Hello, ! It's been a little while since I've uploaded anything, and I kinda decided to write this off the cuff as an idea creeped into my head this morning. What if MC wasn't the only new member to join that day? What if he had three friends alongside him? I realize that this might be rather ambitious of me, but I just had to try it out. Fair warning, this one is fairly long; longer than I had intended it to be. I'll try to make any future chapters shorter so as not to bore you to tears. Without further ado, let's go!

It's an ordinary school day like any other. The birds are singing, flowers are blooming, an annoying girl is running towards me waving her arms in a goofy fashion…

"M.C.! Wait for meeeeee!"

Enter Sayori, my next-door neighbor and one of my childhood friends. She's an odd one to be sure, but she's hardly out of place in our little circle of friends. Aside from the two of us, there's also Ryu, Makoto, and Akira. Ryu's an athlete and a bit of a showoff; the tallest of us, he's always trying to look good for the ladies. Makoto's a little on the moody side, and he never minces words, but he ultimately means well. Finally, little Akira's kinda like me in some ways; we both like manga, anime, and video games, but he's way more shy around girls than I am. I'm still not sure he's entirely used to Sayori after all these years…

I'm immediately thrown out of my thoughts as Sayori finally catches up to me, panting and wheezing.

"H… huff… I… overslept… again…"

"You're just lucky I'm not Makoto," I smirked. "Otherwise you'd really have been left behind."

"You're not wrong," a voice spoke up from behind us. Turning, Sayori and I could see the indigo-haired devil himself, Ryu and Akira close behind. "You're a far kinder man than I, M.C. And especially moreso than this brute over here."

"Oi! Hear that, Akira? Old Blue here is callin' you out," Ryu laughed boisterously.

"U-um, actually," Akira stuttered, nervously adjusting his glasses, "I believe that insult was meant for you."

"What!? How? I'm the furthest thing from a brute," Ryu exclaimed dramatically, a hand over his heart in shock. Turning towards Sayori, he continued, "and I would never leave such a beautiful lady behind."

I fought the urge to place my face in my hand as Sayori blushed and giggled, still not used to Ryu's flirtatious ways after all this time. Makoto, meanwhile, rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Honestly, Ryu, you're never going to get a girl to treat you seriously if you act so shamelessly."

"Like you're one to talk, Blue," Ryu snorted. "All you do is brood! You and Akira need to get out more, soak up some sun like me! Maybe bulk up the old physique!"

"Too much sunlight can be bad for you," Akira piped up. "A-and I'm not one for heavy lifting…"

"Yeah, Muscles. Maybe all that 'physical activity' jargon has gone straight to your head."

"What did you just say!?"

"Ehehe," Sayori giggled, making a weird gesture with her fingers. "You guys haven't changed a bit. Always at each other's throats…"

"AHEM," I cleared my throat, getting everyone's attention. "In case you have forgotten, we have a school to get to."

"Yay," Makoto muttered lifelessly.

"Aw, c'mon, Makoto!" Sayori exclaimed as we all began walking. "Cheer up! You can't face the day without a smile!"

"He doesn't smile. Ever," Ryu snarked.

Makoto rolled his eyes again, though his mouth twitched for a brief moment. "I'm fine, Sayori. Promise."

"Okay… well, have you guys considered joining any clubs this year?"

"Nope," I spoke plainly. "I'm not terribly interested in joining any."

"Ditto," Makoto droned.

"I-I kinda want to check out the manga club…"

"Anything with a sport involved and I'm there!"

"M.C., Makoto… you guys promised me you would join a club this year," Sayori uttered with an adorably sad look on her face. You know, the one where she really wants you to do something even though you know your mind is made up.

Makoto was the first to protest, albeit briefly. "I never agreed to tha-"

His words were caught in his throat as he looked into Sayori's shimmering blue eyes, almost brimming with tears. He immediately backed down. "I… suppose I could look around…"

"Really? Yay!" Sayori cheered, immediately running over to glomp Makoto. His usually bored facial expression became one of surprise, a blush beginning to creep onto his cheeks. Ryu let out a wolf whistle as Akira shyly looked away. "That just leaves you, M.C.!"

"Nope. Not doing it. Sorry."

"But you saaaaaid!"

I let out a sigh, not wanting to face those puppy dog eyes. "If I agree to check some out after school, will you leave me be?"

"You'll do it then? Yay! Thank you, M.C.!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

After what seemed like an eternity, the five of us finally reached the school. As we all bid each other farewell to head to our respective morning classes, several questions kept creeping into my head. Did I really just agree to that so easily? What clubs would I even find remotely interesting? I guess I could check out the anime club, or even tag along with Akira, but… sigh. I guess I have no choice.

