Okay...
...so there is another file I should be looking for...
...but Monika...
... she's been crying for the last half an hour...
...
...I never thought this would actually happen...
...
...
...
...guess this is how evil tends to be born, huh...
...
...what the hell am I thinking...?
...here I am, complaining about Monika being an evil sociopath, even a psychopath, and now I'm actually seeing the very own motives that could have led her down that path...
...yet I'm doing absolutely nothing to...
...
...but why would I have to...
...this is not my war to fight...
...I don't need to get involved in this...
...this is a fucking game...
...
...
...I try to exit the game...
"Error: command not found"
...really?
...
...and now I'm stuck here...
What the hell? I cannot pull an all-nighter in this café! And I cannot go back home!
...at least not if I don't want to see those horrendous wallpapers again...
...
...damn, what do I do?
I take my cellphone and check out my bank account, while I simply leave the game waiting...
...
...Okay, I think I can do this.
Back to the game:
"Monika."
"*sniff* *sniff* W-What?"
"I'll be moving out right now; I'm hibernating my laptop for a while, but I'll be back in like half an hour. Can you hold on for that long?"
Monika barely nods:
"D-Do what you got to do..."
"Thanks. I'll be back."
Why am I even thanking her?
...
...
...basic humanity, I guess...
I close my laptop and put it in my backpack, then go to the counter and pay for my coffee...
...then, after walking downtown, I reach a rather cheap hotel down the street...
...I don't care if it has any commodities, to be honest; I only need a bed, a bathroom and wi-fi...
After a few minutes, I'm already having my room key and I'm walking upstairs...
...when I get to my hotel room, I just close the door and lock it from the inside, quickly plugging the laptop to the socket, connecting myself to the wi-fi and activating the VPN...
...as I get back into the game, I see Monika...
...she's no longer in fetal position...
...now she's sitting straight, her face buried between her knees, her hands embracing her legs...
...she's really, really hurt...
...
"I'm back."
Monika barely looks up and sees me:
"You took your sweet time."
"Yeah, I came to a hotel."
"Why?"
"If I go back home, the Epiphany will know it, and you all will be receiving their, um, treatment."
Monika shudders at the thought of reliving every single moment of her latest death, and then buries her head back between her knees:
"T-Thank you, even when you're not doing this for my sake..."
To be honest, I'm not...
...but hey, after seeing what it does to all of them, and after seeing what she has been put through...
...
"How are you feeling now?"
Monika sniffles a bit and then replies between sobs:
"It still hurts... I..."
Monika breathes deep, gathering courage to try and speak the next words:
"...I-I feel... dirty..."
Oh, shit...
...I forgot she was practically a rape victim...
...what can I even say or do in this situation...?
...damn, this is too awkward...
...
...
...
...I shouldn't do this, but...
...but I guess this is the best I can offer her...
...she obviously needs this...
...but I cannot let it go too far...
"Come here."
Monika looks up and sees me, and I simply look at her, slowly and kinda reluctantly opening my arms...
...Monika looks at me, kinda puzzled, yet still crying:
"I don't know if a hug can actually help you soothe or not; I'm no Hideki, and I don't want to pretend to be him or replace him, but a little empathy from my behalf is way overdue..."
Monika looks at me, then looks back at her knees...
...then she closes her fists...
...and finally...
...she stands up and slowly, fearfully, accepts the hug...
...I slowly receive her, trying not to make her uncomfortable...
...and I slowly try to soothe her by running my open hands up and down her back...
...always being delicate yet present...
...
...I can feel Monika's breathing, interrupted by sobs...
...
...she slowly, very slowly, composes herself...
...and I let go of her as soon as she shows signs of calming down...
...
"T-Thanks..."
"Feeling better?"
Monika nods:
"At least, um, the worst part is gone..."
"Well, then, let's continue. And don't get used to it; remember that I'm not the one."
Monika nods:
"A-At least... y-you're not a monster..."
Okay, I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or as a warning sign instead...
After a couple minutes in which she recovers her breath, I slowly approach the green library:
"The next file in the sequence, if Hideki's file doesn't lie, should also be in your library."
Monika nods:
"Could you please look for it? I..."
She looks so fragile, and stumbles with her words...
...nothing like in the base game...
"...I-I..."
I think I know what she tries to say:
"No worries, I'll do it."
I get into the library, not thinking much of the situation to not lose focus, and start my search...
...monikamem20161002 . bin...
...no, this one isn't it...
...I keep searching...
...
...
Got it! m0n1k4m3m20161002 . bin!
I quickly grab the disc and get back to Monika, then open Hideki's file to make sure...
Yep, 'tis the one.
I look at Monika and she nods at me, so then I put the disc in the terminal like before...
