became friends, so I guess I'm kinda scared of the same thing happening again if we start dating… So I just assumed the best option for both of our friendships is to just not even bother trying.”

The silence that overtook all three girls at that moment was intense, with Popuko opening her mouth to say something, only to close it in uncertainty. Natsuki averted her eyes from her friends, not daring to look at them. “Listen, you girls really don’t need to worry about it-“

“What?!”

Natsuki jumped in surprise, realizing the one who yelled wasn’t Popuko. “Pipimi?”

“Natsuki, you absolutely can NOT just give up on this. I can tell this is eating you up inside and you will feel even shittier if you just keep it all bottled up.” She went up to Natsuki and looked deep into her eyes. “I know that the concept of confessing is fucking terrifying, but you are not alone. You have us now!” She emphasized by motioning her arms to herself and her girlfriend. “I truly believe that if you let us help, you will be able to confess and most likely even have the feelings be mutual. You just need to believe in us… Please.”

Natsuki didn’t know what to think. She has never seen such a determined side of Pipimi before. At least, not when it comes to anything besides Popuko. However, when she said those words, it shook Natsuki to her core. With these two, will it really be possible? She looked towards her friends' expectant faces and once again, decided to make a risky choice.

“Ok, we can try,” Natsuki said with an uncertain smile. Pipimi looked relieved as she regained her trademark grin. As Popuko cheered, the mood lightened around the trio.

“Hell yeah!” Popuko exclaimed. “Now all you have to do is confess your undying love to her.”

Natsuki immediately deadpanned. “Popuko, you know that’s not gonna fucking work-” She slapped her hands around her mouth once she realized what she said.

“About fucking time! I knew we’d get you to slip at some point!” Pipimi began to join Popuko in the giggling.

Natsuki facepalmed in embarrassment and responded with, “Let’s just come up with a real plan already.”

Chapter Text

Monika was having a very relaxing day. Most of her classes went by in a breeze, she had a lovely chat with Yuri around lunch, and she and Sayori arrived at the club early to set up. Everything was business as usual.

That was until Yuri charged into the room with uncharacteristic vigor.

This surprised Monika as Yuri had a very concerned look plastered all over her face. She truly hoped nothing was wrong. Before she could speak up, she saw Yuri daintily walking towards her. 'I shouldn’t stress her out by staring. Let’s let her explain what’s up.' Once her train of thought was done, the purple-haired girl was right next to her and cleared her throat.

"Oh! Hi, Yuri! You're here early.”

"Yes, because I was hoping to talk to you about Natsuki,” Yuri said in a determined tone.

"Is something wrong?"

"I don't know—which is what I'm hoping to discuss."

"Alright, you have the floor!"

"Right, so..." Yuri pauses as she attempts to find her words. "Natsuki left me alone during lunch today, which is fine, but...apparently it's because she made some new friends."

Monika raises an eyebrow. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"I know," Yuri grunts, "and this is probably just my mind leaping to the worst case scenario again, but... I fear she might be making the same mistake twice—does that make sense?"

"Hmm... If I remember right, I do remember reading that people who experienced abusive relationships in the past are more likely to find themselves in abusive relationships in the future..." Monika thought with her hands to her chin.

"That's roughly what I'm afraid of, but how can we really know for sure?"

"Well, we can't, really—not without poking into her personal life, that is," Monika stated factually.

"So we just stand by and do nothing?"

"Not necessarily! I think the most important thing for us to do is make her feel safe. That way, if she is getting mistreated by her new friends, we'll be the first to know!"

"I see." Yuri turns to leave, but quickly turns back. "How exactly should I do that?"

A slight smile forms on Monika's face. "Leave that part up to Sayori and me—we're kinda good at that!"

With a quick nod, Yuri dutifully turns and proceeds to her seat.

Natsuki still wasn’t confident if this plan was perfect. Oh sure, it was way better than most of the suggestions that Popuko gave for the past two days, but it still didn’t stop her from being worried things could go wrong. As she and the excitable duo walked down the hall, she remembered the conversation leading up to this situation.

“No, again, that is a stupid idea!” Natsuki exclaimed.

Popuko frowned and exclaimed, “Listen, we cannot help with shit if you just keep shutting down our ideas! Maybe if we actually knew what she was like, we’d have better plans!”

As if a lightbulb lit up, Pipimi eagerly replied, “Popuko, you beautiful woman who will be my wife, you’ve just given us the answer.”

Popuko blushed with a sheepish response, “W-what answer?”

“Well, obviously we go to the Literature Club! We observe how Natsuki and Sayori’s dynamic works, and we act accordingly.” Pipimi’s eyes ignited with fire as she began imagining the plan. “The other benefit being the other club members, who could possibly help us get some insight on her as well.”

Natsuki realized what she was putting down and replied, “Oh yes! This could actually work!” She bit her lip in concentration as she said, “Ok, after school I will go into the club room and ask Monika if I can show around some new people who want to join the Literature Club. You both have to make an effort to seem like you actually care about literature, otherwise this plan falls apart.”

Popuko groaned and said, “Ugh I’m already not doing that well with grades, and now I have to do more reading?”

Pipimi kissed her cheek and replied, “This is for a good cause, love. And don’t worry, I will help you with anything you need.” Popuko blushed again and didn’t retort after that.

“Alright, I’ll meet up with you girls at the end of the day.”

The trio of colorful gals have arrived at the clubroom door. Natsuki lowered her voice and said, “Ok, I’m gonna go in there and ask Monika if she’s cool with you guys checking out the club. If yes, I’ll say you can come in, if not, we can try again another day.”

“What!?” Popuko hissed quietly. “I’m missing my Ultraseven show right now!”

Pipimi conked Popuko on the head softly. “We’ll watch it later Popu-Chan. You’ve got this Nats!”

Natsuki took a deep breath and opened the clubroom. She spotted Monika chatting with Yuri at her desk and Sayori reading at her desk. Monika’s smile seemed brighter than usual as she said, “Oh, hello Natsuki! I’m surprised you’re here this early.”

Natsuki grinned sheepishly and responded, “Heh, yeah. Hey Monika, sorry for interrupting your guy’s conversation but can I ask you for a favor?”

Monika raised her eyebrow but kept her grin. “As long as it isn’t at the expense of our club members, sure! What do you have in mind?”

Natsuki rubbed the back of her head as she began to explain. “Well, I have two girls who are actually interested in the club and they’ve asked me to come show them around. You know, to see if they’re interested.”

Hearing this, Sayori got up from her desk and became involved in the conversation. “New people? Yay! How did you find them?”

Natsuki couldn’t help but smile at Sayori’s infectious enthusiasm. “They’re both really good friends of mine and when I mentioned this club, they wanted to see what it was like.”

Sayori squeed. “Oh my god, this is so exciting! Monika, we can meet new club members and potentially some new friends!”

Monika put her hands up. “Alright, slow down Sayori, we don’t want to overwhelm these girls before they even get a chance to look around.” She turned her attention to Natsuki and said, “Ok Natsuki, you may show them around the club!”

With that confirmation, Natsuki yelled, “Alright gals, you can come in now!” After a second, the two girls walked in with Yuri giving an audible “Oh my,” while Sayori had wide eyes. Already wasn’t the best start, but this could still be salvaged.

“Sup,” Popuko simply said, ignoring the concerned faces of the other two girls.

“It is very lovely to meet you all. I’m Pipimi and this is Popuko. Natsuki has told us a lot about you girls,” Pipimi said calmly.

“Wait… I know you girls! You’re the ones rumoured to be with the mafia!” Sayori called out.

Tense silence entered the room with all eyes on Pipimi as she frowned. “Well, shit.”

Chapter Text

While Yuri looked shocked at Pipimi’s swearing, Monika laughed nervously and tried to salvage this interaction. “Sayori, that isn’t very nice. You shouldn’t be so rude to our guests-“

“Actually,” Pipimi interrupted, “The rumors are semi accurate.” Despite the shocked looks she was suddenly receiving, Pipimi continued, “In our old school, Popuko and I were constantly harassed and bullied for being queer and “not normal” to put it lightly. And, well, we were tired of taking everyone’s shit.” Yuri flinched again. “So, the one time we finally fight back, we get caught, blamed and transferred here. Suddenly, rumors started to spread, making things seem worse than they actually were. Like, the fucking mafia?” Pipimi laughed at the idea. “Ah, the things people come up with.”

Popuko spoke up. “Yeah, but now we’re here to get a new fresh start and it wouldn’t have been possible without our best buddy Natsuki here,” she pointed to Natsuki who had been desperately trying to wrap her head around what she just heard. “So please miss Club President lady, don’t judge us for our shitty past, but rather how we act now.”

“Well said Popu-Chan!” Pipimi said cheerily.

Monika was just as confused as everyone else seemed. The prevalent thought that repeated in her head was, 'These are Natsuki’s friends?!' However, as she thought more about it, a realization hit her. 'No, this is perfect. Yuri was so concerned about what her friends were like and now we have that chance to see it for ourselves. They seem genuine enough, and these girls have clearly been through some hard times. They deserve a chance.' Monika returned Pipimi’s cheery grin with her trademark smile as she said, “Fair enough. Welcome to the Literature Club, Popuko and Pipimi! Just, please try not to swear too much here.”

