I realized halfway through writing this that I had neglected to check DDLC+ and how these two interacted in the side stories. Though the plot of this is much different than the side stories, it is important to note that these two's mental states have been heavily impacted by the strange visions and knowledge they've received. Thus, they aren't going to do the same things. Sorry to disappoint!

WARNING: Alludes to the end of Act 1. If you are at risk of being triggered by references to suicide or anxiety attacks, I urge you not to read. We all need to take care of ourselves. Know that you are loved!

Our Reality

Setting Up the Club

Monika hummed to herself as she sat at her desk. Her pencil scratched the paper, writing words such as Rules and Agenda. She sighed as she realized how dull the lead was and reached into her bag to pull out a sharpener. She winced, a violent image flashing into her head of someone holding a knife. A wave of fury directed at whatever was causing these visions caused her knuckles to turn white as she gripped the manual sharpener.

"Monika? Are you ok?" A bubbly voice asked, shaking her out of her stupor.

Sayori stood in the doorway, seemingly out of breath. Her flushed cheeks almost matched the color of her hair, which was currently hanging limply around her face like freshly cooked noodles. Sayori… what was the deal with her? Monika knew these visions seemingly came from random places, and were all overwhelming, but hers had been the most intense. The moment that girl had entered the room, Monika felt like her skull was being split in half. And, if her ability to read people hadn't failed her, Sayori had felt similar. Was this something her creators had intended? What were they trying to tell her? All these thoughts flashed through her head in an instant. She quickly got to her feet, putting on a happy mask.

"Oh yeah, I was just lost in thought!" She lied. Sayori didn't look convinced and pursed her lips. "Really, I'll be ok. Now, let's get to talking about how we want to set up this club!"

Sayori took a seat, her skirt making a swishing noise as she swung one leg over the other. "About that… A- are you sure you still want me to be your vice president?"

Monika frowned and tilted her head. "Why not? It makes sense. You were the second member to join. Besides, you have the right amount of enthusiasm that this club needs!"

Sayori's eyes momentarily darkened before returning to normal. She made two fists in the air and beamed at Monika. Monika felt her heart beat faster for a moment. "Ok! Where do we get started?"

"Well, I was thinking we could go over rules first and then what the schedule will be. How does that sound?"

Sayori nodded as she rummaged through her bag.

Monika looked down at her paper. "Ok, for starters, how do we want to handle book critique-related argu-"

Crunch. Monika looked up. Sayori had an enormous bag of potato chips in her lap.

"Sayori, how did you fit that…? Never mind, I don't want to know," she answered her own question. "Anyway, as I was saying, we might have problems with people disagreeing over their favorite-"

Pop. Monika's jaw dropped as she saw Sayori open a liter of strawberry-flavored soda. "I- I- back to the rules! Should we allow people to have structured debates, or should we step in if things get-"

Crack. "-heated? Sayori, what in the world are you doing?!"

Sayori froze, holding her newly opened container of dip. She looked between Monika and the chips, before dipping one in and stuffing it in her mouth like a chipmunk. " 'M sorry, 'm jutht really hungry," she explained, crumbs spraying from her full mouth.

Monika sighed before chuckling. "Should we have a snack break before we get to the discussion?"

Sayori fervently nodded, reaching into her bag again. She pulled out an entire container of Uwuo Sandwich Cookies and offered it to Monika.

"Sayori, how do you fit that much stuff in your bag?" Monika asked, accepting the cookies nonetheless.

She shrugged, her cheeks still bulging. "I haf no idea!"

Monika tapped her fingers on the desk. "I wish I had a bag like that. I could fit all my books in one place instead of having to have a purse and a backpack!"

Sayori nodded, gulping down some soda.

Before Monika could stop herself, she blurted, "Do you want to go to the mall with me to help me find one?"

Sayori spat her drink out, coughing.

"Oh my gosh, are you ok?" Monika asked, whacking her on the back to hopefully help get out whatever was causing the problem.

Sayori nervously laughed. "I'm great, why wouldn't I be? You just surprised me, that's all!"

This girl has a knack for getting herself into trouble, Monika thought to herself. She looked at the clock.

"Well, the meeting's almost half-way over and no one's showed up yet. How about we leave all the boring stuff for tomorrow, and you and I go have some fun?" She suggested.

Sayori looked at her feet, silent. Oh no, I read the room wrong. She doesn't want to spend time with me, Monika panicked.

"Sure! Let's go!" Sayori almost bellowed, smacking her head on the doorframe as she ran out of the room.

"Uh… Sayori? You forgot your things," Monika pointed out.

"Oh, right!" Sayori realized. She dashed back in, scooped her food into the bag as quick as lightning, and rushed out again. "Come on! Times-a-wasting, Monika!"

Monika packed her things neatly into her backpack, and swung both it and her purse over her shoulders. By the time she was out the doorway, Sayori was nowhere to be seen. When she made it out the main entrance, Sayori was fiddling with her bag's strap, wrapping it around her neck. She turned to Monika with a smile on her face, slightly angling her head.

Monika stopped dead in her tracks. A loud noise of static erupted inside her head as she saw a vision of Sayori hanging by a rope. Monika squeezed her eyes shut, but the image was burned into her eyelids. Somehow, this was worse than any other vision she had seen. Not only was it someone she knew, but the feelings of dread and pounding were intensified. She fell to her knees and wanted to scream, but no noise came out.

The feeling of someone gripping her hand brought her back to reality.

Sayori shouted right in her ear. "MONIKA! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Monika's fight or flight reflex kicked in, and she punched Sayori in the face.

"Get away from me!" She scrambled back against the wall, heavily breathing and heart pounding.

Sayori grabbed at her nose, tears welling up in her eyes. "I- I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… should I leave?"

Monika gave herself 30 seconds to breathe deeply before responding. "No, I'm sorry, Sayori. You startled me, but I shouldn't have reacted like that."

Sayori shook her head. "It was my fault! You were having an anxiety attack, weren't you? I just made it worse!"

Monika placed her hand on Sayori's knee, ignoring the lingering feeling of fear and the memory of Sayori hanging there like that. "I forgive you. Situations like that are stressful, and we often react without thinking. Next time, will you please give me some space? I know that doesn't work for everyone, but it helps me."

Sayori nodded, a trembling smile on her lips. "I'll try that. Sorry again. I've only been dealing with anxiety attacks since yesterday, so I wasn't sure how to handle them."

Monika frowned. "That's odd, that's when mine started too."

Sayori hurriedly changed the topic. "Anyway, do you want to go home? The mall might be stressful after that."

"What if we just go to an ice cream parlor instead? I need something sweet to distract me," she said.

Sayori grinned. "Ok then, let's go!"

Monika looked back at the school as she walked away. The building that had been so comforting to her before now felt like a foreboding monster, as if any moment it would swallow her up. Checking to make sure no one was watching, she stuck her tongue out at it before following after her new friend.

I swear the ice cream parlor won't be full of trauma, ok? Hope this chapter was knife to read!