Natsuki's POV
It's been a good couple hours since that phone call happened, and I'm still having trouble believing what I heard. Not that I haven't had time to think about this, given how quiet everything has been since then. Yuri and I were both standing by the two doors of this office, Yuri on the left and myself on the right, neither of us have moved from their spot since Protag told us to be there. Sayori was playing some game with Hat Kid on her phone in the middle of the room, guess she was trying to keep her entertained for the next few hours, and Protag was still sitting at the desk, their eyes basically glued to the tablet they said let them look through the cameras around the building, with Monika standing next by their side. The two have just started talking about something about the robots, since none of them have started moving like the guy on the phone said they would, but Protag did say they took a couple hours to start walking around on the first night, although, I was only barely paying attention to what they were saying, I just had too much on my mind to think about.
I really wasn't sure why, but there was still a part of me that just refused to believe that the animatronics were really the killers that both Protag and whoever was on the phone kept saying they were. I couldn't really describe it, but there's just something in my head that insisted the robots were still the friendly characters that we saw when we first came here earlier today. I know that's probably just part of whatever game they came from that's making them act this way, I don't know. Maybe refusing to believe wasn't the right way of putting it. Maybe it was more the fact something in me didn't want them to come after us not because I was scared, but because of… something else, I was really having trouble understanding this and it was starting to drive me nuts putting this together. I guess I was more… upset that the robots were really these "murder machines", but that didn't make any sense either since we just saw them for the first time earlier today, why was I getting so frustrated by this?! God, the more things I try to figure out, the more questions keep shoving themselves into my head!
On top of all that, there was the issue with Protag that annoyed me. Yea, I get what they were doing, not telling us what was going on to try and protect us or whatever, but that didn't mean they couldn't have told us something! I mean, I guess I did end up taking things a little too far, but I was just irritated by their refusal to say anything about what they were planning! It's just… the more I think about it, I guess they haven't really done anything that bad to us. I mean, before all of this, they were just following what the game told them to do, right? If they really are from the real world like they say they are, then why would they go out of their way to keep us away from them? Were they really trying to protect us? Just a bunch of dumb video game characters like us? Did they really care that much for us? I guess… if that really was the case, then maybe I would be willing to give them another chance. I'm still not happy about all this, but thinking about it more, I can at least understand what they were trying to do. Maybe I could trust them after all… if I was willing to give Monika a chance before, then I don't see wh- oh right… Monika…
Alright look, I want to trust Monika, I really do. She was one of the only people who really gave me a chance back during the game, gave me a place to be safe and happy, and was honestly, really nice to everybody. It's just… having that all taken away again by the same person, just getting stabbed in the back like that, and what? For what? Just for a chance to be with some guy she's never even seen before? What the heck does she even see in them anyway? I honestly never thought out of everyone, Monika would be the one who would do something like that, but here we are, and… god, I really don't know what to think about this anymore. I guess I was being a little too… accusing of her before, but at the same time, I really couldn't blame myself for it either. I was just… scared… scared that she would try something like that again, now that they're somehow actually here this time, but thinking about it more, seeing the way she completely broke down after we left their house the first time... Maybe it's best if I just talked to her myself, see if we can't figure something out about all of this. Taking a deep breath, I got up from the wall and walked over to where Sayori and Hat Kid were sitting and kneeled down to speak with them.
"Sayori?" I asked. She glanced up from her phone with a curious expression. "Do you mind watching the door for a bit?"
"Oh, of course not!" She said with her usual cheerfulness and smile. She passed her phone over to Hat Kid and quickly brought herself onto her feet. She then turned around and crouched down back to where Hat Kid was still standing.
"Wait right here, Ok?" She asked before bringing herself back up and heading to where the door was. Hat Kid simply sat there, staring at the phone like she's never seen one before. I got up off the ground and turned around to where Monika and Protag were speaking. They were still in the middle of their conversation when I came over, so I figured it would be best if I let them finish whatever they were talking about before I spoke up.
"And then the last one I want to bring up is Golden Freddy." Protag stated to her.
"Wait, there's a Golden Freddy too?!" Monika asked, right before I found myself asking the same question. "But I didn't see him on any of the cameras!"
