1 Beginning

Imagine a world where humanity had to abandon Earth for the moon. No one really remembers what events could have transpire to have led to moving what remained off planet and honestly no one really cares, except for one young man. That man's name is Shujinkou and he has made it his goal in life to uncover the secrets of the past. His search has led him to multiple dead ends, but through all his research, he was fairly certain that the lunar government didn't want anyone to remember what happened all that time ago. It was apparent to Shujinkou that there was only one thing to do; all he had to do was come up with a plan. He thought hard about what he should do, until he felt something smack the back of his head.

"What the-?!" Shujinkou opened his eyes to find Sayori and Monika standing in front of his desk. "What's going on?"

Suddenly, a hand slammed a rolled-up poster in front of him, startling Shujinkou even more. He looked up and noticed a disapproving look on Natsuki's face.

"You know, if all you're going to do is sleep, then you might as well go home," Natsuki said in a blunt manner. She then proceeded to make her way to closet as Shujinkou rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed.

"I bet you were up all night again," said Sayori.

"Like you're one to talk when it comes to sleep," Shujinkou chuckled. "Besides I wasn't asleep. I was just thinking."

"I never seen a person so detached from reality," Monkia smiled. "We couldn't get any kind of response out of you until Natsuki got involved."

"Did you need me for something?" Shujinkou asked.

"I was just telling everyone that they should bring in their favorite books to share tomorrow," Monika informed.

"O-Okay…" Shujinkou nervously nodded his head. He watched Monika and Sayori head to the teacher's discuss a few ideas and let out a depressed sigh. He wasn't sure what to do. How was he supposed to find a book he to bring in when all he has at home is manga? He let out another sigh until a strange feeling came over him. He was beginning to feel like he was being watched. Shujinkou took a quick glance to his left and met eyes with Yuri. The timid girl immediately turned her attention back to her book, but he could tell that she wasn't really focused on reading.

"Did you need something, Yuri?" Shujinkou asked.

"Ah… it's just that I overheard your conversation… N-Not that I was purposely eavesdropping!" Yuri stammered. Yuri went silent for a moment, trying to find the words she wanted to say.

"Well it's not that I can blame you for overhearing. You are right next to me after all," Shujinkou pointed out.

"You don't seem too eager about tomorrow," Yuri added.

"Well, it's just that I don't have anything to bring in tomorrow," Shujinkou sighed. Yuri noticed Shujinkou looking at his desk with downcast eyes and realized the whole situation was making him feel very disappointed.

"I-I can…" Yuri spoke at a barely audible level. Shujinkou turned his attention back to Yuri as she struggled to get the words out. "I could help you find a book to read… if you want."

"Really?!" Shujinkou's eyes lit up. "That'd be great!"

Shujinkou felt as if a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulder. With Yuri's help, he was sure that he could find a book that he could actually enjoy. Since he still had some time until the club was over, Shujinkou decided to go back to his world of imagination. This time he imagined himself in a world where robots have taken over and he was part of the last remnants of humanity that they were trying to snuff out. It wasn't an easy life; constantly moving from place to place, trying his best to survive. Was he ever going to be free from this nightmare or was he just delaying the inevitable.

"Shujinkou…"

Shujinkou snapped back to reality and realized that Yuri was standing in front of him.

"Are you ready?" Yuri asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm ready," Shujinkou chuckled, grabbing his bag. The two started to make their way to the exit until they were intercepted by Sayori.

"Where are you two going?" she asked, with a quizzical look in her eyes.

"Yuri's going to help find a book to read," Shujinkou replied.

"Ooh, I see you two are becoming good friends already," Sayori approved.

"Ah- no… I-It's not like that…" Yuri stammered, looking away from the two. One of the things Shujinkou liked about Sayori was her eagerness to everyone to get along, but sometimes that same eagerness can cause some very awkward moments.

"It's nothing major," said Shujinkou. "Just two club mates doing something literature related."

"Eh? But it sounds like something two good friends would do," Sayori pointed out.

"Whatever the case, it's nice to see club members helping each other out," Monika intervened. "But still, we shouldn't keep them here, Sayori. Be sure to find something you really enjoy, Shujinkou."

Monika smiled warmly at Shujinkou before motioning him to leave. Taking advantage of the opportunity the club president presented them; Shujinkou and Yuri leave the clubroom and began to make their way to the bookstore. As they travelled to their destination, Shujinkou noticed that Yuri was still avoiding eye contact with him.

"Hey, Yuri, we don't have to make a big deal out of this," Shujinkou assured her. "I'm just grateful that you're taking the time to help me."

"Ah… it's nothing special," Yuri insisted, still avoiding eye contact.

"Okay…" Shujinkou shrugged. An awkward silence penetrated the conversation and remained until they finally arrived at the bookstore.

"Finally here," Shujinkou whispered to himself. "Now all I have to do is find a book."

"What kind of book do you think you'd be interested in?" Yuri asked. Shujinkou didn't know how to answer.

"Let's see, I read all sorts of manga, watch all kinds of anime and played every video game genre out there, so I'm sure that I'm not too picky when it comes to all the specifics of a story," Shujinkou thought to himself. He then looked Yuri in the eyes and realized he couldn't tell her that. What could he say that would guarantee that his interests wouldn't be revealed? Suddenly, the answer came to him.

"What about that book you were reading at school? What was that about?" asked Shujinkou.

Yuri eyes lit up a bit and she started to explain the book she was currently reading. From what Shujinkou could gather, it was about a girl and some human experimentation camp; overall it seemed like a really dark story, something that he couldn't believe that Yuri was reading. But even more surprising than that was how passionate she seems as she speaks about the book.

After finishing her brief summary of the story, Yuri realized that Shujinkou was staring at her and quickly looked away.

"A-Anyway… I would highly recommend it," she stammered, playing with her hair.

"I didn't realize how passionate you were about this kind of stuff," Shujinkou said. "So where is this book?"

Yuri led Shujinkou to the back of the store where the horror genre rested.

"There…" Yuri pointed to a familiar book at the top of the bookshelf. Shujinkou slowly reached for the book and accidently made contact with Yuri's hand, who was also reaching for it. The two quickly retracted their hands and nervously looked away from each other. After another few moments of awkward silence, Shujinkou reached for the book again and confirmed that it was the same book Yuri had.

"The Portrait of Markov… I have to admit, I am a little curious to see how the story will turn out," Shujinkou said to himself. Without saying another word, Shujinkou paid for the book and walked out to the entrance with Yuri.

"Well, thanks for the help, Yuri," Shujinkou thanked her. "I owe you."

"I didn't really do anything deserving of that…" Yuri timidly replied.

"Right…" Shujinkou weakly laughed. He promised that he wouldn't make a big deal of the whole trip, but Shujinkou finding hard to do that when Yuri won't even let him thank her. He then noticed that the sun already half way under the horizon and thought of an idea to pay Yuri back.

"You know, it's kinda getting late. Do you want me to walk you home?" Shujinkou offered. As expected, Yuri immediately turned away from him and insisted that it wasn't necessary.

"I insist," Shujinkou insisted. Yuri looked into Shujinkou eyes and was surprised by the seriousness that lied in them. After giving it a lot of thought, Yuri decided to give in and accept Shujinkou's offer. But as she was escorted home, Yuri couldn't help but wonder why Shujinkou seemed like he had to follow up on his offer.

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