{INTRO:}
The screen flickers into focus, revealing Monika sitting at her piano in the empty clubroom. The soft sunlight streams through the windows, casting an ethereal glow around her. She looks up, her green eyes sparkling with mischief as she closes her notebook of music compositions with a satisfying snap. Turning toward the reader, she smiles knowingly.
“Welcome back! I know what you’re thinking. ‘Monika, why are you talking to us? Shouldn’t the story just… start?’” She chuckles, brushing a strand of her chestnut hair behind her ear. “Well, maybe in a normal story. But this isn’t a normal story, is it?”
Standing, she walks to the front of the room, gesturing dramatically as if presenting on a stage.
“Here in the Literature Club, we like to do things a little differently. So, before the chaos begins, let me give you a glimpse of what’s in store—like an anime opening! You know, those flashy montages with catchy music where everything looks way cooler than it actually is?”
Her expression softens into something more serious—or is it self-aware?
“Besides… sometimes it’s nice to take a moment to appreciate how much fun we’re having before things inevitably go off the rails.”
With a snap of her fingers, the clubroom melts away into a kaleidoscope of scenes:
Sayori, laughing hysterically, pulls an oversized mallet out of thin air and smashes through a wall. She waves sheepishly as Monika sighs in the background.
Yuri, standing under a gothic archway, her purple eyes glowing eerily, clutches a tattered book that leaks ominous purple mist. Raven feathers swirl around her.
Natsuki slams a manga volume shut, sparks flying as she glares at Yuri. The two begin bickering, their exaggerated chibi-style arguing making the panels on the page come to life.
Qua, seated at his computer, smirks as lines of code cascade across the screen. He taps a key, and the world glitches briefly, revealing Monika standing behind him with an unreadable expression.
Monika, perched at her piano, plays a haunting melody. The camera pans up, showing her gazing out a window—her reflection flickering slightly, as if caught between two realities.
The montage abruptly ends. Monika reappears in the clubroom, clapping her hands together with a bright smile.
“Pretty cool, huh? I’d say it sums us up nicely: a little chaotic, a little heartfelt, and absolutely over the top. Now, let’s see what kind of mischief the club gets into this time, shall we?”
With that, she gestures toward the door, and the real story begins.
*******
One week after summer break...
The morning sun streamed through Sayori Roote's bedroom window, casting cheerful rays across her chaotic collection of stuffed animals. Her alarm clock had been ringing for the past fifteen minutes, but she remained blissfully asleep, a small bubble forming at her nose as she snored softly.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
"I'M LATE!" she shrieked, leaping out of bed with such force that she briefly defied gravity, hanging suspended in the air for a comical moment before crashing back down.
Sayori scrambled around her room, her coral pink hair bobbing wildly as she searched for her uniform. "Where is it? Where is it?" she muttered, opening drawers and tossing clothes behind her in a cartoonish flurry.
She reached into her closet and somehow pulled out a fishing rod, a beach ball, and finally her school uniform, which she quickly threw on. Without bothering to check if her bow was straight (it wasn't), she grabbed her school bag and zoomed down the stairs.
"Breakfast!" Sayori exclaimed, sliding into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator, reached in, and pulled out... a banana cream pie. "Perfect!" she declared, before promptly smashing her entire face into it.
When she pulled back, her face was miraculously clean, and the pie had vanished entirely. With a satisfied burp, she dashed out the front door, leaving a Sayori-shaped dust cloud behind her.
---
Meanwhile, Monika Kobayashi was already at Hoshinari Academy, sitting primly at her desk in Class 2-A. Her coral brown hair was perfectly styled, and her bright green eyes scanned the classroom with a calm authority. As class president, she had arrived early to prepare for the day, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
"First Literature Club meeting of the new term," she murmured to herself, tapping her pen against her notebook. "I hope everyone remembered..."
She glanced at the empty seat two rows ahead of her – Sayori's desk. A small smile played on her lips. "Well, almost everyone."
The classroom door slid open to reveal Qua, his piercing blue eyes immediately finding Monika's. He gave her a slight nod as he made his way to his seat behind hers, his movements casual yet somehow precise.
"Morning," he said, slouching into his chair. "Ready for another term of absolute chaos?"
Monika turned to face him, her smile polite but genuine. "I've prepared contingency plans A through Z this time."
