Author's Notes: Hey everyone, AnotherAnonymooseWriter here. Been a while since I've done this. Merry very late Christmas! This chapter is mostly just for fun, or is it? Read and fine out! You will notice that there are two new "characters" towards the end. Just wanna say, there's not coming back, it's just a fun gimmick my friend made up. If you perhaps know me IRL (which is a very small chance) then you'll know who those two are ;)

And with that, enjoy Chapter 23!

(Monday, 4:00PM; House; Akihito's PoV)

Today's the big day, because today is the Literature Club's Christmas party. We all decided that we would have the party at 5:00PM, and it would end at around 8:30PM.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

That's probably Monika, she said that she'd come a little early to help do some last minute preparations. I head up to the door and open it.

Aki: "Y'know, you're gonna have to learn how to use a doorbell soon."

Monika: "Hello to you too, Aki!"

Aki: "Come on in."

Monika enters my house, and takes a seat in the living room.

Monika: "So, what do we need to do?"

Aki: "Nothing that I know of really, I did the decorations yesterday, as you can tell."

Monika: "I gotta say, you did a pretty good job. How did you get the lights on your roof?"

Aki: "You see, through hours of training and hard work I have mastered the arts of levitation."

Monika: "Wow! Can you do a demonstration?"

Aki: "Yeah, I just need a ladder."

Monika: "Ahaha, so that's how you got the lights on the roof."

Aki: "Yep."

Monika: "What about this tree? I don't remember buying it."

Aki: "Oh, that's an old one that my family used to use a few years ago, before I started living alone."

Monika: "You never used it after your mom left for work?"

Aki: "Nope. I was all alone and I didn't have anyone to spend Christmas with, so there was no point. I never even put up any decorations."

Monika: "What about Sayori? You never hung out with her?"

Aki: "At that time, we were still very distant."

Monika: "Oh, okay. Well, I'm glad that we can have this Christmas party."

Aki: "Me too, I can finally celebrate Christmas for once with other people, even if it's not my family."

Monika: "Do you… wish your mom was here?"

Aki: "Of course I do. But I understand that she has to work. Plus, the club is like another family for me. Especially with Sayori there, she's basically like a sister to me considering our pasts were parallel to each other's."

Monika: "Aww, that's so sweet to hear!"

DING DONG

I check my phone to see the time. 4:30PM.

Aki: "Looks like someone's early, and there's only one person who it could be. I'll get the door."

I head up to the door to open it.

Sayori: "Hey Aki!"

Aki: "Hey Sayori, come on in."

Sayori comes inside, and joins Monika in the living room.

Sayori: "Where's everyone else?"

Aki: "The party doesn't start for another half hour, Sayori."

Sayori: "I know, but wouldn't they be excited and come early?"

Aki: "Even if that's the case, they don't live right next to my house like you. It'll take them some time to reach here."

Sayori: "Awww, okay…"

Monika: "Cheer up Sayori, today's gonna be a great day!"

Sayori: "You're right about that! What's the plan for today?"

Aki: "Well, I have some board games to kick things off, then there's gonna be dinner, and then the Secret Santa. That should take up the time, but if there's some extra time then we can just chill or come up with something."

DING DONG

Before I can even get up, Sayori runs to the front door to open it.

Sayori: "Guys, guess who's here!"

Aki: "The mailman?"

Natsuki: "Unless you were expecting a knuckle sandwich, then no."

Aki: "Aw dammit. Well, welcome Natsuki."

Natsuki: "Yuri's here too."

Aki: "Oh! Hey Yuri, come on in!"

Yuri: "Hello Aki, thank you."

Natsuki and Yuri come inside and join the others in the living room.

Sayori: "Yay! Let's get this party started!"

Aki: "And how do we do that?"

Sayori: "I don't know, you tell me. You're the host after all."

Aki: "Well my plan was to play a few board games before dinner, but I thought some people would get… bored."

No one laughs and just stares at me. Kinda expected to be honest.

Aki: "Damn tough crowd. Well is anyone on board with the idea?"

Once again I'm met with silence.

Natsuki: "That's strike two. Strike three, and I'll smack you."

Aki: "Okay jeez, I'll stop with the dad jokes. I have a small collection on that shelf, you can pick one."

