September 19th, 2017

"Heeeeeeeyyy!!" came a high-pitched voice that echoed throughout the streets.

Jake groaned as he watched an annoying girl with blue eyes and ginger hair with a little red bow in it running towards him from the distance, waving her arms in the air as though she was oblivious to any attention she might draw to herself.

That girl was Sayori, the little sister Jake never had. Or wanted. She was his next door neighbour and best friend since they were children.

But in recent years, both of them had changed drastically. Jake could not imagine himself making friends with someone like Sayori today. Had they not grown up together, he didn't think he would be able to tolerate her for this long.

Especially now, since she developed a habit of oversleeping after they started high school. And patience was never one of Jake's strengths. They used to walk to school together all the time, but if Sayori was going to chase after him like this, he almost felt better off running away.

(But that's not the way I was raised to act.) Jake thought to himself, remaining idle in front of the crosswalk and letting Sayori catch up with him.

"Haaahhh...haaahhh..." Sayori gasped as she tried to regain her breath, "I overslept again! But I caught you this time!"

"Maybe, but only because I stopped and waited for you." Jake replied.

"Eeehhhhh, you say that like you were thinking about ignoring me! That's mean, Jakey!" Sayori whined.

Jake groaned after she called him that. He always hated it whenever people referred to him as 'Jakey'. It was really embarrassing. Sure he let Sayori call him that, but he still didn't like it.

"Well, if people stare at you when you're acting weird around me, I don't want them to think that we're like a couple or something."

"Fine, fine." Sayori said. "But you did wait for me, after all. I guess you don't have it in you to be mean even if you wanted to~"

"Whatever you say, Sayori..." Jake quietly muttered.

"Ehehe~" Sayori giggled as they crossed the street together and made their way to school.

Jake decided to take out his iPhone so he could listen to music rather than having to talk to Sayori, who was rambling on about some festival that she and her club were preparing for.

A few minutes later, Sayori suddenly yanked one of Jake's earphones out of his ear. He stopped walking and turned to her with an annoyed expression.

"Can I help you, madam?" He asked sarcastically.

Sayori frowned at him for a second before repeating, "Have you decided on a club to join yet?"

"A club?" Jake repeated. Sayori nodded enthusiastically, earning a massive groan in response.

"Sayori, we've been through this. I'm not very interested in joining any clubs. Plus, I haven't exactly been looking either." Jake admitted to her.

"Eh? That's not true!" Sayori yelped, "You told me you would join a club this year!"

"I don't remember that..." Jake replied.

It was entirely possible he did say that, but he either couldn't recall it due to bad memory or it was during one of their conversations where he barely listened to what she was saying and just agreed to everything.

Sayori seemed to worry a little too much about him, even though Jake believed he would be fine as long as he learned the basic school requirements and then spend his free time playing video games, reading horror novels and watching anime and YouTube videos.

"I know you did!" Sayori insisted. "I talked about how you won't learn how to properly socialize or have any skills before college. Escpecially with your... condition."

Jake sighed, knowing exactly where this was going to go. Socialising. Communication. Concentration. These things aren't very easy to do when you have high-functioning autism.

Ever since his childhood, Jake had struggled even with having normal conversations let alone making new friends. It was certainly a pain during class time, trying to keep his head out of the clouds and pay attention. His grades last year had left a lot to be desired. And the homework. Don't even mention the homework.

"You need to get used to being in the real world! I know you're happy now, but things are gonna get really difficult if we don't do something soon!" Sayori continued, her voice full of worry.

"Alright, alright!" Jake said, caving in. "I'll check out a few clubs if that'll make you happy. No promises, though."

"Will you at least promise me you'll try a little?" Sayori asked.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Jake sighed. Seeing a smile return to Sayori's face, he quickly braced himself.

"Yaaay~!" Sayori cheered loudly. Jake looked around for any witnesses.

He had no idea why he always let himself get lectured by such a carefree girl. More than that, he also wondered why he even continued to let himself relent to her. His best guess was since she didn't have any of his restrictions made him view her as being a more mature and capable person than himself.

Even though she exaggerates every little thing inside of that tiny little head of hers.

**********
The school day was as ordinary as ever, and it was already over before Jake knew it. After packing up his things, he starred blankly at the wall, looking for an ounce of motivation.

