Ugh…
Monika slowly opened her eyes. Her head was throbbing and she felt like she could vomit at anytime.
The last thing she could remember was standing in the hallways of the school she attended. Now she found herself in a classroom. The room was barely lit by the moon light that seeped in through the boarded windows. Desks were turned over and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust.
"Isn't this the abandoned school building?"
She tried to move but found herself unable to. Her hands and feet were bound to a creaky chair.
Stuck in a barely lit classroom after waking up from a painful dark experience...
Monika wasn't sure whether she should groan or laugh over this blatantly ironic situation. She didn't have long to reminisce about the past however.
She could hear the sound of footsteps echo throughout the building. Each one was louder than the next and filled her with curiosity.
A figure soon walked through the open doorway. They were wearing a school uniform similar to hers and had distinct male proportions. But that was all she could say to describe him. There was truly nothing else she could say.
"You're finally awake, Monika."
Monika simply stared at the person in front of her. He was giddy as a school kid and looked like he was close to jumping up and down in joy.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Me?" The stranger thrust his arms out as if he was about to make a grand declaration. "I am the long, lost half of your coin: Nese!"
Monika blankly stared at him.
"Nese… The long lost side of your coin?" he weakly repeated.
"I'm sorry… I don't really know anyone by that name."
"President of the Supernatural Studies Club?"
Monika shook her head.
"I left letters in your locker."
"I don't mean sound egotistical, but I kinda get an exaggerated amount of those."
"Come on! Nese!" he desperately shouted.
"Nese… Nese…"
Monika contemplated that name. She thought about the events that occurred over the course of this semester so far.
Oh… Nese. He's the student Mali scared off so this reality's Literature Club could have a club room.
This realization allowed Monika to have a better understanding of her predicament.
I thought him and his obsession with the other me was a one-time thing, but he seems to have decided to make a very scary play.
…And I just happen to be the Monika who got caught up in it. Kidnapped and the irony of this situation… I think I may be suffering universal retribution right now…
"Hello?"
Monika looked up at Nese. He looked genuinely confused like he didn't understand why anyone would remain silent in this situation.
"So, Nese… Do you happen to know how I ended up here?"
Though she already knew he was responsible, she wanted to hear how he would answer.
"I brought you here so you wouldn't be stolen away from me," he explained.
"Excuse me?"
"Ever since I lost my club to a little demon girl..."
Mali.
"I tried thinking of more ways to woo you and then I decided that the best thing to do was to do something outrageous to impress you."
"Like…?"
"Like The Great Water Balloon Prank II."
"You copied the prank of the great mysterious prankster to impress me?"
"Yeah. I was about to tell you too, but then I saw you with him…"
"Him?"
"That guy you've been hanging around. The way you look at him…"
Nese's voice was seething with anger, allowing Monika to understand more of the situation.
"So, you brought me here to keep me away from… 'the guy' and try to get me to like you?"
"Exactly."
If Monika could scratch her right cheek at the moment, she would. The time seemed right to borrow Shujinkou's character tic.
Okay. I really didn't expect the obsession to turn into kidnapping.
She took the next few moments to consider her next words very carefully.
"Nese, how much chloroform did you let soak into the handkerchief?"
"Two bottles. Why?"
That explains the instant knockout. That or this world uses the instant sedation myth. Not to mention his overall casualness to this random moment… He may be a little sociopathic.
That last word weighed heavily on Monika's heart.
Like I'm one to talk…
"Something wrong?" Nese asked.
"Well… I was kinda drugged and I'm currently bound to a chair in an abandoned part of the school," Monika weakly chuckled.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Needed to make sure you didn't run."
"That's an understandable concern on your part. So, what's the plan from here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you just going to leave me here, bound to this space and visit me every so often to talk?"
"Pretty much. Have you watched a lot of movies that show stuff like this?"
"Well, to be honest, I've kind of already lived it. It kinda led to heartbreak on my end."
"What? Who's the idiot that would break your heart?"
"I'd rather not talk about. Nothing I can really do about now…" she answered with a sorrowful smile. "Anyway, so what now?"
"Um… Wanna run away together?" Nese proposed.
Monika blankly stared at her captor.
I'm in trouble…
…
Shujinkou sat on the family couch playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
"So, even after everything you went through, that poor woman still dies…?" Hiro questioned with a sad look on her face.
