"Here we go," MC muttered as he loaded his first artillery shell. "You're sure this is safe, right?"

"Yeah," Monika confirmed. "Just arc it so that they land at a minimum range. They'll only go 200 meters or so."

MC adjusted the position of his mortar launcher and prepared to fire. "This is gonna be so fun."


"And then, the ghost of the angry prospecter popped out from behind the trees and slowly stepped toward the couple making out. At first, they thought he was just some old man ruining their time alone, but as they got closer, they got a better look at him. His face was horribly disfigured, like he had been the victim of an explosive accident. The girl gasped: she had heard the legends before, but she hadn't believed them to be true. That's when both of them saw the stick of dynamite in his hand."

Sayori bit her nails as Natsuki paused for dramatic effect. "No! He wouldn't!"

"Ah, but he did," Sayori confirmed. "They screamed, tried to scramble to the feet so they could run, but locking lips had trapped them in place. He tossed the dynamite at their feet, and"- Natsuki raised her flashlight so that it illuminated only her face.- "Kaboom!"

"Ahhhhh!" Sayori screamed at the top of her lungs.

Natsuki could no longer contain herself and her laughter. "Ah, Sayori," she managed between huffs. "You're too easy to scare."

Sayori chuckled nervously, then decided to change the subject. "Shouldn't we go looking for MC and Monika now. They've been gone an awfully long time just to get some wood."

"I told you, we shouldn't ruin their alone time together," Natsuki reminded. "Besides, what if MC's too busy giving Monika wood to actually get some himself?" She suggested with a sly smirk.

A block of wood soared toward Natsuki, smacking her right in the chest. "Oof!"

"No!" Yuri scolded in a pet-like manner. "Bad Natsuki! Bad!"

Sayori, poor sweet innocent little Sayori, merely squinted in confusion. "Wait, I don't get it. Wouldn't giving her wood be good? If you ask me, the more they can carry, the better."

Natsuki gently rubbed the spot on her chest where the wood had hit. "J-just forget I said anything, Sayori."

Yuri rose to her feet. "That being said, I believe it would be in our best interest to go looking for them," Yuri suggested, her eyes filled with mild worry. "What if something bad happened to them? Besides, I've run out of things to whittle," she added, gesturing to a pile of wooden objects next to her tent. Notable ones included a model of her pocketknife, a little doll, two more knives, and a skull.

Natsuki and Sayori both eyed the ominous crafts with unease. The thought of going out into a thick forest with someone like Yuri suddenly seemed to be a bad idea.

BOOM!

All three girls screamed at the top of their lungs as an explosion rocked the woods about a kilometer and a half away from camp, sending shockwaves all throughout the forest. To make matters worse, the smoldering flames of the fire finally went out at that exact moment, leaving the girls with only Natsuki's flashlight for illumination.

"What the hell was that!?" Natsuki shouted wildly once the tremors died down.

"We're under attack!" Guessed Yuri.

"By the ghost of the angry prospector!" Sayori added, gazing in the direction of the noise with a thousand-yard stare. "I always knew this day would come."

"No way!" Natsuki yelled back. "That can't be him; he's not even real. . . Is he?"

"I don't know, but we can't just leave Monika and MC out there!" Sayori argued, pure panic setting in. "We need to save them!"

"And get ourselves killed by an insane dynamite-wielding spirit from beyond the grave? We need to save ourselves!"

Yuri gently placed her hands on Sayori's shoulders. "Natsuki's right, Sayori. We need to run," Of course, Yuri was still greatly worried about her friends, but was also understandably terrified of getting blown up.

"I'm glad we can agree on something, Yuri!" Natsuki yelled as she snatched her marshmallow bag. Those fluffy treats were simply too indispensable to be left behind. Just as another explosion rocked roughly the same area as before, she grabbed her friends' hands and made a run for it.


"Whew!" MC screamed to the heavens as another explosion rocked the forest. "I feel so alive!

