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When I reach the door to the rooftop, I hesitate. Thinking about it, creating a situation in which I'm alone with Yuri could be counterproductive. My hand, reaching for the door's pommel, stops halfway.
...! I shake that idea off. Right now, going back on my tracks would make things worse. I inhale sharply, steel my resolve and open the door.
The moment I step onto the rooftop, an abstract blade pierces through me.
Eh...? What? I touch my chest, confirming the state it is in. Sure enough, there are no signs of blood, much less a knife's blade.
Wha- ! The feeling strikes me once again. One, two, three times. I feel the blade sliding in, entering my body, but it's not there.
"..." Something is wrong. Something is horribly wrong. But what is it? Where is it? What do I have to do to fix it?
Extreme unease, unlike anything I've ever experienced, assails me repeatedly. VGhlIHNjcmlwdCBJIHdyb3RlIC0gdGhlIHN0b3J5IG1hZGUgYnkgbWUgLSBpdCBuZXZlciBzYWlkIGFueXRoaW5nIGFib3V0IHRoaXMhIQ==
"Em..." That's when I hear someone's voice. My muscles force my body into motion, moving at a speed I'm normally unable to travel at. After distancing myself, I look back, frightened.
But there is nothing there; nothing but a girl staring at me with a concerned expression.
"Are you okay?" Yuri, without waiting for an answer, steps onto the rooftop. She reaches me in a couple of paces.
"... Sorry, I spaced out." I try shrugging it off. Due to her shy personality, if I don't invite her to ask about it, she won't.
"... Okay." She looks at me, then makes a small smile. "Where should we sit?"
I haven't come here before, but... "there," I say while pointing at the fences separating us from free fall. I know it's a strange position, and I could definitely have a better idea if I tried, but I wrote this. I want to make everything goes the same way, so I'll imitate the storyline as closely as possible.
After taking a seat, I start the discussion. I ask her about psychological novels, ideologies, and some ideas for books that haven't been written yet. She takes an active part in the conversation, completely forgetting her previous shyness.
She really is charming in a way...
We end up talking for hours. Every time I feel slightly drowsy, I pinch myself, reminding myself I need to stay awake. Every second matters - if I don't want to see her kill herself, I need to create a link to her as soon as possible.
After four hours of talking, we stand back up.
"That was an interesting discussion! I feel like I learned a lot." I couple my words with a smile, making sure to look straight into her eyes. "You really are a great person, Yuri. I feel jealous just thinking about your boyfriend."
"Eh - wha - wha?" Yuri wants to ask a question, but she's too busy stuttering.
"If I didn't know better, I would've definitely tried making a move on you..." I sigh.
"Eeh - uh - um?" If I didn't know better, I'd think Yuri had a speech impediment.
Seeing her behavior tells me this is the moment to land the finishing blow. "Well then, I'll be going. Until next time!" I smile once again, then start heading to the roof's entrance.
In 1... 2... 3... "Um - wait!"
Just as I'm about to open the door, Yuri's voice reaches me. I turn around, trying to look hesitant.
"Is... something wrong?" I look at Yuri quizzically, trying to convey I don't know why she told me to wait.
Her face is red, but I can't tell whether it's due to embarrassment or panic. She casts her eyes downwards and says, "I... I... I don't have a boyfriend..." Her words fade out into the distance, but they're loud enough for me to hear. She looks up at me, waiting for a reaction.
At those words, I simply smile. "That means I'll have one more reason to make 'next time' come as soon as possible!"
Yuri's blush worsens, and she looks away while playing with her hair. Her reaction is identical from the time in the game.
Knowing that staying longer will only affect the impact my words have, I quickly leave. I open the door, then make my way down the stairs.
"..." Once I'm out of Yuri's eye range, I bang my fist against a wall.
"Dang it..." I feel like a bast*rd. Utilizing the inevitability etched to DDLC to toy with her feelings - what kind of person am I? I hate it, I absolutely hate it. I hate myself for lying, and despite knowing there is no other way to settle this situation, I feel like absolute scum. In my world, I never acted that way. I knew first-hand having someone treat me like this was horrible, so why am I replicating their behavior?
While cursing myself, I head back to class.
IzEwMSBIZ3UgSnlnc2x1cyByZ3MgWnBsbWEgQWxv
I return to class two hours before lessons end and sit at my desk. My head falls on the desk's surface. I shut my eyelids, forcing all my thoughts out of my head.
Time passes, but nothing happens.
What is going on? Why do I not feel tired? What is happening? Why is it different? The indescribable feeling makes its way through me once again. An invisible knife pierces my heart, leaving an invisible scar.
"..." I stare down at my chest, touching it to confirm the visual information. Nothing is there; why would there be? I can't understand what is happening.
"... Hello?" That's when Sayori appears. She peeks at my classroom outside, her eyes scanning over the empty room.
I slap my cheeks, take a deep breath and get up from my seat. Leaving my fantasies for later, I make my way to her side. My smile is reciprocated by hers.
"I'm here~ let's go!" She nods energetically and turns her shoulders to me, inviting me to follow her. I do so without question.
After a few minutes, Sayori stops in her tracks. She turns her eyes to me, looking for something.
"..." Instead of saying anything, she stares at me.
"Is anything wrong? Did you forget to get your bag from the classroom?" I ask her. She shakes her head, then opens a classroom's door.
"We're here~" Sayori walks into the classroom with her usual manner, seemingly free of worries. Her change in behavior makes me feel somewhat hesitant, but I follow her into the classroom.
