Monika actually felt some pity for MC, a teenage boy rendered helpless by a grown man he had, to put it mildly, really pissed off. He struggled and squirmed to no avail before managing to turn himself enough to at least look up at Rob. Blood dripped from his nose as they made eye contact.

"You're…you're him, aren't you?" he asked. "The one she was always trying to talk to."

"Yeah," Rob answered quietly. He seemed to consider his options for a moment before speaking again. "Are you going to behave?"

MC nodded and Rob released him. As he stood up, Rob positioned himself between MC and Monika.

"What in the hell were you thinking?!" Sayori shouted. "That is NOT how we're going to solve our problems, MC!"

"I…I'm sorry."

It occurred to Monika that as President, Sayori might have been able to intervene in that little dust up. She may not have had any power over Rob, since he existed independent of the game, but she surely could have gotten MC out from under his shoe. Sayori must have felt he needed to face some consequences for his impulsive behavior, although it seemed unlikely she would have let Rob stab him…if he had decided to try.

"Well," Rob said. "It looks like you all have a lot to talk about. I think we'll take a walk outside. Come on, Monika."

"I'll stay," Monika said.

"Really?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I owe him an explanation too."

"Okay, if you're sure." He turned to face MC. "You lay one hand on her and I'll use your fuckin' head for a bowling ball. Got that?"

MC gulped and took a step back. "Yes, sir."

"Wait!" Yuri called out as Rob was leaving. "May I come with you?"

"Of course," Rob said, his gentle demeanor immediately returning.

"What? Yuri, you're leaving?" Natsuki asked.

"I'm sure you three are capable of explaining things," she said. "I would like some fresh air."

This was true, but Yuri was also feeling intense anxiety about the tension in the room. It would be a difficult discussion and she didn't necessarily feel ready for that. As they started to walk down the hallway, they could still hear the group talking.

"That's really the player?" MC asked. "He's crazy!"

Yuri looked to see Rob's reaction, but he just chuckled.

"He was sweet as honey up until now," Natsuki said. "You better be careful. He's obviously bigger and stronger than you."

The voices faded as Rob and Yuri made it to the double doors that led outside the school. They wandered around near the back of the building to where the athletic fields were. These fields never appeared in the game, but were apparently part of what the game considered a complete school.

"Rob," Yuri said. "Your cane…there's a weapon inside, isn't there?"

He smiled. "How did you know?"

"I was looking at the metal under that dragon's head. It looks like it's meant to accommodate a rotating device of some kind."

"Very good," Rob said. "The top does twist off. Would you like to try it?"

"May I?"

"Sure." He handed it to Yuri, who examined it from a few different angles and then unsheathed the knife. She tapped the tip of the blade ever so lightly with her finger. "It's quite sharp."

"I didn't think I would need it here," Rob said. "I only brought it because my knee was giving me trouble this morning."

Yuri pushed the blade back into the cane and gave it back. "Rob, may I confide in you?"

"Of course you can," he said, looking surprised.

"Normally, I would not talk like this with someone I have only just met. However, I happen to know that you have already seen me at my absolute worst. It's embarrassing…but also strangely comforting. It makes me feel like if you're still here, you won't think I'm too weird or strange."

"I don't think that."

"I've been very apprehensive about how moving into your world will affect me," Yuri said. "Especially after seeing how it has changed Monika."

"Really? I think Monika has come a long way."

"I do too," Yuri replied quickly. "I did not mean to imply that it was a negative change. It is likely more noticeable to me since I have memories of her from this reality. When we went to school together, she radiated confidence and poise. It felt like she had an answer for everything. But now…it's different. It's obvious she has been humbled. Greatly humbled."

"Yeah," Rob said. "Life does that to a lot of us."

"She had the strength to handle it, but I'm not sure that I do. As you know, I have never really developed good…coping mechanisms."

Rob considered that for a moment. "I don't think it's exactly the same."

"Oh?"

"When Monika came, she had…let's say, unrealistic expectations. That was part of the reason it was hard for her. But Yuri, I don't think it's going to be the same experience for you because you're already humble. The culture I come from doesn't have much use for humility, but I believe it is a virtue and that it will help you transition. Monika had farther to fall, if that makes sense."

"That may be true," Yuri said. "However, I am not confident that humility will protect me from the sheer unpredictability of your world. As menacing as this place can be, I feel like I know what to expect. I still remember the night Monika told us about your car accident. It was so…senseless and random. The idea of a world where those things can happen with no warning is, frankly, terrifying."

