"What's going on in your head, Shujinkou?"
Shujinkou looked up from his math problems. Sitting on top of his bed was Sayori, thankfully without a rope around her neck. But that gratitude reminded him of why he was limiting eye contact with her in the first place.
Shujinkou quickly looked back down at his homework and mumbled under his breath, "Nothing. It's nothing."
"No, it isn't. You've been acting really strange ever since we found out there are two Monikas."
The young man wordlessly scratched his right cheek. He couldn't really find it in to mention the image of his friend hanging herself nor could he fathom why he saw what he saw in the first place. It was all too strange and out of nowhere.
Unless I'm being assaulted by images of alternative universes which serves as a sign that I'm connected to some big multiversal event.
The young man shook his head.
I doubt that. Actually, I don't want that. That would mean that those things actually happened somewhere.
"Shujinkou."
Shujinkou nearly fell on his back from the shock of finding Sayori's face mere inches from his. "Sayori!?"
"What are you thinking about?" she questioned.
"N-Nothing."
"Come on, tell me."
"It's really-"
"Shujinkou."
Sayori's stern stare made it clear that she wasn't going to just let him off with "It's nothing".
"It's just… I kinda had something uncomfortable pop up in my head."
"Really?" her stern stare softened into a curious one. "What was it?"
"Uhm…"
Anxiety swelled in Shujinkou's heart as he carefully considered his next words. What would Sayori say or think of him if he told her he saw her dead? Even if it really was nothing, surely she would be hurt if she assumed that he was thinking about her being dead.
"Shujinkou?"
"I…" In no time his anxiety transformed into a potluck of emotions; each one nudging him to respond. "I.. I saw a younger version of Sonic making fun of a vision of Infinite!"
"Huh?"
Shujinkou shared that confused sentiment. He had no idea where that response came from.
"What's so uncomfortable about that?" Sayori asked.
"…How out of nowhere it was."
Not only was his response seemingly pulled out of thin air, but-
"Aw, that's not that bad. I thought it was something super serious."
Shujinkou averted his gaze. Things have seemed off ever since the discovery of parallel worlds. When he thought about, he was already feeling like something was wrong ever since he worried he was growing narcissistic moments before he met Monika Prime.
I thought it was nothing serious, but when I think about it, me feeling like I haven't done much lately was kinda similar to everything else that happened. The death scenes, whatever that soft golden thing that obscured my view, the scene from my fantasy day dream and my reaction to Monika's review comments… It all felt the same.
I mean last semester, my mind could sometimes whisk me away to my imagination out of nowhere, but not only have I've not really done that this semester, but those moments weren't the same.
But what were those and why do they make me feel the way I feel; whatever this feeling is.
"Shujinkou?"
He looked back at his friend and said, "You know, I kinda want to focus my thoughts on something else right now."
"Okay, how about, um…?" Sayori scratched the back of her head until an idea came to her. "How about discussing the multiverse?"
Shujinkou weakly chuckled as he scratched his right cheek. I guess that's different enough…
"Can you believe that there are really parallel worlds?" she continued.
"Kind of the thing you wished would be true but hard to accept it being true."
Sayori nodded her head in agreement. "I wonder what the other worlds are like. I wonder if there's a world where I'm a successful detective."
"Modern or Victorian?"
"A bit of both."
"Huh. I wonder if there's a world where fictional characters are real."
"Would you ever stay in a parallel world like that?"
"Uh… Maybe just visit. Worlds like Dragon Ball and Metal Gear are cool to experience as fiction, but definitely not healthy to live in unless you're the protagonist and even then…"
"Hmm… I wonder if there's another world that's like ours but in the future."
"Future?"
"Well, if there are actual parallel worlds, then wouldn't some follow the sometimes forgotten rule that they don't always follow the same time scale? Some timelines would be further along than others.
"That's making me think about Future Trunks."
"I wonder what the other us are doing in that world; the other Sayori and Shujinkou."
"I don't know. I really don't know what I'll be doing in the future… Hopefully that me does."
From the corner his eyes, Shujinkou noticed the cheeks on his friend's contemplative face slowly turn red.
