Chapter 6: Dreams and Reality
Sliding into a space beside my girlfriend, my exhausted butt plops down hard, a grunt escaping my lips. I set down the small bowl packed with fruit onto the dining hall table, before groaning and releasing a yawn once more. Today has been quite possibly one of the worst days in my life. Well, perhaps not in my life, that's too dramatic… But still, I have barely any energy left.
The hall is currently populated by mostly Mahogany Creek students, who are taking advantage of the 'free food station' that Mr. Hiyama set up for them. Lucky bastards, they get all the best meals for dinner without having to pay a single cent. Although the bigger problem here is just how loud they are. There are many conversations going on around me; the constant chatter is starting to bring on a dull headache.
Pulling my focus from those students the best I can, I turn my attention to Miku, who is leaning forward to open up a box of fresh pizza. The three of us have decided to treat ourselves after such a gruelling day. "Hmm..." The second she uncovers the glorious food within the box, the mouth-watering scent of cheese and veggies hits my nostrils. There are few things that can cheer me up after a dark mood takes over, and of course, one of those things is pizza.
"I say this is a well deserved treat." Dell appears to have brightened up a bit from this afternoon, or perhaps he's just forcing a smile in front of us. He reaches into the box, being the first to grab a slice with pepperoni on it.
"Tell me about it," I scoff in agreement. I wait for Miku to help herself to some food first, before taking a slice of my own. She happily munches away at it, a look of satisfaction crossing her features. Feels like it's been a while since I last saw her so overjoyed.
Bringing the slice up to my lips, I feel my stomach turn all of a sudden. Amid the silence between us, my thoughts trail off into painful memories of earlier this evening. I've been trying my hardest to avoid recollecting that mess, but it seems I'm still in shock. Frowning lightly, I take a small bite and start to slowly chew. There's nothing left for us to talk about over dinner. It's all been said and done about a thousand times already, and I doubt either one of us want to openly talk about how our best friend gave up on us so fast. This pizza is starting to taste pretty bad.
A light sigh huffs its way out of me. I rest an elbow on the table, leaning against my palm and idly glancing around the dining hall. Some of the students that were here a few minutes ago have dispersed and moved onto elsewhere in the school, leaving only a small number of occupied tables. My eyes rest on a table where a group of four girls are sitting together. "Hm…?" I quietly mutter, squinting my eyes slightly.
I can't tell exactly who they are at first glance, since two of them have their backs turned, but the other two are in plain sight. It's those Mahogany Creek girls… One of them has blue hair that's as dark as mine; sitting next to her is a girl wearing a shirt that has small stars on it. My eyes normally wouldn't have been drawn to them out of nowhere, but something isn't right here. Even though two of the girls have their backs turned, I'm quick to notice that they're all wearing matching necklaces which have small rubies hanging down from the chains. It's not like they're glowing or anything, so I don't think they're evil witches – despite how weird they've been acting – but still, seeing those necklaces forms a pit in my stomach.
Grimacing, I'm unable to pull my eyes off them; the rubies in particular. I can't see all the details of the first two, but the other two are easy to scan over. The blue-haired girl's ruby is shaped like a… tear drop? No, maybe a water drop… And the other girl, with the star patterns on her shirt, has a very fitting star-shaped jewel hanging from her necklace. Why do I get the feeling they're part of some cult? Eh, no, that's too dramatic. Still…
"Kaito-kun?" Miku's soft tone of concern snaps me back into the real world. Darting my eyes away from the four girls, I look to her. "Is something wrong?"
As if he knows where I've been looking, Dell glances over his shoulder momentarily, focusing right on the group of girls. A teasing smirk pulls at his lips. "Tut, tut… Kaito-kun, you haven't been checking out those Mahogany girls, have you?"
My eyes widen in shock at his absurd accusation. I feel the familiar rush of blood to my cheeks, and before I can yell at him, Miku speaks first.
"Mmmh…! Kaito-kuuun, you haven't have you?" she whines, an over-dramatic pout pulling at her lips. She drags out her words in such a childish way that part of me thinks she's just messing around, but there also appears to be fire in her eyes.
"N-No!" I'm quick to shut that claim down, sending a threatening glare to my best friend. He just grins widely at me, mouth full of food. How delightful. "I was just… ah..." Well, maybe I was checking those girls out. But not in the way my jealous girlfriend thinks.
