"We're home!"
Monika's voice echoed through her house as she led Sayori through the front door. Moments later, Claudette stepped out of the kitchen with a small cup of ice cream in hand.
"Welcome home, honey. How was your day?" she responded with a bright smile.
"Fine, Claudette," Monika chuckled.
Sayori's eyes lit up with curiosity. Wasting no time, she approached the young woman.
"Ohhhhh, so you're Claudette," she said.
"Mm-hmm. And you must be Sayori."
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"Your eyes sparkle with that positive energy Monika says you have." Claudette leaned forward and quickly kissed both of the guest's cheeks leaving them faintly glowing red.
Unsure how to respond with words, all Sayori could do was chuckle nervously.
"Where's Monika?" Monika asked.
"Out and about," Claudette answered before leading a scoop of ice cream into her mouth.
"She went out?"
"Yeah, I took her out earlier, but we went our separate ways about an hour ago. Don't worry, she was in disguise."
"Hh. Wonder where the other Monika went." Sayori thought aloud.
Monika shared her curiosity. But not only did she wonder the same exact thing, for some reason she could not understand, she felt worried and, even more confounding, a bit envious.
…
Shujinkou's heart raced as he tried to process what he was just asked. The Monika in front of him had just asked him out on-
"A D-Date?" he stuttered.
"Mm-hmm." Monika answered with a nod.
"Us?"
"Mm-hmm."
"You and me?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Me?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Uh…"
Shujinkou quickly looked away. He anxiously scratched his right cheek as he desperately tried to control the various emotions circulating through him. The last time he felt as flustered as he felt now was when Mali first pressed her chest against his own.
Like that moment, what the Monika before him had proposed was something he never thought would happen to him. This belief, along with the fact that it was coming from someone who didn't know him that well, further increased the singular question of "Why?"
"Is something wrong?" Monika asked.
"N-No!" Shujinkou sputtered. "Nothing's wrong, it's just that…"
"'Just that…'?"
"It's just kinda out of nowhere."
Monika shot him a surprised, but interested look. "How so?"
"I mean, we just met recently and don't know each other that well," Shujinkou explained.
Monika giggled, confusing the young protagonist. "Shujinkou, isn't that what dates are for? Dates aren't just for people who are already romantically involved or known each other for a long time. Most of the times, dates begin with one person seeing another or just have a few brief interactions and decide they want to get to know the person better."
"Uhm… That is true…"
"Plus, haven't you've gone on dates with the other me before?"
"Huh? I don't think we've been on dates."
"But didn't you two go somewhere to enjoy a parfait and just recently go on a picnic together near a waterfall?"
For the third time today, Shujinkou had been rendered completely silent. Without proper context, those moments could easily have been seen as dates.
Thinking that reminded Shujinkou of what Mali said to him before: "Does Senpai have a low opinion of himself when it comes to girls?"
Can she blame me? I always thought it's a miracle I've made as many friends I made so far this year. Even if I take the self-depreciation out of that… Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he recalled his first meeting with the others. They were pretty circumstantial and in one case pretty painful.
Even without the self-depreciation, I can't really see why someone would look at me and suddenly want to date me.
"Your face kinda screams 'Why?' Shujinkou," Monika noted.
"Sorry, but I think something someone told me is true; I really can't fathom someone asking me out," he explained.
"Is it really that confounding to you?"
Despite that being exactly how he felt, saying it out loud felt like he was admitting defeat. "Kinda…"
Monika smiled. "Well, I could help you understand if you give me a chance to."
"Umm…" Shujinkou once again scratched his right cheek. I don't really know how to respond to that either…
"Please, Shujinkou. It's also my way of saying thanks for the other day."
"But I thought the cupcake was that."
"That's more of a small thing. This would be the real thanks."
Wait, so this is a thank you date? Or is it still a date-date?
Shujinkou was still flustered over the fact that someone asked him out on a date, but if this date was a way of saying thanks, then it wouldn't be nice to turn it down, especially after she already pleaded with him.
