I had a dream. A nostalgic illusion of my happiest daily life mixed with my recent torrid night. In my dream, I was once again in my original world, as if the surreal transportation never happened. I began my daily routine like everyday, I met the person I cared the most about, ate my favorite dishes, and finally finished the day without any trouble. Everything went well, and I felt like I was free of all stress such as relational problems, financial difficulty, and so on. It was truly the idealized daily life I had always longed for. The day was over in a heartbeat, and I found myself sharing the night with Monika, who was somehow in my world, reliving a more otherworldly version of what we did together in the 'real' world.

When I woke up, my heart was warmed by a powerful longing of a happier future with her, in my world. A future where her, Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri and the MC were granted human life, and found their own happiness. A now unreachable ending where I didn't leave my world, breaking the hearts of those who cared about me, and where everyone was happy.

...

I open my eyes with difficulty. The recent events exhausted me, in both good and bad ways. It seems I slept soundly for many hours, possibly more than a dozen of hours. Getting rid of my drowsiness is difficult.

The artificial light of the MC's bedroom greets me. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. When I open them again, I notice with a hint of loneliness that I am alone in the room. The bed is very messy, with dirty strains of various fluids littering the sheet and the blanket. Aside from that, the room is just like what it was before.

I shake my head to clear my drowsiness and focus my thoughts.

Right. That was just a dream. The endless future in this bare world with Monika is my reality now. Where is she?

I feebly get up. My fractured forearm is obviously hurting, but so does my hip, although to a much lesser extent. My other limbs are alright. However, it takes some time before my blood flow is completely restored. My body laid horizontally for far too long.

Ethan: "Monika? Where are you?"

I have only noticed now, on how dirty I am. Dried sweat and bodily fluid are stuck to my skin. I am also completely nude.

Uh...I should take a shower…I'm so thirsty too...

I call out to Monika, this time, louder. My positive mood, although a bit sad, is getting tainted by my growing worry. I expected her to wake up beside me. Where did she go?

Ethan: "Monika? MONIKA? CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

Fortunately, it only takes a second before a familiar voice answers me from beyond this room. The voice is barely audible.

Monika: "Ethan? Wait, I'm coming right away!"

And then, Monika appears in front of me out of nowhere! Her sudden apparition makes my heart skip a bit.

She is in her usual school uniform, with her hair tied by her signature white bow. She is as beautiful as ever.

She does her signature pose, with a cheerful and teasing smile.

Monika: "Ehehe~Are you surprised?"

Seeing her angelic smile once more eases my worry right away. Instead of answering her, I do one step forward to embrace her warmly.

I am slightly embarrassed by my lack of clothes, but considering what we did last night, that is hardly a concern.

I say with love:

Ethan: "Monika…"

It is her turn to be surprised, even though it doesn't last long. She hugs me back, her warm clothes caressing my skin.

Monika: "Ethan..."

I nuzzle her lovely neck with caring affection.

I think back about my dream.

I will never obtain that perfect ending. But at least, she is here with me...My dear significant other.

We childishly rub against each other for a while, before we finally separate.

Monika: "Sorry for leaving you this 'morning'. You looked like you were having a nice dream and I didn't want to disturb you. I made a new house while you were sleeping!"

Her expression is shining with joy and excitement.

A house?

Ethan: "Eh? really?"

Monika: "Yeah! Do you want to see it?"

Ethan: "Of course I want to!"

She holds my hand and warns me:

Monika: "Then hold still, I'm going to teleport us!"

The next instant, I am suddenly inside a new vast rectangular room. The ceiling is at least two meters above my head and the surface is more than 100 square meters. The walls of the room are the same as the walls inside MC's house. There is one door behind me, one door on the right, left and in front of me. There are some sofas, beds, desks, tables and other furniture scattered in the room.

Ethan: "Whoa Monika, your coding skill is getting better and better!"

She can even teleport objects now.

Monika: "Thanks!...Though, there are still so many things I still can't do.."

She points to the objects in the room with her hand.

Monika: "For example, I still can't create entirely new objects or foods, like coffee or piano…"

Ethan: "You still can only copy-paste existing objects right?"

Monika: "Or I can make more complex objects using smaller components, like this house using the walls of MC's house."

Hm...I hope we will eventually find one way to solve that problem, or we're going to eat cupcakes forever…

Thinking about food made me remember just how thirsty I was. Considering how much water I lost last night (or was it last afternoon?), I seriously need hydration.

Ethan: "I see...By the way, can you spawn one bottle? I'm so thirsty I feel like I could drink a lake."

Monika: "Sure!"

One large bottle filled with water appears in her hand. She hands it to me with a beam on her face and I immediately open it to drink the precious liquid.

I rapidly gulp down more than one half liter and closes the cap. I hand it back to Monika. She takes it and then deletes it.

I furrow my brows at that.

Ethan: "Isn't it a waste? Half of it was left."

Monika: "It doesn't matter, does it? I could create a million of them in a blink."

Right...I should forget common sense. Monika is literally a goddess here. And this goddess is my lover…

I feel a sense of pride at that thought.

I notice Monika is ogling me with her regard. I am still completely nude.

