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Natsuki didn't often get to bake stuff more than once a week but this week had been extremely lucky. Currently, she was trying to make a batch of cookies as an apology for Yuri and for her dad, just because he was having a hard time and she felt bad. There totally wasn't a feeling of obligation with the latter, no, nothing.

They were already in the oven and she was alone, for the most part. There was someone that Natsuki wanted to call, or at least message. Monika.

N: monika r u alive or being a nerd

N: moni

N: monkers

M: Hey Nat!

M: How are ya?

N: bored

N: waiting for yuris apology cookies to finish

M: Ooooo

M: Can I have some tmr?!

N: no

M: :(

N: ughh dont do that

M: :)

N: you fucker

N: fine

N: ONE

N: only one bcs they r for yuri and my dad

N: and sayori will steal some because of course she will

N: and probably one of the newbies

M: You raise a good point

M: We don't have trustworthy members

M: Also what the heck is a Monkers?!

N: silly lil thing

M: Also, a new volume of PG came out and I finished it, you want?

N: u r a lifesaver

N: ok ill give u a few more cookies

N: wish me luck for the sayori fight

M: Good luck! 3

N: cya tmr nerd 3

Natsuki put her phone on the bench and turned around and saw it. The fridge. The fridge that was commonly stuffed with bottles of alcohol, Papa wasn't that bad with it but it was often really annoying.

She opened it up and ignored the items that she preferred to ignore and found the white fully icing she made about two days ago. Natsuki pulled it out and walked back to the bench where the lone piping bag was and carefully put some of the mixture inside of it.

Natsuki quickly inspected the fridge again and it was as she expected, nothing, with the exception of a few cheap bottles of some bad alcohol, some basic ingredient stuff, condiments that were never used and some random crap that would probably be off by the end of the week.

She closed the fridge and continued to wait for the cookies to bake.

Eventually, it happened, the cookies were done. Natsuki grabbed her oven mitts in stereotypical fashion, put them on, pulled the oven open and grabbed the tray of neat little chocolate and vanilla cookies. She reached down and grabbed out those weird plastic bag things that businesses used and she set them down next to the cookies.

Great, another waiting game. This time it was for the cookies to cool down. This would probably take a while.

It was nighttime and Yuri was satisfied with the writing she had gotten done today, mostly, her poem for tomorrow was the most worrisome. She decided to go the metaphorical approach and the poem eventually ended up being about… her issue. One of many issues, the urge she couldn't control at times like these, times where books and escapism did not work as a coping mechanism, times where the beautifully decorated knives did.

And that was the topic of her poem. The act of it, the urge feeding on her mind, her brain, her soul. And how she gave in every time.

Yuri was proud of the poem itself but nervous considering the themes, was it subtle enough? Was her use of bread too obvious? Should she have even written this… thing?

Yuri knew that her thinking in this moment was not rational, which did not help her feelings. But here's the thing, this was Yuri.

Was her usage of raccoons too obvious? Of course, no one knew about that but the off-chance that someone did was a feeling that Yuri didn't want to think about. She looked down at herself, a raccoon tail finally revealing itself now that Yuri wasn't in something that she could easily hide it in, black markings covered her face now that makeup wasn't on.

It almost felt relieving to be herself like this all alone, Yuri knew that she couldn't show these characteristics about herself at school, the town was mostly humans who refused to understand or accept monsters like herself. Yuri closed her eyes and realised something, that it could be different. That was because of one small variable, Noelle.

Yuri remembered something that was extremely hard to forget, Noelle was a monster as well and she barely hid anything about herself. Could Yuri perhaps do the same? She started smiling at the thought, the thought of acceptance and happiness!

She began to forget about the metaphorical raccoon in her poem and started thinking of the literal raccoon known as Yuri.