Am I making an excuse though? I mean, if it's a thank you date then me turning it down is like turning down something else someone planned for you. It's not just a convenient coincidental reason is it?
He continued to scratch his right cheek as he went back and forth in his head until he finally reached a conclusion.
"O-Okay." Shujinkou sheepishly answered.
"Great," Monika happily giggled. "I'll text you the details later."
"You have my phone number?"
"I figured it out."
"Oh…"
"By the way… Do you think you could keep this a secret?"
"Huh?" Shujinkou's eyes widened with surprise over such a request. Um… Sure, if that's what you want."
"Thanks."
Still awkwardly scratching his right cheek, Shujinkou silently watched Monika walk towards the doorway connected to the hallway. She stopped just before it, turned back towards him and winked.
"'Til then."
Shujinkou's heart once again sped up in tempo as cheeks turned bright red. With a wave goodbye, Monika soon disappeared out of sight, once again leaving him speechless and mentally exhausted.
"Ignoring the circumstances, not only was I asked out on a date, but I was asked out by an alternate universe version of my friend…" Shujinkou weakly recounted. "First a universal crossover then a date…"
He slumped down on his bed and let gravity guide him the rest of the way. "Nothing in my life makes sense anymore…
He spread out on his bed; hoping rest would give him the respite he needed.
Kinda surprised Angel and Devil Mickey didn't appear like they did with Yuri…
…
During lunch break the next day, Shujinkou paced up and down the closest stairwell he could find. His lingering surprise and confusion from last evening continued to plague him as he continued his stride.
"Whatcha doing, Shujinkou?"
Stopping at the bottom step, Shujinkou turned around and looked up to find Kiyoko gazing at him from over the edge of the stairwell.
"Kiyoko," he replied.
Normally, he would find it a little embarrassing for someone he knew to watch him in deep thought without him knowing, but the reason why he in such a trance in the first place nullified that feeling.
"I was just thinking," Shujinkou explained.
"'bout what?" Kiyoko asked.
"Well…"
He scratched his right cheek. Though he would like an outside opinion on his current situation, he promised not to tell anyone about his date. Even if it wasn't for the promise, given the fact he wasn't entirely sure what kind of date he was going on, he figured it wouldn't be right to tell others about it anyway.
But thought he couldn't talk about the date, there was a question he could ask Kiyoko.
"Hey, Kiyoko…"
"Yeah?"
"Would you go on a date with me?"
Shujinkou's face immediately went red with shock after realizing how what he just had asked sounded. A curious look crossed Kiyoko's face as she began walking down towards him.
"Are you really asking me out on a date or are you being hypothetical?" she asked.
"Um… hypothetical?" Shujinkou weakly answered.
"You're not going to offend me."
"Um… Hypothetical."
Kiyoko remained silent as she pondered his response. "You wondering if I would go out with you or just would anyone go out with you at all?"
"The second one…" Shujinkou sighed.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why would think there wouldn't be anyone that would go on a date with you?"
Normally he would answer to himself because it's him, but for some reason, at this moment, that seemed like a dumb argument. Putting his self-depreciation aside, he began to question what about himself would make it such an impossibility for someone to agree to date him.
He still couldn't see why someone would want to date him at first glance, but he was beginning to see that it wasn't a complete impossibility.
"I don't know… I guess it probably all goes back to my childhood," Shujinkou concluded.
"Doesn't everything?" Kiyoko shrugged. "I'm not going to act like I know what your childhood was like but…"
"But…?"
"If you seriously asked me out on a date, I would say yes."
"R-Really?"
"Definitely."
A small smile formed on Shujinkou's lips. "Thanks, Kiyoko."
"No problem," Kiyoko smiled back as she stretched her arms.
…
Shujinkou stared at the image reflected off his mirror's surface. He normally doesn't stare at his reflection so intensely, but learning how to put on a tie for the first time does that to a person. He was sure that it was something a father teaches their son, but never needed the skill when he was around.
