I woke up on my bed once again, frowning as I did so. I didn't really waste my second life, but I felt that I could've played that better. I could feel Monika pressing her body against mine. I don't what to say to her.
" Hey, Monika..." I lightly tap her shoulder.
" Mmmm... Five more minu-"
" I died. I got stabbed by Yuri and I died."
I kept staring at her with a blank look on my face. She kept her head buried in the pillow as I maintained my sight on her. Finally, after a while, she got up and gave me a confused look.
" Eh? Did you have a bad dream, dear?"
" Just... don't sweat the details. Look, that doesn't matter. I finally have a plan on how to prevent Yuri from dying." I said in a soft tone.
" Okay... I have some questions..." Monika said as she yawned.
" How did you die?" Monika sat upright and stretched her arms.
" Well... Um... Don't be mad, but I died for a good reason..."
I began to tell her about the events that occurred in my first respawn. On how I died within the span of a single day. I told her all about my hunch with Yuri's confession and on how it could be the trigger for a death flag. Monika listened intently, her gaze is a mix of both frustration and disappointment. I finished telling her all about my last respawn and I waited for her response. Out of nowhere, a pillow hit my face and Monika began to shake me violently.
" Are you an idiot?! Are you fucking kidding me?! You died just to test if your hunch is correct?! My god, Yoku! That's the most stupid plan I've heard!" Monika continued to shake me in anger.
" I'm sorry! I won't do it again so please stop!" I cried out helplessly.
" Tch. You're a reckless idiot! I could've checked the script for that if you asked me. You didn't have to go ahead and die! Damn it Yoku..." Monika lets go of me and stopped shaking me. She sighs and furrows her brows together.
" I'm sorry. I won't do it again." I whimpered out.
" Just... Just tell me when you're gonna do these kinds of things. It's already quite a shock to wake up and find out the love of your life has already been killed two times by one of your friends." Monika is clearly unnerved at this thought.
" Y-Yeah... got it. Um, hey... could you do me a favor?" I shyly asked Monika.
" Hmm? What is it?"
" Could you come up with a plan on how we could prevent Yuri from confessing to meme while at the same time helping her cope with her self harm issues?" I chuckled nervously while I waited for her response.
" After hearing about your recklessness, I'm obligated to do it. Anyways, let me have a look at your logs to see where we could possibly fail." Monika replied calmly. I handed her the notebook and she began to read quietly. Then, she pulled out the game's script and began to compare the two.
" I see... Hmm... Saving this girl would lead to this... Forcing a confession leads to instant death for the player. Now I get it. Yoku! I know where you went wrong." Monika's frown was replaced by that of a smile.
" You see Yoku, the world might have changed, but the script is still there. What we need to do is to break the script. Like what we did with Sayori and Natsuki." Monika pulled out some more files.
" The best way to do that is by having Yuri take another approach when it comes to her confession and her eventual rejection. Try spending some time with her for the entire week to see if she'll get a grasp of what love is." Monika said before standing up. She picked up her signature white bow from the nightstand and tied her hair into a ponytail.
" Looking at what you did in your last lives, it seems you spent your time avoiding her instead of helping her." She said to me in a soft tone.
" Yeah... I was afraid that she'll kill me. It didn't help that I was right." I shake my head in guilt.
" I don't blame you. If I remember correctly, she told me to go kill myself in the game. Then, I found out that she tortured the two of us in your first life! Sheesh, what a handful." Monika finished tying up her hair.
" You said it. Man, this is so tiringSo, I just do the exact same thing I did in my second life?"
" Yeah. Except for the part where you died. Call Yuri over for breakfast and let's try not get ourselves killed." Monika smiled and pats my head.
After that conversation, we head downstairs to find Maido slumped on the sofa. Once again, it seems the timeline had changed. She was holding the pen Akami-sama gave me and its accompanying letter. I sat down beside her and comforted her. After she poured out her sadness, I told her to go relax for a while. She laid down on the sofa and quietly contemplated about life while I set to work on our breakfast. Monika invited Yuri over, stating that it would be nice to have more people over. While I made breakfast for six people, Monika began brewing our coffee. She kept humming the tune of 'Your Reality' while slowly brewing the coffee. Then, she stops humming.
" Hey, Yoku..."
" Yeah?"
" If... If you die again... Don't be afraid to ask for my help again. I'll do my best to help you, so please don't lose hope." Her voice is quivering whilst her hands tremble, spilling drops of coffee on the counter.
" Ahaha, of course! You're my partner, right? We both want the best ending and as I see it, I can't achieve that without your help." I said before turning off the heat on the stove.
" Yeah... You're right. I'm just worried about you..." Monika turned her back towards me and sets down my cup of coffee on the table.
" Look, Yoku. Take ca-"
SLAM
" Good morning~! That smells delicious! Thanks for the meal! Ehehe!"
" Yo! I'm starving, what's for breakfast?"
Sayori and Natsuki enter the house. They were still wearing their pajamas and their hairs are a bird nest. Natsuki is wearing her pink pajamas with the cute cat design on its top. Sayori on the other hand, is wearing a white T-shirt two sizes bigger than her and blue shorts. Her T-shirt has a sun in the center as its design. They took a sit in the dining room and stared at me while I folded up the omelettes to encase the fried rice.
" I heard Yuri is coming over for breakfast. Is there a special occasion?" Natsuki asked while she ogled the steaming ball rice and egg in front of her.
" Not really. I just wanted to have the literature club eat together." I retorted.
" Well, the more the merrier! Let's ea-" Sayori was cut off by a knocking on the door. The door slowly opened and Yuri meekly peeks inside.
" G-Good morning... W-Was I too early?" She said in a timid voice.
