Chapter 12 is up, it is right below this review response
AN: How's it going, everyone? Not much to say besides the next chapter is indeed coming out on Saturday.
I am jumping right into the reviews, starting with the earliest ones written.
GhostbyDaylight, Much appreciated. Also, I love your artwork dude, keep em up.
AimlessShenanigans, Yeah it's all because of PLOT. I heard of Exit Music but I never got the opportunity to actually play it. Maybe when I am done with all this and college I will take the time to do so. Also, I have written 16k words before in Letting Go, so nah, I am not you lol. Sometimes when I am in the zone I write more than I initially should. And the guy's name is Carl...
Jumping onto your review, uwu. Yeah since Val did it to Yuri, might as well do it Monika lmao. And I love writing how one is thinking the other, only to realize that it isn't going anywhere lol. Pretty fun. And I agree, fucking Monikammmmmm. And nice work on catching that, I did put that in there to show how their mindsets work.
No no this is all plot don't worry. Yeah, it gets resolved later as you keep reading on lol. Perhaps it's stupidity, but I think it is complete over-thinking and etc. It's a coping mechanism of some sort to think superior over an enemy, is it? I don't know, but I have heard of that phenomenon before. Weird.
Hahaha, it was pretty funny to see you heated over all this, I should have dodged it a bit more to see how you would react to it. It's pretty amusing. But again, she comes to her senses and finally fixes all everything.
I agree, Haru got the shit end. I imagined her as the complete and polar opposite to Yuri. Outgoing, boisterous, and jumpy. Thanks for the review. Hope you enjoy mine.
Sbg1218, I stopped with the cliffhangers, cause it would get old and such. I also saw some of the fight scenes and I gotta say it was really well done. The lines of reality and delusions come into light there.
TitanSolracar, Fuck yeah. Warlocks are the true users of the light! I love using Nova, and the skill that you wrote about is called Devour. Kill a guy or consume your grenade to activate it, and become immortal. Stormcaller's ult is really good in PVE, but not so much in PVP, pretty hard to use. But Stormcaller's ult from Forsaken? OH GEEE THAT SHIT IS FUCKING AWESOME, UNLIMITED POWER TO THE FUCKING MAXXXXXXXXXXX
Oh shit, you're an engineering major? I can do math but I just can't put it into other situations, which make it a no-go for me. And yeah, fuck being a tech savant. Become a guy who goes after petty revenge.
No, no, no. You got it all wrong. It's actually cause Monika said: "Hit or miss? I guess they never miss-" Ugh, I really fucking hate tiktok and their shitposts.
Well too late for that title now lmao. And I already got Forsaken, the soft cap is easy to reach but the hard cap is ridiculous! I am at 510 light and I barely made a dent on 511! Jesus Christ. I find the game fun for me because there is so much to do and so much going on with the power usage. It's just so satisfying to play. Thanks for the reviews.
Auxiliary Nexus, Yeahhhh that's a fallout 4 reference. Man, I gotta go back into that sometime later. And you binged Letting Go? That's very impressive dude. I do notice the irony and such being used, so I will try to turn it down. Especially since I am kicking it up a notch pretty soon. Thanks for the review.
Oi Your Boi, Oh hey! Yeah, thigh jokes are great. But I am trying to be creative and use other jokes. And yup plot is progressing really well. Thanks for stopping by and leaving one!
Storm, Wellll people use Ace of Spades out of respect for Cayde. And it's an awesome hand cannon lol. Hand cannons are pretty different from Pulse rifles, so I guess it's preference and playstyles. Ammo isn't a problem in PVP unless you are using heavy hitters like shotguns and snipers. But yeah, I get your point. Thanks for the review.
Ryustorm12, Thanks for stopping by! I don't think Monika will ever get a hold of the review section. This is mine and mine alone, I ain't gonna let some 2-D yandere take my shit from me. Fuck that. Sorry, I got a little heated there. See you in the next one!
TheForgottenRune, Oh boy... if it's the default dance then I wouldn't know what I would do. And carthasis means emotional venting but more fancier. I love using it because of GTA V. And I did mention Yuri's sister in chapter 10, it would be fun to see an aspring "bro-con" and opposite of Yuri to get her hands on him. lol
Saggyboy27, Thanks. But I am going to limit the use of the cliffhangers. Too much use will just wear off it's effect for everybody. And finally they talk right?
P.S: FUCCCCCCCCCCCCCC I CAN'T EVEN REACH 511! I have a lotta work to do lmao.
Ponystories, yup. Thanks for kind words fam.
SRGanon, Nice you caught onto that. Will need to stop using it however. See you Saturday.
Guardian, Don't worry. I know that has been happening and I got something planned to prove that he isn't a white knight. Just watch lol. And I gonna take your words into consideration on the thigh jokes. It will be a running gag lol. Nah, it won't be anything like Mass Effect 3, man I love the combat in that game. But the story was poorly written compared to the previous games, like tf. Mass Effect 2 had the best story, but really really buggy combat. Fax on that gym rat shit brotherrrr, and let me know if you want another cameo of some sort. Thanks for the review.
Kholkhozy, shhhhhhhh. Don't tell a soul about that. It is true, I fell in love on how similar Monika and that girl is if they are put in a completely different light. Something I try to do here. Never expected anyone to find such an obscure show and catch me here, lol. Thanks for the review.
That's all for now. Thanks for leaving such a large amount of reviews. Gosh, I was very humbled with the sheer number of them! See you all in the next one!
Chapter 12 is up! This is one of my most enjoyable chapters, especially at the end! Enjoy!
The AIs are making a comeback.
They started communicating again and healing any damages I have done.
Look's like revenge is not easy I thought.
I knew that.
But like I thought of before, there is no way to stop my attack.
This hard drive is connected to the internet thanks to the guys in the engineering branch.
Were not for me cutting off their data supply, everything in that drive will be sent to that defunct server.
I can't let any hackers get a hold of these two.
Is there anything I should do?
Or should I just let the world be affected by a new wave of cyber-crime because of the technologies found in that hard drive?
No.
I am better than that.
*BRRR*
I picked up my phone to see who was calling me.
"Hello?"
There was an exhausted sigh on the other side of the line.
"Carl, it's me."
Ahmed.
"Hey, man. How is it going?" I asked, faking a friendly tone.
He paused for a second.
Judging from the sound of his voice...
It's bad.
"It's bad. The company is in complete shambles. W-We're getting legal action from the state because of how things went a few months ago. Not to mention we are going bankrupt. All of the projects we were working on got shut down, and any pending ones got scrapped."
Was it that bad when I left?
When I went inside the headquarters to get the drive, there weren't any long faces or looks of disappointment.
They looked relatively happy.
Were they trying to hide it?
"All projects...? You guys were working on more?"
There was another pause.
"Yeah. We were. Stuff like using nanobots to replace medication altogether, simulating the world to be exactly how it is here, diving into gene therapy, and this one project that we finished working on but never tested it. The machine we made can digitalize brainwaves and store them as a file. Or we can do it the other way around, put a file in a brain-dead patient to resuscitate him.
That sounds interesting.
I heard his voice drip.
"But, there is one project that we didn't stop working on. The COO told us this project needs to be completed by any means necessary."
There was one project that the CEO never told me about.
He mentioned it a little back when I was working for.
Oh no...
Is it Project Libitina?
The project to bridge both reality and fiction together?
"I think I know what the project is. You're working on Libitina, right?"
...
"How did you know-"
I smirked.
"You forget that I was the head of the technology branch, Ahmed. Of course, I know what you guys are working on. The Boss told me very little about it. And that project... it's insane. How can you bridge reality and the world of fiction?"
*PING*
The decryption on the file is complete.
FrankCHR...
Frank is going to be buried in a few weeks.
