Soon after Monika, Sayori and I have returned to the classroom, it's time to share poems. This time I actually have been looking forward to this. I wrote a poem just for Sayori. It's about how I will always be there for her, even in her darkest hours. Of course I kind of generalized it so the other girls wouldn't notice that I wrote it for her. I tried to make it sound bittersweet, just like Sayori likes it. And to be honest, I feel pretty comfortable with that style. Seems like Sayori and I are more similar than I thought.

Again, I show my poem to Sayori first. After reading it, she looks at me with a dreamy smile.

"MC... I really love your poems. I can't believe you've been hiding these from me."

"I'm not hiding anything from you, Sayori." I respond. "I have never written any poems before I joined this club."

"But... Your poems are sooo good... How are you so good at this if you have never done it before?"

"Well... I guess I'll be honest about it. It's a lot easier to write poems when I'm thinking about you."

"E-Eh?!" Sayori's face turns red. "Wawawa-!"

"Does this surprise you?" I ask. "You are the only exciting thing in my life! Somehow you make everything we do together an adventure. Those times are when I really feel alive. So yeah... I guess what I'm saying is that I can feel more feelings through you than I can through myself."

If Sayori's head could explode, it probably would do so right now. Not being able to look at me, she looks down to reread my poem. She slowly calms down and begins smiling.

"It's even more beautiful knowing that you thought about me while writing it..." she says quietly.

Sayori stares at the poem for a few more seconds, then looks up to me. "Hey, MC... Will you give me your poem? I kinda want to keep it."

"Sure. If you want it then I'll give it to you."

Sayori hugs my poem. "Thank you, MC. It's the first time you've written something for me..."

She is right this time. I really wrote this poem for her. But I still feel awkward hearing that from her.

"But I still need to show the poem to the others. So you will have to give it back to me for now. I will give it to you on our way home."

"Alright." Sayori hands me my poem.

"Anyway, I still haven't read your poem..."

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot about that~ But it's not as good as yours!"

"Jeez, don't worry. I'm sure I'll like it."

Sayori hands me her poem. Sure enough, it's 'Bottles'. The first hint the game gave you at Sayori's depression. It's a really good poem, but knowing what it means I get a pit in my stomach. But now is not the right time to talk to her about it. I don't know if there ever will be a right time for that. But I know that I will have to do it anyway. Not now, but soon. Before it's too late...

After I have complimented Sayori for her poem, I show mine to Natsuki. As she reads it, she becomes more and more silent. Her hands shake a little and I notice a tear rolling down her face. At first I am surprised, but then I remember what she has to struggle with every day. I guess she really needs someone to be there for her as well.

"Do you like it?" I ask carefully.

"I..." Natsuki stutters. "Y- Yes. I like it..."

I didn't expect this. Natsuki admitted right away that she liked my poem. That's not something I'm used to from her. It really must have spoken to her.

"It's not exactly my favorite writing style." she continues. "But... I really liked the message behind it." She looks down. "I guess... even though you probably didn't write this for me... I really needed to hear something like that."

"I didn't write this for anyone specifically." I tell her. "So if you need someone to be there for you, I'll be glad to help."

Another tear rolls down Natsuki's face. "Th- Thank you..."

Suddenly she looks up, trying to control her expression. "A- Anyway, you still need to read my poem!" She shoves her poem towards me and looks away.

I read 'Amy Likes Spiders' and even though she says it's self-explanatory, Natsuki explains the whole thing to me anyway.

"Natsuki, is this about your manga?" I ask her.

"Eh?!" Natsuki looks shocked. "N-N-No! It's about..." She tries to find an explanation for a few seconds, then lowers her head. "Yes..."

"Hey, don't worry, I'm not judging you. I read manga myself, you know? I know those kinds of people who judge you for that..."

"I hate them." she mumbles. "They make me feel so... insecure."

"Just ignore them. They don't know anything about manga. Or about you."

"Yeah, you're right..." Suddenly Natsuki shows me a big smile. "They don't know how awesome I am!"

I laugh. "You're the best." I'm not sure if she caught on my sarcastic tone. Since she didn't punch me yet, maybe she didn't. It's probably better that way.

As Yuri reads my poem, I see a faint smile emerge on her lips. But her overall expression makes it hard to tell if it's a happy or a sad smile.

"This poem has a very nice message, MC." she tells me. "Whomever you wrote it for must be a very fortunate person."

I laugh nervously. "Ahaha! I'm glad you like it, Yuri. But this poem really is for everyone. Also for you, if you need it."