"Day-dreaming of things you can't have?" Dell starts poking fun at me once more. While it's great to see him smirking and joking away after the disastrous scene a short while ago, I kind of wish he was still in a sour mood so I can avoid the humiliation.
"Kn-Knock it off," I huff. I'm worrying that Miku is about to think up of ways to murder me in my sleep and make it look like an accident. Letting out a sigh, I steer the conversation in a more serious direction, lowering my voice as to not be heard. "I just kind of noticed… Those girls over there… They're all wearing matching ruby necklaces."
Dell narrows his eyes at me, obviously confused. "Um. I don't get it." He outright says so.
Miku rubs at the back of her neck, a small laugh passing her lips. "Mm… Me neither."
Yeah, I knew it'd boil down to nothing. I still have a strange feeling, though. "If they were Oak Valley students, I wouldn't pay any attention to it at all. But since they're..."
"Since they're not?" Miku interrupts as my words trail off, guessing the next thing I want to say.
"Okay, maybe I'm kind of starting to get it," Dell pipes up, but he doesn't sound thoroughly convinced as of yet.
Suppose I'll have to think of a way to convince him, or to at least get the two of them to understand why I'm so weirded out by their cult-like ways. Even if I'm not entirely sure why myself. "They've just been acting really weird ever since they got here," I start.
Miku hums lightly to herself in thought, glancing over to the girls to get a better look. "Ah… Now that you mention it..." Something must've clicked in her mind. She points to the girl with stars all over her. "That girl there… With the light purple hair. She's staying in our room for the trials. I think I've seen her wearing that pendant before, but I never really thought much more of it. You're right, Kaito-kun, she has been acting strange."
"Strange how, though?" Dell curiously raises a brow, not buying it yet. "Not to get all defensive for them, of course. But… You know, they're Mahogany kids. Strange is kind of their thing."
"I guess he has a point," I reluctantly admit, with a huff.
"Hah, well… y'see..." Miku gently rubs at her cheek with a finger, letting out an awkward giggle. "I don't think I've ever seen her take that necklace off. Not even at bedtime."
By now, my eyebrows are raised, too. Dell's eyes sort of widen even more, in a state of even more confusion and surprise.
"Her name is, um… Xingchen, I believe," she shyly continues. "I asked a bit about her friends, but she didn't say much other than their names. That girl with the blue hair is Una. The other two are Aoki and Merli… They're sisters or something, or at least, the way Xingchen spoke made it seem that way."
Hmm. So that's who they are. They're a strange bunch for sure. Hearing this from Miku only solidifies that terrible feeling in my stomach. I don't suppose those necklaces are a way they show their love for a pop band or… maybe some sort of anime…? I'm sure I would've recognised the symbols – or at least, Miku would have.
And on cue, the teal-haired anime lover shakes her head. Mind reader, much? "I know some pretty obscure anime shows. Even manga," she answers.
Dell exchanges glances with me. That makes my throat grow dry. So, even he's starting to understand now. "So, we can scratch crazy fangirls off the list?" he hesitantly asks.
"Y'know, ever since these Mahogany weirdos have set foot in here, things have been crazy," I say, stating the obvious. It's important to reiterate this to the two. Obviously, I don't want to dive into the deep end and say they're witches and those ruby necklaces are their source of dark magic. In fact, the conclusion I've come to is pretty surface level. "Maybe these girls are behind some of the sneak thief acts that have been going on in the events."
"Hmm," Miku ponders. She lightly taps at her chin in thought. "It's possible, but… How would they get their hands on our plans?"
There's some silence for a short while as we attempt to come up with a response. Just as I figure I've made a baseless assumption, Dell finally speaks up. "Xingchen-san is your new room-mate, right, Miku-chan?"
Miku pulls her eyes up from the table, looking over to him. She slowly nods, and while I'm a bit slow to understand what Dell is getting at, I eventually understand along with her. "Neru-chan and I… Well..." It must pain her to mention her best friend. The wounds are still fresh – the words sting me a bit, too. "We had some of our plans for the events written down. I… I offered up my bed to Xingchen-san to be nice, and she must've saw the plans on my bedside desk." A guilty frown pulls at her lips. Does she think it's… her fault?
