Please read the AN after this chapter.
I gave a content sigh when Eliza left the room.
Though it wasn't all because of her leaving, it was more on the effects of her hugs.
And because of her hugs, I started to smile.
Each time she hugs me, I feel something tingling inside of me.
I never felt this before, ever.
I forced myself to regain focus, knowing full well that there is a dire situation at hand.
Damn it...
Now that Monika knows that I am tampering with the system, I don't have much choice.
I need to call my friend, Ahmed.
He's the one who installed the firmware, so he should know about the non-essentials scripts that I don't know of.
And some scripts that can be helpful now, but I thought that I never needed.
I know he told me that I was going to need them later on, but I never thought something so... dire can happen.
And so, I pulled out my phone and dialed my friend.
It was strange how we first met, as we were gaming buddies back when we were younger, never meeting face-to-face until later.
Though, we only used to text to communicate, we never had the courage to go on a video chat on Skype or the newer Discord.
We were chatting about which colleges we were going to, and he said the same exact college I was going to.
Taking the chance to finally meet, we then met in the computer labs.
Of course it was awkward and all at first, but we later managed to pull through college and it's work.
Ahmed was with me all the way I headed the prototype tech branch.
He helped with the nitty-gritty of the tech, while I handled the more broad areas of the work.
He also has a knack for technology, being a natural wiz at anything related programming.
I envied his prodigy-like status.
When I befriended him after meeting face-to-face, it became more apparent that he saw himself as the stereotypical "Indian tech-support guy", due to his heritage.
He constantly made jokes about that when we worked together, and it never failed to make me laugh.
Mostly because he nails the impression of it very well.
*BEEP* *BEEP*
"This is Microsoft tech support, how can I help you?" He asked with a very exaggerated accent.
I couldn't help but smirk at his very easy-going nature.
"Hey, Ahmed. How's it going?"
Some sort of distraction would calm me down and ease me a little more.
After all, finding out that someone knew my name by hacking and spying, could be very stressful and can be quite tense.
"I'm good, Carl." He responded, dropping the exaggerated accent. "What's up with you?"
I sighed heavily, to which he picked up.
He was my closest friend, of course.
"Carl is there something wrong? Did the Boss eat your ass out again?"
I bit my lips at what I was about to say.
How would he react to when our boss is just a mole for another company?
I know that he and Ahmed were pretty close...
Something I also envied.
"No... I think he ate out all of our 'asses'. The AI's has gone... rogue." I slowly said, each word weighing down on me.
As expected, I sensed that he was confused from what I was saying.
"What? What are you talking about, dude? How did it go rogue?" He asked, bewildered my statement.
I sighed once more.
"I'll get to the part about the AI, later. But about the boss... Ahmed, the boss is working for a rival company. He's a mole for them, and sabotaged this whole... fucking project!"
...
There was silence for the time being.
I knew he was shocked about all this.
He finally spoke and broke the silence.
"Carl, as much I want to believe you, I don't think he would do such a thing! He doesn't seem to be that type of guy! He's an honorable man!" He rejected.
I gripped the side of my phone tightly.
He still trusts him...
I had no idea what I was going to say next.
Each words I thought of had to be carefully thought out, otherwise he won't help me.
"You know about the mole that everyone's been talking about... after we got the prototype rolling?" I asked.
"Yeah... why?"
The command needing administrative control and Project Control...
"You know about the default command for getting a guy out of the simulation, after he fixed the repressed memory? Turns out it needs Project Control."
He never heard of Project Control...
Right.
Damn it!
"So I am guessing it needs a secret extra bit of code to open up? Something I didn't hear about?" He asked somewhat angrily.
I don't blame him...
This was only spoken between me and the Boss.
"Yeah, that sounds about right. Listen Ahmed, Project Control is a secret fail-safe locked deep inside the system and is something top secret. I know you expected to something out of it, but he and I can't risk talking about it. And he has a good reason why."
I heard him give an exasperated sigh.
He's going to mad about this...
Why wouldn't he?
He set up the tech and I put something in there without him knowing about it!
He has every right to be mad.
"Dude, we worked hours for this! Why didn't you tell me about Project Control in the first place?! I trusted you!" He yelled.
"Ahmed, I am sorry that I didn't tell you this, but I couldn't risk the price of leaking any of it! Remember what I said about the mole?"
Somehow that irritated him further.
"You think I'm the mole?!"
I can't let this go on!
I need to end this!
"No, god damn it! I told you it's the boss! And I know for fact that you wouldn't betray us! You are better than that! The reason why I didn't want to leak to you is because I didn't want to risk the fact we can get caught saying it! The Boss had specific orders on telling me not to say anything about it! Look, I am sorry about all this, I just need your help, badly!" I yelled back, letting my prior stress envelop my words.
There was silence from the other end once more.
"Fuck... alright. I'll help, but can you at least tell me how exactly he betrayed us? All of us?"
I took a deep breath.
"Okay... I had several phone calls with him about the current situation. Each of the calls I made started to show a different side of him. He was starting to become more and more... off at the situation. Almost as if he was planning this all along. Hell, he wanted me to bargain with the AI!"
He gave an amused grunt.
"I am still a bit lost on what happened to AI. It went rogue? How? Argh... you know what? Tell me the whole thing." He asked.
"So we had a patient that suffered from blunt trauma, something severe enough to put him in a coma, i.e a car accident. We hooked up into the machine to stabilize his condition. I also got another patient in there too."
"What? Two patients at once?"
"Yeah, I am getting there. The rescuer is now apparently a patient as well, as he is also in a medically induced coma, according to his vitals. But the thing is, as soon as the rescuer was plugged in, the AI started to go on a rampage. It caught me completely off guard, and I wasn't able to cut off the AI from her takeover for control. It locked him in by doing a diagnostic test with a placeholder name, and now the AI isn't letting go of him! The repressed memory is complete and all, but it's the AI that isn't letting me finish this."
I wasn't finished yet, but I needed some time to collect my thoughts.
Ahmed took the time to voice his opinion.
"What about the Boss, man?"
I sighed, readying myself for another wave.
"That, along with needing Project Control for getting them out. I would done that, if the Boss didn't lock it down! Remember, Project Control isn't not even a requirement on extracting them! This was all a set up by him! Not only that, he claiming that he doesn't have access to the Project! I made sure that no matter what, there is access from his office to here! I also told him that there was a way to shutdown the AI via that single relay, but he also claims it not working! So, it's all a load of bullshit!"
He whistled from the mess of information I provided him.
"Jeeesus! I get how that fucker betrayed us, but the AI? Do you know why the AI isn't letting him go? Why is it keeping him captive? But, damn! This is some ransom shit!"
What should I tell him?
Monika loves the rescuer, and she won't let go of her?
All because he is real and everything to her is not?
"I... don't know, actually." I lied. "Probably wants to prove that AI is more superior and that robotic nonsense. Part of it's demands is that it will let go of the original patient, but not the rescuer. If I try anything funny, then she is going to kill both of them."
I really need his support right now.
Telling him that Monika loves him and her true reason to locking it down, will make my point invalidated.
"Hmm, if you ask me, I think there is more going on between the rescuer and AI. Pssh, I think that the AI fell in love with him and is probably having cybersex with him right now. Hahaha! But eh, it's a guess."
I let out a breath of relief from what he said.
"So you in? You gonna help me, Ahmed?"
