I woke the next morning at six. The sun was up already and I could feel that Meiji was already awake. I sat up and stretched. "Morning Meiji. Sleep well?"

I slept alright, he said. Did you write a poem?

"I did. You can see it later."

Fine fine…so what's the plan today?

"First, we need to try and get on better terms with Natsuki," I said as I grabbed the uniform and headed downstairs. "She's still a bit distant."

How do we do that?

"Get her talking about manga, at first," I said as I headed into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Monika's clothes were still hanging there, and felt perfectly dry.

Alright, but how?

Simple. She likes Parfait Girls, remember? That's why I bought it, I replied as I brushed. But we should also be on good terms with the other girls.

True.

I continued brushing, then rinsed my mouth out, washed my face and went to take a shower. After changing into my uniform, I looked at the clock on the wall. It was just a quarter past six, so I decided to make breakfast for me and Monika. I decided on toast, scrambled eggs and coffee. I was just placing the finished food on the table when Monika walked in. Her bedhead was adorable as was her fresh out of bed appearance. I giggled. "I've gotta say, you're a hot mess."

She looked up at me bleary eyed. "Uuugh…I guess I'm not a morning person until I've had–" I put a hot mug of coffee in her hand. She looked at it as if she couldn't quite comprehend what it was. I held up cream and sugar. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Ahh…a bit of cream," she said. I began pouring until she put her hand up. She took a long gulp, then held out her mug. "More!" she pretty much demanded.

"Hot mess indeed," I chuckled as I took the mug and filled it back up, putting cream in and handing it back. She practically snatched it out of my hand and drank greedily. I felt a stab of happiness at seeing her like this.

I felt that, why are you so happy that she's acting so crabby? Meiji asked.

It makes her more human in my eyes. She's comfortable enough to show me how she really is in the morning. She could have easily hidden that, but she's making no effort to hide how much of a crab she is. It makes me happy to see this less-than-perfect side of her. I pulled the chair out for her and she sat. I served her up some eggs and a few bits of toast. As she scarfed down the food, I headed to the bathroom, grabbed a hairbrush and returning, began brushing the tangles out of her hair. She didn't seem to care as she was eagerly wolfing down food. When she finished, I asked, "Do you want more?"

"Yes please." She sounded more normal now. I served her up some more and she continued eating while I finished straightening her hair. "Thank you. Sorry for how I acted earlier."

"I honestly don't mind," I replied. "I got to see a new side of you, and that's exciting. And it made me happy that you trust me so much to show me that, and a bit guilty that I don't trust you the same…"

"Don't feel guilty," Monika said. "It's not your fault. After what I saw last night, I can't fault you." She smiled as she finished eating. "I need to get changed. Where are my clothes?"

"Hanging up in the bathroom. They should be dry now," I replied.

She smiled. "Thank you," she said before she cleaned her spot, put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and headed to the bathroom to change. After I was done, I put some of the eggs and toast in a spare bento box for Sayori, put it in my bag, wiped my face clean and waited for Monika.

What about Sayori? Meiji asked.

"We're just going to have to tell her," I said. "If your parents don't allow Monika to stay, I'm sure Sayori's family would love to take her in."

But weren't you a bit unsure about that?

"Yeah, but I want to give her a bit of a benefit of the doubt."

I knew you loved her! Hah!

"Meiji!" I felt my face get red.

"Having an argument again?" Monika asked, coming out of the bathroom in her full uniform and with her hair tied up again. She had a smirk on her face and her hands were on her hips.

"We derive endless enjoyment out of tormenting the other," I replied with a wicked grin as I rubbed my hands together.

You can't see it, but I'm twirling my mustache, Meiji replied.

"Hah! Cheeky bastard. Anyway Monika, I've got to go wake up Sayori. If the circumstances were any different, I'd ask you to go ahead, but I don't want to lie to Sayori about this. I've lied enough, and I'm still lying in a sense. I don't want to hurt her."

Monika looked a bit apprehensive. "I don't know…"

"The issue of you staying with me is up in the air with Meiji's parents right now," I explained. "If they don't agree, I'm hoping Sayori will be able to convince her parents to let you stay there. If not them, then other members of the club. I can't leave you homeless."

She smiled a bit at me. "I understand…alright, if you think it's a good idea."

I nodded. "I do. Meiji?"

I'm with Monika on this. I'm a bit unsure but I can see where you're going with this.

"He's as on board as you are. Let's go."

