Holding On

by Enigma2187

MC befriended Sayori early in his childhood, but what if Monika took her role as his childhood friend? How would things be different between the two? Will they fall in love or will they be each other's "dearest friend"? Even if they wanted to be together, an outside force will interfere with their relationship, testing their bonds to its limits. (Art by Gazz Hori, Complete 9/2/19)

40. Monika Bonus: Darling

Monika Bonus Chapter

Today was the first day of summer.

Or, in this case, the first day, we finally graduated from Dokisai.

Phew...

I planned on hanging out with my friends today, but we all had to cancel our plans because of a typhoon rapidly approaching the city.

So, we were now talking over on Melody, just relaxing and taking it easy instead.

"And I was like, he was wrong!" Hiro exclaimed, prompting us to laugh at his joke.

The context was an argument Hiro had with his older sister.

"That's hilarious, man," I commented, letting out a sigh. "Never thought it would come to that."

I was currently in my chair, laying my back on it.

"Anyway, games?" Hiro asked. "Anyone up for some Chromatic Hexagonal Blockade?"

We all were a little on edge because of that game.

"Yeah... about that. Let's take a break from that game." Hill-Top commented, a little afraid of playing that game.

I smirked at the reason why.

After all, it is super intense, short, and at times challenging for all of us.

"Oh yeah, it's because of all the smurfs we have been running into lately. Didn't you get wall-banged by sheer bad luck that one round?" I teased.

Hiro laughed at what I was getting at.

"That's right! That was super unlucky! You said this is super easy and shit, then the next second, you just get shot down from an Impulse! Hahaha!"

Oh, man...

That was hilarious, no doubt.

We continued to talk about all sorts of things until I heard a knock coming from my balcony door.

Aw, crap.

I was pretty sure everyone in the channel heard the knock as well.

"Well, it's been fun, alright, Val time to get off." Hiro teased.

And this is one of the consequences of a certain someone continually coming over to my room.

Why is she even here in the first place?

"Agh, screw you, Hiro." I retorted as I glanced at the balcony.

Everyone snickered at my incoming fate.

And so I muted myself and took off my headphones.

But all of a sudden, the door slid open, revealing the person who continually intrudes here.

"Hey, hey!" That certain someone greeted with a sort of intimidating look on her face.

Yep.

That certain someone is Monika.

My childhood friend and girlfriend...

I stood up and walked over to her.

"Hey, Mon. What's up? You need anything?"

She greeted back by jumping onto my bed and faceplanting herself onto my pillows.

"Not really~! I wanted to sleep here today! You know, since it's gonna rain... extra hard."

I deadpanned at her reason for this.

"Well... You didn't have to come through the balcony door if you wanted to come early... Instead, you could have entered through my door." I stated, now sitting back on my chair.

She pulled away from my pillows and smirked at me.

"And miss out on how annoyed you get? Hehe! No, thank you~! And besides, it's quicker if I come by balcony anyway, don't you think?"

I rolled my eyes and went back to my computer.

"Yeah, yeah. I guess."

From there, I unmuted and put my headphones back on.

"Alright, I'm back. Are we playing anything soon or-"

"Hey, Darling! What are you doing? Are you looking at porn?" Sweetheart teasingly asked, cutting me off.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me...

"No, Monika. I'm only talking with my friends." I replied, without much of a reaction, hoping she would get bored.

But that didn't seem to affect in any way.

"Monika? Aren't you supposed to call me 'Sweetheart,' Darling?"

I shot her a glare, warning her.

"Alright, my bad. Sorry, Sweetheart."

Even with my glare, she still wanted to tease me in front of my friends.

And so, I turned to my computer and saw that my friends were all stifling their laughter.

"Anyway, are we doing anything?" I asked again, hoping that Sweetheart wouldn't intrude again.

But before either of them could give a response, crawled up to me, as if wanting something.

"What's wrong?" I asked with my eyes.

She opened her mouth and pointed at it.

Huh?

What does that mean?

I looked at my desk and saw an unopened bag of chips, so I gave that to her.

She shook her head, causing me to put it away.

Why is she even doing this?

Does she want water or something?

Why is she crawling too?!

I gave her my water bottle, but she didn't seem to want that either.

She pointed towards my crotch, which caused my face to tighten.

"Darling... I want you-"

*WHOOSH*

Monika immediately started whining as soon as I forced her outside.

"Awww! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! Darlingggg!"

I groaned at this and opened the door again.

"OK, Monika. Are you bored or something? What's wrong?"

She frowned and rubbed her thighs.

"I'm... Well, I'm actually frustrated right now."

...

I can't believe how glad I am for muting myself right now.

Otherwise, I'm sure that my friends would tease me to death because of this.

"Monika, I think we should have a talk about Communication. It's gotten to the point that it's getting a little problematic." I said, now sitting down the bed.

She puffed her cheeks out at this.

"Whaaaat?! But didn't you hear me? I'm frustrated! After all, we... we didn't sleep together in weeks because of the final tests and all. So come on... Let's get to work!"

Sweetheart then tried to lunge at me, but I put a hand on her cheek, stopping her in her tracks.

"Awww! Darlinggggg! I want youuuuu!"

As much I understand where Monika is coming from, we have to talk about it no matter what.

"Calm down, we will get to it right after this. This talk is pretty serious, alright?" I responded, keeping a stoic expression.

She sighed and sat down on the bed.

"OK, fine... What do you want to talk about?"

I took a deep breath and let it out.

"Communication. It's essential, especially since we are sort of prone to misunderstandings. You know, because of what happened on that day?"

She pursed her lips from the misunderstanding that happened on that day.

"You're right... So what do you propose then?" Sweetheart asked, now getting into the conversation.

I got just the thing.

"Simple, we directly ask what ever's in our head and take the situation into consideration. For example, you wanted to fuck my brains out, but you couldn't quite get it out in words. Since I'm an idiot, you might want to motion me to stop talking with my friends and hear you out. Granted, I probably would have declined since I was hanging out with them, but I at least know what you want and will take it into consideration. Don't pull that moe stuff where I have to guess and all... It gets a little frustrating."

She nodded slowly from what I was saying.

"I think I understand what you mean... So try to be considerate about the whole situation at hand and tell you what I want from you. Got it! Anything else you want to talk about?"

I rubbed my chin and thought about what else I had to say.

"Hmm... Ah, that's right! No secrets, alright? We can't keep secrets about each other from each other. Otherwise, it will create mistrust and probably make more misunderstandings. If something is incriminating about either of us, we will talk it out the first chance we get. We will talk things out and prevent any reruns of the last time from happening again. Got it?"

Monika nodded at what I was saying.

"Got it! So... Does that mean I have to show you my secrets right now?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, you're hiding something from me? Is it something really, really personal? Otherwise, I will give you the space you need." I stated, giving an example of how to act in the future.

She got the agenda and motioned me to come to her room.

We went inside, and she walked over to her drawers.

Hmm, I think I get what's she trying to show me.

It's the black journal from the week she came back.

Besides that, I don't know any secrets she has hidden away.

She pulled out the black journal and waved it at me.

"This... This is one of the secrets I want to show you, Val. And I should mention, it's super important that you know about it."

But before Monika dared to give me the journal, she frowned.

"Before you look into what I wrote... Please, please, please don't forget that I love you. This was written when I was in Ainu back when I... I thought I hated you, so it contains some of my darkest thoughts and my venting from how stressed I was. After all, I was a volatile teenager back then."

I nodded.

"That goes without saying, Monika. I know your perspective has changed since then, and it isn't a reflection of who you are right now. People's thoughts change over time; it is what it means to be human, after all. It's one of the definitions of life, right? To experience new things?"

She giggled at my mini philosophical lecture.

"Jeez, you really like to go on a tangent about that sort of thing. I get it... And thank you for understanding..."

Monika then handed me the black journal she had since Ainu, and I put my hand on the cover.

Here goes...

I flipped through the many memos and schedules, finally finding her diary entries when she first arrived at Ainu.

In each entry, she was showing how she went through the five stages of grief.

First, Monika was in complete denial about what happened back on that day, about my so-called "true" colors.

Then, she quickly got into a fit of rage about how... I didn't make it in time.

The third stage was depression, saddened that she thought our friendship and her feelings for me were now all for nothing.

This part...

I never thought it would hurt this much.

Monika thought that our relationship would never be the same again. Her feelings for me were based on "false" grounds...

Thinking about how life would be if she was not around, put me in a state of despair too...

We wouldn't have been together if this was the case either...

Fourth, Sweetheart wrote about she went to her friends for help, telling someone about her emotional and mental baggage.

Out of the three, Sayori was the one who knew the most about what happened to our relationship.

And it seemingly worked out for Sweetheart.

Because she went out of her way to tell someone who would care...

Sayori is well...