I wonder what Monika has in mind? I was surprised that she told me that I would need fancy clothing. I was also surprised by the fact that we're getting tomorrow off. Fuyu was shocked when she told us it was a very-last minute decision. Maybe the teachers wanted a day to get some work done?
Shujinkou continued to struggle with his tie. To him, it was somehow harder than beating a secret boss in a video game on the highest difficulty, particularly Kingdom Hearts.
His plight continued to go on until his mother walked into his room. From head to toe, she was covered in yarn.
"Mom?"
"At least I wasn't tied to the chair again…" she weakly chuckled.
Shujinkou shared her reaction as he recalled that moment. He still didn't know exactly how his mother ended up like that while he was at school or for how long.
"Hm?" Finally noticing her son's attire, Hiro asked, "Are you going somewhere, Shujinkou?"
"Y-Yeah…"
"Where to…?"
"Well…"
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. He didn't want to lie to his mother, but he promised not to tell. Then again…
"I actually don't really know myself. A friend invited me somewhere and sent me the address, but didn't tell me where it was," he answered.
"You didn't look it up?" Hiro questioned.
"I kinda figured it was a surprise so I decided no to."
"That's understandable. Um…" Hiro fought back a small smile as she glanced at her son's unfastened tie. "Oh. Let me help you with that."
She reached for the tie. Shujinkou's face lit up with amazement over how quickly and effortlessly his mother fastened his tie.
"Wow, Mom," he marveled.
"Believe or not, but tie tying was one of the skills I focused on perfecting when I was a kid," Hiro explained.
"Really?"
"We all have quirks as a kid. I guess you could say my quirk as an adult is to end up covered in yarn whenever I try sewing," she chuckled.
Shujinkou nodded his head. Tying his tie for him reminded him how she had to fill the roles of two parents while looking after a child that sulked for a few years. For years, she had to put her life on pause just to look after him.
Shujinkou smiled as he was once again reminded of how lucky he was to have a parent like her.
"Well, I don't want to hold you up any longer. Do you need a ride?" Hiro offered.
"No thanks, I'll make my way there on my own," Shujinkou answered.
He then proceeded to walk downstairs and through the front door. The moment he closed the door behind him, he turned around only to be greeted by the sight of-
"Sayori-!"
"Hey, Shujinkou," she beamed.
"Wh-What brings you by?"
"Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to play Scotland Yard with me," Sayori paused, finally noticing his childhood friend's current attire. "What's with the fancy clothes?"
"Um…" Shujinkou's heart slowly began to increase the speed of its beats as he struggled to maintain eye contact with Sayori. "I was going to a place I was invited to."
"Really? Where to?"
"I don't really know... I mean, I could know, but surprises and all that…"
"Oh. Who invited you?"
"Who?"
"Yeah. Who?"
"Uh…"
Once again, Shujinkou found himself trapped between two decisions. Either he blatantly lie to someone he knows or reveal the secret he promised to keep.
I can't lie like that to Sayori, but, on the other hand, she won't quit until I give her some kind of answer…
The weight of his moral dilemma was beginning to become too much, but before he could break, the front door suddenly opened. Hiro walked out with a jacket in hand.
"Don't forget to take this in case it gets cold," she said as she passed the jacket to her son.
"T-Thanks, Mom."
Her eyes then trailed to Sayori. "What timing, Sayori."
"What do you mean?"
"I was just about to start baking some cookies and could use some help."
"Really?" a glob of drool trailed down from Sayori's lips. "I'm in!"
Shujinkou breathed a sigh of relief as he watched his friend happily skipped into their house.
"Have a nice time, Shujinkou," Hiro said before closing the front door behind her.
"Thanks, Mom," Shujinkou said before activating the directions on his phone.
While he was curious about the mystery location Monika sent him, he was still more concerned over what kind of date he was going on.
I mean, doesn't knowing what kind of date this important? It would be awkward to do something that's not allowed in one date. It sounded like the other Monika was asking me on a romantic date, but then she said it was her way of thanking me. Plus, she asked me not to tell anyone. I wonder why? Both Monikas are the same when it comes to surprises and secrets. That doesn't help figuring out what kind of date this is.