Yuri looks away, embarrassed. But the smile on her lips doesn't disappear.

"I know, we have only known each other for a few days." I continue. "But if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be glad to listen."

"I- I..." she stammers, clearly not knowing how to respond. "T-Thank you... You're... really kind."

"So... any advice on my writing technique? Did I do a better job than yesterday?" I ask her, trying to change the topic.

Glad to have something to talk about she feels comfortable with, Yuri visibly relaxes. She collects her thoughts for a moment.

"Well... I usually would advice you to put more imagery into your poem. But as for this one, it might actually be harmful. I think a message such as yours should not be obscured by metaphors too much. Also, your general writing technique certainly did improve. I can tell that you felt way more comfortable writing this poem than last time."

"Yeah, that's true. Thanks, Yuri. Do you want to share your poem now?"

"Yeah... I do!"

After reading 'The Raccoon' I listen to Yuri's explanation. Of course I already know the meaning of it, but being able to interpret one of Yuri's poem perfectly might arouse suspicion. But suddenly, I realize that this poem might have another, much darker meaning. What if it actually is a metaphor for her habits of self-harm? But I can't just bring up something like this. Instead I decide to ask a more careful question.

"Could this poem also be about some kind of addiction?"

For a split second a glance of fear appears on Yuri's expression. But she catches herself just as quickly and responds "I suppose you could see it that way. But it's not what I was going for."

Yuri isn't telling me the truth. But to avoid making her more uncomfortable I change the subject.

"You know, Natsuki also wrote about something like that. About someone being ridiculed for a strange interest."

"Eh? She... she did?" Yuri looks surprised.

"Yeah... She was talking about how it doesn't matter what you're into as long as you're not hurting anybody."

"She- She's right! Ah- I mean... Does she really feel that way...?"

"Yeah. Sounds like you two have that in common..."

"That's... well, that's interesting... To me, she seemed like the kind of person who would make fun of my hobbies... But I suppose that's my fault for judging, isn't it...?" Yuri's expression suddenly breaks. "Ah- Please don't tell her I said that!"

"You know, I think you could be much better friends, if you just got to know each other a bit more." I say, seeing a chance to possibly end their senseless feud. "You might be more similar than you can imagine. Isn't it a bit silly to fight all the time, just because your writing styles are different?"

"I..." Yuri looks down. Her mind seems to be racing into all kinds of directions. After some time she slowly responds. "Perhaps you are right. But... neither of us will have the courage to take the first step towards reconciling."

"I don't think it's going to be that hard. I'm sure you two don't hate each other. You'll just have to take small steps. Why don't you start with finding another topic both of you can write about. It might be interesting to find more similarities between you. Just be constructive when criticizing each other."

Yuri looks at me hesitantly.

"You can tell her I suggested it." I say. "She might be a bit more open to the suggestion that way."

"Yes... I will." She finally relaxes a little and shows me a smile. "Thank you, MC."

Again, I approach Monika last. I am still a bit intimidated by her experience and passion for literature. But so far everyone liked my poem, so I guess I don't have to worry that much.

Monika greets me with a concerned expression. "Hey, MC! How is your hand doing?"

"It's fine. It stings every now and then but other than that I can mostly ignore it."

"I'm glad. But if it doesn't get better, please visit a doctor, okay?"

"I will. But I think it really looks worse than it is."

Monika smiles in relief. "Alright. So... how's the writing going?"

"Better than I expected. So far everyone seemed to like my poem."

"I knew you had it in you! Maybe soon you'll come up with a masterpiece."

"Ahaha, I wouldn't count on that..."

"You never know. Alright, let me see it!" Monika seems excited to read my poem. Maybe she wants to see what it takes to impress both Yuri and Natsuki at the same time.

I hand her my poem. After reading it, she smiles warmly.

"I can see why everyone liked it. It has a really nice message. I think everyone needs to hear something like that once in a while."

"What about you?" I ask her. "Do you need someone to be there for you?"

Somehow Monika's smile becomes even warmer. "MC, you might not realize it, but you have already done much more than I expected."

"Huh?" I am a bit surprised. "But I didn't really do anything."

"Yes, you did. Just including me in everyday activities and treating me like I'm just a friend like everyone else. That's more than I'm used to. It... doesn't happen very often, you know?" Her expression becomes a bit sad but she controls it very well.

"That's a surprise, Monika. You're so popular at school. Doesn't everyone want to include you in their activities?"

"In a way, yes. But they don't want to include me for who I am. They just see the popular girl everyone wants to be with." By now, Monika's smile has vanished completely. "Sometimes being popular can be a curse..."