An excellent friend, reliable whenever you need her for any type of support.

I'm glad that she is happy with Hill-Top.

Despite telling her friends what happened, Monika couldn't make it to the fifth and final stages of grief.

Acceptance.

She couldn't let go of our history together and her lingering anger for not rescuing her in time...

And I don't blame her.

After all, she told me she loved me for a long time now, and it's been six or so months since I realized that.

Along with the fact that I loved her too, but I didn't realize it.

There were some entries about how she complained about what went wrong during a club meeting, but so far, she was instead... stable for lack of a better word.

All of the entries were more or less the same, with some events happening here and there.

But what caught my eye was the final entry she wrote.

In this entry, she reaffirmed her hatred for me and her surprise that I reached out to her.

Yep, I'm glad we had a talk about Communication. Otherwise, I'm sure something like this bound to happen again.

I got up to the part where she had to step in when Natsuki sucker-punched me on their first day in Dokisai.

Here she was confused about why she had to step in and-

For some reason, my head started to throb and spike in pain.

"Arrrgh!" I groaned as I clutched in pain.

Monika dashed over to me.

"Val! Val! What's wrong?! Why are you holding your head like that?! Val!"

Memories of where Natsuki talked to me instead of attacking were starting to flood my head.

The sudden flashes caused my head to implode with pain.

"I'm... I'm fine... I think...!" I managed to say while sitting on the bed.

Monika quickly brought me a glass of water as I tried to process what exactly just happened.

"Oh my gosh... Darling? Darling, are you OK?!" She frantically asked.

I took a large gulp of the water, and the pain immediately receded.

What the...?

It doesn't hurt anymore...

"I'm fine. The pain is completely gone." I answered, a little stupefied on how quickly the pain disappeared.

Sweetheart wasn't satisfied with my answer.

"I knew it... I knew I shouldn't have shown you this yet... Damn it! What's wrong with me?!" She berated herself.

I put my hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

"This actually has nothing to with your thoughts... It had to with Natsuki actually."

She was baffled by my answer.

"W-What? What does that mean?"

I gulped the rest of the water and sighed.

"Well... When I read the part where Natsuki confronted me at that time in the tracks... I got this weird flashback where she didn't do that but instead talked to me normally while looking like she was hiding something. It didn't make any sense, because that clearly isn't what happened. You saw what happened and you wrote it down... Why am I getting flashbacks of that instead then?"

She thought carefully about what to say next.

"Hmm... If I didn't know any better, I would say it was a Mandela effect or something... But the way you reacted and told me what happened... I don't know the answer either. If I recall correctly, Natsuki also said something like that happened whenever she was around you. But... She never told me what happened, and it always... brought her to the verge of tears. I can only imagine what sort of memory she got..."

So...

Natsuki also got the same memory or something like that?

That's pretty weird.

Wait...

I have a hunch about something...

With the question in mind, I turned to Monika.

"Say, Sweetheart... Did the same thing also happen to Yuri?" I asked.

Her eyes widened slightly at this and nodded.

"Yeah... I think it did. Yuri also got hit with that... effect as well. Do you remember that one time in the literature club where Yuri suddenly had to leave after you shared poems?"

Oh yeah...

I had no idea why she had to leave.

I thought something in my poem offended or something.

"Mmm, yeah. I do remember. Did something like that happen to her as well or...?"

Monika took a moment to answer me.

"Yeah... She told me that something about your poem triggered some weird memories in her. I got no idea what it is or why it happened to her, either. But I think it's the same deal with Natsuki too."

She then eyed me.

"I know you haven't cheated on me, but I have to say they are acting pretty suspicious to me."

I shrugged at this.

"Yeah... Whatever goes on in their memories is... well up to them to share. If they want to hide it from us for whatever reason, then that's on their right to do so."

Hmm...

I really wonder what the memories are that make them isolate themselves from us...

And from the looks of it...

It's because of me.

But what did I even do...?

I don't think I ever dated them before, right?

...

...

...

Wait, did I... hook up with them in parallel universes?

And then all the memories start to clash with each other because of that?

It's a bit of a stretch, but it's the only explanation that'll ease my mind.

Once I came up with a conclusion to whatever that phenomenon was, I went back to reading the final entry.

Monika was surprised by how confused I was when we argued and began to speculate about what happened.

Also, it seemed that Monika was a little jealous that she wasn't able to speak Russian.

Jeez, I knew Sweetheart is a pretty jealous girl in general, but seeing her write about it is just another level in general...

Still, it makes me happy that she was still in love with me, even if she "hated" me.

When she wrote about what happened the day before she left, particularly how turned on she was when I tickled and stared at her panties, I looked up to her.

Monika was ready to answer questions I had about the entry.

"Pervert." I simply teased.

...

"Ehhh?! What do you mean, pervert?!"

I grinned and showed her the part where she described how turned on she was.

"You were feeling 'hot,' huh? Even before you mellowed out, you were still a pervert."

She flared up and rubbed her arm sheepishly.

"I mean... you knew how much I was in love with you... Those were one of my weird plans to get you to notice me..."

Hmm, to be fair...

I think it worked a little.

But then again, this was a bullet dodged.

Given how our hormones were when we went to middle school, I would not be surprised if it escalated quickly.

"Take pride in it. Those weird plans of yours worked weirdly enough." I remarked, now going back to the entry.

I was already near the end of the entry, which showed how suspicious she was about how the day went, especially since she saw how confused I was.

And so, I closed the journal and handed it back to her.

Once I did, Sweetheart looked anxious.

"So... What did you think about this?" She asked, almost jumbling over words. "You don't hate me or anything, do you?"

I recoiled from her words.

"What? Of course not! Don't be ridiculous, Sweetheart. Like said before, people's views change with time. And I understand the pain you went through... all the hate... but I can't but notice that this isn't the whole story... The first entry of the journal seemed to be picking up on where it left off. By the way, I'm glad that you showed me this. Now I got a better understanding of what happened on that day."

I know exactly what's next.

It's her diary that I need to read now...

After we had our first time, I deduced that the diary she had was filled with happier memories than the journal that I read right now.

She put away the black journal and handed me the diary I was looking for.

Bingo.

"Is this what you were talking about, Darling?"

I nodded and put my hand on the side of it, ready to open it.

"Um... Darling? Can I say something?"

I looked up to her and motioned her to go ahead.

She took a deep breath and gave me a bright smile.

"Thanks for not hating me... I knew you wouldn't change your mind on how you feel about me, but... I'm still glad that you still love me even after how much I hated you before."

The way Sweetheart was looking at me, made my heart soar.

"Argh! You're too cute, sometimes! Come here!"

I pulled her in for a surprise kiss.

But to my surprise, she was entirely ready for it and pushed me down onto the bed.

OK...

I think I regret my hasty action now...

Her hands trailed my bicep as we kissed, her seductive touch starting to turn me on.

But I had to keep steady.

After all, I had to read her diary now.

Given how much Monika wanted this, the only way to get her off was to tickle her.

And so, I curled my fingers and trailed it down her sides, causing her to pull away and laugh.

"Ahahahaa! Heeey! Stoppppp! Stop!"

I was able to breathe once she finally got off.

"Gah! Jeez! I know you are in the mood for it, but still! To think, a kiss can get you to escalate things so quickly!"

She bit her finger and kept her seductive gaze at me.

"It's not my fault that you're eye candy... And I said that I was frustrated, didn't I? Hurry up and finish reading the diary, will you?! I really, really crave you right now!"

I couldn't help but cringe a little from how she was behaving.

"Yeah... I'll get to it."

Once I opened her diary, I was greeted with impeccable handwriting, which was nothing like her journal had to offer.

As I read through the diary, I saw how Sweetheart started to fall for me.

Each entry documented the strange feelings in her heart, which she realized it was... love that she felt.

That reminds me...

Was I feeling the love when we were younger?

The only time I knew of those strange feelings when I was younger.

It was when she came to my house to visit after we played in the park for weeks.

...

Man, I remember what happened on that day.

But I know that I dismissed those weird feelings and thought Monika was the sister I never had...

To think I was in love with her at the time.

I continued to read the diary, and I came up to the part where she mentioned that she fell in love with me.

This was apparently in Christmas, or our first Christmas together.

But...

There isn't a lot of information on what happened here.

"Hey, Mon... What happened in our first Christmas together?" I asked, now looking up to her.

She pondered it for a bit before flaring up.

"Ehehe... Christmas, huh? Well, that's when I fell in love with you, silly. You were extra romantic on that day, and that's when I knew I loved you..."

Wait.

I was romantic at a young age?

...

Uh...

Why does that not come as a surprise to me?

It's like I did this to other girls before...

But I never did.

"Is that so? Then, why isn't there a lot of information about it? Did you forget to write it in your diary or something?" I asked.

She simply shook her head.