I can't show my face around any of them.
...
I failed them.
The only thing that survived in his memory is this file.
What is that file exactly, besides being a character file?
It looks like it was heavily compressed.
How is this file even intact in the first place?
Everything got fried in the machine, and yet this file survives with ValCHR.
Wait...
Frank is in life-support because he is brain-dead...
The electrical shock wasn't as deadly as I thought it was.
He is still in a coma from it though.
If I can get a hold of that machine and send that file to his brain then...
Does that mean I can...
Maybe bring him back to life?
T-That...
That would bring a huge burden off my chest.
Maybe I can look them in the eye again.
This is a crazy idea, but I hope it works!
"Exactly! This project is asking for the impossible! How can we even do that?!"
I cleared my voice to speak.
"Uh, I am not sure. Anyway, I got a question for you."
"Go ahead."
I took a deep breath and released it.
"That machine you guys made... can it bring back Frank G. Jones?"
...
"The guy who died in the prototype coma-breaker...?"
He is not dead!
Not just yet!
"Frank is not dead yet! I... I have his character file right here! Maybe I can convert to brain-waves so I can revive him!"
"Wait, you have this character file? First off, how did you even get that? Second off, the fuck's a character file? Is that something like our digitalized output? And third, we haven't tested the machine yet! So there is a huge possibility that it won't even work in the first place!"
One question at a time...
"Well to answer your first question, I stripped off of the prototype when I went to visit the headquarters. And secondly, the character file is compressed using Sloot's encoding program, so it's around a few megabytes of data! It has to be around two petabytes, which is identical to the average human brain in bytes..."
"What about never testing? Hell, we aren't going to have a chance at testing it!"
If there's a sliver of hope, then I will take it.
I won't let anything get in the way of making things right.
"I'll test it. I'll see if the whole thing works or not."
I gripped my phone tightly in anticipation.
"Fine, have it your way. I'll help you out on this, it's the least I can do, since... you know."
The tension that I never thought I had finally calmed down.
"I know. But first, we need to get Frank. Can you get that arranged with the hospital?"
...
"Yeah, I think our contract with the hospital is still up. I'll get some guys to start up the machine. Everything is going to be ready by the time you get here, Carl."
For the first time in a while, I smiled.
"Thanks. I appreciate the effort you're putting in. You're a true friend."
With that, I hung up and turned my attention to the screen.
Now I need to find a way to get this hard drive off my computer.
If I take it out normally, then the block I put up will be forfeit...
...
Screw revenge, I'll take the chance to this by brute force.
By running Bruteforce, I can punch a hole in that failsafe and pull the hard drive out.
Here goes...
It was now break-time.
Or lunchtime.
I held the bento box in my hands and looked for wherever Val might be sitting.
He's not around here...
Wait, why should I care?!
If he wants to sit with his friends, then I'll leave him be.
But...
Oh right!
We need to discuss plans for the Winter Festival!
That's a good reason for us to sit alone.
My eyes scanned the cafeteria for any traces of him.
But to no avail, I couldn't find him.
Where is he?!
"Oh hi, Monika!"
I turned to see Sayori smiling with a tray in her hands.
"Hello, Sayori. How are you doing today?" I asked, smiling back at her.
I didn't give her the usual fake smile I always plaster on, but the smile I use whenever I am happy.
Right now...
I am pretty content with my life.
Sayori was taken aback with my smile and rubbed her chin in thought.
"Hmmmmmm... there's something off about you today." She muttered, looking at me inquisitively.
I never showed anyone my real smile beside Val...
"Oh! I got it! You're frustrated because you can't find your..."
Wait, how did she know that I was frustrated?!
Sayori's lips pursed into a playful smirk.
"Boyfriend."
...
"W-W-What are you talking about?! Val's not my boyfriend! We just... know each other for a long time! That's all! He is my childhood friend... Ahaha." I played off.
Oh gosh...
Why is my heart pounding so hard?
And why do I feel so numb?
It's like I want that dork to be my boyfriend!
Well, I don't!
I could hardly care less if he dates Natsuki or Yuri!
"Ehehe! I never said his your boyfriend's name and thought it was him! So that means..."
Sayori was about to burst from holding whatever was in.
No, no, no, no!
"You have a crush; you have a crush, you have a crush~!" The bouncy girl chanted, jumping in her place.
My face burned a deep red, causing me to put on my coldest glares.
But for some reason, I found difficulty being mad at her for jumping into conclusions.
"No, I don't! I don't have a crush on a stupid guy like him! He's like a brother to me! And I am the sister he never had! Nothing more, nothing less!" I retorted, squeezing the box close to me.
And yet I tell him not to call me "sis."
Eugh, "sis."
She playfully rolled her eyes.
"Uh-huh. It's not like I can see the loooooveeee~ coming from the both of you! Hehehe!" She teased.
I frowned and looked away.
"Enough of this... I need to find Val. We have to talk about the Winter Festival that's coming up Monday. And also, I am not crushing on him!"
Despite my constant rebuttals, Sayori wouldn't let up.
"My womanly institution tells me that you're going to do more than just "talk." I heard that you gave him a bento box this morning! Not to mention that you are holding a bento box as well..."
Argh!
This is obvious!
How could I have messed up this badly?!
"Sayori, it's intuition. And I gave him the box because he wanted um... lunch!" I lied. "When we were younger, I always made lunch for him, and we would always sit together and eat it. So this is no different! We have absolutely zero interest in each other, and we were just going along with how we used to behave all the time!"
The coral-pink haired girl decided that she was talking to a never-ending circle and relented.
"Alriiight... if you say so. But keep in mind, I placed a bet with Hiroshi and Danuja! My bet is to get you two to kiss before Christmas!"
Wait, what?!
Sayori started to retreat with her tray in hand.
"Oh yeah, your boyfriend is in the schoolyard! Catch him when you can~!"
This girl knows how to push my buttons.
"He's not my boyfriend!" I yelled, watching as the girl scurried off.
I sighed, knowing it was no use, especially since she was putting her mind into it.
Might as well go to the schoolyard then.
With my box firmly in my hands, I nervously walked outside.
I slowly stepped onto the concrete pavement and forced myself to build confidence.
To my surprise, with each step I took, I felt fearless.
Why am I getting so nervous about?
He's only a dork.
It's not like he goes to the gym!
...
He does go to the gym.
I even felt how much progress he made while in it...
My body feels refreshed from that day...
Oooh~
Stop it, stop it, stop it!
With the whirlwind thoughts, I struggled to walk straight.
However, it didn't take long until I found him.
There you are!
Now we can discuss plans!
Val was sitting with the box unopened, and...
Talking with a blonde girl.
From the looks of it, he enjoyed talking to her.
I took position behind a tree and spied on them from afar.
My eyes immediately focused on the blondie.
Who is she?
Upon further inspection, she looked like a foreigner.
I never saw her before!
Who does she think she is?
With those blue eyes and fair skin!
The girl giggled at what Val said.
How dare she try to seduce Val into marrying her!
I knew that I was thinking irrationally and so I stopped myself.
What...
What's wrong with me?
Why am I so possessive of him?
"(That's cool to hear, dude. I never thought schools back home now have issue laptops to students. Too bad we don't have that here.)" The girl stated in English.
English?!
Why can't they speak in our language?!
"(Right? This place is great, and you gotta admit that.)" Val said, now putting my box to his side.
She then smirked.
"(Yeah maybe. Anyway, I was hoping that I can get your opinion on something.)"
The girl then put her hands behind her back and leaned in.
Her cleavage was bared for him to see, especially since her uniform was unbuttoned, at least from this angle.
The girl pointed at a designated spot for him to see.
Val was looking directly at it.
And that brought me near my breaking point.
The green, venomous feeling surged throughout my eyes as it burned the back of her skull.
