In the next moment, a pretty girl with sparkling pink eyes entered the room. Inside her long blonde hair she wore a green headband, decorated with flowers. Her outfit, consisting of a colorful dress, was simple yet fashionable and chic. Her appearance made Linus's jaw drop, amazed by her beauty.

Akira's gaze, however, was fixed on Linus, whose excitement was hard to miss. With a roll of his eyes, Akira shut his classmate's open mouth with his hand.

"One, two, three... four!" The girl counted the people in the room, pointing at each of them with her finger.

"I can't believe it. Is it really what it looks like? o_o" She looked at Leopold in disbelief. Leopold scratched his head uncertainly, then glanced questioningly at Akira and Linus.

"Well... you see..." Leopold began hesitantly.

"We were just about to go—" Akira suddenly paused.

Maya blinked at him curiously, seeming to lean in closer, as if to say, 'I can't hear you~'

Akira sighed resignedly but then forced a smile. "We're just here to check out the club today, yea..."

The girl beamed at him and started chattering away like a waterfall. "Nice to meet you! (✿◠‿◠)

I'm Maya!✨Maya Gutenberg!🌸And who are you?😊Do you like books?📚Why did you decide to join?😮You know, it's not often—" Suddenly she paused, feeling Beyza's gaze on her skin. "Well, whatever!😅" She then laughed. A hysterical laugh. Beyza nodded approvingly.

Akira looked both puzzled and irritated at Linus, who still seemed frozen in place. He nudged him a few times, but it had no effect. Linus' gaze remained fixed on the charming Maya. Akira sighed. Oh man, where have we landed?

Then he gave Linus a disdainful look and reluctantly turned to Maya. "Yo... I'm Akira..."

Eagerly, Maya took his hand and shook it vigorously. "Oooh, what a sweet name! :3"

"And who are you? ^‿^" Maya turned to Linus, who still seemed unresponsive. She looked back at Akira questioningly. "Is everything okay with him?😰"

"That's Linus..." said Akira in a somehwat annoyed tone, "Don't worry about him. I'm sure he's feeling great. He's just a bit... shy."

"Oh, I see. Don't worry, Linus, I was like that too at first when I joined the club. But now I feel at home here! In a way, it really is my new home... Well, whatever😅Hahaha"

***

Now, all five members were seated at the round table. Maya had positioned herself directly between Akira and Linus, causing his heart to beat faster. The tea in his cup had long gone cold, and he regarded the dark liquid with a critical eye.

Maya observed his expression curiously and chuckled. "Don't you like black tea? :s"

Linus, who had now found his voice again, hesitated for a moment. "Um... I was just wondering if..."

"You can be honest. I find it disgusting too! :D"

Linus smiled and nodded in agreement.

"You know, it's been a long time since anyone new joined our club...(◕︿◕✿)"

"Really?"

"Yeah... to be honest, you two are actually the first in years to even take a look at it (;﹏;)"

"Oh... I don't understand why. Books are great."

"Well, not everyone sees it that way. But maybe it's also because of us—the members😔"

"Um, well, I find all of you nice so far," Linus smiled at her. Then his gaze shifted to Beyza—Maya's eyes followed his. "Except for Beyza, you mean, right?🤨"

Linus froze internally. Can she read minds or something?! "N-no! She's just... a bit creepy," Linus replied, feeling Beyza's gaze on him in that moment, which startled him. Maya chuckled. Linus did so too. It was such a beautiful, warm laugh... He just couldn't resist it.

"Only a few people know how she really is. To me, she's a good—no, the best friend I've ever had!(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ" Maya beamed proudly at Beyza, who seemed almost annoyed by the attention, as her eyebrow began slightly twitching.

"R-really?" Linus marveled. It surely was hard to believe.

"Yup!（＾ω＾）"

"Hard shell, soft core, huh?" thought Linus.

Suddenly Leopold gestured to the board again, raising his voice. "Well then! Since we've had our cake and tea, we can move on to the next point on our agenda!"

Akira raised a finger. "But there was no cake at all!" The others agreed, except for Beyza.

"I will not tolerate any objections!" said Leopold as he rummaged in his bag and slammed a book on the table a few times. "As discussed before the holidays, we will now proceed with the book presentations."

"Aww, come on, how boring! Booo!!!" Akira began to shout as if it had been a riot. Everyone looked at him in a mix of confusion and disappointment. He immediately changed to a defensive demeanor. "It was a joke, it was a joke... Calm down guys..."

