" Eh?" Sayori squeaked out.

It has been 15 minutes since Akami-sama gave us that order. Natsuki is currently being pursued by Maido through the vast maze of shelves and books while I'm busy tying up Yuri. Her squirming made this uncomfortable for both of us. I wish she just stayed still like Sayori.

" Mmmmhmmm!" Yuri's muffled moans made my face red. It was a good call to cover her mouth with tape, who knows what kinds of noises she will make.

" Yoku... W-Will it hurt?" Sayori asked. Her worried expression made my heart ache.

" I... I don't know. I hope not." I replied to her with an empathetic smile while tying up Yuri's wrists.

" Mhm!!!" Yuri shook in pain. I let go of the rope in response. I didn't notice the wounds on her wrists.

" Sorry, Yuri... guess I won't tie up your hands too tightly. Is that okay?" I said to her while petting her head. She nodded at me.

I let out a sigh and took a step back. The strawberry-haired girl gave a weak smile at me. I wonder how this girl could still smile while her hands and feet are bound to a chair. Yuri on the other hand, seemed to enjoy this rough treatment. Her face is flushed red, she was also drenched in sweat. I wanted to ask her if she was enjoying this, but I rather not. I furrowed my eyebrows together, trying to make sense of the situation.

" Make sure to tie them up nicely! We don't want them clawing their eyes out in pain." Akami-sama said loudly

" Explain again why we need to 'crash' this simulation?" I asked him with an irritated tone.

" Well, you see—"

" Oof!" We all stopped to look at Maido. She placed Natsuki on a chair and bound her with some rope.

" Let me go! No! I don't like this! Yoku help me!" I can only give Natsuki a sympathetic smile while I turned a blind eye on her pleas.

" Now what?" Maido asked coldly. I could see she didn't like this thing either.

" Yoku... Tell them." Akami-sama's eyes narrowed at me.

I looked over to the girls and gritted my teeth. "What the hell do you mean?! Tell them what exactly?" I asked angrily.

" Tell them... about the nature of this world." He said in a regretful voice.

" Y-Yoku... what does he mean?" Sayori asked me, her voice quaking in fear.

" I... Well... " I hesitated.

" Do it Yoku. Tell them."

" W-What does he mean?!"

" Yoku tell us!"

I can't do it. I can't bear to do it. I can't imagine the pain it would cause them.

" Mmhhhm!"

" Yoku..."

" Hey idiot! Speak up already! This rope is really chafing me!"

Perhaps, there is another way. Any other way than this. "Akami-sama... Isn't there other ways than this?" I pleaded with him. But my pleas only fell on deaf ears. He looked at me coldly, his eyes only showed remorse yet they gave off a just-do-it look.

" If I could, I'd try other ways. Sorry." Akami-sama said in a sad and remorseful tone.

" It... must be done." Akami-sama pressed me to do it.

" Tell me first... What will happen to them?" I asked the god inside of the machine.

The god remained quiet for a moment. He had difficulties in trying to find the right words. His mouth would move and open, trying to form words to explain to me the situation. He would choke up on his words or fail to speak up entirely.

" What?! Tell us already! What will happen to them?!" I run towards the projection and knelt infront of it. Clasping my hands together, I begged to the god.

" Please... Just don't hurt them. They've been through enough..." The god remained silent however. His eyes darted to the side in guilt.

" I'm sorry... There's no other way. If they could just gain self-awareness, we could restart this world without ever losing them." I clenched my fists. I knew that if they became self-aware, they'll never recover from it.

" I... I can't... I can't let them feel the pain Monika felt. I can't have them experience that dreadful existential crisis Monika fought with for so long..."

" Yoku... Try to understand. I can no longer fix this world without deleting it. I want to at least keep the original versions of the girls." Akami-sama said sadly. I clenched my fist in frustration, for I know that he is right.

But still... there must be some other way.

" Doki! Doki! " I heard the OST of the game from the screen. I turned to see the girl's sprites in the intro screen. I could feel their jaws drop to the floor.

" No... Nooo!!!" I shouted out to the god, but he paid no heed to my cries.