"Yeah, I just said I was going to help you. I want to prove to that boss fuck that we don't take shit from him or his real company. Alright, so I am going to look for my drive for the scripts you gonna need. I think we are going to go brute force on that bitch. It's gonna take a while for me to find it, but it should work. It should give you full control of the machine, but no Project Control. But there, you can get the control, I think."
"It's worth a shot. I'll be here trying to figure something out."
"Okay. But, before we go..."
Great.
Here it comes.
"I fucking told you so! I told you that we should added those scripts! I knew it would come in handy! Told ya! Told ya! Told ya!" He yelled over the phone.
I cringed at his childish behavior.
"Look, just get the scripts! Call me back when you got them and you sent them over!"
I hanged up and leaned back on my chair.
"Fuck..." I muttered, feeling the stress from before starting to weigh down on me again.
I need another plan.
What about that contact that gave me those messages from before?
Yes...
That should work!
He was the one that gave me a tip on taking down the AI.
If only I reacted sooner...
I pulled up the command prompt and opened the same window from when the contact first interacted with me.
How would this work exactly?
I text him and he texts me back?
Here goes.
I began to type my message.
"Hello? You said that there was a lot of ways to break past the barriers, the AI put up. Do you have some of those ways to give now?"
I pressed enter.
And immediately I received an answer.
"Yes. I do. I do have a way, but it's something that needs to be done. I know of Project Control and it's capabilities, and I need access to it."
My eye shot up from his text.
What the...
How does he know of Project Control?!
As soon as he gave that message, I sent him or her another one.
"How do you know of that? That's completely classified information!"
I began thinking of ways this guy could have gotten access to classified information.
Is he an associate for the Boss, when he defected?
Is he just a hacker that is just interested in our work?
No...
It can't be.
This is all contained in a local connection, besides the connection to the Boss.
But that uses a single relay, so there is no way a hacker can piggy-back it to this computer...
He sent another message.
"I'll tell you soon on how I got the information."
Right after that was an another.
"I know you don't trust me and all. But I need you to. It's the only way this can work."
The feelings the guy was giving was rubbing me the wrong way.
I don't know...
I don't trust him...
Especially now that he knows of Project Control.
But I need his help.
He let me get close enough on the AI, and I was so close!
So if he needs Project Control, then I will give him it.
I reluctantly started to type again.
"Alright, I will try my best to give my control to you. Just give me time."
As soon as I pressed enter, something in me felt relieved.
It was like I was finally getting somewhere right now.
"Thank you. I know you made a mistake, but you are trying to make up for it. That's honorable."
I still couldn't wrap my head on something.
Who's this guy, anyway?
How does he know about this?
My fingers started to type once more.
"Before I start to help you... who are you really?"
There wasn't an immediate answer to my question.
It seemed as if the person was just thinking of one.
"I suppose it is fair that you know who I am."
There was another delay on him making a message.
"My name is Thomas, and I think you know who I am already."
As I walked out of the room with Monika behind me, I saw everyone waiting for us.
They were talking to each other, apparently waiting for us.
But the thing is, they were frozen in place.
Their expressions were stuck, not even moving a muscle.
I turned to her.
"So how are we going to this?" I asked.
She tapped her chin in thought.
"Hmm... I am thinking that you make your choice at night. Besides, we are going to stay for the entire day, right?"
I nodded.
"Yeah... so let me guess. I am going to make my choice over a bonfire, while you take the chance to strike."
She poked my nose.
"Bingo!"
I rubbed my nose from her poke.
"Wait, really? I am gonna make the choice over a bonfire?"
She nodded.
"Yep. It will take a while for me to make the changes, so you are going to have to stall for as long as you can. That way, they won't notice me and their memories being changed!"
I bit my lips on what to do next.
"What about now? Do I just avoid them and focus on hanging out with my friends?"
God...
That still sounds wrong!
I made my choice!
Why am I do I still have feelings for them?!
I know people don't lose interest on someone people loved in matter of hours...
But, this isn't helping my case!
"Yeah, you do. Avoid them and be with your friends."
I frowned at that.
And she then took my concerned thoughts into consideration.
"Val, I know that you still have feelings for them. Do you want me to um..."
She looked away from me.
"Want me to change your memories of them... a bit as well?"
But she quickly regained focused and looked straight into my eyes.
"I mean, you don't have to! I don't want to invade your mind and wipe them off your head, if you don't trust me!"
I gave her quick kiss on the cheek, to which she beamed at me.
"Sugar Booger, I trust you with my life. So I don't mind you going through my mind to wipe them... but it isn't what I want. I will decide later."
I gave sigh and turned to the group.
"But for now... let's deal with this and have some fun, okay?"
She hugged my back.
"Okay, darling! But, you better not hang around those two... or else."
My eyes looked back.
"Or else what? Are you going to torture me? And didn't I just agree on not really interacting with them?" I meekly asked.
She tightened her grip.
"What? No! Why would I hurt you? Of course, I know that! I was going on the lines of you dealing with my insanity after I use my powers! So no sex!"
I shrunk from her petty blackmail.
"Monikaaa, you said no more blackmail! Besides, I plan on avoiding them anyway!"
She rested cheek against my back.
"Yeah, I know. I was joking, silly. But it's fun poking you with all that blackmail. Hehe~!"
I grabbed her arms and gently brushed her off me.
"I don't mind that. If you need to resort to a bit of blackmailing just to keep me in line, go for it. But try not to overdo it, okay?"
She smirked.
"I'll trrrry! If you kiss me!"
I rolled my eyes.
"Blackmail... Sure, besides one more kiss before facing the music is a must. Come here."
She closed her eyes and leaned forward.
And so, I returned the favor.
Our lips met once more, savoring in each other's taste and comfort for the time being.
Instinctively, our hands started reach for something to grip.
For me, it was her child-bearing hips.
For her, it was my love-bitten neck.
I felt her tongue starting play at my lips, wanting to deepen the kiss more.
But I knew better, as I believed procrastinating would make the situation worse.
I pulled away, her tongue sticking out from attempted french-kiss.
"Hey! Why did you pull away?!" She yelled, obviously disappointed.
Her pout was irresistibly cute, where I needed to pet her.
"Monika, you know that if I do some tongue-play, it's definitely going to escalate to some sexual activity, right? I mean, it has happened more than a few times that I could count!" I rationalized, while petting her.
My petting didn't affect her, as she didn't take too kindly to my answer.
Monika pinned me, holding my wrists in place, but still allowing my hand to be on her head.
"I want more!" She cried, trying to keep me in place with her pins.
"Mon... you know what will happen next. I don't want to be tired when we do hang out with them... and doesn't stopping time drain you as well?" I reasoned.
She was silent, not even saying a word or uttering anything.
I smirked at her, knowing that I won.
"Haha... I knew that my honeyed words would work on you. Now, can we get on with-"
With a low growl, she lunged at me, causing me to break free of my restraints and place them in front of me.
From her shifted weight, I fell down onto the floor.
"More!"
Monika quickly attacked my neck, biting onto it.
I gave sharp gasp as she bit.
Saliva leaked down to my neck, it's apparent warmth turned me on.
I gritted my teeth from sensation she was provided.
The fact that she had almost no skin to reveal, her seductive figure and the current situation turned me on.
I heard her purr when she kept her bite, causing my heart to rush with the raging hormones inside me.
