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Unfiltered Noise

There's a pause. Then Monika meets her gaze head on.

"I think we let things rot too long," she says. "And I'm sorry."

Natsuki blinks.

It's not the apology that does it.

It's the way Monika says it like she means it.

Like she's tired of pretending.

And that, more than anything, softens the room.

—Natsuki's POV—

I don't say anything right away.

Mostly because if I open my mouth, I'll probably cry. And I'm not doing that in a public café.

But I hear it. In her voice. In Sayori's silence. In the way Yuri looks at me, not pushing, not judging, just... waiting.

I finally exhale.

"I missed you idiots," I mutter.

Sayori grins and Monika actually laughs.

Yuri smiles into her tea.

MC raises his glass like a toast.

It's not a big reunion. No dramatic music. No big group hug.

But it's a start.

A real one this time.

⸻

—Monika's POV—

I forget how loud the old apartment gets when everyone's talking at once.

Natsuki's arguing with Sayori over what toppings belong on pizza.. again. Yuri's flipping through a stack of game cases like she's deciding which one holds the secrets to the universe. MC's sitting cross legged on the rug, untangling controller cords with surgical precision, stroking the stubble on his chin.

And me?

I'm watching.

Not just the moment, but everything it took to get here. The tension, the drifting, the silence. All of it suspended now in something that feels suspiciously like peace.

We're back. Not officially. Not with cameras or schedules or curated hashtags. But we're here. In the same room. Breathing the same air. Eating the same slightly burnt frozen pizza Sayori insisted on making herself.

Yuri settles on a cozy party game. Something low stakes. Colorful characters and silly minigames. She slides it into the console like it's an offering. Like this is the truce.

I glance across the couch. Sayori catches my eye.

She smiles.

This time, I smile back without hesitation.

—Sayori's POV—

There's this warmth I've been chasing.

Not the kind that comes from coffee or hugs or the sun through your bedroom window. Something quieter. Something that only shows up when you're surrounded by people who know you better than you know yourself.

It's in the way Natsuki rolls her eyes when I mispronounce "gyroscope" during a tutorial. It's in the soft way Yuri explains the rules without making me feel dumb. It's in how Monika doesn't try to lead. She just plays. Listens.

Even MC seems lighter, like he's not holding the glue together this time. Like maybe we all brought our own pieces.

I didn't think we'd ever get back here. Not fully.

But maybe we don't need to go back. Maybe this, whatever it is, can be something new.

Something better.