Shuya jerked violently in his seat, and woke up suddenly in a cold sweat.
"A dream, it had all been a dream," he thought, however as with many bad dreams, it took him at least a couple of seconds to come to, to sink back down to reality and remind himself that the morbid horrors that had been cast across his unconscious mind, had only been just that.
It wasn't the first time that he'd had a nightmare like this – the consequences of living in an authoritarian society, meaning that dreams about all sorts of unnameable horrors quite commonly played across many young children's minds. But recently Shuya had been having this particular dream quite often, and it was very difficult once again to remind himself that it really was just that.
He inhaled sharply, taking in the mixture of scents around him: perfume from some of the more promiscuous girls, intertwined with the slightly more acute smell of sweat. Food as well… the students had packed lunches today for their first afternoon away, and there was a distinctly sweet scent in the air. Chocolate and vanilla which had no place in his nightmare.
"Noriko's biscuits," he realised suddenly aloud, and wiped the sleep from his eyes, before blinking them open and coming face-to-face with his best friend Yoshitoki. Suddenly, his dream was a thing of the past as he fought back a smile, seeing the look of confusion stretched across his friend's always heavily animated face. Eyebrows furrowed, the expression in his eyes a mixture of confusion and concern, it was clear that he'd been muttering some interesting things whilst he'd been asleep.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Yoshitoki broke the silence, "…I'm not sure I even want to know!
"Let's just say it was weird. You were making a lot of strange noises, and I'm not sure if you were terrified, or having the absolute time of your life. It ended with you mentioning Noriko," he said, giving his friend a playful nudge, and causing Shuya to laugh even harder.
"Nah I was awake then," he replied, "I can still smell those biscuits of hers – are there any left?"
The two friends glanced across at the opposite seat, where they saw Noriko and her classmate Fumiyo, with their heads pressed together, fast asleep. They'd all been travelling for just over 2 hours now on the school coach, and the summer heat blowing in through the coach windows made it more than easy for her to be sleeping like a baby. Shuya quietly hoped she was having more peaceful dreams than he'd been having, although the calm expression on her face suggested that to be the case.
"Perhaps best asking her once she's caught a bit of shut-eye," he said softly, answering his own question. He rubbed his eyes and started rummaging around in his bag, trying to find the bottle of water he'd brought along for the ride, to help wake him up, bring him swiftly back to the present. All the while, Yoshitoki continued to stare at him inquisitively, wide-eyed and curious still about the interesting actions and words that his friend had been making in his sleep.
As Shuya pulled the bottle out of his bag, Yoshi cleared his throat and asked,"So… anything I should know about? Noriko, eh?"
"Not one of those kind of dreams, Yoshi m' man", Shuya answered, rolling his eyes and punching his friend playfully in the shoulder. "Though that would have definitely been more pleasant, be it Noriko, or any of our classmates, even Souma. Was a pretty messed up nightmare actually, dreamt I was in the program – running around on some island and trying to avoid getting shot by this maniac chasing after me with an Uzi. It felt really real, I'm guessing I was making all sorts of noises, right? There was definitely nothing amorous going on up here," he said, tapping his head.
He looked to his friend, expecting to see him laughing, but Yoshitori's expression, rather than being amused, was written with concern and anxiety. Any mention of the program could never bring anything but fear and horror, and Yoshitoki understood exactly what his friend must have just been feeling and empathised. "Shit," he exhaled. "I hope you're alright dude."
"Yeah of course I am Yoshi, it was only a dream-"
"…but still". The two friends fell into a silence, before Yoshitoki continued. "I've had dreams about it, and I know how you feel. I mean it's only a dream, but it's more than that, it's really fucking scary."
Shuya laughed lightheartedly and put his arm round his friend's shoulder. "Tell me about it. It doesn't even bare thinking about that this kind of thing really happens. Right here in Japan. But still, don't you go looking at me all concerned with that big Yoshi-frown – I'm a big boy, y'hear? Let's think about how wicked this weekend's gonna be, did you pack some juice?"
Yoshitoki's face immediately changed at the recollection of their chat earlier in the week about bringing a few bottles of spirit along for the trip, and having a lad's night out. "A large bottle of voddy, 48% proof. You?"
Shuya's face broke out into a smile. "You'll have to wait and see Yoshi! Got all sorts of goodies, you here? Gonna be a fucking blast."
"I can't wait!" Yoshitoki said, suddenly smiling as broadly as his friend. "What about the other guys, Yutaka, Mim?"
"Everyone who's everyone's pitched in," Shuya said grinning. "We'll set up camp and then sort out a meeting time, when the teacher's won't be on our backs. Should be wicked!"
The two friends laughed and continued to discuss their plans once they arrived at their destination, as the coach breezed across the motorway in the early morning hours. Meanwhile, back at their school, the students of class 9a were getting on a different coach, oblivious that they were bound for an island where they would become the next contestants on the program.