Ch.92Chapter 92: Don’t Go!

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As I struggled to gather my fading consciousness and opened my closed eyes.

“…It was a dream.”

I realized that the vivid scene I had just witnessed was all a dream.

Instead of the pitch-black landscape that had darkened my vision.

The familiar ceiling that had greeted me when I opened my eyes yesterday morning came into view.

Realizing that the scene from earlier, which had ignited flames of jealousy in a corner of my heart, was just a dream.

“Haaah…”

A deep sigh of relief escaped me without my realizing it.

But as I exhaled, the scene I had been relieved was just a dream became strongly imprinted in my mind once again.

The sight of Cal sobbing so sorrowfully in that dark space.

How I wanted to comfort him and approached, but ultimately failed.

The figure of an unknown person who reached Cal before me and embraced him in comfort.

Though all of these scenes were merely a dream.

Yet to dismiss it as just a dream…

“…No way.”

I knew well that for me, dreams weren’t something to be dismissed so easily.

“…Ah.”

Suddenly, tears began to flow from my eyes against my will.

Starting with a drop or two, the tears grew heavier and more intense as they rolled down my cheeks with time.

Like water flowing through a breach in the dam called the heart.

“…Hic.”

The ceaseless tears gradually soaked the bed where I lay.

The more I recalled Cal crying so sorrowfully in my dream.

And the unknown person who gently comforted him while apologizing.

These tears didn’t subside; rather, they only increased.

Was I crying because of my regret for not being able to comfort Cal myself and jealousy toward the person who did? Or was it because I feared this might be a premonition of something that could happen someday?

I don’t know. I really don’t know.

As I was bewildered by the endlessly flowing tears, I heard.

Creak

The loud sound of a door opening from beyond.

Thump, thump

Along with footsteps so familiar to me.

“…!!”

Upon recognizing those footsteps, I rose from my bed and rushed toward the source of the sound in one breath.

The owner of the footsteps looked at me with an expression mixed with surprise and relief as I suddenly rushed in.

Not wanting to show my face to him, I lowered my head, ran into his arms, and embraced him tightly.

With such force that even I was surprised by my own strength.

I wanted to overlay.

I wanted to overlay the image of that unknown person who had comforted him so gently with apologies with this image of me embracing him tightly now.

It was a selfish, childish action.

I embraced Cal so strongly that he must have felt suffocated.

Surely, he would feel more discomfort than comfort being held like this.

But if I didn’t do this, I couldn’t shake off the inexplicable anxiety I had felt until just now.

Surely Cal would have disliked this behavior.

Yet instead of getting angry at my actions, Cal…

Gently

Began stroking my head with a tender touch, as if handling something fragile.

His touch was so gentle that it naturally loosened the grip with which I had embraced him, trying to overlay everything I had seen in my dream.

His touch was filled with kindness.

#

After stroking her head and seeing the tear stains on Shizu’s face as she finally moved away from me, I calmed my startled heart.

When I asked her in a composed tone why she was crying, I heard about the dream she had last night.

“…”

After she finished her story, feeling an emotion difficult to express in words, I scratched my chin with my left hand and carefully recalled the content of the dream she had described.

Me, crying alone in a dark place.

Shizu trying to comfort me, but being replaced by a mysterious figure who suddenly appeared, embraced me, and comforted me.

And not only that, but this person also repeatedly apologized in a pitiful tone.

…What kind of dream was this?

Given how clearly she remembered the details, it seemed like one of those prophetic dreams she occasionally has.

In some ways, it was more unsettling than the dream she had a few days ago where I turned to ashes and disappeared.

Why unsettling?

Isn’t it obvious?

Setting aside the part where I was left alone in a dark space, crying.

From her description, it was about an unidentified person—someone I’ve never encountered either now or before my regression—embracing and comforting me while I cried. How could that not be unsettling?