(Clubs...) Jake thought. (Sayori wants me to check out some clubs. I guess I could start with the gaming club... Is it even an offical club? Eh, who cares? It has to be better than watching paint peel away for an hour...)

"Hellooo?" A familiar voice called out, snapping Jake out of his thoughts.

"Sayori...?" Jake asked blankly.

The girl was standing right in front of him and waving a hand in his face. Jake looked around and realised they were the only ones in the classroom.

"I thought I'd catch you coming out of the classroom, but I saw you just sitting here and spacing out. So I came in." Sayori explained, "Honestly, you can be even worse than me sometimes... I'm impressed!"

"Well, hooray for me." Jake replied sarcastically, "You know you don't have to wait for me if you're gonna end up being late for your club. I've heard you can get kicked out if you don't do the activities once a week."

"Well, I thought you might need some encouragement, so I thought, you know..."

"Know what?" Jake asked.

"Well, that you could come to my club!" Sayori answered happily. Jake silently stared at her before he slowly placed both hands on his cheeks and did an over-the-top gasp.

"...no."

"Eeeehhhhh?! Meanie!" Sayori pouted, tapping her index fingers together.

Sayori was the Vice President of the Literature Club. Jake never knew she had any interest in literature. In fact, he was 99% sure that she only did it because she thought it would be fun to help start up a new club. Since she was the first one to show interest after the one who proposed the club, she earned the title "Vice President" pretty much instantly.

"Sayori... I've said it before and I'll say it 100 times more, I'm not as interested in literature as you are. And... I kinda wanted to check out the gaming club." Jake told her.

"C'mon, pleeeaaase?" She begged with puppy dog eyes. Jake simply rolled his own.

"Why do you care so much, anyway?" He asked.

Sayori started tapping her index fingers again, "Well... I kinda told the club yesterday that I would bring in a new member... Natsuki made cupcakes and everything... Ehehe..."

Jake did what sounded like a sigh and a groan mashed together and rubbed his hands over his face.

"You shouldn't make promises if you know you can't keep them, ya know?"

He could not tell if Sayori really was that big of an airhead, or so cunning that she planned this all out to guilt trip him into joining her silly club.

"Fine... I'll stop by for a cupcake, okay?" Jake said in defeat. A huge smile grew on Sayori's face.

"YES! Let's go~!" She cheered, pulling Jake out of his seat by his arm. And thus, today marks the day Jake souled his soul for a cupcake...

**********
"Come on, Jakey! You don't want to miss out on these cupcakes! They'll be the best in the whole wide world!" said Sayori cheerfully as Jake took his time walking up the stairs, only half-listening to what she was saying.

Jake rarely ever visited the upstairs section of the school, mostly since it was used for third-year classes and activities. In fact, he was actually supposed to be in his third year. But he was held back in primary school, since he was still having trouble learning Japanese at the time.

He remembered how difficult it had been trying to understand a whole new language at the age of 7 after he'd grown up speaking English back in Australia. So long story short, he was 18 and in his second year, the same year as his 17-year-old neighbour.

"Okay Jakey, get ready to meet my fellow club members!" Sayori said, full of energy. And with that, she swung open the classroom door and ran inside.

"Everyone! The new member is here~!" Sayori announced loudly. Jake sighed in embarrassment and quickly walked in after her.

"Please don't say that out loud, it's really embarr—"

But before he could finish, Jake suddenly found himself face-to-face with one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen in his life. She had long purple hair that reached her waist, violet eyes, and gave him a small, but passive smile.

"Welcome to the Literature Club. It's a pleasure meeting you," She said in a warm and mature voice. "Sayori always says such nice things about you."

Jake attempted to make a response, but was he interrupted by another girl with pink hair and matching eyes, who looked rather annoyed in comparison.

"Seriously? You brought a boy? Way to kill the atmosphere..." She said in a high-pitched voice not unlike Sayori's.

Once again, Jake found himself about to respond only to have the chance taken by another, more familiar-looking girl, whose brown hair was in a ponytail held by together by a white bow.

"M-M-Monika...?"

"Ah, Jake! What a nice surprise!" Monika said to him. "Welcome to the club!"

By this point, Jake could no longer find his words.

(This club...) He thought. (...is full of incredibly cute girls!!)