When we reached Sayori's house I walked in. Unlike Sunday, the house was silent inside. "Sayori?" There was no response. I immediately got worried as did Meiji. "Please no…no no no no no no no!" The image of Sayori hanging came up unbidden in my mind's eye.

Head upstairs! I'll lead you to Sayori's room!

I rushed up the stairs, Monika following closely behind. Meiji led me to Sayori's room and I opened the door. To my relief, I found Sayori still sleeping in her bed, but my relief at seeing her alive turned to a slight jump in fear when I saw the shirt she was wearing. It was the exact same one she'd used when she hung herself. Fortunately, Sayori was so fast asleep not even our sudden intrusion didn't wake her. "Thank…God…" I felt tears forming, and I knew they were from Meiji.

"I'm glad she's okay," Monika said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I was about to reply when out of the corner of my eye I saw something sticking out from her mattress. I cautiously approached and pulled on it. What I saw was enough to make both me and Meiji incredibly sick. I held up a long noose, perfectly tied. I made a conscious effort not to lose my breakfast. "Sayori…" I turned to Sayori with a pained expression on my face. I looked back at the noose and felt a sudden unbridled rage. Rushing downstairs, I looked around until I found a fireplace. I tossed the noose in. I moved almost instinctively to the kitchen to a spot I had no recollection of, retried a small box of matches and stomped over, lit one and watched with satisfaction as the rope caught fire. "The̥̒ř͟e̗͛, ͈͗ń͉o̲͊w̫̓ ̲̍yoů̥ ͎͞can n̨͛e̪̊v̹̓e̩̅r hú̻r͎͋ṭ̄ ͇̆mÿ̼́ ͔̋bes̳̅ṯ́ f͍̈́r̡͝i͙̽e͇̽nd ̥̔e͔͐v̮͡eŗ̛ à͟g͍̓ain," I said without thinking, hands clenched.

"Josiah, is that you? Or is it Meiji?"

Turning I saw Monika clutching her bag tightly, almost trembling. I blinked and released my fists, letting the lighter clatter to the floor. "What…?" I looked back at the fire almost uncomprehending. "Why did I say that?"

No…why did WE say that? Meiji asked.

"What do you mean Meiji? We?"

"Josiah? What's happening?"

We both said that last bit together, and when we did, it was like we'd begun to merge, if that makes sense.

"Josiah! Talk to me!"

I jumped. "Sorry. Something strange just happened to us. Can you access the game code and files from here?"

"I can't do it yet. Right now, I can only access the files from the Space Classroom's computer and some access from the clubroom's computer."

"When you next get the chance, could you look up the dialogue for the past few minutes, see if anything is out of order?"

"Of course."

"Thanks." I took a deep breath. "Let's go wake up Sayori." I put the lighter back then headed back to her room. Sayori was still asleep when Monika and I entered. I walked over and gently nudged her. "Sayori? Wakey wakey, sleepybutt."

She mumbled something in her sleep and tried to flip over. "Cookie…nom…" she began to drool and tried to bite at what I assumed was a dream cookie.

"Sayori-chan, if you don't wake up, we're going to be late to school."

She groaned and opened one eye, looking up at me. "Meiji…?"

"Still Josiah, sadly."

She closed her eyes and stretched a bit. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes blearily and looked around. "What's going on?"

"You overslept. We decided to wake you up," Monika said.

Sayori looked at me a bit, then smiled. "Thank you, you…two…?" she looked past me. "Monika?"

Monika waved. "Hey there," she said with a cheerful voice. "Glad to see my valuable vice-president awake."

"Um…thanks? What's going on?" Sayori asked, turning to me. "Why is Monika here?"

"For the same reason I am, but I get the feeling that's not what you meant. Get dressed and I'll explain on the way to school, okay?" I smiled. "Meiji? Have anything to say?"

Hurry up slowpoke or we'll leave you behind.

When I repeated his words, Sayori frowned. "Meanie…both of you."

I chuckled and held up the bento box. "These meanies brought you breakfast, so hurry up and get dressed. We'll be downstairs waiting."

"Fine…" Sayori got out of bed and yawned. "No peaking."

"Wouldn't dream of it," I said as I headed out of the room with Monika close behind me. We headed down to the living room and waited for Sayori.

"Josiah?" Monika asked after a minute of silence. "What happened? With you and Meiji?"

I held up my hands. "I…I can't really explain. When I saw that…thing… I got so angry at it, almost like it was going to take Sayori away, but not in general. It was like it was taking Sayori away from me. The way Meiji described it was it was as if the two of us were merging. But when you snapped us out of it, I guess the spell wore off and we were separated again."

