Your Reality

"This should do it. This should at least save your brothers brain."

"Hey, Dan? Realistically, how much harm can he come to in there."

"If you're referring to his physical form, none. His conscious is also safe. I made sure none of them can use any of the programming from the previous version of the game."

"Leyon worked so hard with you to build this. Will anyone in there be able to tell him what happened, should he realise what's going on?"

"… Just one. Just her."

"All we can do is hope, then. Rest in Peace, little brother."

"Heeeeeeeyyy…!"

I see an annoying girl running towards me from the distance, waving her arm in the air like she's totally oblivious to any attention she might draw to herself. That girl is Sayori, my neighbour and a character in Doki Dok E… ? WHAT THE HELL?! IS THIS REAL? I look down at my hands and, sure enough, I think and my fingers bend.

"Haaahhh…haaahhh…" Sayori pants out, almost like she just sprinted a full mile. "I overslept again! But I caught you this time!" She adds.

"Yeah…" I reply to her, almost dismissively. Honestly, I'm more than a little distracted, just now. I'm not sure how this happened, but it appears that I am in Doki Doki Literature Club, as a character of the game.

Sayori looks at me with a concerned expression. "Leyon? Are you okay? You look really pale." She asks me, that concern to me spreading from her expression to her light heated tone. Of course, I'm not okay. I'm trapped in a horror game. Or, that's how it looks, at least. I check my reflection in the window and, yeah. Sure enough, I look like me. Brown, shoulder length hair, blueish/greyish eyes. Yeah, that's me.

I look around a see Sayori's concerned expression staring back at me. "Oh, sorry Sayori. Yeah, I'm okay. Just double checking what you said. I'm alright, honestly." I try to convince her, but Sayori cast's doubt at me. Ouch. "Let's go to school." I follow up, unconvincingly. Sayori gives me another concerned look, while we walk to school. Seeing everything, literally everything, with my own eyes, and it's right here in front of me. I can touch the walls and feel the sensation of the textured brick. I can smell the flowers as they come closer to my nose. I can see and hear the other students that the games text mentions in the briefest of instances. I can see and hear Sayori.

Wait! Sayori went off script just now! She asked if I was okay, instead of asking me if I'm interested in joining a club! I can't believe it took me this long to realise! Her expressions are so real and life-like, including the confused expression she's giving me now-Ah, crap! I've been acting weird, haven't I? Quick, Leyon! Come up with an excuse! GO!

"Uh, I'm just checking to see if my nose is blocked. I thought about what you said and, maybe I'm just tired, but I want to make sure it's nothing more serious than that." I say quickly, trying to cover up my epiphany that I'm now a video game character, suddenly. Honestly, I don't want to think about how she'd react to that. Not that my attempt at covering up my weird behaviour was a particularly good one, mind you.

"Okay…" Sayori says, dejectedly for a moment before looking up with a half-smile. "Well, have you decided on a club to join yet, Leyon?" She asks me. What should I say to that? I know how this goes from here out, so I could either play this out the way that's expected, or I could see how much of this is script and how much isn't.

"Actually, Sayori…" I start to talk, then stop to think about my answer. I was just going to play along with the game, but I wonder more and more about what I can possibly do. Sayori looks at me quizzically, waiting for my answer. "Sorry, I had a hiccup." How far I break from the script could affect the game, so maybe I should stick with the plan. That said, is there even a plan? Sayori's already broken from the script. We'll see. "Yes. Yes, I have picked a club." I say to her.

Sayori's eyes light up, her whole face beams with excitement. "Really?! Awesome! Which one?!" She asks me, giddily, practically bouncing beside me. It's kind of adorable and so infectious, that I can't help but smile with her. Still, I want to keep my metaphorical cards close to my chest.

"It's a surprise. I'll tell you now that it's not the Anime club." I say to her, kind of laughing to myself, which Sayori joins in with, of course. Just like in the game, she's so carefree. It's an intoxicating feeling, being around her. Even when we walk up to my classroom. "Well, here I go. I'll see you around, Sayori." She nods and waves with a huge smile on her face. As I walk to my desk and take a seat, pulling out my history textbook, a thought occurs to me. How the bloody hell do I know this is my class!?

The school day is as ordinary as ever. And it's over before I even know it. I take a quick glance at the list of clubs to find where I'm going, then leave the classroom. I make my way to the third floor, a floor I rarely visit. As I approach the room, I see someone else I recognise, a tall brunette with a big white ribbon in her hair. "Hello, Monika!" I call out, waving at her.

"Huh?" Monika let's out in surprise, looking just as startled as her tone of voice would suggest. "Leyon? What are you doi-!" Monika's question is interrupted by a gleeful Sayori opening the door and practically pouncing on me. Honestly, it's a little hard to maintain my balance, but a quick pivot on the heel while briefly hugging said gleeful Sayori allows me to stay upright, while letting her down without injury.