"No... It's not that. I felt that I didn't need to, and I figured it would be best that I kept it to myself... I had a feeling that I was going to tell you anyway, and I didn't want a book to explain why I fell for you." Sweetheart answered.

...

Whaaat?

She planned to tell me about how she fell in love with me?

In any case, I want to hear this story from Monika.

"Alright, then... Tell me everything that happened at Christmas then. I want to hear about this!"

Sweetheart giggled from my enthusiasm.

"If you say so!"

---

I'm so excited!

Today was a special day.

Today was the day where Val and I would spend our first Christmas together.

It was Chrismas Eve, after all.

Whenever I see him, my heart goes Doki-Doki!

It's more or less because of my crush on him...

But I think it's more than that.

I don't know what it really is, but...

Maybe I'll find out about later.

We were all going to the Christmas Festival in town with Val's family.

Papa was finally able to get a day off from his work and wanted to spend the special day with his family.

I was in my room, bored out of my mind, patiently waiting for the time we go to Val's home and go straight to the festival.

I almost want to jump over the balcony and play with him, but I want to make the time we go to the festival worth it...

And he isn't even there.

My eyes glanced at the balcony and into his room.

He wasn't there, since he was most likely out shopping with his parents for last-minute supplies.

I sighed and watched the snowfall dainty onto the ground.

It is gonna be a white Christmas, but it looks like it might snow a lot later...

We won't be able to go to the festival at this rate...

And that would... suck!

Hehe... Val is right, using that word gives me a small tingle in my mouth, even if I didn't say it aloud.

I sighed heavily and rested my head on my pillow, bored out of my mind.

My mom knocked on the door and entered my room.

"Monnie? Are you here? Oh, there you are. Supper's ready."

I only gave her a grunt.

"Mm."

But instead of leaving, she walked up to my bed and sat down.

"Is there something wrong?" My mom worriedly asked.

I only stared out the balcony door in response.

She saw where I was staring out and smirked.

"Oh, I see. You were seeing if your boyfriend was home, right?" She teased.

That shook me out of my depressed state.

"W-W-What?! No! I-I was only looking at the snowfall!" I stuttered.

My mom's gaze tightened, obviously not buying it.

"Mhm... We're gonna get ready soon, so once you're done with supper, we can get dressed. The festival might start and end early today."

I was mentally relieved that my mom didn't press with her teasing.

But I still had a burning question in my heart.

Maybe Mama knows about what this feeling is...

Right?

"Oh, before you go... I have a question."

She turned around and looked at me, expectantly.

I don't think I want to reveal who it is...

Involved in this question.

So I'll leave Val's question out of this.

"Um... so..." I mumbled, unsure of how to go with this.

What's the word again if they are speaking in "what if"?

Theocracy?

Theodore?

"Theodeo, if this girl likes this boy a lot..." I managed to say without stumbling on my words.

"Theoretically? My, my... To think my little girl uses big words like that." My mom corrected, smiling at me. "And what's this about a girl liking this boy?"

I warmed from her smile.

"Y-Yeah! Theoretically! What if this girl likes this boy a lot, but it doesn't feel like... like a crush anymore. Like the girl's heart starts beating faster and is always so much happier around him... Ah~! He is so nice to that girl and plays with her every day and..." I trailed on, dreamily pondering on my feelings for him.

I didn't realize I was going off on a tangent.

So my mom put her hand on my shoulder to return me back to.

She was trying to hold in something but took a deep breath to stifle it.

"I get it, Monika. This girl... really likes that boy a lot, right?"

Yes...

I do.

I really like Val a lot...

But I don't know if I really like him.

My heart doesn't feel the same compared to how it was a few months ago...

This weird feeling in my heart...

It feels so intense whenever I am around him.

And it scares me a little too...

My mom nodded slowly from my words.

"I see... The face you're making tells me a lot. So do you feel a little overwhelmed by that feeling in your heart?"

I flared up from her mistaken identity.

"N-No! It's not me! It's that girl! Not me!" I frantically reassured. "And yes! That girl gets a little scared by it whenever it happens!"

She laughed from my cover-up and waved her hand.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. My mistake. Is there anything else I should know?"

I tapped my chin in thought.

"Oh! That's right! That girl didn't feel that way before. She said that it used to be... pretty timid. Not as big as it is now."

It really does feel it has taken over my heart...

For some reason, my mom laughed again, which prompted me to pout.

"Ahaha... Sorry! It's just... that you're- sorry! The girl sounds really cute. I never thought she would feel that way for a boy so early on..." She explained. "What the girl is feeling isn't just some ordinary crush. It's much deeper than that. It's called love, Monika."

I widened my eyes from this.

L-Love?

Is that what this feeling is?

I feel love for him?

No, that can't be right!

...

Right?

My mom patted my head as I pondered from her words.

"Don't worry too much, Monnie. It may or may not be love. I went through the same process before when I fell in love with your father. It may be... different for that girl you're talking about."

I thought hard about my feelings and what they possibly could mean.

She stopped patting my head and walked towards the door.

"OK, Monika. Come downstairs whenever you're ready for supper. We'll get ready once you're done eating."

That woke me up, so I walked with her.

"Let's eat right now! I need to talk with Val!" I exclaimed, running out the door.

Before I left my mom in the dust, I saw her trying to not grin at me.

I wasn't sure why at the time, so I didn't really care.

Once I was done eating supper, we got ready and went to Val's house.

The snow by then has picked up slightly, but it wasn't enough for the festival to get canceled.

My dad was still coming back from work and was due to arrive soon.

We were all waiting for him to get home so we can go to the festival right after.

Val was already home by the time we arrived and was, as usual, happy to see me.

"Yes! You came!" My crush greeted, giving me a huge hug.

The feeling in my heart came back in full blast, but I managed to fight it off.

And so, I hugged him back.

"Hi, Val! I'm really excited about today, you know that? I know we are going to have soooo much fun at the festival!" I greeted back.

He took my hand and pulled me towards the TV.

"I know, right?! Come on! I want to show you something!"

Val then pressed a button on the remote on hand, which caused the colors on the TV to pop.

On TV was an American show that I didn't recognize.

"This is one of my favorite shows from back home! And this is a Christmas special too! We can watch it together!" He buzzed excitedly.

I focused on what the show was, but I couldn't make out what the show was.

"Sounds good! Oh! Is it about Romance or-"

He scoffed at me.

"Romance? Naaah! It's about this group of friends saving Christmas because Santa was sick! But along the way, some of the elves try to stop them from saving Christmas! It's a classic American Christmas special!"

I rolled my eyes at how he shot down my question and the overall cliche plot.

"Sounds very interesting..." I sarcastically muttered.

But as usual, Val didn't pick up on this at the slightest.

"It really, really is! I think you'll like the Special!"

Even though the show sounds a little boring, any time spent with Val is time well spent.

So I don't mind...

It's gonna be cute for him to react to the show!

"I hope so. After all, it is one of your favorite shows, so it has to be good." I commented.

He pumped his fist and nodded.

"Yeah! It is good! Trust me!"

He hit play on the remote and let the movie play.

And so we watched the show.

The snow had been piling up as we watched, and before long, it turned to a full-blown storm.

Once I looked outside, I knew what that meant.

I frowned by the turn of events.

The festival is going to get canceled, isn't it?

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to see Val with a worried look.

"Hey, are you OK?"

The feeling in my heart came back once more.

It was because of how he cared about my wellbeing.

I shook my head and continued to peer out the window.

He hugged me, which amplified the feeling in my heart.

It was because of how he wanted me to be happy.

"Cheer up, Monika. Do you want to play in my room?" Val caringly asked.

I only managed a weak nod as he took my hand.

We then went upstairs to his room.

I really wanted to have our first festival together...

But it looks like the snow had other plans.

I glared out Val's balcony window, cursing the snow for ruining one of the things I was looking forward to.

He saw this and gave me a small smile.

"Hey, even if the festival gets canceled, your dad will make it home, right?"

Oh...

Oh yeah!

I cheered up once I realized that.

"You're right! Maybe this Christmas isn't ruined yet! I can't wait for Papa to get home!" I exclaimed.

Without giving him much of a warning, I crushed Val in a hug.

"You're the best, Val!"

He only chuckled in response.

"T-Thanks!"

The feeling in my heart soared as I continued to hug him.

I pulled away, and we played for a little bit.

We played the imagination game we loved and role-played for a bit.

Val and I decided to make the theme wintery.

This continued on for a little while before there was a lull in the game.

---

I couldn't help but smile from Monika's recounting of the memory.

"Ah, I remember now... We played that weird imagination game a lot when we were kids... Jeez, now that I think about it, put a lot of effort into the lore and whatnot. Or at least you did. I didn't care about the lore, all I was interested in was fighting. Hehe." I remarked, feeling nostalgic.