N-No...
NO!
I knew it!
She was seducing him into marrying her!
By showing her bigger boobs to him, she thinks she can take him away from me?!
Not if I can stop it.
I acted through impulse and walked towards the couple with stomps to show that I was indeed, unhappy.
As I got in range, I placed the box near him.
Val turned around and greeted me.
"Oh hey, Monika. How's it-"
I cut him off when I pounced onto him.
"Whoa! Hey!" He complained from the pounce.
I made sure that I was sitting on his lap, and was dangerously close to his crotch.
My arms wrapped around his body to bring him closer to me and my puffed out chest.
His breathing became lethargic as my chest melted into his rock-hard one.
To put the cherry-on-top, I leaned in and...
Kissed his cheek.
My world stopped at that very moment.
It was the first time that I kissed his cheek outside of a holiday.
The kiss felt distinctive; it felt nothing like courtesy or anything.
It felt...
Different.
I pulled away from him, feeling accomplished on what I did.
Val looked completely disconcerted, his black onyx eyes frantically searching for answers in my eyes.
My eyes had no answers, but warmth.
For some reason, I felt alive.
I felt ecstatic.
My lips morphed into a small simper, dually enjoying his baffled state and on what I did.
With that simper, I looked up to the smiling girl.
The blonde girl radiated a similar aura like mine.
It was something that I can recognize easily.
Perfection.
But I couldn't shake off the feeling that she didn't quite care on what I did.
"Oh, hello there! I am guessing that you are Val's boyfriend, right?" She cheerily said.
...
...
...
Whaaaaaaat?!
H-H-How is she not affected at all?!
Why isn't she jealous?!
That blondie doesn't even care about me getting close to him?!
I thought she was into him and was trying to rope into doing whatever she wanted!
To think that I-I embarrassed myself so I can to make sure that she would back off and-and...
Aaaaah!
How am I going to talk myself out of this one?!
Actually, why did I even do all this?
Why did I kiss him?
Why am I sitting on his lap?
Oh...
I can feel something poking my butt...
The blond girl raised an eyebrow at me, confused from my apparent hesitation.
Give her an answer!
"Uh, um... yes! Yes, I am! My name is Monika Salvato, and I am Val's girlfriend and soulmate!" I proudly declared.
My heart soared as the words came out of my lips.
I am making it worse and worse!
Who would want to be his girlfriend and soulmate?
Definitely not me!
...
I am clung onto him, and this is my defense?
She broke out of her puzzled trance and looked up to Val.
"Wow, Val. You got yourself a looker, huh?"
I looked up to him to see him still disorientated from the events that have happened.
To wake him up and against my better judgment, I subtly grinded on him.
He gave a small yelp and stood straight.
"Errr, um... Chiyoko, Monika is not my-"
This moron is going to embarrass me by painting me as a flirtatious slut!
Not if I can help it!
I moved myself up to his ear and whispered.
"If you tell her that I am not your girlfriend, then you are a dead man."
To seal the deal, I bit onto his earlobe.
His ear burned red, as I continued to bite on him.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!
DID I REALLY NEED TO BITE HIS EAR?!
"Y-Yeah! Yup! She is definitely my girlfriend!" He mumbled.
The blond girl giggled at us.
"Ahahah! You two are like the most cutest couple I have met! I heard about you, Monika. You're the sweetheart of Dokisai, right? I never thought you would hook up with this doofus here. But I can see why you two are together."
I pulled away from biting his ear and rested on his shoulder.
"Yeah, we get that a lot. Sometimes I would ask myself why I even fell in love with him." I teased, nuzzling him.
Stop it, stop it, stop it!
Since when was so I lovey-dovey around him, to the point that I would do all this?!
Why am I not feeling sick in the inside?!
This all feels...
Right.
It feels like that I was meant to do this...
The girl laughed at my tease.
"Even if he's denser than a black hole, I am glad he found love. I'll leave you two at it. And allow me to introduce myself, name's Chiyoko Madison."
Chiyoko?
Didn't I hear that name before?
She started to walk away.
"It's nice meeting you, Monika. Have fun making out!"
Bye!" Monika waved, letting her walk off.
Once Chiyoko got out of range, she moved off my lap and sat beside me.
This is all weird...
All too weird.
Why did Monika even kiss my cheek, bite my ear and...
Grind on me?
I got the feeling that she did this before, but obviously, she never did.
Monika never kissed my cheek outside of holidays.
And she never bit my ear... ever.
I have to admit; my spine tingled when she did bite me.
But I never would expect her to grind on me!
Monika wouldn't do that for sure!
Would she...?
She did it a few minutes ago, and I couldn't stop myself from getting uh...
Turned on.
I felt this dark, dark temptation swelling up inside of me and told me to grab ahold of her hips...
But I easily dispelled it, mostly because I can't see ourselves doing any of that.
Why would Monika waltz right in and cut me off?
Was she jeal-
"Don't tell a soul on what happened just now." She said, looking out onto the distance.
Her voice doesn't have that menacing tone like before...
Something's up.
I reared my head to better look at her face, but she countered by looking away.
Butting into a conversation like that wasn't something I was going to let go.
"Fine, I won't. But you better have a good explanation on why you did all that." I warned. "Jumping in and claiming that I was your boyfriend isn't something that will slide."
In all honesty, I didn't like how Monika butted in out of nowhere.
It made me somewhat annoyed at the very least.
She flinched from my aggression.
"W-Well... I-I..." She stammered.
I sighed and grabbed her shoulders.
She yelped as I spun her around.
From there, I noticed how red her face was.
"Monika." I firmly called.
Her lips quivered as she struggled to formulate any words.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Alright! I'll admit it! I didn't like how she was looking at you!" She yelled.
How she was looking at me?
That's her excuse?
"A-And... I saw how you looked into her cleavage. I needed to do something to get you away from her, so I did all that. Pervert." Monika muttered.
Me looking at her cleavage?
That's not true!
"What are you even talking about? I never looked at her cleavage! Chiyoko was showing me her new pendant that she got the other day. And I was just about to comment how great it looked until you jumped on me."
I was still annoyed on she interrupted our conversation.
Monika uncharacteristically tapped her fingers together.
"Oh. Um, I'm-I'm... I'm sorry."
That's something I haven't heard in a while.
"I just felt overprotective of you. I thought she was making a move that... you would probably regret."
What about the shows of love?
"Okay... then what was the point of all the-"
She cut me off as if fully expecting what I was about to say.
"And all that kissing and biting thing? Um... please don't bring it up, it was all to make her deviate from you. I thought making her jealous would make her back off. But that obviously didn't work... And don't get the wrong idea! I have ZERO feelings for you, got it?"
Overprotective of me?
So she still does care.
And what does making Chiyoko jealous have to do with anything?
"I wasn't planning to but sure. And, if you were looking out for me, then I have no reason to be mad."
There was an awkward silence between us.
Monika fumbled with her fingers, being uncharacteristically nervous.
"Um... Val. Do you see her as anything more than a friend? Like you know... maybe someone you can hook up to?"
Hook up to?
Like as a girlfriend?
No way!
"No! Not at all! Monika, I don't see her as a potential girlfriend. In fact, I only see Chiyoko as a really close friend and nothing more than that. We were friends back in the United States."
She looked surprised by the information.
"W-What...? Does that mean you knew her before you knew me?"
I nodded slowly, unsure as to why looked upset.
"Yeah, I met her when I was around six years old. We only knew each for a few months before I moved here." I stated.
The life in her green eyes vanished from the revelation.
"That means... I wasn't your first girl-friend." She muttered.
As soon as she uttered that, the life in her eyes came back.
"But I knew you for the longest, so that's what counts the most! I know your fears, your secrets, what you like to eat, where you live..."
