I enter the bathroom to see if the scene is as bad as I've imagined it. There wasn't as much blood as I thought there was, but there are still blood splattered around. I peeked my head inside one of the stalls. I was met by a bloody and gruesome sight. Natalia is sitting on one of the toilets, her hands covered in gashes.

" What the hell?! What happened?!" I rushed inside the stall to check her injuries. I notice her face was extremely red.

" W-Wha?! G-Get out of here! This is the girl's bath- Argh! It stings!" She screamed out as I touch her wrist.

" Can you just help me get outside?! You know how embarrassing it would be if someone sees us?! Ow! Ow!" I pull her out of the bathroom, taking her blazer that is hanging on one of the doors with me. The moment we got out of the door, she yanks her hand away from me.

" W-Who the hell are you, creep!" She looks at me as if I just did her a great discourtesy. Which is probably true considering I just barged into the girl's bathroom.

" Look, worry about that later. You're in a pretty bad shape right now. Mind if you tell me who did this?" I said as I hand her the blazer. She takes this and looks around cautiously.

" It's... It's..." She froze in horror. Her eyes focused intently on someone behind me.

" A-Ah... Y-Yoku... What happened here?!" Yuri's voice is filled with genuine concern.

" G-Get away from me!!!" Natalia tried to stand and get away from Yuri, but she slipped and fell to the floor.a

" Yuri! D-Did you do this to her?!" I asked angrily as I shielded Natalia from Yuri.

" N-No! That's absurd! Why would I do that?!" Yuri must've felt insulted.

" Look, just go tell Monika what happened. I'll bring her to the infirmary." I place a hand over Natalia's shoulder and lifted her up.

" You shut your mouth and don't say a word about this." I said to Natalia in a frustrated voice as we begin to walk away from Yuri.

There is only an awkward silence as we walk slowly towards the infirmary. She hid her wounds using her blazer. I would get judgemental and strange looks from the people around us from time to time, but only Natalia seems to take notice of this. Her face is now extremely red due to a mix of both embarrassment and anger.

" Don't walk so close to me!" She hissed.

" Tch. This is why I hate being with bitches li- *bump* Oof!" I fell flat on my bottom as we turned a corner. I look up to see Natsuki, who is also rubbing her back due to bumping into me.

" What the?! Yoku?! What the hell are you doing here? And why are you with this... girl here?!" Natsuki glared at Natalia.

" You know this pipsqueak?" She said while she smirked at Natsuki.

" Shut it. Look, just go to the club. I need to bring her to the infirmary." I said before grabbing Natalia by the wrist. But Natsuki quickly stood up and blocked my way.

" I'm coming with you. I don't trust this slut here, she might do something horrible to you." Natsuki insisted. I could tell she was getting on Natalia's nerves.

" Fine. But don't pick a fight with her on the way there. And you too, Natalia. Don't cause a scene with Natsuki here." I said sternly. Their response is an uneasy nod.

We still have to go down a floor before we arrive at the infirmary. Natsuki kept glancing at Natalia. She seemed concerned about the bloodstains on her blazer. After a few more minutes, we saw the door to the infirmary just ahead of us.

" Hey, I have a question before we leave you." I said calmly. She cocked back her head to hear what I've gotta say.

" Would you... still pick on Yuri after this?" I asked timidly. She lets out a sigh and tosses back her hair.

" Tch, how can I pick on her if I just did the same shit she does." Natalia muttered out as she took a look at one of her wrists.

" What did you say?" Natsuki and I asked in shock and unison.

" I slit myself. I dunno why, but I felt the urge to go cut myself earlier. Strange. I never really expected I was a type of person who likes to cut themselves." We stopped in front of the door. Natsuki and I gave each other a concerned look. I decided I'll just bring this up later with her.

" Look, don't think we're friends or anything! You just did me a solid by helping me stop cutting myself! It was scary not being in control of your own body..." She muttered out while twirling a lock oh her hair.