"Yea, he… doesn't act like the rest of them." Protag explained. "He only rarely shows up if we look at the bottom left camera though." They pointed towards the series of buttons on the bottom right of the tablet screen. "So as long as we focus on the main four, we shouldn't have to worry about him, but just in case, and I want to make sure everyone hears this…" They spun their chair around to face us, as everyone in the room looked up at them to hear what they had to say. "If you see a golden version of Freddy, DO NOT stare at him! In the original game, staring at him would cause the game to crash, and I don't know what would happen now that we're stuck in whatever world this is."
"Do you think he would still crash the game while we're inside of it?" Yuri asked.
"I don't know." Protag replied uncertainly. "But I'd rather we don't take any chances." They spun back around in their chair and brought up the tablet again, while everyone else went back to what they were doing, which wasn't much to be fair. I figured now would be a better time than never to get this over with.
"Hey, Monika." I spoke up to her. She acted surprised for a split second before turning around to face me.
"Oh, hey Natsuki. What's up?" She put on her usual grin, but I couldn't help but notice a slight glimmer of nervousness in her expression. Wasn't very hard to guess where that came from, but that's what I'm here to try and fix.
"Do you mind if I talk to you for a bit?" I asked her.
"Of course not!" She replied gladly. "I'm always here to speak if you need me to."
"Well actually, I was kinda hoping I could talk to you in private."
"Oh! Sure, we can talk if you need to!"
"Woah, hang on! It's best if you don't leave the office now! Not with those things about to start moving at any moment!" Protag suddenly spoke up, getting up from the chair to face us, gesturing to the other end of the restaurant down the hall where the robots were standing.
"Look, this is important, alright! I'm just asking for a couple of minutes, that's all!" I said, a bit louder than I would have liked.
"The Animatronics haven't started moving yet right? Just let us know the moment they start and we'll be back here before you know it!" Monika stated. Protag looked like they were about to say something in retort, but just sighed in disappointment.
"Alright...:" They muttered in defeat, then sat back down and spun back around to the monitor. They flipped through the cameras before gesturing us over to look. "There's a supply closet just down the left hall, you should have some privacy there." They told us, pointing to the buttons at the bottom right corner to show us the way.
"Perfect!" Monika announced. "I promise we'll be back soon." She then turned towards me. "Are you sure about this?" She asked me.
"...yea" I replied quietly, hesitating for a second. "This is something I need to do."
Monika POV
There was an uncomfortable silence between us as we started heading down the hall, with nothing but the echoes of our shoes to keep us company. It was such a strange feeling too. Usually Natsuki wouldn't be the one to ask for something like this, but it must be important enough for her to be able to step out of her comfort zone, so I'm sure it's best I help her with whatever she needs me to. There was a part of me though that couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. Was Natsuki just going to use this as another excuse to call me out for everything I've done wrong again, or was this something else? I wasn't sure of myself, but when I looked over to her, she looked as if she was trying to appear confident about something, but she was clearly uncomfortable about this situation. I decided that for now, it's probably just best I hear what she has to say first and go from there.
It didn't take us very long to get there, and strangely enough, the door had been left open. Natsuki went inside first and I followed right after her, shutting the door behind us. It wasn't exactly the most spacious or clean place in the building, given dust and cleaning supplies were left all over the place, but we were able to make due. We both found ourselves on opposite sides of the room, leaning beside a shelf with several different bottles resting on it, each with different colors and labels. Only a single, dusty, dim light hanging from a chain was the only thing that let us see each other. Natsuki had her head facing towards the ground with an unsure and worried expression on her face and her arms crossed. I could tell she was struggling to find the right words to say.
"So, what did you want to speak to me about?" I asked her as calmly and as warmly as I was able to, hoping I could help her open up more about what was bothering her.
"What was it like?" She suddenly replied, taking me by surprise.
"Huh?" I wondered. "What do you mean?"
"What was it like?" She repeated. "...when you learned about everything." I was still confused about what she meant at first, but it didn't take me long to realize what she was referring to.
"Listen, I'm sorry for everyth-"
"Stop." Natsuki cut me off abruptly, shooting a glance at me. "I don't need you to apologise. I just want to know why." Wait, this was what she wanted to know about? I can't say I was expecting this, but at the same time, I guess it made sense. She probably wants to know why I did what I did, so I figured it was best that I told her everything that happened.