Monika looked horrified. "Josiah…that's not a good sign."

"No, it really isn't." I rubbed my forehead. "Meiji?"

I'm here.

"You feeling okay?"

Just tired.

"So basically fine," I chuckled. "If you need to sleep, go ahead."

"Sleep?" Monika looked at me.

"He seems to be able to sleep whenever he wants. I've even woken up after him."

Not a pleasant experience. It's like sleep paralysis.

"I'm ready!" Sayori stumbled down the stairs, looking a bit disheveled but less so than the day before. "Aaah we're going to be late!"

I looked at the time on Meiji's phone. The clock said 7:35 AM. "School doesn't start for another twenty-five minutes," I said as I walked over and began cleaning her up. "Seriously, Sayori, Meiji and I are a bit worried about you. Are you eating enough? What am I saying, of course you do."

"Meanie!" Sayori said, frowning.

"I'm serious, though, Meiji and I are a bit worried. Lord knows you can get a bit scatterbrained, but still…" I tightened up her ribbon. "There, all finished."

Monika smiled, although I saw her smile looked a bit jealous. Sayori didn't seem to notice as she was blushing a bit but smiling sadly. "I'll try and get up sooner, but only if you three tell me what's going on," she said sternly, pointing to me and Monika.

"We'll tell you on the way to school," I promised. "Now let's go."

After we left the house, Monika fell into step on my left and Sayori on my right. I ignored the stares of the other students as I quietly explained to Sayori what was happening. Monika remained silent, looking a bit ashamed. When I was finished, Sayori looked at Monika sadly. "Why didn't you tell someone?"

Monika looked away. "I…I wasn't planning on it, but Josiah somehow found out."

I turned to Sayori. "After I dropped you off, I went home, changed then went for a little walk to clear my head and found Monika in that park where we went on Sunday. We got to talking and I discovered her secret. I didn't even think when I invited her to stay the night at Meiji's place. I'm sorry."

Sayori shook her head. "No, it's okay. I'd have done the same thing, and I think Meiji would have too. But what do his parents think?"

"They're still up in the air," I replied, "but if they don't agree, I was hoping that your parents would take her in. I don't want to see her homeless."

Sayori held up her hands and smiled. "I'll ask them tonight!"

"Thanks. You rock. Meiji thinks so too."

Damn right she rocks!

"Ehehe, thanks you two." I looked up and saw we were approaching the school. There were a few other students nearby, talking and laughing among themselves. The student council was out again today, greeting everyone as they had been. "Okay you two," I said, "I should probably get to class. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye Josiah, Meiji, Monika," Sayori said smiling.

"Sayori, only call me Meiji in public," I said softly. "I don't want everyone else to know yet."

"Oops, hehe sorry."

Such a Sayori thing to do, Meiji said wistfully.

"That's such a you think to do, though. At least Meiji thinks so. Anyway, hurry up or you'll be late." She blushed and headed towards her shoe locker. I turned to Monika. "You too, Monika. Don't want the school idol out of everyone's reach to be late," I said, teasing her slightly.

She snorted a bit, something I didn't expect from her, then looked back at me. "See you later. And I'll check on that thing you mentioned, don't worry."

"Thanks. Later."

"See you later. Come see me in the clubroom at lunch," she replied, heading to her shoe locker. I went to mine, changed, and headed to the classroom. When I got in, I saw Tani staring out the window. I headed to my seat and sat. After a few minutes I felt a light tap on my shoulder. Turning, I saw Tani staring at me intently. "Gah! You startled me."

"Listen to me and listen good," she whispered, leaning in close. "Yae is pissed. She's out for blood against you, that other girl what's-her-name and Monika too. Just be careful. She's bound to try something."

I sighed. "Thanks, Tani-san, I'll be on the lookout."

"Kozue."

"Huh?" I turned to face her curiously.

"Call…call me Kozue." She looked away.

"Alright, Kozue," I replied. I turned to her. "Tell me something. How does Yae control such a large group?"

She sighed. "Her parents are pretty rich and spoil her rotten. She blackmails some of them, but she also just hires the majority using her parents' money. I was one of the latter. As for the guys…" she lowered her voice. "You've seen how hot she is. She's not above that. I should know, she told me. We were once besties."

I sighed. "Figures. She seems like the type."

The teacher came in and started class. Once more I took notes while Meiji seemed preoccupied with whatever Yae and her cronies were coming up with. When lunch came around, I stood and stretched. What now? Meiji asked.

