Hello again. How have you guys been doing?

Me? Alright so far. Though, it is the beginning portion of my project, so it is to be expected.

In any case, I am so very sorry that I haven't been able to post anything for the past two weeks. It's been very hard finding a good time for me to write since I always end up going home at very late hours. I've tried to write as much as I could during those very small windows, but because of that, I have a feeling I can only post something once every two to three-ish weeks.

I am very sorry once again. I could try to write more and post sooner, but it would most likely affect the overall quality of the chapters. I'll try to find a balance at some point, though as it stands right now, it's going to be like this for a while.

Anyways, on to your questions (and all purpose comments)!

remiboi: Thank you very much for the kind words. I am a little anxious, I will admit. But hopefully everything will be fine as time goes on. And don't worry. More things to come for our (un)lucky MC.

The Darkness Writhes: Thank you. I really want to apologize to our MC for what I'm about to put him through in the coming future. But as it stands, I'm sure he can handle a bit of pain.

King Spagoot III: Uhhh...I...guess?

sonicprime159: Ahaha! It would be quite interesting, if I have to say so myself.

As for what I will do...Well, I guess surviving would be first priority. In all honesty I have no idea as well. On one hand, I will probably run if they get too crazy. But on the other hand, I would just want to spend time with them despite all things. Oh well.

Quill104.4: Well, I stated that Monika can be creepy at times. I, however, never mentioned that she isn't creepy. But I assure you; she has no hidden agendas. After all, can you blame a girl for taking measures so that her lover wouldn't cheat or run behind your back?

If it's any consolation, I am currently trying to implement how her thought process might be like, into the story. In fact, for all of the girls. They do, after all, deserve time in the spotlight.

Notsae: Well, I'm pretty anyone would be weary of Yuri. Especially the same kind from Act 2 in the game. And I do thank you for your input. At least Kei and his idiotic antics were, at the very least, amusing to you.

WarpandaII: Why thank you. I try my best. Can't win em all, however.

Also, as a final statement, I am sure many of you have been wondering, but no. This is not, in any shape or form, from the game. I don't know how you folks managed to think of it as such, but I suppose I am partly to blame for not telling all of you earlier. Apologies.

And with that, I'll see you next time.

Disclaimer: Doki Doki Literature Club was not made by me. But rather by Dan Salvato and his team.

It would have been nice to have a cup of warm tea with a friend like Monika at the moment. Though, the current situation wouldn't call for it. Rather, it feels like I'm forced to have a relaxing tea break with her.

Despite the tense atmosphere, Monika was casually sipping her cup of tea; brewed from the leaves that Yuri had brought along apparently. I couldn't help but eye her intensely. The fact that she had a remote control for the shock buzzer in my collar was alarming enough. But even more so in that I had no idea where it was.

In her hands? ...No, probably not. Both were used to gingerly grasp the mug she was holding.

Somewhere tied to her hair like a pin? ...Maybe, but unlikely. Her hair was free flowing at the moment. I have to admit though, she did look beautiful under the pale moonlight.

...Somewhere in her undergarments...?

...Don't look at me like that! I was merely giving my two cents on the matter!

"Something on your mind, dear~?" I heard Monika's voice pierce the silence between us. I wasn't paying much attention for a moment, so the fact that she was staring at me was pretty surprising.

I turned and looked away, hoping I could hide my blush. "N-Nothing..."

...Right. Just stay calm and think this one through. One wrong misstep may cost my head. I really didn't want to get shocked any more than just now.

Still...I had to think of something to bring her back into reality and stop all these scary things she's doing. I really do love these girls and I would do anything to bring them back. Only problem is that I'm under constant surveillance one way or another. I'm not sure if it's Monika's doings, but I had the feeling that I can't do anything on my own.

I looked back at Monika, finding that she's still giving me that sweet look I knew. Underneath the desk I clenched my fist as I tried to suppress the anger welling up inside. Why? Why?

"...Why?" I silently questioned. I wasn't expecting a reply since I was mumbling to myself.

