The day of the festival was slowly approaching; I couldn’t get any sleep at all. Especially with the heavy words from Sayori yesterday, my mind is still running over every word choice, just hoping that she’s okay. Because the truth is, I’m really worried. The fact that she’s depressed really hit me hard, I noticed she was acting off, but this was on an entire other level. Unable to get her off my mind, I head over to her house in the dead of night- I needed to check on her, and provide whatever I could… After all, it’s what is best for her.

Like the day before, I let myself in, and climb the stairs and head to her room, I hear a slight rumbling sound followed by a crash, sounds like something hit the floor.

“Sayori!” I call out without thinking, I quicken my pace a throw the door open. I’m met with a terrible sight. The crash was a chair falling over; from the ceiling hangs Sayori. In the next instant she realises I’m here and starts clawing at the noose around her neck, whether it’s regret or a survival instinct, I’m not sure. But I do the only thing I can think of.

I wrap my hands around her waist and hold her upwards, I really hope this works. “Sayori, please!” I call out once again, she has to realise this isn’t for the best. “If you do this, I really won’t forgive you… What will the others think?” I then consider my word choice for a moment, “Forget that, how do you think they’d feel, even right now seeing this I feel absolute despair.”

A couple seconds later, I feel a lot more weight than previously, and we both come tumbling down to the floor. I’m guessing that in the moments I held her up, she had enough time to untie the knot. I wrap both arms around her shoulders holding her as close to me as possible.

“I-” Sayori begins to speak but I quickly cut her off “No words.” And hush her, we sit like this for another couple seconds before the sound of her sobs fill the silence of the room, I simply hold her closer.

“It’s so warm, Anon…” she whispers between sobs. Her sobs grow louder and she whispers to me again, “I’m scared.”

I really don’t know what to say. Sayori has been with me all this time, and frankly, I’m still in complete shock at what I just witnessed. All these years she was completely fine… No, no she wasn’t, she just didn’t let it show. I suppose the saddest people always do smile the brightest. I’ve come to my conclusion:
I want to protect her. That’s all I want now, screw the literature club. I’ll spend my life for Sayori, because she is the light in my world.

Her sobs slowly die down, and all that’s left in the room is the sound of her breathing. I quickly notice that she’s asleep. Trying not to disturb her, I move her to her bed, and pull the sheets over her. Her sleeping face is so innocent. That innocence only makes me feel worse for her, nobody deserves to go through this.

I then start on cleaning her room, I really haven’t spent enough time with Sayori, and for what it’s worth, I truly regret it. The whole time I’m cleaning, the scene I witnessed just moments repeats over and over, every time my heart squeezes more.
I bring the chair to her bedside, and give her hand a squeeze. I look at her face and the conversation from yesterday re-enters my head, what did Monika say to her. No, maybe I’m wrong; Monika cares about the literature club and the members, so why would she say anything that could provoke this.

The events of the previous day echo, like a record stuck on permanent repeat in my head, though eventually drowsiness gets the best of me and I drop to sleep.

“Huh?!” I jolt awake as I hear Sayori’s scream. “A-A-Anon?!” She stutters out with a red face. Seeing such a cute face, I can’t help but blush myself. Her cheery smile quickly turns sad though upon remembering the events of last night.
“Anon, I’m sorry…” she begins to trail of, I open my mouth to speak but she speaks first. “Thank you.” With that, I give her some privacy so she can get ready for the festival. I return to my house, and as much as it pains me to admit, I’m scared she might try the same as last night.
Though by the time I’m ready for the festival she’s waiting outside my house, with a huge smile on her face, I run to meet her. She throws her arms around me and I return the gesture, I’m starting to think that she’s genuinely happy about today, but considering how ‘happy’ she’s always been I can’t help but worry a little, and so I give her a small smile and tell her the following
“Don’t try to force a smile for anybody else. But don’t forget that it’s okay to smile for yourself.”

We reach the school, and the festival is already packed, I take Sayori’s hand without thinking, she squeaks a little, I turn around to look at her red face. She really is cute. “Anon, stop teasing me!” I can’t help but let a little laugh out.
We walk around the festival, take a look at a variety of the things other clubs had prepared; there were also some pretty standard stalls. It really surprised me how good Sayori was at this kind of stuff! She manged to win a variety of prizes, and I managed to get her a cute stuffed bear to add to her collection.

It was slowly getting closer and closer to the time we’d be performing our poems, though for some reason I couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. Sayori and I head to the clubroom, where Natsuki, Yuri and Monika are all waiting. I saw Natsuki and Monika share a glance, and Monika laughs, “Ahaha~, I was right you two are together!”

Sayori makes her way over to the pamphlets, while I walk over to Monika, “Monika, I feel like you should know that Sayori tried to…” I cut myself off after realising how insensitive I was being, how rude of me. “Well, she’s not been feeling too great; I just wanted to let you know as her friend. Monika gives back a sad smile, “I know.” Though she was quickly cut off by Sayori.

“W-What is this? I didn’t write this.” I walk over to her to see what she’s talking about… and what I saw gave me a pit in my stomach.
Get out of my head. Get out of my head…

The poem continued onwards, and my stomach sunk lower and lower. Sayori supposedly wrote this, but she’s denying it, then wh-
It clicked.

I turn and glare down at Monika, “Why.”
She did this.
She did all of this.
She told Sayori…
She wrote this poem.
She wanted Sayori to…
She betrayed her.
She betrayed us.
She betrayed me.

Monika closed her eyes, expecting what I was about to say, “I can’t believe you expected me to just fucking play along with her suicide.” I couldn’t restrain my voice. “You disgust me.”

I saw Monika visibly flinch. But that didn’t stop me from continuing “Yeah, you absolutely sicken me. I trusted you Monika. Sayori did too. I hate you…
I FUCKING HATE YOU”

I saw Monika begin to cry. “This wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out at all.”

“This wasn’t…”
“I’m Sorr-”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing, “Sorry doesn’t fucking cut it at all.” Sayori is looking at Monika unsure of what to do with herself. “Screw Monika, Screw the literature club. I’m fucking done here.”




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My emotions race, dancing in the darkness.
Feelings that can never be conveyed.
If they’re so pure that words are not enough…
Then I’d rather them disappear into the sea of truth and lies