" Sorry Yoku, but you left me no choice." Akami-sama cleared his throat and showed the game to the others.

" Everyone, as painful as it sounds... your reality is a fake one." Akami-sama said coldly to the girls.

" As you can see, you three are just characters in a game." Akami-sama's voice is eerily cold. His expression is calm, too calm.

" No... No..." Sayori's eyes widened in horror.

" You're kidding! You're kidding! You're a god, you can make these kinds of things in an instant! Why should we trust you?! Natsuki snapped at the god.

" Fair enough. Your doubts about this thing is understandable, especially if I am the one who said it to you." Akami-sama's cold expression melted away to reveal a smug smile.

" Yoku here, however, will surely never lie about such a thing." I could feel everyone's gaze point at me in an instant.

I felt my guts tighten up into knots. My heart beats faster everytime I saw their reaction. An expression of betrayal. A painful betrayal. I shifted my focus towards the floor, trying to ignore their demands for me to explain to them what Akami-sama meant.

" Perhaps... this would help." Akami-sama clicked on the saves tab and loaded up a familiar yet haunting scene.

The morning of the festival.

" Don't do it! I beg you, please stop this! They don't need to know!" I cried out pathetically, clasping the sides of the machine in a futile effort to make him stop.

" Sayori, have you ever wondered how Yoku and Monika arrived just in time to stop you from taking your life? Well, I guess you don't remember Monika but nevertheless, Yoku was able to save you... right?" Akami-sama played the scene when the MC was talking to Monika on the morning of the festival.

"... You kinda left her hanging, you know?" I was about to dash for Sayori, only to be held down by Maido. She had a pained expression as well.

" Forgive me, Yoku." Maido muttered out to me.

Just then, the scene of the MC running towards Sayori's house transpired. I shouted to the girls to cover their eyes, but they didn't. Their sights were glued to the screen as it turned black. I could only watch helplessly as they fall victim to Sayori's jumpscare. They all winced and bowed their head quickly to avoid looking at the body of their fellow Doki. Tears fell down their cheeks as 'Sayo-nara' played in the background while Sayori's body in the game limply hang from the ceiling. Sayori however, did not shield her eyes from the gruesome fate that we saved her from. She was stunned and stupefied at the scene. Her sky-blue eyes filled with sadness and disbelief as the words of the MC appeared on the screen. She felt sorrowful, distraught and angered by this revelation.

I could see Sayori's look on her face as she watched the lines of the MC appear. It was pure betrayal and sadness. "I... I don't believe it! It's a lie! All a lie!!!" She finally closed her eyes to avoid looking at the CG any longer.

" How could you?! This isn't fucking funny anymore! I just want things to return to normal! Yoku! Make it stop!" Sayori cried to me, her voice quivering in anger and extreme sadness.

" Sayori! I'm sorry! But..." I now knew that I need to do the right thing. No matter how terrible it is.

"... It's true. It's all true. Everything! Everything this bastard just said is true! Every single thing he showed to us is damn true!" Tears flowed down my cheeks in a torrent. I could feel Sayori's heart break in this moment. She fell silent, her eyes showed me only anguish at my actions.

" I... No... I don't... I don't believe it..." Her voice was shaky. Tears fell from her face due to my words. She can only clench her fists and bite her lip to vent her emotions.

" Sayori... I'm sorry... But you need to believe the truth." Akami-sama said in a compassionate voice.

" No! No! No! It's not real! It's not real!" Her distraught voice echoed throughout the chamber. We could only watch helplessly while Sayori thrashed around the chair in a futile effort to escape.

" Yoku?! Why?! Why did you lie to me?! Why did you hide such things from me?! Why?! Why?! Why?!" Her cries brought wave after wave of sadness. I was drowning in a torrent of anguish as Sayori poured out her tears. Akami-sama let out a sigh and tried to calm her.

" Sayori... Please, just accept—"

" GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!! AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Sayori screamed at the top of her lungs. We watched in horror as her ropes began to unfasten. Her body twitched and contorted erratically. Our worries only worsened when countless glitches appeared around her. Her agonizing screams and pleas for help filled the air. For a split-second, I swore I saw her sprite when she committed suicide. Yuri fainted in her chair while Natsuki screamed out for Sayori. We turned to Akami-sama, who still wore a calm, but somewhat worried expression.

