7
(yellow)

Someone once said, dreams were the paths to our subconscious.
Someone once said, dreams can be used to cure their selves.
Unfortunately, I just felt more and more depressed.
Unfortunately, I just felt my subconscious locking the gates tight.
I couldn't be sure which side is the truth, because the pain was equal.
I couldn't understand which side is the truth, because my feelings were confused.
Now, I'll continue.
Finish this story.

The atmosphere changed as soon as Nozomi appeared.
"Hello, Kira Tsubasa-san."
"Um? Hi, hi."
Tsubasa's rage flushed out in front of Nozomi. Nozomi walked to Eli's side and placed her bag to the next seat.
"You don't have to mind me. Just continue with your conversation, hmm?"
Eli sighed and put down the papers in her hands. She looked at me.
"Nishikino Maki."
"…Yes?"
"I have a lot of things to handle; it's not possible for me to do those meaningless things."
"It's not meaningless! It's not…"
"Oh? Then I'll hear it out. If you can't explain, I don't think it's necessary for me to agree."
She glanced at Tsubasa as she spoke.
Tsubasa looked at me.
"Say it, Maki-chan."
Say what? I frowned.
"Tell her what you foresaw."
What? You serious? I widened my eyes.
"You can modify it for a bit."
Let me say my opinions before you just answer them!
"I am in a hurry, speak up quickly." Eli settled the papers on the table and stuffed them into the drawer underneath. Her attitude was like "I really need to leave, just say whatever you have to".
Nozomi spoke again.
"Eli-chi, I think it's okay to listen." She stood by Eli and patted her shoulder.
"Nozomi…"
Eli gazed at her, then sighed.
"I will…I'm listening right now. Nishikino-san, are you ready or not?"
"Uh…"
I tried hard to remember what Honoka said to Eli.
But couldn't think up with what exactly did Honoka said to make Eli agree to join.
There's always been a rattling atmosphere between them. Then, when Honoka reached out, she joined.
What should I do?
Tsubasa took my hand silently.
I gazed at her, she gazed back with a look of trust.
As if she was saying "Fly! I lend you my wings."
"Eli-senpai!" I stood up.
"Um…I…"
How should I start?
Is there anything to win over Eli's heart?
Then I felt the temperature of Tsubasa's hand in my palm. My heartbeat grew steady.
I could nothing besides expressing my hopes truthfully.
"Eli-senpai is an extremely good ballet dancer."
Eli's eyes widened as she heard my words.
"Eli-senpai…I know your dream is to conquer the international stage."
"…Does this have anything to do with inviting me to be a School Idol?"
"Yes."
"Perhaps, in the near future, we'll have the chance to do it."
"If we won over A-RISE from UTX, we could fly anywhere, even to Times Square!"
"Times Square…? You mean the one in New York…"
"Not only Times Square, but touring around the world!"
If it was with μ's, definitely.
Maybe it'll be difficult in this world, but I believe if I went back, we would absolutely step up to an international stage.
"So, Eli-senpai, please help us. Help us with the most important first step."
I lower my head and begged.
It was quiet enough to only hear breathing sounds.
The shuddering one is mine. The slow and steady one was Tsubasa. And the rapid one…whose was it?
There was also one more.
So light that I could barely hear it.
Someone finally spoke after a long silence.
"Eli-chi, do you think that going to Times Square would bring our school fame?"
It was Nozomi. I looked up at her. She already stepped next to the window.
"Nozomi?"
"Don't you want to try, Eli-chi?"
"…It's too unrealistic."
"It's what the card told me."
She drew one. Due to the sunlight, I couldn't see well, but Eli did. She looked very awkward.
"Eli-chi, it's also unrealistic to save the school all on our own."
"This…"
"If the adults are unwilling to help, I don't see the loss of betting for a bit, right?"
Nozomi placed the card in front of Eli and smiled.
"The chairwoman won't look at your files anyway. Why don't we try?"
Eli gazed at the card silently.
And spoke.
"I will consider it." Eli looked at me. "But I have three requests."
'Give me dragon's scales, stones on the moon, and the tears of mermaids!'
I thought Eli's requests would be something like that. After all, she looked really unwilling.
But it was unexpectedly not too tricky.
First, she wanted at least five people for the club.
Second, she wanted a song that satisfies her.
Third…
"After the performance of this song, if we didn't go viral, I'm out."
Eli finished and looked at us.
"So?"
"No problem. You agreed. We'll do it."
Tsubasa replied. What a lot of confidence in there…
Uh. Wait. Under this circumstance, I'll be the one to handle in the end!
I squinted at Tsubasa coldly. She turned around too, and smiled brilliantly.
That was actually really cute. No wonder A-RISE was always a top favorite under her lead.
"I'll look forward to it."
Eli packed her bags and got ready to leave.
"Oh? Are you going home, Eli-chi?"
"Yeah, since we made a promise, I'll just leave this here."
"Wait for me then, I'll go with you, Eli-chi…Ah-"
Nozomi wailed shortly.
Her tarot cards were blown all around by the wind.
"Sorry, Eli-chi, can you wait for me by the shoe cabinets?"
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
I stood up and walked over to Nozomi.
"I'll help you."
"Oh, thank you so much."
"Maki-chan, I'll wait for you at the gates then." Tsubasa walked out. Eli walked out too after she left. It's only Nozomi and I picking up scattered cards.
As I picked them up, I glanced on the patterns on them and thought about Nozomi's strange interest.
"You have anything in mind of my interest, lost princess?"
I turned around. Nozomi was standing behind me, shuffling the cards quietly.
"Toujou…senpai, why do you call me the lost princess?"
I've wanted to ask her the moment she came in. Why did she call me that?

"I thought you really liked here."

A shiver went down my spine without reason.

"Is it so dire for you to…return to that world?"

Wait, what? No. Way.

"Well, you seemed surprised. I was very troubled, you know."

Toujou Nozomi, no, the…THING that looked like Toujou Nozomi was talking in the voice of Nozomi. But the sense of familiarity was completely gone.

"Relax, I will not do anything to you…"

She smiled.
It wasn't Nozomi's smile.
I dropped the cards to the floor again, but only one was facing upwards.

The reversed Death.

I stood up and flee to the door.

"Wait, don't you want to hear me interpret the card?"

No way.

No way.

NO WAY!

I didn't even grab my bag pack. I just ran all the way to the staircase and dashed to the first floor.
I headed to the shoe cabinets and saw Eli waiting there.
I didn't wait for Eli to turn around and didn't switch my shoes to outdoor ones.
I rushed to the gates and saw Tsubasa.
"Oh, Maki-chan, here you are…huh?"
I embraced Tsubasa hardly, seeking the warmth from her.
I ran fast and hard, my body was sweating, but I felt a heavy coldness well up in me.
Who was that?
Who was that person?
Who the heck was the person in Toujou Nozomi's skin?
I shook violently. I didn't hear Tsubasa's anxious at all.
Then I passed out.
The sky was already dark when I opened my eyes. Tsubasa's worried eyes were filled up with tears.
"Maki-chan, are you okay?"
"Yeah…"
"You ran out from school, grasped me, and fainted!"
"Yeah…"
"What happened? What did you see? What's wrong with you?"
"Tsubasa…"
I grabbed her hand and spoke.

"That Nozomi…was a monster."