Monika waited in Sayori's kitchen anxiously. Above the tabletop, her hands fidgeted, and below it, her feet kicked against the posts of her chair lightly. By this point, her tears had dried up, but her fear remained, and it was now supplemented by a healthy dose of anxiety, too. She felt like a kid in the principal's office, all small and scared and waiting for an adult to come talk to her.

And if she was the kid in this situation, then Sayori, who was currently standing in front of the microwave and waiting for their hot chocolate to heat up, was the adult. Sayori wasn't bouncing around on the balls of her feet, which would have been typical of her. Instead, she remained stock still, her face locked in on the ticking timer in front of her. Gulping with a throat that was starting to feel dry and excessively sore, Monika wondered what her friend thought of her at this very moment.

After what felt like years, the microwave dinged merrily and Sayori extracted a tall glass of hot chocolate. She carried it back to the table and poured it evenly into two identical mugs. Sitting across from Monika, she took a small sip and lowered her cup.

Sayori licked her lips. "It's a little hot," she said with a smile.

Monika, feeling that she owed it to her friend to reciprocate, managed a smile, herself. "You did put it in for a while."

Sayori nodded. "Yup. Usually I fill it with marshmallows, and by the time I'm done, it's cooled off enough to drink."

Monika nodded. Then, she tilted her head curiously. "It cools off that fast? How long do you spend putting marshmallows in it?"

Sayori frowned. A classic, please-don't-bully-the-cinnamon-bun frown. "I don't have to answer that."

Monika hummed thoughtfully. "Well, why didn't you put any in today?"

"We're…out of marshmallows," Sayori said, averting her eyes and taking another sip of her hot chocolate.

Monika smirked. "Meaning that you ate all of them."

Sayori laughed and broke out into a grin. "Stop being so mean! I like marshmallows a lot, okay? They're super sweet and fluffy, and they melt all over your lips whenever you take a sip…"

Monika chuckled. While Sayori continued to expound upon her love for marshmallows, Monika hovered her hand over her mug to test the heat rising up from it. Then, not satisfied, she lowered her finger down to touch the brownish liquid

Hot

and immediately jerked her hand back, hissing audibly.

"Ow!" Monika cried, sucking on her finger.

Sayori started to get up from her chair. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay?"

Monika waited to reply until her finger had cooled down. She removed it from her mouth and wiped it on a nearby napkin with a grimace. "Fine. You put it in for way too long."

Sayori sat back down with a quiet whine. "I always put it in for that long…"

Monika shook her head. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine now."

However, Sayori refused to let up. She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. "But you like it hot."

So this wasn't the first time they'd been through this song and dance in this world. Great. Another unknown variable to blindside her. Well, she'd already learned the consequences of attempting to respond in the face of such uncertainty, so Monika waved her hand dismissively instead. "Forget it, please. I'm fine."

Silence enveloped them, but only for a couple seconds. Just long enough for a single thought – a single connection.

Sayori reached for Monika's mug. "May I?" she asked.

Monika looked down at her lap and shrugged.

Taking that to be a yes, Sayori dipped her index finger into Monika's drink. Her expression didn't change a bit.

"It's no hotter than mine," Sayori said quietly. "Maybe even a little cooler."

Monika remained silent.

Leaning back and sighing, Sayori continued. "Monika…you've been acting like a completely different person these past few days. I don't know what's happened, but whatever it is, it's really starting to get to you. You need help, and I want to help you, but…I can't help if you won't talk to me."

Monika looked into the eyes of her friend. There was nothing hidden there – no ulterior motive to speak of.

"Please," Sayori said. "Tell me what's wrong."

Monika took a deep breath. "I…want…to tell you," she said carefully. "I'm ready to want you to know. But I don't think that I can."

"Everyone has problems that they have to work through, Monika," Sayori said insistently. "I won't think any less of you, I promise. You're my friend."

"It's a little more – that's not it," Monika stammered, folding her arms around herself and letting her head drop. "It's like – I just – "

"Slow it down," Sayori said.

Monika nodded and took a deep breath.

"It's…you just wouldn't believe me if I told you. Hold on," Monika said. Sayori had opened her mouth to speak, but at that last statement, she closed it. "It's not that I don't think you'll trust me to be honest, and it's not that I've been feeling an emotion that I think you'll have trouble understanding. It's…something that's really, actually unbelievable. No matter how good of a friend you think you are to me, you won't believe me if I try to explain it to you."

Monika nodded, almost to herself, her green eyes looking past Sayori's clear, blue ones. "That's it. You want to believe, and it's not that you won't – but that you can't. For you to…t-to…" Letting out an annoyed huff, Monika paused for a moment to recollect herself. "For you to believe me would be for you to deny everything that you think you know about yourself and the world around you. It would only cause you confusion and sadness if I told you why I've been acting so horribly."

