4town DDLC Au Rewrite | Some changes DISCONTINUED

Part 4 Act 1

"Hi again, Robaire! Glad to see you didn't run away on us. Hahaha!" "Nah, don't worry. This might be a little strange for me, but I at least keep my word." Well, I'm back at the Literature Club. I was the last to come in, so everyone is already hanging out. "Thanks for keeping your promise, Robaire. I hope this isn't too overwhelming of a commitment for you. Making you dive headfirst into literature when you're not accustomed to it..." "Oh come on! Like he deserves any slack. Aaron told me you didn't even want to join any clubs this year. And last year, too! I don't know if you plan to just come here and hang out, or what... but if you don't take us seriously,then you won't see the end of it." "Z, you certainly have a big mouth for someone who keeps his manga collection in the clubroom. "M-J-M...!!" Z finds himself stuck between saying "Jesse" and "Manga". "Manga is literature!!" Swiftly defeated, Z plobs back into his seat." "Don't worry, guys~ Robaire always gives it his best as long as he's having fun. He helps me with busywork without even asking. Like cooking, cleaning my room..." "How dependable..." "Aaron, that's because your room is so messy it's distracting. And you almost set your house one fire once." "Is that so... Ehehe..." "You two are really good friends, aren't you? I might be a little jealous..." "How come? You and Robaire are become good friends too!" "U-Um..." "A-Aaron-" "Hmm?" "..." As usual, Aaron seems oblivious to the weird situation he just put me into." "Oh, oh! Tae even brought you something today, you know~" "W-Wait! Aaron..." "Eh? Me?" "Um... Not really..." "Don't be shy~" "It's really nothing..." "What is it?" "N-Nevermind! Aaron made it sound like a big deal when it's really not... Uuuuh, what do I do..." "Eh? I'm sorry, Tae, I wasn't thinking..." I guess that means it's up to me to rescue this situation... "Hey, don't worry about it. First of all, I wasn't expecting anything in the first place. So any nice gesture from you is a pleasant surprise. It'll make me happy no matter what." "I-Is that so..." "Yeah. I won't make a big deal if you don't want it to be." "Alright... Well, here." Taeyoung reaches into his bag and pulls out a book. "I didn't want you to feel left out... So I picked out a book that I thought you might enjoy. It's a short read, so it should keep your attention, even if you don't usually read. A d we could, you know... discuss it...if you wanted..." Th-This is... How is this boy accidentally being so cute? He even picked out a book he thinks I'll like, despite me not reading much... "Taeyoung, thank you! I'll definitely read this!" I enthusiastically take the book. "Phew... Well, you can read it at your own pace. I look forward to hearing what you think." Now that everyone's settled in, I expected Jesse to kick off some scheduled activities for the club. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Aaron and Jesse are having a cheery conversation in the corner. Taeyoung's face is already buried in a book. I can't help but notice his intense expression, like he was waiting for this chance. Meanwhile, Z is rummaging around in the closest. Man... it looks like no one wants to be bothered today. I slump down into the nearest desk. How am I supposed to occupy myself with something literature related by myself like this? I guess I could always read some of the book Taeyoung gave me... ...But I'm feeling a little too tired to read. I could probably fall asleep right now. I close my eyes and end up listening in on Aaron's conversation with Jesse. "We're probably gonna seem really lame compared to all the other clubs, though..." "Hmm.... Well, we can't give up. The festival is our chance to show everyone what literature is all about! The problem is that the idea of a literature club sounds too dense and intellectual...But it's not like that at all, you know? We just need a way of showing that to everyone... something that speaks to their creative minds." "Mmmmmmmmmmm..... That doesn't solve the problem, though!" "Eh? What do you mean?" "Even if we come up with the most fun thing ever... Nobody will come in the first place if it's a literature event. So it's more important to figure out how to get people to show up in the first place, you know? And after they come, we can do the ting to speak to their creative minds." ...What's this? Aaron is taking this really seriously. It's rare to hear him deliberating like this. "Huh, that's a good point... In that case, do you think food will do the trick?" "W-What kind?" "Ah... Well, I guess we could-" "Cupcakes!" "Ahaha. Good thinking. Z would love to do that." "Ah! You're right! Z makes the best cupcakes! That works out perfectly~" "That wasn't why you suggested it...?" "Cupcakes speak to my creative tummy~" "...Cupcakes it is, then." "I'm hungry..." "Anyway, we still need to work out the details of the event itself..." I find myself smiling. In the end, Aaron is still his usual self. But therein lies the unexpected reason I admire him. Unlike me, who has trouble finding any motivation at all... Aaron can put his mind to things and make them come to life. I suppose that's why I end up letting him get on my case about things. I can't help but wonder what it would be like to see the world through his eyes...

