Work Text:
Monika had to catch her breath when she finally managed to make it outside the classroom that contained the Literature Club. It was extremely rare that the club president would find herself to be late and it wasn’t like the long haired teenager needed help to find where it was, Natsuki’s and Yuri’s yelling made it abundantly clear. She sighed internally. “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad this time.” She assured herself before she opened the door and waved at the rest of the group.
“Hello, everyone.” Monika flashed a warm smile.
“Sup.” Natsuki, the much smaller pink haired girl responded,
“Good Afternoon.” Yuri, the taller, elegant woman added.
“Ooh! Goody! You’re here, Monika!” Sayori leapt at the Club President and gave her a powerful hug that could break a bone or two. Monika with a strained wheeze gently poked Sayori on the back, which prompted her to let go with an embarrassed smile. “You’re just in time! This was about to get REALLY good.”
“I…I don’t see how Yuri and Natsuki arguing again is seen as…good?” Monika blinked for a moment with a raised eyebrow before she sat herself down next to the Bubbly Sayori.
“Actually…It’s closer to a debate.” Natsuki shrugged, “Even though Yuri is CLEARLY WRONG!”
Yuri rolled her eyes and gave her a dismissive hand wave. “As I was saying, do you really think that a dinosaur could survive a nuclear blast and rise to attack the same country, no, the same city every time?! Seems implausible to me.”
“You’re telling me that Godzilla is somehow less plausible than aliens attacking the same country over and over?” Natsuki countered with a hair flick. “We both know that there are plenty of countries to invade, why always America? I don’t see an alien invasion outside, do you?”
Yuri shook her head, “Granted, not today, such things only happen in New York or Washington, but one thing that proves our identity once and for all, is the festival.” Yuri smirked as though she clearly won the debate.
Natsuki just tilted her head and shrugged, “What do you mean?”
“Well, I’ve been looking at the food stands, and lo and behold, hotdogs and burgers as far as the eye could see!”
“Oh please you get those everywhere! Do you know where in the world there are sushi bars, Oni masks and traditional kimonos? Japan!”
“Okay, hold on.” Monika raised her hands up and stroked her chin in thought, “What was it you’re debating about?”
“Well, unless you’re living under a rock! Yuri!” Natsuki shot an evil glare while Yuri just rolled her eyes in response before the pink haired girl continued on. “I’m saying that we’re obviously Japanese and we’re in Japan! I mean, look around you and tell me this doesn’t look like a Japanese classroom.”
“All classrooms in the world look like this, Natsuki. That’s hardly evidence.” Yuri answered with a sigh.
“Oh?! How about our names then? Sayori isn’t called Sarah, Monika isn’t spelt with a C and I’m not named like…Natalie or something! Hell, you’re named after a genre of all girls romance…Either that or your name is just Russian.”
“Tell me, Natsuki, what language are we speaking?”
“English, why?”
“If we were in Japan, why are we speaking English?” Yuri chuckled to herself as she mentally applauded such a smart point, all the while Natsuki recoiled in horror. But, luckily for her, she thought of a way to counter it.
“People speak two languages all the time. It’s not unusual to know English AND Japanese at the same time.”
“You’re grasping at straws!” Yuri squealed, as the two became closer and closer until they were forehead to forehead.
“So are you!”
“Hola, mi nombre es Sayori!” The whole room became silent as everyone slowly turned to the beaming Sayori. “What? Don’t tell me you don’t know Spanish.” Sayori gave a smug smirk as she leaned down on the table and rested her head on her hand.
Monika quietly muttered, “You never told me you know Spanish.”
“We’re American!” Yuri glared fiercely.
“No! We’re Japanese!” Natsuki countered back.
“Oh, really? I don’t see Mt. Fuji anywhere, do you?!” Yuri dramatically gestured the entire classroom, as if to really rub it in.
“No…But I don’t see the Statue of Liberty either! Do you?!” The two girls huffed and turned their backs towards each other.
That was when Monika finally decided to intervene. “Actually, technically, we’re neither.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Say what?”
The pink haired and purple haired girls turned their collective attention over to the club president. Sayori perked up at this as well as her brow furrowed. “Yeah, Monika, you’re confusing me too. What do you mean?”
“Okay.” Monika took a moment to collect herself. “So, we’re all AI’s in a game, right?”
“Oh my God, we are?!” Natsuki gasped and slapped her cheeks in feigned shock.
“Sarcasm is unbecoming of you, Natsuki.” Yuri frowned at the smaller girl next to her.
“Then what’s your excuse?!” Natsuki huffed and crossed her arms in a way that was overly defensive.
“I, at least, make sarcasm sound smart.” Yuri smiled contently and puffed her chest up a little with pride.
“Ooh, like everyone else on the internet!” Sayori added with a wonderfully sugar coated smile that did put a damper on Yuri’s supposedly clever retort.
