It was harder than normal to get out of bed this morning. I had to literally roll out of bed in order to force myself up; even then, I still felt like staying there on the ground. But that would be pretty silly, even for me, so I eventually got up. It's a good thing that I live alone, or else I'd have parents worried about the ⁕thunk!⁕ coming from my room, huh?

After getting dressed, I splashed water on my face, and looked at myself in the mirror. It's okay, Sayori; you got this, I thought to myself, trying to cheer myself on. It was always hard on days like this… but those were the days I had to remember that even when it felt like I was moving through mud, the tiniest bit of progress was still progress. I slapped my face with both my hands, but on a smile, and walked out the bathroom—well, after drying my face off first.

Minutes later, I was out the door, munching on a large piece of buttered toast with strawberry jelly. I wasn't looking forward to learning in school, but being around all of my friends—especially my best friends from the Literature Club? That's what gave me the energy to make it through the day. Even just thinking about what we'd be doing after school helped me to feel a bit better.

I was so lost in my own world, I almost didn't notice them at first: a person that was walking on the same road that I was. It reminded me of a friend that I used to walk to school with, and it made me sad… but also, feel funny in a way that I'd never felt before. When was the last time I felt like tha—

No way.

It couldn't be. It wasn't Him… but the one that was connected to Him: the Player from the Outside. At least… well, it didn't look like them, but it definitely felt like them. But there was only one way to be sure, wasn't there?

"Uhm… excuse me," I said. I really, really hoped that I wasn't getting this wrong. "You're {{user}}… right?"