A/N: Summer is creeping up on us again! Do you know what that means? Oh yes, it can only mean: Lady Sosostris's Summer Project III! Unlike my previous summer projects, this story is M-Rated – expect lots of dirty talk, the nasty and perhaps even a mystery… this project is slightly more ambitious than my previous projects, but I hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 1: Genius and Friends

When Yuu Tobita saw the tall, old buildings he knew he was finally where he was supposed to be. The big arches, the domineering doors, the grassy patches that dotted the campus and the deep, thick ivy crawling up the red brick walls were all to his taste.

He had never been away from his small town before. This was his first time in Tokyo, and as he navigated his way around Alice University, he felt that this, here is where he belonged. Here, at the best university in Japan; here, where they had an outstanding literature course… This was it for Yuu, as he knew that if he wasn't accepted here, the hub and melting pot of the brightest minds in Japan, then, well, he wouldn't be accepted anywhere in this country.

It was warm; it was promising; it was his first day as an Alice University student.

Yuu was the smartest kid in his high school by a considerable amount. In his small town, everyone thought of him as a genius – the genius boy who was surely destined to become the new Murakami. The genius boy that was sure to bring fame and renown to the little and obscure town. Every birthday, people always gave him a book, with a banal, "Remember me when you're a famous author, Yuu-chan!" But as he looked around the lecture hall, for once Yuu felt ordinary. In his year there were sixty people, and all sixty students looked intelligent – the coy smiles, the bright glasses frames and the smart buzz of conversation told Yuu to expect competition for the first time in his life.

And who knows, maybe even a friend or two. That thought alone made him blush.

Next to him sat a small, mousy brunette, who, to his surprise, had a tattoo all down her arm. On his second glance he saw that it was a quote from Paradise Lost. The words of Milton were etched in black, trailing from the heights of her shoulder all the way down to her wrist. He was then distracted by the boy sitting across him; he had just pulled out an illustrated vintage edition of Renaissance poetry, impressing those closest to him.

But when the lecturer came in, Yuu's attention was directly focused on the woman. She did not have to clear her voice, or clap, or cough to gain the attention of her the new first year students: all sixty students were silenced by her presence, eager to hear the praises and words of wisdom that she might utter to the new cohort.

"Welcome, first years," her voice was deep, slow and measured, "to Literature studies at Alice University." She then followed her welcome by outlining the course, and stating the university's expectations of the first year before—

"Ms. Serena? Serena? Serena!" A bright, happy voice called from the back of the lecture hall, causing every one to turn. Two students had just entered (10 minutes late!) to the first lecture, and to every one's surprise, they seemed completely unbothered by their tardiness. The one at the back even had the audacity to yawn, and rub his eyes tiredly as he walked in her direction.

Ms. Serena, however, just groaned. "Mochu… just because I am your personal tutor does not mean you get to call me—"

"Ahh, I'm sorry. Forgive me, S." Mochu grinned (he did not sound apologetic in the least), as he made his way down to the platform, followed closely by the other student.

The first year students were stunned: who was this Mochu and the yawning boy behind him?

Ms. Serena sighed, "Couldn't you see that I was trying to impress and intimate the first years, Mochu? And stop yawning, Natsume – you are dragging what's left of my authority in the dirt."

Natsume smiled. "Sorry, S. I meant no disrespect."

Ms. Serena rolled her eyes. "First years, I present to you Exhibit A: Third year students. You will find most of them in the common room, injecting coffee into their veins, all whilst talking down on their lecturers and tutors," she threw Mochu and Natsume a pointed look, "moaning about essays – all done so with a superior panache."

It was as if the gears in Yuu's head clicked and moved into motion; suddenly, his mind was frenzied, screaming and uncontrollably inspired. After years of treating his teachers with respect, here at the Alice University were teachers that treated their students as equals. The possibilities all but enlarged for him: he could discuss literature with the leading figures of the country, and for once, maybe the response will be realistic rather than fabricated and saccharine.

