Oh…fuck… I felt my skin go cold and clammy as shivers of fear ran down my body.

I'm surprised it lasted this long. I cleared my throat. "What do you mean?" I asked, panic starting to rise up inside me.

"If you were an alternate personality, you wouldn't know something that Meiji doesn't." She backed away slowly, her face a bit red, but her expression still serious. "I don't know why you're lying, but please don't take me for a fool. So…why?"

Figures she'd be one of the first to figure it out on her own, I said.

What are you gonna do?!

Let me think.

Well hurry!

I sighed. I could understand Meiji's fear, but since I could somewhat feel what he was feeling, his own fear on top of my own wasn't helping me think calmly. I walked up to Yuri and looked into her eyes. She didn't take her eyes off mine. "Yuri…I'm sorry. I understand…I understand how you feel. But…the truth is…" I lost all words, my mind racing to try and come up with something to say.

To my complete surprise, Yuri reached down and took my hand in hers, holding it up in much the same way I had just done. "Josiah…Meiji…I understand that you don't know us that well, but no one in the club likes being lied to. Please…can you tell me why?"

It was my turn to take a deep breath. I swallowed as my mouth had gone dry suddenly despite the weather. I faced Yuri. "You're right…I have been lying about where I came from. And I know I have no right to ask this, but…" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them again, I was looking into her eyes with as sincere and serious a look as I could muster. I put my hands on her shoulder, holding them gently but firmly. "The truth is extremely dangerous to just spring on someone without warning. Besides myself and Meiji, Monika and Sayori both know the truth, and Sayori only recently and only because I felt like I had no choice. Please believe me when I say we fully intend to tell you and Natsuki."

Yuri was holding her hands to her chest. She looked very nervous. "Josiah…you're serious, aren't you?"

I nodded solemnly. "I know I've no right to ask this of you, but please…please wait. I want to tell you all after the Festival."

She looked away for a bit, then closed her eyes, deep in thought. I let her go, slowly letting my arms fall to their sides. Meiji and I waited with bated breath, hoping against hope for her answer. When she opened her eyes again, her face was stern. "Josiah Bordeaux…can you give me a good reason for me to trust you? You keep on lying to us. You do realize what that does to trust, don't you?"

I lowered my eyes. "Yeah…I can't deny that."

"Yuri? Josiah? Is everything okay in here?" Turning, I saw a worried Sayori looking into the kitchen.

Yuri turned to Sayori. "Sayori…I know. I know that Josiah's been lying to us again."

Sayori froze, her eyes just moving between me and Yuri. I looked away, heart aching at this. Damn it, this isn't how I wanted it to happen! I shouted, clenching my teeth in frustration.

Damn right! But what can we do about it? You wanted to tell them all after the Festival. Do we tell her or no?

Sayori walked between me and Yuri and turned to her. "Um…Yuri? I don't know what Josiah has told you, but if you can't trust him anymore, can you trust me please? What he wants to keep secret is big. Very big." She put her hands together and bowed. "I humbly beg you, please."

Whoa, she used keigo!

Polite language…yeah, she did.

Yuri looked completely surprised by Sayori's complete change of tone. She put one hand on her chest, eyes closed and thinking again. Sayori looked over at me with a sympathetic glance. I looked back and gave her a grateful smile. Yuri then opened her eyes again. Her expression had softened a bit, and she looked between me and Sayori. "Sayori, I have never seen you this serious before. If this major secret is making you use keigo…" Yuri took another deep breath, then continued, "then I will trust you. But I fully expect you to tell me and Natsuki after the first day of the Festival, not after the week. That's non-negotiable. I'm sorry."

I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "I think I can get Monika to agree to that. Thank you… Yoshika-san." I could feel the guilt pouring over me now.

Yuri looked at me confused. "Josiah, why'd you use my last name?"

I looked down at the floor. "I don't feel worthy to call you by your first name anymore, so-"

"Josiah, look up at me," she said sternly. Forcing myself to look up I was surprised to see a very sincere smile on Yuri's face. "I…I may be upset with you right now, but that doesn't mean that's permanent. I can't read people that well, but even I can tell keeping this secret is hurting you. I would assume it's the same for Meiji too."

You have no idea…

I nodded. "It is."

"Then don't say you're not worthy to say my first name." She walked closer to me, her smile still there. "If Sayori is willing to speak on your behalf like this, then I can surely trust that whatever reason you have must be a very important one."

I felt suddenly weak in the knees, but refused to let it show. I bowed towards her. "Yuri…you've no idea how relieved I am to hear this." I raised my head. "Tell you what, after I tell you, I will owe you one favor, redeemable at any time. Same for you, Sayori. And the same for Natsuki when I tell her."

"How about Monika?" Yuri asked curiously.

"She's…well, you'll understand why I didn't include her," I said, smiling a bit nervously. "I guess you could say that she's already told me what she wants."

Yuri nodded in understanding. "Well, if you say so."

"Alright, what are the three of you doing in here?" a very exasperated sounding Natsuki said, storming into the kitchen followed by a concerned looking Monika. "We're out here doing your job, Yuri."