Yuri raised her hand. "Monika, may I have a word with you?"

"Uh, sure?"

As she headed for the door, Yuri gestured for Monika to follow. The former wore a serious expression as she led the way out, and the latter shut the door behind them both.

Once they were out in the hallway, Yuri positioned herself along the wall, out of view from the classroom windows. Monika followed suit, positioning herself to where she could see Yuri and the doorway into the clubroom—just in case they were interrupted.

Noticing the dead air developing, Monika spoke first: "What's up?"

"I object to these new members joining the club, especially so soon." Yuri had her arms behind her back, presumably to help boost her confidence.

"Huh?! I mean..." Monika paused for a moment to pick her words carefully. "I guess I'm confused... Why don't you want to give them a chance?"

"Because they seem to have a criminal history, from what Sayori implied."

"Well, they said that was a misunderstanding, so..."

"That's their version of events, which even then admits to violent behavior."

"I mean, is it that much of a problem if it's in the name of self-defense?"

"Self-defense according to whom? If they're the sole arbiters of 'self-defense,' then that's little more than vigilantism."

Monika ran a hand through her hair as she thought of a way to answer that. "...You can at least relate with being made fun of, and... you know, wanting that sort of revenge, right?"

Yuri crossed her arms. "Yes, but I never would've acted upon such violent impulses. It's barbarism in its purest form. In fact, if we follow that line of reasoning, then—"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait..." Monika raised her hands defensively, realizing that Yuri might say something she didn't mean if allowed to continue. "Alright, but...answer me this: Why would Natsuki befriend them if they were such...'savages'?"

"Well..." Yuri brought one hand to her chin. "Natsuki doesn't exactly have the best track record when selecting friends..."

"I kind of meant that as a rhetorical question... Ahaha!"

"Oh!" The tension in the air seemed to pop as Yuri's sheepish demeanor returned. "Sorry..."

"No, no, you're fine! Though, I kinda hate that you have a point..."

"Indeed, so..." She trailed off.

"So, shouldn't we keep an eye on them, like in the club, to make sure that they're not mistreating her like her old friends did?"

"Mm..."

Although the objections ceased, Monika could still feel that Yuri had some reservations. She beckoned Yuri to follow her as she strode over to one of the benches lining the corridor. After taking a seat for herself, she patted an open spot next to her for Yuri to take a seat. The quiet girl obliged, albeit at arm's length.

"You're still uncomfortable with them joining, huh?" Monika prompted.

"Yes." Her answer was firm, but her voice was weak.

"Any idea why?"

A long pause ensued. It took Yuri a long while to finally get her thoughts in order, but eventually she answered: "I think the club is getting too crowded for my tastes."

"Oh?"

"I told you before that I have difficulty socializing when there are too many people present, or when everyone else is getting too silly for me to keep up with. Well, I think that we're approaching that limit now, and I fear that these new members are liable to be closer to Natsuki and Sayori's level of energy than ours."

"I understand... You're worried that the club will get too hectic and noisy, when you prefer reading in quiet environments?"

"Exactly. I use the club as an opportunity to decompress in relative solitude after a stressful day of classes, so..."

"So it scares you that you might lose that oasis of relaxation?"

"Correct."

"I see. Well, I wouldn't want that, since the—"

"The Literature Club should be happy for everyone."

"Exactly, ahaha!"

"So..." Finally, Yuri met Monika's gaze. "What are you planning to do about it?"

"Well, I was thinking we let them into the club, and just see how things develop. If you ever feel like it's getting to be too much, then let me know and we can think of how to address the situation. If we both decide that they need to go, then they need to go. Does that sound good to you?"

Yuri shook her head. "I don't seem to be the best judge of when it's 'getting to be too much' until it's already far too late. I don't want us to only realize the error after I've already gotten into an argument with them, like I did with Natsuki."

"Hm... How about we do check-ins every once in a while? Like this, just talking one-on-one to see how things are going?"

"Mm, I'd rather not receive special treatment... It tends to come with unwanted attention in my experience. After all, if we keep excusing ourselves from the clubroom every week, eventually the others will notice, right?"

Monika stroked her chin for a second. "Yeah, that's valid..." Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. "How about a sleepover?"

"Pardon?"

"Like, if we hang out on the weekends, just the two of us, then you can tell me about your week! And if you just so happen to mention anything related to the club, it can be, like, super casual! Would that work?"

"Hmm... I can see the sense in it, but... would it be alright with you if we don't socialize all that much?"

"Sure! I can bring my laptop, and we can just hang out for a while. I don't even have to spend the night or anything—whatever works for you!"

"I see..." Yuri stayed quiet for a moment as she stared at the floor, before turning to face Monika again. "Very well. I'll need to speak with my parents first, but I expect they'll be okay with it. I think it's a good idea, especially since it means we won't need to avoid the other club members."

"It’s a date!” Quickly realizing her phrasing, Monika looked for a change in topic: “So does this mean you'll let the new members in?"

"Well, that isn't my decision to make; but if you choose to do that, you'll have my support."

"Ahaha, perfect! How about we head back inside, then?"

"Mhm. I'll message you tonight to iron out our weekend arrangements, but until then..." Yuri abruptly stood up. "Thank you for hearing me out."

Monika beamed as she stood up as well. "Anytime!"

With that, the two of them headed back to the clubroom.

Popuko raised an eyebrow. “What the hell was that about? Does the purple girl not like us or something?”

“No, not at all! She’s really sweet, I promise!” Sayori insisted.

“If you say so.”

Sayori then lightly tapped her fingertips together as she nervously said, “Sorry for assuming you girls were scary mobsters. That was a bit silly of me, huh?”

“Nah, honest mistake, yer all good,” Popuko nonchalantly replied.

The coral-haired gal then dawned a more serious look as she said, “I’m also so sorry about what happened at your old school. Don’t be afraid to be yourselves, you’re totally safe in the Club!”

It was Pipimi’s turn to look oddly nervous as she said, “No, please don’t worry about it, it wasn’t all bad. The whole thing was just an annoyance that became a bit much and we decided to have a fresh start.”

“Well, ok, just know you can talk to me or Monika about it if you need it!”

“Duly noted,” Pipimi softly replied.

While the President and bookworm talked outside, the pinkette thought this conversation was a bit strange. She couldn’t figure out why exactly, but one thing she did know is she needed to talk to the girls about the “being badly bullied” thing later. Right now, it was time to lighten up the mood and introduce the resident cinnamon roll.

“So, Popuko, Pipimi, this is my best friend, Sayori. She’s the vice president of the literature club and the world’s biggest dork.” Sayori bashfully smiled and waved.

Noticing the opportunity, Popuko went, "Didja hear what Natsuki said, Sayori? Are you just gonna let her say that?!"

"Wait a minute, yeah! That was kinda mean!" Sayori started with a mock glare on her face towards Natsuki.

"You should teach her a lesson! Just, grab her by the collar and give her a big ol' smooch on the lips!" Natsuki blushed heavily and scowled at Popuko angrily.

"Yeah, I should—what?!"

"It's just a joke, relax. That's how I like to joke with people."

"Oooooh, I see! Yeah, and then I should kiss you, too!"

"Oh, no no no, the joke's only between you and Natsuki. I already have a girlfriend," Popuko replied with her hands up defensively.

At this, Sayori’s eyes widened. “Girlfriend? Does that mean you’re both dating?”

“Guilty as charged~,” Pipimi sing-songed as she wrapped her arm around Popuko’s waist, with Popuko’s smile growing a bit wider.

“They really are this lovey-dovey, I promise you’ll get used to it, Sayo,” Natsuki added, which made Sayori snicker.

'Sayo? They’re on a nickname basis? ' Pipimi thought as she decided to see how the scene would play out.

The girl with coral colored hair blew a raspberry at Natsuki before giving the brightest smile Popuko had ever seen at both girls. “Well, it’s so very great to officially meet you girls! Welcome to the Literature Club! Oh wait, Monika already said that. I really hope you both will have so much fun here with all of us! I promise literature isn’t boring.”

“... You are exactly how Natsuki described ya,” Popuko said with a grin. She put her hand out for a proper greeting.

“I hope that’s a good thing!” The bubbly girl replied as she eagerly accepted and shook Popuko’s arm super fast, nearly tearing it out of the socket.

“Yes, it’s very nice to meet you Sayori. I hope that we can become friends,” said Pipimi.

“Of course! Any friend of Natsuki’s is automatically a friend of mine!” She stopped for a moment and attempted a more casual face. “If you’re fine with it, that is.”

“Of course,” Pipimi replied joyfully. As they shook hands, Pipimi had time to get her thoughts together. 'I could’ve sworn I saw something there, but now is definitely not the time to make assumptions. I need to see more before I have a proper conclusion on their dynamics…'

Popuko excitedly went over to Sayori and asked, “You wanna see a really cool manga?”

“Oh, sure!” Sayori said, intrigued.