"What are you staring at? If you want to say something, say it." The pink haired girl said. Jake snapped out of his trance and felt himself began to blush slightly.

"S-Sorry..." he mumbled quietly. He always had difficulty when talking to other people. But talking to girls was another thing entirely. How was he supposed to talk to any of them without turning into a tomato?

"Natsuki..." The purple haired girl spoke up. The pink haired girl, whose name was apparently Natsuki, then crossed her arms and looked away.

She was the only one that Jake did not recognise. Her small figure made him think that she was probably a first year, no older than 16 he guessed.

She was also the one who made those cupcakes, according to Sayori. Jake just hoped that they were at least sweeter than the personality of their baker. She was definitely not his type.

"You can just ignore her when she gets moody~" Sayori whispered into Jake's ear, causing him to jump; he had almost forgotten that she was there, having been distracted by the other girls in the clubroom. Sayori then walked over and joined the girls.

"Anyway! This is Natsuki, always full of energy." Sayori said, gesturing to Natsuki. These words reminded Jake a lot of a certain energetic someone he knew.

"And this is Yuri, the smartest in the club!" Sayori continued, gesturing to the purple haired girl. Yuri took a handful of her own long hair and twirled it in her hands.

"D-Don't say things like that..." she mumbled nervously.

Yuri appeared to be more mature and timid. She seemed to be having a hard time catching up with people like Sayori and Natsuki. This also reminded Jake of someone he knew...

"W-Well, it's nice to meet you both..." Jake stuttered, holding both his hands together tightly and feeling himself blushing even more.

"And it sounds like you already know Monika, is that right?" Sayori asked.

"That's right," Monika responded for him, smiling sweetly. "It's great to see you again, Jake."

They did know each other. Not very well, but they had been in the same class the previous year. Monika was easily the most popular girl in class. She was smart, beautiful, athletic.

Basically, a complete polar opposite to Jake. So, having someone way out of his league smile at him genuinely felt a little...

"Y-You too, Monika." Jake muttered. At this point, he pretty much was a tomato.

"Come sit down, Jakey! We made room for you at the table, so you can sit next to me or Monika," Sayori said. "I'll go get the cupcakes~"

"Hey! I made them, I'll get them!" Natsuki snapped.

"Sorry, I got a little too excited~" Sayori replied nervously.

"Then, how about I make some tea as well?" Yuri asked.

The girls had a few desks arranged to form a table. As Sayori mentioned, it had been widened so that there was now one space next to Monika and one space next to Sayori.

Natsuki and Yuri walked over to the corner of the room, where Yuri opened the closet and Natsuki grabbed a wrapped tray.

Still feeling awkward, Jake took a seat next to Sayori. Natsuki proudly marched back to the table, tray in hand.

"Okaaay, are you ready?" Natsuki asked with a big smile. "...Ta-daa!"

She lifted the foil off the tray to reveal a dozen white, fluffy cupcakes decorated to look like little cats. The whiskers were drawn with icing and little bits of chocolate were used for the ears.

"Uwooooah!" Sayori cried out in amazement. "So cuuuute~!"

"I had no idea you were so good at baking, Natsuki!" said Monika, sounding very impressed.

"Ehehe. Well, you know. Just hurry up and take one!" Natsuki said in a soft, but demanding tone. Sayori grabbed one first, then Monika. Jake followed suit.

"It's delicious!" said Sayori, talking with her mouth full and already managed to get icing on her face.

Jake turned his cupcake around in his fingers, unsure whether to take a bite or not. He was a little picky when it came to food, and only had a small number of foods he would eat.

Natsuki stared at Jake quietly, which was making him feel a little uncomfortable. Was she waiting for him to take a bite?

Not wanting to seem rude and too nervous to ask what type it was, Jake quickly bit down. The icing was sweet and filled with flavour. He wondered if she made it herself.

"It's... actually pretty good." said a very surprised Jake. "Thanks, Natsuki."

"W-Why are you thanking me? It's not like I...!"

(Why am I suddenly feeling déjà vu?) Jake thought to himself.

"...Made them for you or anything!" Natsuki finished.

Jake raised an eyebrow, "Eh? I thought Sayori said you did-?"

"Well, maybe!" Natsuki snapped, turning her head away, "but not for, y-you know, you! Dummy..."

