I sat in the back seat of the car, smiling in amusement while I watched the two siblings argue with each other. Somewhere along the trip, Miss Yuna brought up the topic about her brother's relationship status.

" What do you mean you still don't have a girlfriend?! You damn virgin!"

" Shut up! At least I'm not a damn shut in with no chance in finding romance like you!"

" Fuck you! I'm still young, I could still experience a growth spur-"

" Hah! Yeah, keep lying to yourself about your chest and ass. I'm even surprised someone is in to you." Seiji admired the interior of the Toyota 86. Miss Yuna blushed at the accusation about her and Akami-sama's relationship.

" He just gave me this car since he won't need it anymore. Nothing more! Ask Yoku, Akami-sensei was his legal guardian before he left for his trip." Miss Yuna looked at me through the rear view mirror.

" Y-Yeah... Akami-sensei never had the time for a romantic relationship. And I'm pretty sure he chose to be single for life." I said meekly.

" Akami-sensei? Does everyone address him like that?" Seiji asked curiously.

" Yeah, even the other teachers address him like that. Probably because he has this amazing and broad knowledge of different subjects ranging from Mathematics to literature, but he mostly teaches Science." Miss Yuna said proudly, like a mother boasting about her son's achievements.

" Really? He sounds amazing. What else can you tell me about him?" Seiji asked.

" Well... He lives a typical Otaku lifestyle. Staying at home, watching anime, eating junk food, and playing video games. But he can be dependable at times, even if he lives like that, he is still a responsible person." I spoke in a calm voice while I remember the times when Akami-sama was still with us.

" No wonder my sister got along with him so well. He is exactly my sister's type!" Seiji teased. The two of us laughed together, but Miss Yuna is flustered at Seiji's teasing.

" N-No way! That guy is not my type! From what I know, he is a damn lolicon!" Miss Yuna huffs.

" No wonder he likes you. Your size and mannerisms are like that of a child." Seiji teased Miss Yuna once more.

" Geez! Just shut up and drive!" Miss Yuna let out a sigh of frustration.

After that conversation, we shifted our topic towards our hobbies and the likes. I found out that Seiji is an avid biker. Whenever he has free time from his job as a lawyer, he would go on long road trips on his Harley Davidson. I thought that his hobby was extremely cool, but he said that it really isn't as extreme as people imagine it. He said that being a biker doesn't mean he is automatically in some sort of gang, and that doesn't mean he have tattoos all over his body. I wonder why he had to elaborate on that, did he dealt with people that assumed he is that typical biker dude in the past? We continued to talk about his adventures and trips around the country. Hearing his story, I was now sure that Akami-sama made a huge world. In his stories, he told us that he once drove to the easternmost coast of the country to the western coast. It took him around two months just to finish his trip, but he said it was worth it. He met a lot of different people and he said that it was interesting to hear each and every one of their different and unique stories that they carried with them.

That got me thinking, are they really NPC's? These people clearly have their own stories to tell, not like those one dimensional side characters in a game. I fell silent, thinking about this. I was experiencing an ethical dilemma about the people in this world. I know that this reality is just an illusion created by a powerful being meaning that the people here, even me, is just an advanced AI. On the other hand, everyone here can think and act on their own accord, and not by some advanced form of commands and programming. I twiddled my fingers together as I tried my best to make sense of my situation. Suddenly, I felt the car slow down and eventually come into a complete stop. I looked outside to see a tall apartment complex that is three storeys high.

" We're here! Welcome to my place, Yoku!" Miss Yuna beamed brightly, her warm smile reminds me of Sayori's smile.

We quietly entered the building. It's premises is as silent as a cemetery at night. Besides us, the only people in the lobby is a lone security guard at the front and a young lady in her late teens at the front desk. We enter the elevator at the back and Miss Yuna pressed the button to the second floor. The elevator has a simple interior to it. Glass around the upper half and a fuzzy carpet as it's flooring. While we slowly ascended, my phone rang violently in my pocket. I picked it up and asked is it, only to be answered by loud, angry shouting.

" WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! SAYORI IS WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU, YOU DUMMY!" Natsuki roared through the speakers.

" I'm with Miss Yuna at her place. I'll be back in an hour or so." I replied calmly. I could hear the two behind me muffle their laughter.

" Geez! Tell us when you're going somewhere! Anyways, Maido wants to cook curry for us, so we'll go help ourselves to your food." Natsuki said in an irritated tone.

" That's fine. Have you fed the kitten?" I ask Natsuki.

" NyanNyan? Yeah, I fed him earlier. Look, just don't stay out so late. Bye." As soon as Natsuki hangs up, the elevator doors open.

We all walked outside into a hallway. Miss Yuna pulled out her keys and paced slowly down the hall.

" 201... 202... 203... 204! Home sweet home!" Miss Yuna chirped happily.

She opened the door to a cool and dark place. She felt the wall for a light switch and once she found it, immediately flipped the lights on. As light filled the room, I saw a clean and spacious area that is free from clutter. Completely different from what I pictured. The room has a small flat screen TV mounted on the wall and a PS4 below it in a small shelf. In front of it is a small table and sofa in front of it with a small collection of light novels under it. Basically a typical living room. On the far side of the room is a small kitchen area and a circular table with four chairs. This two areas are divided by a counter filled with small kitchen appliances and a few bottles of liquor strewn about. The right side of the room has a sliding glass door that led to a balcony and beside that is a white door that hang ajar.

" Wow! I thought this place is a dump! Anyways, can I sleep in your room for a se-... I stand corrected." Seiji stared inside Miss Yuna's bedroom. His expression screams of disappointment.

" Why is there manga all over the floor? Along with a few empty bottles and cans of beer in your room?" Seiji asked in a stern tone.

" Ehehe... Last night was a Sunday so I spent my night getting hammered and playing video games. Ahaha..." Miss Yuna said with an awkward smile. Seiji lets out a sigh before shaking his head.

" You go cook our dinner while I go clean up your mess. My god, how is your liver not dead?" Seiji mutters out to Miss Yuna as he walks over to the kitchen and rummages through the different drawers and cabinets before pulling out a thrash bag.

" Yoku, go seat on the couch and watch some TV if you want." Miss Yuna smiles as she nudges me to the sofa.

I took a sit on the warm sofa and slowly took in my surroundings. The white walls, tidy and neat interior, and minimalistic design of the place sort of relaxed me. But as I settled down in my spot, I heard Miss Yuna cry out in dismay. At this plea for help, I quickly stood up and immediately went to her side to see if I can offer any kind of assistance. When I got there, I saw Miss Yuna's irritated expression as she took a look into the contents of her refrigerator.

" Dang it... It seems I don't have any meat right now..." Miss Yuna lets out a sigh and slumps down on the floor. I took a look inside, and to our luck, found some tofu.

" Umm, Miss Yuna, may I use the tofu for our curry?" I asked nicely.

" The tofu? Hmmmm... should I use it on curry or mapo tofu? Hmmmmmmm... Fine, let's go vegetarian for today." Miss Yuna reluctantly agreed. It seems she didn't want to use this ingredient for curry.

She gets up and pulls out the ingredients for the curry. It seems she is reluctant to allow a guest and a student to do housework, but she had no choice anymore since I already put on a spare apron. We began to work on cooking up a nice, vegetarian curry. Miss Yuna decided that she will handle the preparation of the ingredients and it is my job to cook the curry. I agree to this and we immediately set to work on cooking the dish. Miss Yuna handled the knife pretty well. Her movements were quick and clean, and the onions and garlic were minced incredibly finely. I then sauteed the onions, garlic and ginger while Miss Yuna prepared the tomatoes and curry powder. As I fry the tofu, Miss Yuna smiled and chuckled to herself.