Sweetheart shook her head in mock disgust.

"Boys liked you always wanted to fight. You would hate it when I told you we had to do those diplomacy missions..."

I covered my lips to stop myself from smiling.

"Yeah, yeah... Anyway, don't let me keep you. Keep going, you're getting my memory jogging."

She nodded and went back to reminiscing.

---

I looked outside the window and realized it has gotten dark outside.

...

Papa was supposed to come home before it got dark...

What's taking him so long?

The snow outside was starting to escalate into a blizzard, which was something I feared.

If there is a blizzard...

Then-

"Hmm... That definitely doesn't look good." Val muttered to himself as he looked outside. "It looks like a (Nor'easter)... But here? We aren't back in New York or anything..."

It's just as I thought...

It is a blizzard.

Papa won't be coming home today...

I frowned at this and started to look to the floor.

Why...?

Why is the weather doing this today?

It looked like it was going to snow a little bit...

But I didn't think it will turn out like this.

I want a white Christmas, but I don't want it to separate me from Papa...

My eyes started to burn.

He's been working so hard, and he wants to see Mama and me again.

Today was supposed to be the day where he is happy to see us...

And I want him back home...

The door opened, and out came my mom.

"Monika?" My mom called.

I rubbed the tears away and looked up to her.

She knew what I was feeling and frowned as well.

"I'm sorry, sweetie... Papa is not going to be able to make it in time. His flight got delayed because of the snow."

The desperate feeling in my heart twisted and turned.

And it hurt me.

I only nodded slowly and looked down at the floor again.

...

It's not fair...

Why did I do deserve this?

"Don't worry... Papa is going to early tomorrow, OK?"

I felt on a hand on my shoulder once again, but it wasn't my mother's.

It was Val's.

"Don't worry, Keiko! I know what to do!"

My mom gave Val a smile and left me to him.

Once she was, I felt his warm hand on my head.

Whenever he patted my head, I always felt at ease.

It always made me happy too.

"Come on, Monika! Let's go downstairs!"

He pulled my hand and dragged me out of his room.

My heart hurt as we took a couple of steps out.

Val noticed that my pace has slowed down immensely and turned to me.

"Monika?" He called.

At that very moment, I rubbed my eyes.

The tears that I was holding in finally rushed out.

I tried to stop the floodgates from coming, but every attempt was futile.

As much I didn't want to cry, my body rejected my pleas to stop.

It's not fair...

All I want is to have the perfect Christmas with my family...

And I want to show how much I love Christmas...

I felt something warm envelop around me.

I knew who it was right away.

The person who was hugging was none other than Val...

And so, I cried into his arms.

I cried out the pain in my heart as I held me.

Little did I know, this was one of the reasons why I loved him so much.

I hiccuped and mewled for a while, and he didn't complain one bit.

The warm feeling in my heart started to heal my aching heart piece by piece.

He patted my head once again, which much calmed me down.

And before I knew it, we were sitting down in front of the Christmas tree.

At this point, I felt the feeling surging within me as I stared at the awestruck Val.

...

I...

I think I love him.

My mom was right.

This isn't just a crush.

It is something more.

He turned to me and smiled.

I smiled back.

Even though he probably doesn't realize that I love him, I'm OK with that.

Right now, I'm glad that I realized that.

I took his hand and squeezed it.

He looked down, obviously confused.

Val didn't understand the gesture, so he squeezed back.

The feeling in my heart, instead of being unknown and intimidating, it finally revealed itself.

Now, I wasn't worried about what it is.

Now, it filled my heart with love.

There was a mistletoe hanging right above us, with devious giggling behind us.

Perfect timing, Mike!

I wasn't going for a kiss on the lips, but I went for the next best thing instead.

"Mm... chu."

Val widened his eyes at this and blushed.

He didn't expect the kiss at all.

He frantically looked to my eyes for answers.

But I didn't give any.

"Merry Christmas, Val." I simply said.

He rubbed his cheek and looked away with an embarrassed frown.

"M-Merry Christmas, Mon..."

---

"So... That's how you fell for me?" Darling asked. "I really didn't realize that hugging you and letting you cry... would have such an effect on you..."

I smiled at this.

"It's not only that one time... You kept doing that over and over again. A girl's heart like mine loved that so much." I retorted.

He playfully rolled his eyes.

"Heh, if you say so. I'm glad you realized your feelings. But I kinda can't say the same for me. I realized my love for you only a few months ago, ridiculous, right?"

There was no denying ridiculous it seemed.

But I was committed to having him as my boyfriend and future husband.

Once he took my heart, it was up to him to do what he wants.

And he wanted to give me his in return.

"Yeah... it is a little weird that I waited for you for so long. Lots of people would've given up after a few months, but I refused to give up. I always hoped that you would eventually turn around." I reassured.

He hugged and kissed me on the cheek.

"Thanks, Sweetheart. I know it was really taxing to wait on an idiot like me. I can only hope I can make it up to you."

My smile turned devilish.

"Oh? One way you can make it up to me is by telling me one of your secrets in return..."

That caused him to tense up.

"Ah, yeah... Right. I don't really have a lot of secrets, since I don't like to keep any..." He answered.

I knew that he was lying.

Seriously, Gill?

Maybe I should scare him a bit...

Hmm...

Ahah!

I got just the thing!

Thanks to some of my... "possessive" genes, I can pull off the perfect yandere!

...

...

...

I know it isn't something to be proud of, but...

It's useful, I guess.

"Darling? You know better not to lie to your girlfriend, right? So why are you doing that? Why are you lying to me?" I creepily asked.

His eyes widened as I advanced towards him.

"Uh... I don't like where this is going..."

But I kept crawling to him.

"You're hiding something from me... Why would you do that? Why would you hide something from me? You love me, right? And if you did love me, then you wouldn't lie to me..."

Gill was starting to panic from my behavior but quickly regained his composure by smirking.

"Hehe... Nice try, Mon. I know exactly what you're doing. You're trying to pull off a yandere shtick, huh? I gotta say, your eyes really do look the part."

...

"Eeeehhhh?! H-How... What?! I thought it would work! How are you shrugging this off?!" I whined.

He snickered at me but tried to keep his laughter from leaking.

"Pff...! Oh, man! That was so worth the gamble! Hahaha! I had a hunch you were trying to do something like that! Nice try!" He gloated.

As he laughed, I puffed my cheeks out.

"Not fair! You're... You're... You're a jerk!"

He was amused by that.

"Oho! I haven't that nickname in a while, to think you would blurt that out..."

I couldn't contain my frustration on how quickly the tables have turned.

And so, I weakly slammed my fists onto his chest, which only made him chuckle in response.

"Alright! Alright! Heh... I'll tell a secret that I kept hidden recently. Do you want to hear it?"

My eyes sparkled, and I stopped my attack on his chest.

"Ooooh! Ooooh! Tell me! Tell me!" I excitedly buzzed.

He shook his head and patted my head.

"Alright, alright. I'll tell you."

---

It was a slightly warm day.

That was an understatement.

It was a rather sweltering day.

And today, I had to supervise the gym class for the girls in this heat.

Obviously, a lot of girls were uneasy about letting a guy supervise, so I got some protests.

Fortunately, Mr. Bisenberg was there to clear things up and reassured that I am to be trusted.

Even when he told them that I wouldn't do anything questionable, they still didn't trust me.

It was by sheer luck that the girl's gym teacher advocated for me as well.

But I do have to say, the way she vouched for me was a little strange...

"Mr. Jones here is a good guy. He knows better than not to look when he isn't supposed to look. But I wouldn't mind, ya know~? All he is going to do is make sure that everyone gets outside. So please, get ready!"

...

Yeah, that made me very uncomfortable.

I saw Monika on the verge of grappling onto her neck, only to be subtly restrained by her friends.

So far, there have been no complaints, which were something I didn't expect.

But I should still be ready to handle another "Natsuki incident."

I crossed my arms and leaned back against the tree and surveyed for anyone in trouble.

Well, I'm supposed to be barking at people to get moving, but given how hot it is today, I don't blame them.

As I watched the area, a classmate walked up to me.

My eyes focused on her.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

Hmm...

Maybe this is my first complaint.

She put her hand on her hip, telling me she had a competitive streak.

"You're good at volleyball, right?"

...

What?

"I suppose I am relatively average," I answered modestly. "Why?"

She smirked.

"You're lying. I've seen you play with your teammates. The way you play isn't average."

...

Uh...

Why was she watching me?

And what the point of asking me this?

"Maybe so. What are you getting at?"

She pointed to the volleyball field that was set up near the tracks.

"Since you're a guy, maybe you can go against the Ainu girls by yourself. We got a bet going, so go!"

Without warning, she dragged me across the tracks and to the field.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you doing?!" I yelled.

She only responded by pushing me to the field.

"Salvato! Your challenger is here!"