Sayori hummed in sympathy. "I wouldn't say horribly…"

Monika grimaced and, pressing as little skin against the liquid as possible, once more used her finger to test her hot chocolate, which was now closer to lukewarm. "I've been pretty bad."

Sayori sighed and looked back up at Monika. "Okay. If you don't want to tell me why, that's fine. But you're still feeling bad, and I still want to help."

Monika sighed. "It isn't your problem."

"Not my – " Sayori huffed and gave Monika a stern, half-joking glare. "You broke into my house at 5 a.m., cried all over my shirt, and are currently drinking a mug of my best hot chocolate! I think I'm pretty involved at this point."

Monika chuckled. "I…suppose you have a point." She took a sip of her hot chocolate. The pleasantly warm aroma wafted up against her face, gently caressing its contours. "It tastes nice," she said.

Sayori gave a small smile. "I told you, it's the good stuff! It's more expensive, but it's so worth it, especially when you need a pick-me-up."

Monika looked at Sayori helplessly. "God, why are you so perfect?"

Sayori blushed. "I'm…not?"

With a sad smile, Monika took a sip out of her mug again. "Yes, you are."

With a light chuckle, Sayori turned away shyly. "Nobody's perfect…"

"Well…I think that you are," Monika replied. Sayori shrugged, and they shared a comfortable silence for a few moments, punctuated only by the sipping of hot chocolate.

"So…like I said, you don't have to tell me everything," Sayori began quietly. "But you're my friend, and I care about you."

Monika sighed and nodded. "I know, I know." She gulped and thought for a moment before continuing. "I want your help."

"Okay," said Sayori, nodding encouragingly. "Then tell me how I can help you."

Monika sighed again, interlaced her fingers, and rested her chin on them. She'd been experiencing so many problems that she hardly knew where to start. She was worried about being trapped in unpredictable situations and of people telling her things that she didn't understand, to start. She was just so

uncertain

helpless all of the time, and she didn't know what to do. There was no way for her to

know

predict how things would happen anymore. So, how…?

She looked down at her hot chocolate. It had cooled down considerably, and she'd drank about half of it. Her mind wandered back to the feeling of extreme heat against her fingertip, and about how she'd pulled back as soon as the pain had registered. She'd had no way of knowing that it would feel so incredibly hot. She couldn't have possibly expected something like that to happen.

It was completely unfair. How could any reasonable person anticipate something so utterly unexpected?

Monika's eyes widened. "Oh."

Sayori tilted her head. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

But the gears were already turning, and they couldn't be stopped. The president of the Literature Club pushed her finger down into her hot chocolate as far as it would go. About a third of her index finger was now submerged, and the tip was pressed against the bottom of the mug firmly. Liquid sloshed and swirled around it in stranger ways by the second.

"Oh," Monika said again. "Oh, my God. I get it now."

Sayori looked concerned again. "What? What is it?"

"N-No, I'm fine," she said in response. A cautious smile was starting to spread across her face. "I just…I think that I finally understand why it's all been so difficult."

"All this time, I've been so worried about 'uncertainty.' Strange places, unfamiliar experiences, and most of all, people whose words I can't predict. I've been putting so much pressure on myself, trying to account for every possibility, but…that was completely insane of me! It's impossible for a single person to account for all of the infinite routes that this reality can take!

"I shouldn't be trying to predict them at all! How could I? Yes, that's it…a real conversation isn't set in stone. The very nature of two people talking to one another is unpredictable. They could end on the same subject that they started on, or somewhere completely different. Preparing for those instances is impossible, but taking it as it comes isn't. I know what I need to do, now…I know what I need to do! I need to learn how to talk to people without anticipating their responses. I need to speak my mind without wondering where it'll take me. I can't worry where talking will lead – I just need to talk. That's it."

Monika pitched forward, out of breath. After a moment, she looked down at Sayori,

Am I standing up?

who looked completely dumbfounded.

That familiar twist of anxiety took hold of her gut, but Monika didn't move. She stared back at her friend, still smiling that fragile smile of hers. She wouldn't let herself think about what Sayori would say. She wouldn't let herself worry. She'd sit here and wait and take it as it comes.

A few more seconds passed. Then, a smile spread itself across Sayori's face, and she began applauding.

"Wooooo! Bravo!" she cheered happily, giggling as she did so. "That was sooo cool! I didn't get all of it, but it sounded super poetic!"

Monika's hands were shaking. She sat back down in her seat and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"But, um, if you don't mind…" Sayori pressed her fingers together and changed her expression into something more serious. "Can you say it again in a way that's a little more understandable? No offense?"

"None taken," Monika said with a chuckle. "What I meant to say, was…can you teach me how to talk to people?"