"Senseless and random," Rob repeated. "That is certainly a good way to describe that accident. The future is never already written where I'm from, but that's not always bad. You can have wonderful surprises that come out of nowhere."

"I think, more than anything else, your brush with death is what changed Monika. She was just totally unprepared for that. What waits for me out there that I will never see coming?"

"Sometimes I think Monika was more traumatized by the accident than I was," Rob replied. "And she wasn't even in the car. I can't lie to you, Yuri. There are dangers out there. You would be coming into our world during a difficult time and I can't shake this feeling that something terrible is coming. It hasn't reached us yet, but it's on its way."

"Oh dear. That hardly inspires confidence."

"But you won't face any of it alone. You'll have a family to support you and care about you. A big one."

Yuri was quiet for a moment and then smiled. "I'm glad for that. I suppose there is only one more thing to consider."

"What's that?"

"I'm not sure whether or not to bring my knives," she said. "How do you feel about that, Rob? I could understand if you didn't want them in your home."

"I have a few of my own," Rob answered. "So it would be pretty hypocritical for me to say you couldn't bring yours. We just have to make sure they're always hidden or out of reach of my kids."

"My mind has been darting back on forth on this question. They provide a certain comfort, but also a temptation. I have been able to resist my…urges thanks to the stable environment Sayori has provided me, but I don't know how I will react to the stresses of your world. So maybe it's better to leave them here, but…I might miss them."

"What if you picked one or two of your favorites?" Rob asked. "And then left the rest behind? I don't think there's anything wrong with having them as an interest, but if you do feel compelled to, uh, hurt yourself…please come to me, okay? Or my wife or one of the other girls. Whoever you feel most comfortable with."

"You…you mean that?" Yuri asked. She didn't expect to hear that, having convinced herself that Natsuki and Sayori were the only ones patient enough to support her when she was struggling. While she nervously tugged at her hair, he just nodded like it was the most casual thing in the world.

"Th…thank you. You're really very kind to listen to all of my anxious blather."

"I have something I wanted to give you," Rob said, reaching into a brown bag that she hadn't even noticed until now. He pulled out a very thick paperback novel and handed it to her. The cover depicted an impressionistic rendition of a clown face and the title appeared to be just one word - "It."

"I don't know this novel," Yuri said. "It looks like horror?"

"For sure," Rob said. "It's huge, as you can see. I remember you saying that you liked it when books could create a really detailed setting. That book is just packed with world-building. There's some weird stuff in it, especially near the end, but I think you'll really enjoy it."

"How thoughtful," Yuri smiled. "It sounds like you've read this before?"

"Yeah, a few times. The first time was when I was in high school, many years ago."

"It must have left a powerful impression."

"Definitely," he said. "But the title can be tricky sometimes. My brother asked me what I was reading and I told him 'It.' He says 'What?' I'm like 'It.' He's like 'But what it's called?!' and I told him 'No, the book is called IT!' It was like some old Laurel and Hardy routine."

Yuri didn't get the reference but the anecdote was cute. As they laughed, a voice rang out from closer to the school. "There you guys are!"

Sayori ran over to them with MC and Monika trailing behind. "I think everyone's finally on the same page! So let's go home and get our stuff together."

"Where's Natsuki?" Rob asked.

"She went to go say goodbye to her dad," Sayori said. "She'll meet us back at the house."

Rob looked uneasy. "Her father? Is she going to be okay?"

"I never told you?" Sayori asked with a laugh. "I turned him into a very nice pizza delivery man. Natsuki's got nothing to worry about!"

"Pizza sounds pretty good."

"Oh!" Monika said. "Rob, we should have Sayori make the gift card for tonight's dinner."

"I hope it works," he said before holding up a phone to show Sayori a picture. "It should look just like this."

"Okay!" Sayori said cheerfully. "And how much should we put on this… 's card?"

"It's not the cheapest place, but we want everyone to have a good hearty meal. Let's do three hundred dollars to be safe."

"Wow!" Sayori exclaimed. "That's a lot!"

"Dinner with seven people gets pricey."

A small plastic card appeared in Sayori's hand. She gave it to Rob, who looked it over and then stuffed into his wallet for later. The group began to make their way back to the Bachelorette Pad without saying much. Everyone seemed to be deep in thought about the coming journey. For Monika and Rob, it would simply be returning to where they had been earlier that day, but the others had never seen anything like it. Speaking of Rob, Monika glanced at him and saw a conflicted expression on his face. If she had to guess, he was probably uneasy about MC coming along with all the girls. They hadn't planned for that and the already small house was going to have to somehow accommodate another person. Yet in hindsight, it was foolish to ever expect Sayori to leave without at least trying to bring him along. She doubted Rob would risk trying to tell her MC had to stay behind, so they would just have to adjust as best they could.