"That's a bit rude." Jake responded with a frown.

"Hmph." And with that, Natsuki went to sit at her desk.

Jake gave up on Natsuki's weird logic and dismissed the conversation. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling he wasn't going to enjoy this girl's company.

Yuri returned to the table, carrying a tea set. She carefully placed a teacup in front of each of us before setting down the teapot next to the cupcakes.

"You keep a whole tea set in the classroom?" Jake asked her.

"Don't worry, the teachers gave us permission," She replied. "Doesn't a hot cup of tea help you enjoy a good book?"

"Uh..."

As far as he knew, Jake did not like tea. He was never a big fan of hot beverages. He could handle a cupcake, but tea was just something he never enjoyed drinking.

But how was he going to explain this to such a beautiful lady?

Jake's breath started to get heavy trying to think of a response, but no words were coming to him and he silently stared at Yuri, who herself seemed to be getting nervous now.

(Oh god, don't tell me I've blown it already!?) Jake yelled inside his brain.

"Ehehe," Monika giggled. "Don't let yourself get intimidated, Yuri's just trying to impress you."

"Eh?! T-That's not..." Yuri started to say before turning away, insulted. "I meant that, you know..."

"I-I'm really sorry, Yuri. I just... I..." Jake stuttered, desperately trying to save himself. "R-reading and tea isn't really be a hobby of mine, b-but really enjoy reading h-h-horror stories."

This got Yuri's attention. She looked back to Jake with a slightly surprised expression, while Jake was rubbing the back of his neck.

"You like horror?" She asked. Jake nodded, saving himself the trouble of talking anymore. Yuri faintly smiles to herself.

"I'm glad..." She responded calmly.

Jake quietly exhaled with relief. This might have all gone south quickly had Monika not stepped in. He would definitely have to thank her for this later. Monika raised an eyebrow, then smiled at him as Yuri went to her seat.

"So, what made you consider the Literature Club?" Monika asked him.

"Um..." Jake mumbled, thinking of a proper response. "Well, I haven't joined any clubs yet and Sayori has been nagging me to find one. So..."

"That's okay! Don't be embarrassed!" Monika assured him, "We'll all make sure you feel right at home, okay? As President of the Literature Club, it is my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!"

(Did she practice to say that to everyone who joins?) Jake wondered. Seeing that Monika wasn't talking, he quickly returned to reality.

"That's cool, I guess," Jake told her. "But why start your own club? I'm sure you could easily be a board member for any of the other ones."

"Well, you know... I'd much rather take something that I personally enjoy and make something special out of it. And if it encourages others to become interested in literature, then I'm fulfilling that dream!"

Jake couldn't really see how making a school club about literature could be somebody's dream, but then again who was he to talk? He had some pretty weird dreams too.

"Monika really is a great leader!" Sayori said loudly. Yuri nodded her head in agreement.

"Wow... I'm surprised, Monika." said an astounded Jake. "I'm even more surprised there aren't more people in this club already. Is it hard starting a new club?"

"You could put it that way. Not many people are very interested in putting out the effort to try and start something brand new..." Monika responded sadly, "Especially when it's something that doesn't grab your attention, like literature. You have to work hard to convince people that your club will be fun and worthwhile."

Monika's smile then returned, "But that's what makes school events, like the festival, that much more important. I'm confident that this club will blossom into something amazing before graduation. Right, everyone?"

"Yeah!" Sayori cheered happily.

"We'll do our best." Yuri said softly.

"You know it!" Natsuki said confidently.

Everyone in the room enthusiastically agreed with Monika. All different girls, all interested in the same goal... Monika must've worked really hard to find these three. Well, except maybe for Sayori.

Maybe that was why they were all so delighted by the idea of having a new member joining their club. And maybe, just maybe... though Jake wasn't sure if he would be able to keep up with this amount of enthusiasm for literature, maybe this really was the right club for him...

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Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this story. 🙏 It really means a lot to me. Now I know a lot of this is just copied and pasted straight from the game, but I'm trying to change some of the MC's dialogue into something that I would say. And yes, the OC of this story is based on me. 😇😈

If you liked this chapter, then please leave a comment, favourite, and share this story with other DDLC fans. I would really appreciate it. 👍

Have a lovely day. 😀

~Cheesy