'Well now, isn’t this a familiar scene,' Natsuki hummed as she saw Sayori’s face lit up at Popuko’s manga.

“You drew all of this yourself?? You’re an artist like me! Ooo, art buddies!” Sayori said, hugging Popuko.

“I’ll need to see your art sometime,” Popuko chuckled, not used to someone other than Pipimi hugging her.

Monika and Yuri finally return to the classroom, with Monika taking the main stage. “Okay everyone! It's my pleasure to announce that by unanimous consent, Popuko and Pipimi are officially members of the Literature Club! ...As 'official' as anyone can be, at least. Ahaha!"

Popuko cheered in celebration while Pipimi bowed her head respectfully.

“So for your first assignment, I’d like one of you to bring a book to share for the Club tomorrow. After that, you’re all dismissed for the day!”

Nine rounds of rock-paper-scissors later, it was decided Pipimi would go first. While everyone got ready to go home, Natsuki walked over to the duo.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe that worked so well!” The pinkette then went in front of Popuko, smiled, and quickly gripped her in a headlock. “You almost blew my cover, Popuko! You remember the reason why we’re here right?”

“Ok ok, I get it, I get it!” Popuko cackled while Pipimi snickered. After Natsuki let go, Popuko explained, “But you saw she’s clearly fine with such jokes. And, she didn’t say no~”

Natsuki groaned and said, “Whatever. Let’s just try to get through tomorrow without any more incidents. You guys were close to being kicked out of here.”

“Don’t worry Nats,” Pipimi said, putting her arm around her. “Everything will be just fine.” She emphasized this with a wink to no one in particular, eliciting a cheer from the live-studio audience.

“... Why did you do that?”

Chapter Text

“I’m sorry, what?!” Natsuki asked in absolute disbelief.

“Yeah, so then the Bulk is running around the desert while stock animations of random things found on random websites just show up, Zeus throws a thunderbolt and then they nuke the Bulk while the song ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ plays in the background,” Popuko explained as if this was a normal thing.

“… Popuko, literally what are you talking about?”

“I’m just saying what happened, no joke,” Popuko said nonchalantly.

It was an average Friday. Natsuki, Popuko and Pipimi were walking towards the club, chatting about random stuff. Somehow the conversation turned to Popuko talking about a weird film she saw the night before.

“Yes, Popu-Chan likes her bizarre films. Sometimes it can be quite fun because you’ll never know what you’re getting into!” Pipimi said with her trademark cheerfulness.

Natsuki gave Pipimi a flat stare as she replied, “Pipimi, you like anything Popuko does. If she decided to become a yakuza tomorrow, I bet you’d praise how tough she is.”

The taller girl responded, “Tsk, tsk, tsk Nats, I would love her more than just her strength if she became a yakuza.” Then, like a starving woman finding a meal, she began slightly drooling. “Although that would be really hot~”

Natsuki wondered how she was able to say those kinds of things with a straight face. No, that wasn’t right. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but the pink girl admired how Pipimi can say these things with absolute confidence. Maybe if she ever got with Sayori she could do the same thing? Ok maybe not exactly what Pipimi said, but something close. ‘I wouldn’t drool at the thought of Sayori. Probably.’ There wasn’t more time to think about that totally important thought before they made it to the club.

As the trio entered, it was a serene scene. Monika was happily in conversation with Sayori, and Yuri was reading a book in her seat. Natsuki almost didn’t want to ruin the moment with a greeting.

That was Popuko’s pleasure entirely. “Wassap bitches?” This resulted in halting Monika and Sayoris conversation, Yuri looking up from her book with a scowl, Natsuki facepalming in disappointment and Pipimi smacking the back of Popuko’s head.

“Sorry Monika, Popuko is still not used to the whole not-swearing thing,” Pipimi said apologetically.

Monika, recovering from the interruption, said, “Oh, you’re good! I’m just glad you’re keeping it in mind. Now, we’ve got 10 minutes before we start activities, so go ahead and relax for a little while.”

Pipimi nodded as she and Popuko followed Natsuki’s lead to the closet. They huddled together so as to not let anyone hear their conversation. Natsuki was the first to speak up. “Ok so, what should we do, what’s the plan?”

“So, if I’m right, we actually don’t need a super complex plan.” Before Pipimi continued, she paused and saw Monika calmly walking out of the room, a very sheepish Yuri in tow. 'They’re going in the hallway again? Where are they running off to?'

“Uh Pipimi, something about an idea?” Popuko said, snapping her fingers near her face.

“Right, uh, before I say my idea, I have a question. Natsuki, how often does Monika talk with Yuri?”

The pink girl gave her a questioning look. “Eh, once in a while. Yuri tends to keep to herself and Monika has her own circle of friends—why do you ask?”

"Oh, I'm just noticing that every day since we got here, those two seem to be running off to have some kind of private conversation. That's all."

Now Natsuki was confused. "Huh? What do you mean? You just got here yesterday, and the club JUST started."

"Indeed, and they're already gone."

"They are?" Natsuki peeks out from the closet to find that, sure enough, Sayori's now the only one still in the clubroom. "Huh, I guess so..."

"Do they usually do this?"

"Not really, no."

'Hm, it's a new development, then. Intriguing, I'll look into that in a bit.' “Anyways, let’s invite Sayori over here to see how you both interact since yesterday we barely saw anything,” Pipimi spelled out.

“I guess that’s fair,” Natsuki said.

“Oh I got this one. Hey, Sayori, your girlfriend's waiting for you in the closet!” Popuko called out.

"'Girlfriend...'?" Sayori asked confusingly.

"Yeah: she's a girl, she's your friend, and she's in the closet. Your closeted girl-friend."

"Oooh, I get it now! Alright, I'll be right over!" Natsuki sometimes hated Popuko, but she was at least relieved that the joke flew over Sayori’s head.

That relief didn’t last long however, as Popuko took out one of the comics with a smug expression. “Hey Nats, why do these manga covers have a bunch of naked ladies on them?” 

“D-don’t look at those!” Natsuki blurted out. This was the absolute worst time for this to happen as Sayori joined the group.

“Dang Popuko, I’m sorry for not warning you about that, some of Natsuki’s mangas are a bit too much for school. I promise, she’s just using this closet for space, nothing else!” Sayori said reassuringly. Natsuki wanted to die.

“Ah yes of course, for ‘space.’ Not anything else.” If looks could kill, Popuko would be dust under the pink girl’s stare.

“Well, even if she’s a bit of a perv, Natsu’s still a woman of cute and I love her!” She proved her point by hugging Natsuki by the waist.

“Sayori, I told you I’m not cute,” Natsuki whined, not really struggling out of her grasp.

“C’mon, admit it and I’ll let go.”

“Never!” Natsuki yelled while laughing.

Popuko and Pipimi looked on in disbelief. “Hey Pipimi,” Popuko whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Why the hell does she need us again?”

“Honestly, I’m not so sure. I mean, it looks like it’s obvious right?” As she looked closer at their faces, it seemed that Natsuki was the only one who was blushing while Sayori was her usual happy self. “Hm, I see now. Popuko?”

“Yeah?”

Pipimi put her hands on Popuko’s shoulders and said, “For right now, I need you to check on these two, maybe give some subtle and not so subtle hints and tell me if you find anything.” As she finished explaining, Monika and Yuri returned into the classroom. “I’m going to investigate something real quick.”

“Gotcha, boss lady.” Pipimi nodded and kissed Popuko on the nose before heading towards Monika’s desk.

"Promise me you'll take action?" Yuri pleaded.

"If it gets too far out of hand, yes. But warnings first."

"How many?"

"Uh, two?"

"Does that include the one you just gave?"

"Eh, no. Let's say three strikes."

"Very well."

"Perfect! Should we head back in, then?"

"Certainly."

For the second time this week, Monika returned with Yuri to the classroom and headed to the main desk. Before she could have a moment to herself, an unexpected guest arrived next to her.

“Hello, Miss Club President!” Pipimi cheerfully greeted.

“Oh Pipimi, it’s good to see you! What’s up?”

“Well, there’s something I’ve been curious about, and maybe you can help me figure it out.”

“What is it?”

'It’s go-time.' "Miss Club President, have we done something wrong?"

Monika looked a bit confused at first before returning to her club president mask. "First of all, call me Monika, ahaha! And second of all, I should be asking you the same question: I really haven't been checking in on you or Popuko as often as I should—how's the club been treating you?"

The girl with the red bow waved her hand in a noncommittal way. "Pretty well. It's just, every time I've seen you, you're always out in the hallway with Yuri. Is something going on?"

'She noticed?' Monika thought, a bit surprised. "Oh, it's nothing to be concerned about—I'm just checking in on her the same way I should've been checking in on you two. Sorry about that! But at least it looks like you're getting along well with Sayori and Natsuki!"

“Fair enough. But if that were true, how come you haven’t done the same with both Natsuki and Sayori? Is Yuri a special case?”

“No, of course not. Yuri asked for me to talk to her, and so we did.”

“She asked for you. Specifically you. How interesting,” Pipimi beamed. Monika didn’t know if she liked where this conversation was heading.