I looked around and saw that I was going against Monika, Natsuki, Yuri, and Sayori.

Wait...

So I am going to be running solo on this?!

Monika smirked at me.

"Well, well... Look who finally came. Are you ready to get destroyed, Jones?" She taunted.

Her friends backed her up with some trash talk.

On the other hand, I was confused as to what was going on.

"Time out! What is even going on?! Am I going up against you guys by myself?!"

Sayori nodded.

"Yep! This was a bet made by the gym class! It's revenge!" She cheered.

...

This isn't really anything to be cheery about, Sayori.

"What's wrong? You can't take on four girls, huh?!" Natsuki teased.

I looked to Yuri, who I hoped to be the most rational out of the bunch.

But she too was looking competitive.

"It seems like you're afraid... Maybe you should quit."

I deadpanned from all this.

"Tch...! This is ridiculous! How am I going to even play? I need another person!"

The girls giggled at my misfortune.

"Well, boo hoo! You're gonna have to work by yourself!" A girl ridiculed.

Hmm...

What am I going to do?

Before I can brood on what to do, I saw a familiar face walk up to the field.

"Yo, Boss! Let's teach these girls a lesson!"

I only blinked at what was going on.

"H-Hiro? What are you even doing here? You're not supposed to be here!" I exclaimed.

He waved his hand at me.

"Don't worry about it, Boss. Bisenberg's cool with this." Hiro reassured.

Uh...

That's convenient, I guess.

I saw Hill-Top in the corner of my eye, and Dan hiding behind some bleachers, intent on not being seen.

"Dude!" I whispered. "Why are they here with you?!"

He only smirked in response.

"Don't worry, Boss. It's OK! Extra backup, yeah!"

Obviously, the girls were unhappy about this.

"Hey! He got a teammate! That's not fair!" A girl complained.

"Yeah! Get him off!" Another girl followed up.

But Monika cracked her knuckles to this.

"This doesn't change a thing. A four versus two? We have double the people, so that means double productivity!" She stated.

Uh, I don't think that's how it works all the time...

I shrugged at this and got ready.

"Well, whatever. Let's get this over with, you ready Hiro?"

He took a couple of jumps in the air to warm his legs up.

And as usual, his jumps were what I considered to be "hops."

"Yeah! Let's do this!"

---

Meanwhile, back at the Jones household!

Since it was a half-day, Haru decided she wanted to come over my home.

I wasn't sure why but I needn't question her.

She's... really been getting pushy lately.

And it's getting incredibly difficult to say no to her.

What a pain...

We were now in my room, and she was scrolling through her phone while I decided to some homework.

"Hey, Mike." She called. "Besides doing homework all day, there has to be something you do for fun... Like do you text any girls or something~?"

I put my pencil down and looked to her, still lying on my bed as if she owns it.

"I play video games if that's what you're asking in my free time, but I like to learn about all sorts of sciences. As for me, texting girls... I guess I do."

For some reason, once I said the last sentence, I sensed an ominous aura coming from the girl.

Haru looked up to me with dead eyes and stared into mine.

"What did you say?"

...

Why do I get the feeling I'm in danger?

"I meant, I text my classmates about studies and homework, those classmates are girls." I elaborated, feeling a little uneasy.

In an instant, her creepy demeanor vanished.

"Oh! Why didn't you say so, dummy? Ufufu!" She giggled. "I thought you were getting a little too close to them for my comfort."

What does that mean?

I shook my head out of it.

"Yeah, we were discussing the placeaboo effect. But she had no idea what that was. I thought she was the smartest student in my class, but I guess I was wrong."

Haru eyed me.

"Placeaboo? What's a placeaboo effect?" She asked, a little perplexed.

I rolled my eyes at this.

"Not you too... Argh, it's an effect where nothing is being used but is still just as effective as the real thing. You know, it is a psychological effect?" I explained.

Haru shook her head at this.

"I never thought it would come to this... you dummy." She muttered. "You mean, the placebo effect?"

...

...

...

Oh.

I only stared at Haru as she smirked back.

The room was utterly silent.

...

Wow.

I messed up badly.

"(Have I...)" I uttered. "(Have I dishonored you?)"

Her smirk grew more prominent.

"Ehehe! You know English is my worst subject. Now come over here for some kisses!"

Wait, what?!

She lunged at me.

Noooooooooo!

---

We were crushing Monika's team, as expected.

They were all trying to keep up with our speed and strength on hitting the ball back.

Despite us going a little easy on them, forgoing our usual spiking routine, they still couldn't get an edge over us.

"Come on, get serious already! I thought you guys are gonna give me and Boss a challenge!" Hiro taunted.

This got the girls' ire, especially Natsuki's.

"Why don't you come here! I'll give you a challenge!" She roared, causing us to mockingly recoil in fear.

Fortunately, Monika managed to calm her down.

"Argh...! Time out! I got a plan!"

In an instant, the girls formed a circle and started whispering.

To respond to this, I brought Hiro into this, and we began discussing a plan.

"It looks like they're planning something. I don't know what, so let's give it everything we got." I ordered.

He nodded.

"You got it, Boss. Are we going to starting spiking and passing the ball to each other?"

I smirked at the plan.

"Hell yeah. Knowing Monika, she is probably going to be planning something to distract you or me. They just don't have the skills to go against us." I stated, now eying the girls.

Yeah...

She is definitely going to distract me...

But what is she even planning?

I patted my friend's shoulder. We got a little further away from each other, getting ready to start spiking aggressively.

"We should be good! Let's get this over with! I'm exhausted from this heat!" I hollered to Hiro, wiping the sweat off my brow.

Hiro was starting to get tired since he expended a lot of his energy from making flashy plays with his hops.

The girls' were now done and turned to us, with Monika stepping forward.

"Before we start... We need Tom to replace Hiro for a bit. It looks like he's about to give out." She stated.

I turned to Hiro, and he shook his head.

"Nah, I'm good! Boss and I can keep going! Come on, serve!"

Monika's got the point...

I can tell Hiro's getting more and more tired.

...

Damn, I might as well go through with it.

"Dude, she's got the point. You're about to keel over. Remember the last time we played volleyball right after the school year ended? You were sore and tired for a good three days. Take a break, please."

Hiro worriedly looked into my eyes but sighed, putting his hands on his hips.

"Alright, I'll switch out. Watch out for any surprises, Val."

I nodded as he moved towards the bleachers, where both my friends were seated.

He went up to Hill-Top and pointed to the court, so he jogged up to my side.

"(Brooklyn, what's going on? Is Hiro OK?)" He asked in English.

I took a glimpse and saw he was downing a sports drink that Dan gave him.

"(He should be. The guy was about to pull his muscles or something. You know, like a year ago...)" I replied in English. "(Hey, why are we talking in English, anyway?)"

Hill-Top shrugged at this.

"(So they can't really listen in and... because Dan was practicing his English with me. Not exactly sure why, but he said he might need it later. I'm guessing for an interview for a job or something.)"

Hmm, fair enough.

"Are you two done yet?! Get ready to lose!" Monika called.

I put my hand up to stop her.

"Give us a little more time. We are still planning!" I said, motioning Hill-Top to get closer.

Unfortunately, the literature club didn't see that way and served the ball.

So, I jumped and took the ball.

"Hey! You can't do that!" I heard one of them say before I turned to him.

Hill-Top stifled his laughter at this and waited on me.

"(OK. Hiro and I were about to do the spiking procedure, you know the drill. Stop the ball, pass it to me, pass it back, and spike it in front of them. The steps can be done for any of us, clean and simple.)"

He cracked his neck and rolled it around.

"Gotcha! Let's do this!"

We both nodded and passed the ball to them.

Once we did, they rotated, allowing Sayori and Monika to take the front end. In contrast, Natsuki and Yuri took the rear.

They're switching it up...

But what are they doing?

Yuri caught the ball and subsequently served it to us.

"(Let's see what they are planning! I'll take it!)" I said, hitting the ball back.

That was when I saw a sudden shift in Monika's expression.

Instead of a serious and focused expression on the ball, she smirked and brushed a lock behind her hair while looking right at me.

What...?

"(Brooklyn! Heads up!)"

I shook my head out of it and hit the ball back.

"(Right! Sorry!)"

I kept my eyes on the ball, and it was hit back.

It was heading towards Hill-Top, but it looked like he was distracted.

Shit!

"Tom!" I called, but he didn't react in time.

The ball hit the ground.

"Score! Good work, Yuri!" Natsuki cheered.

"Thank you!"

I glanced at my friend as he shook his head.

"What happened?" I asked.

He frowned and shot a look at the other side of the court, to which I followed.

Sayori was grinning, and Monika was trying to stifle her laughter.

"(My girlfriend was lewd...)" He meekly answered.

...

Argh!

I knew it!