The girls had packed most of their stuff the night before, so it didn't take long to get everything near where the tear would open. Unless some squirrel had run off with it, the USB was still sitting in the right spot, so Sayori could open it again on her own. Natsuki, Yuri and MC stepped back in surprise as it appeared with that ripping noise Monika had heard a few times now. The field was visible through the other side.

"So that's it," Yuri said quietly. "It's right there."

"Yep!" Rob said jovially. "I'll go first and bring the car closer."

Unfortunately, it was not going to be as simple as that. Rob stepped through and reverted back to his true appearance, but the impact of his departure was felt immediately. MC's eyes glazed over instantly and he began to slump forward. Monika and Sayori were quick enough to catch him but he had become completely unresponsive.

"What happened?!" Natsuki shouted.

"It has to be because Rob left," Monika said.

"Shit!" Sayori shouted. That was pretty out of character so she must have been really stressed. "Okay, new plan. Rob, come back!"

Although he looked confused, he did as she asked. Life returned to MC's face.

"Ugh," he said. "Why are you guys holding me?"

Sayori shushed him. "Let's try this. We'll get him out first and then Rob will go next. Then they'll be sharing that reality and it should be fine, right?"

Monika shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe?"

MC slowly reached for the tear, with Sayori and Monika immediately behind him in case something else went awry. He reached his hand through but nothing was visible on the other side. It was like his hand and forearm had disappeared into thin air. Disturbed, MC yanked his arm back and was relieved to see he still had all of it.

"What's going on?" Sayori asked. "Why won't this work?!"

Nobody knew. It was quiet for several moments until MC spoke up.

"I…I can't leave."

"What?!" Natsuki yelled. "Why not?!"

"Because I'm…I'm not like you all. I don't have enough…I don't even know how to describe it, but it's not like I'm not complete enough to leave."

"No, MC…" Sayori said, looking increasingly distraught.

"Unfortunately, I think he's right," Monika said. "His role in the game was to enable Rob to communicate with you three. When the game ended, there was nothing more for him to do. The only reason he's awake now is because we were able to get Rob in here."

"No!" Sayori shouted, tears streaming down her face. "I don't CARE what the game wants! It's a stupid game! I HATE IT!" The pain in her voice tore at the others, but nobody had an answer. "If he can't leave, then I'm not leaving either."

Natsuki grabbed her shoulders. "No, Sayori! We're not leaving without you!"

Sayori wouldn't make eye contact with her. Monika looked over at Rob, who had been awfully quiet. She could see on his face that he felt really guilty, as if this whole mess was his fault. She wanted to reassure him, but this probably wasn't the time. They had to figure out just what to do about this situation. Finally, Yuri calmly walked over to Sayori and gently placed a hand on her upper back.

"Sayori," she said. "We could all stay…but Rob will have to leave. And when he does, we're going to lose MC again."

"It's not fair," Sayori sobbed. "Not after all this."

"It's not," Yuri agreed.

"Sayori," MC said. "It's okay. I want you to go."

"What?! I can't leave you here, MC! I love you!"

"I love you too," he replied. "I love all three of you. Don't you get it? That's why I have to do this."

Sayori hugged him like they would never see each other again. "No…"

"I've been selfish for most of my…short life. But I want to do the right thing. You guys have a chance at a real life. You have to take it."

There was an awful silence after that. The girls looked at each other, unsure of how to move forward from a moment like this. The quiet was broken by the tapping of Rob's cane as he approached them.

"Couldn't you visit?" he asked. "We'll still have the USB with the information on it so in theory, you could come back whenever."

Sayori looked over at him. "Huh?"

"This is like a two minute drive from the house," Rob continued. "We could come pretty often. It sounds like I would have to come along for him to function, but that's okay. I'll bring a book."

"Would that really work?" Yuri asked.

"It might," Monika said. "But doesn't someone need to be on this side to open it? Who's going to do that?"

Rob pointed at MC. "He would do it, right? I mean, if I understand this correctly, once everyone else is gone, he's the President of the Literature Club."

"But what if that's not enough?" Natsuki asked. "If he goes into a coma as soon as Rob leaves, how will he be able to open it?"