The school day is as uninteresting as ever, so much so that I hardly even notice when the final bell rings. As I begin to pack up my things, I consider my thoughts from this morning. I really don't want to join any clubs, but if I had to pick one... maybe the anime club? I usually meet up with the other guys after class, so maybe I'll gain some inspiration from the-

"M.C.!"

Or not. Instead, Sayori is standing in the doorway looking at me with a funny expression on her face. Looking around, I can see that I was the last person in the classroom. Sayori walks into the classroom, followed shortly by the boys.

"There he is," Ryu smiled.

"Honestly, M.C.," Sayori shook her head, "You were just sitting there spaced out... sometimes you're worse than me!"

"You guys didn't have to wait on me... I wouldn't want you all to be late or anything."

"S-Sayori wanted us to come by to see if you had picked a club yet," Akira spoke up. "I had considered the anime and manga clubs, but-"

"That," I cut him off. "I'm doing that."

"Actually, M.C.," Sayori began, looking nervous. "I was kinda hoping that you would come to my club!"

"No way. Absolutely not."

"But-"

"No."

"You're the vice president of the Literature Club, yeah?" Makoto asked, leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. "There are worse clubs I can think of..."

"Thank you, Makoto," Sayori smiled sweetly. "... I think."

"Literature? Ha! No offense, Sayori, but I can't imagine that being more fun than running track or swimming," Ryu chortled.

"Or anime," I chimed in.

"Literature can be fun," Akira interjected. "It's all a matter of perspective. And genre. Why, I remember reading this fascinating science-fiction novel once-"

"See! Makoto and Akira have the right idea!" Sayori exclaimed pridefully. "Besides," she continued, suddenly looking bashful, "I already told the club that I'd bring a new member... or four."

"WHAT!?" Ryu and I exclaimed. Akira shifted nervously while Makoto looked at Sayori with a confused expression on his face.

"I didn't sign on for this," Ryu complained. "You guys know I'm not all that great with books."

"Oh, we know," Makoto retorted.

"Can it!"

"Please? It'll be fun! Natsuki even made cupcakes," Sayori pleaded.

I let out a long sigh, rolling my eyes in a way that would make Makoto proud. "I'll stop by for a cupcake. One."

"I-I'll go too, but not for the sugary pastries," Akira piped up. "I'm curious to see where this L-Literature Club will go with regards to its usage of narrative structure and-"

"Cupcakes? I am so there," Ryu interrupted, a fist in his palm. Akira, meanwhile, looked annoyed.

"Why is it that I'm the only one here who's constantly getting interrupted?" the black-haired boy cried. "Just because I'm the smallest doesn't make me any less important!"

The room went silent as all eyes went to Akira, his face reddening as he realized what he had just said. "N... never mind. Please disregard my outburst."

"Sorry, Akira," Ryu rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "Didn't mean to make you feel that way..."

"I-it's fine... now then, the Literature Club. I'm going too."

Makoto sighed. "Yeah, I might as well go too. What could possibly go wrong? You know, aside from everything."

Sayori looked around the room at each of us and beamed, seemingly ignoring Makoto's comment. "You guys are the best..."

"Damn straight," Ryu smirked with his arms folded. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Before today, if you were to ever ask me if I would sell my soul for a cupcake, I would answer "no" without hesitation. And yet, here we were, standing at the gates of Hell.

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic," Sayori remarked. "It'll be fuuuuun!"

Before any of us could reply, Sayori threw open the door to the club, brimming with energy.

"Hey, everyone! The new members are here~!"

Ryu was the first to speak up. "Now wait just a second, I didn't say anything... about... joining..."

Our big, blonde companion's words trailed off as we were greeted by the sight of a purple-haired beauty.

"Welcome to the Literature Club," she smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Oh, uh, hey," Ryu remarked, running a hand through his hair. "Same."

"Pleasure to be here," I responded, smiling politely. Makoto locked eyes with the girl and nodded, and Akira barely managed to stammer out a "Hello", clutching a book to his chest all the while.

"Seriously? You brought boys?"

My eyes were assaulted by a vision of pink as another girl appeared before us, much shorter than the first. She could be Akira's height, even...

"Excuse me, little girl," Ryu interjected, flexing his muscles all the while. "I believe the word you're looking for is men."

"Ha! You don't seem much like men to me," the short girl smirked, flashing a fang. "Especially you, Glasses."

"E-eep!" Akira shrieked, hiding behind a clearly annoyed Makoto.

"Natsuki! That is no way to treat our new club members," a third girl spoke up, joining us. "I apologize for her rudeness, welcome to the Literature Club!"

