"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Falls," I said as we shook hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet the savior of the cyber realm," he said with a wide grin. "And to meet one of the Dokis is a pleasure as well." He bowed politely to Monika. "Well, I'm going to get right down to it. The appearance of Midokita hasn't quite gone unnoticed. The American government is mobilizing a task force to come and investigate the appearance of this city next to the Three Sisters."

"American? Why American?" Monika asked.

"Ah, well see those mountains?" he said, pointing to the three mountains nearby. "Those are the Three Sisters, three very close mountains in the Cascade Range, located in Oregon."

"Oh, I see…"

"I know you're confused, Ms. Nakamura," Edward said. "One of our representatives will be contacting the US Government shortly to explain everything. I'm here for two reasons actually. One is to answer any questions you might have for us."

"Great, but can we do it where it's warmer?" I asked.

He opened the door to the backseat. "The car's warm and we won't be heard." I let Monika get in first and I followed. Edward got into the front and started the car. Warm air began blowing out of the vents. "So first things first, Mr. Price. Do you or Ms. Nakamura have any questions?"

"I've got several," I said. "First question: how long have I bene gone from reality?"

"You vanished around ten days ago according to this world's time."

Okay, that's not bad. "So…why was the city placed here?" Monika asked before I could get a question in. "Why not in Japan where the game was set?"

"We were wondering the same thing too," Edward said, "and we never got a straight answer from the people who hired us. The running theory back at HQ is that since this game was made in the US, none of the people inside would be able to speak Japanese, so they transported this city to America."

"Well, why not England or Australia?" I asked.

"Like I said, it's just a theory," Edward said. "We're not entirely sure."

I sighed. "Okay fine. So…next question: what do we do now? The game's over, the real world awaits us, but I've no idea what to do next. We're obviously going to be a big deal in the world from now on."

"If you're worried about the Government, there's no need," he said. "Our organization will make sure you and the town remain safe."

"And what about the town? There's going to be mass panic," I said.

"Mr. Price, believe me, we've thought about everything. There's no need to worry so much."

Monika put a comforting hand on my shoulder. I nodded. "Alright, seeing as you've treated my sister with kindness and looked after her, I'll trust you."

"Thank you. Now if there are no more questions, I have one more piece of business with you." He handed me a folder.

"What is it?" I asked, opening it up. "Real Estate Deed…? What's this, seriously?"

"It's the deed to one of the largest houses in the city," he said. "You're going to need more room and more protection."

"Protection? From what?"

"From otaku, the press and more," Edward.

Well, that does make sense, but… "Well, I mean it's nice to be a homeowner suddenly," I said, "but it is sudden!"

"I know, and we're sorry about that," Edward said. "Tomorrow morning we'll be bringing a truck here and move all of your stuff to the new place. I'll be here as well to answer any questions the rest of you might have. Your mother and sister will also be moving in as well."

"Alright, well, thank you for everything you've done for me and my family." I shook his hand.

"It's been a privilege to help you," he said. "Now I need to head back. There's a lot of work to do and little time to do it in."

Monika and I got out and watched as Edward drove away, leaving the two of us standing in the empty street. A breeze blew suddenly and Monika shivered. "Let's go back inside," I said.

She grabbed my hand. "Not yet, I want to be alone with you."

I smiled. "Then here." I unzipped my hoodie and wrapped it around her. She held it close as we walked to the park and sat. Monika leaned against my shoulder and I put my arm around her.

"Jon, what do you think the future holds for us in this world?" Monika asked. "I'm a bit nervous. Ever since I came here, I've felt helpless, and not just because I can't access the command console now. Is this what it means to be human? To not know what the future holds?"

I pulled her closer. "Every human is unsure of the future. It's what makes us free. You don't have to worry, though," I said. "I'll make sure you're all safe."

She snuggled closer to me. "I know you will. I'm just venting."

We sat next to each other, keeping each other warm and just enjoying the late autumn evening. Eventually Monika asked if we could go back inside. When we got back the other two girls were awake and talking to my sister. When I came back in, Yuri and Sayori looked over. When they saw me, Sayori's eyes glistened with tears and Yuri simply smiled. Sayori ran over and hugged me tightly. "We've been so worried!" she said.