I really don't want to make things awkward if this is just a thank you thing. But what if this is a romantic one? Monika did kinda go in-depth in reminding me that you don't have to have know each other too long to start dating. Someone wouldn't say that if it was just a thank-you date. But then again, even if she's an alternate version of someone I know, she still isn't the one I know. She's still her own person and has to have some differences.
Shujinkou was then reminded of what Mali had said to him regarding the alternate Monika a few days ago.
Mali said that I should be careful around the other Monika. Was she just saying that to get me to slip the truth about her or was she serious. I don't really think there's anything to be worried about her but… Strange things have been happening since the day she showed up, but that can't be her fault. She can't just pop things into my head. I wonder if it's the result of some sort of crack in the space-time continuum.
A confirmation of arrival from his phone snapped Shujinkou from his contemplative trance. Intense shock coursed through his very being the moment his eyes beheld the most expensive restaurant around.
Is this really where Monika's wanted us to go?
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek until he felt something tap his right shoulder. He quickly turned around and was blown away by the formal dress Monika was wearing.
"Hi, Shujinkou," she greeted with a smile. "Taking in the outside appearance."
"H-Hey, Monika," he sheepishly replied as he struggled to maintain eye contact. "Um…"
"You look very dashing."
"Thanks. You look really nice too."
"Really nice?" Monika giggled.
"Um… Is this really where we're supposed to be or were we just supposed to meet here?"
"No, this is the right place. Ready to go inside?"
Shujinkou nodded his head and followed Monika to the door.
"By the way, Shujinkou, how would you describe the exterior of this building?" Monika suddenly asked.
"How? Um… I don't really know. I guess fancy looking.
"Like a lot of fancy restaurants, right? I guess if you've seen one, then you've seen them all."
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. Something about the conversation seemed weird.
Kinda feels like we're covering for something that's missing.
"Anyway, are you ready to go inside... Again?" Monika asked.
"Yeah."
He followed her through the front door. Inside was just as he would expect from such a high-class place. Everyone was wearing their best formal wear, there was a small fountain with a marble statue in the middle and there was even a small section for people to dance on.
I don't know why but I'm suddenly reminded of the dance scenes from Sly 2.
"Ready, Shujinkou?"
While he was examining his immediate area, Monika had already checked in and was waiting to be escorted to a table. In no time at all, the two found themselves ordering their meal at a spacious booth. Now all they had to do was wait out the time.
"Hey, Monika…" Shujinkou suddenly said.
"Yes?"
"Who'd you get us a reservation here?"
A bright smile stretched across Monika's face. "Through a hard work and preservation."
"Huh?"
"Just kidding."
"Oh."
"The real reason is…"
"Is…?"
"…A secret."
"I walked right it into that one," Shujinkou chuckled. He began to think playfully withholding information may be a universal constant for all Monika. But that brief levity didn't last. "So, um…"
Shujinkou anxiously scratched his right cheek. Not only was he nervous over being in a restaurant such as this, but he also didn't really know what to say to this Monika.
"So… How's your stay here been so far?" he asked.
"Good so far. Honestly, who can complain considering where I am and who I'm with right now?" She replied with a knowing smile.
"Uhm… No one, I guess."
Just that one statement made it even harder than it already was for Shujinkou to maintain eye contact.
"Um, I was just curious but when you said that you just ended up here, was it random like a portal suddenly opening up and sucking you in it or were you travelling through the dimensions and ended up here by mistake?"
Monika giggled. "No, I'm from a reality that's pretty normal in concept. I just ended up here."
"Oh. But aren't you worried about being stuck here?" Shujinkou asked.
"Not at all. I'm in no real hurry to leave."
"I see…" Shujinkou tapped on the table as he searched for other possible topics of conversation.
"So, Shujinkou…"
He glanced up and was greeted with the sight of Monika staring at him. But something was different; she was wearing her school uniform and they were in one of the classroom. To make things even stranger, the sky outside the classroom windows looked very foreboding.