What made the dream even more disturbing was…

Despite being embraced by this unknown figure…

I, who had been crying, stopped sobbing and remained calm in their embrace.

That I didn’t reject the embrace of this unknown person but stood still and accepted it.

The more I listened to Shizu’s account as she tried to hold back her tears…

It became clear why she had rushed to me and embraced me so tightly.

At the same time, my anger toward the dream version of myself, who had calmly accepted the embrace of someone other than Shizu, was gradually intensifying.

Having abandoned everything and turned to ashes wishing only for her happiness, miraculously returning through time like this…

How could I possibly allow myself to be embraced by anyone other than her?

It was only in Shizu’s dream, so she was probably just too shocked to react and remained still.

If I had dreamed such a scene…

I firmly believe I would have immediately beaten up that dream version of myself for carelessly allowing someone else’s embrace.

[Young man. Your expression is souring again. Don’t frown in front of your fiancée. Calm down. Calm down.]

Oh dear, my expression management is failing again.

“Haaah…”

Following Paphnir’s timely intervention, I took a deep breath to control the rising flames in my heart.

It was quite amusing how Shizu was so disturbed about a future that might never happen.

And how I was reacting even more sensitively than her.

But I knew better than anyone that the accuracy of her occasional prophetic dreams was not something to be taken lightly.

So what I needed to do now was not to express pure anger at the misconduct of my dream self…

Gently

But to comfort Shizu, who was still clinging to me tightly after telling me about her dream.

If I needed to comfort her, it wouldn’t be with just a few ordinary words…

As always, if she had hurriedly told me about her prophetic dream, I needed to perform the sacred ritual that could undo it.

Yes, the sacred ritual.

First, I reached out to her crown, just as I had when I first stroked her head.

Gently

Caressing her head even more softly than before.

“Thank you for telling me.”

As always, I recited the magic spell in a gentle voice, expressing my gratitude to her.

If you, who have occupied the largest space in my heart since we first met as children through all our experiences, can find comfort in these few words…

Then nothing could be more cost-effective for me.

The effect of my sincere spell was remarkable.

The strength with which she had been tightly embracing me gradually loosened.

“…Thank you.”

Just hearing her voice, which always responds to this spell, become much brighter than before was enough to feel the power of the spell.

Seeing Shizu looking at me with a much more relaxed expression, I felt I could now dispel the unpleasantness related to the ominous prophetic dream she had.

Then there was only one thing left to check.

“Shizu.”

“Yes?”

“How’s your cold?”

“…It’s all better.”

“Really?”

“You don’t need to put your hand on my forehead to… Ah.”

“…You still seem to have a bit of a fever?”

“That’s because I’m blushing from embarrassment because of you, you silly brother.”

“Oh, what? Sister, were you still here? How can you barge in at such an important moment?”

“…How could I leave when you two are embracing and making a scene at the entrance!”

As I was creating a tender scene with Shizu, I received unexpected criticism from my sister who suddenly appeared, and got a light chop on my crown from her raised hand.

And so, I successfully completed what needed to be done before facing the biggest event of the day—my sparring match with Excel.

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I was about to finish up, but…

“Shizu, I need to go spar with Excel. Would you mind letting go now?”

“Just a little…”

“…Shizu?”

“Let me stay like this a little longer.”

“…”

Because Shizu clung to me like a leech and refused to let go when I tried to leave, I ended up arriving at the training ground about 20 minutes later than the time I had promised Excel yesterday evening.

The main reason was that I could only leave my sister’s quarters after bringing along Shizu, who insisted on following me despite my advice to rest since she had just recovered from a cold.

By the way, even though only a day had passed…

Somehow, the physical strength with which Shizu clung to me seemed to have increased.

To the point where I wondered if it had grown beyond what I could handle even using ki-reinforced body techniques.

…Surely that couldn’t be the case.

As I headed to the training ground with Shizu, I inwardly resolved to always be careful not to do anything that might upset her.