1 - Secret relationship with unattainable flower (Patreon)

The strong-willed unattainable flower is my lover inside my dream

Author: nite

RAW: 気が強い高嶺の花は夢の中では僕の恋人

Sakura Hiuri, an unattainable flower who has rejected many men, is strong-willed in real life. But inside my dreams, she is my lover.

The dream world and the real world are connected. I wonder when the day will come when we can be lovers in real life...

1 - Secret relationship with unattainable flower

RAW

My name is Nakano Kazuki. I am an ordinary high school boy both in my name and appearance.
　I'm not particularly athletic or have extremely good grades, but there's a part of me that prides myself on being slightly better off than others.

“Kazuki-kun, I want to eat parfait today.”
“Yes yes, here you go.”
“Ehehe, thank you.”

I have a girlfriend! It is no exaggeration to say that I am already better off than many high school boys at this point! This is the only good thing about me that allows me to assert dominance over boys who are lamenting they want a girlfriend day and night.
　Her name is Sakura Hiuri. Unlike me, she is a really cute girl with black hair and is athletic. Even if she isn't very smart, she has better grades than me, she is the so-called unattainable flower.
　I didn't know her given name until we started talking a lot since she's in the class next to mine, but apparently it's in hiragana, not kanji. It's a bit unusual, but I think it's better than being forced to guess the kanji’s reading because she ends up with a sparkling name.* (T/N: ‘kira-kira name’; ridiculous names, like pikachu, luna, cosmo, those are japanese names that actually exist, they actually use Kanji for those names, those above are just the reading.)

“Phew, speaking of which, my mom told me today...”

She finished the parfait in an instant and starts telling me what happened today. It’s mostly about what her parents told her at her house after she got home from school. It seems her parents are quite strict.
　If she’s talking about what happens after she gets home, then what time is it now? I take out a clock in this room that has no furniture and check the time.
　Its hand is pointing to 2 o'clock in the morning. It's probably pitch dark outside. How did a high school student manage to eat parfait at a time that is way too late for a rendezvous? The answer lies in this place.
　A white space without a door where only Hiuri and I are present. This is, as people say, a room inside a dream.
　What I don't want you to misunderstand here is that the Hiuri here is not a figment of my imagination, but the real person herself. Since Hiuri is talking about what happened at her house, which I'm not supposed to know about, it's clear that she’s not something I'm imagining. I have confirmed in the past that what Hiuri said here actually happened.

“It's just...”
“What's wrong Kazuki-kun?”

Hiuri looks at me with a strange expression on her face. Actually, she doesn't remember what happened or what she said here. To be precise, she doesn't remember them in real life.
　When she comes here to talk, she remembers the dream from yesterday and the day before, but in real life she completely forgets everything. Even if I said I saw it in my dream, that'd be the end of it, but still, this is quite a strange situation.

“I was thinking a bit about the day you came here, you see...”
“How nostalgic, I was panicking at that time too.”

...

Sakura-san and I met here three months ago, exactly on the day of the opening ceremony in April when we became second-year students.
　I, who wasn't being bullied, nor did I have no friend, like every year, returned home after the opening ceremony. I didn't do anything of note, I just went to bed at night as usual.
　When people go to bed, it's normal for them to be unable to recognize exactly when they fell asleep. However, on that day, I definitely realized that I had fallen asleep when I closed my eyes. And before I knew it, I was standing in this white space.
　Although I thought it was a strange feeling, I vaguely realized that it was a dream, so I randomly tried to make an apple appear in my hand. When I did, sure enough, the red apple I thought of appeared. Perhaps due to my lax awareness, the shape turned out strange, but that reinforced my impression that it was a dream.
　And then, as soon as I thought of waking up, I woke up. When I closed my eyes, I came back here again. To be honest, I thought that itself was a dream. But in real life, I properly feel pain, while in the dream, I won’t feel pain unless I want to.
　I have a habit of going to bed around ten o'clock at night, so I decided to play around with my dream until morning. I tried to dress like a chuunibyou, materialize a sofa... I couldn't materialize something I didn't know though.
　After about two hours of doing that, I suddenly felt something strange behind me and turned around. Then I saw Sakura-san there. But, unlike when I came here, I remember that she was strangely absentminded.

“Um... you are, Sakura-san, right?”
“Eh―...? Ah―... yeah―...”

When I was a first-year student, I also heard rumors about Sakura-san. Like, she was the most beautiful girl in school, that she was strong-willed, and that she had rejected countless men... When I heard those things, I saw Sakura-san as an object of fear.
　However, contrary to the rumors, the one in front of me is a girl with a fluffy atmosphere.

“Are you okay?”