" It was scary seeing your own hands move without your control... Wha? Hey! Where are you going?!" Natalia huffed in anger as I grabbed Natsuki by her waist and ran as fast as I could.

I could hear Natsuki whine and shout angrily. I carried her like a bag as I ran quickly towards the club room. I know of only one person that could make someone do that to themselves. My head is filled with confusion, and Natsuki's shouting didn't help that. Finally, I stop running and put down Natsuki. She then proceeded to kick me on my legs. It didn't hurt, but I could feel her kicks.

" Damn idiot! You're exposing m-me to the entire school! Why would you do that?!" Natsuki pouted and stopped kicking me.

" Sorry! I was in a rush. I wasn't thinking things through. Sorry." I smiled in a nervous manner.

" Hmph! That's not how you carry a lady! Anyways, I wanted to ask you something. H-Have you noticed anything weird going on?" Her irritated expression changed into that of an anxious one.

" I don't know why, but I feel that there is something off with Yuri... I feel like she is going through something..." Natsuki rubs her arm and averts her gaze from me.

" Yeah, I noticed it too. This might be a problem if we don't do something about this." I said calmly.

" So, what you're saying is that you got this?" Natsuki asked timidly.

" Yeah, trust me. I'll figure out what's wrong and I'll go help her if she needs help." I said in a cheerful voice.

" Y-Yeah... You can handle this, so I'm going to let you do your own stuff with her without disturbing you guys..." She sighs and looks at me reluctantly.

" You better go figure out what's happening with Yuri or... or I'll beat you up! Got that?!" Natsuki puffed her cheeks out and glared at me. Man, what a cute tsundere.

" Sure. I'll do my best." I ruffle her hair, causing her to recoil in irritation.

" Stop doing that with my hair! Geez, let's go back to the damn club. Monika is probably getting pissed that you're not there." Natsuki shoves my hand aside and walks away.

I quietly follow her to the club room. We opened the door gently and peeked inside. Sayori was sitting in one corner of the room, happily snacking on a cookie. Amy and Yosuke are reading a light novel near the front of the room. Natsuki dashed inside in a flurry, rummaging through her bag. It seems the cookie Sayori was eating was Natsuki's. As Natsuki scolded Sayori, I looked around the room to find Yuri. I could see that she was reading a book in solitude. She's probably angry at me for my false accusation earlier. I was about to walk over to her when I felt a tug on the back of my blazer. I look at my back only to be met by an emerald green gaze. Monika smiled and cocked her head to the direction of the door. She pulled me hastily outside and closed the door behind us.

" Did you like it?" She asked eagerly.

" Like what?" I asked her.

" What I made that NPC do to herself."

" What?"

" I made that rich girl cut herself." My suspicions were correct. But, I don't know why, but even if I have expected this, I can't help but feel betrayed.

"Before you get mad, let me explain. I figured that if she does the same thing Yuri does to herself, she won't have a reason to go pick on Yuri. Right? Am I wrong?" She smiled proudly.

" But your methods are wrong! I don't want anyone to get hurt! Even if we get the desired results, the methods we used are unethical! Do you get it, Monika?" Monika paused for a moment, my words seemed to have hit a nerve.

" Y-Yeah... I get it. It's just that..." Monika frowned at me.

" This doesn't make sense. She's just an NPC, an imitation of a human. Why do you care so much about her?" She said in an angry tone as she folded her arms together.

" What the fuck, Monika?! Can you hear yourself right now?! How could you say that?!" I couldn't hide my shock. I clenched my fists in anger.

" Yoku, I'm only doing this for your sake! This may be a horrible way of doing it, but at least you won't risk yourself getting killed again." Her calm voice sort off ticked me off.

" No. I refuse to do it like this! This is wrong!" I said sternly.

" Listen to me, Yoku. No matter how real or detailed this world is, it is still a simulation. The only difference is that the amount of information in this world has increased to the point it nearly resembles your reality. The only real people in this world in this world is-"

" ENOUGH!" Monika jumped back in shock. I am shaking in anger after hearing that.

