Chapter 3: 2- The Club
After a timeless lapse, the world came back into focus. The classroom he was in now empty, and painted with the beautiful orange rays of light of late afternoon. It seemed not just the first class was skipped, but the entire day as well.
This was another disturbing fact of his new reality, but it was also important in defining where he was exactly. After all, one could wonder what was the basis of the world around him. Did this world came to existence because of whatever happened to him? Or had he simply fell on the other side of the mirror that were video games?
Lastly, if it was the later, there was the possibility DDLC was an exception since Monika wouldn't have become crazy as fast or as deep if her world was a fascimile of the real one.
It made sense after all, DDLC was a visual novel in the end. Not an open world game, outside of a handful of NPCs, events, or places, there was no reason to have anything else here.
In fact, he had the uncomfortable feeling everything was a matter of perspective. And maybe, that this reality could literally be interpreted through programming logic.
For exemple, since he was kinda aware but not supposed to be, he could see the grey as they truly were. Illusions of living people. But what about Sayori's perception of them? Would be fair to say she saw them as perfectly normal people, since she was programmed to? If this was the case, what about Monika? Could she see them at all? Given she was fully self aware of her surrounding?
This was a rabbit hole he wasn't ready to explore yet.
"Cal! Hello!" Fortunately, Sayori came to save him from falling into it, as she entered the classroom and waved at him with a bright smile on her face.
"Ah, Sayori, what's up? Classes weren't too boring?" He said, idly looking up from his desk and smiling lightly. He desperately wanted to ask her about what exactly did she think she experienced today, but the fact he didn't feel any compulsion not to made him wary. He didn't want anything to happen to Sayori, and who know what the heck Monika was up to when she wasn't 'on' screen.
"No! They were great! I can even say I learned a lot today!"
He stood up, leaned on his desk and lifted an eyebrow toward the girl, suspicious. "Oh, really? And what did you learn?"
She averted her eyes and scratched her cheek. "Ah, you know. Math, history and... eh, stuff?"
"You don't remember, do you?" He smirked knowingly, even if inside he knew it was because she didn't 'bother' to remember. If there was programmed memories of her days at all, of course. Speaking of that, he thought for a bit, and sure enough. He himself had memories of his day. Though they decidedly appeared foreign.
Sayori let out a small sheepish chuckle. "Eheh, you got me." She quickly changed the subject, bringing her arms together close to her chest and gazing up at him. "Anyway, that's not important! I wanted to ask you this morning, but I got distracted... Do you- Do you remember the promise you made me before the start of the year?" She looked awkward for a split second as she asked the question, but it vanished as she tilted her head, seemingly waiting for his answer innocently.
"The one about looking into joining a club?"
Her eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly. "Yes! Did you find some that interest you yet?"
Revising his implemented memories for a second, he answered. "The computer club or the anime one seems interesting. Why you asking?"
"Because I may or may have not told the other members of my club that'd I bring a new member to the club today." She said, a sheepish look on her face.
"Oh, the litterature club? I can give it a try, I guess."
"There'll be cupcakes! And you kno-" Sayori blinked at his words and immediatly made a 180. "Oh, that's great then! Follow me!" She looked super excited as she took off, grabbing his hand in hers.
'Wait Sayori! We mustn't before marriage!' Inwardly not knowing whether to laugh or have an existencial crisis upon living a meme, with an anime girl nonetheless. He finally opted to do both as he tried to not trip in following Sayori's blistering pace.
As they climbed the stairs to the third floors, he finally registered the fact he was going to meet the rest of the girls. And he WASN'T ready, it was all so sudden. He had memories of being childhood friend with Sayori, so there was a sort of buffer between speaking him to a character he previously thought fictional and his new reality.
But there wasn't any of that for Yuri and Natsuki, and not much for Monika. It had been what? An hour, total, since he ended up here? And now he was going to meet characters of a game he had been playing a couple hours ago, in the flesh.
"We're here!" Sayori said, a big smile on her face, pointing at a door a couple of meters away. She tugged on his hand to take him there, but turned toward him as he didn't budge.