I thought I had created her unconsciously, so I tried to erase her, but Sakura-san didn't disappear. So I decided to first shake Sakura-san and try to wake her up.
　After a while, Sakura-san woke up and began to clearly recognize me.

“Who could you be? And where is this... Could it be, I’ve been kidnapped!? He, help―!”
“Eeh!? Wr, wrong! I'm Nakano Kazuki from the same school!”
“The same school...? Finally, there's a man who kidnaps me...Hii!”

It took me around ten minutes to pacify Sakura-san who fell into a frenzy. I succeeded in having a calm dialogue with her about why she reacted so differently to me when she arrived here.

“In short, this is inside a dream?”
“Tha, that's right. Look, you can materialize anything you want like this.”

Saying that, I materialized a soccer ball on my hand. Having something appear out of nowhere felt strange, but after playing for two hours, I've gotten completely used to it.
　In response, Sakura-san, while feeling surprised, put out her hand as well and then tilted her head.

“Nothing comes out though.”
“Eh? That can’t be, like this...”

I erased the soccer ball and materialized a balloon. However, it seemed that Sakura-san could neither erase nor materialize things.

“...What a strange place.”
“...I guess so.”

Well, I knew it was a strange place when I came here though.
After that, we learned a number of things by repeating various experiments with Sakura-san.
　The first was that Sakura-san couldn't do most of the things I could do. She doesn’t feel pain and can eat things I materialized, but it seems she can't make things appear.
　The second was that this place itself was dependent on me. When I came here after waking up once, Sakura-san was gone, and a few seconds later Sakura-san appeared again. While I'm awake, Sakura seems to be having normal dreams. But, the Sakura-san who reappeared wasn't as fluffy as before.
　The last was that Sakura-san was the only one who could come here. When I tried to call someone else, for example one of my friends, what came out would be just something like a doll, and has no consciousness like Sakura-san.

“Isn’t this unfair?”
“Even if you say that..”

Sakura-san glared at me, making me tremble.
　While we were spending time doing various things like this, Sakura-san suddenly disappeared. I checked the time and it was 6:30 in the morning. I understood that Sakura-san had apparently woken up.

...

“Right now, Kazuki-kun will materialize anything I want, and we can talk as much as we want, so isn’t it fine?”
“But in the end, this is all a dream, isn’t it...”
“That can't be helped, right? The only way I can bring things over to real life is by somehow using thought guidance.”

What Hiuri realized after a while was that what she felt strongly about here remained in the real world vaguely and unconsciously.
　For example, if Hiuri here thinks, “I'll eat parfait when I wake up,” she would want to eat parfait when she wakes up. However, memories cannot be transferred no matter what, and in real life, the relationship between Hiuri and I stopped at being friends.
　Or rather, how did Hiuri and I, who had no contact in real life, become friends? It all started when Hiuri in real life started talking to me who she had met many times inside the dream, because even if she doesn’t feel strongly about it here, if it was repeated enough times, the sensation during the dream would be brought to real life. It seemed like she didn't really understand why she started to talk to me, but at the time I was happy because it was the first time I actually talked to her in real life.

“I want to stay in the dream forever...”
“I'm happy you think so.”

Talking over and over again in this white space, we get to know each other more than just friends. When I first talked to her here, I thought Hiuri was something to be afraid of, but after hearing things about her house, I started to be able to talk to her normally. And then one day, both of us started talking about dating.
　Our relationship is only within a dream, and her memories do not carry over into real life, but we still know each other inside and out. Adding to the fact that we just happened to hit it off, Hiuri and I became a couple one month ago.
　Even if I think we’re being too much of a speed couple for us to start dating within two months of meeting each other, when both Hiuri and I are asleep, we end up here whether we like it or not. If we talk here every night for two months, we'll be talking more than the average couple in that time. That's how much time we spent together.

“Come to think of it, Kazuki-kun.”
“What’s wrong?”
“What do we do if I dated someone other than Kazuki-kun in real life?”

Hiuri more or less seems to be trying not to go out with boys in real life using thought guidance, so it seems to be just in case.

“We try to keep our distance... though even if we do, Hiuri will still come here even if I consciously tried to prevent it...”
“I guess so. If Kazuki-kun can't do it, neither can I...”
“Well, I'll do something about it.”

In the first place, even before we met in the dream, Hiuri had been confessed to by various boys and rejected them. She also has thought guidance, so it's probably fine.

“Or, I’ll do my best with my consciousness here to make sure I break up with that man in real life, okay?”
“Hmm, the fact that you dated him even with the thought guidance here means that there was something that attracted you quite a bit to that person, right? In that case, I think you should cherish that person.”
“The me here want to cherish Kazuki-kun.”

