Another morning dawned upon Doki City, and it was as busy as ever. Cars lined the streets as people began their morning commutes, the sidewalks bustled with all sorts of activity, and Monika was, as usual, making her way to MC's house for another one of her daily visits. By all accounts, it was a day like any other.
Well, maybe not by all accounts. For instance, there were not many days where Monika lugged a heavy cloth sack behind her, struggling, straining, and slowly creeping along the whole way. Despite the immense amount of strength that this task required, she remained steadfast in her mission. Of course, she could've always teleported to MC's house and saved herself the trouble of this frankly unnecessary ordeal, but she felt as though it was probably a good test of will for her to make the journey on foot. Besides, if today went as she hoped, she needed to burn as many calories as she reasonably could.
Finally, after more than enough panting and sighing for a lifetime, she made it to MC's front door. Dropping the sack down behind her, she took a moment to catch her breath and crack her back. That was the day she learned how elderly people must feel, at least if the uncomfortable stiffness in her lower back was any indication. After just a few seconds of rest, she rang the doorbell. MC opened it up with a quickness that Monika had not entirely expected, for she was still sweating and breathing heavily.
MC did not immediately notice the sack behind her, but all the same, he got the message that something weird was going on. There was no need for Monika to be this tired.
"Uh, hey, Monika?" he greeted awkwardly. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Monika said after one last deep breath. It was largely true, for that gave her the energy she needed to flash a chipper smile. "Fine as always on the days when I can see you."
That did enough to placate MC's concerns. He returned her smile and beckoned her inside. Still smiling, if a bit strained, Monika silently cursed herself as she stooped low, hoisted the bag over her shoulder, and slowly walked inside. MC's expression became bewildered once more.
"You want me to help you with that?" he asked. "Looks like you barely got it as is."
"N-no," Monika assured, finally setting it down on the living room floor. Seeming to reward herself for her efforts, she flung herself onto MC's couch and lied down. "But I don't think I'll ever do that again," she continued after a moment.
MC glanced at the newfound centerpiece in his living room. Standing surprisingly upright, almost rigid, it was easily three-quarters of his height and packed to the brim with something. He flashed Monika a look of slight alarm. "Did you carry this all the way to my house?"
Monika nodded, finding herself unable to come up with an explanation.
"Why didn't you just. . . you know? Teleport?"
"I thought I could handle it the old-fashioned way," Monika conceded after a moment's thought failed to uncover a more logical explanation. "I guess Natsuki's stubborn demeanor is beginning to rub off on me."
"I'll say," MC acknowledged as he stepped over to the sack. He began untying the knot as quickly as he could. The curiosity had gotten to him. "What's even in this thing, anyway?"
Monika turned her head over a second or two too late. Her eyes widened. "MC, don't-!"
The knot gave, and the bag practically popped open. In a mere instant, the floor around the living room became flooded by a tide of individually-wrapped pieces of candy. The force was strong enough to knock MC into the depths with a loud thump, and when he emerged a second later, he realized that Monika must have been a heck of a lot stronger than he thought.
"What the hell!?" he exclaimed, gazing bewilderedly at the candy-covered arena he now found himself in. He then noticed a bright green gumdrop, instinctively ate it, and nodded in a pleased manner. "Mmmmm, sour apple. But still, what the hell!?"
"Surprise!" Monika offered. She grinned, but now that the chaos had been unleashed, it appeared to dawn on her that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. "I got you lots of candy!"
"Lots indeed," MC remarked. "There's enough candy on my floor for fifty Halloweens! Also, that is not a metric I ever expected to use in my lifetime!"
He managed to stand back up and wade over to the couch. Monika withdrew her legs so that he could sit on the far end, and so he did. There was a brief period of silence, with MC's gaze fixated on the candypalooza before him. He searched and searched until at last he came across a blueberry-flavored lollipop. He snatched it, tore off the wrapper, and began sucking. He nodded approvingly.
"You know, Monika, sometimes the stuff you do really works. It hits, if you know what I mean. And of course there are other times where you outright miss and I am left baffled by your decisions, though now I still love you all the same. This time? I'm not certain."
Monika sat up. "Well, I wasn't sure exactly what your favorite would be, so I decided to program you just a little bit of everything," she stated. With a cringe of embarrassment, she followed up on that. "Maybe I should have asked before going through with it all."
"Ah, don't sweat it," MC assured with a chuckle. He patted her on the back like an approving father. "Whatever I don't want, Sayori and Natsuki will take."
"And maybe I will, too," Monika stated matter-of-factly. She took a chocolate bar, allowed herself a large, decadent bite, and moaned in satisfaction. "I think I did a pretty good job with this."
"Oh, really?" MC questioned with playful skepticism. "I'm not so certain."
"Then taste for yourself," Monika declared, kissing him on the lips. It was brief, affectionate, and indeed chocolate-flavored.
There was, unfortunately, very little time for more romantic shenanigans. Suddenly, there came a knock on the door, only for it to open before MC even had a chance to answer. In walked Sayori, a bewildered expression clear on her face. "MC, are you OK? I heard a loud crash all the way from my house, and-" -she only then seemed to notice the candy- "-woah!"
"Yeah, I'm alright," MC stated. "My girlfriend just had a rather sweet idea."
As lame as it was, Monika couldn't stop herself from giggling at the pun. Not that Sayori was paying any attention to him anymore. She was already helping herself to a fun-size pack of gummy worms. If her drooling expression was any indication, she agreed with Monika's sentiments wholeheartedly. The three helped themselves to a breakfast that every child could only dream of, followed by the mother of all tummy-aches, but they all agreed that it was worth it.