Seeing something in his face, she became worried. "Cal? Are you alright? You look pale, do you feel sick? We can come back another day if you want."
"No, I'm alright. Just- Just give me a moment to take my breath." He said, loosening his hand from her and going to lean against the wall. Closing his eyes, he focused on controling his breathing.
'This is nothing, losing my bearings is downright pathetic compared to the pain I felt not long ago. What's there to even fear after that? Nothing, nothing but the unknown. And what you're going to do to that uncertainty, uh, Cal? Shudder and cry in helplessness? No, you're going to make it your fucking bitch. Makes a toy out of it, and enjoy it. That's what you're going to do.' After analysing the situation from a logical standpoint and preptalking himself, he wanted to laugh. There really wasn't anything to fear in the end. Death? Torture? Meh, after his recent experience, if anything, he had more reasons to be afraid of loneliness.
Feeling something warm touch his forehead, he opened his eyes. Only to be met with Sayori's upturned and worried blue eyes, gazing up at him from up close.
"It doesn't seems like you have a fever though, so there's that at least..." She said, mumbling quietly.
Taking her hand she placed on his forehead with his own, he softly lowered it and stayed silent, just looking into her eyes.
After a short while of holding his gaze with her own, Sayori blinked as if coming out of a trance and began to squirm a bit. "What? Is there something on my face?"
"No, I was just thinking of how your face was deserving of a prince charming to match it with." He said with a cheeky smile and released her hand.
Her eyes widened before she turned her whole body away from Cal and said. "That's nothing! Wait until you see the rest of the club members. Ehehe. Now come on! I'm sure they're waiting for us." As soon as she finished her words, she began to walk toward the club room. Not once looking back at him.
His eyes lingering on the back of her head for a bit, he thought. 'Look real enough to me...'
His lips curling up a bit in a half-grimace half-smirk, he nodded to himself and promised. 'It's decided then! Sayori, I'll save you even if you don't want to be.'
All the scenes of the game flashing through his mind, he looked at the door of the clubroom and began to follow the orange-haired girl. 'In fact, I'll save everyone from this cruel game.'
Arriving before the club room, he thought sarcastically. 'Well, there's no use for me being here if I don't do at least that, right?'
"Everyone! I brought the new member!" Sayori said happily as she slammed the door open and entered the clubroom.
Following along, Cal glanced around and was immediatly met with a reserved looking beauty with purple hair and eyes. "Welcome to the club. It's a pleasure to meet you. Sayori always says nice things about you."
"Seriously, you brought a boy? Way to kill the atmosphere." Another voice spoke, but Cal didn't see the holder until he remembered to look down. Pink hair, a petite body and pink eyes full of annoyance was his first vision of the girl. A sassy puppy was his first impression.
'Don't reply, don't reply, don't reply. First impressions are important.' Inwardly, he made himself violence to not reply to her comment how he'd normally answers. Luckily, he didn't need to struggle much longer since the greeting from the next girl needed all his attention, and unfortunately, for all the bad reasons.
"Ah! Cal! What a nice surprise to see you here. Welcome to the club!" With a beautiful voice, green eyes, long light brown hair and an athletic body. Monika, and in this tengent the rest of the girls were incomparable in the flesh from in the game. They were just... More beautiful here.
Also, was he being crazy. Or Monika was the only one from the three who didn't follow her normal greeting from the game?
As Cal thought that, he unintentionally let his gaze linger on Monika for a bit. Resulting in her rising an eyebrow curiously, her eyes meeting his with curiosity, then, they flashed with something he couldn't quite put a word to as whatever it was quickly hidden from him and offered him a simple, almost polite smile. Her eyes upturned just a bit too much for it to be a perfectly normal one.
It almost made him panic, almost. But his poker face was perfect, and he was past the point of being scared, so he came out of this perplexing interaction only with his heart having skipped a beat.
Monika had to know something, since in the game she was the one to stare directly at the player instead of the MC like the other girls. And given that here, he was both, it was hard to say what would be her reaction, both in the short and the long run. In the end, countermeasures were due.
After that, would come a hopefully, totally peaceful conversation.
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