A new reality (Sayonika)

Yuri

"T-This poem is called 'Worldwide hatred'" I stuttered, feeling my anxiety kick in.

I paused, trying to keep myself from shaking.

"I-I'm sorry, I-" I said.

"It's okay, Yuri, take as much time as you need," Monika said, trying to reassure me.

I nodded and started to read.

"A continuous streak of never ending pain, all held under the strain of a society gone wild.

We look to the higher-ups for answers but all we get is meaningless promises
strewn together in a pointless speech.

We go on with our lives, ignoring the suffering going on behind the scenes.

We speak out but we're silenced, our opinions hidden by the wall of disgust and disbelief.

We follow orders from those wealthier or more powerful, we never question their requests

We act like sheep after all and we all contribute to this massive scheme."

I look up and see that they've all been stunned into silence. I cover my face, embarrassed by my performance, god I'm such a failure. After a while, I hear someone clapping. I peek through my fingers and see everyone else clapping.

"That was amazing Yuri," Sayori said, cheering loudly.

"I think you did better than me there, you changed into a completely different person," Monika replied.

Natsuki just stared up at my in awe, probably unsure of what to say to me.

"Uh, I decided to be a little more d-direct in this poem," I said.

"It worked well, it really did," Natsuki murmured, looking away from me.

"It's very political, isn't it?" Monika said.

"Yes, I decided to go down that route because of the... events that have been transpiring recently," I replied, a little unsure of how to put it.

"Oh, that makes sense," Sayori said, "oh, it's my turn now!"

She jumped out of the seat, pulled a sheet of paper out of her pocket and rushed up to the front.