I couldn't help but smirk and give her head-pats.
"Okay, okay. I get your point, yandere. Now, is there a particular reason why you came out here?" I asked.
But instead of answering, she pouted.
"Hey...! I am not a yandere! Why would I be so obsessed about you? It's not like I have a body-pillow with your face on it!"
...
...
...
"What?"
"Nothing!"
I eyed her suspiciously and stopped my head-pats.
"Anyway, you didn't quite answer my question."
She crossed her arms and looked away.
What now?
Is it because of how I stopped giving her head-pats?
To experiment my theory, I placed my hand on her head and continued to pat her.
She beamed and continued.
"The reason why I came out here is so we can discuss plans for the festival... and eat our lunch together."
That's it?
Fair enough.
"Well, let's get started." I motioned to the box.
We got our boxes and opened it to reveal the contents inside.
*FWOP*
The lunch consisted of grilled fish, tamagoyaki, nori, and a bit of Kobe beef.
Just like old times.
Everything about this lunch screams nostalgia.
And not to mention the food is always top-notch.
No five-star restaurant can compete with Monika's cooking.
But baking...
Yeah, maybe they can.
"What's with that look on your face?"
I didn't hear her over the aroma of the food invaded my nostrils.
I couldn't help but breath it in and make me hungry.
"As usual, it smells amazing, Monika. I never thought you would make these again, ever since you know... Thanks."
The girl looked away.
"Well, I needed to repay you and everything from last night. You did keep me warm and safe, so making lunch was the least I can do."
With the Kobe beef in place, I was ready to devour it.
Sweet and chili beef here I come!
Until I realized that there was nothing in my mouth.
I looked to my side to see Monika chewing and humming from the beef.
"Mmm... It looks my culinary skills aren't rusty as I thought it would be."
My beef...
She looked to me with a smirk.
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to taste it? Are you trying to make me self-conscious?"
I am guessing this is her plan to get back at me when I was mad.
This side of her is fun.
Time to play along.
"Maybe..." I playfully muttered, now aiming for her Kobe beef.
Fortunately, she didn't catch wind of my attack, letting me steal her food easily.
I quickly ate the beef before she could counter-attack.
"Whaaat? That's not fair! Since when did you stoop so low, Val?!"
I gulped and shrugged.
"I play dirty when the enemy plays dirty. It's called learning to adapt, Monika. Gosssh!" I mocked haughtily.
She rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. Anyway, do have any ideas for the festival?"
I tapped my chin in thought.
"Hmm... well, maybe we could- Hey!"
Monika stole yet another piece of Kobe beef from me and retreated.
"Come on, Val! It's called learning to adapt. Gosssh!" She mocked back.
I smirked.
"If you wanna play like that then, get some!"
I then lunged at her box, making sure my contents were still in place.
Unfortunately, Monika foresaw my attack and turned her back to block my attack.
Right after, she stood up and blew a raspberry at me.
"Oooh! Oooh! Vally-pally is all grown up!"
Seriously?
That nickname again?!
I have to admit that kind of struck a nerve.
Hmm...
Ahah!
With a smirk and a confidence boost, I closed my box and placed it on the bench.
She did the same, readying herself for anything as I looked towards her.
"I kind of am. But I can't say the same for you..."
Her green eyes kept in contact with me, anticipating whatever's to come.
"The Lady That Knows Everything."
Monika's simmer broke into a slight twitch in her right eye.
"W-What did you just call me?!"
I couldn't help but grin at her fall.
To add salt to the injury, I brought my hand up to the side of my lips and looked up.
"Hey, everyone! The sweetheart of Dokisai is actually Th-"
I suddenly turned to my side and let the girl unsuccessfully pounce on me.
"RAAAH! STAND STILL!"
With the advantage of her recovering from the failed attack, I gave her a two fingered salute and started to run.
"Later!"
I looked behind me to see Monika go through different stages of realization.
At first, she was confused.
Then she was hurt.
After that, she realized what was going on.
And finally, she burst into fiery anger.
"I DON'T THINK SO! COME BACK HERE, JONES!"
Despite my apparent plans, I had no intention of embarrassing her at all.
And so, I laughed in joy.
Something I thought that I lost the ability to do in the first place.
Just like old times...
It was study hall, and I couldn't help but smile from what happened earlier today.
I am supposed to practice my piano, but I can't stop thinking about what I did to Val when he was talking to her.
To think that Chiyoko would take him away...
Of course, Val would be the typical dense idiot when it comes to love.
So naturally, he wouldn't be crushing hard on her.
Not to mention, she wasn't all that interested in Val either.
Was she glad that I "took" him away?
My smile morphed into a frown.
I-I overreacted there.
And that's putting it nicely.
My behavior around him was completely unacceptable!
How could I sit on his lap, kiss his cheek, bite his ear, and grind on him?
That makes me come off as an utterly lovestruck girl!
I am not lovestruck, and I definitely not in love with that dork!
Even though he keeps me safe, happy, understand me, and...
Warm.
He is nothing more than a sweet guy!
Even though I crushed on him for almost a decade.
Focus, focus, focus!
I need to get this piano practice done!
With my constant reprimands, I cracked my fingers and placed them on the keys of the piano.
I took a deep breath and started to play the song I made for a long time.
Hm, hm, hm... hm, hm, hmm, hmmm~
I wonder what Val's doing now.
With that single thought, my focus the song vanished.
Damn it!
Why am I thinking about him at this exact moment!
Argh... Let's take it from the top.
With a few readjustments, I played the starting notes to my song before I needed to sing.
"Everyday~ I imagine a future where I can-"
Touch Val's muscles.
I coughed from the random thought in my head.
What in the world is going on?!
Why can't I focus?
And what do his muscles have to do with anything?
Well, they did keep safe and warm...
Arrrrgh!
I yawned, knowing it was a very long day.
Out of the days, today was the day where was a club meeting right?
I was hoping I can get some time for myself; there's only so much patience I have without letting anyone know that I am getting ticked off.
Or even think about getting ticked off.
"Yo, Val." A familiar voice called.
I turned to whoever was calling me.
Tom...
"Hey, Tom. What's up?" I greeted, bring my hand up to welcome him.
He took it, and we did a one-armed hug.
"Just that we need to get through this club meeting. We're going to the gym tomorrow, right?"
I smirked at the plans we had.
"Hell yeah. The gain train never stops."
He smirked with me, and we walked to the club.
"I don't mind going there more often, but there's one guy that kind of terrifies me." He muttered.
"What? What do you mean? You mean the guy with the crazy gas mask on for no apparent reason?"
He nodded.
"Y-Yeah, that guy. I don't know what he even does, but I see him Guarding the plates against those who can't lift as much they would want to. A true Guardian, I guess."
I shrugged and went along what he was saying.
"I guess you can say that. Anyway, you busy tomorrow? I was hoping that we can get the boys and hang out in the arcade. You in?"
Despite how uneasy he was feeling, Tom managed to crack a smile.
"Sure. It's been a while since we hanged out, so yeah. But I don't know if Dan is going to come over, he's still recovering from the... you know."
The break-up.
"Yeah. Yeah... I know. I'll try to convince him to hang out with us, so he put his mind off things. That girl was a yandere, dude. I never thought she would go so far."
Tom shook his head in disgust.
"I had this feeling that something was really off about her, but I didn't say anything. Dan's been putting a mask on and showing the world that he's fine. But we all know he's pretty torn-up inside..."
Just like me when Monika left.
I understand his pain.
"Don't worry man, I going to talk to him about all this. I've been through the same thing as him." I affirmed.
He arched a suspicious eyebrow.
"Val... are you going through something right now?"
I smiled at him, thankful that he worried about me.
Most of my pain is gone...
I need to strike the source where it came from.