We've got to find Monika and see if she's found anything yet, or had time to anyway, I replied.

Yeah, good idea.

"Are you going to get lunch?" Kozue asked out of the blue.

"Gah!" I jumped a bit. "Oh, um, yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking about what I wanted."

"Well, I'd like to join you if that's okay," she said.

Whoa, what the hell?!

She's probably just concerned for our safety, I replied.

Or she has a crush on you.

She doesn't know about us yet, but yeah, it's possible.

What about Monika?

Let me try something. If we can't get her to stand down, we'll go.

"Can I come too?" Sayonika had suddenly approached and was smiling at the two of us.

"Fujiwara-san?" Kozue looked a bit startled and a bit defensive.

Sayonika held up her hand. "Sorry for butting in."

"No, it's okay. I was actually going to meet with the president of my club to talk to her about something," I replied.

"Oh…" Sayonika sounded disappointed.

"Ah, um, well…" I trailed off, feeling unsure and nervous. I snapped my fingers and pointed at the two of them with a small smile. "Rain check?"

Sayonika looked up at me with a bright smile. "Sure!"

"That's cool, I suppose," Kozue said.

"Sorry about this," I said as I bowed. "If you really want to eat lunch with me, we can, just not today."

"Sounds good. See you later, Chizu-san!" Sayonika said.

"Call me Meiji!" I called back as I headed down the hall as fast as was allowed. Once more I made my way to the clubroom. When I entered, I saw Monika seated at the computer, furiously typing away. "Monika?"

She turned and I saw her expression was grave. "Hey…I'm glad you're both here. I think I found out what happened. Come take a look at this."

I walked up and leaned over her shoulder. She had the dialogue history up and I was surprised to see it had the same look as the one in the game. I frowned. "Not sure I like this."

"There's nothing we can do about it. Look here." She pointed at a certain line of dialogue. I remembered it as being the thing I said after burning Sayori's noose. "Look at the name."

I looked over. Instead of mine or Meiji's name, I saw the name J̸̢̢͇̝͖͇͉͎̱̠̮̻̱̹̍̿̒̈̔̑͠ǫ̸̗̞̫͓̩͓͓͌̍s̵̥̬͍͖̲͋̀̐͂̒͐́̈́̏̓̌̕͝i̸̛͈͔̣̪̬̽̄̀͆͋̊̏̄͝ȩ̵̹̦͔̟̤̯͎̼̬̥̭̩̂̊̾̄́̇̍́͆̈́͠j̵̮̱̻͍͈̜̱͔̞̘̦͙̋̀̌͆̄̔̒͑̀͜͝ͅi̷̢̛̥̲̜̝̪̠̦̯͚͖̊̐͘̚. "What the hell is that…?" I asked, squinting. I could barely see the name, but it looked like Josenji or something like that.

"I don't know, and that's what bothers me," Monika said. "The code isn't much clearer," she said, bringing up a second window which showed a bunch of code. She moved the mouse to a certain spot in the code which showed the same text. "I can't make heads or tails of it," she said, closing the window and returning to the game text.

"Monika, just relax. We'll figure this out," I said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She reached up and took my hand. "I know…it's just terrifying. The thought of losing you is almost too much." I felt her hand trembling.

"You're not going to lose me," I promised. "As for this…keep an eye on it for now. I should go. I just hope those two don't ambush me."

Monika turned. "Who?"

"Kozue and Sayonika both asked to eat lunch with me earlier. I turned them down because I needed to see you."

I saw a look of jealousy appear on her face, but she quickly suppressed it. "Since when were you so friendly with those two?" she asked in a sweet voice and a cheeky grin.

"Don't hide your emotions from me, young lady," I replied. "I heard that jealousy."

She frowned and looked away. "Can you blame me? I was programmed to love you, and from the little I've seen of you, you really are a great guy. I just…"

"Well how about this, let's go to lunch, just you and me, and if those two girls do ambush me, I'll say I'm having lunch with you so we can talk. Sound good?"

Once more her eyes lit up. "I…would really like that. Thank you." She closed the windows and shut the computer down, then we both headed out. When we got to the cafeteria, I got the chicken curry again and Monika got a vegetarian bento with rice, a veggie eggroll and a salad. We found a quiet corner of the cafeteria to sit at. "So, you never told me about yourself and your world," Monika said after we got settled. "Please tell me about you."

"Only if you tell me about you too," I replied.