"That is GTA for you. They'll give you painfully hard missions with little payoff and sometimes even worse," Jomei said. "For example, this entire game is this if you played regular Vice City."
"Hey, Shujinkou… Was that girl one of your fictional crushes?" Hiroko asked.
"Huh? Where did that come from?" he asked, perplexed.
"Just a random, wandering curiosity."
"Oh. Well, not really."
"Good, you should never crush on a fictional character from this game franchise," Jomei congratulated.. "That is a sign you have good taste in women."
"That woman we couldn't reach in time seemed nice enough," Hiro said.
Without looking, Jomei raised the cover of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. "Grand Theft Auto. Do I even need to mention how easy it is to find someone to enjoy a 'romantic night' on the beach?"
"No… So, who was your first fictional crush?"
"I'll tell you yours if you tell me mine."
"Okay… Mine was the Hulk."
All eyes were on Hiro after hearing that.
"The Incredible Hulk?" Shujinkou asked, surprised.
"Yes," Hiro nodded.
Please don't let it be Savage Hulk. Hiroko mentally pleaded.
"What about you, Jomei?" Hiro questioned.
"Mine was Wonder Woman," he answered. "Hiroko?"
"Wait, why me all of a sudden?" Hiroko questioned. "And why are we glossing over yours so fast?"
"You started it, it's a family discussion now and my answer was Wonder Woman; I think answers enough," Jomei answered.
"Okay…" Hiroko scratched her red right cheek. "My first fictional crush was… Roxas from Kingdom Hearts."
"Roxas? Really?" Shujinkou marveled.
"Yeah. There was just something about him that I liked a lot…" Hiroko breathed a dreamy sight. "Anyway, what about you Shujinkou?"
"Me? Um…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. "Mine was… Hinata Hyuga from Naruto.
Jomei took a moment to process what his son just heard."Hinata… Isn't she that demure girl that likes the blonde main character? That's who your first fictional crush is?"
"Yeah."
"You're first fictional crush was a demure girl that is even more shy around her crush?"
"Yes."
"And the guy was oblivious for over a decade?"
"Yeah."
"A demure girl who has a crush on an oblivious male…"
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he shifted his attention to Hiroko. "What's happening?"
"I don't know, Naruto," Hiroko sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know."
Shujinkou continued to scratch his right cheek.
Why are they hinting that Yuri likes me?
…
The next afternoon, the Literature Club spent their lunch break in their club room.
"So… What's everyone's first fictional crush?" Shujinkou suddenly asked.
"Huh? Where'd that come from?" Natsuki questioned, perplexed.
"It was just something my family talked about last night. Plus… I was just curious."
"Yeah? Well, who was yours?"
"Hinata Hyuga."
"From Naruto?" Yuri queried.
Surprised, Sayori and Natsuki turned their curious gazes to the young maiden.
"It was in my recommended reading list…" she nervously explained.
Natsuki examined Yuri from head to toe. She couldn't help but draw comparisons in her head.
That's kinda…
"My turn!" Sayori brightly announced. "Mine was Vegeta."
"Seriously?!" Natsuki marveled.
"Mm-hmm. What about you, Yuri?"
"Ah… Well…" Yuri began fiddling with her hair. "I suppose mine would be -"
Huh?
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. Perhaps he wasn't truly listening; though he was sure that Yuri's answer wasn't truly vocalized.
"Wow…"Sayori marveled. "What about you Natsuki?"
"Um…" Natsuki's cheeks immediately grew pink. She bit her lip, constantly establishing and breaking eye contact with her friend. "Mine was… SpongeBob SquarePants…"
"SpongeBob?" Sayori repeated.
"Yes, SpongeBob!" Natsuki snapped. "What's wrong with that?"
"N-Nothing! Everyone loves SpongeBob right?"
"SpongeBob was one of the many fictional characters I wanted to be as a kid," Shujinkou said.
"Not to insult anyone's favorable feelings towards the show but… I actually never understood the appeal myself…"
"Eh?" Sayori gasped. "Does that mean you never watched it?"
Yuri silently nodded her head.
"Then we gotta binge watch the first three seasons and the first movie then."
"We do?"
"Yeah. We can make it a club thing at one of our houses."
"Well… That sounds like it can be fun."
Hearing the word "fun" caused a giggle to slip out of Sayori.