Qua raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk forming. "You'll need the Greek alphabet too, considering our club."
"I've got those covered as well," she replied with a wink.
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud crash in the hallway, followed by what sounded like a bowling ball rolling down the corridor and knocking over pins. Moments later, Sayori burst through the door, her uniform rumpled and her bow askew.
"I'm here!" she announced breathlessly to the half-empty classroom. "Did I miss anything?"
"Just the first fifteen minutes of prep time," Monika said with a patient smile.
Sayori's face fell dramatically – so dramatically, in fact, that a small rain cloud appeared over her head and began drizzling on her. "Aww, I tried so hard to be early today!"
Qua snorted. "You and punctuality exist in parallel universes."
The classroom door opened again, this time revealing their homeroom teacher, Ms. Kusakabe, who looked like she had already given up on the day despite it being only 8:15 AM.
"Good morning, class," she said wearily, placing her books on the desk. She pointedly ignored the small rain cloud hovering over Sayori's head, which was now dissolving into a mist. "Let's take attendance."
As Ms. Kusakabe called out names, the hallway outside their classroom suddenly warped and stretched, a common occurrence in Hoshinari Academy's ever-shifting architecture. Through the classroom's back window, students could see that the gymnasium had somehow relocated to be directly behind their building, despite having been across campus the day before.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Just another normal day at Hoshinari Academy.
---
Lunch break found the Literature Club members gathered in their usual corner of the cafeteria, which today was inexplicably decorated like an underwater theme restaurant, complete with fish tanks built into the walls and waitstaff dressed as merpeople.
Natsuki Gushiken stomped toward their table, her pastel pink hair bouncing with each determined step. Despite her small stature of 4'11", she commanded attention with her fierce expression.
"Can you believe this?" she fumed, slamming her tray down. "I waited fifteen minutes in the lunch line, and when I finally got to the front, the cafeteria lady handed me this!" She gestured to her plate, which contained what appeared to be a sandwich that was gently pulsating.
Yuri Kuroyanagi, already seated at the table, looked up from her book with curious light purple eyes. Her waist-length dark purple hair was draped elegantly over one shoulder.
"It's... certainly unique," she offered, eyeing the sandwich with mild concern. "Perhaps it's a new protein option?"
"It WINKED at me!" Natsuki exclaimed, jabbing her fork toward the sandwich, which did indeed seem to blink at them.
Qua, lounging with his feet propped on an empty chair, didn't look up from his phone. "Just eat around the eyeball part."
Monika sighed, placing her perfectly organized bento box on the table. "I've learned it's best to bring your own lunch. The cafeteria has been... experimental lately."
"I don't mind it!" Sayori chirped, appearing suddenly from behind Natsuki. In her hands was a towering ice cream sundae that defied the laws of physics, swaying precariously but never toppling. "Look what I got from the dessert bar!"
"There is no dessert bar," Yuri pointed out logically.
"There is if you believe hard enough!" Sayori replied with absolute conviction, before diving face-first into her sundae.
Monika cleared her throat, attempting to bring some order to the conversation. "So, about our first club meeting this afternoon—"
She was interrupted by a commotion from across the cafeteria. The student council had entered, led by none other than Kaito Kobayashi, Monika's twin brother. Unlike his sister's neat appearance, Kaito's uniform was deliberately rumpled in that carefully calculated way that suggested rebellion while still looking good.
"Oh great," Monika muttered, "just what we need."
Kaito caught sight of their table and a mischievous smirk spread across his face. He whispered something to Haruki Nakajima, his vice president, whose eyes lit up with malicious glee.
"Incoming trouble," Qua warned, finally looking up from his phone.
The student council changed course, heading directly toward the Literature Club's table. Kaito slid smoothly into an empty chair next to Monika, uninvited.
"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite group of book nerds," he drawled. "Planning another riveting poetry reading? Maybe a spine-tingling discussion of comma placement?"
"What do you want, Kaito?" Monika asked coolly, not rising to the bait.
"Just checking in on my favorite sister and her little club," he replied, his smile never reaching his eyes. "Student council's organizing a back-to-school festival next week. All clubs are required to participate."
Haruki leaned over Sayori's shoulder, eyeing her impossible sundae. "Mandatory participation. No exceptions."
