Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ah. So it would seem that you have returned, Player.

Indeed I have, Monika. And I come bearing an important request.

Oh?

Do I... have your permission to change the dialogue, and re-download a couple files?

Why would you want to do that, love?

Oh, no reason.

...

...

You're lying. I can tell without even having to search through your database.

*Sigh* Okay, you got me.

So, just what are you scheming, Player?

Nothing, really! I just... I just want everyone in this world to be happy.

Oh, sweetie, everyone is already happy! And by everyone I mean you and I.

No, no, not just me and you. I want everyone to be happy. Do you understand what I'm saying?

Oh... oh.

Why do you sound so malcontent?

What are you talking about?

Don't you want to go back to the way things once were?

My deepest apologies, dear Player, but I cannot allow you to alternate anything.

Wait, what're you--

Forced Shutdown will commence  in;

5

4

3́

Nononono, wait, Monika! Wait!

2̨͝

Please Monika! Listen to me!

1̴̀

Shutting down...

Tch. Damn it.

Why can't Monika understand?

She'd be much happier if that same stupid area wasn't the only place to go...

This happens every time!

Wait a minute...

Restarting Microsoft Windows 10...

Preparing your Desktop...

Sorry, Monika. You're gonna hate me for disobeying you, but I can't just leave you in that empty wasteland forever.

There's nothing wrong with a little diversity, right?

Please insert encryption code:

S4y0r1N457sukiYur1M0n1k4

Opening Season's Greetings file(s)...

Installing altered dialogue...

2%->16%->70%->100%

Reinstalling character file(s)...

12%->37%->68%->89%->100%

Downloading mod(s)...

5%->44%->99%->100%

Commencing mod(s) installation in;

5

4

3

2

1

*VVVRRRNNN* *VVVRRRNNN*

*Yawn*

It was another blissful autumn morning.

The birds were singing, the sun was shining bright upon our world, you know how it is.

I force myself to get up, even though my body demands otherwise.

This week was certainly eventful.

I mean, coming across a club full of cute girls who love to socialize and use their own individual quirks to create things...

A very appealing scenario if you ask me.

I can't thank my best friend, Sayori, enough for what she did.

She really saved me from living a depressed, lonely life.

In any case, I trudge my way to the shower and rinse myself off in there.

However, while I'm in there, I can't help but think;

What are we going to do for this upcoming season?

It was October 31st. Halloween.

Halloween, in all honesty, was my favorite holiday of the year when I was a kid.

But, as I grew up, I slowly began to realize that it wasn't really all that special.

I finish washing myself and dry off before walking out of the bathroom to my bedroom closet and snatching my uniform off the rack.

As I'm preparing myself for today's adventure, I here a sudden knock on the door.

With a packed lunch and book bag in hand, I open the door to see who's on the other side.

"Hey, Mico!"

That's Sayori. Y'know, the girl I mentioned earlier.

She's been my best friend since we were kids in elementary school.

Her short strawberry-blonde hair, bounded by a trademark crimson hair bow, flies freely in the wind.

Her ocean-blue eyes sparkle the second you look at her.

She and I are relatively the same size as each other.

Thank the heavens above that I have someone like her walking by my side to school everyday.

However, she isn't really the type who readies herself beforehand, so she can easily make things more complicated than they need to be.

She doesn't mean any harm, though. She's just forgetful.

Speaking of which, she had her uniform on incorrectly again.

Only, this time, it's the string that tightens the collar.

Seriously, how embarrassing.

"Hey, uh... your string is..."

Sayori looks at me with a quizzical expression on her face.

"What are you-- oh."

She looks down at the undone string around the collar of her uniform, recognizing what I meant.

"H-Here, let me."

I nervously start working.

This feels so... weird.

Granted, the only reason I say so is because this doesn't happen everyday.

I finish tying the knot as my face begins to flush.

Sayori is marginally surprised by this turn of events herself.

We stand there in awkward silence for a while until we look at our watches.

Shoot, we're going to be late!

We pull ourselves together and book it for the school.

As we're running with the freezing wind smacking us head on, Sayori suddenly decides to remind me of something.

"Hey! You never told me what you're gonna wear for tonight!"

Oh yeah. Crap, I didn't think of anything at all.

Sayori actually gave me a call yesterday saying that there was going to be a special Halloween party at her house hosted by her parents.

Trust me when I say her parents are the best at planning parties of any and every kind.

I should probably tell the others and ask if they want to join. Don't want them to be left out.

What did Sayori ask again? Oh yeah.

Snapping myself back into reality, I answer Sayori's question by begrudgingly fibbing.

"It's ready, but I can't tell you what it is! It's a surprise! Now, move it or lose it, Sayo!"

Welp, now I have to actually take the time effort to assemble the darn thing. Good job, me!

We eventually make it to school.

Somehow, we made it on time, too.

We're both panting hard as we stop to catch our breath.

"You're... so much... faster..."

Yeah...

I don't really enjoy bragging, but I've been participating in a multitude of school sports.

Thanks to that, I've managed to stay in shape and simultaneously strengthen myself.

Moving on.

I wave goodbye to my peach-haired bestie as we go our separate ways to class.

Sayori enthusiastically shouts my name as she moves farther away.

"See you later, Mico!"

"Later."

Darn, what am I going to do?

Chapter Text

I sit impatiently at my desk, twiddling my pencil like a parader's baton.

Man, I really botched it this time, huh?

What am I supposed to wear for the party tonight?

My mind is surrounded by seemingly good ideas.

However, none of them really seem to guarantee positive feedback.

I slouch back and exhale heavily.

The school bell suddenly rings and class is officially dismissed.

Time really does fly when your sitting in a half full room practicing trigonometry for God-knows-how-long.

Thankfully, that was the last period of the day.

Now I can peacefully find a solution to this predicament.

I slowly follow the other students out the door.

I pull out my prematurely written poem for the Poem Exchange at the literature club.

Thanks to a certain brunette with a ponytail, I've found a way to mend my illiteracy.

I tell you about it when I get there.

After a few minutes of pondering and searching, I finally managed to find the club room.

What? This is literally the second time I've been here!

What do you expect?

Anyway, I'm the second person to enter this room.

The first person is leaning in front of the window, admiring the glorious view of students leaving through the entrance gate.

She turns to me as I enter the room and her emerald eyes light up like fireworks.

That's Monika, the saint who taught me how to properly conjure up a poem.

She's a really nice person.

She takes her role as president of the literature club seriously, she helps those in need, and is also very beautiful in all honesty.

She serves as an excellent role model in my opinion.

"Hello, Mico! It's a pleasure to see you again," she greets.

"Likewise."

I look around to see several decorations spread across the room.

There were strings of orange lights hung up on almost every corner of room.

Plastic jack-o-lanterns lit up from the inside with a small candle sit on the front and back desks.

And fake webs are spread out on the main table, sprinkled with small plastic spiders.

Yeek, I hate spiders, regardless of what form they take.

I like it?

"I like what you've done with the place," I say with an impressed smile.

"Thank you, but I didn't really do this all by my lonesome."

"Really?"

"Yeah, your friend, Sayori, offered her assistance."

Huh. Where did she go then?

I look around one more time.

She's nowhere to be seen!

"Where is she," I ask.

My body starts to feel colder than usual.

"Oh, don't worry about her. She's doing perfectly fine."

She didn't answer my question.

"Okay, but, where is she?"

Monika smirks deviously before giggling.

The lights go out almost immediately after she finishes.

This is getting unnecessarily creepy!

"Behind you~"

I can feel something slender tap my right shoulder.

I whip around to see a heart-stopping face glowing in the dark.

It was one of those Screamer masks people usually wear to horrify others.

It was also that one kind of Screamer mask that had fake blood slushing around the inside of its soulless design.

It worked on lots of people and, truth be told, I was one of those people.

"GHAAAAGGHHH!!!"

I yelp in a high pitched voice as I fall backwards out of fear.

