Akami-sama pulled out a small wallet from his pocket. He tossed it towards me and I managed to catch it. It was a brown wallet with a heart key chain. The wallet is pretty heavy, and I can hear the jingling of coins when I shake it.
" I got you into this mess, and it's up to me to help you out of this. Now, if you excuse me, I have stuff to do." He chuckled and waved goodbye to us.
" Geez, he is too nice of a god." I muttered to myself. Monika giggled and we proceeded to head home.
On the way, Monika and I kept talking about how to save everyone. We already have a plan for Sayori and Yuri, but what about Natsuki? Her threat does not come from herself, it comes from an external force, her father. Monika suggested on deleting him as a last resort. I shot her an angry look.
" He may be an asshole Monika, but he is still Natsuki's dad." I exclaimed sternly. Monika shook her head and sighed.
" You're right, it would end up hurting Natsuki more. Anyway, here we are, your house." I looked infront of me and we were standing infront of my house. I walked up to the door and twisted the knob.
I opened the lights inside to provide some brightness to the dark interior. I went upstairs to check on the log book. Thankfully, no one seems to be doing anything harmful to themselves. I let out a sigh of relief and went downstairs. Monika was pacing back and forth in the living room. She kept murmuring incoherent words and phrases. I walked up to her and patted her on the head. She stared at me with a scared look in her eyes.
" It's going to be okay. If we keep our heads together, I'm sure we could come up with a solution to this." I smiled and embraced her to try and reassure her.
" Thanks Yoku, but I can't shake off this feeling of something going wrong. I just have my doubts about this." She embraced me tighter. Her tone was shaky and scared. She clenched her hands as she embraced me.
" Don't worry Monika, everything is gonna be fine. We just need to prevent Sayori from killing herself." I pulled away from our hug. I cupped her cheek, and flashed her a warm smile.
" Now, would you like some coffee?" Monika nods and I pat her head one last time.
" I'll go brew some coffee. Sit here." I kissed her cheek and sat her down on the sofa.
As I brewed the coffee grounds, I looked at the black, liquid gold that oozed from the filter paper. I looked back at Monika, who was watching some documentary about penguins. I smiled and filled two mugs with coffee. I carefully walk towards her. I placed her mug on the coffeetable and sit beside her. She leaned her head on my shoulder and began to purr.
" I wish everyday could be like this." I took a sip from my mug and smiled.
" Yes... I would like that very much. But we need to save everyone for that to come true." Monika groaned and wrap her arm around my free hand.
" Relax Yoku... Let's, think about something else for now." She rubbed my arm. For a moment, I felt my troubles melt away due to her soothing voice and warm smile.
We kept our eyes on the notebook every few minutes. The constant threat of Sayori committing suicide made us restless. Midnight is fast approaching as we continued to binge-watch Re:Zero. At some point, Monika summoned some blankets and chips so we that we can cuddle in it and eat snacks. We finished the Whale Arc when we noticed something in the log book. It was different, because the time and location are just question marks
Time: ??:?? Location: ????
He lays on the floor of his domain, reeling in searing pain and agony. He feels his power drain from his hands. He tries to create some sort of portal but fails. For now, He rests, unable to move nor speak.
We were both baffled by the strange and cryptic log. It was probably Akami-sama, but why is he in pain? We shrugged it off as one of his weird antics. We continued watching Re:Zero, well into the early morning hours. We finished around 2 in the morning, yet we still wanted to watch more. Monika wanted to watch Toradora, I just agree and pressed play on the remote. Monika summoned a bowl of popcorn and some cola in front of us. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.
" I'm gonna get fat because of you, you know?" I pulled her closer to me. She pinched my right cheek and laughed.
" If you get fat, then I'll use you as my pillow then!" She exclaimed before snuggling on my chest. I brushed my fingers trough her brown hair.
" Hey, you always wanted to spend a Friday like this, right?" I whispered to her.
" Yeah... Thank you, Yoku. Another one of my dreams came true because of you." She held my hand and placed it on her cheek.
" You truly are the man of my dreams." She whisper softly. She batted her eyelashes, and leaned closer.
" I love you, Yoku..." She closed her eyes and leaned even closer to my face.
" I love you too Monika..." I kissed her softly. It was still passionate, but it wasn't as steamy or messy as our first. We pulled away after a few moments, but she gave me a look of disappointment, like she wanted more. Amused by this, I kissed her head and stood up.
" Anyway~ I need to stretch my legs a little! The house needs to be cleaned too." I stretched my arms and yawned.
I looked at the clock and saw it was 2:30 am. I groaned and decided to just clean the house later. I slumped back on the sofa and lay the side of my head on Monika's lap. She smiled and giggled at me. She then proceeded to run her fingers trough my hair.
" You want to sleep, Yoku~?" She muses teasingly.