I'm quick to jump in and reassure her. It's my place, after all. I gently rest my hand on top of hers, giving her a soft smile. "Hey, don't look so down," I say. Even if she did carelessly leave the plans out next to her bed, she's still not to blame. There's no way any of us could've predicted how much of a snake this Xingchen girl is. "You weren't to know how devious she is. Don't blame yourself, Mi-chan… We know how stuck up and rude they are, but we didn't know they're cheaters."
"B-But if I just… wasn't so..." Miku struggles to get her words out, and as she attempts to tell herself off, tears fill her eyes. It's not just about the plans and cheating at this point.
"Kaito-kun is right, for once," Dell softly teases me, chuckling in hopes that Miku will cheer up. "Don't beat yourself up, okay? That's what these Mahogany kids want. They want you to lose confidence in yourself."
I squeeze Miku's hand a bit tighter when I notice that she's lowered her head in shame. I shift some of her teal hair out of her eyes and run my thumb as softly as I can across her cheek. My heart is pounding rather hard in my chest. It's beyond painful to see Miku reduced to tears. My sweet, bright and bubbly Miku… All because of Xingchen and those bitchy friends of hers. I'm going to have to confront them sooner or later – I'll force them to admit what they've done. "C'mon, Mi-chan. Let's get away from here, okay? We'll go to your room for a bit. We can talk everything over."
Dell lightly coughs. "I, uh… I'll leave you two alone, alright? You need some privacy to sort things out," he says. He really doesn't have to do that, but… I suppose his mind is already made up. "We can meet tomorrow morning for the academics brainstorm session. It'll probably be some hardcore math stuff, so we need to get prepared."
Miku sniffles, before nodding weakly. "S-Sorry… I'll be okay tomorrow morning… I just..." She's still at a loss for words, so all she can do is sigh in frustration at herself and give up.
"Here," I slide the bowl of fruit I've been saving toward Dell. Since I won't have time to finish it off, I'll let him have it, just this once. I'm not usually generous in giving away such delicious food.
Dell lightly smirks, "I'm shocked. You're being so nice. Thanks." He winks at me, taking the bowl and pulling himself up. "I'll try not to bite Gakupo-san's head off tonight." He gives us a wave before heading out of the dining hall.
"How about we finish off this pizza in your room, hmm?~" I softly suggest, helping Miku up to her feet with a grin. All she does is nod in response. I slide my arm through hers, taking hold of the pizza box in my free hand. On my way out of the hall, I sneak one more look at Xingchen and her three friends. They're laughing and chatting amongst themselves. I can't wait to wipe the smug smiles off their damn faces for causing all this between my friends.
…
After a while, I finally see my girlfriend's wonderful, angelic smile once more. It's not much of a cheery, bright grin… But she's happy again for now. I took her back to her room, and we've been sitting on the floor together, finishing off the remaining pizza and making an attempt at moving past the gloomy atmosphere.
I decide against pressuring her into explaining her feelings any further. I already understand, anyway. She thinks it's her fault that Neru has become such a different person recently… That if Xingchen hadn't stolen our event plans, Neru wouldn't have lost confidence in herself and distanced herself from us. Maybe that's true, but Miku still isn't to blame for this. The blame will always be on Mahogany Creek. They're masters of manipulating, lying, and cheating. Neru will come back to us soon.
Instead of focusing on all of that, I had spent some time cuddling her and kissing her tears away. It had took a while to get her to calm down, but after spending some time in each other's arms, she was able to regain her composure. Now, we're currently just having a friendly chat about old memories.
I let a soft sigh pass my lips, taking a glance at the clock hanging on the wall. It's nearing 9pm, and Neru hasn't returned to her room yet. I can't help but grimace at the thought that she might be staying out somewhere with Len. On the other hand, Xingchen hasn't come back either, which is a relief. I'd have yelled at her if she came back.
"Looks like we have the room to ourselves tonight," I casually remark, and though it sounds innocent enough, I'm unable to resist the urge to slip a bit of a suggestive tone in there.
Miku's cheeks flush light red, and a soft giggle escapes her lips. "Kaito-kun..." she rolls her eyes. "Ah, geez. We've barely had any time to ourselves ever since the trials started." She sounds a bit upset as she mentions that. Now that I think about it, she's right. When was the last time we sat alone like this…? Probably the morning after Neru's birthday.