My cute girlfriend just says things that make me happy. But this is only a dream world after all. Even if she can use thoughts guidance, there is a limit to that, and I'm ordinary in terms of things like my appearance, so if there's someone that Hiuri falls in love with at first sight, I won’t have any chance of winning.

“Geez, why are you being dispirited here? You're my boyfriend, so get a grip."
“I understand, Ojou-sama”
“Uh, yes, please do so.”

Like the rumor says, Hiuri is strong-willed in real life. I've seen her make a boy back away only by staring at him.
　But in essence, she's just a girl who likes cute things. She seems to have what could be called a fairytale mindset, it's cute how she becomes visibly happy and embarrassed when someone treats her like a princess or a young lady.

“Ara, it's morning already.”
“It’s that time already, huh?”

I check the time by looking at the clock that I left alone after materializing it a while ago.
　Actually, the way the time advances on that clock is not accurate. The time shown seems to be correct, but the way the hands advance changes from time to time. Therefore, an hour may be longer or shorter than it actually is. Today felt shorter than usual.

“Well then, see you at school.”
“Yeah. Also, again at night.”

I can talk to Hiuri in real life at school. But I can only meet my girlfriend Hiuri in this place.
　Although I feel really lonely, I decide that it can't be helped and wake up.

“Now then, should I go to school...”

Hiuri in real life sometimes talks about things she heard in the dream, but in general, talking with Hiuri is fun. Conversation with Hiuri, who is not my girlfriend, is also one of my pleasures. Having to feel afraid of the envious gazes of the boys is one of the flaws of real life.
　I eat breakfast and leave the house as usual.

...

“Yo Kazuki!”
“Yeah, good morning Tadashi.”

As soon as I arrive at the classroom, one of my friends, Shindo Tadashi, starts talking to me. He's an interesting guy whose parents are both archaeologists, and unlike me, he has a lot of friends.

“The Black Thorn Princess isn’t here today.”
“Is that so? thank you.”

I sit in my seat where no one is sitting. Sometimes Hiuri waits here for me. Usually that time is when something serious happened at home. And at such times, I often hear about it in my dreams beforehand.
　Hiuri didn't seem to be in trouble even in the dream, so there was probably no problem.

“Still, there are many men who want to talk to you.”
“To me?”
“It means there are people who want to talk to the Black Thorn Princess through you.”

The Black Thorn Princess that Tadashi was talking about earlier was, of course, Hiuri. Her nickname was given to her because she would reject any man without question. She herself  knows her nickname and she told him in the dream that he could call her whatever he wants, so it seems she didn’t mind.
　Tadashi sits at my desk. I more or less warn him that it's bad manners, but he never listens to it even once.

“Everyone wonders, you know. About how you managed to be on good terms with that person.”
“Well, I guess they would.”

I wouldn't have talked to Hiuri either if I hadn't met her in the dream. Now that I think about it,  the advantage I have over others is probably not so much that I have a girlfriend, but that I can have special dreams.
　As I was talking to Tadashi while thinking about such things, the atmosphere in the classroom changed. When I look towards the door, I see Hiuri standing there. And then she walks towards us.

“Good morning, Nakano-kun.”
“Good morning, Sakura-san.”

In the dream, we call each other by our given name, but in real life we use our surname, which makes me feel a little lonely. But if I call her by her given name here, I’ll be beaten up by the boys in the whole school, let alone the ones in the classroom, and even Hiuri will look at me with suspicion.
　Maybe Hiuri would allow it because of the sensation carried over from the dream, but so far I haven't tried it. I don't want to have ‘Cause of death: being beaten up by boys’ either.
　Already, the boys in the classroom are staring sharply at me who are talking to Hiuri. Also, my friend Tadashi had left before I knew it. That traitor!
　Hiuri approaches me and then approaches my ear. The boys' gaze became even sharper, sending chills down my spine. However, without worrying about it, Hiuri keeps her voice down and says.

“There’s something I want to ask you.”
“Ah, yeah, what is it?”
“As expected, we have met outside of school, haven’t we?”

Toward the question she repeatedly asks, I say, “No, we haven’t.” From the time we started dating in the dream, Hiuri started asking that kind of question in real life. Perhaps this, too, comes from her unconscious thoughts. I wish I could say we regularly meet in a dream, but I've already tried that. At that time, Hiuri pulled back a little.
　After that, we have some normal conversation until the morning short homeroom session begins. Hiuri is in the next class, so this is where we say goodbye. We basically don't talk during the day, so the next time we talk will be when we go home or inside the dream.
　I think saying I’ll meet someone in a dream sounds too pretentious, but it's the truth, so there's nothing I can do about it.
　I go to class as usual, spend my time as usual, and go home as usual. That's how I currently spend my day. No, the way I spend my time hasn't changed from before. It's just that I have more fun at night, it’s not like I have more things to do, so the fact that it's as usual hasn’t changed.
　Making the full use of the privilege of the going-home club, I go home as soon as school finishes. And when I arrive at the school gate, someone stands in front of me.