The boys all nodded in thanks, but I was too lost in thought to reply. Where have I seen you before?

Catching myself, I turned and caught Ryu's eye. In that split second, we both had the same thought.

'This club... is full of incredibly cute girls!'

"Hey!" the girl named Natsuki shouted. "What are you looking at? If you have something to say, just say it!"

"You are all incredibly cute and I want to marry you."

"RYU!" Makoto, Akira and I shouted, Makoto elbowing the idiot for good measure. Natsuki was clearly not expecting such blunt honesty, her mouth gaping as her face flushed. The purple-haired girl blushed deeply and hid her eyes with her hair, facing away slightly. The third girl merely smiled as Sayori was doubled over laughing.

"Ahaha! I see we already have some interesting individuals in our midst. My name is Monika, and I'm the President of the Literature Club," the girl smiled. "This is Yuri," she spoke, gesturing to the violet-haired beauty, "and of course you're already familiar with Natsuki and Sayori..."

Monika?!

"Wait... Monika? I think we've..."

"... Met once before? Ahaha. I remember you all too well, M.C..."

"Woah woah woah! I didn't know you two knew each other," Sayori exclaimed incredulously. "Small world, huh?"

"Heh, yeah," I chuckled awkwardly. "Small world..."

In truth, I knew a Monika in my class last year, but I feel like this isn't quite what I mean when I feel like I've met her before...

"Aaaaanyway," Sayori butted in, "cupcake time! I'll go get them!"

"Like hell you will," Natsuki frowned, walking over to a table with a foil-covered tray on it. "I made them, so I'll be the one to get them."

"I'll prepare some tea then," Yuri spoke in a much more polite tone, nodding at us before turning and walking to the corner of the room.

"That Natsuki sure is something, eh, Akira?"

"S-shut up, Ryu..."

Giggling, Monika and Sayori gestured to a nearby table made up of eight desks. Each of us took our seats as Natsuki and Yuri returned with cupcakes and tea, the boys sitting across from the girls. Smiling proudly to herself, Natsuki wasted no time removing the tin foil.

"Ta-daaa!"

"Uwooooah! Cute!"

Cute was correct. The cupcakes had been baked to look like little white cats, the icing fluffy and delicate-looking. Little pieces of chocolate were used for the ears, and the end result was being both adorable and delicious-looking. Adorabcious? Deliciable?

"Those look delicious, Natsuki," Yuri spoke gracefully, pouring everyone tea. "Beautiful, even."

"Well? Don't just sit there, take one!"

Sayori's hand was the first to move, followed by myself, Ryu, and oddly enough, Makoto. The others soon grabbed a cupcake and dug in. All except for Akira, of course, who looked at the cupcake tentatively, as if seriously contemplating where to bite the cupcake to "minimize the surface area of confectionary residue" or something like that. The rest of us, meanwhile, were nearly finished with ours.

"Well, Glasses?" Natsuki asked, eying him strangely. "Try it already!"

"A-ah! O-okay," Akira gulped, blushing. In his haste, he practically smooshed the cupcake on his face, getting some frosting on his glasses in the process. I sighed, covering my face with my hand. We were off to a fantastic start, now weren't we? Meanwhile, the others were doing their best not to laugh. All except Natsuki, who eagerly waited for a reaction from him.

"... It's good," he spoke quietly, wiping some icing from his glasses. "An absolute delicacy."

"You... you mean that...?"

"Course he does," Sayori piped up. "Akira's too sweet to lie; he's just like your cupcakes!"

Everyone shared a laugh save Makoto and Akira, and I could swear I saw Natsuki giving a genuine smile towards the latter...

"So," Monika broke the laughter, pausing to take a sip of tea before continuing, "What made you four decide to join the Literature Club?"

All of us froze. In truth, I had been so lost in the moment that I hadn't even considered-

"I heard Sayori really liked the club, so I wanted to support her," Makoto spoke plainly, seeing the girl's eyes light up.

"I-I've always enjoyed literature," Akira spoke up, glancing at the book he had brought with him. "Especially darker, mysterious stories that delve into the likes of psychological horror..."

At this, it was Yuri's turn to brighten up. "W-wow! Me too! I mean... I also enjoy those kinds of stories. Have you heard of 'Portrait of Markov'?"

"I have! Actually, it's the book I brought here with me today. O-of course, I also enjoy some manga every now and again..."

Yuri's expression faltered slightly as Natsuki's lit up, albeit briefly. As the two began to chat with Akira (sly dog...), Monika turned to Ryu and me. "And as for you two?"