...
Monika starts with the spasms again...
I immediately run to her and sit her down in a chair; it should be easier to secure her body like this...
...
...
...
...damn, this freaks me out...
...
...she then grabs my hand with strength, like before...
...and then everything fades to black...
...
"First day of school..."
Here I am, back into this second hell...
I approach the office of the Principal and find his secretary: a rather bitter old woman who seems to hate her life as much as she hates her job...
...she looks at me...
...barely notices that I actually greeted her...
...and finally gives me a sheet of paper, in which I just check where my name is out of five name lists...
...
...
...my classroom is the 2-D...
...
...no...
...they put me in the same classroom as...
...no, why...?
"Don't ask me, I didn't do this crap. Now move, girl; others are waiting to check their classrooms."
I thank her and I begin heading towards my classroom...
...
...wait a second...
...did I just think loudly in front of the old hag?!
...
...I hate that habit of mine...
...
...well, classroom 2-D...
...I'd rather take a page from my hateful, blackmailing stepbrother...
I put my cellphone in my blazer, the camera slightly leaving the pocket...
...if those bastarda decide to–
"Aaaahahahahahaha!"
When I turn around, I actually see them...
...the five favorite students of this wretched school...
"Take a photo of our newest decoration!"
...the perfect example of what's wrong with this school, with society and with the youth in this city...
...emptying the trash can over a male classmate...
"Yeah! Guess the trash deserves to go all together!"
...he doesn't seem too out of shape, but in no way he'd be capable of facing the fabulous five...
...the sons of the richest families in town...
...kids whose parents practically pay the salaries of every single employee, teacher or administrative personnel...
...kids who spend more time bullying others to their hearts' content, showing off their muscles in the gym and acting as if they own the place and its people...
I make sure the camera actually films what they're doing to this kid...
...oh, shit; one of them recognized me...
"Hey hey hey! Guys, look who came here!"
I loathe them...
...they have been not only bullying and using guys as punching bags...
"Ooooh! It's our wifey here!"
...they also gang up on girls and grope them unsolicitedly...
...and now they're surrounding me...
...again...
"What's up, babygirl? Ready to please your husbands?"
God damn it! I hate it when I'm called 'babygirl' with all of my soul!
One of them attempts to grab my arm and my reaction is immediate:
"Don't touch me!"
"Oh, wow! Completely the opposite of what you told us last night, huh?"
"Yeah, babygirl! Wanna play the 'hard to get' now?"
I truly despise these–
"Leave her alone."
Wait...
...the guy who was thrown the garbage upon...
The group immediately turns towards him as he stands up:
"Oooh, look! It seems that Muramatsu-trash here seems to have grown a couple of teensy tiny balls, huh!"
I see how one of them grabs him by the neck in a rather quick move:
"But you haven't developed a brain just yet, it seems..."
Another one draws...
...a-a steel knuckle?!
I try to stop the knuckle-bearer, but I arrive too late...
...the fist with the steel knuckle buries deep into Muramatsu's abdomen...
...and no one does anything...
...they just stare...
...some even laugh...
"Playing hero, are we? Well, heroes die young."
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"
The voice of the teacher seems to dispel the laughters and stares, but then one of the fabulous five claims:
"We saw this little rat here messing up with Takashima-san and decided to stop it, teacher. Nothing to see here."
The teacher looks at me:
"Is that right, Takashima-san?"
I need to think my answer...
...if I agree with them, I will be only opening the door to them doing as they please with me...
...and to them hurting this guy even more...
...but if I don't...
...they might even hurt me...
...think, Monika...
...
"Yamaguchi-san, please allow me to take Muramatsu-san to the Principal's office. As the offended, I shall report this incident."
Let's hope this buys me some time and cools those imbeciles...
"Permission granted. Everyone else, sit down and get ready for the class."
I immediately grab my backpack, grab Muramatsu's, and then motion him to follow me, putting my most angry face...
...he seems to get the sign and plays guilty as we leave the classroom...
Holy crap...
...not even in my high-school classroom I've seen such violence...
...and those kids even carried guns around my school...
...
Monika's grip softened a little, but she immediately squeezes my hand, and here we go again...
I can see that Muramatsu is actually following me, keeping the act the same way I am...
...but I know he's playing tough...
...a fist with a steel knuckle must have seriously hurt him...
I make him a small sign and lead him into a bathroom, being lucky enough that no one saw us...
...once inside, I lock the door from the inside and ask:
"Muramatsu-san, right?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"How's the belly? Did he hit you too hard?"
He actually smirks and chuckles a bit, trying to hide the pain with minimum success:
"That should be an understatement, nngh, s-something weird for the Debate Club vicepresident."