All the girls look over the selection of board games.

Sayori: "Uh, Aki? All of these have a four player max."

Aki: "What? But Monopoly can have like eight players!"

Natsuki: "Oh please, no one's gonna play a boring game that goes on for an eternity."

Everyone nods in agreement to Natsuki's statement.

Aki: "Well uh, I also have video games, but most of them are single player."

Monika: "What about Smash?"

Aki: "Oh yeah!"

I connect my Switch to the TV, and load up Smash Bros.

Sayori: "Alright, how are we gonna do this?"

Aki: "Five player smash?"

Monika: "Come on Aki, you know better than I do that anything more than a 1v1 is chaotic."

Aki: "Yeah you're right. King of the hill then? We can let the beginners go first."

Natsuki: "And who are you calling a beginner?"

Aki: "You and Yuri, who else? Assuming that you both haven't played before."

Natsuki: "...okay you're right."

Aki: "Cool. Want me to teach you guys how to play?"

Natsuki: "I played it once at Monika's house when we were baking for the festival, so I know how to play."

Aki: "Really? Okay then, Yuri?"

Yuri: "I-I will have to learn, i-if that's okay."

Aki: "Yeah that's fine! We all have to start somewhere right?"

Yuri: "I suppose so…"

I then teach Yuri the basic mechanics of the game, like the controls. It's best if I don't confuse her with the more advanced stuff for now.

Aki: "And yeah, that should be it."

Monika: "If you want, I can be next to you to help you during the match."

Yuri: "T-thank you…"

Monika then heads over to Yuri and takes a seat beside her. Monika then opens up the character select screen, and Natsuki chooses Kirby.

Aki: "Kirby? Really?"

Natsuki: "Hey! She's cute, okay!"

Aki: "I think you're mistaken there."

Natsuki: "What do you mean?"

Aki: "Kirby's a he. A boy."

Natsuki: "What?!"

Aki: "Search it up if you don't believe me. The internet never lies."

Natsuki then pulls out her phone. While she's doing that, Yuri is contemplating on what character she should use. Monika gives her some suggestions, and tells her the pros and cons of each character.

Natsuki: "There's no way this is true!"

Aki: "The internet never lies."

Natsuki: "Hmph. He's still cute though."

Yuri then picks Mario, I wonder why.

Aki: "Any specific reason?"

Monika: "Well, he's a good character for a first-timer."

Aki: "I guess you're right. Okay, does everyone know how a King of the Hill works?"

Yuri: "U-um…"

Aki: "No worries, I'll explain. Basically, whoever loses the match has to switch spots with the next person in line, and the winner stays. To win the King of the Hill, you need to beat everyone at least once."

Yuri: "That makes sense… what is the line currently?"

Aki: "Uhh… Sayori? Would you like to go next?"

Sayori: "Sure!"

Aki: "Monika? You okay with going after her?"

Monika: "Okay!"

Aki: "Then let the games begin!"

Yuri and Natsuki start their match. Natsuki is doing pretty decently, but still not comparable to me. Yuri, on the other hand, is still trying to figure out how the game works. She's mainly jumping around and attacking randomly. I think after a few games she'll get the hang of it. To no one's surprise, Natsuki wins. I mean, she technically has more experience than Yuri.

Natsuki: "Yes, I won!"

Yuri: "That was a fun first game. I think I will get the hang of it after a few more games."

Yuri then hands her controller to Sayori, who picks Pichu. Sayori and Natsuki then begin their match. It seems Sayori is going easy on Natsuki though, because she normally doesn't play this badly.

Natsuki: "What's wrong Sayori? Your controller's acting up?"

I chuckle a little, since I know that's not the case.

Natsuki: "What's so funny?"

Aki: "Oh nothing. Let's just say that you're wrong in this case."

Natsuki: "W-what?"

Sayori: "Heh, you could say that."

Sayori then slowly picks up the pace, and starts landing more hits.

Natsuki: "What's happening?!"

Sayori eventually finishes the game, with her coming out on top.

Natsuki: "B-but how?! You were playing so bad at the beginning!"

Sayori: "Let's just say I was going easy on you."