"Well, I, uh," I coughed, my face starting to heat up, "I've just... really liked books and stuff as well..."

Okay, so that was a bit of a lie, but I can't very well tell her that I caved in for a cupcake, now can I?

"Personally, I'm not a fan, but who knows? Things can change," Ryu shrugged. "Honestly though, I'm surprised you waste your time on literature, Monika. Aren't you like super athletic or something?"

"Ryu, you're being rude," Sayori huffed. Monika, however, laughed it off.

"Ahaha. Well, I wouldn't say 'super athletic', but I do love literature. Truly. Speaking of which, might I have everyone's attention?"

Everyone stopped their conversations to give Monika the floor.

"Since we've recently doubled our member count, I think it's only fair that we should start-"

"Hey, wait," I interjected. "We still haven't really made up our minds yet."

Hearing this caused the girls' expressions to fall. Sayori was the first to speak up.

"M.C..."

"Ah... I see," Monika stated, trying her best to save face. I immediately felt guilty, but... it was Sayori who roped us all into this in the first place! She shouldn't make promises she can't kee-

"Well," Akira spoke up, adjusting his newly-cleaned glasses with a shaky hand, "I think I c-could get used to being here... Maybe..."

"Honestly, I've got nothing better to do with my worthless time," Makoto shrugged. "Could be interesting."

"And I for one have never been very book smart, but it never hurts to be a little more rounded as an individual, eh? I'm in," Ryu chuckled, folding his arms.

Un. Believable. Whatever happened to "I'll do it for the cupcakes"? Akira I could see joining, but... Makoto? Ryu? What motivation could they possibly have for joining the club? Could it be that they like what they see here?

"Then it's decided," Monika smiled. "Welcome aboard, you three!"

"Make it four!" I declared dramatically, surprising myself and everyone else in the room. The hell did I just say?

"What? Really? You mean it?" Sayori asked, barely able to hold in her joy.

Absolutely not.

"Yes, I've decided that I want to join," I smiled. No, really, who is doing this to me?

Sayori let out a girlish "Eeeeee!" of excitement and suddenly pulled me into an embrace, hopping up and down like a madwoman. I could see everyone smiling except for Natsuki who quickly wiped any joy off her face and Makoto who looked sour as always.

"Then it's decided. Our first order of business will be to each bring in a poem to share tomorrow," Monika declared with a smile. The room instantly fell into chaos.

"W-w-what?" Yuri stammered. "M-Monika, you can't be serious..."

"Yeah! We've never done this before, and they probably haven't even written a poem in their lives," Natsuki huffed.

"I-I wasn't expecting this so soon," Akira nervously muttered.

"Then this'll be a good learning experience for the eight of us, won't it? Eight whole members... I never imagined that this club would grow so quickly! Ahaha!"

"Yeah!" Sayori cheered. "Go us!"

"Yeah, okay," I muttered quietly. I'd never written a poem in my life, but I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one. Hell, Ryu doesn't even like poetry!

"Alright! I'm gonna go home and write the best damn poem ever," Ryu asserted boldly, flexing his muscles for some weird reason. "Believe it!"

"I'll believe it when I see it, Meathead," Makoto remarked coldly.

"I look forward to reading all your poems tomorrow," Monika winked. "Club dismissed!"

The club members disbanded, some staying behind to clean up while others left to parts unknown. Sayori and I walked home alone, which was strange since I can remember at least one of the guys always being there with us...

"So, M.C.," Sayori started, "What do you think of the club so far?"

"I think it's okay, I guess," I shrugged. "I just can't believe you dragged all four of us into this..."

"Would you relax? It'll be fun. Besides, I saw the way Monika was looking at you. If anything, do it for her."

"Wh-what? What makes you think I like her?"

"Well, I never said that now did I? Ehehe..."

"Shut up..."

After what seemed like an eternity of dodging weird questions, we were finally outside Sayori's house.

"Bye, M.C.! See you in the morning," Sayori smiled, hugging me. "And thanks for being a good sport today."

"Yeah, don't mention it..."

As Sayori disappeared into her house, I walked onto my porch and sat down with my head in my hands.

This was going to be one hell of a semester.

So, what did you guys think thus far? I realize that things might seem a little hectic right now, but this was just the introductory chapter; everyone is gonna get their time to shine, and I'm probably going to switch up the perspectives a bit in future chapters so it's not always based around MC and whoever he happens to be talking to at the moment. Let me know what works, what doesn't work, all that good stuff. I might even update this chapter later on if something seems particularly egregious. As always, I heartily welcome all constructive criticism, questions, comments, and concerns, so feel free to drop a review below and let me know what you think! Until next time, stay tuned!