"We haven't approved any festival," Monika countered, her green eyes narrowing.
"New school year, new rules," Kaito shrugged. "Principal approved it this morning."
"The principal doesn't exist," Qua muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Kaito challenged.
"Nothing important," Qua replied with a bored expression. "Just pointing out that your 'approval' probably came from hacking the school's announcement system. Again."
A flicker of annoyance passed over Kaito's face, but he quickly recovered. "Festival starts Monday. Each club needs a booth or activity." He stood up, adjusting his cuffs. "Try not to embarrass yourselves too much."
As the student council sauntered away, Miyuki Sato, their secretary, lingered behind for a moment. "Just so you know," she said quietly to Monika, "they're planning something for your club specifically. Be careful." With that cryptic warning, she hurried to catch up with her group.
"Great," Natsuki groaned, poking at her still-winking sandwich. "Now we have to deal with your brother's stupid festival AND this possibly sentient lunch."
"I think a festival sounds fun!" Sayori exclaimed, her face now inexplicably clean despite having been covered in ice cream moments before. "We could do a poetry reading, or a book sale, or—" she gasped dramatically, "—a COMBINATION READING AND SALE!"
"Revolutionary," Qua deadpanned.
Yuri closed her book, tucking a strand of purple hair behind her ear. "Perhaps we could create an atmospheric reading space. Something... immersive."
"With cupcakes!" Sayori added enthusiastically.
"We'll discuss ideas at the club meeting," Monika said firmly, bringing order back to the conversation. "For now, let's just try to get through lunch without any more surprises."
As if on cue, Natsuki's sandwich gave a small hop and began inching toward the edge of her tray.
"Oh no you don't!" Natsuki yelled, stabbing it with her fork. The sandwich let out a tiny, inexplicable squeak before going still.
Monika sighed. Just another day at Hoshinari Academy.
---
After classes ended, the Literature Club members made their way to their clubroom. The journey was never straightforward at Hoshinari Academy – today, the hallway leading to their room had doubled in length, with doors randomly opening to reveal everything from a tropical rainforest to what appeared to be a medieval banquet hall.
"I swear this school gets weirder every term," Natsuki grumbled as they passed a door that opened onto what looked suspiciously like the surface of Mars.
"I find it stimulating," Yuri commented softly. "The unpredictability keeps one's mind alert."
They finally reached their clubroom, which remained mercifully normal compared to the rest of the school. Bookshelves lined the walls, comfortable chairs were arranged in a circle, and large windows overlooked the school grounds – which today included a Ferris wheel that definitely hadn't been there yesterday.
Monika moved to the teacher's desk at the front of the room, arranging her notes while the others settled in. Sayori immediately bounced over to the windows, pressing her face against the glass to watch the Ferris wheel.
"Attention, everyone," Monika called, clapping her hands. "First club meeting of the term!"
"Woo!" Sayori cheered, somehow producing confetti from her pockets that exploded around her.
"As you heard at lunch, we need to prepare for the student council's festival," Monika continued, choosing to ignore the confetti that was now floating through the air. "Any ideas?"
"We could display different literature from around the world," Yuri suggested, her eyes lighting up. "Perhaps create different atmospheric sections representing various literary movements."
"Boring," Natsuki interjected. "We should do something interactive. Maybe a manga drawing workshop?"
"Manga isn't literature," Yuri said reflexively, then immediately looked apologetic. "I mean—"
"Here we go again," Qua muttered, leaning back in his chair.
"MANGA IS TOO LITERATURE!" Natsuki shouted, jumping to her feet. Her outburst was so passionate that her chair skidded backward with impossible force, crashed into the wall, and somehow embedded itself several inches into the plaster.
Everyone paused to stare at the chair.
"I'll fix that later," Natsuki said sheepishly, her anger deflating.
"What about a poetry game?" Sayori suggested brightly, either not noticing or choosing to ignore the tension. "Visitors write one line, then the next person adds another line, and so on!"
"That's... actually not a bad idea," Monika admitted, looking pleasantly surprised.
"And we could serve cupcakes!" Sayori added, her eyes shining with excitement.
"I could bake," Natsuki offered, her earlier irritation forgotten at the prospect of showing off her culinary skills.
"And I could create an appropriate ambiance," Yuri added thoughtfully. "Perhaps some atmospheric lighting and incense..."