This is why Monika wanted to switch out Hiro!

He was tired, and she took advantage of that by getting Hill-Top here!

Damn!

If Sayori's gonna be doing that, then I have to watch out for Monika.

No doubt she is gonna pull the same thing off, somehow...

We tossed the ball back to them, and they got ready to serve it again.

As they were about to serve, I kept a steady gaze at Monika, despite my better judgment.

I was too curious as to what she going to do.

She knew I was staring at her.

I can't... Look away for some reason...

Now that I'm looking at her... She's awfully sweaty.

It's sticking her to clothes, and it's exposing her curvaceous body.

Wait!

This is precisely the sort of thing I have to avoid!

She jumped up and hit the ball, adding some extra force.

I saw her white t-shirt shifting upwards, which exposed some of her skin to me.

What?!

The ball was over at our side, and so I had to follow the protocol.

I passed the ball over to Hill-Top, we jumped and passed it back, allowing me to spike the ball down on their court, with no hope of them retaliating.

"Yes!" We both cheered.

But instead of groaning over the loss, everyone looked to Monika, to which she nodded back.

That's not good...

Something is definitely up.

Why did seeing her bare skin do to me?

I served the ball over to them, but they again slowed the ball to hit it back.

My eyes wandered to Monika against my wishes, and I saw she was readjusting her bloomers in front of me.

She turned to me with a smirk and pulled them slightly, trailing her finger against them.

The bit of skin exposed for just that second was enough to get my heart pumping uncontrollably.

...

Not again...!

All I can think about is how sweaty she is and-

Whoa...

Get it together!

"Val!"

The ball was on our side, but I managed to shake out of it.

Argh!

Not this time!

Hill-Top managed to pass it to me, slowing it down.

I passed it back to Hill-Top, a little late, but he was able to spike the ball.

As soon as he hit the ball down, my phone buzzed, meaning the period was over.

I pulled it out and turned off the alarm.

"Alright, we have to start heading back now. Good game."

The girls were obviously a little unhappy with this but went back inside.

I gave a Hill-Top a fistbump as he left with Sayori.

Monika then came up to me with a devious grin.

"So... How'd you like it?"

I frowned and looked away.

"Like what...?" I responded, aloofly.

She responded by hugging my arm, her chest melting into my arm.

My heart started to beat uncontrollably as I felt her slightly damp t-shirt and her arousing scent.

The scent was similar to how a room would smell whenever we got intimate.

And because of that, I felt myself harden slightly.

Shit...!

This is definitely not good!

"Oh, I think your little friend down there knows exactly what I'm talking about..." She teased.

Argh!

Damn this green-eyed vixen!

---

"So wait... This is your secret? You... You really liked how I looked in my bloomers? I thought it would be something more... you know, a little more sinister." Monika remarked, a little surprised.

I frowned at this.

"Hey, look... I-I really couldn't hold it in... I was actually turned on. You were pretty damn hot when you were in them." I admitted while looking away.

In the corner of my eye, she went to the door and opened it.

"I'll be right back... I got something you might like~!" She winked before leaving her room.

Something I like...?

Wait, is she really going to come back wearing the same gym bloomers?!

I... I don't know if I can control myself, especially since it reminds me of what happened a few days ago...

As I tried to keep myself together, the door opened.

My eyes immediately focused on whoever opened the door.

I knew who exactly it was.

No...

No way...

Monika was wearing her bloomers while wearing a devilish smile.

In an instant, the phantom fragrance of her sweat came back.

"What's wrong, Darling? You're looking awfully perverted right now..."

I clenched my hands and grit my teeth.

"O-Of course I would! Argh! I-I can't hold it in!"

I was pushed to my breaking point when she walked up to me, pushed me down, and sat directly above my ever hardening crotch.

"How about now?" She teasingly asked.

...

I never would have thought...

Me...

Losing my self-control more and more...

I blame Monika...

It's not my fault; she is so... arousing.

"That's it! We are doing this now!"

Those were the words Sweetheart was waiting for.

She unzipped my zipper, letting myself free.

"Oh... I didn't expect you to be so turned on by this... Is this a fetish of yours?"

I shrugged at this.

"Not quite... I just remembered how great you smelled when... you were sweaty... That's why it's so hard." I explained.

She licked her lips and moved up slightly.

"Mm... Is that so? That's a pretty perverted line of thought, Darling..." She whispered. "But I love it when you get this turned on by me."

My patience was started to wane, so I took advantage.

I pulled her red bloomer to the side, which revealed her exposed womanhood.

She started off by rubbing me against her labia.

I knew she was turned on, especially since I was coated by her juices.

Sweetheart aligns me with herself and slowly lowered herself onto it.

Little by little, I was able to slide into her.

"Haah...! Finally... Sweet, sweet release!"

Sweetheart continued to lower her waist.

After a little bit, I was finally inside her completely.

I felt her wrap herself perfectly around me, as it was shaped to fit me.

Even though this feels amazing...

I need more.

"Monika."

She gave me a simple nod, pushing her hands on me and moving her hips.

I was usually the one to be on top, because of that, the movements were a little slower than I liked.

"Haah... Haah... How is this, Darling? Do you like it?"

Still...

It's nothing to complain about.

"Yeah, I do... What about you, Sweetheart?"

She smiled happily.

"I-I like it! It feels excellent when... when... your cock rubs against me... haah... aah..."

I felt her warm slightly when she said that dirty word.

Oh?

Does she like saying words like that?

My girlfriend was slowly getting the hang of it, as she started to increase the pace of her movements.

Her ordinarily fair skin was dyed a deep crimson.

I saw beads of sweat starting to glisten all over her body.

Because of this, her scent started to grow more prominent, which spoke to my primitive desires.

"Aaah... W-Wow! You're getting bigger...!" She remarked.

The scent invaded my nostrils, causing me to lose more self-control.

And so, I pushed her hips down against me, causing her arch her back.

"Aaah! Ngh...! W-What was that for you... jerk...?"

I gritted my teeth.

"I'm a little underwhelmed, Sweetheart. Pick up the pace a little."

She gave me a competitive look and sped up the grinding movements of her hips.

Again and again, I felt myself traveling from her hot depths and to her quivering entrance.

Sweetheart was whimpering, pushing the hand on my abdomen, and lifting herself up a little.

I knew what she was doing.

She thinks that she would get away with this.

If I keep hitting her there, then she would come before me.

Even though I felt great inside of her, I felt a little off not getting the whole experience.

Whenever I hit her up there, I get that pleasant squeeze at the end of each thrust.

And...

I think I want that from her.

Because of this, I gripped her hips again and started to thrust up into her.

Her eyes rolled back from this.

"Hyaaaa! Hey! S-Stop! That's not fairrr! You can't do that! Aaah...! Aaaah!"

I smirked at how I caught her.

"Sweetheart, I think you forgot that I like making things fair. This is one of them. I want you to feel good too. After all... I love you."

Her vaginal walls tightened once I said that, causing her to whine.

"Uuuuuh! You... You jerk! You can't just say that...! Aaaah! Fwaaah! Ah!" She tried to protest as her body writhed in pleasure.

I gritted my teeth at this.

"Grgh...! Yeah, I know it isn't fair...! But it's how I really feel about you."

Her walls tightened again, causing me to hiss.

"Aaah, aaaaah! Haaah...! You really like to fight dirty, don't you... jerk! Ah! Uugh...!"

Every time I penetrate her depths, Sweetheart's face contorts in pleasure.

Her walls contracted slightly, always clamping around me.

I started to speed up my movements, and I watched my girlfriend's reactions rather carefully.

The sound of me entering and exiting filled the room.

"Uuuh! Aaaah! S-Since you... Haah! Since you aren't going to play fair! Then... Then I will adapt! Watch me, Darling!"

As soon as she declared war, she leaned forward, pressing her hands against me and swaying her hips.

That caused her to grit her teeth as well.

My upwards and falling motions combined with Sweetheart's back-and-forth movements culminated in creating an intense sense of pleasure for both of us.

"Anfh, mmm! Aaaah! T-This feels amazing! Don't you feel the same too, Darling?!"

I can only nod in response.

Every time Monika's body moved up and down, her chest jiggled slightly.

I pulled her t-shirt off slightly, which gave her the signal to raise it up along with her bra, letting her voluptuous breasts free.

The swaying movement of her chest hypnotized me, arousing me, which caused me to speed my movements.

"Hyaaaah! Aaaah! AAAH! Y-Your cock... It's going so deep inside me...! Aaahn!"

Her insides trembled each time I press up against her depths.

And because of that, I decided to focus my efforts on hitting it there.

"Nh...! S-Stop! No! You can't hit me there...! It's not fair! Aaah! I'm really sensitive there..."

I smirked at this.

"Yeah, I know. It's cute seeing you react when I hit you there. After all, we have been... Gyah!"