One of my hand was on her breast, inadvertently squeezing it slightly.
When I realized this, my body triggered a immediate reaction.
A reaction that I didn't wish for, which squeezed her breast in response.
Instead of moaning, she bit deeper into my neck.
I felt her tongue swiveling and her teeth sinking into my flesh.
There was a rush of pain and euphoria in me, and I was disorientated by both of the feelings.
She took my hand and forced me to grope her, to which I disobeyed.
I still had a bit reason left in me, and so to force her off me, I tickled her.
My tickles were aimed at her armpits, as they were usually the most sensitive spot and can stop a person from performing an action.
And to my surprise, it didn't work.
Monika adapted by trapping my fingers in there, therefore nullifying the threat.
And in return, she stopped biting and resorted licking my afflicted spot.
I felt my breathing starting to intensify, especially now, since I realized that we were making in front of everyone.
In front of Natsuki and Yuri.
Monika then pulled away from me, looking into me with lustful eyes.
She gave a cunning grin when she focused on me.
"I can always generate enough energy to change memories, but for now..."
Her hand pulled mine and placed it on her breast.
Monika gave a small gasp on the touch, causing her to bite her lips and close one eye.
"Let's have some fun."
My mind felt as if it was in the purgatory.
One side wished to continue this session.
Another wished to regain balance and finally end this nightmare.
She has powers!
She can end this!
This is the help that I needed!
A way out!
The one side that cried for lust had nothing decipherable to say.
It was all half-finished thoughts and ramblings that was somehow completely understandable.
And so, I decided for once, listen to my rational side.
I pulled my hand away from her, causing her to look at me with sorrow.
I expected her to be somewhat shocked from my decision, but it became apparent that she knew.
Did she read my mind?
"I knew you would be reluctant on continuing." Monika muttered.
I looked away in a strange sense of shame.
"I am... but how did you know?" I asked, wanting to know if she did read my mind or not.
She pulled up and simply sat at my waist.
The weight of the girl on me was arousing enough.
"Val, if you are thinking that I read your mind, then you got it all wrong. I... used to do that, but I stopped. Because sometimes when was I reading people's thoughts, I found that it was a bit traumatizing... You would expect to be satisfied, knowing that you would be one step ahead of that person. But them thinking that you are strange and an outcast hurts a lot. So I like the idea of being ignorant to what other people actually think, rather than what I assume they are thinking. It doesn't hurt me now, but there is still times that I just want to see what they are truly thinking."
I smiled at her efforts.
"People with lots of power, both magically and realistically, that try to be modest as possible, are people I admire. I am very impressed that you gave up something so powerful, just so you can be 'normal'."
I patted her head again.
"Good girl."
And this time, Monika allowed herself to enjoy the head pats.
"Are you still wondering how I knew about... all that?" She asked, while enjoying the pats.
I shook my head.
"Nope, not really. I kind of figured that my facial expressions said a lot to you. At least, that's what I think."
She gave a happy sigh.
"Now, I think you're reading my mind."
I chuckled at her.
"Anyway, what made you so turned on? Err... besides the fact that we kissed pretty intensely." I questioned, curious about her actions.
She held my hand to stop the patting.
"I'll be honest, Val. I just wanted to have sex, just so I can make my mark on you publicly. I know that they can't hear or see us, but they are in front of us. And that's good enough for me. The thought of them watching us make love in front of them, completely helpless and unaware just makes me feel alive! I can't really explain it, but it feels that if I break the competition, my position as your lover is further solidified! I will make sure that they will never lay a hand on you ever again!"
Okay...
This blared a blood red alarm in my head.
This is getting a bit weird...
And it's the weird signs where it doesn't look normal...
+ Destabilization 10%
I gave a nervous smile from her reason.
My nervous smile made her realize something in the process.
"Oh yeah, your kissing is just something that I can't enough of. Let a girl enjoy that, okay?" Monika added.
She's not acknowledging the fact she went a little creepy...
A bit too creepy.
I pulled my hand down and rested it next to me.
Best that I don't bring it up.
"Um... Jeez, you really wanted to show who's boss, huh? I guess I can respect that." I said, masking the unpleasantness I was feeling.
Monika smiled and stooped down to hug me.
"You're mine, darling! You're mine! Just mine!"
I would have enjoyed the hug in more tame way, if she didn't place her breasts on my face.
I then gave muffled yells into her chest, wanting her attention.
She didn't care, and continued to hug me to her heart's content.
After a few moments, I started relax and allowed myself to enjoy the warmth around my cheeks.
This feels amazing...
Wait a minute...
What did she say?
As soon as I could relish the feeling, she pulled away from me and stood up.
I stood up as well, secretly missing the warmth.
She sighed happily.
"Okay, I am going to continue time. So I need you to leave the bathroom, so I can walk out of our room."
I nodded.
"Got it." I said, walking over to the bathroom, which was conveniently near by.
Just as I was about to open it, Monika called out to me.
"Val!"
I looked to her.
"Yes?"
She looked worried for a second, but that changed once we met eyes.
"Don't forget that I love you." She beamed.
I smiled back.
"Likewise. I love you too."
And so we finally entered our places, and I anxiously waited for Monika to give her signal.
While I waited, I took the chance to rationalize everything that has happened.
I also masked the fact Monika had powers and she could do all that in the first place.
Holy shit!
She has powers!
She has actually powers!
Oh my God!
Um...
Oh my gosh!
It took everything in me to not be freaked out by her powers!
Thank gosh that she didn't check my mind.
The fact that I needed to stay cool in front of her was demanding enough.
She's basically a living Goddess...
Or a living Thanos with the infinity gauntlet.
Monika did say something about requiring a lot of energy to the most toughest of tasks.
I am in relationship with a Goddess!
I must be the luckiest guy in the planet!
...
Besides the fact that I have two other girls gunning for me...
Damn it.
Speaking of those two...
Okay...
Monika's acting a bit creepy all of a sudden.
She did say she wanted assert her dominance over the girls...
But isn't that going a bit overboard?
Especially if she knows that I am hers?
At this point she's just adding salt on the wound...
This isn't necessary!
...
Alright.
If she does anything funny, like that again...
Then I need to call her out on it.
But to a mild sense, can't blow our cover.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.
I should probably put this away someplace.
Can't let my phone fall out of my pocket while I am benching.
I lost count on how many times that has happened.
*BRRR*
I pulled out my phone and checked the text.
Discord?
Who the Hell is texting me over Discord?
"Message from T-Bot."
I opened the message.
This weird bot again?
What the Hell is it anyway?
"My endgame is coming sooner than you think. And the bitch's endgame is as well. She revealed her true self to you. Now, you discussed it with her, and you forced me to play my hand. But don't worry, it will all be over soon. I will wake you up from the indoctrination you have put through, Frank."
...
What?
Endgame?
Is it the same endgame from Tom's poem?
Who is this T-Bot anyway?
The... "bitch's endgame"?
I discussed it with her?
True self?
Monika...
No!
Monika!
T-Bot is targeting Monika?
What will he do?!
I forced his hand and now he is going to wake me up?
Wake me up from what?
Is this all an indoctrination attempt?
No...
+ Destabilization 10 %
That can't be true.
It can't be...
Is this some sort of prank?
If it was, then how would the bot know of Monika's powers?
My thought process was cut off by Monika's text.