"Sayori?"
"Huh?" awaking from her trance, Sayori fiddled with her fingers and weakly chuckled. "I was just thinking about alternate universes."
That's kinda suspicious…
"Anyway, we were doing math right? Back to alphabet and numbers in weird equations!" she quickly grabbed a nearby piece of paper and raised it over her face. "I forgot to write the answer in for this one."
Sayori reached for her pencil on the bed and carefully scribbled the answer.
"Sayori… You're kind of, almost writing on my face."
"Eh?"
She lowered her paper, reminding her how close their faces were. With red cheeks, she quickly slid away, laughing nervously the entire time.
"The world around you vanishes when doing math…"
"That's true," Shujinkou agreed. "Plus I'm not one to talk about having the world around a person vanish in an instant."
He then sighed as he returned to his own math problems. "How long do you think each question takes?"
"Does that include double and sometimes triple-checking?"
"Yeah."
"15 to 20 minutes."
Shujinkou weakly chuckled. "These are the kind of assignments that no one should try to do at the last second."
…
"You know, I really feel like I should be doing the homework," Sitting atop her counterpart's bed, Monika Prime continued to play Yoshi's Island as she voiced her thoughts.
"No, its one thing for you to go to school for me; it's another to do all my school work for me," Monika replied as she continued to work on her equations. "After all, it was assigned to Monika."
"But we're both Monika."
"But it was still assigned to this Monika."
"Technically it was assigned to me." Monika Prime argued.
"Under the assumption that you were me," Monika pointed out.
"But I was still the one who accepted. From my point of view, I'm handing off homework to someone else."
The two Monikas stared at each other.
"This isn't an easy debate, huh?" Monika asked.
"Not in the slightest," Monika Prime replied. "But okay, you can do the homework. It can be like splitting the work since I did the class assignments and the three surprise tests."
"There were surprised tests?" Monika worriedly asked.
"Just kidding," Monika Prime giggled.
"…I can already hear Natsuki saying it's no fun being on the other side…" Monika weakly chuckled.
"She already said that to Sayori today."
"Who said what to who now?"
A sudden familiar voice shook Monika to her core. Quickly turning towards her bedroom doorway, she found her cousin Claudette with a blank expression on her face.
"Claudette!"
The young woman looked at her cousin, then at her counterpart then back to her cousin.
"And here I thought you were just talking to yourself. No, you were talking to someone who looks and sounds and has the specific way you speak down pat."
An interested smile was on her face as she leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms.
"So… Considering I did a family tree project where I did extensive research over our background, she can't be a lost twin and I can already see you two carry yourselves the same way so… What's going on here?"
Slightly taken aback by how her cousin eliminated the part of the convincing process, Monika minced no words with her response. "Would you believe she's me from another reality?"
Claudette remained silent for a one full minute. "Well, when the other choices are obsessed stalker who had face surgery or cloning, I would say that's the more optimistic reason."
"I didn't know who Shujinkou was," Monika Prime added in a matter of fact tone.
"Okay, you're definitely not a stalker then."
"What about cloning?"
"Did you come here or did Monika summon you?"
"I somehow ended up here."
"Visitor from another universe it is then. Monika doesn't have the capability to make a clone or duplicate."
"If only everyone else would be that easy to convince," Monika marveled at how easily the convincing process went this time.
"But wow, I'm gone for one day and another version of my cousin shows up," Claudette used her left hand to playfully act out her head exploding. "Any other life-alternating discoveries happen?"
"No," the Monikas answered.
"Did you two just do that on purpose or was that coincidence?"
"Coincidence," they answered again.
"That's scary," Claudette laughed as she walked out of the bedroom.
"To be perfectly honest, my side was on purpose," Monika Prime admitted.
"Same here," Monika laughed. "By the way, how was your day at school?"
"It was interesting. Classes were pretty much… Pretty much the same. Then after school I ran into Shujinkou and Mali," she paused and recalled her brief encounter with Mali. "I'm pretty sure the latter knew I wasn't you."
"Really?"