"Feels like it's been forever, huh?" I respond, before stretching my arms out behind me, a yawn slipping out. It's not even that late and I'm growing sleepy already. Miku nods in agreement, and as she watches me, a small yawn also escapes her. Although when she yawns, she's far more adorable than I could ever be doing it. Still, I wish we could have a bit more time together…
All of this going on with Xingchen and her group is almost too much to handle. Now that I have time to think about it, something just doesn't add up. Gakupo got his hands on our plans, not the girls. Unless… Since Xingchen found Miku's plans… Xingchen could have been the one to hand them over to Gakupo, so that the girls don't get themselves involved. They've probably been conspiring together all week before coming here.
Lightly shaking my head, I decide in the end not to think about it. My head's pounding again. It's the perfect time to get some sleep. Neru and Xingchen most likely won't be coming back tonight. I can pull up a futon and rest on the floor here.
"Hmm… Mind if I go to sleep now, Kaito-kun?" Miku asks, a hint of sleepiness in her voice. She rubs at her eyes, which thankfully aren't red and puffy any more.
"Nope. Sounds good to me. I'm exhausted," I chuckle. I glance around the room, and pinpoint the futon spread out across the floor near a wall. Perfect, there's my bed for the night. Instead of picking myself up like a normal person, I begin to lazily crawl toward it on all fours, just as a dog would.
"Kaito-kun, you're so lazy," Miku giggles from behind me. She's probably getting a good view of my… Well.
"Pssh… Don't lecture me, I'm tired," I huff in a childish tone. I slip into the futon, not having the energy to change into some night clothes, or even take my shirt off. I'll likely regret this in the morning when I'm rushing around to get a shower and find fresh clothes, but… That's a problem for future me. Sorry, present Kaito.
When I look over at Miku, she's sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling on some fluffy bedsocks. They're light blue, as expected. I roll over onto my side, propping myself up slightly by resting my palm against my cheek. The last time we were alone was that morning of the assembly announcing the trials. Thinking back on it, Miku said something about… past lives? My tiredness is replaced by mild curiosity, wanting to know more about what she meant. "Hey, Mi-chan?"
She slides herself under the covers of her bed, before letting out a 'hmm' in wondering. She sluggishly moves a hand up to her hair, pulling out her hair-ties.
"I was just wondering what exactly you meant by that past life stuff the other day," I casually say.
"Oh?" She raises a brow, as though she can't quite remember the conversation. She pauses to think… And then another 'oh' passes her lips, but more of a gasp in realisation. "Mm, it was more of a passing thought rather than anything too deep," she admits, with a shy laugh.
"I see..." Maybe there is something to it, after all. "Well, what kind of person d'you think you were in a past life? Still as sweet and adorable as ever?" I flash her playful smirk.
She seems to get a bit flustered at that, giggling nervously now as she ponders an answer. "Heh~ Yeah, I get the feeling I was the same sort of person. Friendly, always there as a shoulder to lean on..."
"Hmmm," I narrow my eyes at her, taking in her appearance seriously for the first time in a while. It's been a while since I fully scanned her and took a moment to truly take in the kind of person she is. I'm staring into the deepest corners of her mind right now. Okay, not literally… "You were a princess."
When I speak as bluntly as that, I swear steam comes shooting out of her ears. Her embarrassment grows tenfold at the statement. "A p-princess? W-Wow…! You really think I… I could be capable of…?!" Looks like I've tapped into a life-long aspiration of hers.
"Oh, absolutely." I nod, playing into her love of princesses. What girl doesn't love the idea that they could've been a princess in a previous life? I imagine a whole lot of young women fantasised about being a princess during childhood at least once. Miku is certainly no different from those girls.
"W-Well..." After seeming to calm down a little bit, she flutters her lashes at me. "You were… definitely a prince. M-My… prince..." She grows all starry-eyed as she says that, and judging by that giddy expression taking over her face, she's probably imagining me as her prince husband in a huge fancy castle.
A soft, awkward laugh comes out in response. Not sure how I feel about being a prince, but if it makes her happy… I give a sort of shrug. "You really think I could be capable of handling royal duties and all that?" I repeat the same thing she asked me a few moments ago, twisting it to make her actually use her brain in the midst of all this girly freaking out.
