The End of the Beginning

Natsuki could scarcely believe the sight before her eyes. Neither could most of the crowd.

Now that everybody’s attention was on her, the lead girl motioned down to her friend, who handed up a megaphone to her.

“Attention, students!” she proclaimed. Her voice carried a hyperactive quality to it that stood in stark contrast to the sort of serene confidence in herself she simultaneously displayed. “My name’s Masako of Class 2-C!”

She lowered the megaphone to her friend, who spoke in a cheerful voice with a slight rasp to it. “And I’m Yumiko, also of Class 2-C! And I'm the President of-”

A manga-style knock to Yumiko’s head created some feedback out of the megaphone and some giggles in the crowd. “Excuse us,” Masako declared, getting back on track. “I’m the esteemed President of our even more esteemed Web Novel Club! What is a web novel, you might ask!”

The crowd looked around at each other.

“Yeah, what’s a web novel?” a guy mumbled.

“Thank you for your curiosity!” Masako said, pointing a finger down into the crowd. “A web novel is an online story written in short installments, released gradually over time! A chapter one day, another chapter the next, keeping your readers interested in the cliffhangers, the action, and the daily boost of much-needed dopamine! Anything can be written in a web novel. The world’s your oyster!”

To emphasize her point, more fireworks went off behind her. “Have you ever had an idea for a story?” Maskako proclaimed. For a brief moment, Natsuki thought the girl was looking at her directly. “Have you ever wanted to write a story? Ever wanted to reach a wide audience of like-minded individuals? If you have ideas and a computer, then the sky’s the limit! Join us today!”

More fireworks went off, the reds and greens and blues illuminating Masako’s confident grin. For the first time in her brief life, Natsuki felt her self-doubts slowly drift away. This Masako certainly had passion for her craft, the same kind of passion Natsuki felt deep down.

If both of these girls had the same amount of passion, then both of them could write with the same amount of passion. Sure, the level of quality might be different due to experience and practice, but the heart within each of them was the same. There was no reason why Natsuki couldn’t be like her one day.

Natsuki had an idea for a story. She wanted to write a story. She had ideas and a computer. She had everything necessary. She even had passion like Masako did. The only important difference, Natsuki truly knew, was self-confidence.

Natsuki scratched her arm again. Creating an original story wouldn't be the easiest task. A lot of thought and time would need to go into it. It would be far easier to look at the blank page and tell yourself that the story wouldn’t be worth the effort in the end. Who would want to read your story? At the end of writing the story, should you even make it that far, would you look back at all and feel regret for the time wasted?

That was the difference between her and Masako, Natsuki supposed. Masako didn’t have those thoughts. In contrast, thoughts like those held Natsuki up, making her spend frantic, frustrating nights behind her desk in her room, struggling to get the words on paper.

But, right then and there, Natsuki understood.

The hardest part would be working through your self-doubts and actually writing those words down. After that, it was a smooth ride. All it took was the first step.

“What did you think?” Masako asked as Natsuki finished reading the story from her laptop.

Natsuki recoiled in horror, her face a bright red. “W-who gave you permission to analyze my character like that!?”

Natsuki feeling bittersweet as she left the Fanfiction Club booth - that part was true. Everything after that - the fireworks, the internal monologue - had been cooked up by an ambitious Masako, who quickly hammered away at her laptop on her club’s booth counter when Natsuki ended up stumbling upon it.

It was a small thing, tucked away in a courtyard corner, and not exactly official since it only had two members. As Masako typed away, inspired by Natsuki’s arrival at her booth, Vice President Yumiko peered over Masako’s shoulder, often making “helpful” comments that quickly got the two girls bickering. Apparently, Yumiko didn’t appreciate her role as comic relief in the story.

Natsuki felt too awkward to leave while Masako wrote a story, so she sort of slid a shoe across the dusty ground near the booth and ended up reading one of the club’s flyers.

The Web Novel Club!

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy - All Sprouting From Your Fingertips!

Perfect for those looking to feel productive in their daily lives!

Expand your horizons and put the story you always wanted to tell onto (digital) paper!

Make money ! ?

Join today!

Natsuki supposed these two were a funny duo. Masako, holding a pen in the corner of her mouth as she typed away, seemed slightly tall and had long black hair, a few loose strands spilling down onto her forehead. In contrast, Yumiko was short, wearing a red hair band to hold back blonde hair.

In about ten minutes, Masako hit a button on her keyboard with a sigh of relief, signifying she had finished. She spun the laptop around so Natsuki could read.

A few moments later, Natsuki's face had turned to an embarrassed scarlet, and she held her arms over her face and chest for protection. “W-who says I’m scared to take that first step?” Natsuko huffed out, knowing fully well that she often told herself that in the past.

“I told you that you laid it on too thick,” Yumiko complained. “And you should’ve made me the main character. I would do a much better job of convincing her to join.”

Masako flashed a cocksure grin and leaned back in her seat. “Oh yeah? Then convince her right now.”

Yumiko blinked. She looked up at Natsuki, who was only slowly letting her guard down again. “Um…you like writing?”

Natsuki gave a guarded nod.

“Um…you like the internet?”

Natsuki nodded again.

“Then…join our club, please?”

