Doki Doki Literature Club Genderbent

Nice to Meet You (Day 1)

Satori has a massive smile on his face as he announces, "Everyone! The new member is here~!"
"I told you, don't call me a 'new member--'" I complain. Eh? I glance around the room.
"Welcome to the Literature Club. It's a pleasure meeting you. Satori always says nice things about you." A tall purple haired guy greets me.
"Seriously? You brought a girl? Way to kill the atmosphere." A small pink haired with his hair tied back complains.
"Ah, MC! What a nice surprise!Welcome to the club!" Moniko, a familiar face, greets me.
"..." All words escape me in this situation. This club...is full of incredibly handsome guys!!
"What are you looking at? If you want to say something, say it." Small pink complains again.
"S-Sorry..." I mumbled lowering my blushing face.
"Naruki..." The purple hair chides.
"Hmph." The guy with the sour attitude, whose name is apparently Naruki, is one I don't recognize. His small figure makes me think he's probably a first-year. He is also the one who made cupcakes, according to Satori.
"You can just ignore him when he gets moody~" Sayori says that quietly into my ear, then turns back toward the other girls. "Anyway! This is Naruki , always full of energy. And this is Yuki, the smartest in the club!"
"D-Don't say things like that..." Yuki, who appears comparably more mature and timid, seems to have a hard time keeping up with people like Satori and Naruki.
"Ah... Well, it's nice to meet both of you." I saw raising my head lightly.
"And it sounds like you already know Moniko, is that right?" Satori continues.
"That's right. It's great to see you again, MC." Moniko smiles sweetly.
We do know each other - well, we rarely talked, but we were in the same class last year. Moniko was probably the most popular guy in class - smart, beautiful, athletic. Basically, completely out of my league. So, having him  smile at me so genuinely feels a little...
"Y-You too, Moniko." I stutter moving my hand to rub the back of my head.
"Come sit down, MC! We made room for you at the table, so you can sit next to me or Moniko. I'll get the cupcakes~" Satori says energetically.
Naruki complains, once again, "Hey! I made them, I'll get them!"
Satori blushes, "Sorry, I got a little too excited~"
"Then, how about I make some tea as well?" Yuki asks.
The guys have a few desks arranged to form a table. As Satori mentioned, it's been widened so that there is one space next to Moniko and one space next to Satori. Naruki and Yuki walk over to the corner of the room, where Naruki grabs a wrapped tray and Yuki opens the closet. Still feeling awkward, I take a seat next to Satori. Naruki proudly marches back to the table, tray in hand."
"Okaaay, are you ready?" Naruki pauses "...Ta-daa!"
"Uwooooah!" Satori looks amazed.
Naruki lifts the foil off the tray to reveal a dozen white, fluffy cupcakes decorated to look like little cats. The whiskers are drawn with icing, and little pieces of chocolate were used to make ears.
Satori coos, "So cuuuute~!"
"I had no idea you were so good at baking, Naruki!" Moniko says.
Naruki blushes, "Ehehe. Well, you know. Just hurry and take one!"
Satori grabs one first, then Moniko. I follow.
"It's delicious!" Satori talks with his mouth full and has already managed to get icing on his face. I turn the cupcake around in my fingers, looking for the best angle to take a bite. Naruki is quiet. I can't help but notice him sneaking glances in my direction. Is he waiting for me to take a bite? I finally bite down. The icing is sweet and full of flavor - I wonder if he made it himself.
"This is really good. Thank you, Naruki." I say continuing eating my cupcake.
"W-Why are you thanking me? It's not like I...!" Naruki says trying to hide his face. (Haven't I heard this somewhere before...?) "...Made them for you or anything."
"Eh? I thought you technically did." Sayori said
"Well, maybe! But not for, y-you know, you! Dummy..." Naruki complains his face hot red.
"Alright, alright..." I give up on Naruki's weird logic and dismiss the conversation. Yuki returns to the table, carrying a tea set. He carefully places a teacup in front of each of us before setting down the teapot next to the cupcake tray.
"You keep a whole tea set in this classroom?" I ask picking up the teacup and setting the cupcake wrapper.
"Don't worry, the teachers gave us permission. After all, doesn't a hot cup of tea help you enjoy a good book?" Yuki asks.
"Ah... I-I guess..." I shrug.
"Ehehe, don't let yourself get intimidated, Yuki's just trying to impress you." Moniko says.
"Eh?! T-That's not..." insulted, Yuri looks away. "I meant that, you know..."
"I believe you. Well, tea and reading might not be a pastime for me, but I at least enjoy tea." I say with a light smile.
"I'm glad..." Yuki faintly smiles to himself in relief.
Moniko raises an eyebrow, then smiles at me. "So, what made you consider the Literature Club?"
"Um..." I was afraid of this question. Something tells me I shouldn't tell Moniko that I was practically dragged here by Satori.
"Well, I haven't joined any clubs yet, and Satori seemed really happy here, so..." I say my face slightly red.
m "That's okay! Don't be embarrassed! We'll make sure you feel right at home, okay? As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!"
