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"I see."
Looking at Sakiko, who was full of vigilance and clearly didn't remember him, Kitahara Makoto quickly understood.
"After being pulled into a dream, one naturally treats the dream as reality."
As for why Sakiko would forget him, it should be that there was a problem when Hana was weaving the dream.
Hana's speech was often incomplete, so it was naturally impossible for her to understand others' meanings accurately; some minor problems were normal.
"But it's not a big problem."
Kitahara Makoto put his hands in his pockets, completely unconcerned.
Although Sakiko had lost her memory at this moment, as a nightmare, the dream was his home ground.
"You see, there's nothing valuable in the house, so please leave as soon as possible..."
Togawa Sakiko tried to remain calm, attempting to use words to make Kitahara Makoto give up and leave.
"Who said there's nothing valuable?" Kitahara Makoto looked around, his gaze falling on Sakiko, and he smiled, "Sakiko is clearly the unique treasure in the world."
"You know me?"
Togawa Sakiko looked at him warily.
"Well, it's too troublesome to explain, and you wouldn't believe it anyway, so..."
Kitahara Makoto stepped forward, preparing to make Sakiko realize she was in a dream through physical contact.
He had just asked Hana; physical contact was necessary for Hana to make Togawa Sakiko conscious in the outside world. Clearly, although Hana had swallowed the bad flower, her ability usage was much worse.
"...I'm calling the police!"
Seeing Kitahara Makoto approach, Sakiko's face immediately showed a determined expression. She quickly picked up her phone, preparing to call for help.
Unfortunately, it was useless.
Kitahara Makoto merely snapped his fingers, and Togawa's phone immediately flew into the air.
"You..."
Togawa Sakiko's eyes widened in shock.
"Togawa-chan is too unwise."
Kitahara Makoto lightly clicked his tongue, then said:
"When a stranger breaks into your home, the best course of action is to lock the door and then call the police. If you're already face-to-face, you should feign compliance, try to make the other party lower their guard, and then seize the opportunity to escape or secretly call for help. Ensuring your safety is the top priority. Calling the police directly in front of them will only provoke them and put yourself in danger."
Togawa Sakiko: "..."
Anyone can preach logic, but waking up to find a stranger standing by your bed—most people wouldn't be able to remain calm!
"Who exactly are you?"
Togawa Sakiko's gaze grew increasingly wary.
The boy in front of her clearly knew her and gave her a very familiar and close feeling, yet she had no impression of him in her mind... Oh no, could he be a stalker?
And what was with the phone that suddenly flew away just now?
Countless questions swirled in her mind. If it were an ordinary dream, Togawa might have woken up due to the excessive dream fluctuations, but unfortunately, this was a Dream World woven by Hana. Unless Hana stopped, ordinary people couldn't wake up.
"It's troublesome to explain, so..."
Snap.
Kitahara Makoto suddenly stepped forward and flicked Togawa Sakiko's forehead.
"Kitahara-kun...?"
Togawa Sakiko covered her forehead, the confusion in her eyes quickly disappearing. She hesitantly asked:
"Have we already entered the Dream World?"
"That's right," Kitahara Makoto nodded. "This is the Dream World woven by Hana."
"It feels so real..." Togawa Sakiko reached out and gently pinched herself, her voice filled with surprise. "It actually hurts."
"This is an illusion woven by Hana-chan, it can indeed be indistinguishable from reality. It's different from the dreams we usually have when we sleep," Kitahara Makoto explained. "However, the Dream World doesn't simulate the entire world. Only the Dream World around us becomes real; other places are illusory... It's like that little story about looking at flowers: 'Before you looked at this flower, this flower and your mind were equally still; when you came to look at this flower, the color of this flower instantly became clear.'"
Togawa Sakiko nodded gently:
"I've read that story. It's from Mr. Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind."
"That's the gist of it," Kitahara Makoto grumbled. "So, Togawa, calling the police is useless unless you personally run to the police station and turn the illusory Dream World into reality."
