章 20: The Bug in a Program
The mysterious president and I walked a short distance away, and my mind buzzed with questions.
What does he want to discuss? Why does he know about me? This wasn't part of the game's narrative.
"Maki, I've been observing your interactions in the game, and I believe there's more to your story than what's scripted," he said, his tone serious.
The feeling of unease intensified.
Who was he, and how did he have this knowledge?
"I think we need to talk about the nature of this reality and your role in it," he added, his gaze steady.
Reality? Role? What was he getting at?
As we distanced ourselves from Sayori, the mysterious president began speaking in a tone laden with hidden meaning.
"Monika's role, a main character and the poster girl of the Doki Doki Literature Club is the President of the Literature Club and is the game's driving force, directing club members to write poems until the club festival, which enables and develops the characters and story. Yet for an odd reason, this game is supposed to be the second act and she's still not doing a thing? It's strange, isn't it? Sayori is supposed to be gone from this world... Deleted... Erased..."
I shot him a sharp glare, my unease escalating. "What are you getting at?"
He chuckled a nonchalant sound that didn't match the gravity of his words. "Pfft~ Ahahahah~ Don't make such a scary face, Maki. I was just stating the information from Wikipedia... I'm sure you know that, right? After all, you are a player from the real world. I don't know how you got in here, but... do you mind returning yourself to reality? After all, you're inside a game."
His words hit me like a whirlwind.
Reality? Game?
The lines between the virtual and the real blurred, and my mind struggled to grasp the implications of what he was saying.
"What are you talking about? This is absurd!" I retorted, my voice tinged with frustration.
He sighed as if dealing with an ignorant child. "Maki, you're not a character in a video game. You're a player who somehow entered this reality. I'm here to offer you a way out, a return to your world."
"I don't know what game you're playing, but I'm not falling for this. I live here. I have a life here. This is real to me," I asserted, my hands clenching into fists.
"I'm sure this is real... I have a theory that I died in my room and got transported here," I asserted, attempting to make sense of the surreal situation.
"Well, if you still stay here in this world, my company has no choice but to destroy it."
"Destroy it? What do you mean..."
"Metaverse Enterprise Solutions's Engineering team."
"What?"
"That's right, Maki. You are a bug crawling in the program... Ever since we released this game, we were getting positive feedback until you came."
His words hung in the air, each one carrying a weight I couldn't fully comprehend.
"But this is just a visual novel game!"
"A visual novel game? I see... so that's how you see this game."
Abruptly, my field of vision darkened, and I scanned the surroundings with a growing sense of unease. "What did you do?"
"I'm simply showing you the fragments of this game."
Binary codes and folder files began swirling around me, reminiscent of the first time I arrived here. The "President" seized a folder labeled "characters."
"I'm sure you know what this is, right?"
"Don't touch that...! You asshole!"
He chuckled, attempting to open it, but a pop-up password thwarted his efforts. Frustration crossed his face. "Oh? I didn't expect you to be this smart."
"Don't underestimate a shut-in."
"Pfft~ Ahahahaha!~ A shut-in... That's right..."
The world started to revert to normal, and he spoke cryptically, "It seems that my time here is done... but I'll be back for sure. I'll be here resetting every fragment you caused. Every bug you put in this world."
His eyes glowed red momentarily, then returned to normal.
"H-Huh? Where am I?" The president looked disoriented.
...
At first, I was confused about what was going on... For starters, I needed to talk to Monika. I needed explanations.
...
I retraced my steps back to where I left Sayori, who was patiently waiting on a bench, humming a tune. As she saw me approaching, she beamed, "Maki! Are you done?"
Before words could escape my lips, I enveloped her in a tight embrace.
"Maki? What's wrong?"
A rush of memories flooded back—the first playthrough, the shock of Sayori's tragic end. The images threatened to overwhelm me, but I held on, clinging to the present, and clutched her even tighter.
"Maki..." Her voice was soft and comforting. She returned the embrace, her hand gently patting my back. "I won't go anywhere... I'm here..."
Unshed tears welled up in my eyes, and, unable to contain the torrent of emotions, they streamed down my cheeks. Sayori's reassuring presence anchored me in this bizarre world, offering solace amid the chaos.
I will protect you all... I promise.
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