Yuri smiled apologetically. "Ah, yes, I'm sorry. I just needed to talk to Josiah about something."

"Well, if you're done, hurry up and get out here. I just finished the first banner and was about to start the second one," she said.

"Ahaha, and I'm almost done with the calligraphy," Monika said with a smile, albeit a worried one. "There's about ten more left."

"Then let's get back," Yuri said, walking back into the living room. Natsuki followed.

Sayori looked back at me, concerned. "Josiah? Are you coming?"

"Yeah…give me a second," I said.

Sayori nodded then gently nudged Monika forward before returning to the living room. Once Monika and I were alone, my legs gave out and I collapsed onto my ass.

"Josiah?! What happened?" Monika exclaimed, rushing to my site and doing her best to keep me from falling flat on my back.

I reached out and took a tight hold of her hand, looking into her eyes with a haunted expression. "Yuri figured out I was lying," I said shakily. "Thankfully Sayori was there to convince her to give me more time to tell her the real truth."

Monika's expression turned to one of fear. "What happened?" she asked, her voice becoming as shaky as my own. I told her everything that happened. She listened without saying a word. When I finished, she remained silent for a while. Finally, she stood and extended her hand to me. After we were both standing, she looked up at me. "We might need to push the timetable forward. If Sayori and Yuri can sense something's wrong, I doubt Natsuki will be far behind."

"Are you suggesting we tell them before the Festival?" I asked.

"I am."

I shook my head. "And what if the game resets? What if all that happened in the game happens here?" I sighed. "Tell you what: if Natsuki comes to any of us and asks about something related to the game, we tell the two of them right away. Can we agree to that?"

Monika closed her eyes and thought a bit about this. Opening her eyes, she nodded. "Yes, I think that's a good idea." She then came and gave me a warm, tender hug. I instinctively wrapped my arms around her. "We should get back before Natsuki starts getting suspicious," she said with a chuckle before releasing me.

"Yeah, good idea." I smiled sheepishly before we both start heading back into the living room.

When we got back, I saw that Natsuki had finished the first banner. Yuri was laying the banner down so it could dry faster with Sayori helping. Natsuki was starting on the second banner. Monika subtly patted me on the back before going back to assembling the curtain. When I rejoined Natsuki, I saw her look up at me from the corner of her eye. It looked like she wanted to ask me something, but she didn't. I grabbed one of the paintbrushes and began to help paint the sky. Sayori joined us, placing herself between me and Natsuki. I started up the music again, hoping that the distraction would ease the new tension in the room. Thankfully, it seemed to work as we all started focusing more on the tasks.

Monika and Yuri finished first, but since it was too crowded around the banner, Yuri said that she'd prepare the kitchen. Monika volunteered to help, standing and heading into the kitchen with her.

"Can I help too?" Sayori asked. "There's not much more to do on this and I think I'm more getting in the way."

Yuri paused a bit, then nodded. "Of course."

"Just be careful she doesn't burn the water," I chuckled, which caused the others to chuckle a bit at Sayori's pouting face. Soon it was just me and Natsuki. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her taking brief glances as me every so often. She even opened her mouth a couple of times but didn't speak. We finished the banner and began setting it aside to dry.

Finally, she spoke up. "Hey, um…Josiah?"

"Yes?" I turned to the twintailed blonde. "What's up?" I was afraid she was going to ask something about my story and prepared for the inevitable.

Natsuki took a deep breath, then looked at me with a serious expression. "Yesterday, when you and I were sharing poems, I saw you and Monika looking at each other a bit while she, Yuri and Sayori were talking. What was going on?" Natsuki looked at me now with a hurt expression.

"Ah, yes, um…"

I struggled to come up with an explanation, but before I could, she held up her hand. "Please don't lie to me. I know Sayori wasn't having a good day yesterday, but there's more to it, isn't there?"

I clenched my teeth and frowned. I debated whether or not to tell Natsuki about Sayori's depression. I hated keeping her out of the loop, but I guessed that if Natsuki knew, she might worry a lot more about her bubbly vice-president friend. Not that she'd outwardly show it, of course, she was too much of a tsundere for that. "Natsuki…I-"

She shook her head suddenly, smiling, or at the very least, forcing a smile on her face. "Actually, never mind. It's not my place to ask, is it? Heh, forget it-"

"I have depression," a third voice said.

Turning, Natsuki and I saw Sayori standing at the entrance to the living room, looking at us with a serious face. Behind her, Monika and Yuri stood, both with grim expressions on their faces. Natsuki's expression became as worried as she would allow herself. "You? Really, Sayori? You?" She forced another smile and shook her head. "No way, you're not the type to be depressed."

Yuri shook her head. "Natsuki…you of all people should know never to judge a book by its cover. That's what you're always saying," she said in a stern tone.

Natsuki's smile began to fade. "You're serious…aren't you?" When Sayori nodded, Natsuki looked away. "I didn't realize…"

Instinctively, I put a hand on Natsuki's shoulder. She didn't react, appearing very vulnerable. "Natsuki?"

She started, looking at where my hand was and shrugging it off harshly, then looking up at the serious Sayori. "Why didn't you tell anyone? Aren't we your friends? Couldn't you trust us?"