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but glare at him:
"Kitahara-kun could have woken me up sooner; you just had to scare me."
"It was already very quick," Kitahara Makoto said. "If it were before..."
"Before?"
Togawa Sakiko's cheeks puffed out slightly, and her pretty face showed an 'I knew it' expression.
Those terrible dreams before were indeed related to Kitahara-kun, weren't they?
"Togawa-chan, give me your hand," Kitahara Makoto silently changed the subject. "I'll speed up the Dream World. We'll skip all the unimportant things. Staying in the Dream World for too long can easily make one lost."
Togawa Sakiko extended her soft hand, once again intertwining her fingers with Kitahara Makoto's, her pretty face slightly flushed:
"Similar to Inception?"
Kitahara Makoto nodded: "More or less."
Togawa Sakiko continued to ask:
"Hana-chan can weave dreams, so can she customize them?"
"It should be fine."
"It really can..." Togawa Sakiko's eyes brightened. "Then, can we customize a private Dream World just for Kitahara-kun and me?"
"..."
Kitahara Makoto's lips twitched slightly:
"Don't think so much. Indulging in dreams is bad for your health."
As his voice fell, another Togawa Sakiko, dressed in pajamas, 'refreshed' on the bed.
"Eh?" Togawa Sakiko's eyes widened. "Why is there another me?"
"I just shielded Togawa-chan's existence, so the Dream World automatically spawned a new Togawa," Kitahara Makoto softly explained. "Don't worry, we are currently invisible; she can't see us."
Looking at herself lying on the bed, Togawa Sakiko felt quite subtle.
"Togawa-chan, prepare yourself," Kitahara Makoto said softly. "I'm going to speed it up."
"..."
Kitahara Makoto exhaled lightly, silently using the Nightmare's ability to accelerate the progress of the Dream World.
Togawa Sakiko quickly saw a brand new life unfold.
In the Dream World, she didn't encounter the ghost, nor did she meet Kitahara Makoto. After transferring schools, just like in real world, she wrapped herself in ice. At first, some people wanted to approach her, but under her cold and distant attitude, she quickly became invisible in the class.
She went to school alone, ate her bento alone at noon, didn't participate in club activities after school, occasionally went to the music classroom to play the piano, and other times worked as a customer service representative...
"Togawa-chan in work attire is very cute," Kitahara Makoto said, holding Sakiko's hand. The two of them were like ghosts, detached from the Dream World. "She looks like she has a mature, adult feeling."
"Cute?" Togawa Sakiko's pretty face flushed slightly, and she looked up. "When we return to real world, I'll buy a uniform and only wear it for Kitahara-kun to see."
Kitahara Makoto: "..."
I just complimented you casually; there's no need to go this far, is there?
I can't hold on.
I really can't hold on.
If this continues, I'm really going to be captured by Togawa-chan!
Time in the Dream World continued to accelerate.
Togawa Sakiko, who hadn't met Kitahara Makoto, was busy running between school and her part-time job every day, her life so heavy she could barely breathe. Until one day, Wakaba Mutsumi found her and invited her to a concert.
It was a Kessoku Band composed of Tomori, Soyo, Rikki, Chihaya Anon (whose name she only learned yesterday), and another girl. On the stage, they performed a song called "Haruhikage," and the Togawa Sakiko in the Dream World finally broke down crying...
After breaking down, the Dream World's Sakiko clearly underwent a change in mindset and quickly formed a brand new Kessoku Band.
"I want to join," Wakaba Mutsumi said expressionlessly, yet a hint of worry was hidden in her tone. "Sakiko is going to break..."
Looking at herself in another life, Togawa Sakiko's feelings were complex:
"If I hadn't met Kitahara-kun, reality might have unfolded just like in the dream... I really would have broken down."
"Don't think too much; it's just one possibility previewed by the Dream World," Kitahara Makoto gently squeezed Sakiko's fingers. "Let's go. Your rotten old man is going out to play pachinko again."
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