"Seasons 1-3… You're not one of those people who hate the other seasons just for existing are you?" Natsuki queried.
"No. Every season has its good and bad episodes; there's one in Season 2 I'm not really looking forward to…" Sayori admitted with a pout. "Anyway, the originals seasons and movies would be a good stopping off point in case Yuri doesn't like it."
"Yeah, I guess that's true," Natsuki admitted.
Shujinkou silently scratched his right cheek. Never would he have imagined when he first joined that he would be involved in watching a cartoon marathon with his friends.
"By the way…" Sayori curiously glanced up at the door. "Has anyone heard from Monika yet?"
Her question was met with three separate head shakes.
"That's weird…" Sayori mumbled.
"Maybe she's busy and barely has any time to look at her phone," Shujinkou theorized.
"Aw… She's missing the fun. Wonder what's she busy doing right now."
"Probably something school idol related," Natsuki answered with a shrug.
…
Monika's stomach roared. It has almost been an entire day since she last ate and Nese's delicate process of setting up a romantic lunch greatly teased her empty stomach.
"So, Nese… What's the plan if I don't fall in love with you before something happens to me?"
"We don't have to worry about that."
He produced two glass cups from his backpack and a bottle of wine.
"Believe me, Nese. It really is a legitimate concern in general," she advised.
"Ah, but who can't fall in love with two bottles of wine?" he asked in a faux-French accent.
"Okay then, let's start the process. You were part of the Supernatural Studies Club, right? You must really like the supernatural."
"Nah, don't really care for it."
"Then why did you start it?"
"To attract your attention. Then the two of us could forever be alone after school every day."
Monika did not know how to respond to that. Any negative response would be hypocritical to say the least.
"Okay… Um, Nese, have you considered just coming up and talking to me?"
"I did, but… You're you and I knew that I needed to do something to make me stand out."
"But the things you've done broke the school rules and people I know have gotten caught up in your prank."
"Yeah, but they made me stand out, didn't they?"
"I honestly believe what really made you stand out is what's happening right now…" Monika weakly chuckled. "But maybe we should try starting over and strike up a relationship on healthier terms."
"How would we do that?"
"Well, we can start by untying me and maybe we can go to a movie," she suggested.
"Mmmm… Nah."
"Okay…"
The next day…
Shujinkou curiously stuck his head into Monika's classroom. There were many students inside but Monika was not one of them.
He asked around, but none of her classmates had seen her.
Shujinkou contemplatively scratched his right cheek. He didn't tell anyone, but he's had a sneaking suspicion that something was wrong.
"Shujinkou."
A sharp chill shot up and down his spine as that scary voice called his name. He slowly turned around to find Fuyu and Rei standing behind him.
Fuyu wore her infamous "President Mode" stare on her face as Rei waved at him.
"Is it safe to assume that you're here for the same reason we are?" Fuyu asked.
"Monika?"
She nodded her head and suggested they continue the conversation in her office.
"So, you haven't seen Monika for two days and she hasn't been answering calls…" Fuyu adjusted her glasses. Her eyes were sharp and analytical, signifying the continued use of her President Mode state. "I doubt I have to mention how concerning that is…"
"So, you haven't heard anything either?" Shujinkou asked.
"No calls in for sick day and unexcused absences… That isn't like Monika."
Shujinkou worriedly scratched his right cheek. He didn't want it to be true but it seems that his suspicion was spot on.
"Alright…" Fuyu turned to her laptop and started typing. "Where was the last place she was seen?"
"I saw her after school before she vanished," Shujinkou answered.
"Huh…"
"What is it?"
"Turns out that someone else had missed the same amount of school… Does someone by the name of Nese ring a bell to you?"
"Isn't that the guy who had the club room before us…?" Shujinkou's eyes widened with horror as he was hit with a sudden realization. "The guy who started the club just to get Monika's attention! You don't think he-?"
"I would believe it. The question is where he could have taken Monika without someone noticing him dragging a human body."
It didn't even take one second for both of them to figure out the answer to that question.
…
Monika vehemently shook her head.
"Why not?" Nese whined.
"That's just so…" Though she tried her hardest, Monika couldn't hide the horror she felt over what she just heard. "I honestly can't fathom what you just suggested."
"But it's a good idea!"