It appeared as if the revelation about the game to Sayori had a big impact on her. Either that or her talk with Meiji. Or both. Sayori smiled sadly. "I guess…I thought that I'd be a burden to everyone else if I said anything. I just want people to be happy so I hid it from everyone. Please forgive me."

Natsuki immediately shook her head. "No, there's nothing to forgive. I'm sorry, that was a selfish thing to say."

I took a breath and blew it out. "Don't blame her, Natsuki." Everyone turned to me. I continued. "Depression is, for lack of a better word, a real bitch. From what I know of it, it drains any motivation. Sometimes some people put on a happy façade just because they don't want to worry others. That's how Sayori is."

"He's right," Sayori said in a more mature tone as she knelt beside the still shocked blonde and rubbed her back. She smiled sadly. "But I promise, I promise I'll work on getting better." She looked up at me, or rather, through me. "I'd feel like a bad friend if I didn't."

Seriously, what did you say?

Se-cr-et.

Really, bro? Really?

Hehehe.

Inwardly I sighed. Outwardly I smiled and patted her head. "Good. I'm glad you're going to get help."

She relaxed at my touch, then looked at the rest of us. "Well, now that we're done with the banners, let's get cooking!"

"Ah, of course," Yuri said. "Everything is ready. I've begun boiling the eggs for the deviled eggs." She led us back into the kitchen where I saw the counter all set up for food prep. On the stove just like she said was a large pot full of water and eggs. On the counter were two loaves of bread along with a few packs of deli meat and sliced cheese along with mayonnaise and mustard. "Um, I figured something simple would work since I wasn't sure how long it would take for us to finish the banners and curtain. I don't see this taking as long. The longest snack preparation will probably be the eggs."

"Yuri, are you planning on cutting the sandwiches up into fourths?" Monika asked.

"It would make them easier to place on platters," Yuri said as she stood aside. "Monika, do you know any sort of vegetarian or vegan sandwich we could use?"

"Hmm…well for vegetarians like myself, a simple egg sandwich would suffice," she said.

"Ooof…yeah I'm staying away from those," I said, wincing and holding a hand over my stomach. Sayori and Monika looked over at me concerned, but I waved their worries aside. "I'm back to 100 percent, believe me. But yes, vegetarian egg sandwiches would be good."

"As for vegan food," Monika continued, "I do know a delicious vegetable sandwich."

"Oh, good," Yuri said. "I think we should make a little less of those, since I am unaware of there being many vegans or vegetarians in our school. With the exception of you and Suzuki-Sensei, of course," Yuri added quickly.

"Of course, and that's a good call," Monika said.

"I think if we use half the eggs we have, that should be enough for the egg sandwiches," I added.

Yuri nodded. "Yes, that would be appropriate, I believe." Monika nodded and, grabbing one of the loaves and began to make the veggie sandwiches on the kitchen table. Yuri then looked at Natsuki, Sayori and myself. "I've also purchased some deli meats. Ham, turkey and roast beef for one. I also bought some sliced cheese, mayonnaise and mustard."

"Really gave us a lot of options," I said, very impressed with Yuri's foresight.

She looked away, smiling and blushing a bit. "Th-thank you, Josiah."

"So…should we just go nuts?" Natsuki asked.

"Um…I suppose, But don't make them unreasonable," Yuri said.

"You got it," I said. "I take it you're going to be keeping an eye on the eggs?"

"I am," she said with a smile. "They need to be monitored to make sure that they aren't overboiled."

And so we began. Natsuki grabbed the package of roast beef and began assembling sandwiches. Meiji, a bit concerned about Sayori, asked me to help her with the ham and turkey sandwiches. Natsuki made her sandwiches like so: Bread, mustard, lettuce, roast beef, tomato, mayonnaise and the other piece of bread. Taking inspiration from how she made it, Sayori and I decided to make our ham and turkey sandwiches in a similar way. Some had no lettuce but tomato, some with less condiments, but in about thirty minutes we had fifteen sandwiches. Monika had made eight veggie sandwiches and was in the process of cutting them into fourths. I started to cut the ones Sayori and I had made, but she interrupted me.

"Can I try cutting them?" she asked, giving me those hard to resist puppy dog eyes.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yep!" She smiled at me with a reassuring look in her eyes.

Please watch her, Meiji said worriedly.

You don't need to be overly concerned, I replied.

I'm just afraid she'll cut her fingers off.

Alright. "Well, if you're sure. But I'm gonna be watching you."

"Okay," Sayori said with a grin as she grabbed a kitchen knife from the drawers and began slicing the sandwiches up. As she did so, Meiji kept on bombarding me, constantly worried about her. After my fifth or sixth time relaying the message to Sayori, she looked at me frowning. "Meiji, what's wrong? You're acting like my mom."

"She's right, you know," Natsuki said.

It's nice that you're concerned about her, but this is a bit much, dude.

…You're right. I'm sorry. I just…I'm worried after what happened last night.

When I told Sayori, albeit whispering so Natsuki and Yuri couldn't hear, her expression softened. "We'll talk about it later. For now, just relax, okay?"