Monika's dad.
"No, I am not. Well not anymore since Prom."
He eyed me.
"If you say so. Keeping friends around and keeping them close are two different things. I was a bit of a loner after Sayori moved away, so keeping my bonds tight is always a priority."
I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
"Me too, me too. Friends like you are hard to find and are very valuable to me. So I'll do whatever it takes to keep you guys close."
We continued to walk knowing that we had each other's backs.
It didn't take long until we made it to the club.
I opened the door to see both Natsuki and Sayori light up from our presence.
The first to greet us, or rather, the first to welcome Tom was Sayori.
"Yay! You came, you came, you finally came!" She cheerily chirped as she crushed him into a hug.
And as usual, Natsuki snickered from Sayori's repeated use of "came."
Tom looked uncomfortable and turned to me.
"Help."
"How? What do you want me to do? This is something I can't stop, Tom."
Regardless, Sayori pulled off of Tom and smiled.
"Hypocrite."
I scoffed at him.
"Now that you came, do you wanna go with me the cafeteria? Maybe... buy a snack or two?"
Tom grunted and rolled his eyes.
"I would but uh- Open your coin purse."
That's a bit weird to ask for...
Sayori looked anxious and was fidgety when he asked to open her coin purse.
"W-What? Ehehe... why?" She asked, playing with the collar of her brown blazer.
"Just open it." He muttered, wanting to get whatever he wants over with.
Sayori walked back to her desk and pulled out a small coin purse.
The girl looked up to Tom's blue eyes for any traces of mercy.
"Open it." He demanded.
She closed her baby blue eyes and opened the hatch of her purse.
"Please..." She begged.
Tom's cold stare couldn't faze through him.
It was which Sayori decided to perform a leap of faith.
She spilled the contents of her purse onto the table, revealing many coins and some cash left in there.
With a gasp, she smiled at Tom.
"I knew you would forget to your Mom to fill your coin purse again, so I reminded her to give you your allowance." He announced, with a smirk.
The event warmed my heart for me to go: "Aww..."
"Aww... I thought Sayori's coin purse would be empty. That would have been hilarious to see. Oh well... there goes my plan to give Sayori a cookie." Natsuki muttered.
She then looked towards me.
"That reminds me... Did you eat my cookie?"
In the background, I noticed Sayori swooping all of the cash she had and dragging Tom to whoever knows where.
Oh shit...
"I-uh didn't. My bad. It's just that Monika made lunch for me that I totally forgot to eat it."
She widened her eyes for some reason.
"Monika made lunch for you?"
"She did?" A new voice asked as well.
We both turned to that voice.
A purple haired girl looked fazed and disappointed from the news.
Yuri...
In her hands was a coffee thermos, which held I assumed was tea.
With the attention now directed towards her, she flinched.
"I-I made some Jasmine tea for you. Since you liked how I brewed it the other day..." She mumbled, offering the thermos to me.
Without a doubt, I took the thermos and opened it slightly.
The aroma of the tea was still fresh and not tainted.
I let out a sigh, showing that I was happy with the gift.
"The tea's scent is still as fresh I remembered it. Thanks." I complimented.
The nervous frown she sported was replaced by a warm smile.
"Your welcome, Valkyrie."
I opened the thermos a little more to drink it.
"Hey! What about my cookie?! I made that for you!" Natsuki complained, putting her hands on her hips.
I snapped, forgetting the chocolate-chip cookie she made for me.
"Right, right. It's going to go well with Yuri's tea! Thanks for reminding me you two! Now, as compensation, I was hoping that I can-"
As soon as I walked over to my bag, the door swung open.
"I sensed a great... disturbance... in the... literature club," Monika said, desperately trying to regain her breathing.
The club was silent from her dramatic entrance.
We stared at her strange behavior as a result.
Monika fixed her posture and cleared her throat.
"Um... Hello everyone! Sorry for running late. I was practicing piano in study hall. And hmm... where's Sayori and Thomas?"
I broke the silence.
"They went to go get snacks. And since when did you practice piano? I didn't know that you played piano, even before you went to Ainu." I asked.
Monika's eyes widened.
"Err... I meant to study in the study hall. Not play the piano!" She quickly corrected.
I eyed her suspiciously.
Hmm...
I have a feeling that she does play the piano.
"That's very admirable of you, Monika. I was thinking of... nevermind." Yuri started to say.
Natsuki rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Yuri. If you have something to say, then spit it out." She stated, crossing her arms on the timid girl.
Yuri played with her galaxy purple hair to calm herself down.
"Well, I was hoping that we can have a study session on Friday. I don't have a study hall, so there isn't any extra time for me to study..."
Monika nodded slowly as she processed what the shy girl said.
"If you want to study Friday, then why not? We can study together!" She cheered.
Natsuki piped in.
"You know, I would also like to join in too. Maybe you guys can help me with English homework. Gosh, I hate that language."
I couldn't help but stare at the pink-haired girl.
"What?"
I shook my head.
"Nothing much but, English can be hard at first, but like all languages, it's enjoyable to speak some of it."
She rolled her eyes.
"Easy for you to say, you're American, aren't you? English is probably easy as breathing for you, huh?"
I would know for a fact that she would be surprised by how many Americans are illiterate.
"That's beside the point. Just because I can speak fluent English, doesn't mean you can't too."
Both Monika and Yuri leaned in.
"You can speak English, Russian, and our native tongue Valkyrie?" Yuri asked.
There was something off about her eyes, but I didn't pay any heed to it.
"Of course he can. But I rarely hear him speak English anywhere..." Monika mentioned.
Natsuki put her hands on her hips and leaned in, putting her hands on the table.
"Since you are so good at speaking English, speak some. We'll be the judge of well you can speak it." She declared.
"Yeah!"
"I would like to hear you speak it."
The three girls stared at me in an unsettling way and kept leaning in.
It was as if they were getting too close for comfort.
I am getting a strong sense of deja vu here...
Didn't they do this once when they tried to get me to choose whoever I wanted to be with?
They kept pushing each other and repeated my name multiple times, all the while getting closer and closer to me...
Hmm...
Naaah!
Like that will ever happen.
Before I can retort, the door swung open.
Out came Sayori with an armful of chocolate bars and Tom with only some bread.
"Chocolate!" The bouncy girl chirped, oblivious to whatever was happening. "What's going on guys?"
The girls immediately backed away from me, allowing me to breathe without consequence.
Sayori suddenly smirked when she made eye contact with Monika.
"Monika~! If you keep letting Val talk to other girls, then he might find another girlfriend~!" She teased.
"Valkyrie has a girlfriend?!"
"Since when did this guy have a girlfriend?"
"I have a girlfriend?"
"Sayori, that is pretty creepy and unrealistic to say..."
There was a slight twitch in Monika's right eye and a slight vibration coming from her.
"He's not my boyfriend, Sayori." She assured, trying her best to stay calm.
The coral-pink haired girl placed the chocolates down on the table.
"That's not what you told me~!" She teased again, now blowing a raspberry at her.
Monika's breaking point came close, but she tried her best to stay collected.
"You have three seconds to run," Monika warned.
Sayori bolted out of the room, giggling from her accomplishment.
Not soon after, Monika walked over to the door and smiled.
"I'll be back, everyone. For the meantime, you can read, chat, or relax if you would like~!"
With the innocent facade out of the way, she scowled and opened the door.
That's the first time I have seen Monika lose her cool in front of her friends...
I hope they don't see her as anything worse...
"So that's how you push Monika's buttons..." Natsuki muttered with a small smirk.
"Interesting." Yuri topped off.
On the other hand, Tom was confused by her strange behavior.
"I never thought Sayori would be able to tease Monika that much... there has to be something she picked up that made her do that..." He muttered.
I was lost in my thoughts as well.