"Moniko, I'm surprised. How come you decided to start your own club? You could probably be a board member for any of the major clubs. Weren't you a leader of the debate club last year?" I ask.
Moniko laughs lightly, "Ahaha, well, you know... To be honest, I can't stand all of the politics around the major clubs. It feels like nothing but arguing about the budget and publicity and how to prepare for events... I'd much rather take something I personally enjoy and make something special out of it. And if it encourages others to get into literature, then I'm fulfilling that dream!"
"Monika really is a great leader!" Satori says brightly
Yuki also nods in agreement.
"Then I'm surprised there aren't more people in the club yet. It must be hard to start a new club." I point out.
Moniko nods, "You could put it that way. Not many people are very interested in putting out all the effort to start something brand new... Especially when it's something that doesn't grab your attention, like literature. You have to work hard to convince people that you're both fun and worthwhile. But it makes school events, like the festival, that much more important. I'm confident that we can all really grow this club before we graduate! Right, everyone?"
"Yeah!" Satori exclaims
"We'll do our best." Yuki says.
"You know it!" Naruki grins.
Everyone enthusiastically agrees.
Such different guys, all interested in the same goal... Moniko must have worked really hard just to find these three. Maybe that's why they were all so delighted by the idea of a new member joining. Though I still don't really know if I can keep up with their level of enthusiasm about literature...
"So, MC, what kinds of things do you like to read?" Yuki asks.
"Well... Ah..." Considering how little I've read these past few years, I don't really have a good way of answering that."
"...Manga..." I mutter quietly to myself, half-joking.
Naruki's head suddenly perks up. It looks like he wants to say something, but he keeps quiet.
"N-Not much of a reader, I guess..." Yuki says sadly.
"...Well, that can change..." What am I saying? I spoke without thinking after seeing Yuki's sad smile. "Anyway, what about you, Yuki?"
"Well, let's see..." Yuki traces the rim of his teacup with his finger.  "My favorites are usually novels that build deep and complex fantasy worlds. The level of creativity and craftsmanship behind them is amazing to me. And telling a good story in such a foreign world is equally impressive." Yuki goes on, clearly passionate about his reading. He seemed so reserved and timid since the moment I walked in, but it's obvious by the way his eyes light up that he finds his comfort in the world of books, not people. "But you know, I like a lot of things. Stories with deep psychological elements usually immerse me as well. Isn't it amazing how a writer can so deliberately take advantage of your own lack of imagination to completely throw you for a loop? Anyway, I've been reading a lot of horror lately..."
"Ah, I read a horror book once..." I desperately grasp something I can relate to at the minimal level. At this rate, Yuki might as well be having a conversation with a rock.
"Really? I wouldn't have expected that, Yuki. For someone as gentle as you..." Moniko looks... confused?
Yuki nods, "I guess you could say that. But if a story makes me think, or takes me to another world, then I really can't put it down. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment."
"Ugh, I hate horror..." Naruki complains.
"Oh? Why's that?" Yuki asks.
"Well, I just..."Naruki's eyes dart over to me for a split second. "Never mind."
"That's right, you usually like to write about cute things, don't you, Natsuki?" Moniko asks.
Naruki blushes,  "W-What? What gives you that idea?"
"You left a piece of scrap paper behind last club meeting. It looked like you were working on a poem called--" Moniko starts.
"Don't say it out loud!! And give that back!" Naruki yells
"Fine, fine~" Moniko smiles.
"Ehehe, your cupcakes, your poems... Everything you do is just as cute as you are~" Satori sidles up behind Naruki and puts his hands on his shoulders.
"I'm not cute!!" Naruki whines.
"Naruki, you write your own poems?" I ask genuinely.
"Eh? Well, I guess sometimes. Why do you care?" Naruki covers up.
"I think that's impressive. Why don't you share them sometime?" I ask curiously.
"N-No!" Naruki averts his eyes. "You wouldn't...like them..."
"Ah...not a very confident writer yet?" I ask kind of disappointed.
"I understand how Naruki feels. Sharing that level of writing takes more than just confidence. The truest form of writing is writing to oneself. You must be willing to open up to your readers, exposing your vulnerabilities and showing even the deepest reaches of your heart." Yuki says.
"Do you have writing experience too, Yuki? Maybe if you share some of your work, you can set an example and help Naruki feel comfortable enough to share his." Moniko offers
"..." Yuki looks down.
"I guess it's the same for Yuki..." I say disappointed.
Satori complains,  "Aww... I wanted to read everyone's poems..."
We all sit in silence for a moment.
Moniko bursts, "Okay! I have an idea, everyone~"
"...?" Naruki and Yuki look quizzically at Moniko.
"Let's all go home and write a poem of our own! Then, next time we meet, we'll all share them with each other. That way, everyone is even!" Moniko smiles.
"U-Um..." Naruki stutters
"..." Yuki keeps looking down.
"Yeaaah! Let's do it!" Satori cheers.
"Plus, now that we have a new member, I think it will help us all get a little more comfortable with each other, and strengthen the bond of the club. Isn't that right, MC?" Monika smiles warmly at me once again.
"Hold on...there's still one problem." I start.