"It's time."
"Don't forget to avoid the girls, darling!"
"💖"
I guess I will tell her about it later...
I then locked my phone and put it in my pocket.
That's a new heart emoji...
There was chatter behind the door.
I took a deep breath and turned the knob.
To my right was everyone talking to each other, a far cry from before.
They weren't frozen in place, and they will definitely react if me and Monika have the little scene again...
I meekly walked towards them, feeling a bit nervous from before.
The boys were all wearing simple t-shirts and shorts as their attire for the beach.
Jim carried carried the cooler with one hand, looking at his phone at the other.
Gabe had something in his hands that I couldn't figure, as he was facing away from me.
Tom had his arm around Sayori, apparently enjoying each other's company.
I fucking envy your stable relationship and life Tom...
I really do...
"Hey! It's Val! What took you?" Gabe greeted, revealing that he was holding a watermelon in his hands.
I shot him a glare.
"I was just washing up, thank you very much." I replied, knowing full well what his intentions were.
I then decided to call him out on his watermelon.
"What's that for? Are we going to eat that?" I pointed.
He scoffed at me.
"Hell no! We are going to use this watermel-on, for some games! Or one game, at least."
Now that Natsuki and Yuri were unfrozen, I didn't notice what they were wearing in the first place.
Natsuki was wearing a different brand of bikini from before.
It was slightly less revealing, though it revealed a fair amount of skin.
Her bikini was white, with some pink at the ends of each lingerie.
She was also wrapped by a thin, white, see-through veil.
Not to mention that her twin tails were now untied and now apart of her current hairstyle.
Next up was Sayori.
It was a fairly simple red and white bikini, with the red stripes going down her garment.
Besides the simplistic bikini, her red hair was adorned with a light red rose which helped better show off her hair.
Finally, Yuri was next.
Although there wasn't much being revealed, as she was wearing a light brown sweater to cover herself.
Her hair was neatly made into a bun, which was covered by a sunhat.
Finally, Yuri wore a completely black bikini, which was fastened by laces.
"Is that all you are going to wear, Valkyrie?" Yuri asked, apparently unaware of me checking her out.
To her right was Monika, where she sported a frown and glared at me.
She knows!
I cleared my throat.
"Yeah, I am fine with this. Don't worry." I dismissed.
Natsuki was next to say something until she was cut off by Monika.
"Okay, everyone! It's time that we finally head to the beach!"
Tom spoke up.
"Um... Monika. We're in the beach." He corrected.
She laughed off her mistake.
"Ahaha... you're right. Sorry, let's all head to the place I reserved for us! Let us finally play!"
Monika then led everyone to the exit, to which I followed.
I didn't notice that two girls were waiting for everyone to exit.
They were waiting to strike.
"I'm going to put my phone away, you two. So go on ahead." I said, walking to Monika's room.
That is, when I least expected it, Yuri and Natsuki took my arms hostage.
"Wha-?"
I looked to my sides, Natsuki was on my right, and Yuri was on my left.
They didn't look towards my flustered reaction.
"Now, wait! Hold on-"
Before I continue my cry for help, they growled at me.
I felt their grips tighten around my arms.
"Don't you want to be around me, Valkyrie?" Yuri smiled, showing her pearly whites.
"Or me?" Natsuki interjected, her eyes showing a darker shade of pink.
Their words made me very uncomfortable.
"Uh..." I mumbled, while walking.
Everyone else was ahead, while I was stuck with Natsuki and Yuri.
Monika was leading the group, so she can't look behind to see what was going on.
Monika, if you can read my mind now... this is now the time to!
...
She didn't turn her head.
Well, there is one thing for sure.
Monika isn't lying about mind reading anymore.
We continued to walk towards the place where we were going to settle down at.
I felt Yuri move up to my ear.
Her hot breath tickled the side of my ear.
"Valkyrie... let's continue where we left off, during that evening. Leave the brat where she stands, and I will let myself be yours."
I looked to my right and saw Natsuki still looking ahead, with my arm captive.
She continued to whisper.
"Let's be somewhere else... away from that perfectionist's slimy tongue and bitchy personality. Someplace where I can give you my all." Yuri further said.
The fact that Yuri was talking smack about Monika and her goal to deviate me away from her, was irritating me greatly.
Avoid her.
Just stay away from her.
Monika is right, she is crazy...
With that, I looked towards her and shot a "tread carefully" look.
"Later, for now I just want to relax and take it slow." I dismissed, using my anger to create some force.
Yuri wasn't staggered by use of words.
She continued to grip my arm.
"Very well, my prince." She whispered, looking ahead.
We were almost there, as I saw a volleyball net and relaxation chairs put up.
Natsuki seized the chance and moved up to my ear.
"Hey Val, do you mind going somewhere quiet?" She asked.
I had a good feeling of what this was going to lead up to.
No limits.
And she is going to take advantage of it...
But Natsuki, out of all people?
There's something isn't right about that.
She can't be devious and evil.
That isn't her...
Or is it?
I shot her the same look I gave to Natsuki.
"Not right now, let's go to the spot we were slated for." I dismissed once more.
"Aww... don't be like that, Val! I learned how to give a better blow-"
"Okay, everyone!" Monika called, saving me in the process.
Thank you!
She noticed the two girls on my arms, but forced herself not to say anything.
"We're here! To start the day, we are going to warm up by playing some volleyball! After that, we could go into the water and do anything you guys want! After that, we can have it easy by having some food, and sitting along the campfire! Sounds good?"
We all gave sounds of affirmation of her plan.
"Good! Now, since the net is set up, we can finally have our rematch!"
I took the chance to slip from their grips.
They gave warning murmurs and growls as I slipped past their grips, letting myself enjoy the freedom.
"Yeah... that isn't happening." I stated, walking up closer to the group, leaving them behind.
She gave me a smirk and leaned in, with a competitive flair to her posture.
"Why's that? Too scared? Scared that you know that women are superior to men?"
There were throat clearings behind me.
I turned to see Yuri and Natsuki glaring at me, unhappy that I broke free of their grips.
"Men are just a bunch of wusses, as usual." Natsuki taunted.
"I agree, you backed out during the first match, and now you are backing out in this one? Pathetic." Yuri coldly pointed out.
I winced from Yuri's harsh words.
It was apparent that they were venting their anger on how I was dealing with their chances on having their way with me.
"Hey! We came through anyway!" Jim pointed out, somewhat annoyed with their taunts.
"Yeah, we can beat all of you, and don't forget the fact that we went easy!" Gabe defended as well.
They were all about to butt heads with each other.
So I needed to intervene.
I put my hands up on that, hoping that it would a diplomatic and peaceful way to stop this.
"Woah... alright! Chill out there, girls. We don't want to have a rematch, because we want to work out. It's as simple as that."
I looked at Gabe and Jim.
"Right guys?" I asked, hoping that they would solidify my cause.
They still had a hard glare towards the girls.
But, they reluctantly nodded.
For a glimpse, I saw Sayori and Tom feeling very uncomfortable from the scene.
There was pain in Sayori's eyes, but Tom's comforting presence eased her.
Even if I envy your stability, it is something I want to keep.
They softened at the thought of me working out.
...
"In that?" Natsuki asked, pointing at my shirt. "You're gonna drench that shirt in sweat if you don't take it off."
Yuri looked at me dreamily.
