The impromptu game of tag didn't last too long. Before long, the balloon had once again found its place among the clouds. Monika and MC continued to fly west, leaving behind the grassy hills and forests and embracing a world of orange dunes that stretched as far as they could see and undoubtedly further. While it was true that the air grew hotter, even hotter than it had been when they had their picnic, it still never became downright stifling. Beads of sweat glistened on MC's forehead, but all the same he peered out of the balloon eagerly. The desert they now found themselves in was reminiscent of the Sahara. Of course, he did not know for certain, but it was very likely that Monika had deliberately based her design off such a choice. The primary difference was that oases seemed to be much more common here. Indeed, it would not have been impossible to walk from one oasis to another without so much as getting tired.
All the same, it was good to be up in the balloon rather than trudging through the seemingly-endless wastes. He wondered where they could be going, if, in fact, they were going anywhere specifically at all. He tried to ask Monika once or twice, but each attempt only caused her to smile and place her index finger over her lips in a gesture of secrecy. She knew, and he found that to be more than enough.
Neither spoke for quite some time. There was no need to speak; the silence was like a calming embrace. Outside of the oases, the desert seemed to be largely barren of any life at all. Even inside them, there only appeared to be trees, small clusters of birds that he failed to identify, and the rare camel or two. Again, there was perfect harmony in Monika's animal kingdom. MC was so rapt with attention in the beauty of it all that he afforded Monika only the occasional glance. He had caught her frowning once or twice, but not at him. It appeared as though she was pondering about something.
"Is something wrong?" MC inquired innocently after the third or fourth time. "You look like something's bothering you."
But Monika shook her head and offered him a smile. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with," she assured soothingly. "Just thinking about some things."
MC's brow furrowed. He remained unconvinced. However, he had already unintentionally made Monika upset once today, so he vowed to avoid pressing the issue. "OK then, just let me know if you wanna talk."
An hour or so of flight passed in this uneventful, blissful state. Then, the westward sands were suddenly halted by a band of dark green grass less than a hundred feet across. Palm trees were erected in a careful, deliberate manner. There was approximately 12 feet between the base of each, and like the grass that surrounded them, they were arranged in a perfectly straight line from north to south. Past this colorful border lied another field of sand, though this time it was far lighter in color. There was a fine tropical smell in the air, like a delicate, careful mixture of salt and fruits. It was heavenly. Finally, as if all of those other cues weren't enough, the newer sands were swallowed up by an ocean as equally vast as the desert they crossed.
"Ooooh! We're going to the beach!?" MC guessed excitedly. He had never been. In spite of all the times he thought about going, he had never acted upon it. There had been a beach back home in the city, but it was often crowded with the nameless background characters. Furthermore, none of the girls, not even Monika, had invited him. Even still, MC had the feeling that this particular tropical paradise was far more pleasant than the one that lingered back home.
Realizing that she had piqued his interest, Monika snapped out of her thoughtful demeanor and flashed a smile so wide that it threatened to crack her face. "Yep! The best beach anyone could ask for. And best of all, it's all for ourselves."
"It must've taken you ages to make all of this!" MC marveled. "Talk about a road trip worth seeing, though. Errr, balloon trip, I guess."
The balloon soon touched down a little way's east from the treeline, and the lovely couple climbed out eagerly. Beach fever had quickly overtaken MC's mind, and he almost immediately kicked off his shoes and socks and then dashed through the natural border. Monika was not quick to follow, but she watched him go with a smile on her face and a strong sense of pride in her work. She brought the mod menu up once more and cycled through it, selected an option, and watched as her pajamas vanished into nothing, leaving behind only a white and green bikini. It leaned toward the modest side as far as swimwear went, but it still allowed for a little cleavage and showed off her body well. She then chased after MC.
"Hey, wait up!" she called as she stepped onto the beach.
That caused MC to stop in his tracks and comically overexaggerate an embarrassing smack to his forehead. "Oh right, silly me! I have a girlfr-" he had begun to say, obviously joking around. However, he had gone silent quickly after turning around to face Monika. His mouth dropped.
Monika power-walked over to him, flashing a knowing grin. "What's the matter?" she inquired playfully. She knew exactly why he had gone silent, or at least had a very good idea, but she still desired to hear it straight from him.
The sun was about midway through its westerly descent, and Monika's current position allowed for her head to obscure it entirely from MC's view. It granted her brown hair a golden hue, almost as if she were an angel. On top of that, her green eyes glimmered with a sense of enamoration that nearly caused him to melt. Also, well, he had to admit that she looked great in a swimsuit.
"You are. . . You're wonderful," he explained slowly. He was too much at a loss for words to say anything else. But when he gently intertwined his fingers around hers, he said enough to make Monika nearly jump with glee. All of the largely self-directed anger she had felt around lunchtime was destroyed in that instant, because that small gesture reminded her that she had value in his eyes. Even in spite of her past actions, she knew that she mattered to him.
"Love you too," she whispered tenderly, tracing a line along his chest. She pulled away and glanced down at MC's body. He was still dressed in pajamas. "Oh, this won't do at all," she commented. "You can't enjoy a beach properly dressed like Rip Van Winkle."
MC looked down sheepishly. "That's embarrassing!" he acknowledged. "In fact, come to think of it. . . Do I even own a swimsuit?"