"She'll be fine," Natsuki said. "Sayori's not a child, you know. Despite acting like it sometimes."

"Meanie…" Sayori said, pouting.

"Don't worry, little sis," I said, "Meiji and I wouldn't have you any other way."

Natsuki snorted, Yuri chuckled softly, and Monika simply smiled at me, and to my delight I could barely see any jealousy in that smile. I patted Sayori's back and then we continued. Natsuki grabbed some of the plastic containers Yuri had purchased and began placing the finished products inside. Sayori quickly finished cutting the rest of the sandwiches, then turned to Yuri. "What do you want us to do now?" she asked.

Yuri, who was busy draining the hot water out of the first batch of hard boiled eggs, stopped and turned to us. "Well, when I'm finished draining the water, place these eggs in cold water. When it's done, go ahead and peel them."

"Oh! I watched a game show the other day where some guy peeled five eggs in ten seconds," Natsuki said, grabbing one of the remaining empty containers. "I can do that, no problem."

Yuri looked a bit skeptical. "Are you referring to the method used where the eggs are shaken in cold water then the shells peeled away?"

Natsuki nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! I've done it before, so I know what I'm doing, Yuri."

Yuri thought for a bit, then nodded. "Well, if you're sure, then proceed."

Natsuki grinned and rushed to the sink, filling the container up with cold water. Yuri finished draining the hot water then placed the eggs carefully and quickly into the container. We all gathered around as Natsuki closed the container, then she looked back at us with a glare. "Um…some space please, if you don't mind."

"Ahaha, sorry," Monika said, standing back. The rest of us did the same thing, but still watched as Natsuki shook the container for a bit. She then set it down, opened it and the shells peeled away immediately.

"Well, damn," I said, raising an eyebrow. "that's pretty cool."

Natsuki, looking especially pleased with herself, finished peeling the rest of the eggs and put them back in the container after draining the water. "So, what now?" she asked after she was done.

"Do you want to save the eggs for later?" I asked Yuri.

She thought about it for a bit, then said, "Well, now that I think about it, the egg sandwiches might become soggy in a day or two. Let's make the egg sandwich mix and the deviled eggs today, then Josiah, if it's not too much trouble, would you be willing to make the sandwiches tomorrow night? That way they'll be as fresh as can be for Monday."

I nodded. "Of course. How many do you want me to make?"

"However many these eggs can make," she replied. "The other eggs are going to be for the deviled eggs."

I smiled. "Sounds good. I'll make the egg sandwich mix now. It should last a couple days in the fridge at least."

Natsuki handed me the container and, after washing my hands to be safe, grabbed a knife and began cutting the eggs up. It didn't take me too long and soon I had a large bowl full of bits of egg white and yolk. Grabbing the mayonnaise, I began adding it in little by little until I found a consistency that I felt wasn't too soggy or overwhelming of a taste of the mayonnaise. I mixed everything up, then sealed the container and placed it in the fridge. While I was doing this, Yuri had placed the rest of the eggs in fresh water and was in the process of boiling them. The other girls had placed the sandwiches in the fridge and were now waiting for me and Yuri to finish, sitting at the table and talking about the festival and what exactly they were looking forward to.

"I can't wait to try all the new sweets that'll be there!" Sayori was saying just as I was finishing up the egg sandwich mixture. "Someone in class was talking about there being a small cooking class that we could take."

Haha, of course she'd enjoy that, Meiji said in an amused tone.

Nothing wrong with that.

"Now that sounds like fun!" Natsuki chuckled. "I'm actually looking forward to those games. I hope there's a goldfish scoop game this year. I think I can get one this time!"

"Oooh! I haven't played one of those in years," Sayori said. "The last time we went was summer break three years ago. Meiji and I went with our parents to the local summer festival. That's where he won Mr. Parrot for me!"

Mr. Parrot?

It's the green stuffed parrot in her room next to Mr. Cow.

Oooh, right.

"What about you, Monika?" Natsuki asked, facing their emerald eyed president, who had been silently listening and smiling wistfully as the two friends gushed about the festival. "Looking forward to anything in particular? Aside from the club stuff, of course."

Monika's smile seemed to freeze in place, but only for a brief moment before she took on a contemplative posture, looking up at the ceiling in deep thought. "Well, I hadn't given it much thought. I've been in the Debate Club since I started high school, and our projects were always so time consuming that I barely had time to enjoy the festival."

"Awww, there's gotta be something you're looking forward to," Sayori said.

Having just finished with my part, I turned and leaned against the counter. "She's got a point," I said. "From what I've heard, Japanese school culture festivals are pretty damn fun."

Monika's smile was slightly sad. "Well…I guess one thing I'm looking forward to is actually getting to experience one before graduation."

At the mention of graduation, the mood in the room suddenly fell. Even Meiji, someone I never really saw as being all that into school, seemed saddened by the thought of graduation. Not wanting the mood to deteriorate any more, I smiled and said, "Hey, it's not like your friendships are gonna end just because you all graduate. You can still meet up in person or online. I can't see you all splitting up after graduation. You're a pretty tightly knit group."