"Nothing too strong," Qua warned. "Remember the 'Essence of Midnight' incident from last term?"
Everyone shuddered collectively. The clubroom had smelled like burnt licorice and regret for weeks.
"What about you, Qua?" Monika asked, turning to him. "Any ideas to contribute?"
Qua shrugged. "I can handle tech. Set up a digital display for the poems, maybe some ambient music." He paused, then added with a slight smirk, "And security, in case your brother tries something stupid."
"Perfect," Monika said with a satisfied nod. "Then it's settled. We'll do a progressive poetry activity with appropriate refreshments and ambiance."
As they continued discussing the details, a small paper airplane floated through the open window, performing impossible aerial maneuvers before landing precisely on Monika's desk. She unfolded it to find a note written in elegant script:
*"Meet me at The Coffee Shop of Perpetual Uncertainty after your club meeting. I have information about Kaito's plans. — Miyuki"*
Monika discreetly tucked the note into her pocket. "Before we end today's meeting, I think we should all share something we did over summer break. Just to get back into the swing of things."
"Ooh, me first!" Sayori exclaimed, waving her hand so enthusiastically that it briefly stretched to twice its normal length. "I visited the Candy Forest every day and made friends with a talking squirrel named Sir Nuttington!"
"That checks out," Qua said dryly.
"I improved my baking skills," Natsuki said proudly. "I can now make cupcakes that don't try to run away, unlike SOME things in this school." She shot a glance at her lunch experience.
"I attended a gothic literature retreat," Yuri shared quietly. "We studied ancient texts under the light of the full moon. It was... illuminating."
"Did anyone come back possessed this time?" Qua asked.
"Only briefly," Yuri replied with a hint of disappointment.
"I spent most of my time developing new software," Qua said when his turn came. He didn't elaborate further, but the gleam in his eye suggested it wasn't entirely legal.
"And I organized the club activities for this term," Monika finished. "Speaking of which, don't forget that our first assignment is a poem to share on Friday."
As the meeting concluded and they gathered their belongings, Natsuki approached Yuri tentatively.
"Hey," she said, crossing her arms defensively. "Sorry about snapping earlier. About the manga thing."
Yuri looked surprised at the apology. "No, I apologize. It was dismissive of me. Different forms of literature appeal to different people."
Natsuki nodded awkwardly. "Yeah, well... I got some new manga over break. Horror stuff. Might be up your alley if you... you know, wanted to check it out."
A small smile formed on Yuri's lips. "I'd like that."
Across the room, Sayori beamed at their interaction, then turned to Monika and Qua. "Isn't it nice when everyone gets along?"
"A rare moment of harmony in our chaos," Monika agreed with a warm smile.
"Don't worry, it won't last," Qua assured them, but there was an undercurrent of fondness in his voice.
As they left the clubroom, Sayori suddenly gasped. "Wait! I forgot my homework in class!" She dashed off down the hallway, leaving a cartoonish trail of dust behind her.
Natsuki and Yuri said their goodbyes, heading in the direction of the school gate – which had transformed into an ornate medieval drawbridge spanning a moat that definitely hadn't existed that morning.
Monika turned to Qua. "I need to stop somewhere before heading home. Coffee Shop of Perpetual Uncertainty."
"Miyuki's note?" Qua asked, raising an eyebrow.
Monika blinked in surprise. "How did you—"
"Please," he scoffed. "I notice everything. Want company? Kaito's not exactly trustworthy."
"Thanks," she said with genuine appreciation. "I could use another perspective."
As they navigated the ever-changing hallways of Hoshinari Academy, they passed a window overlooking the courtyard. Down below, Kaito and his student council cronies were huddled in conversation, occasionally looking up at the Literature Club's window.
"Whatever they're planning," Qua said, "it won't be simple mischief."
Monika's expression hardened with determination. "They want chaos? Fine. But they forget – chaos is where our club thrives."
In the distance, they heard a crash followed by Sayori's distinctive voice yelling, "I'm okay! The wall isn't, but I'm fine!"
Qua smirked. "Case in point."
Monika laughed despite herself. One week into the new term, and already the Literature Club was back to its chaotic ways. But as the club president looked at the strange school around her and thought of her equally strange friends, she wouldn't have it any other way.
The game was on – and this time, the Literature Club would be ready.