" Nope! You're just on time. Come in and have a seat." Monika said invitingly at her, gesturing to the empty seat beside her.
" A-Ah... T-Thank goodness. I thought I was too early. Ahaha!" Yuri chuckled nervously as she sat beside Monika.
" Coffee? Oh wait, oops! Ahaha! I forgot, you prefer tea. Hold on a sec, I'll go and make some for you." Monika stood up and walked over to the counter. She took out the tea set in the cupboard and begin to make Yuri some Oolong tea. Her favorite kind of tea.
" Thank you... Sorry, I don't eat at other people's houses that often." Yuri said shyly. I notice Yuri squirming uncomfortably in her seat.
" Yuri are y-"
Pop
" Ah! My eye!" Natsuki recoils in discomfort. A button on Yuri's came flying off from her blazer and accidentally hits Natsuki.
" I-I'm sorry! A-Are you ok?" Yuri gets uo and takes a look at Natsuki.
" I'm fine! Geez!" Natsuki hisses at Yuri defensively.
" I... I was just seeing if you're fine, there is no need to be so defensive..." Yuri said calmly.
" Don't get mad, Yuri! She's just jealous because you have a big ra-"
" It's probably her posture. If you keep moving around with your blazer tightly buttoned uo, things like this are bound to happen." I abruptly cut off Sayori so that Yuri won't feel even more embarrassed by the situation. Thankfully, Sayori notices this.
" Y-Yeah... Posture..." Yuri is still embarrassed by this.
" In the first place, why did you wear a blazer that doesn't fit you?!" Natsuki asked Yuri while she rubs her eye.
" N-No... I found it surprising too. I think I hit a growth... Ah... You know what I mean!" Yuri gets flustered trying to say her boobs experienced a growth spurt. I won't blame her.
" Tch... I want to have a growth spurt too..." Natsuki mutters out something, but I didn't hear it. Monika places the hot cup of tea in front of Yuri and sits down beside me.
" Anyways, breakfast is ready. Eat it before it gets cold." I said before placing a plate in front of them. Maido finally joins us in the table.
Each omelette has a message written in ketchup. Sayori has a drawing of a sun and under it is the words 'Ohaiyo Sayori!'. This puts a smile and a blush on her face. I drew a tiger on Natsuki's omelette, she had a confused expression. I decorated Monika's omelette with hearts. Her response to this is a giggle. Yuri received an intricate crisscross pattern on her Omurice. I don't know what to place there, but she seems to enjoy the design. Maido... well... asked for tons of sriracha on her omurice. I could feel my tongue burn just by looking at the amount of sriracha on her omurice. We chat cheerfully with each other as we ate. Mornings like this gives me energy to get through the day. Yup, especially on a Monday. Mondays are already horrible as it is, but imagine waking up on a Monday after you died. It sucks.
After we ate, Natsuki, Sayori and Monika had to go freshen up for school. It was still pretty early in the morning so we still have a lot of time. I sat beside Yuri and handed her a book. She was startled at first, but she soon eased up.
" Here, it's a pretty good read." She takes the book and inspected the cover.
" The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft..."
" Yeah, it's actually one of the first horror stories I've read. I enjoyed reading about the lore and hierarchy of the gods, especially the older gods. I think it is right up your alley. If you want, we could read it together later." I said to her in an excited tone. Guess I can't contain my excitement when it comes to Lovecraft.
" R-Really?! Ah! I-I mean, yes. I'd enjoy reading a book of your preference." Yuri blushed at the thought of her excitement and eagerness.
" Ahaha! Great! I hope you'd enjoy Lovecraft's signature cosmic horror." I smile, hoping that I'm not pushing Yuri to trying out something she doesn't like.
" I... I look forward to reading with you later." Yuri said before smiling back at me. It was a different smile, it was a warm smile. Not like the one she wore when she goes over the edge. This one is a smile devoid of malice.
After that rather short conversation, Monika came downstairs wearing her uniform. We got up, and said goodbye to Maido before we headed out. Natsuki and Sayori are waiting outside of their house. With this, we begin to walk towards school. We weren't in a rush so our pace was brisk at most. As the others talked about matters concerning the club, I let my mind wander around. I took in the feeling of the fuzzy, warm sun, the fragrant scent of the different flowers and plants, and the light, cool breeze hitting my skin. They didn't seem to pay much attention to me while I walked quietly than usual.
We reach the school grounds after a while. I notice that things seem to be going exactly the same as my second life. No, it's probably my imagination. I sat down in my classroom and waited for homeroom to start. Then, after the first few classes, my suspicion is confirmed. The timeline is now exactly the same as my second life. I let out a sigh, knowing I would have to deal with Natalie? Natalia? What's her name? Yeah, I have to deal with her again. I let out a brief sigh and I decided I'd just try to get through the day as quickly as possible.
*DDLC: Our Reality*
I pack up my things and headed towards the clubroom. On my way, I readied myself mentally for the shit I have to handle as I pass by the girl's bathroom. However, something is off. Way off. The air is much heavier than usual, and I could feel myself getting goosebumps all over. As I turn the corner, I could hear a faint whimper. I slowly made my way towards the club room. But, as I passed through the girl's bathroom, I saw a drop of blood on the floor. This immediately sent my body on high alert, causing me to shiver and look around my surroundings. I guess I made a lot of noise, cause whoever is in the bathroom heard me. The whimpering and wincing stops, and I heard that all too familiar voice call out to me.
" H-Hello?! I-Is anyone there?!"
I don't know what to do.
I stayed silent in fear.
" Please!"
I need to do something.
" Help... me..."
Bully or not, I need to save her. I drop my bag and head inside the girl's bathroom. I hope I don't get seen by anyone.