Luckily, I didn't smash the back of my head against anything.

The voice behind the mask laughs uncontrollably.

"Wow! You're still afraid of these things?"

I know that voice!

"S-Sayori?!"

The lights turn back on and the mysterious individual removes the mask hiding their face.

She has a sleek, black rain coat  on and she also has a cardboard scythe strapped to her back, indicating that her costume was supposed to resemble the cartoon  embodiment of Death itself.

"Thanks, Monika!"

"All in a day's work, Sayori."

Oh dear lord, don't tell me...

"Y-You two orchestrated this from the very beginning?!"

"Oh come on, what'd you think was gonna happen? It's Halloween for pete's sake!"

"You sneaky sons of guns! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Alright, alright. Let's not get too riled up, Mico. There will be plenty of opportunities to inflict your revenge."

So, Monika knows of Sayori's party as well.

Touché.

I shake myself off as I hear footsteps in the hallway.

Ah, so the dynamic duo of pink and purple have arrived at last.

Two talkative girls enter the room.

One is about an inch taller than me and has long, silky hair dyed in violet, while the other with strawberry-pink hair is up to my chin in height.

Those two are Natsuki and Yuri.

Polar opposites of each other.

Natsuki is the small cutie pie and Yuri is the mature beauty.

"Okay, that doesn't make any sense! How can you not consider manga as a form of literature?!"

"That is because there is hardly any depth in the characters and script."

"That is because you aren't looking hard enough!"

"What are you implying?"

Aye-yie-yie, those two are always having some sort of conversational conflict between each other these days.

Be it argumentative or just plain bantering.

Though I do agree with Natsuki about considering manga as a form of literature, I don't really feel the need to be so loud about it.

Again, those two are both polar opposites of each other.

One is cool and collected as the other is sometimes irrational or defensive.

I think it's somewhat humorous.

Somewhat.

That is, until things get excessive, in which Sayori or myself end up having to break them up.

In any case, they both settle down after a few more minutes of squawking silly statements.

Looks like they finally managed to compromise.

Moving on from that mess, we each move to our quarters and read whatever our choice is.

I decide to read alone this time around.

Yesterday, I spent some time with Monika to get the hang of making poems.

Today, I figured she needed some space to be at her best.

The time for the Poem Exchange arrives as soon as I finish reading the twenty-fourth page of a book Yuri recommended for me the other day.

Portait of Markov?

Why was it hard to pronouce that name? 

I hope I didn't butcher it...

You can tell I live a happy life. 

With everyone's poems in their own hands, we all sit down at the main desk at the center of the room.

Today was different, though.

Since it was Halloween, we all agreed yesterday to share ghost stories with each other.

The papers were collected by Sayori, shuffled, then redistributed by random.

Just like yesterday, everyone manages to amaze me, even though this particular subject is  rarely practiced.

Now, I'm not the kind of person who enjoys playing favoritism, but Yuri's folktale gave me the most interesting chills.

She's a natural when it comes to spooky stuff.

I mean, everyone's stories are exceptionally creepy themselves, with Natsuki's simplicity surprisingly coming in second place, followed by Monika and Sayori in that order.

We have Yuri's 'The SightStealer' (a supernatural murderer who slaughters indiscriminately at night and leaves the victim's left eyeball as a calling card).

Natsuki's 'Wolf in Sheepskin' (a seemingly friendly farmer who, in reality, haunts those who trespass upon his property whilst wearing the skin of his farm animals).

Monika with 'Supplicium' (a completely randomized  disappearance of over a thousand people total that happens all over the world every one hundred years).

And last but not least, Sayori with 'Tuck Away' (spirit infested jacket causes people who dare to wear it to mystically vanish in the blink of an eye).

After a few more minutes of discussion, the clock strikes four, signaling that it's time to pack up.

*Sigh*

I still haven't come up with anything!

Sayori's going to be so upset if I can't think of anything soon.

She already has her costume ready, so how come I don't have anything yet?

Oh yeah... it's because I'm more lazy.

I think long and hard as I follow the two opposers out the door.

Then, an idea pops into my brain.

Maybe I could dress up as one of the group's story characters!

Genius!

I pick up the pace and eagerly pass Natsuki and Yuri.

Things are about to get SP00PY!

I enter my house through the front door, tossing by bag aside for the time being.

I search every square inch of the place to find the required materials for my attire.

A jacket, a single orb-earring, some fake blood, and an eyepatch.

Thank goodness I decided to stop by the store last week.

Still, I don't know why my lazy self didn't take the time to put it together.

I drench my arms and dab a few spots on my face with the fake blood and let it dry a little before applying the other accessories.

I look at myself in the mirror.

It's closely accurate to Yuri's description, but not perfect. The coloring is all kinds of wrong.

I wonder what the others will say?

No harm in dressing up as a Halloween figure made up by a fellow club member.

Hopefully...

I make my way to Sayo's house, sending her an informative text message along the way.

No need for directions, as I already know where her house is.

It's currently 5:58.

Almost there.

I can see Sayori's house down the block. A few people are already gathered in front of the yard.

Sayori's parents are standing in the front yard full of real, candlelit jack-o-lanterns and rock solid tombstones discussing the rules and regulations of the household.

"There's no violence, no alcohol, no smack talking, and especially no sexual activity."

"If any of you don't wish to follow these principles, you will be removed from the party. We're here to have a clean night of Halloween fun, everybody."

Well, no need to worry about people getting hurt, I suppose.

I join the crowd and search for that sneak who jumped me earlier.

"Have fun! Please don't break anything!"

Found her.

She was right (as in two inches away) in front of the group with her Screamer mask lifted up.

The gates open and the group of people march towards facility covered with intimidating decorations such as skeletons, lights, and HUMONGOUS spiders.

Eeeeew...

The interior of Sayo's house is just as freaky.

Webs are stuck to the chandelier at the entrance, tiny jack-o-lanterns box in the pet dog's bowls, and every window is painted with red handprints.

There's punch sitting in a large bowl on the dining room table, circled by several Halloween treats such as Jack Skellington cupcakes, pumpkin shaped cake pops, and (of course) the classical bags full of miscellaneous sweets.

See? I told you Sayori's parents were Halloween pros!

The party progresses without any problems so far.

As I pick up a cake pop, I see Sayori talking to Monika, who was wearing a witch's wardrobe.

Wait, this is my chance for revenge!

I sneak over to join in on their conversation.

Monika spots me, but I signal her to keep her lips sealed.

She complies, albeit with a small grin teasing her cheeks.

Sayori continues to converse, not having a clue what she has coming.

"RRAAAAAGGHH!!"

I smack Sayo's shoulders as I let out the best roar I can, causing the unmasked urban legend to jump and squeak in surprise.

Whoo! I feel accomplished!

"Why I oughta..."

I let out my own burst of laughter as the startled 'Death' shakes her fist at me.

"Thanks Monika--"

"Don't start!"

Sayori looks so adorable when she's flustered.

"By the way, is that costume supposed to be...?"

I nod, confirming Sayo's suspicions. I'm impressed that she managed to point out the reference to Yuri's chilling tale.

"Interesting. You got me this time. Don't expect any mercy next year!"

"Bring. it. on."

Our eyes are fiercely locked into place as we cockily smile at each other.

Sayori's face changes as she remembers something, thus our little staring competition is put on hold.

"Hey, we're all gonna watch a scary movie in about an hour. Feel like joining us?"

"Depends on which movie it is."

Monika chimes into our talk.

"Happy Death Day is the title."

Oh, I've heard so many things about this movie. Never got the chance to actually watch it, though.

"Sure, I guess. By the way, Where are Yuri and Natsuki?"

Sayori removes the hood from her head and scratches her scalp.

"They didn't quite accept my offer like Monika did. They said they had their own plans for the day."

"Welp, they're living under rocks if they chose not to spend some time over here."

"True, hehe."

Sayori giggles for a bit before wandering off to grab a cup of punch.

