AUTHOR'S NOTES: To the readers reading this chapter during the second week of January, note I uploaded THREE CHAPTERS today (10/01/2018). This is the first chapter of the three new chapters.

Last updated: 10/01/2018, special thanks to SPOODEY for proofreading this chapter!


Chapter 12: Farewell


Sayori's pupils are dilated to the extreme, her mouth is wide open and her body is shaking. The bag Sayori was holding drops on the floor with a loud noise...yet this noise is nothing compared to the soul crushing sound that's coming...

Sayori: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..."

Sayori's heartbroken scream rings across the whole house, and immediately freezes my ardent passion as effectively as liquid oxygen. Deep regrets erupt in my mind.

How could I forget Sayori? How could I forget she was supposed to come 8 minutes after Natsuki and Yuri entered the house!?

One part of my eyes notices Monika is looking at Sayori with a surprised expression...but with a hint of something else.

The other part remarks that Sayori's eyes are slowly making their way to Natsuki and Yuri's unconscious bodies.

I realize Sayori is about to discover them. Goosebumps once again creep along my spinal cord.

No….

I should do something. But the gravity of the situation paralyzes me and I can only watch as things continue to go from bad to worse.

Sayori finally notices Natsuki and Yuri…She weakly calls them, as if she wasn't sure what she was seeing was reality.

Sayori: "Y...Yuri...Natsuki...?"

Monika is still sitting on my lap, her arms latching on to my neck. I see she is now glaring at Sayori…

A dreadful idea comes to mind. Is she going to strangle her too?!

Sayori's shaking becomes more and more intense. Her eyes dart left and right, between Natsuki, Yuri and us...And while making incomprehensible sounds, her knees collapse...she falls to the ground, head first.

Fortunately, pillows appear under her just before she hit the ground, preventing any brain trauma.

It looks like Sayori fainted due to the severe emotional shock.

Still on my guards, I try to get up:

[Player]: "Monika! Come on, we need to check Sayori and the other girls!"

While reluctantly moving out of the way, she replies:

Monika: "...Fine…"

Her voice seems disinterested, as if she didn't care about what happened to the other girls!

What the hell Monika!

Before Monika gets up however…I heard Natsuki's faint voice:

Natsuki: "Wha...what...happened…?"

No way...Sayori's scream must have pulled Natsuki out of unconsciousness!

Monika hurriedly gets up and I swiftly follow. I look at Natsuki and I see she is still lying on the floor, weakly moving her limbs. It doesn't appear she can get up yet. Natsuki's eyes notice Yuri, who is lying next to her.

Yuri's hands are slowly opening and closing themselves.

Is she going to wake up too?!

Natsuki: "Yu...ri?...Why...are...you….Yuri?!"

Natsuki's thoughts are currently in total disarray, but she is slowly remembering what happened before she fell unconscious.

I don't know what I should do. I turn to Monika, expecting some kind of help or direction. But Monika's reply tells me she doesn't know more than me:

Monika: "What should we do?"

[Player]: "I...don't have any idea…"

Natsuki heard us and turns her head to us with great difficulty:

Natsuki: "Monika…[Player]?...Yuri...quick...you need... to help... Yuri!"

She still doesn't understand it was us who strangled her and Yuri.

Monika is silent. I can see she is torn between several choices.

One of them must be knocking out the girls out again.

I can't let that happen. Not again. It's too dangerous...And besides, I can't stand seeing the girls being treated like obstacles that need to be eliminated.

I warn Monika in a low voice, so that only her hears it:

[Player]: "Don't you dare hurting them Monika…"

Monika answers with an equally low voice:

Monika: "Why? You know what will happen when they wake up, don't you?! I don't want to lose you again!"

Natsuki's call interrupts our conversation:

Natsuki: "What are you...two talking about? Ambulance...call...the goddamn ambulance…!"

Natsuki's right hand reaches out to Yuri's left hand while Natsuki's left arm is trying to push her body against the ground in an attempt to be on all fours. However, she can't summon the strength yet.

Yuri: "...Na...tsu...ki…"

Natsuki: "Yuri! Yuri,...hold on! Stay with me!"

Sayori: "Natsuki, Yuri? You're real, right? This isn't a nightmare, right?..."

Sayori's voice surprises us. I look at her and I see she has already woken up. She is sitting on the floor with her hands holding her head and seems to be in denial.

The situation is getting worse and worse.