"Ooooh~ a sweaty Val..." She muttered.
I looked away in discomfort.
"I have to agree with Natsuki, there is no way you're gonna workout in that shirt, dar-dummy! And you aren't going anywhere without us!"
That was close...
With a sigh, I shook my head.
"I am not taking my shirt off. I like having it on, and there is nothing you three could do to stop me. And I would rather not have anyone watching us workout. It just distracts us." I confidently said, motion my friends to move towards the gym.
"We're still coming with you, dummy." Monika stated.
I gave them a mocking look.
"Right... I think it's better that you all just stay here with Sayori and Tom. And I am still not taking my shirt off, it's my favorite one as well."
"We're warning you, Val... take off your shirt." Monika requested with a hint of malice.
"Or else..." Natsuki added.
I smirked at them and turned around.
"Or else what, huh?" I smugly asked.
Yuri looked at me with focused eyes.
"Or else we will tear your shirt apart, just so we can see you." She quickly said.
Her words crept me out, but I dismissed them as empty threats.
"Ah, whatever. Let's go boys." I motioned.
As soon as I took another step, Monika yelled a "Get him!".
My arms were taken hostage once more, but under much more hostile circumstances.
Monika jumped in front of me and gripped my shirt.
"Wait! What are you guys even doing?!"
Holy fuck!
I heard the fabric of my shirt rip, as she continued to pull.
With a frightening amount of strength and a guttural roar, she ripped my shirt in half.
I couldn't help but yelp at sight in front of me.
In front of me was a heavily breathing Monika, holding my tattered shirt in her hands, staring at my chest.
Oh my gosh...
I was completely star-struck at what was going on.
In the corner of my eye, both Gabe and Tom were terrified from what just transpired.
Meanwhile, Tom and Sayori were pointing out onto the sea, uninterested about the whole situation.
Damn it, Tom!
But I couldn't blame him.
Both of the girls released me and gazed at my chest.
The amount of eyes on me made me feel self-conscious.
...
"He's sweaty..." Yuri muttered.
I gripped myself to hide me from them.
"Let's just go..." I weakly uttered to Jim and Gabe, hurriedly walking away from the trio.
Before we went anywhere, I heard footsteps trudging into the sand behind me.
I turned around and gave them a death glare.
"Don't you dare come with us." I shrewdly said, sending chills to their bones.
They were frightened by my apparent frigidness, to the point they started to frown.
My weakness for their eyes and tears made me a sucker for them.
Gabe placed the watermelon on a chair, while Jim patted my arm and placed the cooler down on a conveniently placed blanket.
"Good move, I don't feel comfortable with a bunch of girls just watching us work out. Or I guess you working out."
His statement made me feel worse.
Shrugging it off, we made our way towards the beach's gym.
None of us said a word about what happened.
It was best that we didn't mention it.
However, I was going through every meticulous detail inside my head.
They really didn't threaten me with empty threats...
Holy shit.
Monika ripped my shirt off!
Why would she do such a thing in the first place?!
Isn't she the one to protect me from them?
By ripping my shirt off, all it does is hasten the situation...
But, despite me making my choice, I can't help but feel bad.
Should I have just taken off my shirt anyway?
I mean, they aren't going to remember any of it after Monika wipes them.
Might as well give them the happiness they deserve.
Even if they do questionable things around me.
I turned my head to see if they were still there, sulking about my behavior.
Turns out, they were following me anyway, hiding behind objects to make it seem that they weren't in the first place.
I looked ahead and let out relieved sigh, knowing that I have one more chance to make them happy once more.
After a couple of minutes of walking, we make it to the beach's gym.
"We know the drill, let's stretch out before starting our workout." I droned, rolling my arms forth.
They all followed suit, doing their own sets of stretches for what they were going to workout.
While we were stretching we saw someone over at the bench.
There we saw a guy wearing a gas mask, Adidas sweatpants and shoes.
What the fuck?
The man was benching about 200+ pounds, the exact number was unknown as they were dark, metallic plates, making it difficult to determine it.
"Why the fuck is he wearing a gas mask?" Gabe asked, whispering towards us.
"I don't know." Jim replied. "But he means shit, look at him."
Once he was done benching, he immediately jumped up and looked towards us.
We all instinctively looked away from the guy and finished our stretches.
"Hey! You three! You gonna bench or what?!" He called out.
The muffled effect of his gas mask made it difficult to comprehend his words.
We looked towards him and nodded.
He waved us over.
"Alright, if you guys benching then I'll spot y'all! Getti!"
"Who the fuck is this guy?"
"I don't know!"
"Just go along with it!"
I looked towards my friends and mouthed that I would go first.
"What's your weight, comrade?"
Comrade?
"I bench about 235, but I would like to warm up." I requested.
He waved a finger at me, agreeing with my stance.
"Smart man, smart man! You wanna start off light?"
I nodded.
"Yeah, it's been a while since I benched, or when I went to the gym in the first place, heh." I mumbled nervously, still feeling uneasy about how he was helping us.
"What's wrong, fam? Thots getting a hold of your ass? Won't let go and forced you to stay with em?" He asked with a strange sense of understanding.
+ Destabilization 5%
What the fuck?
How does he know that?
I cleared my throat and gripped the bar.
"Yeah, something like that." I curtly said.
I brought the bar over me.
"Bring it over your chest, curve your back, plant your feet, take deep breathes, make sure the bar is one eye level..." He helped, walking around my bench.
Once I had the proper form, I locked out.
With the warm up weight, I felt my muscles activate after a long time.
Gosh... it feels great to do this again.
"One!"
I slowly got the bar close to my chest and pushed up again.
"Two!"
Are they here?
Are they staring at me?
No.
I can't think about this now.
No distractions!
"Three!"
What is up with this guy anyway?
How does he know some of the things that I know of?
"Five!"
Five?
How am I going to stall both Yuri and Natsuki?
It sounded so simple when me and Monika discussed it.
"Seven!"
If Monika can accelerate time, then this would be a lot more easier than expected.
That way, she can finally strike.
"Nine!"
Wipe their memories?
God, why does that sound so... nefarious?
Despicable!
Why are they even behaving so strangely?
"Ten!"
Wait what?
I am done?
"Hey big man! You gonna do more reps? Or you want some plates, first?" The guy asked.
I put the bar up, so he can properly handle it.
"Nah, I am fine. Hey, what's your name anyway?" I replied..
He stroked his respirator in thought.
"My name isn't important, I simply guard the plates from non-lifters. Something that you aren't, obviously. Call me Bisenberg, if you need me."
I nodded.
"What's with the gas mask, anyway?" I asked, feeling more comfortable.
He gave a small chuckle.
"Simple, I believe that non-lifters are just bacteria and poisonous. I want to breathe in fresh air, so no gay soy-boy shit!"
Okay then...
With a deep exhale, I slowly got up and looked at him.
"Wow... I did ten reps?" I asked with disbelief.
He nodded patting my shoulder.
"That you did bruv, good work! Take a small breather and we will continue with the actual set."
With that he walked off and went to my other friends to help them.
"Come on! One more!" I heard him yell through his mask.
What a strange guy.
My eyes searched for the trio, stopping at the entrance, hiding behind the small fence that surrounded the small gym.
There they are...
They had hazy eyes, apparently enjoying the sight of me working out.
Though, I wouldn't mind if Monika was staring at me, but the fact that Natsuki and Yuri was sharing the view irked me.