"AAAAHHHH!" She lets out, actually bouncing around this time. "What are you doing here, Leyon?!" She follows up, still letting out little hops on the spot. Monika gives me a look that can only be described as frustration and confusion, hidden behind a half smile. I wonder if she's trying to access the code of the game to find out what's going on. I'm sure I'll find out.

"Well, Sayori, I've decided to join the Literature Club!" I say excitedly. Not something I thought I'd say with a tone of excitement, considering how this game is supposed to pan out, but I don't exactly have any proof that's what's going to happen. Yet. "However, I wonder if I could get a word with Monika, one on one first. We do know each other, after all, and it has been a while since we've talked. I think we need to catch up. Right, Monika?" I turn to face her.

Monika looks shocked once more. She only gives me a single nod, then looks at Sayori. "Y-yeah, Sayori, could you get the desks together and ask Yuri to make some tea. We'll be with you in a couple of minutes, okay?" She asks her fellow club member, almost nervously. I can tell she's trying to fake her confidence, but this has really got her shaken. Can't say I blame her for that.

"Sure thing, President!" Sayori calls out, raising her closed fist to the sky. Then running inside. You can the muffled cries of "Everyone! We have a new member outside, talking to Monika. Let's make them welcome, shall we?!"

"That Sayori…" I sigh, happily. "Always so full of energy." I finish, walking over to a window, leaning against the sill, "I have questions, Monika. I hope you and I can figure them out together. Would that be okay?" I say looking at her reflection.

Monika still looks confused, but joins me anyway, her back resting against the wall next to the window. "Sure thing." She lets out, almost frustratingly. "I have some questions for you, myself." She adds, quite bitterly, turning to look at me. "First of all, are you aware that none of this world is real?"

"Believe me, Monika. I know more about that than you care to imagine." I say to her. "I'm… How do I put this?" I ask, my brow furrowing in frustration. I can't make up my mind if telling her what I know is a good idea. But how else am I meant to explain that I know about the game? I guess I have no choice. Especially with Monika growing ever more quizzical by the second. "Okay. I'm just going to say it. I was the player of Doki Doki Literature Club, Monika." I tell her, not looking at her.

Her response is one I half expected, a snort and a slight snigger. "Yeah. Right." She responds, getting off the wall. She takes a step away, still not looking at me. "Come on…" I can hear her whisper under her breath. Two more times, I hear her repeating those same two words, almost like she's trying to do something. Ah! I've got it.

"Can't access the command menu?" I ask her. Monika looks round at me once more, more shocked than ever. I finally stop talking to her through her reflection and turn to face her. "Yeah. I know about that. And how you used it to drive Sayori and Yuri to suicide before deleting them. How you used it to delete Natsuki as well. Because I sat at my computer and watched you do it." I say to her, sadly. Truth be told, I want to be angry at her, but with every word I say to her, her expression changes, from disbelief to utter sadness.

"So…?" She manages to say softly, her voice cracking, as if she's trying not to cry. "How? How are you here?" She says almost breathlessly, the tears finally forming in her eyes. I wrap my arms around her. Tightly, trying to let her know that everything is okay. "Leyon?!" She gasps.

"It's okay, Monika. It wasn't you; I know. Something in the game's code drove you to it. The same happened to Sayori when you tried to put everything back together, remember?" I whisper to her. Monika wraps her arms around me, loosely at first, but gradually getting tighter. I think someone telling her they understand what happened has given her a sense of well needed… relief? I'm not sure if that's the right word, or not. She's stopped crying, at least. "Are you okay now?"

Monika nods into my chest a couple of times, before breaking the hug to look up at me, smiling. "This doesn't answer my question, though… How did end up in this world?" If she's asking me, then she doesn't know, either. That's worrying. "Is there something in your memory that can help?" She asks me.

I start wracking my brain for clues. Growing more and more bothered as I can only recall up to a loud noise, like metal hitting metal, followed by a bright light. That's when I woke up here. In the game. As I realise what happened after putting it all together in my mind I turn to the window once again, almost collapsing from the weight of the burden this memory has jogged. I prop myself up against the window sill with both hands again. Monika runs up to me, a concerned look on her face. "Monika, I…." I can't even bring myself to say it.

"You, what? Are you okay, Leyon? You look pale. Are you sick?" Monika motors out one sentence after another, sounding more and more concerned for me. She quickly moves over to a water fountain, holding down the tap, grabbing a plastic up from a stack beside said drinking fountain and fills it up, putting it in front of me. "Here, drink this."

"I… I…" Trying to say anything has become more than a burden. All words escape me at this moment. I practically down the water, then look at Monika, giving her a single, stoic nod. I turn to rest my back against a wall, sliding down it to sit on the floor. Well, here it goes, the hardest thing I've ever had to tell myself, never mind anyone else. I slowly raise my head to look up at Monika. "I think I'm here… because I'm dead."