" WHAT HAPPENED?!" I pressed him for an answer.

" She has acknowledged the reality of this world, but she has not accepted it." His tone showed that he is worried.

" WHAT DO WE DO THEN?!" Natsuki pressed the god for an answer while she looked helplessly at Sayori.

" Yoku... Make her accept the truth! Make her face it head on!" His voice echoed through the chamber. His calm facade gave way to a worried and concerned look.

I took a deep breath, and ran towards her. I held out my arms in an effort to embrace her, only to be repelled and burned by the glitches. I took a moment to look at my hands, finding that they are now covered by smaller glitches as well. I gritted my teeth and steeled myself before diving headfirst for Sayori. It was painful, but I finally embraced her body within my arms. Her deafening screams slowly subsided, along with the glitches that surrounded her. Her cheeks were flushed red, her eyes are puffy and tears still rolled down her face. She didn't have the strength to return the hug, but she buried her face on my chest to cry.

" No... No... I don't like it... Make it stop..." Her soft cries were drowned out by her weeping.

" I'm really sorry. It's ugly, but it's the truth, Sayori. I'm sorry." I stroked her pink hair to calm her down.

" I... I... I know it's the truth... But I don't want to see it anymore. I don't want to believe that you failed to save me..." Her hands took hold of the sides of my shirt. She held on tightly, like she was afraid of being swept away.

" But Sayori..." I gently petted her head. She looked up at me, her eyes still wet with tears. I beamed brightly and said to her; "I didn't fail. You're here with now, right?"

Sayori burst into tears. It must be painful for the cinnamon bun; knowing that her entire world is just a fake one; that she and her friends are mere characters in a game; seeing what her fate should've been. This is really depressing for everyone right now. The little cinnamon bun slowly stopped crying, she must've calmed down now. Her sky-blue eyes gazed deeply into mine. She was still in pain, but now that much. A pained smile streaked across her face as she comes to terms with reality.

" I may not like the idea that my world is fake... But if Yoku tried his best to save me, then it's ok." She lets go of my embrace and turned her attention to the god.

" B-But you have a lot of explaining to do! M-Meanie!" She pointed a fearful finger at the god.

" That's a lot of nerve you got there. Standing up to a god is a crime punishable by death." Akami-sama said coldly at her. A collective gasp came from the girls while Sayori fell to her knees and covered her head.

" I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again, Akami-sensei!" She said in a fearful voice.

" Ahaha! Relax! I'm just teasing you! Don't worry, I'll explain everything to you later. But right now, we still need to make these two girls face—"

" Nah, I'm good. If you say it's real, then it's probably real." Natsuki chimed.

At that moment, Yuri managed to regain consciousness. It seems Maido and I did a flimsy job tying them uo since they easily undid the rope that held them down. Natsuki stepped forward to face the god.

" Although... I still need to know one thing before... Well... Uhh... What is the word I'm looking for?"

""Come to terms"? Is that it?" Yuri chimed in.

" Yeah, that's it! Thanks! Yeah, I just need to know what kind of game this is before I come to terms with this whole thing." Natsuki said, looking at her sprite in the loading screen.

" It's a dating game. Oh! And in this game, you're the tsundere. The cute and feisty tsundere that is also a closeted weeb." Akami-sama said teasingly.

" I... I see... Did Yoku went for my route?"

" You know, I'm not supposed to spread details about other people that would violate their privacy... But since you're my adopted daughter... Yeah, he actually went for your route during his first playthrough."

" Thanks! Oh... and another one..."

The two giggled in unison. Whatever they're talking about, I hope it doesn't involve me. But I highly doubt that since I would get the occasional glances from Natsuki. After a while, they finally stopped talking and Natsuki skipped over to my side. She had a mischievous grin in her face as she stood beside me.

" Hehehehe... Wait till Sayori hears about what you've been searching on the internet. I'm surprised you still haven't pounced on her..." I was baffled by her at first, only to realize what just happened.

" No! I... I was just curious!" I shook my head in denial.