It felt strange for me to showoff "unintentionally".
They apparently caught on to the fact that I was looking right at them, hiding underneath the stairs leading to the gym.
I rolled my eyes.
Enough with the games!
"Get over here. Now." I mouthed.
They rose up from their hiding spots and reluctantly walked over to me.
Their eyes were riddled with guilt, knowing that they made mistakes.
I let out huge sigh.
"Alright. What part of don't follow us, don't you guys understand?" I asked, calmly.
They looked away, playing with their hands and fingers like children caught in an act.
"I want an answer-"
Monika cut me off.
"We followed you, in case you forget the path to our spot!" She explained, her face red with embarrassment.
I raised an eyebrow.
"So that requires all three of you to remember that?"
They didn't speak again.
That is, until Natsuki mustered the courage to say something.
"Not only that... we care about you. We want you at your best." She mumbled, her face also red.
Yuri was next to add on.
"W-We think that we can encourage you to push your limits, and accomplish your goals. We are here to cheer for you."
I took a deep breath.
"If that's the case, then why are you guys hiding from me?" I pointed out.
Monika apparently planned her answer out.
"Well, you did say we couldn't come with you. So we had to cheer for you in the sidelines." She shrewdly answered.
I felt that they were telepathically praising each other's efforts.
"Alright, fine. I'll take your guy's word for it. But I don't want any of your hurting yourself with the equipment here! So no touching!"
Yuri was feeling the texture of the bar with her index finger.
"Yuri!"
She gave a small scream.
"Ah! Sorry!"
Then she toughened.
"Wait, I wasn't paying attention, so it isn't my fault!"
Glad to see that she is changing.
"Right, maybe so. Anyway, if you do want to cheer for me, sit down here." I requested, to which they happily complied.
I know for a fact that they want to watch me workout.
Whatever, I should get through this as soon as possible.
"Hey, Walter Weight! I'm ready for the actual set!"
He jumped at the opportunity to get me to my set.
"Bet! How much you want-"
He then saw the trio and stooped down to me.
"Those are the thots, right?" He whispered.
How the fuck?
"They look like they are type of girls that would hold you down. Not let you go at all and shit."
I gave him an answer.
"Yeah... they are." I replied.
I wanted to further clarify myself.
They have their own reasons to behave like that...
They want to be with me, by any means necessary.
But at the same time, I don't know anymore...
I went under the bar and positioned myself my eyes under it.
"Okay... I can do this! This is going to be hard, but I'll manage it!" I whispered to myself, hoping it amps up my will.
I grabbed a hold of the bar and placed it over my chest.
Let's do this.
I let the bar hover over my chest.
Wow...
Am I really that rusty?
The bar's weight felt completely foreign to me, to the point where I couldn't recognize the weight of it.
Despite doing it multiple times as a workout, before they halted my advance.
They did stopped me.
I pushed the bar up.
"My mans got it up! One!"
I could do this!
I did this before!
I then pulled the bar down.
Everything about the weight feels completely different!
As if I was doing this for first time again.
Did I awaken from a deep slumber?
"Two!"
They...
They got in the way of my workout.
And what I was doing feels as if I was doing something else.
Something extremely important.
"Three!"
Was I helping someone?
Who was I helping?
The already helped the girls out.
Natsuki with her father.
Yuri with her cutting issue, to which I hope she stopped.
And Monika, so she can be with me.
"Four! Come on, one more! You can do this, Frank boy! You ain't no gay soy-boy! Get it!"
Then who was it?
Gabe, Jimmy?
No...
It can't be them.
Sayori's depression is still a major problem, but I hope that Tom is taking care of it.
Wait... Tom?
Was I helping Tom?
What was I helping him with?
His name has weight on my apparent mission here.
What mission?
What is my mission?
+ Destabilization 10%
"Five!"
I couldn't do anymore, as I felt my arms were about to give out.
I also didn't realize how sweaty I was.
"Hey, I am done."
The spotter then pulled the weight up from me, and placed it on the rack.
I rose up from the bench and took a couple of deep breathes.
I managed do it...
"Frank man, did you know I added 4.5 kgs to your usual limit, right?" He asked.
I looked at him with a confused expression.
"Kgs? You mean pounds?" I corrected.
"Oh right. Man's not from around here, I am still getting used to the place. That's about 10 pounds, I guess."
My eyes shot up.
"Really?"
He gave me a slap on my bareback.
"Hell yeah! Good work, on that shit man!"
I winced from the slap and looked up to him.
"Hey, Guardian man, my name's Val. Valkyrie Jones. It's nice meeting you."
His posture gave away the fact that he was somewhat confused.
"That's weird. I thought you were Frank man. My bad, fam. But I could've sworn you were him."
He motioned me to come closer.
"You see anything weird around here, man? Something out of the ordinary? Ever since I came here, I feel everything feels like an anime or some shit... like it's really fucking sunny right now. Everything around here looks a bit too perfect, like when did a beach have a decent gym out here? You know? This place is really weird, don't you think?"
+ Destabilization 10%
I didn't respond to him.
"Anyway, even if this whole shit was a simulation, I would enjoy it. Nice work today, fam."
He pointed at me.
"Don't forget to stay strong, Frank."
With that, the eccentric man walked away, going past the trio.
"Fuck... being a truck house is hard!" He yelled for no apparent reason.
He stopped and pointed towards the girls, and did a "coo-coo" sign, at the side of his temple.
Afterwards, he whistled a song that I could've sworn I heard before.
+ Destabilization 5%
...
What the fuck?
Everything does seems so weird all of a sudden.
He does have a point...
Why is everything almost scripted?
Perfect even?
Who's Frank?
Why does that name keep coming up so often?
I looked back to the girls.
They were all practically drooling at the sight of me.
"So sweaty..." Yuri muttered, not so quietly.
The other two didn't react to her strange mumble, as they seemingly agreed with her.
I shook my head to refocus.
"Anyway... I guess I am done for the day. Though, I wish I could do some accessory workouts."
They all spoke at the same time.
"Then why don't you do it?"
I raised an eyebrow at their synchronization.
"You girls staring at me is a bit too much for me to handle... even with the 'moral support' you guys are giving me. So yeah, I am done." I proclaimed, standing up and walking right past them.
They scrambled to their feet and hurriedly walked up to me.
"Wait!"
"Let's walk together!"
"Let me hold your sweaty arms!"
Yuri's cry caused me jolt forward, breaking my brisk pace into dead sprint.
I didn't want them to touch me or to be around me.
My sprinting caused them to keep up with me.
"Stop running, hunk!"
"Darling! Don't go!"
"I want your sweat, my sweet prince!"
Their pleas for me to stop only furthered strengthen my resolve to run.
It didn't take long for me to reach Sayori and Tom, to which they were simply sitting down on a blanket, enjoying the sun together.
For fuck's sake!
Why can't I have that stability!
The couple noticed my dilemma and stood up with confused faces.
I hid behind Sayori, hoping her womanly intuition can fend off the three girls.
"Val, what's going on?" Tom asked.
"Yeah... I get the feeling that something is fishy. Kind of smells like it too." Sayori pointed out.
"They're after me...!" I whispered, hoping that they will help.
Sayori took a step forward, causing me to leap behind Tom for support.
"Guys, what is going on here?" Sayori innocently asked.