Ethan: "Hm...Monika? I really wouldn't mind a shower and new clothes right now."

Her regard jumps back to my face.

Monika: "...I don't mind you if you stay like this, darling~"

Ethan: "Uh...The offer is tempting... but I think I still prefer the hot shower and the clothes. I feel dirty and pretty cold right now."

She drops her shoulder in defeat and heaves a sigh.

Monika: "It can't be helped. Okay, I'm going to teleport us in 3,2,1..!"

While giving me barely anytime to prepare myself, we are instantaneously transported inside a bathroom.

This bathroom vaguely reminds me of something…

Yeah...I think it was Sayori's bathroom...The one I entered in while I was unconscious after the first rollback.

Like the living room, the bathroom is mostly empty. There is just one washstand and one bathtub with one shower head. There is no towels or other smaller objects.

Monika: "This is Sayori's bathroom. Sadly, there is no towel or even water…But that's not a problem as long as I'm here!"

Ethan: "Because you can spawn water on top of my head, right?"

She does a cute nod accompanied by her hand, index pointing upward.

Monika: "Right, as expected of my lover!"

Aww, seeing Monika so cheerful makes so happy too. She was always beautiful before, but now she is like a sun.

I enter the bathtub and looks at her expectantly.

Suddenly, her clothes disappear and she then goes inside the tub with me. I almost divert my gaze out of reflex, but I remember on time there really isn't anything to hide anymore.

Ethan: "Uh...Monika? You already took a shower, right?"

Monika: "Yeah? But how could I miss a chance to take a shower with my love?"

She cuddles me, pressing her tempting breasts against my chest, without them compressing my splint.

Monika: "I need to be close to accurately control the flow of water."

I could argue she could do it from outside the room, by creating continuously water 20 centimeters above my head, but I more than welcome Monika's arousing offer.

Ethan: "Okay then. I don't mind, my love ."

…

We took a warm and slightly lewd shower.

…

I am standing outside of the tub, still inside the bathroom. We finished showering and drying each other. Monika already got dressed with her usual uniform while I am still nude.

Ethan: "So, since you deleted my clothes last night, you can restore them, right?"

Monika: "Uh...about that, I kind of forgot to make a backup before I deleted them…"

I stare at her for a while before I acknowledge she is not kidding me.

Ethan: "So, I'm supposed to stay like that forever?"

Monika: "Well, if you want, you can wear my school uniform! I can scale up the size for you!"

Uh...it's surely better than nothing, but cross-dressing isn't really my cup of tea…

Ethan: "You can create any object you saw right? So you should still be able to create the male school uniform."

As soon as I arrived in this world, my clothes were transformed into the male school uniform of Monika's high school. Thus, she should have seen its ID. She should be able to create it again.

Monika: "Maybe…"

I'm sure she can do it, she is just teasing me.

Not that it makes me angry or anything. Little games are fun from time to time.

Ethan: "Besides my clothes, the other background students had an uniform. So, there's no reason why you can't create it."

She pouts a little, with a Natsuki-like expression.

Monika: "Aw, you found out…"

Ethan: "Well...if you REALLY want me to crossdress for you...Then maybe…"

She hops in excitement.

Monika: "Really?!"

Damn, how could I say no to her…?

Wait, I can't anyway if she's really serious about it.

Ethan: "It's not like there's anyone else here so…"

She pulls me in a brief and swift hug.

Monika: "You're so kind, darling!"

Ethan: "Ahaha, anything for you, my dear."

She kisses me one time before pulling away. She spawns a complete female uniform, including the white leggins and a white panties, in her arms. She hands it to me.

Monika: "If the size is too small or too big, I can adjust it~"

I take it and examine it with dubious eyes.

Ethan: "I'm supposed to wear the leggings ...and the panties too, seriously?"

She grins smugly at me.

Monika: "Well, if you don't want, you don't have to wear them, ehehe~"

So it's basically wearing them or staying naked...Uh, considering how cold I am, I think I will choose the former...

Accepting my fate, I slowly dress up, complaining between each step . I'm now wearing white legging, white panties, navy trousers, the white shirt with the orange sweater on top, and finally the gray vest. Monika helped me tying the red ribbon over my shirt.

Once my uniform is complete, Monika chuckles while clapping:

Monika: "You look super cute, Ethan! It fits you so well!"

I look away, seriously embarrassed. Even being naked wasn't as embarrassing.

Ethan: "I'm just doing this once, okay?"

Monika: "Ehehe~"

[[Maybe not~]]

Damn it Monika, doing that is unfair!

I groan in displeasure.

Ethan: "Monika…"

Monika: "Yeah, I know, I said I wouldn't do that, but I just couldn't help myself, ahaha!"

I let out a sigh and forgive her.

Ethan: "...Fine I forgive you, but that's only because you're too irresistible."

Quite literally.

She leans forward, doing her signature pose.

Monika: "Thanks~"

Monika: "I wonder what Sayori and the others would think if they saw you like this…"

Monika's mention of the other girls reminds me of their current state.

Yeah, Monika deleted them, but she said she made backups and she promised she would restore them...Right? What about MC? He didn't take control of my body when I slept, right?