"Well, yes, because I'm the club president... It'd be a little silly for her to approach Natsuki or Sayori for questions about club policy, wouldn't it? Ahaha~"

“But isn’t Sayori the Vice President? Yuri could easily go ask her. And, again, she went to you twice,” Pipimi retaliated with two fingers up, as Monika flinched for a moment seeing the gesture. After realizing what it was, Monika averted her gaze.

"I mean, I guess? But I'm the ultimate decision-maker around here... And besides, Yuri seems more comfortable talking to me than Sayori, I think..." Monika replied, now concerned her well-kept secret was about to be exposed.

"I don't mean to pry, but I heard my name being mentioned—is something the matter?" Yuri spoke up, joining the conversation. Monika cheered interally from Yuri's save.

“Oh no, I was just asking Mi- Monika some questions and oh boy did she deliver on the answers!” Pipimi said, patting Monika's back. Yuri looked towards Monika for an explanation.

"I was just telling Pipimi that if she or Popuko ever need anything, all she has to do is ask!" The brunette cheerily responded.

"I see. Yes, Monika is quite accommodating! So don't be afraid to approach her with requests."

Pipimi had an all-knowing grin directed towards Yuri. “Ah, now I see what you see in her.”

Monika's eyes shot wide open.

Yuri furrowed her brow. "You make it sound as if Monika lacks redeeming qualities."

The flustered club president hid her face in her hands.

"Perish the thought. In fact, it's the exact opposite. Anyways don't you worry, I don't plan to steal your girl, I already have my own. I'll be rooting for you both," Pipimi stated with the biggest smile and walked away, leaving one very flabbergasted girl and the other confused.

"The nerve of some people..." Yuri muttered.

"Yuri, she called me your girl..."

"Yes, and? The phrasing's a little peculiar, but you are my club president."

"...I think you need to get back into romance novels."

"Pardon...?"

After Pipimi presented her book for the club, which showed off her very impressive vocal range, the club was dismissed for the weekend. Natsuki, Popuko, and Pipimi met once they gathered their things together.

“So, what do you girls think? Do I have a chance with Sayori?” Natsuki asked nervously.

Popuko deadpanned at the question. “Natsuki, I love you, but you aren’t the sharpest knife in the weapons bin.”

“...What is that expression?”

“She means, it’s obvious there is something between you two,” Pipimi added. “But somehow you both don’t realize it.”

“Yeah, Sayori literally said she loved you like a hundred times!” Popuko declared with her hands in the air.

“But she says that to everyone! Heck, get to know her better, and she’ll one day say that to you,” the pink girl retaliated.

“Ok, ok, let’s not have this devolve in a fight,” Pipimi calmly stated. “Natsuki, you need to send more romantic messages since, I don’t know if she even realizes how much you like her. I bet if you did, she would definitely be more interested. I mean, just look how she treats you now, imagine what it’ll be like when she realizes you like her,” Pipimi said with a sly grin.

“Well, I’ll try, but I’m not exactly a flirting master,” Natsuki shrugged.

“Leave that to me,” Popuko stated while laughing menacingly for no apparent reason.

“...What is it with you two being so dramatic?” Natsuki asked.

“Eh, it’s fun,” Pipimi shrugged.

Chapter Text

After a long week of planning, a lazy Saturday at the mall was exactly what Popuko and Pipimi needed to recharge their batteries. They successfully invited Natsuki to join them as they waited near the entrance. While the waiting process dragged on, Pipimi groaned in frustration.

“Another guy just texted me that I’m a ‘filthy trash whore.’”

“…Yeah? You usually aren’t bothered by dipshits texting dumb DMS,” Popuko said. “And besides, you love hacking into their personal information.”

“Yeah, usually, but I don’t know, lately it isn’t as fun to make fun of these ingrates,” Pipimi explained.

“Oh.” Popuko hasn’t noticed this about Pipimi before. She didn’t like seeing her girlfriend with this unusually sad expression. She had to think of a way to cheer her up…

Bingo.

“Hey Pipimi, wanna hear my awesome idea I recently came up with?”

“Sure, What’s up?”

“So, it’s me, you and Natsuki, and we’re all handsome as hell.”

A snort came from Pipimi. “Alright, heh, go on.”

“My name would be Popuoka, yours would be Pipihara and Natsuki’s would be Natsuko. We’d be badass as hell, me and your male counterpart would obviously be in love and we would rule over the school of anime MCs!” Popuko exclaimed proudly. “Look, I even made some designs, take a look!” The orange girl said excitedly as she took out her phone and showed Pipimi the concept art.

A pause. Then a snicker. Then Pipimi began howling with laughter which confused Popuko. “Is it that bad??” Popuko asked nervously.

Pipimi had to control herself to give an answer. “No my darling, I just love how I have an extravagant nose now!” She went up and petted Popuko. “You always know how to make me laugh.”

Mission successful, Popuko thought with a grin. She then had a thought. “You think Natsuki will like it?”

Stopping her petting motion, Pipimi replied, “Of course she will, why wouldn’t she?” The girl with pigtails averted her eyes.

“…Are you sure?” Popuko asked hesitantly.

“You haven’t doubted her before, is there a problem now?”

“Well, I don’t know, maybe she’ll think we’re making fun of her and she’ll stop talking to me,” Popuko muttered. “I mean, it’s happened before.”

“Because those people did not know us at all. Not like Natsuki,” Pipimi tried to reassure her love.

“But how do you know that? How do you know she won’t just fuck off out of our lives? Hell, we were lucky she even wanted to talk to us in the first place!!” Popuko barked out a bit more aggressively than she intended. This anger was quickly replaced with regret as Pipimi’s face dropped. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” Pipimi raised her hand.

“I… don’t know.” The red-bowed girl admitted after a sigh. “I don’t know how we’ve been able to keep her as our friend for so long, and honestly, I didn’t think our gamble in the hallway would work.”

Popuko had to stop to think for a moment to properly compose her thoughts. “... Pipimi, I always thought it would just be us. That me and you would be the ones kicking ass, taking names and living our best lives together. It didn’t matter that people didn’t like us! We didn’t need anyone!” She paused. “But, now that Natsuki has entered our lives…” Popuko clenched her fists. “I…”

Pipimi went up and hugged Popuko. Popuko didn’t react for a moment, but then buried her face into Pipimi’s shoulder and relaxed her body.

“You’ve really grown to care about her, haven’t you?” A muffled ‘yeah’ gave the answer. “Of course you do. And so have I. Right now, we both have something truly precious that is also super unfamiliar to us. Something we don’t want to lose.” Popuko stayed silent. “Popuko, please look at me.” The usually confident girl looked up at Pipimi with water in her eyes. “If anything happens, I will always be by your side. You know that. After all, what am I?”

“... The center of my universe,” Popuko sniffled, cracking a smile.

“Exactly, my dear Popu-Chan,” Pipimi replied lovingly. She softly touched Popuko’s face and after a look of understanding, the two girls leaned in for a soft kiss.

“I love you, Popuko,” Pipimi said after they separated.

“Love you too, Pipimi-Chan,” Popuko cooed with a slight voice crack.

“Awe, aren’t you guys so adorable?” Popuko and Pipimi turned to see a grinning Natsuki. That is, until she saw the slight redness in Popuko’s eyes. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, did something happen? Popuko, are you ok?”

Popuko quickly wiped her eyes and replied in a cocky manner, “Yep! I got sand in my eyes and Pipimi was helping me get it off! Everything is fine!” Pipimi nodded rapidly in confirmation.

“... Riiight,” Natsuki said, ultimately not convinced. “Well, are we ready to hang out? I have some new cupcake ideas I think you girls will love~” Natsuki cheerily declared.

“Hell yeah, let’s do this!” Popuko cheered. Pipimi rolled her eyes and decided for now, this was fine. She was happy, Popuko was happy, and their one and only friend was happy. Why did anything need to change?

“You know what, fuck it, I’ll hack that guy’s information and leak it anyways!”

“...What?”

Chapter Text

Monika couldn’t stop smiling to herself as she made her way toward Yuri’s house. The idea of hanging out with her crush made the brunette much cheerier than usual, to the point where she woke up early just to get ready for the “date.” With a pip in her step, she finally saw the house number Yuri gave her in the distance.

“She asked for you. Specifically you. How interesting~”

The memory of her discussion with Pipimi came back as she stood in front of the door. Monika was still amazed at how quickly the new member Pipimi was able to pick up on her feelings. 'Hopefully this doesn’t make things awkward with Yuri.’ Shaking her head, she took a breath, and was about to ring the doorbell before the door abruptly opened.

After recovering from a momentary shock, Monika grinned. "Hi, Yuri!"

"Hello."

As Monika stepped her way inside, she stretched her arms wide—but only for a moment, before holding out her hand for Yuri to shake.

"Thank you for being patient with me, I'm really not used to inviting friends over like this..." Yuri softly said.

“It's alright! So, where should I leave my things?”

With Monika safely inside, Yuri closed the front door behind her. "We've prepared a guest bedroom for you. Head up the stairs, take a left, and then take another left—your bedroom will be at the end of the hall. To its immediate right will be my room, and next to that is my study, where I intend to spend most of my time tonight. Opposite my room is the upstairs bathroom, and the—"

"Ahaha," Monika interjected, "You're starting to overwhelm me, Yuri…"

"Ah, I'm sorry!"