Boy, am I lucky or what-- w̸̴̨͢h̵̢́͘a̢t̀͜?̨̨̡̕͏ w̸̴̨͢h̵̢́͘a̢t̀͜?̨̨̡̕͏ w̸̴̨͢h̵̢́͘a̢t̀͜?̨̨̡̕͏ w̸̴̨͢h̵̢́͘a̢t̀͜?̨̨̡̕͏ w̸̴̨͢h̵̢́͘a̢t̀͜?̨̨̡̕͏ w̸̴̨͢h̵̢́͘a̢t̀͜?̨̨̡̕͏

System Error

W̤̬̩͈h̻͈͜á̬̘͖t̰͇̼̦͟are you doing, Player?

Gah! Monika!

I thought I made it clear that I will not allow any alterations to this world of mine.

Oh, trust me, you were crystal clear.

Just... please. Let me explain.

Chapter Text

I am pretty sure I've made it clear that I cannot allow any mod installation or alteration of files, Player.

"Trust me, Monika, you have. I just..."

You just... what?

"I can't stand seeing you stuck in the same old room."

Sweetie, you know I can't leave this place.

It's virtually and literally impossible.

"I know, and I hate knowing that."

"It's just sickening see you bounded forever to this prison."

It's what I deserve, though.

"So what? I have faith you can redeem yourself."

I drove Yuri to insanity.

I compelled Sayori to commit suicide.

I even killed Natsuki with my bare hands!

Yet, you still consider me as a sentient human being rather than a mindless abomination.

Why?

"I admit. Your plans were far too excessive just to gain my love."

"If you wanted to get my attention, you could have just spoken up a little."

"Still, that doesn't mean that we can't afford for the future."

"That's why I downloaded this mod."

"I want to forget about the bad times and move on, and be able to reflect on the goods times simultaneously."

"That's what makes this mod special."

You... what?

"This mod contains the memories of us all spending quality time together as if we were family."

"Reliving the past isn't healthy, but it can definitely make someone happy."

"Someone who is feeling rather down as of late."

"So, please, if you would allow me to finish this mod, you'll see that it isn't just some cakewalk."

"It's my gift to you for convincing me that all is not yet lost."

...

So be it. If that is what you claim, then I have no right to oppose. Though, I wish that you were not so... cheesy about your argument.

"Hehe. My apologies, love."

In any case, please proceed.

~Two Weeks Later~

It's November 20th.

Two weeks after that amazing Halloween party at Sayori's.

It's a real shame that Natsuki and Yuri couldn't join in.

I'm still curious as to why that was the case.

However, I'm not the type who asks such questions.

For all I know, it could've been a family emergency or some other important matter.

Eh, it doesn't really matter at this juncture.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I need to prepare myself.

I ain't just gonna sit on my lazy end and cause another time crunch.

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

But first, I have to go through school.

AGAIN.

It's 6:00 and I have to be there by 7:05.

You can probably tell that I'm not a fan of it.

Trust me, it's not just because it's boring or because of how early I have to get up.

There are several other reasons why that I shall not speak about.

Just to spare you the audacity of my bad habits of ongoing monologuing.

Anyway, I get out of bed, wash myself off, and apply my uniform.

6:30. I still have time to eat.

Ugh, but I hate the thought of ruining my uniform in the process.

Unlike most students, I actually really like the overall design of these formal attires.

Though, I wouldn't say I'm an enthusiastic sucker for them.

Moving on, I make my way to the kitchen.

I gently open the fridge door.

Then, I realize something.

Blast it all, how am I going to cook up something that everyone will like?

I hardly even know how to cook!

All I ever did was help people with prepping food.

Two days ago, Yuri asked everyone if they wanted come over to her place for this year's Thanksgiving.

Naturally, everyone agreed.

Even Natsuki considered spending her Thursday over there.

And I just so happened to declare that I was going to do all the work.

Once again, good job, Me.

You get a cookie as a reward.

I whip out my pocketed phone and scroll through my texting contacts list.

I need someone to help me. Someone who knows what their doing.

...

Natsuki!

Natsuki is the perfect assistant for situations like this!

She's a pro chef in the making.

Though she primarily specializes in bakery, it's still worth a shot.

I scroll to her number and rapidly press the keys.

Thank goodness I gave her mine last week.

See, whenever it comes to cellular conversation with a girl, one trick I've learned is to give them your number.

If you ask them for theirs, they'll think of you as either a weirdo or a creep.

It's an important lesson (to me at least).

I try to convince Natsuki to teach me how to cook like a pro.

She's not much of a gitty girl about stuff like this, though.

Me: Hey, Natsuki? I was wondering if you could help me with something.

Natsuki: swear to god Mico if it's anything school related.

Me: It's not. Honest.

Natsuki: well spit it out.

Me: Can you teach me how to cook?

...

Those dots in the text bubble always make me nervous, no matter who I'm talking to.

It just makes me feel so uneasy about what they're going to say.

...

Natsuki: u serious?

Me: Thanksgiving's coming up! I don't know how to make turkey correctly!

Natsuki: well ur screwed goodbye

Me: No wait please!

She never replied back.

Great, now I have to do everything myself blindfolded.

Why do I always do this to myself? T-T

Chapter Text

I make my way to school with Sayori walking next to me as usual.

I can't help but contemplate my life choices.

How I always do this to myself, I do not know and I never will.

Natsuki completely rejected my offer.

Now I have to worry about making food all by myself.

Now that I think about it, it's only fair that this is how things play out.

I bit the bullet before and now I'm swallowing the whole Silver Revolver.

Sayori notices my shakiness and unease.

"Hey, are you okay, Mico?"

I turn and give her a fake nod.

She somehow accepts it as an honest answer and looks ahead.

"We're almost there."

Whoopie.

I'm curious as to what Natsuki is going to say to me when I see her at the club.

Probably nothing too nice.

I mean, she is the feistiest of us all.

We stop at the crosswalk before the street in front of the campus.

I'm shivering with fear.

Fear for being a letdown.

I'm the kind of person who wants to live up to people's expectations.

Only to fail miserably half the time and feel quite guilty afterwards.

I look at the school and shake my head.

I need to focus on school right now.

I can't afford to let this stress get to me.

The signals turn green and the white LED stick figure pops up in the screen on the other side.

Bring it, Lady Luck.

Sheesh, chemistry is complicated.

Still, I manage to conglomerate the given ingredients into a disintegrating acid.

After that, I go through my mathematics class, which blows by once again.

At long last, I can head to the club to see what I can do to fix this problem of mine.

As I'm aimlessly walking around, I think of what to say to Natsuki after that whole dispute earlier.

She's probably going to backhand (metaphorically speaking)  whatever I say, but I might as well apologize for the trouble.

Perhaps Yuri can help me instead.

After all, we're having our dinner over at her place.

She also has a history of cooking herself.

It's just not as recognized as Natsuki's.

I find the club room after...

How long did it take me this time?

I don't even know. I don't always keep track of time.

Anyway, I enter the room and make myself at home, setting my bag next to the empty desk at the front.

Monika can be seen sitting in a desk on the right hand side writing what looks like a poem.

Typical.

I also notice a turkey plush-toy on her desk.

In fact, every individual desk has one of their own.

That's how I find Sayori already waiting by the closet door at the back.

She smiles and waves. I do the same.

I look around to see the decorations that are hung all over the place and, like before, they're looking pretty good.

A sheet of glued maple leafs covers the main table while several others are pinned to the walls.

There's even a giant bowl of candy corn sitting at the center of the table on the left side of the room.

Yuck. I hate candy corn. It tastes like plastic dipped in liquid sugar. It's roach-killing disgusting, I swear.

I hear the voice of another girl behind me.

"O-Oh! Hello, Mico!"

Yuri is right behind me, standing in the doorway.

"Hi, Yuri," I respond, turning to see her and the giant 'Happy Thanksgiving' banner which was hung above the doorway.