Despite that, Monika managed to hear me. "Why? Because we care for you, silly~" She chuckled, leaning closer towards me before poking me on the nose. "Girls don't need a reason to do things for the ones they love, you know~?"

"But this?!" I almost yelled as I tugged on the collar still attached to my neck. It rattled slightly, filling the empty room with more noise. "This is crazy! Everything about this is crazy! Are you all really trying to love me or hold me captive? Because, for all the things you girls have done, I'm certain it's the latter"

I gritted my teeth as I spoke my mind. I was so angry at the moment. No. I was fuming.

At times like this, I wondered if Monika and the rest truly love me or they're just using me for some other purpose in their evil schemes.

But before I could speak again, Monika slammed her fist against the table. It startled me quite a lot. She had never done that before. I always thought she was a very gentle and sweet person at heart. Even her eyes were practically seething with rage.

"...I should ask the same thing to you" She spoke cryptically. I cocked my head in confusion. What di-...

"Don't look at me like that. Even though you've done so much for us, you've never fully returned our affection whenever we showed it" She spoke through a strained voice. It almost looked like she was in pain.

"On the verge of our club's collapse, you came and gave us a chance. Your smiles felt genuine and pure, like an angel's glow. You gave us hope in a small, yet dark part of our lives. You were always there to help us. Always there to cheer and encourage us"

"You've helped us in so many various ways. You barged your way into Sayori's heart when she tried to take her life multiple times. You fought Natsuki's Dad and even helped the two reconcile with each other. You've let yourself be stabbed and cut to no end just to help curb Yuri's crazy addiction. And not to mention you were there for me. Consoling me. Keeping me safe. All the while whispering soothing words to help ease the sadness that welled up when my parents died"

"You are more than any of us ever wanted. A shining beacon for lost souls like us. A close friend. A silent listener. One who would take other's priorities over your own. And all because of these things; these things that you might think are small, are the reason why we love you. So much. So very much that it tears us apart whenever we are away from you"

I just sat there, listening to every word that she spewed forth with my eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape. I did not expect a confession. More so one that is as passionate as this. The way Monika presented it made my heart ache slightly. I...I knew there was something else to this. But I couldn't help but feel bad about the whole thing. The way she spoke so highly of me made it seem like I'm the bad guy in this relationship.

It hurts.

Meanwhile, it seems like Monika not done talking as of yet. But seeing her just shaking in place managed to kickstart the soft side that was within me. I still couldn't forgive her yet due to what she's done, however.

"We knew you were the kind and soft type. Someone who was like that to everyone around him or her. It wasn't too surprising when you'd try to help other's out just for the sake of helping them. But it made us feel special since you would almost take our selfish request with no hints of doubt or retaliation"

"And despite that..." she stopped for a brief moment, almost choking on her tears as they continued to fall. "...How could you...?"

I stared at her strangely. What did she mean? I honestly did not understand.

I wanted to reach out and stop her for a moment; to briefly ask and mend this insatiable feeling of regret that was burning inside, but I couldn't. Not because I subconsciously stopped myself. Not because I didn't care.

But rather because Monika had stomped her way towards me and slapped me on the cheek.

It stunned me, as the force caused me to tumble and fall. I had not expected such an action from her. Despite the contact, I couldn't feel any pain on my cheek. It only felt numb at the moment. Maybe it was because I was far too shocked to register anything else. Far too confused and scared to try and feel pain.

"...Why...?" She softly spoke as she looked down on me, still shaking. "...Were you just there to toy with us...? To toy with our feelings of love for you?"

She crouched down and grabbed me by the shoulders, shaking me a little as I could see a small amount of the sadness in her eyes turn into rage. "Why?! Was that bitch better than all of us?!" She practically screamed. From her onwards, I wouldn't be surprised if the other girls were awake, considering how loud she was. "Huh?! Is that it?! After all you've done for us; after all we've done for you, you're just gonna throw it all away?!"

At this point, I was the one who was getting angry. What the hell was she talking about? I don't ever recall something along those lines.

I felt my face contort as I gritted my teeth. "Hey! I don't remember doing such a thing! What the hell are you going on about?!" I yelled back.