"No, it's okay! Thanks for all the info—I should be able to find my way around once I'm up there."

Yuri nodded dutifully, watching for a moment as Monika removed her shoes, until another thought reached her lips: "Oh, and if you need any food, feel free to help yourself. The kitchen's just through that doorway."

"Sure thing! Let me go unpack my stuff real quick."

Satisfied that her services were no longer needed, Yuri headed upstairs—with Monika not far behind.

After unpacking her things in the guest bedroom, Monika made her way to the study. There she found Yuri, sitting at a rather imposing-looking desk, staring into a computer screen. Flanking the monitor were stacks of books that reached almost up to Yuri's shoulders. Not wishing to disturb her, Monika snuck into the room as quietly as she could, laptop under her arm. The plan didn't work, as barely two steps later she was spotted.

"Ah, there you are!"

"Oh, hi! Ahaha! Sorry for creeping around, I just didn't want to disturb you."

Yuri stifled a giggle. "What kind of hypocrite would I be if I admonished others for evading notice?"

"That's fair… I guess my mind was just being irrational."

Yuri closed her eyes for a moment, retaining a soft smile on her face. "I understand. I understand completely." Opening them again, she continued: "Feel free to take a seat."

Monika turned her gaze to the empty chair in front of Yuri's desk. It was a black leather chair with a tall back—and then she realized something. Turning to Yuri again, Monika noticed the chair she was sitting in: no armrests, and with a short, wooden backrest. It didn't look anywhere near as comfortable as the chair Yuri offered her, even if it probably weighed a lot less.

And that's when it clicked for her.

"Yuri… Are you sitting in a kitchen chair?"

Yuri looks up from her screen. "Dining room, actually. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just…making sure: You're giving me your chair to sit in?"

"Naturally. It's the polite thing to do."

Monika felt a warmth enveloping her chest. "Oh, Yuri! You didn't have to!"

Yuri pauses briefly to collect her thoughts before speaking. "I realize that, but kindness is rarely obligatory."

The brunette's heart continued to melt. In a bid to take her mind off of it, Monika took her seat and placed her laptop on her legs. She opened the screen up, woke the device from its slumber, and allowed a comfortable silence to settle into the room.

Several minutes later, Yuri spoke up, looking off to the corner of the room: "Something's bothering me."

Monika looked up. "Oh? Is it something I can help with?"

"Perhaps. It's something I've been thinking about since yesterday: Pipimi… implied we were romantically involved, didn't she?"

The club president's eyes shot wide open as her face slightly flushed. ‘Dang it, Pipimi!’ "Well, yeah…"

"Mm… I suppose I should've known."

"Honestly, I was kind of surprised you didn't."

"Well, some part of me considered it as a possibility, but at the time I figured it was a remote one—especially when there were so many other, less amorous ways to interpret it."

Monika took a moment to think through Yuri's rationale. A realization soon dawned on her: "I take it you've experienced your fair share of embarrassing misunderst—?"

A groan from Yuri cut her off. "Please don't make me think about it!"

"Sorry, sorry! I was just wondering… I mean, I know that you don't seem super comfortable when it comes to romance, so I guess I was just…curious?"

"Mm…" Yuri curled into a ball in her chair, wrapping her arms around her shins to secure them in place. "I've just been teased a lot in the past, so I'm not very fond of being reminded of it."

"About romance?"

"Indeed. My peers would often spread false rumors about me having crushes on our classmates, which I'd try in vain to correct them. Eventually, I realized that if denying those rumors only fueled them further, then the only possible method to kill those rumors off was to starve them out. I've always been a fairly solitary person anyway, so it really wasn't any big loss on my part to spend all of my time at school alone."

A question arose in Monika's throat, which she stopped herself from asking—before deciding to ask it anyway: "So… Putting all the rumors aside, if you can, have you ever had a crush on someone?"

Finally lowering her feet back to the floor, Yuri answered matter-of-factly. "I don't know."

"You don't know?!” Monika had to stop herself before she said something regrettable. “Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude, but—I guess you mean that it was so long ago, you don't remember anymore?"

"No, I mean what I said: I don't know. There were friends I enjoyed the company of, sometimes to the point of potentially bothering them with how much I'd want to hang out with them, but I don't know what the threshold is for liking someone before you can consider it a 'crush'…"

"I mean…" Monika was flabbergasted. "It's not really a 'threshold,' it's like a different feeling you get in your chest, or… I guess it can manifest in different ways for different people, so…"

"Those types of vague, subjective terms are how I've most often seen the feeling described—and the specific examples I've seen never fully lined up with what I felt. Hence, again, I don't know." Even now, Yuri's voice carried no emotion. Peeking around Yuri's computer monitor, Monika could see that her face was equally stoic.

"I see…"

Yuri shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to share so much—it really isn't relevant to anything involving you or the club."

"Well now hold on a minute," Monika chimed in, "it is relevant, because Pipimi thought you and I were in a relationship!"

"Which, I suppose that begs the question, what was it about our conduct that led her to that conclusion?"

"I mean, it might not have been anything: She might just think we look cute together…"

Yuri furrowed her brow. "Is it really not possible for two people to stand next to each other without being mistaken for a romantic couple? I doubt she'd appreciate it if I spread similar rumors about her and Popuko…"

Deciding not to unpack that last comment for the time being, Monika instead focused on Yuri's first point: "Oh, no, I didn't mean like that, ahaha! I meant, like, you know, our interactions…"

"What about them?"

"I can't answer that—that's only something Pipimi could tell us."

"Well, if you decide to confront her about it, we could also inform her that I wouldn't do well in a romantic relationship."

Monika felt like she just crashed into a wall. "Wait a second, where did this come from?"

"Just a bit of pragmatic thinking: I'm awkward with social contact, I don't seem to connect with people emotionally as intuitively as people like Sayori do, and to top it all off, I need periodic bouts of solitude in order to clear my head. From everything I understand about romance, none of those traits are conducive to a…mutually fulfilling relationship. They seem much more likely to leave my partner feeling lonely and isolated."

"Well hold on now, that's only if you believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to love!" Monika began.

"Isn't love 'one-size-fits-all' by its very nature, judging by how Sayori uses the word?"

"What I'm saying is, people like Sayori work best with emotional love, where she and her partner can connect through raw empathy, and always be there for each other! Or physical love, where she can feel comfort just from hugging and kissing her partner, or holding their hand—you know? But there are other types of love, too! Like…" Monika's mind tried to come up with multiple other examples, but there was only one at the forefront of her mind: "Intellectual love, where you just talk with the other person, and have deep, thoughtful conversations with them, without necessarily needing anything else. You know, where you just pick each other's brains…"

Monika could feel her ears heating up, like she just gave herself away. She nervously awaited Yuri's response.

"I suppose that makes sense… I'll have to do some more research and thinking on the matter, then, to reevaluate my stance." Looking back at her computer screen, she finally smiled again. "Thank you, Monika."

The girl in question beamed. "Anytime!"

Yuri's eyes dotted back to her screen a few times before her head finally followed. The conversation ended there, with the two of them spending the rest of the night in comfortable silence until the time finally came to wish each other good night. It felt strangely domestic in a way, at least to Monika's mind—at least until the two of them parted ways for the evening, sleeping in separate rooms and Yuri even shutting her bedroom door to ensure maximum privacy.

Monika was the first one downstairs the following morning. Not wanting to wake anyone else up, she opted for an incredibly basic breakfast: just some cereal and milk. Partway through her meal, Yuri appeared in the doorway, slowly strolling her way to the stove.

"Hi!" Monika greeted. Her voice was enthusiastic, but not too loud, so as not to startle Yuri.

"Ah, hello…" Yuri answered, pulling a tea kettle out from one of the cupboards.

Monika watched for a moment, waiting to see if Yuri would find some way to continue the conversation. When she didn't, Monika took the initiative:

"Hey, would it be alright if I had some of your tea?"

Yuri noticeably perked up at the request, in a way that just made Monika's heart flutter. "Why, certainly! Just a moment…"

A few more minutes passed until Yuri served Monika her tea, and finally sat down with a breakfast of her own. It's here that Monika decided to break the ice again:

"So, did you give it some thought?"

"To what?"

"If you'd be interested in a romantic relationship!" Monika realized her mistake an instant too late. "In general, I mean! Like, with anyone, not just—" Monika cut herself off in the middle of her second mistake of the morning.

Evidently paying no mind to the fumble, Yuri answered calmly, "I did, but…why do you ask?"

The alarm bells rang in Monika's head, but she refused to let it show. "Oh, well, you know!" Her verbal stalling bought her just enough time to reassemble her rationale: "I just figured that, being president of the club and all, and since Pipimi confused us for being a couple, I figured it was relevant for me to know…"

"I see…" Yuri looked down and to the side. Following her gaze, Monika didn't see anything in particular, which probably meant the introvert was simply gathering her thoughts. Monika waited patiently for Yuri to finish.