Ms. Serena continued, "You were supposed to come at 10:00am on the dot."

"Ah," Mochu clicked his fingers, "that was not my fault: Natsume overslept." Natsume guiltily but devilishly smiled again at Ms. Serena, yet her lips simply thinned even further in response. But Ms. Serena had given up: rolling her eyes one last time, she took a step back, and told the third year duo to get on with their announcement.

"Hello, first years!" Mochu loudly called, as he turned to face the eager crowd, "As you probably gathered from that lovely chat, my name is Mochu and I'm a third year Lit student. I'm here to tell you about Ali-U's Creative Writing society. Now, most of you probably heard that and scoffed – don't lie; I see you smirking there in the back! – but hear out my pitch first. This isn't any old writing club where students sloppily confess their deepest secrets or repressed Oedipal issues in prose – we're not interested in shitty writing." Ms. Serena coughed warningly, but Mochu persevered, "We're an exclusive club, and our club leader is no other than Mr. Z Kuonji – ah-ha! I see I've finally got your attention!" Mochu raucously laughed.

Z Kuonji! … Z Kuonji!

Yuu's back straightened; his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Z Kuonji was one of his favourite contemporary authors. One of the reasons why he was so keen to come to Ali-Uni was to attend Kuonji's lectures: to be taught directly by his literary hero. Yuu had previously devoured the information Ali-Uni's website offered on him: Kuonji was the Head of the Literature department, but only taught very few modules, which were only offered to second years. From all the interviews he had read and watched online, Yuu could confidently assert that Z Kuonji was an enigmatic genius with very, very few words, so perhaps his exclusiveness in teaching was not so surprising. Though discovering Kuonji's very limited contact was initially disappointing, Yuu reasoned that simply being in Kuonji's presence was better than not being in his presence.

But now lit in front of him was an opportunity to be converse and learn from Kuonji.

"That's right—if you join our club, Mr. Kuonji will be supervising your creative writing personally." Mochu confirmed. "But I wasn't kidding when I said it's exclusive: we currently only have three members, including myself and Natsume here." At this point, he clapped Natsume on the shoulder and digressively added, "Just thought I should add that in case you were all wondering what the hell this guy is doing, just awkwardly standing behind me, yawning. Think of him as advertisement – I see you girls in the third row eyeing him up – he's single, by the way. If you join us, you might get a piece of this!"

Most laughed at this; Natsume glared at Mochu.

"So, if Kuonji's prestige and Natsume's good looks haven't convinced you, then I guess our club isn't for you. However, if the idea of being taught by Kuonji and potentially hooking up with Natsume appeals to you, all you have to do is write a 1000 word creative writing piece and give it in to Ms. Serena over here." Ms. Serena waved her hand. "The deadline is tomorrow evening. We – that is, myself, Natsume, Kuonji and our last member – will read all the entries and decide if there are any worthy candidates. I should say that no first year was admitted to our club last year, so don't beat up yourselves too hard if you don't get in – especially as you can always find Natsume in the student bar."

Ending with this joke (that earned him a more severe glare from Natsume), the two third years retreated, giving the lecture platform back to Ms. Serena.

Honestly, Yuu didn't think anything could possibly distract him from his first lecture. If asked yesterday, such suggestion would have been met with incredulous laughter. But now, as he sat in the lecture hall, he could feel his leg shake with adrenaline; he couldn't focus on Ms. Serena.

Short stories were his absolute favourite.

Tonight, he planned to display his literary genius, to prove himself as a worthy candidate.

On Friday, a small announcement was posted up on Literature noticeboard:

Thanks to all the first year students who entered their creative writing pieces.
We would like to welcome Tobita Yuu to our club!

Please check your email and find the date and time of our next meeting.

- Mochu

As he walked into the common room that afternoon, Yuu found that all of his fellow students were now treating him the same way everybody did back home.