I held her back. Monika watched this exchange with a smile. "I'm sorry for worrying all of you. Now, could you let go for a bit? There's a few things I need to tell all of you." Sayori released me, albeit reluctantly. I went and sat on the bed, Monika instantly sitting next to me on one side and Rebecca sitting on the other side. I began by telling them about where the city had ended up and about what the conversation with Edward had revealed. "And that about sums it up, I think."

"Well, I mean, not all of us need to go right?" Yuri said. "I still live at home, and Natsuki's still there too."

"I don't expect it to be an instant change," I replied. "Even if you're all in reality, you're still high school students. I'd definitely like you to finish school and graduate." I smiled. "And I'll still be your teacher."

Rebecca chuckled. "You're living all your fantasies, aren't you?" she said.

I gave her a playful shove. "Oh hush. But everyone should sleep now. We'll be busy tomorrow. After all, I am moving."

"Shame," Monika said. "I'm going to miss this cozy place."

"Me too," Sayori said. The other girls agreed quickly.

"Well, let's get set up," I said. "It's probably going to be crowded, so bear with it ladies."

In the end, Sayori and Natsuki, by virtue of being on the smaller side, shared a futon. Yuri took one next to them. Monika and I offered the bed to Rebecca but she insisted on sleeping on the floor. "I can tell you two are incredibly in love." She leaned in and suddenly whispered something to Monika who instantly flushed. "Sleep well you two. No hanky panky, though." She giggled as she lay down.

"What did she say to you?" I asked as I crawled into bed next to Monika.

"That's a secret," she whispered.

"Aww come on," I said.

She blushed heavily. "Nooo," she said cutely as she buried her face in my chest.

"Alright, alright," I said, hugging her close. "I won't bother you about it."

She relaxed and we lay there comfortably, the fan I used to sleep blowing cool air against the two of us. "It's been forever for me since I was able to hold you in my arms like this," I whispered.

"It felt like forever for me too," she said. "I felt so helpless when I watched Libitina break your heart." She grabbed my shirt and clung to it. "But you're here now. I feel so safe and comfortable."

"Me too."

We held each other for a while. Soon I heard Monika breathing softly and rhythmically. I relaxed and held her close. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew I was smelling pancakes and bacon. Monika was still asleep next to me. When I sat up I saw Sayori, Yuri and Rebecca sitting in front of my laptop watching some random MST3K movie. Rebecca noticed me first and giggled. "Nice bedhead."

I instinctively straightened my hair, causing all the other girls to laugh. I blushed. Monika chose that moment to sit up. Unlike me, her hair looked radiant and just seemed to flow down like coral brown waterfalls. "Man, how do you look so good and I look like a troll?" I asked in a teasing tone.

Monika turned to me and grinned. She approached me in an almost sultry manner and ran her hand through my hair. "I think you look super sexy," she said softly.

I backed away, startled by her sudden directness. "Whoa, easy there Monika, we're not alone."

She giggled and flicked my nose playfully. "Relax, I'm not gonna do anything." She leaned in and whispered, "but I really wanted to last night."

My cheeks felt hot immediately. She laughed and moved back. "See girls? I can make this man blush with just a few words."

My sister joined in the laughter. I felt completely embarrassed, but I was glad to see my sister laughing. I really hoped that she'd become close friends with the girls. Natsuki poked her head in. "Breakfast is almost ready. Pancakes, sausage, bacon, toast and eggs. A proper American breakfast." She flashed us a peace symbol.

"I'm surprised I haven't had to go shopping for breakfast food," I said as I moved off the bed.

"You're going to have to," Natsuki said. "I just used up the last of the ingredients."

"Well, that's low on my list of things to worry about today," I said. "Today is moving day, after all." I sat in my usual spot and Monika immediately slid next to me. All through breakfast Rebecca was all questions for everyone, asking me about the specifics of my adventures in the game as well as the lives of the Dokis. I washed the dishes as Rebecca continued to pester the girls with questions. As I was just finishing, I heard a sharp rap on the door.

"SS Moving Service," a strong looking man said pleasantly when I answered, tipping a red baseball cap with the letters "SS" on it at me. "We're here to move your stuff to the new house."

"I'm afraid we haven't packed anything," I said.

"That's alright. We can manage that," he said with a smile.

"Well, we're all going to be heading out soon. I'll give you the keys when we leave."

"Take your time. We'll have you moved in by the end of the school day."