It was a feeling Yuri never quite understood, euphoria. She had read about it in books, written about it in stories but never felt it truly until now. Species euphoria, she was happy with what she was and any other worries simply evaporated. Yuri probably looked stupid, smiling widely and spinning around like this, claws actively out and not desperately trying to be hidden but she didn't care at this point, she was alone and didn't need people to judge her at that time.

Yuri walked over to her bookshelf and pulled a book familiar to the ones she'd given Noelle and Kris that day, similar feelings of control present yet it was much happier. A story about someone with a predestined fate, following a sad path where they can't be themself. Until one day, they break through the path and make their own destiny.

Yuri always wanted to be the protagonist of this story, to not be judged for who she secretly was. Not for her species, extreme passion for interests, weird mannerisms, sensitivity, everything. And this seemed to be a start.

She flicked the book open and the room filled with nostalgia, it didn't have the highest quality writing but the pure factor that it was this story seemed to make up for the fact.

And Yuri felt satisfied.

A rarity, Sayori was outside. It was weird since she often didn't even have the motivation to leave her room but here she was, walking around the neighbourhood and overhearing the nighttime noises.

Despite that, the noises were just background noise that muffled and blurred together the only clear thoughts were in her head and those were the thoughts that banged on her head, stabbed her with their spikes, the endless echoes they provided seemed to hurt.

The lack of happy thoughts proved apparent at the newfound screaming inside of her mind. The voices always seemed partially familiar but this one sounded almost like one of her friends. Who? Sayori had no idea, it sounded as if it was authority, which it was. And here, it was louder.

However, it all seemed to clear as Sayori saw a house all too familiar, Kris's house. She stood back and made sure that she couldn't be seen in the ten in the night shadows. Sayori saw two figures in front of the house and for some reason, their conversation was drowning out the rain clouds.

"-don't know what to even think! These feelings are so sudden and I just…" The voice of the first figure complained in frustration, it sounded irritable and confused.

"These things are complicated, I know it. You're saying that you're still confused, right?" The second voice was quieter but Sayori could easily hear them. They were soft, they sounded sweet, caring and most importantly, very familiar.

"Yes, that's why I'm asking for your advice. What did you do when you actually started having feelings?" The unfamiliar voice pleaded, they sounded almost desperate for an answer. Sayori was familiar with what this person's situation seemed to be, someone was in love and could not express it. She honestly felt bad for them, mostly because she was in almost the same situation.

"I sat in my room for the entire day and desperately tried to avoid her the next week." The familiar voice –that Sayori could register as being…Noelle– deadpanned, her voice spiked in sarcasm and the response itself was fairly fast.

"Alright, I will do that!" And it seemed that the unknown person was unfortunately really dense. Sayori sighed internally at them.

"Wait, don't actually do that!" Noelle sounded panicked, speaking fast again but in a way that was higher pitch, higher in volume and very sudden.

"Ah, sarcasm, interesting choice Noelle. Now please cure me of the curse known as emotions." The unknown voice lamented and Sayori could practically feel their eyes rolling from where she stood.

"Alright well, I've known them my entire life. They'll be really straight forward and first and then suddenly start being really subtle and nervous. They will also swap from mute to talking your head off basically daily!" Noelle's voice affirmed in a manner that both the other voice and Sayori found helpful, for some reason. She had no clue who Noelle was talking about however.

"Ah, so those are possible signs that Krrrr-I mean uh, that they see me as a viable romantic option?" At that point, Sayori realised this conversation really wasn't for her.

Sayori went home, something that wasn't rare.

Monika felt your presence again, but it was different this time. It was a feeling that was more familiar than others from this specific run and one that felt missing from earlier. Choice.

You had made a choice and she knew it, she couldn't figure out what it was that you had done or the consequences but you did something and that's what mattered.

You could do things here and you could help Monika in her goal. You could choose to actively stop the time loop or at least get her and her friends out of this game and into the other. Monika had looked more into the other game, there was a place that her and her friends could survive, a town with a castle.

That's all Monika needed, get you to get her to go there.