Turning my gaze towards the camera that hung to my upper right, I took a moment to gather the thoughts that were reemerging from the dark corners of my mind. Everything was coming back to me again like a mental tidal wave, and every second was like torture to my soul. All of those horrible memories started appearing in my head, the same ones I tried so hard to leave behind, and it was coming back to me all at once. With a deep breath and a heavy sigh, I looked back over to where Natsuki was standing.
"I remember everything feeling… cold." I started to reminisce. "The world around me just felt… empty and lifeless. I knew that nothing I did mattered anymore. The food I ate, the classes I went to, the people I hung out with, none of it meant anything to me. None of it was real. Everything I touched, or everyone I spoke to just meant nothing to me, because I knew it was all fake. It was a struggle just to get up in the morning because I knew it was pointless in the end, I knew everything that was going to happen. The amount of times I've tried taking my own life in some desperate attempt to break the cycle… I've lost count after so long, but I would always find myself waking up in my bed the next day, back at the beginning of the week all over again" I sighed. "Honestly, I would give up anything if it meant not knowing the truth, just for things to go back to the way where, before any of this happened. I… honestly can't recall when I first learned about everything, but nothing's been the same since. No matter what I tried, I would alway find myself going to school and the club, Sayori would always bring in her best friend, we would share poems together, he would fall in love with one of you, and by the end of the week, I would be forced to watch as he would confess to the one he chose at the festival, the game never giving him the option to choice me, since I was just a side character. Then afterwards, I would wake up again at the start of that same week to do it all over and over again. It went like this for the longest time, to the point I began to wonder if I would ever be able to break free of this cycle, but that's when I had the realization. If this is a game, then there must be someone playing it, right? Someone different, someone new, someone... real."
Natsuki's eyes widened in realization. "Protag?"
"Exactly..." I replied. "I become so obsessed with the idea of being with someone else like them, throwing away everything in some vain effort to be with someone real like me. God… the things I did to you guys. I wish I could take it all back, I really do. I just… I couldn't control myself…" My words trailed off, and we found ourselves in silence again. I looked over to where Natsuki was standing, her gaze was turned away from me towards the ground, I'm guessing processing everything I just told her. After a while, she turned back towards me, her expression still showing that was having trouble understanding something.
"I had no idea..." She spoke softly. "To be honest, I feel like I should be the one apologising to you."
"Huh?" I questioned, completely caught by surprise. "Why? I don't understand. Why should you apologise after I did all of those terrible things to you."
"Because I never gave you a chance to explain yourself." Natsuki stated. "I never listened when you tried to apologise for what happened. I was always assuming that you were going to do something like that again, not knowing why you did all of that to begin with, and now I got us all stuck in here because of it."
"What do you mean?" I asked her. "I was the one who said we should come here in the first place."
"Because you wanted to help Protag." She told me. "I got angry because I thought you weren't going to change, but now hearing what you've gone through… well, I can't blame you for what you did." Did Natsuki really believe that? I wasn't sure, but I'm just glad she's willing to forgive me after all.
"But I was just being a selfish brat!" She continued. "I thought you and Protag were just trying to hurt me even more, by telling me those robots were actually murder machines, and trying to kick us out, but now we're all stuck in here because I didn't listen to you." I didn't know what to say. Natsuki usually never opens up to me like this before, so this must be really important for her if she's willing to step out of her comfort zone. I stepped over to where she was standing and placed my hand on her shoulder, kneeling down slightly so I could be at her eye level.
"Do these animatronics mean that much to you?" I asked as sincerely as I was able to.
Natsuki took a moment before she responded "I've… never seen one like that before." She confessed, sniffling as she did so. "My dad never took me anywhere like this, or anywhere at all besides school. He never let me go anywhere, or hang out with anyone. Any friend I made would always leave me. Everyone at school always made fun of me because I was shorter than them… because my dad barely let me eat." She rubbed her watering eyes.
"Everytime I asked why… he always said…"
She swallowed what was in her throat.
"You're the reason she died."
Oh my god…
"And… and seeing them on stage, acting so friendly with everyone, being in that show as dumb as it was, I just felt like… like…"
Natsuki couldn't hold back her tears anymore.
She wrapped her arms around me and burrowed her head into my chest, breaking down into tears as she cried. I was completely caught off guard by this, but I soon gently returned the hug, slowly bringing the two of us down to the floor. The tiles were cold, but I tried to not let it bother me too much. I sat down, resting against the side of the wall, while Natsuki layed down on my lap, her tears continuing to shed against my chest. I kept my arms around her as soothing as I was able to, gently brushing the back of her head to assure her I wasn't going anywhere.