Unsurprisingly, he had not made any friends that week.

The email had instructed Yuu to come to the Ali-U Student Bar that Saturday at 9pm, directing him to the couches on the left-corner of the bar. And sure enough, when he arrived (punctually), he found Mochu and Natsume sitting there, alongside another dark-haired male. Mochu and Natsume were chatting, whilst the third simply looked on, rather blankly.

Yuu didn't often get nervous, but he supposed tonight was an exception, and shakily (embarrassingly, even) he stepped forward (halting Natsume and Mochu's conversation) and cleared his throat. "Hi… I'm Yuu Tobita?"

He didn't mean for his introduction to come out as a question—his nerves were more effective than he previously thought.

His blunder was not met with sniggers (like in high school), but instead, Mochu and Natsume grinned in sync—Mochu even stood up to greet him properly. "Yuu!—Is it okay if I call you that?—Come, sit!"

"Hey," Natsume clapped his arm in a brotherly fashion, "I'm Natsume."

"I'm Mochu!"

"Yes, I remember." Yuu shyly smiled.

"And this," Mochu pointed to the third male, "is Rei Serio—but we all call him Persona. He's our third member—"

"I can introduce myself, Mochu." Persona's voice was cool and soft; there was not much friendliness there – and despite his reproach, he did not introduce himself further.

"—and you're our fourth!" Mochu continued, brightly. "You know, I don't think you know how fucking glad we were when we read your piece, because Jesus Christ, the rest of the year wrote absolute shit." For a moment, Yuu was startled by Mochu's brusque (perhaps even crass) honesty, and couldn't help think despondently upon the mousy haired girl that had sat next to him in the lecture, who had hoped too to be chosen into this club.

Natsume snorted, amused. "The standard was so low, Kuonji was even thought about closing the club after we graduate."

Any sadness that Yuu might have felt for his classmates disappeared then. At his name, Yuu pressed his lips together. "Is… Is Kuonji coming tonight?"

Persona raised his eyebrow. "Do you honestly suppose that Kuonji would come to a student bar on a Saturday night? He's got better places to be."

Yuu blushed. "Oh, right. Of course."

Natsume smirked, "Fan of Kuonji?"

"Well… yes. Huge fan, in fact."

It was Mochu's turn to smirk, "I guess it wasn't Natsume good looks that motivated and inspired you to try out for our club, huh?"

Yuu's blush deepened; his heart pace quickening.

Persona rolled his eyes. "Your advertisement of Hyuuga's face backfired on us brutally." He turned to Yuu, "Can you imagine how many insipid short stories were entered about the 'tall, dark and rusty-eyed boy'? Absolute fanfiction."

Some time soon after, Natsume asked whether Yuu would like a drink as he was going to the bar. Yuu asked for a beer, before thanking him, and when he tried to get his wallet out, Natsume insisted that he would pay for this round. Yuu smiled at Natsume's generosity as he walked away to the bar, but when he turned back around to Mochu and Persona they looked both exasperated and amused.

"You're never going to see that drink, Yuu."

"Excuse me?"

Mochu sighed, but smiled, "Natsume's… well, look for yourself."

Yuu turned, and watched Natsume make his way over to the bar. Yet instead of speaking to the bartender to order drinks, Natsume placed himself conveniently next to a pretty girl, who was drinking alone. Without wasting a moment, Natsume engaged in conversation with the girl: and well, the rest was history.

"Happens every time." Persona said. "That's why I usually get the drinks but—"

"Natsume's had his eye on her ever since we arrived. You know what he's like."

"You would think he would restrain himself tonight, as we're meeting our newest member…"

"That's not really Natsume's style, is it?" Mochu looked at Yuu. "You'll come to understand and see for yourself that Natsume loves women, to the point where it makes him digress. Don't worry, he'll come back soon. Now," he clapped his hand, "Yuu. Can I just say I loved the bit in your short story when you describe all the colours melting, and exploding before becoming demure?"