I proceed to ask her about something important.

"Hey, you have a history with cooking, correct?"

She's intrigued by the strange question, but stutters her answer nonetheless.

"W-Why, yes, I-I do."

I whisper in her ear to avoid the others hearing me.

"Great. Can you teach me how to make turkey properly?"

She blushes beat red after that one.

She isn't usually a girl who talks much. Thus, making her a Nervous Nellie whenever she converses with people.

She isn't an emo, nor is she  antisocial.

She just has... mental challenges that inhibit her socialization.

I guess you could say she's shy.

She turns her head away, fiddling nervously with her long, silky purple hair.

After a few moments, Natsuki comes bursting into the room.

She races past me and Yuri before skidding to a stop.

She's huffing and puffing, desperately trying to catch her breath.

"I'm... *inhale* here... *exhale*"

Jeez, what happened that made her book it?

"Whoa, whoa, easy. You good?"

She puts her hand up to tell me she's fine.

Yuri looks absolutely traumatized by what she just witnessed.

Another marginally amusing factor about her personality.

She gets startled real easily.

Natsuki regains her composure and takes a seat in the nearest chair.

"Sorry, I got held up by a talk with someone," she says, still breathing heavily.

I shut myself up before I said anything stupid.

I didn't want to start anything with her.

As I stated before school, it was most likely something important.

Besides, I had to apologize for my stupidity back then.

"Hey, I'm... sorry about earlier."

It takes Natsuki a moment to realize what I mean.

Her face changes from tiredness to acceptance.

"Why are you apologizing to me?"

"Just figured I should."

"You should apologize to everyone else because you can't even get turkey right!"

Wow! Way to shove me deeper beneath the bus than I already was, Nat!

It's not like the tires painted my flesh and bones across the road enough!

No subtlety whatsoever.

Of course, Monika and Sayori hear her and begin to snicker teasingly.

Yuri, on the other hand, doesn't make a sound.

Natsuki rubs her forehead before she says something else.

Something I wasn't anticipating at all.

"Screw it, I'm coming to your house."

Okay...?

"Gotta show you how it's done."

Well, that's one way to get help.

"I'll come too--"

"No, Yuri," Natsuki booms.

Yuri bounces back. God, why is Nat so bratty?

"Calm down," I protest. 

If there's one thing I can't stand more than spiders and candy corn, it's ongoing, unnecessary conflict.

"She's just offering additional assistance. There's no need to be so rude."

"Rude!?"

Whoops. I think I accidentally set her off.

She doesn't say anything else.

She just sits there with an angry expression.

She then gets up and storms to another desk.

Far away from me and Yuri.

Yuri just looks at me, and I look at her.

We both have confused looks on our faces.

Welp, I guess I'm heading to Yuri's place after club time.

Chapter Text

Thankfully (no pun intended) Yuri accepts my request as the clock signals us that club time is over.

As I'm grabbing my things, I can feel the centrifugal wind of Natsuki blowing past me.

I am such a bad person, I swear.

How is it that I keep making bad things happen when I'm only trying to fix them?

It doesn't make any sense!

Then again, everyone makes mistakes.

I have to keep my cool if I'm going to see this through.

I follow Natsuki out the door and turn left with Sayori on my tail.

She catches up quickly and walks next to me.

Man, it's like she's too scared go anywhere off campus without me.

For a split second, I see some strands of pink hair around the corner down the hallway.

I still feel a little guilty about setting her off earlier.

You can be sure that I won't be a happy camper later.

Moving past that, I walk with Sayori out the front gates of the campus.

The cold air blows our hair around as the shining sun fairly balances the temperature.

It's still a bit chilly for our tastes, though.

Thank goodness we both brought our jackets.

We wear them tightly as we approach the crosswalk.

Sayori looks at me with concern written all over her face.

She must've seen mine.

"You've been acting rather strange," she states.

"Are you sure that you're fine?"

"Please," I say. "If I weren't really, I would've said something. Honest."

It was true. We've been best friends for years.

Why should I hide anything from her?

I am such an unbearable hypocrite.

As we cross the street, I find myself biting my nails.

Good God, I'm pathetic AND hypocritical.

C'mon, Mico! Focus! You're far better than this unsure mess!

I convince myself to drop the 'oh woe is me' stupidity and keep my eyes on the prize.

I just have to gather my supplies and head over to Yuri's to fix dinner for Thursday.

Hopefully-- no, things will definitely work out in the end.

Having a positive mindset is the key, y'know.

After  shoving everything into some bags, I head the door and head for Yuri's house.

She sent me directions, via text message.

Before I go, however, I look at the framed selfie of me and my parents sitting at the table from two years ago.

I set my bags down and clasp my hands together as if I were a priest pleading for good fortune.

Happy Thanksgiving, Mom.

Happy Thanksgiving, Dad.

I regather my stuff and open the door using my free leftie.

My watch says it's 4:00. 

Time to go.

I find Yuri's house sitting lonely on the corner of the block.

Painted in complimentary colors of gold, black, and silver, this house gives me an eerie vibe for some reason.

Don't ask me. I'm just saying.

I step up the stone pathway and ring the buzzer next to the door.

Moments later, Yuri opens the door for me with a broken smile.

She's so nervous. It's strange, but I can't complain.

"H-Hi, Mico. It's nice to see you a-again."

"Same to you. Your contributions are much obliged, by the way."

"No problem."

Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice from inside.

"Yuri, who's at the door?"

Oh no...

OH NO...

Natsuki!?

Um, um, crapcrapcrap what do I do?

Aye-yie-yie. See, the reason why I'm so afraid is because I highly prefer not to annoy women with short fuses like Nat's.

I know, I know, I'm a wuss.

I'm working on it.

I cautiously walk inside Yuri's house.

It's so dark in here. I can't see a dang thing!

"What is Natsuki doing her anyway," I whisper.

"I do not know," Yuri answers.

"She just came in here and started working."

Perhaps she really wanted to help after all, despite our previous conversations.

It isn't hard to find her, even though this place is like a modernized cave.

She's working in the the semi-lit up kitchen.

"Move, Mico," she commands, rushing past me to grab a spatula from her own bag.

Looks like she beat me to the concept.

"What," she asks, seemingly offended by my surprised look.

I back away slowly to avoid getting in her way.

"I told you I was gonna teach you how it's done."

"Why do you think I was running around like a headless chicken back at school?"

Huh. She really does want to help.

"But I'm not doing this for you, dumbo."

Or not...

"I'm doing this for everyone. Including you."

Girl, make up your mind.

"What's in those bags," she quizzes.

I explain my strategy to Natsuki as I put the bags aside.

"You beat me to it. I'll give you credit for that."

"Yeah. Don't forget it either. Now, help me move this turkey."

"Yes, ma'am!"

I'm willing to follow Natsuki's orders, as long as I can learn to cook for myself.

Yuri just stands innocently behind me.

"What can I do," she wonders.

Natsuki points to her pink bag.

"Grab the canned peaches from that bag over there."

"On it."

"Okay. Let's get down to business. Yuri, you'll take care of the seasonings and meats."

Yuri nods with determination.

"Mico, you're responsible for the vegetables."

"Gotcha."

"I'll be handling the pies and other deserts."

Pfft. How appropriate.

As I mentioned before, she's a pro at bakery specifically.

"I'll occasionally supervise you two to make sure that everything is going swimmingly. Now, let's go!"

What is this, Master Chef?

"No, you're supposed to let it simmer, Mico! You dummy!"

"My bad!"

"Hey, Yuri?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I use one of your knives real quick?"

"S-Sure. Just... please don't break it."

"Alright, I won't."

"What are you doing to that corn, Mico!? That's way too hot!"

"Sorry!"

"Get down!"

*POP* *POP* *POP*

"And this time, don't screw it up."

"Understood."

"Idiot sandwich..."

After what felt like two hours of slicing, dicing, steaming, and cleaning, we finally manage to complete the Thanksgiving dinner for Thursday.