Turning his attention back to Monika, one singular phrase immediately popped into his head: Just Monika.
"Shujinkou?"
Blinking twice, Shujinkou found himself back in the restaurant.
"Something wrong?" Monika asked.
He remained silent as he scratched his right cheek. Staring into this Monika's eyes was the same as staring into the eyes of the Monika he briefly saw.
"N-No. I'm fine."
"That's good. So, Shujinkou, I hear that you're an artist."
"Yeah, I like to draw and sometimes help my mom sew."
"Really? Was that poster in the club room drawn by you?"
"Yep."
"Wow, you're really good," Monika complimented.
"Thanks. I try," Shujinkou replied with a small smile.
"Is a career regarding the arts what you plan on pursuing in the future?"
"I don't really know. It wasn't until recently that I started wondering what my plans for the future would be. I've kinda been going through the motions until I joined the club. What about you? Do you have any plans for the future?"
"Well, any plans I would have had are kinda void right now considering they relate to my own reality."
"Oh. Sorry…"
"It's no big deal."
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. The last few days, his mind was clouded with thoughts of a multiverse and grew even more when he was asked on a date. But now that he thought about it, it was kind of strange how this Monika didn't seem too concerned over how, for all she knew, she was trapped in an alternate reality forever.
Maybe she's trying to stay positive while dealing with that fact. Shujinkou continued to scratch his right cheek. Wonder if this date is one of the ways she's trying to cope.
"You know, you seem to scratch your right cheek a lot, Shujinkou," Monika noted.
"Huh? Oh, yeah I do. I guess it's just my thing."
"Any specific reason why you do it?"
"Not really. It's pretty much instinct at this point. Migatte no Goku'I cheek scratching edition."
"Hm? What was that again?"
"Ultras Instinct: Cheek scratching edition?"
Shujinkou could feel embarrassment building up, as if to prepare for his reference not being understood by the person sitting across from him. But instead of remaining confused, Monika's face displayed interest.
"Ah. What you originally said makes it sound like it's something from Dragon Ball," she said.
Hearing that filled Shujinkou with relief.
"It is. It's a technique that allows a person's body move on its own," he explained.
"Move on its own? That's gotta be a little disorienting."
"Well, since you have to train to get there and still train to master it and that it's incredibly hard even for god class characters… those facts probably justify not questioning how it must feel."
"So a technique that allows the body to move on its own…?"
"Yep."
"So… How much stronger is Goku with it?"
"Stronger? But it's a techni-" a small chuckle slipped through Shujinkou's lips.
"Couldn't even say it?"
"Not really. I don't really know how Goku uses a technique as a transformation, but I pretty much accepted it after a bunch of theories. Maybe it's like the Kaioken, a technique that boosts a person's strength with a slight appearance change."
"Hm."
Just then, the waiter returned and gently placed their bowls of ramen in front of them before leaving.
"That was fast," Shujinkou noted.
"Well, it's not like ramen is the most time-consuming food to make," Monika pointed out.
"I guess…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. Still pretty fast though...
Such a thought was quickly swept aside by the smell of his food wafting in the air.
Now for what will probably the hardest part eating in a restaurant like this: Not eating like a slob. At least ramen is the hardest to mess up with.
To his surprise and delight, it wasn't that hard at all.
Didn't Naruto have his first date at Ichriaku? There's a strange connection to fiction.
Now that I think about it… I keep comparing things to things I like… Wonder if it's my way of trying to keep myself calm.
I'm on a date. No matter the circumstances I'm still on a date. Yet, at the same time, it's somewhat easier than I thought. If I get past the the environment and the word date, it's pretty easy.
Then again, I can't exactly get past the word date. Wouldn't mentally doing so be pretty harsh? Even if this was just a thank-you date, that would be harsh, wouldn't it?
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek.
…I keep going back to wondering what kind of date this is. It's going to be on my mind the entire time isn't it."
Shujinkou glanced up at Monika.