" No, you're wrong. Listen Monika, this might be the solution where success has a higher probability, but I refuse to go down this path if anyone else is gonna get hurt. AI or not, if they can think and feel, they're human and real. And..." I lower my tone a bit. I could see it. Under that calm facade of hers, is frustration and anger. She might look like she is calm right now, but I'm pretty sure she is pissed at my decision.

" ... And I don't want you to go down that path either. Look, I don't regret asking you for help with Yuri, but if you continue doing this, I definitely won't forgive you for this." I grit my teeth in frustration. Scolding the love of your life hurts, but it's for the best.

" I... I... I accept... If this is your decision, I must accept it." Monika finally, but reluctantly, agreed with me.

" But if this is how you want to do things, don't go crying later on if it backfires." Monika's tone had a hint of anger. She took a deep breath and opened the door gently. The calm and smiling expression she usually wore is back.

We enter the room like nothing happened. It seems no one heard us arguing outside, cause everyone is still doing their own thing. I glance over at Monika, she was writing something on a piece of paper. I let out a sigh and walked over to Yuri. She was engrossed in the book I lent her earlier. I cough softly to grab her attention. She glanced up and upon seeing me, tensed up.

" Mind if I read that with you?" I asked timidly.

" Ah! Of c-course! Here! Sit beside me." Her face is flushed red. I sat down and laid my back against the wall. I took a look at what chapter she is.

" Wow! You're pretty far, you're in the third part of the story. That's amazing." I remarked in genuine amazement. It would take hours for me to read that far.

" Oh, I-I've been reading in my free time." Yuri smiled proudly.

" As expected of Yuri. Anyways, did you enjoy it?" I asked curiously.

" Y-Yes! It's bears a lot of similarities with The Portrait of Markov. I enjoy the cultist elements and the mystery elements of the plot." Yuri said proudly.

" Glad to hear that! It's nice to see someone enjoying the sub genre of horror that I enjoy the most." I chuckle to myself.

She places the book on our laps so that we could both read the book in ease. We quietly read the book, but we would occasionally engage in an intellectual discussion about it. We were both stuck in our own little world as we read The Call of Cthulu. We are already at the art where Thurston reads the manuscript written by Johansen about their encounter with R'lyeh and Cthulhu. I glanced at Yuri, seeing that she had a focused and hooked expression in her face. Her eyebrows are furrowed, her eyes focused solely on the text in front of her, her long, silky violet hair dangling by the side of her face. I was mesmerized by this, I never noticed how beautiful Yuri is when she is so focused. Yuri finally notices that I was staring at her, and she began to feel uneasy and self-conscious.

" I-Is there s-something on my face?" I quickly avert my gaze. I could feel my cheeks turn red.

" N-No... I was just spacing out! Ahaha! Sorry!" I rub the back of my head nervously. Yuri lets out a smile and shuts the book close.

" It seems reading has tired you out. Umm... perhaps you would like some tea before continuing?" Yuri's offer seems nice. Her gentle and inviting voice made it hard for me to refuse.

" Sure. I'll go help you make tea." We stand up and stretch our hands a little. We walked over to the closet and we took out Yuri's tea set.

Thankfully, Amy brought a thermos with hot water in it. I didn't have to worry about Yuri going outside and cutting herself. We settled for black tea, a delicious tea that helps soothes the nerves. While we brew our tea, I decided to ask Yuri about her habit of cutting herself.

" Hey, Yuri, if you don't mind me asking, does it hurt?" I ask softly while I carefully poured the hot water over the tea bag.

" Hmm? Pardon?" She asked nervously.

" When you... cut yourself. Like, does it feel good or does it hurt?" Yuri stops stirring her tea and pauses for a moment. She was mortified, all color drained from her face upon hearing my question.

" Y-You don't have to answer. Sorry, that was extremely rude of me." I could feel tension between us. I was about to change the subject, but Yuri shook her head.