I thanked him and went back inside. "I think we should at least try to get to school," I announced as I grabbed a suit out of the closet. "We need to perform some damage control." I ran into the bathroom and changed into the completely black suit. I said as I exited, running my hand over my hair. I had taken Monika's old bow and tied it around my neck.

"Oh my…you clean up nicely" Monika said as I walked in.

I chuckled a bit. "Thanks. Ugh, I'm not looking forward to this," I said. "Public speaking isn't my strong suit."

"But you've been teaching for at least a couple weeks," Sayori said.

"No, I'm planning on calling an assembly," I said. "I'm sure that we're not the only ones who've noticed the change in scenery." I grabbed my laptop and its plug and placed them in my suitcase.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Natsuki asked.

"There's a full playthrough of Doki Doki on this," I said. "I'm gonna show everyone parts of it." The room went silent. Rebecca looked a bit unsure, Monika looked guilty, and the others looked a bit scared. "Look, we can't lie to them about this. I know you all have mixed feelings about this, trust me. Think of it like ripping off a bandage so it doesn't hurt as much."

Monika stood and walked to my side, facing the others. "I'm trusting Jon," she said. "What about you? If not for him, then for the Literature Club."

The girls looked at each other. Sayori turned back first and stood, fists held up. "I'm in."

"Eh, what the hell? Might as well get it over with," Natsuki said as she stood as well.

"Y-yeah, good point," Yuri said.

"I'm going with you too," Rebecca said, standing slowly.

"Becca-"

"No Jon, you know you're not that good at public speaking," Rebecca said sternly. "We'll both explain what's happened. All of us will."

I nodded. "Alright, alright. You win."

"You've got to teach me how you do that," Monika said to my sister as we grabbed all our stuff.

"It's easy to manipulate him," Rebecca giggled.

I rolled my eyes. Maybe I shouldn't worry. If she has the energy to make jokes she'll be fine. "Alright ladies, let's go."

We left at the same time, heading towards the school with purpose. When we arrived I went into the principal's office.

"Ah, Jon-Sensei, I didn't expect to see you today, considering what's happened," the principal said. She looked tired and a bit worried, but otherwise alright. "I was just about to cancel school for today."

"Actually ma'am, I was hoping you wouldn't cancel it," I said. "Instead, I was hoping to have you call a special assembly. I know you won't believe me, but I know more about what's happening than anyone else here."

She looked at me curiously. "Could you let me know what your explanation is?"

"If I had the time to explain it twice I would," I said. "but the entire school needs to know, not just the teachers. And the explanation is a long one. Please, I know we've only known each other for less than two weeks, but I ask you to trust my judgement here."

I held my breath. I could almost hear the gears turning in the principal's head. "I don't like the idea, but you don't sound like you're mad or lying. Alright, I'll call the others and ask them to come to the special assembly at least."

"While you're at it," Monika said from the other room, "call some of the local news."

"Who was that?" the principal asked, looking past me.

Monika walked in and bowed. "My name is Nakamura Monika," she said, "President of the Literature Club, Ms. Principal. I know a bit about what's going on too."

"At this point, I'll believe anything," the principal said, rubbing her eyes. "Do you need anything else?"

"Yes. I need access to the projector. I'm going to be showing a few video clips. Trust me, it'll make sense in the end."

She sighed. "I'll have it set up for you. Will nine o'clock be alright?"

"Perfect."

"Alright. I hope you can shed some light on the subject."

Me too. I bowed and left, indicating to the others to follow me. "She didn't sound so much scared as tired," Rebecca said as we came to the school gates.

"I imagine she's probably stressed so much she's crashed," Yuri said. When we all looked at her in shock, she played with her hair nervously. "W-What?"

"That's…pretty astute of you," Rebecca said.

"Ah, I um…thank you." She looked away, blushing.

"And they call me the cute one," Natsuki said.

"Because you are!" Sayori said enthusiastically.

"I-I'm not cute!" Natsuki said, pouting immediately.

That did it. We all burst out laughing, even Natsuki after a while. The tension building among all of us was suddenly released in one long laughing session as we approached the indoor basketball court. "Alright, what do we do now?"

"Well, we need to connect my laptop to the projector," I said, opening it and looking around the stage for the proper cords. "I suppose the people the principal's sending would know better about that."