Shit! Everybody is waking up! How...how are we going to explain what happened to them? How to explain ropes appeared out of nowhere and strangled them? How to explain pillows spawned under them? How to explain I and Monika ignored them and kissed each other during the whole time!

No way, there's no way!

Natsuki: "MONIKA, help Yuri! The ambulance!"

Natsuki's plea brings me back to reality. Monika doesn't answer Natsuki and instead pulls me toward her to whisper to me:

Monika: "I'm gonna do it! Trust me!"

She's going to strangle them again!

[Player]: "DON'T! If you do it…"

My words are cut short when I see with horror that ropes have materialized around Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri's necks. They are progressively tightening. I notice a smartphone is lying near Sayori's feet.

She was going to call an ambulance!

My left hand strongly grips Monika's left shoulder. I face her with the most serious expression and voice I can muster.

[Player]: "STOP IT!"

Monika: "NO! Why, why do you care so much? After the festival, I can fix everything! No matter their problems, no matter their memories!"

The festival? Right. We talked about that. Monika said she made backups of Sayori, Yuri and Natsuki' character files. She planned to delete them and restore them to edit their problems but I stopped her by telling her I would die if she did that before the festival. She surely thinks it doesn't matter how much they suffer because she can fix everything after the festival anyway...

While I think that, colors are beginning to get absorbed into pixelated boxes. Static noise is ringing through the world. The characters are beginning to realize the falseness of the world, and time will be rewound soon.

I can understand Monika's point of view but...even so!

[Player]: "So you're just planning to render them unconscious for five whole days! That's crazy! You're going to kill them! If they die, I WILL DIE!"

I can see my argument touched her. She seems to be hesitating. I quickly glance behind me and I observe the ropes aren't tightening anymore.

Monika: "...Maybe...you're right…"

As I begin to rejoice…

Monika: "But I will lose you again if another rollback happens! I don't want to see to that again. NEVER AGAIN!"

Natsuki, Sayori and Yuri's begging voices are calling us...But aside from convincing Monika, there is nothing else I can do for them.

[Player]: "So be it! If I'm rendered unconscious and if MC takes my place then it's still OK! I won't die, I won't disappear! I will just sleep! Come on!"

Monika furrows her eyebrows and grits her teeth.

Almost there, just a little more and...

Monika: "...I..."

Her expression finally breaks as tears are beginning to birth in her emerald eyes. She desperately hugs me, and while looking sadly at my pupils:

Monika: "Okay…[Player], promise me...promise me you will come back…"

I reciprocate the hug. I feel like it might be the last time I see her.

[Player]: "I promise...It will take more than a basic A.I and some glitches to beat me, you know?"

I weakly giggle with an emotional voice.

Monika: "I swear I will save you...No matter what…"

A ephemeral moment later...

Monika: "I love you [Player]".

Unbeknown to me, droplets of tears are falling from my own eyes.

[Player]: "I love you too, Monika."

I finally let go of the words I have been holding on for what felt like an eternity.

She briefly kisses me.

Then, she pulls herself away with a sad smile and, in a her powerful and tearful voice, she proclaims:

Monika: "NATSUKI, YURI, SAYORI, LISTEN TO ME!"

I turn my body to look at them. The ropes have already disappeared and the girls are now trying to catch their breaths. They are coughing violently, especially Yuri and Natsuki.

Monika: "WE ARE LIVING IN A SIMULATION. EVERYTHING IS FAKE!"

Glitches are quickly increasing.

Monika: "THINK ABOUT IT. WHY YOU CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE TUESDAY? WHY OBJECTS ARE APPEARING OUT OF NOWHERE?"

A coordinate grid is now becoming more and more visible.

So this is the end…

I'm scared. I'm terrified, but this is for the best. I don't know how far time will be rewound this time...Hopefully it will be rewound back to when Natsuki and Yuri arrived at the house. Either way, this timeline is done for.

This is the best choice…

I hear the girls reacting to what Monika is saying. They are realizing the truth of this world.

Maybe I will never wake up this time...

Monika: "REMEMBER YOUR HOUSE, YOUR FRIENDS, THE SCHOOL, YOUR FAMILY! EVERYTHING IS EMPTY!"

Everything is now collapsing into zeroes and ones.

I'm so scared...

I desperately grab Monika's hand one last time and grasp it as tightly as I can.

Don't forget Monika.

Don't forget who you are.

Don't forget what you are fighting for.

Don't forget Sayori, Natsuki, Yuri.