Several seconds later, Yuri continued: "Well, I think the first point I'd need to address is how, logistically, I could even have a partner to begin with. I cited some possible complications yesterday, but your comments inspired me to think of possible resolutions to them…"

"Like?"

There's another brief pause before Yuri speaks. "To start with, the 'solitude' matter—yes, that would likely alienate many prospective romantic partners, but if my partner were to already function well independently, I could see that becoming a non-issue."

Monika couldn’t help herself: "Also, if they end up with a job that leaves them super busy and involved, you could spend most of the day without them bothering you anyway!"

"Yes, provided that they don't become too clingy when I do see them. In fact, I think that a self-confident partner would suit me in general, since I'm not exactly good at comforting people…"

"And maybe they could help you navigate the sorts of social situations you struggle with—or even handle those interactions for you!"

"Assuming that's not too much of a burden, yes."

Monika giggled. "With that said, we've focused so much on how it'd work, but you still haven't answered whether you'd want a relationship like that."

"I… I suppose that's true…" Yuri looks down at the table, brow furrowing as she thinks to herself. Eventually, she looked up toward Monika. "I… I don't know. I'd need to see where my thoughts wander during the day."

"Oh gosh, don't feel pressured to answer or anything!"

"Oh, I'm not, don't worry—it might do me some good to think about these emotional matters. Thank you."

Monika grinned. "Any time!" The warm feeling in her heart grew stronger as a weight lifted off her shoulders. A single thought crossed her mind:

'I can work with this~'

Chapter Text

“Ok, so, I get my design as Natsuko, even if I think you drew me a bit too short.”

“I took some creative liberties.”

“I am literally up to Pipihara’s knees, Popuko.”

“Ok ok, I’ll fix it later, probably. What’s the problem?”

“I’m just wondering, why does Sayori’s male counterpart get a hat while my hair clip doesn’t change?”

“Firstly, his name is Satori, and secondly, it’s cause he’s a guy.”

“I don’t think that’s how that works,” Natsuki doubted.

“What do you mean? Young guys wear baseball hats all the time!”

“Listen, I’m just saying, if that were true, why doesn’t your character’s hairstyle change? And why does Pipihara get to keep his bow?”

“It’s iconic!”

Natsuki looked towards Pipimi in a pleading attempt to back her up.

“It’s true,” Pipimi replied.

The weekend had ended and the usual trio was doing their usual routine in the cafeteria. Popuko gave Natsuki plenty of flirting tips, (which definitely weren’t appropriate or helpful,) so she was counting on Pipimi to let her in on today’s strategy.

“You’re on your own today.”

“What?”

Pipimi chuckled. “I feel like you become dumbfounded more often when it comes to us. Yes, I truly believe you should at least do this part on your own. Even if Popuko’s tips… wouldn’t necessarily help here…”

“Hey, it worked for you!”

“Ahem! I think your type of flirting will be much better suited than just some generic pickup line,” the blue-haired girl said, coughing to hide her blush.

Natsuki reluctantly agreed in silence. ‘Yeah, I’d hate if someone was being fake towards me if they truly ‘liked’ me. If I’m gonna be with Sayori, I need to be as honest as I can.’

The pinkette then had a thought. “Popuko, isn’t it your turn to present a book today?”

“Yeah, why?”

“What exactly are you gonna bring?”

“You’ll see,” Popuko cackled with an evil smirk. “Ok but seriously, even though you are gonna be on your own when it comes to Sayori, I’ll be watching on the sides and will tag in if you need me.” She put her hand on her shoulder. “I’m your wingman.”

Natsuki smiled. “Thanks. Although, try not to make any stupid comments.”

“No promises,” Popuko said with a wink and a twinkle in her eye.

The trio entered the club and gave their greetings to the other club members. Natsuki looked towards Popuko, who gave her a thumbs up. Sighing nervously, the petite girl walked towards Sayori.

“Hey Sayori.”

“Oh my gosh, hey Natsuki!” The excited woman skipped towards Natsuki with her arms wide before she stopped herself. “May I hug you?”

Chuckling, Natsuki happily replied, “Hasn’t stopped you before, go ahead.” Sayori gave her a big bear hug which Natsuki gratefully accepted.

After Sayori let go, she asked, “So what’s up? Have you been having fun with Popuko and Pipimi being part of the club?”

Natsuki thought about it. “Honestly, it’s surprising how quickly they’ve managed to feel normal in three days.”

“Yeah, they aren’t so scary for girls rumored to be mobsters!”

“Heh, yeah.” Natsuki looked into Sayori’s eyes which seemed to sparkle with life anytime she saw her. “Can I… tell you something?”

A concerned look appeared on Sayori’s face hearing Natsuki’s tone. “Oh no, Natsuki, is something wrong?”

Natsuki raised her hands defensively, “No no no, it’s nothing like that! It’s just…” She looked at Sayori’s adorable face before swallowing her pride. “… You are… too cute.”

“… Huh?”

“What?!” Popuko whispered in the background.

Natsuki continued, her mind melting in embarrassment: “You’re just so cheery and your face is so squishy that… yeah…”

“Oh my god, this is so over,” Popuko lamented silently.

Sayori’s brain caught up after a few seconds and a heavy blush came over her as she realized what she was saying. Her heart suddenly started beating a mile a second. “You really think so?” Natsuki nodded. Sayori then sprouted the goofiest grin Popuko had ever seen.

“Holy shit, it worked??”

“Well, if you’re being honest, so will I! You are the prettiest girl in the world, you definitely out-beauty cherry blossoms!” Sayori emphasized with her arms raised in the air. Natsuki snorted and laughed with Sayori joining in.

After they calmed down, Sayori softly said, “But wait, I thought you hated the word ‘cute.’”

At this, Natsuki began internally panicking. ‘Oh no, what if she thinks I’m not being genuine and that I’m just making fun of her??’

“Oh fuck, I knew something like this would happen,” Popuko quietly hissed.

Natsuki paused. ’I guess the only thing I can do is be as honest as I can.’ “It’s true, I hate being called cute, but you are an exception because… you are…”

Sayori’s blush became darker as she hugged Natsuki and lifted her off her feet. “I. LOVE. YOU. SO. MUCH!”

“… Why haven’t they just frenched each other already?” Popuko blankly stated while slowly pulling at her pigtails. The orange-haired gal then realized they weren’t stopping anytime soon. God help her.

Monika couldn't stop thinking about her exchange with Yuri over the weekend. In particular, she felt at the time like Yuri’s list of desirable qualities fit her to a T, but the more time went on, the more she wondered if that was just confirmation bias at work.

‘Was she really thinking of me?’

She looked over at Yuri, who evidently must've been staring at her, because she quickly buries her nose back into her book as soon as their eyes meet.

‘That was probably just her being shy… unless?’

“Staring at Yuri longingly, huh?” An unmistakable voice spoke next to her. She turned to see Pipimi with her usual smile. “You two are so adorable.”

“What? Oh, ahaha! Sorry, no, we’re not together.”

“Really? Honestly, you could’ve fooled me. You two fit together like perfect puzzle pieces!”

Monika paused at that comment. “Pipimi, can we talk in the hallway please?”

“Oh? Sure,” Pipimi accepted with some surprise. The two girls walked out into the hallway with Pipimi’s curiosity growing by the minute. This was when Monika’s mask finally dropped.

“Ok, Pipimi, what exactly is your game here?” Monika asked with a more serious tone.

“Game?”

“Yes, game. Why do you keep bringing this up?”

“Bringing what up?”

“… Me and Yuri being together,” Monika blushed, her professionalism dropping for a moment.

“Oh. Ohhh,” Pipimi said after realizing. “No, no, this isn’t a game to me. I genuinely think you both are perfect fits for each other.” She began circling around the brunette. “Yuri always comes to you, feels the most comfortable around you, and seems to be the closest with you,” Pipimi emphasized with a nose boop. “I mean, who wouldn’t fall for the charms of the Club President?”

Monika couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But, why do you care? Even if what you said was true, what do you hope to gain from this?”

Pipimi hummed, pretending to think carefully about her answer. “Simple- I want Natsuki’s friends to be happy. And if you and Yuri are part of that group, why not?” She then cupped her face to whisper loudly, “But honestly, it’s just really fun to see the developments~”

The white-bowed girl sighed. “Ok, fine. But can you at least tone it down in front of Yuri? That kind of teasing makes her, like, super uncomfortable.”

Pipimi laughed joyfully. “You are so precious! It’s quite clear how much she means to you.” She walked up and patted Monika’s shoulder. “Alright, I won’t tease Yuri about it. Just you.” Pipimi then dawned a softer look on her face. “I truly do hope the best for you two. I can see how happy she is with you and vise versa. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

Monika sighs again. "Alright, sure..." She shakes her head, a smile returning to her face. "So, anything else I can help you with? From what I can tell, you and Popuko seem to be adjusting well to the club."

Pipimi grinned earnestly and replied, “Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything. This club, it’s been the happiest few days me and Popuko have had in a while. Even if you don’t like me much, thank you for giving us that chance, Monika.”