Though, in reality it wasn't a joke. He was only here because he wantd to play video games in peace, hoping the others thought the same. But apparently, they were actually interested in books, which was a mystery to him.

But Akira wasn't the only one unhappy. Just as much as Maya seemed delighted with the new faces, Beyza seemed annoyed by them. She stared at Linus the whole time—or at least he felt like she did, since her sunglasses' completely dark lenses made it impossible to know whom her eyes were targeting. Now Beyza was gesturing for Leopold to come over. Was she going to start gossiping about him and Akira? In the end, it seemed Leopold was the one in charge here. Did she want to persuade him to kick them out?

Leopold whispered to her. "Must it be now?" But it was still loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Since Beyza persisted, Leopold sighed heavily before turning to the others. "You can already get started, we need to sort something out."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Maya nodded understandingly. "Oki, no problem~" Then she reached into her backpack and pulled out a colorful book. It matched her vibrant style of clothing and cheerful personality so well that one could think it was part of her outfit. "So, today I want to introduce you to my favorite book; The Chronicles of the Crimson Snail!"

Linus blinked several times, as if she had spoken a different language. The Chronicles... of a snail? However, Maya was undeterred, or perhaps she simply didn't notice his confusion. "It's about the adventures of a snail named Noserich, who must confront the evil forces of today's society (✯◡✯) Noserich fights for equality and aims to bring peace to the world, but no one takes him seriously because he's 'just a snail'（＞д＜）"

Akira and Linus glanced at each other and struggled to contain their laughter, but their efforts were only partially successful. Snorting sounds escaped from their tightly pressed lips.

"Are you two making fun of the esteemed Noserich as well? >:(" Maya's gaze was disdainful, yet there still was that kind-hearted twinkle in her eyes. She couldn't even look mean, even if she tried—no, not even to defend her beloved 'Noserich'. At the thought, Linus burst into laughter, and Maya couldn't help but smile too.

"It really is a good book! >.<" Maya insisted. "Noserich is no ordinary snail; he has special abilities with which he-"

"Slimes the villains?!" Akira interjected, chuckling, and Linus burst into laughter again.

"Or maybe he slimes his way into them?!" Linus retorted, the words nearly getting stuck in his throat.

They couldn't stop laughing. Fortunately, Maya took it in stride, because with many others, the two boys would probably have been in trouble by now. "Well, if you find it so amusing, you're welcome to continue with your books," she said, trying to give them a stern look, but it was about as threatening as a baby kitten's roar. The two boys slowly quieted down as they realized it was now one of their turns.

"No need," Akira quickly raised his hand and stuck his tongue out at Linus, who sighed playfully. "Too bad, I really would have liked to hear more stories about the honorable Noserich, but okay, I'll take over now."

With both arms, their veins bulging so much it looked like they might burst, Linus pulled a massive tome from his backpack and let it fall onto the table. "I present; Fantasies and Myths – The Last Hour Before Midnight!"

Unlike Maya's book, the cover was dark and bloodthirsty, much like that of a bad horror movie from the Eighties. When Maya glanced at it, her expression changed... Fear spread across her face. Akira, on the other hand, seemed excited. "Wow! You read stuff like this? What's the book about?"

A sinister smile spread across Linus' lips. "Blood, death, darkness, and above all; Vampires!"

"V-vampires?😰" Maya's voice sounded fearful.

Linus looked at her surprised. Didn't she know about vampires? Or why was she asking like that? "Yeah, vampires... Those disgusting bloodsuckers who can turn into bats."

She seemed frozen. Linus didn't know how it was possible, but apparently, she really had never heard of vampires before. Crazy...

„They usually have a bald head and are totally pale in the face...“ His gaze shifted to Akira, who shook his head slightly and looked at Linus with narrowed eyes, as if he knew what was coming.

“About as pale as Akira.” Linus pointed at the boy and couldn't help but laugh—partly because he actually found it funny, but also because he hoped Maya would catch on and laugh too.

Akira felt disappointed. Jokes at a friend's expense just to impress a girl? Ridiculous.

However, Maya still looked horrified, which Akira noticed by now. Was her concern for him so great that she would scold Linus for that remark? Well, he deserved it! Yet she remained silent. Only her eyes moved—more like trembling. What had Linus done—what emotions had he stirred up in her?