"Mm-hmm. She took one look at me and said, 'I didn't know Ms. School Idol was so devious'."
"That's Mali for you. She's incredibly sharp," Monika weakly chuckled as she recalled her previous interactions with Mali. "It's just scary what she uses it for."
Her visiting counterpart remained silent as she remembered how Mali refereed to Shujinkou. She called him Senpai.
"Um… She's not… Mali's not a yandere towards Shujinkou, is she?" Monika Prime asked.
"No, I'm fairly certain she's not obsessed with him or anything. She just finds him interesting," Monika answered. "Shujinkou even once told me that he feels like her calling him Senpai is a disrespectful nickname; like even though he's her senior, she's confident that she has him wrapped around her fingers."
"Oh… She hasn't come into any contacts with knives has she?"
"Not that I'm aware of."
"She doesn't try to monopolize Shujinkou's attention or make it clear to others to stay away from him?"
"No. If anything, she seems more interested in unnerving Shujinkou then getting him to notice her in a romantic way."
Thinking back to how Mali spoke with Shujinkou, Monika Prime had to agree. But there was no harm in being careful.
"Okay. Well after meeting Mali, we went to the club room and that's when something strange happened," she continued.
"What?" Monika curiously asked.
"Shujinkou kinda… It was like for a brief moment, his mind blinked out of reality."
"Blinked out of reality?"
"Like his mind just left his body."
"That's concerning… He hasn't daydreamed like he used too but are you sure it wasn't just that."
Monika Prime propped her hand under her chin. "Maybe it was just that. After all, he did sound like he came back from a daydream when he woke up."
A serious and contemplative expression rested on her face. But before she could be questioned as to what she was thinking Monika Prime sat up and walked towards the door. She reached for the door knob and turned back to her counterpart with a smile.
"I think I'll turn in for now. Good night, me."
"Good night," Monika waved as she watched her alternate self close the door behind her.
She then turned her attention back to her homework. But no matter how hard she tried, Monika couldn't stop wondering what was on her other self's mind.
…
The next day, Monika slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was still blurry but she could still see golden beams of light slip in through her bedroom curtains.
She rubbed her eyes but between her checks whether or not her eyes could take the morning light, she noticed her hands shifting in and out of view. Due to the speed and her drowsy state, it looked like they were was flickering.
Her field of view finally came into focus and she proceeded to follow her usual morning routine to prepare herself for school. Taking a shower, taking care of her dental hygiene, getting dressed and eating breakfast; once she was finished, she walked to the door.
"Heading for school?" Monika Prime said as she walked downstairs. To her surprise, she was already dressed. "Have fun at school, me."
"What about you? What are you going to do today, Monika?" Monika asked.
"Don't worry about me; I'll figure something out," Monika Prime assured her.
She waved as she watched her native counterpart leave the house. One minute after the door closed behind the departed, Monika Prime sighed.
"I have no idea what to do today," she said.
"Great you can come with me then."
Monika Prime turned towards the sudden voice and watched Claudette strut down them like she was on a stage.
"Come with you where?"
"Out and about."
Monika Prime shot her counterpart's cousin a surprised look. "I don't think my other self would appreciate her being in two places at once."
A calm, confident smile stretched across Claudette's face. "That won't be a problem."
She reached out and quickly and effortlessly unfastened Monika's Prime white bow. She then pulled a black marker from pocket and scribbled a black circle just to the right of her cousin's alternate counterpart's lips before placing a pair of sunglasses over her eyes.
"There. Now no one can notice you from a distance." Claudette assured her with a wink.
Words failed Monika Prime as she processed what just happened. "…Kinda scary how effortlessly you just did all that before I even realized it."
"I am good like that. By the way, what should I refer to you with when you and my cousin are together?"
"Well, it's Monika Prime when we're together, but since it's just us, Just Monika will do."
"Alright, Just Monika, let's hit the streets. Got anywhere you want to see?"
"I don't know. I kinda already did that with Shujinkou recently. It's kind of repetitive."
Monika's doubtful face soon lit up as a piece of paper waved past it.