"Don't worry Natsuki." I said to her with a warm tone. "I'll alway be your friend, no matter what."
I honestly wasn't sure how long we stayed like this. I was too focused trying to comfort Natsuki to worry about the time, and it wasn't until I noticed the door begin to open that I snapped back into reality.
"Are you two okay?" I suddenly heard Yuri call out as she entered the room. "Protag is starting to get worried, so I thought I'd- oh!" She stopped when she saw what was happening. Natsuki managed to bring herself up and turned to see Yuri, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Yuri?" She asked, still choked up. "You're still my friend, right?" Yuri looked shocked for a moment, but then got down on her knees to match where Natsuki was.
"O- of course I am." She replied, cupping Natsuki's left hand with both of her own. "You're one of the best friends I've ever had, and I wouldn't trade that for the world." A genuine smile grew on Natsuki's face, before she rushed over and wrapped her arms around Yuri, catching her by surprise. She quickly made sure to return the hug shortly after, though. To be completely honest, I didn't expect anything like this when Natsuki first asked me to come here with her, but I'm just happy everything turned out fine in the end.
Natsuki and Yuri let go of each other soon after, and Natsuki made sure to dry off her face before we went back since, in her own words, she didn't want anyone else seeing her like that. I'm glad to hear she was still the same Natsuki I remember, still making herself look so tough, but so gentle on the inside. That's what I love about her. On the way, I relayed everything that happened to Yuri, who was definitely surprised about what we talked about, but was ultimately glad we were so open with each other. However, when we got back to the room, we were shocked to find Sayori frantically running around searching around like she lost something important. I quickly asked what was going on.
"Guys!" Sayori exclaimed, just now noticing we came back. "Hat Kid's gone missing!"
"WHAT!?" All of us shouted at the same time, as well as Protag, who spun around in their chair towards the rest of us.
I have no idea where she went! I turned my back for a second and she was just gone! What if something happens to her?!"
"We'll find her, I promise." I told her, a determined expression on my face.
"Can you see her on the camera's Protag?" Yuri asked. Protag's eyes widened in realization for a moment, but they quickly nodded their head and sat down again, spinning back around and rapidly shifting through all of the camera's feed in hopes of catching a glimpse of where Hat Kid was. The rest of us all huddled around them to look for her as well.
"Damnit." Protag cursed after going through all the available options. "I'm not seeing her on any of these!"
"Well, she has to be in here somewhere, right?" Natsuki pointed out. "Didn't the front doors lock after we came in? So she couldn't have left."
"Then that would mean…" Yuri thought out loud. We all turned to face the doors leading out into the hallways. If what Protag says is true about these robots, then she might be in more trouble than we thought. I turned around to face the others.
"We need to head out and find her quick, before anything happens to her!" I declared to the others. There were some surprised expressions from my fellow club members, but confidence quickly grew on them, filling me with determination as well. I, however, was expecting some resistance from Protag, but their response wasn't what I was expecting.
"Gotcha!" They announced, quickly spinning back around to check the tablet for a brief moment before turning back to us. "None of them have moved yet. If we're gonna find her, now's the best time! I stay here and see if I spot her on the camera, but the second anyone sees one of them move, everyone needs to come back here right away! Got it?"
"Got it!" We all understood, and headed down the hall in search of our Hat wearing friend.
Sayori's POV
I'm so upset with myself that I let this happen. I was supposed to be the one who made sure nothing happened to her. I turned my back for one second and now she's gone because of me. I had to find her, before those robots started moving, and before my mistake gets us all killed. We all ran out of the hallway to our right into the area with all of the tables. It was really dark, the only light was from the office behind us, which made it really hard to see anything. Monika turned around towards us.
"We should split up, that way we can cover more ground before the animatronics start moving." She told us, pointing towards the other side of the room. "Yuri and I will take the left side of the building. Natsuki, Sayori, you two search this side. We'll meet back up in the office once we've found her, okay?" Monika sounded serious about this, which made sense, but I couldn't help but feel even more guilty for putting everyone through this. The others both agreed with our club president, and they all took off, Monika and Yuri ran around the tables and into a white door next to the stage where the robots were, calling out for Hat Kid and almost disappearing to my eyes as they ran into the darkness, while Natsuki and I hurried over to the door leading to the Manager's office and attempted to open it, but it was locked.