"I can see that... Well, as I promised, we'll make sure to include you more often."

Her smile returns. "I'm really glad you joined the literature club, MC. Everyone seems to be a bit happier with you around. Thank you..."

I can feel my face turning red. "Come on, you're exaggerating."

"Ahaha, maybe. But I can at least tell you that I am. Anyway, you want to read my poem now? I like the way this one turned out, so I hope you do too~"

"Alright, let's take a look."

I only catch a glance at the poem but it's enough to make my heart skip a beat. The title of the poem is 'Save Me'. The form of it is also identical to the one in my dream. I quickly grab it from Monika's hand. She looks a bit surprised, but doesn't say anything.

As I read the poem, I sigh in relief. The poem is different. It's pretty abstract, but I think I manage to read the same things out of it that Monika just told me. The thing or rather the people she wants to be saved from are the ones who don't like her for who she is.

As I hand the poem back to her, she looks at me with a sad smile. "You know... I like to keep my poems abstract. That way I can write about my feelings and still make sure not everyone knows about them. But I guess after our little heart-to-heart you know what this is about, don't you?"

I nod. She looks down. "As much as I hate being the popular one sometimes... I still want to show confidence. I don't want people to think that I've suddenly become weak."

"Monika, I don't think showing your true feelings is some kind of weakness." I tell her, trying to comfort her. "It takes a lot of courage to do so."

Monika shows me a weak smile. "Not everyone is as understanding as you, MC. Most of the people in our school would just turn away from me. And this club needs a strong president to grow. I can't allow myself to reveal my true feelings. Not yet..."

"Alright." I smile at her. "Then I will make sure that you at least have some real friends in us."

She smiles back. "Thank you..."

After everyone has finished sharing their poems, Monika calls us to the front of the classroom to talk about the festival. Sayori is excited to show off the posters she created. But neither Yuri nor Natsuki are very enthusiastic about the idea of performing in front of an audience. Even after Monika's and Sayori's little speech they remain silent. So I guess it's up to me to save the situation. But I decide to take a different approach than in my dream.

"I think Monika and Sayori are right." I say to Natsuki and Yuri. "Neither of you have to worry about anything. You both are really talented writers. I know you are scared that people may laugh at you. But if you perform your poems with the same emotions I saw in you when you showed them to me then I'm sure you will get the recognition you deserve. And it would really help Monika and Sayori. They have been trying really hard to get new members. I want to help them. Don't you?"

Sayori stares at me in awe. Monika also seems pleasantly surprised. And it seems as though Yuri and Natsuki are a little more relaxed.

"Uu... Alright..." Natsuki hesitantly agree. "If you are on board, then I am too."

I smile at her "Thank you, Natsuki. What about you, Yuri?"

"I- I..." Yuri barely manages to speak. "I will do it... For the sake of the club. And... for all of you..."

Sayori laughs. "Ahaha! That's everyone! You're the best, Yuri~"

Yuri stays silent. She seems to be focused on not freaking out.

Monika takes the opportunity to initiate the performance practice. As she stands behind the podium, I get a bit excited. I am going to hear those poems for the first time! They never were shown in the game.

The poem Monika performs is called 'The way they fly'. Again, it is very abstract. But I got to know her a lot better today and so I catch on hints what the poem is about. Monika seems to talk about how she never really fits in. About being way too popular to fit in with the reclusive people reading books all the time but also too nerdy to fit in with the sportive people.

Listening to it I'm getting a bit frustrated. Are people really that close-minded to only accept others into their groups that are exactly like them? I hope she will at least find a group of sincere friends with us.

Monika finishes and we applaud. Sayori begins to make her way to the podium but suddenly Yuri stands up. "I... I'll go next!"

Sayori is surprised. "Uwah! Yuri's fired up all of a sudden!"

Yuri stands behind the podium and hesitantly begins to recite her poem. But after a couple of lines a fire seems to awake in her. Her poem 'Afterimage of a Crimson Eye' is full of twists and turns in its structure that she enunciates with perfect timing. It's almost as if she's a completely different woman.

Her performance makes me experience the feeling she put into the poem myself a little bit. I can feel joy and euphoria but also a little bit of loneliness. And... fear? I try to find out what the poem is about but I've always had a hard time interpreting Yuri's poems. So I think of what I know about her and try to find something that seems fitting.

Suddenly I have a numbing idea. What if those are the feelings she gets from cutting herself? Joy and euphoria might be what she experiences through the cuts. She certainly fears that anyone might find out about it. And loneliness? Maybe she feels lonely because no one can understand her. To be honest, neither can I... But I will try my best to be supportive and not make it worse.