"Even if I wave a coupon to Diamond Delights, the primer desserts shop in town, in front of your face?" Claudette asked with a knowing grin.
"…That's cheating."
"As the Dark Knight would say: 'Not cheating; winning.'"
…
"I really wish we had a place like this where I came from," Monika gushed.
While the cupcakes she's taken a bite out of weren't as good as the ones made by the Natsuki she knew, they were still extremely tasty.
"Hey, is there a me where you come from?" Claudette asked.
"Not that I'm aware of. Honestly, if I was aware of it, it would probably be someone different from you."
"Well, that's sad for your universe. Other than that, how are you enjoying your stay here so far?"
"It's been interesting to say the least. There are a lot of similarities, but also a lot of differences. But most of all, it kinda feels like I can be granted a new start here."
"New start? Something happen from where you're from?"
"You could say that," a dark expression flashed on Monika's face before it was swiftly replaced with curiosity. "Actually, while we're on the topic, how come you so easily believed I was from another reality? I was only able to convince everyone else through being lucky enough to run into Shujinkou first."
"I'm going to ask you about that last part after I answer. But to answer your question, I already told you that I'm fairly certain that Monika doesn't have a twin or a scarily identical sibling."
"Still, alternate realities are still a big leap from there. Honestly facial reconstruction after stalking makes more sense in a grounded reality."
"Okay, I'll give you more reasons. One: Your voice is one to one the same as the Monika that's my little cousin. Last time I checked, even the most identical twins have different voices and since we're in a grounded reality, you can't make your voice completely like Monika's 24/7.
Two: …Actually that was my only addition. I pretty much explained the rest last night and I'm genuinely cool with there being alternate universes as long as there isn't a major crisis."
"Oh. You're pretty open-minded," Monika complimented.
"Yep. Now it's my turn to ask you something," Claudette's eyes sparkled with interest and curiosity. "You said earlier and last night that you ran into Shujinkou right?"
"I literally popped in in front of his house just as he was leaving."
"Wow, an alternate version of my cousin met Shujinkou before I did. Did you meet her other club friends too?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Wow, barring Natsuki, an alternate version of my cousin met her club friends before I did. I don't how I should feel about that," Claudette playfully shrugged before continuing. "Anyway, tell me what you think about Shujinkou."
"What I think about him? Are you trying to compare opinions between me and my other self?" Monika questioned.
"Yes. Yes, I am."
"That probably wouldn't be a fair comparison. This reality's Monika knew him for a while. I just met him two days ago."
"The length doesn't matter. I just want to hear your opinion."
Monika closed her eyes as she recalled all of her previous interactions with Shujinkou.
"Well, I guess my opinion would be that he's… interesting," she answered.
"Really?" the curiosity in Claudette's eyes grew. "How?"
"Well, from what I've seen so far, he sometimes hesitant and passive, but will put that aside when someone else is feeling down. He didn't complain at all when I asked if he could lend me some money for clothing or just when I took his whole day from him. Also, it was funny how into games he can get. Pretty sure he never found out that I stopped playing along with him when we were firing at dinosaurs.
Overall, he was fun to be around. I'm glad he was the first person I ran into."
Huh. Another glowing review. Claudette giggled. "He sounds like a gentleman. Now I'm really interested in meeting him."
"Mm." Monika took another bite out of her cupcake.
Talking about Shujinkou reminded her of the strange reactions he had yesterday and her own curiosity over what could have caused them.
…
"Senpai!"
The moment Shujinkou stepped out of the closest bathroom he found Mali running towards him. At first glance, it looked like an innocent and energetic girl was joyfully approaching him, but he knew at this point she was somewhat putting up an act.
Though he knew she enjoyed teasing him, she's also been nice to him. He'd like to assume the best, but sometimes he can't help but wonder whether she has her own way of befriending him or if he was just a source of fun that she'll eventually get bored with.
"Senpai?"
Disembarking from his train of many thoughts, Shujinkou answered with a friendly, "Hey, Mali."
The first year had a bright smile on her face. She really did look innocent. "So, which School Idol came to school today?"