I should probably ask her more questions myself. Now that I think about it, is that what dates are; back and forth questions? Is it a somewhat expensive screening process for relationships? I probably shouldn't think of them just being that. I'm pretty sure they're more complicated than that.
Anyway, but what should I ask her? Should I ask her more questions about the dimension she came from or would she be annoyed since she has to constantly answer questions about her home dimension?
What else should I ask her? She's pretty similar to this dimension's Monika but there has to be some differences. Mali said that she's different, though not in a good way. Mali said something about me being too innocent to understand morality properly, didn't she? That was her just trying to lead me on, right?
"Shujinkou."
"Hm?"
"I didn't realize you were so hungry."
"Huh?" Shujinkou looked down and found his bowl completely empty. Wow.
As impressed as he was that he consumed his meal that quickly in deep thought, he didn't have that long to experience that feeling. Nature had made its call.
"Uh, excuse me, I gotta…"
"I understand."
The young man took off for the bathrooms and found an empty stall.
Seriously, what should I ask her? Things are going to get awkward pretty quickly if I one side's doing all the talking. I mean, I don't really have to ask her anything big; I could just mention some basic topic kind of things. Maybe ask how much she knows about Dragon Ball?
He shook his head.
No, too specific, I should start with something more universal. Then again, she may know a lot about it. She knew what Yu-Gi-Oh was about before Duel Monsters became the focus. I can't just write those off like I tried to last semester when talking with the others.
Still maybe something universal just to get the conversation going. Maybe themed restaurants? Like we could compare this fancy restaurant to another one with a different theme like-
"Gotcha."
"Huh?"
Before he even realized it, Shujinkou was no longer in the bathroom, but a hallway. The walls around him were lined with party decorations, posters and drawings made by children. A few feet in front of him, he noticed a pair of hands reach out from a nearby door and pull a man through it.
Am I in a horror movie? Then again, that voice sounded too… flirtatious…
Shujinkou cautiously approached the door and discovered that it led to a bathroom for women.
Probably shouldn't go in there…
"Hey, Night Guard…" he heard though the door. It was the same feminine voice he had heard earlier.
I should probably walk away… A woman did pull a man in there after all…
But just as he was about to do so, he heard what was presumably the man pulled inside reply with a weak, "S-Spring Bonnie?"
"Spring-Bonnie?" Shujinkou turned back to the door, his eyes widening with curiosity as he processed what he just heard. "Isn't Spring-Bonnie the animatronic William Afton used a lot… and a guy? Unless…"
Slowly and quietly, Shujinkou opened the door. Inside he saw a golden animatronic pressing herself against the man she dragged in.
No way… That's anime Spring Bonnie! And he must this place's Night Guard.I wonder if he's Mike.
The way she gazed at him was similar to a predator that has just cornered their prey.
"No, 'evening'?" Spring-Bonnie playfully replied.
"Um…" the man awkwardly replied.
This reminds of when Mali did the same to me the first time… Though I'm pretty sure Spring-Bonnie's interested in the Night Guard rather than just teasing him.
"Well, anyway, I'm glad I caught you," the golden animatronic's face slowly inched closer to the Night Guard's. "There's something I need to talk to you about."
Before he could hear the rest of the conversation, Shujinkou blinked and found himself back in the stall he had occupied.
"Okay, that one had to be a daydream."
A sense of relief filled Shujinkou. After all the disturbing images he had seen, it was nice to see something less horrific.
Unless she was going to do what the fan game all but directly says in which case that's pretty horrific. I kinda miss the days when my daydreams didn't make me over think them.
Once he was finished answering to nature, Shujinkou washed his hands and walked out of the bathroom only to immediately bump into someone.
"Pardon me," he apologized.
"Shujinkou?"
The young man immediately turned towards the familiar voice. Standing before him was Kiyoko.
"Kiyoko?"
It only took him a moment to understand the ramifications of their chance meeting.
Kiyoko…! If she finds out I'm here on a date, then my promise with Monika will be broken!
Hey, Shujinkou," she greeted him with a casual smile. "Didn't expect to see you here."