"It's… I don't really know what it is…"
"Ah, you'll love it. Just wait while I get my things."
Ness spun around and found Fuyu, Rei and Shujinkou standing in front of him.
"What is this?" Fuyu asked.
Her cold glare sent shivers down Nese's spine. He looked back at Monika, who could only shrug.
"Um… Exploring an empty building?"
Fuyu adjusted her glasses. She was close to showing how dumbfounded that excuse made her. "Really?"
"Yeah."
"Well, from where I'm standing, it looks like you kidnapped a fellow student in an attempt to afflict her with Stockholm Syndrome."
"Love," he argued.
"Stockholm," Fuyu, Shujinkou and Monika rebuked in unison.
"Now untie Monika right now before you make the situation worse for yourself," Fuyu ordered.
"Okay! Okay…"
Nese slowly turned around before suddenly spinning back with a knife and thrusting it forward.
Fuyu's eyes widened with horror; not because the tip of a knife was floating a mere inch from her face, but what stopped it from reaching her.
Droplets of blood fell from the knife that pierced Rei's hand, a sight that enraged Fuyu. Losing all composure, Fuyu instinctively curled her hand into a fist and thrust it straight into his nose.
Shujinkou and Monika's mouth hung open as they watched Nese drop to the floor.
"W-Wow, Fuyu…" Shujinkou marveled.
She slowly flexed her throbbing fingers as she processed what she just done. She was as shocked as Shujinkou was, but she had no time to bask in the satisfaction of punching the one who caused them problems.
She quickly shifted her gaze to Rei and softly took her injured hand. "You okay, Rei?"
Rei silently glanced down at her blood soaked sleeve then back at Fuyu.
The bespectacled teen was deprived of all words. She'd sometimes wonder what her relationship with Rei was, and yet, her foster sibling didn't hesitate to save her. Actually, there was something she could say, "Thanks, Sis."
After confirming that Rei was fine for the most part, Shujinkou quickly approached Monika and started untying her.
"You okay, Monika?" Shujinkou asked.
"Y-Yeah…"
Once he finished breaking her bonds, Shujinkou stood in front of her and extended his hand. Monika accepted his hand and allowed herself to be guided to her feet.
The moment Monika was out of the chair she was bound to for days, she collapsed into his arms.
"Monika?"
"I guess the last 48 hours of chloroform and restraints may have done a number on me," she apologized.
"Chloroform?"
"There's a reason why no one heard me at night…" she weakly chuckled.
Monika was probably the only person he knew that could laugh in such a situation.
"You should probably escort Monika home, Shujinkou," Fuyu advised. "We'll wait here for the authorities to pick Nese up."
"You sure?"
Fuyu silently flexed her fingers.
"Got it."
Though he no longer showed it, Shujinkou was still deeply impressed by both Fuyu and Rei's actions.
"Thanks, guys," Monika flashed everyone a warm smile.
Shujinkou nodded his head and allowed Monika to lean on his shoulder as they walked out of the classroom.
"Thanks, Shujinkou."
"No problem."
They soon arrived at the stairwell. Recalling they were on the third floor and considering Monika's current state, there was only one solution he could think of.
"Monika…"
"Yeah?"
"Would you like me to carry you?"
"A piggyback ride?"
"I was thinking more like from the front since you could lose your grip."
"Oh… Um…" Monika found it hard to maintain eye contact as she considered that suggestion. "If you think that it would help."
"Okay…"
With slightly red cheeks, Shujinkou hoisted Monika up into the air and started his descent down the stairs.
"So… Did I miss anything while I was gone?" she asked.
"Um… Not much. We did ask who our first fictional crush was."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Mine was Hinata Hyuga."
"Hinata?" Instinctively drawing comparisons in her head, Monika could only respond with a simple, "That's interesting."
"Really? How?"
"It just is."
"Okay… What about you? Who was your first fictional crush?"
"My first fictional crush…?" a knowing giggle slipped through Monika's lips. "It's a secret."
"Right…" Shujinkou chuckled.
She tightened her grip on him. "Maybe I'll tell you… One day."
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Ugh…
Monika slowly opened her eyes. Her head was throbbing and she felt like she could vomit at anytime.
The last thing she could remember was standing in the hallways of the hospital Shujinkou was admitted too. Now she found herself alone in an empty white space.
"Where am I?" Monika wondered aloud.