" Uh-huh." I let out a yawn before closing my eyes. I felt her hum the relaxing melody of 'Your Reality' to me. I slowly doze off into a deep and peaceful sleep.
I woke up with my face being gently covered in kisses. Monika held me in her arms and smiled.
" It's time to wake up honey~" She muses as she kissed me on my forehead.
" W-what time is it?" I rubbed my eyes and squinted at her due to the brightness.
" Hmm... around 7:30 am, I think." She lets go of me and I sat up. I look at those beautiful green eyes before I begin the day. I smiled at her before patting her head.
I stretched and yawned before I went to the kitchen. I first brewed some coffee for us. I prepared some eggs and bread to create french toast for the both of us. I took out the bacon to let it thaw in the sink, I missed you old friend. I looked around to see what places needs cleaning. The living roomroom, where Monika was currently sleeping, needs top priority. My room is the second, followed by the kitchen, then the bathroom. I went back to the kitchen and prepared to make french toast.
I beat two eggs in a bowl, along with milk, vanilla and cinnamon. I heated the pan and prepared to dip the bread in the mixture. When the pan finally started to become hot I placed a small amount of butter in it. I dipped the bread in the egg mixture and placed them on the pan. I turned down the heat and waited for each side to be cooked. I repeated this for at least 5 more slices of bread. After making the toasts, I cooked a few slices of my beloved bacon. As I heard the meat sizzle, I felt my mouth water. Once I finished making our breakfast, I gently woke up Monika by tapping her hand.
" Wake up sleepy head. It's time to eat." I said to her with a singsong tone.
" Carry me to the table... I'm too sleepy!" She cried out in an adorable manner before slumping her head on my leg.
" Ok, hold on." I pick her up bridal style and brought her to the dining table. She was surprised by this and immediately held on to my chest.
" I-I was just joking! Oh my gosh Yoku! I might fall, be careful!" She cried out and tightly held on to me. I put her down on a chair and I served her the breakfast I made.
" Maple syrup Monika?" She nods and I passed her the syrup.
" I know how much you like sweets, but please try not to overdo it with the syrup. You might ruin the flavor of it." She nods once again before she pours a small amount of syrup and butter on her toasts.
As we ate our breakfast, we cheerfully talked about the anime we bingewatch last night. She relates my situation with Subaru, like how I kept suffering to try and save them. I laughed it off and told her that this time, I'll finally succeed. She agrees wholeheartedly and proudly stated that she will do her best to support me and make up for her past mistakes. I plan on helping Yuri and Natsuki today, so I told Monika my plan.
" Ok Monika, you will take the logbook with you. You go back to your house as I spend the day with them. Use the comment command to talk to me. If anything goes wrong, try and get hear as quickly as possible." I said this to Monika with a serious tone. Knowing Yuri, she either might be too shy to move, or go full yandere on us.
" I understand, but... about Sayori? How will you deal with her?" She pointed a spoon at me as she asked this.
" I'll... turn her confession down today. I'll also talk to her about it properly. You, on the other hand, do your best to lighten her load a little." Monika smiles and tilts her head a little.
" Of course dear~ I'll do my best to try and help Sayori. I am the club president after all, it's my job." We laugh at her statement before finishing our breakfast.
Before she left, she fixed her bed hair first and tied her puffy, white bow and changed into casual wear. She wore a simple T-shirt and shorts. She pulled out the command prompt and transported her data into the coordinates of her house. She transformed into lines of code and dispersed. After she is gone, I called out to her.
" Monika? Can you hear me?" I awaited her response.
" Yes dear, it seems the command is working." Ah! Good, A result I was glad to hear.
" Excellent, now, report to me anything that happens, okay?" I called out to her once again.
" Of course, Yoku. Now, good luck with Yuri! " I smile and nod. After this, I begin to clean every nook and cranny of ny house.
I diligently mopped the floors, scrubbed the bathroom, dusted the shelves and basically cleaned the entire house. It took me a while to finish, but finally, I'm done. The tiles glistened like jewels after I polished it, the house smelled of fragrant jasmine and every surface was just squeaky clean. I decided to take a bath after this before going to Sayori's house. I filled the bathtub with warm wated and sat in it. I closed my eyes to try and relax myself. Sayori... how do I help you? I can't just lie to Sayori, she already knows that Monika and I are together. I also and absolutely cannot say I love her too, due to the first fact and that I would really hurt Monika. I pondered about my dilemma for a while. If I outright reject Sayori, she dies. If I say I love her, she dies and Monika would lose it. I groaned to myself and looked at the time, 8:30 am. I finished up my bath and went to my room to get a change of clothes. As I finished getting dressed, I texted her that I'm coming over. I immediately went to Sayori's house. I knocked on her door and cheerfully called out to Sayori.