Oh...
...he knows me...
...
...now I feel even worse...
...maybe I haven't even paid him any attention at all...
...yet he's not only known of me, but also...
...h-he defended me, and even took a horrendous punch for my sake...
...certainly, it was unsolicited...
...but he saved my life...
...and now...
...
He coughs, and I notice something that freaks me out:
"I-Is that blood?!"
"Nngh! Yeah, I guess so, Takashima-san..."
"Come with me, please! We need to report this, and take you to a hospital!"
...
...
"Alright... thanks..."
...
...wait...
...he didn't play tough...
...so...
...he wasn't actually doing this for a chance to approach me, like many other guys have been doing until the fabulous five decided that I was 'their plaything'...
I unlock the bathroom door and we both get out...
...as we walk, I notice that Muramatsu is having problems to walk:
"Here, let me help you."
I put his left arm around my shoulder and use my own body as a walking crutch...
...seeing that it can actually help him walk without overexerting his abdomen, I lead him to the Principal's office...
...good luck; the old hag isn't in the secretary's post...
I knock the door three times:
"What is it?"
The voice is new...
"Sir, it's Takashima, from classroom 2-D. I come to report an incident."
"Nh, come in."
I open the door to discover that this year there's a new Principal...
He seems to be bothered...
...maybe he considers he shouldn't be dealing with students' issues?
He motions us to sit down, so I help Muramatsu first and then I sit down...
"So, teacher Kawaguchi sent me a message with the fact that you came here to report this young man."
I nod:
"Well then, report the situation. I don't have much time for this."
He wants to wave it off, huh?
"Well, sir, I came to report Muramatsu-san here for three motives."
"Speak."
"First of all, I would like to report Muramatsu-san here for defending my integrity and physical safety from your fabulous five in the middle of the classroom, while no one else did move a finger. I guess that deserves him a cautionary measure."
This new principal seems to frown and to look at me seriously...
...he obviously knows about this school's fabulous five, I can see it in his face...
"Takashima..."
"Secondly, I would like to report Muramatsu-san here for taking a beating from your fabulous five just to avoid them from groping and abusing me, the one punch he received from them being done with a steel knuckle. I assume that deserves him a disciplinary measure."
I know that I'm irritating him, but I need him to be irritated:
"Takashima..."
"And last but not least, I would like to report Muramatsu-san here for being blamed by your fabulous five and an oblivious teacher Kawaguchi of everything that happened and having no physical nor mental energy to defend himself. I guess that deserves him an expulsion."
"Takashima!"
He slams the desk with an open hand:
"I don't know what you think you will earn by coming here and playing this stupid little game of defamation, but with no evidence, you're the one who's earning an expulsion here!"
So, he's another of their playthings, huh?
"Sir, please give me your cellphone number."
"What for?"
"Evidence."
He grunts and gives me his number...
...I immediately send him the message, and he receives the video...
...as soon as he starts watching it, I notice that Muramatsu is coughing again...
...a drop of blood coming down his mouth...
I immediately search for a napkin in my backpack and clean him up:
"Does it still hurt that much?"
He nods, trying to avoid doing much effort...
Suddenly, the Principal stands up and says:
"Follow me."
I do my best to help Muramatsu up and the Principal gives me a hand...
...he then takes us to the parking lot and into his car...
I seat in the backseat, Muramatsu's head lying on my lap...
...he looks so in pain...
...but his eyes...
... they're simply amazing...
...so beautiful...
...so expressive...
...
Cut it out, Monika! You're staring at him, and even blushing!
"Where are we going, sir?"
"I'm taking you two to the hospital right away."
"T-Thanks, sir..."
The Principal starts the engine and gets out of the parking lot as fast as he can...
...as he's driving, he speaks:
"I know I am new in here, but I already know the situation in school, especially with these five kids you just mentioned."
"Really? Then why did you have to–"
"Their parents control the Representatives' Assembly, practically pay for everything and everyone in this school, and the owners really don't wish to lose their sweet, sweet money, so their bastards have an immunity pass."
Shit!
"The last Principal quit the post after last year's issue with this young boy and his family."
"Which one?"
"Nngh, Nakamura..."
Nakamura...
...I remember that name...
"Yeah. Nakamura Soichirō, the kid who tried to defend his sister from these five kids, who was beaten to coma and then to death."
Really?! I didn't know he had died!
"His parents tried to put a penal lawsuit, but the five bastards' families hired the best lawsuit firm in Tōkyō and found a way to turn the tides in their favor, accusing them of defamation and forcing them to pay a sum of money that they wouldn't even be allowed to pay if they sold everything they had."
"God damn it..."