"Deal."

Hey, let me in on this! Meiji said.

"Oh, Meiji wants to join in."

Monika chuckled. "That's fine. I'd love to be friends with you too, Meiji."

I smiled. "I'll start. I was born on April 2, 1998 in Belshire, Oregon's General Hospital. My parents were in their last year of college and I wasn't really planned, but they both drop out of school just to get more work to support me. My grandma on my Mom's side actually let my parents move into her house for a few years. One of my first memories was of playing on my parents' bed in the basement."

"Basement?" Monika tilted her head. "There was no room upstairs?"

"Oh no, you misunderstand," I replied. "In America some houses have what is called a Mother-In-Law apartment, or suite. It's basically a miniature house either underneath the main house or separate. This one had been a basement until my grandma had it converted. There was a small living room, a kitchen and a bedroom where my parents and I slept. Grandma would always have us for dinner to help us save on food money."

"Your parents sound amazing," Monika said.

"They are. Anyway, when I was about five years old, Dad got offered a higher position at his job, but only if he finished his degree. My grandma helped pay for some of the tuition, and Dad used some of their savings for the rest. I didn't see a lot of Dad that year, but he made sure to spend major holidays with us like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fourth of July, stuff like that. And my birthday, obviously."

"Did he graduate?" Monika asked.

"Oh yeah, he did. He started making enough money that we could afford a small apartment nearer to work. When I was, like, seven or so, my Mom went back to finish college herself. When she was done, she got a better paying position too, but she wasn't selected like Dad was, she worked her ass off for it. Well, I mean, my Dad did too, but they asked him personally. We moved again when I was eight into our first house and we lived there for five years. I miss that house."

"Why'd you leave then?" Monika asked, looking at me curiously.

"It wasn't by choice. There was a fire…and we lost a lot. A lot of precious mementos burned."

Monika looked sadly at me. "I'm so sorry…I'm glad you weren't hurt, but it really is a shame to lose all those memories."

"It was. Mom and Dad did insure the house, though, so we got some money from the insurance company. They used that to get all new stuff for our newer bigger house."

"Good."

"When I was fifteen, I met Harvey and Jamie. They were already dating at this point and I guess they felt that I was some sort of charity case. I was already a loner and I didn't mind that, but they dragged me along with them on hikes, bowling, movies and stuff like that. After a year of that I finally stood up to them and told them to leave me alone."

"They were only trying to help," Monika said.

"Well yeah, but they were going about it all wrong. A month later they came by and apologized to me. It was a bit embarrassing, but I did admit I had fun with them. We became friends after that."

Monika looked relieved. "I'm glad to hear."

"Me too. They're my best friends. Anyway, when I was eighteen, I started going to my town's local community college, but after two years I transferred to another college out-of-state. I moved into a small house in the same neighborhood as Harv and Jamie. All my college classes were online. My parents pay for the rent and a few other things, but I do my part. I work at the same company my parents work at. I'm part of the accounting department. Not exactly high up in the company, but I'm good with numbers."

"What do you do in your free time?" Monika asked.

"Ah, well I like a lot of the things Meiji likes I suppose. Anime, manga, but I also do like to read books. And I write too. Not just poems, but full-blown stories."

Monika looked excited. "I'd love to read one sometime!"

"I'd love to have your opinion," I said, "How about this? After we stop the plot of this game from actually happening, I bring in what I have and share with everyone?"

"Couldn't I read it before them?" Monika asked, batting her eyelashes at me prettily.

"Oh, dear Goddess," I chuckled.

"Goddess? Is that a reference to something?" Monika asked.

"My book, and yes I'll let you read them first. Anyway, you or Meiji want to go next?"

Monika smiled. "Let Meiji go."

You sure?

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yeah!"

Alright. Well, this is going to be a bit unusual, so bear with me.

"Don't worry, I'll repeat what you're saying." I tilted my head and listened, then repeated everything Meiji said. He'd been born on July 4, 1999 in this town. His parents already had an older sister and raised the two as best they could. Unlike me, Meiji hadn't had to move out of that house anywhere else. He met Sayori when he was about five and after an initial rocky introduction the two became pretty close. As he told us about his middle school years, I could hear the sadness in his voice. "Whoa hold up, someone confessed to Sayori?" I asked.

Yeah…it was this guy from her class. She's always been friendly to everyone, and I guess this guy took it the wrong way.

Monika nodded. "That makes sense. I mean, I've been confessed to a few times. Lots of guys take friendly chats as a sign that someone is interested."