Yuri, who hadn't said a word, turned to face the rest of us. "I-I agree with Josiah." The rest of the group looked at Yuri with shocked expressions. She clutched her hands to her chest and continued. "I know I'm not exactly sociable. I find it hard to make friends and…people have always made fun of me for my various hobbies. But…you're the first friends I've ever made. I would not want for that to disappear just because we might all go differing directions in the future."

Monika looked up at Yuri, a smile on her face, but her sadness was slowly vanishing. "I…couldn't have said it better myself. You are all my best friends. I can't imagine life without you anymore."

"We've always been your friends," Sayori said, moving over and hugging Monika, who gratefully returned the hug.

Count me in as a friend too! Meiji said. I echoed the sentiment, making Monika smile even more.

"Don't go getting sappy on us now, prez," Natsuki said, clearly teasing her friend and president. This got a laugh from everyone and brought the mood back up.

"Well, now that we've established how friendly we are, let's keep going," I chuckled. "Yuri, how are those eggs coming along?"

"Almost done. Natsuki, if you would?" Natsuki, eager to show off, moved over to the sink again and quickly repeated the process from before. After removing the eggshells, Yuri looked over at me. "Where do the Chizu's keep their kitchen knives?" After I showed her, Yuri began carefully, and with an expert hand, cut each of the remaining hardboiled eggs in half.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" I asked.

"Right now, I can take care of this last part myself. After this, we should be done for the day," Yuri said. "Tomorrow, we can finish the banners after they dry and make the egg sandwiches, but that won't take too long."

"Tomorrow's my turn to be in charge, though," Natsuki said, a bit of a pout in her expression.

"I know," Yuri said. "We can focus the majority of the day on making cupcakes, and after that we can complete the banners and sandwiches."

Natsuki was still pouting a bit, but after a few seconds of silence she nodded. "Yeah…that's fair I guess."

"It'll be fine, Natsuki," Sayori, ever the peacemaker, stepped in and smiled reassuringly at Natsuki.

Yuri by this time had finished cutting the eggs in half. She was currently mixing up the hardened egg yolks, adding an appropriate amount of dressing to make the deviled egg mix. It didn't take long for Yuri to finish said dish. She placed them in a special container then made room in Meiji's fridge for storage. She then joined us at the table after cleaning up. "Thank you, everyone. I don't think I could have gotten so much done without your help."

"No problem!" Sayori said with a wide grin. "Today was pretty fun!"

"We're glad to help," Monika said.

"It…wasn't as boring as I thought," Natsuki said, reluctantly admitting it.

"You actually have good leadership capabilities, Yuri," I admitted, and I meant it.

She blushed and looked away, fiddling with her hair once again. "Th-thank you."

"Hey, how's everything going in here?" a new voice said from the kitchen entrance.

Turning, I saw Minako standing there, looking in at the six of us curiously. "We've just finished for the day. We'll be doing some finishing up tomorrow after we're done with Natsuki's cupcake project."

"Well, I'm glad you made so much progress," Minako said.

"Thank you." Yuri said, then looked at the clock in the kitchen. It read 5:32. She quietly stood. "Oh, I'm sorry, everyone, but I have to get going."

"Your curfew again?" Monika asked.

Yuri nodded, but I could sense a bit of nervousness. I really wanted to know what she was hiding, but I knew that she was hiding it for a reason. I wanted to build up trust with her in order to open up to me. "Um, yeah. I want to go grab a few things for dinner. I'm sorry."

"I should probably go too," Natsuki said. "My dad doesn't want me out too late."

"It was nice to meet all of you," Minako said. "Thank you for indulging me in coming over earlier."

"Not at all, Chizu-san," Yuri said.

"It's cool," Natsuki said, smiling a bit as well.

"Is it alright if we leave the banners here to dry?" Yuri asked.

"Of course," Minako said. "It looks great so far. My husband and I will definitely be there for the Festival. I definitely want to see your poetry recitation."

"I should go too, actually," Sayori said, standing as well. "Mom's making dinner and she wants me there. We're gonna be having a talk about my new brother or sister."

Minako's eyes widened. "Akiko's having another baby? That's so cool! I'm gonna have to congratulate your parents!"

Sayori smiled. "Yep."

"I was unaware you were expecting a sibling," Yuri said. "I'm happy for you."

"I've never had a brother or sister, so I don't know whether to congratulate you or feel bad for you," Natsuki said, grinning widely, her fang showing prominently.

"Now now, Natsuki, having a sibling sounds like a fun experience," Monika said, looking away a bit wistfully.

It's a gigantic pain in the ass, but it has its moments, Meiji chuckled. My sister can be a real troublemaker, but she's alright.

When I repeated Meiji's words, the girls laughed and Minako smiled a bit. "Meiji and Aiko were a handful as kids," she said.

I felt Meiji's embarrassment and utilized it as I stood. "I-I'll walk you girls out."

Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri all began gathering their belongings and walked towards the door. I followed them, Monika and Minako walking close behind. The girls took off their guest slippers and put their shoes on. Yuri turned and bowed. "Thank you for having us. I am grateful that you were willing to lend us your house for these projects."