Despite the rollercoaster of emotions coursing through her, Monika was genuinely happy to hear that her goal for the club was working, even with some new complications. Although a clarification was much needed. “Of course, I’m glad that you both have a place where you feel like you belong. But, you know I don’t, like, hate you, right?”

For the first time, Pipimi’s cool demeanor shattered as she stared at Monika befuddled. “You don’t?”

“Nope! You are a…bit eccentric, but that’s what makes you, you.”

Pipimi didn’t know how to properly respond to this. The blue-haired girl looked away, uncharacteristically flustered. “Thank you, Miss Club President.”

“Please, call me Monika!”

Chapter Text

Popuko was an emotional person. Sometimes for the worst, sometimes for the best. This fact didn’t matter too much, except when it came to her anger. Pipimi being around definitely helped, but at its peak, Popuko usually spiraled out of control.

“Popu-Chan, did I hear that you broke a table in class?”

This was one of those days.

“… No?”

Pipimi raised her eyebrow. “Really? Cause I don’t know anyone else who can cleanly punch a table in half.”

The shorter girl shuffled nervously. “I saw a bug.”

“A bug.”

“Yeah, it spooked me so much that I broke the table in total fear.” For a moment, Popuko thought this explanation would work. Unfortunately, after seeing the judgemental look on Pipimi’s face, the orange-haired gal immediately wilted. “Ok fine! I’m sorry, but I’m just so fucking frustrated with Natsuki!”

“Really? This isn’t the worst case scenario, right?” Pipimi asked, with worry quickly coming to mind.

“Oh, no no no. Thankfully not that. Sorry.” Popuko sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her hair. “It’s just, it’s so obvious how much that airhead likes her and Natsuki still has doubts!”

“Popuko, don’t be rude.”

“Sorry.”

“But I can certainly understand your plight,” Pipimi replied as she turned her attention to Monika and Yuri chatting in the corner of the room.

“Oh yeah, how’s that been going?”

The taller woman clicked her tongue. “Well, I’m in the same boat as you, it’s so glaringly clear that they are pining for each other, yet both won’t act on their feelings! And I can’t even do my usual matchmaking because of how both of them are,” Pipimi lamented halfheartedly as she leaned on her desk. “At least Monika’s reactions to the teasing is funny.”

“No you don’t understand! I swear to you, they were wrapped around each other like magnets, but when I pointed it out to them, they insisted it was a friendly thing!!”

“I told Yuri she was in love and she looked at me as if I had two heads.”

“Did you?”

“Not at that moment, no.”

“Anyway, the point is, I cannot take this shit much longer. We need to push things even further. Cause if they keep beating around that bush, literally nothing's gonna change,” Popuko said, with a hint of soul-crushing desperation.

“You’re certainly right about that.” Pipimi looked over to see Natsuki ruffling Sayori’s hair while the cinnamon roll had a blissful look on her face. “Tell me Popu-Chan, what is a side character’s job when a romcom protagonist succumbs to fear?”

“What?”

“They push them to do something really fucking risky.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Popuko asked with uncertainty in her tone.

That made Pipimi pause for a moment. “Honestly, it’s a gamble. But this may be her best chance.”

“Ok everyone, club time is over, so-” Before the club president could finish her sentence, all of the girls rushed to grab their things, with Yuri being the most meticulous, causing it to be noisy as Monika had to raise her voice. “Have a good rest of your day and see you girls tomorrow!” Monika cheerily shouted. The club members went on their usual routine when suddenly, Popuko and Pipimi quickly pulled Natsuki to the hallway.

“Woah woah, what’s going on, what’s up?” Natsuki rapidly asked.

Popuko grabbed Natsuki and looked deep into her eyes. “I’m gonna suggest something to you and you need to hear us out before you outright say no.”

“Popuko, if this is about doing the ‘Eisaiharumaskoi Dance’ in public with you, the answer is still no,” Natsuki said with an uninterested tone.

“Told ya she wouldn’t change her mind,” Pipimi smirked.

“Shut up! And this isn’t about that.” Popuko cleared her throat. “Nats, you need to ask Sayori on a date for this weekend at the mall.”

Natsuki smiled.

“She’s gonna headlock me again, isn’t she?”

She did.

“Popuko, I just started getting used to flirting with her! This is way beyond jumping the shark!” Natsuki angrily explained.

“No, you jumped the shark once you first called her cute! This is the next big step!” The pig-tailed lass retorted. Natsuki released her grip. “Now, would ya please let me explain myself?”

Natsuki softly huffed. “Go ahead.”

“Nats, I completely understand that yer afraid. And that’s ok. But please listen to me and Pipimi when we say this- Sayori, without a doubt, has a thing for you,” Popuko confidently remarked. “And, while it is good you are flirting with her, it literally won’t matter if you don’t act on it.”

“… How can you be sure?”

“Because the way she looks at you is the same way I looked at Popuko when we first started dating,” Pipimi added with a smile. “Her adoration for you is very strong and noticeable. As Popuko said, there just needs to be a push for significant progress.”

Natsuki nervously shuffled in place. “Even still, what if I mess everything up and ruin our friendship?”

“You won’t,” Pipimi reassured her.

“Yeah and remember, we will always be by your side, so you won’t need to do this on your own!” Popuko grinned and side hugged the pinkette.

For a moment, Natsuki didn’t know what to say, until she smiled and returned the gesture. “Thanks guys.”

“Of course. Now let’s make some plans! I have some badass pickup lines for ya!” Popuko excitedly stated, turning with Pipimi to walk back to the classroom.

“Actually, before we do anything, I wanted to ask you guys something.”

Popuko and Pipimi stopped in their tracks and turned to Natsuki. “What’s up?”

“Well, I've actually been wondering about this for a while, but what do you guys think about the girls in the club? Have you guys been cool with them?” Natsuki asked with curiosity.

For once, the two usually bold girls glanced around awkwardly. Natsuki was a bit worried with the fact they weren’t saying anything until Popuko finally spoke up. “They seem like good friends to you, Sayori especially,” Popuko said, raising her eyebrows in an exaggerated manner. This did not humor Natsuki.

“Popuko,” Natsuki started a bit sternly, “I didn’t ask if you thought they were good friends to me, I asked what you thought of them.” Popuko nervously coughed and looked away. “I don’t ever see you guys ever trying to talk with any of them unless it’s to tease them, Pipimi,” Natsuki plainly stated, giving a look towards Pipimi.

“That’s not true! We’re trying to make them happy because they’re your friends, Natsuki!” Pipimi objected, no longer smiling.

“But why can’t they be your friends??”

“Well, Natsuki, isn't it obvious? Because they’d never be friends with people like us,” the blue-haired woman spat bitterly.

Natsuki was truly appalled by what she heard. “Pipimi…” Hearing this, a horrified expression flashed across Pipimi’s face.

“Listen, just, don’t worry about it,” Popuko interjected between the two before anything could be further escalated. “We’re here to help you get with Sayori, so that you can be happy. Because you are our friend. Now, let’s go get some ramen, I’m starving!” Popuko declared, hoping this would end the conversation and lighten the mood. Pipimi agreed without saying anything else, and quickly joined Popuko ahead, with Natsuki reluctantly following behind them.

'But why can’t you guys be happy too?'

Chapter Text

It was an average Friday afternoon as the club ended and the group of Natsuki, Popuko, and Pipimi gathered together to walk home. The usual sense of cheeriness was gone, however, and a tense feeling lingered in the air as the girls walked in silence.

'This feels familiar,' Natsuki lamented quietly. After what was said the other day, their usual texting stopped, nothing had been resolved and Popuko and Pipimi were still acting weird. ‘If I don’t do something now, I think our friendship is gonna slowly drift apart, or worse!’

“Hey girls, why don’t we take a detour before we go home?” The duo turned to her with curious looks on their faces.

“Oh? What’s yer idea?” Popuko asked.

“Let’s go to the park! Just to take a nice walk, talk about stupid stuff, and I heard there’s a new ice cream stand there,” Natsuki sweetened the deal, noticing Popuko’s hungry look. ‘Please, please, PLEASE take the bait.’

“Yeah, I’m in!”

“I agree, it sounds fun,” Pipimi softly said.

A wave of relief washed over Natsuki. “Alright, let’s get going!”

By the time the girls arrived at the park, it was later in the evening as the sun began to lower in the horizon, drowning the sky’s colors with orange, yellow and red. The trio walked on the dirt road alongside the lake, the sun shining down on the water, giving a shiny reflectant look. The glare hit Natsuki’s eyes as Popuko began to talk about what kind of ice cream flavor she wanted.

“You think a combination of mint, strawberry and mango would be interesting?” Popuko innocently asked.

“Oh sure, if you want your taste buds to die a horrible death,” Pipimi gagged at the idea.

“Awe c’mon, Nats, you’d wanna try it with me right?” Popuko looked to Natsuki for support.

“Absolutely not,” Natsuki said with a slight grin. This died as she realized there was no more room to keep up this farce. “Girls, we need to talk.”

Popuko and Pipimi looked towards the pinkette in surprise, with Popuko looking devastated and Pipimi looking in suspicion. “Wait so… there’s no ice cream?!”