I chuckled. "I'm guilty of that, so don't worry."

So…I thought she didn't need me around anymore… I felt tears forming again.

"Dude…she totally needed you then, and she needs you now," I replied.

"Josiah? Are you crying?"

"Huh? No, sometimes Meiji's emotions bleed through and there's a physical reaction," I replied as I dabbed at my eyes.

"That hasn't raised any red flags for you?" Monika asked.

"I have been a bit preoccupied," I said softly.

Sorry. Anyway, there isn't much to tell after that. I retreated into my own bubble until this past Sunday.

"I understand," Monika said, looking through me. "Meiji, I may not know Sayori as well as you, but I know she cares deeply for you. You come up in conversation a lot."

I felt my cheeks get red. I chuckled. "Now it's your turn, Monika. What's your life story?"

"Sure." She took a sip of water. "I was born September 22, 1999 in Okinawa, believe it or not."

"Oh wow, really? Nice!"

She blushed. "Well, according to my memories, I'm half-Japanese and half-American. My father was an American soldier stationed at Camp Courtney and my mom was the daughter of a local small time businessman. I guess my grandfather was opposed to the match and gave my mother an ultimatum: abort me or marry someone he had selected for me. She chose the latter. I wouldn't have learned this if I hadn't gotten a letter from my biological father which explained all of this. Even though I haven't seen it since the game started, it's one of my most precious mementos. It's back at my home sadly."

I found myself unconsciously clenching my fists. "That's…holy shit…" I had no words.

She smiled. "It never happened, remember?"

"Just because it may not have happened doesn't mean it isn't going to affect you. Memories, fake or otherwise, are a part of who we are. Right now, you're as human as I am. And as human as Meiji, Sayori, Yuri and Natsuki."

"I suppose you're right…" she smiled sadly. "My stepfather and mother moved here a month before I was born. My stepfather doesn't know I'm not his real daughter and I don't think he really needs to know. He was very strict in raising me to be a proper lady. He pushed me to be my best. My entire childhood was filled with my father and mother making sure I got the best education. I've been a straight A student, the best of the best. If I got one answer on a test wrong, I was severely punished. I was always popular at school, and when I joined the debate team my parents were so proud of me. But you know what happened after they found out about my quitting and starting my own club." She looked at the clock. "Shit! Sorry to cut this short, but lunch is almost over."

Meiji and I both raised an eyebrow. "Swearing from you?" I asked. "Why Monika, I didn't know you were so…naughty," I said in a soft and suggestive voice.

"What? Just because I'm a girl I can't fucking swear, you magnificent bastard?" Monika asked, giving me a coy grin.

"No, of course you can fucking swear, you magnificent bitch," I laughed.

She giggled and mimed putting a snow mask on. "I'm gonna put this mask on cuz it's cold out."

"Yeah, fo sho!" I laughed a bit. "A girl who knows Vine. Nice."

Monika giggled. "That felt kind of freeing actually. My parents would kill me if they heard me."

"No doubt."

At that moment, Kozue rushed into the cafeteria and scanned the room. Her eyes landed on me and she pointed. "There you are!" She ran over. "You need to come with me now!" She grabbed my arm and began to pull.

"Whoa! What's going on?" I asked. Monika had already stood, a look of alarm on her face.

"It's your busty friend. She's being assaulted by Yae's group. They took her behind the school."

Alarms went off in my head. "Monika, let's go," I said.

"Right." Monika stood and followed Kozue to the back entrance. Kozue led us out to a hidden courtyard where a group of girls were surrounding someone. Judging from the color of the hair and the sobbing I heard, it was definitely Yuri.

"I'll handle the girls, you two go get Yuri," I said.

I saw Yae standing to the side while the other girls were chanting "Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut!" There were pages of a book scattered around everywhere and a familiar book cover sitting in the grass. The anger welled up inside me again like it had this morning, but I forced it down. If the morning was any indicator, anger was the Achilles heel that could do damage to Meiji and me.

Sauntering up to Yae, I sighed. "What's going on here?"

Yae looked up at me, initially shocked, but then she showed me a victorious smile. "Here's the main event, ladies and gentlemen!"

I chuckled and faced Yae's gang of thugs. Yuri was clinging to what was left of her book, tears flowing down her cheeks. Monika and Kozue pushed through the group and stood between the bullies and Yuri. "Um…I didn't realize I was so popular," I said.

Yae's smug expression turned into one of disgust as I began to remove my blazer. "You're a sick pervert," she said.