Minako smiled. "Not at all. My husband and I are glad to be of help. And since I won't see you tomorrow, I'll see you all at the Festival on Monday."

After saying our goodbyes, the girls left, walking their separate ways. Sayori went left, and Natsuki and Yuri went right, those two talking about what Natsuki had planned for Sunday. Monika and I watched them go for a few seconds. I watched with concern as Sayori paused then looked back at us. Her expression was worrisome. She was smiling as she waved, but her eyes told a very different story. I grew increasingly worried about her, but the expression on her face brightened before she waved and headed back home. I closed the door and heading back into the kitchen. Minako had reached the kitchen before Monika and I had and was beginning to prepare for dinner. When Monika and I came in, Tatsuo was sitting at the table reading a book. He looked up at me and put the book down. "So, how did today go? I notice you all took up some space in our fridge."

"Those'll only be there for a couple days," I said as I sat down. Monika sat opposite me. "And things went well. We got a lot done today."

"I saw the banners in the living room," Tatsuo said. "Pretty good job, you guys."

"Asano-san, Meiji, dinner's gonna take a little while since it's vegetarian," Minako said. "I don't have that much experience in cooking said meals, so it might take a little while longer than usual."

"You're too kind," Monika said with a grateful smile. "If it makes things easier, I'm actually pescatarian. I do still eat seafood."

Minako nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. In the meantime, you can just relax. Tatsuo and I can handle dinner. I'm sure you two are tired."

"Wanna go up to my room and play some games?" I asked with a slightly knowing smile.

"Huh? Oh, sure," Monika said, standing.

"You two behave up there," Minako chuckled as we headed back upstairs, causing Meiji and me to blush.

"We will, Mom," I said, quickly heading upstairs, Monika following close behind.

"Alright." I turned to Monika. "Ready to actually play some games?"

Monika smiled back at me. "Um, actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to read with you. Those two books especially."

I gave a small shrug. "I don't see why not?" I walked into Meiji's room and I grabbed Portrait of Markov and the first volume of Parfait Girls. I looked at the bed, then back at Monika. "I think we should go to the living room. I don't wanna give Meiji's mom an aneurysm at the thought of her precious boy along with an attractive girl."

Not you too…Meiji groaned.

Monika blushed, then nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."

I couldn't be sure, but I almost thought I heard a hint of disappointment in her voice. Meiji must have heard it too because he said, Honestly, if I wasn't in a relationship with Sayori right now, I'd jump on this opportunity to be with a cute girl. Call me a pervert all you want.

I understand that, but in the event that your parents find out the truth, I don't want them any more confused. I headed downstairs with Monika in tow. We passed the kitchen on our way to the living room. I peeked in and held up one of the books. "Changed my mind, Mom. We're gonna be reading in the living room."

Minako looked over, and I could almost see some perceptible relief. "Alright, dear. I'll let you two know when dinner's ready."

We made our way into the living room and sat, Monika sitting to my right. I held up both books. "Which one do you want to read first?"

"Um…I think I'd like to read the manga first," Monika admitted, scooting over so we could share the manga together.

I placed it down and opened it to the first page. Having already read it, I let Monika turn the pages whenever she was finished. It didn't take too long to finish the first volume. I mostly watched her reactions to the story as it progressed. She closed it finally and looked at me. "Was Natsuki's mom this world's version of our game's creator?"

I shrugged and put it aside, pulling the novel over. "I don't think we'll ever really know. It is pretty scary, though. Seeing the poses on the front page mimicking yours from the game exactly." I put the novel down between us and opened to the first chapter. "Let's continue."

We were just finishing the second chapter (Monika had gotten more invested in this story) when I heard Meiji's mom call for us. "Meiji, Asano-san! Supper's ready!"

I closed the book to Monika's reluctance. I put them both down and went to the kitchen with Monika beside me. When we reached the kitchen, I saw a pretty delicious looking spread. Meiji's parents had made enough food for four. Minako had once again pulled out the okonomiyaki maker and had made one for each of us. My stomach rumbled in anticipation as I looked over the rest of the spread. Meiji's parents had also prepared a salad bowl. On the counter, I saw a rice cooker out and open, steaming invitingly. I also smelled curry and I could feel myself salivating. Monika looked at the spread with intense gratitude. "This is…oh my…"

"Is everything alright?" Minako asked.

"I think poor Monika's just a bit overwhelmed," I said.

"My parents never respected my decision to not eat meat," she said, causing my blood to boil. "Anytime they went to a formal function, they expected me to eat anything set before me."

Minako walked over and put a hand on Monika's shoulder in a very motherly way. "I'm so sorry," she said.

"It's not your fault. You also don't need to worry about me so much. You can eat meat in front of me," she said, looking a bit guilty. "I can cook my own meals if it's too much trouble."

"It's no trouble at all," Minako said as she returned to her seat. The conversation died a bit then as we focused on eating.

After a minute or so, Tatsuo asked, "So Asano-san, what made you want to start a literature club?"

Monika cleaned her mouth before replying. "I was in the Debate Club at school since I started high school, but this past year internal club politics became hostile. I've always had a fascination for literature, and I wanted to make a club where I could indulge in said fascination."