"Hey, Kiyoko…" Shujinkou replied. Though he was trying his hardest to stay calm, he knew he was doing a terrible job.
Has she seen who I'm here with? No, she said she didn't know I was here so she couldn't have. Thing is… Even if she doesn't know who I'm here with, she has to know that I'm here on a date. I asked her about dates recently and here I am in a fancy restaurant. Why else would I be here?
"You here with any relatives?" Kiyoko asked.
"Huh?"
"Or are you here by yourself?"
"Uh…"
"Eh, none of my business anyway. Especially since I'm just leaving."
"You're leaving?"
"Yeah," Kiyoko yawned as she stretched her arms. "Long day and a fancy restaurant; I can't wait to hit the hay."
"Oh. I can relate to that. Surprisingly. I never really expected the fancy restaurant part on my end."
"Life's funny that way sometimes."
"That's true," Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. "You can never expect to be in a fancy restaurant with the person who threw a basketball at your head a lot."
"Wow. I thought you weren't the type to hold grudges, Shujinkou."
"I'm not… I'm just trying to stay calm."
"Thinking aloud?"
"No, just being transparent."
Kiyoko chuckled before suddenly letting out another yawn. "I'm really getting sleepy. But anyway, I'll see you around, Shujinkou."
"Yeah, see you." Shujinkou waved goodbye until the golden-haired patron disappeared from sight. I better get back before Monika starts to think I've been gone too long.
As he started his journey back, several question formed in his head.
Ugh… I feel kinda bad having these questions in my head. Kiyoko didn't question me too much about why I'm here so it's only fair that I don't question it either. And yet, here I am wondering why? I mean, I've seen where she lives. Maybe her grandpare-
Shujinkou violently shook those thoughts out of his head.
No! Kiyoko didn't question me, so no questioning her.
Shujinkou returned to the table only to find that Monika was gone.
I wasn't gone too long, was I?
Not too long after that question, Monika approached him.
"Sorry for not being here. Was I gone too long?"
"No, I just got here myself."
"Mm. Want to dance?"
"D-Dance?"
He was floored by the sudden suggestion.
"I was watching the dance floor and thought it would be nice to dance, but only if you want to," Monika elaborated.
"I don't know…" Shujinkou hesitated. "I'm not much of a dancer."
"Not much of a dancer or a little worried about dancing in this kind of environment?"
"The second one."
"You don't need to worry; I can take the lead if you want."
"Really?"
"Mm-hmm."
Monika stretched her hand towards Shujinkou. With a simple nod, Shujinkou accepted the hand and let her guide him to the dance floor. She then led his linked hand around her waist and reached for the other one.
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
With Monika taking the lead, the two danced across the dance floor. To his surprise, he wasn't as much of an awkward dancer as he thought he would be.
"Despite your saying you're not much of a dancer, you're doing really well, Shujinkou," Monika complimented.
"Thanks. That's kinda been my pattern for awhile," Shujinkou admitted.
A slight giggle slipped through his dance partner's lips. "That's pretty self-aware of you."
"Well, I've kinda been trying to be better than I have been for years and to do that I gotta acknowledge my shortcomings."
"Acknowledge your shortcomings? A quizzical look filled Monika's face. "So how has your journey to improve yourself going?"
"Slow but steady? I mean, I guess the old saying's true; old habits do die hard."
"Really? So then, if you were still like how you were at the start of the school year, would you have agreed to go out with me tonight?"
"Um… Me at the start of the school year. I guess it depends. I probably would have shut down from such a thing happening but I could see things going two ways if that didn't happen."
"What are they."
"Either I would have frantically tried to give a list of why you shouldn't have or I would have gave in."
"Gave in? You make it sound like it's the worst thing in the world."
"No! I didn-"
"I know what you meant," Monika softly assured him. "I was just joking."
"Oh."
"But the other me was right, you really do care for other people's feelings a lot, don't you?"
"I just try and treat people… I mean, it's not like I'm trying to win a good citizen award or anything. I guess… I guess that's just who I am. I'm not perfect, but I…"
"Try and treat people the way you would like to?"