"Of course~" She beams without missing a beat. So much for using her brain. "Like I said before, you're so laid-back and downright lazy sometimes."
"Gee, thanks," I remark, raising a brow.
"But," she continues, interrupting my sour response. "What kind of pampered prince isn't lazy at times, hmm? Being a prince would suit you so well."
A grunt passes my lips at that. This kind of talk is hurting my head. It's weird to even think about things like past lives, when I've only been in this body for sixteen years. This is the kind of thing you wonder about when you're in your forties or fifties, right? I shuffle myself into a more comfortable position, lying flat on my back now. "Well, who knows," I nonchalantly answer.
Following my movements, Miku also turns onto her back, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "I suppose there's no need to think so hard on it. We'll never know either way," she sighs, though in a dreamy manner. I bet she'll have some wild dreams tonight.
"Maybe I'll conjure up fantastical royal imagery while I sleep tonight," I snicker, poking my hand out of the futon to flick off the light switch just above me. Darkness floods the room, leaving the only source of light to be the soft silver moon spilling through a small crack in the curtains.
"Yeah..." Miku softly hums in agreement. I'm left to wonder whether she's taking this seriously or not, because I'm definitely not. There's no way past lives exist. But it's still been a nice little conversation, after all that's happened lately. A sense of normality is really what I need. "Well, g'night Kaito-kun."
"Mm. Goodnight, Mi-chan." I finally let my eyes slip shut, while a heavy huff pushes its way out of me. It's a shame that tomorrow, things will become hectic all over again, and it'll be another few days before Miku and I can share a peaceful moment like this. Grimacing lightly to myself, I do as she says, not thinking too hard on what's to come… and allow myself to drift off to sleep.
…
There's a soft clicking sound as my shoes come into contact with the unfamiliar marble floor beneath my feet, with each step I take. That's strange. Why are my footsteps so loud? No, why is this place so quiet? Besides, where is this place? I could've sworn I fell asleep hours ago. So, why is it I'm in a place I can't recognise, and more importantly, why am I just casually walking like this? It's as though I have no control over myself.
My head echoes with commands to stop, but no actual words come out of my mouth. I'm physically straining in an attempt to yell out and regain control over my movements, yet every single attempt ends in my words getting caught up in my throat and gulped back down. I'm just a floating brain, aren't I? Forced to watch through the eyes of someone that's taken over my body as they keep walking forward, across a vast unrecognisable hall.
Though as I make my way through, the realisation hits me that maybe I'm just speechless, and that's why nothing is coming out. This place is… fantastic…! Slowly moving my head from left to right, I take in the shimmering marble floor, tall white doors and walls, adorned with a beautiful shade of gold along the outlines. Even the ceiling… Are those chandeliers hanging down, too? I can see the crystals reflecting the blinding gold.
Wait a minute. Miku and I were talking about princes and princesses earlier, weren't we? I get it. This is just a dream. "Then, why… does it feel so real?" I mutter those words without really thinking, and I can't help but blink in surprise when they actually come out. I trail my eyes down and slowly lift my palms forward, stopping in my tracks – finding that I'm able to control my movements now. I'm really here. Squinting, I realise there are white gloves on my hands. Not only that, dark blue sleeves cover my wrists. What on earth am I wearing? I need to find a mirror somewhere.
When I pull my eyes from my hands, after fixating on them for a good few moments in confusion, I then see that I'm standing right outside one of those tall doors I saw earlier. The halls were deadly silent all but a moment ago, but now I can hear faint chatter coming from behind that door. Raising a brow, I reach a gloved hand out and push the door open. The sudden shift from silence to a burst of voices is almost deafening. "Woah..."
All I can do is whisper in awe at the sight. There are at least a hundred people before my eyes, all crowding around multiple light wood tables. I've stumbled into some sort of shockingly large dining hall, and what's even more baffling is the sea of faces, each of them wearing outrageously fancy dresses and suits.
Taking a step inside, I'm hit by an overpowering mix of scents. This is insane. I'm dreaming, right? So why can I smell the soup that those servants over there are bringing out? Why can I smell the different orders of tea?