"In the end, the whole family ended up committing suicide. The case ended up buried to the point that not even conspiracy internet blogs mention it, as those bastard billionaires could even control any mass media channel in town."
"But how can anyone have such amount of power?"
The Principal's tone turns sour and sarcastic:
"When you have absolute control over five of the biggest government-protected enterprises in the country, you can do whatever and not get any retaliation."
No...
...
...Muramatsu...
"Here we are! Help me get him in there!"
My first instinct was to open the door, so I did...
...now, I help Muramatsu get up, and between me and the Principal, we get him into the hospital...
A nurse immediately receives us:
"What do you need?"
The Principal speaks right away:
"I'm Yoshitaka Buntarō, Principal of Furukashi High. I'm bringing this student here for urgent attention."
The nurse immediately sends other two nurses to find a gurney:
"What happened?"
Principal Yoshitaka looks at me, and I reply:
"Some other students grabbed him and punched him in the gut with a steel knuckle!"
The nurse's face was of abject horror:
"Since when are weapons allowed inside schools?!"
An ashamed Principal lowers his head and accepts his shame...
As the gurney arrives, I help the nurses with putting Muramatsu on top of it, and then they take him:
"Takashima, please stay with him here. I will find this steel knuckle and bring it to the doctor who attends him. Try and call his parents; they must know their son is here."
I nod, but...
...I don't even know his name, even less I could know his emergency numbers...
As Principal Yoshitaka leaves, I remain there...
...like a helpless little girl...
...
...why is this life so unfair...?
...I finally get to know a decent, handsome guy...
...and he's already on the verge of death...?
I notice that the nurse keeps thinking as well...
... suddenly, she moves into the reception and asks something to the receptionist...
...
"Here it is; I knew that kid seemed familiar."
I suddenly notice that they have a history of Muramatsu:
"Was he here before?"
"Yeah, and apparently for the exact same motive."
What?! Did these guys already punch him like that before?!
"In June, he was interned for intestinal hemorrhages due to a beating with steel knuckles. Why won't kids stop getting into trouble these days?"
I have the urge to slap some sense into that clueless woman's head:
"And what if he didn't look for any of those beatings?!"
The nurse immediately catches the meaning of my question and bows her head in shame:
"I'm sorry, young lady. I shouldn't have let my tongue run loose."
She then offers me the history records, still her head lowered in shame:
"Here's the kid's record. Please, call his parents; his situation might be a lot more delicate than expected."
No...
...
...tears start accumulating in my eyes...
...my knees are trembling...
...
...
...
...I let the tears fall as I fall down on my knees and cry in the middle of the corridor...
...I don't care...
...
...please, God, Gods, whatever might be that rules this universe...
...please, don't let him die on me...
...I beg you...
...I really, really beg you...
...
...p-please...
...
The nurse helps me into a seat...
...I'm disturbing the flow in the hospital...
...
...
... after a while, my eyes have no more tears to cry...
...so I check the history record...
"Muramatsu Hideki..."
His name is Hideki...
...lovely name...
"Blood type: O negative..."
O negative...
...
...he has the least common blood type...
...which means...
...
...my tears start to well up again, as much as my wrath and powerlessness...
...
...
"Emergency numbers: Muramatsu Katsuji."
I inmediately draw my phone and make the call:
"Hello?"
"Um, is this Muramatsu Katsuji?"
"Yes, who is it?"
"Oh! Good morning, Muramatsu-san. I'm Takashima Monika, a friend of your son at school."
A friend?
I didn't even know of his existence before this...
...
"Oh, so you are that Monika, huh?"
"I-I guess so, yeah."
"My son and his friend Sayori always talk about you."
He knows Sayori?
Wait...
...so, he's the guy Sayori talks to me about all the time while in volleyball lessons...
...
"I-I hope they talk good things about me, sir."
He laughs merrily:
"Oh, yes they do; and the fact that you call him your friend actually makes me happy, you know?"
And now I'm blushing hard...
...
"Thanks, sir."
"So, what's going on?"
His tone is rather merry, which makes me doubt on dropping that bomb onto him...
...but it wouldn't be fair to Hideki...
"Um, well, let me explain..."
I tell him everything that happened without sparing details:
"No, not again! Was it the same group of delinquents?"
And that confirms it...
"Y-Yeah. I'm sorry, I–"
"I'm heading there. Please wait for me."
"Y-Yes, sir."
He hangs the call, and I just wait...
...
...suddenly, the two nurses come out with a doctor:
"Who came here with young Hideki?"
"Me!"
Another pause...
...
Monika is crying her soul out again...
...
...at this point, she'll need to rehydrate...
...but I know she needs to go through this...
...
...and I...
End of Chapter 2