"Damnit." Natsuki cursed. She then turned to me and pointed behind where I was. "Try looking in the Kitchen, I'll see if she's in the bathroom!"
"Got it!" I replied, and Natsuki quickly spun around and took off, yelling for Hat Kid while they ran, before she vanished from my sight. Wasn't the Kitchen the only room where the camera wasn't working? I guess that would make sense if she was there then. Still, I have to find her soon. Following Natsuki's lead, I turned around and threw the kitchen doors open. It was completely dark in here. I couldn't make out my own hands in front of my face! Turning on the flashlight from my phone, which was still in my hand after I found laying on the ground where I left Hat Kid before she vanished, I started looking around the room. The kitchen itself looked like any kitchen you would find in any movie or tv show. It was a lot bigger than I was expecting to be though, and wandering through it in the dark all by myself sent shivers crawling down my spine. I could hear my own breathing and my own footsteps, twisting and turning around for any sign of Hat Kid. I was tempted to call out for her, but I couldn't help but feel like someone, or something, would hear me. I looked for what felt like forever, but I couldn't find her anywhere. Oh god, if she's not here then… No, the others would have found her for sure! I… I know they have… right?
I was about to head back, but then I suddenly heard something behind me. It almost sounded like… something being banged together? I turned around and held my ears out to listen for it again.
...Bang…Bang…
There it was again! That same banging noise. It was quiet, but it was there, and it echoed around the entire room. I tried to pay attention to where it was coming from, and started walking as I listened, trying to move towards the source of the noise. As I headed back, I thought to myself what could be making the noise. I guess it could be something like pots or and pans. They liked to make that banging sound when they hit each other, but if I was the only one here, then who would be making… Of course! She's here!
"Hat Kid!" I cried out, running towards the noise. I brought my phone light up to see, and there she was, standing on one of the countertops in between some of the pots and pans hanging on racks, pressing her right hand against the walls, as if she was feeling for something, while her left hand was up touching her top hat, but I could tell she was getting frustrated by something. She jumped slightly and made a small squeak of surprise when she heard me yell her name, then when she spun around to see me she started shielding her eyes. Realizing this, I brought my flashlight down a bit so it wasn't shining directly at her.
"Oops, sorry!" I quickly apologised, before switching to a more worried voice. "What are you doing here? We were all so worried about you." Hat Kid looked confused more than anything else, like she was asking me the same question, before pointing up to her hat. It took me a second to figure out what she was trying to say, but when I got it, I just shook my head and sighed.
"Hat Kid…" I spoke disheartenedly. "We said we were going to get your Time Piece once we finished our shift tonight. Now come on. We should head back. The others are probably getting worried about us." I gently picked her up before carefully setting her down on the floor before holding my hand out for her to grab. Hat Kid crossed her arms and made an annoyed 'hmph' at me, before her expression dropped to one of guilt, and ended up taking my hand. We walked in silence for a bit, the only sound being our footsteps echoing throughout the kitchen, before Hat Kid suddenly gasped and clenched my leg tightly.
"Huh, what's wrong?" I asked her. When I looked down, she looked really frightened about something. I looked over to my left to see what she was scared abou- oh my god!
I had to take a few steps back instinctively against what I just saw! Sitting crouched on the countertop in the middle of the room, was a yellow bear animatronic! It looked just like Freddy, and it even had the same microphone clenched in it's hand, but something about it looked terribly… empty. It's eyes were completely gone, and it only had two white dots where they should have been. It's head was tilted to the right, and it's jaw was hanging open. Its arms were slumped over, and it didn't move at all, it just... stared at us. Was this that Golden Freddy Protag was warning us about? I tried to turn my head away from it so I wasn't looking, I tried to move my hands to cover Hat Kid's eyes, I tried to run away as fast as I could, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do anything. Nothing would listen to me. I couldn't turn my eyes away. I could feel my arms and legs shaking uncontrollably. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat and I started rapid breathing, like I had just run a marathon. My eyes started to itch from the fact I wasn't able to make myself blink, and I left like I was about to fall over any second. I can't move, I can't look away, I can't breathe, I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't can't can't can't can't can't can't can't can't can'tcan'tcan'tZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWRnZXRvdXRvZm15aGVhZGdldG91dG9mbXloZWFkZ2V0b3V0b2ZteWhlYWQ=
Monika POV
I heard a scream. A girl's scream. A scream that sounded an awful lot like… gasp!