I start to shake my head slowly. My legs are trembling. I couldn't have wandered off and got lost while sleepwalking, could I? But… That doesn't explain my clothes… Or this intense atmosphere. I squeeze my eyes shut, taking a couple of steps backward, refusing to accept that this is real. Wake up, Kaito. Wake up. "Ah…!" I end up tripping over my feet in my panic, and before I know it, I've crashed to the floor and the pain I feel is all too real. A sharp crack to my backside. My eyes jolt open, and I'm still in this weird place.
I frantically scramble to get up on my feet, pressing my palms against the smooth, cold floor to support myself. Jumping up, I spin around and rush to the opposite end of the hall as fast as I can. This is slowly becoming a nightmare, rather than a fantastical 'dream'. At this point, I'm growing desperate, hoping to find an exit since there's no chance of me waking up. I can't stay in this freakishly fancy palace for the rest of my life. I'm not the type of person who belongs here.
When I finally reach the opposite end of the hall, I'm stood in front of yet another door. Only this time, I can't hear any voices from the other side, which is a good sign so far. Taking in a deep breath to steady my nerves, I brace myself best I can for what may lie beyond this gold-decorated door. If only it wasn't so hard for me to find the way out of here… I hope this gets me one step closer at the very least.
I shove it open rather harshly, and to my surprise, it opens to reveal two tall figures standing at the far end of the room. This area is smaller than the last and the hall outside; there's a deep red carpet that stretches up to a pair of thrones. I blink a few times, unable to believe what I'm seeing. So, this must be where the… king and queen…? Wait, these two figures standing here – their backs are turned but they're wearing crowns and outfits with a far more sophisticated air surrounding them than those in the dining hall. Narrowing my eyes, I take in their appearances from behind. For some reason, I'm no longer interested in getting out of here and my panic has dissipated.
They're a bit far away, but I can easily tell that the one on the left is a man – the king, perhaps? He has short brown hair, neatly trimmed, as expected. The figure on the right is a woman. And even though I can't see her face, it's obvious that she's incredibly beautiful. Her light blue hair runs smoothly down her back. They're just… standing there. Motionless.
Although suddenly, the man speaks. His voice doesn't sound as harsh as I expected, nor does he even have the power behind his voice that a king should. "He's finally here."
Looking from side to side quickly, I realise that there's nobody else here that he could be referring to. "I..." I can't think of the right words to say. I'm overwhelmed by their presence. There's some sort of strong sense of familiarity as I begin approaching the two. As though I've known them all my life. This can't be… Haven't I felt this way just recently?
"Oh, my dear… He may be here, but there's nothing that can be done..." The woman speaks next, and her words seem to be wrapped in mystery. "This is just a dream, after all. This is the only way we can reach him."
I don't understand what on earth they're talking about. It's like they're talking to me, but they're really not. More like, they're talking about me to each other. This is so confusing. Is this really a dream?
The two of them slowly start to turn around to face me.
…
"Ah…!"
A sharp, quiet gasp escapes my lips as I jolt up in the futon. The uncomfortable sensation of my warm, sticky clothes rubbing against me becomes more apparent after a few seconds pass, and I come to my senses a bit more. I dart my eyes around, breathing heavily as I process exactly where I am. My glance lands on the occupied bed in the corner of the room.
That's right. I fell asleep in Miku's room. But that dream… That was a dream, wasn't it? I'm left stunned, staring at my girlfriend as I attempt to figure out what exactly just happened. I lift a hand up to my forehead, clutching at it for a few moments, recollecting to the best of my ability the contents of that dream. Or… whatever it is. Calming myself down eventually, I run my fingers across my forehead and wipe away the beads of sweat. I need to relax. Not think about it so hard. I just let my wild imagination get the better of me.
Releasing a deep sigh, I slink back into the futon, and rest on my side. Miku is still fast asleep over there. Heh… Just calm down, Kaito. This is all your fault for getting so carried away and playing into your girlfriend's fantasies. It's no wonder I had such an odd dream.
There's just been so much going on. I sigh to myself in my mind, allowing my eyes to slip shut again. There's no time to focus on rationalising it, anyway. In the morning, the chaos will begin all over again, and I need to find a way to expose Xingchen and her Mahogany buddies for the cheaters they are in between all this. Squeezing my eyes shut a bit harder, I block out those thoughts and focus on getting some more sleep.
...