Monika merely leaned back and gave a frustrated sigh. "Gosh! I didn't realize that you were both dense and stupid!" She mocked as her eyes gave me the feel that she was looking at trash. My angry only grew more from this.

"Well screw you too! It's not my god damn fault that I can't recall!"

She leaned in closer yet again, our eyes meeting with each other. Her bright emerald irises look like they were scanning me as she gave off a small growl. "Oh? Was it that good that it made you forget everything?" She softly said, her voice laced with venom. "Were her lips so intoxicating that it made you forget all about us and everything that we stood for?"

And suddenly, all the angry that I felt was gone in an instant, now replaced with visible confusion. "What?" I replied as I was trying to tie things together. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

There was obviously something else to this that I wasn't taking into account. And despite her previous question, my brain just couldn't come up with anything. There was one obvious and glaring hole that I seemed to have forgotten. Something that had managed to trigger this entire chain of events.

'Come on, think! Think, damn you, think!'

What was it? Who? When? Where? How? Why? So many question that I wanted to solve. The only clue I can link to it was Monika's use of the word 'lips'.

Something fell on my face as I tried hard to think, snapping me back to reality. It was warm and wet. It took me a moment to realize it was tears that came from Monika as she started to cry yet again. "What do you mean by, 'What' ?" Her voice cracked. I could tell she was trying hard not to break down into a sobbing mess.

"Monika please..." I tried to plead, hoping that it would work. "I don't know anything about what you've been saying. I really don't. I can't make heads nor tails of anything, really"

Her eyes, with whatever strength behind them, slowly stared at my face. She must not trust me at all, given the intensity behind her action. Nevertheless, it seemed she budged, even if a little bit.

"...Nothing at all...?" Her voice was soft, almost inaudible, but I managed to still hear it. I nodded my head vigorously. "...Really...? Does the name 'Aya' not ring any bells...?"

...Aya...

...

...

...Aya...

...

...Odd...It felt familiar to me for some reason. I didn't know why, but I had a feeling that I knew this person from somewhere. I couldn't place my finger on it, though. The name just seemed to elude any form of memory that I had.

Yet...Why was it that I could associate the word 'clingy' to it? It wasn't as if it were some guess. Rather, it seemed like it was always there. But for no apparent reason. Did I truly know this name?

And then, as if a building had collapsed on top of me, I remembered.

Everything.

Her name. Her looks. Her personality. Her behavior. Her likes, dislikes, hobbies, favorite locations, class, enemies. All these information came flooding back to me. Unrelenting, unforgiving. My brain couldn't handle the sudden influx and I couldn't help but give off a yelp of pain.

I could recall the way we met. The unpleasant encounter with her as we both bumped into each other at intense speeds.

I could recall the moments we shared both in and outside of school as we laughed and fought our way through our own problems.

I could recall the places we've been to and the adventures the both of us had shared. The way we would both drag each other into trouble.

...And I could finally recall what Monika had been saying minutes ago.

The image was still burned clearly into my mind like the sun on a bright summer day. I cursed myself to think that I had forgotten, but even more so at the flag that I had subconsciously triggered. Under a small umbrella; under the scorching hot sun with a bottle in our hands, she gave me something that she had been wanting to give.

"Hmph. So you do remember" Monika's voice had cut short of the small memory. I had nearly forgotten that she was still on top of me, dangerously close to my face. But she didn't the look the same; she looked to be devoid of all life. Not even the smallest speck of colour was apparent. It was almost as if she were nothing but a hollow shell now. "So was she great? Was she the one you were hoping to come into your life?"

I didn't answer. It was far too hard for me to say anything without earning a bashing or something similar from her, given her current state. Unstable.

If people were to ask what was wrong with her still, I would forgive them for not knowing the truth. In fact, I would reprimand them to no end. I mean, I'm technically the one at fault for not knowing sooner. Maybe this is what I deserved after toying with their hearts. To be locked and kept under constant surveillance by the girls.

A soft rustling of bed sheets caught both of our attention. A small figure propped itself up from the bed, her small hands trying to dispel the fatigue that was clouding her eyes. A soft yawn was stifled, accompanied by a soft voice that melted my heart for a brief moment.