"You and Aiko would get along," Minako said. "She always loved to read. She'd spend a lot of her free time in her room reading."

"She sounds a lot like Yuri," Monika said.

Actually, she's more extroverted, Meiji said. She had plenty of friends and is apparently a pretty good leader.

I repeat this, and Minako smiled. "She's a very good leader."

"Mom, remind me, did Aiko's literature club do anything for their festival?" I asked.

"Oh yes, they did," Minako said. "One year, they actually made a small mockumentary based off of one of the clubs favorite fiction books."

Monika raised an eyebrow. "Now that I'd love to see. What book was it?"

"I think it was Brave New World," Tatsuo said.

Monika's eyed widened in excitement. "Now I really want to see that. That's one of my favorite books."

"I'll ask her if she still has the video file tomorrow," Minako said.

Monika smiled happily. "I look forward to it."

"Speaking of the festival, do you know what the other clubs are gonna be doing?" Minako asked.

"I know that the Art Club is gonna be showing off some of their art," I said.

"I'm pretty sure the debate club is gonna be doing what they always do," Monika said. "They act out a mock debate."

I swallowed the last of my dinner. "I'm not sure what everyone else is gonna be doing," I said. "There's probably gonna be some of the standard stuff. A haunted house is definitely gonna be there, same with a maid café, I'm sure."

Minako chuckled. "We did the standard stuff in my school days."

Tatsuo chuckled. "Our club did something similar to the Art Club one year. We displayed our best calligraphy to the club and even had some small lessons and let people try to write their own."

Monika chuckled. "I wonder if our school still has a Calligraphy club."

"They did when Aiko went there," Minako said as she finished her own dinner. Looking at the clock on the wall, she winced. "It's getting late for us. We leave early tomorrow and we should get some sleep."

"We're sorry for being so abrupt," Tatsuo said.

"No, it's okay," Monika said. "I understand. I should probably be sleeping myself. It's been quite a busy day and I'm pretty tired."

"I can only imagine," I said, stretching myself. "Thanks for dinner, Mom. It was…unique, to say the least. But delicious as always."

Minako beamed and, walking past, kissed my head. I blushed as Monika giggled. Tatsuo gave me a knowing glance as he began to clean up as well. Monika and I, who had both finished at the same time, cleaned our places as well. After the kitchen was back to the way it normally appeared, Meiji's parents said goodnight and went to bed, leaving myself and Monika alone. We both looked at each other, then headed up to Meiji's room. As soon as we were there, I pulled up Meiji's phone and sent a text to Sayori. Hey, Sayori. Are you free to go to the Space Classroom?

"You want to do it now?" Monika asked, looking at me confused.

"Kind of. I was hoping to just test what you were talking about earlier," I replied. "If she has time, maybe we can continue working on what we were last night."

Before Monika could reply, Sayori texted back. I just finished dinner. I told Mom I'd be watching some TV before bed.

Alright. Why don't we test out what Monika was telling us about? It won't take us too long.

Okay! Just let me know when to test it out!

After grabbing my laptop, which Monika immediately took, I grabbed my new key and walked to the door. I brought the key up to Meiji's door handle. Just before I inserted the key, the door glowed slightly and began reconfiguring itself. Soon it looked like a Sakura Academy classroom door. I opened it slowly, and grinned. "You've been busy."

Monika giggled a bit. "Yeah, I kinda went overboard, didn't I?"

The space classroom had, once again, been completely redecorated. The couch that had been in the corner had been upgraded to a sectional type couch. A hanging lamp had been installed in the ceiling above a small circular table sitting right next to the couch. A candle and a stack of papers lay on the small table. The bookshelf had been replaced by shelves attached to the wall. Next to them were a few paintings of landscapes. Below that there was a long and low dresser. On top were various knick knacks, including a large green M. On the right of the dresser was a large lamp plugged into newly installed power outlets. Near the front of the room was a grand piano with a few large plants to the left. Taking a deep breath, I walked through the threshold.

With the experience I'd gained from the previous evening's experiments, I was able to walk through with barely a shock to my pain receptors. I walked to the left, Meiji to the right. After a few moments to recover, Meiji pulled out his phone and shot off a text to Sayori. On the opposite side of the room the other door slid open and Sayori slowly entered. She started closing the door but I shook my head. "Wait a moment. Let's leave it open. What if your mom calls and you don't answer?"

Sayori paused, considering. Then she nodded and left the door half open and walked back in. She walked immediately up to Meiji, who wrapped her in his arms and held her close, comforting the cheerful young teen. I felt a tug at my shirt sleeve and saw Monika standing close beside me. I looked at her and she was giving me a small smile. I put my hand over hers and then turned to Sayori and Meiji. "So what do we want to focus on tonight?"

"More about how to separate me and you," Meiji said. "Especially before something irreversible happens and we fully merge."

"Huh? Fully merge?" Sayori looked between the two of us nervously.