All of a sudden, Monika's vaginal walls clamp down on me even tighter.

Her moist walls entwine themselves around me completely.

In that instant that I was teasing her for just a second, Sweetheart reacted by violently grinding her hips against me.

"Argh! You...!"

Her motions were a lot smaller and quicker. Despite this cost, she was a lot more efficient and precise, therefore intensifying the pleasure greatly.

Along with my grip on my hips, I was continually hitting her g-spot as a result.

"Aaah! Fwaaah! S-Stop going in so deep! I don't t-think I can hold it in for much longer!"

Despite her complaints, she doesn't stop moving her own hips, continuing to aggressively ride me.

It didn't take long for her to orgasm, drenching me in her juices.

I was still throbbing and ready to go, despite this.

"Not yet..." I muttered.

The sweat and her scent were all I can smell right now.

It took control of me, causing me to suddenly get up and grab her.

"Wrap your hands together behind my back and keep yourself as close. Got it?" I asked.

As expected, she was a little confused but gave me the go-ahead to get up.

"O-OK... Like this?"

Perfect...

"Yeah, just like that. Be a little careful... I'm still pretty sensitive..."

Slipping my arms under my girlfriend's knees, I reach around and grasp her soft, fair bosom with both hands and then rise to my feet, carrying her up with me.

"Waaah!"

I took the cue to hoist her up and insert my head in her once more.

When I loosened my grip and let her fall, Monika's body weight drove her back down onto me.

"Aah! Ah... gh...! Aaah!"

She squeezed her eyes shut from the slight pain of the first thrust.

"This should hurt in a few seconds. Watch me."

I pulled Monika up and then drop her back down.

"Nngh! Aaah!"

Every time she drops, I felt her body shudder violently against me.

"T-This is amazing, D-Darling! I feel like I'm yours! And only yours!"

Her soft gasp tickled my ear, her breath hot enough to burn.

"Is that so? Then I will make things a little rougher then."

I picked up the pace, hauling Monika into the air faster and faster without lessening each thrust's power.

Her eyes widened and rolled back from the sudden shock of pleasure.

"Ngggh! AAAH! I-I can't! Hyaaah! AAAAAH!"

Sweetheart was writhing in my arms, trying to catch her breath as I mercilessly slide her up and down.

"This... This is for playing dirty back when we played! This is payback!"

Saliva was starting to leak out of the girl's mouth.

"N-No...! S-Stop! I'm sorry! I-I-I didn't mean to...! AAAAH! You're breaking me! Uuuuh!"

The liquid flowed out of my girlfriend's womanhood, dripping down my shaft every time I lifted her into the air.

Her pleasantly lewd scent override my sense of rationale and control.

I felt her starting to get used to my punishing thrusts more and more while suspended in my arms.

"Good... Time to kick things up a notch!"

She reacted accordingly.

"Wait, what?! Hyaaah!"

I started to thrust myself into her, working in conjunction with the gravity.

She wrapped her legs against my hips as a result.

Her eyes were looking hazy because of this.

I know you can make a very lewd face.

And so, I started to move up and down, left and right, to expand the tight hold I was exploring.

Her body spasmed uncontrollably from this.

"S-Stop it...! You're stirring me up, and I'm... I'm..." She breathlessly mumbled.

I took this as my cue to stir myself around all the more vigorously.

She was desperate for air, causing her to messily stick her tongue out.

I alternated my body's movements, shifting my position here and there, as I pumped myself into her.

Her pants grew more and more high-pitched and frantic as a result, I found myself moving at breakneck speeds, her frenzied moans giving the fuel to shatter my limits.

"AAAAH! AAAH! I CAN'T! EYAAAH!"

I vigorously swung Monika back and forth on top of me.

She was unable to anything except swaying weakly in my arms.

Her eyes were utterly hazy, unable to process what was going anymore.

Sweetheart was still trying to take in any air she can too.

Because of how mind-broken she looked, it caused me to throb uncontrollably.

I knew it was coming soon.

"Grgh...! I... I can't hold it in! Monika, I love you!"

She managed to say it back.

"I... I love you too, ehehe..."

Just hearing her dazed voice sends sparks down my spine.

Ecstasy surged throughout my body as a result.

"Kh! Here it comes!"

Sweetheart dug her nails against the back of my neck, but I found it pleasurable despite the expected pain.

I dedicated my remaining strength into one last rush, hauling her up and down along my cock with intense action.

This broke out of her dazed state, causing her to lose it.

"Nnnh! HYAAAAH! AAAH! AAAAAAH! DARLING! AAAAAH!"

Our rough breathing merged together into a chorus of passion.

"Hah... hah... hah...! Almost there...!"

Her walls twitched and clamped down onto me.

"I-I can't hold on! Darling! I-I'm coming!"

From there, I felt her fingernails break into the skin of my neck.

I felt something explode in the back of my head.

My vision was all white as I finally released my payload into her.

It was my first ejaculation, but it felt like it took almost all out of my system.

The warmth caused her to release her second orgasm.

She stretched outwards, rolling her eyes back.

My body shook with pleasure, causing me to fall onto the bed, exhausted.

I felt the white liquid instantly overflow her womb, trickling down my pulsing member.

My testes kept releasing shot after shot, despite this.

It didn't help that Monika's walls were sucking it all up as well.

I looked down to see she was still completely lost in passion.

Her body twitched as my seed starting flowing out.

So...

This is what happens if we don't have sex in... two weeks?

Wow...

I didn't think I had that much stored in me...

And my stamina was incredible too...

We laid in bed for a little bit before I felt Sweetheart stirring.

"Ugh... my head... It feels so hazy... What happened?" She asked.

And wow...

To think I quite literally fucked her brains out.

"Well, we're still connected, so I'll let you decide."

Monika stared at me for a little bit before realizing what I said.

"Oh! Right! Hehe...! You see, Darling? Didn't that feel amazing?!" She buzzed, snuggling her head against my chest.

I grinned at her cute behavior as she did.

"Yeah, I guess it did... But I am exhausted. I never thought I want to sleep right now. How about you?"

I didn't really get a response back.

Instead, she rolled her head on my chest.

"Uuh... Yeah, me too. I didn't expect my body hit me back with this..."

I chuckled at this.

"Haha! Alright, let's take a nap then."

I pulled the blanket over me and hugged her close.

She stirred a little and sighed.

"Goodnight, Darling... I love you."

I smiled at this.

"Yeah... Goodnight Sweetheart. I love you too."

And with that, we drifted to our dreams.

---

I stretched upwards, feeling exhausted from the long day I had.

Right now, I was sitting down in my house's backyard patio, watching my daughter play with her little brother.

It was a sight that made me smile, no matter how tired I was.

Man...

It has been... twenty years, huh?

Twenty years since Monika and I got together...

To think she "hated" me when she came back...

And to think she would devote her life to be with me...

Obviously, I never hated her, I found it impossible for me to that.

And I vowed to be with her for the rest of my life too.

With age, I started to get these strange flashbacks.

The flashbacks were about how I raised a family with Monika's two friends, Yuri and Natsuki.

It was until very recently that they have stopped appearing randomly.

Now, it would only appear if I thought about it or something significant has been brought up.

At first, I was terrified of them and unsure how to deal with it.

But now... They serve as a reminder that I'm happy.

Happy that I made a choice to be with Monika.

To think...

I would have been with those two instead.

For example, Natsuki and I had a daughter.

And then for Yuri, we had twin daughters.

Strangely enough, I think my other me's daughters all look quite similar to their mothers.

Weird, since it's the same for my daughter to.

I don't know the specifics on how I got involved with them, but I knew it was because I had to help them out with something...

Jeez, so many possibilities.

That is something I can't deny, given how surreal these memories feel.

But I can't tell if I'm happy or not in those flashbacks.

That's about as far as I can get to understand them.

But I know... I know that the two other girls are happy.

They were happy to be with me...

And happy to have a family.

So I think it's safe to say that I was happy with them too.

But that doesn't mean I'm unhappy with my life.

Quite the contrary, in fact.

I am pleased with my life right now...

My thoughts drifted to my family.

Heh.

I never thought raising a family would be this difficult...

Now, I realize how much our parents had to maintain their jobs, love life, and their family... All at the same time.

To think my parents were able to juggle my brother and me...

It was easy to say that I was sort of a brat when I was younger.

And I did get pretty jealous of my parents doting on my younger brother.

But fortunately, this didn't seem to be the case for my daughter.

She played with her younger brother whenever she had the chance and loves him so much.

I glanced over to my little girl, who was playing peek-a-boo with his brother.

She even promised to protect him from everything, no matter what.

The same promise I held for my younger brother.

Not soon after, my wife finally came to join us in the backyard.

"You're looking happy." She remarked as she sat next to me.

I smiled at her.

"Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be? Life's perfect. Nothing seems to be wrong right now. Work is going along great, our love for you keeps getting stronger, and my family looks to be growing... I'm a happy man, Sweetheart." I declared, still watching over my children.

She too watched our children.

"I'm very happy too, Darling. So happy that I can't even begin to understand... It makes you think about how the littlest of choices could create such a butterfly effect. Everything we did here is one separate universe... A different reality. Imagine what you would have done if you... If you decided to get closer to Yuri and Natsuki, instead... This life wouldn't exist. Our children wouldn't exist. And worst of all, we wouldn't be here together."

I melancholily sighed at this.

"Yeah, I know. If I had other me's and I'm sure they went for Yuri and Natsuki, maybe even Sayori, I'm sure I would have been love with them. But I don't know if I would be as happy as I am right now. Or even if they would be happy to be with me. That is their business. At the end of the day, Sweetheart... it doesn't matter to us. Because... don't forget that I chose you and fell in love with only you."

I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

She responded by kissing me instead.

"Mm... I know. I'm glad that you chose me. I don't know if my other selves would ever let go of you. If I know me, I would definitely still be in love with you, even if you were with someone else. That's how much I love you."

The sun was setting, with the world starting to mellow into a bright purple.

"Heh, I got the feeling you would say that. All the deja vu I have been getting tells me you would never let go of me, no matter what. You considered me to be your lover and soulmate, huh?"

Monika smirked slyly.

"Yeah, I did. That's why I never showed any interest in anyone except you."

We both watched as the sun started to fade into the darkness.

"Good thing it's not one-sided, because..."

I held her hand as night drew.

"Monika, I love you."

She held my hand and squeezed.

"I love you too..."

---

"Argh..."

My head...

It feels like it has hammered in or something...

I opened my eyes to see a white void surrounding me, with small bits geometry here and there.

Where am I?

Why does this place look familiar...?

"Uh... Sweetheart?" I heard a familiar voice ask. "Any idea where we are?"

Wait...

He sounds just like me!

"No, I don't, Darling... I don't like this." Another familiar voice answered.

M-Monika?!

The two figures I have heard appeared in thin air, confused about what was going on.

"Mama... I'm scared..." A little girl asked, holding her Monika's hand.

The girl was looked almost like Monika.

"It's OK, Princess. Don't worry." She assured.

The man who appeared was holding a male infant that looked remarkably similar to Monika as well.

Wait...

They look a lot older than I first realized...

Does that mean they came from the future?

The man finally saw me.

"Ah! Excuse me!" He called, walking up to me.

But once he did, he was taken aback.

We stared at each other, baffled at what was going on.

That's me...?

That's how I look when I get older?

"What even is this?" Another voice asked, sounding similar to the man in front of me. "Cupcake, stay close to me."

And he... sounds just like me too!

"You don't have to tell me twice... Dear, this is weird..." The look-a-alike Natsuki commented.

I was able to recognize the two people that materialized in front of us.

The man was holding a little girl's hand.

The girl looked very similar to Natsuki.

"Papa... who's that?" She pointed at us.

It didn't take long for them to approach us.

As they approached, I noticed that Natsuki had longer hair and was much more curvaceous than I knew back home.

This other me is a lot stockier than him and me...

"Do you guys have... What the...?!"

We all shared the same confusion too.

"Hmm, I think... I have seen this place before." Yet another voice asked, sounding like us. "Honey, are you doing OK?"

This was probably the largest group that materialized.

"I'm fine, Beloved. Are you two fine?" The look-a-alike Yuri questioned.

She was talking to two younger girls, which looked to be twins.

"Yeah! No problems here!"

"Yes, I am."

It was clear that the two had contrasting personalities.

For some reason, they weren't as baffled as we were when they approached.

"So... This is what those feelings were trying to tell me..." He started to say.

"Yes, it makes sense now..." Yuri added.

The man who was with Monika cleared his throat.

"Uh, look... We have no idea what's going on. Can you guys tell us?" He asked.

The other confused me followed up on this.

"Yeah! Where are we?"

The calm me put his hand up.

"Settle down, will you? Don't you all see? We are all from different timelines." He sagely answered. "We all Val, and we all share different pasts. But I don't know why we are all here now."

Timelines...?

So they are all from different realities?!

"First, let us introduce ourselves using new aliases. I'm an executive worker in my father-in-law's company, so call me, Executive."

The stockier me stepped in.

"I'm... Well, I'm a baker with my wife here. We run a bakery and are looking to expand later on. So call me, Baker."

Now it was the other me's turn to step in.

"I'm well... My wife and I run a company, but I am more of a family man... So call me, Father."

They all now turned to me.

I had no idea what to say.

"Uh... I don't have anything noteworthy to talk about. I know all of you guys... Monika, Natsuki, and Yuri. I've been going to school with them for a year now, but nothing special has come up between us..." I explained.

After all, I met them all a year ago...

The Executive stroked his chin.

"Mm. I see, so I take it you didn't know either of them as your childhood friend, no?"

I shook my head.

"No... I met them all a year ago if that makes sense..."

The three me's traded looks with each other.

Father smiled at me and turned to his wife.

"Well, in my case, Monika was my only childhood friend. We fell in love around our third year of high school."

Baker was able to pick on this.

"Ah, I get it now. The same applies to me too. Monika was my childhood friend too, but I met Natsuki first. We fell in love at the same time as you guys did."

Monika stepped in.

"Wait... how did you know him first? Did he go to our country much earlier or something?"

The Executive smiled at this, something I didn't expect from his serious nature.

"I suppose we did. The same applies to me, as well. Monika was my childhood friend. However, I met Yuri first. My father was here earlier because he needed to sort out some matters before moving from the United States. I take the same happened to you, Baker?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, I think our dads were Police veterans, right? He came here to take down a gunrunning business with my wife's father."

The Executive nodded at this.

"I see, my dad already had gotten a desk job at the point. So that's the start of our divergence."

They all then turned to me.

I took the turn to speak.

"Uh... my dad was a police veteran too. But other than that, I don't know much about it."

Natsuki frowned a little as she thought.

"Hold up. So, Father, did you meet any of us? And Executive, did you met me when we were kids?" She asked.

The two in question shook their heads.

"I'm sure I only met Sweetheart here. I don't remember meeting you or Yuri when I was a kid." Father replied.

"Likewise, I met Yuri first, then Monika. I don't recall meeting you at all, sadly." The Executive added.

So if that's the case, then they were all childhood friends with Monika...

Yuri stepped in.

"This begs the question... Why us? Don't you all think it's too much of a coincidence that our lover is the same?" She confidently asked.

Huh...

This version of Yuri is a lot bolder than the one back home.

They all put their minds together on this one, but couldn't come with an answer.

"I guess we are all connected somehow. Connected to you." Father said to me.

Connected to me?

How?

"Maybe you don't remember your past... That happened to us." Baker added.

I don't...

Remember?

"That's what happened to us. Maybe it will happen to you. Something may happen that will change your perspective in life." The Executive finished.

I noticed the white void was starting flicker.

"I-I think we're running out of time... something's about to happen."

The three me's looked to each other and nodded.

"We have a feeling that something might happen to you."

"You might not have a choice."

"Maybe your true love takes form in not one, nor two, but three..."

The world faded to black with those words.

---

And so I woke up.

My body was drenched with sweat.

...

What the hell...?

What was that?

I tried to think back on the dream I had, but to avail.

My mind couldn't fix an image together.

Instead, I had hints of memories of playing with Monika, Natsuki, and Yuri.

What...?

How do I remember them?

They looked a lot younger and...

Wait!

So that's what they told me?!

I looked outside to see three girls waiting outside, all of them holding rocks.

They noticed I was up and threw them towards me, pelting my window.

Jeez!

Again with this?!

I got dressed, got my bag, and left my house.

"Took you long enough!" The pinkette barked.

I sighed.

"Sorry, Nat..."

The brunette crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Seriously, we were waiting for you. Let's get going already! Come on!" Monika pulled.

We started walking with Yuri unexpectedly, pushing from behind.

"Wha-?! Y-Yuri, you too?"

She only giggled in response.

"Indeed! This is actually fun!" She cheered, surprising me.

As they pulled, I saw a flicker of them.

They were all much younger.

No...

They... They were my childhood friends?

So that's what they meant with I didn't have a choice...

I smiled at this.

Things will be a lot more interesting.

And I am ready for what lies ahead!

---

AN: The pandemic is still around my state, stopping my plans in its place. So I passed the time by writing. This anniversary update will probably not happen again, given I covered all that I wanted to.

I don't know if there anyone still around to read this. I mainly wrote for my own gratification, since I genuinely like to write. But if you do bother to read this and leave a review, thank you so much.

With that being said, I'll see you guys the next time I write. That is if I do.

Enigma