Monika opens the door and invites me to follow her. While accepting her invitation, I say:

Ethan: "What happened to MC by the way? I thought he would control of my body whenever I lost consciousness?"

I cross the door, entering the same vast room we were in thirty minutes ago.

Monika: "Ah, he's taking a nap in the recycle bin with the others~!"

She says it as if it was a mere joke. It angers me a bit considering I know how hurt the other girls and MC were, even if it's them who were the roots of all of sufferings.

I stop in my tracks.

Ethan: "But you promised to bring them back right? When are you doing to do it?"

She stops walking and says hesitantly:

Monika: "Uh...I don't know. It's not like you miss them or anything, no? We can just be the two of us together forever~."

I'm certainly filled with happiness at the idea of staying with Monika forever, but even then, I can't just forget about the others. I already know there's nothing I can do for my world, but it's not too late for Sayori, Natsuki, Yuri and MC.

Ethan: "Of course, staying with you makes me more than happy...But the others are counting on us. We promised to save them, remember?"

I especially remember my promise with MC:

((

MC : "I don't know who you are...But I know you don't want to harm us. I beg you, please save my friends, please save Sayori!"

Ethan: "I will do what I can...I don't know if I can do it...But I promise I will do my best to create a happy ending for everyone."

MC : "Thank you...I guess we're kind of rivals, having to share the same body...But I'm counting on you. You're the only one she will listen to. "

))

Monika: "..."

Monika's carefree voice is getting colder.

Monika: "If I bring them back, they're going to bother us, just like before."

Thoughts of the rollbacks and Yuri's madness came to mind. I shudder.

Ethan: "You can set the value defining the severity of their problems to one or zero, right?"

Monika: "I could, and then what? Let's say I restore their file and teleport them here in this empty world, what do you think will happen?"

I ponder about this issue for a moment. Contrary to us, the other characters aren't completely self-aware. They can't see or understand the truth of this world. If they appear in this broken world, would they even react? Would the placebo still work? In the worst case, the simulation might indefinitely roll back…

Ethan: "...I'm not sure... Maybe they will freeze, maybe the simulation will crash, maybe they will evolve and become completely sentient...But we need to try. They could be in agony in the void at this very moment."

She nibbles her lips, seemingly being stuck in a dilemma.

Monika: "Even if they can somehow become completely self-aware like us, the script will force them to love you, and I'll definitely NOT allow that."

Her voice isn't yet menacing, but the coldness of her voice makes me understand she is serious about it.

Maybe the script will force them to love me, but I think there's a solution. If I want to convince Monika to restore the others, I need to choose my words wisely.

I close my eyes to think about what to say. After several dozens of seconds, I open them again.

Ethan: "Maybe not. I think the script will force them to love the MC, not me."

She furrows her brows, as she probably didn't think about this.

Monika: "Maybe...But you and the MC are sharing the same body."

I expected this answer, fortunately, I have a counter-argument.

We are still in entrance of the main room. I walk to one of the sofa, leading Monika along the way. We sit down on it.

Ethan: "I now have a character file, right? The MC has one too, no? Then, maybe we're two independent entities now?"

Monika: "...It's possible."

I'm almost there. I gently caress the back of her hand with my the palm of my left hand.

Ethan: "We won't know until we try, my love. At least, let's resuscitate Sayori to see what happens. If there's a serious glitch, you can always delete her again, can't you?"

Could she also rollback time? She couldn't at first, but she couldn't teleport us too. Maybe she can now?

Monika: "Fine, you win, darling... Let's try it. I'm curious about it too."

Ethan: "Before that, I want to confirm one thing. Yesterday morning, you couldn't save, load or rewind time, right? You also couldn't edit existing files. Did anything change?"

She smiles with confidence.

Monika: "Ehehe, it did. Now I can do everything! There's no more 'RuntimeError: Access Denied'! I think those shackles broke when the simulation crashed and when we were teleported to that classroom."

Well, that's a relief. At least, she can safely roll back to the nearest save point in case of emergency...On the other hand, there's really nothing holding her back doing whatever she wants to anyone now...

Ethan: "Great. Then, let's do it. Let's restore Sayori's file. It was in the recycle bin, right?"

Monika: "Yeah. Well, I put several backups of her in another folder, but her original file was sent to the recycle bin when I deleted her. Before I restore her…"

She holds my head possessively with her dominant expression.

Monika: "Never forget you're mine, and mine only."

At this moment, Monika's emerald eyes look more like dangerously bewitching uranium.

Ethan: "Y-yeah…"

Her tone goes back to her usual one.

Monika: "Good~"

She then French-kissed forcefully. Her tongue and her hands grope aggressively my mouth and my cheeks as if she was marking their territory. I kiss her back, out of love…

Or out of fear?

Would would happen if I disagree with her? Would she brainwash me? She can even read my own thoughts!

Such worries are making me more and more anxious.

She lets me go, blushing fervently.

Monika: "Gosh, I could get addicted to this…"

I chuckle nervously.

Ethan: "Ahaha…"

Monika: "Anyway, I will restore Sayori…"

Monika: "Now."