"Why don't we wait then?" Sayori said.

A couple minutes later someone arrived and helped me hook my laptop up to the main projector. Fortunately there was a plug nearby so I could keep my laptop charged. As we set up, students and teachers came trickling in. When I saw Edward walking in with an official looking man in a suit, I rushed over to meet them. "Edward, I didn't expect you here," I said, shaking his hand again.

"When we heard what you were planning, I brought Agent Matthews over from where we were meeting," he said. "Matthews, this is POI-1."

POI-1? What's that mean? Matthews extended his hand and shook mine firmly. "Mr. Price, it's a pleasure to meet you. Mr. Falls has been telling me a lot about your actions here."

Something tells me I shouldn't make jokes around this man. "Sorry for any trouble we may have caused," I said sincerely.

"Well, it's not every day that a Japanese town lands squarely on American soil," Matthews said. "I hear you're about to explain what's happening to the AI?"

"Yes, but I don't think they're simply AI anymore," I said.

"Right, sorry. This is way above my paygrade," Matthews said. "I'm just here to secure the perimeter of the city."

"Could I ask that you not mistreat any of the citizens?" I asked. "I'm planning on broadcasting this explanation over public news and I don't want them to be any more panicked than they probably will be after my explanation."

"We're working with Mr. Fall's organization to make sure nothing happens."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." More and more students were entering as were the teaching staff. I saw Ito-Sensei look over and give me a quizzical look. I bowed to her slightly as she took a seat. "Agent Matthews, I'd like to talk to you more afterwards about this situation, but for now I really need to take care of this. You can take a seat anywhere you want. I don't know how long this will take. Hell, I don't even know half of what I'm going to say."

Edward put his hand on my shoulder. "You'll do fine. You have your sister and the Dokis. They'll help you for sure."

"I'll do my best." I saw a news crew come in at that moment. "Excuse me, I need to speak to them." I went over and spoke to the newswoman, a young woman named Watanabi Rikka. She seemed to think this would be the news story of her career and was excited to report about this. I told her that I would be explaining what had happened, but it would sound impossible.

"Three mountains appeared outside the town, anything you say would sound sane by comparison," Rikka said with enthusiasm.

At least she isn't reacting poorly to this. She probably still thinks we're in Japan. "Well, it may be distressing, but please keep the cameras rolling."

"Of course!"

I returned to the stage. The girls were in a circle, talking. "You okay?" I asked as I approached.

"I-I'm so nervous," Yuri said, playing with her hair.

"I'm not ready either," Natsuki said, face red.

"Don't worry, I'll do most of the talking," I said. "If I think you need to say a few words I'll ask but won't force you." The principal walked over to us at that moment. "Oh, help Madam Principal."

Her face was drawn and her brow was wrinkled with worry. "Are you sure you know what's going on here?" she asked.

"I do, but it's going to sound crazy," I said.

"As crazy as the entire landscape around Midokita changing overnight and the entire town passing out?"

Passing out? When did that happen? "Yes, and perhaps even crazier."

She smiled tiredly. "I'll introduce you all soon, then tell us your crazy story."

"Thank you." And I'm sorry that I'm about to bring your entire lives into question. I looked at my phone. "Just a few more minutes until 9." Welp, time to make history I suppose. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down.

"Jon, you okay?" Monika asked.

"You know, it's funny. I fought someone for what feels like years, but something as simple as this that's making me weak-kneed."

I felt a hand on my own. "You'll do fine," she said.

I nodded. "Yeah. Here we go."

The principal went to the front stage and cleared her throat. "Everyone, thank you for coming to this impromptu assembly. I appreciate the fact that you decided to come despite the current situation. However, one of our own staff as well as some of your fellow students have an explanation. At least, that's what they told me earlier. I'm not sure what they're going to say or how long this is going to be, mostly because they haven't told me. I turn the floor over to Jon Price." She turned to me and bowed.

I stood, straightened my tie and bowed back. I did my best to stride confidently to the podium. After clearing my throat, I began. "Hello everyone. My name is Jon Price, American History Teacher. What I have to say is not going to be easy to hear, but please hear me out while I explain." I took a deep breath. "I'll just come right out and say it, up until late last night, no one here was real in the sense you are now…"

So close to being done! Enjoy! I think I have one more chapter before I complete this.

morbiusgreen