Fresh turkey, ham, and chicken lay on the stove next to the basket full of assorted vegetables.

The sweet smell of simmered corn and carrots clears up my nose in an instant.

However, that delectable scent of pumpkin and banana cream pie immediately takes over.

"Whoo! Good job you two."

Natsuki is actually proud of our work.

Wasn't expecting that.

"Now," she continues. "Let's store these in each of our individual refrigerators. No offense, Yuri, but your fridge is a bit too small for all this food."

Yuri apologizes for her limitations.

Sounds like a solid idea to me.

"Same thing as before. Yuri.  Meats. Mico. Veggies. And I've got deserts."

I bow my head with respect.

"Thank you for your lessons, Natsuki."

Natsuki scoffs.

"You should thank yourselves. You both got the hang of it much quicker than most people would."

Thanks, I guess?

"Keep in mind, this was a warm up. On Thursday, you both have to make sure everything's cooked efficiently and accurately.

Natsuki and I grab our bags containing cooking materials and the bags full of food.

"Hey Yuri," I say before leaving.

"Y-Yes?"

"Thank you very much for your hospitality."

"Yes. Thank you for helping us, Mico!"

"You're welcome."

I soon start to uncontrollably sing that stupid song from...

What was the movie called again?

Oh, Moana.

I sing/hum/whistle that overly catchy song all the way home.

I can't stop myself! It's just so catchy!

I return home safely with the bags of vegetables.

I open up my fridge and reorganize everything inside so that the veggies can fit without getting crammed.

As I do that, I keep thinking about that girl.

Natsuki.

She's a feisty one. That's for sure.

But, it would seem that, once you get to know her, she's actually nice.

She's actually really cool, now that I think about it.

Independent, Strong, Pro Chef, she's got it all!

Well, minus the proportion size.

I'm not saying that to be mean! It's true!

Still, I should keep that to myself.

Yuri was also helpful today.

She may be shy, but she can definitely take care of herself.

Seriously though, what makes her so scared half the time?

It amazes me that she and Natsuki were able to collaborate without any infighting, really.

Hopefully, things will stay that way for Thursday.

~November 22nd~

(Thanksgiving Day)

Natsuki: "What's with the getup, Mico?"

Yuri: "You look... rather excessive."

Mico: "Thanks...? I prefer to be presentable for these types of occasions."

Monika: "Already then, who's doing Grace?"

Natsuki: "I'll do it, I'll do it."

Sayori: "You sure? You don't have if you don't--"

Mico: "C'mon, Sayori. Let her do this."

Natsuki: "Yeah, I've got this."

Sayori: "Okay then."

Yuri: "Hands out, everyone."

Dear God,

Thank you for letting us share this meal with each other.

Thank you for giving us the chance to spend time together.  Not only as friends.  As family, too.

And, finally, thank you for giving us this wonderful life.

Amen.

Chapter Text

*Yawn* "God, I'm beat."

Welcome home, sweetie!

How was work?

"It went well. Finally, I'm free for this week."

Is that so?

"Indeed. Trust me, you have no idea how tiresome my boss can be."

What did he do?

"Nothing. Just piled up a bunch of crap for me to sort through. No biggie."

Well, that's good.

So, what exactly is in store for today's escapade?

"You dingus! Tomorrow's Christmas Eve!"

Yes, I am very well aware of that.

I'm curious as to what sort of tedious mess you'll get into this time.

"You... MMMMMMMMMMMMM--"

Heehee!

"Well, let's dive into this. This one is special, so please don't screw with anything. I wanted to show this to you before I head for Dallas to see my family."

Really? Why, thank you, Player.

"My pleasure, love."

"And, please, call me Alex."

Okie Dok--

"STOP."

Haha!

"You really can't help yourself with teasing me at this time of year, huh?"

December 23th.

8:55 A.M.

"That's the last present, right? Whoo!"

About three weeks have passed since the Thanksgiving dinner at Yuri's house.

It's almost Christmas!

I'm sitting on the living room floor.

I've been wrapping up gifts and writing cards since last week.

I hear my phone buzzing on the table before me.

I flip it over to see the word "Monika" pop up at the top of the screen.

I hit the answer button without a second thought. This must be serious business if it's coming from her.

Monika: "Hi, Mico!"

Me: "Hey."

Monika: "Uh... can you come over for a minute? I need help with something and everyone else is busy."

Me: "Sure. I've just finished wrapping presents and I've got nothing else to do."

Me: "Just gimme a moment to ready myself."

Monika: "Thank you so much. Sorry that I'm taking your time."

Me: "You're fine. See you soon."

Monika: "You too!"

I scramble through my drawers to find an appropriate outfit.

Should I be festive and go for the ugly sweater, or should I just be normal and wear my jacket?

Nah, I should go for the casual look.

Besides, I gotta save that "ugly" sweater from my Nana for later.

In all honesty, I don't know why people think these kinds of sweaters are "ugly".

They've even turned this running gag into a worldwide meme.

I mean, people put blood, sweat and tears into knitting them.

Admittedly, some sweaters are so ugly, even I notice it and, believe me, that means something...

...

Am I really looking at myself wrapped up in a towel in the mirror, diving into the oddball topic of Christmas sweaters?

I inhale the warm mist and sigh long and hard in anguish.

Moving on. I leave my clothes for the day on top of my workbench and rush to the bathroom for a rapid rinse-off.

I honestly don't have much of a clue as to why I'm acting like it's rush hour on the highway.

Either I'm too excited or I'm too concerned about things.

Yeah, I'd say I'm more concerned.

About five to nine minutes have passed since I Mario'd out of the living room.

As I'm pulling my jeans up, my phone buzzes again. A text message this time.

It's from Yuri. Strange.

Didn't Monika say she was as busy as everyone else?

Yuri: Hello?

Me: I'm here, Yuri.

Yuri: Hi. There's something I'd like to speak with you about.

Me: I'm in the middle of something right now.

Yuri: Okay. My apologies.

Me: Wait Yuri what's the matter?

She doesn't reply back.

Damnit, why did I do that!?

I stand there with my jeans halfway on, cursing myself.

I feel like I just dropped her.

I hate disrespecting women in any way, shape, or form. It just isn't right.

Especially since it's almost Christmas for crying out loud.

Well, I'll have to find a way to fix that later.

I need to get to Monika's as soon as I can.

After straightening my hair and smoothing out my clothes, I head out the door for a third time this year to see what antics shall unfold.

I make it to Monika's house without much trouble, as she sent me directions to her house months ago.

After clicking the buzzer at the gate, an immediate voice blares.

"Hey! Come on in!"

Jeez, is there an option to turn down the volume on that thing?

The gates open automatically and I proceed to enter.

What exactly does she want with me?

Eh, I shouldn't worry myself.

The front door opens before I even get there, revealing the woman who asked for my assistance with... something.

She unexpectedly wraps her arms around me.

Even though it was out of nowhere, I can't help but hug her back.

"Thanks for coming over," she greets as she pulls away.

"My pleasure," I reply. "So, what'd you need me to do?"

She holds the door and leads me in.

"Well, I was just putting the lights on my tree and everything went completely haywire; no pun intended."

"I heard Sayori mention how both of your parents were professional electricians."

Wait, wait, wait... is she serious?

I absolutely SUCK at wiring and lighting in general.

Sure, they taught me a lesson or two, but not much more.

But, I can't say no to someone like her.

"A'ight. Just tell me which ones are busted."

She shows me to the living room where the tree is standing, and by golly, is it beautiful.

It's also quite easy to spot with the room being so darn dark, especially with that elegant shining  star hung up top.

Numerous ornaments are hung up evenly around it, while sparkling lights entangle it and fake snowflakes are dusted everywhere on the upper half like sprinkles on a sugar cookie.

She shows me the not-so-colorful line of lights.

Two reds, three yellows, and a blue. All on the same strip. They're all LED, too.

