Everybody was finished sharing poems, so Monika addressed the room. "Okay, everyone! It's time to figure out the festival preparations. Let's hurry and get this over with."
An awkward silence fell over the club before Natsuki spoke up. "Jeez... Why is the mood so weird today? Look, even Yuri isn't immune to it."
Sure enough, Yuri was fidgeting in her seat. "Uu... stagnating air is common foreshadowing that something terrible is about to happen... "
Monika wasn't having any of it. "Look, can we just get this done? I'm going to be printing and assembling all the poetry pamphlets. Natsuki, I was thinking—"
Natsuki spoke up of her own accord. "I want to make cupcakes!"
Monika paused for a moment. "... Yeah, that. Glad we're on the same page." She turned to Yuri. "Yuri, you can... well, it doesn't matter. Do whatever you want, as long as you think it'll help."
Yuri seemed indignant. "Monika... I'm not useless, you know!"
"I-I know that!"
Yuri smiled to herself. "I already know what I'd like to do. We can't run a successful poetry event without having the right atmosphere for the occasion. So I'm going to make decorations and set up some nice mood lighting."
Monika smiled. "There, see? That's a great idea! And that gives us all something to do."
Yuri looked at Monika quizzically. "Eh? What about Matt?"
Monika seemingly already had a plan for him. "Matt is going to help me."
Natsuki spoke up, indignant. "Wait, you? You have the easiest job, Monika!"
Monika shrugged. "Sorry, but that's just how it is."
Natsuki wasn't having it. "Like hell it is! What are you trying to pull?"
Yuri hopped on the dogpile. "I-I agree with Natsuki! Not only is your work already most suitable for one person... but my task is laborious enough to benefit from an extra pair of hands."
"Mine too!"
Yuri gave Natsuki an incredible look. "What, your cupcakes? Please."
Natsuki snapped. "Like you would fucking know! All you care about now is dragging Matt around with you and your stupid books." She gestured wildly in Monika's general direction with one hand. "You and Monika!"
Now it was Monika's turn to respond indignantly. "Hey! I didn't even do anything!"
"Okay, then why not let Matt decide who to help instead of abusing your power?"
Something about that seemed to shake Monika for a second. "I'm not... abusing my power."
Yuri spoke up. "Yes you are, Monika. Just let Matt make the choice, okay?"
"Okay, fine! Fine."
"Jeez... " Natsuki turned to Matt. "Matt, I know how fed up you are with these two by now. We can just—"
Yuri was having none of it. "Natsuki, shut your fucking mouth and let him decide for himself."
"You shut your mouth!"
Monika sighed. "Jesus Christ... this is never going to end. Just make the choice, okay?"
"I'll help Monika." The answer came easily to his lips. Natsuki was kind of a bitch, and Yuri was overly obsessive. Besides, he was curious as to what Monika was trying to talk to him about the day before, seeing as how he had kinda... passed out.
Monika was happy. "Yay, you picked me! We can meet at your house this weekend— I promise it'll be fun. Is Sunday okay with you?"
Natsuki, on the other hand, was mad. "Are you fucking kidding me? This isn't fair at all!"
Monika put a hand on her hip. "It is fair, Natsuki. It's what he chose."
Yuri was indignant. "No, it's not fair! Giving us all this work and then taking Matt for yourself. What a shameful thing to do!"
Monika wasn't having any of it. "Yuri, I didn't even give you any work. You decided it for yourself. You're being a little unreasonable here."
Yuri's eyes seemed to bug out of her head. "I'm being unreasonable?" A smile spread wide across her face, and she cackled to herself. "Monika, I can't believe how delusional and self-important you are! Pulling Matt away from me every single time you're not included in something." She put her hands at her sides. "Are you jealous? Crazy? Or maybe you just hate yourself so much that you take it out on others?" She paused. "Here's a suggestion. Have you considered killing yourself? It would be beneficial to your mental health."
Natsuki visibly withdrew, crossing her arms. "Yuri, you're scaring me a little... "
Monika put a hand on her shoulder. "Natsuki, let's just go. I don't think she wants us around right now."
Yuri's smile had not faded in the slightest. "See, that wasn't very hard. All I want is to spend a little time with him. Is that so much to ask?" She followed them to the door.
Monika looked over her shoulder. "Hey, Matt... Yuri is really something, isn't she?" She giggled to herself as Yuri shoved her out the door.
Yuri came back over to Matt, who was scared to (probably) an appropriate degree, considering the circumstances. "Finally. Finally! This is really all I wanted." She paused. "Matt, there's no need to spend the weekend with Monika. Don't listen to her. Just come to my house instead. The whole day, with just the two of us... doesn't that sound wonderful?" She cackled to herself. "Wow... There's really something wrong with me, isn't there? But you know what? I don't care anymore. I've never felt this good my whole life. Just being with you is a far greater pleasure than anything I could imagine. I'm addicted to you. It feels like I'm going to die if I'm not breathing the same air as you. Doesn't it feel nice to have someone care about you so much? To have someone who wants to revolve their entire life around you? But if it feels so good... Then why does it feel more and more like something horrible is going to happen? Maybe that's why I tried stopping myself at first... but the feeling is too strong now. I don't care anymore, Matt! I have to tell you! I'm... I'm madly in love with you! It feels like every inch of my body... every drop of blood in me... is screaming your name. I don't care what the consequences are anymore! I don't care if Monika is listening! Please, Matt, just know how much I love you. I love you so much that I even touch myself with the pen I stole from you. I just want to pull your skin open and crawl inside of you. I want you all to myself. And I will be only yours. Doesn't that sound perfect? Tell me, Matt. Tell me you want to be my lover. Do you accept my confession?"
Umm... something told Matt he didn't really have a choice. "... Yes?"
A second passed before Yuri began cackling. Suddenly, she pulled out a knife and stabbed herself. And again. And again. Was this some sort of sick joke? Was the universe conspiring to make his life a living hell? She collapsed onto the floor, drained, with blood all over her, and he knelt over her body.
Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him. "My, my, my. Quite the predicament you see yourself in." He spun around to see a silhouette of what appeared to be a man.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, that's not really important, given the circumstances. I just happened to be walking through this part of the timeline when I dropped in." The silhouette gestured to Yuri's body. "I take it things aren't going quite so well for you?"
"Talk about it." Matt reflected on the past week. "First, the class star Monika invites me to her literature club. Then, one of the members starts obsessing over me. Now, well..." He gestured to her body on the floor. "You can see how that ended up for yourself."
The silhouette seemed to agree. "It sure is a shame." He pulled something from his pocket; it looked like a mummified paw of some kind. "If only there was a way to fix everything..."
Matt looked it over; upon closer inspection, it seemed to have come from a monkey of some variety, and had its thumb and pinky finger curled down, as if to count three. "What's that?"
"Oh, this?" The silhouette held out the paw for closer inspection. "Just your typical monkey's paw. You know, three wishes, yada yada." He suddenly got an idea. "Hey, maybe this can fix your problems! Just ask it for whatever you want."
Matt carefully took the paw from the silhouette. "Alright." He held the paw out. "I wish that all of my friends could be happy." Suddenly, he felt a pain in his chest, as everything seemed to fade away.
The silhouette smiled wickedly. "Alright, so be it."
The ring finger of the monkey's paw curled down, as if to signal two wishes left.