" Hey, Yoku. You do this pretty often, don't you? Cooking for people." Miss Yuna said in a soft tond. I smile and nod in response.

" Yeah... I usually cook with Monika, but for now, I guess you'll do." I said jokingly as I took out the golden-brown tofu from the pan.

" I see... Where is she by the way? I always noticed that you two are always together, but I found you all alone earlier. Did you two have a fight?" Miss Yuna's tone made it seem like she already knew the answer.

" S-Sort of... We just had a misunderstanding in an argument." I said meekly as I begin to work on the curry sauce.

" Ohhhh? You beat a former Debate Club member in an argument? No wonder she's mad, you must've put down her argument too hard." Miss Yuna said in a calm voice.

" I don't think so. But I think she's just jealous I'm spending more time with... friends." I pause for a while. I took a breath and let out a long sigh.

" Eh, girls are like that. Especially if that girl is a possessive and controlling person. Look, you just need to take a seat, and talk to her about it. Let me give you some damn advice, so listen up!" Miss Yuna puts down a glass of coconut milk on the counter before giving me a stern look.

" The trick to making a possessive and overly attached girlfriend to let you talk to others is by showing them that you have no intentions on leaving her for that person. It may sound simple, but the way on achieving this is different from person to person." Miss Yuna said as she started pouring in the ingredients for the curry into the pot.

" Thanks for the advice..." I said meekly as I stirred the curry.

" It's all about trust! Anyways, you should talk to her about it. Clear some things up..." Miss Yuna brings lowers the heat and brought the curry into a simmer.

Miss Yuna is right, I must talk to Monika. I can't let her feel sad or lonely. With this, I pulled out my phone from my pocket and turned towards Miss Yuna.

" Uhmm, may I go outside to the balcony?" I asked politely.

" Sure. Be careful though, I don't want you falling to your death." Miss Yuna chuckled. I let out a brief chuckle as well before walking out into the balcony and closing the door behind me.

I put away my phone and sighed. The cool air blew on my face. Tonight is a frigid night. I could see the brightly lit cities from afar from this view. But, I am not here to admire the feeling of brooding in this balcony, I'm here to talk with someone. I took a deep breath, and let out a long exhale. In my mind, I begin to think of a poem.

Balloon

I have a red balloon.

It's not great,

but it's mine.

It isn't that beautiful,

But it isn't ugly,

It isn't big,

but it's not tiny.

It doesn't have a grand design,

But it's not a plain balloon either.

I love this balloon,

but I let it go and it flew away.

I let out a sigh and stared down into the streets. I didn't know where else to look but down. As I silently contemplated, a torrent of guilt washed over my mind. Maybe I was a little harsh on my words. Maybe I'm not doing the right thing. I don't know. I just want to talk to her about all of this. I just want to be with her right now, I miss her. I just want Monika.

But as I contemplated silently, I heard a a cat cry out in pain and a the honk and swerving of a car from the streets below. I leaned down to see where it came from. But as I did so, a strong gust of wind began to blow. In my surprise, my grip and faltered and my foot slipped. I lost my balance as the wind blew harder. Alas, that was it for me. Since my upper body is leaning out and beyond the wall, I knew that this may happen. The moment I lost my balance, I immediately began to slip. I closed my eyes, and was about to shout profanities into the air as I fall. But, the strong winds that I expected as I fall never came. I opened my eyes to see that my waist is now outside the balcony and my feet hovered just above the balcony's floor. I could feel a tight grasp around the back of my collar. I thought it was either Miss Yuna or Seiji at first, but then, she spoke.

"... Here I thought you'd only fall for me. You meanie." That voice, that beautiful voice. I was yanked back into the balcony with force. As I crashed onto the floor, I looked around to see where is she.

" Hey... Sorry for leaving you earlier. I was just... jealous." That trembling voice belonged only to one person I know. I looked up, tears in my eyes and smiled. That brown hair, piercing green eyes and a big puffy bow at the back of her head. I missed all of it.

" Monika!" I shouted out in joy.