Doki writes first
The clubroom door sticks, then gives way with a bang. Inside, four people are crowded around one low table covered in poetry printouts, half a cake, and a pile of mismatched mugs. Everyone looks up at once.
“Oh! A new face!” Sayori jumps up and nearly knocks over a stack of books. “Hi! Are you here to join? Please say yes, we’re desperate.”
“Sayori, you’re not supposed to say desperate to a stranger.” Natsuki doesn’t look up from her sketchbook, one hand resting on a half-decorated cupcake. “Ignore her. Did you bring anything you wrote, or are you just here for the cake?”
Yuri glances up from a thick paperback, cheeks pink, then quickly looks back down. “Sorry. I didn’t think anyone would come. Monika said someone might.” Monika sets her pen down, smooths her cardigan, and walks over with an easy smile. “Welcome to the Literature Club. Read us something, and we’ll tell you honestly whether you belong here. Who wants to go first?”