"That was amazing, MC!" Monika cheered. "I never knew this side of you existed."

"I feel like I should be the one telling you that," MC said with a smile.

"I guess life has its mysteries," she noted with a cute giggle. "Don't you think we were made for each other, though?"

MC nervously chuckled. "I don't think I'd go that far," he told Monika, much to her disappointment. "I do think we've come to a newfound understanding, though. One more for the road?"

Monika swallowed her disappointment and loaded another shell. "Yep! Let's do this one together."

"Agreed," said MC, and he loaded a shell as well. "3, 2, 1, fire!"

The mortars launched with masterful coordination, coming to a crash at about the same location. This decimation was particularly loud and devastating, and the blast was twice as bright and destructively beautiful. In a strange way, the unity of the explosions reminded Monika that lovers could accomplish anything as long as they had each other. MC really was perfect in her eyes, and she tried so hard to be the same to him. Why couldn't he just see it in her?

MC stretched as he emitted a loud yawn. "Man, blowing things up is more tiring than I imagined it to be. What do you say we go looking for camp now?"

"Sounds like a plan, my man," Monika agreed, bringing out the mod menu once again. A few minutes passed by until Monika brought up torch. obj. "C'mon, let's go."

It was amazing how far a little light could go. Of course, there was still a little effort expended to find out where exactly they were, but without the darkness trapping the pair in a maze of bad decisions, the two eventually spotted the five tents in the clearing.

"Hey girls," Monika greeted as she entered the campsite, unaware that it had been abandoned as a result of their chaotic actions. "We're ba- hey, where'd they go?"

MC emerged behind her, carrying a few logs of firewood. "They're not here? You don't think they went out looking for us, did they?"

Monika sighed, though it transformed into a full-blown yawn halfway through. She was tired. MC was tired. It had been a long night. "I don't know, and I'm not about to go out there and repeat a cycle of searching."

"Couldn't agree more," MC replied as set the logs on top of the fire pit. "I think it's time we hit the hay."

Monika nodded, her eyes half-lidded. "Yeah. I gotta say, I wasn't very excited about this whole camping trip to begin with, but it turned out a little better than I thought it would."

MC chuckled. "You just bring excitement wherever you go, Monika. Good night."

"W-wait," Monika stuttered as she awkwardly grabbed the back of MC's shirt. "It might be a little cold tonight. Maybe we could share a tent to conserve body heat?"

MC frowned. "Don't push it."

"O-oh, OK. Good night, MC."

And with that, the two of them entered into their tents and quickly embraced dreamland.


The following morning, MC was awoken to the sensation of gentle shaking. He cracked open one eye just enough to make out Sayori's worried face.

"MC," said Sayori, tension thick within her voice. "MC, please wake up."

MC's eyes shot open. He sat up, a look of pure confusion on his face. "Eh, what? What's going on, Sayori?"

"OH, MC!" Sayori exclaimed thankfully as she wrapped her childhood friend in a tight hug. "You're OK! The ghost of the prospecter didn't kill you!"

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sayori chuckled nervously as she let go of him. There was a slight glint of guilt mixed with relief in her eyes. "It's nothing. Perhaps we got just a teensy-weensy bit scared over an urban legend. You didn't hear any explosions last night, did you?"

"Uhhhhhhhh, I'm gonna say no," MC lied terribly.

Sayori did not seem to notice. "Good," she replied as she began to exit his tent, and MC followed. Monika was already outside and awake. She shot a cranky glare at Sayori, though MC did not know if she mad for being awoken by Sayori or Sayori waking up MC instead of her. Regardless, Sayori did not seem to acknowledge it. Natsuki, however, did, and tried to offer Monika a marshmallow. Monika merely swatted it away.

"So, sounds like you two had quite the night," Natsuki observed. "Care to, uh, share it with us?" She winked.

"No," MC and Monika replied simultaneously. That was the end of the discussion.