"I guess… I mean, I don't really always think about it."
"Really? What were you thinking when I out of the blue asked you for money under the guise you were giving it to the other me?"
"Kinda strange that Monika asked me out of nowhere but sure?"
"Didn't you have any hesitation parting with your money?"
"I did. Pretty sure 'I hope she doesn't bankrupt me' crossed my mind five times while I waited," Shujinkou chuckled.
"But that was after. What about at that very moment?"
"Um, I don't really remember. I was confused so maybe that kept me from consciously noticing whatever thoughts were in my head then."
"And yet you still trusted me with your wallet after I gave a sudden and somewhat selfish request."
"Well, I mean, I thought you were the Monika I knew and even thought it was out of nowhere- Actually now that I think about it, I don't think she would ever ask me that. Anyway, I knew that I could trust her with something like that."
"Mm. What about me? Would you trust me after I fooled you for a day?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Really? How come?"
"Well, I'm sure you only asked in the first place because you suddenly appeared her out of nowhere. I can't exactly blame you for pretending to be Monika, especially since I gave you the opportunity."
"Really?"
"Plus, you went out of your way to get us in here just to say thanks so…"
"It wasn't really that hard."
"Either way, yeah, I would trust you, Monika."
A soft, wrm smile crossed her face as she rested her head on Shujinkou's right shoulder.
"Uhm…" With no idea how to respond, Shujinkou continued to go through the motions.
After the dance, the two ordered dessert. Shujinkou tried to keep his sweet tooth under control but found it impossible to do so with cake and ice cream in front of him.
"I guess your massive sweet tooth wasn't an exaggeration," Monika playfully noted.
"It's a weakness…" Shujinkou chuckled.
After dessert, the two agreed to end the date there. As they walked out of the restaurant, there was one question that plagued Shujinkou's mind. Once they were outside, he asked, "Monika, how come we didn't pay?"
"I paid while you were in the bathroom," she answered.
"Before we even got dessert?"
"We couldn't very well skip dessert. So I paid for that too."
"Oh. So I guess-"
"Our date's a secret, remember? It wouldn't be that anymore if you walked me home."
"Right… Well then, goodnight."
"Mm," Monika approached Shujinkou and kissed his left cheek. "Goodnight."
"Y-Yeah…" Shujinkou could only wave goodbye until he was finally alone with his thoughts
So… this was a regular date? When I think about it, it kinda felt like hanging out with the others, but in a really fancy place. Then again, she did kiss me on the cheek. Wait…
The young man crossed his arms.
Felt like hanging out with my friends? There's a high chance this was a date-date and I compared that to hanging out with my friends; specifically Sayori, Natsuki, Yuri and Monika. But why would something like a date feel the same? It shouldn't unless…
He proceeded to recall every moment he spent with the four. Occasional trouble maintaining eye contact, flustered reactions that occur more when he was alone with them then in public and sometimes staring into each other's eyes with an awkward atmosphere. No, thinking back on it, it wasn't awkward; it was heart-pounding and intimate.
"No way…" Shujinkou's eyes widened with shock as it dawned upon him.
I mean, wasn't it just because we were getting used to each other at first. What happened doesn't exactly mean that… Except, these things actually started happening more later on. Monika inviting me on what would otherwise be dates a lot. What about that time Yuri was about to tell me something, it looked like she was going to kiss me and when I kissed her in order to hide us, she ended up returning it. Natsuki also kissed me out of nowhere, even though she claimed it was because I owed her for when she first came over. But the look on her face before she did it… And then there's Sayori. Her always trying to support me is because we're friends right? She supports everyone the same way. Plus, we grew up together, so of course we'd be close. She even said she wanted her "best friend" back when she thought I was asleep that one time. And yet, being around her feels the same too."
Shujinkou's cheeks grew bright red as the evidence continued to pile up.
Do they… Do they really have crushes on me? Putting my self-depreciation aside then…
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he finally realized the one thing that eluded him for awhile now.
"They do."