Meanwhile, Leopold and Beyza conversed in hushed tones at the other end of the room.

“What were you thinking letting these two idiots in?!” Beyza asked accusingly. Leopold hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Well... I thought it might be good for Maya... she needs to connect with normal people again.”

“Normal people?” Beyza's eyes, or so Leopold assumed, scanned past him and settled on the two boys.

“Y-yes,” Leopold began to stutter, “Well, one of them seemed nice enou-”

“You know what the instructions were. It's not our job to ensure she makes new friends, but to ensure she's okay—safe.”

“But she's always so lonely. She needs friends to be okay.”

“No. Those are just unnecessary risks. Besides, she has us.”

Leopold pondered, but didn't seem entirely convinced by her argument yet.

“Also, for today we had planned to open the...” Beyza paused, looking at Leopold intently. He knew exactly what she meant.

“Yes, I'm sorry. You're right. We don't have time for this..." Leopold said as he glanced over to the others. "But I thought we could at least, for once after a long time, be the normal, inconspicuous Literature-Club again...”

Beyza fell silent for a moment, her expression unchanged. “As soon as the troublemakers are dealt with, I will prepare everything. I never want to see them here again.” With those words, she disappeared into the shadows.

When Leopold approached the others, he noticed an incredible terror spreading across Maya's face. He was about to say something, but it was Beyza who positioned herself between the two boys and Maya, acting like a protective barrier. “Enough. Don't you get that she's not interested in this?!”

Akira and Linus, who still seemed to be in their own little world, only now realized the seriousness of the situation.

“Beyza's right,” Leopold began in a calm but firm voice. “Each of us has their own preferences, and we should respect that.” Maya nodded silently, her eyes still distant and fearful. It was as if Linus had awakened a hidden memory or pain in her.

Linus looked at Maya's face, feeling like he had just ran over a beautiful painting and destroyed it. “I-I'm sorry, Maya,” he said, his face red with embarrassment. “I didn't mean to... I didn't...”

Maya shook her head, as if she wanted to fend off the words. “It's okay,” she whispered softly. “It's just... This scary stuff is not for me😢”

Akira, seeing an opportunity to lighten the mood again, grinned mischievously. “So... not a fan of Dracula?”

Beyza gave him a penetrating look that seemed to suffocate any trace of humor.

“That's enough now, Akira,” Leopold reprimanded him.

"The meeting is adjourned for today," Beyza said, her tone serious and leaving no room for objections. Akira raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Okay, okay. The atmosphere is getting a bit heavy anyway."

Linus, still feeling uneasy, spoke up quietly. "So... should we not come back again?"

Beyza was about to speak, but Leopold intervened. "No, that's not what was meant. We could use new members, but for today, we'd prefer to keep it among ourselves." His warm smile gave Linus hope that he meant it sincerely. Linus nodded in relief, his shoulders relaxing a bit. "Thank you."

Akira, still feeling the weight of Beyza's and Leopold's serious gaze, who had now positioned themselves in front of Maya as if they were her bodyguards, cleared his throat as he reached for his backpack. "Yeah, it was really nice being with you all... So, until next time."

He subtly grabbed Linus by the arm to signal that they should leave now. There was no need to make the situation any more uncomfortable than it already was.

*

After closing the door, Leopold gathered with the others around the desk. "Sooo, we are still going to do it?" An uncertainty present in his voice, as he looked at the others.

Beyza raised an eyebrow at that statement, as if feeling offended by it. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't we?"

Leopold's gaze slowly turned toward Maya, who still looked pale, her fingers digging into her sides. Suddenly, she flinched. "Oh- I-I'm fine, we can still do it! (⋟﹏⋞)"

Leopold's expression clouded. "Maya... You don't have to pretend with us..."

"N-no- Really! I just need a moment, maybe... (>_<)"

Beyza sighed. "Fine. We're not going today," and starting to clear the books off the table.

"Really?" Leopold looked puzzled. "T-thank you, Beyza-"

"But we'll get even more done next time."

"Of course!"

Suddenly, Maya tilted to the side.

"Maya!" Leopold jumped forward, stopping her from falling.

A little dazed, her gaze slid around the room until finally meeting Leopold's eyes "Sorry... I'm always holding you back...😔"

"No, it's fine! You're doing great! Please don't be so hard on yourself..."

Beyza's expression remained unchanged as she scrutinized Maya.