Natsuki: "Whatever, it's your turn Monika."

Monika: "Wow, you seem to put up a fight Sayori! I can't wait to see what happens during our match!"

Sayori picks Pichu like last time, and Monika picks Lucina.

Sayori: "A Fire Emblem character?"

Monika: "Hey, she's pretty good! Ask Aki!"

Aki: "I gotta say, her Lucina is good. You might be screwed Sayori."

Sayori: "We'll see."

Aki: "The fight between the president and vice president, this should be good."

The match begins, and it's pretty intense, since Monika and Sayori are evenly matched. It comes down to the last stock, but Sayori manages to pull off a spike, which gives her the win.

Yuri: "Wow, that was intense."

Natsuki: "Yeah, no kidding."

Monika hands her controller to me, and I take a seat.

Aki: "Finally, a worthy opponent. Our battle shall be legendary!"

Sayori: "Bring it on!"

I pick my main Ness, and the game begins. Just like the last match, it's intense. I guess Sayori, Monika, and I are equally good. Surprisingly, Sayori manages to spike me as well on the last stock.

Aki: "Damn, you're good. I think you might be able to win this, Sayori."

Sayori: "Wait really! Who's left?"

Yuri: "T-that would be me…"

Sayori: "Oh! I can't wait!"

Yuri: "You're going to beat me though… is there a way to forfeit?"

Aki: "Well you can SD, but that's frowned upon by most people."

Yuri: "W-what's that?"

Sayori: "Don't mind him, I'll go easy on you. Promise."

Yuri: "Okay…"

Sayori and Yuri start their match, and Sayori goes easy as promised. She still comes out as the winner.

Aki: "Congratulations! You are the King of the Hill! Or Queen in this case."

Sayori: "Woohoo!"

We then play a few more games, until it's time for dinner.

Natsuki: "Hey, Aki? It's about dinnertime, what did you plan on doing."

Aki: "I… didn't have a plan actually. Uhh… is a pizza okay for everyone?"

Everyone gives a general nod of agreement. I call the pizza place and order two medium cheese pizzas, that should be enough for all of us. While we're waiting for the delivery, we play a few more games of Smash.

DING DONG

I head up to the door and open it.

Delivery Man: "Delivery for Aki?"

Aki: "Yep. Thanks."

I take the food and pull out my wallet. I pay for the food and give the delivery guy a $10 tip. The delivery guy takes the money, and leaves.

Aki: "Dinner's here!"

Sayori: "WOOOO!"

Natsuki: "Sayori, calm down!"

Sayori: "Ehe, sorry…"

Everyone heads to the dinner table, and I give everyone a plate. They then take a few slices for themselves, and they begin eating. I swear these pizzas are going to be the death of me.

We're just finishing up dinner when suddenly two guys, one in a red hoodie and one in a green hoodie, walks into my house.

Aki: "Hey, what do you think you're doing here?"

Red Hoodie Guy: "Oh fuck, I think we're in the wrong house."

Natsuki: "No shit Sherlock! Who are you two anyways? I've never seen you before."

Green Hoodie Guy: "Uhh that doesn't matter right now."

RHG: "Wait... do these four girls look familiar to you?"

GHG: "Yeah... but I don't know where..."

Aki: "Alright, get the fuck out. You're creeping out everyone here."

RHG: "You're right, you're right. We're sorry."

GHG: "We'll head out now."

The two guys then exit my house. That was weird.

Monika: "Do you know those two?"

Aki: "Nope, any of you guys?"

Everyone shakes their head to indicate that they don't know them. Well, let's carry on then.

Aki: "Now that's over, who's ready for the Secret Santa?"

Sayori: "Meeeeee!"

Aki: "Alright, everyone get their gifts and put it on the living room table, we'll sit around it and play."

Everyone then prepares for the Secret Santa.

Aki: "Alright, what's the order?"

Monika: "Reverse order of joining the club?"

Aki: "Sure, what's the order exactly?"

Monika: "You, Natsuki, Yuri, Sayori, and then me. You take your gift first."

Aki: "Alright."

I take the gift with my name on it. I unwrap it and…

Aki: "It's an avocado… thaaanks…"

Monika: "What?"

