Chapter 3
When I got home that day, I was just feeling depressed. My mother could tell, so she didn't even ask me to help her out at the inn. I just went up to my room without a word. Thankfully it wasn't raining; thinking about possibly seeing someone on the midnight channel sent shivers up my spine.
I immediately started getting ready for bed. It wasn't even all that late, but seeing Chie act so stupid around Yu just sapped all of my energy. When I finished brushing my teeth, I got into to bed and fell asleep immediately.
I was in the Samegawa flood plain, sitting on the bench just before the hill. I was wearing my kimono, but I felt so naked. People were passing me by, housewives and high school boys, and they were staring at me. I was looking down at the ground, just trying to ignore them, but I then, I couldn't anymore, and I saw their eyes. They were all yellow, they never blinked. They were fixated on me. I started to run.
I ran to the inn, but it was burned to the ground. All of it, just ashes. I was holding back tears. It started to get foggy, so I began sprinting towards the shopping district, just hoping to find anyone.
When I got to Souzai Daigaku, I saw Chie eating a croquette. I screamed for her, and she looked at me. But that's all she did. Her eyes weren't yellow, like the rest. She was just looking at me.
I woke up sweaty. My alarm was ringing. I looked at the calendar; it was only Sunday. I guess I had forgotten to turn my alarm off that day. I guess it worked out.
Without thinking, I called Chie. I don't know why, but I had to tell her what happened. Her phone rang about a thousand times, but finally she answered. She let out a gigantic yawn. In a normal situation, I would've smiled as she did it. But after that dream, I couldn't even think of it.
"Yu… Yukiko?"
"Chie… If everyone hated me, would you hate me too?" It was so dumb, the way I said it. But I had to know.
"Of course not. Jeez, you didn't have to wake me up for just that."
"Oh… Thanks. I dunno. I just needed to ask."
"Well, okay. Now, go back to bed. It's a Sunday."
I said goodbye, and hung up unceremoniously. I felt like a jerk. Like she said, it was a Sunday, I should've been sleeping. But I felt a bit better, hearing her answer. But I didn't feel safe goig back to sleep.