"Says the leader who uses fear, sex and money to control this group," I said as I tossed my blazer aside. "Blackmail? That is beneath you, using your parents' money like that."

Yae smirked. "Psh! My parents are too stupid to care about anything I do. I whine, they give me shit! I pay these people; they do what I want. It's just how the world works."

I sighed. I couldn't look like the bad guy here, plus I had made promises to the others. "You're using your own parents?"

"And why shouldn't I?! They're useless!"

Does everyone in this school have issues? I wondered.

Seems like it.

"Girls, let's get back inside. We're better than this."

One of the guys grabbed me. "Not so fast, bastard."

Meiji, I need you to trust me. We need to be beaten up a bit.

What?! Why?!

More sympathy points from the teachers we inform.

I…I don't know.

I'll make it look good. I looked calmly at the guy who held me. "Come on, no one needs to be hurt here today."

"You do," he growled, pulling his fist back. I made my struggle look convincing before I received a slug in the stomach, sending me flying back. I tumbled until I hit a tree. I gasped, trying to retrieve the air I'd lost before I was hoisted to my feet. "Stay down, bitch," he growled. Leaning in he said, "Just do it please."

I kicked him between his legs. He collapsed, holding his crotch. Looking back up at Yae, I sighed. "Come on girls, let's go. Lunch is almost over."

"You're not going anywhere," Yae said, snapping at two others who approached me. "And no one will believe you."

I sighed. "Monika, Kozue, get Yuri out of here. And don't argue."

Monika looked at me pleadingly. "Meiji, don't-"

"Go!"

Monika helped Yuri run and Kozue defended the two from her former friends as they ran out of the hidden courtyard. I found myself surrounded by Yae's group. "Just remember, this is your punishment," Yae said. "Make sure every bone of his is broken."

Here we go…

Tell me when it's over! Meiji said.

The first guy threw a wide punch at me. I blocked it and moved away, making sure I didn't throw any punches back. A girl brought out a stick and charged, raising it and bringing it down. I blocked it and wrestled it from her hands. I held it out, twirling it defensively. "Whatsa matter? Not gonna fight back?" Yae mocked.

"I'm just defending myself," I replied, dodging another attack. "We can still stop this. Leave me and my friends alone and we'll stay out of your way."

"You interfered yesterday with our little fun," she said. "That's a big no no for me."

"Your 'little fun' involved bullying my friend," I replied as I blocked another attack and dodged another.

"Psh, she's a freak, just like your little literature club. That bimbo cuts herself and collects knives, how does that not scream freak to you?"

I continued blocking and dodging, but I also made sure not to do it perfectly. They got some good hits in. "I don't know much about her-OOF-likes and dislikes, but I wouldn't like her any less if those things were true! Gah!" One of the boys hit me hard enough to cause my head to hit a low hanging branch, bringing shooting pain to the back of my head. I brought my hand back and felt something wet and warm.

"Then you're not only dead, but you're a dead freak!"

Another guy hit me in the stomach, sending me flying, but I couldn't fall yet. "You know, the…cough….teachers will find out about this…damn…"

"The teachers? Hah! They're just as useless as my idiot parents! Especially our principal! That useless old bastard!"

"Useless old bastard, am I?" a new voice said menacingly. The crowd turned and I saw an older looking Japanese man in a suit standing there, hands on his hips and glaring at all of us. Beside him Monika stood, panting heavily from all the running.

Yae's smug grin faltered and she went pale. She used to be…ow…good at hiding this, Meiji said.

We'll be fine.

"Sir…I didn't mean-" Yae began, but the man held up his hand.

"I don't want to hear it!" More teachers began to show up, all looking quite upset. A woman in a white lab coat rushed over to me. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties. "Yae, step over here now. Nurse? How is he?"

"The cuts aren't as bad as they look, but I want to treat him right away," she replied. "He won't need to go to the hospital."

"Go."

The teachers began rounding up Yae and her gang. Monika immediately came up to my side. "Are you crazy?!" she hissed angrily. "You could have gotten seriously hurt!"

I leaned in closer. "I had to make it look good."

"Are you two a couple?" the nurse asked.

I shook my head. "She's the president of my club."

The nurse smiled as she helped me inside. "You have a very caring club president."

I smiled apologetically at Monika. "No kidding." I grabbed my blazer.

