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Act 1 mainly consists of romancing three of the four girls: Sayori, Yuri, and Natsuki. It is the only act without any horror elements, as Monika has not yet begun to break the game or alter the personalities of the other girls, with the exception of Sayori and the scene where she hangs herself as Monika's manipulations begin. Throughout the act, the game appears to be a stereotypical romance visual novel.
In this act, the protagonist writes poems for Sayori, Yuri, or Natsuki. The protagonist talks to each of them and spends extra time with his chosen lover. Sayori usually likes the protagonist's poems regardless of whom he wrote them for. This is because of the way the poem game is designed, with most of the words giving Sayori bonus points, making it difficult for the player to write a poem that she dislikes. If the poems were all directed towards Sayori, she will believe that they were actually for Yuri, since she sees herself as unworthy of his love. While she tries to hide her sorrow, it is apparent that losing the protagonist's attention bothers Sayori.
Sayori will be the only character who confesses to the protagonist in Act 1. While rejecting her confession results in heartbreak, accepting her confession does not alter the path of the game, save for a few lines of dialogue and a CG of her hugging the protagonist. Although on the surface the game does not appear to have been altered yet, Sayori's personality sees a fundamental change over the course of Act 1. She shifts from a happy, bubbly personality to a more melancholy, bittersweet one. Monika's tampering with her depression via the game's code is heavily implied, and later explicitly stated, to have played a part.
Suicide and self-harm is not a joke and you should not read the content below if you are sensitive to these topics. For more info on what is below, visit ddlc.moe/warning.html.
Act 1 will end when the protagonist sees Sayori's body hanging by a noose in her room and the player is sent back to the title screen.
Day 2[]
Natsuki's Route[]
If the protagonist writes a poem for Natsuki, he will spend the club time with her reading manga by the club room's closet. Once the time to share poems arrives, Monika, Sayori, and Yuri comment on the likeness to Natsuki's writing style, whereas Natsuki is flustered and dismisses the protagonist's poem as merely "okay," showing traits typical of the tsundere type to which she is likened.
Yuri's Route[]
If the protagonist chooses to write for Yuri, the second day will entail reading a book which she had bought for him, The Portrait of Markov, although she denies doing this, which shows a CG of reading beside each other from the same book. The protagonist makes comments on how the book's main character reminds him of Yuri, to which she becomes extremely embarrassed.
When sharing the protagonist's poem with Yuri, she is taken aback but provides constructive feedback for the protagonist to consider and use to improve their writing style.
Sayori's Route[]
If the protagonist chooses to write for Sayori, he will fall asleep at one of the desks, only to then be woken up by Sayori. The protagonist will comment that she takes better care of him than she does for herself and points out some flaws in Sayori's appearance, which leads to a CG of him buttoning up her blazer.
When sharing the protagonist's poem with Sayori, she states that she likes it a lot and when the protagonist reads her poem, he mocks her for writing hers on the day itself.
Argument[]
After sharing his poem with all four girls, the protagonist notices Yuri and Natsuki in the process of sharing theirs. Natsuki remarks that Yuri's poem is "fancy," to which Yuri responds by saying hers is "cute," offending Natsuki. The two then argue about their writing styles, eventually leading to Natsuki accusing Yuri of trying to impress the protagonist. Insulted, Yuri tells Natsuki that she is just jealous, claiming that the protagonist likes her poem more, but Natsuki only responds by telling Yuri that she needs to stop being full of herself. The protagonist then has to decide how to respond. Whoever he picks also gets 5 extra points for the next poem game, helping the player to grow closer to that girl.
If the protagonist agrees with Natsuki, she becomes proud and happily accepts his opinion, only for the protagonist to chide her when Yuri becomes upset. The protagonist explains his reasonings to Yuri, although it is clear that she is not completely convinced, if listening at all. Natsuki then reluctantly apologizes to Yuri.
If the protagonist takes Yuri's side, he says that he likes Yuri's writing more, but that Natsuki's writing shouldn't be criticized. Yuri apologizes to Natsuki, but Naksuki is still upset. Monika steps in, reminding Natsuki that Yuri already apologized, prompting her to do the same. Sayori tells Natsuki about taking a walk to cool her head, causing the latter to storm out of the club in embarrassment.
If the protagonist instead asks Sayori for help, she will go on to praise both girls for their unique writing styles, but also accidentally cause more awkwardness with her comments, making both Yuri and Natsuki very embarrassed, yet successfully ending the fight. The protagonist then praises Sayori for helping out.
It is noted that for whoever is sided with in the argument, the other party does not apologize. When choosing Natsuki, Yuri leaves prematurely at Sayori's remark, while when choosing Yuri, Natsuki defiantly exits the clubroom. When choosing Sayori, neither Yuri nor Natsuki apologize, although dialogue from the next few days suggest a slight reconciliation between the two.