When I step into the classroom, my vision confirms the presence of three other girls. One of them is sitting, reading a book with a strange title, while the other two are simply rummaging through their backpacks. When the former notices, she says, "welcome to the literature club. It's a pleasure meeting y-"
She doesn't get to finish her sentence. Her face remains frozen for a reason I know far too well.
Just before Sayori can pick up on Yuri's reaction, Natsuki stops looking through her stuff and addresses her. "Seriously? You brought a boy? Way to kill the atmosphere."
Natsuki must love making the best first impressions, I think.
That's when Monika turns to me. It feels sort of strange, knowing in advance what she's going to sa-
IzEgWnBsbWEgQWxv
TnBvamxiIHRuam1mdCBidSBuZiBib2UgdGJ6dCwgImJpLCBZWVlZWVkhIFhpYnUgYiBvamRmIHR2c3FzanRmISBYZm1kcG5mIHVwIHVpZiBkbXZjISI=
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IzUyIFpwemFvIE11ZmhncyBBbG8=
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IzUyIFpwemFvIE11ZmhncyBBbG8=
Monika looks at me, her expression neutral. "Welcome to the club."
...?! Her reaction absurdly throws me off. Her eyes aren't particularly cold, but I can't perceive any type of warmth inside them.
"..." I keep looking at her. I know, for sure, that something is off. Monika wouldn't act like this. After all, this is the first time I'm meeting her.
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w
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IzUxIFpwemFvIFpwbG1hIEFsbw==
And so, the day of the festival has come. I was able to convey how much Sayori meant to me, help Yuri suppress her self-harming impulse and save Natsuki from her father. The time I spent here often made me feel manipulative, but it was well worth; this result is all I could ever hope for.
Right now, I'm getting the club room ready for the literature show with Monika.
" " I feel extremely excited. We made all the preparations we had to, and I can tell it's going to be awesome. That said, while the event will surely be enjoyable, I can't wait to visit the stalls and join in on the festival vibe!
"Haa..." I sigh, letting my body relax. I've finally managed to save them. Now...
I turn to Monika. Until now, I kept my feelings to myself because I had an objective, but now... I'm free. I've already told her my real name, and she said it fit me perfectly. She questioned why I introduced myself with a fake name, to which I answered, 'I thought you weren't the real Monika, and I wanted to make sure you were before I abandoned my original world for this one.'
There have been good and bad times, but now that our problems are settled, maybe I can-
"Hey XXXXXX, can I ask you a question?" Monika interrupts my thoughts.
I smile at her. "Sure, ask away."
"What's the easiest way to make someone realize they're bWF5ZmIgcGcgciBhcGV1IHRoaGk/"
"Mhm... I didn't expect a question like that coming from you."
"Whatever, just answer it. I want to hear your thoughts, as I too have a... theory."
"What I can think of is this: do something that will dHVyZHUgciB4cHYgcGVpbHVtbXBoZyBoZyBhanUgaXVsbWhn and then YWxvIGFoIGVyYnUgYWp1ZSBsdWZydHQgcGEu"
"But what if you d3JnYSBhanVlIGFoIGx1YXJwZyBhanVwbCBldWVobHB1bSB6bGhlIHJ0dCBmb2Z0dW0/"
"That's the problem - I can only think of one solution, and it's not the best of solutions."
"What would that be?"
"Show them a corpse - or bmJsZiBwb2YgcHZ1IHBnIHVpZm4u"
A heavy silence sits between us. I can't read Monika's expression, and for some reason, it's scaring me.
Trying to overwrite what I said, I say, "but who would want someone to bHVldWV4dWw= them that way? Only hate can stem from such a method. In fact,-"
"But what if there was someone who bHVhcnBndXMganVsIGV1ZWhscHVtLCByZ3MgbWp1IHdybSBteXp6dWxwZ3Y/" She walks towards me, knocking over the things we've been setting up until now.
"What if bWp1IHdybSB6aGxmdXMgYWggbHVpdXJhIGFqdSB0aGhpbSBoZHVsIHJncyBoZHVsLCBiZ2h3cGd2IGFqdSBpdWxtaGcgeG8ganVsIG1wc3UgbWpoeXRzIGx1ZXVleHVsIHpobCBqdWwgbXJidSwgeHlhIGp1 doesn't?" She steps on the banner Yuri made while on her way to me.
"What if anVsIGhndG8gamhpdSBqdWwgaGd0byB0cHZqYSB3cm0gbXlmaiByIGV1YWpocz8=" Monika shoves her face into mine. She is far too close for comfort, and what she's saying is starting to scare me.
.
.
.
!
Wait a second, does she mean-
"...Ah. Ahah. Ahahah. AhahahAHAHAH, AHAHahahAHhAHh, AHahahHaHAHAHAHAHhaHAhAhHA!" Monika breaks out into laughter.
"I really don't know why I'm asking you, after all, b2h5IHdwdHQgemhsdnVhIGFqcG0gZmhnZHVsbXJhcGhnIHVkdWwganJpaXVndXMgciBmaHlpdHUgaHogZXBneWF1bSB6bGhlIGdody4=
UHogYWpyYSdtIG1oLA0K
d2hnJ2Egb2h5IHNwdSB6aGwgZXU/Ig0K
/ THIS IS NOT PART OF THE STORY /
Hello my dear readers! I promised to give you hints on how to convert the message, and since this chapter makes it nearly impossible to get what is going on without my doing so, I will. I won't make it a dead giveaway, but if you're good at riddles, you will understand you have to base((2^3)^2), then talk to Ceasar to ask him why my keyboard keys aren't in alphabetical order.
Till next time!