They frowned at her.
"We simply wanted to walk with Valkyrie." Yuri explained, darting her eyes to her and me.
The other two girls nodded in agreement.
"Then why was he running away from you guys?" Tom pointed out.
I stepped into the fray.
"Well, I ran away, because they were all acting creepy!" I pouted.
They focused one me with subtle glares.
Behind the girls were Gabe and Tom, walking behind them.
Gabe called out to me.
"Hey, Val! What happened! I thought we were gonna do some deadlifts! I brought chalk!"
I should just drop it, this is going take way too long reconcile if I keep going about this.
I waved it dismissively, causing to be puzzled.
"Nothing, don't worry about it." I said, not wanting anyone else to join into the conflict.
Tom turned around and whispered.
"Val, are you okay? Did they do anything to you?" He asked.
I shook my head at him.
"Nah... I am fine. Let's get on with it day." I whispered back.
Gabe tapped Sayori's shoulder.
"Say, you told me bring the watermelon for a reason, right? Are we going to eat it, or we gonna do those watermel-ON activities with it?" He questioned.
Sayori brightened up from the mention of the game, apparently dropping the whole situation.
"Oh yeah! The game we are gonna play with the watermelon is called "Suikawari"! Basically, it's like a pinata game, except with a watermelon. And also, it's laid out and not hung by a string." She explained.
Jim scratched the side of his temple.
"If that's the case, we need something to the watermelon with. Do we have a huge stick or baseball bat or something?"
The word huge stick triggered something the three.
They started to look at me seductive smirks.
Natsuki in particular, licked her lips slowly at me.
To which I looked away with wide open eyes.
I blinked multiple times for the shock of what just happened to go away.
"Does anyone have anything?" Jim repeated.
I cleared my throat.
"Yeah, I have a baseball bat... it's in the van. Let me go get it." I muttered, hurriedly walking away from everyone.
"Only one?" Sayori asked.
I nodded.
"Yeah, sorry. Is this game intended for more people?"
Sayori shrugged.
"It is, but it's okay. I forgot to tell you guys to bring more sticks. I guess we can make do."
With that, I walked away from everyone.
I felt my mind become more and more clouded.
Holy fuck...
They still think I am going to do it with them...
I am not!
I am not their plaything!
I am not going let them use me!
I opened the trunk of the the van, and pulled out the baseball bat.
How did I get here so fast?
I then walked back to the beach.
This day is quickly going to Hell.
I just want Monika to gather enough energy and stop this madness that I created!
I walked back to the where everyone has gathered.
What time is it anyway?
I pulled out my phone and checked the time.
It's almost 3.
Argh!
I can't think straight!
There's this voice that keeps telling me that this is all fake!
How can it be fake, if I lived here for a week?
There's nothing out of the ordinary!
Everything is fine...
Except for the fact that Monika has powers.
Is she distorting reality?
Is this all actually fake?
"Val!" Tom called, causing me to look up.
I forced a smile, despite the whirlwind of thoughts circulating in my head.
"I got the bat..." I managed to mumble.
I brought it out for him to take it, to which he did.
"Nice work."
Tom then looked towards Sayori.
"Okay, bun. Who's going to be first to swing this?"
Sayori stroked her chin in thought and looked up.
"Hmm... I was thinking that I chooooose!"
She pointed at everyone and twirled about.
"Val!"
I shot my eyes up.
"What? No, no. I am not playing. I was thinking of relaxing, since I did some bench-presses. You guys can play without me." I dismissed, walking back to a chair under a large umbrella.
Natsuki let out a disappointed moan.
"Awww! Come on, Val! Don't let me you are scared of watermelons too! Mangoes are perfectly understandable to be scared of, but seriously?" She teased.
I heard some snickers from Tom and Sayori.
My eyes sharpened at her.
"Since when I was scared of mangoes? My muscles are tired as is, and swinging a bat would fatigue me even more. So, I'm good!" I reasoned.
Monika gave an amused noise to my reason.
"Good point, if you're tired, then someone might take advantage of you~!"
Yuri didn't respond to the current situation.
"I just want him to sweat." She simply said.
I heard a "Heads up!" and turned to my right.
My hands caught something weighted, and I flinched as a result.
I opened my eyes to see the baseball bat in my hands.
"Ha! Once you touch the bat, there's no coming back!" Gabe chanted.
I let out a huge sigh.
"Fuck... alright. I'll bite."
As I focused my eyes on the bat, only for me to see black.
"Aack! What the Hell?! What's going on?!"
Yuri was right behind me, darkly chuckling at my confusion.
"Yuri's just placing the blindfold on you, silly." Sayori explained.
She pressed against my back, in an effort to be as close as possible.
There was a very subtle friction on my back, as if she was collecting something.
"I love having your sweat on my boobs, Valkyrie... it makes me smell just like you..."
I immediately tensed up at her words.
What the fuck?!
Once she tied the blindfold, her hands crawled along my chest, rubbing against it.
I took a large step ahead, to break free of her enthralling hold on me.
"So... do I spin three times?" I asked.
Someone else grabbed a hold of me.
Given that their breasts were against my back, I had a good feeling it was either Yuri or Monika on me.
"I won't let that yandere touch you, darling."
I had good idea who it was.
Monika then spun three times, each time my elbow came into contact with her breasts.
Once she was done, I attempted to regain my balance.
I managed to do so, and gripped the bat as if it were a sword.
To be Frank, I gripped it as if it was a light-saber, keeping it close to my side and balanced it.
"Okay, Val! We'll give you hints on where the watermelon is! It's over by chairs, if you can remember it! You have thirty seconds!" Sayori chirped.
Taking my steps lightly and feeling each step having depth, I walked as close I can possibly determine.
"Warmer..." The boys chanted, following me along to help my journey.
I had a feeling I was going the right place.
"Warmer...!" They said.
I heard more people gathering around me as a result.
The sand formation and depth felt as they were stepped by many.
"Hot!" They all yelled, confirming that everyone was watching this moment happen.
Sayori jumped in to say something.
"Val, wait! Make sure to not hit anything too hard!" She hurriedly mentioned.
But it was too late.
My resolve was strong enough, and I trusted myself to strike now.
Despite that there was everyone in front of me.
Driving my legs to bring the bat up, I used the momentum to smash the object in front of me.
*SQUASH*
Without a doubt, I squashed the watermelon with pure luck and grit.
I felt the cold bits and pieces of the melon on me.
I then loosened and pulled the blindfold of me and looked down to the demolished melon and chair.
With a smile, I looked back at to see them splattered by the impact as well.
They were all annoyed and were glaring at me, which deepened my smile.
Although the exceptions were Gabe and Sayori.
To which they were silently giggling over what transpired.
"Told you that I didn't want to play." I smugly claimed.
With a nod, I tossed over to Gabe.
He caught it and swung it over his back.
I then walked over to my seat, seeing everyone wiping the chunks of watermelon off themselves.
I know it was wrong to look over them and not help them clean the mess, but they mostly brought it on themselves.
Well, except Tom, Jim, and Gabe.
Everyone else got me into to this, but the least I can do is help.
With a sigh, I walked over to everyone and did what I can to help.
The most afflicted person was Yuri, as her sunhat and sweater was completely soaked by watermelon juices.
Without a doubt, it was time for a dip in the ocean.
God, I hope they don't practice skinny-dipping.