"Huh?" The shock and surprise he felt was on full display. Everything from the expression on his face to his paralyzed posture made it all too clear.
"It was surprising, but I could tell just by looking at her that whoever was with you yesterday wasn't the School Idol I've gotten to know since you became my Senpai."
"…That's amazing…"
"Oh? Senpai, isn't even denying the truth?"
"Ah-!" Shujinkou felt like kicking himself for easily confirming Mali's suspicions.
"Who is she, Senpai? She looks like our school idol and she talks like our school idol, but I can tell she's different. Her voice is exactly the same so she can't be a twin or an obsessive stalker trying to supplant Ms. School Idol. So, what's going on?"
"Mali, I don't really think I'm one to say…"
"Like how you don't want to tell people that you're silent friend spoke to you at least once?"
"Wha-?" Shujinkou's eyes widened with horror. "How-?"
"You were talking to yourself; don't you remember, Senpai? I was right there; you just didn't notice me until I called for you."
"…I'm a terrible secret-keeper…" Shujinkou almost felt like crying. Not real crying, but the exaggerated pity cries he often sees in animation.
"Aw, don't be so down on yourself, Senpai. You can't help the fact that you can't control your emotions enough to hide your true feelings. But since you wanted to keep things secret, I've kept them secret for and from you."
"Oh… Thanks, Mali."
"What are Kōhais for, Senpai? And it's because of that that I tell you this: You should be careful around that other School Idol."
"Huh?"
"She's not as innocent as the one you know."
"Wh-What do you mean by that?"
"Senpai should know by experience now that even the most innocent faces can hide some malevolence.
"You really think the other Monika is bad?"
"Oh, Senpai, you're innocent, but that means nothing when your naivety in regards to morals is blinding you."
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. He didn't really know what to say in response to that.
"Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though she looks like Ms. School Idol and acts like Ms. School Idol, don't expect everything to be the same. What one does doesn't reflect the other? That's why alternate counterparts should be treated with caution."
"Hu-? You knew?" Shujinkou gasped.
"So it is multiversal."
Mali giggled as she watched her senpai lower his head in shame.
"How do you keep doing that?" he asked.
"I lead Senpai on and he's so lost in thought he can't bother to hide his true emotions any more than he already can," she brightly answered.
"Ugh…"
"But don't worry, Senpai, I'll keep this a secret, lest you look like a crazy person."
"Thanks, Mali…" he droned on.
He was grateful that Mali promised to keep what she deduced a secret, but his own blunders during their conversation heavily weighed on his mind.
From that point until the end of the club meeting, all that was on Shujinkou's mind was how bad he was at keeping secrets. From the walk home to entering his home, his thoughts shifted from him being bad to wondering how he could improve himself in the field.
From the bottom of the steps to the open entrance to his room, he thought wh-
Wait.
He did a double take at the sight of the open doorway.
I'm pretty sure I closed it this morning. Did Mom go in there?
Deciding not to over think things, Shujinkou shrugged and walked through the open doorway to find-.
"Monika?" he was surprised to find the person he recently said goodbye to in his room, which could only mean-
"Prime," she giggled.
"Ah. So… What brings you here?"
Monika looked around the room before shifting her gaze back to Shujinkou. "To be honest, I've never been in a boy's room before. It suits you."
"T-Thanks…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek.
"It suits you." That was exactly what the Monika he knew longer said when she first came over.
The Monika before him stood up, approached him and presented a familiar looking cupcake.
"I was at Diamond Delights and thought I should snag you one as a small way of saying thanks for the other day."
"What did I do the other day?"
"Lending me money and showing me around."
"Oh, it wasn't a big deal or anything."
"Still, I wanted to thank you."
Monika slowly pushed the cupcake closer to him.
"Okay. Thanks, Monika."
Shujinkou graciously accepted the gift and took a bite out of it. It wasn't as good as Natsuki's but it was still really good.
His beaming face was enough to elicit a small giggle from Monika.
"Shujinkou…"
"Mm?"
His trance was broken just in time to notice her cheeks faintly glow red. With a small smile she said something he never thought he would hear.
"Let's go on a date."