After looking around a for a while, you return to find Monika at the entrance. For your first run, you aren't really interested in the dating aspect, preferring instead to focus on the core story. You're presented with two options: Chat or Gather at Dorm. You pick the latter.
The scene reverts back to your room. Monika asks what you should do. The next three options are the most compelling you've seen so far: Chat, Coding Effects, and Play Emulation. You click chat.
"In the dorm, there are two primary options: Coding Effects and Play Emulation. Coding Effects are my administrative privileges. Basically, I can show off tricks I picked up while I was contemplating what to do. I don't have any now, but as you progress, you'll be able to view more technical abilities I've developed over the last four years. Raise your friendship and romance levels enough and you'll unlock special cutscenes. You can increase your friendship with us through the second option, Play Emulation. This will let you select from a list of three emulated games. The further you progress with each, the more cutscenes you'll unlock. Playing alone will increase overall friendship while playing with one of us will raise romance to a degree. It's especially effective on Natsuki's route for some reason..."
Monika stops to contemplate the reasoning behind this.
"Anyway, we'll chalk it up to mod weirdness. You're probably wondering what the games are. Each one is a classic RPG that came out between the PS1 and PS2 eras. The first is Final Fantasy VII, a legendary work of art if I do say so myself. The second is an obscure title released by Midway before they went out of business: Shadow Hearts. Personally, it's one of my favorite games of all time. I've memorized every treasure location and side quest. The last one is easily the most challenging: Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne. Even I haven't beaten it yet. The only way to unlock all of the bonus content is to beat all three alone and romance every love interest. That's how you unlock the secret route for this mod's true ending."
You nod with an expression of interest. You know exactly why this feature was included.
"...We're really glad you're here, [Insert Your Name]..."
It takes a couple days, but after escaping Midgar in Final Fantasy, you unlock your first bonus cutscene with Monika, Natsuki, Sayori, and Yuri.
"By the way," Monika mentions, "I've been meaning to ask what your favorite holiday is. Based on your IP address, you live in the United States. The holidays differ a bit from those in Japan."
Given the context of the game's dark history, you pick a fairly obvious choice.
"Halloween? That's Yuri's favorite too."
"Exploring the playful aspects of the dark brings a sense of comfort to some," Yuri states, "I'm one of those people. It's like a kinship with death we don't see in daily life."
"Hey, you could use that for a poem!"
"Excellent. A fine idea."
"Speaking of which, we should decide on a book to read for the club. It might be more fun if we do a group project."
"Why not start off with a manga for something easy to digest." Natsuki advises.
"A return to form..." Yuri mutters.
"With the corrupted code gone, Monika can assume the position of president again. We can catch up on everything we missed out on the first time."
"Let's do it!" Sayori encourages.
"I guess we have to now." Monika agrees with a smile.
With that, it's decided. Natsuki departs to purchase the manga volumes. The scene ends, leaving you to return to the main story. You devise a plan to make your playing experience memorable.