"...M-Monika...? What's going on...?"

I let loose a small "tsk" in disapproval, seeing as how Natsuki had woken up. Still surprised, however, that the other two hadn't.

Her bright pink hair was softly glowing under the moonlight as she tried to crawl her way towards us. I instinctively reached out to try and help her as it looked like she was about to fall, but she instead chose to peer over the edge of the bed. Her eyes blinked once. Twice, trying to probably still adjust to the dark. However once she was fine, she gave a look of confusion at the situation Monika and I were in.

"...What the hell are you guys doing...?" She asked in a quiet yet disapproving tone. "It's like...what, late at night and you're still trying to get frisky?"

Monika growled yet again, her eyes forming a scowl at the small girl. "Shut it, Natsuki" She replied, angry still apparent in her voice. After a moment, Monika had eased her grip on my shoulders as she just sighed and looked away. "Just...Been talking to Kei"

Monika leaned back and stood up before walking over to one of the doors at the opposite end of the room, leaving me and Natsuki alone. A soft sigh managed to escape Natsuki's lips as I saw her shaking her head. "...I swear..." She talked for a moment before catching herself as she probably realized I was still around. She frowned, "Ugh. Get back here already will you? Don't make me come and taze you, you hear?"

My blood ran cold. Natsuki had a remote device too?!

"From the look on you face, Monika probably didn't tell you, did she?" Natsuki gave an unamused look. "Whatever. I'll just say this to you, since you're so dense"

"I'm guessing, with you being up, you probably already know that you have a shock collar on you" She stated. I nodded slowly, cautious as to what she would do. "And that Monika told you, or maybe implied, that she has some device that can trigger the shock"

I nodded again and squinted my eyes. What was she on to?

"Well, as you can already probably tell, I have one too. In fact, each of us has one. As for where it may be..." Natsuki gave a soft whistle before shrugging and chuckling a little. "...Well who knows?"

My eyes dilated as I heard this revelation fall upon me. I had a feeling that maybe one of them may hold a spare to keep me in check. But I didn't expect Monika to make four such devices for each of them to keep. Any form of plan I had to try and find one and destroy it before escaping had just been crushed because of that.

Natsuki giggled yet again at my expense, her eyes looking down on me like some inferior being. "Good luck trying to do anything, Casanova. And before I forget, I'll say it again" Natsuki leaned in close, making sure she didn't fall over the edge of the bed. "Get back in bed, stud. Or else I'm going to have to shock you into next week"

I shivered. The way she said it didn't sound much like a threat. But given how she had power over me, I didn't want to risk anything happening. So I complied, earning a small giggle from the small girl as I shifted my feet over to the bed. It was pretty hard finding a good and comfortable position, seeing how it was crowded on the bed

The only free space that wasn't taken up was one spot in the middle. The girls had probably shifted around a number of times, since I recall I didn't have that much trouble when getting off the bed. But the way they were positioned made it hard. Yuri made it especially so as she was comfortably in a fetal position at the edge where I was at.

In the end, I managed to somehow make my way back. Though, as soon as it was so, Natsuki laid on top of me while Yuri and Sayori grabbed both my arms. Another soft giggle left Natsuki's mouth as she noted how cornered I was at the moment. I tried to laugh in return as a good sport, but I stopped mid-way when I heard the two girls at my sides do the same.

I looked at both ends, finding two pairs of irises staring back at me like a hawk. They were awake, much to my dismay.

"Come on, you dummy. Just go back to sleep" Natsuki smiled as she grabbed the side of my head and gave me a surprising kiss on the lips. I tried to resist until I felt something slip into my mouth, to which I instinctively swallowed. Natsuki released herself, satisfied that I took whatever she had given me.

"You're tired, right? Just sleep. We'll take care of you" She softly whispered as she laid her head against my chest while the other two on both of my shoulders.

The world grew gradually dimmer with my eyes starting to lose focus. It was getting harder and harder for me to stay awake as my body eventually fell limp.

The last thing I saw before I went to sleep was Monika walking over to the bed with a small frown on her face.