" Yeah you are... Why don't you just ask her about it right now?" She had a sly grin on her face as she slowly walked towards Sayori.

" Oh Sayo— Mhm!" I muffled her mouth and shook her lightly.

" Don't! If you tell her... Uh... I... I won't buy you the... Parfait Girls manga! I'll buy you the next 10 volumes, is that okay?" She paused for a moment before giving me a nod. Once I let go, she flashed me a smug smile.

Then, I heard it. Poem Panic is playing in the background. I turned to Yuri, only to find her watching her fight with Monika and Natsuki. I recognize this part. It's the fight just before Yuri confesses to me. We watched in silence as Yuri watched the scene with an expressionless face. I could see that she is trying her best to take in the whole thing. Her violet eyes remained glued to the screen while she read the dialogue between Natsuki and her.

" It's true... I always wanted to say those things... But I couldn't." She murmured to herself while she watched the scene.

" Yuri... Don't... Don't take it too heart. It's not like you meant to say those things... right?" I said while I walked up to her. She gave me a slight nod before continuing to watch the scene.

" This... This is horrible... Sure, I wanted to say those things... B-But not like this!" Watching her fight with Natsuki must've made her feel horrible. She turned to Natsuki, who is also watching the fight.

" Wow... I never knew I'd be fighting with Yuri like this." Natsuki said out loud.

"..." Yuri rolled a strand of her hair between her fingers and looked sideways.

" I'm... I'm sorry..." She murmured out.

" It's... It's okay... I guess? Well, at least we didn't fight lik— What the fuck?!" Natsuki stared in bewilderment at the screen. We looked up to see Yuri's poem being shown to the player.

" Ah! H-How?! I... I threw that away! Y-You already knew about that?! Yoku?!" Yuri's face turned red in embarrassment.

" D-Don't look!!!" Yuri shouted at Natsuki and Sayori. They covered their eyes in fear of the purple-haired girl.

" Y-Yoku! H-How much do you know about this?!" Yuri said bashfully. I pointed to the screen in response. She turned to read the words.

" I pleasure myself with... Kyaaah!!! Noo!!! No! No! I... I... Ah... Yoku!!!" I was caught off guard when Yuri leapt towards me. Her face was red and flushed with sweat. She grabbed my face and took hold of it with great force.

" What the hell are you doing?!" Natsuki shouted as she and Sayori run towards her.

" I... I'm going to bash his head against the floor!" She yelled in response.

" What?! No! Why would you do that to me?!" I shouted out, trying my best to break free from her grasp.

" So you can get amnesia and forget about this! So... hold... still!" She tried her best slam my head against the floor, only to be jumped at by Natsuki.

The moment her grasp loosened, I jumped back and took a big wheeze. For a moment, I thought I was gonna fucking die.

" Look...*pant*... I don't mind...*pant*... That you did that to my pen. Besides, that's not the thing I found troublesome. That is." I pointed to the screen.

In front of us played Yuri's confession scene. The moment the cursor clicked 'no', I let out a sigh and watched as Yuri stabbed herself with a knife. Everyone's eyes widened as we saw the horrible scenes that followed. We stared at Yuri's lifeless body, the color of her eyes fading away as the days went by. I let out a sigh and scratched my head.

" I... I think I'm gonna be sick..." Natsuki said, covering her mouth.

" Y-Yoku... You've been... You've been working hard, haven't you?" Sayori said as she stepped beside me.

" No wonder you're always deep in thought. You've been thinking of ways to prevent all this..." She said with a smile on her face.

" Yeah... Thankfully, Yuri didn't give me any problems this time." I said to her. I shrugged at the thought of my past attempts.

" I see... So all this time, you've been trying to prevent.. 'that' from happening to me." Yuri said, before pushing Natsuki off of her.

" I've given you so much trouble, haven't I? You went out of your way to help me... I'm sorry..." Yuri bowed her head in shame.

" Ahaha, don't beat yourself up over it, it's not that big a deal. It's not like you killed me or anything!(Well, you did kill me two times.) Besides, you're my friend. I can't let that kind of thing to happen to a friend." I said to her warmly.