Though the girls stopped being mad at me for messing with their bikini's, I was still scared to confront them.
Maybe they will let go of it a bit later.
Everyone was off to get ready to dip into the water, except me and Yuri.
I looked at her.
"Yuri, you're going to need to take your sweater, if you're going to take a dip." I mentioned, rinsing a towel full of melon juices out.
She frowned at the thought of doing so.
"I... don't plan on doing so." She curtly stated.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Why not?" I pressed.
She looked away.
"I... I don't think my cuts are fully healed yet. I kept my bandages on, as you said I should, my Prince."
The overwhelming guilt of her cuts and my promises towards her made me sorrowful and regretful.
I forced a smile.
"Don't worry, you can take off the bandages. I'm sure the ointment helped your scars be less noticeable." I assured.
I hope it did.
With a nod, she took off her sweater and hat, allowing her hidden bun and skin to come into light.
She showed me her forearms, which were still bandaged up.
I didn't realize that the bandages were still on from yesterday.
Slowly, I took off the bandages off her arm and revealed that her arms were completely healed.
What in the God damn?
The only person capable of doing this was Monika.
Maybe she is trying atone for her mistakes.
She did know the problems in the first place...
With the bandages in my hands, Yuri looked ecstatic.
"Oh my! My arms! They are completely healed!" She enthusiastically said, gazing at her forearms with wonder.
Yuri looked up to me and hugged me.
"Thank you so much, Valkyrie!"
I didn't know how to react.
Should I hug back?
How will Monika react if I do?
No...
I am a good boyfriend!
I am loyal!
I didn't hug back.
And it felt strange.
She loosened her hug and kissed my cheek.
My eyes shot up, as I was now scared of anyone watching this unfold.
I forced myself to relax and nodded at her, walking away from her.
But it feels wrong to make her feel all happy.
I know she is gonna lose all her memories of me, but I think I am gonna get cold feet.
I then bumped into Natsuki, to which she staggered.
Fortunately, I managed to catch her.
"Val, I know you are big and all, but can you watch you are going?" She said in my arms.
I placed her on her feet.
"My bad. I am bit tired from all the presses I did."
She shined her toothy smile.
"It's fine! But I was meaning to speak to you, and no it isn't about the no limits, thing. It's about my dad."
I brightened up from the mention of her dad.
"Oh, really? How is he holding up?" I enthusiastically asked.
Her smile stayed vibrant.
"He's a lot more happier now. He has a lot more energy than before, and seems to be going outside more often. I just want to say again... thank you."
I formed a small smile, as she continued.
"Thank you for helping him feel better, Val. I think he is starting to let go and move on with his life. He said that he was going to live on for Mama."
I nodded at her and continued my trot to chair.
My walking led to the chair I always wanted to sit down on, under the umbrella and the sunlight.
I watched as everyone start to go into the water, and enjoy themselves.
But there was someone missing from the group.
Monika...
Where did she go?
"Darling, I was looking for you!"
I looked over to see Monika standing over me.
And then I looked away.
"Hey, Mon." I greeted.
In the distance, I saw Tom and Sayori playing with each other in the water.
They splashed water and tackled each other.
"I envy them, Monika." I simply said, watching their every move with solemn eyes.
She didn't get what I saying.
"Who?"
...
"Sayori and Tom. I envy how care-free and happy they are. Unlike me, Tom doesn't have to go through the pain of choosing between three girls, or understanding what they went through, or even knowing how they will feel when you already made a decision!"
Monika sat right next to me, laying her head on my chest.
I watched as Natsuki and Yuri were also playing in the water, forgetting their animosity for the time being.
"I just want both Natsuki and Yuri to be happy, Monika. But they seem to be truly happy when I am around them, like I am some sort of drug or something. And every time I speak to them, I can't help but feel guilty... I feel guilty that I didn't choose them. I messed up, Mon. If I didn't pursue them and kept my distance, then none of this would have happened."
I held her in my arms.
"I don't know anymore. I can't deal with the guilt in me, Mon. It's... it's eating me alive, and I hate myself for 'cheating' on them! I wish that it can all stop!"
...
"Are you breaking up with me?" She weakly asked.
I looked towards her, and she was also focused on the people in the water.
"No." I calmly said. "No, I am not. I was just thinking. And I made my choice on what to do with them."
She finally looked up to me.
"What is it?"
I closed my eyes and calmed myself.
I can't live like this.
I need to let go.
I opened my eyes and looked at her.
"Delete them."
AN: This is the penultimate chapter before the end, or climax in this case. The next chapter will be considerable shorter and takes place at the end of the day. It will be released Saturday, and after that the chapter that include the endings will released Tuesday.
The reason as to why I am ending this fic at Tuesday is because, at August I will be burdened by college work, enlistment, and other miscellaneous things. As much I want to continue the fic, I believe in the saying that all good things must come to an end.
As a result, if you are reading this, then this is your final chance to give ideas on an ending. Guest or not, I don't mind. I am open to any ideas you all may have and will take them into consideration.
So there is a good ending, a bad ending, and a fan ending, to which I see fit.
Also, if I have the time, I would like to rewrite my older chapters and maybe upload this whole fic to another site. But, I guess we will all see.
Anyway, it's onto reviews.
Randomidiot1816, yep I care. People should be more helpful on the internet, rather than being hostile for no apparent reason. I know it is a suggestion, but it is an interesting idea. I appreciate that you left a review.
Guardian, I hope you enjoy this chapter, I made some tweaks here and there. I tried my best on emulating the responses in my head. Thanks for the review.
TitanSolracar, yeah it is! Not to mention it sounds pleasing, you know on the ears sort of way.
I should clarify that sex doesn't activate her powers, rather that it helps negate the side effects of using it. You can see a bit Act III in her some chapters, and she aware of it. Hehe
Oh yeah, Monika isn't lying about that. Indeed the closest scene backs it up, but you gotta remember that she is trying to keep him in her clutches by any means necessary. Frank even states if she is lying about, then what's the point of interacting with them, etc.
Even though, Flithy Frank is done. I still like to make references here and there, after all Vice did a documentary on this dude!
HA! That's a good idea, I'll admit that I laughed a bit when I read that.
Now for your endings are fucking awesome!
For your first one, the thought of Monika saving herself in a remote area, only to return seems to be a start of something really interesting. If I do go along with that ending, the part where two erasing his memories is must do. The part where it leaves at a cliffhanger is good too, which makes it appealing.
Now for your second one seems a lot more reasonable, in your words. This all ordeal can be the start of repressing a memory. Something along the lines that this game is insanely space consuming, let's say 4 petabytes, and it allows for an actual AI to exist. The idea of him slowly remembering everything as he plays and the song triggering some sort of PTSD and then ending on a cliff-hanger is also spot on!
Thanks for suggestion and reviews.
Ryustorm, ehhh I would say she doesn't know or care about what the other party wants, since both of them are hostile to each other. A ceasefire between both of them is nigh impossible, since they both hate each other. Though, the thought of her gaining a body and loving her lover is interesting. The "ORE WA OCHINCHIN-" is a reference to Flithy Frank. Err, don't watch it if you aren't interested. To put it lightly, it's a satirical comedy internet show. Thanks to the information you provided me with the watermelons, I was able to include that scene with a touch of altercations.
Thanks for review.
Now, that wraps the reviews.
Have a nice evening.