" Sayori~ Wakey wakey sleepy head! We still have so much stuff to do!" I merrily called out. Soon, I heard footsteps going down the flight of stairs. The door unlocked and Sayori peeped out her head.
" Y-Yoku?! W-why are you here? Yuri should be coming over, what are you doing here?" She had such a baffled and confused expression on her face.
" I just wanted to talk with my bestfriend, that's all. May I please enter your house?" I leaned my body towards her a little, like that one Monika pose in the game. I smiled a bit and waited for her response. She paused for a moment, then let out a warm smile.
" Sure! But let's talk in ny room, I have things to do for the festival." I nod and I follow her lead upstairs. I walk into her room to see that she was busy working on her poem. I saw Monika kept messaging her in order to help with her writing. She also kept sending her encouraging and positive messages like "You're doing great!" or "Nice job! I'm so proud!".
I notice that her room is still filled with the stuffed animals from when we are still little. Her room is a mess, just like how the game describes it.
" Ehehe~ If you came over more often, my room would be cleaner." I sighed.
Soon, I was reliving the moments when Sayori told the MC she has depression. This part broke my heart. I have played trough this so many times now, I've basically memorized her lines by heart. She said those things in person, the words that really struck me. I stood there, as she told me all about her depression, how she thinks of herself so lowly, to how worthless she feels, to how the world tortures her, and how this is her punishment. The words she said struck my heart like a knife. I've listened to her pained release of emotion that she have bottled up for so long . I wanted to help her when she said those things back then, but I can't. Now, it's different, I could finally reach and help this troubled girl. I ran up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. I sat her down on the bed and shook her lightly. I opened my mouth to speak, but instead of replaying that exchange between Sayori and the MC like in the game, I said what my heart wanted to say. Instead of following some sort of script, I let the contents of my heart flow out.
" I understand you Sayori! I really do! I already told you, I also suffered from depression so I know how it feels. I am all too familiar of the great pain and sadness it brings. There was even a time in my life where it nearly drove me to killing myself! Even now, I still feel worthless and pained by my faults and shortcomings, yet I fight on. So please, Sayori, as your best friend, let me help you. I don't want you to feel this pain and sadness anymore. It tears my heart apart to see you, my best friend, like this." I embrace Sayori tightly. She struggles at first. But eventually, she cries on my shoulders and hugs me tightly.
" We're not your enemies Sayori, I'm sure if you asked the Literature Club, we would be glad to help you. You're not alone on this Sayori, we're here for you... I'm here for you. I want to help you, I've always have. Ever since I found out that you are suffering from depression, I wanted to help you." I held her tightly, tears were flowing down my eyes as well.
" Sayori... You're not a burden to anyone, especially to me. Not once have I found you a burden or a pain in my ass! I've always enjoyed walking with you to school or from school. I've never thought about you like that, nor has anyone else in the club. Sayori, you are not someone who drags me or anyone else behind, you're someone who helps others reach their goal. I wouldn't have joined the club if it wasn't for you, and you're also my reason to stay in the Literature Club." Sayori gasped at this, then continued to weep even harder.
" Everyone in the Literature Club cares for you. We don't want to lose someone like you, who brings a smile to everyone's faces or helps bring that cheerful atmosphere in the club. We love you Sayori! You're the greatest friend someone could ask for. It would be really painful for me to lose someone like you, Sayori. You're an amazing friend, and I'm honored to be friends with someone like you. Even though you are hurting inside, you have managed to show everyone that cheerful and energetic smile of yours, and that is something worth admiring at. To do that every single day is a testament on how strong you are, and I look up to you because of that. You helped others, cheered on others and tried to make everyone happy, even though you are not." I held her even tighter. Tears are flowing out from me like a river.
" Sayori, let us help you. Don't shut us out, we're here to help. I want to help you Sayori, please... I want to see that energetic and cheerful you again. Depression is something that shouldn't be handled alone, and we're all here to help you. You made us smile Sayori, it's our turn to make you smile. We don't want to lose you, Sayori. We're not willing to let a fellow member wallow in sadness, we want that member to shine the brightest. Sayori, you are the glue that holds this club together. Without you, no one would stop Yuri and Nastsuki's arguments, without you, there won't be an energetic and happy atmosphere in the club. Without you, who would I wake up and walk with to school in the morning and afternoon? I want to see you recover from this like what you did a few days ago, I want to save you Sayori. So please, let me... let me save you." I hugged her for a few more moments before I pulled away. I rubbed away the tears from her blue eyes with my index finger.
" Thank you Yoku, you truly are my greatest friend. But... It won't be that easy. You may have proven to me that I'm not worthless, but my doubts are still there." She wiped away the remaining tears.
" Yoku, I'm sorry... I'm sorry I made you worry. I've been selfish and a burden to you once again." She looked down at the floor in shame.