When we got to the nurse's office, the nurse patched me up, put bandages on my head and arms then told me to rest for the rest of the day. Monika sat next to my bed and looked down for a while. I looked around the nurse's office while she gathered her thoughts. The office looked typical for a Japanese school. There were three beds each separated by sheets and the walls were all lined with shelves and cabinets, each shelf holding plastic bins full of medical supplies. The lights on the ceiling were the same design as the rest of the building's own, square fluorescent lights. Near against the window a large desk with a lamp and desktop computer. Sunlight poured in to the room since the office window was facing west.

When Monika looked up, she had a mixture of relief and anger, which to me was a welcome sight. "I hate you…" she said, on the verge of tears now.

"No, you don't. You love me," I chuckled.

"How long have you been this stupid?" she asked.

"Twenty-two years," I replied.

She looked stricken by that. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out. I don't want to lose you."

"Even if you do, you won't be alone," I reminded her. "And I'm sorry too."

She nodded and was about to say something when the doors to the nurse's office burst open. We both looked over to see a very pissed off Sayori rush in, eyes blazing with anger. She was followed by a worried looking Yuri. Sayori approached and grabbed my shirt collar. "You're really stupid, you know that?" she said furiously before she wrapped her arms around me. "You promised you wouldn't do anything stupid again…"

"Sayori…what was I supposed to do? They were attacking Yuri. I couldn't sit back and do nothing. And I tried to diffuse the situation. They're the ones who attacked me."

"A-Are you alright? You look terrible," Yuri said, approaching timidly.

"I look worse than I feel, I promise," I said. "I'm more worried about you. Are you alright?"

Yuri looked down. "They didn't hurt me. Monika and Tani-san got there just in time."

"Good. Um… what about your book?"

Yuri's face fell. "It's…destroyed."

I looked down as well. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help sooner. I know you like that book."

"I-It's okay. It was just a book…"

Did Yuri just say that?

I think she's still in shock.

God…give her a hug!

Agreed. I smiled up at Yuri and slowly stood. Walking over, I wrapped my arms around her. She fell into my shoulder. "It was more than a book to you, wasn't it?"

I felt tears on my shoulder. Sayori's eyes were tearing up as well and Monika looked sad and angry. "I got that book from my grandpa before he died…it was precious to me." I moved back to the bed, sitting down with Yuri. Sayori sat next to Yuri and tried to comfort her too. "Grandpa loved reading as much as I did. He would give me books and that was the last one I ever received from him."

Wow…I had no idea…

Let's give her ours! Meiji said.

It won't be the same, but that's a good thought. I rubbed Yuri's back. "I'm so sorry…"

She sniffed and sat back up, face wet. Sayori handed her a tissue which she used to dab at her eyes. "It's not your fault."

"And no, don't say that it was," Monika said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You were looking out for a friend."

"I'd do the same for all of you," I said.

"Well, you'd better listen to me now," Sayori said sternly and in that same motherly tone. "You need rest, so lie down."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay, everyone," Monika said, "we should all get back to class. Lunch is almost over. Will we see you at clubtime?" she asked me.

"As long as this young man takes it easy, he should be well enough to join you," the nurse said from her desk.

"Piece of cake, I do it all the time," I grinned. "I'll be fine. See you later." The girls left and I was left alone with the nurse. However, even before the bell rang, the door opened again. Kozue walked in, carrying my bag. She set it down and turned to leave. "Kozue, wait." She stopped. "I…want to thank you. For coming to tell me about what was happening. And for helping."

She just stood there for a little while, like she was thinking about what to say. "Are…you having fun in that club?" she finally asked hesitantly.

I hadn't been expecting that, but I decided not to question it. "Hmm, let's just say it's been a difficult couple of days. But it's not been bad," I replied.

She didn't say anything after that, instead, she rushed out of the room, slamming the door shut. "She's a good kid," the nurse, who had been watching the small encounter, said while I got comfortable.

"She's getting there," I said with a small smile.

"Well, try and get some rest. Here take some of these," she said as she approached with a glass of water and a couple white pills. "They're painkillers. They should help you sleep," she explained as I looked at them apprehensively. I took them, then the nurse took the empty glass back, headed back to her desk and went back back to her work. I lay back down.

I don't agree with what you did, Meiji said tiredly, but I know you meant well. So, congratulations.

Yeah, well I won't be doing anything stupid like that again, I replied.

Promises, promises.

Yeah yeah. Now let's rest this poor body up.

Yes. Let's.

And almost simultaneously, we both fell asleep.

Damn, more Yuri bullying! Hopefully Yae gets the message.

morbiusgreen