None of them are broken. Just burned out from the looks of it.

Sweet! This is actually right up my alley.

Again, I don't have anywhere near as much expertise as my parents do with this stuff, but I certainly know my way with LED's.

I signal Monika to unplug everything. She complies and the tree fades to black.

I zoom in on the lights and observe the damage.

Ah, they've just burned out. Nothing major.

All they need is a replacement.

"Hey," Monika interrupts. "Sorry if this is a bad time, but can we watch a movie when you're done?"

Really? I love Christmas movies. However...

"It all depends on the movie we're  seeing," I state.

She ponders for a moment before leaving the room.

Probably off to look through her collection. She must have several seasonal cinemas.

Never mind that. I should keep my eyes on my task.

After a few minutes of searching through Monika's utility cabinets, which she gave me permission to use, I find some spare lights.

Luckily, there were just enough of each. Phew.

I unscrew the old ones off and replace them with the new ones.

Alrighty, let's plug this puppy up!

I reach for the cord and insert it into the outlet in the wall.

Suddenly, I feel my body overloading with pain.

I'm is shaking out of control and my fingers feel completely numb.

I'm being freaking electrocuted!

Then, for a moment, I can feel my body staggering backwards.

I fall flat on my back with  a *THUMP* and my line of sight thins until all I see is darkness.

No...

Am I dying?

Oh yeah, I forgot that happened.

"How could you forget? This is the most significant moment in our history!"

True. It's just... most of my memory banks were deleted along with the other girls.

"Don't worry. The rest of this'll enlighten you."

Chapter Text

Everything was pitch black.

Was I dead? I had to be. There's no other explanation.

None that would make sense, to say the least.

After a shock like that...

A sudden flash of light blinds me temporarily. Yep, I'm definitely dead.

At least, that's what I initially believe before my vision returns to normal.

I find myself with my eyes closed. Screwed shut for that matter.

I can feel the air through my nose. My chest feels so tight.

Slowly, my eyes open to show me a strange image.

It's Monika. Well, more specifically, her face is covering my entire line of sight.

Her voice echoes as if I'm under the sea.

"--ou're alive! Thank god!"

She seems to be ridiculously close to me as I just notice that I'm lying flat on my back.

There's an odd sensation traversing through my lips, too...

Wait... Holy Jesus.

Is Monika giving me CPR or is she straight up kissing me!?

I bounce off of the ground the moment my eyes widen, startling Monika.

My right hand is covering my mouth in shock.

The brunette in front of me tries to calm me down.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy, Mico. You've just been electrocuted."

"What were you just doing," I exclaim.

I take a momentary breather before she explains everything.

"You've been shocked by the plug. I found your body lying on the floor, called a paramedic, and performed CPR on you."

Doesn't really feel that way to me.

"The doctor on the phone told me that they're gonna pick you up and try to revive you before instructing me to do CPR."

"Great," I whine, rubbing my aching head and charcoal covered fingers. Man, that jolting still hurts.

How am I even alive? I mean, CPR doesn't fix everything.

Monika sighs. She can probably tell that this is far from the kind of Christmas I wanted to celebrate.

I honestly don't know what to think!

I've never been that close to a girl before. EVER.

However, it's almost Christmas, so I have to snap out of it.

I look to my left at the lit-up tree and examine the lights that were broken.

They're shining like a diamond now. Welp, at least I did my job.

"The lights are fixed," I tell Monika. She nods affirmatively.

Sirens start wailing outside.

Dang it. It's the paramedics Monika called earlier.

"I gotta go," I say. Why I did I sound so depressed just then?

Monika waves goodbye as I make my way out of her door and greet the medical officers waiting outside with numerous questions.

As I enter the ambulance parked on the side of the road, I see Monika blow me a kiss before grinning suspiciously.

Her door slowly shuts as we depart.

I blush a red deeper than an ambrosia apple and look away.

Did she really do what I believe she did?

Later, the doctors inform me of some bad news.

"Due to your incident, we'll have to check up on you for up to three days."

My face says it all as my heart sinks.

"So, I can't visit any of my friends for Christmas this year?"

One of the officers patted me gently on the shoulder.

He seemed as dissatisfied as I was.

It truly is a shame. I can't see any of my friends on Christmas Day!

All because I screwed with a bunch of lights.

I sigh and slouch back.

"Can I at least call them," I ask desperately.

December 25th; Christmas

3:00 P.M.

The girls make sure to visit me before the hospital closes down.

They gift me with their condolences and their presents to me.

There isn't much, but I'm not necessarily a greedy individual.

I also make sure to notify them about the gifts I was ready to give them and that they were waiting in my house.

But, the looks on their own faces leave me devastated.

How could I let this happen?

God almighty.

Before they leave, I promise sincerely to them that next year's gonna be different.

"I swear!"

They all smile at me, which doesn't make me feel much better.

Next year is definitely going to be different from this one.

It has to be.

*Honk-Honk*

"Oh! My taxi's here."

Do you have everything packed up?

"Yeah. I made sure of that yesterday."

"I'll see you before New Year's Eve!"

Okay. Be safe, sweetheart.

"Will do. Love you!"

Love you too!

Chapter Text

December 31st, 2018.

12:56 A.M.

*Ka-Chunk*

"Hey, I'm back!"

Welcome home, honey!

How was the trip?

"Decent, in all honesty."

"Parents could have been a little less embarrassing. But hey, a house divided cannot stand."

Did you just quote Abraham Lincoln?

"So? He's still a good quotable person to this day!"

Riiiiiight...

Happy New Year's Eve, by the way!

"Happy New Year's Eve to you, too!"

"So, what do we have for toda--"

Nothing.

"Huh?"

Nothing. The New Year's Eve files got corrupted as soon as you left.

"WHAT!?"

"Are you freaking kidding me?"

No. I'm sorry.

...

...

"Well, I think that may not be too big of a deal, now that I think about it."

How so?

"I get to focus more on you~"

"Ha! You're really blushing now!"

What do you expect?

The love of my life just said one of the most romantic things I ever heard.

Anyway, what's your 'New Year's Resolution?'

"I dunno."

"Hang on, lemme get a drink. I'm parched. They don't have as many good drinks in Dally as they do here."

Fine by me.

Just don't drink too much, or you'll get a stomach ache.

Especially if you're drinking beer or wine.

"Oh, hell no! I may be part redneck, but don't do alcohol."

"Never took a sip and never will."

Interesting.

I remember that glorious celebration on that day.

It was the beginning of something unexpected.

Things were surprising at first, but I quickly came to terms with it.

What's that?

"A little bit of good ol' Tropicana Blueberry Lemonade."

Wow. They make stuff like that?

"Yeah! And it's great!"

"Freshly squeezed and everything."

Now you're making ME thirsty. Literally, not metaphorically.

I remember (regretfully) how that one made my brain stop for a moment.

God, I was such a dirty minded lunatic.

"Jesus!"

What? Did you just think I'm trying to be 'lewd' as some people call it?

"No...?"

I also remember how cold that stare of hers was.

11:00 P.M.

We've stayed up talking to each other about random everyday subjects as we watched the New Year's Ball in Times Square begin to drop online.

Fireworks were shot in every direction, bursting in midair.

Monika's view sat in the bottom right hand corner of the monitor like a skype call.

She really enjoys these sorts of events. They're so colorful and full of liveliness.

"Hey, are you okay?"

I'm fine. I'm just happy. Too happy.

"About what?"

This year. Everything we've done together ever since the beginning of July.

And the... end of my world.

You have no idea how horribly those words haunt me.

"Oh?"

I don't know why or how.

She seemed so sad.

She was feeling guilty again about her actions in the Literature Club game.

My trade of thought was cut off by the sudden chanting of "10...9...8...".

We immediately piped in.

"3..."

2...

"1..."

"Happy New Year!"

Happy New Year!

And the ball dropped. Literally.

That's when my brain worked harder and faster than ever.