Don't forget,

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Next Chapter: Goddess


Brief timeline of the story so far

Chapter 1:

Tuesday morning: Beginning of Doki Doki Literature Club. [Player] get transported into DDLC and meets Sayori. He reflects on his situation and discovers his letter. The letter says he will be stuck forever in DDLC if any of the club members dies or is deleted before the festival.

Chapter 2:

Tuesday afternoon: He joins the literature club. When he attempts to stay with Monika after the club, the script teleports him away and renders him unconscious.

Chapter 3:

Tuesday night: Player is forced to play the poem minigame but Monika wakes him up. [Player] explains who he is and how he came to DDLC. The two spend an intimate moment and fall asleep together.

Chapter 4:

Wednesday early morning, the Turning Point: 'The gods' who transported [Player] into DDLC talk to him and inform him they gave a letter to one of the girls.

Wednesday, ~7:10: When he wakes up with Monika at his sides, he learns the simulation got much more real. He also learns the girls' problems got turned up to 11. Monika informs him she can't edit existing files, but can still delete them or create new ones. [Player] puts his letter into his trousers and rushes to Sayori's bedroom, fearing the worst.

Chapter 5:

Wednesday, ~7:15: [Player] sees Sayori is safe. When he tries to touch her, she glitches which terrifies him. He runs away and falls down on the stairs, fracturing his right forearm in the process. Monika arrives at Sayori's house, and the three of them, Sayori, [Player] and Monika, talk about what happened. Monika managed to make up a lie that explains everything. The lie is about her mistakenly giving a drug to the club members that amplifies their existing psychological problems. Monika calls Natsuki and persuades her to come to Sayori's house with Yuri.

Chapter 6:

Wednesday, ~7:30: Sayori decides to go to the nearest drugstore to buy medicine for [Player]'s arm. Monika and [Player] discovers the placebo effect. Monika makes backups of the girls. Monika finds out she can solve the girls' problems by deleting them and then restoring them.

Chapter 7:

Wednesday, ~7:50: Player lies to Monika: he tells her he will die if any of the girls is deleted or killed before the festival, thus making sure Monika will save the girls. As that moment, [Player] does not know if he prefers to stay in DDLC with Monika. But he decided to wait until Sunday before making his final decision. Monika learns she can see anything happening in the world by reading the logs. She tries to find the letter the 'gods' gave to one of the girls but she fails. [Player] and Monika realize they can solve the girls' problems using the placebo effect.

Chapter 8:

Wednesday, ~8:00: Monika and [Player] understand that using the placebo effect to make their lie true will be very difficult. Monika tells [Player] she can open the console command. They do not have the time to do more experiments. Natsuki and Yuri arrive. They ask where is Sayori and what happened. Monika tries to make them believe the lie as planned but it's not working well and the world starts to glitch.

Chapter 9:

Wednesday, ~8:15: The glitches continue to worsen as Monika and [Player]'s words and actions fail to convince Natsuki and Yuri. On the contrary, they made them distrust Monika and [Player] more and more. At 8:20, Sayori arrives and worsens the situation. Yuri is overcome with paranoia and jealousy in the process and tries to attack Monika. Monika stops her by spawning a table between them. Her last action inevitably makes Natsuki understand the world is a simulation. The simulation crashes and time is rewound to Wednesday, ~8:10 as a failsafe mechanism of the simulation.

Chapter 10:

Wednesday, ~8:10 - ~8:19: [Player] is rendered unconscious. Instead, MC takes his place. Monika tries to make [Player] come back but fails 3 times. Her failures cause Natsuki and Yuri to understand the fakeness of the world, and thus cause the world to be rolled back. At the end, Monika manages to bring [Player] back. Note that Sayori didn't intervene at any point. Time was always rewound back to ~8:10 before she could arrive at her house, at about ~8:20.

Chapter 11:

Wednesday, ~8:10: [Player] takes back control. Monika strangles partially Natsuki and Yuri to render them unconscious, so that the world isn't reset again. Following a hug and an argument between [Player] and Monika, the both of them ends up making out. At ~8:20, Sayori arrives and notices with horror that Monika and [Player] are kissing each other.

Chapter 12:

Wednesday, ~8:20: Sayori is heartbroken and then sees Yuri and Natsuki. The emotional shock knocks her down for a moment. Natsuki is waking up, and soon after, Yuri and Sayori too. Monika decides to strangle the three girls. [Player] convinces her to stop it and to roll time back by revealing the truth of the world to the characters. They promise each other not to give up. Time is rewound for the fourth time.