“We’re AI’s in a game.” Monika repeated, “And the game itself is modelled around Japanese school, Japanese homes, Japanese culture, that kind of thing.”
“See?! We’re Japanese! I knew it!” Natsuki raised her arms in victory and laughed in triumph. “How does it feel to be wrong, Yuri?!”
"I would just ask you, Natsuki." Yuri replied without hesitation, which only made Natsuki stammer and go red in the face.
Monika cleared her throat and brought the attention back towards her. “But, on the other hand, our creator is American, our first language is English, and we’re made for a mostly English speaking audience.”
“That really like horror games!” Sayori interjected, “and they played our game more than once, even after knowing what happened to all of us!” Her bright smile faded a little, “I worry about their mental health sometimes.”
“So do we all.” Monika nodded in agreement, “So, we’re a Japanese ish, game made by an American.”
“Meaning…” Natsuki leaned forward and gestured a ‘go on’ with her hand, Yuri copied her friend and debate rival right next to her.
“Meaning that since we’re AI, characters in a game, we’re technically neither. We’re stateless.”
Both Yuri’s and Natsuki’s faces fell at that point. Neither of them won the debate they fought tooth and nail for. Sayori just gave a blank stare and blinked her blue eyes a couple times. “Yeah, I still don’t get what you mean.”
“It means that we don’t belong anywhere, Sayori.” Natsuki stated with a hint of melancholy.
“Neither Japanese nor American.” Yuri added, “That’s something I didn’t expect from this debate.”
“Sooooo…We could be whatever we want, right?” Sayori perked up and switched accents, “Y’know, I always wanted to be British, I do, I do! Always wanted to be seen as a cockney geezer!”
Monika shook her head, “It’s not quite that simple, Sayori, you need to do a citizenship test and then you-”
“Oh! What if I’m Irish?! Love me a bit of Guinness! Sounds like good craic!” Sayori winked at Monika and playfully nudged her ribs with her elbow. “You know, I always did think I look great in green too.”
“You can’t just choose a country and become part of it, Sayori. It’s not that simple.” Monika gently placed her hands on the Vice President’s shoulders and gently sat her down. “It requires birth certificates, tax documents, proof that you are alive anywhere at all, and when you’re stateless…that’s really hard to come by.”
“Pshh, for a human maybe.” Natsuki scoffed and crossed her arms.
“Listen, Natsuki, it isn’t simple and you know I’m right about-”
“Oh, I know.” Natsuki interrupted, “It’s just well, we’re not human right? We’re characters in a game.”
Yuri’s purple eyes lit up as she caught on to what Natsuki could be eluding too. “She does have a point!”
Monika just crossed her arms and blinked in confusion. “I don’t…What are you getting at, Natsuki?”
“Think about it! We’re played on many computers around the world, right? England, France, Spain, Germany, America, Japan, it doesn’t matter!”
“I think what Natsuki is saying is that we’re part of every country on Earth in a way.” Yuri prompted, with a small smile.
“Exactly! Why be just from one nation, when you could be from ALL of them?!” Natsuki threw her arms wide in a grand gesture, only to be jumped by Sayori. She tried with all her strength to pry Sayori away. “Ack! Sayori, get off of me!”
“Aww, but I can’t help it!” the happy girl gushed, “You’re so cute when you’re passionate!”
“I’m not just cute! I’m Japanese!”
“And American.” Yuri leaned in with a smug look.
“Yes I am that too, now shut up!” Natsuki tried with everything she had to push Sayori away, but again, nothing. She eventually gave up trying and just hugged back with an irritated scowl.
Monika closed her eyes in thought and rubbed her chin. “You know, I never thought of it that way.” She smiled softly, “I never thought of myself as ‘woman of the world,’ but I guess that’s technically true. We speak in every possible language, we indulge ourselves in every culture, and no human could REALLY say no because AI’s are still new and undefined.” Her bright green eyes opened up again and pulled Yuri into Sayori’s hug with Natsuki, much to Sayori’s delight, Yuri’s awkwardness, and Natsuki’s wail of dismay. “We belong to everyone. I think that’s what we learned today, and you know what? I think I like it.”
“Okay, whatever you say, John Lennon.” Sayori chuckled and rubbed Monika’s hair playfully.
“Oh come on, you know what I meant.” Monika chuckled and just pulled everyone a little tighter to herself.
“Who knew that our Club President could be such a softie, eh, Yuri?” the smaller girl smirked at the refined taller one above her.
“I did. The second I met her.” Yuri answered, before giving a soft smile back to the Club President, “And I wouldn’t have Monika any other way.”
“I might.” Natsuki snorted as she held in a small giggle.
“No you won't, you liar.” Monika retorted, as she held back a laugh of her own.
END