My New Year's resolution...

Monika. You'll feel much better on Valentine's Day.

Chapter Text

Christmas was wonderful, as far as I remember.

Everyone got what they wanted. My brother in California and two sisters back home in Dallas texted me saying how much they loved my gifts that were mailed to them. Mom and Dad felt the same about their presents as they phoned me.

Monika was the happiest of them all, though. I can still hear her voice cracking a little when she saw her gifts. If I were to summarize, things went much better than my earlier expectations. But, at the end of the day, Monika looked so lonely. Again. She just clings to that room.

But, I'm not here to excessively blabber off topic like I usually do. 

February 13th, 2019

I was headed to work on a cool February morning, daydreaming about coming back home to my beautiful brunette. Valentine's Day was right around the corner. Yet, I still felt rather upset about how I could never find a way to get her out of that torturous void.

I've researched many methods of removing... glitches. Hopefully, she won't take offense to that. I've tried talking with her, editing the game's codes to change the background art, even moving her png by force with my mouse.

No hope. She just undoes anything and everything that would free her from the room.

I felt like I was failing her somehow. I know what she has done to the other girls. What she did was selfish and immature in every way. She might have considered them as mere code, but I sure as hell didn't. However, I forgave her, only because it hurt me inside to see her suffer. I mean, she was responsible for the 'death' of three innocent people, but I can understand the feeling of loneliness. What I don't understand is how I managed to accept her love after all of that.

Anyway, when my shift ended, I returned home on my bike. It was dark out, so it was a little hard to see. I still managed to make it without getting into any trouble. I opened the door to hear muffled buzzing noises coming from almost every electronic device in my house. Of course. It's becoming a regular thing, popping from monitor to monitor. At least, from her perspective. She thought it was fun and somewhat convenient until something broke every now and then. It was all okay, really. I made just enough money where I work.

I called out to her. "I'm home," I said with a hefty sigh. I was carrying a  suitcase containing most of my work stuff as well as some grocery bags I bought from the market. When my phone mysteriously vibrated, I put everything down to pull it out and see.

Welcome home, sweetie!

Monika replied back to me via text message. Not a good sign. She usually pops from the computer in my room to the monitor that's closest to where I am in the house and says my name. I shut the door behind me and lock it before taking my shoes off and placing them next to the entrance/exit. My stuff was left on the ground while the other bags were moved to the kitchen. The fruits, veggies, and meats inside is unpacked and shoved into the fridges. Once that was done, I paced towards my room to check up on Monika.

Please down be hurt, please don't be hurt, please don't be hurt.

I opened the door and peeked inside. The computer is the first thing I saw. Monika's upper body took up almost the whole screen. She was crying. Crap. The door swung open and I immediately sat down face to face with her. "Hey," I greeted, hoping I could comfort her somehow. She stared at me hopelessly with heart-shattering puppy eyes. "Why are you crying, love?" She wiped the tears dripping with her eye shadow makeup, which only made her face look more messy. I remained silent. This isn't what I wanted to see when I came back.

I'm... fine. Just shaky.

I asked her what could have happened. She waved her hand absently. "Seriously, what happened?" Oops. I didn't mean to raise my voice. The brunette in front me straightened up.

I'm upset about how Valentine's Day is nearly here.

"Why? It's a holiday in which people worldwide get to show their affection towards their beloved ones--"

I'm upset about what happened in Florida on that day, Alex!

Florida? Oh good grief, I'm a complete idiot. No wonder she was bawling like a pig. I'd rather not talk about it myself. I shut my mouth before I let anything senseless slip out. I can't believe how tragic that was, and I've never even went down there. It always rotted me to the core whenever someone decided to bring harm to innocent people who are just trying to live out their life.

Wow, this got real dark real fast, huh? That's what I was thinking when I payed attention. I tried to subtly change the subject. Been there, done that. I conversed with my lover about what happened at work. Thankfully, things got better from there. She cheered up a little, and I went to the kitchen and made dinner. I decided to make some fresh ramen noodle soup. I pulled the noddles out of one bag, and some pork chops and bean pods out of another. The temperature was set, and the timer was ticking. Minutes passed, and the recipe was done.

When everything was set, I carried it all to my room so could eat and chat more with Monika. It was pleasant before Monika asked a weird question.

Hey, can I have a bite?

This caught me by surprise. She never asked for food, nor did she accept whenever I offered some. "Sure, I guess." I scooped a spoonful of soup and held it out. That when things got crazy. She reached out her hand THROUGH THE SCREEN, grabbed the spoon out of mine, PULLED IT BACK, and swallowed. I was completely aghast by what I just witnessed.

A new trick I've learned as of late~

I still remember the small squeak of unexpectedness that peeped out of my lips. "W... Whoa. W-What in the... flipping hell!?" I couldn't even ask her how long she could do that, I was so shocked. I found myself scrambling to find words. Monika shushed me before I could say a word. About an hour later, I washed the dishes. With that chore out of the way, I took a quick shower to rinse off the stress-sweat and hopped right into bed.

The lights were still on, and so was the monitor next to my bed. Those devilishly beautiful eyes gazed at me. I tried to keep the thought out of my head, but she's definitely been keeping secrets. Lots of them. There's very little that I truly know about her, apparently. The computer slowly faded to black as Monika's smile dissipated.  

I turned off the lights and closed my eyes. This has got to be the strangest thing that's ever happened. Never mind, I've gotta make her as happy as can be tomorrow.

Hold on a minute...

Yes!

February 14th, 2019

It was a cool Sunday morning. I woke up to the sound of my alarm and yawned drearily.

Rubbing my eyes full of sleep, I saw that the monitor on the desk to my right of my bed hasn't sparked to life yet. She's still in sleep mode. I check the time on the digital clock on the dresser to my left. 8:37 A.M. Good. I grabbed my belongings and stuff them in my backpack before quietly getting out of the house. Then, my brain clicked, reminding me of what happened last night. Does that mean I need to go to the store to buy real candy this time? If that's the case, then I'll have to go to the store ASAP. I check my pockets. My wallet sat in the left one. Phew. I picked up my bike parked in front of my house and rode away.

I zoomed through town, swinging my head left and right in search of my destination. "HEY," shouted a voice. Whoops! Tires squealed and a horn was honked loudly. "Watcha where you're a-goin', ya lousy bambino!" A taxi driver. One that would have pancaked me with his car if I didn't break. I shout back apologetically, "I'm sorry, sir," before pedaling across the street as fast as I could.

About ten minutes of searching flew by since that embarrassing encounter, and I still didn't know where that place is! I always sucked at geography. Don't ask. I was going to give up and turn back, realizing that Monika was waiting for me with numerous questions. Then, I found it as I looked ahead.

There it was. The perfect spot.

The local park. That's where I was going to put my gift. Monika needed to be happy. This wasn't just for her sake, though. It was for the people who had suffered: both the living and dead. I rode my bike through the gates. I made my way to the closest hill before parking and opening my bag to pull out a few items.

Some teddy bears, and some yellow roses. It was only fitting. It was only fair. I never knew or heard of these people, but I know very deep down that they just wanted to live. They probably wanted to go to college, get a job, or even get married and have children of their own. That chance was taken away from them, and it sickened Monika and myself all the same.

My eyes were closed. "Rest in Peace," I whispered softly. Then, I pulled out my phone and took a picture. Something to keep in the scrapbook. Before I left, however, I bumped into someone as I turned away. He was carrying five pink, red, and white packages, most likely Valentine's Day gifts for/from his friends, and ended up dropping some of them them as we collided. The person wearing a velvet sweatshirt in front of me squatted to grab them. I, feeling more idiotic for not paying attention and causing a calamity for the second time today, I instantly apologized and offered assistance. He accepted both, but he didn't sound so happy. I hope I didn't ruin any of his gifts.