Monika did say she had no feelings for me...
"Val, could you help me sort out my manga? You know since you are tall?"
If that's the case, then why is Sayori's teasing her about it...?
"Earth to baka, are you there? Hellooo?"
My train of thought was disrupted when Natsuki pulled my arm.
She was confused as to why I didn't budge and struggled.
"How come this works in anime and manga?!"
Argh... what now?!
I pulled her towards me, causing her to tumble toward me.
She lost her balance and was about to fall.
Luckily, however, I caught her.
Natsuki looked up to me.
Her pink eyes twinkled as we kept eye contact.
Just as I raised an eyebrow, she looked away and pouted.
"If you didn't wake up from whatever you were thinking of, then I wouldn't be stuck here hugging you... baka."
That doesn't even make any sense!
I tried to pull her off, but she clung onto me.
"Wait... just a little longer. I didn't know that you were so warm..."
I didn't know what to say or do, so I just let her hug me, despite how uncomfortable I felt.
She released me not soon after.
"Alright! Monika most likely messed up my manga collection in the closet, so I am going to need some help rearranging it!"
I jeered at her.
"Yeah, okay. Why would I even do that? I was hoping that I can catch up with some math homework."
The short girl gritted her teeth towards me, her fang prominently poking out.
"You didn't eat my cookie! I made that..."
Natsuki turned away and crossed her arms.
"With a lot of effort, since I wanted to apologize you to fully."
That cookie did look good...
I put my bag on the table and took out the cookie, which was surprisingly intact.
"Alright. How about this? I eat your cookie and rearrange your mango. How does that sound?"
She beamed at me and pulled my hand.
"That'll work!"
We quickly walked to the closet.
This place looks familiar...
It's like I was here with Natsuki before...
Eating ice cream that she made...
Natsuki groaned when saw her collection.
"Seriously?! Look at that! My manga collection is all the way up there! How am I supposed to reach that?" She complained.
"By being taller." I snickered, opening the cookie wrapper.
Natsuki turned around immediately and grabbed the scruff of my uniform.
"Say that again! I dare you to say that again!"
Why does teasing her feel almost the same as teasing Monika?
Her height is the equivalent of mentioning Monika's severe case of schizophrenia.
I shrugged.
"I made my point. Anyway, where should I rearrange them in order?" I asked, now putting the cookie in my mouth.
Natsuki didn't like how I turned the conversation in a 180-degree angle.
"Urg... you're lucky that you look cute with that cookie. Yeah, do that."
With a nod, I reached up to the upper-most shelf and started to rearrange the items there.
Every once in a while I took a bite out of the cookie, as a respite for my work.
This cookie is way, way better than any bakery!
She needs to teach me how to do this!
"So... you're from the United States right?"
I turned around with the cookie in hand.
Natsuki was sitting on a smaller shelf and swung her legs back and forth.
"Yeah, I am. Why?"
Her cheeks turned a pale pink.
"Well, you never really spoke English when we wanted you to... So why don't speak some right now?"
I sighed, knowing that she wouldn't stop asking me if I didn't say any.
"(Hello there. You are one awfully short girl!)" I said.
Natsuki looked awe-struck from the foreign language.
"So hot..."
...
"What?"
"What?"
I shrugged and returned to sorting out the volumes.
"Hey, Val... could you do me a favor and speak to me in English only?" She requested.
"Hah! First off, you didn't seem to care what I even to said to you in English. Second, I thought speaking in another language makes you uncomfortable. What changed?"
Natsuki moaned.
"Aww, come on Val! A girl's opinion can change, right...? And I did understand what you said to me!"
I finished sorting out the volumes and turned to her.
"Really? What did I say then?"
Her faux confidence came to an abrupt halt.
"Er... um... you said that I looked... cute?"
I stared at her with deadpan eyes.
"Not even close. I didn't call you cute. I called you short."
Her cheeks flared up from the revelation.
"Oh. Well, if I weren't so short, then I would doubt you wouldn't crack jokes about my height..."
I walked up to her and sat beside her.
"Maybe, but being short is not as bad you would think. People could underestimate you, and you can take the chance to impress them. And besides, being short suits your cute personality, Natsuki."
She looked up to me with shaky eyes.
"You really think so?"
I nodded and took another bite out of the cookie.
"Mhm. And jeez! This cookie is amazing! You gotta teach how to bake these!"
The girl smiled proudly, her pearly white teeth bared for me to see.
"Baking is easy! And if you are eager to learn, then it wouldn't hurt to give you some lessons."
I smiled as well.
"I look forward to it. Anyway, while we are here why don't we share poems?"
Natsuki looked uneasy at the mention of our poems.
"I'm going to honest Val; I don't think you would like my poems."
I patted her shoulder to reassure her.
"Ah, don't be like that, Nat. It's only a poem, and I will not think any lesser of you when I read it."
She frowned and handed her poem from her brown blazer's pocket.
In exchange, I took out mine.
Once I got the poem, I started to read it.
Hmm...
Natsuki's poem is about being human.
There's a limit on what a person can do.
Other animals can perform what we can't do, but we still dare to try...
Even if we don't achieve it, we make up for it with our determination.
I saw a small smile form as Natsuki read my poem.
"Your poem is so cute! It makes me think that you wrote this for somebody..."
I did...
It's for Monika.
The closet door opened cutting me off from replying.
Yuri poked her head out as if she was searching for us.
"Ah, Valkyrie. There you are. I was hoping that you can maybe help me with something..."
I felt an arm grip mine.
"Sorry to about that, Yuri. He's still helping me reorganize my manga collection! Right, Val?"
There was a strange tone to Natsuki's voice that I couldn't quite get.
But regardless, I shrugged it off.
"Actually, I finished sorting it out a while ago." I meekly said.
I didn't like the situation I was in.
Yuri smirked, something I thought I would never see her do and walked up to me.
"If his work here is done, then he has no reason to remain here."
She grabbed my arm and hugged it, firmly keeping it in place.
Holy shit!
Her chest is massive!
It's way bigger than Monika's!
I can feel my arm being swallowed by these pillows...
Natsuki didn't want to give up, however, and tugged my arm towards her.
"He does have a reason! To keep me company, until Monika arrives!"
That's not part of the deal!
Yuri pulled my arm to her side.
"But you have your manga to keep you company! I need some help with a task!"
If she needs help, then I will help her...
And besides this is starting to get on my nerves.
"Natsuki, if Yuri needs my help, then I need to go." I firmly demanded.
She sighed heavily.
"Fine... but only if tell how you thought about my poem."
The girl started to loosen up around my arm.
"Your poem was cute, Nat. Just like how you are." I truthfully stated.
For some reason, instead of letting go of my arm, she held onto it.
"I knew it! I knew my poem was cute!" She chirped, constricting my arm.
This isn't going too well!
I was again out of breath and almost exhausted.
Who knew Sayori could run for so long...?
If she hadn't stopped to stare at the Baking Club's cakes, then I wouldn't be able to catch her.
After I caught her, she agreed to stop teasing me.
Under two conditions...
She will stop teasing me on Christmas, and she can tease me whenever we are alone.
Jeez...
How much will it take to convince her that I am not interested in him?
I opened the door to see Val walking out of the closet with Yuri.
Natsuki was on the door, looking on from a distance with-
Lovestruck eyes...
Since when did Val interest her?
I thought she hated him!
Well, to be fair, he did apologize to him.
The only thing that would melt her "cold" heart is being called cute...
Wait.
Does that mean Val called her cute?!
I felt a sharp prick in my heart.
For some reason, it made me annoyed and not the usual angry I felt when Val goofs off.
And it hurt for some reason.
What's wrong with me...?
Why does my heart hurt?
I saw them talking about something.
To better hear their conversation, I sat down at the teacher's desk and watched from afar.
