Monika decided to follow the two of them home.  Seeing as they always walked home together, and Yuri and Natsuki weren't what she was interested in anyway, she didn't have much choice, anyway.

About halfway there, Sayori spoke up.

"MC?"

"Hm?"  He turned to look at Sayori, who was staring at the ground slightly.

"Do you remember anyone named M҉ɵᏁi̸ƙΔ?"

She immediately paused.  What in the world just happened?

MC gave her a strange look.  "......huh?"

Monika paused.  So Sayori could think her name, but she couldn't say her name.  It...strangely made sense.

Sayori blinked for a moment.  "Er..."

Her mind was racing.  Why can't I say her name anymore?

"... never mind, I guess."

"Sayori, you're acting different."

"I-I am?"

"Well... yes and no."

"I mean... it's probably just a dream I had, or something."  Sayori tried using this as a cover-up.

"Huh?"

"... a dream that I had a friend that was closer than a sister... a friend that betrayed me... a friend that left me hanging..."

Monika looked away guiltily.  A shiver ran down MC's spine, and the atmosphere suddenly felt...different.

"... a friend... that was deleted." Sayori finished, just above a whisper.

Tears streamed down Monika's face.  "I'm still here..."

MC clenched his hands into fists.  "Well, if she betrayed you, she deserved that punishment."

Monika's heart sank again.  He was right — she DID deserve this.  She deserved every moment of this torture.

"It's not like that at all!" Sayori clarified.  "She didn't mean what she did.  I know she didn't.  I see that now.  She didn't mean any of it.  She was just blinded by her love..."

She couldn't finish her sentence.  Monika stared at Sayori in disbelief.  After what she did... she was being defended by the one she betrayed?

Memories flashed in her mind.

Memories of when she and Sayori met.

Memories of the things they did together.

Memories of when they started the club together.

Memories of when Sayori first introduced MC to the club.

Memories of...

...

She tried to push those thoughts out of her head.  She refused to remember when she told Sayori to kill herself.  She refused to remember when she tampered with her best friend.

She wished she could delete those memories out of her head.  She wished she could go back and fix her mistakes.  She wished she could be with her "little sister" again.

"Well, whatever.  I still say she deserved it." MC muttered.

It hurt Monika to hear him say that.  It hurt her hearing the one she loved speak lowly of her.  It hurt her more, however, knowing he was right.

She deserved to be deleted.

She deserved to not exist.

Sayori just sighed.  "... I don't know."

They continued walking home in silence, leaving Monika to think about all of these things.

The more she thought, the more she despised herself.

She despised her actions.

She despised her love.

She despised her insanity.

She...

...

No.

It's too late to think about that.

The past is in the past.

There's no time to look at the memories.

It's time to move on.