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Intro

The camera light flicks off with a gentle click.

Monika leans back in her chair, stretching her arms above her head until her spine pops. "That's it. Final cut of the finale. How do you feel?"

Sayori doesn't answer right away. She's sitting cross-legged beside her, still holding the Switch controller, staring at the now-black screen like it's still playing. She bites the inside of her cheek.

"Kind of... sad?" she says, smiling anyway. "But... good sad."

Monika nods. She knows exactly what that means. Their gaming series, 'Save Scum Shenanigans', the one that accidentally launched their ship name, flooded their inboxes with fan edits, and earned them a dedicated corner of the internet was ending. Not because anything went wrong. Just because they were moving on.

Together.

From behind the editing station in a small apartment, MC scrubs back through the raw footage. Sayori had leaned her head on Monika's shoulder when she thought the camera was off. Monika didn't flinch. In fact, her hand instinctively brushed Sayori's knuckles, soft and barely there, as if asking for permission.

He zooms in slightly. Frames it tighter. There's no dialogue, just the ambient sound of rustling hair and a shared breath. It's his favorite kind of clip. The ones they don't plan. The moments that feel real, because they are.

He knows. He's seen all of it.

Across town, Natsuki and Yuri are doing a 'baking and cozy games' stream. Natsuki's channel blew up after she started uploading her no-nonsense commentary on new releases, and Yuri, quiet, eloquent, a bit clumsy on camera, became the soft counterbalance everyone adored. Her book recs, her longform Let's Plays with commentary about philosophy and color theory, even her rambling love letters to indie developers... The internet loved them. And when the four girls collabed? That was lightning in a bottle.

But this story isn't about viral metrics. Not anymore.

⸻

Monika's phone buzzes on the desk. It's a tweet going viral.

"THEY HELD HANDS OFF CAMERA. I REPEAT. SAYONIKA IS REAL."
Attached: A blurry screenshot, timestamped from MC's last edit.

She rolls her eyes, but her cheeks flush. "We're not subtle, huh?"

Sayori laughs and lays her head on Monika's lap. "We were never good at pretending."

"No," Monika agrees softly, brushing Sayori's bangs out of her eyes. "Just good at pretending it didn't mean anything."

⸻

Later that night, MC finalizes the export. Tags the video. Schedules it.

Title: The Final Boss (And the Final Kiss? 👀)
Description:

Thanks for sticking with us through all 42 episodes. We're not going anywhere—just changing lanes. You'll see us again soon. In a different format, maybe. Maybe even as something new. ;)

He hits "Publish" and sits back.

Then he opens his group chat.

MC: Upload done. Final thumbnail's a banger. Also...
I left the hand-holding in.
Hope that's okay.

A typing bubble appears.

Monika: It's perfect. Let them know.

⸻

When the video premieres, the chat explodes.

"WAIT DID SHE JUST KISS HER CHEEK?!"
"monisayo canon. we won."
"i love how this isn't even subtext anymore."
"they're soft and stupid and in love and I'm crying."
"wait is this the end?"
"pls say they'll come back 😭"

And at the very end of the video—right after the credits, after the fan art showcase, after the final musical cue—a single frame of white text on black:

"Play again?"
[Yes] [No]

The comments section lights up instantly with the same response:

Yes.

And somewhere, in a sunlit apartment still cluttered with controllers and empty mugs, on the same worn couch where they filmed their very first Let's Play,

Sayori nudges Monika with her shoulder, grinning.
"You ready for the next one?"

Monika smirks, picking up her controller.
"Always."

The camera light turns red.

New game. Same channel.
Same two girls, still figuring it out. Together.