Surprised by the different turn in conversation, Yuu fumbled for an answer. "Well, um, thank you."

"It was great. You think you can continue or expand that short story for our next meeting?"

"Next meeting?"

"Ah, yeah – should probably explain that first." Mochu turned to Persona for help.

Persona answered: "We meet once every 10 days where we share poetry or prose. Mostly prose. This means that you will have to be writing often, but this will help you develop as a writer. In our meetings, we compare and discuss each other's writing."

"So I'll get to read your writing too?"

Persona nodded. "Yes. After these meetings, we hand our work into Kuonji. He reviews them. He joins our meeting once a month," (Yuu was slightly disappointed at this piece of information) "meaning that it's mostly just run by us."

"That sounds fun!" Yuu said, with a slightly forced optimism.

Persona did not seem to appreciate this assessment. "This isn't some cute, fun little Creative Writing club: we are future authors. Kuonji doesn't pick just any random student – he only picks the best of the best, because if anyone, he knows that it's us that is going to shape the future of literature. We are going to publish books and change the course of literature: we are going to make history."

Persona spoke with complete seriousness, vigour and steadfast faith. It was clear to Yuu that Persona had believed ever word he had uttered: his conviction was not to be undermined. Yuu was both impressed and frightened by such conviction… how could Persona be so sure of himself, of all of them? And how could he so confidently talk of shaping and making a mark on the world like it was some effortless and easy task?

Quite unexpectedly Natsume appeared (with drinks), and handed a beer to Yuu before he sat back down. His reappearance somewhat dispelled Persona's prophetic words, as did Mochu's snide question: "Oh? I'm surprised you remembered us."

"I never forgot." Natsume replied with a Cheshire cat grin, as he raised his glass and drank.

"And your friend?" Mochu smiled, motioning in the direction of the girl, who was still at the bar.

"That's my business." But his telling smirk said it all.

Mochu turned to Yuu, muttering, "That means he's going go fuck her after this meeting."

Partially ignoring Mochu, Natsume said, "I heard the end of your grandiose speech, Persona. I don't think there was any need for that, unless you want Yuu to be crushed by the weight of past and future literature. Yuu," He looked at him, "what Persona should have said is that you have talent, and this club exists for you to polish your skill. Ultimately, we discuss your work to help you find your voice."

"Have you all found your voices?" Yuu asked, looking at all three.

Mochu answered for them, "I would say so. Natsume is all about the sordid nature of society and life—"

"I'm an expert after all." Natsume joked, interrupting.

"—and I'm… well, I guess you'll have to wait and read it for yourself. In our next meeting, we will all be bringing our respective work, so you can look forward to that!"

The conversation continued, progressed and subsided by 11.42pm. Mochu, yawning, said he was going to have an early night; Persona said he had to go to the library; Natsume found his way back to the pretty girl at the bar; and Yuu went back to his dorm, excited, inspired and bursting with happiness.

For the first time in his life, he did not feel like the lonely genius. For the first time in his life, he felt as if he might make some friends.

A/N: Hello lovelies! It's so nice to be writing for you all again. Hopefully this story will get a positive response.

So, what can you expect from this story? Well, a lot of conversations; exploring the tensions between Arts and Sciences; friendship and loneliness; the pretence of Fame; frivolity and steadfastness …

Although this chapter focused a lot on Yuu, each chapter varies. As the story progresses, the main narrative voice will shift to Natsume and Mikan.

I feel like my characters (in this chapter and the upcoming chapters) are quite OOC (out-of-character), especially Natsume and Mikan. Don't worry, Natsume will NOT to be the clichéd heartless playboy who falls for the innocent and good Mikan, and changes his way (oh no, no, no…) – like Mochu says, he loves women, which does not necessarily mean that he disrespects them. And Mikan… well, you'll see.

This story is largely inspired by the Beats Generation.

Till next time!