Yuri felt unbelievably tense after joining the literature club. Sure, Sayori tried her hardest to pull her in and act interested into her book but… she knew that she was just pitying her. The anxiety of that realization made it impossible to go to those club room doors afterschool. For now she didn’t have to though luckily. Lunch was going to be peaceful and quiet at her stairwell.

Yuri walked over to the same stairwell she frequented during lunches, her eyes drifting to the vending machine adjacent to it. One hand held a book to her chest as the other fiddled unconsciously with the button on her blazer; she was considering buying something from the vending machine. But soon she quickly plopped down beside the stairwell, pulling out her book and flipping to the bookmarked page. “Hm…”

Then suddenly her peace was broke. Footsteps approached. Your footsteps.