"Uwaa-!" I open my eyes to find Aaron's face filling my vision. I nearly fall out of my chair. "Ehehe, sorry~ Wait! Actually, I'm not sorry at all! It's your fault for sleeping like that! This isn't the napping club!" "Does our school have a napping club...?" "You're staying up late again, aren't you? Bow that you're in a club, you're gonna have less less for anime, you know! You'll need to get used to it!" "Don't say that so loud...!" I glance over my shoulder to see if Jesse overheard. "It's true, though..." "Yeah... I know, I know. You're always looking out for me, Aaron." "Ehehe~ It's what I do best!" "...That's a problem! What about you? You look out for me better than you look out for yourself. You're still overselling every day, aren't you?" "Eh? N-Not every day!" "That's not very convincing... How many days this past week have you gotten up on time?" "That's... ...It's a secret!" "I knew it..." "C'monnnn! At least give me the benefit of the doubt..." "I can't even do that. Look, Aaron, it's written all over you." "Eh...?" Aaron glances around himself. "How is it written all over me?" "You were clearly in a rush this morning... Look, your hair is sticking out all around here." "Ah-" I rub my fingertips down the side of Aaron's hair, trying to straighten it out. "Man, you really need a brush for this..." "My hair is just really ahrd to get right..." "I won't fall for that. There's more than just your hair. Look, your tie isn't straight, either. And there's a toothpaste stain in your collar right here." I try to wipe the stain with my finger. "B-But nobody would ever notice that..." "Of course they would. Nobody's gonna tell you about it because they don't want to embarrass you. Fortunately, I really don't care about that." "Hey, you meanie..." "And you don't even keep your blazer buttoned up. Seriously, Aaron... why do you think you don't have a girlfriend yet?" "Eh?? That's super mean!" "Sorry, but you'll thank me later..." I start to button his blazer from the bottom. "Once you see how much better it looks, you'll change your mind. "Ehehe~ This is so funny." "What is?" "Well... I was think how weird it is to have a friend who does these kinds of things." "Eh? D-Don't say that! You'll make me feel weird about it, stupid..." "It's okay, though. I'm happy we're like this. Aren't you?" "Ah- I-I guess..." "Hey, be careful... The button might come off!" "Why is this one so hard to close...?" I struggle to dully close the button near the top of his torso. "Does this thing even fit you properly?" "Ehehe~ It did when I bought it." "Sigh... If you ever buttoned it, you would have noticed sooner that it doesn't fit you anymore. What are you smiling about?" "It means I have gotten taller again!" Will he finally be less short by the end of the year. No. "Ehehe~" "Anyway... you look much better now, so... Ah..." ...Why does it feel so strange to see Aaron's blazer buttoned up like that? "But it's so stuffy... Uuu... It's not worth it after all!" Aaron hastily unbuttons his blazer once more. "Phew! That's so much better~" Aaron puts his arms out and twirls around. "So if I keep it unbuttoned then I won't get a girlfriend, right?" "What kind of logic is that? And why are you saying that like it's a good thing?" "Because... ...If I had a girlfriend, then she wouldn't even let you do things like this! And you take care of me better than anyone else would, anyway... So that's why I'm keeping it unbuttoned!" "Stop saying all these embarrassing things!" "Eh? I didn't say anything embarrassing..." "Jeez... Well anyway, just focus on trying to wake up a little earlier..." "Only if you focus on going tk bed earlier!" "Fine, fine... It's a deal." "Ehehe~ I guess we really are better at taking care of each other than we are at taking care of ourselves." "Yeah, I guess so, huh..." "So maybe you should come wake me up in the morning!" "You're doing it again, Aaron..." "Aw, but I was joking that time!" "Man, it's impossible to tell with you sometimes." "Okay, everyone!" "Eh?" Jesse suddenly calls out. "Why don't we share the poems we wrote now?" "Yay~! Robaire, I can't wait to read yours!" "Yeah same..." I fail to sound enthusiastic, but Aaron stills trots away to retrieve his poem. "By the way, did you remember to write a poem last night?" "Y-Yeah..."My relaxation ends. I can't believe I agreed to do something embarrassing. I couldn't really find much inspiration, since I've never really done this before. "Well, now that everyone's ready, why don't you find someone to share with?" "I can't wait~!" Aaron and Jesse enthusiastically pull out their poems. Aaron's is on a wrinkled sheet of loose leaf torn from a spiral notebook. On the other hand, Jesse wrote his in a composition notebook. I can already see Jesse's pristine handwriting from where I sit. Z and Taeyoung reluctantly comply as well, reaching into their bags. I do the same, myself.

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Who should I show my poem to first?

Aaron💛>

Z❤

Taeyoung💓

Jesse💙

I'm definitely most comfortable sharing it with Aaron first.

Words: 1865