48 - Don't trust the dream that comes true (Patreon)

RAW

In the dream.

Today I tried going with a situation of being on top of a mountain. A sea of clouds can be seen below, and the sun was stopped mid-rise. Being able to constantly have the best scenery can be said to be the advantageous point of the dream.

“Eating cream puffs on top of a mountain feels weird isn’t it.”
“We can’t bring cream puffs when we go mountain climbing after all.”

If you place it among your climbing gear, it will most likely be crushed.
At the time of the excursion, Hiuri and I weren't that close to each other, that’s why we decided to come to the top of the mountain like this. This scenery is a projection of what I saw on TV.

“Maybe this is even more beautiful than the school trip.”
“If that's the case, then it's a failure.”
“Oh, I'm happier here because I can watch it with Kazuki-kun.”

She sure said things that make me happy, but being able to see this kind of scenery without going on a trip means, I’ll end up not wanting to go out. Well, in the end, this is just a reproduction though, so I have to see it at least once.

This is a projection of what I saw on TV, so it's not as good as the real thing. As expected, it's better to actually go see it... but even if I go, there's no guarantee I'll be able to see anything more than this.

“Hiuri, I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Why do you hug me before we wake up?”

It doesn't seem to have affected real life Hiuri as much as I thought it would...

“It's a secret. Besides, don't hugs calm you down?”
“That’s true, but...”

Hiuri's body is soft, I can't help but notice how soft it is with just a simple hug.

“It's about time I wake up. Come on.”

Usually she jumps in, but today Hiuri is waiting with open arms.

I gently hugged Hiuri. I'm really happy, but I still wonder why she would do this every night.

“Fufu. Well then, good morning Kazuki-kun.”

...

“Good morning, Sakura-san.”

When I came in the morning, Hiuri was sitting in my seat. Lately, she hasn't been coming much in the morning, but I guess the routine is back.

“...”

But, something is wrong with Hiuri. She just stares intently at me and doesn't even respond to my greetings.

“Sakura-san? Sakura-san.”

Could it be that she caught another cold?

“Aah, I’m sorry. Good morning.”

Hiuri greets me as if she just noticed me. What on earth is going on?

After Hiuri returned to her classroom, I started talking to Tadashi. The topic is of course about Hiuri's state in the morning.

“It's rare to see the princess spacing out.”
“Yeah. It's unexpected for me too.”
“You did something, didn't you? The one who has the most influence on the Black Thorn Princess right now, more than the Hayashi/Kannazuki pair, is you, you know?”

I swear I didn't do anything. In the first place, I haven't had many chances to meet her in real life, and even in the dream I've never done anything to her.
If there was something that was different, it would be that I’d give Hiuri a hug when she asked for one... but I don't think the influence of Hiuri's dream would be so big as to make her like that...

“After all, I've learned that in times like this, there's usually something going on between you and the princess.”
“Where'd you get that information?”
“Hayashi-san.”

From Hayashi-san... she’s not wrong, but you probably wouldn't understand anything just from Hayashi-san's perspective.

“Anyway, resolve this properly, will you. You want to enjoy the school trip without any anguish!”
“So you knew the word ‘anguish’ huh.”
“What was that, you bastard!”

...

“That's what he said to me, so I'd like to know the cause.”
“I’ll refuse here.”

Today, at Hiuri's request, I'm on the rooftop of the school. That said, I’ve never been on the rooftop before, so this is just a prediction based on the view from the school.

“I'm concerned too, and if there is something bad happening, I want to help.”
“There's no problem at all. In fact, I’m actually in great shape.”
“You were spacing out, though.”
“That’s exactly how I’m in such great shape.”

I don't really understand what Hiuri is saying. At least I knew it wasn't because of illness or family circumstances, so I’m relieved.

That said, the cause remains unclear. Since Hiuri won't answer, I can only speculate. And I can't come up with a decent prediction.

“Ah, that's right. Kazuki-kun, I have a request to make in real life.”
“In real life? What?”
“I want you to avoid seeing me as much as possible during the school trip.”

Why?
In the first place, since we would be going on a school trip, I was planning to find the right timing and hang out with Hiuri in real life. Even if we are not in the same group, we’d often act together due to the fact that our classes are next to each other.

“But please don't ignore me if I talk to you.”
“That’s of course.”
“But Kazuki-kun, you are not allowed to talk to me. Pointless small talk is also prohibited.”

Why am I letting Hiuri in the dream decide how I interact with Hiuri in real life? Is it possible that she is jealous of her real life self?

“Do you understand?”
“By the way, the reason is...”
“It's a secret. Let’s see...I think you'll find out around the time after the school trip.”

Hmm... well, if the person herself says so, I guess I'll obey. The fun of the school trip sure has decreased a bit.

Well, reproducing it in the dream is fine too, and if we can just go there together someday in real life, then that's fine. Not everything is about now.
I decided to follow Hiuri's orders and not talk to her during the school trip. But well, there might not be any actual timing to talk to her, and it might just be the same as usual.

“Well then, today as well, hmm─.”

Hiuri is waiting with open arms.

“Also, please pat me on the head today.”
“Yes yes.”

She's become quite a spoiled child, huh... I wonder what really happened.

――――

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