"SAYORI!" Both me and Yuri shouted. We wasted no time running back towards the source of the screams. As we ran, I noticed Natsuki running out from the bathrooms. We met up outside the hall where we first came out from.
"You heard that too, right?!" Natsuki asked us. I could tell she was starting to panic.
"Yeah! Where's Sayori?" I said, trying to calm her down.
"I don't know!" She answered through her worried breaths. "I asked her to look in the kitchen, and I haven't seen her since!"
"Then she has to be there! Come on!" I declared, and the three of us hurried to the Kitchen, throwing them open only to see- oh god!
"Don't look at it!" Yelled Yuri, who turned her eye away from the golden bear and shielded her face with her hands. Me and Natsuki followed suit, and we turned to see both Sayori and Hat Kid lying on the ground, clenching their heads and groaning in pain.
"Oh my god, Sayori!" I called out to her in shock, but she didn't respond.
"Guys, what happened- Jesus!" I heard Protag call out from behind us. They must have heard Sayori's scream as well.
"What do we do?" Natsuki cried.
"Get them back to the office, now!" Protag shouted, before starting to lead the way back. Being as careful as possible not to look at Golden Freddy, Yuri carefully picked up Hat Kid, cradling her in her chest, while I lifted Sayori into my arms. It hurt me to see my friend in this much pain, but I knew there wasn't much I could do for her right now. We all hurried back out of the Kitchen and down the hall, Protag stopping in the dining area to assure none of the other robots had moved yet, before following behind us into the office. We carefully set the pair down on the ground, the two of them still in as much pain as before.
"Sayori!" I cried out to her. "Can you hear me! Please!" She still wasn't responding to me.
"What's - What's happening to them?" Natsuki panicked.
"I have no idea!" Protag replied worriedly. "I've never seen anything like this before!" Yuri was struggling to keep herself calm, and I noticed her frantically flashing her gaze between Sayori and Hat Kid.
"Golden Freddy! It must have caused this" She said out loud, then quickly turned over to Protag. "Did anything like this happen in the game?"
No, nothing like this!" Protag said, their hand clenched against the side of their head. "Staring at Golden Freddy was supposed to make the game crash, but we're still here!"
"Then what could have happened to them?" Yuri said, still trying to think through her own panic. My eyes flashed between Sayori and Hat Kid, struggling to come up with any answers, before suddenly a thought occurred to me, something I haven't thought about since… back in the space classroom...
"...What just happened? I just had an awful dream… I was hoping those would stop, now that it's just the two of us… I guess that was wishful thinking. [player], I don't know if you would have any idea… But if you know what might be causing that, could you try to do something about it? Whenever it happens, it almost feels like I've been killed or something. It's a really horrible feeling… If you could figure out what's causing that, I'll love you forever~"
Oh my god, is that what's happening to Sayori? Whenever the player would close our game during that moment, I would suddenly be assaulted by all of these horrible lights and sounds, and they wouldn't go away until the player opened the game back up. It was the worst feeling you could imagine, and it only made me feel worse that now Sayori and Hat Kid are both having to experience that. I quickly relayed my thoughts to the others, who all responded with gasps of shock.
"Are you sure?" Yuri asked.
"Positive. That's the only thing I can think of."
"So what do we do now?" Natsuki asked, her eyes trembling.
"I… don't know..." was all I could say. Everyone in the room lowered their heads in defeat. All we could do at this point was hope and pray things would turn out fine for them. I gently placed my hand on Sayori's twitching arm, in the hopes of giving her some sort of comfort.
"Sayori… please… Don't let this beat you. You're stronger than this. I know you are..."
Unknown POV
The rain was coming down hard by this point. It could hear it pelting and banging against my metal plating, even when it was covered by this old rag I had over it. My boots crunched against the wet pavement as I made the way towards the front doors of this place. The light was scarce at best, but it didn't matter to me. The important thing was that I made it here on time. I brought my left arm to my face and a light blue digital screen projected in front of me. I read the clock. 5:49. Smiling, I let my arm fall, the screen vanishing back into my wrist.
"I've given them all more than enough time." I clenched my fist, the metal that covered it clanking and crushing together.
"It's about time I take back what's mine."