“You're Nakano Kazuki, aren't you?”
“Yes, that’s true, but who might you be?”
“I'm Kaga Ryuto, a third-year.”

Apparently he's one year above me. I also use ‘boku’ when referring to myself, you doing the same will result in character overlap, so please change it.

“I’ll get straight to the point. I want you to mediate my relationship with Sakura Hiuri.”
“I don’t want to.”

Why do I have to mediate your relationship with my girlfriend?

“Wait wait. It’s not like you're that girl's boyfriend, right?”

I am her boyfriend. It would be easier if I could just say that. Leaving aside for the person herself, I can’t just talk about the dream to unrelated people, so I just leave it at that. And then I pass through Kaga-senpai while shaking my head.
　However, it was the senpai who put a stop to that. He's holding my shoulder.

“Of course, it won’t be unconditional. In exchange, I’ll grant you one wish, if it’s within my power, I’ll do anything to make it happen.”

I can grant any wish if it’s within the dream, so I don’t care about that. Even that white room, just by thinking about it I can make it into my room or into a resort I saw only in a photograph. If I ask Hiuri, I can even recreate her room.
　There’s usually no need, so I just don't do it.

“No thanks. Please excuse me.”
“Could it be that you're also aiming for that girl? Well, I know how you feel.”
“It’s not like that though.”

Because she's already my girlfriend.

“Then I guess it's fine! Well, even if you were aiming for her, I'd still confess though.”
“Then why don't you just confess on your own, Senpai? There's no need for me to get involved, right?”
“Just having you there makes that girl happy. Please understand.”

It makes her happy, huh... I don’t know about that, but I don’t think he needs me anyway. There’s no way he’d confess to Hiuri when I’m there.

“...I got it, that’s enough. Just don't get angry if I make that girl my girlfriend.”
“Aaah, yeah.”

To begin with, you’ve been calling her “that girl” since some time ago. You probably want her as your girlfriend to appeal to her other boys anyways. It's not like you can just say she’s some kind of young lady or that her family is rich, but I can see how you can boast to other people just by having Hiuri as your girlfriend.
　However, Hiuri was sensitive to that kind of atmosphere.

“Then, farewell.”

Senpai went back inside the school just like that. It’s not like Hiuri belongs to the sports club, but she's asked to help out sometimes, so she'll probably still be on campus. Senpai plans to confess his feelings today.
　Still, he was a senpai who spoke quite pretentiously huh. I've heard that if anything, Hiuri prefers a quiet person, so it would probably be impossible.
　I go home without worrying about anything.

...

“Good evening, Kazuki-kun.”
“Good evening, Hiuri.”

They meet up in the dream, looking the same as usual.

“This might not have happened, but I think a person called Kaga-senpai confessed to you.”
“He did. He looked normal, but the way he spoke was annoying and he looked down on me, so I mercilessly rejected him.”

I said it last night, but being treated like a young lady makes Hiuri happy. If someone sees her only as a tool for asserting dominance, that alone is out of the question for Hiuri.

“Or rather, if you knew someone was going to confess, stop him! You’re my boyfriend, right?”
“I didn’t think Hiuri would accept it at all. I trusted Hiuri.”
“Even though I said that... it’s not like I'm not dating Kazuki-kun in real life after all...”

Hiuri is bothered every time that she's not dating me in real life. In the dream, she was willing to date me, but in real life she only sees me as a friend, which makes her dissatisfied.

“Why can't I make a move in real life!”
“Who knows.”

In the first place, it’s strange that my dream and Hiuri's dream are connected. I think the reason is related to that.

“Geez... I want something sweet.”
“Yes yes.”

I can only materialize things that either I or Hiuri have experienced. Still, the fact that I am working hard and trying to experience various things in real life every day is progress for me as well.
　I materialize some cream puffs and give it to Hiuri. In the dream, we don't gain weight no matter how much we eat, so eating as much as she wants here is a routine for Hiuri. Thanks to this, the amount of snacking she does in real life has decreased, so it’s probably a good thing.
　While eating cream puffs, Hiuri snuggles up to me. I pat her head. Hiuri looks happy at that.
　This is what exactly a dream-like experience is, that’s what I think every night.

――――

(T/N: I tried to use the same format as the raw, the space before the line is there in raw, but for some reason, the space before the first line in the paragraph was removed when I pasted it on patreon, for now I'll leave it at this, but I'll think whether to change it or not. btw, manually adding the space doesn't work, because the space is not a normal space, so I have to copy paste it, I tried it and it doesn't work.)

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