"I don't know, MC," Monika admitted as they approached the door. Her head was tilted downward in a mixture of shame and defeat. "I just. . . How can I do it?"

MC was right behind her. "How can you live with yourself if you don't?"

Monika turned to face him. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. They had witnessed a lot of crying recently. Her lip quivered. She leaned to the left a bit, looking past MC and at the stairwell at the end of the hallway. "I can't."

It was unclear if that meant she couldn't live with herself or if she couldn't do it. It may have meant both. Knowing how Monika had spent the past few hours a total wreck, maybe it did.

MC, unsure of what exactly to say in this situation, resorted to patting Monika lightly on the shoulder. "You said you wiped their memories, right? It'll just be like any regular day in the club."

Monika shook her head. "No, it won't," she stated with absolutely no doubt in her tone. "It doesn't matter if they know about everything I did to them, because I'll still know."

A wave of pain shot through MC's gut. Of course, he had no way of experiencing Monika's situation firsthand, but he knew it had to be harder than he could ever imagine. Whatever the case, he knew he couldn't give up on her now. After all, the world was back, his friends had returned to life, and the club awaited their arrival.

"Listen," he began. "I can't imagine how torn up you are about everything that's happened, but the way I see it, you've taken the first step towards your redemption. Do you remember what I told you on the way over here?"

Slowly, Monika nodded. "I don't have to tell them what happened if I'm not ready. Yeah, I remember," she confirmed, offering him some ghost of her old sweet smile. "Thank you for being so understanding, I mean it. And I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but it's just so. . . terrifying."

"Which is why I will be right behind you. You're my friend, Monika, and I know everything you've done. I only ask that you do your best to trust me and forgive yourself."

Monika's smile seemed to grow more sincere. Her eyes shimmered with a delightful gratitude. It was inspiring enough to even bolster MC's own spirit. "You're right. It's time I face this fear, face it and conquer it!" she declared, pumping a fist in the air.

Then, she turned to face the door once more. Her hand reached out to turn the handle, and all went cold once more. Monika placed a hand on her chest. Her heart felt like it was going millions of light-years a second.

She cast one last glance at MC. He eyes sparkled with warmth. To her surprise, her fears didn't evaporate in the slightest. Instead, it was in that gaze that she found the strength to look her fears in the eye and push forward no matter how terrified she was. She twisted the knob, opened the door, and stepped inside.

It had only been a few days since the game had begun. The amount of time that it had taken for the player to begin and play through the entire game was negligible. The sound of the door opening led Natsuki, Sayori, and Yuri to turn to face the source of the noise. Just the sight of Sayori's beaming grin, of Yuri's calm smile, and Natsuki's inquisitive scowl hit her with a tidal wave of nostalgia. Instinctively, she flashed one of her confident smiles. It took extraordinary will to wear such a mask throughout the game, but now it felt like no trouble at all. Those glances served to remind Monika that she was back exactly where she belonged, and she loved it.

Sayori was sitting on her knees in a desk, facing the wrong way. Within half a second of seeing Monika, she threw her hands up in the air excitedly. "Monika's here!" she cheered. She leaned forward perhaps a little bit too far, tipping the desk over and sending her falling to the floor with a klutzy "Woah!"

The goofy fall was enough to send Natsuki into a fit of laughter. Yuri's face contorted into a wince, but she quickly rose from her own seat and offered Sayori a hand. The lovable ball of sunshine took it, rising to her feet with a smile.

"Thanks," she giggled awkwardly.

"Are you a-alright?" Yuri inquired concernedly.

Sayori nodded, and her smile clarified that she was no worse for wear. Sayori was never good at hiding genuine pain whenever it struck. "Yeah, I'm great. In fact, I haven't felt as good today as I have in a long time! I just got a little excited, that's all."

Sayori's contagious joy infected Yuri. She flashed a grin of her own. "You have an affinity for living precariously," she said. It was intended to be jocular, but Sayori could only flash her a confused look.

"Pre-carry what now?"

Yuri only giggled. "Never mind."

Natsuki had to clear her throat to stop her fit of laughter. Instead of pouting, complaining, or offering some sort of snarky remark, she smirked playfully. "What's got you in such a good mood today, Sayori?"

Sayori seemed to hesitate for a moment. Monika knew exactly why, and for a moment, her smile dropped. Sayori's depression had ravaged her mental state before she had even begun to tamper with it. Now, it was gone. Now, Sayori's happiness was no longer a façade for something much more dire. For the first time since she truly began to exist, she was truly happy. That should have lightened Monika's spirits. Instead, she thought about how disgusting it was for her to tear Sayori down when she could have built her up.

Instead of telling them the truth, Sayori merely shrugged. "I dunno! It's just been a good day, I guess!" A sudden thought struck her. "Ooh! Ooh! I even wrote a really good poem today! You're gonna love it, I promise!"

She scooped up her bag, unzipped a compartment, and produced a neatly-folded sheet of paper. Neatness of any sort had been a foreign concept to the depressed Sayori. Now, she took pride in her work. She skipped over to Monika and dangled the paper in front of her face. "Do you wanna read it Monika? Please!"

Even with all of Monika's doubts and fears, Sayori's boundless happiness flowed over and proved strong enough to wash them away. She chuckled, and it was far from an act. "We'll share poems in a minute. I have to go over a few things with MC," she explained, taking MC by the hand. He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "We'll be out in the hall for a minute or two, and then we can start today's meeting."

"Right!" Sayori exclaimed with a salute. "Don't worry, Monika. I'll keep order while you're gone."

"I'm sure you will," Monika said with a nod. She turned to walk away, and MC followed her out into the hall. He closed the door behind them, then turned to Monika with a raised eyebrow.

"Is everything alright?"

Though she continued to smile, Monika's eyes became a tad misty. She wiped away the tears before they had a chance to fall. "MC?"

He drew closer to her. His concern deepened with every step. "You're doing well, Monika. Don't quit now."

Monika sniffled. "Oh, n-no. I'm not quitting at all. I just. . . I can't believe I ever gave this up," she explained. Their eyes locked. Monika had thanked him several times in the past few hours. The look she gave him now expressed more gratitude than any number of thank yous could.

Suddenly, she pulled him into a hug. Clinging tight to him, she hummed blissfully. "I owe so much to you," she confessed. "I don't pretend to know where we'll go from here, but never forget that the club wouldn't exist without you, OK?"

MC fidgeted awkwardly. Something about this hug felt more than platonic, which made things awkward when he finally pulled away. An awkward silence followed. Finally, MC broke it with a nervous chuckle. "I think the club owes more to you than it does to me. Ah, a fresh start. Doesn't it feel wonderful?"

It did. Maybe that's why Monika's heart continued to beat so fiercely as she stared into MC's amber eyes. She felt a heat rise in her cheeks. Overcome with sudden embarrassment, she looked away from MC and quickly walked back to the club door. "A-absolutely!"