"I saw big sister's dream!"
At noon, after parting with Silence Suzuka, the girl sat bored on the riverbank.
As if seizing the perfect moment, a figure in a white dress suddenly emerged from the water.
Her brown long hair swaying in the wind, she rushed over excitedly, grabbed the girl's hand, and spoke happily.
A ghost—or rather, it was more fitting to call her Admire Vega's 'little sister'.
Since last time, after that conversation with Admire Vega on the mountaintop, she seemed to have changed anew.
She had become lively and active, fond of wandering around and observing others.
Her emotions were fuller now, no longer just that little ghost who only hid in the library.
Especially since 'little sister' had also learned—To roam freely in that mysterious and magnificent space.
Thanks to that, she sought out the girl more and more often, and with greater ease.
Unintentionally, she would appear right beside her.
Like just now—
The moment Silence Suzuka left, she popped out and took the girl's hand.
"It was sister in the dream!"
Hearing 'little sister's' words, the girl was taken aback.
"What?"
"I talked to sister in the dream! Not just watching the stars, but talking to her directly!"
'Little sister' said cheerfully.
If it were before, the girl would have brushed it off casually, but after that incident, she had gained a new understanding of dreams. For 'ghosts', dreams weren't merely illusions caused by unclear consciousness and stimuli from various objects.
Dreams themselves could very well be recollections of something, so vivid that even the owner of the body hadn't noticed them.
Not only that.
Touching her forehead, that soft and warm sensation still lingered between her brows even now.
Perhaps dreams could also alter memories, create new ones.
The girl couldn't help but think so.
Seeing how 'little sister' looked eager to share something amusing, the girl asked, "Then what did you say to your sister?"
"Mhm, I said a lot of things I wanted to say! I thanked her for always talking with me, thanked her for being able to run on the track... I've never held any grudge against sister, and I hope she can find joy in running on the field."
Spreading her arms wide with an innocent smile, she spoke to the girl like a child.
That's nice, sounds pretty positive.
Even if the two couldn't meet, this kind of emotional connection was still precious.
For 'little sister', it must have been a good experience too.
The girl nodded.
She didn't even realize it herself, but gradually, she had started considering matters related to 'little sister' the ghost.
"And how did your sister react?"
After all, she'd heard those words.
"She didn't!"
"..."
Seriously?
"Because the dream ended right after I finished speaking, and then I saw sister crying in front of me."
"Crying in front of you?"
"Mhm." 'little sister' nodded and explained.
"I wanted to say goodnight to sister before she slept. When I entered her room, she was already asleep, so I went to her bedside, thinking I should at least kiss her forehead before leaving."
Just as 'little sister' leaned in, she was surprised to find herself in a strange place.
Surrounded by cheers, yet not a single person in sight. Though it was daytime, the stars above were twinkling.
Admire Vega, dressed in training clothes, stood in the middle of the field, happily waving towards the empty spectator seats.
Though no words were spoken, 'little sister' could hear her voice.
Everything seemed bizarre, yet felt strangely natural.
Soon, 'little sister' realized—this must be what people call a dream.
She was inside her sister's dream. And then, Admire Vega turned around and saw 'little sister' standing at the edge of the field.
That's when the two spoke.
After 'little sister' finished saying her piece, the whole world quietly dissolved like a bubble.
She reappeared by Admire Vega's bedside.
Hearing 'little sister's' description, the girl was stunned.
Could this be...?
A dream visitation?
The term popped into the girl's head.
Clearly, this wasn't just dreaming about someone—'little sister' had directly entered Admire Vega's dream.
Not only that, the two could see each other and retain memories of it.
Otherwise, Admire Vega wouldn't have woken up crying.
To think such a thing was possible...
The girl had no idea and had never heard Sunday Silence mention it.
About 'ghosts' being able to send dream visitations.
Wait, maybe not necessarily?
The girl suddenly thought.
'Little sister' and Admire Vega originally shared extremely similar souls. Even if they never met, they would be connected and influence each other.