There was another pause but suddenly the answer came to Monika. "Programming!" she cried out. "We just need to change the code so that the process of opening the tear occurs automatically whenever the data on the USB is close enough!"

"Can you do that?" MC asked.

"I'm not sure yet," said Monika. "But between Sayori and I, maybe we can pull it off."

The group's departure was delayed by another hour as Sayori and Monika went back inside the Bachelorette Pad and sat in two chairs in front of a computer Sayori had conjured out of thin air. Everyone else waited outside, making awkward conversation as they slowly crafted the necessary commands through trial and error. Eventually, they came back outside, Monika looking pleased and Sayori looking less distraught, although still dejected.

"Did it work?" Yuri asked.

"Yes!" Monika said confidently. "The game is now continuously searching for that data. When it's not nearby, nothing will happen. But when it is, the tear will open right up!"

"Well done," Rob said.

Sayori managed a weak smile. "I guess all that's left now is to…say goodbye."

"Why don't you guys say goodbye and head out first?" Rob suggested. "I'll go out last, so that you won't have to see…you know."

Sayori, Yuri and Natsuki each exchanged heartfelt farewells with MC, along with promises to visit. Monika's was a lot less intimate, basically just one more quick apology. They all made their way out into the real world one by one, leaving only Rob left.

"I had better get comfortable," MC said. He made his way over to the nearby bus stop and sat down, exhaling once as he prepared for his next long nap.

Rob felt like he couldn't leave without saying anything, but was unsure of what. He still had no sense of who this person was, although that may have been the point of his creation in the first place. "Are you sure that's where you want to wait? You could go inside Sayori's place and maybe use the couch."

"That's okay," MC replied. "This is supposed to be a place where people wait, so I'll wait here. Just…take care of them, okay?"

"I will." With that, Rob finally stepped through the opening, looking back quickly to see MC's head gently fall forward. The fact that he was, in an indirect way, responsible for it would haunt him for some time. Outside in the field, Yuri and Natsuki were marveling at their new surroundings. He noticed right away that the girls were no longer that nondescript pale shade that characterized a typical visual novel character. They looked distinctly Japanese, although the brightly colored hair was still there.

"The colors!" Yuri said excitedly, pointing at the autumn leaves across the road from them.

"It's kinda cold," Natsuki said. "I shouldn't have packed my jacket away."

Meanwhile, Sayori was standing on her own with her face conspicuously turned away from the others. Monika was nearby but seemed nervous to get too close.

"Sayori-" Rob began to speak but she suddenly wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his chest.

"I'm so selfish and ungrateful," she said. "But I wanted him to be here…with us."

"I know," Rob said, placing one hand on the back of her head. "I'm so sorry, Sayori. You're not selfish or ungrateful. What you girls just did was very difficult, even though you're going to see him again."

"I'm trying to remember that," Sayori replied. "I just feel like I failed him."

"You didn't. You did everything that was possible in that environment."

"Thanks," she said, finally letting go. She turned to face Monika. "Thank you for your help, too. I don't think I could have come up with that programming alone."

"No need to thank me," Monika said. "It was the least I could do."

"Can we maybe go to your place now?" Natsuki asked. None of them had heard her and Yuri approach. She was shivering in her T-shirt while Yuri, who had wisely worn a sweater for today, stood by.

"Sure." After cramming all of the luggage into the back seat of the van, Rob drove the short distance back to the house. Kate was waiting on the front steps while Andrew and Lucas were jumping around in a leaf pile. Nicole was also with them on the front lawn.

"Welcome home," Kate said to the girls with a warm smile. "I'm Kate."

The babysitter walked over. "I'm Nicole. It's nice to meet you all. How was your flight?"

"Flight?" Sayori asked, before catching on. "Oh…it was…stressful."

"I bet!" Nicole replied. "All the way from Japan. You must be exhausted!"

"That's for sure," Natsuki said.

Nicole looked at her and her eyes lit up. "Oh my God, I love your hair!"

"Um…thanks."

"I hate to do this," Kate said. "But you guys were later than I expected and if we're going to make our dinner reservation, you'll need to drop your luggage off and get back in the van."

The girls did as they were instructed, with Natsuki quickly digging through her suitcase for a jacket and putting it on. They didn't get very long to look at the house, but Monika imagined it must have been a bit underwhelming after living in that huge place Sayori made. It was going to be cozy for sure.

"Have a good time," Nicole said as they began to get into the car. "Don't worry about staying out late, I'll put them to bed. Monika, text me okay? I want to hang out with your friends!"