" Yoku..." She placed a hand on my cheek and slowly leaned forward.

" Ehem! I think we're all forgetting something here." Akami-sama grinned at us widely. Yuri jumped back in fright, while Natsuki and Sayori watch in amusement.

" Yoku... I thought you already have—"

" Shut it, Natsuki. Anyways, what happens now? Shouldn't they be aware of everything and be able to use the command console?" I asked the god. His response is a mere shrug and a sigh.

" Well, you see... They didn't gain self-awareness through the Club President title. So basically, they just know that this reality is a fake one, but not the whole story. Which, if I am correct, would cause severe logic errors in the simulation's code." Akami-sama then lifted his wrist and took a look at his watch.

" Oh, and you guys... You better be prepared for a lot of pain... riiiiiiiight... now."

I felt a throb resonate throughout my body, followed by a burning sensation that reverberated across my body. I felt like I was swimming in a pool of fire ants. An intense pain shot through my whole body, so intense that it felt like my skin was melting off. Due to this, I fell to the ground and began vomiting. I felt nauseous and dizzy, I also experienced the sensation of vertigo. I looked up to see that the entire room is spinning and shaking. I tried to stand up, only to experience a great pain in my legs. It felt like my bones shattered into pieces. Then, I felt the wound on my left eye open up and spill blood.

" W-What's... Happening?!" I shouted to the god.

" Suck it up, will ya? It's just a little pain. It'll be over in a moment. You're just experiencing the simulation collapsing. Although... I want you to check up on the girls over there." Akami-sama pointed towards the curled up bodies of the three Dokis.

" AAAAAARRRGHHHHHH!!! AAARGHH!!!" Yuri howled in pain, her wounds opened up and is now spilling out blood.

" Y-Yoku... Hmph! *Bleeergh*" Sayori was now on all fours and vomiting blood.

Natsuki isn't moving anymore, but her body is still experiencing numerous convulsions all at once. Her pink eyes are now empty and hollow. It seems she has already passed out due to the pain. Her skirt is now wet, and she lie in a puddle of her vomit.

" G-Gah!!! Damn it!!!" I screamed out, trying my best to crawl towards them.

" Akami-sama!!! How long will this last?!" I shouted, turning towards the screen.

" Hmmm... About 10 more seconds. Oh, by the way... the pain will grow more intense." He said nonchalantly.

Suddenly, the room was filled with the agonized screams of the three Dokis. Sayori's eyes began to bleed as well while Yuri began to claw at her skin in pain. Natsuki began shake her head while covering her ears. I could feel the pain worsening as well. It felt like my head is being torn apart while my body melts. In desperation, I closed my eyes and counted down from ten.

" Ten..."

I felt my eardrums rupture at the high pitched screaming of the girls.

" Nine..."

Yuri took out her knife from her pocket and began to cut herself.

" Eight..."

Sayori let out an ear piercing shriek before collapsing on the floor and shaking violently with her mouth frothing.

" Seven..."

I heard Natsuki pleading to make the pain stop, before I heard her vomit blood across the floor.

" Six..."

Yuri stood up, her legs quaking terribly as she ran towards the machine. She began to violently stab it, screaming to make the pain go away.

" Five..."

Then, I felt the room shake violently. It was as if an earthquake just struck. Pieces of the ceiling fell near us while the walls began to crack.

" Four..."

I looked in horror as I saw my hands disintegrate into nothing but numbers. I looked around to see that the falling debris become numbers and glitches. Vast amounts of the room collapsed, only to reveal a black space and countless, changing numerals.

" Three..."

Now, reality itself began to collapse. Cracks and spaces appeared in the air, and the scenery began to shatter like glass. I could no longer hear their terrified screams. Everything has fallen silent and dark.

" Two..."

I could feel my body dissolve into nothingness. I couldn't see anything anymore. I couldn't even feel my skin, or my heart beat. Everything has fallen dark and silent.

" One.."

Then, I saw a bright light emerge in front of me. The light began to form a message. Reaching out to it, I could now see the message clearly.

The simulation as encountered an error and must be terminated. :(

D LC : ur eal tyyyyyyyyyyyyy