" N-No... It's okay. When it comes to this subject regarding me, I trust that you are capable of keeping this confidential." Yuri smiled as she stirred her cup of tea.

" That's what friends do, right? They exchange information regarding their lives in order to bond and connect with each other." Yuri said in a calm and collected voice.

We sat down in our spot and settled down. Yuri began to tell her backstory while we drank tea. Even though I already know about her gruesome past, I acted as if it was my first time hearing it. She told her story about how she was adopted and how she was once part of a cult, though she did cut out the part where her name is not really Yuri. She explained that the pain of cutting herself came from the fact that she doesn't really know a lot on how to deal with feelings. She told me that, back when she was still a young girl in the cult, whenever she showed any emotions, the cultists would interpret that as sinful behavior and would punish her for it. I could see tears forming in her eyes as she recalled this traumatic events.

" S-Sorry... I'm such a weirdo, right? Not only do I deal with my feelings through self harm, but I have no idea about what I should do about my feelings." Yuri chuckled pitifully.

" Man, you really hate yourself, huh?" I lean back on the wall and looked at the ceiling.

" Y-Yeah... I must admit, I spend a majority of my time alone in my room in self-loathing. Ah... Ahaha..." She laughed nervously and in a self-deprecating manner before she hugged her legs and buried her face in her knees.

" I see... You cut yourself due to your hatred and frustration towards your inability to express your emotions and feelings in a positive and normal manner." I remarked in a calm voice. After a short pause, I heard Yuri giggle, then she began to laugh softly.

" Ahaha! If you say it like that... Ahaha... You sound like a psychiatrist! Ahaha!" Yuri continued laughing quietly, careful as to not alarm anyone else in the room.

" Heh, I guess you're right..." I glanced at Yuri's cheerful face. Her beautiful smile shone brightly with happiness. That smile... That smile that gave me hope...

I want to protect and treasure that smile...

And I may have found a way to do it.

" Hey, Yuri..."

" Y-Yes?"

I took a gulp and steeled myself.

" Are you free after school tomorrow?" I asked timidly.

" Yes, why?" She asked curiously.

" Well, I was thinking... If you're gonna spend your time either reading horror books or in your room self-loathing, why not help me buy groceries tomorrow?" I asked in an inviting manner.

There was a moment of silence between us. A loooong moment. A part of me screamed inside my head to book it out of here, while the other wanted to see how this will turn out. Yuri isn't doing well either. Her face is as red as a tomato, and she kept squirming uncomfortably. She kept staring at the ground while she tried to process my question. Finally, she recovered from her shock.

" S-Sure! I-It would b-be a nice opportunity to stock up on art supplies. Y-Yes... A f-friendly and not r-r-romantic bonding time with a friend..." Yuri stuttered out while she shakes nervously. I can't help but laugh at this.

" Ahaha! Great! I'll meet you at the school gates after club, okay?" I said as I stand up and gulp down the remains of my now warm cup of tea. Yuri nods before standing up and stretching her arms.

As soon as we finished talking, Monika clasps her hands together and smiles. She told us that it is getting pretty late and that we should head home. We all packed up our things, put away our belongings back in the closet neatly and said our goodbyes to each other before heading home. As our group parted from the others, I took one last glance at Yuri. She seemed happier and less psychotic as she walked away.

As we walk home, I took notice that the air between Monika and I seemed colder. I can feel a slight tension between us, an extremely uneasy tension. Natsuki and Sayori are too preoccupied with their discussion regarding what kind of cupcakes Natsuki should bake that they did not notice Monika's unusual silence. Whenever I glance at her, she would look at me and smile, but not this time. Her sight was straight ahead, it was like she was ignoring my presence.

" Hey Monika..."

" What?" She asked with a hint of irritation in her voice. Her loving gaze is now a glare filled with frustration and anger.

" N-Nothing... Sorry..." I looked away from her in fear.

"... I-" She stops what she was about to say. She takes a deep breath.

" I... I hope you have fun grocery shopping tomorrow." She said in a shaky voice before she stops walking. We all stop in our tracks and look at her.