Aki: "Heh, just kidding."

I hold up my hands to reveal a pair of bluetooth headphones.

Monika: "Wow that's so cool!"

Aki: "And I know exactly who got it. My bestest friend in the whole wide world."

Sayori: "Ehe, yep! How'd you know?"

Aki: "Well, you're the only one I told that my headphones broke recently, and you know I really like listening to music."

Sayori: "It was that easy, wasn't it? Ehe…"

Monika: "Okay, next is Natsuki!"

Natsuki takes her present, and opens it up.

Natsuki: "Woah!"

She reveals the cookbook, and I act like I'm surprised. I mean, I already know what it was.

Natsuki: "I wonder who got it though… Monika?"

Monika: "Ahaha, no not me."

Natsuki: "Yuri?"

Yuri: "Yes, it was me. Although with a little help from Aki."

Aki: "Nah don't say that, you came up with the idea!"

Natsuki: "Wait, you two went shopping together?"

Aki: "Well, it was more of a coincidence. I was already at the mall, and I just happened to bump into Yuri."

Natsuki: "Huh, okay."

Monika: "Alright, you're next Yuri!"

Yuri takes her gift and opens it. She reveals a tea set.

Yuri: "Oh my, this is beautiful! Natsuki, is this your gift?"

Natsuki: "It sure is! Originally I wanted to get a book, but I didn't know what you've read, so I just settled with this."

Yuri: "Well, I'm very grateful Natsuki."

Monika: "Sayori, you're next!"

Sayori takes her gift, and by process of elimination, her gifter is Monika.

Sayori: "Wait, two gifts?!"

She holds up a pretty bow and a box of cookies.

Aki: "Ey, is that allowed?"

Sayori: "Monika, did you get these?"

Monika: "I sure did! And to answer your question Aki, it's technically allowed, since there were no rules set beforehand, ahaha."

Aki: "Well I guess you got a point."

Sayori: "Thank you so much Monika!"

Sayori then runs up to Monika and hugs her."

Monika: "It's no big deal Sayori, I couldn't decide which to get so I got both."

Sayori: "Well, I still appreciate it."

Aki: "I guess you're last Monika, and I think you can guess who the gifter is."

Monika: "Yep, let's see what you got me!"

Monika unwraps the gift, and opens the box. Upon seeing what's inside, she just stares at what I think is the ring, stunned.

Aki: "Oh no, do you not like it?"

I say that in a teasing tone since I know Monika likes the gift.

Monika: "I-its… its beautiful…"

She then starts to cry a little, but it's happy tears.

Aki: "Ah dammit, don't cry!"

I go up to Monika and hug her. Everyone else is looking curiously at us, as she hasn't revealed the gift.

Aki: "Alright, show everyone the gift, or they're gonna die out of curiosity."

Monika then slowly reveals the ring to everyone, who then wears the same stunned expression as Monika, without the crying of course.

Natsuki: "Wow, you didn't have to make our gifts look bad!"

Aki: 'Hey, that wasn't my intention! I knew Monika wanted this so I got it for her, that's all."

Monika: "H-how did you know?"

Aki: "Well, remember we went to the mall the other day?"

Monika: "Yeah?"

Aki: "Well, if you recall I took a mini break, and left you alone for a minute. Once I came back, I saw from a distance that you were eyeing this one. So, I got it."

Monika: "I-is that why we went to the mall?"

Aki: "Maaaaybeeee?"

Monika smiles through her tears and softly punches me in the shoulder.

Monika: "I knew something was up…"

Natsuki: "Okay, we're done with this right? How 'bout we chill for a bit here while you two get a room?"

Monika: "I'm sorry Natsuki… I just really love the gift."

Natsuki: "Yeah yeah, whatever."

We all stand up and split into small groups. Monika and I were talking, and the others were talking amongst themselves. In the middle of our conversation, my chest pain starts acting up again, but much worse. I clutch my chest in pain. This is too unbearable…

Aki: "M-Monika…"

Monika: "Aki?! What's wrong?!"

Everyone turns their attention towards me. I can't handle the pain anymore…

Monika: "Aki, say something!"

Aki: "M-my… chest-"

I stop speaking and fall to the floor, unconscious.