I nodded and explained to Sayori how anger was a trigger for the two of us to merge. Her eyes widened in horror as I explained. Meiji stood next to her protectively as she clung to him. The moment that Sayori began crying, Meiji pulled her aside and the two had a whispered conversation. Monika and I walked over to the couch and sat down. I leaned my head back and looked out. The view from the window was still the same as before. I saw stars moving as whatever we were in spun slowly. Turning in my seat, I got a better look at the Earth. It was night below us, but I could still see the nighttime lights of the cities all across Japan. I sat back down and leaned my head back again.

Monika, who had taken a seat next to me, leaned against my shoulder. "It's a beautiful view," she said softly, smiling a bit.

"Hmm?" I looked out, watching the stars rotate. As they were unfiltered by an atmosphere, they didn't twinkle. "Yeah…when you forget the massive radiation levels of deep space and the vacuum." When Monika looked up at me with a disapproving look, I relented. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Yes, it is a beautiful view."

The two of us stood there for a few minutes, just watching the Earth and stars rotate just beyond the window. After a while, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking back, I saw Meiji standing there, a blushing smile on his face. "I'm ready."

Looking back at Sayori, I saw an even deeper blush on Sayori's face. Looking back at Meiji, I raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"That's for me to know," he said, his face reddening more. He then noticed the position Monika and I were taking and grinned. "I should be asking you the same question."

Looking down at Monika, I realized we were closer than I remembered her being. Monika blushed and we separated, Monika more reluctantly. "Never mind. We should get to work," I said, quickly pulling out my laptop from its bag and setting it on the table in front of the couch. Monika and Sayori headed over to the desk on the other side of the room and sat down.

In total, the four of us spent at least two hours on the problems before us. We learned more about character files and were surprised to find more had popped up since the last time. Sayonika and Kozue both had one as well, fully editable which Sayori immediately warned us not to do.

Most of the time was spent pouring through tutorials on coding and testing out simple things. At one point, Monika proposed editing some of her own aspects. Sayori was fervently against the idea of changing anything about her friend, but Monika reassured her that it was only a test. "What if I just changed something physical about myself?" she asked. "Say…how flexible I really am? Nothing emotional or mental?"

Sayori frowned and didn't look all that happy about it, but she grudgingly acquiesced. Monika opened her own character file and scrolled down to her physical attributes. I watched as she increased her flexibility percentage by a factor of ten, then saved it. She then stood and sat on the ground, spreading her legs and managing to do the splits. I stood behind her so as not to get a panty shot since she was still wearing a skirt. "Hmm…I was never able to do this before," she said. "Josiah, could you increase the number again?"

"Are you sure, Monika?" Sayori asked, looking worriedly at her.

"Sayori, really, it's fine," she said reassuringly. Turning to me, she nodded. "Go ahead."

With some trepidation, I made the adjustments and saved. Monika waited a few seconds, then she placed her leg behind her head for a few moments before standing back up. "Well…that's enough of that. I would try changing my hair or eye color, but I'm not sure if I want to try that yet."

"No, you're not changing that," Sayori said, putting her hands on her hips. "You don't need to change anything like that about you."

While Sayori and Monika returned to attempting to permanently separate me and Meiji, I began to try and open my own character file. When it prompted for a password, I attempted entering the few passwords I used, then when those failed, I used my birthdate, then my own name and finally even just a generic PASSWORD. Nothing I tried seemed to work, so I decided to try it later.

Finally, from Sayori's door, we heard a female voice calling out, "Sayori, it's time for bed! Turn off the TV and sleep. Aren't you going over to Meiji's house tomorrow again?"

"Sorry Mom, I'll go to bed." She stood. "Sorry about this."

"No, it's fine. See you tomorrow," I said with a smile as I stood and began shutting down my laptop.

Meiji stood with me, then walked over to Sayori, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. I looked away, surprised by how forward he was being. My eyes caught Monika's. She was blushing as well, then very quickly she moved in and kissed my cheek. I reached up and touched where she'd kissed. The part of my cheek where her lips had touched was tingling a bit. I felt my cheeks flush a bit. Just then Meiji rejoined us and noticed the two of us blushing. "Ohoho, what's this? What's going on here?" He grinned.

"Don't start, dude," I said.

"Josiah and Monika, sitting in a tree," he began, before I rolled my eyes.

"You were the one having a full blown makeout session with your new girlfriend," I said with a grin as I put an arm over his shoulder while the three of us walked towards the door to Meiji's room.

Meiji rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, you made your point," he grumbled as we both stepped through the threshold.

"I can only imagine what you'll do when we figure out how to permanently separate," I said moments after recovering from the merging.

Hey!

Monika and I chuckle quietly before I close the door again, causing it to revert to Meiji's own door. Monika then turned to me. "We should…probably get to bed. We've got an early day tomorrow after all, just like today."

"Yeah, you're right. Goodnight, Monika. Night, Meiji."

Night, Meiji said, and just like normal, he was out like a light.

"Goodnight, Josiah." She winked at me before quietly leaving the room and shutting the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I got changed into pajamas again, turned off the lights, and got into bed. I set an alarm this time, then rolled over, closing my eyes, letting sleep take me into her warm embrace.

Ugh, I feel like the writing quality is slipping, so sorry about that. Hope you enjoy.

morbiusgreen