Masako shook Yumiko. “This is why I’m the President!” she reminded her Vice President. As Yumiko’s eyes spiraled from the shaking, Masako handed a candy bar over to her friend as means of an apology, then regained her composure as she looked up at Natsuki.

“I’ll approach this in a more conventional manner,” Masako began. “I’ll ask you two questions to ponder. What do you want to write? And why do you want to write?”

“That’s not a conventional approach at all!” Natsuki complained. Based on her own (limited experience) and reading manga, a meeting like this should’ve been more casual, more like a meet-and-greet! But this Masako was relentlessly throwing existential questions around on a Monday afternoon!

But she also had a point.

“I want to write a story…” Natsuki began, but then stopped. Alarm bells immediately blared in her head - the curse of having an overactive sense of danger. If Natsuki revealed her story, Masako might think it's dumb, therefore making her think that Natsuki was dumb! It would be a nightmare!

Natsuki counted to three inside her head to calm herself down.

“My first web novel was about a magic academy,” Masako explained, perhaps sensing Natsuki’s plight. “I was so afraid people would think it was stupid. And guess what? Some people did. But some people didn’t. And neither did I.”

Yumiko clapped for her friend as Masako concluded her spiel with a proud salute over her heart.

Somehow, Natsuki found confidence in that. It didn’t stop her from gripping the sides of her skirt in fear, but she managed to speak.

“I want to write a story about… a time cop,” Natsuki admitted. “I like history. He goes back in time and solves time crime.”

Natsuki closed her eyes, ready to be humiliated, but after a moment, she snuck a peak and saw Masako rubbing her chin in thought.

“I see. I see.” She clapped her hands. “I like it! That right there is passion. What do you think, Yumiko?”

The Vice President raised a hand. “Can you make a character based on me?”

That resulted in another shaking courtesy of Masako.

Natsuki started giggling at the sight. Somehow, finally telling somebody about her story idea…she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. An even huger weight still remained, but maybe, just maybe, she chipped a little bit off of it.

“And now, question two!” Masako reminded Natsuki as she dusted off Yumiko in apology.

“Why do I want to write…” Natsuki repeated. That actually made her pause and think. What about writing made her get up and (try) to do it? What did she find appealing about it?

“I…I have no idea,” Natsuki realized, hanging her head low in shame.

“That’s alright!” Masako said. She and Yumiko hoisted arms around each other’s shoulders. “That’s why we’re here!”

“We’re the Web Novel Club!” Yumiko proclaimed. “That’s us!”

“Who’s better than us?” Masako said, apparently having done this routine before.

They answered in unison.

“No-body!”

..........

“She wrote you a story about you?” Mitsuko’s dull voice said through the phone that night.

Natsuki kept her phone cradled around her ear as she laid in bed, a tangle of messy blankets and sheets sprawled around her. “Yeah. It got kind of psychological. Like she read my very essence.”

“That’s because you’re easy to read.”

“Mitsuko!”

“That’s alright, though. A lot of people like things that are easy to read. Why do you think I like you?”

Natsuki just groaned.

There was a lull in the phone conversation, only broken up by the sound of Mitsuko eating cereal. The cherry blossoms continued to fall outside through Natsuki’s window, illuminated by the moonlight and the stars of the night sky. Natsuki twirled a strand of hair through a finger, looking at the telephone wires running across the street.

“You gonna join?” Mitsuko asked.

Steam came out of Natsuki’s ears. “You think I’m going to join up with an amateur psycho-analyst and her comedic relief best friend?”

But then she spoke softly.

“Well, maybe…”

“Oh?”

Natsuki ran a hand over a nearby blanket, feeling its smoothness and softness. “Her story about me had a point to it. Sometimes, I think I’m my own worst enemy. The only person stopping me from writing more is myself. Maybe…if I join the club, I can change a little.”

“That would be the definition of seizing the day, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Mitsuko spoke with her mouth full. “Oh, Natsuki, one more thing. If you do end up joining, I have a request.”

“What is it? Are you afraid I’ll forget about you once I find these new friends of mine?”

“I wouldn’t let you forget about me.” Mitsuko swallowed. “Can you base a character off of me?”

Natsuki groaned, then smiled. “You and everybody else…”

“Can I wear a cape?”

Natsuki’s smile grew wider. She reached toward the ceiling, closing her hand to cover the sight of the lightbulb above her. “Only my character can wear a cape.”

“No fair.”

The lull came again as Mitsuko finished her cereal. Natsuki kept that grin on her face, thinking about all the possibilities of tomorrow. To actually see her own words on paper - what a rush! Feeling restless, she slid off her bed and started shadow-boxing around her room.

Mitsuko finished up. “Gotta go, Natsuki. Fudge Sundae is on. Feel free to call me afterwards.”

“I’m going to bed right after,” Natsuki declared. “I want to wake up fully rested for tomorrow - it’ll be a big day. The first day of club!”

“Enjoy yourself, Natsuki,” Mitsuko said. “And get me a cool lightsword while you’re at it.”

The two said their goodbyes and hung up their phones. Natsuki tossed the phone onto her bed, giving it one last warm smile, then started shadow-boxing again, grinning in anticipation.