"You will soon!" Monika assured, and the mod menu popped up before she had even finished talking. She stepped back a few feet and began typing furiously. A few minutes passed, and Monika finally finished. A pair of swimming trunks, yellow in the front and black in the back, materialized in her awaiting hands. She tossed them to MC, then turned around. "I'll do my best to grant you a hint of privacy."
While MC changed. Monika brought up the mod menu once more and began to spawn a large variety of items she had previously coded the day before. Before long, a set of towels, some wooden beach chairs, mats, a big inflatable beach ball, a portable speaker, and a large umbrella were lying nearby. She then teleported back to the balloon, grabbed the cooler, and popped right back where she was. To her pleasant surprise, MC had already taken the initiative to set things up without her even noticing. The umbrella was erected and deployed, and the mats were set upon the beach chairs. She went to work helping him, and soon everything was in place.
"Perfect!" MC declared once everything was prepared.
"The hard work is done," Monika stated proudly. Of course, the hard work for her was all of the programming she had done the night before, but she was more than happy to find out that her efforts had more than paid off. "I can't wait to sit in the sun with my boyfriend and just rela-"
Monika turned her head to MC, only to find him already making a mad dash for the water. It appeared that would have to wait. Not that she minded, though; why else would she have brought the beach ball?
The afternoon went without much fanfare. MC and Monika swam together, played simple games of catch together, and lied on the beach together. The pleasures were simple, but effective beyond measure. Indeed, any and all semblance of stress melted away. Or, at least, it should have. Unfortunately, Monika's mind continued to wander. Like she had during the post-lunch balloon ride, she continued to deliberate. Her thoughts were wandering back to the terrible things she had done to her fellow members so long ago. However, she was deliberately avoiding making a pity party out of it. Indeed, she had been thinking about it a lot since her fight with MC, especially from an ethical perspective. Her intentions had been entirely good when she decided to wipe the club members' memories about the game, but of course, that didn't mean it didn't happen. At some point, something could slip. At some point, they might begin to ask her about what exactly happened to break the script in the first place. What would she do, then? Craft yet another lie? How do you tell someone that they not only died, but that you indirectly murdered them?
"H-hey, MC?" she stammered after a prolonged period of silence.
"Hmmm?" he grunted suddenly, then yawned. He had been so comfortable that he accidentally taken a little nap.
"Can we talk for a minute?" Monika asked with uncharacteristic meekness. "About something serious."
MC nodded, still half-asleep but endeavoring to pay attention. "Of course, Monika. I'd rather you tell me if something's eating at you than just have you bottle it up."
"I know, but. . ."
She sighed, trailing off. MC remained patient, placing his arm around her for support. She allowed herself to relax in his embrace, and talking about the subject became bearable once more.
"I don't know what I'm going to do about the other three club members, MC, but I'm beginning to think that, well, they need to learn about what happened to them."
Silence followed. MC needed a minute to drink that in. "Are you sure about that?"
Monika nodded instinctively. "Almost positive. What are the odds that they begin to ask questions. Frankly, I'm surprised that they haven't begun to do so already. I mean, they already know that this is all a game, but they don't know why I broke it."
"And they don't need to know," MC assured, patting her back in a gesture of comfort. "Not if you don't want them to. I understand the prospect of them finding out scares you, and I'm more than willing to back you up with a cover story if you need me to."
"No," Monika sighed. "I've done enough harm already. It still eats at me, as you know well enough by now. But. . ."
"You don't feel ready to tell them, do you?" he guessed.
She nodded. "There's no telling how they would react. They look to me as a leader, as a mentor, even. What kind of mentor butchers her own friends violently for her own selfish, shortsighted disasters?"
"A leader that had to face an unparalleled crisis head-on," MC offered after a moment's contemplation. "Do you ever wonder if they wouldn't have fallen for the same trap that you did, were they in your shoes?"
"Sometimes," Monika admitted. "Though I also wonder if that alternate Monika would be able to forgive them."
"If she's anything like you? I think she would."
"You're biased," Monika accused, half-playfully.
"It's your decision," MC stated matter-of-factly. "If you want to know what I think, though, I believe you should do it. You're right: I know I can never know what it feels like to have that weigh on your conscience, but I can tell you that our club members are understanding people and good friends. You and I both know that you have tried your best to right your wrongs. If they can't accept that you have repented wholly and sincerely, then I think that may say more about them than it does about you. After all, I think one of the reasons I fell for you was that you were so devoted to making my days great."
After taking some time to digest that, Monika hummed. He had a point, and she suddenly didn't find the whole prospect as scary as she once did. That was not to say that she was brimming with confidence, for there was still a degree of fear dwelling within. Ultimately, however, that decided things.
"Then I will tell them," she declared, sitting up. She turned to MC and smiled sweetly. Then, she stroked his cheek gently and kissed him on the forehead. "You know, you can be pretty wise when it comes to these things, wiser than I believe you rightly give yourself credit for."
"Even a fool can sometimes have his moments of clarity," MC said with a chuckle and a shrug. "So, is that it? Are you going to tell them tomorrow?"
Monika faltered. "Ehhhh, no, not that soon. I think I'll need time to really dwell on it. But I will tell them, just on my own time and my own terms. When that time comes, can I count on you to stand by me, to help me if I start to panic?"
MC sat up and hugged her tightly. "I'd be an awful boyfriend not to. I will do my best to stamp those fears out before they even have a chance to break you."
"Your best will be more than enough," Monika assured. In that moment, she felt as though she could stand against anything.