Day 3[]
Natsuki's Route[]
On day three, Monika is found to have moved all of Natsuki's manga up to the top shelf of the classroom's closet, and she is forced to find a way to reach them. This awards the player with a CG as the protagonist holds onto the chair while Natsuki grabs the box of manga, in a position where he can almost see up her skirt. Once she has the box, she asks the protagonist to take it, but she changes her mind as she looks down and thinks that he is looking up her skirt, even though he isn't. Her anger in this situation causes her to fall, and she lands on top of the protagonist, accidentally causing him to crease a page in one of the manga. He does his best to cheer Natsuki up, and she thanks him for being so nice to her, which is unusual for her to say.
If the protagonist sided with Natsuki during the argument, Yuri will ask him if he's still mad at her, leading to a very awkward misunderstanding. Yuri refuses to share poems and asks the protagonist to leave, saying she has her books to keep her company.
Yuri's Route[]
On the third day, Yuri and the protagonist continue where they left off in the book from the second day. Yuri requests to sit against the wall on the floor, rather than at the desks, hoping that the change of seating will help her to ease her frequent back pain. The protagonist suggests that this is due to her bad reading posture, which Yuri goes along with, though it is implied to actually be caused by having an above average bust size. Yuri goes to get tea with the protagonist, but Monika interjects, stating that it is a one-person thing, to which Yuri very coldly responds that it is none of her business. Once in the hallway, Yuri immediately regrets what she said and the protagonist quickly reassures her. Yuri notes that he is being very nice to her and states that she likes being friends with him. When they get back, the protagonist offers her some chocolate, and Yuri expresses how she cannot hold it while holding her book, prompting him to feed her a piece of chocolate, earning the player a CG in the process. When the protagonist does feed her chocolate, Yuri gets embarrassed, but Monika interrupts them before anything else can happen.
When sharing poems, Yuri is even more impressed with the protagonist's poems, noting all the different techniques the protagonist used. If the protagonist sided with Yuri during the argument, Natsuki quickly realizes that his poem was written for the former and angrily dismisses him.
Sayori's Route[]
Sayori asks the protagonist to help her gather art supplies so she can make posters for the upcoming school festival. She explains what is planned for the event as they search for an empty classroom, and demonstrates her version of a poetry performance. When they find a room, Sayori immediately finds a box of crayons, then drops one. When she bends over to pick it up, Sayori smacks her forehead against a closet shelf. The protagonist decides to get something cold for Sayori's forehead, so he runs to a nearby vending machine and buys a bottle of apple juice, which she holds on her forehead. Sayori then comments on how she misses the times she and the protagonist grew up together.
When sharing poems, Sayori remarks that she is once again impressed and that she loves reading them every day. The protagonist then admits that he writes better when he's thinking of Sayori, which causes her to react in shock.
Day 4[]
On day four, when the protagonist enters the clubroom, he notices Sayori sitting at a desk and staring blankly. When he asks her what's wrong, Sayori hurriedly dismisses him, causing him to become worried. He first asks Monika about her, but Monika says that she does not notice anything off, but she goes over to talk to her.
Natsuki's Route[]
When the protagonist talks to Natsuki about Sayori, she immediately becomes jealous. However, after going into more detail, Natsuki calms down and reassures the protagonist that since Sayori is his best friend, if she did have problems, she would bring that up to the protagonist himself.
When sharing poems, Natsuki seems to finally admit that she likes the protagonist's poems, even comparing him to her skills. She then begs him to tell her that she is a good writer. When the protagonist asks for her poem, Natsuki becomes very apprehensive and does not show it to him, claiming that it is a bad poem, but she finally gives in and hands it to the protagonist. It is revealed that her poem is actually about the protagonist himself, which is why she was nervous about letting him read it. When the protagonist tries to return it, Natsuki declines shyly, saying that she does not want it.
Yuri turns away shyly when approached by the protagonist, causing him to share with another member instead.
Sayori notes how the protagonist wrote his poem for Natsuki and is clearly upset by something, but before the protagonist can say anything, she leaves the classroom early, claiming she is tired.
Yuri's Route[]
After Monika goes over to talk to Sayori, the protagonist notices Yuri staring at him from behind her book. When he asks her about Sayori, Yuri states that she also noticed Sayori's weird behavior and told the protagonist that Sayori could be harboring feelings for him and that Sayori is very lucky to have someone like him care about her.
She then has a heart-to-heart talk with him about her love for books and the characters inside them, and how she struggles with talking to real people due to her social anxiety, as well as her low self-esteem. She also tells the protagonist that all these feelings have faded over the week because of the protagonist treating her like everybody else. Unlike Natsuki, she is extremely eager to show her poem, but just like Natsuki's poem, it is a tribute to the protagonist. When the protagonist finishes her poem, she becomes exceptionally flustered and looks away, but he reassures her that he likes it. Like Natsuki, when he hands her back her poem, she returns it to him, asking him to keep it.
Natsuki again angrily dismisses the protagonist and refuses to share poems.
Sayori again reacts as she did if the protagonist pursues Natsuki.
