Saturday, 20:57
Dear Diary,
I'm writing this because I have to get these thoughts off my mind before I lose it. I've never used a journal before, so I'll just talk to you like a person. A confidant. A witness.
It's been a few hours since I arrived here. I still can't quite grasp how it happened. One moment I was sitting at my PC; the next, I was standing in an unfamiliar room. I remember staying up all night, but I'm certain this isn't a dream. It feels too vivid—too tangible. I've pinched myself enough times to be sure of that.
The thing is, this house... it's identical to the one belonging to the protagonist of the game I was just playing. I had a sickening suspicion, so I rushed to the bathroom to confirm it. As I approached the mirror, my heart stopped for a beat.
I found myself in the body of the Main Character.
Any normal person would be thrilled to wake up in a video game, right? But not me. Because the world I've landed in is a psychological horror story.
On the surface, the game is about a boy joining a literature club where he meets some girls. It looks like a bright, lighthearted dating sim. But I know better. Because there is one girl... Monika. She's the club president, the "poster girl", but she isn't like the others. She's self-aware. She knows she's in a game, and in the original story, she slowly loses her mind, eventually killing the other members just to have the player all to herself.
This world is dark. It deals with depression, self-harm, and trauma. And now, I'm the one who has to live it. There were never any truly "happy" endings in the game; you could never truly save everyone.
I spiraled for a long time thinking about that. Not only do I have to witness those horrors again, but this time, it's my reality. Everything around me looks and feels real.
Adjusting to this body is nerve-wracking, too. I'm shorter and noticeably weaker. Looking in the mirror, it's clear this guy was a total shut-in. But the physical change wasn't the most unsettling part. It's the memories. I have flashes of a life I never lived. I knew exactly where the bathroom was without looking. I knew which drawer held this notebook. It's terrifying to have someone else's past rattling around in my head.
However, the memories are still thin. Unless I'm looking at something specific, the details of "my" family and school life are incredibly foggy.
I spent the last hour scouring the house for clues about my identity. My phone was the most "informative" thing I found, which is to say, it told me almost nothing. There are no pictures. No messages. No calendar events. It's like the phone is brand new. I have Sayori's number—the childhood best friend from the game—but no contacts for parents or family. There are no games or social media apps, either, which is bizarre for a teenager.
I also checked the internet. I searched for anything related to the game, but unsurprisingly, the game doesn't exist here. What's even more confusing is the setting. Looking out the window, the architecture looks Japanese, but everything in the house is in English. The people I heard outside were speaking English, too. Where exactly does this game take place?
To summarize what I know so far:
• Identity: I am in the body of an 18-year-old student named Eugene Vane (oddly, we share the same name).
• Timeline: I woke up at 16:00 on Saturday.
• Identity: I have inherited his memories, but they are hazy.
• World: It's a near-perfect replica of reality, but the game does not exist here.
• Location: The setting looks Asian/Japanese, but the primary language is English.
I think that's all for now. I need to go find something to eat. I'll write more tomorrow.