So 'little sister' entering Admire Vega's dream was likely due to their soul connection—not just anyone's dream could be entered!
Thinking this, the logic suddenly fell into place.
Glancing around to confirm Sunday Silence wasn't nearby, the girl stood on her tiptoes and whispered in 'little sister's' ear, "Let's not tell anyone about this for now."
Saying 'don't tell anyone' basically meant only one person could hear her words.
"Not anyone at all?"
"Mhm."
"Not even Mama Sunday Silence?"
"Mhm... Huh??"
What did you say?
"Don't tell Mama Sunday Silence?" 'little sister' repeated.
The girl rubbed her ears.
"No, it's not that I didn't hear you. I just thought I misheard, but... huh?"
What's going on?
Since when did she become your mama?
"She taught me to read, write, speak... she helped me understand the world anew. Without her, I'd probably still be drifting around like before."
'Little sister' pressed a hand to her chest. "So to me, Sunday Silence is my mama. She gave me everything I need to feel the world."
She spoke from the heart.
"What you said... does make sense."
As the saying goes, there are two kinds of parents: those who give you birth, and those who raise and teach you.
For 'little sister', Sunday Silence was the latter.
"But you must never let her hear you say that," the girl warned. Otherwise, given Sunday Silence's personality, she'd definitely flick her hard on the forehead.
"I know... By the way, Mama isn't here, right...?"
"She went somewhere else."
"That's good." Patting her chest, 'little sister' sighed in relief and returned to the previous topic.
"Why do we have to hide it even from Mama?"
"Good question. Because I don't want her to know."
"Are you going to do something bad?"
"Bad... not exactly."
She was just thinking—if she could enter dreams connected by souls, then she should be able to enter Manhattan Cafe's dreams too.
Although the relationship between Manhattan Cafe and Sunday Silence wasn't entirely clear, the two did share an astonishing compatibility in their souls. Entering each other's dreams should be natural.
Of course, the girl wasn't trying to spy on any secrets; she just wanted to solve the mystery that had been troubling her.
"Mmm~"
'Little sister' looked unconvinced.
"Lying isn't good, Mama Two."
Ma—Mama Two!?
Since when am I one too?
Whatever, never mind.
"Just don't tell her for now. Even if you're going to tell her, wait until tomorrow, okay?"
"You're not doing anything bad?"
"No."
"Then kiss me, and I'll believe you."
Who knows where she learned it—'little sister' pointed to her own cheek and said to the girl.
Huh?
The girl froze.
'Little sister' narrowed her eyes.
She'd read that every mother kisses her child's cheek at birth to show her love.
She had never seen her own mother, nor could she be kissed by her.
So to 'little sister', the girl was the one in her world who gave her everything.
She wanted to be acknowledged in this relationship, wanted to receive affection from her 'mother'.
This was her way of expressing emotion.
Watching 'little sister' waiting quietly, the girl wore a conflicted expression.
She wasn't exactly opposed to it, but she didn't particularly like it either.
But for them—for ghosts—was this kind of expression really necessary?
The girl didn't understand.
Still, if it would keep 'little sister' from spilling the beans, she didn't mind.
"Fine." The girl nodded, slowly leaning closer to 'little sister's' cheek. Her gaze caught the slight tremble of 'little sister's' nervous eyelashes, and then she pressed a light, fleeting kiss to her face.
"This is enough, right?" the girl asked.
But the response she got wasn't an affirmation.
"Why..."
'Little sister's' lips quivered.
"Why... did it take until today to find me!"
She threw herself into the girl's arms and burst into tears.
It was so cold—being all alone was so cold!
That feeling of not knowing anything, understanding nothing... it was really... really awful...
Tears fell like flower petals, dripping from the corners of her eyes onto the ground before fading away.
Just as the girl was at a loss, an unseen hand rested on her shoulder.
"Other half, I was only gone for a few minutes..." Sunday Silence's voice sounded by her ear. "What are you two doing?"
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T/N: What is happening?
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.