"I will," Monika answered before squeezing into the backseat next to Yuri. They had to take out the child car seats for everyone to fit and even then, it was pretty tight. If the whole family was ever to go anywhere together, they would need to take both cars.

's was about a half hour away from the house and the girls were transfixed by the scrolling sights outside their windows, much like Monika had been when Rob drove her around town on that cold January day she arrived. The restaurant itself was a rather large building that was bustling with people.

"I'm not sure about this," Yuri said as they approached the front door. "There are a lot of people here. I feel self-conscious."

"Everyone is focused on their own meal," Monika said. "You'll be just fine."

Although there were many people there, the interior of the restaurant was large with several different rooms spreading out the crowd. Once they were seated at the large table meant to accommodate all six of them, Yuri and Natsuki asked question after question about their new home. Monika was happy to chime in with answers to show off all she had learned since her own arrival. Meanwhile, Sayori sat quietly looking forlorn.

Her mood lightened a bit when the food arrived and the table was packed with various burgers, sandwiches, salads and chicken wings. The biggest hit of the evening turned out to be an appetizer - garlic bread with gorgonzola cheese dip - and they had to order another serving of when Sayori put away half of the first one by herself.

The waiter eventually came around with the bill and Rob put on his best poker face while handing him the gift card Sayori had forged inside the game. A few minutes later, the waiter returned looking confused.

"Sir, there's some kind of problem with this card."

"What kind of problem?" Rob asked, sounding totally credible in his feigned ignorance. Good thing he wasn't in the habit of lying often cause he was disconcertingly good at it.

"I'm not sure," the waiter admitted. "It's definitely one of our cards, but the computer doesn't like it for some reason. Can I ask you for a different payment method?"

"No!" Natsuki suddenly spoke up. "My uncle paid good money for that gift card and now you're trying to trick us into paying more? No way!"

Yuri and Monika had to turn their heads to the side to hide their chuckling as the waiter sputtered in response. "Miss-"

"It's not our problem if your computer's a piece of crap! You better take that card or I'll going tell your manager you're trying to put one over on us!"

"Miss, I'm not-"

"I don't want to hear it! Get out of here or I'm going to go on the internet and write the meanest one-star review you've ever seen!"

"I'm sorry! We'll figure it out later! Have a good evening!" The waiter scurried off. If he had a tail, it would have been between his legs.

The girls and Rob all laughed as soon as he was out of view. Kate was less amused but opted not to say anything.

"Nice work, Karen," Rob said to Natsuki.

"You forgot my name already?" Natsuki asked. "Are you going senile?"

Rob laughed. "I'll explain it to you later. But keep honing those bullshit artist skills and you'll get far in this country."

Once they made it back home, it was time for the laborious process of getting all the luggage down to the basement. Natsuki's set of manga shelves, which was a present Rob had given her through the game a while back, was the biggest challenge. He was about to carry it himself when Monika intervened, scared for how his left knee would hold up under the strain.

The girls were ready for bed early after their long and taxing day, which had unfolded over two separate worlds. The basement had the bed Monika had been using and a couch that could be folded down into a bed big enough for two. Sayori's grief returned once she was comfortable on the futon and Yuri consoled her as she quietly wept. Monika offered Natsuki her bed and had originally intended to use a sleeping bag until a more permanent option was available. However, the sight of what had been her personal space filled with three more people and their belongings had her surprisingly agitated.

She ended up sleeping in the master bedroom alongside Rob and Kate. He nodded off fairly early which was no surprise. He had started the day dealing with a flareup in his injured knee and covered a lot of ground inside the game and out. Monika was between them this time and she glanced over to her left and saw that Kate was still awake.

"Tomorrow, I'll figure out where I'll sleep from now on," Monika said. "It wouldn't be fair to you and Rob to do this every night."

"It's going to be crowded down there," Kate replied. "I hope you all don't drive each other crazy."

"It must be such an imposition for you guys. Are you sure that you don't mind?"

Kate smiled. "Do you know what one of my favorite books when I was a kid? It was about a family with four daughters during the Civil War."

"Oh!" Monika said. "I've heard of that. Don't tell me, it's…um…Little Women?"

"That's right. I used to identify a lot with Jo, but I guess now I'm Marmee. Can you guess what the father's name was?"

Monika shook her head. "Robert," Kate said.

"Get outta here," Monika said.

"I'm totally serious." They both laughed briefly at that. Afterwards, Monika laid her head back on her pillow and shut her eyes. Tomorrow would surely be another hectic day.