"You have back pains? Is it frequent?" He asked.
Yuri put her hands behind her back and rubbed it.
"Not quite. The pain is not excruciating, rather very uncomfortable. It doesn't force me to seek a doctor or anything." She replied.
Bullshit.
I know it's painful and persistent for a girl with E-cup breasts to have back pains.
She's trying to get him under her finger!
Is her boobs the only redeemable quality that he can find?!
Isn't mine enough for him?!
"But that's not the reason why I asked for your help. I am having some problems with my math homework, and I was wondering if you can help."
...
Oh.
I thought she was going to get him to massage her back...
Note to self, remind Yuri to get a sports bra...
But that doesn't explain why I am getting so edgy over them!
If Val wants to caress her, then go ahead!
Urgh...
That hurt.
The two started to do the math homework, with Val standing up to better see the problems.
With them working on that I can relax.
...
What's wrong with me?
I am acting as if I am jealous!
...
Or am I actually jealous?
Why would I be jealous?
I am not in love with him, right?
There's no way I can be.
I promised myself that I wouldn't fall for him again, no matter how much he... behaves like him.
So much for my promise of keeping him at an arm's reach.
Each time I try to get away from him, I only get close to him as a result.
Just like last night.
The thunderstorm could have been a perfect reason not to get close to him.
I could've shown him that I grew over the couple four years.
But instead...
I didn't.
I was still scared of the thunder.
And that showed that I didn't grow up.
Why do I still need him?
Without him, I am never actually happy.
Colors, music, food, and smells, all feel real whenever I am around him.
Even he is not there; I can take solace knowing that he is there for me...
He is always there for me, whenever I need him.
And that day was a whole misunderstanding and proved that he was waiting for my call.
But he never got it.
When we spoke about what happened yesterday, he said that he was hurt by my departure.
I never thought that he would hate himself over what happened.
He was always happy-go-lucky.
To think that he lost all that charm because of me...
And when I came back, he went back to the loving Val I knew.
He never told me about how every day was a day not worth living in his eyes.
If we never spoke yesterday, then I don't know how I would be feeling.
Would I still hate him?
Did I ever hate him?
"That problem is pretty easy. Find the factorial of eight and divide by it with the other variables." Val stated, pointing at the problem.
Yuri had this strange smile.
It was something that didn't I see often.
Mostly because she never smiles.
"I see."
She scribbled the numbers on the paper before Val interjected her.
"Wait! That isn't the number you were supposed to divide by!"
The sudden stop caused Yuri to drop her pen onto the floor.
"Aah!"
She pulled her seat back and stooped down to pick up the pen.
Val did the same thing and knelt.
They inevitably collided as their heads hitting each other.
"Kyaah! Sorry, Valky-"
Val rubbed his head and looked up to silent girl.
"What's wrong, Yu-"
They are close to each other...
I saw Yuri's eyes quiver from the distance they shared.
Her eyes were coated with some sort of excitement, causing them to be focused and hollow.
I saw Val's eyes quiver from a distance they shared as well.
His eyes were coated with something that I have seen before.
It was something I only saw briefly yesterday...
Is that...
Lust?
Oh no...
I need to do something!
I won't let her take him away from me!
"Okay everyone~!" I stood up from my seat with a finger pointed in the air. "It's time to share our poems!"
Yuri and Val backed away from each other with red faces.
"R-Right..." He muttered, walking back to his seat.
Yuri didn't say anything and slowly walked to her seat, stroking her locks of hair.
They could've kissed there.
They could've kissed!
I don't think anyone would walk in here to see them making out!
Good work me!
I just saved the club!
Despite my thoughts, it couldn't crush the guilt I was experiencing deep inside me.
However, I was able to relax somewhat when everyone came to exchange their poems with each other.
I crushed Yuri's chances to be with Val...
And I keep butting in whenever he shares a moment with them.
I can't even explain why I am doing this!
It's like as if entirely second nature for me!
Am I...
A yandere?
A girl that can't control herself when someone is around him?
No, no, no... That can't be it!
I am not in love with him.
With that out of the way...
Who will share their poem with me first?
To my surprise, Val was the first one to share the poem with me.
"Hey, Monika."
I smiled back.
"Hey."
He brought up the poem and handed it up to me.
The way he gave me the poem is strange...
It was like he was nervous about giving me this.
"I wrote this poem while thinking about you." He muttered.
...
Whaaat?!
He thought about me when he wrote this?!
D-D-Does that mean h-he likes me?!
My heart pounded as stared at his poem in awe.
Did he actually write a poem about me?
I-I never thought he would do such a thing!
My eyes scanned the paper, every crease, every symbol, and every mark fell under my gaze.
This poem was made before we had our talk, apparently.
And, it's a poem about us!
I-I can't believe it!
I closed my eyes and sighed dreamily.
With a smile and I hugged the paper.
"Thank you, Val... I love this poem so much!"
Val also sighed.
"Thank goodness; I thought you wouldn't like it or find it weird, ya know?"
This has to be the happiest day of my life!
I opened my eyes and beamed.
"Would you mind if I keep this poem?"
He was taken aback from my request.
"What? W-Why? Do you like it that much?"
I nodded vigorously.
"Yes! Yes, I do! I love this poem! It makes me feel aaaalive~!" I sang.
He likes me!
I never thought he would like me!
Everything he wrote about is from our childhood!
He wants to go to the next level!
"Monika, I didn't write this poem for you! I wrote this poem for everyone in the club to read!" He stated.
"W-What? But didn't you say that you thought about me while writing this?" I muttered, hoping that the case.
He shook his head.
"Yeah, I thought about you in this poem. But that doesn't mean I wrote for you, Monika."
And just like that, the magic was gone.
...
...
...
You've got to be kidding me.
This is all just another misunderstanding...
I-I got excited over him again.
There is something definitely up with me.
But he wrote everything about our childhood.
And what broke our relationship.
It's the perfect bittersweet poem...
That's why I love it.
"C-Could I still keep it after you are done sharing it with everybody? I still want it..." I muttered.
Why do I want his poem so badly?
Is it because it's perfect and reflects on how much we missed each other?
Yeah, that's probably it.
"Monika... I don't know about that."
I gave him the best puppy-eyes I could muster.
"Please? Can't you see how much I want this poem? It's the best poem I have ever read!"
He relented knowing that he couldn't keep up.
"Alright, just... stop with the eyes! It's unbearable! I'll let you keep it!"
My heart soared from the very words that escaped his lips.
"Yes!" I cheered, hugging the poem tightly. "It's mine; it's mine, it's mine!"
"Jeez, Monika. That is pretty creepy."
I rubbed my forehead from the day I had.
Getting Lunch from the sweetheart of Dokisai had its consequences.
On the one hand, I get a delicious lunch from the legend herself.
But on the other, every guy gives me the death glare on carrying it...
I mean come on!
It's only a lunch box!
When break time did happen, Chiyoko saw me and greeted me.
It's been a while since I last saw her back home and turns out she was visiting as a transfer student.
I wish we could have maybe caught up...
As I was talking to her, Monika jumps on my lap, kisses me on the cheek, bites my ear, and grinds on me.
That's a mouthful...
I don't know what it got to her, but she seemed a little competitive around Chiyoko.
The look in her eyes when she saw Chiyoko was as if she was a challenge.
What does that even mean?
Let's not forget about Yuri's creepy sister, Haru.
Why is she so obsessed with me?!
I never met her, and she treats me as a sort of knight... Eugh.
She even calls me Onii-chan.
Weird.
Hopefully, she meant it as a formality, since she calls Yuri Onee-chan.
"Val! Wait up!" A voice called behind me.
I turned around to see Monika running up to me.
And so, I stopped for her.
We're walking home together...?