" I'm... I'm going home to my house for tonight. Don't cook dinner for me..." Monika said in a low and soft tone before walking away from us.

" Monika, wait!" I was about to run after her, but she looked back at me. I could see that there is tears in her eyes.

" Please... I just want to be alone right now." Monika promptly runs away in the direction of her house. I wanted to chase after her, but a part of me told me to leave her be. I felt a stick hit me at the side of my head. I turned around to see Natsuki glaring at me while Sayori gave me a dissapointed look.

" What did you do?! You idiot, what did you do to make her cry?!" Natsuki demanded me to give her an explanation.

" I... I don't know."

" Bullshit! Once we get home, you better tell us what happened!" Natsuki grabbed Sayori by the wrist and angrily walked away from me. Sayori reluctantly followed her as she let out a flurry of words from her mouth about how stupid I am.

As the two went straight home, I decided to take a detour and go through the park to think. I surely hurt Monika with both what I said to her and my actions. But, I couldn't help but feel that she is being a little selfish. How could she think like that?! How could she say that as long as they're an NPC, it's okay if they died?! I sat on one of the benches and let out a sigh if frustration. I look at the time on my phone, it was a quarter to five. I decide that I should stay here until 5:30 pm to cool my head.

" Yo! Yoku! What are you doing here?" That familiar female voice called out to me from the distance. I turned my to the direction of the voice.

" Miss Yuna! What are you doing here?" Man, I'm so glad there's an adult around to talk-

" Oh, you know... drinking. I can't drink and drive so I'll just drink a few cans of beer here before going home." I stand corrected. The woman before me is not an adult, but an irresponsible teenager in the body of a woman in her 30's.

" That sounds so wrong on so many levels."

" You damn right it is! Luckily, my brother is meeting me in this park to pick up his PS4." Miss Yuna smiled as she pulled out a can of Heineken from her coat.

" And where is the PS4?"

" At my house." She took a swig from the can as she smiled smugly.

" Tch, you're an asshole." I said as I lean back on the bench.

" I would've scolded you right here for those words... If it wasn't true. Anyways, want some?" Miss Yuna offered me a cold one.

" No. I'm underage... Eh, fuck it. Give me that." I snag the can of beer from her hands and popped it open.

" That's the spiri-"

" Setsuna! What the hell are you doing with that kid?!" A deep, male voice shouted from behind us. We turned around to see a man in his late 30's, wearing an expensivelooking black suit, running towards us.

" Ah crap. Give that back Yoku, my brother is h- Oww!!!" I recoil in shock as the man pinched Miss Yuna's ear.

" What the fuck, Setsuna?! Why the hell would you give a minor alcohol?!" Miss Yuna's brother grabbed the two beer cans in Miss Yuna's hands and threw them in the nearby trash can.

" Ow! Ow! Owwww! Please stop hurting me, big brother!" The man reluctantly releases his grasp on Miss Yuna's ear. E sighs and looks at me.

" Sorry for the bad first impression. Hello, I'm Attny. Seiji Yuna. I'm the older brother of this goofball here. Who might you be?"

He asked nicely and in a gentlemanly fashion.

" I'm Yoku Shisegi. I'm a student of Miss Yuna." I answered timidly.

" I see... Well, you're probably hungry. Want to come eat with us at Setsuna, oh er, I mean Yuna's place? She makes a killer curry." He asked nicely.

" Oh, um... I-"

" Yoku! Please! Accept his offer! He'll scold me about my house if we're the only one- Ow!" Miss Yuna's brother flicked her on the forehead.

" I... I guess I can go." I said nervously.

" Ahaha! That's the spirit. Don't worry, I'll drive you home. Besides, I heard my sister received a new car as a gift..." Before I knew it, I was getting dragged along by the brother of my teacher, along with my teacher towards her car to eat curry at her house and help them clean up her house.

What the fuck happened? How did I end up here?! I just wanted to contemplate on my life choices alone!