Sayori's Route[]
When sharing poems, Sayori states that it is the protagonist's best poem so far, but the protagonist again asks her what is wrong, only for Sayori to start tearing up and asking the protagonist why he chose not to befriend the other girls. The protagonist claims that he and Sayori have a wavelength, but Sayori only gets sadder, saying how it would be easier on her if the protagonist instead talked to the other girls. When he gets worried, Sayori quickly dismisses the conversation and heads home.
Normal Route (Beach Poem)[]
If Yuri or Natsuki do not love or hate the protagonist's poems more than once, they will skip the romantic poem and instead write a normal poem on the subject of beaches.
Festival Preparations[]
After Sayori leaves, Monika gives each club member an assignment related to the upcoming festival. Monika will be printing pamphlets to promote the club, Sayori will be helping her design them, Natsuki will be baking cupcakes, and Yuri will be creating banners to set the atmosphere for the clubroom, leaving the protagonist to decide on whom to help.
If the protagonist chooses to help Monika, Natsuki and Yuri immediately disagree and tell Monika that her job is the easiest. On top of that, she already has Sayori helping her, so she doesn't need a third partner to help her out. This causes Monika to defend herself further, rebutting that the two of them also have ulterior motives. Natsuki and Yuri then tell Monika to be more responsible, saying that being alone would lower the standards of their work and that the club's resources should be fairly divided. Monika finally gives in, but even though she agrees, she is upset that she is unable to spend any time with the protagonist.
The same thing happens if the protagonist chooses to help Sayori. Natsuki and Yuri again state that Sayori and Monika would be working together, therefore she would require the least amount of help out of anyone.
If the protagonist picks Natsuki, she is delighted, even though she didn't want any help. Yuri becomes passive-aggressive, stating that she's used to working alone by now. Natsuki tries to cheer up Yuri, which surprises everyone. The protagonist then exchanges phone numbers with her.
If the protagonist picks Yuri, she is taken aback and becomes flustered again. Natsuki claims to not care about the protagonist's decision, but everyone knows that she is miserable about it. Yuri then tries to cheer Natsuki up, praising her for her talent in baking, which appears to work, but makes the protagonist, feel that she is acting like Sayori. The protagonist then exchanges phone numbers with Yuri.
Sunday[]
Before the protagonist goes to hang out with either Natsuki or Yuri, he decides to check on Sayori first. Sayori then reveals to the protagonist that she has had bad depression her whole life. The protagonist is taken aback and tries to help Sayori by hugging her and offering to spend the whole day of the festival with her. After that, he suggests skipping his "date" with Yuri or Natsuki, but Sayori tells him not to.
Natsuki's Route[]
When the protagonist returns to his home, Natsuki arrives soon after, and he invites her into his house. The two get started with baking, but when Natsuki playfully tries to get him dirty with a bit of icing, there's a CG of him catching Natsuki by both of her wrists and pinning her up against the kitchen wall. The protagonist then licks the icing off of her finger, which makes her feel shocked and embarrassed. After the cupcakes are baked and decorated, the two stand outside the protagonist's house when Natsuki suddenly tries to kiss him, and Sayori interrupts them.
Yuri's Route[]
After the protagonist leaves Sayori's house, he finds Yuri already at his house waiting for him. The two go inside and start preparing the items needed for the decorative banners. To cut ribbons, Yuri takes out a small pocket knife and goes on to tell the protagonist about her slight obsession with knives. When the protagonist leaves to collect water and returns, he finds Yuri happily unrolling her sleeve. This might be a hint that Yuri cuts herself, but Yuri quickly ends the conversation before he can ask any questions. Eventually, the protagonist accidentally gets paint on Yuri's face, and the player is awarded a CG of him wiping off her face with a warm towel. When they finish making the banners, Yuri states that she wishes she had more time to spend with him. The protagonist suggests hanging out another time, and a grateful Yuri moves closer to the protagonist, presumably for a kiss, but is interrupted by Sayori.
Sayori's Confession[]
After Sayori interrupts Yuri or Natsuki, they become flustered and hurry home. She begins to cry, admitting that it hurts her to see the protagonist spending time with the other girls. Sayori then confesses her true feelings to the protagonist.
If the protagonist accepts her confession, he and Sayori share a loving embrace. The protagonist reassures Sayori that he will be with her to help her through her hardships. Sayori hesitantly accepts this and goes home.
If the protagonist rejects her confession, Sayori tries to stay positive, but knowing that he only sees her as a friend breaks her heart. Before the protagonist can do anything, she runs off.
Monday[]
Suicide and self-harm is not a joke and you should not read the content below if you are sensitive to these topics. For more info on what is below, visit ddlc.moe/warning.html.
On the day of the festival, the protagonist enters the clubroom, and Monika is waiting there, alone. Monika reveals that she is fully aware of Sayori and the protagonist's relationship. When the protagonist reads Sayori's morbidly different poem, he is shocked and horrified and rushes back to her house where he finds her dead, having committed suicide by hanging. The game then abruptly ends, concluding Act 1.