Morning light streamed through the gap in the curtains. This was a red-toned room surrounded by magazines and dolls, with a desk adorned with cute little accessories, so sweet it seemed the air itself was scented with youthful girlishness.
The girl suddenly opened her eyes.
Ikuyo Kita woke up instinctively, even before her alarm rang. Her hazy eyes stared at the pure white ceiling, and she spaced out for a full five minutes before slowly coming to her senses.
Dragging her weary body, she slowly sat up on the bed.
The room was still shrouded in darkness, and so was she.
"...Was that a dream?"
She looked at herself in the mirror on the vanity. Her fiery red hair was a little messy.
The face that was usually so energetic now looked dim and drained. Her expression showed only melancholy and fatigue. Her puffy eyes and the clear tear streaks on her cheeks made her look completely worn out.
"Why... did I dream about Kazami-kun..."
Kita hurriedly wiped her tears with her sleeve, then slapped her cheeks to wake herself up.
Even after waking up, the suffocating pain in her chest lingered in her heart.
That sincere feeling—this wasn't just a dream. It felt as if she had truly experienced it herself!
The searing pain was like a burning brand pressed against her heart. Just recalling the emotions from that moment made her eyes fill with mist, tears threatening to fall again.
"Ugh! I need to snap out of it!"
"No matter what, I've gotta get back to normal!"
She slapped her cheeks harder. Only after her fair skin turned red did she gradually regain composure.
Always bright and cheerful by nature, this was the first time Ikuyo Kita had been swallowed up by such exhaustion and despair.
"It felt too real..."
"That wasn't just a dream!"
Although those "dreams" were broken, incomplete fragments, they felt unbelievably real.
It was more like someone had stuffed a clump of real memories into her brain!
Was that really her in the dream?!
Was she an idiot or something?
If she already knew she liked him, why didn't she just go confess instead of hesitating?!
Now she felt like a bystander watching her own story. The more she recalled the dream, the worse she felt, her stomach churned.
Causing Kazami-kun's death because of her... That was just too much!
Whoever wrote that, some third-rate author writing a fourth-rate plot!
With her hair all messy, Kita crawled out of bed and hurried to the window.
She yanked the curtains open, and brilliant sunlight flooded in, instantly driving away the gloom in the room.
The refreshing wind blew her red bangs, making her squint instinctively.
Today's sunlight felt especially harsh.
"Ikuyo, you don't look so good today. Are you feeling okay?" her mother, Kuruyo Kita, gently touched her cheek with concern, noticing her uncharacteristic silence.
Usually, Ikuyo was full of life every morning, always wearing a beaming, sunny smile that energized everyone around her.
But today, something was clearly off.
She ate in silence, staring off into space. She didn't smile once.
Wait, she seemed fine when she got home yesterday...
"It's nothing, Mom! I just stayed up a little too late yesterday. Didn't get enough sleep!"
Kita quickly stuffed her toast into her mouth, putting on her usual cheerful act to keep her mom from worrying.
But her mom still wasn't convinced. Could a little sleep deprivation really make someone look that down?
It looked more like she'd just been dumped or something...
"Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should take a day off from school?"
Cough cough! "I'm fine! Really!"
The moment her mom mentioned staying home, Kita was so startled she almost choked.
After gulping down a huge swig of milk, she shook her head rapidly like a bobblehead.
Absolutely not. She had to go to school today!
She needed to see Kazami-kun!
The impact of that dream was too strong. She couldn't rest until she saw him with her own eyes.
That dream felt too real, like a glimpse of the future, or a parallel world. She had to make sure.
"Mff, I'm done eating!"
With jam-filled bread still in her mouth, Kita mumbled her words, grabbed her school bag, and dashed out the door, afraid her mom might stop her if she waited another second.
Today, Kita reached school faster than ever. She had jogged nearly the entire way, so when she arrived, hardly anyone was in class yet.
As soon as she entered, her eyes darted to the window seat in the second-to-last row.
Kazami-kun... isn't here yet.
A hint of disappointment bloomed in her chest, but at the same time, a bit of relief too.
Honestly, even if she did see him right now, she had no idea how to talk to him.
In the dream, Kazami-kun had liked her, he confessed the moment they met, and they spent so much time together afterward that they became incredibly close.
But reality wasn't a dream!
In reality, she and Kazami-kun barely even knew each other's names!
Waaah! What am I supposed to do!?