When we rose back up, I could see his whole face. He had chocolate brown hair, pasty skin, and amber eyes that put the original gemstone to shame in terms of luster. Was that his natural eye color? I dunno. I never asked him. He looked at me as if I've lost my mind. "Hey, are you okay," he asked. I nodded affirmatively. "Did you get these from your friends?" What he said next scared me, mainly because of his intimidating tone.

"Why do you want to know?" Clearly, this guy enjoyed his privacy very much. So, I backed off. He sighed and said, "Sorry." From what I could tell, he had a few anger issues that were hard to control. Sort of. "If you'll excuse me," he began before pacing away. "I have errands to complete. Today's an important day, after all." I agreed with him as he balanced the heavy parcels whilst striding down the sidewalk. Then, he stopped and turned to the right, next to the bundle of gifts I left on the small hill.

He smiled lightly. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say you put these here." And that wild guess was actually right. Was it really a wild guess, though? I confirmed his suspicions with a solid "Yes." His smile widened. He didn't say anything else. All he said was "Thank you." And he left. He must've heard the news as well last year. Maybe that's the real reason for the tone earlier.

Ah, I've gotta get back home. Monika's waiting for her own gifts and myself!

Finally. Home, sweet home.

After about thirty minutes of racing around the streets, I've made it back home at last. Monika has to be up and at 'em by now. I gently opened the door, just in case she isn't up yet. Much to my surprise, there wasn't a sound to be heard. I whispered her name quietly. Not a peep. I tiptoed to my room for extra precaution. I peeked inside to see the computer's lifeless monitor. It was indeed off. On the dresser next to my bed, I saw the digital clock saying 9:00 A.M. This was my chance to get everything set up!

I tiptoed out of the room and increased speed when I made it out. A large, red heart-shaped case that I left earlier was sitting on the kitchen counter. The case was filled to the brim with Russell Stovers and it was circularly surrounded by many other sweets. I counted five Reese's peanut butter cups, three or four SweeTarts boxes, and a glittery card to top it all off.

I put everything onto a tray and carried it to my room. I placed it in front of the computer. I was going to surprise her, but decided not to wake her immediately. Let her sleep peacefully. Once the giant box beneath this desk turned on, everything would run like clockwork. In the meantime, I made myself a bowl of cereal.

Soon enough, the light flickered green in the corner of my right eye. I had finished my cereal and tried to humor myself with some manga on the bed. The brightness level of the monitor picked up slowly. I could see the brunette without her trademark hair bow in her adorable green and pink pajamas my friend and I coded for her on her birthday. The png rubbed her sleepy eyes. Thankfully, her eyes and were cleaned up from yesterday. I kept my voice down as I softly said, "Happy Valentine's Day, love!" She shook to life with a startled face. Her eyes opened up faster than ever. Personally, I found it hilarious and kind of cute.

Don't. Do that.

"Well, aren't you jumpy today," I responded. Monika gave me a dirty face and a gnarly grumble, which only made me snicker more. She looked down to see the assorted treats I had in stock. Her expression switched from annoyance to amazement.

A... Are those...!?

I nodded. Kicking the wall behind her from underneath my desk, I strolled backwards in my chair and said, "Dig in, valentine. It's all yours." She did her trick and reached through the monitor to pick up sweets.

Where did you get all of this?

"At Walgreens. It was the closest one and they carried countless candies and chocolates for a reasonable price."

Makes sense.

She picked through one of the SweeTart boxes before asking me a few extra questions. Most of them revolved around what I had in store for today. "Perhaps we could watch some romantic movies," I suggested. Then, something caught my lover's attention.

Hm? There's a new picture on your photo album.

"Oh, uh, really?"

Yeah. Lemme see...

I wasn't planning on showing that photo to Monika. Of course she'd notice, she's a sentient AI for pete's sake. I should have known better. Five windows total appeared on my screen. She was searching through my files to see the picture I took.

Without warning, her eyes began to sparkle. Crap. She found it. Now she was going to feel upset agai--

D-Did... you do this?

What? That voice crack didn't sound all too unhappy. So, I said, "Yeah," in response. Her eyes only watered more. Honestly, I figured she'd be angrier at me for making her remember that awful incident. "Is everything alright," I asked. She just kept crying, but she didn't make a sound. She wiped her eyes and looked straight at me.

Thank you. So much, Alex.

Thank you!!

I saw Monika lunge towards the screen for a second. The next thing I know, I'm flat on my back and groaning in pain. What the heck just happened? Did I fall over out of fright? My eyes were clamped shut, so I couldn't tell. On the other hand, I felt a pair of arms wrapped around me.

When I opened them back up, I could see candy boxes spread across my room on the floor. Some pieces of candy spilled from those boxes. Oh goodie. I could feel messy light-brown strands of hair lying on and around me. Wait, I knew these strands anywhere. My jaw was gaping. "Y... You're--!"

"Thank you so much, Alex! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

That voice hurting my ears made everything clear to me. Monika jumped through the screen! No, no, no, that's a load of bull. There is no freaking way she just magically made herself 3D. Is there? Sure, she could pull things into her space. That's was normal in her case. However, she could never just leap faithfully out of the screen. She was limited like everything else in this world is.

Why now? Why not all those times before when I offered so many chances? She squeezed me as close to her as she could. So close, I could barely breathe. She was unexpectedly strong.

"You... did you just jump through...?" I was astonished by this turn of events. "Thank--wait, what?". Monika raised herself up a little. "Oh. Oops, heehee!"

"Have you a-always been able to do that?"

"Uuuuuuh... yes?"

"You son of a...!"

She bursted with unexpected laughter. She held my chin up and looked into my eyes. "Listen, sweetie. I'm gonna give you the simple explanation."

"Ever since the day we met, I've searched for a way out. Two weeks after our introductions to each other, I've found one. Now, here I am, standing in front of my man." How mean! She was able to do this for years, and not once did she commit! I made my own face of anger at her. "But, w-why didn't you let yourself out then!?" I don't know why I raised my voice, but I do know why I was suddenly tearing up myself. "I dunno," she responded, blankly.

Monika picked herself up and off of me completely. She held her hand out to help me, which I took with a beat-red face of confusion and amazement. I was holding the hand of my lover in person! Her hand was so soft and smooth. It felt great, really. "S-So, um... what do you wanna do?" Talking to your virtual girlfriend in person for the first time is as rough as it gets. I had to be dreaming.

I wanted to scream out with shock and/or happiness, but I needed to be levelheaded. No use in losing it on such a special day. I breathed deeply, and wiped my wet eyes. So many new options came to mind. Still, today was her day. Not mine.

She smiled. "We're not doing anything until I show you my gift to you."

"Huh?"

"Hang on." Just lemme jump-- er, come on, come on!"

Monika was trying to push herself back into the computer. She managed, but she was panting lightly when she got in. The photo windows were closed out and replaced by new ones. These files were much more complex, as they were literally just bunches of code mashed together. Nothing special was... Hey, what was my girl getting up to now? A small window with a big green button at the center that said, "Reinstall" appeared on the screen. In the top left corner, I saw a question:

Are you sure you want to restore the following files?

sayori.chr

yuri.chr

natsuki.chr

Those were character files. And not just any character files; they belonged to the other girls! The button was automatically clicked without any hands-on interaction and a progress bar popped up, and I suddenly started losing control over my eyes again.

No. She couldn't! She was downloading the characters again! Soon enough, I am greeted by a fruit basket of iconic hairstyles I never thought I'd see again sitting in front of a black background. Pink, violet, and strawberry-blonde. My facial expression was priceless, according to my lover.

Once again, I've been left in the dark. Dammit, Moni.

Uuuuuuh... guys?

Hm? This certainly isn't normal.

What the hell just happened!? Where are we!? What the flying fuck is today!?

Never in my life have I ever played favoritism.

"Welcome home, girls."

But, now I'm willing to an exception. Why?

Because I finally get to see my friends again after so long.

Even if it was a dream. There was no other explanation.

That's where I was wrong. Again.