Sighing, Natsuki continued, “No, there isn’t. Not yet at least. I’m truly sorry for lying to you guys, but you’ve been acting weird lately and I’ve been worried! Especially with what you said yesterday,” the shorter girl said, looking towards Pipimi who didn’t meet her eyes.

Popuko chuckled in a fake way and said, “Natsuki, didn’t I say not to worry about it? Everything is totally fine-“

“Popuko. Cut. The. Shit,” Natsuki growled viciously as Popuko shut her mouth in shock. “I need to know about something and I’d like for you guys to be honest with me. If you can’t then… I don’t know what’ll happen next. You helped me when it came to Sayori, don’t give me this ‘don’t worry about it’ crap! Let me help you guys, like you did for me… please.”

There was a silence in the air as the wind began blowing through the waves of the lake. That was, until Pipimi asked, “Alright. What would you like to know?”

“You guys mentioned you were bullied horribly before you transferred to our school. What happened? Are you really ok?” Natsuki asked with a hint of concern to her voice.

This was when the one thing Natsuki didn’t expect happened- Popuko began laughing. “Oh, is that all? Jeez, Nats, you scared the hell out of us! Well, I can definitely answer that!”

Natsuki looked on in confusion.“You can?”

“Sure! I don’t bullshit, you clearly want some answers, and hopefully this will clear everything up!” Popuko said, a bit too enthusiastically in Natsuki’s eyes.

“I agree,” Pipimi chimed in. “If this will finally clear things up for you, then I hand it off to Popuko.”

Even though Natsuki didn’t like the current vibe of everything, she reluctantly agreed and Popuko began her tale.

“Once upon a time, before I met the love of my life, I was always an… odd kid, to say the least. I don’t remember much about my toddler days, but I do know I was always the talk of the town. After all, with someone as cute as me, why wouldn’t I make all the others jealous?” Popuko snarked while Pipimi rolled her eyes affectionately.

‘I already don’t like where this is going,’ Natsuki thought.

“So anyways, around middle school, I was working on my manga and usually getting into fights with people. Even though I was known as the strongest girl in school, people always kept talking smack! Like, even the teachers were involved, that’s how deep this shit went! I truly believe they just had it out for me personally man,” the orange-haired gal jokingly said.

“Right,” Natsuki replied with uncertainty.

“And Pipimi, obviously, was the coolest girl in school, and once we got together, life automatically became so much better! I finally found someone who truly got me, y’know? Someone who wasn’t a complete jerk for no reason.”

“Awe stop, you were always the coolest girl in my eyes,” Pipimi added.

Blushing, Popuko continued, “Anyways! Ahem, as I said, it became easier, but it didn’t stop people from being assholes!” The blissful face was dashed for a more frustrated look as she said, “Like, we knew we would have some pushback once we announced our relationship, but man, the bullying actually got worse!”

Natsuki became worried as she saw Popuko’s eyes fire up with anger. “What happened?”

Noticing the pink girl’s anxious expression, Popuko tried to take a breath and responded, “It wasn’t anything too bad! Y’know, just the homophobic slurs, the constant harassment, pranks, occasional violence, sexism!”

Pipimi, with an increasingly worried look on her face, put her hand on Popuko’s shoulder. “Popu-Chan, try to calm down-“

Unconsciously pulling at her pigtails, Popuko was shaking as she said, “Oh yeah, and the best part is that we never got ANY sympathy from anyone! I mean, who needs that anyways? Of course it was our fault that we simply existed in their ‘precious’ worlds, our fault for being alone and hated and-and-”

“Popuko!” Natsuki cried out. The raving girl stopped. “Y-you’re crying.”

Popuko stopped. She touched her face revealing her warm tears. The girl fell to her knees as she lowered her head and curled up in a ball, with Pipimi quickly moving to her side. “Natsuki… you really are fucking cruel.”

“W-what? Why?” Natsuki asked in utter confusion and anxiety.

Sniffling, Popuko choked out,” Because…before we met you, we never had to think about this! Me and Pipimi were perfectly happy together, damn everyone else!” A pause. Popuko then looked up at Natsuki with a red face filled with despair. “But then you made us care about you. It hurts so much to think about and yet… I don’t want to lose you. Please don’t hate us, Nats…”

Now fully panicking, Pipimi blurted out, “Don’t worry Popuko! You will always still have me! Remember? We don’t need anyone else!” Her feeble attempt to stay cool worsened as Popuko began to sob uncontrollably. “Popuko… please don’t cry…” She looked towards Natsuki and began to grind her teeth and muttered something under her breath with a crushed look on her face.

Natsuki stared at the two girls breaking down right in front of her and the raw emotion was overwhelming. The small girl didn’t know what to do in this situation. She wasn’t a leader like Monika, she wasn’t super intelligent like Yuri, and she wasn’t a ray of hope like Sayori was.

She was just Natsuki.

And yet, maybe that’s what these girls needed at this moment.

“POPUKO! PIPIMI!” Natsuki yelled as loud as she could. The two girls stopped as they started at Natsuki in anticipation.

“I’m sorry.” Natsuki took a deep breath, composed her thoughts, and continued, “I’m sorry I didn’t realize how much pain you were in. What happened must’ve been hard for both of you.” Popuko nodded while Pipimi stared blankly at the dirt. “But I just want you both to know something. Something very important.”

Before they could react, Natsuki pulled both girls up into a hug, with her in the middle. “You guys are the craziest, weirdest, yet simultaneously the bestest friends I’ve ever had. And don’t you dare say otherwise,” Natsuki said in a soft but firm voice. Pipimi’s eyes regained a sparkle of life while Popuko wiped her tears away.

“…You really mean that?”

Natsuki let go and gave her brightest smile. “Of course! I wouldn’t lie about something like that!” Finally, the three girls softly embraced in the warmth of the hug for what seemed like an eternity. The pink girl then looked up in the sky and saw it was getting darker by the minute. “Uh, how about we go get that ice cream, huh?”

The girls took a walk to the nearest convenience store and got some cheap ice pops. The walk there was quiet, but unlike that morning, the mood was more pleasant. Like a dark cloud had finally cleared and now almost everything was back to normal. While Natsuki was enjoying her frozen treat, Pipimi decided to speak up.

“Natsuki, do you remember what Sayori told us when we first met her? About us being safe and accepted in the club?” Pipimi said as she stared at the concrete floor.

“Yuh. Whuat abu-“ She quickly took the popsicle out of her mouth. “What about it?”

“Honestly, when I first heard it, I thought it was all bullshit. That it was another ruse to just hurt us again. And we thought we could easily ignore it like back then.”

“But the more we spent time with you girls, the more conflicted we became,” Popuko added, her voice hoarse from crying so hard. “Like, we truly wanted to believe all of their kind words, but it was so hard.”

“And that hesitation was all because of you, Natsuki,” Pipimi pointed at the pink girl.

“Me? What did I do?”

For the first time that day, Pipimi finally gave a warm smile. “It’s as we said, you made us care about you. You gave us friendship, introduced us to the club and… it made us rethink a lot of things.”

“Like the fact that we may actually have a chance to befriend other people,” Popuko grinned wistfully.

“But, I guess our fears got the better of us both, and showed off our weakest points to you. We’re truly sorry, Natsu,” Pipimi said with a small bow. Popuko joined her a second later.

Natsuki gave a small chuckle and said, “Girls, it’s ok. There will be days you’ll feel crappy and sometimes fear makes you do stupid things. But just know, you guys aren’t alone. You can always talk to me about it. After all, we are friends, aren’t we?”

Pipimi teared up again. “Yeah, sniff, I guess we are.”

Natsuki smiled. “Good. Now, I hope you guys will try to actually befriend the other girls for real this time. Who knows, maybe it’ll be good, maybe it’ll be bad. But, I will be by your side the whole time, like you guys have done for me.”

Pipimi hugged Natsuki tightly. “Thanks, Natsu. I… We’ll try.” Natsuki finally shed tears of her own as she hugged back joyfully as Popuko cheered in the background.

The mood had finally settled. Everything was resolved. The girls gave their goodbyes and walked home. After Natsuki gave an explanation to her father for being out a little later than usual, she plopped on her bed and sighed.

“What a day.” She got on her phone to see her recent notifications. One of them was from Popuko.

Popuko-Chan: FUCKKKKK natsuki did u remember to ask Sayori on a date tomorrow???

Oh. Oh no. Natsuki completely forgot about that. She was so preoccupied with Popuko and Pipimi’s problems, it completely slipped her mind. ‘Would it be rude if I asked her this late? I mean, what if she has plans already?’ Natsuki groaned in frustration. ‘Well, only one way to find out.’ She got out her phone and, after 12 minutes of finding the right words, went to Sayori’s messages.

Me: Hey Sayori, you busy tomorrow? If not, you wanna go on a date? Doesn’t have to be a date if you don’t want to, hahah

Natsuki truly hoped it didn’t come across as desperate as she eagerly awaited her response. Two minutes later, her notifications rang as she frantically checked her phone.

Sayo :): sure!!! That sounds like so much fun!! What time?