" It's my job to worry Sayori! I'm your best friend! And you're not being a burden, you're dealing with something and it's our job to help you. You're truly a burden if you don't help us by staying like this forever." A moment of awkward silence fell between us. I sighed and spoke again.
" Sayori, We... no, I... want to help you. I would shelter you under an umbrella when the rain clouds come, and I would raise you on my shoulders when the sun finally shines so you could feel it. So please... let's get trough this together, okay?" Sayori looked up to me and cried once more.
" Thank you, Yoku... I would remember the words you told me, I would remember them in my heart. But still, even if the sun shines once again, there would still be rain clouds. When that happens, please come to me with an umbrella." Sayori went uo to me and embraced me. I pat her head and smiled.
" Of course. We'll make the rain clouds go away together." Sayori and I hugged each other for a few more moments. She pulled back then asked me a question.
" I-If I told you, I-I like you, would you leave me?" She stammered out this words. She anxiously waited for my answer.
" Sayori... no, I won't leave you. I'm a jerk if I do that. I love you, as a bestfriend. Besides, y-"
" 'You and me can never be together.' I know" Sayori finished my sentence. My heart ached at this. I could see that she winced in pain at this.
"I... saw the two of you. I just wanted to see how faithful you are. Ehehe~, Im sure I'll move on someday, and until then, I'll cheer and support the two of you." Sayori clenched her fists and forced a pained smile.
" Sayori, I'm... sorry I didn't tell you" I bowed my head, but I was surprised when Sayori laughed.
" Don't worry about it. I know you, you're not the type to flaunt his relationships. Ehehe~" She rubbed the back of her head and helped me up.
" I feel a bit better now, Yoku. Some of the rainclouds went away but I still have some. It would take some time but at least I see a glimmer of sunlight now." She finally showed me the smile she had a few days ago. That cheerful smile, although a little bit pained. Her blue eyes are no longer empty. Hope, although few, can be seen glimmering in her eyes.
" Now go! I think I see them outside your house!" Sayori forced me out of her room and closed the door behind me. But before I can go down the stairs, I hear Sayori drop to the floor and cry loudly. I want to hug her, but she needs time to heal.
I got out of her house and greeted Natsuki and Yuri, who were surprised. They asked why I was outside and why my shoulder is wet. I told them it's a long story and that we should get inside. I carried their bags inside, and I laid them down on a wall. They were impressed by how clean my house is.
" Im amazed Yoku! It is way different than I imagined it to be. I thought it would look messy due to your status as being a shut-in. But look at this place! It's spotless!" Natsuki has a mischievous grin plastered on her face.
" N-Natsuki! Y-you shouldn't disrespect our host like that! We're in a different household than our own." Natsuki rolled her eyes at Yuri.
" Anyway, have you bought all the ingredients?" Natsuki asked me with folded arms and a raised eyebrow.
" Yup, in the refrigerator." I placed her heavy bag on the table.
" Y-Yoku, where would we be working?" Yuri asked timidly.
" Oh, in my bedroom. I've already prepared the materials there." For a moment, Yuri's eyes widened and she started to get flustered. Then, she calmed down and headed to the bedroom.
I decided to try and avoid any sort of romantic advances and work quickly as I could. I dashed in and out from my bedroom towards the kitchen. In one moment, I am baking cupcakes, the next I'm painting banners. I diligently followed their orders and did my best to help them as best I could. I managed to avoid the awkward scenes which involved me licking their fingers by thinking it trough. When Yuri showed me her knife, I was careful not to prick myself, I was even careful with the paint, as to not proc the towel scene with her. When ne and Natsuki horsed around with the icing, I wiped off the icing on her finger with my napkin. I continued to work quickly in order to avoid more incidents.
In the end, no romantic advances were made, but we finished early. I checked the time to see it was around 1:00 pm. We all sat down in the living room to rest. I asked them if they wanted iced tea, they agreed. I took out the Oolong tea I chilled earlier and served it to them. We started to chat after a while of drinking tea.
" You're amazing Yoku! To think you had such skills in baking! Not just that, we managed to make some pretty decent cupcakes even though you kept multitasking. Good Job!" Natsuki gave me a thumbs up and a smile.
" Yes, and it seems you're skilled in arts and crafts. I applaud you with being able to keep up with two extremely tedious tasks." Yuri sipled on tea as she finished her remark.
" Hehe, well... you guys still don't know a lot about ny hobbies." Before the can press me into telling more, the doorbell rung. I opened the door to see a pizza delivery... god.
" Excuse me, two pepperoni pizzas for mr. Yoku Shisegi." Akami-sama pretended.
" You ordered pizza? When?" Natsuki asked me?
" Sometime ago." I laughed while the two raised an eyebrow at me.