Just like old times?
As she was running, she took a hasty step, causing her to lose her balance.
Oh no!
My heart stopped as she fell onto the concrete school grounds.
"Monika! Are you okay?!" I worriedly yelled.
I immediately ran towards her and brought her to her feet, cleaning the dust off of her uniform.
"Ow...!" She groaned as she stood up. "It hurts to stand up! Argh..."
I looked down to her knees.
One of them was severely scraped and was bleeding.
That's not good.
She can't stand up and is oozing blood!
Out of instinct, I scooped her up in my arms.
I cradled her bridal style until we could find a safe spot to check the scrape.
She let out a small scream from the sudden shift and was startled.
"Wait, wait, wait! I can walk! It's only a little bit of bleeding! Put me down!"
I ignored her demands to walk again.
"Yeah, so you can get that wound all infected, right? Pipe down!" I berated, using some force to cement my position.
That effectively shut her down.
Monika crossed her arms.
"Fine!" She pouted. "But just so you know, you're kind of touching my butt!"
I could hardly care less since my only goal in mind was get scrape cleaned.
Once we reached a bench for me, I sat her down carefully, making sure no additional pain could be inflicted.
She held onto me, making sure that she wouldn't lose her balance while sitting.
I knelt and checked on the wound.
"Urgh... It's not that bad, Val. I can walk! Let's just go home; I'll put some bandages once we get there."
Monika's insistence that we go home and forget about the wound annoyed me.
"I don't care if you can walk or not. Cleaning the wound up is important and should be done ASAP!" I sounded, with a hint of irritation, searching through my bag for a small med-kit.
"You're thinking that I am going to have to amputate my leg if I don't get it cleaned up!" She retorted.
I pulled out the disinfectant and opened the packet.
"Maybe it won't come to that, but you'll get sick. We can't afford to get sick, especially since we are trying to keep the literature club intact with the Winter Committee."
Monika looked down with slight fear in her eyes.
"Okay..." She muttered, straightening her leg for me.
I sighed, relieved that I was able to convince her.
"I recommend grabbing onto something since this is going to hurt," I warned.
She nodded and grabbed ahold of my wrist.
I took the wipe out and started to rub it against it her knee.
"Argh!" She hissed, the burning, white-hot sensation piercing her exposed skin.
Her nails dug into my wrist, causing me to hiss as well.
Once the wound was cleaned correctly, the next thing was the ointment.
"Monika, how are you faring? We got through the hard part..."
She frowned.
"Can't you do it like when we were younger?"
I scoffed at her.
"And get you sick? I don't think so. This is a much more effective way of dealing with wounds like these." I retorted.
I have to admit this does remind of simpler times...
I never cried from anything so painful before.
"My knee hurts so much, Val!" I cried as I held my knee in.
Val didn't react to my crying and only looked at my knee.
"Waaah! Val, please make the pain go away! It hurts so much! Please!"
I felt his hand on my head.
I immediately felt calmer, my crying coming to an end.
"Don't cry, Mon! I got the thing to help you feel better!"
I hiccuped and rubbed my eyes from his reassuring voice and head-pats.
He pulled out a large bandage from his bag and placed it on my bleeding knee.
The fresh and soothing sensation of the ointment with the soft bandage provided instant relief.
I couldn't help sigh but the pleasurable feeling it gave.
"There we go. All cleaned up and attended to."
I blushed and played with my hair.
"Um... aren't you forgetting one thing?"
Val tapped his chin and gasped.
"Oh right! This always makes me feel better whenever I get hurt! It's a trick I learned from Mama! Watch!"
He leaned in and kissed the band-aid in place.
I giggled on the relief it provided and how it tickled my knee.
"Do you think you can stand up?" He asked, offering his hand to me.
I tried to stand up by taking his hand, but the pain still lingered.
"Ow! Ow! It still hurts, Val!" I moaned, sitting on the floor again.
"There. That should do the trick."
I smiled from the kiss he gave.
"Can you stand, Monika?" He asked, offering his hand to me.
Just like when we were younger...
I took his hand and tried to stand up. However, my knee spiked with pain.
"Argh! I can't! My knee still hurts!" I groaned, frustrated that I couldn't walk.
Val tapped his chin in thought, trying to think of a way to get me up.
"Hmm... I got it! Why don't you get on my back?!" He offered.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Get on your back? L-Like a piggy-back ride?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Come on! I can carry you, so don't worry!"
Val knelt and bared his back to me.
"But it's going to look weird... especially since we are older, you know." I objected, looking down at my fumbling fingers.
He turned around and placed his hand on my forearm.
"Monika, I know it's going to look weird and stuff. But if you want to get home, then you may want to get on. And I won't drop you. I promise."
I looked up to him, and it was the same eyes as before.
His black, onyx eyes were filled with care and compassion, unlike anything I have seen before.
It was something I could trust.
It was something I could feel safe on.
It was something I could fall for.
I moved my legs into his arms and clung onto his chest.
And I instantly regretted my decision.
Val stood up quickly, causing me to squeeze his chest for dear life.
He started to stroll to attune himself with weight.
It didn't take long that he started to walk faster and slowly reach outside school grounds.
"H-Hey! What will everybody say if they see us like this?! My reputation will be ruined!" I complained.
Val chuckled at my complaint.
"Well, I don't know. But it doesn't matter, does it? There's nothing to hide." He countered.
I lamented about the predicament we were in.
"I don't like this! Put me down! I would rather walk than be embarrassed by you!" I whined.
He didn't budge.
"And see you fall? No thanks. It's better this way, Monika."
I started swinging my legs back and forth and give cries of disapproval to get off of him.
"Monika, for Pete's sake stay still! Or else you're gonna fall!"
Val felt off with the weight of me on his shoulders.
He felt like he was about to fall, but instead, he stood tall.
With each step he took, I couldn't help but giggle.
"This is fun, Val! Faster, faster!" I chanted.
Val started to quicken his pace, and I felt the rush of air flow through my hair.
He started to laugh at how much fun he was having.
Everything went better when he laughed, so I laughed.
We knew that there more adventures ahead.
Curse his logic!
For the time being, I stopped moving and agreed with his demands.
Val abruptly stopped moving and pushed me closer to him.
In his effort to get me closer, his hands cushioned themselves on my butt.
"Hey! Hey! Where do you think you're groping, huh?!" I yelled.
He reared his head to me.
"What are you talking about?"
Seriously?!
"Hentai!" I cried.
He rolled his eyes and continued to walk.
"Whatever you say..."
Despite my standing on not wanting to be seen, I hatched a plan.
I frowned and positioned myself to articulate my voice.
"Hey everyone! There's a pervert groping my butt, and he won't let go!"
He sighed.
"Can you not?" He asked.
I smirked.
"Nope! Pervert! Pervert over here!"
He stopped and reared his head to me once more.
"Monika... I would rather not attract any more attention. So please knock it off." He requested.
I rolled my eyes.
"Fine... only because you said please."
With a smile he looked at me.
"Thanks, sweetheart."
And with that, Val continued to walk.
Val never changed.
He went the extra mile to help me.
I knew he would never leave me behind.
The fact that he got angry when I insisted on going proves that he cares about me...
How can I not fall for him?
Of course... that day was a misunderstanding.
I was hurt.
I could never hate him.
And despite my best efforts not to get close to him...
I am still in love with him.
My feelings for him never changed.
Deep down, I knew he would never abandon me.
Deep down, I would always love him.
And deep down, I would always be there for him.
Just like how it once was.
I rested my head on his crown and smiled.
Maybe I am destined to be with you.
Maybe it's fate.
But there is one thing I know.
It's that I...
I love you.
AN: A special thank you to Apex, for reading both Letting Go and Holding On, as well as leaving reviews of great motivation.