Suddenly, Yuri is finished. I planned to not get caught off guard this time but thinking about the meaning of her poem I spaced out a little. Still, I am the first one to start applauding. The others quickly join in as Yuri rushes back to her seat.

It's Sayori's turn. After her initial shyness she begins reading 'My Meadow'. As I expected it's another metaphor for her feelings. A beautiful meadow presenting happiness that slowly turns into a wasteland by plucking all the beautiful flowers.

Suddenly I recognize some lines of her poem. Those are the lines she practiced her expressiveness with in my dream. She didn't do it today, probably because Monika tagged along. Thinking about it sends a shiver down my spine. I never payed too much attention to those few lines. To me, 'Bottles' always has been the first hint at her depression.

Even though Sayori doesn't put much force into her performance, it turns out really good. Somehow, it feels like her soft voice was made as a perfect match. After she finishes reading, we applaud.

"I did it~" Sayori says with a big smile on her face.

"Good job, Sayori." I compliment her.

She giggles. "Ehehe, even MC liked it. I guess that's a good sign~"

"Eh? But I've always liked your poems."

Sayori smiles, but doesn't say anything. Instead, Monika speaks up to give her advice about her expressiveness. Afterwards she turns to Natsuki. "Now who's next... ? Natsuki?"

I expect Natsuki to make me go first, but she doesn't say anything. She just stares at Monika hesitantly. Did I really touch her heart with my poem that much so she doesn't want to be mean to me? Now that's something new...

"Want me to go first?" I offer. Natsuki nods.

"Alright." I make my way to the podium. "But it's not like I have much of a selection of what to read... I'll just have to go with what I wrote for today."

I recite my poem. I'm not exactly confident in my writing, but I manage to convey the feelings I put into the poem for Sayori. Even though they all have read the poem already they really seem to be touched by it. As I finish, everyone applauds.

"That was really good, MC." Monika says. "Is this really your first time performing a poem?"

"Uh, yeah..." I respond. "It wasn't that good..."

"Oh come on!" Natsuki suddenly blurts out frustrated. "Why is everyone so good at this? How am I supposed to feel any confident when you are all so much better?"

Sayori looks at her with a worried look. "Natsuki..."

"Don't worry so much about it." I try to comfort Natsuki. "Your writing is not any worse than that of the others. And if you put the feelings you had when writing your poem into your performance, it will turn out great!"

"Ughh..." She hesitates for a moment. "Alright... I'm going."

Natsuki stands behind the podium and starts to read her poem 'Jump'. While she's still a little unenthused, she really tries to put her feelings into it. Combined with the rhythm of the poem it turns out to be a great performance.

But the feelings she put into the poem don't seem to be overly positive. She tries to hide it but I can hear some bitterness and sadness behind her words. The poem is about escaping one's problems. She wants to 'jump into a better world' as it says in her poem. I think she wrote this poem mostly to herself, to encourage herself to endure what her father seems to put her through.

Natsuki finishes and everyone applauds. She rushes back to her seat, but it seems a though my advice helped her a little bit. She's not a reluctant as usually.

Since Natsuki was the last one to present, Monika thanks us all for coming through. She also asks us to pick a poem for the festival and let her know in advance for her pamphlets.

"Hey Monika..." I ask hesitantly. "Do you think my poem is good enough for the festival? I know it's only the second one I wrote, but it kinda means a lot to me."

Saying that I sneak a glance at Sayori. She smiles dreamily.

"Ahaha!" Monika laughs. "Of course it's good enough! I think you worry a bit too much about your writing skills. You're doing just fine, really! And I'm really glad you're putting in all this effort for the club. It makes me really happy."

"Ah... Yeah, no problem..."

With that, Monika ends the club meeting. I stand up.

"Ready to go, Sayori?"

"Yep!"

Natsuki smiles. "Look at you two, always going home together like that."

"It's kind of adorable, isn't it?" Monika adds. Sayori giggles.

I get embarrassed. "Jeez, guys... Don't make such a big deal out of it."

Yuri flashes a weak smile. "It must be a little nice though..."

"Well... Yeah... it is." I admit.

Sayori smiles at me which embarrasses me even more.

"Come on, let's go, Sayori." I say quickly.

And with that, the two of us make our way home once more.

Author's notes

Big thanks to Alice for helping me understand Yuri's and Sayori's minds a bit better.



Also holy hell, this part became way longer than I planned. I thought the rest of Day 2 would be as long as the first part. But Day 2 is not even finished now! By far!